History Main / LovingBully

* In the [[AMinorKidroduction opening scene]] of ''Film/HesJustNotThatIntoYou'' the child version of Gigi, one of the characters, is abruptly pushed off a jungle gym by a boy. When she tearfully asks why he did that, he yells, "Because you smell like dog poo!" In trying to comfort her, her mother claims, "Do you know why he did that? Because he likes you!" As an adult, Gigi angrily points out that telling girls this [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome sets them up for years of ill-treatment at the hands of men]] [[UnfortunateImplications because of being conditioned to believe that it's actually a form of affection]].

* ''WebAnimation/EtraChanSawIt'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rKLNMgsYtE Tahibana]] used to pick on Tsutsuji back in elementary school because he had a crush on her. In high school, he no longer bullies her and later saves her from [[DirtyOldMan Akamatsu]] but is still too scared to tell her how he feels.

->--''Series/TheNanny''

-->'''Fran:''' ...WHO ''ARE'' YOU?! Are you telling me that all those years that you put dishwater in her coffee, and changed her lip balm for glue stick, and called her a cow, you were ''flirting''?!\\

-->--''Series/TheNanny''

* {{Deconstruct|ion}}ed in ''Webcomic/BittersweetCandyBowl'': [[BrokenBird Lucy]] constantly torments and abuses Mike, who is both her ButtMonkey and LivingEmotionalCrutch. When she finally manages to confess her feelings to him, Mike angrily rejects her, pointing out that he's already in a LongDistanceRelationship and has no interest in hooking up with his abuser. Matters only get worse when he realizes that several of their friends were [[EveryoneCanSeeIt aware of Lucy's feelings]] and actually ''support'' them getting together...[[DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale despite not doing anything about the way she treated him]]. As well as the aforementioned LongDistanceRelationship. Mike's anger over all this makes him a ''massive'' {{Jerkass}} ([[JerkassJustifications not that you can blame the guy]]) and rips the friend group completely asunder.

This is generally PlayedForLaughs and won't normally get into serious violence unless the target is MadeOfIron. This sometimes overlaps with DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale. RomanticizedAbuse and DomesticAbuse are the significantly less innocent {{Sister Trope}}s, and FetishizedAbuser is the DarkerAndEdgier one. An extreme form is LaceratingLoveLanguage, when affection is expressed not just through hostility, but through outright violence. Contrast MadLove, a generally comedic trope wherein the one in love cannot figure out that abuse is ''not'' the sign that their beloved returns their affections. Romantic variations of the FairWeatherFoe might ''claim'' they were actually this to manipulate an enemy into getting with them.

* Tamayo and Kotaro's relationship in the anime version of ''Manga/AngelicLayer'' falls into this, as well as ChildhoodFriendRomance. They know each other since they were four, and Tamayo had been using Kotaro as her go-to target to practice her martial moves on, to his utmost annoyance. However, during the BeachEpisode, Tamayo confesses that she is in love with Kotaro and that he's her first love. In the manga, though, Tamayo and Kotaro's relationship is completely platonic, and Kotaro ends up with Misaki.

** Played with. Doi doesn't bully Nitori because he likes her, he bullies her because she's [[UsefulNotes/{{transgender}} feminine]]. This doesn't stop him from being attracted to her once she grows her hair out though. By high school, the attraction disappeared over time as Nitori became increasingly masculine looking.

* In ''Film/LePlacard'', [[{{Jerkass}} Felix Santini]] always picked on the protagonist [[UnluckyEverydude Francois Pignon]]. When Pignon is about to get fired, his new [[CoolOldGuy neighbour]] advises him to let the firm "accidentally" think he's gay, so he could use discrimination charges to secure his position. Santini grudgingly starts befriending him not to appear homophobic but goes overboard quickly, practically starts courting him, and becomes so obsessed it costs his marriage. Pignon's lack of interest visibly upsets him. After his divorce, he asks Pignon to be his housemate for practical reasons, but when Pignon refuses, he starts such an UnstoppableRage he has to be restrained and sent to a hospital.

