#fakerelationship

HL Fic of the Month ✧ M a y ✧

Birthday Boyfriend 

by @emmli28

It’s Harry’s birthday, and he has had a rather shitty day, to be honest. That changes the moment a complete stranger sits down across from him at a bar and decides to make it the best birthday ever.

part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven, part eight

Advent Calendar 2019 (ao3) - Phantje

Summary: Dan and Phil are best friends. Also, Dan loves Phil, but Phil doesn't need to know that, especially as it could unredeemably change their relationship. Also, Dan loves being part of Phil's daughter Ashley's life. As long as he can stay close to them and see them be happy, he should be fine.

When Phil asks him for a favour, Dan agrees without hesitating, unaware of how much a taste of his dream life would affect him.

A December-y story of Dan growing in his love for Phil, and Phil discovering his love which has always been there.

An Alternative Bahamas Incident (ao3) - Do_it_with_the_Howell_Lesters

Summary: Phil is set to be the best man at his brother's wedding, but his mother insists on him bringing a real date. So obviously he asks Dan to be his fake boyfriend for the week. But can Phil’s heart really take that? Can Dan’s?

April Fools (ao3) - hygge

Summary: Dan proposes an April Fools Day prank that he thinks will shock the Internet. But, when it comes time to share it with the world, Phil has second thoughts. There is something he needs to get off of his chest instead.

coming home someday (ao3) - lestered (clonetrobed)

Summary: He tries not to let his inner panic betray him, since he knows he’s freaking out for all the wrong reasons. Lying to Dan’s coworkers? Doesn’t bother him that much. Pretending to be Dan’s loving, devoted, long-term boyfriend for an entire night? That’s a different story.

Friends won't treat me like you do (ao3) - Mangomelions (orphan_account)

Summary: Phil pretends to be Dan's boyfriend to stop a creepy guy hitting on Dan. The lie escalates and they decide to keep it up for a while. How long can they keep pretending?

if you really loved the first one, you wouldn't have fallen for the second, and other bullshit sentences about love (ao3) - m_katiep

Summary: Bringing back the gaming channel didn't magically fix all the problems in their relationship, but maybe a whole ass tour will. Right? Please? Phil is still madly in love, but Dan is struggling.

Ignorance is (definitely not) bliss (ao3) - RachelIsWriting

Summary: After Dan surprises Phil by agreeing to his stupid fake relationship plan to impress the bosses at his company we spend the week with them in New York. Where Phil tries desperately to think of everything but Dan, and Dan tries everything he can to make sure that doesn’t happen.

It's cool, we're just friends (ao3) - sierraadeux

Summary: A romantic getaway for two, a beautiful Greek island, the wedding of everyone's dreams - what more could any couple want? Well, for Phil, maybe just for his date to not be his best friend.

or, the one where dan is an idiot, phil is an idiot, and the street cats of Santorini are incredibly cute.

oh, let's get carried away (ao3) - dvp_95

Summary: Surely, this is the start of a punchline: an awkward gay idiot with nothing to lose but his pride, sitting in Starbucks and waiting for his Reddit-assigned fake boyfriend to roll in and introduce himself.

Perfection Isn't For Us (ao3) - fridaynightbitchfights

Summary: Dan and Phil are dumb, stupid boys. Not even the most perfect, match making tropes could make them realize that they like each other.

the last act of the show (ao3) - vvelna

Summary: Phil has made a living from faking relationships for nearly a decade. His new client is an actor named Dan Howell.

The Nightmare of Chemistry (ao3) - Merrydith

Summary: Dan and Phil have amazing chemistry. They've built their entire lives around their dynamic. But Dan is lonely and decides to start dating to fill the desire in his heart - but everyone he brings home is too intimidated by Dan and Phil's connection. One day, Phil unknowingly gives him an idea that could change the game. Will Dan finally find someone comfortable enough to compete with what Dan and Phil have? Or will Dan have to realize that maybe what he has been looking for was in front of him the entire time?

undercover christmas (ao3) - calvinahobbes

Fake Dating Trope: What It Means, Why It Works, and the Best Books

The deal is simple. We pretend to be together. You get your family off your back, I get my ex to stop texting, and when it's over, we go our separate ways. No feelings. No complications. Just two adults performing a lie that benefits both of them.

That's how it starts. That's never how it ends.

The fake dating trope is one of romance fiction's most reliable setups because it contains a contradiction that readers find irresistible: two people who are pretending to be in love while slowly, accidentally, becoming exactly that. The audience sees it happening before the characters do. And that gap between performance and reality — the space where a staged hand-hold starts feeling genuine, where a kiss for show lingers a beat too long — that's where the trope lives.

