A lot of people don't like how long they teased this and dragged it out but personally I actually really liked getting a big romantic payoff after a buildup that lasted the better part of a decade. I started shipping this in Volume 2 back when gay representation was non-existent and I didn't know whether or not it was actually going to happen, and I spent probably too much time arguing with people about whether or not it was. This event made me feel 15 years old again and I'll probably never experience that unique flavour of shipping validation again.
It's not something I'd like to see in absolutely everything but I'm honestly now wanting to see more examples of decade-long slowburn.