Work Text:
It's the only time when he gets to sit back, relax, do nothing for a little while. Sure, he doesn't currently have jobs lined up—didn't have any for a while—but that doesn't mean that he's free to do whatever he wants. There are auditions, photo shoots, acting and voice coaching classes that he keeps going to. And there are other things he's doing that all add up to being not only busy in general, but also barely ever at home.
And being away from home for so much of the year also means not getting to see the people he cares about.
So when it's the holidays, Tyler turns off his phone, sets his emails on vacation reply mode, and just... checks out. He's not Tyler Hoechlin, star of Teen Wolf and Supergirl, he's just... Hoech. Tyler. Uncle Ty. Whatever the name is that the people he's with choose to call him. The kids in the family barely recognize him, especially the younger ones who didn't see him enough over the past year and it hurts even though he's aware that he chose the career he has. A part of him wants to switch to something that would keep him home more, but he's at a loss for what that would be.
He loves acting, he does. He has fun with the things that it encompasses—the dressing up, the slipping into someone else's shoes, the way he gets to feel things that he normally wouldn't.
The people.
Most of all, he loves the people he gets to meet along the way. Even those whom he doesn't get to see as much as he'd love to. More so those whom he keeps in touch with no matter where life takes them.
He spends two solid days with Colton, in his new house and with no one else around. It's just before the actual holidays start and the house has long been decorated like Christmas exploded all over the place. Tyler loves it and he loves to see Colton glow with happiness again. It's been a shit year and Tyler hasn't been around as much as he should have.
"Hoech, shut up," Colton tells him when Tyler tries to apologize. "You had your own shit going on."
"Nothing as what you went through."
"Different. And some of mine worked out, in the end," Colton says, fiddling with his wedding ring. "And don't you dare feel guilty about that," he tells Tyler when he notices the way Tyler's face falls at the reminder of the wedding itself. "We're not talking about that one again."
"Fine. I'm just glad you're okay," Tyler tells him.
"Me too, man. Me too."
They're great days, full of laughter and reminiscing and talking. More talking than Tyler has done in months, because there are things he doesn't—can't—discuss with everyone and with Colton's life having gone to shit a few months ago, Tyler didn't think it right to pile on his own, relatively insignificant, issues.
When he leaves Colton's place, it's to head home to his family. That's where he spends the main part of the holidays, where he has his big dinner after the kids wake everyone up on Christmas Day to open presents. It's where he is when his private phone rings once the family has dispersed again to their own homes.
It's a phone that only very few people have the number for. Colton. Holland. Ian. A select few of the people from the movies he did. Tanner.
Dylan.
The one person who didn't get in touch in a long time. The one person who managed to flip Tyler's life around this year without even knowing he did.
"Hey," Tyler says when he picks up, quietly, trying to hide the tremble in his voice.
"Hoech."
There's a pause and Tyler wonders whether he's supposed to speak. What he's supposed to say.
"Happy holidays," Dylan says before Tyler can.
It's awkward. It's weird in a way that things never really were with Dylan. But then, everything was different until now.
"Merry Christmas," Tyler tells him. "Hope you're having a good one."
"Yeah," Dylan replies, a little too fast. "Yeah, it's cool. Mom and Dad say hi, by the way. And I'm going to see Jules for New Year's."
"That's good. Should be fun."
"Should be, yeah," Dylan agrees and Tyler can hear the deep breath that he takes. "So, how are you? Good holidays?"
"Mom and Dad's, so yeah. Busy. Noisy. More kids than last year," Tyler says with a chuckle. "It was an early morning."
"Bet it was. Part of the fun though, isn't it?"
They both go silent then, after Tyler's agreeing hum. It’s weird. He does and at the same time doesn't understand why. As far as the outside world, as far as anyone else is concerned, nothing has changed. They've gone a long time without talking before, had months when the only thing between them were random pointless text messages. There was that time when Posey called Tyler from a convention panel while Dylan was at the panel too and wasn't the one calling. Tyler remembers how odd it was—when he watched the footage later—for Dylan to blatantly lie about not having Tyler's number.
Nothing should be different. And yet, somehow, right now it is. It has been ever since Tanner sent Tyler the link to an article talking about Dylan and Britt. Ever since Tyler looked at her Instagram and confirmed that she's most definitely not with Dylan anymore. Which is something that Dylan didn't mention.
"So, uh, you think you'll be home before New Year's?"
Tyler startles a little when Dylan breaks the silence on the line. Then he hums noncommittally, not really sure if he's going to head to his place or if he's going to stay here, letting his parents fuss over him.
"I mean, I'm gonna fly out on Sunday, but...."
Dylan's pause makes Tyler want to interrupt it with something, anything, just so they don't have another awkward silence. But he has a vague idea where Dylan's train of thought is going and he doesn't want to derail it.
"If you're home, would you mind if I came over?" Dylan finally asks, the first clear thing he's said since Tyler answered his call.
At first, Tyler nods. Because of course it's okay for Dylan to visit and the answer will always be that no, he absolutely doesn't mind. Then he remembers that he's on the phone.
"I wouldn't mind at all," he says. "You know this."
"Well, yeah, but—" Dylan pauses to take a breath, "—it's been a while."
