History Main / SecretRelationship

!!!{{Crossover}}s

!!!''Franchise/AceAttorney''
* ''Fanfic/DirtySympathy'' has Klavier and Apollo keep their relationship under wraps. Initially, this was because Daryan would have killed Klavier for his infidelity; later, it's in order to prevent others from realizing that the two of them know each other and taking a closer look.

!!!''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}''

!!!''Franchise/{{Arrowverse}}''

!!!''Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender''

!!!''Franchise/{{Beetlejuice}}''
* ''Say It Again'', the {{prequel}} to ''Fanfic/SayItThrice'', has the platonic variant for Betelgeuse and Lydia. Following the events of the film, they're slowly developing the friendship which forms the emotional heart of the main story. However, since her parents and the Maitlands only know him as the dangerous monster who wreaked havoc on their lives/afterlives, they have to keep it to themselves for a long time.

!!!''Franchise/CodeGeass''

** Milly has some experience with secret relationships, since she has one with Nina. Or rather, she ''had'' one, but they broke up in the aftermath of the Lake Kawaguchi incident.

!!!''Franchise/DanganRonpa''

!!!''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom''

!!!''Franchise/TheDCU''

!!!''Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon''

!!!''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}''

!!!''Franchise/DragonAge''

!!!''Toys/EverAfterHigh''

!!!''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends''

!!!''Franchise/FullmetalAlchemist''

!!!''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer''
* ''Fanfic/GirlsUndPanzerHopeDies'' has Miho and [[spoiler:Erika Itsumi]] of all people. Since there would be problems if people found out Miho was in a relationship with one of their opponents, they didn't show any signs of affection in public lest they be accused of passing information to the enemy [[spoiler:hence Erika's canonical hostility toward Miho(although she was genuinely angry with Miho for a while)]]. The truth is only revealed some time after [[PlotTriggeringDeath Miho is murdered at the start of the fic]], [[spoiler:the culprit being Yukari, who performed an IfICantHaveYou on Miho]].

!!!''Franchise/HoratioHornblower''
* ''Fanfic/MuchAdoAboutShakespeareLovesLaboursWon'': Horatio Hornblower and Archie Kennedy get an upgrade from friends to lovers in this fic. They must keep it hidden from everybody because they are naval officers and what they want to do is a capital offence according to the Articles of War. If anybody finds out and reports them, they will be court martialed and hanged.

!!!''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}''

!!!''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo''

!!!''Series/LawAndOrderUK''

!!!''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''
* In the ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' inspired fanfic ''Fanfic/{{In Sotto Voce}}'', the previous Zelda and Impa's mother Tikala fell in love and were in a relationship for years. Zelda's guard Kishla however grew jealous of their bond and exposed their romance. Zelda's parents forced the two women apart and arranged for Zelda to be married. Years later, the two decided that Tikala's child would become the guard of Zelda's child as an adult, in order to essentially have their children live out their desires. Zelda was DrivenToSuicide due to being unable to be with her lover, but it was covered up as her dying of illness. Their children did fall in love however they are mad at their mother's decision. Zelda and Impa also keep their relationship a secret due to their relationship being taboo (Hylians aren't open about same-gender romances, plus Zelda is expected to have a heir, while Sheikah's are against women being with Zelda's due to the possibility of the bloodline of Hylia ending).

!!!''Manga/LuckyStar''
* ''Fanfic/TheDayEverythingChanged'': During the ending, Konata and Kagami agree to keep their relationship under wraps for a while, fitting with the yuri subtext of the anime. In the sequel, ''Fanfic/HolidayVacation'', their relationship has been common knowledge for two years now, and is often a conversation starter at school among students.

