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6[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/Thor2020 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thorki_trust.png]]]]
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8->'''Scully:''' Mulder, you're the only one I trust.\
9'''Mulder:''' Then you're gonna have to trust me.
10-->-- ''Series/TheXFiles'', "[[Recap/TheXFilesS01E17EBE E.B.E.]]"
11
12Alice is in a difficult situation: perhaps she's chased by the cops, or maybe she has a secret she cannot let out. She thinks she's completely alone against the world, but wait. Bob is there, and he's the only one Alice can rely on.
13
14Discovering that there is only one trustworthy person remaining is a difficult moment. This is typically exploited to emphasize the sense of danger. That, and to build suspense around just whether that trust will be justified.
15
16If the trust is justified, then it's probably directed to the SecretKeeper, TheConsigliere, TheLancer (or TheDragon) or the OnlySaneMan. When the person you thought you can trust betrays you, it slips into EtTuBrute. See also ThePowerOfTrust.
17
18'''Warning:''' Spoilers abound.
19
20----
21!!Examples
22
23[[foldercontrol]]
24
25[[folder:Anime And Manga]]
26* ''Manga/NabariNoOu'':
27** Yoite and Miharu have no one else to turn to but each other after betraying Kairoushuu.
28---> '''Yoite''': I can only rely on Miharu.
29** Same with Raikou and Gau, to the point that the two camp out in total isolation for ''two months'' after running away before accidentally being discovered by Raimei. If she hadn't found them, there's no telling how long they would have stayed there.
30* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', Roy Mustang's hand-picked team of five soldiers, plus his best friend, are the only ones whom he trusts to overtly aid him in his goal to eventually become the leader of the nation. But it's only his oldest friend Riza Hawkeye who has implicitly been entrusted with the task of both watching his back and ''shooting him'' if he ever strays off of the righteous path. She's his [[BodyguardingABadass bodyguard]] and also his [[TheConscience conscience]].
31[[/folder]]
32
33[[folder:Fan Works]]
34* ''Fanfic/Ben10Unlimited'': Considering what happened to him in his old universe after his secret identity was exposed, Ben is much more careful with his identity in the DCAU. For a long time, the only people he trusts with his identity are the founding members of the Justice League, the Kents, and the Bat family. For most of the fic, he goes to the Watch Tower as one of his alien forms (often using Diamondhead or Four-arms). He only reveals his identity to the rest of the Justice League once he knows for certain they're trustworthy.
35* In ''Fanfic/TheDragonAndTheButterfly'', Gobber is the only one in Stoick's party Hiccup is willing to listen to, as he was the only person from Berk who gave him protection and support. After spending time with him and Mirabel, Gobber is also the only one who wants to respect Hiccup's wishes (seeing that he's happier and healthier there than he ever was on Berk). Stoick and Astrid stubbornly remain committed to bringing him back.
36* ''Fanfic/IfWishesWerePonies'': Due to his troubled past with the [[AbusiveParents Dursleys]] (and the fact that, despite the obvious abuse, [[AdultsAreUseless no one did anything to stop it]]), Harry has a distrust/fear of adults when he first arrives in Equestria. After a lot of time and love from the Mane 6 (especially Twilight) and the CMC, this attitude changes so that he is willing to trust human and pony children, but only pony adults. When he returns to Earth (and the Wizarding World), it becomes clear that adults [[AbandonmentInducedAnimosity have to earn his trust]] (with the exception of [[AnimalLover Hagrid]], who he trusts almost instantly).
37* ''Fanfic/TheLastSeidr'': Hulk doesn't exactly trust or like anyone...except for Fawkes and Harry. Fawkes (being a magical phoenix) is able to calm down the Hulk better than anyone/anything else, while Harry is more or less Fawkes' owner until they find a way home. Hence, the giant is ''way'' more tolerant of those two than nearly everyone else. The fact that Banner also likes them certainly helps.
