Contains spoilers for “Chicago Fire” Season 13, Episode 13 — “Born of Fire”

“Chicago Fire” can never resist giving an appropriate nod or two toward its massive fanbase. “Born of Fire” finally gives Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) a lighter storyline after weeks of dealing with tough personal problems, long estrangements, and dangerous incidents. And in that bit of lightness, they begin to make plans for the Stellaride baby, a major development that has been teased for seasons. They also spend some time together, time that leads to Kidd asking Kelly to help her make a new rope course for her Girls on Fire charity. And the couple also manages to nod toward their couplehood in a most meta way.

While explaining to Severide that she told Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith) about their plans, she quietly acknowledges the audience’s affection for the couple. “Do you know that they call us ‘Stellaride?'” Kidd asks her husband with some bewilderment. “Who’s ‘they?'” Kelly asks. “I don’t know, actually,” she admits. Of course, this is a big nod toward the real-life fanbase the couple has accrued and the shippers who gave them this nickname years ago. But after this cute moment is over, Kelly finds a whole new world of trouble for himself as he tries to do his wife a favor.

Kelly proceeds to spend the rest of “Born of Fire” trying to figure out the rope course. He gets assistance from Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso) to come up with an idea, but it’s Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) who steps forward with a unique concept for the physical challenge. His idea of a rope hang involves Stella’s progeny hanging via suspension ropes off of a ladder, then ziplining down to the ground.

Stella is somewhat aghast upon seeing the end result. “You may have lost your mind,” she remarks, pointing out that these kids are very young, and this is a very dangerous prospect for them to undertake. But Pascal sticks up for the idea, and, eventually, Stella is finally won over to the notion of this being a good activity for her kids. It seems Kelly’s natural charms are still enough to soothe her — cementing the couple’s worth as the always-worth-talking-about Stellaride, for once and for all.