One of my absolute fave things about Stolitz is that yes, the transactional nature of the deal was fucked up if what Stolas wanted was a real relationship.
But I also very strongly believe that the deal is the only reason their relationship actually lasted as long as it did and why it has a chance to properly develop now. I always see fixit ideas where they had better communication from the start, and I absolutely get the appeal, but Blitz would have 100% pulled the exact same shit he did with Verosika the second it got too real for him (would absolutely read that AU).
But the deal gave Blitz a veneer of emotional protection so he never had to think about it like that, and never consciously realised that he'd let his guard down and caught actual feelings until it was too late.
It's such a fun dynamic I love them.
