History Main / FriendVersusLover

** PlayedForDrama when Turk, after finding out [[YourCheatingHeart JD and Carla kissed]], decided that in order for him to get over it, he had to choose one of them to be angry at for a while. He chose Carla, giving her the "Silent Treatment".

** Notable for its total aversion. Arthur and Merlin are HeterosexualLifePartners, but when Guinevere starts to catch Arthur's attention, Merlin [[ShipperOnDeck couldn't be more delighted]]. [[HetIsEw This poses quite a problem for the slashers]] considering Merlin and Guinevere are LikeBrotherAndSister, and more often than not it is Merlin encouraging Gwen to spend time with Arthur.

* It ''seems'' like this is the case in the Brother Cadfael story "Dead Man's Ransom", with the girl resenting the constant presence of her fiancé's BloodBrother (the fiancé himself shows no particular inclination for her, seeing an ArrangeMarriage as inevitable and having no other girl in mind- at first) but is actually subverted: [[spoiler:the girl and friend are actually madly in love, but can do nothing to prevent her marriage]].

** Sometimes Jughead gets into a fight with Betty over Archie, but usually Jughead will team up with Betty against Veronica because, unlike Veronica, ''Betty is willing to share Archie with him!''

** A RunningGag is that Hank, Bobby, and Warren all can't stand Jean's various boyfriends and sabotage them. Which often involves them running from the Institute, screaming. Since Jean is holding a torch for Scott (who conspicuously does not get involved), and more generally wants a boyfriend who is, frankly, not a wimp, she minds less than she pretends.

** Another episode had Sam as the third wheel when, dateless on the night of a dance, she seeks out Carly and Freddie only to be dejected to find them having a romantic moment together. Whether or not that was this trope or [[LoveTriangle another one]] was left ambiguous.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'', Gumball is dating his love Penny following "The Shell". However, his adopted brother and best friend Darwin doesn't tolerate this since Gumball is spending more time with her than him so he tries to break them apart in "The Bros". However it is one-sided since Penny catches on and actually ''helps'' to repair the friendship between Gumball and Darwin by [[ItMakesSenseInContext doing a wedding-like ceremony in the name of]] TheBroCode.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheNewAnimatedSeries'', it was between Peter and Talon. As Spider-Man, he knows Talon's identity and was weary of her when Harry started dating her. Of course, he couldn't say anything without revealing his secret.

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has a complicated situation in the sequel, with Ron, Harry, and Carol. The complicated part comes in where no one is quite sure what category [[{{UST}} Harry and Carol's]] [[BestFriend relationship]] [[CourtlyLove fits under,]] meaning that it can just as easily be FriendshipFavoritism. Either way, he's worried about being LockedOutOfTheLoop (due to a mixture of PTSD and natural reticence, Harry is notoriously sparing with information about his stranger exploits, while Carol usually already knows, because she's often involved) - as he explains, while he doesn't necessarily ''want'' to get involved in Harry's special flavour of insanity, he'd like to have the choice. As it is, though, Ron and Carol actually get on fairly well, and he's actually got a small crush on her in his own right.

* Downplayed in ''Fanfic/XMenTheEarlyYears''. Neither Scott, nor Hank, nor Bobby, nor even Jean can stand Warren's girlfriend Candy. Rather than forcing Warren to choose, though, they're satisfied with annoying Candy and sabotaging their dates.

* ''WesternAnimation/KidVsKat'' presents a passive, one-sided example with Coop's ActionGirlfriend Fiona and his {{HeterosexualLifePartner|s}} Dennis. Dennis initially dislikes Fiona because she unintentionally distracts Coop from his usual "defeat Kat" plans and because Coop spends more time with her than with him. However he warms up to her in later episodes, even saving her from Coop's {{Yandere}} StalkerWithACrush Phoebe in "Birthday Bashed".

See also YokoOhNo, when fans dislike a new lover. If the friend in question also happened to be the character's former lover then TheMissusAndTheEx applies instead. Compare FriendshipFavoritism and BrosBeforeHoes.

** ''Disney/TheLionKing'': Although the song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF4CWCXirZ8&feature=related "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?"]] is mostly just a romantic montage between [[NewOldFlame Simba and Nala]], it begins and ends with Timon and Pumbaa, Simba's best friends, lamenting the fact that they will lose him if he goes back to the Pridelands.
** ''Disney/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf'' takes this further, revealing that they actually tried to sabotage the budding romance, but being Timon and Pumbaa, everything they did just backfired.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': [[spoiler: Snape and Lily weren't dating, but he does love her. What caused the fallout was his friendship with future Death Eaters like Mulciber and Avery. Beyond influencing his ideologies, it caused a strain with Lily's other friends, wondering why she was a friend with him. WordOfGod is that if he could, he'd have done things differently and that had he given them up, there was a good chance they'd end up together. Instead, she ends up with his adversary and rival, James Potter.]]

