#t: fake dating

[kaesficrecarchive]

[percy x annabeth]

home is where i want to be (but i guess i'm already there) by percivaljackson (3/3 | 57,751 | M)

“Annabeth panic-lied to her step-mom about being in a quote ‘stable and emotionally available’ relationship, and now she has to bring her imaginary lover home for New Year’s,” Piper explains, bringing her hands up behind her head and looking thoroughly amused. Jason nods, like this is a totally average occurrence. “You should bring Percy.” “That’s what I said,” Leo interjects. Annabeth buries her face in her hands. (welcome to the no powers au / fake dating au / annabeth chase character study tug of war. who knows which one it is. not me!)

(author)

[stllmnstr]

champagne problems [teaser!]

pairing: jake sim x f reader

genre: enemies to lovers, rich kid au, fake dating au, college au, angst, fluff

teaser word count: 1k

soundtrack: boom - dpr live / bad idea! - girl in red / blood on the floor - kuiper / calico - dpr ian / comme de garçons (like the boys) - rina sawayama / lust - chase atlantic

PART 1 RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, JANUARY 14, 11:00 PM EST

PART 2 RELEASE DATE: TBA

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The second son of a wealthy family, Jake Sim has gotten used to always standing in the shadow of his older brother. From grades to girls to talks of becoming future CEO of the Sim Corporation, he’s no stranger to coming in second place. So when an opportunity arises for Jake to finally have the one thing his brother can’t and best him once and for all, he knows he’d be a fool not to take it.

There are only two problems. The first is that the thing his brother wants so badly isn’t a thing at all. It’s you, semi-estranged daughter of the Sims’ closest and most long-standing business partner.

The second is that Jake Sim can’t fucking stand you.

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[…]

What Jake does not expect, however, is the way his older brother sounds so tentative when he speaks again.  “Well…”

“Well what?” Patience already running thin, it’s all he can do not to snap. 

“Do you think you could get it for me?”

Jake must be dreaming. This must be a post-exam punishment, a hallucination brought on by over exerting his brain too far for too long. “Do I think I could get ___’s phone number for you?” he repeats flatly. 

“Is there an echo in here?” Asshole. At least he’s consistent. 

“Just an echo chamber,” Jake mutters away from the receiver. 

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” Jake stops for a moment to fiddle with his keyring as he walks up the stairs to his apartment. “No, I can’t get her phone number for you.” 

“Why not?”

The key won’t line up quite right. Jake tries again, frustration seeping through. “Because I have better things to do than run stupid errands for you. Why don’t you drive here and get it yourself?”

“Trust me, if I thought she’d give it to me, I’d be there in an hour.”

The lock on his door finally clicks open, and Jake all but throws his bag down after kicking off his shoes. “And what the hell makes you think she’d give it to me?”

“Well, you didn’t accidentally stand her up, for one.” James doesn’t sound embarrassed by it. Just matter-of-fact. Like a date is nothing but a business deal. Something to be rescheduled and redone if negotiations go sour the first time around. 

It is enough to stir up some of Jake’s curiosity, though. “You went on a date with ___?” He supposes it makes sense. Even if the rumor mill and its rumblings about your rocky relationship with your mother ring true, you’re still your parents’ daughter. Still a perfect match on paper for the future CEO of the Sim Corporation. The king of a company and princess of a law firm. It’s a match made in heaven, he thinks ruefully. 

“No, I didn’t. That’s kind of the whole point here.”

“Whatever.” Jake still doesn’t see what the hell he has to do with all this. “Why don’t you just look up her parents’ number in the company database and get it from them?”

Jake can practically feel his brother’s exasperation through the phone. “Right, because that would go over really well. Hi there," he imitates. “I’d like to make your daughter the mother of my future children. Care to pass along her phone number so I can get started on that?”

Jake suppresses a wince. “Jesus. I see why she stood you up.”

“She didn’t. I stood her up,” James clarifies. “On accident.”

Semantics. And not ones that Jake is interested in. “Either way. I’m not getting her number for you.”

“Yeah?” Jake is unsettled by the way there’s still no trace of defeat in his brother’s voice. There’s something almost sinister when he suddenly switches topics. “How are classes going?”

Jake’s lips pull into a taut line, disaster of an econ midterm still fresh on his mind. “Fine.”