Explicit | 11k | 1/1

Derek's not that excited about spending three days at a conference getting propositioned by every Alpha with a single pack member. Stiles has a plan to make it stop. 

It might be a great plan...if only Derek weren't head over heels in love with him. 

Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb:

The final book in the Lakefront Billionaires series by New York Times bestselling author Lauren Asher.

LORENZO Five months. Two people “in love”. One fake relationship with an expiration date. Sounds simple enough. The problem is, Lily Muñoz and I have history. So, when she volunteers to date me so I can improve my public image, I should say no. Our past complicates everything, but since my future depends on her, I agree to her plan. Faking it for the public is expected, but falling in love in private? That isn’t part of our arrangement.

LILY Using a dating app sounded like a great idea, up until I discovered Lorenzo Vittori was my match. My sister’s boyfriend hates him. My mom is wary of him. And me? I’ve spent the last year avoiding him. But when my business is threatened, I’m forced into teaming up with Lorenzo to save it. All I need to do is help him win the mayoral election, and he promises to protect my shop. It doesn’t take me long to learn that I’m not cut out for fake relationships, but Lorenzo? He isn’t capable of a real one.

Review:

A mayoral candidate looking for revenge and a fake fiancee finds himself falling for the one person he vowed not to, the sweet florist who's heart he broke years ago. Lorenzo and Lily met on a dating app and immediately hit it off, falling for each other and meeting up... only for him to dump her and ghost her. Two years later and they're both living in the same town trying to avoid each other as Lorenzo tries to focus on his campaign to become the mayor and get revenge for his parents death against his competition... but he is deeply disliked by the town and he needs a fake fiancee to help his image and he needs someone who is loved by the town... cue Lily. Lily, the sweet florist who he dumped and cut off, who's shop is in danger of closing if the other candidate wins and who he is desperately trying not to fall in love with. Lily still has a crush on him but can she forgive the man who destroyed her trust and her heart again or will he keep his secrets and his heart from her to the point where she can no longer give him another chance? This was the final book in the series and I had so much fun finishing the series. This was a cute final book in the series and I love how Lauren handles the difficulties and struggles of the characters. The characters are flawed but they grow and I love to see them heal. It's such a fantastic ending to the series and I just had so much fun reading it.

Release Date: August 19, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

Title: All For Show

Description:

Joe Keery is known as Hollywood's Badboy. He's a badass. He's tough. He's hot. But he has a temper and a reputation. One that his manager Andrew is done trying to clean up. So he decided to do something drastic: hire a girl to play Joe Keery's Girlfriend.

Evelyn Jones is a rising star. She's got a successful show on Netflix and her fan numbers are building up by the minute. She has a reputation of handling anything Hollywood throws at her. The real question? Can she handle this next career move?

Fake it till you make it - Chapter 1 (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/1346747869-fake-it-till-you-make-it-chapter-1?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_reading&wp_uname=CelticWolf55&wp_originator=vp9i2BMRe0TWah%2B%2BbM1fp9JKTBZfbflda6nh%2BRRB8B3mbnU65xLvU3DKExZ3%2BhJxZZEl3pofGPjNGTMBFpKsO0iHZdYF%2BM5VbR%2BXuksa4CEVzlGU5RjAanDBXEmc5hrs 

part one

and i fell for the lie that i told (ao3) - jbhmalum Calum/Ashton T, 10k

Summary: "If Calum is being honest — and Calum is always honest — it starts out as something completely innocent."

In which cashton get annoyed at the paps for always being there on their coffee runs and so they start to fuck with them. And the fans. And basically the entire world. Calum really shouldn't be that surprised when he starts catching feelings.

OR: 5 times Calum and Ashton pretend to be a couple in front of the cameras, and 1 time they are one, for nobody but themselves.

Epoch (ao3) - lourrygum Michael/Luke E, 10k

Summary: But Michael’s in a band, of course. He hasn’t spent over two months in his own home in over four years and he definitely hasn’t spent up to that amount of time anywhere else. L.A.’s the only place where they’d stuck around long enough to stop getting lost often enough to have to spend fifteen minutes on Google maps figuring out where the hell they were. And even then, they only stayed for around six weeks. It’s not like six weeks isn’t enough to meet someone, but it’s definitely not enough to start to like them and date them and continue to like them enough to put an effort into the long-distance thing.

or, michael's parents are worried, luke wants to help, calum can't lie, and ashton knows best

for real - @sup3rbloom (haveufoundwhaturlookingfor) Calum/Ashton, brief Calum/OMC T, 4k

Summary: Michael keeps trying to set Calum up on blind dates, and one day Calum accidentally slips and says he has a boyfriend when he doesn't, so Ashton offers to be his fake boyfriend. It works, until Calum messes things up.

i got a long-term plan (with short-term fixes) (ao3) - bellawritess Michael/Luke T, 4k

Summary: Michael comes into the bookstore one day with the weirdest request he’s made of Luke in the almost-year they’ve known each other.