!!!''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug''

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/22255240/chapters/53142919 The Murder of Lila Rossi]]'', Alya tells Detective Wolfe that Lila was dating the famous model Adrien Agreste, but they kept it quiet because of tabloids. This is the first of Lila's many lies to be exposed, but part of the reason it worked is that Adrien really ''does'' have to keep his relationships secret. Plus his actual girlfriend, Marinette, is an employee at his father's company, and it could quickly lead to accusations of {{Nepotism}} (though Marinette has threatened to kick Gabriel's ass [[RetiredMonster again]] if he tries to give her any sort of special favors).
* PlayedWith in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/33060022 The Princess Is Not in Another Castle; This One Is Safe Enough]]'', where officially Marinette is dating Adrien, but they later tell their classmates that he's been TheBeard for Marinette and Kagami's relationship to help conceal it from Kagami's mother. [[spoiler:The end of the story reveals that the secret relationship is actually between [[{{Polycule}} Marinette, Kagami,]] ''[[{{Polycule}} and]]'' [[{{Polycule}} Adrien]], which they're keeping a secret so the media or Adrien's father won't try to exploit it.]]

!!!''Franchise/MyHeroAcademia''

* ''Fanfic/AnInsecureViolet'': As they grow closer and closer together, Izuku and Kyoka decide to hide the romantic side of their relationship from their classmates. Mainly because they don't want to deal with the reaction (especially from [[ShipperOnDeck Mina]], Denki or Mineta). Despite their best efforts, more and more people have been [[EveryoneCanSeeIt picking up on how they're more than "just friends"]].

!!!''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''

** Rarity and Lightning Blitz are revealed to have also been dating in secret. After the first date together, they decided to keep going out together and see what happens, but kept it a secret from everyone else in case things didn't work out. After several dates together they realized they have a lot in common and decide to officially become a couple, but are forced to reveal their relationship a bit sooner than they planned when [[AccidentalPervert Spike discovers]] them together [[MomentKiller at the worst possible time]].

* ''Fanfic/SuckerForACuteFace'' revolves around Fluttershy and Adagio dating. Later, it's revealed that [[spoiler:Rainbow Dash and Aria]] are secretly gaming buddies and HeterosexualLifePartners, while [[spoiler:Rarity and Sonata]] have been, as Aria puts it, "going at it like rabbits in lingere".

!!!''Franchise/{{Naruto}}''

!!!''Franchise/NeonGenesisEvangelion''

** Sayaka and Kyoko were secretly dating before they hooked up with Kensuke. In fact, their originally wanted him to act as a cover before their relationship developed into {{Polyamory}}.

* ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'': Merely the tip of the iceberg. In a nutshell, [[BattleCouple Shinji and Asuka]] are [[PeggySue time-travelers]] trying to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong, so that they have to hide that they are together, they are actually HappilyMarried and they even got a daughter. TheReveal was really something to behold.

!!!''Series/OddSquad''

!!!''Franchise/{{Persona}}''

!!!''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''

!!!''Manga/RanmaOneHalf''

!!!''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}''

!!!''Manga/SoulEater''

!!!''Franchise/StarTrek''

!!!''Franchise/StarWars''

!!!''Franchise/SuperMarioBros''
* ''Fanfic/MyPainMyThrill'' is a Peach/Bowser fanfic. Peach fell for Bowser early on in the series' timeline but the two kept up a charade that Peach was being kidnapped against her will. The Koopas knew about their relationship but not the Toads or the Mario brothers. They kept their relationship up until Bowser began distancing himself from her after Peach nearly died giving birth to Bowser Jr. Peach eventually found out that Jr was her son (she didn't know she was pregnant and fell into a coma during the birth) and confronted Bowser about it. They end up mending their relationship and decided to still keep it secret.

!!!''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama''

!!!''Franchise/{{Transformers}}''

!!!''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle''

!!!''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace''

* ''Manga/MusukoGaKawaikuteShikataganaiMazokuNoHahaoya'': While Lorem is clearly married given that she wears a wedding ring and has a son, the actual identiy of her husband appears to be a secret to everyone incuding her closest friends and little sister. It's only at around the halfway point that we learn who he is and why it's kept a secret. [[spoiler:He's Zeke, the demon whose poison was used create the anti-demonization gas responsible for the current peace between human and demons. He went back to his old job to keep both Lorem and their son off the radar because both he and Lorem are fully aware that a child born with her level of power and potential immunity to the gas would have a massive target painted on their back in the current political climate.]]