“Really? Even econ? Third time’s the charm and all that?” Well, at least his brother can be counted on to consistently be an asshole.

“Why do you care?” The only thing Jake wants to do is end this call and crawl into bed for a well-deserved afternoon nap. Let his subconscious spare him from thoughts of his older brother and econ and you for at least a little bit. 

James has other plans. “You must have taken the midterm recently, right?” Jake’s silence is confirmation enough. “You know, the only thing Dr. Jeong weighs more heavily than the midterm is the final paper at the end of the semester.”

A minute ago, Jake thought you were the last thing he wanted to talk about. The sudden shift in direction in this conversation is starting to prove him wrong. If there’s one thing Jake would rather discuss even less than his older brother's dating life, it’s school. “What does that have to do with a–”

“And I think I still have my copy of the paper that earned me the top score in my entire section.” The smugness is practically palpable. “I might have to do some digging, but I’m sure it’s in my old files somewhere.”

Jake rolls his eyes, wishes the immediate comparison weren’t the first thing to rise to the forefront of his mind. Wishes it didn't find him so lacking. Wishes it wasn’t narrated in the voice of his disappointed father. “If you’re trying to gloat, it’s n–”

“I’m trying to strike a deal. Jesus, no wonder you’re on track to be a super senior getting a business degree.”

“This is my third year,” Jake defends indignantly. 

“And your third attempt at econ, which I passed in my first year.” He sounds like he’s settling a little to well into the CEO role when he proposes, “I’m trying to make it your last attempt.” 

Jake would be lying if he said his curiosity weren’t piqued, even just slightly. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, little brother, that my term paper, my notes, all of it, are yours.” It sounds too good to be true. It has to be too good to be true. James is a lot of things, but generous and helpful are very rarely any of them. “As soon as you get me ___’s number.” And there it is. 

Jake hangs up without bothering to dignify that with a response and hopes it sends a strong enough signal of his refusal. Then, he falls into his bed face-first with a groan. 

And a week later, when his econ midterm results are finally posted, the first thing Jake does is let his head fall on his desk with an alarmingly loud thud that has Jay poking his head in the door to make sure everything’s okay. The second thing he does, a solid twenty minutes later, is send his older brother a text. 

Jake [7:21pm]: You better start digging through those old files.

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TO BE CONTINUED…

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note: I don’t know what I did to please the writing gods, but I have literally never written a story so quickly and with such minimal roadblocks. This thing just about wrote itself. And (I hope this isn’t in bad taste to say, but) I’m kind of obsessed with it. I hope you will be too.

The first full part will be posted tomorrow at the time indicated above the cut, and the second (and final) part will likely be posted at the same time the following Sunday. (I’ll release another update/edit this post when I confirm the release date and time for certain.) Feel free to scream in my inbox and/or share any thoughts you may have in another way. I love hearing them. Happy reading!

[steddieunderdogfics]

i’m nominating ‘Steve Harrington’s Guide to: Dating a Rockstar’ by @a-little-unsteddie for the theme ‘fake dating’! <3

https://archiveofourown.org/works/42414627

Steve Harrington's Guide to: Dating a Rockstar by a_little_unsteddie

@a-little-unsteddie

Rating: Teen and Up

13,783 words, 1/1 chapters

Archive Warning: No Warnings

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eddie Munson is in Corroded Coffin, steve harrington is an idiot, fake boyfriends, Corroded Coffin, i really don't know how to tag forgive me, Fluff, angst if you squint, reference to past trauma, no upside down, Steve lies to Dustin because he loves him, unrealistic VIP concert, Steve Harrington is a Sweetheart, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Gay Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington hates koalas, that's not a real tag but it sparks joy, Lead Singer! Eddie Munson

Summary:

Step One: Lie Lie to your best friend. Usually this step happens on accident. Then you keep doing it. aka Steve lies to Dustin about dating Eddie Munson, the lead singer of Corroded Coffin. Why? He doesn't have the heart to tell Dustin he was joking. The rest is history.

Thanks for the rec!

This rec is a part of Theme Weekend. The theme this weekend is Fake Dating.

Know a fic that deserves extra love? Submit through our asks or the submission box!

