History Main / ChastityCouple

Contrast this trope with its inversion FriendsWithBenefits, in which two people have sex but not romance, while a chastity couple has romance without sex. Both are subtropes of RomanceAndSexualitySeparation. See also InnocentCohabitation, where they just live together and aren't in a relationship, and LetsWaitAwhile, where they're simply putting off the next step.

* People on the Autism spectrum often have trouble with physical intimacy due to overstimulation. That is, any tactile sensation feels like it's several orders of magnitude more powerful than it actually is. Thus for a person on the spectrum, conventional sex may be waaaay too much for them. This is different from asexuality because these people still have a sex drive (and will have sexual fantasies): it's just that their sexual urges may be satisfied by activities others wouldn't consider particularly sexual. Of course, not all Autistic people experience this overstimulation since the condition manifests differently in every individual.

* David and Frank in ''David Blaize''. Frank is attracted to David and has been sexually involved with other boys before, but when Frank nearly makes a pass, David is deeply disturbed; this shakes Frank and makes him realise the 'error' of his ways, and the two boys have a chaste romantic friendship. This book was published in 1916 and the author, the son of a priest, seems sincerely to have believed that homosexual sex was wrong.

Contrast this trope with its inversion FriendsWithBenefits, in which two people have sex but not romance, while a chastity couple has romance without sex. Both are subtropes of RomanceAndSexualitySeparation. See also InnocentCohabitation, where they just live together and aren't in a relationship.

[[folder: Comic Books]]

* In the ''ComicBook/JMSSpiderMan'' storyline ''Sins Past'', Peter is attacked by two people claiming to be his and Gwen Stacy's children. One of the reasons this doesn't make sense is, as Peter points out, that he and Gwen never had sex.

[[folder: Fan Works]]

[[folder: Film]]

* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse: Nat and Bruce. Nat can't have kids and Bruce can't get excited, and the couple-y dynamic between them is so thick that Laura Barton's first question when the Avengers drop in is "how long has that been going on?"

[[folder: Light Novels]]

[[folder: Literature]]

[[folder: Mythology & Religion]]

[[folder: Theatre]]

[[folder: Video Games]]

[[folder: Web Original]]

-->Let’s scour eleven years of reprints for the two on-page kisses these crazy kids shared.

[[folder: Western Animation]]

** Inuyasha has this relationship with both Kikyou and Kagome. He was technically engaged to marry Kikyou before her death, but it's implied that physical intimact wasn't involved in their relationship (due to Kikyo's duty as a priestess). After Kikyo comes back to life, Inuyasha and Kikyou kiss intimately early in the manga, and on one occasion when Kikyou is badly injured, Kagome notices that it looks like she and Inuyasha desperately want to hug each other (there are people around, so they don't). By the same token, Inuyasha and Kagome aren't physically intimate beyond occasional hand-holding or, on one occasion when Kagome thought Inuyasha had died, a tight embrace. It's led a lot of the fandom to believe Inuyasha and Kagome aren't an official couple until the end of the story, whereas in the manga, they're officially considered a couple by everyone (including themselves) shortly after Kouga's first arrival in the story.[[note]]His issue is that [[PillarsofMoralCharacter he has formal obligations to two women he genuinely loves]] and, until freed from his obligation to Kikyou, he cannot move on with Kagome even though she's his girlfriend. As he once says to Miroku, it would be easier if he could just have both women, an idea the two women themselves would never approve of.[[/note]] However, chastity is very much the name of the game for both relationships, to the point of Inuyasha and Kagome never sharing a kiss in the manga (they do in the anime).

** Inuyasha has this relationship with both Kikyou and Kagome. He was technically engaged to marry Kikyou before her death. Due to magical interference, Inuyasha and Kikyou are seen kissing intimately early in the manga, and on one occasion when Kikyou is badly injured, Kagome notices that it looks like she and Inuyasha desperately want to hug each other (there are people around, so they don't). By the same token, Inuyasha and Kagome aren't physically intimate beyond occasional hand-holding or, on one occasion when Kagome thought Inuyasha had died, a tight embrace. It's led a lot of the fandom to believe Inuyasha and Kagome aren't an official couple until the end of the story, whereas in the manga, they're officially considered a couple by everyone (including themselves) shortly after Kouga's first arrival in the story.[[note]]His issue is that [[PillarsofMoralCharacter he has formal obligations to two women he genuinely loves]] and, until freed from his obligation to Kikyou, he cannot move on with Kagome even though she's his girlfriend. As he once says to Miroku, it would be easier if he could just have both women, an idea the two women themselves would never approve of.[[/note]] However, chastity is very much the name of the game for both relationships, to the point of Inuyasha and Kagome never sharing a kiss in the manga (they do in the anime).

* Mandated for members of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakers Shaker]] sect of the Quaker faith.

Contrast this trope with its inversion FriendsWithBenefits, in which two people have sex but not romance, while a chastity couple has romance without sex. Both are subtropes of RomanceAndSexualitySeparation. Related to RomanticAsexual. See also InnocentCohabitation, where they just live together and aren't in a relationship.

