The First Time (In London) - Dave Hodgman x Reader
Author: @were-cheetah-stiles
Dave Hodgman x Reader
Author’s Note: Being that @maddie110201 and @ninja-stiles are two of my favorite human beings and they are hosting a Dave Hodgman Week, I naturally had to participate. I haven’t actually seen the movie, but they’re my girls, you know? You do what you gotta do for your people. This is my attempt at Dave. I hope you all enjoy :)
Additional Note: I have said it once, I’ll say it a thousand times, I will never write any Dylan character as anything less than a rabid Mets fan. It’s just how it goes.
Warnings: I don’t know, don’t read it if you’re afraid of flying?
"Oh.. no.. please don't put that there.. it's closed.. for a reas...." You sighed as you stood up, leaning your head to the side as to not bash it on the low ceilings.
"Uh, umm.. but, uhhh..."
You sighed again, more exasperated than anything else. You could always easily spot someone who didn't fly as often as you did. "Is it heavy?" You stared at his backpack in his hand.
"No." He shook his head, a sweet 'puppy dog who had just gotten whacked over the nose with a newspaper' look gracing his handsome face.
"Can I?" You held your hand out, barely touching one of the straps on his bag. He nodded and let go of it. You judged the weight and deemed it as not that heavy. You handed it back to him and sat back down in your seat. "Can you just close the compartment again after you put it up there?" He nodded and lifted the bag over his head. Please don't let him sit next to me. I cannot be stuck on a plane with this idiot for twelve hours. Please, airline gods. I don't ask for much, just don't crash and kill me and don't let him sit down next to me.
He sat down next to you, and you rolled your eyes at the airline gods, hoping that that was the only promise that they would break that day. You went to place your headphones back over your ears when you heard his voice again. "What?" You said, pulling your headphones around the back of your neck, annoyed.
"I said I was sorry. I didn't mean to worry you about your guitar."
You sighed, less exasperated this time. You had been kind of rude. "It's fine. I'm sorry. I just, I fly a lot and it's like, my one prized possession and I literally buy tickets that allow me to board early so that I always have space to place it above and they can’t force me to check it below, and I'm always worried that someone is going to try to force a suitcase in there or something and like break the neck. I don't know. I'm sorry. I was rude."
As you were explaining to the stranger sitting next to you as to why you were so quick to snipe at him, a middle aged man in an ugly Hawaiian shirt opened the bin with your guitar and the stranger’s backpack and began moving the backpack and lifting his oversized luggage. The stranger who you were talking to stood up when he saw your face go back to its previously agitated state, staring off behind him. He turned and placed his hand on the suitcase before the middle aged white man could lift it fully off the ground.
"Hey, man. The bin was closed for a reason. There is an overhead compartment that is empty like right there." He pointed to a row behind them, and the man went to protest, but the stranger persisted. "No, dude, come on. You're going to damage my girlfriend's guitar. This compartment is full." He placed his hand on the bottom of the overhead cupboard and pushed up until he heard the latch click. He remained standing until the middle aged man huffed in annoyance, walked away and tried another compartment.
You were grinning from ear to ear as you watched the stranger sit back down next to you and buckle his seatbelt across his lap. You blushed and ran your fingers through your hair, suddenly trying to remember if you had decided to put in any effort in looking nice for this flight. You sort of had. "Well, if I am your girlfriend now, I should probably know your name."
"Dave. Dave Hodgman." He smiled, slight dimples indenting his cheeks.
You shook his hand, and introduced yourself. "Y/n Y/L/N." You smiled sheepishly. He was handsome and chivalrous and not quite what you thought when he first stepped into your life five minutes before. "So are you from L.A., Dave Hodgman?"
"I'm from California, but I'm a student at UCLA right now. What about you, Y/n Y/L/N?" He teased you, with a boyish smirk.
