#just in case anybody reads this as me dunking on rini

[onetwothreefarkle]

I wanna talk about seblos and rini and personal growth.

Seb says "I thought we could have something that grows with us" in 2x03, which is an acknowledgement that over time they are going to grow and change as individuals and that their relationship will change and grow, and that in order for their relationship to succeed in the long term they need to embrace that.

Ricky and Nini break up in 2x08 because Nini is growing and changing and Ricky (understandably imo, given all the massive and difficult changes in his life) is trying to hold onto a version of her and a version of their relationship that doesn't exist anymore, and in turn is stifling not just her growth, but his own.

Ricky's biggest moment of growth in season two is finally letting go of Nini properly and deciding not to sing Let You Go to her, because he finally starts to accept that what they had isn't right for them anymore, and instead focuses his energy on being a good friend and helping Carlos write a song for Seb.

In 2x10, Ricky directly compares his relationship with Nini to Seb and Carlos and comes to the conclusion that while he and Nini are over, Carlos and Seb have something "worth fighting for" and in doing so creates a clear connection between the two relationships in a way that highlights their differences, and presents the narrative that what seblos has the potential to be more long lasting than what Ricky and Nini have or had.

Which brings us back to seblos.

Seb actually expressing his unhappiness in 2x09 and 2x10 is a moment of growth for him, after spending most of the rest of the season keeping his discomfort bottled up. The fact that he is a little bit petty and mean (especially in 2x09) shows that Seb has grown to feel more comfortable expressing those negative emotions around Carlos, which so important.

Carlos responds to this by not just hearing what Seb is saying, but by dealing with those feelings. Writing In A Heartbeat is a big moment of growth for him because up to that point he's shown Seb how he feels with expensive gifts, but hasn't actually used his words to make Seb understand just how much he cares.

And Seb allows Carlos to have this moment of growth, forgiving him for his mistakes and accepting his apology-in-song-form. Just as Carlos hears Seb's unhappiness, taking those feelings seriously and dealing with them as best he can, which will hopefully allow Seb to feel like he can be open with his feelings more in the future, Seb hears and understands what Carlos is trying to say with In A Heartbeat, which will in turn encourage Carlos to express his love more clearly moving forward.

tl;dr: Seb and Carlos have the kind of relationship that allows both of them to grow as people, and to grow together, in contrast to Ricky and Nini who held each other back from personal growth.