History Main / WillTheyOrWontThey

Compare JustFriends and TheyDo. Contrast PlatonicLifePartners -- they won't. See JustEatGilligan if it's a major plot point. See also BreakUpMakeUpScenario when they separate for some dramatic reason, spend a time apart, then reconcile (usually with a kiss, which breaks the WillTheyOrWontThey)

* ''LightNovel/MariaSamaGaMiteru'' is littered with hints that Yumi and Sachiko might get a RelationshipUpgrade, which kept many [[YuriFanboy yuri fans]] hooked. [[spoiler:Nothing of the kind ever happens though, [[BaitAndSwitchLesbians despite many opportunities]]]].

* Ulrich and Yumi of ''CodeLyoko''. So much it's almost painful to watch.
** ''Almost''? Their 4-season long [[GenreBlind on-again-off-again-]][[GreenEyedMonster green-eyed-monster]]-[[JustFriends just-friends]]-[[CannotSpitItOut not-just-friends]]-[[LastMinuteHookUp vague-implications]] dance makes even their ''shippers'' cringe.
*** At the beginning of season four, we had the "I dump you but we're still friends and it's not dumping because we were just friends all along" scene (yes, this sums up how exaggerated this trope was) ''just after the [[DeathOfTheHypotenuse only really dangerous rival was turned into a Big Bad's minion'']].

** And then [[spoiler: they broke up.]] But the UST has yet to go away, despite [[spoiler: Van Pelt dating someone new.]]

* There is a couple seasons' worth of {{UST}} between Cal Lightman and Gillian Foster of ''Series/LieToMe'', especially now that [[spoiler: Gillian's single]]. She's the only one he trusts, he's afraid to hurt her like his ex-wife, and his daughter even sees them as an odd sort of family.

* Tony and Ziva in ''{{NCIS}}'', with the ramped-up {{UST}} [[spoiler:since Tony helped rescue Ziva from Somali terrorists suggesting they will, while the fact that Tony shot and killed Ziva's Mossad-agent boyfriend, precipitating her return to Israel that lead to her imprisonment in Somalia, suggests they won't.]]

** And the nineth season has clearly progressed beyond UST and WillTheyOrWontThey into "taking the piss out of the shippers" territory. They've brought up Tony's [[DisposableFiance ex-fiancee]], Ziva's RomanticFalseLead "C.I. Ray", Tony's fear of children, and every other guest character either assuming Tony and Ziva are a couple or explaining why they'd make a great one...either they're setting up a case of "they will" or they're setting up the biggest chain yank in TV history.

** In interviews, the actors themselves cheerfully admit that the two will end up together eventually; [[{{UST}} the fun is in seeing]] ''[[{{UST}} how]]''.

* The Carly/Freddie and Freddie/Sam pairings on ''Series/ICarly'' averted this. Carly and Freddie got together in ''iSaved Your Life'' then broke up at the end, and then Sam and Freddie got together in ''iLose My Mind'', which was 1 episode and 3 days in-universe after Sam revealed her feelings for Freddie in ''iOMG''. Whilst both sides had some obvious ShipTease, it was never {{UST}} as neither couple could really qualifiy for {{UST}} since Freddie liked Carly but she didn't like him back until ''iSaved Your Life'', and Freddie didn't like Sam until ''iLose My Mind'', and Sam had shown no indications she liked Freddie until ''iOMG''.

** Thus far season 3 seems far more focused on the Jeff and Annie {{UST}} than Britta/Jeff.

* ''QuestionableContent'' was entirely built on the UST between [[{{Tsundere}} Faye]] and [[UnluckyEverydude Marten]] for the first 500 comics until [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore the talk]], which killed whatever might have happened between them. However, the strip managed successfully to continue from that point and become arguably something different entirely, and nowadays Marten, Faye and a lot of the old gang have gone OutOfFocus in favor of [[MoeMoe Hannelore and Marigold]]. WillTheyOrWontThey also occurs in various other "relationships" that Faye lands into.

