Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Fan, are you sure we're at the right place…?"

Paper asked, looking down at Fan as he scrolled on his phone, triple-checking the details of the E3 event.

Fan nodded along, looking around the island. It was completely barren, save for a few people who looked too content to be Silksong fans.

"It has to be… June 13th, 2019… Paradise…"

Even so, he triple-checked the tickets on his phone, making sure there was no way he could've messed this up…

But still, there was no sign of Auzi I mean Team Cherry fans anywhere. No booths of any kind, not even any Nintendo fans either… it was just… empty.

Paper and his brother were absolutely lost. Until they actually finally found someone else, wearing a small, barely noticeable Hornet pin on their glass.

They both breathed out a small sigh of relief, as Paper walked up to him with a nervous smile on his face.

"Uhm, excuse me? You're a Hollow Knight fan, right?"

The object seemed to zone back in at his words, blinking out of whatever hazy state they were in as they nodded with a quiet chuckle.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I am. I'm assuming you're here for the demo too, right?"

Paper nodded along, pointing to his brother behind him… who was cosplaying at Hornet's damn cloak. Those thick black lines would never get out of his fabric… but in his words, it'd been 'in the name of the cope'.

"Mhm. Me and my brother, anyway. He's… really excited for it…"

OJ stared at the ecstatic boy behind him who was bouncing on his heels, adjusting his little pin with a slight grimace. He… admired the dedication, sure, but the boy honestly looked more uncomfortable than anything…

"Right, I can… tell."

But he turned his focus back to the sheet of Paper standing in front of him. He took a few seconds to admire the guy… and who could blame him, really? Of course his eyes were drawn to the little citadel symbol on his page, but… he wasn't too shabby overall. The way the gleaming sunlight reflected off the edge of his sheet, and that awkwardly sweet smile…

His eyes drifted towards the small Hornet plushie he was holding.

"Can I… hold your little Hornet for a bit?"

Paper looked down at the plush he was holding. Still, there was nobody around, no sign of any other skongers…

…So why not?

"Yeah, sure. Here you go."

He handed off his plushie with an earnest smile, and OJ took it in his hands as if it were the most precious thing in the world. It'd clearly been owned by the guy and his brother for a while, as dust was collecting around its edges, but… it was still just so adorable. Almost as adorable as the guy who'd been holding-

…Huh?

…He'd… he'd dwell on that thought more later.

Instead, he gave the Hornet plush a gentle squeeze as a way of expressing his emotions, before bringing it to his face and giving it a slight boop.

He didn't even know why he'd done that, really, it just felt… right.

Paper could only stare at the plush in… shock? Amusement? Embarrassment? Endearment?

It stirred up some fluttery feeling in his chest that he couldn't quite decipher.

OJ opened his eyes from behind the plushie, lowering it again as he locked eyes with the stranger.

"So… uhm… what's your name?"

Paper's face turned a very light shade of red, chuckling as he scratched the back of his head.

"Oh! Right! I'm Paper, and that's Fan!"

Fan was watching their interaction… a little too intensely for his liking, looking like he was on the verge of exploding or something.

But still, he said nothing, only choosing to vibrate in place as he gazed at his brother.

OJ shrugged, giving Paper a slight smirk as he cleared his throat, returning Paper's Hornet plushie to him as he spoke up.

"Well it's very nice to meet you, Paper. Name's OJ."

Paper could've sworn he saw a few bubbles rise in the guy's glass… but decided not to question him on it.

He returned his smirk with a genuine smile, giving his own plushie a squeeze as well.

"…Nice to meet you too, OJ."

Paper shifted his grip on the plushie, so he was only holding it in one hand, reaching the other out for OJ to take.

Something in OJ shifted, then.

Maybe this was just some random stranger who happened to share an interest with him, but… but he couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe… it would turn out to be something more. That the flicker of a flame in his chest would continue to grow and grow into a blazing inferno, of passion, and admiration… of actual, genuine connection…

He let his smirk fade into a sweetened, smitten smile, reaching out his hand to take Paper's…

"FOR PALE KING'S SAKE!"

The definitely-not-gay pair turned around to face Fan as he shrieked, frantically typing on his phone.

They both exchanged worried glances as Paper gently rested a hand on Fan's shoulder.

"Uhm… everything o-"

Fan whipped the screen around, showing a live broadcast of the E3 demo one of his favourite Silksong content creators was streaming.

"ITS THE WRONG MOTHDAMN ISLAND. WHAT KIND OF IDIOT HAS TWO ISLANDS NAMED PARADISE?!"

Paper stared intensely at the screen, and then looked up at a nearby signpost, sighing to himself as he realised something.

"…Fan. We're on Paradice Island. You booked the wrong flight."

Fan looked at the signpost Paper was gesturing to.

The phone shook and trembled in his hands. He was gripping it tightly to avoid the pain from the absolute storm of emotions he knew Paper was about to unleash on him…

"FAN OH MY GOD YOU HAD ONE JOB. YOU HAD ONE JOB, I WAS THE ONE WHO STAYED UP ALL NIGHT PAINTING YOUR FABRIC EVEN THOUGH I TOLD YOU IT WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA AND THIS-"

"Aw shucks. Can't believe I didn't double-check my ticket…"

Paper had calmed down in an instant at OJ's words, noticing him moping at his phone, genuinely disappointed in himself for his blunder.

And it was like a switch flipped in his mind, because all of a sudden he was gently stroking the side of his glass, a reassuring smile on his face as he spoke up in the sweetest, most sincere voice Fan had ever heard him use.

"Hey, its okay, OJ. You didn't know. It's not your fault, the names are so similar, after all..."

Fan was feeling very conflicted at the moment.

