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Tyler has been hesitant to agree to the event, though he understands why it’s important. It’s not something he’s comfortable with, the celebrity side of his job. But it’s not unusual that he’s the one asked to participate in things outside the typical area of expertise. After all, he’s the only one on the team who has any experience with red carpets from way before he dropped acting in favor of baseball.
Though he did run in the Hollywood circles for a time while he was in college, he stopped going to auditions when training got more intense and when teams started sending reps to his games. And once he signed a contract, there wasn’t time for acting anyway. It’s experience that the team’s management is aware of, so he’s the one they ask, no matter how many others would be just as good.
The thing is, he’s not completely comfortable with walking red carpets. He never has been, not even when he was dating and his partner happened to be in the business. His longest relationship had been with an actress, and she would have understood if he’d stayed away, but he tagged along because he wanted to be there for her.
It’s for the team , he reminds himself as the car inches forward towards the entrance, several other cars slowly moving in front of and behind his.
The event is a charitable one, the kind that he normally agrees to with less reluctance. Only, this time, he was asked for reasons beyond just his experience with being in front of the cameras, or for looking good in a suit, as some of his teammates had pointed out.
It’s the annual ball for the Trevor Project, and since the organization is aimed at LGBTQ youth, he really should’ve known there was no way out.
When he came out as bi a few years ago, it was with way less fanfare than it would’ve been had he continued acting. It’s still a big deal, because the sports circles give Hollywood homophobia a run for its money, but it’s more low-key on the media scale.
Still, the big picture has him firmly in the seat of a role model for young athletes, for kids who, in the past, would have hesitated playing, would've debated not coming out, or both. He's not the only one, of course, the sports landscape is so wide and increasingly more open-minded that there are several sportspeople who have been upfront about their sexuality in the recent years. Tyler remembers the first few months after he came out and the events he was invited to then. All of the ones aimed at LGBT groups had a small, tight-knit group of sportspeople always gathering around each other once the formalities were done.
As time went on, he managed to make friends with those outside of sports, although it wasn't easy. He's good with socializing, but it still wasn't what he’d gone to the events for.
Still, the moment he gets out of his car and onto the carpet -- he thinks it's orange, but who even knows with all the cameras immediately flashing in his face -- he gets accosted by one of the people he'd made friends with about a year ago and has bonded with strongly.
"Colton, hey!" Tyler says when he's no longer hugged tight. "You're gonna stir up shit again with the gossip rags."
"Ah, you love when they wonder if we're in a poly relationship," Colton tells him with a laugh, his husband rolling his eyes behind him. "It's not like it's ever anything new."
"Kind of kills my chances of meeting anyone though," Tyler tells him.
Not that he's looking. Sure, he goes on the occasional date, feels sparks sometimes with people he meets, but it's never anything he'd want to devote time and effort to. His career keeps him too busy for anyone who's not in sports or a similarly demanding profession, so Tyler mostly just doesn't bother. He figures that if he happens to meet someone, he'll know that it's worth it.
"I'll just have to set you up--" Colton starts, but Tyler holds a hand up immediately.
"Do not even think about it," he says. "I'm fine handling my own life, thank you."
"Except for being sent to these things, no matter how much you hate them," Colton points out, grinning.
"I only agree because I get to annoy you."
Colton tries to look offended but fails miserably as his face lights up. It's only a second later that Tyler realizes this is due to him looking past Tyler and to the drop-off spot where another car has just pulled up.
"Oh hey, I didn't know Dylan was going to show!" Colton exclaims.
Tyler looks over his shoulder at who it is that has Colton's attention. There's a small group of people who obviously just got out of a car, but Tyler doesn't recognize any of them.
"Who?" He turns back to Colton with a frown.
"Oh I keep forgetting, you're still a Luddite who doesn't do YouTube," Colton says. "You need to be online more, Hoechlin, you're missing all the good things."
"Some of us have a training schedule that doesn't give us hours to waste while in the makeup chair," Tyler snarks back.