38* ''Fanfic/LightingCandles'': [[spoiler:The last chapters of the fic reveal that Tadashi, now a kitsune, has a ''hoshi no tama'' in the form of Baymax's personality chip, and that Tadashi is the Guardian of Trust. He shows how much he trusts Hiro when he continues to let the ''hoshi no tama'' stay with him, showing that his love for Hiro is so powerful that he trusts his little brother ''with his soul''.]]
39* ''Fanfic/PropertyOf'': [[spoiler:Shortly after arriving on Cybertron, Miles is sold as a pet. The mech who purchases him abuses him and eventually throws him out, leading to him spending several days hiding from Cybertronians, evading capture and struggling to get food and water. He's eventually captured by Prowl. Unlike his previous "owner", Prowl doesn't hurt him and treats him well, eventually deciding to keep him. Because he was the first Cybertronian to treat him decently, Prowl is the only Cybertronian Miles is fully willing to trust.]]
40* ''Fanfic/RidingASunset'': Despite wanting a good relationship with the humans, it quickly becomes clear that there are only a few humans that the Autobots totally trust (namely Charlie, her family, Agent Burns (and, by extension, Simmons), Agent Fowler, Memo, and Chip). Of those humans, Charlie is the one they trust the most (as she was the first human to befriend the Autobots and saved Bumblebee's life). She [[ActionGirl quickly proves]] that she's earned that trust.
41* ''Fanfic/SpiderNinja'':
42** As usual, April O'Neil is the only human that the Hamato family trusts completely, with Petra at one point saying she's the closest thing she and the Turtles have to a mother.
43** After his family partners with SHIELD, Splinter makes it clear that he doesn't trust the organization as a whole (believing that not everyone employed there is trustworthy). He does, however, trust Fury and Coulson, as they respect his wishes to keep the family a secret from most of the agency and don't seek out the family's home (only being told that it's under the city).
44** Doctor Connors quickly becomes a friend of the Hamato siblings after they join SHIELD, becoming close with Donatello and Petra and helping Donnie treat the siblings when they're injured in a fight. [[spoiler:Which is why it hurts them so much when Connors [[OrganTheft steals a blood sample from Raphael]] and uses it to make the Lizard formula]]. [[EtTuBrute This betrayal rightfully shocks and angers the Hamatos.]]
45[[/folder]]
46
47[[folder:Film]]
48* [[Creator/PeterLorre Ugarte]]: "You know, [[Creator/HumphreyBogart Rick]], I have many a friend in Film/{{Casablanca}}, but somehow, just because you despise me, you are the only one I trust."
49* In ''Film/District13Ultimatum'', when Damien discovers he's been framed for drug dealing by the police department he works for, he promptly grabs a phone and calls Leito for help.
50* In ''Film/AFaceInTheCrowd'', Lonesome Rhodes makes it clear over and over again that Marcia is the only person whom he really trusts. Her ultimate betrayal utterly breaks him.
51* In ''Film/TheHatefulEight'', at one point Major Warren ends up holding the rest of the bar at bay with his pistols when bounty hunter John Ruth has just drunk poisoned coffee and died a violent death. The only other person Warren trusts in the bar is Chris Mannix because while Mannix has established himself as a racist and Warren doubts his claim to be a new sheriff, Mannix almost drank the same poisoned coffee that killed Ruth, which he would hardly have done just to establish his credentials.
52* In ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'', Shoshanna (understandably) trusts no one at all, except her boyfriend Marcel.
53* A darker than usual example occurs in ''Film/ReservoirDogs'', in which Mr. Pink declares that Mr. Blonde is the only one of the bank robbers he trusts absolutely not to be an undercover police officer... because Mr. Blonde has already demonstrated himself to be a vicious sociopath willing to murder innocent people for no reason whatsoever.
54-->'''Mr. Pink:''' He's too fuckin' homicidal to be working with the cops.
55* In ''Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves'', Maid Marian only trusts her lady-in-waiting Sarah to personally deliver her warning message to King Richard. [[spoiler:Her trust in Sarah is not misplaced; unfortunately, her trust in the priest whose guard is accompanying Sarah is.]]