Your cheeks flushed with a more red than pink tone at his dry delivery and you went looking for something to focus your attention on. You grabbed the red airline blanket off the ground by your feet and began tearing at the plastic wrap around it. "I go to USC..." You crumpled the plastic wrap in your hand and stuffed it in the seatback pocket in front of you. "Why are you headed to London?"
"Study abroad. What about you?"
"Sort of the same. I, uh, got into like a music student exchange program with University of Oxford, outside of London."
Dave smiled and pointed up to your guitar in the cabinet above them. "Oh, so you're like, actually a musician. Me and that guy were trying to break your livelihood, basically?"
You snickered at his dry delivery. "Basically."
"Oxford? Holy shit, that's really cool. How long are you going to be staying for?" Dave asked, as he got shoved towards you by the older woman who sat down in the aisle seat next to him. He looked at you with disappointment on his face that the two of you were, in fact, not going to have the three-seater to yourselves for the flight, but then smiled gently when he felt your hand leave his bicep. You had grabbed him, out of instinct, from falling forwards when the woman had bumped into him. He blushed and readjusted in his seat, still leaning on the armrest between the two of you, his back turned to the other passenger.
"Six months. How about you?" You needlessly kneaded at the synthetic fabric of the blanket bundled up in your hands.
"Just until Christmas, and then it's another twelve hour flight back here." He watched as the flight attendant's closed the main cabin door and prepared for cross-check.
"That stinks. It would've been nice to have a friend out there before I even stepped off the plane."
"We could still be friends for the three months I'm there." Dave offered, blushing at the prospect of seeing the beautiful girl in front of him again.
"No, no, I don't think I could bear the heartbreak of you leaving me after all this time together." You threw your hand over your forehead, and feigned distress.
Dave chuckled, and smiled at how goofy and gregarious you were with someone that was basically a complete stranger. "It would be nice to know someone else right off the bat though.."
"Well, we'll see how the flight goes, maybe I'll wanna hang out with you again, maybe I won't." You were openly flirting at this point.
The flight had not filled all the way and there were entire rows that were empty throughout the plane. The woman that was sitting on the opposite side of Dave moved after takeoff, but until Dave left to use the restroom, he had remained sitting directly next to you, the two of you deep in conversation about music and movies and school.
About two hours into the flight, Dave got up to use the bathroom, and you scrambled to get your makeup bag out of your backpack below the seat in front of you. You quickly threw on a heavy sweeping of mascara, brushed some blush on your cheeks, and then a little extra because planes always washed you out, and covered the pimple growing on your hairline with some concealer. You saw him coming back and you stuffed the makeup bag back into your backpack. Dave smiled at you and narrowed his eyes as he walked back down the aisle behind the flight attendant with the beverage cart. Dave sat down in the aisle seat and your heart sunk a little.
"Something looks different about you?" Dave smirked.
"I don't know what you're talking about." You had been caught. You changed the subject and looked at the flight attendant above you. "I'll have a gingerale please."
"Two, please." Dave interjected, and handed you your drink. "So where are we?" Dave asked, messing with the screen on the back of the headrest in front of him, trying to find the in-flight map.
"Somewhere over Colorado or Kansas or something. Not far at all."
Dave smiled. "Ten more hours to convince you to hang out with me after we land in Heathrow."
You blushed and drank your soda, wiggling your nose as the fizzy bubbles tickled your skin. "So, what made you want to study abroad?" You asked, easily finding your way back into comfortable conversation with him.
Dave fidgeted in his seat and contorted his face, staring down at the tiny bubbles fizzing out onto his veiny fingers that gripped his plastic cup of soda. "I was dating this girl for a little while, like seven months, nothing crazy, in my senior year of high school, and into the beginning of my first year at UCLA, but she was a year behind me and her being a senior and me being in college. It just didn't work out. She couldn't handle it."
"And that was recent..?" You asked, grimacing over him talking about an ex.
