First, he never said "Backoff" he just said "Hey, people might get the wrong idea, and you have a fiancee so I dont think this is right", very different message to just "Back off".
Also, not sn excuse to act like an asshole. Like I get that top is mad because actually like bottom, but he has no right getting mad. He has a fiancee for fucks sake, and he says bottom he can not let anyone touch him, but he has a fiancee? Wtf.
He is getting mad bottom was to make distance between them, but he has shown no indication to actually want a relationship with bottom, again, he jas a fiancee. Yeah, it is arranged, but it is still a fiancee.
Anyway, I actually like both characters, it just annoys me a little that he is acting like the one being rejected when he is about to get married and keeps calling bottom "My talisman" like he is just an object for him.
Uh, okay. Let me try this.
I was simplifying. His words/actions indicated the intention was for ML to back off with his orbiting of the MC as they were becoming like lovers, not contractor and employer, which they entered as.
We can’t really shift all the blame to the ML because neither has addressed the shift that is clearly happening and they both seem to desire.
ML clearly shows no regard for fiancée, who is a puppet and MC KNOWS fiancée isn’t a real relationship, so to act like ML has some real lover he’s forcing the MC to put up with while MC can’t be touched is not a thing. While nothing the context MC IS HIS EMPLOYEE. MC was a scammer who AGREED to this situation. Under duress? Maybe. We could chalk it up to the consequences of his actions.
Regardless, he agreed to basically be his sexual partner talisman so you can’t say ML barring third party sexual relations regardless of who ML sleeps with would be unfair (that’s not even the case here, I’m just making the point of their contractual obligations.)
As for the ML being an ass, I already said it doesn’t make it okay, I said I see how every action led to this point. Dominos. I’m sure the author will show MLs consequences for his actions in THIS chapter in the following chapters.
I also love these characters and can see how the author has built their arc to be something complex (the art is also stunning) so I understand your frustration.
I just really am not sure what the expectation was here.
A scammer jumps in to scam what’s basically a sketch family. Gets into a sexual relationship as meatsack talisman to save his skin. Sees they are getting too close despite telling himself the whole time it’s for show/he’ll dip as soon as he finds an opening and he’s always been fully aware there’s a fiancée. Tells dude who he is getting Love Stick from that he doesn’t want others to get the Big L vibes from them so he needs to back off. Dude proceeds to go back to treating him like an object (in a very obvious Making A Point Out of Confused Angsty Man Pain way) and he’s like whoa why are you acting like this??
Tell me if I’m missing the link because while I’m not saying it’s cool, I see where every domino fell.