Generally, HilarityEnsues, except when the friend is {{poisonous|Friend}}, the love interest is {{clingy|JealousGirl}} or [[{{Yandere}} psycho-possessive]]. One or both might decide to MurderTheHypotenuse, leaving the other a CassandraTruth. Less murderously, both start a secret war for the affection and attention of the third party, trying to slander the other while seeming innocent. By the end one or the other usually reveals they were [[DerailingLoveInterests less than ideal]] as a friend or lover and get cropped out of the picture.

When the third party manages to put their foot down, they might manage to mediate a solution. However if both descend far enough in this petty politicking, the third party may well dump them ''both'' as an incentive to make them get over themselves. [[OneTrueThreesome Fandom often comes up with its own, sexier, solution to the dilemma.]]

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': In all of a moment, the relationship between Shirley (love interest) and Rolo (clingy surrogate brother) becomes this when [[spoiler:Shirley mentions wanting to get Lelouch back together with Nunnally. This causes Rolo to snap, since he can't stand the thought of not being Lelouch's only sibling and [[HeKnowsTooMuch realizes that Shirley knows important things]] [[FakeMemories that she shouldn't be aware of]]; he promptly ends things by killing Shirley]].

* In ''Manga/PandoraHearts'', Gilbert and Alice frequently fight over Oz's attention. Given a good amount of ambiguity on the feelings of both parts, it's debatable which of them is supposed to be the best friend and which of them is supposed to be the lover. It's worth noting that [[WordOfGod Jun Mochizuki]] stated that Oz and Alice's relationship was not and never would be romantic, which would make Gilbert the lover, if there truly is a lover in this relationship.

* ''Manga/UQHolder'' has an odd, one-person variation: Kuromaru clearly has some sort of feelings towards Touta. The problem is that Kuromaru is a type of being with NoBiologicalSex until he turns 16, at which point he chooses to be either biologically male or female. He currently identifies as male, but is rather clearly conflicted as to whether he wants to stay male, making his relationship with Touta something of a BashBrothers thing, or become a girl and make the relationship more romantic in nature.

** PlayedForLaughs in ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'', with an unexpected conclusion. Archie tries to take Veronica out to a movie, while discussing Jughead seemingly getting too attached to Archie. The couple thought they have lost Jug, only to run back into him when they were at the theater. An argument rises up, and all three were kicked out because of the commotion. Archie makes up an excuse to get away from both of them, and when out of earshot he feels nothing but woe over being popular. [[spoiler:The twist is that, when Archie sneaked back in order to take a look at what's happening between Veronica and Jughead, thinking that they're still fighting over him, only to find out that ''they'' decided to go on a date with each other, effectively dumping Archie.]]

* ''ComicBook/SecretSix'': Deadshot’s girlfriend Jeanette twice tries to make him choose between her and his best friend, Catman. Deadshot hesitates for ''maybe'' a couple seconds before choosing Catman. Both times.

* In ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'', after Jon started dating Liz, Garfield felt jealous of her, but eventually got over it.

* The ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' fanfic ''FanFic/APikachuInLove'' forces this on Pikachu. He has to decide whether or not he wants to stick with Ash, who he'll never have a true friendship with due to being a Pokemon, and the possiblity that Ash might leave him one day once he grows up, or Pichi, his new found love who, besides also being a Pikachu, has a lot in common with him, and is able to openly communicate with due to them both being Pokemon.

* In ''Film/ChasingAmy'', Banky gets super bent out of shape when his best friend and comic publishing partner, Holden, starts hanging out with a fellow comic book writer Alyssa (who's a lesbian but so what?), and eventually starts dating her, MUCH to Banky's disapproval. Holden (who's also uncomfortable with how experienced his new girlfriend is) decides to kill two birds with one stone by [[WhatAnIdiot suggesting a threesome]], which makes BOTH other characters turn their backs on him.

