History Main / InconvenientAttraction

** In "Intervention", Spike makes a love confession to Buffy while making it clear he knows just how SickAndWrong the whole thing is.
-->'''Spike:''' You think I like having you in here? Destroying everything that was me, until all that's left is you, in a dead shell. ''[scoffs]'' You say you hate it, but you won't leave.

-->-- ''{{Film/Holiday}}''

* In ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'', Yue tries to support her BestFriend Nodoka and her feelings for Negi, but her own [[MatchmakerCrush developing feelings for him]] eventually get discovered and she freaks out about it. When conversing with another friend about it, she uses words like "scum" and "the worst" to describe herself because she feels that she's betraying her best friend. She's assured that there's nothing wrong with the way she feels and is encouraged to pursue Negi herself.

* In ''Comicbook/ElfQuest'', Ember and Teir experience recognition (their race's MateOrDie biological imperative) in the middle of a desperate battle with humans. Recognition is normally cause for joy and celebration, but is ''extremely'' problematic at that particular moment, and keeps making things worse when Ember gets captured and Teir has to be prevented from suicidally charging after her. Even once they rescue her, Ember's not ready to become a mother and has the magic-users "turn off" their recognition for the time being.

[[folder:FanFiction]]

* In ''Theatre/{{Camelot}}'' (as in other versions of the [[Myth/KingArthur Arthurian Legends]]) Guinevere (Arthur's wife) and Lancelot (Arthur's best knight) are distressed to find themselves in love with each other. Since they both love Arthur, they are tormented by their feelings of desire and guilt.

* In Literature/OnHumanBondage, Philip Carey becomes obsessed with a waitress named Mildred. His love for her is completely irrational, since she's selfish, shallow, cruel, not praticularly attractive, and doesn't love him back. Their relationship brings him nothing but misery. Philip is perfectly aware of Mildred's faults and desperately wishes he could get rid of his feelings for her.

* In ''Manga/KoiKaze'', Koshiro has an epic freak-out when he discovers that the girl he just met - and fell in love with basically at first sight - is actually his [[SurpriseIncest younger sister]]. He spends most of the series trying to resist his feelings.

* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'': Ego the Living Planet had many lovers, but the only one he had genuine feelings for was Peter's mother Meredith. So much so that he nearly abandoned all of his plans just to stay with her. [[spoiler:So he put a tumor in her head to remove the temptation.]]

Tends to affect characters who know that LoveHurts. One specific SubTrope is SexIsEvilAndIAmHorny, which is for characters who are anti-sex and therefore feel disgusted by their own sexual feelings. StupidSexyFriend can be a cause of this, while {{Tsundere}} can be a result. If it leads to a breakup between the subject and their partner, expect them to explain that ItsNotYouItsMe.

Contrast InLoveWithLove.

* In ''Manga/KoiKaze'', Koshiro has an epic freak-out when he discovers that the girl he just met - and fell in love with basically at first sight - is actually his [[SurpriseIncest younger sister]]. He spends most of the series trying to resist his feelings.
* In ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' Yue tries to support her best friend Nodoka and her feelings for Negi, but her own [[MatchmakerCrush developing feelings for him]] eventually get discovered and she freaks out about it. When conversing with another friend about it, she uses words like "scum" and "the worst" to describe herself because she feels that she's betraying her best friend. She's assured that there's nothing wrong with the way she feels and is encouraged to pursue Negi herself.

* ''Film/TheLadyEve'': Con-woman Jean was ''very'' upset when she realized she had fallen in love with Charles, the naive scientist she had been conning.

* In ''[[Literature/HonorHarrington Echoes of Honor]]'', Javier Giscard mentally admits that he sometimes wonders if falling in love with his [[PoliticalOfficer People's Commissioner]], Eloise Pritchart, wasn't more of a curse than a blessing. Given that anyone at all getting so much as a ''whiff'' of their [[SecretRelationship true relationship]] would have resulted in both his and Eloise's summary execution ''at best'', he's justified in feeling this way... but they love each other so deeply, they consider it worth the risk anyway. [[spoiler:Their relationship ultimately helps restore their country to its true, best self for the first time in over two hundred years, so....]]
* In ''Blood Rites'', [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]] realizes he's actually insanely jealous during the Black Court raid that Kincaid is taking off Murphy's pants and that there might be some attraction between the two, and it's basically a combination of an OhCrap moment and a GreenEyedEpiphany as well as this trope. It's the first time he consciously realizes he has romantic feelings for her, even though people in his life have told him there's something between them, and so has ''his own damn subconscious.''

* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': The first season has Mary-Margaret Blanchard and David Nolan (the cursed identities of Snow White and Prince Charming) falling for each other. The problem is David is married so the two of them know they can't have a relationship and don't even want to feel this way, but they continue to be drawn to each other for reasons neither of them understands. This inevitably leads to [[LoveTriangle complications, heartache]], [[spoiler: and when a human heart is discovered after David's wife vanishes, Mary-Margaret winds up being accused of murder]].

* Half-way through ''{{Film/Holiday}}'', Linda realises she has fallen in love with her sister's fiancé. Being a good sister, she refuses to do anything to disrupt the relationship, but she still struggles with her own feelings.

* Batman's reaction to realizing there is UnresolvedSexualTension between himself and Wonder Woman in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' is complete and utter annoyance. She even needles him about it in "This Little Piggy" and he unsuccessfully tries to shoot down the idea with (mostly) rational reasoning.