"Can't help it if this," Colton points to his face, "demands attention."
"So, who's this new discovery? A new fashion blogger?"
"Oh god no, Dylan wouldn't know fashion if it slapped him in the face," Colton says, his face twisted in disapproval. "He's a movie blogger and has dabbled in acting, much like you."
"I didn't dabble ," Tyler protests weakly.
"I forget, you were famous once upon a time," Colton tells him.
Tyler grunts, not knowing whether to be annoyed or proud of his past. After all, he did have the honor of working with some of the biggest names in the industry, albeit in a few smaller roles -- and that one big one, when he was too young to really understand what it meant -- but it's also way in the past, just a memory now.
"So, what's the big deal with this guy?"
He's not quite sure why he's asking. It's pretty normal for Colton to make friends with new people, to bond with others, especially if they're in similar circles as him. But something about his surprise at this Dylan guy being here startled Tyler, made him curious. Making friends with people who don't make regular appearances at events like this one isn't typical for Colton, so it's got Tyler wondering about how he met Dylan
"Got to chatting with him at the Shortys, then we met up a few times," Colton explains. "I guested on one of his live streams, but I'm guessing you missed that one."
Tyler cringes. He gets notifications from Colton about all the things he's part of, but they both know that Tyler doesn't always watch or follow them, whether he wants to or not.
"Was that during the season? Because you know I miss a lot of shit when we're playing."
"Probably," Colton says. "Anyway, Dylan's cool. He's funny and talented as fuck, I'm surprised he hasn't dived into acting full time, but he says he's happy with what he does."
"Not a fan of events though?"
"About as much as you are."
Tyler immediately has a liking for the man and they haven't even met yet. Still, anyone who's as reluctant to do this circus is someone he's likely to get along with.
"Right, anyway, we better get going," Colton says, glancing over Tyler's shoulder one more time. "There will be enough time for gossip and chatter after the main event."
"You two staying for the party?" Tyler asks as they start moving towards the photographers and the standard step and repeat up the carpet.
"Nowhere else I'd rather be," Colton says with a wide grin that Tyler can't help but frown at.
As much as he knows that Colton likes these events, this is an unusual level of enthusiasm which makes Tyler suspicious. Not that he gets to ask or worry about it. They're pulled in different directions moments later and he barely sees Colton for the next few hours, since they're not seated together. Tyler's in a group of other sportspeople -- he chats to some of the skaters and another baseball player who's new to all this -- and Colton seems to be as much backstage as he is at the tables.
They only get to say hello again properly once they're at the after party upstairs, both with glasses in their hands, in the quiet corner that Tyler scouted out almost immediately after his arrival.
"Why are you over here, being all pretty and lonesome?" Colton asks, smirking.
"It's like you've never met me before," Tyler shoots back. "You know I like to lurk in the shadows."
They both chuckle at that.
"Maybe you should've gotten the werewolf role back then," Colton tells him. "Wasn't part of the script being all scary and ominous from a distance?"
Tyler rolls his eyes. He auditioned for a role -- his last audition before he dropped acting altogether -- that may have landed him a regular spot on a TV show. But things happened, schedules clashed, and then he made the decision to withdraw anyway, right before he got a callback that he never ended up going to. He's not even sure if the show ended up going on air.
"You'd know, didn't you try to get an audition on that too?" Tyler asks, smirking. "Whatever happened to that show anyway?"
"No idea," Colton says. "I got the runway gig in Paris and that kind of steered me away from that for a long time. I never asked later."
"Probably for the best, as much as it would've been fun working with you," Tyler says.
"High praise coming from you, I'll cherish that."
"You better, I'm not gonna say it again."
"Rude," Colton says, his tone almost offended.
"So hey, did you ever get to talk to the Dylan guy?" Tyler asks.
He immediately regrets the question, because Colton lifts an eyebrow questioningly. It's not typical of Tyler to ask things like this, but the way Colton talked, he's intrigued.
"Said hello, he said he's sticking around for this shindig," Colton says, still looking at Tyler with curiosity. "I should introduce you two, you're both the kind that sneak around in corners like this one."