"Nothing's changed, D."
That's a lie and Tyler knows it. But it's also true in a way, because nothing has changed about his feelings for Dylan.
"Maybe it's time it did," Dylan says quietly. "Maybe..."
"Dylan?" Tyler asks when Dylan's voice fades out into silence again and stays like that for a while.
"Look. When I come over, okay? Just let me know when you'll be home. And where home is now," Dylan says, sounding like he's trying to finish the conversation. Sounding like he's avoiding a clear answer.
"Okay. Before Sunday?"
"Yeah," Dylan confirms. "Enjoy your holiday, Hoech."
Tyler returns the wish and then the call disconnects and he's left holding his phone and staring at the screen in confusion.
He doesn't get an answer to all the questions that he has for another two days. He's home then, in his own place, and he's trying not to keep checking the text message from Dylan where he said that he'd be over soon. Of course, "soon" is a very loose term considering the traffic can be crazy, especially during the holiday season. But it's been three hours and even though Dylan's house is anything but close, Tyler wonders if it means that Dylan has changed his mind about coming to visit.
Then he glances out of the window and can't help but chuckle.
Right there, in his driveway, is Dylan. Pacing. His car is parked and he's out of it, walking up and down the short pavement between the road and Tyler's house. Tyler wonders for a beat how long Dylan's been there but then he shrugs it off and heads to the front door instead.
When he opens it, Dylan looks up with a start, his eyes wide open and a little panicky.
"You gonna come in?" Tyler asks, smiling.
Dylan nods and walks over, then brushes past Tyler on the way in. The moment the door closes and Tyler turns his back to it, he has to back up right against it because Dylan's right there.
"Okay, I'm sorry. This is probably out of the blue and you maybe don't give a shit that way anyway, but..." Dylan starts rambling and his hand moves up and lands on Tyler's arm. "Look. I know you said that nothing's changed, but it has. And maybe it's too late for this, but if it's not—"
"Dylan."
Tyler's interruption makes Dylan's eyes widen even more, almost impossibly so.
"I couldn't before. Because we were never... I wasn't sure... and..."
"Dylan."
"Yes, present," Dylan says, then smirks. "I mean, I am. Present. A present. If you'd like."
His bravado is shadowed over by the way his eyes flicker from Tyler's face to the ground and then back again and the way he clenches his hands, both the one on Tyler's arm and the one by his side.
"Dylan?"
"Yeah?"
"Why did you want to come over?"
Dylan bites his lip before he replies, but he stays where he is and doesn't back off.
"Look, I know this is out of left field and I have no idea if you're even interested in me that way, though I hope I didn't read things wrong and you're not going to tell me that you're not interested in guys in general, but—" Dylan pauses, takes a deep breath, then meets Tyler's eyes. "Okay. Here goes. Do you want to go for dinner with me, some day?"
He looks absolutely serious and so vulnerable that Tyler wants to wrap him in a hug and tell him it's going to be okay. He also wants to blurt out the fuck yes that immediately sprang to mind when Dylan asked. But this is them and Tyler can't help it, the corner of his mouth tugs upward as he fights back a smirk.
"D, since when do we need this much formality to go get In-n-Out?"
Dylan's face falls a fraction, but then his eyes drop to Tyler's lips and he obviously notices the smirk that Tyler has a hard time holding back, acting skills be damned.
"You asshole," Dylan says when he looks up and into Tyler's eyes again.
"I thought you'd never ask," Tyler tells him, then can't help but add more, the smirk fading away. "No, seriously. I thought you would never ask. Whether you were available or not, I didn't think I was ever an option."
"I'm not gonna lie and say you always were," Dylan admits. "Not at the start. Not when I didn't even think to look at guys that way. But you happened and I thought it was just a starstruck thing. Then it wasn't, but I was with Britt. And well, now I'm here."
Tyler smiles softly and reaches for Dylan's free hand, then holds it for a beat. He feels Dylan's fingers twitch on his arm and then sees Dylan's tongue dart out and slide over his lips.
"I don't even know if I'm not too late for this," Dylan says then, suddenly hesitant again. "Am I?"
Tyler shakes his head.
"At the risk of being accused of sappiness," he starts, then he feels his cheeks heat up. "No. Never. Not too late."
"So, uh," Dylan starts, then licks his lips again and Tyler can't help but feel his blush deepen. "Dinner? Some day soon?"
"When are you back from Julia's?" Tyler asks, thinking it's probably too soon to ask if Dylan's busy tonight.
"A few days after New Year's. But, at the risk of being accused of being too eager," Dylan says, eyes shining with glee, "are you busy tonight?"
"You mean like, since I knew you were already coming over? Have I booked something else?"
They both chuckle and Tyler links his fingers with Dylan's properly, then tugs him a little closer.
"No, I'm not too busy," he says quietly.
There is no kiss to seal the deal. Not then and not later that night either. He does get a selfie from Dylan at midnight on New Year's that makes him smile enough that Tanner badgers him until Tyler tells him about Dylan.
A kiss is the first thing that happens right after Dylan gets back from the east coast and shows up at Tyler's straight from the airport.
Tyler is just glad that he decided to cook instead of booking a place in a restaurant.