#mrfakedating

millie’s long list of malex fics | leave the light on by sabrinachill / @sabrinachill​

“Explain it to me again — why do we need to pretend to be married?”

It’s a question Michael knew was coming, but not one he has a good answer for. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

He cuts his eyes away from the road to steal a glance at the passenger’s seat for the seventeenth time in the past hour; the view is the same as always. Alex, frowning so deeply his entire face is drooping downward, his dark hair dancing in the wind that whips through the windows as he stares at the simple silver band circling his ring finger.

Its twin sits on Michael’s hand.

A Malex Fake Marriage fic.

comment: the absolute joy that this fic brought me (and others) during may/june cannot be accurately described. i eagerly awaited an update every day and mattie never disappointed. now that i can read over the whole thing, it’s only gotten better. the ramp up of tension, the action of the second half, it involves a list of amazing tropes, the main of course being fake marriage. god, it’s just so good. but don’t take my word for it! get over there and read it!

millie’s long list of malex fics | Strangers At Dinner by mansikka / @mansikkaomenabanaani

"You know you will always, always be welcome at ours for Christmas, Alex. You really don't need to spend any time with any of them if you don't want to. You know, that, right?"

Alex sighs, his breath fogging up the Crashdown table where he's dropped his head face first, letting the soothing feel of Liz's fingers through the back of his hair take some of the tension from his shoulders. He has nothing to do with his family anymore. Alex hasn't seen his dad since he visited him when he was recovering after his surgery, and he can't have spoken to any of his brothers in six months. He doesn't miss any of them; not for the disdainful abuse from his father nor for the disinterested mockery from his siblings.

Alex really doesn't want to have Christmas dinner with his family but doesn't know how to get out of it. Could Michael Guerin's Craigslist ad offering his services to ruin Christmas dinner be the salvation he's after?

comment: another fake-dating-at-christmas fic!!!! i’m over the moon that this trope has been embraced. this one is fantastic because it includes alex and michael sticking it to his (shitty) family. i’m all about that.

millie’s long list of malex fics | Darken Up My Heaven, Brighten Up My Hell by AudreyBlanche

Michael isn’t sure what he had expected when he summoned a demon, but a guy about his age, looking rumpled and like he just stepped out of a trashy swashbuckler film, isn't it. The man – demon? – in front of him is wearing a wide, white shirt that gapes open at the neck to reveal a multitude of necklaces, the shirt tucked into leather pants that bring a blush to Michael's cheeks, with weird lacing at the crotch instead of buttons. Michael wonders if the lacing would make it easier or harder to get at what lay so prominently behind it. Guiltily, his eyes snap back up to the demon's face.

Cold eyes the colour of steel meet his and Michael swallows, hard. He has to look up a little and somehow that really does it for Michael.

Mystery solved. He is definitely, definitely into guys.

Michael needs a fake boyfriend to the wedding of his ex. So, obviously, summoning a demon is the way to go. Somehow, the demon didn't get the memo about the 'fake' part, though.

comment: oh hell yes, i love me some demon!au. this is so fantastic because it’s not even particularly angsty (at least not where demon!alex is concerned). it’s like a fake dating fic and a demon au fic had a baby and created this little gem, which i desperately wish there was more of. i wanna hear more about the adventures of michael and alex after the initial setup... if you can deal with the fact that there’s no sequel to this, get over there and read it! if you can’t... you should read it anyway and then come and cry with me.

millie’s long list of malex fics | Faking Spirits Bright by SuburbanSun / @unbreakablejemmasimmons

“The usual?”

Alex smiled at the curly-haired man behind the counter of his corner coffee shop. “Yeah, and maybe a croissant, too?” It was only mid-morning, but solving the IT problems of people who didn’t know the shift key from the space bar could really work up an appetite.

Unless he wants to get set up with every son, grandson, and nephew his new coworkers have, Alex needs to find a date to the office holiday party ASAP. Maybe the cute, curly-haired barista who gives him free croissants can help with that.

comment: faking dating AND a christmas fic? an amazing combination of tropes. truly inspiring. i can’t wait to see how the last chapter goes!!! it’s so delightfully cute already and also i just realised how funny the title is.

millie’s long list of malex fics | Too Busy Being Yours by auselysium

The end of Alex's enlistment period is coming and his commanding officer wants to hold a ceremony to honor him.

And he wants Alex to bring a date.

Fake dating AU.

comment: oooh i love it when a fic hits those good trope buttons. fake dating is infamous in fandom and this fic does not disappoint. it’s canon adjacent; some canon events have happened but no one’s an alien. don’t worry; the three chapters guide you through well enough that it’s never confusing. this fic would be fantastic purely because of it follows a time-honoured trope but there are some really wonderful moments throughout that made me clutch my heart. every time michael opens his mouth in chapter three, for example. anyway, go enjoy this tropey goodness!