* Nanao and Matsumoto from ''Manga/JunsuiAdolescence'' keep their relationship secret due to it being a taboo GirlsLove TeacherStudentRomance. Their friend Hanada-sensei figures it out regardless.

* ''Manga/MusukoGaKawaikuteShikataganaiMazokuNoHahaoya'': While Lorem is clearly married given that she wears a wedding ring and has a son, the actual identiy of her husband appears to be a secret to everyone incuding her closes friends and little sister. It's only at around the halfway point that we learn who he is and why it's kept a secret. [[spoiler:He's Zeke, the demon whose poison was used create the anti-demonization gas responsible for the current peace between human and demons. He went back to his old job to keep both Lorem and their son off the radar because both he and Lorem are fully aware that a child born with her level of power and potential immunity to the gas would have a massive target painted on their back in the current political climate.]]

* ''Series/FellowTravelers'': Institutionalized homophobia in the USA during TheFifties and TheSixties forces same-sex couples to conceal their romance from the public, which includes [[OfficialCouple Hawkins Fuller and Timothy Laughlin]], [[BetaCouple Marcus and Frankie]], and Mary and Caroline. The consequences are dire if they're outed; they could face a prison term, immediate termination of their employment, and social ruin.

* In ''Franchise/StarWars'', Anakin marries Padmé in secrecy due to the Jedi Code forbidding attachment. It goes ''horribly'' wrong, with Anakin falling to TheDarkSide and mortally wounding Padmé in a fit of jealousy.

* ''{{Film/Ophelia}}'': Unlike the play, it's shown here that Ophelia and Hamlet ''were'' romantically involved, but kept it secret due to her common-born status. [[spoiler:This extended into a secret marriage as well, with Claudius trying to marry them off with other people after discovering it.]]
* ''Film/{{Rosaline}}'': : At the start of the film Romeo and Rosaline have been sneaking around due to their FeudingFamilies. Paris (unaware that Juliet is seeing a Montague) suggests that the secrecy contributes most of the spark to their relationship. [[spoiler:Indeed, after enough time has passed Rosaline realizes she doesn't really love him.]]
* ''Film/WhereHandsTouch'': Leyna and Lutz must keep their relationship a secret, as it's banned under Nazi laws since she's not "Aryan".

* Film/WelcomeToTheDollhouse: Brandon threatens Dawn to keep their relationship a secret, as he’s too embarrassed to be associated with her publicly. The relationship is short-lived and no one finds out, except for maybe Ralphy, who was spying on them in Dawn’s Special People Club.

