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RWRB FirstPrince Fake Dating Recs

Click below for my fake dating faves.

Iced Hazelnut Latte by @f-ing-ruthless-baz. T, 1.6k. When an American stranger comes up to him acting like his boyfriend, Henry rolls with it. Because what else is he going to do? Study?

sparks fly (whenever you smile) by cxpbuck. G, 4k. When Alex wakes up after a particularly alcohol-filled night, he’s surprised by a blonde stranger in his bed. What’s more surprising, however, are all the messages on his phone congratulating his engagement to said blonde stranger.

A Toast to the Night by @three-drink-amy. E, 5.5k. Henry looks up from his drink and swears his jaw drops. Standing in front of him is one of the most beautiful men he’s ever seen. From his dark brown curls to the way his deep eyes gleam as he stands there, an awkward smile on his face. Henry is nearly sure this man is going to ask for his seat. He probably has some woman with him, scouring for a place to sit.

“Uh, hi,” the man says.

“Hi.”

“Look, this is really awkward,” he says and Henry feels the confirmation in his gut — also maybe disappointment. “My ex-boyfriend just walked in and I really don’t want to talk to him. I was wondering if I could sit here with you so that he won’t talk to me.”

can this be a real thing (can it?) by @theprinceandagcd. M, 5.7k. June huffs. “And I suggested that he does go, and take a date.”

Something uncomfortable gets stuck underneath Alex’s rib cage on his next breath. “It would piss them off,” he muses, staring at the furrow in Henry's brow and wishing he could smooth it away with his thumb. His fingers twitch, and he shoves his hand into his lap.

Henry is almost pouting. “Ah, yes. Let me select from the many suitors banging down my door.”

“Take me.”

It takes Alex a full second to realize that he’s the one who has spoken, and now everyone at the table is staring at him with slightly agape mouths.

Including Henry.

you don't know the answer (til someone's on their knees and asks you) by @theprinceandagcd. T, 6.1k. “This might be the best one yet,” Henry comments, picking up another forkful of cheesecake and holding it out toward Alex. “Cheers to another successful con.”

They clink their forks, sharing small secret smiles over their free dessert before exiting the restaurant with their fingers interlocked and thanking the hostess, while all the servers watch them leave with hearts in their eyes.

Exactly the way they’d fucking planned it. --- Best friends Alex and Henry pretending to get engaged every week to get free dessert, until those pesky feelings get in the way.

(are we falling like) snow on the beach by @coffeecatsme. T, 6.4k. Henry has to belatedly agree that the Craigslist ad isn’t posted by an organ harvester, yet confronted with the face that has haunted his dreams for weeks—even if all they shared was an awkward hug—Henry thinks that would’ve been more desirable.

When Henry needs a fake boyfriend for a family dinner, Pez finds him someone off of Craigslist. Turns out, it's the same person he's had a disastrous first date with months ago.

12 Year Starter by @clottedcreamfudge. E, 6.6k. “Hazza, you poorly assembled toast rack,” Pez interrupts him, effectively stopping Henry in his tracks as he tries to untangle the absurdity of that description. “You are not cancelling your birthday dinner just because your – admittedly charming and extremely sexy – best friend can’t hop across the pond in quite as sprightly and timely a manner as we’d previously hoped. You shall go to the ball.”

(call me) in case you need an escape by viciouslyqueer. T, 6.8k. Alex was studying in the library when a man asked to sit with him. He’s beautiful.

will you be my (fake) boyfriend? by coffeecatsme. T, 8.2k. It's a split-second decision. He drops his towel aside and beelines next to the blonde, grabbing a bottle of vodka on his way so he doesn’t look suspicious, and slams it loudly on the counter next to the pair. The blonde jumps and stares at him with wide eyes.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Alex drawls out; he’s careful to move slowly but he leans over the counter anyway, going up on his tiptoes, and lets his lips brush against his cheeks. The blonde hairs tickle his forehead. “And here I was wondering where my favorite person went.”

During his shift at his bar, Out Law'ed, Alex saves him from a handsy flirt by pretending to be boyfriends. They keep it going.

lover of mine (maybe we’ll take some time) by bleedingballroomfloor. E, 9.2k. “Why am I even invited to the wedding?”