56* In ''Film/ShutterIsland'', Teddy Daniels describes and treats his partner, Chuck Aule, as this, despite the two apparently meeting for the first time on the ferry to the island. It becomes even more poignant after [[spoiler: you realize that "Chuck" is actually his longtime psychiatrist]].
57* "Help me, Obi-Wan. You're my only hope." Princess Leia's message to Obi-Wan Kenobi, sent via R2-D2 in ''Franchise/StarWars'' ''Episode IV: Film/ANewHope''.
58* In ''Film/Ultraviolet2006'', Garth is the only person Violet can trust, as she's got nowhere else left to go.
59* "You're my only hope," says Roger Rabbit to Eddie Valiant in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''.
60[[/folder]]
61
62[[folder:Literature]]
63* In the ''Literature/{{Hurog}}'' series, there is Oreg, who is a sort of GeniusLoci of castle Hurog, and also magically bound to serve the owner of the castle. It can be assumed that, at times, he was the only one the very paranoid heads of the family trusted, as at least one of them used KlingonPromotion and feared his own offspring would off him. Eventually, he becomes the only person still living in the castle who knows that protagonist Ward is not as stupid as he pretends to be.
64* Typical in the PonyTale genre is that the heroine is The Only One The Horse Can Trust.
65* Subverted in ''Literature/ArtemisFowl and the Opal Deception'', when Artemis tells Holly that he'll only be able to break through the mind-wipe by hearing of fairies and the like from the one person he can trust. That person is ''himself''. Luckily, he prepared a recording at the [[SequelHook end of the previous book]].
66* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', this is why Jon Arryn and Ned Stark were chosen to be Hands of the King Robert Baratheon, who was surrounded by a DecadentCourt.
67* Dumbledore in ''Literature/HarryPotter'' doesn't trust ''anybody'' with the whole truth except Harry - and even then, it takes an immensely torturous YouAreNotReady rigmarole to get there.
68** Turns out there IS one person he trusts as much as Harry in [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows book 7]]: [[spoiler:Severus Snape, as revealed after his death]].
69* In the first ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' novel, Lessa says this about the watch-wher (a sort of deformed dragon used like a watchdog) of Ruatha Hold; during the murder of her parents and brothers many years earlier, it had sheltered and protected her in its nest, and since then it had been the only creature in the world who knew her true identity.
70-->'''Lessa:''' It was the only one I could trust. My only friend.
71* Invoked during the final installment of ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain'', when Prince Gwydion tells Taran that he alone will share in the spoils of their plunder at Arawn's fortress: "I trust no other." [[spoiler:It's not Gwydion - it's Arawn, using his VoluntaryShapeshifting powers, trying to trick Taran. Fortunately, Taran catches on fast.]]
72* ''{{Literature/Night}}'' has a darker example: the only person the Jews can trust is Hitler. He's the only one who always keeps his promises to them.
73* In ''Literature/PhantomsReckoning 2'', Kaori finds herself saying this to Yuki at least once. While they're also friends with Shoji, Tatsuya, and Makoto, who make up the rest of the FiveManBand, Yuki is clearly the closest to Kaori, and they are shown to have empathy for each other.
74* Literature/CiaphasCain (HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!) states repeatedly in his memoirs that the only person he trusts and believes he can trust is his aide Jurgen.
75* During the time known as the Great Hiatus, when Literature/SherlockHolmes was believed dead, he entrusted the truth of his continued existence to only one person in the whole world: his brother, Mycroft. As he later apologetically explains to Watson, he knew that his enemies would be watching the good doctor. If they thought for five seconds that Watson knew Holmes was alive, they'd never stop hunting him and would quite possibly put Watson in danger to lure Holmes out of hiding as well. For both of their sakes, Watson's grief had to be genuine. Mycroft, on the other hand, was well known for being aloof and unemotional, and could play the part much more easily. (Holmes also acknowledges that he needed his brother to send him money.)