[raineandsky]

#34

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7)

The villain can see the hero, just about, crossing the dingy basement car park. The lacklustre lighting throws them into silhouette, only recognisable by the stupid gait they always carry themself with, undeservedly confident.

“[Villain],” they open, their voice raised slightly to echo across the empty space, but the villain doesn’t give them the time of day. They shove their arm into the bag at their side, yanking their trusty pistol from the side pocket.

“Unlike you to wanna meet here. Figured you’d be scared of me keying your car.”

“I am, but my car’s not here.” They’re almost in front of the villain, and the barrel raises slightly to follow them. “I just wanted to talk.”

“You wanted to talk,” they echo disbelievingly. “What the hell would you want to talk about that doesn’t end with us both trying to kill each other?”

“Put the gun down, [Villain], jeez.” The hero finally pauses in front of them, letting out the deepest sigh the villain has ever heard from them. There’s a moment of deliberation, but they lower it slightly, just enough so that it’s not pointing in their nemesis’s face. “I would understand if you hated this idea and tried to kill me afterwards, though.”

The villain raises their eyebrows. “You’re coming to me with an idea that will make me want to kill you? Do tell.”

“It’s… it’s my parents.” The hero avoids the villain’s gaze to ignore the incredulous expression blatantly adorning their face. “I was stupid. They keep asking if I’m dating anyone, and it’s been incessant, and in the heat of the moment I just said I was. They know all the heroes—they’d know immediately I’m not actually with any of them.”

“Please don’t say what I think you’re going to say.”

“I just need you to work with me for one evening. Come to my parents house, say hi, have a civil dinner with them. We can get back to kicking each other’s asses next day.”

The villain crosses their arms, careful not to accidentally pull the trigger on themself. “And I would do this for you because…?”

“Ach, I don’t know,” the hero says quietly as if they hadn’t considered this. “I guess free food? I’ve seen you in the back of the restaurant before, and–”

“Okay!” the villain cuts across them suddenly. “Okay, stop talking. I will come, only for the free food, and I will go straight back to trying to kill you the moment it’s over, alright?”

The hero practically beams. “That’s perfect. You do have to be civil to my parents if you want the food, though. They’ll just kick us out if you’re an ass.”

The villain tsks in annoyance. “Typical.”

-

“Okay, if they ask what you do, you’re just as normal as any civilian.”

The two of them are sitting in the hero’s car on the driveway. The villain hadn’t been particularly set on the idea of voluntarily getting into a hero’s car, but they’d insisted. Their parents would doubt their relationship if they didn’t turn up in the same car, apparently.

“Did you bring your gun?”

The villain shifts so that the back of their jacket sits more smoothly over the top of their jeans. “No.”

“[Villain].”

“Okay, fine, jeez.” They pull their pistol out with an annoyed tut, shoving it into the glovebox. “Happy now?”

“Yeah. I don’t need you trying to shoot up my parents, thanks.” The hero pushes their door open, stepping into the cool evening air. “Come on then.”

The villain mirrors them on the other side as they go to the front door. The house is nice, very nice, much nicer than they could afford. A nice house must have some nice possessions. Maybe they can get something out of this trip.

They join the hero as they ring the doorbell. “Now, please remember to be nice.” They turn to give the villain a smile. “My parents are getting on now, and the last thing they need is a heart attack caused by you.”

“Sure thing.” The villain smirks a little evilly, and the hero’s smile decidedly turns less confident.

Both of them drop the act as the door swings open. “[Hero]!” the man at the door greets cheerfully, wrapping the hero in a tight hug before giving the villain a once over. “Oh, you must be the one they’ve been talking about. Please, come inside, we’re so excited to meet you.”

The villain flashes the hero a grin as they step inside, and they get an expression that screams regret in return.

The dinner is impossible to lie about—it’s delicious. The hero’s mother’s entrance is accompanied by a tray of potatoes as she lays it amongst the other vegetables for the roast she’s made. The three of them make light small talk until she sits down, and then it’s into the deep water.

The two of them probe as subtly as they can about the villain’s life. The hero pushes them in the right direction by giving them a light kick here and there, which the villain delightedly rewards them for by saying completely the wrong thing, much to the hero’s dismay. Their parents share surprised glances every-so-often, but they do a grand job of feigning neutral interest. 

