Work Text:
-Henry-
Henry was staring. He knew he was staring but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the man not too far away from his field of vision.
Henry had been pretending to read for the last five minutes of his dog walk with his beagle, David. Prior to that he’d had a lovely stroll through the park and decided to stop for lunch on a bench, that was decidedly not too wet after yesterday’s downpour, to eat his sandwich and continue yet another read-through of Pride and Prejudice, when he heard a man’s voice. Clearly American and very loud, disturbing the peace of his Sunday afternoon.
He looked up intending to glare in the strangers direction only to be met with the most beautiful person he he’d ever seen in his life. From his vantage point Henry could see the man had dark curly hair, warm brown eyes and a smile that radiated joy while playing with his own dog, a Dalmatian.
David, sensing something was amiss moved from his spot around his owners ankles, kicked himself up onto his back legs, and used Henry’s legs to steady himself and nuzzle his nose under his human’s hands. Finally knocked out of his daze Henry looked down and started to pet David to let him know that he was okay.
“Spaced out for a second there, didn’t I?” Henry said, and picked the beagle up to sit on his lap. “What do you think of that man over there?” He whispered. “Rather lovely, isn’t he?” David barked a response. “I will absolutely not go and talk to him. This is London, for heaven’s sake. He’ll think I’ve gone round the bend.” David barked again. “OK maybe he wouldn’t, as he’s American, but that doesn’t mean I need to humiliate myself by speaking to him. No. We admire and we leave with our dignity in tact. Yes?”
Henry looked back to see the stranger was no longer in his line of sight. Oh well. One last glance would have been nice but it really is for the best.
Henry placed David back on the floor and reached for his book when his dog, who had never a day in his life cared for exercise, or moving of any kind, bolted and took off down one of the nearby pathways. “David!” Henry yelled, and took off after him. “David come back here!” Henry yelled again but David ignored his pleas and carried on running. He only stopped running when he came to a fountain and circled, jumping around a strangers legs. The strangers legs. Legs which were, in Henry’s opinion, just as perfect as the rest of him.
“Bollocks.” Henry muttered to himself.
-Alex-
Alex had stopped for a moment in front of the Huntress Fountain in Hyde Park, not quite ready to head back home. He hadn’t been in England for very long, a few weeks or, maybe a month. His flat was.. quiet. Quieter than he’s used to with a Southern, half-Mexican family, most of whom are in politics and all of whom are very opinionated and aren’t afraid to get loud about them.
It wasn’t that easy, making friends in a new country. Especially as he worked long and sometimes unusual hours. Plus, as previously stated, he was loud. In your face, passionate and sometimes a lot to fucking handle. And Alex, well he hadn’t found anyone he clicked with yet. Someone who looked at him, all of him and thought “Yes, I think I like this brand of weird.” Someone who accepted him.
Lost in thought he was surprised when he was almost tackled from the side by an excitable dog. Jumping around and circling his legs, almost like the dog was trying to get his attention. “Well hey there.” Alex said, reaching down to pet the beagle. “And who might you be?”
Alex went to reach for a name tag, but didn’t quite get there before a man almost crashed into him, attempting to grab the dog. “I am so terribly sorry.” He said. Now Alex has been in England for a month, he’s heard a bunch of British accents in that time, and more Londoner accents than he can count. This guy’s accent blew them all out of the water. He’s exactly what you’d expect a posh English guy to sound like, it should be boring. Alex kinda wants to hear it again.
“It’s really no problem” Alex assured him. The blonde stranger had managed to get a hand, not to his dog but the lead at least. Blonde haired, blue eyed stranger. Eyes Alex wanted to drown himself in, just a little.
Blondie was also now circling him, along with the dog, and wound up turned around to face Alex. Alex was almost on board with this when he realised he and the stranger were trapped by the lead. “What the fuck?”
“I truly cannot apologise enough, here let me see if I can-” the stranger cut himself off as he leant down, or tried to as best he could while trapped, to take the lead off his dogs collar. Alex struggled to get free of the dog-made trap while his own dog jumped around the pair, probably trying to help, and then Henry was finally unwinding them from each other, but then..
He’s not quite sure how it happened but one moment he was dry and and on the ground and the next he was in the water, presumably the fountain, face down and soaked.
“What the fuck” he said again, as he surfaced, because he felt like it bared repeating. “Did you push me in?”
“No I bloody well did not” the man said, hotly. “You pulled me in!”
Alex stared at him for a moment, half distracted by the thought neither of them had yet moved out of the freezing winter waters. “I don’t believe you, I felt you push me.”
“What you felt was your arm on my coat pulling me along with you when you lost your balance. This impromptu swim is entirely your fault.”
“My fault?” Alex all but screeched, watching the other man stand. “Last I checked it wasn’t my dog trying to arrange a very cold, very wet, meet cute, sweetheart.”