* In the ''Fanfic/AvantasiaProtagAU'' series, Gabriel and Elderane are this. They hardly act any different after they confess their love than they did before it, which includes nothing further than holding hands and (completely clothed) cuddling. They don't even kiss. [[WordOfGod The author]] confirms they are RomanticAsexual.

* Sasuke and his wife Sakura don't hug, hold hands, or kiss in ''Manga/NarutoGaiden'' or ''Manga/{{Boruto}}'' (but they do have a kid and there are some references showing that they aren't always chaste). In contrast, Naruto and Hinata are much more affectionate. It seems Sasuke is not into public displays of affection, which suits his personality. He, however, does give his future wife a [[AffectionateGestureToTheHead forehead poke]], a very affectionate gesture he inherited from his brother, near the end of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''.

* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'' & ''ComicBook/RedRobin'': Tim has several girlfriends over the course of the books (Ariana, [[ComicBook/Batgirl2009 Stephanie]], Zoanne, and Tam) but it's made clear he never sleeps with any of them, nor is he really interested in doing so. He and Steph finally decided to have their first time together in her ''ComicBook/{{Convergence}}'' tie in but they both find they're too injured to do more than cuddle. Eventually averted in ''ComicBook/DetectiveComicsRebirth''.
* In the ''Comicbook/JMSSpiderMan'' storyline ''Sins Past'', Peter is attacked by two people claiming to be his and Gwen Stacy's children. One of the reasons this doesn't make sense is, as Peter points out, that he and Gwen never had sex. This is one of the reasons the story is considered bad, since there was no conceivable reason for them not to have slept together.

[[folder: Fan Fiction]]

* Subverted in Manga/RGVeda fanfic ''Fanfic/HeartbeatOfTheWarGod''. Ashura and Yasha are wed by Gandharva rite. They hold hot make-out sessions and it's heavily implied that Ashura might touch Yasha, but they haven't consummated their relationship in the "proper" way as Ashura is [[NoBiologicalSex sexless]] and Yasha is afraid of hurting his lover.

NoHuggingNoKissing is a trope where there is no true romance in the series except in the [[{{Shipping}} shipper's mind]]. Its distant cousin is the Chastity Couple, sharing the lack of physical affection of the former trope. But the partners in question ''are'' in a romantic relationship -- they simply are not doing what many audiences may expect.

Contrast this trope with its inversion FriendsWithBenefits, in which two people have sex but not romance, while a chastity couple has romance without sex. Both are subtropes of RomanceAndSexualitySeparation. Related to RomanticAsexual.

* The ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' series is chock full with [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship girls displaying varying degrees of affection towards each other]] but rarely does any character engage in explicitly romantic behavior, even the canon couples. Hayate is something of an exception; it's hard to take her [[SkinshipGrope thing for Signum's breasts]] as anything ''but'' sexual.

* Kirishima Haruto and Mishima Asuka of ''Manga/KimiNoIruMachi'' were in a relationship that bordered on InnocentCohabitation, since they were neighbors, for ''two years,'' and yet they never went beyond the occasional kiss. This is not implied either; it was outright stated by the couple.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'', [[spoiler:Todd]] comes out as {{Asexual}} and goes to a group meetup of similar individuals. He is surprised to discover that two of the people at the meetup are HappilyMarried to each other. Well, why not? [[spoiler:Todd]] enters a relationship as well, [[CrapsackWorld with mixed results]].

* TruthInTelevision for many people whose orientation is on the {{Asexuality}} spectrum, meaning that while they experience romantic attraction, they don't experience sexual attraction.[[note]]Sexual attraction and sexual desire are separate. It's possible for someone who is asexual to greatly enjoy sex, but not have it factor at all into why they want to be with another person.[[/note]]. Many of them have successful relationships and even marriages.

* ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho'': Professor Jirafales and Doña Florinda. The whole stitch about them is that he comes to visit her bringing a bouquet of flowers, and she offers him a cup of coffee. Nothing else, save for the occassional time they go out for a walk together, and this even though Quico [{ShipperOnDeck would be glad to have the Professor as his new dad]].

* In ''Literature/SpeakerForTheDead'', Ender visits a couple that are priests in a Catholic offshoot sect that requires its members to marry but remain chaste as a SelfImposedChallenge. He is touched by the purity of the relationship, and late in the series he and his wife end up joining the same order.

[[caption-width-right:330:Aww, they're waiting 'til marriage.[[note]]Wait a minute! They ''are'' married? And that means they can finally… [[HoldingHands hold hands?]][[/note]]]]

** In ''Manga/{{Chobits}}'', Hideki is adorkably chaste around Chii, and if it weren't for the fact that she was a persocom he'd be all over her. Ultimately, [[spoiler:Hideki learns that while she's human enough to love and be loved, and was even designed for it, touching her sexually would delete all her data and make her forget him. The ending implies that they continue on as a couple, quite happily in love even though they can't consummate it (while the anime implies that they'll be able to skirt around the problem due to being truly in love)]].

