Fandom: Proof of Life (General Series)
Characters: Terry Thorne and Dino
Prompt: 026 Teammates
Title: Dog and Pony Show
Word Count: 956
Summary: Dino is having a bad day. He is forced to be paraded about to woo more investors.
Dino doesn't have a Christian name in the movie, so me and a friend came up with one for him. He doesn't like it, but he has learned to deal with it...lol
Author's Notes: Don't own Terry or Dino and more's the pity. They are a fun couple of blokes to have around. Not making any money off of this, so Warner Bros can sic their lawyers on someone else.

Dino was not a happy man. He had arrived in London hours before from completing a grueling assignment with one desire in mind. He had wanted to sleep for a week in a proper bed, get drunk and then sleep for another week. That desire had been dashed by his flat mate once he had passed through baggage claim.

"Are you jerking my chain, Terry?" he has asked on the ride into the city.

"Would I do that, mate?"

"In a heartbeat."

"Not this time," Terry had said with undue seriousness. "Kincaid was so thankful to have his daughter returned safely that he mentioned to Ian something about new investors and..."

"And thus we have tonight's dog and pony show," Dino had finished for Terry.

&/&/&

Luthan Risk had rented one of the nicer Thames ferries for the soiree. Everyone was having a good time, except Dino. Thanks to Terry's warning, he was semi-prepared to play his part. He still wanted to slowly strangle his boss, but valued his freedom too much, so he performed and escaped when it was feasible.

Now, he was safely hidden from the revelers that buzzed about the ferry enjoying the party. He leaned on the railing of the second deck studying the brackish water as it flowed pass the boat.

He silently puffed on a cigarette telling himself that he needed to quit, but knowing he wouldn't til he really had to. He would have killed for a drink stronger than the
champagne flowing on the upper deck.

The slight evening breeze ruffled his reddish-gold hair and brought to him a hint of the sea that was miles downstream. He disliked having to dress up, and it had done nothing to improve his already rotten mood, so he decided to make himself comfortable.

He finished off the cigarette tossing the butt out into the river. He stood up and shrugged out of his suit jacket. He laid it on a chair behind him before reaching up to loosen his tie and unbutton the top two buttons of his green dress shirt.

He lit up another cigarette and resumed his study of the river.

&/&/&

"The current is too strong in this part of the river, mate," an Aussie accented voice broke into Dino's thoughts.

Dino turned his head slightly and regarded the person who dared to seek him out and brave his surly mood. Only Terry Throne would do something so potentially dangerous.

"Pity," he remarked with undue sarcasm. He finished the cigarette and flicked the butt into the growing darkness. "A relaxing swim would have been nice."

"I'm not certain I would like to see you get arrested for indecent exposure," Terry quipped. His warped Aussie sense of humor was in full force.

"Might have been the perfect ending to this lousy evening," Dino countered. His attention was turned outward again as he idly studied the buildings on the bank as the boat slowly traveled down river toward Greenwich. "Star employee of the highly respected kidnap and ransom firm Luthan Risk arrested this evening for skinny dipping in the Thames."

The thought of Dino's bare-arsed naked pic being splashed across the morning papers had Terry shaking his head in bemusement. "You are in rare form tonight, Tracy."

"Shout it off the rooftops, why don't you, Terrence," Dino growled. He never liked his Christian name anymore than Terry liked his. He silently rued the day his mother had become a Spencer Tracy fan.

"Here," Terry said, giving Dino's arm a gentle nudge. Dino's surliness didn't faze him because he knew his friend was literally dead on his feet. "Get this in ya."

Dino accepted the tumbler and took a sip. The whiskey burned a path down his throat and washed the sour taste that the current dog and pony show had left in his mouth. "When did you take up mind reading?"

"When I started working with you," Terry replied. He leaned on the railing facing inward, so he could keep a weathered eye on his friend's mood. "By the way, Ian was looking for you awhile ago."

"Ian can go fuck himself with a very sharp object," Dino muttered. "I'm tired of being paraded about like some prized beast."

"Fair dinkum," Terry agreed.

They lapsed into a companionable silence letting the noise of the party flow over them.

&/&/&

"Gentlemen," Ian Harvey greeted them as they slipped into the flow of revelers leaving the boat.

"Ian," Dino replied in false politeness.

"I hope you had a pleasant evening."

"Just peachy," Dino drawled with a hint of mischief in his deep voice.

"Dino," Terry warned. He didn't want in the middle of another pissing match between his friend and their boss.

Dino sniffed in derision, but refrained from tossing verbal abuse on Ian's head. "It was nice, Ian," he said instead. "See you in the morning."

"Yes," Ian countered. "I, for one, will be looking forward to your report on the Kincaid case."

Dino smiled and stepped past with Terry close behind.

&/&/&

Dino glance briefly at his watch once he reached the dock. He caught Terry's eye. "If we hurry, pal," he remarked with a sly grin. "We can catch the last part of happy hour at the Muddy Duck."

"You heard, Ian, mate," Terry cautioned. "You have a report to give in the morning."

"It won't be the first one I've given with a hangover and it probably won't be the last," Dino philosophized as he headed for the Tube station near Big Ben removing his tie as he walked.

"Alright, mate," Terry agreed as he joined Dino in the queue. "Just to keep you out of trouble."

Dino chuckled. Trouble found him whether he was being good or not.