76[[/folder]]
77
78[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
79* Played straight and subverted numerous times in ''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]]'':
80** In an early episode of the fourth season, Jack and Audrey Raines are caught in a building surrounded by Marwan Habib's thugs, who have already murdered all the staff in the offices. Jack pulls out a phone and tells Audrey that he's calling "the only person I can trust"; nine minutes later, Jack and Audrey are saved from certain death when [[spoiler:Tony Almeida]] arrives to rescue them from the building's parking garage.
81** Jack references Chloe being his main (and only) tech support throughout the later seasons (especially when he's hiding out after he fakes his death in season 4), and later comments during the season finale that "I never thought you'd have my back all these years."
82** Whenever Jack says, "You are our only [hope/evidence], I promise you can trust me," the person to whom he says this invariably dies shortly afterward (sometimes in the same episode).
83* Regularly said in ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' between Phil Coulson and Melinda May.
84* ''Series/Babylon5'':
85** Londo has three wives, all of whom were from {{Arranged Marriage}}s and none of whom he likes. When TheEmperor allows him to dissolve two of his marriages, he decides to retain his first wife, who openly insults him, because at least she doesn't ''pretend'' to like him like the other two. (But the audience knows that [[HiddenHeartOfGold she really does care for him deep down]].)
86** When Londo discovers that Emperor Cartagia is insane and has made a deal with the Shadows that will result in the destruction of Centauri Prime, he summons the one person he can honestly call a friend after a lifetime of cutthroat politics to help him take Cartagia down - his aide, Vir.
87* ''Series/DancingOnTheEdge'': When his friends start turning on him after he is framed for murder, [[spoiler: Louis]] goes straight to Stanley. His trust is, thankfully, completely justified.
88* In ''Series/DueSouth'', Ray Kowalski spends an episode accused of murder. Worse, a concussion clouds his memory, leaving him [[WhatHaveIDone doubting his own innocence]]. His partner [[TheCape Fraser]] refuses to doubt him, meaning that when Ray can't even trust ''himself'', there's always Fraser.
89* ''Series/{{Forever|2014}}'': Abe is the only person Henry trusts, to a degree that everyone from Henry's therapist [[spoiler: secretly his immortal stalker, Adam]] to Abraham himself is telling Henry he needs to confide in ''someone'' else. In the final episode, he seems about to tell his long story to Jo.
90* When Series/InspectorLynley's wife Helen is [[spoiler:critically injured in a car accident]], Lynley asks his partner Barbara Havers to stand watch outside her hospital door - and though he takes his anger out on her when she has to, of all things, use the loo, he tells her later that he's terribly sorry, and that she is the only one he trusts to do the job properly.
91* ''Series/LieToMe'': Cal invokes this when one of his oldest friends is being accused of a crime and asks Cal to risk his firm to help him.
92-->'''Cal:''' How many people in the world do you really trust?
93-->'''Ria:''' I don't know, twelve?
94--> ''[beat]''
95-->'''Ria:''' Six.
96-->'''Cal:''' Well, when you get to my age, it'll be three. And when one of them asks for twenty-four hours, you give it to them.
97* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' has literally anyone claiming true love.
98** Regina entrusts Robin with her heart, literally. He promptly loses it. In a weird OOC moment, she immediately forgives him for losing her life source. Mind you, this is the evil queen.
99%%** Completely inverted in season 6 with Rumple and Belle%%How is it inverted?
100* In the first episode of ''Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019'', Five tells Vanya that she's the only one of their dysfunctional family he can trust about his plan to stop the apocalypse since as TheTeamNormal, she'll listen. Becomes ironic in light of how [[spoiler:she winds up being the cause of it]].
101* In the ''Series/WhiteCollar'' episode "Vital Signs", a drugged Neal tells Peter, "You're the only one I trust."
102* ''Series/TheXFiles'': One of the taglines for the show is "[=Trustno1=]". Mulder and Scully make it clear often that they trust each other unfailingly and above everyone else.
