I hate everything's Favorite

Gonna be real, some of yall have the reading comprehension of a baked bean. Not trying to be mean (sorta), I just think yall lack the depth and maturity to understand Ian without calling him a whore or mischaracterizing him altogether. Once yall live long enough to be in relationships and experience some real shit, then you'll be able to understand him better. Ian is not a whore, hes a former gang member/drug addict trying to find peace in his life but is trapped by his love for someone who is still deep in the very life he wants to leave behind. TJ and Ian love each other, but their biggest bond is through their trauma, some of which TJ catalyzed btw. Ian found someone who not only loves him, but also gives him the peace he so desperately wants, Jo. "Why doesn't he stay with Jo and stop two-timing Jo and TJ then?" you might be asking. It's because he is battling with what he wants vs what he thinks he deserves.

Jo represents what Ian desires in life: peace, love thats out in the open, safety, and normalcy. TJ represents what Ian thinks he deserves: stagnation and settlement to atone for his past sins. TJ literally hired people to beat Ian up to prevent him from leaving, tried tying him down with debt to have him stay longer, said Jo having a normal life would scare Ian away and that he was the only one who knew how to tame him... TJ is an abusive partner and has beaten Ian down into thinking that he is the only one he can go to for comfort and the only person he deserves. In this very chapter (81) Ian is saying "I'm the worst" about himself and how someone like him would just end up hurting Jo, he feels defeated. And who does Ian go to every time he feels like he is undeserving of a better life? TJ. The same person who has kept him in the same place, only loving him behind closed doors, for all these years. TJ serves as a reminder to Ian that he is "bad" and "selfish" and isn't deserving of the life he wants/desires, and TJ preys on that insecurity to keep him as his DL lover. Not to mention, everything with Jamie practically forced Ian to leave Jo in the first place! Ian wanted to go back to Jo, but his past life still haunts him and he doesn't want to put Jo or Jo's family in danger because of it.

Ian isn't a whore for not being able to choose between TJ and Jo, he is complex and in a difficult position by having to chose between love that would set him free (Jo) and love that he's trauma bonded with and has found comfort in (TJ). I can only hope that the author is brave enough to actually make Ian move on from TJ, but then again, BL writers love to keep the MCs with their abusive partner and give them a redemption because they had that planned from the start, and we're just along for the ride. Who knows if the next chapter will lay the seeds for making Ian and TJ endgame or breaking them up, I truly hope it's the ladder because I love TJ, but he doesn't deserve Ian and Jo is really good for him. But they again, these decisions are left up to the author.