"Manly" friendships in fiction

 

Fiction does men a great disservice when it comes to showcasing friendships. Too often, close male friendships are given homoerotic undertones that give off the impression that there is a romantic or sexual tension between the men, when they are just platonically bonded. In modern shipping culture, fans frequently create ships and fanfiction/fanart that depicts these close friends as being "more than friends". This perception that two men can't be platonically close without there being more to the relationship can make it difficult for men in real life to want to form close bonds with other men, for fear of being misjudged.

In the YA novel I'm currently querying, my main character is a gay teen who's two best friends are both straight boys. Throughout what will likely be at least a 3-book series, he is thought to be dating one or the other on multiple occasions. I considered leaving out this misconception, due to my desire to promote healthy male friendships, but I had to contend with what might realistically happen at a modern high school environment.

As an author, how do I balance modern shipping culture and expectations with what I would like to showcase in my work? How do I show healthy, platonic relationships between men without people trying to "read between the lines"? I haven't come up with an answer to that yet, but it's something I do consider while writing.