History Main / RomanticTwoGirlfriendship

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1640570019004947100 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.]]]]]]
%% Image restored per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1390878158056058500
%% Please see thread to discuss a new image.
%%
%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
[[quoteright:332:[[Manga/{{Hitohira}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nono_mugi.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:332: [[JustFriends Just friends?]]]]

->''"It was perfectly acceptable at Baker & Inglis to get a crush on a fellow classmate. At a girls school a certain amount of emotional energy, normally expended on boys, gets redirected into friendships."''
-->-- ''Literature/{{Middlesex}}''

At the beginning of adolescence, there is a time when friendship is emphasized, usually junior high/middle school. These friendships can have very strong emotional bonds, and, when two girls develop a close bond, it will almost appear to be a romance. They [[HoldingHands hold hands]]. Getting together to do something is a "date." Fights are treated as a "break-up." They're willing to sleep next to each other [[ThereIsOnlyOneBed in the same bed]] ([[SleepCute and maybe even cuddle]]). They're also sometimes capable of [[SpeakInUnison moving and speaking in]] [[FinishingEachOthersSentences perfect unison.]] They may not ''actually'' be in a romantic relationship, but it is emphasized in such a way that if they were, you'd assume it'd look this way.

In the Western world, this was far more common up until the late 1800s, and applied to both men and women, even into adulthood.[[note]]However, it's difficult to know how much of this is due to erasure of historical homosexuality at the time and by later historians and commentators. For example, Chopin was very notably gay, but his writings that most clearly indicated this were subject to editing by people who didn't want to "tarnish his reputation."[[/note]] It was referred to as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romantic_friendship "romantic friendship."]] This practice waned at the turn of the 20th century as adults, particularly men, [[MistakenForGay did not want to be mistaken as homosexual]].[[note]] Moving into the 21st century, it has made a resurgence with "bromance" being an encouraged social norm.[[/note]] Generally, it still only occurs between young girls, where it is more socially acceptable and not indicative of sexual orientation.

In Japan, this is known as "Class S" and is far more common than in the West. [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Due to the influence of Western female literature]],[[note]]''Literature/ALittlePrincess'', ''Literature/LittleWomen'', ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables''... there's a lot![[/note]] the Japanese developed a belief that young girls are expected to have friendships with each other that emulate boyfriend–girlfriend relationships. This is considered a wonderful but [[GayRomanticPhase temporary]] part of adolescence, which they can later [[ValuesDissonance "graduate" from to "real" relationships with boys]]. To remain in a "Class S" relationship past middle school is seen as a sign of immaturity, although it is expected that these friendships will continue into adulthood without the romantic elements. The possibility of one or more of the girls involved in a "Class S" relationship being truly invested in the other romantically is usually ignored.

If the romance starts to become too passionate, [[HeteronormativeCrusader parents]] may try to intervene to separate the girls. This should never become physical ''that way''; it would [[TheIngenue "corrupt"]] the IncorruptiblePurePureness, [[GrowingUpSucks which is then traded in for marriage.]] If the girls do cross the line into sex (or even passionate kissing), they are no longer this trope, and are treated differently.