* Replace the "friendship" side of the equation with "adoptive familial relationship" and you have Jean Valjean, Marius and Cosette in ''Literature/LesMiserables''.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': [[spoiler: Snape and Lily weren't dating, but he does love her. What caused the fallout of was his friendship with future Death Eaters like Mulciber and Avery. Beyond influencing his idealogies, it caused a strain with Lily's other friends, wondering why she was a friend with him. WordOfGod is that if he could, he'd have done things differently and that had he given them up, there was a good chance they'd end up together. Instead, she ends up with his adversary and rival, James Potter.]]
* Amelia (lover) vs. Zadie (friend) over Dylan Crosby in ''Literatre/ReconstructingAmelia''. Neither Dylan or Amelia want the conflict, but Zadie repeatedly antagonizes Amelia despite Dylan's desperate attempts to smooth things over and Amelia's attempts to just stay out of Zadie's way. [[spoiler:In the end, it indirectly gets Amelia killed]].
* ''Literature/GodspeakerTrilogy'': Raklion has a friend-vs-lover conflict with his HeterosexualLifePartner Hanochek, and his consort Hekat. Hanochek and Hekat hate each other, and it's a simmering background problem for a long time. When it comes to a head, Raklion--very, ''very'' reluctantly--sides with Hekat, and banishes Hanochek. But in the end of his life, with his LastWords, Raklion wishes that he hadn't.

* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', [[HeterosexualLifePartners Firestar and Graystripe]] come into conflict over Graystripe's SecretRelationship with Silverstream. Though in this case it's not just about Graystripe being in love but that they are [[StarCrossedLovers from separate, warring Clans]] and Firestar has to cover for him.

* It happpens a few times in ''Series/{{Friends}}'', like Joey choosing between Phoebe (friend) and Ursula (lover) and Ross choosing between Rachel (friend who has still feelings for him) and Emily (lover who tells him he doesn't have to see Rachel anymore).
* Happens in ''Series/{{House}}'' almost every time Wilson gets a girlfriend. The current one is fighting a secret war with House to see who'll win in the long term.... When Wilson was with Amber, House actually did come up with a "custody contract", which Amber reluctantly agreed to and later added "penalty clauses" to.

* ''Series/FindingCarter'': A dark version of this appears, when Carter dates bad boy Crash, who her best friend Max hates. [[spoiler: It leads to a horrible moment where a fugitive Crash gets jealous of Max's relationship with Carter, and ends up accidentally shooting him. Carter not only dumps him, but gets him arrested.]]

* Wrestling/ChrisHero's dilemma in Wrestling/ProWrestlingGuerilla was that his protege and long time {{tag team}} partner Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli was trying to get rid of Hero's then girlfriend, Wrestling/{{Candice LeRae}}.[[/folder]]

** In the main plot, Bassanio's friendship with Antonio versus his romantic relationship with Portia. This is an extremely mild case, but is often played up for the sake of drama in performance.
** In the subplot, Lorenzo is in love with Jessica, and Launcelot is Jessica's friend, who acts as go-between delivering their love letters and helping them to carry out their elopement. All three characters aren't seen together until very late in the play, when Jessica is married to Lorenzo; at this point they've clearly become a case of this trope, with Lorenzo joking that he's jealous of Launcelot and the two proceeding to rank each other out.
* ''Theatre/TheChildrensHour'': Martha doesn't get along with her best friend Karen's fiance, Joe. Her aunt mentions that she gets upset everytime Joe visits and that she often takes it out on others (but mostly her). Martha's been this way since childhood. She's always been jealous when her friends fall for boys. [[spoiler:This is actually because Martha is in love with Karen.]]

* In the ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' cartoon [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/datenite.html Date Nite]], Strong Bad acts like this when the Cheat goes out on a date with Marzipan, and ends up [[EnemyMine teaming up with a jealous Homestar]] [[DatePeepers to try to sabotage the date.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Feast}}'', Winston the dog isn't happy when his owner's new girlfriend tries to improve both their eating habits, and the flow of junk food Winston is used to turns into Brussels sprouts.

** Also, in two seperate episodes, Dipper is forced to choose whether or not to improve his standing with his PrecociousCrush Wendy Corduroy at the cost of Mabel's happiness. Both times he ultimately chooses not to.

* ''WesternAnimation/KidVsKat'' presents a passive, one-sided example with Coop's ActionGirlfriend Fiona and his {{HeterosexualLifePartner|s}} Dennis. Dennis initially dislikes Fiona because she unintentionally distracts Coop from his usual "defeat Kat" plans, and because Coop spends more time with her than with him. However he warms up to her in later episodes, even saving her from Coop's {{Yandere}} StalkerWithACrush Phoebe in "Birthday Bashed".