* ''Film/Wishmaster4TheProphecyFulfilled'': The Djinn finds his hands tied when the woman who freed him wishes "I wish I could love you for who you really are" while he's in disguise. As a demon with little understanding of real love, he finds himself actually falling for her in his efforts to woo her.

* ''Film/Wishmaster4TheProphecyFulfilled'': The Djinn finds his hands tied when the woman who freed him wishes "I wish I could love you for who you really are" while he's in disguise. As a demon with little understanding of real love, he finds himself actually falling for her.

* Played with in ''Manga/OnePiece'': One strange trait that is found in all rulers of the [[LadyLand Kuja Tribe]] is that, when they fall in love, [[LoveHurts it literally hurts them]] to the point of making them sick and eventually killing them. When the current ruler, Boa Hancock, starts feeling love for the main character Luffy, she gets sick and feared that it'll kill her. Elder Nyon, a former ruler and Hancock's mother figure of sorts, says that said previous rulers got sick and died because they vehemently tried to deny their feelings; the only way to survive it is to accept that you're in love with someone, just like Nyon did. So Hancock becomes more open to Luffy about her feelings (although he doesn't reciprocate) and she ends up being well.

* In ''Comicbook/ElfQuest'', Ember and Teir experience recognition (their race's MateOrDie biological imperative) in the middle of a desperate battle with humans. Recognition is normally cause for joy and celebration, but is ''extremely'' problematic at that particular moment, and keeps making things worse when Ember gets captured and Teir has to be prevented from suicidally charging after her. Even once they rescue her, Ember's not ready to become a mother, and has the magic-users "turn off" their recognition for the time being.

* The oneshot ''Fanfic/SoTheTrauma'' starts with Kim noticing her attraction to her main nemesis Shego during a fight. Shego notices it too and ends up using Kim's sexuality against her when she tweaks Drakken's plans so that his [[TheMole robotic Mole]] is a teenage girl.

* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': The first season has Mary-Margaret Blanchard and David Nolan (the cursed identities of Snow White and Prince Charming) falling for each other. The problem is David is married so the two of them know they can't have a relationship and don't even want to feel this way, but they continue to be drawn to each other for reasons neither of them understand. This inevitably leads to [[LoveTriangle complications, heartache]], [[spoiler: and when a human heart is discovered after David's wife vanishes, Mary-Margaret winds up being accused of murder]].

** Sonya and Yuki, who like to think of themselves as arch-enemies, unfortunately find that they also share an irresistible sexual attraction. It's very annoying for both of them. Eventually, they manage to burn it out.
** Simultaneously, Sonya has what she at least thinks is a more romantic attachment to Zii. At first, Zii mostly tries to keep Sonya at arms' length, turning her into a StalkerWithACrush, but eventually they get closer for a while, then have a bad break-up. This leaves Sonya violently angry with Zii, to the point of seeking revenge, but she also finds it impossible to forget the attraction. The problem is solved when Sonya encounters international spy Bianca. The fact is, what Sonya really loves is ''excitement'', and while she associates Zii with the excitement of their early encounters, Bianca's lifestyle actually involves repeated physical danger, which really turns Sonya on.

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E9TheLastTemptationOfHomer The Last Temptation of Homer]]" from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' revolving around Homer falling in love with an attractive co-worker named Mindy Simmons, much to his chagrin. It is heavily implied that Mindy doesn't want to be attracted to Homer either. In the end, Homer ultimately chooses to stay faithful to Marge, which Mindy accepts--she leaves after sharing a kiss with Homer, and Marge later shows up to share a romantic evening with Homer.

Sometimes people fall in love (or other, more superficial forms of attraction) and ''hate'' it. Not just the circumstances that prevent them from acting on their love, or the disappointment that inevitably results, but the feeling of love itself. For these people, the LoveEpiphany is a ThisIsGoingToSuck moment, and they wish with all their hearts they could fall ''out'' of love.

[[folder:{{Film}}]]

* In ''Blood Rites'', [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]] realizes he's actually insanely jealous during the Black Court raid that Kincaid is taking off Murphy's pants and that there might be some attraction between the two, and it's basically a combination of an OhCrap moment and a GreenEyedEpiphany as well as this trope. It's the first time he consciously realizes he has romantic feelings for her, even though people in his life have told him there's something between them, and so has ''his own damn subconscious.''

--> '''Jan:''' This is the point, okay? You're wrong for me.
--> '''Michael:''' ... okay.
--> '''Jan:''' In every way.
--> '''Michael:''' Well, I-
--> '''Jan:''' But I still find myself wanting to... be with you.

-->'''Lancelot:''' Jenny, I -- I love you. God forgive me, but I do.
-->'''Guinevere:''' Then God forgive us both, Lance.

* ''Series/{{Emmerdale}}'': Robert Sugden thought he had everything he'd ever wanted in life: a gorgeous and spirited wife, life in a big house, and a fancy job with a high income and major perks. And then he fell madly in love with Aaron Livesy. In Robert's words, "falling in love with you was the worst mistake I ever made."

* In ''Blood Rites'', [[TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]] realizes he's actually insanely jealous during the Black Court raid that Kincaid is taking off Murphy's pants and that there might be some attraction between the two, and it's basically a combination of an OhCrap moment and a GreenEyedEpiphany as well as this trope. It's the first time he consciously realizes he has romantic feelings for her, even though people in his life have told him there's something between them, and so has ''his own damn subconscious.''