“See, it’s a funny story,” Alex says quickly. “After we broke up, Nora took this new job in Upper Manhattan. So she and June live there now. And I’ve been so busy working at Luna’s new firm that I haven’t really talked to my family about anything other than the wedding. So, um. Well. They don’t know that we broke up.”

Henry feels his fingers digging into the invitation, crumpling the paper, but he doesn’t care. “They what?”

Alex buries his face in his hands. “I never told my family that we broke up.”

Green Means Go by @indomitable-love. E, 9.5k. ‘Ah the joys of student living,’ Henry says, smiling at Alex. There’s something warm in his eyes too despite the cool blue colour. ‘I see you found the dress code,’ he says smoothly, giving Alex a sly smile. His voice is smooth, honeyed and rich even over the vibrations of the music.

Alex’s brow furrows. ‘Dress code?’

Henry pauses. ‘You’re wearing green, are you not?’

‘Green?’ Alex asks, looking down at his shirt and then back to Henry, in a short sleeved yellow button up shirt, then to Pez in lime green. He looks around again – two girls on the dance floor dancing together, one in a deep green velvet dress, the other in a khaki jacket; a group next to them, all in red; someone dancing in yellow dungarees. Everyone around them in one of those three colours.

Oh, fuck.

‘This is a stop light party,’ Alex says dumbly.

Alex is an exchange student and ends up at a traffic light party that he doesn't realise is a traffic light party.

All in the mood for a melody by clottedcreamfudge. E, 9.6k. Alex has a new upstairs neighbour. This isn't a problem in and of itself; it's not like he hasn't had upstairs neighbours before. It's been a revolving door of characters since he first moved into his own apartment four years ago, and none of them has been particularly significant.

This person though - whoever they fucking are - has a piano.

Just Business by bleedingballroomfloor. T, 11k. “I just need you to know that this is strictly a business relationship.”

Henry blinks. His brain is taking a minute to process everything — meeting Alex. Dozens of pictures lining his office walls, each featuring a different persona of his. Brochures upon brochures, prices upon prices. It’s a bit overwhelming.

“You’re asking for a lot here,” Alex continues, “and that means we’ll be spending a lot of time together. A Golden Tux. You’re asking me to pull off a Golden Tux, Henry. But I need you to know that this is just business.”

Henry knows he’s asking for a lot. A best man. A wedding party. Time with his family. He knows that this should only be about business. He knows.

(He also knows that Alex is very, very attractive, and he knows that this will be a long four weeks with Alex.)

i'll bet it all on me and you, i'll bet it all you're bulletproof by @anincompletelist. M, 11k. ALSO podfic by @thirdeye1234

“Let’s do this,” he says.

“Let’s,” Alex agrees, pushing down on the handle until the door swings open. “After you, boyfriend.”

This is most definitely not his finest idea. Henry usually practices much better self preservation skills. Much better common sense skills. He steps over the threshold of Alex’s room and it feels like sealing his fate.

They’re doing this for Alex to win over their bosses in a lighthearted game with a harmless lie, but Henry can’t fight off the bitter knowledge that, regardless of how tonight goes, Alex will be fine, but Henry has so much to lose.

Comfort Crowd by schmulte. T, 12k. But today. Today the universe is playing its worst prank yet. Because not only has fate cruelly given him a crush on possibly the most unattainable person at his school, but it also pushed them together in the most inconvenient of ways. And today must be the final nail in Henry’s coffin, because the perfect, beautiful boy sitting across from him has just opened his mouth and said: “We should date.” Firstprince fake dating/To All The Boys au!

Only Fools by @orchidscript. M, 13k. Henry rolled his eyes. “No. You tell me — that sounds better — why I should bring my ex-hook up to my brother’s wedding?”

Pez hummed and half-shrugged. “Why wouldn’t you? He’s the perfect thing to light your gran’s helmet of hair on fire.” Pez set his cup down and leaned forward onto the table. “That’s what Pip encouraged you to do, didn’t he?”

“Martha more than Pip, but yes. He did.” Henry sighed.