* In ''VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime'', [[spoiler:Bentley finds out that his missing girlfriend Penelope is [[{{Greed}} money obsessed]] and EvilAllAlong, and that she is plotting to kill his {{Childhood Friend}}s Sly and Murray out of jealousy and because she thinks they are holding him back. After realizing that his relationship was actually an abusive one, Bentley enters a brief HeroicBSOD from a broken heart, before coming out of it and saving his friends from being murdered, and dumps Penelope]].

When the third party manages to put their foot down, they might manage to mediate a solution. However if both descend far enough in this petty politicking, the third party may well dump them ''both'' as an incentive to make them get over themselves. [[OT3 Fandom often comes up with its own, sexier, solution to the dilemma.]]

* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', Clark is often this between Chloe and Lana, though almost entirely in the first half of the show. While the girls are usually fairly mature about it, [[LoveTriangle it is further complicated by Chloe's teenaged desire to be more than just friends than Clark and Lana's temporary]] [[spoiler:attraction to Lex]]. Luckily, Chloe grows out of it and becomes PlatonicLifePartners with him instead. Lana is PutOnABus, all while [[{{Superman}} Clark]] gradually begins realizing that his friendship with a certain ComicBook/LoisLane may have something deeper than just friendship to it...

* RomCom ''Series/GavinAndStacey'' has this in ''spades'', with newlywed Essex boy [[MeaningfulName Gavin Shipman]] discovers his marriage to [[MeaningfulName Stacey West]] has really upset the dynamic of his best friend Smithy, who [[HeterosexualLifePartners feels put out]], neglected and abandoned by his buddy, and isn't shy about indicating this.

* Wrestling/ChrisHero's dilemma in Wrestling/ProWrestlingGuerilla was that his protege and long time {{tag team}} partner Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli was trying to get rid of Hero's then girlfriend, Candice [=LeRae=].[[/folder]]

* In ''[[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]]'' Ives never really gets along with Tim's girlfriend Ariana, partially because Tim has a lot of obligations eating up his time so Ives isn't pleased when spending quality time with a girlfriend becomes another one. He gets along better with [[ComicBook/Batgirl2000 Stephanie]] but by then its been heavily hinted that Ives has figured out that Tim's Robin [[note]]He casually makes excuses for him when Tim runs off and leaves everyone flabbergasted and when Tim has to unexpectedly cancel plans to hang out with friends and is repeatably said to be incredibly sharp. Later he acts completely blasé when Steph returns from the dead.[[/note]]so he might just be more chill with Tim having a girlfriend that involves fewer lies. It probably helps that Steph and Ives have compatible senses of humor and both like the same geeky stuff as Tim, unlike Ariana, so they can all hang out together.

** In Episode 134, Stumpy wants to play a board game with Quack Quack, but Quack Quack is on a date with Eugly and therefore ignores Stumpy. Later, Stumpy manages to clone himself and he and the clones tease Quack Quack and Eugly until [[FragileFlower Eugly]] runs away crying so they can hang out with Quack Quack.

* In ''WesternAnimation/DanVs'', poor Chris is treated like the rope in a game of tug of war between Dan and Elise. Being a NiceGuy, Chris can't say no to either of them, so they usually have to sort it out between themselves.

* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryInc'' has Shaggy caught between Scooby and Velma. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero It's largely his own fault]], though. Shaggy blamed his own fear of going public with their relationship on Scooby, even when Scooby found out about it and seemed to approve... until Shaggy tried sneaking off to prom without telling him what was going on, seemingly ditching him in the process. Only then does Scooby ''actually'' start disapproving of the relationship and tries to ruin it, leading to Scooby and Velma forcing Shaggy to choose. [[spoiler: He chooses Scooby, which hurts his friendship with Velma for the remainder of the season and then some, though they eventually make up and decide they might have been BetterAsFriends anyway.]]

* On ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'', Jimmy's PoisonousFriend Beezy and his {{Yandere}} Heloise are constantly at war for his attention. The only reason they remotely tolerate each other is to stay around Jimmy.

* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryInc'' has Shaggy caught between Scooby and Velma. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero It's largely his own fault]], though. Shaggy blamed his own fear of going public with their relationship on Scooby, even when Scooby found out about it and seemed to approve... until Shaggy tried sneaking off to prom without telling him what was going on, seemingly ditching him in the process. Only then does Scooby ''actually'' start disapproving of the relationship and forces him to choose. [[spoiler: He chooses Scooby, which hurts his friendship with Velma for the remainder of the season and then some, though they eventually make up and decide they might have been BetterAsFriends anyway]].