The Marriage Prank

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Not requested.

Ship(s): Romantic Royality, familial Logince, platonic Prinxiety

Category: Fluff/Humor

Warning(s): None

Summary: Roman fakes a marriage with someone he just met, in order to play an elaborate prank on his dad, Logan. Turns out, they actually get along pretty well.

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Roman had a plan.

He had just arrived in Australia for his acting career, and Logan had been worrying over him for several weeks now.

"You'll do something ridiculous if I don't keep an eye on you," Logan had told him, deep blue eyes stern yet gentle.

And when Roman had arrived in Australia, he'd checked his phone and found 30 messages, all from Logan. Each one asked about his wellbeing, and if he had fallen in a sewer drain yet.

Well, Roman's plan was revenge. For all Logan's mother-henning, Roman had actually never done anything seriously irresponsible(if you aren't counting that one time he ate a giant ghost pepper because Virgil dared him to). He was going to play the biggest prank yet, and it involved a total stranger.

"Excuse me," Roman said, tapping on someone's shoulder. The person in question was a backstage extra for the movie Roman was starring in. The perfect target.

"Yes?"

The person turned around, and Roman almost took a step back. He had brilliant blue eyes, lighter than Logan's, and his cheeks were dotted with little freckles. His face hadn't lost its childish appearance, and his hair was a tousled mop of dirty blond.

"Um, first of all," Roman started, reciting the speech he had planned. "My name is Roman, nice to meet you-" he shook the other's hand, "-and I need you to help me with something."

"I'm Patton," the gorgeous person replied cautiously. "And, uh, what kind of something?"

"My dad is a total mother hen," Roman explained, grinning. "And he thinks I'm gonna do something super irresponsible while I'm here. So, to prank him, I'm gonna get fake-married to someone. Will you be my fake-groom?"

Patton stared at him, unblinking, disbelief tingeing his soft features. "You what?"

"Will you marry me? Fakely, of course." Roman smiled hopefully.

"... yeah," Patton said finally, cracking a smile of his own. "I'm always one for pranks. Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it."

Roman got to work. He quickly set up everything: the RSVP's, the ring, the reservations, everything. He sent out messages to all of his friends, inviting them to his wedding. He was a little concerned that they fully accepted the idea that he would totally get married to some guy he just met. Then, he called his dad.

"Made any bad decisions yet?" Logan asked dryly.

"Not a bad decision," Roman told him. "A really good decision. Dad, I'm getting married."

A pause. "To who??"

"This backstage extra," Roman replied easily, snickering silently to himself. "His name is Patton, and I just met him. We're completely in love, and I can't wait for you to meet him."

Logan began to rant about how love at first sight was fake, and he knew Roman would do something like this, blah blah blah. Roman hung up.

When they flew back to Florida, where Logan lived, Roman and Patton practiced how in-love they needed to look when they met Logan. They spent long moments gazing into one another's eyes, holding hands, and whispering soft I love you's to make it more authentic.

When Roman first introduced Patton, Logan was obviously holding back his criticism and cutting observations, but overall, the meeting went well. Logan gave Roman a stern talking-to afterwards, though.

Finally, on the day of the wedding, Roman and Patton had everyone meet them on a beach in the evening, overlooking the sea. All the guests arrived, most of them wondering where all the decorations for the ceremony were. Roman and Patton stood before them, smiling at one another. To the others, they seemed to be in love, but really, they were just sharing a private joke.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make," Roman called. The chatter quelled to a low murmur. He glanced over at Patton, who gave him an encouraging nod. "We're not getting married!" At everyone's shocked outbursts and outraged comments, Roman added, "This was all an elaborate prank! Patton is just some dude I roped into this, though I guess I can call us friends now."

"What the hell?" Virgil protested loudly, standing up. He sounded angry, but his voice held a lilt of amusement. "You're such a jerk, Roman!"

"I did this to teach my dad a lesson," Roman said, now directing his speech at Logan, who looked furious in the front row. "I can make responsible decisions, dad. You don't need to constantly fuss over me. I put so much thought into this prank, you can never again say I do things without thinking!"

Roman and Patton's friends laughed at that, while Logan flushed a deep crimson.

A year later, Roman still kept in touch with Patton. The two hung out a lot, going out to restaurants and giggling about their fake marriage a year ago. Eventually, Roman began to notice something.

He didn't feel the same around Patton as he did his other friends. There was something... deeper.

Months later, the two confessed to each other that they were actually in love, and the fake marriage brought them together. They spent a while deliberating, but eventually decided to get married, this time, for real.

Roman invited all of his friends and family once more. They were all wary now, but agreed to come.

Virgil sent him a message the day after Roman told him.

V: I'm coming, but I stg if this is fake again I'm going to kill you

V: like actually murder you

And Logan? Well, he flat out didn't believe him. Roman couldn't blame his dad, really.

On the day of their wedding, however, Logan showed up, if only to humor his son, and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was real this time.

Roman and Patton moved in together a few weeks later, in a beach house by the sea.

One morning, Roman was seated out on the deck, sipping a mug of green tea, when warm arms encircled his neck.

"Glad we got fake married, huh?" Patton said, pressing a lazy kiss to the tip of his ear. "Or else I'd never get to spend my life with the most amazing person in the world."

"No, you," Roman replied, tapping Patton's nose playfully. "Now grab a chair and watch the sunrise with me."

And so the two lovers, sat mere inches apart, fingers intertwined and eyes only for the other, gazed out at the rolling waves, and saw the gleaming sun rise over the ocean.

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