Among the roaming NPCs in Animal Crossing: New Horizons are C.J. and Flick, an eSports fishing influencer and a bug-obsessed artist, respectively. Although the characters appear on player's islands at different times, they apparently have an off-screen relationship -- and fans believe the pair might be dating.
Evidence of the C.J./Flick romance -- which would make them the first canon gay couple in the Animal Crossing series -- can be found in the way C.J. talks about Flick to prospective clients. He refers to Flick as his "partner" and gushes about how talented he is as an artist. Naysayers will argue that Flick is simply his business partner, but that doesn't really make sense based on how the characters function in the game.
C.J. and Flick purchase fish and bugs, respectively, at a premium markup. C.J.'s goal is to increase his clout in the eSports fishing influencer community and Flick wants to commune with bugs on a spiritual level. Neither one actually tries to sell players anything. In fact, the services they offer -- aside from loading pockets with Bells -- are free. Flick takes commissions in exchange for three bugs of the type players want modeled; C.J. takes commissions for Flick in exchange for three fish of the type players want modeled.
If the pair were business partners, it would obviously make sense for C.J. to talk up Flick's artistic skills in order to convince players they want a commission -- especially if they split the profits. However, since commissions are free, that idea doesn't hold much weight. It's far more likely that fans' queer reading is correct and these two have a romantic relationship.
Furthermore, when players commission fish art from Flick via C.J., they receive a message the next day with yet more gushing. In the letter attached to the fish model, C.J. writes, "You shoulda seen my partner work on this. Sometimes he just... flows. It's fintastic." He asks the player to spread the word of where they got their art, but otherwise just seems content to support and talk up his partner's work. The wording of the letter also implies that C.J. and Flick live together, or at the very least spend a lot of time together when they're not hitting up islands for fish and bugs. It's honestly very wholesome and also incredibly encouraging for LGBTQIA Animal Crossing fans who want more representation in their favorite game.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has already received praise for its gender-neutral character creator -- residents even refer to players by they/them pronouns -- and its mention of a lesbian romance comic that exists in-universe. These aspects of the game are small in comparison to the scope of what can be accomplished, but they're important. Establishing a potential romance between two of the game's NPCs is an even bigger deal and fans are right to be excited about it.