Eventually the villain decides they need their payment for this evening. “Excuse me, everyone,” they say innocently as they get to their feet. “I just need to use the bathroom.”

The hero’s father points them down the hall, and with a grateful smile they’re out of the dining room and off into the house.

(Part 2)

[devildom-doll]

“omae wa mou shinderu”

[perpetualexistence]

Tell us about your other Alenoaheather AU(s). I know you have them. 🔫

- Totally not Ophe

Hello completely random anon whose identity will forever be a mystery!

See, with the way you've phrased this, you've actually opened yourself up to a few options. I'll tell you a little bit about each one and you can tell me which one you want to learn more about first.

Currently unnamed G/T Alenoaheather

Definitely the most detailed AU of the bunch. It's got backstories and character arcs for each of the three. Probably the best way to describe it is Urban fantasy since none of them are (completely) human, but they pretty much live in a modern setting.

It does get dark at times. Think Beastars-adjacent in terms of vibes. Including the murder bits. But it's mostly self-defense or being forced into it, so take that as you will. I will say that it's nowhere near the levels of toxic relationships that something like the Sea Monster AU has. And they do actually improve as people. These three still get drama mind you, but it's from keeping secrets rather than being genuinely manipulative. ...Well. Too manipulative. It does have Alejandro and Heather in it. But it's got fluff moments because fluffy giant/tiny dynamics are precious and must be preserved at all costs.

It's got Alejandro who's a giant-shifter able to grow even larger than most other giant-shifters thank to his Burromuerto heritage. The Burromuertos are a completely upstanding giant-shifter family and definitely don't have any incredibly fucked up family traditions they expect Alejandro to continue.

Noah's a were-mongoose. Werefolk come in a large variety, though mongoose is on the far more uncommon side. Unlike most werefolk, this kid genius actually figured out a way to not completely give into his instincts during full moons. This has absolutely no negative repercussions on his wellbeing.

Heather who's a giant-shifter hybrid unable to grow thanks to her human heritage from her father's side. She's the only one of her siblings unable to grow. She definitely doesn't have a complex about this. But she has managed to find her own way of making herself just as much of a physical threat as her two boyfriends. (Aka the day I take away from Heather's inherent badassery is the day I die.)

Serial Killer AU

It's exactly what it sounds like. With exactly the vibes the name implies. Definitely the darker one. They're just a thriving villain throuple with a body count. It's also mostly Noah-focused so far as I haven't figured out Alejandro or Heather's motivations.

Noah stumbles across a body of a serial killer spree, only to be the first to realize that one serial killer is actually two. Curiosity leads him to investigate...but not for the reasons you'd think.

(For this one that's pretty much all I can share before just going into the whole AU)

And then, on the completed side since might as well dump all the Alenoaheather AUs:

Noah and the Beanstalk

Another giant/tiny AU! This one's actually got its own post already. I don't really have anything else that I didn't already mention in that post. But it's my blog, so I'll advertise my own AUs as I please!

Collab AUs

The Royal Court AU

Originally named The Lords In Black AU because it was originally inspired by me watching an animatic of The Summoning from Nerdy Prudes Must Die. Then it evolved into something far beyond that where the name doesn't seem quite right anymore.

It's got Alenoaheather as the worst teens at school and unashamed about it. ...Until Alejandro goes missing, and nobody else really seems to care. Leaving Heather and Noah to investigate and try their best not to be next.

They fail, but hey, at least they get cool eldritch powers out of it!

This AUs also dark because the premise is them being kidnapped to be used as sacrifices. And it's got plenty of eldritch horror in it. The posts for it are scattered because they ended up going into two separate reblog chains with @total-drama-brainrot and @ur-local-brown-multifandomist. If you look up 'lords in black au' on my blog you should be able to find most of it. I'm going to just centralize it for ease of organization one day. It'll just be. You know. Effort.

Also, @ur-local-brown-multifandomist is currently making a fic for it! It's their first one, so feel free to check it out.

Fake Dating Alenoaheather AU

This one's a collab AU between me and @total-drama-brainrot, a person you have never met because you are a completely anonymous anon. Noah gets caught in between Heather and Alejandro's attempts to make the other jealous by each making him pretend to be their boyfriend. Shenanigans and drama ensue. The posts for this are also scattered and tagged on both our blogs, and one day we might make a fic about it. For now, there actually is someone already making a fic about it that you can feel free to read!

