Title: Untitled
By: Caroline Crane
Pairing: Speed/Tyler
Rating: PG

He'd been whining about Calleigh and that homicide detective pretty much since the minute Speed let him in, so it took Delko awhile to notice the brochures on the counter. Finally even Delko had to come up for air, though, and when he did he glanced down and saw them. "You planning a cruise?"

"No," Speed said, looking up from the roast he was rubbing with horseradish long enough to glance over his shoulder at Delko. "Tyler is."

"What, Tyler's planning a vacation without you?"

Speed rolled his eyes but didn't bother looking at Delko. "No. I'm just not interested."

"So you're gonna make him go by himself? That's kind of cold, don't you think?"

And now he wished he'd shoved the damn things in a drawer before Delko showed up, except that Delko never called first, so he hadn't exactly had the chance. Besides, if they weren't on the counter when Tyler got home he'd take it as some kind of signal, and Speed was really tired of having the same conversation over and over again. He just didn't get the appeal of floating around on a giant deathtrap in the middle of nowhere, and he didn't get why that was such a big deal. It wasn't like he'd refused to go on vacation at all; summer break was coming up, after all, and he could use some time away from campus. Granted, it wasn't as stressful as when he still worked in the lab, but he wouldn't mind going someplace with Tyler for a few days of just them and a big bed. He just didn't see why it had to be on a boat.

"I'm not making anybody do anything," Speed answered as he opened the oven and slid the roast inside. What they really needed to do was spend their vacation at home renovating the kitchen; that was the practical plan, and the money they'd spend on a week in the Caribbean would go a long way toward new appliances and countertops. But when he'd suggested it Tyler had just looked at him like he'd never seen Speed before.

When he looked up Delko was shaking his head, brochures still firmly in hand and Speed let out a heavy sigh. He'd already heard it all from Tyler; the last thing he needed was Delko pressuring him about something that was none of his business.

"Look, Speed," Delko said, holding up a hand when he looked up to find Speed glaring at him. "Just hear me out. I mean, this whole thing with you and Tyler kind of took me by surprise at first, yeah, but it's obvious you've got a good thing going. So why not just make the guy happy? If he wants to go on a cruise, take him on a cruise."

"Oh, so you're giving relationship advice now?" Delko winced when he said it and Speed was instantly sorry, but he wasn't going to take it back. They both knew Delko was the last one to be lecturing anybody on relationships, and anyway Speed didn't have to agree to some expensive vacation to keep Tyler happy.

"You're right," Delko answered, shrugging and okay, maybe Speed shouldn't have said it like that. "But that's my point, man. If Calleigh wanted me to take her on a cruise, I'd be on the phone to the travel agent before she had a chance to show me the brochures."

Speed didn't bother pointing out that his situation wasn't even close to Delko's. For one thing, Tyler hadn't spent the past six years giving him the run-around, and for another, they already lived together. Tyler knew how Speed felt about him, and he didn't have to prove it by getting on some boat with a bunch of other gay couples and waving rainbow flags all weekend. Not that Speed was going to point out to Delko that the cruise Tyler was thinking about was a gay cruise. "If you like the idea so much maybe you should go with him."

"Maybe I will," Delko answered, smiling that smug smile and Speed had to work hard not to laugh at the image of Delko on a boat full of gay couples. "I could use a vacation."

The front door opened before Speed could answer, and when Tyler walked into the kitchen he didn't stop himself from smiling. "Hey."

"Hey," Tyler said, leaning in for a kiss and that was still a little weird in front of Delko, but Speed didn't pull away. "Hey, Eric. How's life at the crime lab?"

"Same story, different day," Delko answered. Speed wasn't surprised that he left out the part where Calleigh had a new boyfriend and she'd pretty much told Delko it was never going to happen. Not that Speed blamed him; it was probably hard enough to admit it to Speed, there was no way he was going to say spill his guts to Tyler. "I was just looking at your brochures. Looks pretty nice."

"Tell that to Tim. He's sure the ship will hit a sandbar or something and we'll all drown."

"Delko's up for it," Speed said as he reached in the fridge for the green beans. "I bet he'd be really popular on board. Maybe he could even give you some diving lessons while you're in port. Your own private lessons. Though you could probably make a lot of money if you sold private lessons to the other passengers."

"What's so funny?" Delko asked when Tyler laughed, and Speed almost felt guilty again. But he was the one who wouldn't let it go, so it was his own fault.

"It's a gay cruise," Tyler answered, using that same gentle voice he always used when he was trying to convince Speed to do something Tyler knew he'd hate. "Couples, mostly, but some people bring straight family members."

"I don't think you could pass for our supportive brother, though," Speed added, laughing at Delko's expression.

"Hilarious," Delko said, dropping the brochures back on the counter and standing up. "If I wanted this kind of abuse I'd just hang out at the lab."

"Sit down," Speed said, ignoring the look Delko shot him. "Dinner's almost ready."

"I'm going to go wash up." Tyler pushed himself off the counter and headed toward the back of the house, but he paused in the doorway to look back at Delko. "You're staying for dinner, right?"

"I shouldn't," Delko answered, but he sat down and picked up the brochures again. For awhile he didn't say anything at all, and Speed wasn't sure whether he was getting the silent treatment or if Delko was just thinking about Calleigh again. Then Delko looked up and waved the brochure at him, and Speed stopped himself from rolling his eyes for the eleventh time.

"Seriously, you should go, man."

"Thanks for the advice."

Delko grinned at that and dropped the brochure on the counter. "What are friends for?"