Compare HeterosexualLifePartners, where it just doesn't seem ''as'' romantic but remains a tremendously important personal bond, above and beyond a genuine romantic relationship. Also compare GayRomanticPhase and ExperimentedInCollege.
----
!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Manga/{{ARIA}}'':
** Alicia and her apprentice Akari appear to be very enamored with each other. Alicia postpones Akari's promotion to Prima since she doesn't want to leave her alone before retiring... [[LastMinuteHookup to get married]], of course.
%% ** Aika also has a totally obvious crush on Alicia for most of the series.
* ''Anime/{{Bakugan}}'':
** Runo and Alice are quite close, even closer then they are with their love interests ([[spoiler:[[IdiotHero Dan]] ([[OfficialCouple official]]) and [[TheLancer Shun]] ([[ShipTease prominently hinted]])]], whose relationship are borders on HeterosexualLifePartners respectively).
%% ** Runo and Julie also gradually develop this kind of relationship, particularly in the second season.
* ''Anime/BangDream'' has a few examples. Afterglow has childhood friends Ran and Moca, who are stated to be the closest in a band composed of childhood friends. There's also Tomoe and Himari. Rosellia has Lisa and Yukina, also childhood friends, with Lisa frequently baking cookies for the band because Yukina likes them.
%% * ''Anime/BestStudentCouncil'' has a large chunk of the student body in... admiration of the student council president, Kanade Jinguuji.
%% * Kanade and Yukino from ''Anime/CandyBoy'' have a relationship that seems to follow the rules of this trope just fine, until you realize that they are ''[[{{Twincest}} fraternal twin sisters]]''.
%% * In ''Manga/CheekyAngel'', when Megumi insists that she likes Miki "that way", the other girls comment that she really is a kid. Of course it's a [[GenderBender bit more complex than that]].
* ''Manga/TheDisappearanceOfNagatoYukiChan'' has the relationship between Nagato and Asakura. Since, in this world, Asakura isn't a stabby alien interface, she is actually the cheerful, likable girl she portrays herself as. She also frequently goes over to Nagato's apartment to cook for her, wakes her in the morning (and scolds her when she stays up late playing video games), and is the first to notice that something is wrong when Nagato experiences dismnesia after a car accident.
%% * Hyatt and Ropponmatsu #1 seem to develop a platonic romance for the short time they are together in ''Anime/ExcelSaga''. Also, Ropponmatsu #2 has feelings for Excel, as seen in her made-up {{flashback}}.
%% ** Although in this case, the Ropponmatsus were programmed to fall for the [[SingleTargetSexuality first person they saw upon activation]], which (due to a delivery error) was Excel and Hyatt... but it only lasted one episode.
* ''Manga/HidamariSketch'':
** Hiro and Sae are very close and are frequently subjected to ShipTease. Hiro talks about giving Sae chocolate for Valentine's Day and how Sae watched over her all night when she was sick; the first season OP even has a NotWhatItLooksLike moment with Yuno walking in on them ([[BaitAndSwitchCredits with the context not even being given until the second season]]). Sae spends an entire episode (the 2nd special) freaking out when Hiro gets a love letter in her shoe locker, complete with an excited Yuno and Miyako misunderstanding the letter as coming from Hiro. And then there's the second season's opening... [[MindlinkMates and they've]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nBz0URYr3I even shared a mental conversation together!]]
** Yuno and Miyako also seem to be a bit closer than average sometimes, which usually gets excused by Miyako's bubbly and innocent demeanor. Miyako also appears to be very open-minded about relationships and hops in the bathtub with Yuno the day they meet, since her own water supply doesn't work. Uh-huh. One time Miyako even tells Yuno that she thinks she is very pretty. Yuno in turn voices her wish to Miyako that they might one day have the same relationship as Sae and Hiro.
%% * Hime-chan and Erika's relationship in ''Manga/HimechanNoRibon'' is very much like this even though they spend a huge amount of time apart, saying they love each other, etc.
%% * Mugi and Nono from ''Manga/{{Hitohira}}'' quickly appear to enter such a relationship after Nono drafts Mugi for her drama club. Mugi has an obvious crush on Nono for most of the series and their relationship culminates in [[spoiler:a very heartwarming ending when they say their goodbyes]].
%% * Despite being perceived in the West as the "flagship" schoolgirl lesbian series, ''LightNovel/MariaWatchesOverUs'' only has one couple that actually crossed the line into a full lesbian relationship -- at which point, one of them promptly left the school to become a nun, probably in an attempt to show how dangerous it is to "go too far"[[note]]It should be noted however that the girl had entered school with ''the intent'' of becoming a nun, and along with sexuality would have considered romance in itself wrong since she was aiming for a life committed to God alone[[/note]]. Most of the rest of the cast participate in (much safer) Romantic Two Girl Friendships with other Lillian students.
%% * Nana O and Nana K's relationship in ''Manga/{{Nana}}''.
%% * Much of ''Anime/PrettyCure'' is based around this precise sort of relationship.
%% ** ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure'', ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar'', ''Anime/SuitePrettyCure'' and ''Anime/MahoGirlsPrecure'' feature WonderTwinPowers which only work when two heroines are together. Their attacks require holding hands.
%% ** In this franchise, ''Anime/DokiDokiPrettyCure'' gives Mana who has these kind of relationships with at least ''six'' girls. Some of them are minor, but [[ChildhoodFriends Mana X Rikka]], [[{{Fangirl}} Mana]] X [[IdolSinger Makoto]], and Mana X Regina are the best known relationships. It's not that Mana has more relationships, she has more LesYay moments than any other Pretty Cure character.
%% * In ''Manga/LoveHina'', Motoko has three female [[InstantFanClub groupies]], classmates of hers; at least one seems to have a genuine crush on the swordswoman. Also, Suu appears to have desires on Motoko; while the anime only hints at this, Suu announces in the manga that she wants to take Motoko as a lover. Suu is also responsible for giving Shinobu her FirstKiss.
* ''Manga/LuckyStar'':
** At the beginning of Episode 7, Konata starts abruptly acting out this trope towards Tsukasa and Kagami. Kagami asks what's going on, and her response to this behavior and the explanation that Konata has become hooked on ''[[LightNovel/MariaWatchesOverUs Marimite]]'' is "Are you a kid?!" Despite Konata parodying this trope she and Kagami fit better in the GirlsLove one.
** Ironically enough, [[WordOfGod the mangaka]] stated that either Kagami or Konata herself have a genuine crush on the other. As for whom it is though...
%% ** It's unclear if Minami and Yutaka have this or if it's actual romance.
%% ** Possibly [[ThoseTwoGuys Misao and Ayano]]. ''[[AlternateCharacterInterpretation Possibly]]''. Though, Ayano ''[[InformedAttribute says]]'' she has a boyfriend and apparently he's [[spoiler:Misao's brother]]. However that ''still'' goes hand in hand with many of the popular {{Alternate Character Interpretation}}s.
%% * ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'':
%% ** Fate's relationship with Nanoha in the first two seasons; the third season toes the line. Post-''[=StrikerS=]'', [[spoiler:Fate/Nanoha/Vivio is canonically referred to as the "Takamachi Family", Yuuno's role best described as "Substitute Father" to Vivio when Fate is away from home (AllThereInTheManual via one of the Sound Stages), [[ArmedWithCanon except ViVid and Force scrap that last one for a good measure]]]].
%% ** Alisa and Suzuka from the same series are also shown to be very fond of each other.
%% ** And Teana and Subaru from season three.
%% ** Vivio and Einhart from ''[=ViVid=]'' get this treatment from the GenreSavvy Nakajima sisters. Another indication is that one shuttle scene in the beginning of chapter 9, where we get to see Nanoha/Fate, Subaru/Teana, and Vivio/Einhart sitting neatly all in the row. Can you say, "GenerationXerox"?
* Yue Ayase and Nodoka Miyazaki in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' have a very close and intense friendship despite only being friends for a few years, and they each try to encourage the other to pursue their teacher romantically over their own feelings for him. The series also drops hints that they're nursing feelings for each other, like Nodoka [[spoiler:secretly desiring a threesome between her, Yue, and Negi]], and Yue calling Nodoka "beautiful" in the series finale. The sequel, ''Manga/UQHolder'', [[spoiler:confirms that they both proposed a threesome to him. Depending on the timeline, he either accepts or declines]].
* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'':
** In the [[Anime/SailorMoon 1990s anime]], Usagi and Rei show a somewhat low key version of this in those quiet, sweet moments they're not acting like VitriolicBestBuds, particularly the original and ''R'' seasons. True to cultural expectations, these moments are less common (but not ''completely'' inexistent) as Usagi's relationship with her boyfriend Mamoru matures... and they reappear [[spoiler:when Mamoru falls victim to BusCrash (unbeknownst to them)]]. This is {{lampshaded}} by [[{{Troll}} Michiru]] who comments to Rei that, her relationship with Usagi, is just like Michiru's [[BattleCouple relationship]] with Haruka.
%% ** Rei also has this relationship with Minako in the [[Manga/SailorMoon manga]], to the extent that their last scene together in ''Stars'' has suspiciously similar vibes to Haruka and Michiru...
%% * On ''Manga/SgtFrog'', all the girls at Natsumi's school seem to idolize her obsessively, and Koyuki actually has a crush on Natsumi (though this is ''far'' less blatant in the manga).
%% * ''Manga/SoulEater'' plays with this with the [[spoiler: witch]] meister Kim Diehl and her weapon partner Jacqueline, to where Jacqueline follows Kim onto her decision. Kim ends up instead with [[NiceGuy Ox Ford]] when he snaps her out of her HeelFaceBrainwashing out of devotion. However, it should be noted that virtually every weapon and meister have friendships similar to this because of the nature of the bond (the ShipTease between Maka and Soul, Black Star and Tsubaki to where they sleep in the same room, Ox's weapon Harvar being similar, etc.)
%% ** In ''Manga/SoulEaterNot'', Tsugumi has this with both Anya and Meme. Really, there's surprisingly few romantic leanings regarding bonds between meister and weapon.
* In ''[[Anime/RODTheTV ROD the TV Series]]'' Hisami Hisaishi's relationship to Anita King was such that she even turned down the boy who was interested in her because of it. She regularly compares the two of them to Anne and Diana from the book Literature/AnneOfGreenGables (in Japan it's called "Red Haired Anne"). Both sets of girls refer to themselves as "Soulmates." It also leads to a ''very'' heart-wrenching scene when the girls say their goodbyes. [[spoiler:Even worse when Anita comes back after the Library puts their plan into action, tearily explains her terrible situation to Hisami and all but begs her for help, and Hisami ''doesn't remember her at all.'']] Wow. Oh, and the manga also has them [[IntertwinedFingers holding hands intimately]] and sharing a romantic dance around the school festival bonfire.
%% * In ''Manga/UltraManiac'' one of the two main girls finds out the other has a crush on her. She scoffs it away, saying that it proves the other girl is just a child.
%% * The relationship between Ichika and Manatsu from ''Anime/UtaKata'' borders on this trope.
* This trope appears to be the main element in ''Manga/VenusVersusVirus''. There are numerous intimate and tender moments between [[ElegantGothicLolita Luc]][[GirlsWithGuns ia]] and [[EnemyWithin Sumire]], causing Sumire to [[LuminescentBlush turn bright red]] every so often. The series has even been called a {{shounen}} yuri manga/anime by [[http://www.gomanga.com/news/features_vvv_01.php the official manga translators]], even though it doesn't go beyond [[BaitAndSwitchLesbians subtext]]. The romantic element is certainly there though, and gets a lot of focus, especially in the earlier volumes. However, once [[spoiler:Sumire leaves Lucia and her friends]], Lucia's affections for her reach above the most extreme [=RTGF=] meter. It's [[spoiler:[[AllLoveIsUnrequited unrequited]]]].
%% * The most innocent interpretations of the relationship between Alpha and Kokone in ''Manga/YokohamaKaidashiKikou'' falls into this. [[LesYay As for the]] other interpretations... yeah...
%% * Akira and Machina in ''Manga/DragonautTheResonance'' have this kind of relationship, and also fit nicely into TomboyAndGirlyGirl.
%% * Saya from ''Manga/BambooBlade'' is definitely a bit more than just friends with kendo-captain Kirino. It doesn't appear to be mutual, though the two get along extremely well regardless.
%% * Sakura Mikan in ''Manga/GakuenAlice'' is absolutely infatuated with Hotaru in this manner. Hotaru [[{{Tsundere}} goes back and forth between trying to get rid of her and actually returning her affections.]] In the middle of a battle scene in a later chapter of the manga [[spoiler:Hotaru appears to confess to Mikan that her feelings are romantic and kisses her, while Mikan remains oblivious.]]
* Ran and Midori from ''Anime/TelepathyShoujoRan'' become like this as the series progresses -- which is rather peculiar, since Ran actually has a boyfriend and Midori is openly smitten with Ran's brother. Perhaps the makers simply didn't want to drop the dynamic that works so well in similar series.
%% * Minori Kushieda from ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}'' has genuinely deep feelings for her best friend Taiga Aisaka--so much, that at one point she openly [[AmbiguouslyBi questions her own sexuality]].
%% * The LesYay between Illya and Miyu in ''Manga/FateKaleidLinerPrismaIllya'' stretches this to breaking point, stopping just shy of actual romance. Several of the heartfelt speeches they give to and about each other sound especially romantic, if not for the use of the word "friend".
* Seen several times in ''Manga/KashimashiGirlMeetsGirl'': first when an upperclassman dismisses Yasuna's obvious romantic interest in Hazumu as "immature", later when Ayuki reveals that Tomari once got a love letter from another girl, and still later when two unnamed classmates (literally "Girl A" and "Girl B" in the credits) get so carried away by Hazumu's exaggerated tales of Tomari's heroics while defending her from reporters that they openly declare their love for her "manliness", which mortifies Tomari to no end.
%% * The relationship between Hanna and Suomi from ''Anime/DiamondDaydreams'' clearly has some elements of this. They witness the "diamond dust" together, just like lovers would do--and their falling out has all the symptoms of an extended lover's quarrel.
%% * Hikari and Futaba from ''Manga/{{Amanchu}}'' rush into this headfirst. Hikari's behavior toward Futaba could be construed as flirting--and Futaba is very responsive. This is no surprise, since romantic two girl friendships are not unheard-of in works by Kozue Amano (who also made ''Manga/{{ARIA}}'').
* One of the possible interpretations for Licorice Nielsen and Cleao Everlasting's relationship in ''LightNovel/SorcererStabberOrphen''. Their start is kinda skittish due to how different in personality they are (Licorice is by the book and girlish, Cleao is a fiery TsunDere), but after a bout of TeethClenchedTeamwork, they started getting along really well, Cleao became very protective of Licorice, and when Licorice [[spoiler:was ''horribly'' hit by a huge wave of BreakTheCutie (including the discovery of her origins, a massive gambit that had her as the vortex, and how her family story was revealed with terrible results)]], the one who supported her the most was Cleao.
* ''Manga/KOn'' has romantic tension between the girls in various alignments and levels of intensity. Mio and Ritsu have their moments, especially when Ritsu shows definite signs of jealousy when Mio "dates" another girl. But the most romantically inclined appears to be Yui, who is clearly very enthralled by Mio, only to shift her focus to Azusa once she appears--and she at times even seems to be suspiciously close to her own sister Ui. It's all kept rather light though, in line with the [[SugarWiki/{{WAFF}} fluffy]] character of the show.
%% * Sakura and Tomoyo in ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'' are this trope all over, despite Tomoyo's feelings being far less chaste.
%% * Parodied in ''Manga/TheDayOfRevolution'' when [[GenderBender former boy]] Megumi tries to latch onto CoolBigSis Makoto primarily because the idea of being courted by her former TrueCompanions bothers her. Makoto's receptiveness varies based on RuleOfFunny but her role as Megumi's peer counselor/therapist means her reaction is mostly clinical.
%% * Although the friendship / [[AccidentalMarriage Accidental Engagement]] between Utena and Anthy in the ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' series and manga can be interpreted this way (and certainly references the trope a few times over), it more obviously applies to Utena and Wakaba. Wakaba ends up meeting a very nice young man who draws her attention away from Utena as a natural process, and Utena - well, [[GainaxEnding she... grows up a bit too]].
%% * Marin and Kanon in ''Anime/UmiMonogatari'' become very close friends over the course of the series and Kanon finally says "I love you" back to her at the end, but Kanon is in a relationship with Kojima and Marin supports her in it. In the DVD special, it becomes clear that [[spoiler:Kanon experiences her goodbye with Marin much like a romantic breakup--which is curious, since she still goes out with Kojima]].
%% * ''Manga/{{Mahoraba}}'':
%%** Michiyo is shown to have feelings for Asami, but it's mostly one-sided.
%% ** There are numerous hints about a such a relationship between Kozue and Tamami, which likely got blown up by Shiratori's arrival at the apartment complex. It does shed a bit more light on why Tamami dislikes Shiratori so much at first.
%% * Alice and Nunnally's relationship in ''Manga/CodeGeassNightmareOfNunnally'' is quite similar to this.
%% * ''LightNovel/TaishoBaseballGirls'' has the mild infatuation between girls so typical for the [[OneGenderSchool setting of an all-girl high school]]. Most notable are Tomoe's attraction to Koume and Kyokou's crush on Tomoe, which at times comes close to being somewhat more intense.
%% * ''Anime/HaibaneRenmei'' is very much a love story between Reki and Rakka. Chaste, but a love story nonetheless. Reki and Rakka are the two closest Haibane and [[spoiler:Rakka is actually Reki's LivingEmotionalCrutch]]. At first, Reki is treated like an older sister to Rakka; however, it turns into this in the last few episodes of the anime.
%% * [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Miyako Inoue and Hikari Yagami]] of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' have more than a few shades of the trope, ''especially'' in the 31st episode, where they ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Ken]]) find themselves trapped in the Sea of Darkness. The scene in which Miyako slaps Hikari to calm her down and swears that she won't leave her alone wouldn't be out of place in a {{yuri}} anime. The fact that the very same episode is also when they learn how to FusionDance their partner Digimon doesn't help, [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything especially given the part where they're thinking they can hear each others' heartbeats synchronize]].
%% * A possible and ''very'' dark interpretation for [[spoiler:[[DarkMagicalGirl Rosine]] and [[MoralityPet Jill]]]] in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}''.
%% * Meiko Akizuki and Miki Koishikawa had veeeery slight whiffs of it in the beginning of ''Manga/MarmaladeBoy'', before the melodrama that their love lives are settles in.
%% * The plot of ''Manga/TheRowsOfCherryTrees'' centers around a Class S LoveTriangle between an OneeSama and two of her [[SempaiKohai kohai.]]
%% * Yomi and Mato from ''Anime/BlackRockShooter'' have this going on big time. The moment they meet is basically a "LoveAtFirstSight" affair, especially from Mato's perspective. It's not too blatant in the OVA, but the anime series makes no attempt to disguise it. By the third episode, [[EveryoneCanSeeIt other characters have started teasing them about their romanticky relationship]], and they even make reference to the [[ValuesDissonance awkward stereotype]] of girl-girl couples being immature "practice" for "real" boy-girl relationships.
%% * Moe and Marin in ''Anime/BrigadoonMarinAndMelan''. It seems to be played for comedy at first, and it's a lot stronger on Moe's side than on Marin's. As the series progresses further they both start to show interest in the opposite sex.
%% * The tropes gets discussed a lot in ''Manga/HanjukuJoshi'', but is ultimately subverted by the [[TheyDo two main couples]].
%% * ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'': This could be an explination for Hinagiku's initial encounter with Athena since she's pushed anything resembling romance aside because of her past.
%% ** Her relationship with Miki may have started as this, but when Miki started to push for it to go further, Hinagiku made it clear she wasn't interested. The two are still close.
%% ** There's a definite hinting towards this style relationship between Hinagiku and Luca since their meeting and Luca telling them about her past, which is similar to Hinagiku's, with Luca's issues about lying being equated to Hina's romance issues. Hinagiku steals Luca's hand-made manga before he's able to read it and provide feedback about it.
* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'':
%% ** Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki give such strong vibes that their friend Hitomi Shizuki believed that they could be a good match-up. However, ''the'' example of this trope is given by Madoka and ''Homura Akemi'' after we learn that [[spoiler:Homura has gone through a progressively more traumatic GroundhogDayLoop to save Madoka's life.]]
%% ** Sayaka and Kyoko. A bit of FoeRomanceSubtext initially, but when Episode 9 rolled around... [[spoiler:...she sacrifices herself to put Sayaka the witch out of her misery.]] Furthered by the movie, when you see Kyoko's smile when [[spoiler:she sacrifices herself.]]
** In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'' [[InnocentCohabitation Kyoko is even staying at Sayaka's house]], and near the end of the movie Sayaka admits she regretted leaving Kyoko behind at the end of the anime. Meanwhile, Homura explicitly states that everything she does is out of love for Madoka. [[spoiler:Since this involves rewriting the entire universe '''again''' and her becoming the devil to Madoka's Goddess, maybe Homura really suffers from LoveMakesYouCrazy [[LoveMakesYouEvil and evil]] after all.]]
%% * In the {{OVA}} of ''Anime/BattleAthletes'', the relationship between Kris and Akari gradually develops into this. In the ''Victory'' TV adaptation, Akari has some of this dynamic going on with Ichino at first, whereas Kris' feelings for Akari get ramped up considerably. Eventually, Ichino and Kris start [[LoveTriangle competing for Akari's affections]].
%% * Sarah's relationship with Yakumo in ''Manga/SchoolRumble''. Though they honestly seem to just be very good friends, some might confuse it for Yuri [[http://www.zerochan.net/full/196215 at times]].
%% * Tomoko Arikura and Nanako Misonoo are the straightest example in the {{yuri}} manga ''Manga/DearBrother''. Mariko Shinobu also wants this with Nanako, ''[[{{Yandere}} very]]'' [[IJustWantToBeLoved badly]].
%% * Saya Otonashi from ''Anime/BloodPlus'', despite her... special relationship with [[BodyguardCrush her bodyguard]] Hagi, has this with two girls. First there's Kaori in Okinawa, then we have Minh in Vietnam.
