Quick tips for writing rivals-to-lovers
༄ they insist they don’t think about each other. they lie. everyone knows.
༄ A* makes a snarky comment, B* responds with an even sharper one, and now they’re 2 inches apart like “say that again” with full eye contact. yeah. tension.
༄ constant one-upping. “oh you saved a cat from a tree? I saved a family from a burning building.”
༄ intense sparring sessions. the kind that are technically training but full of grunts, heavy breathing, accidental pinning, and unnecessary touching.
༄ "i can't stand you" but they know exactly how the other takes their coffee
༄ enemies forced to work together on a mission. only one bed. hate-cuddling. hate spooning. hate realizing it’s actually kind of nice.
༄ “if you die, I’ll kill you myself.” (said sincerely.)
༄ B* almost gets hurt and A* goes absolutely feral. later insists it was “just instinct” (sure, buddy.)
༄ petty insults but they remember everything about each other
༄ one of them has a detailed list of reasons the other sucks. also they keep the list in a very secure spot. also they reread it a lot. suspiciously often.
༄ jealousy. so much jealousy. “i don’t care who they flirt with” said while visibly vibrating with rage
༄ A* wins something. B* says “congrats.” it sounds like a war declaration.
༄ they call each other by last name. until the first time one of them whispers the other’s first name and it hits like a goddamn thunderclap
༄ they kiss once to “shut the other up” and it’s all downhill from there
༄ they argue so often and with such passion that everyone else assumes they’re already dating
༄ insult → smirk → “make me” → tension → regret → denial → repeat
༄ “you’re so annoying” but the voice is weirdly soft this time
༄ eventually one of them just breaks and says “i don’t even know when it stopped being fake. i just know i don’t want it to be anymore.” and then we all cry
blakekathryn
tangentwithtanner
