beta
The first story initially felt a bit simple, we have an ML obsessed with how people view him and the affection he gets from others for being good, he essentially is a ball of performance anxiety and he is not able to interpret the words of others to a normal degree. For example, he has thrived off being labelled the perfect kid, avoiding conflict, bottling up his true feelings, and continuing the facade to ensure he doesn't lose the affection of people, this i believe is rooted in the loss of his father and the emotional manipulation of his step father, who no doubt noticed the issue and manipulated it for his selfish gain rather than getting the young ML the help he needed.
Upon meeting the MC, someone who was so different from him, more free and out going, he becomes interested and for once in his life has a safe home to come to, he naturally takes the words of the one who he has places such an importance seriously, hence once the MC says he likes how he is "perfect", he goes even further the extra mile to appear so, perfect people are punctual, always good at their job, expert time managers, and sticklers for order and conformity hence their relationship broke down.
They got back together and he feels at peace and at home more than ever before, he is no longer weighed down by the burden of being perfect and is more laid back, however, his obsession with perfection occupied his life and time making him and the MC unable to see the darkness within his personality and character, now that it is gone, we see the darkness seep through, the self hate, the insecurity, the anger, the mistrust, and the paranoia begin to surface and the introduction of a former lover rival and family member triggers an overly emotional response as the MC feels his safe haven is about to be taken from him because he is not confident in his ability to keep the MC by his side and is not confident the MC would want to be with him forever hence we see his character spiral.
The MC's behaviour towards the issue is rooted in fear, he had turned into an individual very perceptive of the feelings of others through their tone, body language, and overall vibe due to his childhood experiences his childhood experiences. Due to this he unconsciously adjusts his reactions to fit their mood to prevent conflict and arguments, he may have noticed his boyfriend's spiral but out of fear of aggravating the issue and breaking up once again, he ignores the little signs and believes his bf will confide in him about the issue and they can talk about it.
The author show the effect of childhood trauma of adult life and behaviour in general and how it can differ from between individuals that are in the same traumatic environment allowing us to draw parallels between two brothers (ML's). Granted the author did no have to include the rape scene and how it was handled was incredibly subpar, the best option will be a permanent breakup or a long term separation with therapy.
Anyway, the first couple gives you a lot to think about and i feel it could have been executed better. The second couple are my bread and butter, i love them and i appreciate the development of second couple throughout the story. The artist wrote a great character but decided to fuck it up on the first couple either to make a point or to satisfy the obsession with red flag people.