History BelligerentSexualTension / Literature

* Jemmie and Crowe from ''Literature/DevilsAndThieves'' have feelings for each other, but they also act quite antagonistic to each other. They tend to flip-flop on whether or not they want to be nice to the other person, leading to a lot of bickering and tension, all the while not admitting their true feelings until the end.

* Marcus and Teriana from ''Literature/DarkShores''. They have been forced to collaborate and spend most of their time together (including sharing a tent). Marcus tries to be civil about it but Teriana really, really likes arguing with him or making sarcastic remarks about him -- which does not stop them from getting ''certain'' thoughts. Marcus muses at one point that he really should not be staring at Teriana's ass, since she's nothing but a pain in his.

* It's hinted that Rachel and Marco's playful rivalry in the early ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' books might be this, particularly on Marco's part. It begins to take on much darker and nastier undertones as the war wears on. They seem to flirt in earlier books, Marco's immediate reaction to seeing that Rachel has been split in half is that there's one for him now, Nice Rachel says she would go out with him if he asked her, and in the WonderfulLife / WhatIf book, where they never became Animorphs and Rachel never really got to know Tobias, they did end up going on a date. Later in the series, Marco makes it pretty clear that he thinks Rachel is [[BloodKnight a rageaholic violence junkie]] and Rachel gets very impatient with his snark and suspicious caution. Basically, one of the running themes of the book is that sooner or later, war ruins everything. In this case, it turned a perfectly cheerful flirty, belligerent friendship between two people who did in fact like one another into something very nasty and cruel over the course of a war, three years, and fifty books.

** Brienne of Tarth and Jaime Lannister might count, though their relationship is mostly platonic with only hints of sexual tension. One of their early scenes show a sword fight between them, described in a way similar to a sexual encounter, by the end of which Jaime jokingly tells the third party that was chastising his wife (the guy promptly points out that it looked more like [[ActionGirl she]] was chastising ''him'').

* Im ''Literature/TheFolkOfTheAir'', Jude and Cardan start off hating each other and, after coming to understand one another better, still hate each other. But they also don't think quiet as badly of one another as they used to, and are also aware of the fact that they're attracted to each other, and resent that they feel that attraction. Gets to the point in some scenes where it almost seems like they're using 'hate' as a substitute for the word 'love' just to avoid having to admit to their feelings.

* In the ''Great Tree of Avalon'' series (the SequelSeries to ''Literature/TheLostYearsOfMerlin''), Tamwyn and Elli have this with each other, as do Scree and Brionna. Each couple [[EveryoneCanSeeIt easily recognizes this trope]] in the other, but takes longer to recognize it in themselves.

** Lily Evans and James Potter seem to have this in their school days, though it was a bit more complicated. Lily is implied to be a B-type {{Tsundere}} (one who is generally nice, but acts angry toward their interest) though that was due to how James and [[spoiler: her then-best friend Snape kept fighting]], one getting the feeling that she was annoyed she was drawn to someone like himm. James meanwhile was something of a JerkWithAHeartOfGold who matured as he got older. They went from her unable to stand him in their fifth year to dating him in seventh year and HappilyMarried around they were ''nineteen.'' [[DeathByOriginStory They end their story giving their lives to protect their son.]]

* ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse''

* ''Old Love'' is a short story written by Jeffrey Archer. It describes the heated rivalry between William and [[Tsundere Phillipa]], the top literature students at Oxford. They end up marrying each other and keep bickering with each other for the rest of their lives. The couple keep insulting one another to express their mutual love.

** Ron and Hermione spend the better part of seven books bickering and arguing, before exchanging a BigDamnKiss towards the end of Book 7. Harry is completely unsurprised.
*** The funny thing about Ron and Hermione is that everyone around them (especially Harry) finds their arguing to be insufferable, but the two don't understand the problem. It's so normal to them it's like they're having a typical conversation.
** Lily Evans and James Potter seem to have this in their school days, with Lily as the {{Tsundere}} and James as the JerkWithAHeartOfGold before they get HappilyMarried. [[DeathByOriginStory And die.]]

* The ''Literature/WaysideSchool'' series is very aware that [[ToyShip elementary school kids]] tend to tease, annoy and bicker with their crushes. Throughout the books, Joy picks on Todd, Jason picks on Alison, Terrence picks on Rondi, Paul is obsessed with pulling Leslie's pigtails, and Dana and John are arch-enemies who obviously really like each other. In one chapter, this trope is lampshaded when Dana thinks she hates hearing stories because they make her feel too many strong emotions; when Mr. Jewels makes her realize that she really loves stories, she suddenly exclaims in disgust "What if I really love John too?"