* ''Film/EloisesLover'': Àsia keeps her relationship with Eloïse secret due to homophobia from her loved ones.
* ''Film/TheTruthAboutJane'': Jane and Taylor date secretly as a result of homophobia before the pair are outed.
* ''Film/BonnieAndBonnie'': Yara keeps her relationship with Kiki secret, knowing it would be condemned by her Muslim family and community as they're both women.
* ''Film/KissingJessicaStein'': What Jessica tries to have with Helen, keeping their affection with each other from the public. Helen finds this increasingly annoying, and eventually insists on them being public about it, with Jessica acceding.
* ''Film/{{Equals}}'': Silas and Nia, after he gains emotions (she had them already) engage in a secret affair, forbidden by their society (as love or sex is banned).
* ''Film/MaggieAndAnnie'': After both admit they love each other, Maggie and Annie have a secret affair, but it soon comes out to Annie's husband Bill.
* ''Film/CarmenYLola'': The title characters carefully pretend they're simply [[PseudoRomanticFriendship very close, intimate friends]] as a result of the homophobia in the Roma community.
* ''Film/IndiaSweetsAndSpices'': Alia sees Varun although she knows that her parents won't approve of them being together since he's from a much poorer background, sneaking into his room regularly to have sex with him.
* In ''Film/Parking1985'', Eurydice is unaware of Orpheus and Calais's romantic relationship and sees them as close friends.
* ''Film/{{Rafiki}}'': Same-sex marriage is illegal in Kenya and queer relationships are taboo. One of Kena's friends habitually makes fun of a local gay man, not knowing Kena herself is queer. Kena and Ziki keep the fact they're lovers a secret because of this.
* ''Film/TheMiseducationOfCameronPost'': Cameron was involved with another girl named Coley and the couple had to keep this secret as they're both from a homophobic Christian community.
* ''Film/ProfessorMarstonAndTheWonderWomen'': Elizabeth, Olive and William keep the fact they're together secret (or at least they try to) as bisexuality (along with {{polyamory}}) are taboos, deemed "sex deviations" in the early 20th century.
* ''Film/Requiem2021'': Evelyn is secretly with Mary, another girl in their village. They must hide the fact since this is 1605 in England, with such a relationship forbidden.
* ''Film/FeastOfLove'': Kathryn, who's married to Bradley, starts seeing Jenny secretly after becoming attracted by her. It doesn't last long however before Kathryn leaves Bradley.
* ''Film/Heatwave2022'': Claire starts an affair with Eve, the wife of her boss, which they naturally keep a secret so he doesn't learn about it (though she isn't aware Eve's married to him at first).
* ''Film/ShallWePlay'': Unbeknownst to her mom, Stacy's already dating Matt. She's covering this up since it's moving faster than her mom likely would want.

* The ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' and ''Literature/HarryPotter'' crossover fanfic ''The Magic of Deduction'' has John and Sherlock fake breaking up to protect John from Moriarty. Slightly different as the two hardly had any contact with each other over the period of time in which they were "broken up"

* In the new timeline of ''Fanfic/AlyaAndTheHaremReality'', Marinette, Alya, and Chloe have to keep their [[{{Polyamory}} polycule relationship]] a secret. Not because of any potential backlash from Marinette dating two different girls, but because it would be a risk to their SecretIdentities, especially with the (correct) speculation that Ladybug, Rena Rouge, and Queen Bee are dating each other.

* In ''FanFic/{{Shatterheart}}'' [[spoiler:R!]]Syaoran and Kurogane keep their FriendsWithBenefits relationship a secret because [[spoiler:R!]]Syaoran was still in love with Sakura and didn't want her finding out and so they could end it without anyone finding out. When Fai finds out about it due [[InterruptedIntimacy to walking in on them]], things get worse.