“I need a hot boyfriend,” he announces. “You in?”

Luke frowns very slowly. “To help you find a hot boyfriend?”

“To be my hot boyfriend,” Michael says, like it’s obvious. “Temporarily.”

It's Almost Like Being In Love (ao3) - sugarysnaps Luke/Ashton G, 22k

Summary: Upon entering the small jewelry shop Luke felt a surge of reality wash over him. It’d been nice in their little bubble of fake engagement. But now that they were here to replace the fake ring for their fake engagement to convince his parents of a lie, reality was a force to be reckoned with.

After a drunken posting online Luke Hemmings has found himself caught up in an intricate lie; a fake engagement to his college dorm mate, Ashton Irwin. During spring break the two must convince their families of their relationship all the while battling with interfering feelings and obstacles of secrets and pasts that are bound to catch up to them. Through the trials and tribulations of the lies and secrets, the two may find happiness within each other. Not every lie is completely devoid of truth, and perhaps their "fake" feelings hold unspoken truths.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe (ao3) - allsassnoclass (brightblackholes) Michael/Ashton, background Luke/Calum T, 15k

Summary: Michael has been letting everyone at the office believe he has a boyfriend for the past few months. Things become complicated when they ask to meet his boyfriend at the company winter party.

"No" Probably Would Have Sufficed (ao3) - littleficlets (addictedkitten) Michael/Luke, past Michael/Harry G, 366

Summary: "Am I going to have to pretend to be your boyfriend for the rest of the tour?"

Of Plastic Flowers And Enthusiastic Mothers (It's Always Been You) (ao3) - thecoloursinthegravel Luke/Ashton, minor Michael/Calum N/R, 9k

Summary: Ashton asks Luke to pretend to be his date for his cousin’s wedding. (For his mum’s sake, of course.) Luke has this teeny tiny little issue in that he’s kind of maybe slightly very much in love with Ashton. And boy, does Ashton look good in a suit.

put the stars in our eyes (ao3) - burstintocolor (anchormate) Luke/Calum M, 25k

Summary: Ben hangs up, leaving Luke still reeling. His family thinks he and Cal are dating. And they weren’t surprised. They’d been waiting for it. His mum cried because she was so happy for him. And worst of all, he hadn’t had a chance to correct Ben. Luke rolls over on his bed, burying his face in his pillow and letting out a groan.

or, luke's family thinks he's dating calum. luke doesn't correct them.

Too Close to See (ao3) - allsassnoclass (brightblackholes) Michael/Calum T, 20k

Summary: “Oh,” his mother breathes. “You and Calum finally figured it out.”

That is not what he was thinking. He’s not entirely sure what he was thinking, but passing Calum off as his boyfriend was not it. Still, Michael is not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Yes, Calum and I figured it out, so I’ll be bringing him to the wedding. No need to set me up with anyone, because I’m dating Calum.”

under the mistletoe - @sup3rbloom (haveufoundwhaturlookingfor) Michael/Luke, Calum/Ashton, Sierra/Crystal T, 3k

Summary: Michael needs a date to his work's Christmas party. Luke offers to be his fake date. Michael should be thrilled about this, but Michael's had a crush on Luke ever since they met each other. Now he has to fake date Luke for a party when his feelings aren't fake at all.

wish I could say something (ao3) - irwah Calum/Ashton G, 6k

Summary: “What do you mean you’re getting married?!” Comes Luke’s tinny voice, squeaking through the speakers of Ashton’s phone.

"It just makes sense, Lu.” Ashton sighs. “I don’t have the money to go back to paying full rent for the flat and he doesn’t wanna get sent back to France. It just works, logistically.”

Or: the Brexit fake dating AU that no-one asked for

you are the sun (and i’m just the planets spinning around you) (ao3) - orphan_account Michael/Luke, Calum/Ashton T, 17k

Summary: "are you ready for this?” his ‘boyfriend’ asked, squeezing his hand again and giving him a reassuring smile.

― michael’s being forced to go to a stupid family event, even though it really does seem like just yesterday that he was being forced to fly out to australia for his nan’s funeral. it wasn't like he hated his nan and didn't want to mourn her death, he just honestly couldn't be bothered to deal with his family’s constant digs and comments about how unlovable he was and how he should definitely be in a relationship by his age. but ashton had a way to fix that, it all just depended on whether luke agreed or not.

(or: the fake dating fic.)

you're still the best thing in my life (ao3) - forforever (preciousthings) Luke/Calum G, 2k