* The ''Literature/WaysideSchool'' series is very aware that [[ToyShip elementary school kids]] tend to tease, annoy and bicker with their crushes. Throughout the books, Joy picks on Todd, Jason picks on Alison, Terrence picks on Rondi, Paul is obsessed with pulling Leslie's pigtails, and Dana and John are arch-enemies who obviously really like each other. In one chapter, this trope is lampshaded when Dana thinks she hates hearing stories because they make her feel too many strong emotions; when Mr. Jewels makes her realize that she really loves stories, she suddenly exclaims in disgust "What if I really love John too?"

* In ''[[Literature/RamonaQuimby Ramona Quimby, Age 8]]'', the [[ToyShip "kids picking on their crushes"]] version of this trope is shown between Ramona and her classmate Danny, a.k.a. "Yard Ape." He teases her and steals her eraser on the first day of school, while she gives him the aforementioned nickname and thinks she can't stand him at first. But he comforts her when she thinks their teacher doesn't like her, and writes her a unique, playful "get well" card when she gets sick, while she in turn starts to "really like him" - though she never admits it – and his grin even makes her forget her lines while she's presenting a book report.

* In ''Literature/RamonaQuimby Ramona Quimby, Age 8'', the [[ToyShip "kids picking on their crushes"]] version of this trope is shown between Ramona and her classmate Danny, a.k.a. "Yard Ape." He teases her and steals her eraser on the first day of school, while she gives him the aforementioned nickname and thinks she can't stand him at first. But he comforts her when she thinks their teacher doesn't like her, and writes her a unique, playful "get well" card when she gets sick, while she in turn starts to "really like him" - though she never admits it – and his grin even makes her forget her lines while she's presenting a book report.

----

** Ron and Hermione.

* The ''Literature/ChroniclesOfPrydain'' has [[HeroesWantRedheads Eilonwy]] and [[TheHero Taran.]]

* In ''Literature{{Shadow}}'', Sir Kenway and Shadow spend most of their time arguing with each other.

* Subverted in ''Midnight Robber'' by Creator/NaloHopkinson. Tan Tan's parents had a love that people described as "so sweet it's hot", but eventually turned into pure discord without the sweet. Tan Tan's father killed her mother's lover in a duel and fled with his daughter, and then things got worse...

** There's also [[spoiler:Leo and Calypso]] in the SequelSeries ''[[Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus]]''.

* Subverted in ''Midnight Robber'' by Nalo Hopkinson. Tan Tan's parents had a love that people described as "so sweet it's hot", but eventually turned into pure discord without the sweet. Tan Tan's father killed her mother's lover in a duel and fled with his daughter, and then things got worse...

* The Spy Five, a short series of virtually unknown books available through Scholastic's book fair order forms, gives us [[InsufferableGenius Usula]] and [[BookDumb Julian]]. They run in the same circles as Ron and Hermione. She's bossy and [[AsianAndNerdy intelligent]], while he's "cool" and loves sports. Both have a HairTriggerTemper, triggered by the other.

* Literature/{{Discworld}}
** Discworld/{{Mort}} and Ysabell. Largely because Ysabell knows she's ''supposed'' to marry Mort and resents this, and Mort is perennially clueless. As [[Discworld/SoulMusic the book that introduces their daughter]] puts it "Between Mort and Ysabell there was an instant dislike, and everyone knows what that means in the long term".

** Sandor Clegane clearly cannot decide whether he is more attracted to Sansa Stark or annoyed by her idealistic outlook on life, so in turns: mocks her, tries to help her survive in the DeadlyDecadentCourt, threatens to kill her and saves her life. Although the sexual tension is mutual, belligerence comes solely from him, as Sansa tries her best to be polite to him (which he usually finds annoying).

* Benny and Jason in the Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures novel ''Death and Diplomacy''. Eventually Jason's NonHumanSidekick gives them an infuriated psych evaluation on the grounds that "If I hear one more sexually-charged and mutually misunderstood argument I'm going to shoot the pair of you!"

* ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'': Jame and Tori--although until a lot of cases of this trope, their attract is not the ''primary'' cause of their fighting. Their fighting is mostly caused by real, complex issues between them. It still feeds into this quite easily, though. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d by Adiraina.