“Then ask Alex.” ___________________________________________

With his brother's wedding a few weeks away, Henry Fox is determined to not show up alone. Not wanting to ask a stranger, he instead turns to Alex, hoping to manufacture something believable from something familiar. Try as he might to keep a level head, Henry can't help falling in love with the man. Will it come around to bite him or will it turn into something more than he had hoped?

tangled up (with you) by @athousandrooms @dustratcentral. M, 16k. “See? I have no fucking filter. That’s exactly what got me into this situation. I guess the whole thing with wanting my mom to know I’m not straight got mixed up with all the frustration." Alex knows he's spiraling, panic rising the more he thinks of the snowballing effect of his lie, of the consequences that will inevitably come to bite him in the ass, but he has no idea how to stop it. "And now I have to come clean and tell her I don’t actually have a boyfriend and also explain why I lied, and if they didn’t think I was a complete mess before, this is gonna confirm it for sure.”

Henry takes hold of both his hands, fingertips stroking over his pulse points soothingly. “Alex, breathe.” He waits until Alex manages a slow, slightly shaky breath, then opens his mouth and throws him a fucking curveball. “What if you didn’t come clean?”

Alex is an expert at making messes, but this time he dug himself into a hole he doesn't know how to get out of, and now his family is expecting him to bring home a boyfriend that - small problem - doesn't exist. Luckily for him, Henry is willing to take the role.

Five Words In My Head by aforgottennymph. E, 19k.

“I have a proposition for you.” Henry tries not to think about those words in another context and ultimately fails. He schools his expression into something more civil, “Right. What is it?” Alex appears to be straining so hard to not roll his eyes that it’s surprising he hasn’t given himself a hernia, “Date me.” “Excuse -” “Pretend. Pretend to date me.”

Henry Fox is certain of four key facts; he needs at least four vodka shots to be able to stomach karaoke, his best friend Pez may be the earliest cause of his inevitable demise and he is sadly, deeply in love with his next-door neighbour who hates his guts.

The fourth is that the universe is out to get him as that is the only explanation for why said neighbour demands that they pretend to date, so he can prove to his sister that he is mature enough to be godfather to her child.

Wait until he finds out their hotel room only has one bed.

Please Don’t Let Me Be So Understood by @cha-melodius. E, 20k. “I’m glad you both see it that way,” Dr. Chen says. Then she closes her notebook and folds her hands on top of it. “I think I’m starting to get a sense of where the issues lie. The good news is that you’re both here, and you’re both willing to work on this relationship. That’s promising. Not all of the couples I see are even at that point.”

“Sorry, what?” Henry says, voicing Alex’s stuttering thoughts as well.

(After one too many fights at work, Henry and Alex are assigned mandatory reconciliation therapy by their boss. Except the therapist thinks they're there for couples therapy... and surely, a bet on who will break first makes more sense than actually correcting her, right?)

Fifty First Dates by @welcometololaland. E, 26k. Henry has used a dating app exactly one time. Predictably, the date turns out to be terrible. The bartender, however, is not.

A cute stranger’s solution to Henry’s woeful dating life is to set him up on fifty first dates.

It's Tradition by firb (f_ing_ruthless_baz). M, 29k. It’s tradition. Whoever catches the bouquet at the wedding has to kiss the person closest to them. And maybe they’ll have a Spark.

Well Alex doesn’t give a heck about tradition, and he certainly doesn’t believe anyone is going to find their soulmate at a wedding like Prince Philip’s. And when he’s the one who gets accidentally flogged by florals at the toss, he certainly doesn’t think he’s going to Spark—not since the only one standing near him is Prince Dickhead himself.

When sparks fly and cakes collapse, Alex and Henry are going to have to face the music. They may be soulmates, but they sure don’t have to be happy about it.

Let Loose Your Glow by @athousandrooms. E, 45k. “Seems like my liege was caught in a situation where he’d rather the ground swallow him whole.” Pez nods towards a spot to the side, and Alex follows his gaze. He spots Henry easily – a tall lighthouse of tousled blond hair – talking to a girl who is clearly into him. His expression looks perfectly polite, but he’s subtly leaning away, and he looks tense.

So, Alex makes an impulsive decision.

Whatever happens, this is going to be fun.

Or: Alex is so very definitely straight, so pretending to be Henry’s boyfriend to get him out of an awkward situation should just be a fun little pastime - except that he doesn't really want to stop, and he has no idea why. But maybe it's okay to not think too hard and let himself go with the flow, for once.