%% * [[spoiler:[[MeaningfulName Yuri]] Tokikago and Momoka Oginome]] from ''Anime/{{Penguindrum}}'' were too young to play the trope straight, but still gave off ''huge'' vibes. [[spoiler:Sadly, Momoka died in her pre-teen years, [[TheMourningAfter and Yuri never got over it]].]]
%% * Haruko and Ayako had this in the early chapters of ''Manga/SlamDunk'', with Ayako teasingly kissing her on the cheek.
%% * Eri Kasugano and Natsuki Hayami in ''Manga/{{Amakusa 1637}}''. Eri straight-up says that had Natsuki been a guy, she would've fallen in love with "him".
%% * In ''Anime/{{Kamichu}}'', there is quite a bit of chemistry between Yurie and Matsuri--even more so than between Yurie and her love interest Kenji. It makes one wonder at times whether it's really Matsuri's business sense that fuels her interest in Yurie.
%% * Momoko's and Chizuru's friendship in ''Manga/WanderingSon''. Momo in particular is very clingy to Chi and seems to think of little other than her friend.
%% * Finé and Izetta in ''Anime/IzettaTheLastWitch'', with enough HomoeroticSubtext to almost push it beyond friendship.
%% * ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'':
%% ** One of the gags appeared to lead up to this, but was averted at the last minute. When Nagisa was searching for help in establishing the Theater club, Tomoya recommends they consult Ryou and sends Sunohara to get her. However to make sure Kyou doesn't come along, Sunohara says that it's for a love confession. Cue Nagisa seriously asking for a [[NotWhatItLooksLike favor]] from Ryou (With romantic backdrop, no less).
%% ** Side characters Rie Nishina and Sugisaka have some vibes of a more serious RTGF. Sugisaka is very protective of Nishina, and they work at the same restaurant and apparently live together after graduating from high school.
* ''Anime/{{Symphogear}}'' :
%% ** Kanade and Tsubasa (or at least had, before Kanade's death), and Hibiki and Miku, the textbook example. ''Senki Zesshou Symphogear G'' extend the latter pair and it introduces Kirika and Shirabe.
** While Hibiki and Miku are strongly hinted at having romantic feelings for each-other throughout the series (to the point they spend all of it sharing a bed) that are buried under their own respective guilt complex's (Long story), It's ''very'' heavily implied that Miku is the first to realize how deep her feelings are during the events of ''G'' when [[spoiler:her song while wielding the ShenshouJing is all about her possessive love for Hibiki.]] It's taken even further in ''XV'', where Hibiki's refusal to act on the desire to allow her own feelings to skew more to the "romantic" as opposed to the "friendship" side of things end up causing part of the conflict of the season, and being open to how she feels for Miku becomes key to resolving it; the show going so far as to present such in the special text of her Final Attack name (Look up the meaning of "Metanoia" some time). Particularly telling is [[spoiler:the final scene, which resolves their relationship with a MaybeEverAfter, where they both admit, while blushing, to having [[LoveConfession something they've wanted to say]] to the other for a while.]]
%% *** [[spoiler:The post-series manga, Mobile game XDU and official artwork Additonally confirm Hibiki and Miku are an official couple to the point of Hibiki presenting Miku with an Engagement Ring upon their Graduation]]. '''Not so much ZCE as needs to be integrated into the above bulltpoint'''
* The relationship between witches and their familiars in ''Manhwa/CielTheLastAutumnStory'' has heavy shades of this. As witches need another witch to pull them out of their field(and thus perform magic), and once such a partnership is set up, it's set for life, their relationships tend to be very close...and then end along with their witch career when they marry. Though not all witch pairs end, and Yvienne focusing on her [[TeacherStudentRomance relationship]] with [[InterspeciesRomance Krohiten]] over her relationship with Lariatte ends up being a very big mistake.
%% * Ryuko Matoi and Mako Makanshoku from ''Anime/KillLaKill''. To the point that in episode 12 [[spoiler:Mako puts herself at ''great'' risk to give a mutated Ryuko a CoolDownHug, managing to bring her back to her senses at the expense of suffering severe burns.]] Though it's implied that Mako's thoughts [[NoseBleed might go beyond platonic.]]
%% * In ''Manga/MurderPrincess'', Alita and Milano, while older than usual for this trope, develop such a close bond so quickly that they're generally considered a prime example. (Switching bodies'll do that.)
%% * ''Anime/{{Simoun}}'' is a full-on {{Yuri}} show, but it also has a perfect example of this trope in Rodoreamon and Mamiina. Rodore even looks and acts like the kiddie-lit heroines who inspired Class S in the first place.
%% * Even though Shiho Kobayakawa from ''Manga/PrivateActress'' already has a boyfriend when Mariko Soriarno appears ''and'' both are older than the standard for the trope, she immediately bonds with her in a way that simply '''oozes''' RTGL. [[spoiler:Too bad poor Mariko is seriously injured by a jealous rival, and it's implied later that she has to return to her native Philippines.]]
%% * Yamoto Koki and her classmate from ''Manga/NinjaSlayer'', right down to having to separate due to Yamoto being a ninja to protect her and the bittersweet goodbye.
* From ''Anime/YukiYunaIsAHero'', we have the titular Yuna Yuki and her wheelchair-bound best friend Mimori Togo, who are almost never seen apart. The writers have actually confirmed that [[WordOfGay Togo wants to be more than just friends with Yuna]], and even though Yuna is ObliviousToLove, they have a big chance to get together because of how close they are.
* Kumiko and Reina from ''Literature/SoundEuphonium'' develop one over the course of the anime. They often spend time together, two scenes involve Reina intimately touching Kumiko's face, and they declare their love for each other on a regular basis--[[ShipTease sort of]]. However, in the manga and books at least, nothing romantic comes of it. [[spoiler:Nothing happens in the anime either. Reina likes her (male) teacher Taki but it's unrequited, while Kumiko never explicitly likes anyone.]]
* [[GenkiGirl Clover]] and [[ShrinkingViolet Mallow]] the main bunny characters from ''Manga/HappyHappyClover'' start developing a close bond with each other after they became friends in the first story. As the manga progresses, there are times where Clover thinks Mallow is no longer her friend when a female visitors is at her home when sick and runs away crying and both are constantly seen holding hands. One story even had Mallow defending Clover's mother and her teacher that it was her fault that she injured her foot since the adults scolded Clover for disobeying about climbing down a dangerous hill and riding down on a leaf. Mallow starts defending Clover when she see's her starting to cry of shame and says the whole situations was her fault and starts crying into her mother's chest in sorrow and is later seen crying quietly in her bed. Moments later, Clover visits her room and learns that Twirl just gave her a genuine present which Clover believes is a trick until she see's the real gift. The scene then shows an extreme close up on Clover telling Mallow that Twirl actually has a good heart despite being naughty and causing trouble around the two. In the anime adaptation of that story, it looks like they are falling in love.
* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', Asuna strikes one with Yuuki during the Mother's Rosario arc. The "romantic" undertones are milder than in other examples, but Yuuki still lampshades it, suggesting that they should "get married" as a joke; Asuna even gets a bit flustered, and Yuuki has to calm her down reminding her that she has a boyfriend already anyway. [[spoiler:And then it turns out Yuuki is terminally ill in the real world...]]
%% * ''Manga/{{Fullmapla}}'' has Kyou and Makoto, who are so close that several people (like Kyou's mother and Makoto's older sister) are convinced that they're lesbians.
* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', Asui Tsuyu has has this sort of relationship with middle-school friend Habuko Mongoose in the 2nd OVA. They reunite during a joint training exercise between their two high schools, and just about every time they're on screen together they are holding hands and staring into each other's eyes.
* [[{{Deconstruction}} Deconstructed]] in ''Anime/YuriKumaArashi''. Any schoolgirls who try to openly take this to the next level are excluded, such as Kureha and Sumika. As a result, everyone has to keep their love hidden and invisible. The schoolgirls that participate in the exclusion are later revealed to be [[YouAreWhatYouHate hypocritically homophobic]] closet lesbians that are in deep denial about their feelings. This also caused a rift in [[spoiler:Reia and Yurika's]] friendship, as [[spoiler:Reia]] moved out of this to form a "real" relationship while [[spoiler:Yurika]] considered her relationship with [[spoiler:Reia]] to be real.
* ''Anime/SerialExperimentsLain'': Alice's attitude toward Lain involves a slight romantic tint. Lain's [[spoiler:confession of love]] in the penultimate episode make her feelings fairly clear. The anime toes the line between text and subtext with a lot of Lain and Alice's relationship, but it's hard to read [[spoiler:Lain deleting herself from existence for Alice's peace of mind, arranging things so that she can marry her high school crush, and spending eternity watching over her from the Wired]] in a way other than IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy.
%% * Awara and Mizubuchi from ''Manga/GAGeijutsukaArtDesignClass'' is a downplayed example. Mizubuchi is usually seen as Awara's CloudCuckoolandersMinder, but there is one segment in which their relationship is jokingly referred to as husband and wife.
* Chapter 19 of ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar Official Doujinishi'' takes place in an AlternateUniverse where all the characters are female and reimagines [[DuelOfSeduction Kaguya and Shirogane's relationship]] this way. Ishigami points out that they act more like lovers than friends and should just go out already.
* In ''Manga/ATropicalFishYearnsForSnow'', Konatsu Amano, a transfer student, forms a very close friendship with her [[SempaiKohai sempai]] and clubmate Koyuki Honami. The two share a lot of LesYay, and for much of the series it's left ambiguous as to whether they're merely friends or have feelings for one another.
* Misaki and Hatoko from ''Manga/AngelicLayer'' has a very intimate friendship, especially since Hatoko was one of the first Deus to acknowledge Misaki's talent and encourages her to have more confidence for Hikaru whenever Misaki self-doubts due to her lack of experience. This is especially apparent in the [[AdaptationExpansion Anime]] version, when Misaki needs to find someone to act as her[[NumberTwo "Second"]] in the National championship and wants to ask Hatoko (a sentiment which Hatoko shares), but the way they tiptoe around the issue is [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything reminiscent]] of a pair of bashful couple waiting for the other to confess first.
* In ''Manga/AsteroidInLove'', [[GenkiGirl Mira]] and [[TheQuietOne Ao]] are extremely close since they reunited, something fully recognized by their schoolmates that the most dramatic moments of the series to date is [[spoiler:[[WithAFootOnTheBus Ao's impending move away from the town]]]] in Chapter 27/Episode 8[[note]]And the matter is resolved by [[InnocentCohabitation Ao living in Mira's house]]![[/note]]. The fact that Mira mistook Ao for a boy for years and had a crush on "him", and the tendency for her to call joint outings "dates" make the romantic nature of their friendship more obvious.
%% * The titular Choco and Mimi of ''Manga/ChocoMimi'' are very close, to the point of when being asked who they like, one girl automatically says the other's name. On one occasion, the boys deduce that Mimi is the reason that Choco has such high expectations for men.
%% * ''Manga/GrannyGirlHinataChan'': In her past life, Hinata had a best friend named Micchio, and Hinata's description of their relationship sounds almost amorous. She even said that Micchio "captivated" her. Following her death and reincarnation, Hinata encounters Micchio, depressed and wheelchair bound, when her kindergarten class visits a nursing home. Hinata makes an effort to reconnect with Micchio with their old favorite game of bean-bag tossing.
%% * ''Manga/NurseHitomisMonsterInfirmary'': [[TinyTyrannicalGirl Chisa Osanai]] and [[HugeSchoolgirl Kyouko Ooki]] have been friends since childhood, and Chisa is very protective of Kyouko, who wants to both protect her friend back and prove that she can handle herself sometimes. At the end of Chapter 3, Kyouko is carrying Chisa home, and says that she loves her.
* GenderInverted with protagonists Reki and Langa from ''Anime/SK8TheInfinity'', whose friendship has a romantic aspect to it from early on, to the point that it seems like they're on the precipice of something before Reki suddenly expresses romantic interest in a girl in episode 6 (and is promptly rejected). The main reason the former qualifies for this instead of BaitAndSwitchLesbians (but gay) is that episode 8 heavily implies that Langa has an out-and-out crush on Reki by his gasping, blushing and averting his eyes when his mom asks if he 'likes' the person he broke a promise with (his mom clarifies she meant the romantic insinuation, though assumes it's a girl, and Langa only questions the gender in confusion). Late series on Reki's side, it's a [[AmbiguouslyBi little more]] [[ButNotTooBi ambiguous]], but the animation seems to [[CrushBlush imply things]]. [[spoiler:As they're left at ShipTease at the end, they essentially stay a gender-inverted version of this trope.]]
* In the last episodes of ''Anime/LoveLive'', Honoka and Kotori go through an emotionally fraught arc together when Kotori pulls away from the group due to personal goals, with Honoka stuck on how Kotori didn't tell ''her,'' and Kotori anguished about the situation due to Honoka being 'her very best friend,' and Honoka left to chase after Kotori until she finally catches her at the airport, with them expressing honest feelings to each other. The entire scenario feels a ''tinge'' past friendship and obviously echoes romantic scenarios between a couple, but come season 2, StatusQuoIsGod reigns, and that tension is never brought up again.
%% * GenderInverted (or even genderqueer, depending on interpretations) between Shinji and Kaworu of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' in all iterations, as their relationship seems to involve some form of romantic attachment, but partially because of [[spoiler:Kaworu's death]], it's cut off before anything can be explored. On Shinji's side, no matter the iteration, it seems he's rarely given much time to reflect on what went on between them.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Art]]
* Many of Creator/LawrenceAlmaTadema's paintings feature young women in moments of intimate friendship. Prominent examples include ''Whispering Noon'', ''The Baths of Caracalla'', and ''In a Rose Garden'' (which also includes a bonus LapPillow).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
%% * Even though the eponymous character from ''ComicBook/YokoTsuno'' readily [[LesYay bonds with other girls]], those relationships never become quite as intense as the one she has with the musician Ingrid in the earlier albums.
%% * Practically a staple of anything Creator/ChrisClaremont wrote during his long run on Comicbook/XMen. Comicbook/{{Storm}} and Yukio, Danielle Moonstar and Wolfsbane, and ComicBook/KittyPryde and Karma are some of the more notable examples.
%% ** ''ComicBook/XMen'' has ComicBook/KittyPryde and [[ComicBook/{{Magik}} Illyana Rasputin]], sister of her ex-boyfriend Colossus. The two are really close.
%% * ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' has two. The better-known one is Nico Minoru and Karolina Dean, which has gone back and forth between either Romantic Two-Girl Friendship and HeterosexualLifePartners for years, finally landing on [[TheyDo outright girlfriends]]. The more recent and innocent one is Molly Hayes and Klara Prast, who are almost inseparable and can be fiercely protective of one another, to the point where Klara once jumped in front of an advancing Sentinel after hearing that they kill mutants. When Klara declines to return to the team in the 2017 series, Molly reacts like she's been dumped, sulking in her room.
* ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} has this kind of relationship with several heroines of Franchise/TheDCU, mainly ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}--whether she's Barbara Gordon or Stephanie Brown--and ComicBook/WonderGirl (Cassandra Sandsmark). Kara and Babs have [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y9IbO6gXfkA/WN476czbxeI/AAAAAAAAuNw/A0LoUWcalNcxnuMww353OCpiGLO2WgwJwCLcB/s1600/5a.jpg hugged]] and [[https://78.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8vbraq4Bs1qbujox.jpg carried each other bridal style]] more times than you can count, Kara and Cassie [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 kissed at one point]], and Kara and Steph... [[ComicBook/Batgirl2009 well...]]
-->'''Supergirl:''' ''[after ripping off her top to reveal her costume underneath it]'' Aren't you gonna... you know...\\
'''Batgirl:''' Not unless you wanna see my bra.\\
'''Supergirl:''' Does it have a bat on it?
%% * In ''ComicBook/{{Lucifer}}'' the two schoolgirls [[ISeeDeadPeople Elaine]] and [[CuteGhostGirl Mona]] had this sort of relationship when they were both alive, and continued it even after Mona gets murdered in her first appearance. The phrase "romantic friendship" is explicitly used by Mona's headmaster [[spoiler:and murderer]] to describe them.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
%% * In ''Fanfic/AlexandraQuick'', there's the relationship between Alexandra and her roommate Anna Chu.
%% * The relationship between [[ShrinkingViolet Fluttershy]] and [[BoisterousBruiser Rainbow Dash]] is portrayed this way in ''Fanfic/FluttershyIsFree''. Rainbow Dash is the only one Fluttershy trusts enough to confess her illegitimate and probably [[spoiler:Changeling]] paternity to, while Rainbow Dash is in the ''denouement'' awed into speechlessness by Fluttershy's beauty as she rises to meet the butterflies.
%% * ''Manga/Evangelion303'': [[FieryRedhead Asuka]] and Jessika were best friends. They shared the same tastes and were constantly together. When [[spoiler:Jessika died Asuka got absolutely devastated, blamed herself and almost got herself killed as trying to see her again.]]
* ''Fanfic/AngelOfTheBat'' takes the emotional bond between Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown and turns it up several notches, though there is still a fair amount of ambiguity there.[[spoiler:At least until Cassie completely admits she has romantic feelings for Stephanie, thinking she is asleep.]] Cassie doesn't want to own them to her completely because [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy she doesn't want to get in the way of Steph and her boyfriend Tim's love life]], which Cassandra thinks benefits both of them, even if she appears a little jealous of it.
* In the post-Rebellion ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' SFW doujin [[https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/towakano "Towakano"]] plays with this trope, as Homura's answer to Madoka telling her "I love you Homura-chan" is to say that she has forever been her best friend... But when Madoka ask her about it, ''this'' exchange happens:
-->'''Madoka:''' Wh-what does being your best friend mean, Homura-chan?\\
'''Homura:''' Well... Best friends hug like this. They flirt. They kiss... and they do naughty stuff together?\\
'''Madoka:''' You're just playing around with my feelings, aren't you Homura-chan?\\
'''Homura:''' My, I'm always serious though, Madoka.\\
'''[all of this happens while they're sharing a bed]''
* Deconstructed in the ''Harvest Moon DS Cute'' oneshot ''Fanfic/BestFriends''. Claire is very aggravated that no one in her town recognizes her and Keira as lovers. Everyone simply sees them as "best friends" who live together. Claire chocks it up to small-town homophobia and it only makes her more miserable with her life in Forget-me-not Valley.
%% * ''WebAnimation/IAmOctavia'': Octavia and Vinyl's relationship is close and romantically tinged, but it's only ever referred to as friendship. The story is a lot like a couple breaking up.
%% * ''Fanfic/SevenDaysInSunnyJune'' has this between Sunset Shimmer and human Twilight Sparkle even moreso than the actual series, which is interesting considering the fanfic predates ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks''. When a homeless and remorseful Sunset is taken in by human Twilight's family, the two of them eventually grow very close and even occasionally sleep in the same bed (but don't do anything past platonic cuddling).
%% * Deconstructed in ''Fanfic/BadInfluence''. Kimber sees herself as having a close buddy/buddy friendship with Stormer, but Stormer's outright in love with Kimber. Kimber's sisters also do not see their bond as "just friendship".
%% * Justified with Asuka and Rei in ''Fanfic/AdviceAndTrust''. The two of them and Shinji are all in love with each other, but neither [[OfficialCouple Asuka nor Shinji]] feel that they'd be able to handle a threeway relationship and Rei [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy doesn't want to disrupt their bond]]. Thus they end up in a romantically-tinged friendship by default.
%% * More like MilitaryAcademy Lesbians in "Fanfic/RemembranceOfTheFallen". Tiana Lanstar and Kojami Sobaru aren't a couple yet in the [[FramingDevice framed narrative]] (they were dating by second year and eventually married), but they're close enough friends that there's a rumor going around campus that they're a couple. Commander Thrass warns Kanril Eleya about this when he assigns her to tutor Tia and Sobaru, though he's pretty sure the rumor is false.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* The film ''Film/HeavenlyCreatures'' (based on a true story) has what appears to be this that becomes a lesbian relationship between the two mid-teen girls. The actresses say that they were told to play it as [[http://www.adamabrams.com/hc/faq2/Section_3/3.1.11.2.html devoted friends]] who were sexually naive and roleplayed heterosexual fantasies. Creator/AnnePerry claims that they weren't even all that close and it was all played up for the film. Hilary Nathan won't speak to the press, but [[https://www.flickr.com/photos/29018755@N04/sets/72157622146971428/ appears to feel differently about the relationship.]]
%% * Nicky and Pamela in ''Times Square.'' (Although the original script apparently contained more LesYay.) Also a TomboyAndGirlyGirl OddFriendship.
%% * ''Film/JennifersBody'' is a {{deconstruction}}. Jennifer and Needy have a CoolKidAndLoserFriendship but after Jennifer gets possessed by a man-eating succubus, her affection for Needy morphs into homicidal possessiveness and Needy is forced to kill her to prevent her from causing more deaths.
%% * ''LightNovel/KamikazeGirls'': This is the eventual underlying feeling to the relationship between Momoko and Ichiko, as they often come off like a couple in a romantic comedy despite at least one having romantic feelings for a guy at one point (that does not end well), with them riding off on a motorcycle laughing together by the end.
%% * Charlotte and Tiana's relationship in Disney's ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' really feels like this.
%% * ''Film/{{Hanna}}'' and Sophie. Though there's also quite a bit of LesYay going on as well.
%% * ''Film/PicnicAtHangingRock'' opens with the schoolgirls exchanging passionate valentines. Two of the main characters, Miranda and Sarah, are in such a relationship. It's left ambiguous just how far it goes on the side of Miranda, but on Sarah's side it's quite clearly a romantic crush.
%% * Ju Ran and Yeon Deok from the 2015 Korean movie ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silenced The Silenced]]'' definitely count.