"Just what I need, someone in my space," Tyler says, but he doesn't really mean it.
"Come on," Colton tells him. "I left Charlie mingling and who knows what he's going to be up to if left unsupervised too long."
"I think you're projecting," Tyler tells him, but he starts moving out of his safe corner. "You're the one who tends to need supervision, or you'll end up adopting yet another stray soul."
Colton chuckles but doesn't protest because Tyler is right. It's how they ended up being friends. Colton spotted him hanging around awkwardly at one of the first events he was sent to, decided that Tyler needed rescuing -- he wasn't wrong -- and the rest was history filled with dating rumors and way too many photos as far as Tyler is concerned, but is also one of the best friendships he never imagined he could have. Still, he could do without the continuous fashion advice (that he knows he's better off listening to) now that Colton has managed to drag him out of sweatpants and ill-fitting suits and into clothes and a grooming regime that Tyler thinks, without a doubt, contributes to why he's always sent to "represent".
"Hey, Dylan, come here," Colton calls out all of a sudden when they've barely rounded the corner into the main party area.
Tyler's not sure how anyone can hear Colton, but clearly, he just needs to adjust to the noise because almost immediately after Colton's call, there's movement in the small group several feet away. He sees the messy mop of brown hair and then wide eyes shining with what could be anything from joy at seeing Colton to an abundance of alcohol. The guy -- Dylan, Tyler guesses -- heads over and throws a curious glance at Tyler before he falls into a hug with Colton. That in itself isn't surprising, since Colton is known across the whole circuit for his displays of affection. It tends to throw gossip sites for a loop, now as much as when he was still single and they couldn't figure out whom he was dating.
"Yo, hey, I want you to meet someone," Colton says when he pulls away.
He's rewarded with a skeptical look that probably matches the one Tyler's throwing him.
"Dylan, Tyler," Colton waves a hand between them, completely ignoring their expressions. "Tyler, this is Dylan, the one I was talking about when you got here."
"You mean the one who distracted you from annoying me?" Tyler asks.
Then he turns to the newcomer and holds out his hand. "Hi, I’m Tyler," he says.
"Holy shit," Dylan says, grabbing Tyler's hand and shaking it. "Colton, man, I needed a warning for this."
Tyler looks between them with confusion likely written all over his face.
"Dylan's a lifelong Mets fan," Colton offers by way of explanation.
Which it is -- Tyler spent some time with the team before he settled back on the West Coast -- but he'd figure any Mets supporters would be unimpressed with him, since he didn't stay with them.
"Dude, you're awesome," Dylan says. "I mean, sorry, I just watched you with the team and saw a few of the videos. And holy shit, did you really do the thing with the axe or was that fake?"
Tyler raises an eyebrow as he recalls the incident. It was a silly stunt he did during a charity camp event -- someone had an axe and they bet him that he couldn't cut a ball in half with a single swing. He didn't think anyone paid attention to it, it certainly never made headlines. There were players from several teams at that camp though, so he guesses the video of the stunt made it to the public somewhere.
"That was all me," he says, watching as Dylan's eyes widen. "Didn't think anyone outside the camp saw it."
"I have connections," Dylan says, seemingly recovering from his surprise.
"I see you two will have a lot to talk about," Colton says, slapping both of them on the shoulder. "I'll leave you to it."
"Don't adopt anyone on the way to find Charlie," Tyler tells him, but he's waved off by Colton as he disappears into the crowd.
"So, uh," Dylan starts, one of his hands lifted to his neck as he rubs it, ducking his head.
It looks like he feels about as awkward as Tyler feels. The noise around them and the number of glances that are starting to be thrown their way force Tyler to make a snap decision.
"Wanna go somewhere quieter? Or do you need to get back to--" he nods towards the group Dylan was with until Colton called him over.
"Out, yeah, quiet sounds good," Dylan says. "I can catch the others later, we just decided to stick together. Strength in numbers and all."