I still can't believe two different people decided to start making fic of AUs I helped create. It's wild, and I'm incredibly touched.

"Why are all of these AUs except for one dark in at least some way?"

I honestly couldn't tell you exactly why my brain works the way it does. It just decided that the two canon villains and one-villain coded teenager deserve to be at least a little feral. As a treat.

Maybe one day I'll have an AU with them that's not so dark. That day will be a surprise to us all.

But yeah, that's all of the Alenoaheather AUs I got! The first two I'm more than happy to go into more detail for if you ask!

[tigereyes45]

I wrote this for Mcspirk Month 2024 Day 15: Fake Dating. The event is being hosted on @mcspirkevents.

Summary:

McCoy, Kirk, Nyota, and Scotty are sent to a cafe on a stake out mission. Where the four break off in pairs and pretend to be couples enjoying a nice lunch out. Though Nyota can hear Spock bickering with the other two through their ear pieces, from two tables over.

Preview of the story:

“Hah!” McCoy leans further over the table, closer to Jim. “I’d might be worried if this was a first date.”

“Who says it’s not?”

“Captain, Doctor, the mission requires your full attention.”

McCoy leans back in his chair. “Yeah we know.” Forgoing all discretion he throws his arm over the chair and turns towards Scotty and Uhura’s table. Spock would not at all be pleased. “Even Spock wouldn’t be that awkward.

Jim tilts his head and smirks. “Shall we test that hypothesis the next time we need an undercover couple?”

“Please remember to remain focused on the task at hand. We must stop Major Constance from meeting with their associates.”

McCoy rolls his eyes as Jim watches. The same dopey smile on his face that he always gets when they’re on the bridge. Chittering away.

----

“Look at them.” Uhura gestures casually with her daiquiri glass, as if she were talking with her hands for emphasis, rather than gesturing towards their friends. Doctor McCoy was chittering away. Captain Kirk was preoccupied by trying his best not to laugh. Even from this distance, her keen ears could make out the somber tones of Spock’s voice. She couldn’t quite make out what he’s saying, but every tone  “Chatting away as if this were just another day.”

“To be fair, we’ve had our fair share of weirder missions.” Scotty moves to sit a little straighter. Uhura didn’t even think that was possible. Somehow the chief engineer manages. “I don’t know how they do it.”

[lockwood-fic-recs]

starry eyes sparking up my darkest night

by agents_cxrter on ao3

Rating: T | Category: F/M | Relationship: Lockwood/Lucy

"So, you're taking Lucy and not me for the manpower?" "Er, partly." Lockwood grimaces. "But mostly because the party is for married couples only and no offense George, but you're not my type." Lucy chokes on an unfortunately timed sip of tea. "I am offended, actually." George says thoughtfully as he bites into his final slice of toast. "But I'll get over it on my way to the archives to do some more research."  Or: Lucy and Lockwood go undercover as a fake couple despite their very real feelings.

[deus-ex-mona]

the way this was the last new image featuring daimeggle th o u g h

[valnyte]

MC: (makes food for Jace)

Jace at the rest of exe Creed when they entered the dining room: No, I'm not sharing. She made this food for me.

The rest of exe Creed: ITS FREE REAL ESTATE

[quietwingsinthesky]

alternatively, more fucked up version where Cas sticks around the Bunker, has already been dating/is crushing on Sam/being crushed on by Sam so hard Gadreel thinks they’re dating, and then in playing the part of Sam, he gets caught up doing couple shit with Cas.

[kaesficrecarchive]

[minho x jisung]

a play called pretend by glissandos (1/1 | 18,451 | T)

“Minho.” Jisung said with finality. He still wore that same afflicted expression, but he stood up a little taller, visibly drawing in a deep breath and squaring his shoulders in a way that might have been comical had Minho felt in a laughing mood. “Yeah…?” Minho prompted, side-eying his roommate as he bent down to slip his shoes off. Fixing his gaze at a patch of white-painted wall, Jisung sprang the Question of the Year. “Will you be my—,” a short pause, “—fake boyfriend tomorrow?” (Minho had always thought his roommate didn’t particularly like him—until Jisung asked him to be his fake date for a lunch out with nagging parents. After it, further misunderstandings sent what was supposed to be a single afternoon of pretending spiraling out of control.)