* ''Film/TwinPeaksFireWalkWithMe'' portrays Laura and Donna's relationship this way: after six years of BOB's abuse, Laura's only remaining BerserkButton is the prospect of harm coming to Donna, and the two spend a lot of time hugging and kissing during Laura's final few days. (Of course, Laura being bisexual, there's a good chance that there are some actual romantic feelings on her side; but since she very much takes the view that SexIsEvilAndIAmHorny and hates the idea of corrupting Donna more than anything, it's easy to see why she never acted on them.)
%% * ''Anime/WhenMarnieWasThere'' is a film made of up this. Marnie and Anna become very close over the course of the film. [[spoiler:Later subverted with TheReveal that their friendship is familial love, as Marnie is really Anna's deceased grandmother.]]
* ''Film/TragedyGirls'' has the friendship between [=McKayla=] Hooper and Sadie Cunningham. As evil and psychopathic as both girls are, they truly and deeply love one another, and frequently hold hands, spend all their time together, and kill people together to achieve fame. It's to the extent that their temporary falling-out is treated like a breakup, and both are clearly deeply miserable without each other. Yeah, their friendship is closer than a lot of people's ''marriages.''
* ''Film/KissingJessicaStein'': Jessica and Helen's relationship ultimately turns into this. It's increasingly clear that Jessica isn't keen on having sex with Helen (though she says it was enjoyable) and likes only the romantic closeness. They break up but remain close friends.
* ''Film/ANewYorkChristmasWedding'': Jenni was very close friends with Gabby. They had great affection for each other, and it turns out this extended into regular romance, as the pair later became a couple.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Mina Murray and Lucy Westenra in ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' by Bram Stoker. In the early chapters of the novel, the private correspondence between Mina and Lucy are very passionate, they almost read like love letters, as both girls express their love and adoration for one another. In one letter Lucy writes: "Mina, we have told all our secrets to each other since we were children. We have slept together and eaten together, and laughed and cried together..." and "I wish I were with you, dear, sitting by the fire undressing, as we used to sit, and I would try to tell you what I feel." Later in the novel, when Mina and Lucy are together, they sit on a bench by the seaside and are so moved by the beautiful view that they hold hands.
%% * In a similar [[IncrediblyLamePun vein]], Lissa and Rose from ''[[Literature/VampireAcademy Vampire Academy]]''. They're teenagers, older than some targets of this trope, but definitely fulfill the "suspiciously close and tender female friendship" qualification. Their fight in ''Shadow Kiss'' when [[spoiler:Rose leaves St. Vladimir's intending to kill Dimitri]] has been compared to a messy breakup, complete with Lissa crying and asking Rose not to leave her. Unsurprisingly, the [[YuriFan femslashy]] segment of the fandom [[FanPreferredCouple loves them]].
* Ozma and Dorothy have this in Creator/LFrankBaum's ''[[Literature/LandOfOz Oz]]'' books. Completely innocent, it included good morning kisses. Betsy later gets included. Baum implied this relationship would last indefinitely because nobody in Oz ages if they don't want to. This is especially amusing when you realize that Ozma [[GenderBender spent the first 10 years of her life as a boy]]. This passage from ''[[Literature/TikTokOfOz Tik-Tok of Oz]],'' Betsy's introductory adventure, says it all. Context is the discussion of whether or not the orphaned Betsy should be invited to live in Oz. Dorothy's opinion was very positive.
-->Ozma laughed at the wistful expression in the girl's eyes, and then she drew Dorothy to her and kissed her.\\
"Am I not your friend and playmate?" she asked.\\
Dorothy flushed.\\
"You know how dearly I love you, Ozma!" she cried. "But you're so busy ruling all this Land of Oz that we can't always be together."
%% * Very prevalent in the works of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuko_Yoshiya Nobuko Yoshiya]], an openly lesbian Japanese writer and feminist who wrote young adult novels between the 1910s and 1970s.
%% * ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'' has a very close, affectionate relationship with her "bosom friend" Diana. Unsurprisingly, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff these Canadian novels are also extremely popular in Japan]], spawning ''two'' anime to this day (a classic from the 70's and a 2009 prequel) and are heavily referenced in other Japanese media.
* Creator/EnidBlyton's six-part ''Literature/MaloryTowers'' series has a strong tendency towards its girls pair-bonding and there's hand-holding and arm-linking too, though this is a reflection of girls' behaviour in British boarding schools at and prior to the time the books were written. One of the friendships, between [[spoiler:a daughter of the aristocracy and a very tomboyish girl who goes by the male form of her given name]] has suggestions of butch-femme dynamics, and their future paths after school are described as [[spoiler:going into business together to run a horse-riding school]].
%% * Angela Brazil, writing in an earlier and more conservative age, openly described her schoolgirl characters kissing.
%% ** The more conservative the age, the more romantically you can describe the friendship, since it wouldn't ''occur'' to anyone to read it differently.
%% * Main character Alysha Gale and her [[KissingCousins cousin]] Charlie in Tanya Huff's ''Literature/TheEnchantmentEmporium''.
%% * ''Mrs. Dalloway''. The relationship referenced in that story between the title character and her childhood friend is a pretty good example of this trope.
%% * Clarissa and Anna from ''Literature/{{Clarissa}}''. When Clarissa is stuck in a position between choosing Lovelace or Solmes (neither of whom she likes) Anna suggests they run away together to London.
%% * Esther and Ada in Dickens' ''Literature/BleakHouse''.
%% * Beau Nash and Mary Innes in ''Miss Pym Disposes'' by Creator/JosephineTey. As one character says, "Would you call their relationship normal? ''Nice'', of course, quite irreproachable. But normal, no."
%% * Many Aes Sedai in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', at least while novices and restricted to areas of the Tower men are not permitted to enter. The arrangement is known as "pillow friends", is considered normal, and sometimes develops into more serious relationships, but these seldom last after the educational phase is over.
%% * Chloe and Liz from The ''Literature/DarkestPowers'' series share one.
* Piknim and Craklyn in the {{Literature/Redwall}} book ''Pearls of Lutra'', in their intro scene, sing alternate verses of a cute little love song from the point of view of a male character about his girlfriend. The two are never seen apart, and speak in tandem. [[spoiler:When Piknim is killed, Craklyn sings a lament over her grave, in which she actually addresses her as "my beloved".]]
%% * Sheera and Drypettis had one in their schoolgirl days in Creator/BarbaraHambly's novel ''Literature/TheLadiesOfMandrigyn''. [[spoiler:Sheera got over it, although she still considered Drypettis a friend. Until Drypettis went all {{yandere}}, anyhow.]]
%% * Sara and Becky in ''Literature/ALittlePrincess''. It's also apparent in the 1995 movie adaption. Ermengarde and Sara have some of this as well in the book. In the [[VisualNovel/ALittleLilyPrincess visual novel adaptation]] these relationships are pushed in a more openly romantic direction.
%% * ''Literature/SnowFlowerAndTheSecretFan'' is all about a very close friendship that started in childhood, grew to include an element of sexual attraction, and changed (but lasted, somehow) once the two girls married.
%% * Shows up in the ''[[Literature/AmericanGirlsCollection American Girl]]'' books.
%% ** Felicity Merriman and Elizabeth Cole, and even more so in the movie.
%% ** Samantha Parkington and Nellie O'Malley, ditto.
%% ** Molly [=McIntire=] and Emily Bennett, ditto ditto.
%% ** Kit Kittredge and Ruthie Smithens, [[RuleOfThree ditto again]].
%% ** And then in the 2009 Girl of the Year story; Chrissa Maxwell, Gwen Thompson and Sonali Matthews take this up to eleven by forming a solid triad.
* This trope is examined from a few different angles in the two currently-released Wells and Wong novels by Robin Stevens, particularly the first, ''Literature/MurderMostUnladylike''.
** Platonic "pashes" are a common feature in the boarding school the story takes place in (co-protagonist Daisy is something of a magnet for them due to being rich and beautiful) but two girls are also mentioned "canoodling" in a way that obviously transcends this into straight-up romance.
** Hazel grew up on a diet of English boarding school stories and firmly expects this trope to take effect as soon as she arrives; it does, but mixed with a hefty dose of VitriolicBestBuds due to Daisy's personality. There are also a few hints scattered about that Hazel's feelings for Daisy might run deeper than just friendship ([[WordOfGod according to the author]] their relationship was modeled after the famously [[HoYay ambiguous]] dynamic between Literature/SherlockHolmes and Watson, who the two girls compare themselves to frequently) which would ultimately subvert this trope if proven true.
* In ''Literature/EllenFoster'', there is the friendship between the titular Ellen and Starletta; during the last chapter, Ellen takes great pains to have her new home look nice for Starletta's visit, muses about how nice it feels to have Starletta sleeping next to her, and wonders if they could take a bath together.
%% * In ''Literature/AnnieOnMyMind'', Liza's mother tries desperately to insist that her daughter's relationship with Annie is "only" this trope and not the genuine lesbian romance it is. WordOfGod says that she'll eventually come around and accept them as a couple, though.
* ''Literature/WarAndPeace'' uses almost loverlike language to describe the eventual relationship between Natasha Rostova and Marya Bolkonskaya, particularly in the depths of their grief over [[spoiler:Natasha's former fiance and Marya's brother, Andrei Bolkonsky]]. For quite some time they simply can't bear to be apart. Later graduates to BestFriendsInLaw when Marya marries Natasha's brother, Nikolai.
* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', Daenerys and her handmaids, particularly Irri and Missandei. Missandei spends a lot of time with Dany, attends her baths, and sleeps in her bed, but there's no actual romantic implications between them since Missandei is 10-11 when Dany is 15-16. Irri, on the other hand, used to sleep in Dany's bed & attend her baths and still helps her get dressed in the mornings, and twice actually pleased Dany sexually (although Dany was just lonely without Drogo and most likely didn't feel desire for Irri herself, it's possible that Irri had some feelings for Dany). After the second time, Dany thinks Irri "was sweet and skillful, but all her kisses tasted of duty."
** There's also Cersei and Taena Merryweather. They were very close friends, and at some point began a sexual relationship with each other. While Lady Merryweather is implied to be genuinely attracted to Cersei, Cersei loves her more like a sister and just rolls with the sexual aspect of their relationship as a means of having more emotional control over Lady Merryweather.
* An [[https://journals.ku.edu/index.php/amerstud/article/viewFile/2910/2869.._1 essay]] on 1920s feminism by Maureen Honey outlines this trope:
-->One substantial shift that occurs in the decade that weakens this tie to other women is the undermining of what Lillian Faderman calls "passionate friendships" between unmarried women.26 There are instances in magazine fiction when women form companiate relationships with each other that withstand a marriage offer to one of the couple. Most often, though, the heroine's companion will introduce her to a relative, who has all the qualities of her friend but whose maleness opens her mind to marriage.
* Literature/JessicaDarling and her best friend Hope were ''extremely'' close, to the point where Hope moving away throws Jess into a year-long depression. Despite that, Jess is surprised and annoyed that anyone [[MistakenForGay would think]] that she's a [[IncrediblyLamePun "vagitarian."]]
%% * In ''Literature/TheImmortalJourney'', [[TheHero Emily]] and her teammate Rosa are close enough to give each other {{Affectionate Nickname}}s and Rosa's definitely the team member Emily is the most devastated to see [[spoiler:in the zombie truck]] near the end; Emily is also confirmed early on to be bi-romantic. As the story doesn't focus on romance, though, whether they are an actual couple is left up in the air.
* In ''Literature/TheNeapolitanNovels'', Elena and Lila are not only extremely close even in their periods of "break-up" (and as the novels span a period of over sixty years, there's more than a few), to the point that when Lila feels she can't keep her childhood diaries at home anymore during one such period she gives them to Elena and Elena takes them, no questions asked, many of their actions and achievements are done to impress each other, and the first thing Elena thought to do at Lila's wedding when she saw her new husband had done something unforgivable was to ''escape with Lila'' (and was disappointed when she thought Lila had decided to forgive her husband), that she's the only one to refer to with that nickname ([[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Lila's real name is Raffaella, but everyone else calls her Lina]]. Lila is the nickname that only Elena uses, and her narration says that if she ever called her anything else Lila would know they had broken up for good). It's strongly implied the reason it remained to this level and didn't become a full lesbian relationship is the extremely conservative culture of Italy at the time the early parts of the series are set (the protagonists having been born in 1944)
%% * In ''Literature/WyldersHand'', Dorcas and Rachel indulge in the kissing and embracing that was common for close female friends of the time.
* In ''Literature/{{Middlesex}}'', this is stated to be considered normal at the [[OneGenderSchool all-girls school]] Cal goes to; according to Cal, a certain amount of emotional energy which is normally reserved for crushes on boys gets redirected into friendships with other girls instead.
* ''Literature/JustJuliet'': Lena and Juliet start out having one of these. They hold hands, lean affectionately on each other, Juliet lays down in Lena's lap, they spend long periods together, and Lena constantly gushed about Juliet's qualities. However, it then goes beyond as they're attracted to each other and Lena asks her out, with them starting a relationship.
* Tarma and Kethry in the ''[[Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar Vows and Honor]]'' trilogy explicitly have {{Incompatible Orientation}}s. Tarma had a boyfriend before he was murdered with the rest of her clan and she then swore herself to serve her Goddess, which means becoming asexual. Kethry likes men. However, they become [[BloodBrothers oathsisters]], which to Tarma's people is the most recognized and esteemed relationship save for [[OneTrueLove lifebonds]], making it more important than a normal marriage - when she takes Kethry to the Plains, there are shades of MalignedMixedMarriage in how people react. The partners wear matching rings, are "closer than sisters, closer than lovers", and live together for their whole lives. The first story of the first book ends with them sharing a bed, HoldingHands, and "in the darkness of the night it is sometimes possible to say things that are too intense and too true for daylight." Kethry swears to have children for Tarma, and her desire to do so with a man she loves who also cares for Tarma and won't try to keep them apart lends a strong ThreesomeSubtext.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
%% * ''Series/BroadCity'': Abby and Ilana are this trope to the MAX, pretty much behaving as complete soulmates without actually being in a physical relationship (although Ilana has made it very clear she would also be interested in Abby that way too). Their friendship is such SeriousBusiness that they're almost nonfunctional without each other.
* ''Series/PennyDreadful'' has Vanessa and Mina. They are shown to have been very close when they were younger, sharing beds and occasionally exchanging kisses.
%% * Act 30 of ''Series/PrettyGuardianSailorMoon'' (broadcast in Japan on 5/8/2004) includes a moment where one of Usagi's female classmates declares in front of a witness that she is in love with Usagi. There is no hint in the reactions of either Usagi or the witness that this is in any way strange or perverted.
* The relationship between Sam and Carly in ''Series/ICarly'' can be interpreted this way. In the episode "iMake Sam Girlier", Sam's UnstoppableRage is triggered after a bully pushes Carly down.
%% * In the BBC version of the ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'' legend, the peasant Gwen acts as maid, best friend and general flower-bringer to her mistress Morgana.
* Serena and Blair on ''Series/GossipGirl'' are ''really'' close and oftentimes put each other above their respective male love interests in importance without a second thought. They call each other "sisters", but the vaguely [[LesYay lesbian]] nature of their relationship is even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in the series by Chuck. Of course, [[HoYay he's one to talk...]] It's also acknowledged by the actresses, who in the Season 3 gag reel jokingly pretend to make out in their [[LockedInARoom Trapped In An Elevator]] scene - which actually fits the tone of the episode quite well.
%% * Bennett and Caroline in ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}''. Even after Bennett finds out Caroline was only using her to get access into a laboratory, she agrees to help her.
%% * Claire and Gretchen in ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. [[spoiler:Subverted now that they've actually started a relationship.]]
%% * Willow and Tara's relationship on ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' looked like it might take this form at first. However, by the end of the season, it was pretty clear the trope in question was being [[LesYay subverted]]. Played straight between Willow and Buffy, it's obvious from the way the two are with each other throughout the series that they love each other, just not in [[LesYay that]] way.
%% * Rizzoli and Isles in (obviously) ''Series/RizzoliAndIsles''. They sleep in the same bed occasionally, are always touching each others hands or hair or body, seemingly flirt with each other, put each other before all potential love interests, know everything about each other, and have been mistaken for a couple several times.
%% * Rocky and Ce Ce in ''Series/ShakeItUp'' show elements of this, especially in the episodes "Model It Up" and "Break It Up".
%% * ''Shake It Up!'' was pretty much a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Series/HannahMontana'' which featured Miley and Lilly. The finale was loaded with it, so much if one watched that episode alone, and missed the scene where their boyfriends show up, they might think were in a relationship
%% * Max and Caroline have something like this in ''Series/TwoBrokeGirls''.
* In season 9 of ''Series/BigBrother'' Australia Angie has been rather prone to this, falling asleep holding hands with Estelle, and openly exchanging "I love you"s with Layla after they had to take a challenge together in the middle of the night.
%% * Played with in ''Series/FakingIt''. This is what Amy and Karma actually have but they are passing as actual lesbians. Furthered subverted by the fact that Amy actually does have a lesbian crush on Karma, though it is unclear if she is a case of SingleTargetSexuality or just your good old IncompatibleOrientation. [[spoiler:She later realizes that she's bi.]] '''Isn't this FauxYay, rather than this trope?'''
%% * Maritza and Flaca in ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack''. They are very close and very loyal to each other. They kiss once, but they call it off very quickly.
* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': Skye (later known as Daisy Johnson) and Jemma Simmons. Even though they both had male love interests in the main cast they were seemingly more likely to be physically affectionate with one another, and were shown to develop an almost immediate friendship compared to the difficulty Skye had in gaining the trust of the rest of the team. They would continue to be this way for the next four seasons, and the only time they're ''not'' having each other's back is mid-season 5, when [[spoiler:Jemma's husband has a psychotic break and tortures Daisy to reactivate her Inhuman abilities, over which Jemma chose to stand by him despite that]].
* ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'':
** On the male side, Cory Matthews and Shawn Hunter were '''the''' example of this for children in the nineties. Even when Cory and Topanga, two main characters, got married in a later season, Topanga regularly concedes that Cory's loves his best friend Shawn more than her, and that Shawn reciprocates. In fact, some people credit this show for the resurgence of "bro-mance" in millenials.
%% *** To the point, when the trio reunite in the SequelSeries, Shawn and Topanga refer to each other as "Mr. and Mrs. Cory" and Cory says that he's happy to be with his "favorite person in the world... and his wife." '''Reintegrate into the above bullt. No third level bullets, please'''
** A much lesser, but still strong, example would be Eric and Jack, Cory and Shawn's older brothers. Jack in particular complains that, even years after the last time he saw Eric, he still hears Eric's voice in his head constantly ''no matter what he does''.
%% ** The tradition continues in ''Series/GirlMeetsWorld''. Riley and Maya are, arguably, as close a pair of friends as Cory and Shawn.
* ''Series/TheHandmaidsTale'': Moira and June are an adult version. They're so close, a couple people mistake them for lovers (though Moira being gay probably adds to the confusion). They even tell each other "I love you" more than once too. However, they're just very close friends.
* ''Series/OneDayAtATime2017'': Lydia suspects her granddaughter Elena is "queer" because of her close friendship with her classmate Carmen, who eats dinner at their house every day and sleeps over often. Subverted because this is because Carmen is homeless because of her parents' deportation, not because she and Elena have any romantic relationship. [[spoiler:Then it turns out to be DoubleSubverted when Elena comes out as gay.]]
* In ''Series/{{Euphoria}}'', Rue and Jules hold hands, cuddle, often fall asleep together and tell each other "I love you". Jules even references ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' at one point. [[spoiler:Episode four sees their relationship finally become a romantic one.]]
* In ''Series/VanHelsing2016'', Jack had a close friendship with classmate Shelley, who constantly told her how awesome and hot she was, but whose hints she rebuffed because she wasn't sure if Shelley's feelings were genuine or if she was just teasing. Unfortunately for her, Shelley was bitten by a vampire during the Rising and chose to kill herself in order to avoid becoming a vampire... after confessing her love and kissing Jack.
* In ''Series/DareMe'', Addy and Beth's friendship goes a fair bit beyond just normal friendship. Towards the end of the pilot, they're seen cuddling in bed together, and while there's no kissing or petting, it's implied that Beth prefers this arrangement to having a steady boyfriend.
%% * ''Series/MotherlandFortSalem'': Tally is very close to her childhood friend Glory Moffett. She's also quite cuddly with Raelle.
%% * ''Series/TippingTheVelvet'': Nan and Flo were initially just very close friends. This being a lesbian story, it ultimately ends up being more than just "friendship."
[[/folder]]

