Title: Varialtion On a Theme
By: Caroline Crane
Pairing: Speed/Tyler
Rating: PG
Summary: Futurefic. It's about compromise.

He remembers the last time he saw snow. It wasn't at David's funeral or anything as dramatic as that – it was his last winter at Columbia, after he'd been following Megan around the crime lab for awhile and decided to go back and finish his degree.

He hasn't missed it – the cold or the wet or the memories of the landscape rushing by too fast and the sudden stop that sent him flying and ended in David lying face up in the snow, eyes bright and impossibly wide. He shudders at the memory, closes his eyes against it and takes a breath, then another until it's gone. And he's not cold, but he wraps his arms around his chest anyway and moves a little closer to the window, watching fat white flakes falling in the light of the street lamp in front of the house.

A hand on his shoulder startles him, and he turns away from the scene outside the window just as Tyler's other hand slides into his line of vision, steam rising out of the mug he's holding. "Mom insisted. It's her special recipe."

Speed takes the mug, breathing in the rich scent of cocoa and a hint of… "Cinnamon?"

"Shh," Tyler says, grinning as he inches closer and slides an arm around Speed's waist. "That's the special part. You're not supposed to guess the secret ingredient."

Speed stifles a grin and lifts the mug to his lips, tasting cocoa and cinnamon and freshly whipped cream. And it's been a long time since he had hot cocoa – homemade or otherwise – but he's not surprised that Mrs. Jensen has her own recipe. He's still not sure what exactly he ate for dinner – all he knows is that it was another 'special recipe', and he's pretty sure it involved green beans. It seemed pretty popular with the rest of the family, though, so he's not going to ask what it was supposed to be.

Not until they're safely back in Miami, anyway, because he's pretty sure Tyler's parents like him, but they still make him a little nervous. Nervous enough to make him glance over his shoulder when Tyler's hand settles on his back, sure that Mr. Jensen's going to appear any second and catch them. Not that they're actually doing anything, but knowing that doesn't make him feel any less like a teenager fooling around while his parents are out.

He's still not sure what he's doing here, how he let Tyler talk him into asking Horatio for a week off and flying all the way to Minnesota at this time of year. Except if he didn't he would have spent the week at home alone, and even telling Horatio where he was going was better than that. At least he'd thought so at the time, but now that he's here he isn't so sure.

"You could go tomorrow, you know," he says, hands gripping the mug just a little too hard. The heat feels good against his skin, distracting in a way that keeps him from worrying about Tyler's reaction.

"I don't want to."

It's a lie – he knows it is, because Tyler's sister made such a big deal about it over dinner and he's sure it's some kind of tradition for them. A tradition he's screwing up, and he's pretty sure Tyler's sister doesn't like him much. "Your sister wants you to."


Tyler laughs at that, hand sliding a little lower and Speed focuses on the warmth seeping through his shirt. "She'll get over it. Besides, she's got a boyfriend. Let him entertain her, that's his job."

"I'm serious."

"So am I," Tyler answers, grinning against his neck this time and it's all Speed can do not to lean into the touch. "I figured we could drive into the city tomorrow. You can't spend your whole vacation in White Bear Lake."

He doesn't really care about seeing the sights – he doesn't care about driving into the city or playing tourist or any of that stuff, but he does care about Tyler, and that's what makes him feel so guilty. Because he wants Tyler to be happy, but he wants him safe too and just the thought of him out there…Speed swallows another shudder and turns in Tyler's grip, one hand leaving the still-warm mug to rest against his hip.

"Would you have gone if I wasn't here?"

"No," Tyler answers, so sure that Speed has a hard time doubting him. "I'm not going while you are here, so I wouldn't go if you weren't."

It makes sense in a weird way, at least if he doesn't think about it too hard. The mug slides out of his hand, then Tyler's leaning over him to set it on the table before he straightens up to look at Speed again. Just for a second he feels a little guilty for leaving a full mug of Mrs. Jensen's hot cocoa abandoned on the table, but then Tyler's pulling him close and Speed forgets all about the cocoa.

"There's more to do in Minnesota than snowmobiling."

I know, he thinks, but he doesn't trust his voice so instead he just nods and lets his other hand rest on Tyler's waist, dangerously close now and he looks up automatically, expecting to see Tyler's parents watching them. "So you've got this whole week all planned out."

Tyler grins at that, grip tightening to hold Speed close when he tries to pull away. "You wanna go upstairs and talk about it?"

"Tyler," Speed warns, but he lets Tyler tug him toward the stairs. And he's not sure why he feels so weird about this – Tyler's parents are the ones who decided they should stay in Tyler's old room, after all, but part of him wishes they'd booked a hotel for the week. "No way. Not with your parents right down the hall."

A hand closes around his and tugs him up the stairs, down a short hallway and into the bedroom where they put their suitcases that afternoon. The bedroom where Tyler spent his entire childhood, and Speed could tell as soon as he saw it that his parents haven't changed a thing since he moved out. Speed can't say the same about his own room – he hasn't been back to see it in a long time, but he's sure his mother must have turned it into something else by now. A guest room, maybe, or temporary lodging for all those kids she's always so busy saving.

He lets the door close behind them, Tyler's fingers still entwined with his and Speed lets Tyler pull him in for a kiss. "I mean it," he murmurs against Tyler's mouth, free hand holding Tyler's hip just tight enough to keep him from pressing closer.

Tyler's laugh warms his mouth, lips brushing across his jaw as he gives up and pulls away. "Are you gonna keep this up all week?"

"As long as your parents are right down the hall, yeah."

Another smile, bright and amused and Speed finds himself smiling back. "So maybe we'll have to rethink those plans for tomorrow. They'll be at work all day."