** Not to mention all the [[UnresolvedSexualTension UST]] between Kurt and Blaine in season 2, with several false leads.

** Sam and Diane start their romance at the end of Season 1--then break up at the end of Season 2, with the tease of [[BreakUpMakeUpScenario whether they will make up]] being a focal point of Seasons 3 and 4, and the first half of Season 5. The second half of Season 5 [[spoiler: is a major {{They Do}}]]--but with a last-minute twist in the season finale. The show underwent a reboot where Diane went off and a new {{UST}} with Rebecca was added.

** He has reason to be wary of a relationship with Haruhi despite the [[EveryoneCanSeeIt obvious]] {{BST}} as [[RealityWarper her mood swings alter reality]]. [[LockedOutOfTheLoop And she doesn't know this]]. So a relationship could be a problem. She also started off as a {{Jerkass}}, which put him off at first. Even after she gets past that, the aforementioned reason still applies. Haruhi is either [[ObliviousToLove unaware of her own feelings]] or [[SelectiveObliviousness actively ignoring them]][[hottip:*:You would think she would do something if she was aware of them. Subtle isn't really her style.]]. And it took Kyon 11 books to unambiguously admit how he feels ''in his narration''. The ''Surprise'' finale made it blatantly obvious, although it was strongly hinted at earlier.

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' is full of this. The protagonist Lelouch is really popular with the ladies, even without anyone knowing that he's royalty, but he's too busy secretly leading a revolution to actively pursue romance. Nevertheless, he gets plenty of WillTheyOrWontThey with [[NaiveEverygirl Shirley]] (a classmate with a borderline-obsessive crush on him), [[ActionGirl Kallen]] (a {{Tsundere}} terrorist who would do anything for Lelouch's charismatic [[DarkMessiah Zero]] persona), and [[MysteriousWaif C.C.]] (the {{Kuudere}} witch he made a deal with in exchange for power).

Two characters, often combative but with obvious UnresolvedSexualTension (or UST), resist going into a full blown relationship for a rather long time. Usually the two characters will be presented so that "they will" is the conclusion to root for; only rarely is the question of whether the writers think they should in any real doubt.

* Jane and Mr. Rochester in ''Literature/JaneEyre.'' Well...at first.

** Ron and Hermione, starting in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire Goblet of Fire]]'' and ending in [[spoiler: a LastMinuteHookup in ''Deathly Hallows''.]]
*** In the movie adaptations, hints are dropped about Ron and Hermione's mutual interest as early as ''Chamber of Secrets''.

** ''PrideAndPrejudice''. Not just Elizabeth and Darcy but Jane and Bingley making this trope OlderThanRadio.

* Gaunt and Curth from ''GauntsGhosts'' are strongly implied to have feelings for each other in ''The Traitor General''. However, since the author never mentions any such relationship again (three books on and counting), this is probably more a case of the author forgetting rather than WillTheyOrWontThey.
* Literature/TheWheelOfTime series brings us the relationship between Rand Al'Thor and Aviendha the ActionGirl, which lasts for an astonishing length of time.

** Occasionally played with Jane and Lisbon

** As shown in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', [[spoiler: they have ''three'' children - Tenzin the Airbender (named after Aang's mentor and father figure), Kya the Waterbender (named after Katara's mother) and Bumi (named after Aang's old friend.)

* To the point of vast irritation and confusion, Literature/TheWheelOfTime series brings us the relationship between Rand Al'Thor and Aviendha the ActionGirl, which lasts for an astonishing length of time.

** With the other two, there is the problem that Haruhi [[spoiler:has already almost rewritten the universe out of jealousy earlier]] (but she doesn't know this), which is a problem right there. Also, Mikuru [[spoiler: [[TimeTravel isn't allowed to have relationships with people from the past]]]] and Yuki seems like she [[EmotionlessGirl cannot express emotions]]. And that is cannot in the same way that a blind person cannot see and a deaf person cannot hear. [[spoiler:It seems she was not created with the capability.]]