%% [[folder:Music]]
%% * Lisa and Chelsea in Belle & Sebastian's song "She's Losing It" seem to be like this.
%% [[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
%% * Two of the women auditioning in ''Theatre/AChorusLine'' admit that they used to practice kissing with their best friends so they'd be ready for when they started dating boys. '''Closer to experimented in college than this trope, IMO'''
* Glinda and Elphaba from ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}''. In the context of the show they clearly count, as they're only explicitly described as best friends and though they are both in love with the same man, they consider the other the most important person in their lives. However it's also been confirmed that their relationship was written with a lot of romantic implications and [[WordOfDante several members of the original cast]] believe them to be in love. The marketing team has fun with this too, especially during Pride Month. The [[Literature/{{Wicked}} original book]] also confirmed Glinda loved Elphaba, but leave Elphaba's feelings more ambiguous.
%% * Christine Daaé and Meg Giry in ''Theatre/{{The Phantom of the Opera}}''. Some claim for a LesYay in the movie and in the sequel ''Theatre/{{Love Never Dies}}''... until all hell breaks loose in the latter.
* ''Theatre/TheChildrensHour'' revolves around two women whose close friendship leads to them being MistakenForGay by an EnfantTerrible spreading rumors. This causes them to be ostracized. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out Martha was secretly in love with Karen.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS: [[DistaffCounterpart For Girl]]'' this is shown to great lengths. You can marry one of the four Special Girls from the boy version (Leia, Witch Princess, Harvest Goddess, Keria) except you don't marry them, and they aren't your wife. You ''[[UnusualEuphemism Best Friend]]'' them, and they're your ''Best Friend''. It doesn't help that their dialogue is [[AmbiguouslyGay exactly]] [[LesYay the same]] in both versions. However, Creator/{{Natsume}}, when translating it to create ''Harvest Moon DS Cute'', [[HideYourLesbians took this feature out]], but left the best friend events in. Most likely the "Best Friend" system was created due to the fact they're needed to pass important milestones in the game, if you want to 100% complete it.
%% * ''Project Justice'', the sequel to ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'', drops hints of this in the Seijyun High ending, showing Akira and Yurika to be ''very'' happy to finally see each other again.
* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
%% ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'' has Florina with either Ninian, Nino, or Serra, but ''especially'' Lyn, despite her being slightly older than usual subjects of this trope (in the English version, anyway), and Rebecca and Nino.
%% ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones'' has Amelia and Neimi, and Eirika with Tana or L'Arachel.
%% ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' has Princess Lissa and her best friend Maribelle, plus Noire and Severa [[spoiler:from the second generation]]. The first one is even lampshaded by Old Hubba: "Now ''that'' is a girl-girl friendship".
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' has Princess Elise of Nohr and her retainer Effie, and Princess Sakura of Hoshido and her retainer Hana. Sakura and Elise themselves can form this in ''Revelation''. However, the biggest examples are the Female Avatar and Princess Azura in all paths, even when Azura is a bit older than the standard [[note]](the Avatar can be styled as a young teen or an older one)[[/note]]: they develop UndyingLoyalty towards one another pretty much on first sight, their supports and interactions are almost exactly like those between [[ImpliedLoveInterest the Male Avatar and Azura]] (lacking only the possibility of them getting married), etc.
%%Please stop removing the "Female Avatar and Azura" example. It fits perfectly personality wise and it looks like the continuous deletions are based on ship-bashing more than anything.
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'' has the female lead, Shirley Fennes, become extremely friendly with another girl of her own race, Fenimore Xelnes. Their relationship is LesYay to the most sincere letter, and [[spoiler:Fenimore's HeroicSacrifice to save her, ''along'' with being tricked into believing that her beloved Senel hates her, is one of the reasons that [[DespairEventHorizon ultimately cause Shirley to snap]].]]
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' repeatedly [[HomoeroticSubtext hints at an attraction]] between Rita and Estellise/Estelle, but leaves the exact nature of their relationship ambiguous.
** During the game, different party members lampshade [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5lciiqp5Oo how close the two of them are]] - from Judith calling Rita out on [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial making an excuse]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQzFDQqHHBI just to visit her]], to Yuri [[PortmanteauCoupleName coining them as]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5yexLrUfXI "Ristelle".]]
** In the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 PS3]] version, they have a character sidequest wherein, they care for a lost infant overnight. It culminates in a cutscene where they say they wish to remain together, be it interpreted [[HeterosexualLifePartners as BFFs]], or [[LesYay otherwise.]]
* Latooni and Princess Shine's relationship has strong hints of this in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'', though they have clear romantic affections for SRX Team members Ryusei and Rai, respectively. It's probably worth noting that the series also has an example of the stereotypical connotations of immaturity lesbianism has in Japan. The somewhat childish and flighty 20-something [[CoolBigSis Excellen Browning]], though in a comitted relationship with fellow mecha pilot Kyosuke Nanbu, often flirts with other female characters ([[AnythingThatMoves male ones, too]]) and has an especially strong girl-crush on ''SRW Alpha'''s Viletta.
%% * Jennifer and [[spoiler:Wendy]] in the backstory of ''VideoGame/RuleOfRose''. The only thing that keeps it from entering into schoolgirl lesbian territory is the fact that they're maybe ten years old at this point, and despite of the game's reputation it keeps things tasteful in this respect.
%% ** [[EvilGenius Meg]] seems to desire something similar with [[AlphaBitch Diana]], even going so far as to write her a love letter, but Diana is repulsed by Meg's clinginess and takes advantage of her feelings while mocking them behind her back.
* ''VideoGame/Persona4'' gives us [[{{Tomboy}} Chie Satonaka]] and [[YamatoNadeshiko Yukiko Amagi]]. [[ChildhoodFriends Childhood best friends]], they think the world of one another and are very often seen together. However, it's a bit more evident with Chie given how her facing Shadow embodies her envy of Yukiko being more traditionally feminine and beautiful than her while also enjoying how Yukiko relies on Chie to protect her. Yukiko is a bit more subtle though when in her dungeon, her Shadow refers to Chie (although alongside Yosuke and the protagonist) as "princes" (Yukiko's shadow embodying how Yukiko feels trapped by her supposed fate of running the family inn and thus, takes the form of a princess waiting for her "prince charming.")
** For a male example, Yosuke is this to the protagonist. Originally planned as a gay (well, bi) option, he instead became the protagonist's closest friend and thus if the player has not had the protagonist romance anyone, he hangs out usually with Yosuke. The two call the other "partner" and have a close and understanding bond (likely as both were outsiders to Inaba and as [[VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth PQ2]] later revealed, both moved around alot as children and thus had friendless backgrounds.) However, Yosuke becomes uncomfortable at any implications at his and the protagonist's bond being romantic and his motivation in the game originated when his FirstLove was murdered.
* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' has a ''three-way'' example with [[{{Moe}} Noel]] [[CuteClumsyGirl Vermillion]], [[YamatoNadeshiko Tsubaki]] [[LadyOfWar Yayoi]] and [[GenkiGirl Makoto]] [[BoisterousBruiser Nanaya]]. They met in the military academy and watched out for each other, becoming fast friends and helping each other with quite severe issues. The all ended up joining different branches of the [[StateSec NOL]] and don't get the chance to see each other much anymore, but enjoy spending time with each other. Noel and Makoto's main motivation in ''Chronophantasma'' is trying to get Tsubaki back after she was [[MindRape manipulated]] by [[{{Troll}} Terumi]]. Notably, Noel and Tsubaki were originally planned to be a lesbian couple and Makoto has been confirmed to be bi (and felt up Tsubaki's chest in a [[WhatIf gag reel]]). However, Tsubaki [[SingleTargetSexuality only has eyes]] for [[ChildhoodMarriagePromise Jin.]]
%% * In a game otherwise full of official lesbian couples and open homosexual attraction, Mio and Nanami of ''VideoGame/OmegaLabyrinthLife'' are the only ones in the main group who could possibly just be extremely close, but still platonic friends. Complicating factors include Mio's AmbiguousDisorder and eccentric love of flowers, and Nanami's being a rich, refined, and controlled heiress of a very old, very powerful conglomerate.
* ''VideoGame/TombRaider2013'' has Lara and her best friend Sam, who display the most physical affection out of any other pair of characters in the game. Sam is the first one to give Lara the benefit of the doubt when she shares her theories about the true nature of the island, while Lara is completely devoted to protecting Sam from its many dangers.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* Hanako and Lilly in ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo''. Hisao even thinks at one point in Lilly's route that their relationship seems to go beyond normal friendship, and the two use "love" to describe their feelings for one another, although it seems to be more of a mother-daughter type situation than romantic.
%% * ''Solfège: Sweet Harmony'' is an odd VisualNovel[=/=]RhythmGame hybrid which pretty much exemplifies this trope.
* Miyuki Tanaka and Mikae Morikawa from ''VisualNovel/TrueLoveJunaiMonogatari'' seem to have a lighter version of this going on. In fact, Miyuki once tells the MC that she and Mikae are about to meet up... using the word "date" for their reunion. And not to mention, when Mikae formally introduces Miyuki to them MC, she pretty much tells him "IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer"
%% * Jaehee has a full route in ''VisualNovel/MysticMessenger'', but the game never confirms her and the protagonist as a couple. She does have some suggestive comments about her feelings that suggest she might confess down the line, though.
* Rika and Satoko from ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' are two [[VagueAge 9-13 year old]] best friends who [[MinorLivingAlone live together]] after [[ParentalAbandonment being orphaned]]. They display the typical girlish examples of this trope such as holding hands and being quite close. Satoko happens to be Rika's LivingEmotionalCrutch, and vice versa. [[spoiler:Centuries of being stuck in a GroundhogDayLoop has left Rika jaded and almost apathetic towards the tragedies around her, but seeing Satoko in pain always hurts her badly. It goes to the point where in one arc she'd rather [[DrivenToSuicide die now]] than see Satoko suffer through abuse.]] Whether they count as this trope or [[PuppyLove something more]] is [[AmbiguouslyGay hard to say]] though. [[spoiler:''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'''s Bernkastel is an incarnation of Rika and is in a twisted relationship with Lambdadelta (who ''looks'' like Miyo did as a child but sounds and acts like Satoko).]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
%% * ''WebAnimation/TheMostPopularGirlsInSchool'':
%% ** Trisha Cappelletti and [[NamesTheSame Trisha]] 2's [[BirdsOfAFeather friendship]]. And it grows at an ''exponential'' rate in Season 5!
%% ** [[VitriolicBestBuds Brittnay Matthews and Mackenzie Zales]], and [[ButtMonkey Rachel Tice and Judith Dinsmore]]; those pairs are ''[[SpeakInUnison very]] [[FinishingEachOthersSentences much]]'' in synch with each other.
* ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} and ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} have this going on in ''WebAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls'' , much more so than other media. It's probably due to not having Batman and Superman around, so they're much freer and more emotional around each other. For example, while all the girls except Cheetah were welcoming towards her in "Super Hero High", Barbara Gordon was the only one shown going out of her way to help her adjust. Supergirl takes note of this, and gives her a special suit, which prompts her to become Batgirl to help her save the other students. There are plenty of episodes where their dialogue and/or interactions can be seen as flirty, like "Batgirl V Supergirl", "Batnapped", and the Lego Brain Drain movie.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
%% * ''Webcomic/{{Monsterful}}'' has Topaz Gem and Samantha Thing, two 19 years old Monsters that show shades and signs of it, like this page, this one and [[http://www.monsterful.com/chapter16page23.php this other one as examples.]], but it's stated that they're just very good and close friends.
%% ** Topaz Succubi-like personality often pumps this up to LesYay moments like in [[http://www.monsterful.com/chapter16page03.php this page]] or in this [[http://www.monsterful.com/chapter16page23.php other one.]](at the bottom).
* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' has Zimmy and Gamma. Zimmy's reality-warping powers are uncontrollable except when she's around Gamma. Even though Zimmy's normally rude and dislikes everyone, she's outright stated that she loves Gamma, and indeed seems to be happy only in her presence. Annie even states that she thinks the two girls are "an item" when Jack tells her that he is in love with Zimmy. Their relationship is not all it seems, though. Gamma speaks only Polish, and communicates with Zimmy telepathically, with Zimmy providing translations for her - to make sure Gamma never leaves her, Zimmy intentionally mistranslates what other people say, to make Gamma think all the other students think she's stupid and ugly. Gamma seems to at least be aware of the mistranslations, to a point.
** Annie and Kat shift between this and HeterosexualLifePartners - they're very close, and certain strips [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=96 like this]] make it seem like they might be more than just friends. It took WordOfGod to state that they aren't kissing in the fifth panel.
** Chapter 42 Confirms that Kat is bisexual, but she starts dating [[spoiler:Paz]] instead of Annie. Nevertheless, her friendship with Annie is still just as important to her.
** There are also strong implications that Annie is asexual, but not aromantic - a combination that typically results in a person disassociating love and sexual attraction, and leads them to seek exactly this sort of relationship.
%% * [[Webcomic/DrowTales Kiel'ndia and Naal'suul.]] [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=6783 Enough said.]]
%% ** Ariel and Faen also have this when younger, though after the timeskip [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=8416 Faen at least would like to put more emphasis on the "romance" part]], and Ariel's feelings on the matter aren't yet known.
%% * Bubbles and Jenny seem to have established one of these in ''Webcomic/PowerpuffGirlsDoujinshi'' almost at first sight.
%% * Monique and Absinthe have gradually gone into this territory in ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}''.
%% * In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', this is apparently Nanase's mother's view of Nanase's relationship with Ellen.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* ''WebVideo/OutWithDad'': Rose and Vanessa appeared to have this dynamic with one another before Rose had begun questioning her sexuality. The two are very close, inseparable even, so it's no big deal when they both practice kissing together. However, then Rose realizes she's attracted to Vanessa, which starts her self-realization that she's a lesbian. Vanessa first pushes her away, but eventually admits she returned her feelings and is a bisexual girl.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
%% * With a slight stretch, [[FunPersonified Tabitha/"Boom Boom"]] and [[ShrinkingViolet Amara/"Magma"]] can be seen as enacting this trope in ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution''.
%% ** It ''looked'' for a second that Rogue and [[UncannyValleyGirl Risty Wilde]] were good candidates for this trope, but it took a turn for the {{Squick}} when it was revealed that [[spoiler:Risty was [[MasterOfDisguise Mystique]] in disguise, planning to use her and the X-Men for her own plans... and Rogue's mother.]]
%% * ''WesternAnimation/CraigOfTheCreek'' has the Witches of the Creek, are high schoolers, soon to be in college, and exit the creek while holding hands in their debut episode.
* ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' has [[HideYourLesbians Kitty and Bunny]] from "The Mask". Their 'best friendship' became so strong that Bunny's abusive boyfriend forced them to separate because he was intimidated by it.
%% * ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has a RareMaleExample: [[OnlySaneMan Stan]] and [[TheSmartGuy Kyle]]. Especially in "Super Best Friends." Lampshaded by Cartman.
%% ** [[NervousWreck Tweek]] and [[DeadpanSnarker Craig]] could be seen as a complicated example of this as well, depending on [[BrokenBase whether or not]] you think they're "really" dating/gay.
%% * Lisa and Juliet in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode, ''Lisa The Drama Queen'' as a parody of ''Film/HeavenlyCreatures''.
%% * [[HeterosexualLifePartner Katie and Sadie]] from ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' are "romantic" this way to SickeninglySweethearts levels.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** We have the backstory with Rainbow Dash and her old classmate Gilda. While their relationship was most likely more platonic than "romantic" (this being both a western show and a kids show), they can easily be slotted into every other point, since neither had any other friends to hang out with and they started growing apart after they both dropped out of school.
** There's also Rainbow Dash's friendship with Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie which could be interpreted as this. They all have massive amounts of subtle LesYay between them (Rainbow Dash managing to stay amazingly patient for Fluttershy in Hurricane Fluttershy, the butterfly migration which she even has a ''picture'' of for a keepsake in Dragon Quest, helping her get her bird whistle in "Trade Ya", and even letting her in on her plan to hoard cider.) While Applejack and Rainbow share a few moments (their rivalry for one) as do Pinkie Pie and Dashie, but most prevalent next to Fluttershy and Dash is probably Applejack and Rarity who have some slight ShipTease in Look Before You Sleep (what with the very tomboyish Applejack actually willing to try a makeover), Trade Ya (both are willing to trade everything they have just to make the other happy, fighting like a married couple), and Rarity seems jealous of Applejack receiving Trenderhoof's affection, because she's madly in a crush with him, going as far as to act like Applejack) Tellingly, Rarity and AJ make up by agreeing that their friendship is much stronger than Rarity's crush, and it's not long before the struggle turned into something personal between them, and Trenderhoof was quickly put to the side as they worked out their rivalry.
** Fluttershy and Rarity count too as they attend the spa together on a weekly basis in Green Isn't Your Color, have been referred specifically as best friends in addition to Rarity telling Fluttershy that there is no pony that can match her beauty and poise, and in Putting Your Hoof Down Rarity repeatedly calls Fluttershy "sweetie". The aforementioned episode and Filli Vanilli also show that Rarity is the one who is most aware of how timid Fluttershy really is, and instead tries to gently coax her out of her shell in a major contrast to the rest of the Mane Six's more blunt attempts for that very reason.
** The 100th episode, as a sendup to the most prominent fan pairing, has Lyra and Bon Bon acting like an old married couple with the constant qualifier of "best friends". After revealing her secret identity as a spy to Lyra, Bonbon and her have a falling out, Lyra questioning if their friendship meant anything, or if it was just another part of her cover. Thankfully, they do reconcile by the end, again putting particular stress on the words "best friend" as if to draw attention to the phrase as much as they can. [[spoiler: Subverted after they propose to each other in "The Big Mac Question.]]
** In Season 6, Starlight Glimmer and The Great and Powerful Trixie bond over both of them having a DarkAndTroubledPast in the episode "No Second Prances". In "Every Little Thing She Does", Starlight has two portraits of Trixie in her bedroom, one of which hangs beside her bed, and in "To Where and Back Again", Trixie is almost romantically affectionate toward Starlight.
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks'' has Princess Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer. Their growing trust in one another, finding and relating to their shared backgrounds as Celestia's students has them do a lot of bonding. Indeed, Sunset's trust in her new friends forms the crux of the plot, as she struggles to shake off her bad past.
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsFriendshipGames'' takes this further with the native human Twilight. Her shy personality and inquisitive nature contrasts with Sunset's brashness. Being younger than her, Twilight has something of a Sempai dynamic, Sunset seeing many of her own qualities in the younger girl she admires and dislikes. After giving a harsh TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Twi, calling out her dangerous use of Equestrian magic without any understanding of the consequences, it eats Sunset inside seeing her cry. In the climax, Sunset helps a corrupted Midnight Sparkle to see that she doesn't have to be alone, and takes her hand, forgiving her mistakes just as Twilight's pony counterpart had done for her.
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRollercoasterofFriendship'' ramps up the Rarijack moments, with near constant blushes, hand touches, and longing gazes. The story kicks off with them being disappointed they won't be working a summer job together, and plays out like a girl jealous of her lover's new friend and lack of attention. The makeup hug at the climax comes within inches of a kiss, Rarity even managing a [[FootPopping Foot Pop]]. The ending is the whole band performing, but the focus is just the two of them singing to one another. Subsequent movies give them temporary male love interests who are blatantly Rule63 versions of each other.
%% * Marcie "Hotdog Water" Fleach from ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'' seems to have developed one with Velma come Season 2. It's even invoked in the altered opening credits (for the US episodes) wherein she temporarily replaces Daphne and hugs a picture of Velma in the same way Daphne hugged a picture of Fred.
* ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries The New Batman Adventures]]'':
** Interesting enough, ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} and ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} are [[http://i.imgur.com/8mAGyjT.jpg into this]]:
---> '''Harley:''' Oh, Ivy can't hurt me. She gave me a special shot once so we can play and I won't get sick at all.\\
'''Batgirl:''' You mean you two...?\\
'''Harley:''' What?\\
'''Batgirl:''' You and Ivy are... well... ''[crosses her index and middle fingers in that "I'm implying you're in a relationship" gesture]'' friends...\\
'''Harley:''' Yeah...?\\
'''Batgirl:''' Y'know... friends... like...\\
'''Harley:''' Like what everybody says about you and Supergirl?\\
'''Batgirl:''' What?! Who says...? Forget it! Forget it!
** Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are a FriendsWithBenefits form of this, while [[WordOfGay sex is confirmed]].
* Kimber and Stormer from ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'' develop this type of relationship in the episode "The Bands Break Up", though it's [[StatusQuoIsGod inexplicably missing]] in future episodes. The only thing stopping them from seeming like a couple is them both saying it's "friendship" several times. They seem to live together for a while, hold hands on the beach, and act very buddy-buddy. The [[ComicBook/JemAndTheHologramsIDW IDW comic]] made thirty years later outright makes Stormer and Kimber an OfficialCouple.
%% * There used to be a picture of ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'' up there on the page (with Nikki and Caitlin hugging and smiling), exemplifying this trope.
* ''Literature/{{Franklin}}'': On the male side, Bear and Franklin; on the former's side, he's ''very'' close and attached to Franklin, more than best friends usually are, and [[AmbiguouslyGay exclusively hangs out with Franklin for most of his time.]] Bear also likes to get ''very'' touchy-feely with Franklin and routinely tickles him, in odd positions.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BarbieAndTheDiamondCastle'', Alexa and Liana live together, sing together, and do everything together. They have more chemistry between each other than with their love interests, Ian and Jeremy.
* The titular characters of ''WesternAnimation/BarbieInThePrincessAndThePauper'', Princess Anneliese and Erika. The girls form an instant and deep friendship, with Anneliese being particularly drawn to Erika's beautiful singing voice, even promising to have Erika come perform at the castle. They then sing a duet together -- and it's the happiest either of them have been in the entire movie. When Anneliese is kidnapped, Erika immediately agrees to pose as the princess to help Julian find her, keep Anneliese's upcoming marriage on-track, and trick the kidnapper into giving something away, effectively putting her life on the line by impersonating royalty. This is for a girl she met ''once''. The ending shows the two girls in a double-wedding with their respective love interests, and all but states they remain best friends for the rest of their lives.
* Elena and Naomi can get rather emotional around each other in ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor''. In Naomi centered episodes, or ones where they have major interactions, some of their dialogue with each other can sound rather flirty, like the beginning of "Captain Turner Returns". Also, while they're both still best friends with each other, Elena tends to act more like a lover who wants to help her out, like in the aforementioned focus episodes. The fact she's usually the only one in those episodes either going out of her way to help her adds to this. Naomi's behavior in these episodes is like of that of the lover who wants to prove she can be a good partner to her girlfriend.
* [[TheChosenOne June]] and [[TheNotLoveInterest Jody Irwin]] in ''WesternAnimation/TheLifeAndTimesOfJuniperLee'' are best friends that think the world of each other; they're at least HeterosexualLifePartners if only by the fact they have shown overt attraction to boys, even spending the beginning of one episode [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre complimenting each other when they both express disbelief]] that ''boys would find them attractive enough to ask them to a dance.'' Of all June's friends Jody is the that is most hurt by [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld her frequent absences and lame excuses]] and starts calling her out hard about it in the series finale [[spoiler:and she's the only one of June's friends to figure out that magic exists and sees June performing superhuman parkour in the very last scene]]. June does a have a canon male love interest that Jody is a ShipperOnDeck for (she actively tried to sabotage their date when she accidentally said yes to him to taking her to the same dance so he'd end up with June), but it's clear that outside of June's family Jody is the most important person in June's life. The fact that they live in an city based on [[Creator/JuddWinick Judd Winick's]] hometown of UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco is just icing on the cake.
** June also has a more down-played version of this with [[CuteBruiser Lila]] after she takes the disguised Bigfoot girl in, helped by the fact that Lila is aware of her double life and [[SuperStrength able to keep up with June's fights pretty easily]]. The plot of the episode "Make Me Up Before You Go-Go" is June trying to integrate Lila into her social group not unlike a new paramour while also dealing with the MonsterOfTheWeek.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
%% * Oprah Winfrey's long-time friendship with best friend Gayle King prompting her to humorously declare to Barbara Walters "I am not lesbian, I am not even kinda lesbian."
%% * Music/DemiLovato and Music/SelenaGomez. They were really affectionate with each other, then broke it up for a while, and later they rekindled their friendship.
* Creator/BellaThorne and Creator/{{Zendaya}}'s friendship can be interpreted as this. One could think that if they kept going like this, one of them might have to reveal someday (or not) that one of them (or both) would be queer (as of 2019, Bella Thorne has come out as pansexual, but there's no indication that Zendaya is LGBT+). It doesn't help that they call each other [[AffectionateNickname "boo"]].
%% * Curiously missing from the 2009 film Film/WhipIt is the concept of "derby wives." The common definition of "derby wife" is, "the woman in the league you call to bail you out of jail, even if it was her that got you sent there in the first place."
* UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette with both the Princesse de Lamballe and Gabrielle, Duchesse de Polignac. Rumors abounded back then about their relationship, including claims they were lovers, although no historical evidence has been presented for it (this seems to be a homophobic smeer by their enemies).
%% * Over the 2008-2009 period especially, Music/MileyCyrus and her best friend, backup dancer (at the time) Mandy Jiroux [[WebVideo/TheMileyAndMandyShow could be considered one]]. Miley's friendship with Music/DemiLovato, to a lesser extent, as well.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romantic_friendship This practice]] was quite popular among young women and men until the mid 19th century. Two people of the same sex would hold hands, kiss or even sleep in the same bed without any sexual context. The whole thing was seen as normal and both parties were expected to move on and distance themselves after marriage. Sometimes that didn't happen, and it could be cover for bi or lesbian women. Living together long term at the time was also pretty acceptable, called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_marriage Boston marriages]] (some were probably couples, others not).
* Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux of ''Film/BlueIsTheWarmestColor'' developed a very strong friendship that continued long after filming ended and are very affectionate with each other in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HZkxmQi5ug film festivals]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGKlgZQwVAM interviews]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YovrrYMnH_A photo shoots]], and with Adèle thanking L&a in her speech and calling her [[AffectionateNickname ''my boo'']] after winning best actress at the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilr7yvSXak8 LAFCA awards]]. This causes massive {{Squee}} among the fans of the film which makes them ship the actresses hard even if they have boyfriends at present and both have said they're straight.
* Similarly to the above Creator/MaisieWilliams and Creator/SophieTurner have both referred to each other as “wife” and used to lightly kiss each other on the set of ''Series/GameOfThrones''
* An [[http://theafictionado.wordpress.com/2014/05/22/subtext-and-space-hugs/ online column]] addresses this trope.
-->At what point does making something 'subtext' become an attempt to bury it, fending off potential accusers and planting those that do notice and speculate safely in the 'fans reading too much into things' box? Anybody who isn't looking for it probably won't pick up on the girlfriend element, leaving you with a deep friendship if you see it that way and a cute girl-girl relationship if you notice it's there. Does everybody win, or lose?
%% * UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romantic_friendship#Abraham_Lincoln_and_Joshua_Speed Joshua Speed]].
* There is much speculation among historians whether the relationship between UsefulNotes/JamesBuchanan and William Rufus King's entailed this, or they were lovers. Even while they were alive there are indications others had suspicions: UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson referred to them as "Miss Nancy and Miss Fancy" (a term for effeminate men). If they ''were'' anything more than simply romantic friends, it would have been kept a secret, given that at the time homosexuality was completely taboo, and sex between men illegal.
* This was quite common in the [[TheEdwardianEra Progressive Age]] in the United States. During the early 20th century, there were a number of prominent, feminist women from upper-middle-class backgrounds who eschewed marriage in favor of activism on various social causes, and many were known to form passionate, close relationships with other women that some scholars have interpreted as lesbian, but with no evidence of sexual activity. Most notably, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Addams Jane Addams]], the pioneer of social work and sociology, was known to have passionate romantic friendships with several women.
[[/folder]]
----