On one hand, Paper was being absolutely biased here, showing more sympathy to a guy he LITERALLY met 5 minutes ago then his own brother who he'd known all his life.

But on the other…

This was very gay. And very cute.

And certainly blog-post worthy.

He swiped off the YouTube tab he was on, and opened up his tumblr, starting a brand new blog just for this occasion, taking a very secretive picture of his brother and this random stranger sharing a comforting moment together.

'Hey gang. No Silksong news, sorry. I bought the wrong tickets… but maybe it all worked out in the end. Because do you know what's better than waiting for Silksong? Waiting for YAOI! Which do you think will happen first? Silksong's release, or my brother and this stranger he met 5 minutes ago getting together? Stay tuned to find out, on Daily Payjay News!'

He uploaded the photo below that caption, attaching a bajillion tags to the post and hitting send.

-

It'd been almost 7 years since Fan started his Daily Payjay News blog.

Seven goddamn years.

When he initally captioned that first photo, he expected it to be more of a one-off joke than anything else. That Paper and OJ would get together in a few months, or maybe a year at max, and the three of them would be waiting for Silksong's eventual release together.

Not whatever the FUCK the two of them had going on right now.

The idea that payjay becoming canon might actually take longer than the release of Silksong was a thought that genuinely kept him up at night. What were the two even DOING at this point?

They'd literally been to Gamescon together. PLAYED Silksong together. WITHOUT HIM, mind you.

That alone was enough for him to take extreme offence at their actions; but the fact that they hadn't even gotten together that day? At the event that was, arguably, one of the most important events of their lives?

It was just rubbing salt in the wound, at this point.

He'd left a very angry summary from the bits and pieces of the event he picked up from Paper's excited rambles on his blog - which more and more people were tuning into, by the way - and gone straight to bed afterwards.

Today just HAD to be the day they actually got substantial news, though. After all these years, Auzi I mean Team Cherry was premiering a 'Special Announcement' regarding Silksong. It HAD to be the release date, at this point. They'd been coping for too long for it to be anything else. The community had been through thick and thin; lies about cake, Xbox Gamepass false promises, the III initiative, the Deadpool tease… if there was no release date at this 'Announcement', Fan was actually going to turn into the Radiance herself and destroty the entire goddamn universe or something. He was bursting with excitement, and could feel the fresh hopium flowing through his veins.

He checked the time on his phone.

7am.

The reveal was soon. Just 30 more minutes.

He sprung out of bed, not even daring to eat breakfast in case he missed the big reveal, and turned on his TV immediately.

Just five minutes later, while staring at that beautiful bright red waiting screen, Paper raced down the stairs, offering Fan a half-eaten slice of bread.

"OJ's getting here in 10. Here, I found this in your room. I just hope it's not expired or something, can't have you dying of food poisoning so close to the release."

Fan stared at the slice, shaking his head.

"If there's no release date… then I'll eat it. I can die of food poisoning then."

"You know what fair."

Paper rushed off to the kitchen, preparing his own half-assessed breakfast, counting down the minutes to when OJ got here the trailer in his head.

Eventually, the front door to their house buzzed, the sound only serving to remind him of what was coming.

He rushed to swing the door open for his boy best friend, barely even having the time to greet him before guiding him to their spot on the couch.

Fan had grown used to it just being 'their spot' by now. He still couldn't believe that they weren't a thing. They were watching the trailer that was probably going to announce the Silksong release date and they weren't a thing. They were going to freak out over and enjoy Silksong together… platonically.

The thought actually made him sick. Good thing he hadn't eaten anything.

Still, he shoved that feeling down his stomach, choosing to focus more on the screen in front of him than the gay behind him.

20 minutes became 10.

10 minutes became 5.

5 minutes became 1.

And soon enough… it was time.

The three of them were absolutely glued to the screen, watching each and every transition in sheer awe. How was any of this even real? It seemed too good to be true…

Paper could feel his excitement rise by the second. The animation was smoother. The colours were more vibrant. Hornet's moveset seemed so… flawless…

But even though what was happening onscreen definitely had his full attention… it wasn't enough to bury the lingering feelings deep within his heart.

If anything, it only brought them closer and closer to the surface, the excitement of what was happening enough to put his worries and anxieties over his… situation with OJ to rest…

Until everything culminated in one big, bombastic finish, and the release date faded into view.

Paper had never felt so elated in his entire goddamn life.

"YEEEEEESSSSS!!! YES YES YYEEEEESS! YES NEWS! YES NEWS! YES NEWS TO REPORT FOR SILKSONG TODAY!!"

Nobody in the room could tell who was screaming what.

It was a moment that felt so… so magical.

Completely out of this world, even.

And amidst the sheer euphoria Paper was experiencing… he did something he never thought he'd do in a million years.

He grabbed OJ's cheeks in his palms, and leaned right in for a deep, passionate kiss on the lips.

At first, there was just a burst of shock. Of surprise. Of unspoken feelings finally making their presence known…

But the moment that feeling faded, OJ wasted absolutely no time in returning the kiss, wrapping his arms around Paper and letting his undying love for the man in his arms take control of his movements. There were no words that could describe the sheer bliss they both felt, as the rush of emotions they'd been burying were finally set free. Their senses were overwhelmed with ectsasy and joy, and neither of them would have had it any other way.

Fan only noticed what was going on when he heard the high-pitched shrieks beside him suddenly die out, tilting his head just enough to see Paper and OJ… actually kissing.

Holy shit.

He'd never pulled out his phone faster in his entire life.

A quick snap.

They pulled away. Paper's head creaked around to face Fan, staring at the phone's camera and letting the room be engulfed in a suffocating silence.

"Fan. If you don't delete that image off your phone right now, I am going to leak your entire search history to Test Tub-"

"Too late!"

Fan didn't make it to Silksong's release.