"Afraid you'll get accosted by wild Colton's running around?" Tyler asks as he starts moving back towards the smaller room off the side where Colton found him before.
"Something like that, yeah," Dylan replies.
"He's one of a kind, really. I think you're safe from anyone else."
"I wish," Dylan says right as they turn the corner and some of the noise dampens. "Gossip runs wild at these things."
"Oh, I know. I'm apparently a regular addition to Colton and Charlie’s bedroom," Tyler says as nonchalantly as he can manage, trying to keep his face straight.
He fails and bursts into laughter when Dylan only just manages to not spit out his drink.
"That was low, man," Dylan says a moment later once he's caught his breath again.
Tyler shrugs and chuckles again.
"Figured you deserved a warning if you haven't been hanging out with Colton a lot yet," he tells Dylan.
Then he glances down at what Dylan is wearing. He's clearly been around Colton too much, because he actually cringes at the khakis he sees, no matter how well-fitted they seem to be.
"He's also likely to give you a makeover if you hesitate long enough."
"He tried. We compromised. I get to keep my pants, he gets to pick their size," Dylan says with a shrug.
"Should've thought of that," Tyler mutters with disappointment.
"I think he has a different measuring stick for athletes though," Dylan points out. "He's been known to wear gym clothes, but even those aren't your run-of-the-mill training gear."
"Don't I know it," Tyler replies. "At least he doesn't get to meddle with my actual gear. No doubt he'd try if I let him anywhere near the coaches and the team."
"Colton at a baseball game. That'll be the day."
"He's been. He tried flirting with the umpire," Tyler deadpans.
"Please tell me there's video?"
"Sadly, no," Tyler shakes his head.
"Damn."
Dylan actually looks really disappointed, which makes Tyler wonder why.
"You're not that kind of a YouTube person, are you?" He asks, frowning.
"What kind of YouTube person?" Dylan volleys back the question, narrowing his eyes.
"The kind that posts videos of crap that's supposed to be funny, but is really just embarrassing."
"Good to know you've never seen any of my streams or uploads," Dylan says, rolling his eyes. "And obviously Colton told you nothing."
"He just mentioned you do movie blogging."
"Movie reviews, previews, occasional live blogs when something's extra awesome, not always just movies," Dylan explains. "A few interviews when I get to poke my nose in at press days."
"Big name then, huh?" Tyler quirks an eyebrow.
"Not quite as big as you are in baseball," Dylan smirks.
Tyler feels caught off guard a little by what he assumes is a compliment, though the expression on Dylan's face makes him wonder how sincere it is.
"I mean, man, I'd really love to have seen that axe trick first-hand."
Again, Tyler's flustered. It almost feels like an opening to inviting Dylan to watch him show off, almost like it's flirting. But Tyler wouldn't recognize flirting if it hit him in the face, as Colton likes to point out. He can turn on the charm, he knows when people hit on him for show. But genuine interest is a complete mystery to him.
"Oh shit, sorry, that was...." Dylan blurts out when Tyler waits a bit too long to respond.
"Are you serious?" Tyler asks.
"About what?"
"You'd really want to see that? Why?"
"Because it's fucking awesome man," Dylan says. "I was dead serious. It's not that I've never seen people pulling stunts, but the way you did it like it was second nature, that was... awesome."
Tyler stares, still confused.
"Plus, I still can't decide whether I should believe you that it was real," Dylan says. "I know what can be done with video editing."
"It was real," Tyler protests and immediately cringes because he figures it comes across as childish.
"Prove it," Dylan challenges him, dispersing all worries about sounding petulant.
Tyler lifts an eyebrow, but he's already thinking about his schedule and when he might have free time to do just that, to show Dylan that the axe stunt wasn't a fluke. Why he feels the need to show off, or why it's important to him that Dylan sees his abilities, he's not about to try and figure out. He's only just met the guy and no matter how attractive he finds him...
He stops his own thoughts because they're veering too far away from the current conversation and into something that he doesn't want to fall into right here and now.
