I suppose that the main thing would be to depict their reasons, feelings and reactions: if kissing and so on leaves them cold, and it's been established that they're putting on an act for the benefit of the blackmailer, then the probability of their relationship being misinterpreted should be reasonably low, I feel. It might also help to depict the married fellow's feelings for and reactions to his wife (even if it's just talking with his friend about how much he misses her, or looking forward to next hearing from her).
My Games & Writing
At some points the married man notes that he does appreciate the tactile comfort that their fake relationship entails (such as sleeping in the same bed as someone, as he hasn't been able to do that for a while)
Does this seem like it'd be a normal reaction? (keep in mind this setting is pretty loose with gender roles as well so close platonic male friendships aren't seen as odd)
Exactly when could "the married man feels kind of uncomfortable/guilty about the situation because he can't get his wife's permission for this situation and also enjoys the physical contact" could delve into "he feels guilty because he has something to hide."
Two of my major characters are longtime best friends. One is Happily Married to a woman and the other is gradually revealed to be bisexual. They end up in a few Ho Yay filled situations including being mistaken for a couple at least once (the setting they live in has absolutely no problem with same-gender relationship and they're close enough that people would probably come to the same conclusion if they were a man-woman couple) and at one point pretending to be married for an extended amount of time (which involved a fair amount of physical affection such as kissing) so that an aggressive woman trying to seduce one of them with blackmail will back off. The married man's relationship with his wife is a Long-Distance Relationship for much of the story.
I'm worried that their relationship could be misinterpreted, not in a Shipping way (I honestly wouldn't give a single shit) but as a "they are physically attracted to each other and he will end up cheating on his wife" type of interpretation.
There also happens to be an actual male same-gender couple in the main cast, which could provide some needed Foil to their friendship. But I'm not sure and I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. Thanks :)