Ahhh thanks for answering my ask and Do you know if the fic(s) you mentioned are on AO3? And with dominant/submissive I didnt necessarily mean in a sexual way, but more in a relationship in general. Would Leon be swayed to change his mind on things like what to Cook for dinner/where to go for dates or would he stand his ground on things like that. Would he want to be in Charge when making those decisions or would he welcome the opinion of his Partner etc? Sorry if that didnt came across right, englisch is my second language 😅
You're welcome, thanks for the asks!
To love and to be loved is the fic I meant! It's a very brief mention. (There was a short period of time after posting it where I had deleted the phrase in question, so there is a small chance you read the fic without it. I added it back in a while ago.)
Ah, yeah that makes sense! So in a non-sexual sense, I think there could be small differences, and it's complicated partly due to different social perceptions of (trans+poly) bi men vs women in relationships. I'm thinking out loud below, though you may have thought through this already!
With Alex and Maggie (and this is mostly applicable if they're women, so excluding nb!Alex), there are ideas about What A Man Should Do In A Het Relationship. They don't believe in those, but it can affect how certain things feel - it's slightly different when Alex holds the door for Lucy compared to when she holds the door for Leon. Now, I don't think these things are a big enough deal that Leon cares, generally, but like. They're there, and sometimes he notices.
Being with another man can feel like there's less expectations for some things, which makes it easier to be more or less masc/submissive/dominant/etc as he feels like it, and in many different ways. But! That's not counting relationships where Leon is dating a man who is more or less traditionally masculine—that easily comes with similar assumptions about relationship dynamics. In that situation, it can be easier to feel emasculated and dysphoric, so I think Leon would care more about them both feeling affirmed/secure in their genders.. Which again might affect how and in what ways they act masc/submissive/dominant/etc, especially in public.
For those reasons, I think there could be certain stuff that Leon and his boyfriend would prefer to do or not do, which differ from Leon with Alex/Maggie. I don't have specific examples right now that I definitely headcanon, but like. It could definitely happen!
That said, I think Leon would want a relationship where this stuff isn't a big deal, since I'm into a genderfluid!Lucy who, while usually binary in gender, also really likes flexibility in expressing that. I just prefer him to be in relationships where he feels equally able to be more or less masc/sub/dom/etc! But again, I think it's complex, and the ways in which he expresses that masculinity etc could be different with different people, where their gender does kinda matter.
