Marriage of Convenience — Tag Meaning
A marriage entered for practical benefit — property, protection, propriety — by parties who choose it with open eyes. Subtly distinct from arranged marriage (the spouses arrange it themselves) and from fake marriage (this one is legally and socially real), it is a staple of historical and regency-flavored fic.
What to Expect From "Marriage of Convenience" Fics
A businesslike union gradually betrayed by feelings, with the formal politeness between spouses dissolving into something neither contracted for.
How to find Marriage of Convenience fics on AO3
On AO3, click any tag to see every work that uses it, then refine with the "Filters" sidebar — combine it with your fandom or ship, set a rating, or exclude tags you don't want. See our AO3 filtering guide for the full walkthrough.
Browse "Marriage of Convenience" works on AO3Popular Fics Tagged "Marriage of Convenience"
Real examples from AO3's most-kudosed works:
The Game Plan
by FestiveFerret
With a Crown of Stars
by thehoyden
In Bond and Blood
by thehoyden
A Gallows Marriage
by MilaBelle
just say you do
by biblionerd07
Family Recipe
by themidnightguardian
Related Tags
Arranged Marriage
A marriage decided by families, politics, or custom rather than the spouses — and in fanfic, almost always the beginning of a love story rather than the obstacle to one. Royalty AUs, historical settings, and fantasy worlds use it to lock two strangers (or enemies) into intimacy and let affection grow inside the cage.
Tag guide →
Fake Marriage
Raises the pretend-relationship stakes to legal documents: a sham marriage for citizenship, inheritance, cover identities, or convenience. The domestic intimacy marriage requires — shared homes, shared beds, performed affection for witnesses — gives the trope its slow-burn power.
Tag guide →
Slow Burn
The tag that warns — or promises — that the central relationship will take a very long time to arrive. Slow burn is a craft commitment: tension built across tens of thousands of words, feelings denied and deferred, every near-moment interrupted. Its devotees consider the wait the entire point.
Tag guide →
Mutual Pining
The agonizing, delicious situation where both characters are in love and each is convinced the other isn't. The reader sees both sides of the longing, which transforms every obtuse misread and near-confession into sweet torture. It is one of AO3's most popular tags for good reason.
Tag guide →
Read Marriage of Convenience fanfiction on the go
Fanfict Reader is the best way to browse, search, and read AO3 fanfiction on your iPhone. Download for free and start reading your favorite stories today.