(author)

[absoloutenonsense]

Thank you for the tag @disgruntledkittenface ! I am currently trying to write so of course I want to do anything except write, and this was perfect. And a lot of fun!

rules: give us the links to your fics with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the fewest words.

fic with the most hits: Not a huge surprise to me that it's Nothing But You On My Mind 😅almost since I posted that fic, it ran away with all the stats. I recently remembered that I posted that fic in March 2020, which is wild.

fic with the second most kudos: thinking about the t-shirt you sleep in was the first longer fic I wrote, and at the time I thought the longest fic I would ever write (lol)

fic with the third most comments: Party Lines surprised me in lots of ways while writing and after posting! Still the fic I've written with the most smut where no one actually touches anyone else

fic with the fourth most bookmarks: It's Always Better When We're Together -- epilogue to NBYOMM (thanks to a friend who sent me an image of a stained-glass car who saw it and had a perfect prompt for me)

fic with the fifth most words: 'cause I want you (for the worse and for the better) -- one of my newest fics!

fic with the fewest words: The fic I wrote literally while on a bus traveling in a different country because of a silly thing someone said: tried it with butter and everything changed

For those that'd like to/haven't done this already, I'll tag: @lululawrence @homosociallyyours @kingsofeverything @pocketsunshineharry @becomeawendybird @uhoh-but-yeah-alright @londonfoginacup

[steddieunderdogfics]

For fake dating theme weekend, I'd like to rec a couple fics:

Until We Fall by indelicate

I Like to See You in the Morning Light by BonitaBreezy

Both are on Ao3 :)

Until We Fall by indelicate

@steddielations

Rating: Teen and Up

19,175 words, 3/6 chapters

Archive Warning: No Warnings

Tags: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, Fluff, Slow Burn, Falling In Love, Mutual Pining, Practice Kissing, Sharing a Bed, Accidental Cuddling, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Gay Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington Has a Crush on Eddie Munson, Eddie Munson Has a Crush on Steve Harrington, Playing the Risky Game of Pretend Love, The Graceless Act of Trying Not To Fall

Summary:

“I swear I’m not just bailing on another date, Robin,” the excuse is flimsy but Steve’s head is pounding too loud to think of a better one, too hungover to care, “I have— I just have things to do, alright?” Robin’s not convinced, “Yeah right. Tell me, what is this super important “thing” that you just have to do tonight, Steve?” “Me.” Both their heads snap over to where none other than Eddie Munson just declared himself as “the thing Steve has to do.” “Hate to break it to you, Buckley, but you can’t set Steve up on a date ‘cause he’s already got plans… with me.” Or, it starts with a drunken night and a plan that Steve can’t remember making, but Eddie sure does.

I Like to See You in the Morning Light by BonitaBreezy

@bonitabreezy

Rating: Teen and Up

27,362 words, 1/1 chapters

Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Tags: Homophobia, lots of use of the f slur, eddie is alive actually, Bad Parenting, Falling In Love, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Gay Eddie Munson, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, picking up the pieces after everything falls apart, genuinely contrived plot devices, No beta we die like Barb, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, you ever just tenderly hold your bros, Fake/Pretend Relationship

Summary:

“Wait,” Eddie said, his drug-addled brain catching up suddenly. “Wait! My alibi is that I was having sex with Steve Harrington?” After it all, Eddie Munson is left to pick up the cracked pieces of his life. Luckily, he has new friends to fall back on.

Thanks for the recs!

These recs are a part of Theme Weekend. The theme this weekend is Fake Dating.

Know a fic that deserves extra love? Submit through our asks or the submission box!

[miktoast]

so i was just re-reading my reference sheet for Miraculous Ladybug AU's when i found this bit that i'm absolutely in love with. for some context, i was explaining the various nicknames characters have for each other and how they came about. also, please note that this is an AU where Stoneheart took place on the first day of their second year of lycee. Also note, in this AU, Ladybug goes by Coccinette.

