*nodnod* I think that in general this is part of a larger trend in genre fiction and slash fanfiction anyway, that the dramatic dynamic of a "sidekick" gets played up into a bigger thing...that the sidekick is somehow made a victim to the hero. That has always baffled me. Part of the whole draw of this kind of genre writing in the first place is that the pair live a more interesting, dramatic and fulfilling existence, one that might entail something difficult and challenging, but worth the price. It can be very dramatically satisfying AND sexy, which does make a lot of drama very slashable.