Work Text:
Harry gave a frustrated sigh as he ended the call from Hermione Granger.
A lot lately his best friend had been trying to set him up on dates, trying to get Harry a boyfriend. This had been happening since he had come out as gay to her.
This was both annoying and frustrating to him. Though he was completely aware that she was only doing it because she cared and didn’t want Harry to be alone, he just didn’t want to be in a relationship right now.
Right now, he really just wanted to focus on his career. He currently had a job, a muggle job, working as a cop at the Ninety-Nine Precinct Police Department in Brooklyn.
He loved it. He got along with his co-workers, he helped people, saved lives and because he was working a muggle job it was not all that often that he had to put up with the attention he would be forced to endure whenever he was in the wizarding world.
Harry put his phone away and took a sip of the beer he had been drinking. He was at a bar with a few of his friends Charles Boyle, Jake Peralta, and Adrian Pimento.
“So…what was that about?” asked Jake, referring to Harry’s conversation with Hermione.
Harry drank a bit of his beer before looking at his co-worker and answering the other man, “Friend of mine from England has been trying to set me up on dates, she’s been really pressuring me about it. Thinks I’m lonely and need a boyfriend. I sort of panicked and told her I’ve got one already”
Jake nodded with understanding, “Did your friend believe you then?”
“I’m not really sure but she’s now decided she wants to come visit but…..” Harry said before giving a sigh.
Charles must’ve been listening in as he entered himself into the conversation saying “What you need is a fake boyfriend then! Do you have a type Harry or will anyone do?”
Harry stared at Boyle, Boyle seemed to be very excited at this.
“Anyone I guess, it’s not going to be real afterall. I just need to convince Hermione that it is so she’ll get off my back about it”
“Why don’t you want a boyfriend though? You’re a great guy Harry! I’m sure you could get anyone you want!”
“I could…I guess….but I don’t really want to date anyone right now” said Harry.
Harry was hoping that Charles was not going to make a big thing of this, afterall the man always got carried away when it came to the love lives of his friends or in this case the lack of one.
“It’ll have to be someone attractive, of course! And someone who won’t be a creep. Also, maybe someone who you won’t mind actually dating for real if you both change your mind…”
“Charles, he’s said he’s not looking to date for real right now” said Jake, interrupting.
“But setting up friends on dates, even if it’s for a fake relationship is so much fun!”
“No Boyle!” said Harry.
“Fine…Fine,” said Charles.
“What about a friend?” Pimento, who had also been listening in on the conversation.
Harry thought about it for a brief moment. A friend would be alright, they could pretend they had developed feelings for each other while working and since they’d be friends he wouldn’t be going on a fake date with some creep.
“That might be okay, I guess,” said Harry.
“Great!” said Boyle excitedly. “So…which one of us do you find the most attractive then?”
“I’m not going to answer that!” said Harry, blushing.
“And you don’t have to,” said Jake.
“I’m obviously far more sexy than all of you combined though!” said Pimento, a grin on his face. “Seriously though, if you need my help as a fake boyfriend, I’m available”
“I am too,” said Jake.
Harry smiled, still blushing lightly, “Thanks” he said before drinking his beer again.
Harry still wasn’t sure about this but it was eventually decided that Harry would fake date Jake.
The next day after work to discuss Jake’s role as Harry’s fake boyfriend Harry and Jake went to Harry’s apartment.
“So….So how long do you think we’ll have to be undercover boyfriends?” asked Jake.
“I’m not sure, Hermione’s supposed to arrive in a couple of days and she said she’ll be staying for two or three weeks”
“Well, that doesn’t sound too bad. Will we have to live together during that time?” asked Jake.
Harry shook his head, “No, I don’t think we need to. I can tell Hermione that we’re just taking the relationship real slow”
“Ok, noice.”
“Yeah”
Harry gave a sigh, he was feeling awkward and nervous about all of this despite Jake being just a friend.
“Should we practice?” asked Jake after a few minutes of awkward silence.
Harry looked to the other man, “Pra…Um…Practice what?”
Jake looked nervous but he was smiling as well, “Holding hands, you know so it looks natural in front of your friend, we want to be convincing right?”
“Right, yeah…Yeah that makes sense”
“Okay, let’s practice then” Jake said, offering his hand out to Harry.
Harry grabbed onto Jake’s hand and as he did so he couldn’t help but feel even more nervous about this whole fake boyfriend thing.
The two men soon intertwined their fingers together. It actually felt nice, nicer than Harry had expected it to.
Jake looked into Harry’s eyes and while Harry did the same, he realised that Jake had really nice eyes.
They stayed like that for a few minutes. Just staring into each other’s eyes, holding each other’s hands and feeling quite awkward about it. After a while they separated, both men blushing and Harry offered Jake a beer while they went back to talking about Hermione’s visit to New York and to the Nine Nine.