* ''Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear'' :

Compare HeterosexualLifePartners, where it just doesn't seem ''as'' romantic but remains a tremendously important personal bond, above and beyond a genuine romantic relationship. Also compare ExperimentedInCollege.

** Yuno and Miyako also seem to be a bit closer than average sometimes, which usually gets excused by Miyako's bubbly and innocent demeanor. Miyako also appears to be very open-minded about relationships and hops in the bathtub with Yuno the day they meet, since her own water supply doesn't work. Uh-huh. One time Miyako even tells Yuno that she thinks she is very pretty. Yuno in turn voices her wish to Miyako that they might one day have the same relationship as Sae and Hiro.

If the romance starts to become too passionate, [[HeteronormativeCrusader parents]] may try to intervene to separate the girls. This should never become physical ''that way''; it would [[TheIngenue "corrupt"]] the IncorruptiblePurePureness, [[GrowingUpSucks which is then traded in for marriage.]] If the girls do cross the line into sex (or even passionate kissing), they are no longer this trope, instead becoming SchoolgirlLesbians, and are treated differently.

** Yuno and Miyako also seem to be a bit closer than average sometimes, which usually gets excused by Miyako's bubbly and innocent demeanor. Miyako also appears to be very open-minded about relationships (see SchoolgirlLesbians) and hops in the bathtub with Yuno the day they meet, since her own water supply doesn't work. Uh-huh. One time Miyako even tells Yuno that she thinks she is very pretty. Yuno in turn voices her wish to Miyako that they might one day have the same relationship as Sae and Hiro.

%% * Despite being perceived in the West as the "flagship" SchoolgirlLesbians series, ''LightNovel/MariaWatchesOverUs'' only has one couple that actually crossed the line into a full lesbian relationship -- at which point, one of them promptly left the school to become a nun, probably in an attempt to show how dangerous it is to "go too far"[[note]]It should be noted however that the girl had entered school with ''the intent'' of becoming a nun, and along with sexuality would have considered romance in itself wrong since she was aiming for a life committed to God alone[[/note]]. Most of the rest of the cast participate in (much safer) Romantic Two Girl Friendships with other Lillian students.

%% * On ''Manga/SgtFrog'', all the girls at Natsumi's school seem to idolize her obsessively, and Koyuki actually has a crush on Natsumi (though this is ''far'' less blatant in the manga, where it dives headfirst into the realms of SchoolgirlLesbians).

%% * The most innocent interpretations of the relationship between Alpha and Kokone in ''Manga/YokohamaKaidashiKikou'' falls into this. [[LesYay As for the]] [[SchoolgirlLesbians other interpretations...]] yeah...

%% * ''LightNovel/TaishoBaseballGirls'' has the mild infatuation between girls so typical for the [[OneGenderSchool setting of an all-girl high school]]. Most notable are Tomoe's attraction to Koume and Kyokou's crush on Tomoe, which at times comes close to being [[SchoolgirlLesbians somewhat more intense]].

** In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'' [[InnocentCohabitation Kyoko is even staying at Sayaka's house]], and near the end of the movie Sayaka admits she regretted leaving Kyoko behind at the end of the anime. Meanwhile, Homura [[SchoolGirlLesbians explicitly states that everything she does is out of love for Madoka]]. [[spoiler:Since this involves rewriting the entire universe '''again''' and her becoming the devil to Madoka's Goddess, maybe Homura really suffers from LoveMakesYouCrazy [[LoveMakesYouEvil and evil]] after all.]]
%% * In the {{OVA}} of ''Anime/BattleAthletes'', the relationship between Kris and Akari gradually develops into this. In the ''Victory'' TV adaptation, Akari has some of this dynamic going on with Ichino at first, whereas Kris' feelings for Akari get [[SchoolgirlLesbians ramped up considerably]]. Eventually, Ichino and Kris start [[LoveTriangle competing for Akari's affections]].

%% * ''Manga/{{Fullmapla}}'' has Kyou and Makoto, who are so close that several people (like Kyou's mother and Makoto's older sister) are convinced that they're SchoolgirlLesbians.

* Creator/EnidBlyton's six-part ''Literature/MaloryTowers'' series has a strong tendency towards its girls pair-bonding and there's hand-holding and arm-linking too, though this is a reflection of girls' behaviour in British boarding schools at and prior to the time the books were written. One of the friendships, between [[spoiler:a daughter of the aristocracy and a very tomboyish girl who goes by the male form of her given name]] has suggestions of [[SchoolgirlLesbians butch-femme dynamics]], and their future paths after school are described as [[spoiler:going into business together to run a horse-riding school]].

%% * Jennifer and [[spoiler:Wendy]] in the backstory of ''VideoGame/RuleOfRose''. The only thing that keeps it from entering into SchoolgirlLesbians territory is the fact that they're maybe ten years old at this point, and despite of the game's reputation it keeps things tasteful in this respect.

* ''Fanfic/AngelOfTheBat'' takes the emotional bond between Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown and turns it up several notches, though there is still a fair amount of ambiguity there.[[spoiler:At least until Cassie completely admits she has romantic feelings for Stephanie, thinking she is asleep. Cassie doesn't want to own them to her completely because [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy she doesn't want to get in the way of Steph and her boyfriend Tim's love life]], which Cassandra thinks benefits both of them, even if she appears a little jealous of it.

%% * ''Film/KissingJessicaStein'': Jessica and Helen's relationship ultimately turns into this. It's increasingly clear that Jessica isn't keen on having sex with Helen (though she says it was enjoyable) and likes only the romantic closeness. They break up but remain close friends.

%% ** ''ComicBook/XMen'' has ComicBook/KittyPryde and ComicBook/IllyanaRasputin, sister of her ex-boyfriend Colossus. The two are really close.

In Japan, this is known as "Class S" and is far more common than in the West. [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Due to the influence of Western female literature]],[[note]]''Literature/ALittlePrincess'', ''Literature/LittleWomen'', ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables''... there's a lot![[/note]] the Japanese developed a belief that young girls are expected to have friendships with each other that emulate boyfriend–girlfriend relationships. This is considered a wonderful but [[HideYourLesbians temporary]] part of adolescence, which they can later [[ValuesDissonance "graduate" from to "real" relationships with boys]]. To remain in a "Class S" relationship past middle school is seen as a sign of immaturity, although it is expected that these friendships will continue into adulthood without the romantic elements. The possibility of one or more of the girls involved in a "Class S" relationship being truly invested in the other romantically is usually ignored.

[[caption-width-right:332: JustFriends?]]

** Aika also has a totally obvious crush on Alicia for most of the series.

** Runo and Julie also gradually develop this kind of relationship, particularly in the second season.

* ''Anime/BestStudentCouncil'' has a large chunk of the student body in... admiration of the student council president, Kanade Jinguuji.
* Kanade and Yukino from ''Anime/CandyBoy'' have a relationship that seems to follow the rules of this trope just fine, until you realize that they are ''[[{{Twincest}} fraternal twin sisters]]''.
* In ''Manga/CheekyAngel'', when Megumi insists that she likes Miki "that way", the other girls comment that she really is a kid. Of course it's a [[GenderBender bit more complex than that]].

* Hyatt and Ropponmatsu #1 seem to develop a platonic romance for the short time they are together in ''Anime/ExcelSaga''. Also, Ropponmatsu #2 has feelings for Excel, as seen in her made-up {{flashback}}.
** Although in this case, the Ropponmatsus were programmed to fall for the [[SingleTargetSexuality first person they saw upon activation]], which (due to a delivery error) was Excel and Hyatt... but it only lasted one episode.

* Hime-chan and Erika's relationship in ''Manga/HimechanNoRibon'' is very much like this even though they spend a huge amount of time apart, saying they love each other, etc.
* Mugi and Nono from ''Manga/{{Hitohira}}'' quickly appear to enter such a relationship after Nono drafts Mugi for her drama club. Mugi has an obvious crush on Nono for most of the series and their relationship culminates in [[spoiler:a very heartwarming ending when they say their goodbyes]].
* Despite being perceived in the West as the "flagship" SchoolgirlLesbians series, ''LightNovel/MariaWatchesOverUs'' only has one couple that actually crossed the line into a full lesbian relationship -- at which point, one of them promptly left the school to become a nun, probably in an attempt to show how dangerous it is to "go too far"[[note]]It should be noted however that the girl had entered school with ''the intent'' of becoming a nun, and along with sexuality would have considered romance in itself wrong since she was aiming for a life committed to God alone[[/note]]. Most of the rest of the cast participate in (much safer) Romantic Two Girl Friendships with other Lillian students.
%%* Nana O and Nana K's relationship in ''Manga/{{Nana}}''.

* Much of ''Anime/PrettyCure'' is based around this precise sort of relationship.
** ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure'', ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar'', ''Anime/SuitePrettyCure'' and ''Anime/MahoGirlsPrecure'' feature WonderTwinPowers which only work when two heroines are together. Their attacks require holding hands.
** In this franchise, ''Anime/DokiDokiPrettyCure'' gives Mana who has these kind of relationships with at least ''six'' girls. Some of them are minor, but [[ChildhoodFriends Mana X Rikka]], [[{{Fangirl}} Mana]] X [[IdolSinger Makoto]], and Mana X Regina are the best known relationships. It's not that Mana has more relationships, she has more LesYay moments than any other Pretty Cure character.
* In ''Manga/LoveHina'', Motoko has three female [[InstantFanClub groupies]], classmates of hers; at least one seems to have a genuine crush on the swordswoman. Also, Suu appears to have desires on Motoko; while the anime only hints at this, Suu announces in the manga that she wants to take Motoko as a lover. Suu is also responsible for giving Shinobu her FirstKiss.

%%** It's unclear if Minami and Yutaka have this or if it's actual romance.
** Possibly [[ThoseTwoGuys Misao and Ayano]]. ''[[AlternateCharacterInterpretation Possibly]]''. Though, Ayano ''[[InformedAttribute says]]'' she has a boyfriend and apparently he's [[spoiler:Misao's brother]]. However that ''still'' goes hand in hand with many of the popular {{Alternate Character Interpretation}}s.
* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'':
** Fate's relationship with Nanoha in the first two seasons; the third season toes the line. Post-''[=StrikerS=]'', [[spoiler:Fate/Nanoha/Vivio is canonically referred to as the "Takamachi Family", Yuuno's role best described as "Substitute Father" to Vivio when Fate is away from home (AllThereInTheManual via one of the Sound Stages), [[ArmedWithCanon except ViVid and Force scrap that last one for a good measure]]]].
** Alisa and Suzuka from the same series are also shown to be very fond of each other.
%%** And Teana and Subaru from season three.
** Vivio and Einhart from ''[=ViVid=]'' get this treatment from the GenreSavvy Nakajima sisters. Another indication is that one shuttle scene in the beginning of chapter 9, where we get to see Nanoha/Fate, Subaru/Teana, and Vivio/Einhart sitting neatly all in the row. Can you say, "GenerationXerox"?

** Rei also has this relationship with Minako in the [[Manga/SailorMoon manga]], to the extent that their last scene together in ''Stars'' has suspiciously similar vibes to Haruka and Michiru...
* On ''Manga/SgtFrog'', all the girls at Natsumi's school seem to idolize her obsessively, and Koyuki actually has a crush on Natsumi (though this is ''far'' less blatant in the manga, where it dives headfirst into the realms of SchoolgirlLesbians).
* ''Manga/SoulEater'' plays with this with the [[spoiler: witch]] meister Kim Diehl and her weapon partner Jacqueline, to where Jacqueline follows Kim onto her decision. Kim ends up instead with [[NiceGuy Ox Ford]] when he snaps her out of her HeelFaceBrainwashing out of devotion. However, it should be noted that virtually every weapon and meister have friendships similar to this because of the nature of the bond (the ShipTease between Maka and Soul, Black Star and Tsubaki to where they sleep in the same room, Ox's weapon Harvar being similar, etc.)
** In ''Manga/SoulEaterNot'', Tsugumi has this with both Anya and Meme. Really, there's surprisingly few romantic leanings regarding bonds between meister and weapon.

* In ''Manga/UltraManiac'' one of the two main girls finds out the other has a crush on her. She scoffs it away, saying that it proves the other girl is just a child.
%%* The relationship between Ichika and Manatsu from ''Anime/UtaKata'' borders on this trope.

%%* The most innocent interpretations of the relationship between Alpha and Kokone in ''Manga/YokohamaKaidashiKikou'' falls into this. [[LesYay As for the]] [[SchoolgirlLesbians other interpretations...]] yeah...
%%* Akira and Machina in ''Manga/DragonautTheResonance'' have this kind of relationship, and also fit nicely into TomboyAndGirlyGirl.

* Saya from ''Manga/BambooBlade'' is definitely a bit more than just friends with kendo-captain Kirino. It doesn't appear to be mutual, though the two get along extremely well regardless.
* Sakura Mikan in ''Manga/GakuenAlice'' is absolutely infatuated with Hotaru in this manner. Hotaru [[{{Tsundere}} goes back and forth between trying to get rid of her and actually returning her affections.]] In the middle of a battle scene in a later chapter of the manga [[spoiler:Hotaru appears to confess to Mikan that her feelings are romantic and kisses her, while Mikan remains oblivious.]]

* Minori Kushieda from ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}'' has genuinely deep feelings for her best friend Taiga Aisaka--so much, that at one point she openly [[AmbiguouslyBi questions her own sexuality]].
* The LesYay between Illya and Miyu in ''Manga/FateKaleidLinerPrismaIllya'' stretches this to breaking point, stopping just shy of actual romance. Several of the heartfelt speeches they give to and about each other sound especially romantic, if not for the use of the word "friend".

* The relationship between Hanna and Suomi from ''Anime/DiamondDaydreams'' clearly has some elements of this. They witness the "diamond dust" together, just like lovers would do--and their falling out has all the symptoms of an extended lover's quarrel.

* Hikari and Futaba from ''Manga/{{Amanchu}}'' rush into this headfirst. Hikari's behavior toward Futaba could be construed as flirting--and Futaba is very responsive. This is no surprise, since romantic two girl friendships are not unheard-of in works by Kozue Amano (who also made ''Manga/{{ARIA}}'').
* One of the possible interpretations for Licorice Nielsen and Cleao Everlasting's relationship in ''LightNovel/SorcererStabberOrphen''. Their start is kinda skittish due to how different in personality they ae (Licorice is by the book and girlish, Cleao is a fiery TsunDere), but after a bout of TeethClenchedTeamwork, they started getting along really well, Cleao became very protective of Licorice, and when Licorice [[spoiler:was ''horribly'' hit by a huge wave of BreakTheCutie (including the discovery of her origins, a massive gambit that had her as the vortex, and how her family story was revealed with terrible results)]], the one who supported her the most was Cleao.

