When Alice and Bob both Cannot Spit It Out or have had an Unresolved Sexual Tension for a long time, occasionally fate helps a little by making one of them trip for some reason (often a fight) and fall on the other. They may both lose their footing and fall to the ground, or the standing one might brace the impact against a wall. Either way, awk-ward.
In some cases, they will separate and apologize, or Alice will scream and slap Bob, calling him a pervert. But if this trope is in action, neither will happen. By the magic (and surprise) of their sudden proximity, they will fall silent. They'll look intensely into each other's eyes, forgetting their fight entirely. Everything around them will fade, and their lips will slowly get closer, before locking into a True Love's Kiss. If there is no immediate kiss, it will at least be a Near Kiss, and probably an Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other moment.
Compare Crash-Into Hello, which has little chance to result in a kiss for obvious reasons.
A Sister Trope to the less romantic and more comic Suggestive Collision, which can result in Marshmallow Hell or Thanks for the Mammary but is much less likely to end well. Compare Meet Cute, which introduces a future relationship between two characters. Also see the logical conclusion, Official Couple.
Also a Sub-Trope of Rule of Romantic. Compare to Failures on Ice. Not to be confused with Free-Fall Romance.
Examples
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Anime & Manga
- This happens to Erza and Jellal in Fairy Tail. Although it's unclear whether they actually kissed or not, with the anime opting to show it as an Almost Kiss, it's the first time they express their mutual love so clearly.
- My Monster Secret: Akane tries to make use of this trope when Youko and Asahi are locked in the former's room by sending a sleepy Youko onto Asahi with a spring, or literally tilting the entire house so that they fall on each other. All her efforts are in vain.
Fan Works
- In Which the Fox Flees:
- Happens several times between Marinette and Lila. Lila even lampshades it as "the token anime romantic scene".
- Also happens between Marinette and Adrien in Chapter 6, much to Alya's delight.
Films — Animation
- The Lion King (1994) does this during the "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" montage with Simba and Nala accidentally tumbling down a hill together while playfully wrestling together. Simba ends up pinning Nala (the only time he has ever done so) and she "rewards" him with a surprise lick on the cheek before the two gaze into each other's eyes lovingly and nuzzle together.
Films — Live-Action
- In While You Were Sleeping: Jack and Lucy slip, slide, and fall on the ice and into love.
- In The Unknown, Nanon trips on a step and falls down the stairs to literally land in Malabar's arms as he catches her. This is the moment when Nanon discovers that she no longer Hates Being Touched.
- When Evil Calls: This is what Samantha thinks is happening when she trips on a pothole and falls in the arms of her crush Daniel. Subverted when Daniel first of all doesn't have any idea who she is, and then literally tosses her aside.
- Swashbuckler: When the pirates storm the fortress to free the prisoners, Lynch has to climb to rescue Jane from a cage that is hanging suspended from the ceiling. During the fight, the cage is set swinging, and when they jump out, Jane lands on top of Lynch who is lying on his back. This is the moment when the UST between finally breaks, and they kiss. Nick finally has to interrupt them and tell them they still have work to do.
- The Amazing Spider-Man 2: While Gwen is escaping from security guards in Oscorp Tower, she trips over her own feet but Peter catches her.
Literature
- In The 39 Clues, Ian Kabra rescues Amy Cahill and, in the process, somehow falls on top of her. This is quickly followed by a kiss, although the Relationship Upgrade doesn't last long.
- I.Q.: Thanks to a "helpful" Uncle Albert, Catherine winds up playing out this trope with Ed after repeatedly falling into his lap on a sailboat.
Live-Action TV
- The King Loves: San falls on top of Won after they climb up the cliff.
- In Smallville, Clark and Alicia have one of these, only to be interrupted by Alicia's psycho ex-doctor.
- During Buffy the Vampire Slayer's amnesia episode, "Tabula Rasa", Willow and Tara fall on each other and share a moment.
- Leverage: The episode "The Lonely Hearts Job" had a Black Widow ring use this trope as part of their scam to get rich men to fall in love with them.
- The first overtly shippy moment between Arthur and Guinevere on Merlin involved Gwen throwing herself on Arthur in a bid to save him from a gargoyle swooping down from above.
- Batwoman (2019). The Near Kiss version occurs in the pilot episode when Kate Kane (disguised in her batsuit) grabs her former lesbian love interest Sophie Moore as she's falling from a building and breaks her fall with her cape. They crash into a foreman's trailer and end up on a bed, their faces inches from each other.
- Doctor Who. One of the Ship Tease moments between the Thirteenth Doctor and her companion Yasmin Khan is in the Action Prologue of "The Halloween Apocalypse" where after escaping the usual inescapable Death Trap they fall into the open doors of the TARDIS, bounce off a trampoline which throws them onto a mattress where they lie on their backs next to each other, breathing heavily.
Video Games
- In Final Fantasy VII Remake, after successfully completing the train battle in Chapter 5, the gang decide to jump off the moving train. When Tifa hesitates, Cloud grabs her and together they jump, with him breaking her fall with his own body. When the dust settles, Tifa is on top of him, and they share a moment before continuing with the mission.
- I Was a Teenage Exocolonist: While trying to fend off the manticores, Sym accidentally trips and falls on top of Sol. Sym calls them "[his] hero" for "saving" him for the moment and looks lovingly at their lips, and Sol can either kiss him in return or shove him away.
Visual Novels
- In Katawa Shoujo, Emi's route has this three times. First, Emi crashes into Hisao while running in the hallways — their first meeting. Second, Hisao and Emi have a pillow fight which ends with him on top of her in bed, and his inner monologue comes to realize he has feelings for her. Finally, after they've started dating, the same thing happens again, but with Emi straddling Hisao, which escalates into a relationship-solidifying h-scene.
Webcomics
- Madame Outlaw:
- Rosco, who has a bit of a crush on Estelle, imagines what life would be had she remained Thaddeus's lady wife, including a fantasy where she falls from her horse and Rosco catches her.
- Heath pushes Estelle during a training session and instinctively reaches out to catch her. He ends up crouched atop her body on the deck, with both of them blushing.
Western Animation
- The Powerpuff Girls (1998): The girls set up their father with their preschool teacher Miss Keane. The two have no chemistry and only go along with it to avoid disappointing the girls. Until the end of the date when Miss Keane trips and Prof Utonium catches her, leading to a Held Gaze that kicks off a Sickening Sweethearts relationship.
