Fake Dating – Trope Encyclopedia Entry

Sebastian Hart

Definition: Pretend Now, Deal With Feelings Later

In MM romance, Fake Dating begins as a practical arrangement. Two men agree to pose as a couple to solve an external problem—family pressure, PR optics, immigration status, housing, or career advancement. The narrative drive comes from the widening gap between performance and emotion: the deeper the act, the harder it becomes to tell which parts are real.

The trope hinges on two promises:

  1. The performance will force them into situations that accelerate intimacy.
  2. Eventually, someone has to ask, “Are we still faking this?”

Why Readers Love Fake Dating

1. Built‑In Roleplay and Banter

Fake boyfriends must negotiate rules:

  • Can we hold hands in public?
  • Do we kiss hello, or is that “too far”?
  • What do we post on social media?
  • Are we allowed to get jealous while it’s still “pretend”?

These negotiations generate playful dialogue and countless opportunities for accidental intimacy. Every fake gesture is double‑coded: it’s both performance and a rehearsal for the real thing.

2. Public vs. Private Selves

Queer lives are often shaped by questions of visibility—who knows, who doesn’t, and what version of yourself you show in different spaces. Fake dating gives that tension a concrete form:

  • They may be out to friends but not to family or fans.
  • The public “boyfriend” is safe to display, but private fears and traumas are hidden.
  • The line between stage‑managed affection and genuine comfort blurs.

Readers who have navigated similar compartmentalisation find this deeply relatable.

3. Slow Burn with Structural Support

Because the couple is “together” from early on, fake dating can combine slow burn feelings with immediate proximity:

  • They sleep in the same bed on trips.
    +- They attend weddings, holidays, and press events hand‑in‑hand.
  • They rehearse couple behaviours—pet names, inside jokes, shared narratives.

Emotionally, though, they’re behind: they won’t call it love yet. That gap between behaviour and self‑knowledge is where the best angst lives.

Typical Setups in MM Fake Dating

Family‑Facing Deals

  • One character wants to get relatives off his back about “settling down.”
  • Another needs a safe person for a wedding, reunion, or traditional holiday.

These stories often explore generational expectations, culture, and the relief of not being alone at stressful family events.

Career and PR Arrangements

Especially common in MM:

  • Actors, musicians, or athletes needing a clean narrative for the press.
  • Tech founders or CEOs wanting to appear stable and relatable.

Here the stakes involve contracts, sponsorships, or media scrutiny; the romance co‑exists with commentary on commodified queer visibility.

Survival & Practicality

  • Two roommates fake being a couple to secure housing in a conservative area.
  • A man offers fake‑dating protection to shield someone from harassment or an ex.

These variations lean into found‑family themes and the reality that queer people sometimes need to perform safety to avoid danger.

Writer’s Corner: Making Fake Dating Feel Fresh

Clarify the Terms Up Front

Readers should understand:

  • What each character wants from the arrangement.
  • What counts as “too real” for them.
  • What the end condition is (after the wedding, after the tour, once the deal closes).

Vague stakes lead to vague conflict. Specificity lets you design delicious boundary‑testing scenes.

Use External Pressure, Not Just Internal Waffling

The main obstacle shouldn’t be “they refuse to talk for 200 pages.” Instead:

  • Let outside eyes (family, fans, bosses) misread or over‑invest in the fake relationship.
  • Create moments where admitting the truth too soon would have real consequences.
  • Show how each character’s personal history—fear of rejection, past outing, or bad press—makes caution understandable.

When they finally confess, readers should feel they’ve earned the right to risk it.

Avoid Cruel “It Was All an Act” Moments

Nothing burns reader goodwill faster than a character using “it was just fake” as a weapon. If a moment like that fits the arc:

  • Make it clear it’s a self‑defensive reaction, not the story’s moral.
  • Follow it with genuine atonement and growth, not just a grand gesture.

Otherwise, focus on the more subtle, painful beat: both quietly acting as if it’s still fake long after they know it’s not.

Example Emotional Beats

  1. Practice Kiss – They decide they should “rehearse” for an event. The kiss is objectively too good, and both pretend not to notice.
  2. Jealousy Confusion – One is unexpectedly hurt when the other flirts for the cameras. He has no right to feel that way… yet he does.
  3. The Line Crossed – A moment (often in crisis) where someone comforts the other in a way no audience can see. Afterward, it’s impossible to claim it was just for show.
  4. The Offer to End It – One suggests ending the arrangement for the other’s safety or career, accidentally framing himself as disposable. The other refuses—and admits why.

Thread these beats through your larger plot arc so that by the time the words “let’s stop pretending” arrive, readers feel they’ve been waiting forever.

Integrating Fake Dating into Your Universe

Fake dating pairs beautifully with:

  • Hockey or Sports Romance – PR‑driven relationships, sponsorship optics, or closeted teammates.
  • Small‑Town Series – Using a fake boyfriend to deflect gossip, only to accidentally build a real life together.
  • Holiday Romances – Bringing a stand‑in boyfriend home for the holidays and discovering he fits the family—and the town—better than anyone expected.

Handled with care, Fake Dating is more than a gimmick; it’s a way to explore how queer people negotiate identity, safety, and visibility—while still delivering all the “oh no, I caught feelings for my pretend boyfriend” joy readers crave.

See also