----

* ''Fanfic/CodeGeassThePreparedRebellion'':
** Lelouch keeps his polyamorous relationship with C.C. and Sayoko a secret from the rest of the school, but Milly manages to figure it out.
** Milly has some experience with secret relationships, since she has one with Nina. Or rather, she ''had'' one, but they broke up in the aftermath of the Lake Kawaguchi incident.
* In the ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' inspired fanfic ''Fanfic/{{In Sotto Voce}}'', the previous Zelda and Impa's mother Tikala fell in love and were in a relationship for years. Zelda's guard Kishla however grew jealous of their bond and exposed their romance. Zelda's parents forced the two women apart and arranged for Zelda to be married. Years later, the two decided that Tikala's child would become the guard of Zelda's child as an adult, in order to essentially have their children live out their desires. Zelda was DrivenToSuicide due to being unable to be with her lover, but it was covered up as her dying of illness. Their children did fall in love however they are mad at their mother's decision. Zelda and Impa also keep their relationship a secret due to their relationship being taboo (Hylians aren't open about same-gender romances, plus Zelda is expected to have a heir, while Sheikah's are against women being with Zelda's due to the possibility of the bloodline of Hylia ending).
* ''Fanfic/MyPainMyThrill'' is a Peach/Bowser ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' fanfic. Peach fell for Bowser early on in the series' timeline but the two kept up a charade that Peach was being kidnapped against her will. The Koopas knew about their relationship but not the Toads or the Mario brothers. They kept their relationship up until Bowser began distancing himself from her after Peach nearly died giving birth to Bowser Jr. Peach eventually found out that Jr was her son (she didn't know she was pregnant and fell into a coma during the birth) and confronted Bowser about it. They end up mending their relationship and decided to still keep it secret.
* In the ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' fanfic ''FanFic/WalkingInCircles'', when Solas and Evelyn got together while they were still in Ostwick, they kept it a secret to prevent it being used against them (as most Circle mages would do). Once canon kicks in, their relationship is more like a semi-open secret; most of the main cast know that they’re together but to everyone else, it’s just a rumor. Solas actually wants to continue to hide it at first, since he wants Evelyn to get as much influence and power in the Game as possible, but she disagrees.
* In ''WebVideo/TrulyOutrageousAJemFanFilm'', Stormer's bandmates realize that she's dating Kimber, but Kimber's bandmates (including her sister) don't learn until [[spoiler:Stormer kisses a traumatized Kimber after Kimber learns a terrible secret.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' fanfic ''Fanfic/ThreeTestsOfValor'' Due to Heather and Courtney being so strict over inter-teams' interaction, Lindsay and Harold keep their relationship a secret at first.
* In ''Fanfic/NeverBeenBothered'', Elsa and Anna tried to keep their relationship secret and even married in secret due to [[spoiler:the [[BrotherSisterIncest incestous]] nature of their romance]]. Eventually they were found out, so they ran away [[spoiler:from Arendelle and abdicated the throne]]. At their new home, the unnamed POV character promises to be their SecretKeeper after [[spoiler:accidentally finding a family photo]].
* ''Fanfic/TheFlashSentryChronicles'':
** Flash believes that Shining Armor and Cadance might have been in one since Shining did not tell Twilight about their relationship until their wedding. Though it turns out Shining was not trying to keep it a secret, and the only one who ''didn't'' know at all was Twilight.
** It is eventually revealed Rainbow Dash and Soarin have been in a relationship ever since Rainbow's time at the Wonderbolts Academy. After Springer learns about their relationship, they say they kept it a secret because they didn't want everyone to think Rainbow was getting favors from the Wonderbolts. They come clean about their relationship to everyone after some encouragement from Springer.
** Rarity and Lightning Blitz are revealed to have also been dating in secret. After the first date together, they decided to keep going out together and see what happens, but kept it a secret from everyone else in case things didn't work out. After several dates together they realized they have a lot in common and decide to officially become a couple, but are forced to reveal their relationship a bit sooner than they planned when [[AccidentalPervert Spike discovers]] them together [[MomentKiller at the worst possible time]].
* ''Fanfic/MuchAdoAboutShakespeareLovesLaboursWon'': Horatio Hornblower and Archie Kennedy get an upgrade from friends to lovers in this fic. They must keep it hidden from everybody because they are naval officers and what they want to do is a capital offence according to the Articles of War. If anybody finds out and reports them, they will be court martialed and hanged.
* The ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'' fanfic ''Fanfic/HerFracturedSpirit'' portrays Marina and Pearl as a couple. They'd rather not have their relationship in the public eye, however they act just flirty enough to cause rumors. This fanfic is ''far'' from the first to suggest that the two are a couple, however; whether this actually is the case in the main ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'' canon is a subject of much... ahem, "[[ShipToShipCombat heated debate]]".
* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/12684570 How to Fake a Marriage]]'' has Adrien and Marinette start a relationship midfic, but keeping it secret so that Gabriel won't learn it. Absolutely hilarious moments follow when their friends keep trying to matchmake the two, and Adrien trolls them by pretending to miss the clues.
