Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I personally fell in love with their relationship at the end of season 1 and start of season 2 because that was the first I’m I realized how much Ian loved TJ. It’s also when I realized that while yes, TJ wanted him obsessively, Ian was fed off that and that TJ wasn’t the only one holding on to him; he was holding on as well. That’s why no matter how many times it was said by reader that Jo was the endgame, I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that Ian would ever love Jo as much as he did TJ. I had such a hard time buying that idea that I only felt it would be disappointing if that was truly the endgame without me being sold on the truth of those feelings. Heck, Jo himself realized that Ian still loved TJ in season 2 and he gave him the advice of letting TJ go as he asked because he knew it was the only way he’d ever get a chance
this is really an eloquent way to explaining this. i wish i can organize my thoughts and write as clearly as you can because you just put into words all the things i understand and wanna say but couldn't. and yes hats off, no delusions in your comment and i agree on everything you said.
u summarize it all perfectly!!!
Amen.
But where the fuck is the new chapter?
I liked them together from the start, but at first I never believed they could be end game. And with the flashbacks in season 2, their relationship was ruined a bit for me because I thought TJ didn’t deserve Ian, since he came off as controlling and hypocritical, and he still kept Ian in the gang even though he knew how Ian felt about it.
But when I saw Ian cry after TJ rejected his offer in the bathroom, it broke my heart because he truly wants to have that normal life with TJ. So I couldn’t help but root for what Ian truly wants instead of rooting for what might be the best for him.
As for Joian, I believed they were end game not because Ian would love Jo the way he loved TJ, I know Ian will never love anyone as much as he loved TJ, but because I thought Ian and TJ couldn’t be together, since the author might be writing a tragic Tjian love story. That would automatically make Joian end game.
But seeing how this season is developing, it’s all about Tjian, while Joian is completely sidelined with no development. Tjian is the relationship that is being developed now. Both TJ and Ian finally voiced their fears and what they truly want, and TJ finally left the gang, so it seems like the story is leading to a Tjian end game.
THANK YOU
Same at first in the season 1 i didn’t care who he ended up with but looking back ian was literally yearning for tj since they were younger and even tj too but he realized his feelings later but i actually think tj actually fell first, i read some chapters back and he was literally blushing ar every interaction
And protecting ian was the sole purpose tj joined the gang after the whole drugging and SA incident with ian he got angry because the guy was rich and untouchable, even though its also had the opposite effect making ian even more depressed I don’t know why no one realizes this
I wish we have the ability to pin comments here <33
TJ is clearly endgame. I used to think Joian was endgame because Jo has what Ian wanted, but when I reread the story, there isn’t any point where Ian stopped wanting TJ. Ian was forcing himself to move on because TJ didn’t give him what he wanted, he didn’t try to move on because he stopped loving TJ.
Ian never fell in love with Jo. At the beginning of season 2, Ian was ready to leave Jo just to be with TJ and fight next to him, but TJ rejected him and left him because he didn’t want Ian involved with the gang anymore. Throughout season 2, Ian was once again trying to force himself to move on, telling himself that TJ didn’t need him anymore and that TJ had truly let him go this time, and that this was most likely the end of them.
The little development Ian and Jo had in season 2 was only possible because TJ was out of the picture. If TJ hadn’t rejected Ian, Ian would have left Jo. Even though Ian tried to live a normal life with Jo, he still couldn’t be satisfied. He said it himself: he was miserable because TJ left him. He also ended up killing a man when it wasn’t even necessary, which shows that he is still mentally unstable, despite being around a good guy like Jo.
Then, when he met TJ again, he finally voiced what he wanted from him. He let all his frustration and fears out and cried in despair because of TJ’s rejection. Once again, he was ready to leave Jo if only TJ could be available.
Now TJ has finally had a wake-up call after seeing Ian cry because of him, and he has decided to leave the gang and be ready to give Ian what he wants. I don’t see any reason why Ian would reject TJ, especially since it was Ian who asked TJ to leave the gang a week ago. During that week, no real development happened between Jo and Ian, Ian was just following Jo because Jo was all he had left, so TJ is not in a situation where it's "Too late"
The huge difference between Tjian and Joian is that with Tjian, you can feel that they both truly want to be with each other. Ian is very expressive when it comes to TJ: he lets his frustration out, he shows insecurity, anger, fear, jealousy, and longing. He finally voiced what he truly wants from TJ, that he doesn’t just want a normal life, he wants a normal life specifically with TJ, or he will never be truly happy. He already tried a normal life with someone else, and he still couldn’t be happy.
But with Joian, their relationship is very unbalanced because Jo is the only one doing all the work. Jo is the only one actively investing in the relationship, while Ian shows almost no effort. He just follows what Jo wants and is very careful around him because he doesn’t want to hurt him. From the start, Jo was the one who pushed for a relationship, Ian only wanted a one-night stand, as he usually does with other guys. But seeing Jo being so clingy and openly expressing his desires and fears, he couldn’t help but keep him. I would even say that what he feels for Jo is more responsibility than love.
I also used to think that if you truly cared for Ian, you would want him to be with Jo because TJ doesn’t deserve him. But when I thought about it more deeply, I realized that most of us don’t really see things from Ian’s point of view. We tend to think that the top who worked hard for Ian or never hurt him is the one who should be rewarded, while completely neglecting what Ian truly wants.
If you look at it from Ian’s POV, he has endured so much to be with TJ. He joined the gang for him, and he stayed in a place that made him suicidal for years just to be with TJ. He even told TJ, “What else should I do for you?” This shows that he did everything in his power to be with him until he finally couldn’t take it anymore and decided to leave. Ian has invested so much in his relationship with TJ, emotionally and physically, and he definitely thinks it would be tragic if all his efforts went in vain.
I think it’s unfair to ask him to simply move on when he has invested so much in his relationship with TJ and desperately wants his efforts to pay off. It would be really sad if everything Ian endured to be with TJ went to waste, because he also deserves to see the person he truly loves finally prioritizing him and telling him that he loves him. After all, there is nothing he wants more than a normal life with the person he has loved since his teenage years, knowing that they have both been miserable for two decades.