"Fine," he tells Dylan, who's still smirking like he thinks he's won. "I will."
That seems to throw Dylan off balance like he didn't expect Tyler to take him up on the challenge.
"Wow. Okay," he mumbles.
"I'll need to get in touch with you somehow, when I figure out how to make it happen," Tyler says, Dylan's unbalanced moment making him feel oddly more self-assured. "And I don’t think leaving a comment on one of your videos is the best way."
"Is this just a ruse to get my phone number?" Dylan asks, eyes dancing with glee.
They're definitely flirting now and it's such foreign ground to Tyler that he doesn't know what else to do but volley back.
"Absolutely, it's been my aim all along."
"Damn. If I'd known I stood a chance...."
"What?"
Dylan's muttered words just add to Tyler's confusion. Usually, he's pretty good with spotting people who have an interest in him, regardless of that interest's motives -- those he tends to assume aren't on par with what he'd want -- but with Dylan, he’s noticed nothing beside their common interest in baseball.
"Nothing," Dylan replies a little too quickly.
There's a bit of color in his cheeks that could have different sources, the glass in Dylan's hand being one of them.
"So, phone numbers?" Tyler asks instead, not wanting to fluster Dylan any more than he obviously already has.
"Oh, yeah, cool," Dylan replies, already reaching for his phone.
"So, are you on the West Coast often?"
It's a simple query, but it sounds so similar to ‘do you come here often’ that Tyler yet again cringes at himself. Dylan doesn't seem to notice as he laughs.
"I live here, actually," he says as he hands his phone to Tyler, his number on the display.
"Why the Mets then?"
Tyler copies the number into his contacts and then presses the call button so Dylan has his in return.
"I was born on the East Coast," Dylan explains. "When mom and dad relocated for dad's job, I refused to let go of my team."
"Dedicated," Tyler says with a smile.
"You might not like it that much during the season," Dylan tells him. "I don't stray from the Mets, ever. For anyone."
"Might need to try to expand your horizons a little," Tyler challenges. "We'll see if something can't get you to divide your loyalties."
"Hey there, pretty boy, that's not gonna happen."
"Pretty boy?" Tyler asks, eyebrow raised.
This time, the blush on Dylan's cheeks is unmistakable. Tyler doesn't even bother pushing down the feeling of accomplishment at making that happen. It feels like a small payback for how Dylan's comment makes him feel -- flustered and a little shy but pleased that Dylan called him pretty nonetheless. He's not stupid, he's been told enough that he's attractive and he does own mirrors, but it's different now. For the first time in a while, someone he's growing increasingly more interested in seems to feel the same. It's intriguing, unsettling, and exhilarating all at the same time.
"You've got to own a mirror," Dylan mumbles, still looking flustered.
Tyler gives him a small smile, his bravado no longer as strong, moving into fondness instead.
"I do. Haven't been called that in a long time though," he admits.
"Should I have said hot ?" Dylan asks, his shyness giving way to overt flirting. "Sexy, even. I mean, I bet you’ve heard those."
"Not from someone like you," Tyler replies, then ducks his head and blushes, "someone I wanted to hear it from."
When he looks back up, Dylan's eyes are wide in surprise but he looks pleased.
"Right, so, I think I owe Colton dinner," he says, making Tyler frown. "He told me I'd like you," Dylan explains. "I thought I knew better than to trust his judgment and matchmaking attempts."
"Ah." Tyler nods. "Yeah, I've learned to trust Colton's suggestions."
"You've known him for a while then?"
"That's debatable," Tyler says. "About a year. Seems to be long enough to know better though."
Dylan smiles -- it's something that Tyler wants to see more of -- and for a moment, their conversation stops. Tyler, suddenly nervous again, sips on his drink and glances towards the main party area. Not because he wants to escape, but simply because there’s else to do at that moment. He meets Dylan's eyes a second later and tries to rummage through his brain for a topic of conversation, to keep up the momentum they had with their flirting because he doesn't want it to end yet.