103[[/folder]]
104
105[[folder:VideoGames]]
106* Wheatley was always there for Chell in ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}''. [[spoiler: Until his FaceHeelTurn.]]
107* In ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'', Organization XIII member [[GeniusBruiser Lex]][[TheQuietOne aeus]] says this about [[BadassBookworm Zex]][[TeenGenius ion]], as detailed in his secret journal entry in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 Days]]''. The two, through their interactions, would seem to be HeterosexualLifePartners and Lexaeus seems to be loyal enough to Zexion that he could be considered Zexion's [[TheDragon Dragon]] for Riku's portion of ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]]''.
108* In ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur V]]'', we see Pyrrha Alexandria say almost this exact phrase to someone after her recently rediscovered brother Patroklos [[spoiler: threatened her with his sword and fled ''after she saved his life from [[BigBad Nightmare]]''[[note]]Okay, she did mutate into something vaguely monstrous at the beginning of said fight, but it is the principle of the thing[[/note]]. [[ManipulativeBastard Who]] does [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter she]] trust in this time of emotional turmoil? [[OhCrap Tira]].]]
109* In ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault'', Tiz is the only person Agnes completely trusts.
110* ''Franchise/DragonAge'' has a few examples of this.
111** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', depending on player choices, the Warden can become this for Morrigan, who has a FriendlessBackground owing to her childhood in the Wilds (and being raised by an antisocial witch didn't help). This could also be said of Alistair's feeling for the Warden since they are the only one to whom he confides his [[spoiler:secret royal parentage]].
112** After the events of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', Hawke and their LoveInterest go on the run to prevent the Chantry from possibly leading an Exalted March on Kirkwall. In the following game, it's eventually revealed that Hawke's best friend Varric is the only one who knows where they went, as he is the only one Hawke knew could be trusted both to keep the information a secret ''and'' to not try to come and help.
113** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', Leliana has hardened considerably in the ten years since ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', and while she clearly trusts and respects her fellow Inquisition leaders, she has nevertheless developed quite the shell. But if she was befriended (but not romanced) by the Warden during the events of ''Origins'' (and if the Warden is [[spoiler:still alive]]), there is one person in the world in whom she hasn't lost even an ounce of faith.
114--->'''Leliana:''' I consider her/him one of my closest friends. S/he is probably the only person I trust completely.
115* Agent Shade is this for Agent Brown, as far as members of the Mystery Trackers are concerned, as seen in the ''VideoGame/DetectivesUnited'' game ''Phantoms of the Past''. Brown takes off on a secret mission to stop his EvilTwin brother, and tells no one where he's going or why - except Shade. He leaves her with copies of his files and instructs her that, if he doesn't return or make contact within what she considers a reasonable amount of time, she should give the information to his partners, James and Anna, so they can come and find him.
116[[/folder]]
117
118[[folder:Visual Novels]]
119* When he gets to the ski lodge, the protagonist of ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'' makes contact with Lauren, Morgan, Amy, or Rachel - leading up to his choice by saying that he needs to be sure he can trust this girl. Ultimately, he has to choose to end the story either with this girl, or Johanna and Tamara.
120[[/folder]]
121
122[[folder:Webcomics]]
123* When describing Ira in ''Webcomic/TheLettersOfTheDevil'', Cedric says, "There's nobody I trust like him."
124* ''Webcomic/IDontWantThisKindOfHero'': Implicitly the basis of Haze and Raptor's relationship, as despite being a stranger, he was her ''(genuine)'' support when she realized that Baek Morae, on the other hand, was the furthest thing from trustworthy and [[spoiler: was trying to make himself this for her.]]
