#The Boyfriend

[zanephillips]

USAK The Boyfriend #1.04

[itsallaboutbl]

I have strong feelings... That I need to tell you about. Dai, I'm in love with you.

[quotethatshow]

[hirakiyois]

the boyfriend or, as i like to call it, kazuto's very own season of the bachelor

[daixshun]

last time we were here, we weren't even a couple. all we did was clarify our feelings. 10 months have passed and now we're here as a couple. xxxxx

[tingedorange]

@ ryota_32_

[conscbgb]

"Were you waiting? - You kept me waiting too long...we FINALLY did it"

I think I'll stay here till next tuesday...Thank you DaiShun

The build up to this kiss was something 🙌🤯

I felt the tension in my bones and I wasn't in that room...

[tendylemons]

Kicking my feet and giggling!🤭

They finally made up and went on a date. The tension as each of them waited to see who would make the first move, Shun kissing him first. Spectacular! ✨️

[poetry-protest-pornography]

I am not built for reality dating shows, I am so stressed about these gay baristas

[usertoxicyaoi]

oh the boyfriend is hitting ALL the gay reality dating tv spots and we're only 3 episodes in!!! ALL of them! 2 bisexual men proudly using the word bisexual! consideration of pronouns! amazing soundtrack! beaaaautiful scenery! well paced! proper missions that aren't just for the sake of unnecessary drama! it not being censored or toned down!

WATCH IT. WATCH ITTTTTT!!!

[itsallaboutbl]

Were you waiting?

[quotethatshow]

[bununuu]

a truly underrated part of the reunion is shun saying that he's been getting the advice, "people don't know unless you tell them" because it is SOOOO important.

[daixshun]

i wouldn't forgive him if it was just this, but one hour later he sent me a random picture of a frog. when he does things like that, i can't help but find him adorable.

[fiddleyoumust]

I have many The Boyfriend finale thoughts, but I haven't organized them yet (and may not). I do want to yak about a few things, though.

Ikuo, buddy. Relationships are not communal property, and you should have minded your own business, especially in light of the later reveal that you have feelings for Dai. It truly casts a shadow over your intentions. And before anyone comes at me about this, I think in the context of Ikuo's letter, his actions DO look a bit shady. All the "I wouldn't make you feel anxious or sad or treat you carelessly" with the unspoken "like Shun" hanging over all of that just makes everything he did with the DaiShun fight feel icky and manipulative.

The DaiShun fight was, once again, a masterclass in communication once they both got over throwing their solo tantrums. I really liked Dai telling the others that he's tired of always being the one to initiate the hard conversations (even though this isn't true because Shun initiated the convo after their fight in ep 7 and he also says "I love you" first), but I understand why Dai FEELS like that's true.

Shun is a lot of work. He's going to continue to be a lot of work. A lot of people watching the show are annoyed with him and think Dai deserves better. But here's the thing. Everyone deserves love. Everyone. Even deeply flawed broken people deserve love. And we all deserve the chance to pursue the love we want. Dai chose Shun. Over and over again. Despite Shun being a pain in the ass. Despite Shun pushing him away and testing him and making him feel anxious. Dai kept choosing Shun. I think Dai knows better than any of us what Shun is like, and yet! He still wants him. He's still willing to do the work, and it's a lot of work! Even the best relationships with the healthiest people are a lot of work. So, for me, it's not about who Dai "deserves". It's about who Dai wants, and Dai wants Shun. Dai thinks Shun is worth it, and that's what matters.

The convo Dai and Shun have about the t- shirt is really layered because you once again see Shun's past coming back to haunt him. And you see Shun acknowledge (him saying "if this happens again...") that some of his worst behaviors are going to repeat. Even if Shun gets or is getting therapy, there is a lot of work to be done to break him out of these behavioral cycles, so I think it's great that both he and Dai acknowledge that Shun is LIKE THIS. He is probably going to be LIKE THIS again. He is probably going to be LIKE THIS for a long time even if he's working hard to not be like this.

But now that Dai knows what's going on in Shun's head, he can help solve the problem when it comes up again. It's never going to work to tell Shun, "Don't doubt my feelings for you." Shun does doubt and will doubt again. The same fears are going to pop up over and over again for him. His trust issues are going to be a challenge for them. But Dai saying, "I won't let this happen again, " is so good. He's unlocked another Shun level, so when he finds himself back there again, he can sprint through it now because he knows how to solve it. And the best thing is, he WANTS to solve it. I don't know how to tell you how meaningful it is for difficult damaged people to have someone who thinks they're worth the work it takes to have a relationship with them.

I hope everyone out there who is hard to love finds their Dai. We all deserve a Pylades to our Orsetes!

[jen4everfangirl]

Does anybody here is crazy over them too?