First Date Masterlist
Links last checked: June 11th, 2025
As Fate (or a really weird guy named David) Would Have It (ao3) - husbants
Summary: Phil has been stood up. Just as heâs leaving, a frantic (and absolutely handsome) guy rushes in the restaurant, looking for his own first date.
Maybe tonight wonât be as bad as it once seemed it would.
between the bars. (ao3) - commonemergency
Summary: Dan is a lonely twenty-something year old not really looking for a connection until he finds one, and it's not in the way he expected, in fact he can't really even remember it.
Or the one where Dan and Phil meet on Tinder.
blind date gone wrong?! (not clickbait!) (ao3) - overmyhead
Summary: When Phil gets stood up at a blind date his colleague Bryony arranged for him, he certainly doesnât expect the evening to end with a kiss in the pouring rain in front of a load of supermarket bins after almost sneezing his brains out.
Blushes and a Cup of Coffee (ao3) - orphan_account
Summary: Phil was expecting one of the stereotypical first questions, âwhatâs your favourite colour?â Or âwhere were you born?â
Instead, Dan asked, âDo you like coffee?â and Phil couldnât help the short bark of laughter that he let out at the strange question.
Or
The two idiots and their first date
Clarity (ao3) - thatsmistertoyou
Summary: New glasses. Cute boy. Eye puns.
Coffee Shop Date (ao3) - multifandomer
Summary: Dan and Phil go on their date.
distance makes the heart grow fonder, said by someone stronger than me (ao3) - xoPrincessKayxo
Summary: It's a little hard to go on dates when you're hundreds of miles apart. Luckily, Skype was invented
Double Date (ao3) - Spring_Haze
Summary: Phil finds himself on a double date at a mini golf course near campus, though he is much more interested in the male half of the other couple than anything else. The boys are left alone to explore their fast new friendship and sparks fly. This is a sweet, funny, and romantic tale of love at first sight that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy.
First Date (ao3) - regionalatbest
Summary: Dan and Phil's first date
(from the wings) i'll be watching (ao3) - moonanonymous
Summary: Phil is the assistant lighting director. Dan is the nutcracker prince. It's going to be a long day.
give this thing a try (ao3) - pasteldanhowells
Summary: Dan is a cashier at a grocery store, and Phil is his supervisor. One evening at work, Phil surprises Dan by asking him out on a date, and of course Dan, who's had a crush on Phil since forever, says yes. Cue, the freaking out and comfort ensues.
Graveyard (ao3) - Numberonephanboy
Summary: "You're bringing me lunch in a graveyard?"
"Sounded more romantic in my head."
kodachrome daydreams (ao3) - sierraadeux
Summary: Neon lights, strawberry milkshakes, and Tears For Fears.
Love & Insecurities - placingglaciers
Summary: In which Dan and Phil have been online dating for a while now and are just now meeting for their first date and itâs terrible (according to Phil, that is).
love at first sight (ao3) - orphan_account
Summary: the classic blind date trope, featuring a mysterious chihuahua, a crayola keyboard, and an art museum :)
Love Scenario (ao3) - worriedpeach (skeletonflowers)
Summary: When Phil first saw him in the spring, he thought he looked like bubblegum.
Luckily Cursed (ao3) - TsingaDark
Summary: Sometimes Dan thinks he might be a little bit cursed. He knows thatâs bullshit, of course, but still, his bad luck regarding first dates is kind of conspicuous.
megaphone to my chest (ao3) - overjoyedlester
Summary: Phil is convinced that him and Dan are meant to be.
(Now all he has to do is work up the nerve to ask Dan out on a date.)
Midnight Milkshakes (ao3) - thelandofphan
Summary: "Well, this is a different first date," Dan initiated as they began to follow the sodden pathway ahead, "I turned up late, looking like a tramp then we ditched the original plan and now I've stolen your beanie when we've only just met. Sorry." He concluded, sucking his lip nervously, peering towards Phil.
No One Less Than Perfect (ao3) - CanDanAndPhilNot (enbycalhoun)
Summary: Dan doesn't mind being a single father to his four-year-old Elizabeth, but sometimes he gets lonely. The problem is, he won't settle for anyone who is less than perfect. So maybe, he might just ask Elizabeth's (and maybe his) favorite Daycare worker, Phil on a date.
of blind dates and many mistakes (ao3) - larry_hystereks
Summary: âi walked into this restaurant and you thought i was your blind date and i just kind of went with it because i donât want to eat aloneâ
or in which dan is a poor uni student and phil wrongly thinks he's his blind date.
Our First Date, Our Perfect Future - analphancones
Summary: Song fic!to First Date by Blink-182. Phil walks you through his emotions on his first date with Dan, the love he felt for him, how Dan looked, how beautiful he was. How everything about how Dan looked made his heart flutter and his stomach fill with butterflies. Phil walks you through how he felt on their first date, what happened and how he was so in love with Dan it hurt. Then, the end of the fic is present day Phil, much older. How he feels about the first date, how that amazing and awkward first date, led to an amazing future. And how lucky he feels to have Dan be with him still, even after all these years.
only your invention (ao3) - jestbee
Summary: Phil doesn't have time for fuckboy Dan so why can't he stop texting him?
Starbucks and Bathrooms (ao3) - Full_Moon_Lover
Summary: Dan and Phil are finally having their first date after their meeting in the plane. Is it going to be just a date, or will they be unable to keep their hands off each other?
In which Phil is starting to think they have a thing for bathrooms.
Tattoo Boy (ao3) - tahliaisnotonfire
Summary: Dan Howell couldn't have been happier than to have met that beautifully tattooed boy on the street by running away from some idiotic bullies.
The Silver Lining (ao3) - croissantbleu
Summary: Phil is a rising actor, gaining popularity. Dan is just a guy with a tailor shop just a few blocks away from Phil's apartment. And Phil was looking for someone to go to for custom suits, but maybe he'll end up with more than he had thought.
three for the price of one - softiejace
Summary: after getting to know each other online, Dan and Phil spend a promising first date until Phil gets a phone call and leaves in a hurry. Dan finds his wallet and decides to drop it off at Philâs place the next morning, hoping for an explanation. However, he ends up getting a lot more than he bargained forâŠ
to coffee or not to coffee (ao3) - danhoweiis
Summary: dan doesn't like coffee, phil works in a coffee shop. cue some awful attempts at flirting and some first dates
Sunshine - sodalester
Summary: a grumpy!dan and sunshine!phil fic in which dan totally doesnât have a crush on phil. not at all
while our blood's still young (ao3) - celestialfics
Summary: In the midst of 1950s America, Phil works at a malt shop that Dan frequents after school. Inevitably as their relationship progresses, the two boys face unrelenting adversity in a world that does not yet see all love as equal.
Won't Even Wish For Snow (ao3) - dandrogynous
Summary: âYou've got, um.â Dan reaches over and brushes his gloved hands across Philâs shoulders, then down his chest. âLike, sorry, snow? It would have melted I guess but then, like, you would have gotten wet, so.â All his smoothness has disappeared and his cheeks have gone pink. Phil can't tell if it's from the cold or from how they're standing nearly on top of each other in the tiny lift.
âThanks,â he says. His voice is slightly raspy and his body feels very warm where Dan touched him. The lift door opens and they pile out. Dan nods, smiling just enough that his dimple pops as he fumbles in his pocket for his key. He shoves it into the keyhole and rattles the doorknob until it twists and the door falls open.
âWelcome,â he says, gesturing his way into the flat dramatically, âto my humble abode.â