* Sakura and Tomoyo in ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'' are this trope all over, despite Tomoyo's feelings being far less chaste.
* Parodied in ''Manga/TheDayOfRevolution'' when [[GenderBender former boy]] Megumi tries to latch onto CoolBigSis Makoto primarily because the idea of being courted by her former TrueCompanions bothers her. Makoto's receptiveness varies based on RuleOfFunny but her role as Megumi's peer counselor/therapist means her reaction is mostly clinical.
* Although the friendship / [[AccidentalMarriage Accidental Engagement]] between Utena and Anthy in the ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' series and manga can be interpreted this way (and certainly references the trope a few times over), it more obviously applies to Utena and Wakaba. Wakaba ends up meeting a very nice young man who draws her attention away from Utena as a natural process, and Utena - well, [[GainaxEnding she... grows up a bit too]].
* Marin and Kanon in ''Anime/UmiMonogatari'' become very close friends over the course of the series and Kanon finally says "I love you" back to her at the end, but Kanon is in a relationship with Kojima and Marin supports her in it. In the DVD special, it becomes clear that [[spoiler:Kanon experiences her goodbye with Marin much like a romantic breakup--which is curious, since she still goes out with Kojima]].
* ''Manga/{{Mahoraba}}'':

** There are numerous hints about a such a relationship between Kozue and Tamami, which likely got blown up by Shiratori's arrival at the apartment complex. It does shed a bit more light on why Tamami dislikes Shiratori so much at first.
* Alice and Nunnally's relationship in ''Manga/CodeGeassNightmareOfNunnally'' is quite similar to this.
* ''LightNovel/TaishoBaseballGirls'' has the mild infatuation between girls so typical for the [[OneGenderSchool setting of an all-girl high school]]. Most notable are Tomoe's attraction to Koume and Kyokou's crush on Tomoe, which at times comes close to being [[SchoolgirlLesbians somewhat more intense]].
* ''Anime/HaibaneRenmei'' is very much a love story between Reki and Rakka. Chaste, but a love story nonetheless. Reki and Rakka are the two closest Haibane and [[spoiler:Rakka is actually Reki's LivingEmotionalCrutch]]. At first, Reki is treated like an older sister to Rakka; however, it turns into this in the last few episodes of the anime.
* [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Miyako Inoue and Hikari Yagami]] of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' have more than a few shades of the trope, ''especially'' in the 31st episode, where they ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Ken]]) find themselves trapped in the Sea of Darkness. The scene in which Miyako slaps Hikari to calm her down and swears that she won't leave her alone wouldn't be out of place in a {{yuri}} anime. The fact that the very same episode is also when they learn how to FusionDance their partner Digimon doesn't help, [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything especially given the part where they're thinking they can hear each others' heartbeats synchronize]].
%%* A possible and ''very'' dark interpretation for [[spoiler:[[DarkMagicalGirl Rosine]] and [[MoralityPet Jill]]]] in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}''.
* Meiko Akizuki and Miki Koishikawa had veeeery slight whiffs of it in the beginning of ''Manga/MarmaladeBoy'', before the melodrama that their love lives are settles in.
* The plot of ''Manga/TheRowsOfCherryTrees'' centers around a Class S LoveTriangle between an OneeSama and two of her [[SempaiKohai kohai.]]
* Yomi and Mato from ''Anime/BlackRockShooter'' have this going on big time. The moment they meet is basically a "LoveAtFirstSight" affair, especially from Mato's perspective. It's not too blatant in the OVA, but the anime series makes no attempt to disguise it. By the third episode, [[EveryoneCanSeeIt other characters have started teasing them about their romanticky relationship]], and they even make reference to the [[ValuesDissonance awkward stereotype]] of girl-girl couples being immature "practice" for "real" boy-girl relationships.
* Moe and Marin in ''Anime/BrigadoonMarinAndMelan''. It seems to be played for comedy at first, and it's a lot stronger on Moe's side than on Marin's. As the series progresses further they both start to show interest in the opposite sex.
* The tropes gets discussed a lot in ''Manga/HanjukuJoshi'', but is ultimately subverted by the [[TheyDo two main couples]].
* ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'': This could be an explination for Hinagiku's initial encounter with Athena since she's pushed anything resembling romance aside because of her past.
** Her relationship with Miki may have started as this, but when Miki started to push for it to go further, Hinagiku made it clear she wasn't interested. The two are still close.
** There's a definite hinting towards this style relationship between Hinagiku and Luca since their meeting and Luca telling them about her past, which is similar to Hinagiku's, with Luca's issues about lying being equated to Hina's romance issues. Hinagiku steals Luca's hand-made manga before he's able to read it and provide feedback about it.

** Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki give such strong vibes that their friend Hitomi Shizuki believed that they could be a good match-up. However, ''the'' example of this trope is given by Madoka and ''Homura Akemi'' after we learn that [[spoiler:Homura has gone through a progressively more traumatic GroundhogDayLoop to save Madoka's life.]]
** Sayaka and Kyoko. A bit of FoeRomanceSubtext initially, but when Episode 9 rolled around... [[spoiler:...she sacrifices herself to put Sayaka the witch out of her misery.]] Furthered by the movie, when you see Kyoko's smile when [[spoiler:she sacrifices herself.]]

* In the {{OVA}} of ''Anime/BattleAthletes'', the relationship between Kris and Akari gradually develops into this. In the ''Victory'' TV adaptation, Akari has some of this dynamic going on with Ichino at first, whereas Kris' feelings for Akari get [[SchoolgirlLesbians ramped up considerably]]. Eventually, Ichino and Kris start [[LoveTriangle competing for Akari's affections]].
* Sarah's relationship with Yakumo in ''Manga/SchoolRumble''. Though they honestly seem to just be very good friends, some might confuse it for Yuri [[http://www.zerochan.net/full/196215 at times]].
* Tomoko Arikura and Nanako Misonoo are the straightest example in the {{yuri}} manga ''Manga/DearBrother''. Mariko Shinobu also wants this with Nanako, ''[[{{Yandere}} very]]'' [[IJustWantToBeLoved badly]].
* Saya Otonashi from ''Anime/BloodPlus'', despite her... special relationship with [[BodyguardCrush her bodyguard]] Hagi, has this with two girls. First there's Kaori in Okinawa, then we have Minh in Vietnam.
* [[spoiler:[[MeaningfulName Yuri]] Tokikago and Momoka Oginome]] from ''Anime/{{Penguindrum}}'' were too young to play the trope straight, but still gave off ''huge'' vibes. [[spoiler:Sadly, Momoka died in her pre-teen years, [[TheMourningAfter and Yuri never got over it]].]]
* Haruko and Ayako had this in the early chapters of ''Manga/SlamDunk'', with Ayako teasingly kissing her on the cheek.
* Eri Kasugano and Natsuki Hayami in ''Manga/{{Amakusa 1637}}''. Eri straight-up says that had Natsuki been a guy, she would've fallen in love with "him".
* In ''Anime/{{Kamichu}}'', there is quite a bit of chemistry between Yurie and Matsuri--even more so than between Yurie and her love interest Kenji. It makes one wonder at times whether it's really Matsuri's business sense that fuels her interest in Yurie.
* Momoko's and Chizuru's friendship in ''Manga/WanderingSon''. Momo in particular is very clingy to Chi and seems to think of little other than her friend.
%%* Finé and Izetta in ''Anime/IzettaTheLastWitch'', with enough HomoeroticSubtext to almost push it beyond friendship.
* ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'':
** One of the gags appeared to lead up to this, but was averted at the last minute. When Nagisa was searching for help in establishing the Theater club, Tomoya recommends they consult Ryou and sends Sunohara to get her. However to make sure Kyou doesn't come along, Sunohara says that it's for a love confession. Cue Nagisa seriously asking for a [[NotWhatItLooksLike favor]] from Ryou (With romantic backdrop, no less).
** Side characters Rie Nishina and Sugisaka have some vibes of a more serious RTGF. Sugisaka is very protective of Nishina, and they work at the same restaurant and apparently live together after graduating from high school.

** Kanade and Tsubasa (or at least had, before Kanade's death), and Hibiki and Miku, the textbook example. ''Senki Zesshou Symphogear G'' extend the latter pair and it introduces Kirika and Shirabe.

*** [[spoiler:The post-series manga, Mobile game XDU and official artwork Additonally confirm Hibiki and Miku are an official couple to the point of Hibiki presenting Miku with an Engagement Ring upon their Graduation]].

* Ryuko Matoi and Mako Makanshoku from ''Anime/KillLaKill''. To the point that in episode 12 [[spoiler:Mako puts herself at ''great'' risk to give a mutated Ryuko a CoolDownHug, managing to bring her back to her senses at the expense of suffering severe burns.]] Though it's implied that Mako's thoughts [[NoseBleed might go beyond platonic.]]
* In ''Manga/MurderPrincess'', Alita and Milano, while older than usual for this trope, develop such a close bond so quickly that they're generally considered a prime example. (Switching bodies'll do that.)
* ''Anime/{{Simoun}}'' is a full-on {{Yuri}} show, but it also has a perfect example of this trope in Rodoreamon and Mamiina. Rodore even looks and acts like the kiddie-lit heroines who inspired Class S in the first place.
* Even though Shiho Kobayakawa from ''Manga/PrivateActress'' already has a boyfriend when Mariko Soriarno appears ''and'' both are older than the standard for the trope, she immediately bonds with her in a way that simply '''oozes''' RTGL. [[spoiler:Too bad poor Mariko is seriously injured by a jealous rival, and it's implied later that she has to return to her native Philippines.]]
* Yamoto Koki and her classmate from ''Manga/NinjaSlayer'', right down to having to separate due to Yamoto being a ninja to protect her and the bittersweet goodbye.

* ''Manga/{{Fullmapla}}'' has Kyou and Makoto, who are so close that several people (like Kyou's mother and Makoto's older sister) are convinced that they're SchoolgirlLesbians.

* Deconstructed in ''Manga/BloomIntoYou'', when it's revealed that [[spoiler:Sayaka]] had this kind of relationship with an older girl at her old school. Eventually, the older girl broke up with [[spoiler:Sayaka]], since she believed that they were getting too old for the "phase." [[spoiler:Sayaka]], however, ''didn't'' see it as a phase, and was deeply hurt by the other girl's actions.
* Awara and Mizubuchi from ''Manga/GAGeijutsukaArtDesignClass'' is a downplayed example. Mizubuchi is usually seen as Awara's CloudCuckoolandersMinder, but there is one segment in which their relationship is jokingly referred to as husband and wife.

* The titular Choco and Mimi of ''Manga/ChocoMimi'' are very close, to the point of when being asked who they like, one girl automatically says the other's name. On one occasion, the boys deduce that Mimi is the reason that Choco has such high expectations for men.
* ''Manga/GrannyGirlHinataChan'': In her past life, Hinata had a best friend named Micchio, and Hinata's description of their relationship sounds almost amorous. She even said that Micchio "captivated" her. Following her death and reincarnation, Hinata encounters Micchio, depressed and wheelchair bound, when her kindergarten class visits a nursing home. Hinata makes an effort to reconnect with Micchio with their old favorite game of bean-bag tossing.
* ''Manga/NurseHitomisMonsterInfirmary'': [[TinyTyrannicalGirl Chisa Osanai]] and [[HugeSchoolgirl Kyouko Ooki]] have been friends since childhood, and Chisa is very protective of Kyouko, who wants to both protect her friend back and prove that she can handle herself sometimes. At the end of Chapter 3, Kyouko is carrying Chisa home, and says that she loves her.

* GenderInverted (or even genderqueer, depending on interpretations) between Shinji and Kaworu of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' in all iterations, as their relationship seems to involve some form of romantic attachment, but partially because of [[spoiler:Kaworu's death]], it's cut off before anything can be explored. On Shinji's side, no matter the iteration, it seems he's rarely given much time to reflect on what went on between them.

* Even though the eponymous character from ''ComicBook/YokoTsuno'' readily [[LesYay bonds with other girls]], those relationships never become quite as intense as the one she has with the musician Ingrid in the earlier albums.
* Practically a staple of anything Creator/ChrisClaremont wrote during his long run on Comicbook/XMen. Comicbook/{{Storm}} and Yukio, Danielle Moonstar and Wolfsbane, and ComicBook/KittyPryde and Karma are some of the more notable examples.
** ''ComicBook/XMen'' has ComicBook/KittyPryde and ComicBook/IllyanaRasputin, sister of her ex-boyfriend Colossus. The two are really close.
* ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' has two. The better-known one is Nico Minoru and Karolina Dean, which has gone back and forth between either Romantic Two-Girl Friendship and HeterosexualLifePartners for years, finally landing on [[TheyDo outright girlfriends]]. The more recent and innocent one is Molly Hayes and Klara Prast, who are almost inseparable and can be fiercely protective of one another, to the point where Klara once jumped in front of an advancing Sentinel after hearing that they kill mutants. When Klara declines to return to the team in the 2017 series, Molly reacts like she's been dumped, sulking in her room.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Lucifer}}'' the two schoolgirls [[ISeeDeadPeople Elaine]] and [[CuteGhostGirl Mona]] had this sort of relationship when they were both alive, and continued it even after Mona gets murdered in her first appearance. The phrase "romantic friendship" is explicitly used by Mona's headmaster [[spoiler:and murderer]] to describe them.

* In ''Fanfic/AlexandraQuick'', there's the relationship between Alexandra and her roommate Anna Chu.
* The relationship between [[ShrinkingViolet Fluttershy]] and [[BoisterousBruiser Rainbow Dash]] is portrayed this way in ''Fanfic/FluttershyIsFree''. Rainbow Dash is the only one Fluttershy trusts enough to confess her illegitimate and probably [[spoiler:Changeling]] paternity to, while Rainbow Dash is in the ''denouement'' awed into speechlessness by Fluttershy's beauty as she rises to meet the butterflies.
* ''Manga/Evangelion303'': [[FieryRedhead Asuka]] and Jessika were best friends. They shared the same tastes and were constantly together. When [[spoiler:Jessika died Asuka got absolutely devastated, blamed herself and almost got herself killed as trying to see her again.]]

* ''WebAnimation/IAmOctavia'': Octavia and Vinyl's relationship is close and romantically tinged, but it's only ever referred to as friendship. The story is a lot like a couple breaking up.
* ''Fanfic/SevenDaysInSunnyJune'' has this between Sunset Shimmer and human Twilight Sparkle even moreso than the actual series, which is interesting considering the fanfic predates ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks''. When a homeless and remorseful Sunset is taken in by human Twilight's family, the two of them eventually grow very close and even occasionally sleep in the same bed (but don't do anything past platonic cuddling).
* Deconstructed in ''Fanfic/BadInfluence''. Kimber sees herself as having a close buddy/buddy friendship with Stormer, but Stormer's outright in love with Kimber. Kimber's sisters also do not see their bond as "just friendship".
* Justified with Asuka and Rei in ''Fanfic/AdviceAndTrust''. The two of them and Shinji are all in love with each other, but neither [[OfficialCouple Asuka nor Shinji]] feel that they'd be able to handle a threeway relationship and Rei [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy doesn't want to disrupt their bond]]. Thus they end up in a romantically-tinged friendship by default.
* More like MilitaryAcademy Lesbians in "Fanfic/RemembranceOfTheFallen". Tiana Lanstar and Kojami Sobaru aren't a couple yet in the [[FramingDevice framed narrative]] (they were dating by second year and eventually married), but they're close enough friends that there's a rumor going around campus that they're a couple. Commander Thrass warns Kanril Eleya about this when he assigns her to tutor Tia and Sobaru, though he's pretty sure the rumor is false.

* Nicky and Pamela in ''Times Square.'' (Although the original script apparently contained more LesYay.) Also a TomboyAndGirlyGirl OddFriendship.
* ''Film/JennifersBody'' is a {{deconstruction}}. Jennifer and Needy have a CoolKidAndLoserFriendship but after Jennifer gets possessed by a man-eating succubus, her affection for Needy morphs into homicidal possessiveness and Needy is forced to kill her to prevent her from causing more deaths.
* ''LightNovel/KamikazeGirls'': This is the eventual underlying feeling to the relationship between Momoko and Ichiko, as they often come off like a couple in a romantic comedy despite at least one having romantic feelings for a guy at one point (that does not end well), with them riding off on a motorcycle laughing together by the end.
* Charlotte and Tiana's relationship in Disney's ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' really feels like this.
* ''Film/{{Hanna}}'' and Sophie. Though there's also quite a bit of LesYay going on as well.
* ''Film/PicnicAtHangingRock'' opens with the schoolgirls exchanging passionate valentines. Two of the main characters, Miranda and Sarah, are in such a relationship. It's left ambiguous just how far it goes on the side of Miranda, but on Sarah's side it's quite clearly a romantic crush.
%%* Ju Ran and Yeon Deok from the 2015 Korean movie ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silenced The Silenced]]'' definitely count.

* ''Anime/WhenMarnieWasThere'' is a film made of up this. Marnie and Anna become very close over the course of the film. [[spoiler:Later subverted with TheReveal that their friendship is familial love, as Marnie is really Anna's deceased grandmother.]]

* ''Film/KissingJessicaStein'': Jessica and Helen's relationship ultimately turns into this. It's increasingly clear that Jessica isn't keen on having sex with Helen (though she says it was enjoyable) and likes only the romantic closeness. They break up but remain close friends.

* In a similar [[IncrediblyLamePun vein]], Lissa and Rose from ''[[Literature/VampireAcademy Vampire Academy]]''. They're teenagers, older than some targets of this trope, but definitely fulfill the "suspiciously close and tender female friendship" qualification. Their fight in ''Shadow Kiss'' when [[spoiler:Rose leaves St. Vladimir's intending to kill Dimitri]] has been compared to a messy breakup, complete with Lissa crying and asking Rose not to leave her. Unsurprisingly, the [[YuriFan femslashy]] segment of the fandom [[FanPreferredCouple loves them]].

* Very prevalent in the works of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuko_Yoshiya Nobuko Yoshiya]], an openly lesbian Japanese writer and feminist who wrote young adult novels between the 1910s and 1970s.
* ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'' has a very close, affectionate relationship with her "bosom friend" Diana. Unsurprisingly, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff these Canadian novels are also extremely popular in Japan]], spawning ''two'' anime to this day (a classic from the 70's and a 2009 prequel) and are heavily referenced in other Japanese media.

* Angela Brazil, writing in an earlier and more conservative age, openly described her schoolgirl characters kissing.
** The more conservative the age, the more romantically you can describe the friendship, since it wouldn't ''occur'' to anyone to read it differently.
* Main character Alysha Gale and her [[KissingCousins cousin]] Charlie in Tanya Huff's ''Literature/TheEnchantmentEmporium''.
* ''Mrs. Dalloway''. The relationship referenced in that story between the title character and her childhood friend is a pretty good example of this trope.
* Clarissa and Anna from ''Literature/{{Clarissa}}''. When Clarissa is stuck in a position between choosing Lovelace or Solmes (neither of whom she likes) Anna suggests they run away together to London.
* Esther and Ada in Dickens' ''Literature/BleakHouse''.
* Beau Nash and Mary Innes in ''Miss Pym Disposes'' by Creator/JosephineTey. As one character says, "Would you call their relationship normal? ''Nice'', of course, quite irreproachable. But normal, no."
* Many Aes Sedai in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', at least while novices and restricted to areas of the Tower men are not permitted to enter. The arrangement is known as "pillow friends", is considered normal, and sometimes develops into more serious relationships, but these seldom last after the educational phase is over.
* Chloe and Liz from The ''Literature/DarkestPowers'' series share one.