** He has reason to be wary of a relationship with Haruhi despite the [[EveryoneCanSeeIt obvious]] {{BST}} as [[spoiler: [[RealityWarper her mood swings alter reality]]]]. [[LockedOutOfTheLoop And she doesn't know this]]. So a relationship could be a problem. She also started off as a {{Jerkass}}, which put him off at first. Even after she gets past that, the aforementioned reason still applies. Haruhi is either [[ObliviousToLove unaware of her own feelings]] or [[SelectiveObliviousness actively ignoring them]][[hottip:*:You would think she would do something if she was aware of them. Subtle isn't really her style.]]. And it took Kyon 11 books to unambiguously admit how he feels ''in his narration'' [[spoiler:the ''Surprise'' finale made it blatantly obvious, although it was strongly hinted at earlier]].

* ''{{Spider-Man}}'': Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy do this straight starting from her first appearance. They broke up once, but would've, [[spoiler:if not for the fact that she had an affair with Norman Osborn, had his children, pissed the Goblin right off and died for her trouble, though she was brought back through cloning and dumped Peter when it was strongly implied that he had always been in love with Mary Jane even when he'd been dating Gwen (MJ made her debut BEFORE Gwen in the comics as the "blind date" foil for Betty Brant and Liz Allen), but because of Gwen's emotional problems, coupled with a promise to look after her to the dying George Stacy, he stuck with her out of principle.]].

'''[[Creator/PatrickWarburton Rip Riley]]:''' [[BelligerentSexualTension Then kill each other.]] Then shut up. Then kill each other again. THen call me, so I can watch.

-->-- '''ConanOBrien''', Emmy 2006 opening skit, after crashing ''TheOfficeUS''

-->-- '''ConanOBrien''', Emmy 2006 opening skit, after crashing ''TheOffice''

* Shiki and Mikiya in ''Literature/KaraNoKyoukai''. He confesses to her early on, and is welcome to regularly drop in on Shiki, and its clear that Shiki [[{{Kuudere}} feels something towards him]], and yet in four years nothing happens; rather frustrating considering the lack of [[UnresolvedSexualTension UST]]. Especially strange considering the games Nasu later came to be [[DeusSexMachina known for]].

** Well... [[spoiler: they have a daughter in Mirai Fukuin, named Mana. Said daughter has an ElectraComplex, and wants to "beat her mother to get her father back." Personality and appearance-wise, she resembles Arima Miyako, the other Shiki's cousin in ''{{Tsukihime}}''. Oh and she uses [[NomDeMom her mother's surname]].]]

* From AceAttorney we have Detective Gumshoe and Maggey Byrde. It's all but said explicitly the Gumshoe has a huge crush on Maggey, going so far as to have Phoenix smuggled Weenies into the Detention Centre when she's accused of murder (again) and 'confessing' to have committed a murder when he can see the evidence piling up to frame Maggey (again).

* ''{{Cheers}}''. Sam Malone and Diane Chambers, and later Sam and Rebecca Howe.

** Sam and Diane [[TheyDo do it]] at the end of Season 1--then break up at the end of Season 2, with the tease of [[BreakUpMakeUpScenario whether they will make up]] being a focal point of Seasons 3 and 4, and the first half of Season 5. The second half of Season 5 [[spoiler: is another {{They Do}}]]. The show underwent a reboot where Diane went off and a new {{UST}} with Rebecca was added.

** After Sam and Diane [[TheyDo did it]], the show rapidly went downhill. The show underwent a reboot where Diane went off and a new {{UST}} with Rebecca was added.

* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' had Tai and Sora, who were "very close friends", and were always looking out for each other. The biggest moment of "Taiora" was when Tai actually cried because he might have killed Sora because he's an ass. Then there's the ''movie''. [[spoiler: [[DistantFinale Then there's the second season ending where she marries his best friend.]]]]