"No, no, that was last year. But, the point of me bringing her up, is that she asked me one night what I wanted to do with my life and I realized I wanted to see the world and travel, and just because the relationship ended, didn't mean I had to give up on that dream. So, I applied for the study abroad program, got accepted, and here I am.. making my first friend in London." Dave smirked at you and leaned his elbows against the arm rest in front of him. "Why'd you decide to come out here?"
"I've never really done much other than practice my music and fly all over the country performing it, and I kind of wanted to be stuck in one place for a while, getting new influences and learning from new people and.. I don't know. London seemed cool and the program is really prestigious, so I'm just lucky I even got in." You placed your drink on the tray in front of the empty middle seat and shivered, tucking your feet further under your behind.
"You cold?" Dave asked, furrowing his brows.
"Just my feet. I didn't wear thick enough socks." You half-smiled to the side of your mouth, resigned to the fact that you would likely be frozen the rest of this flight.
Dave leaned down, under the folding tray and unzipped the large pocket of his backpack, that he had taken down from the overhead compartment after the seatbelt sign had gone off. He pulled out a pair of wool socks, stuffing them between his teeth, and zipped his bag back up. He pulled the socks from his teeth and smiled. "Borrow mine."
"I wouldn't want to take your socks, Dave. What if you get cold? You obviously packed them for a reason.."
Dave shook his head, lifted his leg, almost knocking the tray up and the drink off, pulled at the leg of his khaki trousers and revealed the same pair of socks on under his black Vans. "I always carry an extra pair of socks in case of pretty but cold girls who sit next to me on my flight." You blushed furiously and shook your head, grinning at him. "Come here." Dave pushed up both arm rests and motioned for you to give him your feet. You slowly brought your feet up, laying your legs across the length of the seat, and resting your heels in his lap. He unballed his socks and pulled them over your own. "Better?"
You nodded softly and smiled. "Thank you. Now, I'm definitely going to have to see you after this so I can wash and return these." You wiggled your toes in his hands and he laughed.
The cabin lights had dimmed and most of the other passengers had begun to fall asleep. The plane was somewhere over Eastern Pennsylvania and was half way through it's journey: six hours down, six hours to go. You and Dave had been talking and flirting non-stop for the entirety of the flight.
"She's so cute, is she going to come out to visit you?" You asked him, flipping through pictures on his phone while he leaned close to your shoulder, his leg pressed against yours and neither of you moving.
"Yea, her and my parents are coming out for Thanksgiving. It'll be good. I'm definitely going to miss her most."
"What'd you call her?"
"My little gerbil.." Dave answered, a pink hue flushing his face.
"That's really cute. You're clearly a good big brother." You smiled at him, your eyes connecting for an extended amount of time. Dave smiled back at you and then dropped his head, finally breaking the connection.
"So, what are you most excited to see?" He asked, keeping his close proximity to you.
You threw your head back and smiled, thinking about where you wanted to go first. "The British Museum. I am really excited to go to the British Museum. They have all those mummies and Egyptian stuff and I think that's cool.." You yawned, covering your mouth and then continuing. "I'd like to see Westminster and also a play or two on the West End. I'd also like to take a weekend out to Ireland, maybe see Dublin or Kilkenny. I have distant relatives in Kilkenny, so that'd be fun... What about you? What are you most excited about?"
Dave rubbed his hand against his khakis. There was something about the way you looked at him and the way the conversation flowed easily between the two of you that made his hands clammy and his heart speed up. "I wanna see Big Ben and the Tower of London and the Eye, and I guess whatever else they have planned for my group." He shrugged. "It sounds like you had more interesting places to go to though."
"Are you not allowed to break away from the group?" You asked.
"I am, if I had someone to break away and do things with.." He saw you yawn again, and it made him yawn. "Do you want to lay out on the seat and sleep?"
"Are you not going to sleep?"
"I am, but I can sit up." Dave smiled.
"Well that's not fair to you.." You pouted.