* ''Fanfic/Touch2005'': Roxy and Stormer aren't open about their relationship, even to one another. They don't refer to each other as girlfriends or openly discuss their relationship.
* In ''Fanfic/PerfectDiamondWorld'', [[BrotherSisterIncest sisters]] Elsa and Anna have a secret incestuous relationship. A priest finds out and holds it over their head as {{blackmail}}. The two end up moving to England together and pretend to be widowed friends living together.
* ''Fanfic/CatsInTheCradle'' has [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc Makoto fall in love with Sayaka]], with them keeping it secret for the sake of Sayaka's career as an IdolSinger. Kyoko only learns about it after her class graduates from high school and Sayaka's career has started to decline.
* ''Fanfic/GirlsUndPanzerHopeDies'' has Miho and [[spoiler:Erika Itsumi]] of all people. Since there would be problems if people found out Miho was in a relationship with one of their opponents, they didn't show any signs of affection in public lest they be accused of passing information to the enemy [[spoiler:hence Erika's canonical hostility toward Miho(although she was genuinely angry with Miho for a while)]]. The truth is only revealed some time after [[PlotTriggeringDeath Miho is murdered at the start of the fic]], [[spoiler:the culprit being Yukari, who performed an IfICantHaveYou on Miho]].
* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/22255240/chapters/53142919 The Murder of Lila Rossi:]]'' Alya tells Detective Wolfe that Lila was dating the famous model Adrien Agreste, but they kept it quiet because of tabloids. This is the first of Lila's many lies to be exposed, but part of the reason it worked is that Adrien really ''does'' have to keep his relationships secret. Plus his actual girlfriend, Marinette, is an employee at his father's company, and it could quickly lead to accusations of {{Nepotism}} (though Marinette has threatened to kick Gabriel's ass [[RetiredMonster again]] if he tries to give her any sort of special favors).
* ''Fanfic/StealTheTruthReachOutForYourHeart'': Due to Rise still having an active career as an IdolSinger, her relationship with Yu is kept secret from the general public. Nanako didn't find out about it until she came home to find Rise at Yu's apartment (which is actually ''hers'', since they've been living together).
* ''Webcomic/TheLegendOfGenji'': Shortly after Kuvira's defeat, Iroh II began dating a man named Haruki, which he hid from the public due to the stigma same-sex couples faced in the Fire Nation as a consequence of [[HeteronormativeCrusader Sozin's]] lingering anti-LGBT laws. Also, as the Fire Nation's crown prince, Iroh II was facing increasing pressure to settle down with a wife and continue the royal bloodline. He kept his relationship with Haruki a secret for well over a decade until the time finally came for Iroh II's mother to AbdicateTheThrone, at which point Iroh II publicly rejected the crown and came out as gay so he could officially marry his boyfriend.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' fan series ''Fanfic/AnotherDayInBluffingtonDuology'', Patti and Beebe hid their relationship from everyone, even their close friends.
* In the new timeline of ''Fanfic/AlyaAndTheHaremReality'', Marinette, Alya, and Chloe have to keep their [[{{Polyamory}} polycule relationship]] a secret. Not because of any potential backlash from Marinette dating two different girls, but because it would be a risk to their SecretIdentities, especially with the (correct) speculation that Ladybug, Rena Rouge, and Queen Bee are dating each other.
* PlayedWith in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/33060022 The Princess Is Not in Another Castle; This One Is Safe Enough]]'', where officially Marinette is dating Adrien, but they later tell their classmates that he's been TheBeard for Marinette and Kagami's relationship to help conceal it from Kagami's mother. [[spoiler:The end of the story reveals that the secret relationship is actually between [[{{Polycule}} Marinette, Kagami,]] ''[[{{Polycule}} and]]'' [[{{Polycule}} Adrien]], which they're keeping a secret so the media or Adrien's father won't try to exploit it]].
* In ''[[Fanfic/ConsequencesMiraculousLadybug CAGED]]'', Adrien and Luka are SickeninglySweethearts but have to hide their relationship from the public with help from their classmates, since they know that Adrien's ControlFreak father [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain wouldn't approve of him dating a boy, much less one from a "lower" class]]. Unfortunately for the couple, Lila exposes their relationship through TabloidMelodrama [[DisproportionateRetribution because Adrien refuses to be hers]], knowing very well that Gabriel [[AbusiveParent will lock Adrien in his room and cut all communications to his boyfriend and his friends]].
* ''Fanfic/RepublicCityBlues'': Asami has to keep her relationship with Korra a secret, due to her father viewing affection as a weakness and barely allowing Korra to be her bodyguard as is. After they spend the night together, Asami leaves early and makes her side of the bed without waking Korra.
* In the ''Franchise/MyHeroAcademia'' series ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/series/2332319 The Aizawa-Yamada Family]]'' there is a variant. There are people who know that Hizashi Yamada and Shouta Aizawa are married. But only a couple of people know Present Mic and Eraserhead are married. They avoid showing affection or giving any indications when they’re in public in uniform. Hitoshi and Eri as their kids know and Nemuri knows but that’s about it. They look different enough out of costume to hide their truth, especially In Hizashi’s case,and Shouta isn’t a spotlight hero so he isn’t recognized much,and they feel safer that way.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1294904280087444300
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

