They insist they're just friends, but that hasn't stopped fans of two Dutch politicians from becoming so invested in their friendship they've begun writing fanfiction about the pair.
Rob Jetten and Jesse Klaver—both members of Parliament in The Netherlands—have captured the country's hearts with their warm, affectionate bromance.
So much so they have their own nickname—Resse, a portmanteau of Rob and Jesse—and a TikTok hashtag full of videos like the one below that celebrates their "anniversary."
@ressepeasants Half a year since Resse 🥺 #resse #robjetten #jesseklaver #d66 #groenlinks #politiek #dutchpolitics #nederland #tweedekamer #ship #cute #foryoupage
And now, fanfic can be added to the list of content obsessing over the two pols.
Fanfic site Wattpad now has a Resse section full of more than 70 stories about the two with suggestive titles like, "Intoxicating Love," "A Rough Day" and "Behind Closed Doors."
Most of the stories follow a sort of "forbidden love" storyline. The two men meet at work, try their best not to fall in love, but eventually succumb to a scintillating love affair.
Unfortunately for their fans, however, the love affair will have to remain the stuff of fantasy.
As Jetten confirmed in an Instagram post back in April when their bromance first attracted attention, Jetten, who is gay, is in a committed relationship and Klaver is married with a wife and kids.
In his caption Jetten wrote:
"Sorry to disappoint all my new fans, but Jesse and I are really just very good colleagues 😉"
Jetten went on to say the two love the adulation their friendship has inspired however—including all the TikToks about the two of them which have racked up more than 45 million views.
So what's the allure of these two men's friendship?
Speaking to Insider, psychologist Avigail Lev said it may be the fact an "affectionate and respectful bromance" between a gay man and a straight man feels sort of refreshing in these tumultuous times. It's pretty much the antithesis of toxic masculinity.
As she put it:
"During this time, with the 'me too' movement, Trumpism, and gender tensions, people feel touched when men in a position of power behave affectionately towards each other."
Whatever the reasons, people are absolutely ga-ga about Resse—including people outside of The Netherlands now their story has gone international.
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Here's to Resse.
May their bromance never fade!
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