Unsure if you'll ever read this but I noticed your comment under mlcd and I wanted to rec another story I really really liked!! It's called Traces of the Sun and I promise the character's stories are actually really compelling and it's definitely similar in a "ml seems like a red flag but slowly shifts into a green flag" sort of way. If you end up liking that story you might also like Death Delayed for a Short Time Because of a Will (long ass name I know)