Even if It's Just Pretend by nontoxic. E, 55k. “The queen wants to show that the Prince and the First Son are still deeply in love and committed to their countries.” Ellen swallows. “They want you to go on a tour of the Commonwealth together, to get the public to see those emails not as a sex scandal, but an invasion of privacy of a wholesome, loving relationship.”

“It was an invasion of privacy,” Alex says. He swallows. “Did they say what would happen if we say no?”

Ellen’s lips pinch tightly at the corners. “Then they will issue a full denial and Henry will tour the commonwealth himself.”

Alex doesn't hesitate. “Tell them we’ll do it. I’m not gonna let him do this alone."

It would kill him. Henry hates this shit. The public parading, the judgment. Having to do all of that, and deny who he is? Alex at least wants to be there, to hold his hand through it. Even if it's just as a friend.

It might kill Alex to pretend, but that’s a small price to pay to ensure Henry—his beautiful, vibrant, funny-as-hell, brilliant ex-not-quite-boyfriend—isn’t killed instead.

---

or, the alex-never-goes-to-kensington-after-the-lake-house, exes-to-fake-dating-to-lovers fic.

Never Did Run Smooth by clottedcreamfudge. E, 67k. "You and me? Best friends. Stellar. Love that for us. But we could absolutely fake being in love. Dating. Whatever. I know literally everything about you—" (No you don't, Henry thinks firmly) "—and you know everything about me. We would absolutely fucking annihilate the other contestants.”

"You're too drunk to apply," Henry points out, like he himself isn't about as wasted as it's possible for him to be without curling up and going immediately to sleep. "I doubt you could spell your own name right on the application. Or mine."

Alex grins and pulls something up on his phone; it looks like it takes him a few tries. "Wanna fucking bet?"

Or: Henry's life is a comedy of errors; a patchwork of oopsie-daisies; a quilt stitched together with hauntingly terrible mistakes. And at the centre of it all is his best friend, Alex Claremont-Diaz; director of said comedy, threading together his oopsie-daisies into a flower crown, rolling around in the quilt of his own making, and this analogy is going to shit because Henry's so in love with him he wants to die.

praying our bridges don't make waves by anincompletelist (soldouthaz). E, 82k. He glances down to the word ‘LOVE’ at the bottom. It’s too loud, too harshly written. Alex doesn’t feel harsh or loud. He feels a lot, so much it’s overwhelming sometimes, but the edges are soft, not hard. There’s a glow around it, something hazy and barely tinted gold, and Alex feels like if he could reach out and put his hands near it, they would warm up like they used to when he stood in front of the old brick fireplace back home.

He glances at ‘LOVE’ and then loops back around to ‘HENRY’.

Maybe, Alex thinks, hands shaking, they’re one in the same. Whatever the fuck that means.

When June gets sick, Alex knows he'll do whatever it takes to make sure she gets the care that she needs. Even if that means convincing his nemesis/sexuality-crisis-inducing/clandestine hook-up partner/somewhat of an actual friend to pretend to be his soulmate in order to pull it off. It's both more and less complicated than it sounds.

lights, camera, action (roses, wisteria and royal bluebells) series by coffeecatsme. E, 200k. If you could have anything in the world, anything at all, what would it be?

Alexander Claremont-Diaz has clawed his way into Hollywood despite all the hurdles in his way, and now he's starring in his dream movie—a queer romcom adapted from one of his favorite books, Roses, Wisteria, and Royal Bluebells. However, he barely has the chance to be excited before he finds out who his costar is. The privileged, white, bigoted Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor.

The last thing Alex wants is to be associated with Henry more than he already has to, but a fateful interview and a few choice words against Henry turns him into enemy number one in Hollywood. To fix it, he has to pretend to be Henry's best friend and show the entire world his comments were nothing but friendly banter. However, as he gets inevitably tangled up in Henry's life, he realizes not everything is as it seems, and Henry might be hiding his own demons that might change everything.

I only tag an author once per post, but I'm still figuring out firstprince author handles. If you see one I may not know or find a broken link, please give me a heads up!

Master List of RWRB FirstPrince Recs

Master List of Recommendations

#ooh fic recs #this will make for a good weekend

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