%% Zero-context examples are not allowed and have been commented out. Don't uncomment unless you provide more context and explain the trope in proper detail.

* ''Fanfic/AdviceAndTrust'':
** [[IdiotHero Shinji]] and Asuka [[RelationshipUpgrade get together]] after their FirstKiss but they keep it secret because they are frightened that [[ParentalSubstitute their guardian]] would try to stop them or force one of them to move out. They actually do a fairly good job at keeping people from finding out (only Rei figured it out without being directly told).
--->'''Asuka:''' I get impatient, you know that. I want my warm baka-Shinji. It's a good thing you always get up before anyone else, too. We don't want to get caught, do we?\\
'''Shinji:''' I still feel a little bad hiding us from everyone, Asuka. We can't even go out on a weekend on a normal date or anything, and I'd really like to do that.\\
'''Asuka:''' I know. But if [[ParentalSubstitute Misato]] found out, she'd make us stop doing this. "We're too young!" or some other excuse, like we're not soldiers who could die any day.
** Ritsuko and Maya end up in a similar situation, although they're keeping it a secret because [[HeKnowsTooMuch Gendo would have them killed if he found out]].
** Sayaka and Kyoko were secretly dating before they hooked up with Kensuke. In fact, their originally wanted him to act as a cover before their relationship developed into {{Polyamory}}.
* ''Fanfic/TheChildOfLove'': After getting together Shinji and Asuka try to keep their relationship secret for a while. However they did not fool Misato for a minute and they stopped pretending after a couple of months.
-->''Shinji and Asuka shared their feelings for each other under the Obon Festival's fireworks. It seems that Misato and Kaji did the same, too. Even though Asuka now admits to herself and Shinji that she's in love with him, she tries not to tell anybody else, much to his surprise. Nevertheless, when they're alone, she's a totally different person...''\\
''Is she afraid of showing everybody how she feels for Shinji? Does she want to prove to Shinji that she loves him by giving him what she keeps from other people?''
* ''Manga/Evangelion303'': Played for laughs. Straight after [[RelationshipUpgrade becoming lovers]] Asuka warned Shinji against telling anyone that they were sleeping together. After several days she stopped caring about people knowing but she forgot to tell him, so Shinji was still denying everything to his friends and trying to keep it secret as the same time that her friends pried everything out of her.
* ''Fanfic/HigherLearning'': After getting together, Shinji and Asuka kept their relationship secret for a while until Shinji left right before the battle against Zeruel. Upon seeing Asuka's sobbing reaction, Misato figured it out.
* ''FanFic/TheSecondTry'': Merely the tip of the iceberg. In a nutshell, [[BattleCouple Shinji and Asuka]] are [[PeggySue time-travelers]] trying to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong, so that they have to hide that they are together, they are actually HappilyMarried and they even got a daughter. TheReveal was really something to behold.
* Several of the ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' stories that feature BrotherSisterIncest with Justin and Alex as the main couple.
* The ''Franchise/FullmetalAlchemist'' fan fiction ''Fanfic/BestKeptSecret'' uses this trope as its basic premise, exploring how the story might have gone if Roy and Riza were secretly married throughout the entire thing.
* Many ''Manga/SoulEater'' fanfics that pair Soul and Maka together have them trying to keep their relationship a secret. Usually it has more to do with Maka's dad's potential reaction than with their friends.