"It's okay... come on." Dave slid to the seat at the aisle, pulled his blanket over his legs, and reclined the seat back. He pulled the disposable plane pillow off the seat next to him and he handed it to you. You scrunched it up in your hands and looked up at him.
"That's not fair. If you don't get to lay down, then I shouldn't get to either." You reclined your window seat back and stuffed the pillow against the wall.
"Oh, this is just ridiculous. Okay, get up." Dave pulled you up by the arm and slid his body along the seats, pushing the arm rest against the window up, and leaned against the wall. "Come here."
You narrowed your eyes and smiled at him, surprised by what he was asking you to do. "Oh my god, you don't even know me, Dave Hodgman. Aren't you afraid of being a little forward right now?" You snickered and sat down on the edge of the aisle seat.
Dave shook his head. "I know you, Y/n Y/L/N. I've spent the past six.. nope, seven hours getting to know you."
"That doesn't mean you know me." You smirked at his sweet brand of arrogance.
"I know you.. I know you are a music major from Seattle. You play four instruments already, but you're learning the French horn because you wanted a challenge. You love staying in bed and watching movies on a rainy day. You had a massive crush on Wesley from The Princess Bride when you were growing up. Peaches, wild berry bushes, and fireworks are your favorite things about summer. You wrinkle your nose when the bubbles from the soda you’re drinking are still fizzy. You're beautiful and adventurous and smart and funny and I've never talked to anyone for seven hours straight and not run out of things to say or not wanted to not stop talking as much as I really don't want to stop talking to you, and maybe I don't know you as well as your friends but I know you well enough to let you sleep on my chest and not think you’d find that weird. So, I say again, come here."
All you could do was laugh and blush and give your hands over to his. He lifted the blanket over him and pulled you gently against his chest. He slumped against the wall and wrapped his arms around you. You rested your head against his chest and caught a strong whiff of his cologne; it made butterflies fill your stomach. His body and arms were taut and firm and his navy blue sweatshirt was soft against your cheek. You started really hoping that this boy who you had met only hour before would wake up, kiss you, and then spend the next three months traipsing around the United Kingdom with you. You yawned again, your chin digging into his pectoral muscles, and felt his hand come up to gently caress and hold the back of your head. Your eyes began to droop and you fell asleep with a smile on your face.
"Miss.. Sir... we'll be landing soon. Please place your seats in the upright positions, buckle your seat belts and ready any trash you have for when we come back around." You looked up at the flight attendant, who smiled softly at you opening your eyes and then moved on to the woman across the aisle from you, who was also dead asleep.
"You sleep okay?" You heard a deeper, raspy voice come from above you.
It wasn't a dream. He was real. You smiled and looked up at him. Kiss me. Kiss me. Ugh. Idiot. "Yea, actually. You?"
Dave nodded and ruffled his matted hair. "Really well." He smiled bashfully up at you, his sweet upturned nose and freckles becoming clearer in the morning light as he opened the window cover. He looked down and watched as you took his socks off your feet and slipped your boots back on. "Keep 'em."
"You sure?"
"Yea. They're molded to your small feet now anyway." He smirked, and then shook his head, knowing that was not a good joke, but smiled wide when you laughed anyway.
The plane landed and everyone began milling about the cabin, waiting to be let off the plane. Dave stood up and pulled his backpack down, leaving it on the seat, and pulled your guitar down. You took it and smiled. You both deboarded together and went through customs together. You stood next to him at the baggage carrousel, your guitar case propped up on your feet, waiting for your oversized neon purple suitcase to come around.
"That's mine." You pointed as it came around slowly. Dave walked up and pulled it off the metal carrousel and placed it upright in front of you. "Thanks..." You felt melancholic and nervous.
"Uh, I had a nice time.." Dave mumbled.
You couldn't take the tension anymore. "Me too. Definitely the best flight I've ever been on." You smiled.
