Secret Relationship
| Tropes and genres | |
|---|---|
| Synonym(s) | Secretly Dating |
| See also | Fake/Pretend Relationship, Forbidden Love |
| Related articles on Fanlore. | |
Secret Relationship is a common trope in romantic fanworks.
In this trope, characters are engaged in a relationship which they do not want to, or cannot, reveal to the people around them for a variety of reasons.
Canons in which the characters are colleagues often lend themselves to this trope, as workplace relationships may be forbidden or frowned upon. Other types of scenario where relationships may be kept secret include when there is a difference in age or authority (Teacher/Student relationships often intersect with this trope) or characters are otherwise from very different worlds and a relationship would be controversial (see: Forbidden Love). The characters might start off as enemies. In RPF, pairings involving celebrities such as actors and musicians might rely on this trope.
Secret Marriage is a related trope in which characters may have kept their marriage a secret, either as part of an overall secret relationship or because they wanted to keep the legal marriage element of their relationship a secret. Secret marriages often involve a "hidden" ring, worn on a chain or as a covered tattoo.
Fake/Pretend Relationship is effectively the inverse of this trope, in the sense that it is a relationship that appears to exist from the outside but in reality does not (although of course, in fanworks, real feelings usually develop).
Structure
Examples
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Popular examples of the trope include:
- in love and war and politics by centuriesofexistence (Clarke/Lexa, 2016): It's the most watched Senate race around the country, and Clarke Griffin is running one hell of an underdog campaign against the favored Cage Wallace. But she has a secret weapon that might save the campaign--and a secret that might ruin it. And both are named Lexa Ward.
- Slow Show by mia_ugly, podfic by Podfixx (Aziraphale/Crowley, 2020): an actors AU in which a closeted Aziraphale enters into a relationship with his co-star, infamous bad boy Crowley.
- survival is a talent by ShanaStoryteller (Harry/Draco, 2017): In the middle of their second year, Draco and Harry discover they're soulmates and do their best to keep it a secret from everyone.
- Barnes & Rogers and the Goddamn Truth by Wonderfully_Wandering_Alone (Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes, 2016): 1. The history teacher Mr. Barnes is a stone-cold terror, and it's not even because he only has one arm. 2. The other history teacher, Mr. Rogers, is a mysterious enigma, and it's something to do with the body of a Greek God and contradicting stories of his past. (They're all rumours, anyway.) 3. Mr Barnes and Mr Rogers hate each other. Bucky wouldn't have it any other way.
- I Had Rather Hear My Dog Bark At A Crow by sunsetmog, podfic by ofjustimagine (Nick/Louis, 2014): a boyband member and the radio presenter he hates start a secret, long-distance, kinky relationship.
- Performance in a Leading Role by Mad_Lori (Johnlock, 2011): Sherlock Holmes is an Oscar winner in the midst of a career slump. John Watson is an Everyman actor trapped in the rom-com ghetto. When they are cast as a gay couple in a new independent drama, will they surprise each other? Will their on-screen romance make its way into the real world?
Archives and Communities
- "AO3 Secret Relationship tag". Archived from the original on 2022-06-28.