125[[/folder]]
126
127[[folder:Western Animation]]
128* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': Precious few people outside the Bat family (Batman himself, Alfred, Dick Grayson, later Barbara Gordon and Tim Drake) know about Batman's SecretIdentity as Bruce Wayne. One of them is Doctor Leslie Thompkins, a doctor and the owner of a homeless shelter in Crime Alley. She was there when Bruce's parents were killed, comforting him after the tragedy and following his exploits for years after. As such, she was either told or figured out for herself that Bruce is Batman. She offers help whenever she can (usually providing medical treatment if Bruce can't get back to the Batcave), and will share stories of his parents on occasion (as Thomas Wayne was her friend back in med school).
129* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' offers a subversion: in the episode with the Franchise/{{Green Lantern}}s and Despero, the entire corps is missing and Despero has {{Mind Control}}led Mogo the Living Planet into helping him take over the Earth. Batman is "helped" by three free Lanterns: Guy Gardner, who [[HairTriggerTemper has a huge chip on his shoulder]]; G'nort, who is TheLoad and [[TooDumbToLive (almost) too dumb]] to remember [[ByThePowerOfGrayskull the Green Lantern oath]]; and Sinestro, who is ''utterly'' dependable. So much so that Batman tells him outright... [[spoiler: right before he decides that killing Mogo is the only way to make sure to stop Despero.]]
130* In the first episode of ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', the journal Dipper finds has an entry that says, "Remember, in [[TownWithADarkSecret Gravity Falls]], there's no one you can trust." By the end of the episode, he realizes that there ''is'' someone he can trust: his twin sister, Mabel.
131-->"...But when you battle a hundred gnomes side-by-side with someone, you realize that they've probably always got your back."
132** By the end of the season, they decide they can also trust Grunkle Stan enough to tell him about the journal. [[spoiler:He immediately takes it to join the two others he's collected.]]
133** In "Not What He Seems", [[spoiler: both Stan and Mabel have betrayed Dipper's trust in them - Stan when the twins learn that he may not even be their Great-Uncle and that he's been hiding crucial information from them of possibly apocalyptic proportions, and Mabel when she chooses to trust Stan's judgement over Dipper's in the matter of letting the portal under the Mystery Shack reach its fully active state.]]
134*** [[spoiler:In the following episode, "A Tale of Two Stans", Stan regains Dipper's trust after the boy learns that his entire motivation in opening the portal was rescuing his own twin brother, Ford. While Mabel possibly regains Dipper's trust as well, their relationship as siblings becomes slightly more distant.]]
135* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In "Play It Again, Brian", Peter says to Lois that Brian is the only one he can trust. Lois immediately tells Peter that [[spoiler: Brian tried to have sex with her the previous night]].
136* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': In episode four, season three of the tie-in podcast, Tooey admits he trusts Molly by letting her take his place in the Arctic Wolf Relay Race, even if he'd been training for a long time. She's also the only one he trusts to take on this role.
137* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'': In the second season, Captain Stacy begins dropping hints to Spider-Man that he knows that he's Peter Parker, but that he's willing to keep his identity a secret. As a result, he becomes the only authority figure that Spider-Man fully trusts (even coming to him to vent when Tombstone made bail), despite the series (due to someone [[CoughSnarkCough *cough* Disney *cough*]] [[ScrewedByLawyers refusing to continue it]]) ending before it was revealed whether Stacy ''actually'' knew that Peter was Spider-Man.
138* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'': Other than Ma and Pa Kent, one of the only people trusted with the knowledge that Clark Kent is Superman is Lana Lang, Clark's childhood best friend. She was one of the first people he told about his powers, and helped him out of situations where his identity could be compromised (such as helping him come up with a good cover story when people thought that Clark Kent was dead).
139* ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'': Every incarnation of the Turtles has them hiding from the rest of the world for most of their lives. April is almost always the first human they meet, and she quickly becomes the only person from the surface that they trust. The same goes for Casey Jones, as he usually becomes Raph's [[VitriolicBestBuds best]] [[BashBrothers friend]] and an ally to the Turtles.
140* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'': Outside of a few people in the American government, the Autobots don't trust any humans besides Jack, Miko, Rafael, and (eventually) Nurse Darby.
141[[/folder]]
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