%% * [[BetaCouple Tsukasa and Miyuki]] in ''FanFic/StarsAbove''.
%% * [[spoiler:Hisao and Misha]] in the ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'' fic ''FanFic/FromShizunesPerspective'' [[spoiler:Shizune]] is upset by the fact that they kept it a secret from her.
* Possibly due to ValuesDissonance, [[note]]Although it's unclear what Konoha and the Hyuga clan think of relationships between first cousins[[/note]] one [[KissingCousins Neji/Hinata]] fanfic in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' portrayed their relationship as secret, even when Hinata had Neji's child.
* ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' fanfic ''FanFic/DirtySympathy'' has Klavier and Apollo keep their relationship under wraps because at first Daryan would have killed Klavier for infidelity, secondly to keep people from looking too closely at their actions and so that officially people don't realize that they know each other.
* Inverted in one story of the ''FanFic/FacingTheFutureSeries'' where Danny and Sam pretend to be ''broken up'' to get a bunch of ghosts trying to separate them to back off. Unfortunately, their friends fall for the ruse too.
* In ''FanFic/{{Shatterheart}}'' [[spoiler:R!]]Syaoran and Kurogane keep their FriendsWithBenefits relationship a secret because [[spoiler:R!]]Syaoran was still in love with Sakura and didn't want her finding out and so they could end it without anyone finding out. When Fai finds out about it due [[InterruptedIntimacy to walking in on them]], things get worse.
* By ''Fanfic/TheWrongReflection'' Eleya and Gaarra have graduated to OfficialCouple status, but they're still keeping the relationship secret because it's against regulations (she being his direct superior officer and all). So far they've only told Eleya's parents and sister, but it's briefly implied in the first chapter that Eleya's NumberTwo, Tess Phohl, knows and isn't saying anything.
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' fics often have a FandomSpecificPlot: There's a secret relationship between Ranma and Akane. The main reason why they keep it a secret is usually because they don't want their fathers to pressure them into marriage even more than they already do.
* The ''Manga/LuckyStar'' fic ''FanFic/TheDayEverythingChanged'' has Konata and Kagami, at the end of the fic, agreeing to keep their relationship under wraps for a bit, which actually seems to fit in with the yuri subtext seen in the actual anime. In the sequel, ''Fanfic/HolidayVacation'', their relationship has been common knowledge for two years now, and is often a conversation starter at school among students.

* ''Say It Again'', the {{prequel}} to ''Fanfic/SayItThrice'', has the platonic variant for [[Film/{{Beetlejuice}} Betelgeuse and Lydia]]. Following the events of the film, they're slowly developing the friendship which forms the emotional heart of the main story. However, since her parents and the Maitlands only know him as the dangerous monster who wreaked havoc on their lives/afterlives, they have to keep it to themselves for a long time.

* ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'': Yamada discusses it with Ichikawa on a train ride, bringing up how kids back in her elementary school days got together and openly held hands in the hallway. Then says that she personally finds ''this'' trope more fun and [[DoubleMeaning asks Ichikawa what he thinks.]]
** Between them overall, it's downplayed. The two always walk home from school together, begin hanging out outside of school and try to keep their level of closeness a secret from their classmates, ''especially'' at the start of [[spoiler: their third year to avoid [[ShipperOnDeck Kankan's desire to throw a flashmob celebration for class couples.]]]] But they’re an ''[[TwiceShy unofficial]]'' couple up to that point and actually question if they've been dating the whole time or not.