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Tyler doesn’t get it at first. Doesn’t understand how big it could really be for Dylan’s career. He knows what an amazing actor Dylan is, and he wants him to do well, so when the news comes in that Dylan has landed the lead in The Maze Runner, Tyler is happy for him. But he doesn’t quite get what a big deal it is likely going to be. He hears the description of the movie’s plot and internally rolls his eyes, just a little. It sounds like some boys club only version of The Hunger Games. Just another movie aimed at getting teenagers to shell out all their expendable cash at the theater closest to home, preferably more than once. He thinks Dylan’s better than that, that he could be doing real films, with real plot lines. (Not that Tyler himself has a lot of room to talk..) Dylan should be doing movies that would better show off how amazing an actor he really is. He doesn’t know any better. Not yet. He imagines cheesy fight scenes and a bad love story with a lot of special effects piled on top.
Dylan has to leave California before shooting for Season 3A is wrapped, so Jeff finagles the shooting schedule to get the Stiles scenes finished as early as possible. Dylan has to hop a plane to New Orleans soon to begin training. That’s the first thing that peaks Tyler’s interest. What could he really need to be training for? He finds out the first time Dylan calls him.
It’s still early by LA standards, and Derek has a late call in the morning so he doesn’t mind chatting with Dylan for a few hours before bed. Dylan likes to talk, once he’s good friends with you and moves past his shyness, and Tyler has sort of kind of missed seeing him around set the last few days. They talk about the season, about how fans are going to react.
“Oh my God, Hoech. They’re going to fucking revolt against us. I swear Jeff’s going to get death threats. Seriously. It’s going to be epic!” Dylan crows down the line. Tyler shakes his head, but he can totally see what Dylan means. It’s a little while later, while Tyler is relaying a story from the previous days filming about Chrystal and Sharman getting reamed a new one for making out between takes, and mussing up their make-up AND hair in the process that he’s distracted by a pained sort of moan from the other end of the line.
“Dyl? You ok?” he asks. There’s another pained sound.
“Yeah, just sore. It’s this wrestling practice, man. If I get flipped one more time…” he trails off sighing. “At least it’s not as bad as the rope climbing drills they have me doing every few days,” he sounds annoyed. “I thought I was pretty strong in the upper body, but this shit is killing my shoulders.”
“Dude, what do they have you doing out there?” he asks. Dylan starts explaining: talks about climbing ropes, and scaling walls, fighting monsters, and the running, there’s apparently a lot of running.
“So much RUNNING!” Dylan groans sounding agonized and exhausted.
“Dylan, you’re filming a movie called The Maze Runner. What did you think it was going to involve?” he asks. Dylan says something rude, and hangs up the phone without giving a proper goodbye.
That’s the conversation that really gets Tyler’s mind going. The next day he finishes up shooting earlier than anticipated, swings by the gym for a quick lifting session, and then heads home. But on the way there he stops at the closest big-box bookstore and makes his way to the young adult section. He feels stupid buying a book aimed at teenagers, but feels just a bit mollified when he sees the mountainous stack of Harry Potter books set up just to the right.
It’s easy enough to find the book he’s looking for. The announcement about the movie had caused a small surge in sales, and there’s a display on the end of the aisle of all four books in the series. Surprised he reaches for the box set, turning it over to examine the back. Shrugging he puts it back and scoops up the cheap paperback version of just the first novel, paying in cash and leaving quickly.
He eats his high-protein, no carb dinner, while longing quietly for the break and pizza. Then he cracks open the book to give it a read. He’s not expecting much.
And while the writing’s not the best, the plot is intriguing enough to keep him engaged. He knows Dylan is playing Thomas, and so it’s fairly easy to picture him in the role right from the get go, which might be why he gets so invested so quickly.
He stays up half the night reading and rereading. Every key scene, every terrible fight or death or heartbreaking moment has Tyler picturing Dylan in the role, how he’d act it out, the emotions that would play across his face, the way he’d move, how his voice would sound, hitch and break or rasp with raw emotion. Tyler can’t put it down. He forces himself to bed after reading the last two chapters all the way through twice. He puts the book, already looking worn and a little ragged, face down on his bedside table, and finally falls asleep, exhausted.
