i honestly disagree about the "barely develop past anything physical". i also don't agree with the argument people use of "they have more chemistry" because that's not a valid reason for ian to choose tj it's just a shallow ass way of thinking from the readers lol.
tj and ian go way back even before they had anything physical. it's been shown from the start that they've had a strong bond since they were in their teenage years. they cared for each other and were there for each other through all the shit they went through, like tj helping ian stop being addicted or ian comforting tj about his family. there are still a lot of things we don't know till now about their past like who is david kim or about ian's racing career. yes tj did hurt ian a lot, like when choosing the gang over ian or when he indirectly led to breaking his leg. despite knowing that, ian still wants tj.
the main reason that's been shown of why ian and tj can't be together is because ian wanted to leave that gang life while tj stayed, showing ian that tj didn't prioritize him. and yet they're still stuck in this cycle of sleeping together and being together in general that they just can't let go. however, tj gave ian a final out. after their fight in chapter 33, tj ended all contact with ian and it was what ian wanted all along, a normal life. even while knowing that, ian still went to see tj and came back for him. ian put aside his normal life and said he'd "kill all those bastards" just because he cared that much for tj. tj still gave him another chance after the funeral, and told ian to leave once more. and still he stayed. mind you, ian did all that knowing that joe told him about his feelings, it just shows that ian is not serious about him sadly.
i think it's really obvious that they care for each other a lot and still share love between them even if they can't be together. they obviously do have problems too that can be solved with some time apart and therapy once they've grown a little. i'm also not being rude or anything at all i'm just curious to see your take on this.
honestly i think a lot of this comes down to preference haha, in general i think ian and jo have a more stable relationship which is why i prefer it
i think my biggest problem with ian and tj, which i don’t think i properly said earlier, is like you said, because ian said he doesn’t want to be involved in gang life
(ian has a weird way of showing this tho, and i really feel bad for tj in this sense because ian’s words and actions are not correlating at all)
i feel like this is why he aligns better with jo, jo is more of a “clean sheet” for ian which i really think he needs
HOWEVER if tj does leave the gang and is somehow able to do this for ian i would be WAY more happy with them as a couple haha
anywho this is all kinda subjective at the end of the day, and like tj is still lowkey redeemable
oh yeah i get what you mean you're right about preference lol everyone here either prefers to mend ian's old relationship or for ian to start a new page. and yeah ian is kinda wishy-washy about his actions towards both joe and tj, i feel like that's natural tho bc he doesn't know how any of these normal relationship things work it's kinda sad :/
but i agree both are good options for ian, only if tj gets therapy tho lol. tj isn't a psychopath or a rapist which is like a fucking needle in a haystack in bl world, and joe is a sense of normalcy in ian's life so i'm excited to find out what happens
i dont understand the “they have history together” and “they have more chemistry” arguments for tj and ian
their “history” together is toxic and it’s developed into a sort of stockholm syndrome, further they barely develop past anything physical
jo on the other hand has multiple times expressed his desire to know ian in different ways, to get him to open up and experience being loved in a healthy way
“but tj and ian have more chemistry” ??? ian and jo are hella compatible, ian has expressed multiple times that he finds jo easy to open up to, he feels safe around him and he’s able to have conversations with him that don’t result in fighting and then make-up sex
anyway i love ian and i understand he’s not at a point where he believes he deserves the love that jo gives him, but like gahhh i can’t stand seeing people prefer tj and ian being together when its very clear how warped their relationship is with each other and how it’s not at ALL helping ian grow as a person
anyway i want them all to be happy, tj included, i just don’t want tj anywhere near ian anymore lol, maybe he can fall in love with some other guy idk