Forever Fall - Fanbrush Oneshot

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Fan watched the yellow cornfields speed by him in a dazzling blur as he grinned at his reflection in the car's glass. He looked up through the sunroof, his excitement growing as he admired the stunning golden clouds overhead. When Paintbrush noticed how happy he was, they laughed lightheartedly.

"You having a good time?" They lifted their drink from the cup holder and took a sip of their caramel macchiato.

Fan lowered his gaze and smiled at them. "Yeah! I love fall so much," He hugged himself and dramatically fluttered his eyes. "The crunchy leaves on the street and the crisp air~" He gushed, donning a dreamy expression.

Paintbrush set their cup back and turned the temperature up by a few degrees."Oh yeah! I love that time after summer when the air cools down for the first time."

"Mhm," Fan agreed. He excitedly wrung his hands as he bounced his feet against the floor. "And thanks for the coffee! Mine is um... really good," He added, taking a drink from his cup and savoring the sensation of the warm steam coming up his face.

As soon as the car pulled to a stop, Paintbrush grabbed their cup and a plastic bag and hopped out of the car, Fan doing the same. Paintbrush locked the car with a beep and walked around the vehicle to meet Fan, both of them smiling as they approached Hotel OJ.

With a spring in his step, Fan walked while kicking leaves up behind him and looked back to make sure Paintbrush was following. Fan slowed down and gradually adjusted his pace so the two were walking side by side.

Both shivered as a cool breeze came past them, blowing Paintbrush's bristles and making Fan laugh softly. With a slightly irritated look, Paintbrush swept their bristles out of their face, their expression returning to a happy one when they saw Fan's smile.
The pair calmly strolled past the parking lot and towards the hotel's front steps, appreciating the beautiful trees that surrounded them. Both the grass and the sidewalk were littered with colorful leaves. Fan stepped on them joyfully, his smile growing as he crushed the leaves beneath him, making pleasant crunching noises.

Paintbrush took another sip of their latte and nervously fidgeted with their bristles with their extra hand. Fan is so cute right now.

They subconsciously reached their hand out to Fan with hesitation, looking away to avoid eye contact. They felt warmer when they felt Fan's hand grasp their own, holding on tightly and gently swinging their arm back and forth. Paintbrush tensed up as they felt a familiar fuzzy feeling grow in their chest.

Paintbrush had a crush on Fan for a while now. After Fan's elimination, Paintbrush immediately went to making him feel welcome and showing him around the hotel. The best place to charge your phone, the time when OJ restocked the vending machines, and how to avoid Trophy. Paintbrush really didn't know why they felt so compelled to interact with Fan. Maybe without a mischievous Lightbulb to keep out of trouble, forming a friendship with Fan was their way of feeling responsible. Even when Lightbulb got eliminated and moved back into the hotel, Paintbrush stayed close to Fan, surprising Lightbulb with the new and unexpected friendship.

Fan had always been a bit skittish during the competition, even more when the game became serious. He obviously had some form of anxiety and he struggled with social interaction. It was difficult for him to get his words out and deal with his surroundings, which Paintbrush quickly took notice of after they spent more time around him. So of course, they were gonna be there for him. Even if their friendship was maybe morphing into something more.

Paintbrush was pulled from their daydreaming as they heard OJ's voice. They quickly separated their hand from Fan's, pulling their arm to their side and nervously rubbing it with their other hand. They didn't want anyone to know that they had a soft spot for Fan, even if they made it obvious all the time.