Morning comes too early, but luckily they’re filming the last few episodes for the first half of the season, the mid-season finale as they’re calling it. It’s the height of suspense and action, and Derek’s looking a little worse for wear by that point of the plot arc. All the bags under his eyes and vaguely gaunt expression mean, is that the make-up artists have that much less work to do to make him look haggard and exhausted. The weight of the battered paperback in the pocket of his jacket seems to haunt him all day long.
On the way home from work, he stops at that same bookstore, and this time he doesn’t hesitate to buy that damn box set, in hardback no less. He has more reading to do.
Tyler paces himself. He reads and rereads, one chapter at a time, making notes in the margins like he does when he’s reading movie or TV scripts. He forces himself to put it down at a decent hour each night and to leave it at home when he goes into work the next morning. By the end of the week, he’s still managed to finish the second book and maybe half of the third. They’re surprising addictive that way.
Then he gets to chapter 55, and he starts to honest to God cry. He puts the book down. He calls Dylan.
Dylan’s laughing when he answers the phone.
“Hoechlin! My main man! What’s up in werewolf land?” he asks. Tyler can hear shouts in the background, more laughter.
“Hey! Are you out with the cast? Having fun without me?” he says, making sure not to sniffle. Dylan laughs again.
“Yeah, man. Saturday afternoons are like cast bonding time. All us Gladers running around the Big Easy, seeing the sights. What’s up with you though? You sound off…”
“Nothing, it’s nothing,” Tyler says, sighing and stretching backward across his bed. There’s near silence on the other end of the line, and Tyler waits patiently.
When Dylan speaks again, he’s someplace quieter, and his voice is more serious.
“Tyler, this isn’t like you. What’s going on?”
“I’ve been reading the books,” he says, starting to explain, but stopping himself. Dylan makes an encouraging noise. “I got to the chapter in the third one where Thomas,” he’s cut off.
“DUDE! I just finished the first one! Don’t spoil it for me!” Dylan objects. Tyler sighs, closing his eyes.
“Sorry. I think I’m a little too invested in your character now,” Tyler laughs a little. “It’s easy to imagine you going through all the shit Thomas has to go through, you know?” he sighs again, trying to be as quiet as possible. Tyler waits for Dylan to react, but still Dylan stays silent. “You’re going to be amazing as Thomas. I honestly can’t picture anyone else playing him now. I think they did a great job choosing you, and if they film it right, this could be fucking huge for your career. You know?”
“Tyler... you didn’t like fall in love with me reading a book did you?” It’s said like a joke but Tyler hears the note of real question in it.
“No,” he answers, brow furrowing. He pulls himself up into a seating position. “Not reading a book,” he says. There’s silence on the other end of the line.
“I thought we weren’t going to do this. I thought we decided 3 years ago that this was a stupid idea and that it could ruin everything,” Dylan says quietly. “We said it wasn’t worth it.” Tyler scrubs a hand down the side of his cheek, and along his chin, scratching at the beard growing there.
“Dylan… you’re totally worth it,” he confesses. There's a hitched breath from the other end of the line. “Besides, we’ve been pretty good friends for a while now. I don’t think anything could change that. Do you?” he asks. Tyler listens to Dylan breathe quietly for a minute, the sound of jazz growing louder in the background on Dylan’s side of the connection.
“Ok. Yeah. Of course. I just...” he trails off. “Come see me?” he asks. Tyler smiles at his ceiling.
“Yeah. We have another day or two of filming, then promos and interviews. I can come down when I get back from the London thing. The convention,” he offers.
“Good. Good. That sounds awesome,” that parts almost shouted over the rising noise level on Dylan’s end. “I’ll call you tonight?” he asks.
“Ok,” Tyler replies, smiling to himself.
“What?!” Dylan shout-asks, and Tyler starts to really laugh.
“OK! I’ll talk to you tonight!” Tyler yells into the phone.
“Later!” Dylan calls before ending the connection. Tyler flops back across his bed again, the grin on his face huge and real and all for Dylan. He turns his head and sees the third book sitting there where he’d dropped it. Reaching over he picks it up, and then rolls over onto his stomach and starts to read.
He wants to - needs to know what happens.
It’s going to make a damn good movie.