* Believe it or not, this trope was recognised by Creator/AgathaChristie in her novel ''Nemesis'':
-->"Verity had lost her real guardians, her parents, she had entered on her new life after their death, at an age when a schoolgirl arrives at having a "crush" on someone. An attractive mistress. Anything from the games mistress to the mathematics mistress, or a prefect or an older girl. A state that does not last for very long, is merely a natural part of life. Then from that you go on to the next stage when you realize that what you want in your life is what complements yourself. A relationship between a man and a woman... I think Verity adored Clotilde in an almost romantic way."
** Naturally, [[spoiler:Verity is murdered by Clotilde, a PsychoLesbian who coudn't handle Verity growing out of this phase and taking up with a local bad boy instead.]]
* Sheera and Drypettis had one in their schoolgirl days in Creator/BarbaraHambly's novel ''Literature/TheLadiesOfMandrigyn''. [[spoiler:Sheera got over it, although she still considered Drypettis a friend. Until Drypettis went all {{yandere}}, anyhow.]]
* Sara and Becky in ''Literature/ALittlePrincess''. It's also apparent in the 1995 movie adaption. Ermengarde and Sara have some of this as well in the book. In the [[VisualNovel/ALittleLilyPrincess visual novel adaptation]] these relationships are pushed in a more openly romantic direction.
* ''Literature/SnowFlowerAndTheSecretFan'' is all about a very close friendship that started in childhood, grew to include an element of sexual attraction, and changed (but lasted, somehow) once the two girls married.
* Shows up in the ''[[Literature/AmericanGirlsCollection American Girl]]'' books.
** Felicity Merriman and Elizabeth Cole, and even more so in the movie.
** Samantha Parkington and Nellie O'Malley, ditto.
** Molly [=McIntire=] and Emily Bennett, ditto ditto.
** Kit Kittredge and Ruthie Smithens, [[RuleOfThree ditto again]].
** And then in the 2009 Girl of the Year story; Chrissa Maxwell, Gwen Thompson and Sonali Matthews take this up to eleven by forming a solid triad.

* In ''Literature/AnnieOnMyMind'', Liza's mother tries desperately to insist that her daughter's relationship with Annie is "only" this trope and not the genuine lesbian romance it is. WordOfGod says that she'll eventually come around and accept them as a couple, though.

* In ''Literature/TheImmortalJourney'', [[TheHero Emily]] and her teammate Rosa are close enough to give each other {{Affectionate Nickname}}s and Rosa's definitely the team member Emily is the most devastated to see [[spoiler:in the zombie truck]] near the end; Emily is also confirmed early on to be bi-romantic. As the story doesn't focus on romance, though, whether they are an actual couple is left up in the air.

* In ''Literature/WyldersHand'', Dorcas and Rachel indulge in the kissing and embracing that was common for close female friends of the time.

* ''Series/BroadCity'': Abby and Ilana are this trope to the MAX, pretty much behaving as complete soulmates without actually being in a physical relationship (although Ilana has made it very clear she would also be interested in Abby that way too). Their friendship is such SeriousBusiness that they're almost nonfunctional without each other.

* Act 30 of ''Series/PrettyGuardianSailorMoon'' (broadcast in Japan on 5/8/2004) includes a moment where one of Usagi's female classmates declares in front of a witness that she is in love with Usagi. There is no hint in the reactions of either Usagi or the witness that this is in any way strange or perverted.

* In the BBC version of the ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'' legend, the peasant Gwen acts as maid, best friend and general flower-bringer to her mistress Morgana.

* Bennett and Caroline in ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}''. Even after Bennett finds out Caroline was only using her to get access into a laboratory, she agrees to help her.
* Claire and Gretchen in ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. [[spoiler:Subverted now that they've actually started a relationship.]]
* Willow and Tara's relationship on ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' looked like it might take this form at first. However, by the end of the season, it was pretty clear the trope in question was being [[LesYay subverted]]. Played straight between Willow and Buffy, it's obvious from the way the two are with each other throughout the series that they love each other, just not in [[LesYay that]] way.
* Rizzoli and Isles in (obviously) ''Series/RizzoliAndIsles''. They sleep in the same bed occasionally, are always touching each others hands or hair or body, seemingly flirt with each other, put each other before all potential love interests, know everything about each other, and have been mistaken for a couple several times.
* Rocky and Ce Ce in ''Series/ShakeItUp'' show elements of this, especially in the episodes "Model It Up" and "Break It Up".
* ''Shake It Up!'' was pretty much a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Series/HannahMontana'' which featured Miley and Lilly. The finale was loaded with it, so much if one watched that episode alone, and missed the scene where their boyfriends show up, they might think were in a relationship
* Max and Caroline have something like this in ''Series/TwoBrokeGirls''.

* Played with in ''Series/FakingIt''. This is what Amy and Karma actually have but they are passing as actual lesbians. Furthered subverted by the fact that Amy actually does have a lesbian crush on Karma, though it is unclear if she is a case of SingleTargetSexuality or just your good old IncompatibleOrientation. [[spoiler:She later realizes that she's bi.]]
* Maritza and Flaca in ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack''. They are very close and very loyal to each other. They kiss once, but they call it off very quickly.

*** To the point, when the trio reunite in the SequelSeries, Shawn and Topanga refer to each other as "Mr. and Mrs. Cory" and Cory says that he's happy to be with his "favorite person in the world... and his wife."

** The tradition continues in ''Series/GirlMeetsWorld''. Riley and Maya are, arguably, as close a pair of friends as Cory and Shawn.

* ''Series/MotherlandFortSalem'': Tally is very close to her childhood friend Glory Moffett. She's also quite cuddly with Raelle.
* ''Series/TippingTheVelvet'': Nan and Flo were initially just very close friends. This being a lesbian story, it ultimately ends up being more than just "friendship."

[[folder:Music]]
* Lisa and Chelsea in Belle & Sebastian's song "She's Losing It" seem to be like this.
[[/folder]]

* Two of the women auditioning in ''Theatre/AChorusLine'' admit that they used to practice kissing with their best friends so they'd be ready for when they started dating boys.

* Christine Daaé and Meg Giry in ''Theatre/{{The Phantom of the Opera}}''. Some claim for a LesYay in the movie and in the sequel ''Theatre/{{Love Never Dies}}''... until all hell breaks loose in the latter.

* ''Project Justice'', the sequel to ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'', drops hints of this in the Seijyun High ending, showing Akira and Yurika to be ''very'' happy to finally see each other again.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'' has Florina with either Ninian, Nino, or Serra, but ''especially'' Lyn, despite her being slightly older than usual subjects of this trope (in the English version, anyway), and Rebecca and Nino.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones'' has Amelia and Neimi, and Eirika with Tana or L'Arachel.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' has Princess Lissa and her best friend Maribelle, plus Noire and Severa [[spoiler:from the second generation]]. The first one is even lampshaded by Old Hubba: "Now ''that'' is a girl-girl friendship".

* Jennifer and [[spoiler:Wendy]] in the backstory of ''VideoGame/RuleOfRose''. The only thing that keeps it from entering into SchoolgirlLesbians territory is the fact that they're maybe ten years old at this point, and despite of the game's reputation it keeps things tasteful in this respect.
** [[EvilGenius Meg]] seems to desire something similar with [[AlphaBitch Diana]], even going so far as to write her a love letter, but Diana is repulsed by Meg's clinginess and takes advantage of her feelings while mocking them behind her back.

* In a game otherwise full of official lesbian couples and open homosexual attraction, Mio and Nanami of ''VideoGame/OmegaLabyrinthLife'' are the only ones in the main group who could possibly just be extremely close, but still platonic friends. Complicating factors include Mio's AmbiguousDisorder and eccentric love of flowers, and Nanami's being a rich, refined, and controlled heiress of a very old, very powerful conglomerate.

* ''Solfège: Sweet Harmony'' is an odd VisualNovel[=/=]RhythmGame hybrid which pretty much exemplifies this trope.

* Jaehee has a full route in ''VisualNovel/MysticMessenger'', but the game never confirms her and the protagonist as a couple. She does have some suggestive comments about her feelings that suggest she might confess down the line, though.

* ''WebAnimation/TheMostPopularGirlsInSchool'':
** Trisha Cappelletti and [[NamesTheSame Trisha]] 2's [[BirdsOfAFeather friendship]]. And it grows at an ''exponential'' rate in Season 5!
** [[VitriolicBestBuds Brittnay Matthews and Mackenzie Zales]], and [[ButtMonkey Rachel Tice and Judith Dinsmore]]; those pairs are ''[[SpeakInUnison very]] [[FinishingEachOthersSentences much]]'' in synch with each other.

* ''Webcomic/{{Monsterful}}'' has Topaz Gem and Samantha Thing, two 19 years old Monsters that show shades and signs of it, like this page, this one and [[http://www.monsterful.com/chapter16page23.php this other one as examples.]], but it's stated that they're just very good and close friends.
** Topaz Succubi-like personality often pumps this up to LesYay moments like in [[http://www.monsterful.com/chapter16page03.php this page]] or in this [[http://www.monsterful.com/chapter16page23.php other one.]](at the bottom).

* In ''Webcomic/RedString'', Fuuko finds love after she moves to Toyko, Hanae. When Hanae's mother discovers their relationship she [[http://www.redstring.strawberrycomics.com/?p=1025 chastises them]] telling that they need to grow out of it because it "Won't get them anywhere" (i.e. won't get them married) clearly disregarding their love as a "Class S" relationship.
* [[Webcomic/DrowTales Kiel'ndia and Naal'suul.]] [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=6783 Enough said.]]
** Ariel and Faen also have this when younger, though after the timeskip [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=8416 Faen at least would like to put more emphasis on the "romance" part]], and Ariel's feelings on the matter aren't yet known.
* Bubbles and Jenny seem to have established one of these in ''Webcomic/PowerpuffGirlsDoujinshi'' almost at first sight.
* Monique and Absinthe have gradually gone into this territory in ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}''.
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', this is apparently Nanase's mother's view of Nanase's relationship with Ellen.

* With a slight stretch, [[FunPersonified Tabitha/"Boom Boom"]] and [[ShrinkingViolet Amara/"Magma"]] can be seen as enacting this trope in ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution''.
** It ''looked'' for a second that Rogue and [[UncannyValleyGirl Risty Wilde]] were good candidates for this trope, but it took a turn for the {{Squick}} when it was revealed that [[spoiler:Risty was [[MasterOfDisguise Mystique]] in disguise, planning to use her and the X-Men for her own plans... and Rogue's mother.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/CraigOfTheCreek'' has the Witches of the Creek, are high schoolers, soon to be in college, and exit the creek while holding hands in their debut episode.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has a RareMaleExample: [[OnlySaneMan Stan]] and [[TheSmartGuy Kyle]]. Especially in "Super Best Friends." Lampshaded by Cartman.
** [[NervousWreck Tweek]] and [[DeadpanSnarker Craig]] could be seen as a complicated example of this as well, depending on [[BrokenBase whether or not]] you think they're "really" dating/gay.
* Lisa and Juliet in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode, ''Lisa The Drama Queen'' as a parody of ''Film/HeavenlyCreatures''.
* [[HeterosexualLifePartner Katie and Sadie]] from ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' are "romantic" this way to SickeninglySweethearts levels.

* Marcie "Hotdog Water" Fleach from ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'' seems to have developed one with Velma come Season 2. It's even invoked in the altered opening credits (for the US episodes) wherein she temporarily replaces Daphne and hugs a picture of Velma in the same way Daphne hugged a picture of Fred.

* There used to be a picture of ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'' up there on the page (with Nikki and Caitlin hugging and smiling), exemplifying this trope.

* This is somewhat similar to the "[=LUG=]," or "Lesbian Until Graduation" phenomenon common to American universities, particularly all-female liberal-arts schools. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin As the name suggests]], the graduate moves on to more permanent, heterosexual relationships afterwards. The reaction to [=LUG=]s in the "real" lesbian community varies; some see the phenomenon as stated and treat it with anything from amused tolerance to outright hostility, while others view it as being a natural expression of bi- or other fluid sexualites. There have also been instances of males doing the same thing. So the whole "GUG" Gay (male) Until Graduation is a thing that has happened as well, that also causes hostility in the the gay community among gay males of course.
* Much closer to the Japanese model, this sort of thing ''does'' go on in at least some single-sex schools in the US. Girls develop very close -- even obsessive -- friendships, hug and kiss each other, and so on -- without anyone assuming that it means they're actually lesbians, but instead "just a phase" that they're likely to "grow out of". This isn't unheard of in mixed sex schools, either. Friendships between little girls can be very intense.
* Oprah Winfrey's long-time friendship with best friend Gayle King prompting her to humorously declare to Barbara Walters "I am not lesbian, I am not even kinda lesbian."
* Music/DemiLovato and Music/SelenaGomez. They were really affectionate with each other, then broke it up for a while, and later they rekindled their friendship.

* Curiously missing from the 2009 film Film/WhipIt is the concept of "derby wives." The common definition of "derby wife" is, "the woman in the league you call to bail you out of jail, even if it was her that got you sent there in the first place."

* Over the 2008-2009 period especially, Music/MileyCyrus and her best friend, backup dancer (at the time) Mandy Jiroux [[WebVideo/TheMileyAndMandyShow could be considered one]]. Miley's friendship with Music/DemiLovato, to a lesser extent, as well.

* UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romantic_friendship#Abraham_Lincoln_and_Joshua_Speed Joshua Speed]].

* Subverted with Galinda and Elphaba from ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}''. In the context of the show they clearly count, as they're only explicitly described as friends and they're extremely close, however it's also been confirmed that their relationship was written with a lot of romantic implications and [[WordOfDante several members of the original cast]] believe them to be in love. The [[Literature/{{Wicked}} original book]] also confirmed Glinda loved Elphaba, but leave Elphaba's feelings more ambiguous.

In the Western world, this was far more common up until the late 1800s, and applied to both men and women, even into adulthood.[[labelnote:Note]]However, it's difficult to know how much of this is due to erasure of historical homosexuality at the time and by later historians and commentators. For example, Chopin was very notably gay, but his writings that most clearly indicated this were subject to editing by people who didn't want to "tarnish his reputation."[[/labelnote]] It was referred to as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romantic_friendship "romantic friendship."]] This practice waned at the turn of the 20th century as adults, particularly men, [[MistakenForGay did not want to be mistaken as homosexual]].[[labelnote: Note]] Moving into the 21st century, it has made a resurgence with "bromance" being an encouraged social norm.[[/labelnote]] Generally, it still only occurs between young girls, where it is more socially acceptable and not indicative of sexual orientation.

In Japan, this is known as "Class S" and is far more common than in the West. [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Due to the influence of Western female literature]],[[labelnote:Note]]''Literature/ALittlePrincess'', ''Literature/LittleWomen'', ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables''... there's a lot![[/labelnote]] the Japanese developed a belief that young girls are expected to have friendships with each other that emulate boyfriend–girlfriend relationships. This is considered a wonderful but [[HideYourLesbians temporary]] part of adolescence, which they can later [[ValuesDissonance "graduate" from to "real" relationships with boys]]. To remain in a "Class S" relationship past middle school is seen as a sign of immaturity, although it is expected that these friendships will continue into adulthood without the romantic elements. The possibility of one or more of the girls involved in a "Class S" relationship being truly invested in the other romantically is usually ignored.

* The film ''Film/HeavenlyCreatures'' (based on a true story) has what appears to be this that becomes a lesbian relationship between the two mid-teen girls. The actresses say that they were told to play it as [[http://www.adamabrams.com/hc/faq2/Section_3/3.1.11.2.html devoted friends]] who were sexually naive and roleplayed heterosexual fantasies. Creator/AnnePerry claims that they weren't even all that close and it was all played up for the film. Hilary Nathan won't speak to the press, but [[https://www.flickr.com/photos/29018755@N04/sets/72157622146971428/ appears to feel differently about the relationship]].

* ''WesternAnimation/CraigOfTheCreek'' has the Witches of the Creek, are high schoolers, soon to go to college, have exit the creek while holding hands in their debut episode.

** Runo and Alice are quite close, even closer then they are with their love interests ([[spoiler:[[IdiotHero Dan]] ([[OfficialCouple official]]) and [[TheLancer Shun]] ([[ShipTease prominently hinted]])]], whose relationship are borders on HeterosexualLifePartners respectively)

In the Western world, this was far more common up until the late 1800s, and applied to both men and women, even into adulthood.[[labelnote:Note]]However, it's difficult to know how much of this is due to erasure of historical homosexuality at the time and by later historians and commentators. For example, Chopin was very notably gay, but his writings that most clearly indicated this were subject to editing by people who didn't want to "tarnish his reputation."[[/labelnote]] It was referred to as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romantic_friendship "romantic friendship,"]] This practice waned at the turn of the 20th century as adults, particularly men, [[MistakenForGay did not want to be mistaken as homosexual]].[[labelnote: Note]] Moving into the 21st century, it has made a resurgence with "bromance" being an encouraged social norm.[[/labelnote]] Generally, it still only occurs between young girls, where it is more socially acceptable and not indicative of sexual orientation.

In the Western world, this was far more common up until the late 1800s, and applied to both men and women, even into adulthood.[[labelnote:Note]]However, it's difficult to know how much of this is due to erasure of historical homosexuality at the time and by later historians and commentators. For example, Chopin was very notably gay, but his writings that most clearly indicated this were subject to editing by people who didn't want to "tarnish his reputation."[[/labelnote]] It was referred to as "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romantic_friendship romantic friendship]]." This practice waned at the turn of the 20th century as adults, particularly men, [[MistakenForGay did not want to be mistaken as homosexual]].[[labelnote: Note]] Moving into the 21st century, it has made a resurgence with "bromance" being an encouraged social norm.[[/labelnote]] Generally, it still only occurs between young girls, where it is more socially acceptable and not indicative of sexual orientation.

* ''Film/JennifersBody'' is a {{Deconstruction}}. Jennifer and Needy have a CoolKidAndLoserFriendship but after Jennifer gets possessed by a man-eating succubus, her affection for Needy morphs into homicidal possessiveness and Needy is forced to kill her to prevent her from causing more deaths.

* Ju Ran and Yeon Deok from the 2015 Korean movie ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silenced The Silenced]]'' definitely count.

** It's ''very'' heavily implied that Miku feels a bit more strongly than RTGF for Hibiki, and almost outright stated in ''G'' when [[spoiler:her song while wielding the Shenshou Jing is all about how her possessive love for Hibiki.]] It's taken even further in ''XV'', where it's implied that Hibiki's feelings also skew more to the "romantic" as opposed to the "friendship" side of things. Particularly telling is [[spoiler:the final scene, which resolves their relationship with a MaybeEverAfter, where they both admit, while blushing, to having [[LoveConfession something they've wanted to say]] to the other for a while]].

* Kimber and Stormer from ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'' develop this type of relationship in the episode "The Bands Break Up", though it's [[StatusQuoIsGod inexplicably missing]] in future episodes. The only thing stopping them from seeming like a couple is them both saying it's "friendship" several times. They seem to live together for a while, hold hands on the beach, and act very buddy-buddy. The [[ComicBook/JemAndTheHolograms IDW comic]] made thirty years later outright makes Stormer and Kimber an OfficialCouple.