[[HidamariSketch http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yuno_pretty.jpg]]
Homoerotism, yay!

Any same-gender relationship that appears to be more than "[[HeteroSexualLifePartners just good friends]]." Primarily used for male/male relationships, [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship partly because male intimate friendships tend to be more tabooed in conservative cultures]] and partly because [[MostFanFicWritersAreGirls it's more attractive to the kind of people who write fanfic]]. The female/female equivalent is often referred to as '''LesYay'''.

Alternately, those moments of plot, dialogue, acting, etc., that draw attention to possible homoerotic {{Subtext}} in that relationship. Thank you, [[FreudWasRight Dr. Freud]].

The closest equivalents in {{anime}} and other Asian pop culture is YaoiGuys and SchoolgirlLesbians.

In the related trope called '''FoeYay''', even [[TheRival rivals]] or ''mortal enemies'' can get this treatment by fans and writers alike, especially if they have [[RivalTurnedEvil a more friendly past together]], or one is [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou inordinately obsessed with the other]]. In FanFic, this is the direct cause of many a SlashFic.

In another sub-trope called Bro Yay, even brothers can get the HoYay treatment. Popular pairings include Sam/Dean (''{{Supernatural}}'') and Peter/Nathan (''{{Heroes}}''). Hell, even {{Frasier}}/Niles have their own fanbase. A sub-trope of this is {{Twincest}}.

And when the HoYay has definitive appeal to an LGBT fan base, it is called FanYay.

And yet another subtrope is NoYay, where you find yourself seeing sexual tension where you [[{{Squick}} really don't want to.]]

A great deal--perhaps the majority--of Ho Yay is just wishful thinking. It is essentially a truism of fandom that any homosocial behavior, from AirHugging to FauxYay to actual homosexual relations, frees the characters who did it to [[SlashFic be slashed together]] by someone in some corner of the Internet (For some, two characters being on the same [[strike:planet]] ''galaxy'' is enough of an excuse). This holds for characters without canon orientations and even for those specifically [[WordofGod stated by their creators]] to be straight. [[RuleThirtyFour This should not come as a surprise]] to those aware of the "textual poaching" nature of fandom. Fandom/fanfiction uses several tropes of its own--some of which are fairly well grounded in the actual closeting/coming out experience, some of which are confined to fiction--to justify [[SuddenlySexuality altering]] canon sexual orientations or interpolating where none are specified. If it's not wishful thinking and the HoYay fans are lucky, HoYay can lead to a RelationshipTextUpgrade.

See also HeterosexualLifePartners, LovelyAngels and RomanticTwoGirlFriendship.
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'''Examples:'''

* HoYay/{{Anime}}
* HoYay/ComicBooks
* HoYay/{{Film}}
* HoYay/{{Literature}}
* HoYay/LiveActionTV
* HoYay/{{Music}}
* HoYay/RealLife
* HoYay/{{Theater}}
* HoYay/VideoGames
* HoYay/{{Webcomics}}
* HoYay/WesternAnimation
* HoYay/{{Other}}

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