* On ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' Reese tries this with a girl in school that he has a crush on, and then doesn't understand why she hates him as a result and cries in his room after things go badly. Malcolm then tries to help by telling him to do things to her that wouldn't make her cry, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint so he joins her cheerleading squad.]] It's far from the only time Reese has ever done this since bullying is his go-to approach for ''everything''.

* ''Series/TheNanny'': A rare adult version. Niles spends most of the show insulting and tormenting C.C. Babcock. In season 6 it's revealed that he loved C.C. all along and all the insults and pranks were flirting. [[spoiler: They get married in the last episode.]]

* {{Deconstruct|ion}}ed in ''Webcomic/BittersweetCandyBowl'': [[BrokenBird Lucy]] constantly torments and abuses Mike, who is both her ButtMonkey and LivingEmotionalCrutch. When she finally manages to confess her feelings to him, Mike angrily rejects her, pointing out that he's already in a LongDistanceRelationship and has no interest in hooking up with his abuser. Matters only get worse when he realizes that several of their friends were [[EveryoneCanSeeIt aware of Lucy's feelings]] and actually ''support'' them getting together... despite not doing anything about the way she treated him. As well as the aforementioned LongDistanceRelationship. Mike's anger over all this makes him a ''massive'' {{Jerkass}} and rips the friend group completely asunder.

** She treats Recon like your average JerkJock would treat a nerdy kid, but she has a huge crush on him, and occassionally drops hints in the form of homemade cupcakes and... "sewer handies".

* ''WesternAnimation/CraigOfTheCreek'' has a [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed example]] with [[spoiler:Wildernessa]]. "Breaking the Ice" reveals that she has a crush on [[spoiler:Craig]]. However, her past experiences of being bullied for her love of animals has resulted in her trying to cover it up by insulting his lack of knowledge on the subject, with her possibly seeing it as witty banter, but coming off more harsh due to poor social skills. This comes to a boiling point when [[spoiler:Craig]], finally fed up, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech calls her out on her hypocritical attitude towards people]], [[FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse considering she's human herself]]. [[JerkassRealization After seeing where her behavior has gotten her]], she later apologizes to him and makes an active effort going forward to try and not constantly tear him down. [[spoiler:Sure enough, she ends up TakingTheBullet during Capture the Flag and gives him an InterruptedDeclarationofLove. Though he does later get the message and they end up together.]]

** Pictured above: Helga towards Arnold. It's so infamous that it's become the TropeCodifier in all but name.

* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'':
** In a PrecociousCrush example, Buford does this to Candace when he can get away with it.
--->'''Buford:''' I saved your life. That means you're my servant now. It's the Bully Code.
** He's also this to Baljeet in the [[ShippingGoggles eyes of]] [[HoYay some fans]].
--->'''Buford:''' There comes a time when you realize you don't want to bully everyone. You just want to bully someone you love.

* ''Literature/InfiniteStratos'': {{Downplayed|Trope}} and {{Deconstructed|Trope}} with Houki. While she doesn't go out of her way to terrorize Ichika, he admits sometimes she can be really scary. Over time, Houki admits her time apart from him didn't do her personality any favors; as she believed she used kendo as a way to remember him, but upon beating her opponent so hard to the point of making them cry, she admitted she was only indulging in senseless violence.

* ''Literature/InfiniteStratos'': {{Downplayed|Trope}} and {{Deconstructed|Trope}} with Houki. While she doesn't go out of her way to terrorize Ichika, he admits sometimes she can be really scary. Over time, Houki admits her time apart from him didn't do her personality any favors; as she believed she used kendo as a way to remember him, but upon beating her opponent so hard to the point of making them cry, she admitted she was only indulging in senseless violence.

* ''Literature/TrappedInADatingSimTheWorldOfOtomeGamesIsToughForMobs'': In the AlternateTimeline Web Novel series known as the ''Marie Route'', Leon, who was a JerkWithAHeartOfGold in the first place, is this verbally with Marie, who isn't afraid to hit him back verbally or physically.