Do you have any suggestions for two vigilante/heroes teaming up; casual enemies, to friends, to lovers?
This is the best kind of pipeline; the gradual step up from enemies to lovers is just <chef’s kiss>. To match the prompt with the ideation, both Admin M and Assistant Admin Kasi will be posting some ideas for you! Enjoy~
Working for Character A is ASS. Their sidekick, Character C, really gets the brunt of the shit-work, especially after they team up with their hero partner, Character B. Just when Character C thought it couldn’t get any worse, they wake up to find themselves having been kidnapped by Character A & B’s arch nemesis along with Character D, Character B’s sidekick. Bored with their situation (and trying to not hate each other even more than they already did), Characters C & D hang out and talk while they wait to be rescued. They soon discover they have incredibly complimentary powers, hopes, and dreams. Who the hell needs heroes when two sidekicks can totally overpower them, right? They vow to team up (hesitantly). This psuedo-partnership slowly moves from hate, to appreciation, to acquaintances, then to hate-flirting. This energy comes to a peak one night after they’re recovering from a failed mission where they tried to take revenge on their kidnapper villain on their own. Blame leads to a fiery argument and then an even more fiery night.
Character A is a vigilante hero has always been the protector of their section of the city; for 15 years, no one dared to cross their territory (unless they were a special kind of stupid). This is only solidified after another vigilante (Character B) moves to town to support their partner’s new career. Guess what? They still need to do hero stuff, and it’s not like they can commute an hour away (not if they wanted to be back in time to get dinner on the table), so why not just have two heroes in the same section? What’s the harm?
The phrase “this town ain’t big enough for the two of us” was practically invented just for these two. Characters A and B are cowboys who run rivaling ‘gangs for good’ in their small western town. These two groups would act as protectors, shooing away snakes, wrangling cattle, and making sure the town was safe from robbers. The two groups, however, kept showing up to the same incidents, and 16 burly cowboys in one house helping an older lady who fell is just RIDICULOUS. It may be time to end this feud, once and for all.
Being a hacker is hard work. Okay, wait, let me rephrase: being an ethical hacker is hard work. Character A is hired regularly as a security consultant for large corporations. Basically, they attempt to simulate a hacking attack on their client’s system, then point out potential holes in their defense and make recommendations. It’s interesting work that pays well, so Character A can’t complain too much, but their job is made just that much more difficult when they’re helping a Meat Packing company against a cyber attack. Who the HELL knew that vegan hackers were this GOOD?! Who even is this person?!?!!?
For the entirety of their existence, Characters A & B have been in a tense symbiotic relationship which has only been exacerbated by their, well, overall hate for the other. It wasn’t enough that they wanted to “throw hands” or anything, but it was enough that they wanted to mess with one another. Character B would cause Character A’s seas to rise on a certain rhythm, and Character A would huff before inspiring the fleas on their back to plant some sticks on Character B. It was mostly in good fun, but as the centuries continued to pass, they found that they had a deep-seeded longing for one another that they couldn’t shake. Finally, they decide that enough is enough and they attempt to touch again for the first time in a million years. The fleas, however, kick up a racket and try to stop them from exploring their feelings, citing things like “IF THE MOON CRASHES INTO THE EARTH, ALL LIFE WILL DIE” and other nonsense.
Selling potions of the gods is hard work, but collecting sweat from the brows of spent gladiators was the easy part. The more dangerous side really came from the other merchants of “beauty potions” and “aphrodisiacs.” When it came to blood, sweat, tears, and money, they became downright deadly.
When two politicians from the same political party decide to run for office against one another, they appear to have a fairly amicable relationship in the public’s eye (at least, as amicable as politics can get). Behind the scenes, however...Character A & B were absolutely feral. This hate fed into a poorly conducted night of romance which they both regretted. The following morning, they both stumbled out of the same bed, went to the same political debate, and told the other how they really felt about their stances, warts and all (and by all, let’s just say they weren’t exactly PG about what they had experienced the night before).
Here are some possible one-liners / comebacks:
“I’d agree with you, but then we’d both be wrong.”
“I’ve found puddles on the ground deeper than you.”
“I’ll never forget the first time we met... But I’ll keep trying.”
“What’d your parents do? Drop you to see if you’d turn off and on again?”
“They say opposites attract. I hope you meet someone who is good-looking, intelligent, and cultured.”
“I'm trying my absolute hardest to see things from your perspective, but I just can't get my head that far up my ass.”
“There's no need to repeat yourself. I ignored you just fine the first time.”
“Isn’t there a bullet somewhere you could be jumping in front of?”
“1 universe, 8 planets, 7 seas, 7 continents, 809 islands, 196 countries, and I had the unfortunate luck of meeting you.”
Hero A was by the books, always following rules and never stepping on the toes of the law...that is, until a villain comes to town who’s stronger than anyone Hero A has ever faced before. Cornered, Hero A has no choice but to illicit the help of Hero B, a reckless, law-breaking newbie. Unfortunately for Hero A, there was no other choice (believe them when they say they checked). The more the two work together to defeat the villain, the closer they get and they slowly realize that maybe, just maybe, they don’t completely hate each other.
“Getting married to someone with superpowers was supposed to be great! Who wouldn’t want to be with someone with powers equal to a god? It really was a dream come true, but then, they started being a ‘hero.’ Now, the only time I ever see see them is passing glances in the house when they’re leaving for whatever new ‘hero work’ is needed. Which is always. So, with incredible pettiness, I decided I needed to do one thing: become their arch nemesis. How else was I supposed to get their attention?” AU
Hero A loved their roommate. They had the exact same schedule -- night jobs that took them both out of the house at the same time. There were no loud noises through the day because they were both sleeping, and they shared dinner together every night before heading out for a productive evening. It seemed like the ideal situation, and the two fell into a routine of mutual ease. It was perfect...that is, until Hero A started noticing bruises on their roommate that seemed really familiar to where they hit their arch nemesis the previous night.
Villain A had always thought Hero A had the absolutely dumbest abilities. Who the hell would ever want that ability to speak to and control birds? BIRDS?! Even though the power was ridiculous, THAT hero somehow became the protector of the city. Hero B was always in their shadow, second best in terms of recognition even though Hero B clearly had the better skills. They didn’t think Hero A even deserved the title until a situation comes up that requires Hero A’s exact abilities. Begrudgingly, Hero B has to ask for help. That being said, after seeing Hero A in action, their powers (and Hero A) are pretty okay.
Hero A was retired. You hear that?? RETIRED! Ever since a bullet went through their leg, making fighting incredibly painful, Hero A was content to give up that life and spend the rest of it doing mindless hobbies. This semi-retirement was pulled to a screeching halt when one day, their old nemesis was dumped on their doorstep, beaten within an inch of their life. After a lengthy recovery and a whole lot of questions, it turns out that Hero A’s old partner had gone completely off the rails. The two ex-enemies now have to team up: the cranky former hero and the villain with a newfound moral code. One night of careful scheming after another leads the two to become closer and for all lines to become blurred. At the end of it all, they couldn’t tell where hero ended and villain began.
Mercenary was a loose term; Character A did all jobs, as long as they were paid in the end. It spanned from killing, to spying, to escort missions, and they were content with them all. Character A barely even read the contract of the next job, only seeing the massive payout and disregarding any other details. They regret that now. Turns out, their new job is to guard the one person they hate more than anything: their rival -- a harsh, illegitimate business person that screwed Character A over too many times to count. Now, they’re forced to spend every waking moment together, but Character A isn’t finding it quite as horrible as they originally thought.
