Movie Night

Paper had been sleeping soundly in bed for a few hours by now, seeing as he didn't feel like waiting for his workaholic of a boyfriend to declare the day 'done' when it had already finished hours ago. Sometimes he'd stay up and wait, because, really, there wasn't any other time he could spend with OJ; the man couldn't wrap his head around the concept of being away from his workplace for more than a few minutes... but tonight wasn't one of those times. Paper had been hard at work himself all day, and he was absolutely ready to slip into unconsciousness for as long as possible.

But eventually, the door to their room creaked open, and a certain hotel manager stepped inside. OJ couldn't help the way his heart absolutely melted at the sight once he stepped in, the thin trail of pale light from the hallway illuminating Paper's face in just the right way...

Now, any object in their right mind would've probably gone to bed and let their lover sleep in peace... maybe snuggle up beside them... after all, why would you want to interrupt something so delicate and gorgeous?

Apparently, though, today OJ had no issue shaking the life out of the sheet, a giddy smile on his face as Paper blinked awake in a daze.

"Wha- huh? OJ, what time-"

"Paper! Quick, get up, get up!"

Paper groaned in annoyance and he sat up in bed, practically leaning over himself.

"OJ... what...? It's too early for this... what's going on..."

OJ's smile didn't waver, not even for a moment, as he began to explain his idea.

"I'm gonna have to go back to Season Three, so I'll be gone for a week-"

Paper's face immediately warped from exhaustion to irritated worry, looking completely baffled for a moment.

"What! Why?!-"

"Calm down, it's just to be a juror... but the trip there and back will probably take a while."

Paper visibly relaxed a little, understanding what OJ meant. He'd been a juror on Season One, even if it wasn't really all that important back then.

But the frown still wasn't wiped from his face, understanding where this was going.

"So... you'll be gone... for a week or so, you said?"

"...Yeah, it depends on how fast me, Fan and Paintbrush can row as a team. I don't see why we couldn't have just... been brought back on a speedboat, the guy can literally generate anything... but it's MePhone, so what else can I expect."

Paper nodded along to OJ's words, sighing to himself. Seems he was going to have to take over managing the place again, at least for a little while... hopefully it'll go better than last time.

"And... when are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow. I got the email a few hours ago."

"Oh..."

Paper felt a little disappointed at that. Sure it was only for a week, but he would've liked an earlier notice... running a hotel alone is really stressful.

And then he felt his partner grab his hand, looking into his eyes with a hopeful, reassuring gaze... one that he hadn't seen for quite a while on the overworked, stubborn manager.

"So... this will be my last night here for a little while. And... I just... I thought to myself... by the time I finish working, it's always... relatively peaceful. Even the more energetic contestants like Yin-Yang or Lightbulb are in bed, or at the very least in their rooms. So..."

Paper blinked at OJ a couple times, slowly picking up on his, his eyes widening a little.

"You... want to... spend time together? Now?-"

"Mhm... I- I know we haven't done that too often... everything's just been so hectic recently and-"

OJ cut himself off, shaking his head. That wasn't the point.

"...I wanted... to spend these last peaceful hours before I leave with you. Maybe we can watch a movie or something...?"

Paper felt like he was absolutely floating on air right now... if there were ever times where he doubted whether or not he loved OJ, now was not one of them. That was so considerate and sweet... a little private, perfect night, just the two of them... it made up for all the times OJ had to say no.

"...Alright... yeah, let's watch a movie. Sounds good."

He shuffled out of their bed, taking OJ's hand in his own as they headed downstairs, their steps swift and silent as they navigated the pitch black corridors. If it were any other couple, they may have stumbled or bumped into a wall here and there; but OJ and Paper knew the hotel like the back of their hands.

And so, Paper found himself sitting comfortably on the couch, watching his boyfriend fumble with the remote as he struggled to pick a film.

"It doesn't have to be anything spectacular, OJ, just pick anything-"

"No, no, it's gotta be something perfect... I want to make up for all those dates I missed."

Paper rolled his eyes a little at the reply, snatching the remote and picking the first sappy rom-com he could find.

"Wha- hey, I was-"

"C'mere."

He patted the soft orange cushion beside him, watching OJ crumble under his teasing little smile as he moved to sit right by him.

Paper normally adored letting himself be sucked into the universe a movie could present him with - the plot, the setting, the characters... it all had the power to absolutely fascinate him, and he had no problem immersing himself in that captivating story for an hour or two.

But today... Paper's attention wasn't focused on whatever noise the TV was making, instead letting his eyes fixate on the glass of juice next to him, the subtle flicker of colours faintly illuminating his face under the total darkness of the night. He watched as his eyes struggled to remain open, as they started to droop and become half-lidded, as his yawns became more frequent... until eventually, OJ shifted to lean against him, completely limp against his side.

He didn't bother to turn the TV off, or find a warm blanket to snuggle under, or even to grab a cork for OJ's glass. He wouldn't dare risk disturbing OJ's sleep, not when getting a good night's rest had become so incredibly rare for him over the years. Instead, he wrapped both of his arms around him, soaking in the comfort and warm bliss he was experiencing as the TV continued to fade into background noise.

He wouldn't trade this moment for anything... not even another million dollars.