#also tk's strong awareness of him and owen being new yorkers

[theghostofashton]

a moment that stuck out to me while rewatching the pilot was tk's reaction when they're visiting the firehouse for the first time, the way he tells owen to call and tell the deputy chief he's changed his mind, they don't belong there. he sees the memorial and the flowers and the way the firehouse is exactly as it was the day that last call came in, and he's immediately horrified at the idea of himself and owen intruding on this grieving process. recognizing that they were invited to austin by higher-ups who have no idea what the loved ones of these men are going through, who now have to be okay with total strangers coming in and making assumptions and thinking they know best how to move forward.

i feel like this is such a good distillation of tk's character, his instinctual selflessness, the way he so easily puts himself in the shoes of others (even people he's never met) and tries to understand from their perspectives. he knows he and his dad have the best intentions but these people may see them as assholes, and that's important to focus on, the impact it could have. it's a brief moment that demonstrates just how deeply tk cares, how aware he is of the priority being helping people. treading lightly, not adding to their pain while they're already grieving, caring for them by making them feel heard, no matter how that looks.