Jake visited every day after work, they would talk, drink beers, order pizza and hold hands.
The next day after work Jake, again went to Harry’s apartment where they did the same thing that they done the previous day.
Again, Jake insisted that they hold hands to practise being fake boyfriends. Harry had hoped that he would feel better about this, maybe feel indifferent or confident but no…holding hands with Jake just like last time still made him feel nervous, awkward, and made him blush.
This happened the next day and the day after that as well.
Hermione soon arrived one morning at Harry’s apartment and she was already quite eager to meet Jake.
“So, when will I meet him then?” asked Hermione, shortly after hugging her friend and putting down her suitcase.
“Who?” asked Harry.
Hermione smiled and gave a small laugh, “That boyfriend of yours that you told me about, that is if he exists at all. What’s his name again Harry?”
“He exists! His name is Jake, we…um…don’t live together yet. We’re taking things a bit slow. You’ll meet him tonight I guess when he visits. He’s uh…been wanting to meet you.”
“Really? Oh….how nice! Have you met his family yet?”
“Um…Not yet.”
“Well, you don’t have anything to worry about. I’m sure they’ll just love you and if not, well…I’m sure if this boyfriend is decent he’ll be there for you”
“Great…Thanks and yeah, I’m sure he will. Jake…Jake is a really great guy Hermione.”
“That’s good. Now, do you have work today?”
“Yeah, so if you want to meet Jake or hang out it’ll have to be after work hours. If you need me for anything just text me and I’ll get back to you as soon as I have the time”
“Okay!” replied Hermione brightly.
Harry soon then gave Hermione another hug before leaving for work at the Nine Nine.
That day after work Jake visited Harry’s apartment, Harry was surprised when Jake brought him flowers.
“Um…thanks Jake” said Harry before putting the flowers into a vase of water.
Jake pressed a kiss to one of Harry’s cheeks, Harry couldn’t help but blush lightly at this action.
Hermione smiled at the display of apparent affection from Jake, not suspecting anything than what it appeared to be…yet.
Harry grabbed onto Jake’s hand, blushing lightly again, intertwining their fingers together before turning to Hermione to introduce Jake.
“So um…Hermione this is Jake…my boyfriend. Jake this is one of my best friends, Hermione Granger”
“It’s so wonderful to meet you Jake,” said Hermione.
Jake had a smile on his face, “It’s great to meet you too Hermione, Harry has told me so much about you”
“Really? Nothing bad I hope?” Hermione asked.
Jake shook his head, still smiling a friendly smile at Hermione, “Of course not, just that you’re really smart, nice and like family to him. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you”
As Hermione and Jake continued to talk Harry felt relieved that Hermione seemed to believe Jake’s fake role as his boyfriend so far, though it was still early.
Hermione would be staying for a couple of more weeks so there would still be time for Hermione to realize that Harry’s romantic relationship with Jake wasn’t real.
Throughout the weeks that Hermione was staying at Harry’s apartment, Harry and Jake continued to act their fake roles as boyfriends.
Jake was doing well with his part in the fake relationship. He would sometimes flirt with Harry, sit quite close to Harry when they would spend time together with Hermione, as practiced they would hold hands, Jake would smile a lot and he would occasionally kiss Harry. The kisses were always quite innocent, afterall this wasn’t a real relationship. Just kisses pressed to the forehead, to Harry’s cheeks or even just a quick one to closed lips.
Despite the relationship just being fake Harry found himself quite enjoying spending time like this with Jake , he enjoyed how sweet Jake would act with him and he would enjoy their conversations. Harry sometimes found himself liking the fake relationship so much that he felt kinda sad that he wasn’t actually dating Jake.
On the last day the fake couple went with Hermione to a restaurant with Hermione still believing that her best friend was dating the muggle cop Jake Peralta.
Dinner went well with the two men sitting opposite each other and with Hermione sitting next to Harry. They ate and they talked a lot, Hermione seemed quite satisfied that Harry had found a boyfriend.
Hermione returned to England the next day.
The next work day at the Nine Nine Harry thanked Jake for his help and to his surprise Jake confessed feelings for Harry.
“Sorry…I know you just wanted it to be fake but I think I sort of developed feelings for you for real and I…I think I want to continue to have you as my boyfriend only…er for real.”
Harry thought about it for a few moments before he smiled and nodded, “Um…sure!” he said. “I did really like it and I do think that I might have developed feelings for you too”
“Noice!” said Jake with a happy smile.
“Why don’t you come over my place after work? We can have our first real date together”
“I’d love to!” said Jake before he pulled Harry into a proper kiss.
After work that day they had their first real date together, their relationship no longer fake.