"So, uh, you wanna go back in there?" Dylan asks, breaking the silence between them.
"Not really," Tyler admits. "I've never really been into these events or the socializing that comes with it. I'll do it if I have to, and I know it's for a good cause, but..."
"Oh great," Dylan interrupts him, relief flooding his face. "So, wanna get out of here, or should we just keep hiding away where we’re at? Unless you mind my company."
"Not at all," Tyler says quickly -- maybe a little too quickly if Dylan's bright smile and curious expression is anything to go by.
After that, it's like something clicks into place. They start talking baseball when Dylan asks about Tyler's stint with the Mets, then move on to movies and YouTube -- Dylan even shares snippets of some of his videos with Tyler -- and then his past experience in the film business.
"Holy shit, you were the kid in Road to Perdition ," Dylan says, eyes wide in recognition. "Well, you certainly grew into your ears," he adds and immediately blushes and stammers out an apology.
It breaks the ice some more when Tyler mentions some of his more embarrassing -- at least in hindsight, he'd had a ton of fun making them at the time -- appearances on screen. That prompts Dylan to pull up a video from when he first started on YouTube.
It's how Colton finds them -- next to each other, Tyler cracking up over Dylan's rendition of Wannabe by the Spice Girls.
"I see you two bonded," he tells them, a pleased expression on his face.
There is no doubt that Colton is proud of himself for getting them to talk and probably already rubbing his hands with glee and planning, well...Tyler doesn't want to think about what he might be planning.
"Adopt any new strays?" Tyler asks instead, deflecting. "Because I don't know if you have any more room in the house."
Colton scoffs.
"Like you're not glad that I took you under my wing back then," he says. "I saved you from so many ‘Worst Dressed’ pages."
"How would I have ever lived with that shame," Tyler says sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "It's so important to me, after all."
Colton's response is to roll his eyes and scoff again, like Tyler said something so ridiculous it doesn't even warrant a reply. Which, Tyler figures, in Colton's eyes it wouldn’t. Still, while he appreciates the help, he's pretty okay with not having to think about what he's supposed to be wearing, and he's most comfortable in his workout gear. Or those comfortable shorts that Colton keeps threatening to burn.
Next to him, Dylan chuckles, earning himself a glare from Colton.
"You, I'm nowhere near done with either," Colton tells him. "Not now though, right now, you two need to come and rub shoulders in there," he says, nodding towards the room they've been hiding from.
Tyler has a protest on the tip of his tongue when Dylan's the one asking why, in a tone that makes it clear that he doesn't want to.
"Because I've been covering for you two until now, but I can't keep doing it all night," Colton tells them both.
With that, he hooks one arm through Tyler's, the other through Dylan's, and then marches them outside. Tyler looks at Dylan as they're walking and figures that his own resigned expression matches the one he sees on Dylan's face. Once they're out of their hiding spot, Dylan immediately gets whisked away and Tyler loses sight of him, much to his disappointment. He realizes that he'd been hoping to at least be able to stay close, have someone nearby who shared his lack of enthusiasm for these things.
It's when the whole event starts winding down and turns into what feels like just another party that his phone buzzes with a message.
Had to go, sorry. Text me with the deets about the axe thing?
He doesn't even have to check that it's from Dylan, the content of the text speaking for itself. As he's typing a response, Colton appears by his side, takes one look at Tyler's face and grins.
"So you and Dylan did hit it off then?"
Tyler sighs and looks away from the screen. Colton isn't wrong and while Tyler would love to prevent gloating, he's also never been all that good at lying and faking.
"He's cool," he says, trying to keep it vague.
"So, you guys gonna meet up?"
Tyler glances back at his phone and presses send on the message, then watches as the ‘read’ sign appears and is quickly followed by the indicator that Dylan's already typing a response.
"Yeah. Yeah, we will," he tells Colton, smiling.
He ignores the gloating in favor of staring at his phone and waiting for Dylan's reply. After all, he's pretty sure that this has the potential to go somewhere and Colton will get his chance for ‘I told you so’ later.