Shining Star//Dimming Light (VOL.2) (Felix X SKZ ONE-SHOTS)

True Friend (OT8)

Pairing: SKZ & Felix

Genre: College AU

!!TW!! : angst, kind of manipulation, guilt-tripping, arguments, language, friends fighting, friendships falling apart, I think most people have been that ONE friend at some point, I changed Jisung's birthday a bit so the story could work better, toxic friendships, toxic friends, inspired by "OH" MV

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Felix didn't know how everything could go so wrong so quickly.

"—if you hadn't decided to be fucking late—"

"—couldn't control it, stop blaming for every fucking thing—"

"—and you can't even acknowledge that—"

"You're in the wrong so why should I even—"

"Apologize!"

It was a literal shouting match – the words were like knives thrown blindingly, oil poured onto a fire that had been simmering for months which was now turning into a full-blown party of fireworks, except that they were exploding at random, setting off more little fires everywhere, and absolutely no one was having fun.

Felix didn't understand how a simple hangout between friends could have turned into such a horrifying battlefield – how their once tightly-knit group was now tearing apart at the seams, and he was completely helpless to it all, forced to witness the destruction of every single friendship he'd ever known and cherished.

No, Felix didn't understand – or rather, he didn't want to.

But, in the end, he should probably have seen it coming.

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Seven months prior

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Everything went wrong when Minho and Hyunjin started dating. Or was it when they broke up a year and a half later? Felix couldn't really tell. He'd always thought the pair was crazy in love and it would stay that way, but life worked differently. They went too fast, didn't talk enough, grew distant – and, before anyone knew it, the once happy couple was constantly fighting and arguing until, eventually, they agreed on breaking up.

Felix figured it was just natural, that sometimes couples just didn't work out – what he didn't expect was how drastically this would affect their friend group as a whole.

Even broken up, Hyunjin and Minho kept on getting into fights about all sorts of petty stuff. It could start with Hyunjin stealing a grape from Minho's plate and end with Minho yelling about all of the times Hyunjin never paid a single cent whenever they went out to eat together. Or it could start with Minho teasing Jeongin about his clumsiness and end with Hyunjin crying about how no one was ever good enough for "the great Lee Minho".

It was exhausting, having to constantly navigate between the two of them. Things were simpler when they weren't in the same room but, since they all belonged to the same group of friends (had since primary school), it was a little hard for the others to just split their time evenly. Felix tried his best to take it in stride and be supportive of them both, never taking a side in any of the arguments taking place. He offered comfort cookies and loving hugs and relaxing outings to the theater or to a cat café – anything that could help bring a smile back to their faces. And it worked, for the most part – so long as they weren't together.

Felix genuinely thought that, with time, things would get better. However, it would seem their previous romance had left a lasting scar, a bitter aftertaste that neither could fully wash down. They'd ignore each other at best, but then they'd end up exploding after a week, and it was never pretty. The freckled boy absolutely hated how they both hurt so much. He hated how the once relaxing times with his friends had now become exhausting, to the point where he sometimes called in sick to cancel plans with the group because he knew how everything was going to end. Still, he tried his hardest to carry on and keep on gluing their little group together.