Everyone thinks they're a couple

[nrgburst]

Slight gripe about this: nobody uses this tag on Ao3, so finding fics that fit this trope was like combing through a haystack desperately hoping for a sliver of silver. BUT using the word "idiots" (what usually came up was "idiots in love" or "idiots to lovers") nicely narrowed it down, since this trope often has that "they've been close friends for so long that everybody just assumes" and hilariously obtuse denials that bring back Gendry and Arya arguing over Bella's "bellringing" offer although neither can vocalize why they're both so upset in A Storm of Swords.

Therefore I figured this would be a popular trope for Modern Gendrya, especially since this fic crossed my dash not too long ago, (but I was wrong- it's actually not common at all):

Why not us? (8604 words) by obsessivewriter
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters
Characters: Arya Stark, Gendry Waters, Ned Stark, Catelyn Tully Stark, Robert Baratheon, Jon Snow, Robb Stark, Sansa Stark, Bran Stark, Rickon Stark, Theon Greyjoy, Mya Stone, Edric Storm, Bella (ASoIaF)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, First Time, Meddling Families, Best Friends, first I love yous, lots of banter, Childhood Friends
Summary: Gift for my good friend TK (@katlyn1948) based on her prompt:
“We should just hook up. Everyone already thinks we’re together.”

This is really cute- Gendry blurting his feelings at the end is just so on point. I love how this is written as snippets through time.
Next is one of my favorite AU fics:

love, war, and a few things in between (52883 words) by scrubclub
Chapters: 12/12
Fandom: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters, Podrick Payne/Sansa Stark (minor/background), Arya Stark/Ned Dayne (brief)
Characters: Arya Stark, Gendry Waters, Sansa Stark, Alys Karstark, Podrick Payne, Wylla Manderly, Ramsay Bolton, Edric "Ned" Dayne
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Enemies to Lovers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, idiots to lovers, Enemies to Idiots to Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Jealousy, Fluff, Light Angst, Non-sexy blindfolding, Almost-sexy Ned Dayne, Beater bat innuendos, Slow Burn, Eventual Smut
Series: Part 1 of hogwarts au
Summary: There are few people Arya Stark dislikes more than Gendry Waters. One of those people might be whoever gave an arrogant, miserable dick like Waters the Gryffindor quidditch captain's badge.
Gendry just wants to win a championship, prove a few people wrong, and find a way to put up with his entitled, spoiled seeker.

Featuring: lots of quidditch, lots of bickering, not enough actual studying, an intrusive Ned Dayne, a clueless Podrick Payne, some mistletoe, some miscommunication, and a few hundred other clichés.

They are just DELIGHTFULLY oblivious in this and everybody from teammates to classmates to Ramsey Bolton and even some magic mistletoe knows it. Sansa/Podrick mirror their idiotic foolishness too, and it all comes to a very apt conclusion.


One of the reasons I really wanted to do this rec list is because I get to discover gems like this buried in the archive:

insert here - a sentiment re: our golden years (5512 words) by pentaghastly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Game of Thrones (TV), A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters, Jon Snow/Sansa Stark, Robb Stark/Margaery Tyrell
Characters: Arya Stark, Gendry Waters, Sansa Stark, Catelyn Tully Stark
Additional Tags: it's a fake dating trope babey!!!!!!!!!!!, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fake/Pretend Relationship, arya needs a date for a wedding and who you gonna call? that hot guy you kind of want to bone!, jon/sansa and robb/marg only briefly mentioned, Jon and the Starks Are Not Related, fluff????? in MY fics????? it's more likely than you think!
Summary:

In retrospect, it’s a terrible idea.

“This is a terrible,” Gendry had said to her when she first suggested it, waving his hands emphatically, “terrible idea.”

So yeah, maybe he was right. But what’s that thing that assholes always say?

Hindsight is twenty-twenty?

That, Arya thinks, just might be accurate.

(Alternate title, Idiots in Love Fake Date & Swear at Each Other for Five Thousand Words.)

 

 

Soooo good. The mutual pining and Sansa and Catelyn being all PUHLEASE you guys are only fooling yourselves is perfect.

And I can't believe I missed this scrubclub gem! She wrote it before S8 turned me into a hardcore shipper though:

No Need for Fake Flirting (2475 words) by scrubclub
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters
Characters: Arya Stark, Gendry Waters, Edric "Ned" Dayne, Sansa Stark, Shireen Baratheon
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers
Series: Part 7 of AryaxGendry Week 2018
Summary:

Written for AryaxGendry Week 2018 Day 7: "That's Not What I Meant"

 

Arya needs a fake boyfriend & Gendry doesn't really get a say in the matter.

 

All the minor characters in AsoIaF playing telephone of OMG FINALLY around the club when Arya makes Gendry fake date her for the night is absolutely perfect in this.

 

 

 Do let me know if you find any others!