beta
I find their relationship dynamic to be super compelling, despite it mainly being just porn. They’re both extremely emotionally stunted characters in completely different ways which is interesting to see play out. I actually think they complete each other in a sort of cool way. Illic’s been raised in an environment of constant self-sufficiency and has had to compartmentalize his desires and need for care as a sort of survival tactic or whatever. The duke was raised in an extremely high control environment without much agency it seems until later, and as a result never really matured past the whole childish “I want this even if I break it” mentality. Their relationship is very like “I’ll have him even if I break him” and “I can’t let myself have anything until I’m broken”. Hence why one is so quick to say I love you even if he doesn’t love him back, and the other hasn’t been able to.
Not healthy but super compelling relationship. I’d say they should go to therapy but then it wouldn’t be nearly as interesting lmao