The man blushed. He goddamn blushed, and fuck Alex wanted to see that again.
“Yes, well David, it would seem, went rogue on me.”
Alex blinked, pausing in his own move to stand. “Who the fuck is David?”
“My dog,” he answered, pointing to the beagle.
“You named your dog David?” Whether it was the volume or tone of Alex’s exclamation, David the dog seemed to perk up at his name being called and jumped up and scurried over the fountain to get to Alex. “Oh no, you stay there mister I’m mad at you!” But it was too late. David bounded over to Alex and jumped up onto his back legs, leaning his front paws against Alex’s chest and nuzzled into him. “No, absolutely not, I will not yield” he said, his traitorous hands coming up to pet him anyway. David then hooked his neck over Alex’s shoulder and started kissing his face, licking everywhere he could reach. “Low blow, David, low blow. This is just not fair, you know that right?” He said, pulling back to look the beagle in the eyes, “it’s not fair at all” and then went right back to cuddling and petting the dog.
Alex flicked his eyes up to the blonde man, realising that he might not be okay with an actual stranger cuddling his dog. But blondie looked so fucking soft, all doe-eyed, fucking sickening. “David is still a stupid name” he grumbled. The man’s mouth twitched upward in response, almost involuntarily. Huh.
“And what, may I ask, is your dogs name?”
Shit.
Alex grumbled the answer into Davids fur, but blondie didn’t relent.
“I’m sorry what was that?” He asked.
“Spot. OK. His name is Spot.”
The man’s jaw dropped slightly and he blinked. Once, twice, three times before he found his voice. “You’re judging me for calling my dog David when you named your Dalmatian dog, Spot?”
Alex finally stood, bringing the beagle along with him. “Listen here you little shit, my niece named my dog. What’s your excuse?” Blondie grins at the insult. Fucking grins, big and loud and shiny as if Alex is joking with him. Which he is, but most people don’t get that.
“After Bowie” he said, simply.
This time Alex gaped. “Bowie as in the musician?”
“Do you know another David Bowie?”
“Why the fuck didn’t you name him Bowie then?”
“Every man needs a little mystery about him. Bowie’s a little on the nose, or on the spot as the case may be.”
Once again Alex moved the beagle so they were face to face. “You could’ve had the coolest name my dude, did you know that?” David barked in response. “You’re bitter, I would be too.”
Only once they’d moved out of the water did Alex realise how bitterly cold it was outside, and he was soaked through and had a long journey home. Shivering he reached out for the man to take the lead and place it back on David’s collar. As soon as David was on the ground he took a few steps and shook himself, ridding himself from the water in the fountain. Unfortunately the water ended up soaking Spot, who had sensibly managed to stay dry throughout the strange exchange. Spot looked disapprovingly at David and then bopped him on the nose for good measure.
“Spot!” Alex smacked his palm to his forehead.
“No, no, that was deserved,” blondie assured him, chuckling at the exchange between their canines. Alex shivered. “Are you alright?”
“Christ it’s cold” he said, teeth now chattering. “Not looking forward to the long walk home in this weather.” Winter in England was one thing, but winter after being dunked into fountain water was more than his hot Texan blood could handle, apparently.
“You could come back to mine?” Alex’s eyes snapped up to see the mans eyes widen slightly. “That is to say, I don’t live too far from here myself and I could put the heating on, lend you some dry clothes - you could shower if you wanted? Well, that might be odd, but it’s better than you catching a cold and-”
Alex stopped listening, trying to fight the smirk that wanted to make its way onto his face at the man’s nervousness. “I’d uh, I’d actually really appreciate that. But I’m gonna need something from you first, if that’s alright?”
“Oh, um, sure? What’s that?”
Alex grinned. “You got a name, sweetheart?” He asked. The blush was back and Alex was fucking delighted.
“Henry” he said, holding out his hand for Alex to shake. Fucking hell, the guy should be a prince with a name like that.
“Alex” he replied, taking the hand and Henry grinned.
“Okay, Alex, my place is just toward the end of the park so follow me,” he said, picking up Spot’s lead instead of David’s in his haste to get moving. Alex looked at a shivering David and made a decision. He undid his coat and picked him up, securing the beagle against him he wrapped his coat around them both. Henry had stopped and turned back to look questioningly at Alex, who caught up to him in a few strides. Alex shrugged. “He looked cold,” he said simply.
And oh Christ, there was that soft look again. Henry looked lost for words and Alex started to feel himself blushing. What a fucking nightmare.
“So uh,” he started, kicking himself. He didn’t have anything to say though so that was just great. But Henry spoke at the same time.
“Would you like to stay for tea? Or coffee? It might help warm you up a little more and, well, we could perhaps get to know one another, if you’re amenable of course. And there’s no pressure whatsoever-”
“Henry,” Alex said, grabbing his attention. “I’m absolutely amenable.” He grinned and the grin he received back was almost blinding.
Huh.