"Me too. Um, I hope you have a nice time.. here..." Dave contorted his face and reached his hand out to shake yours, and you felt your heart sink.
You reached your hand out to grip his back and pursed your lips. "Maybe I'll see you on the flight home around Christmas, Dave Hodgman." You picked up your guitar and pulled the handle out of your suitcase and began walking backwards a few steps, staring at the handsome guy in front of you, waiting for your movie magic moment. But it never came. You turned around, walked out the double doors to the taxi line at Heathrow airport and got in a black cab, resigned to never see him again, but to always remember that night fondly.
"I couldn't wait until December to maybe run into you at the airport again... No.. No.. Ugh." Dave paced circles into the cobblestones, talking out loud to himself. "I found you on Facebook but thought it would be weird to friend you after that handshake so...... I thought I'd stalk you instead? What? God damnit, Dave. You're an idiot. She probably doesn't even remember you. This is like an ambush. It's been two weeks. She has forgotten about you. She has met some British guy with some awesome accent by now who actually had the guts to fucking kiss her, you fucking loser... She’s definitely already dating Tom fucking Holland. At least I can say croissant like a normal person...." He digressed. Dave wiped the sweat from his brow and sat on a ledge, his head staring down at his shoes. "Just say, I don't know if you remember me but I sat next to you on the flight out here and I have been thinking about you for the past two weeks and I can't seem to get you out of my head and I was wondering if I could take you on a date to the British Muse-"
"Dave?"
Dave's head shot up and he saw you emerge from the music building at the University of Oxford, a long shot that ended up paying off. He stood up and stared at you, like a deer in headlights. "I.... uh... I........” He took a breathe and shook his head. “I can't believe I shook your hand."
You grinned and walked forward to him, setting down your guitar case on the ledge he had just been sitting on. "I can't believe you shook my hand either."
"I just... you don't even know me, and I didn't want to be forward..."
You cut him off. "I know you, Dave Hodgman. I spent twelve hours getting to know you and the past two weeks thinking about that flight.”
Dave smirked, listening to you repeat his words from the flight back to him. He played along. “Doesn’t mean you know me...”
You took a step closer and smiled. “I know you. I know you love the New York Mets, although I have no idea why. You call your little sister 'Gerbil', which is maybe the cutest thing on earth. You have the sweetest smattering of moles on your face that I have ever seen in my life. You got that scar on your wrist from falling off your bike when you were 12 and trying to save a frog from drowning in a shallow pond. I know you tend to-"
Dave grinned, and walked forward towards you, cupping his hands on your cheeks and pressing his lips against yours. His hands weaved into your hair and yours found their way against his ribs, pressing into the light jacket he had on, as he softly sucked on your bottom lip. He pulled away, seeing your eyes still closed, and whispered. "I should've done that at the airport."
You opened your eyes and let out a small, quick and breathy chuckle. "Wow."
"And if I had had enough guts to do that at the airport, I would've then told you that that was the best twelve hours of my life and I just want to spend more time with you. I want to really, really know you, Y/n, and um.." Dave smiled and laughed, staring into your y/e/c eyes. "Can I take you on a date tonight?"
You smiled bright to blind a pilot flying overhead above the low, gray clouds. "I genuinely thought you'd never ask."
Dave leaned down, picked up your guitar, and held out his hand for you. You gripped it tightly in yours and walked next to him, hopeful that maybe a twelve hour flight would turn into something so much greater.
lmao i hate this look at the colours what am i doing
oh well, dave week, davesprite i dont even know what day, sorry
fun fact: when i first read through homestuck it took me a really long time to warm to alpha dave because i viewed him as fake dave and rlly sympathised with davesprite as “the real dave” which i kno is dumb bcaus thats not how hs time stuff works but......
yeh just for ages davesprite was actually my fav character even over alpha dave and i still feel really bad for the stuff he had to deal with poor davesprite