* Sasuke and his wife Sakura don't hug, hold hands, or kiss in ''Manga/NarutoGaiden'' or ''Manga/{{Boruto}}'' (but they do have a kid and there are some references showing that they aren't always chaste). In contrast, Naruto and Hinata are much more affectionate. It seems Sasuke is not into public displays of affection, which suits his personality. He, however, does give his future-wife a [[AffectionateGestureToTheHead forehead poke]], a very affectionate gesture he inherited from his brother, near the end of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''.

* ''Brightly Burning'', a standalone novel in the Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar series, features Lavan and his lifebonded soulmate, Kalira. Their relationship is entirely chaste... though this may have something to do with the fact that Kalira is a [[CoolHorse horse]]. With a human mind and soul, yeah, but a horse.

* Ryuko and Mako in ''Fanfic/NaturalSelection'' never engage in anything more risqué than cuddling and kissing. Junketsu even questions Ryuko on why she hasn't consumated the relationship, since it's rather at odds with [[VillainousIncest the Kiryuin mentality]] that she was raised with.

* ''LightNovel/{{Maoyu}}'': The Hero and the Demon Queen are a borderline example, since their arrangement of "belonging to each other" makes them husband and wife in all but name. It's a bit enforced on his side because he's a CelibateHero who, despite being genuinely attracted to the Demon Queen, wants to avoid a MayflyDecemberRomance. As for her, it's clear that she does want to be more affectionate, but she's also very innocent and as inexperienced as him.

* Jinto and Lafiel, from ''Literature/CrestOfTheStars'', are always together, flirt and poke fun at each other like a couple would, are deeply connected on an emotional level and have even agreed to stay that way for their entire lives (or at least [[MayflyDecemberRomance for as long as possible]]), and yet the reader/viewer never sees them do more than hug each other, and even that is ridiculously rare.

** Clara and the Doctor - both Eleventh and Twelfth - qualify as this. This is due to an emphasis on friendship (especially from Clara's side), due to TheILoveYouStigma tradition (which also impacted the Doctor/Rose relationship, and even applies to the Doctor's ''wife'', River Song), and in the case of the Twelfth Doctor, also because of his personal NoHuggingNoKissing rule. By Series 9, the "no hugging" part no longer applies, the Doctor being more accepting of Clara's friendly CuddleBug, and even growing comfortable again with hugging her back, as he used to be (when he was Eleventh). There's also the fact Clara sees the Doctor as a friend first and gave a vow to avoid relationships after the tragic death of her boyfriend. (A promise she keeps.) The friendship of the two has an interesting progression, as it starts out fairly flirty and with romantic undertones, but grows more platonic, asexual and ''intellectual'' as time goes on. The fact the two were in love, however, is confirmed by WordOfGod (the producer/showrunner and the actors) as well as the actions of both characters, particularly in Series 9. They just don't follow "the rules" of on-screen romance. At least the Doctor and Rose got to snog a few times. In a 2015 interview with Wil Wheaton shown as part of a theatrical screening of two episodes, Creator/PeterCapaldi confirmed that the "chastity couple" aspect was intentional because it was "more fun" to play a relationship based upon what was unsaid, rather than just outright saying "we're crazy about each other".

** The ninth game nearly averted this trope where the endings of some female love interests show some affection between them and their partners. Nearly in a sense that the only affectionate gestures shown are caressing the check, embracing, gushing, and [[LapPillow lying on one's lap]].

* Edward the Confessor was the last Saxon King of England because he was believed to have had one of these with his Queen Edith. He may have had religious motives or maybe it was because he despised Edith's father Godwin of Wessex. Whatever his reasons Edith seems to have been okay with it and they are credited with having an affectionate father/daughter like relationship.[[note]]Some modern historians, however, believe that they didn't actually have a chaste marriage but were simply infertile; the main source for the chaste marriage claim was a biography of him commissioned by Edith after his death and later expanded by a twelfth-century prior of Westminster abbey who campaigned for Edward's canonization.[[/note]]

* WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse and Minnie Mouse, at least initially. Creator/WaltDisney himself said that Mickey and Minnie were happily married outside of their acting career, but did not have a sex life. More modern works tend to disregard this, even going so far as to [[SexyDiscretionShot imply]] [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar sexual congress]] between the two in the ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse2013'' short "[[Recap/MickeyMouseS1E17ThirdWheel Third Wheel]]"

* Cricket Green and Gabriella Espinosa from ''WesternAnimation/BigCityGreens'' are a family-friendly variation of this. [[PuppyLove After Cricket discovered Gabriella has feelings for him, he finds her and reveals his feelings for her as well, to which she reciprocates.]] She then asks him to be her boyfriend to which he accepts, only they just have to tell people they're dating and not do anything overly romantic at the moment, like HoldingHands, giving flowers, and smooching all the time. After she leaves for her vacation to Montreal, Cricket instantly tells Remy and Vasquez the good news.