Adrien's Nicknames for Marinette and Ladybug:

—Ma Cherinette (as in "my dear [cherie] Marinette" after Nino's short film, where Adrien makes an inside joke of pretending to act like their old roles but with their own names) [Adrien to Marinette]

"Agent Dupain-Cheng! Ah, how I've missed you, ma Cherinette!" Adrien swooned, draping one arm around Marinette's shoulders while the other clutched at his chest. He could feel her tense momentarily and hunch into herself before drawing on the confidence that made her a worthy Madame President when M. D'Argencourt got akumatized, and worthy Buginette when Coccinette was out of town and Marinette had to face Evillustrator herself.

Her spine straightened as she rose to her full height under the weight of Adrien leaning against her, and as every time before that they had done this little bit of improv, his admiration for his friend resurged with vigor.

"Oh, Officer Agreste, mon cœur, I have burned every second we've been apart. The next mission, won't you ask me to stay?" She turned to him, causing his arm to slip from her shoulders until his hand caught on her hip. She grab his hand from his chest and held it delicately between her own before turning her face upward so he could meet her eyes.

Her eyes… They were shining so blue, so filled with love and heartache, that Adrien himself began to feel an ache in his chest, as if he had just learned to breathe and had only ever been suffocating before.

"You know I'd follow you anywhere, if only you'd ask. Even if you wish to wander only in this little town." She closed her eyes, and the spell should have been broken, but still he found himself captivated as she pressed her cheek against his knuckles, as if they were his lips giving her tender kisses. Her words burned him deeply, echoing with his own sentiments towards a girl, and surely it must be the girl in front of him that he is so attached to, for surely no other could set his chest ablaze with as much ferocity as she.

He exhaled softly, and thought that he must be blowing smoke into her hair as the blaze burned higher. "Cherie… you are a brilliant phoenix, and I would never think to cage you at my side. You set my heart on fire, and the embers burn even when we are apart. Let us feed the flames now, so that when you must fly, I will still feel your warmth."

His hand, which had been gripping bruises into her hip, rose to the back of her head. He pulled her forward until her forehead came to rest on his collarbone, and he buried his nose in her hair, thoughts only on how his knuckles pressed into the supple flesh of her cheek, how his fingers dug into the base of her hairline, how his lips brushed her scalp, and how certainly she would remember him, if only by the watercolor marks on her hip.

It was only after several minutes that he seemed to remember that he wasn't some detective who finally returned to his distant lover when he heard giggling and the shutter-click of a smartphone camera. It was several extended seconds more when he finally brought himself to raise his head, dreading to break the scene and have Marinette leave his arms. Alya met his eyes over black hair, a sly grin on her face while she waved her phone screen from only a meter away.

He couldn't stop the glare as he reluctantly pulled away.

“Oh, drop the look, ‘mon coeur,’ you know Nino would never forgive either of us if someone didn’t get this on camera for him to use later,” Alya snorted, stepping towards the pair.

Adrien simply huffed in reply, finally letting his arms drop. His skin immediately began to feel too hot without Marinette’s soothing coolness to sap the extra heat. He noticed, with no small amount of smug, that Marinette shivered, and goosebumps raised on the back of her arms once his heat no longer blanketed her. Even better, it took her several more moments to pull his hand from her cheek, and even more after that to actually drop his hand. Once her grip relaxed, he allowed himself to squeeze her fingers before finally letting go.

All the while, Alya continued to watch, thankfully not recording this time. These soft moments with Marinette, where he allowed himself to dip into his bursting stores of love and get a little out of his system, he wanted to keep only for himself and Marinette. He wanted to keep Marinette’s soft moments only for himself. He wanted no one else to get to see how Marinette acts when indulging in affection, however unrealistic that possessive want may be; after all, Marinette was full of affection and gave it freely.

But this affection?

These embraces, these kisses of the knuckles against her cheek like a cat, this “burning” devotion (however pretend), this affection which Marinette only seemed to give to him? He wanted it all. He didn’t want to see Marinette get a partner and give these affections to them. He didn’t want others to leech off of these affections with their seeing and their hearing when they indulged in these morning rituals. He wanted it to be only Marinette’s and his, he wanted them to be done for him alone, for the rest of time.

[shougancid]

fake dating plot when mari needs a plus one to attend her sister's wedding because she's sick of her family's entirely correct assumption that she'll die alone with ten cats