Browsing Fanlore
It's quite fascinating to browse terms I know on Fanlore (and even more fascinating to have a look at things that are totally unknown to me). So I went and read through the Hurt/Comfort entry.
Here is quote for all my fellow slashers (it might also interest gen-writers, because the same dynamics apply both in gen and in slash). Just let it stew a bit. I found it to be spot on and wish less authors would use this cliché.
To the dismay of fans who feel it is poor characterization, over time in many slash pairings the 'smaller guy' (usually the more popular character in a pairing) becomes more and more likely to be the one hurt, to the point that he actually seems to be shrinking in the descriptions used for him in fanfic.[13] H/C written in a well-established slash fandom often goes to one of two extremes: either the littler character is routinely getting hurt over and over in ways that would kill normal people, or perhaps worse, he overreacts to the application of paper cuts, and must be saved/cured by his all powerful partner.[14] This dynamic is larger than hurt/comfort, but is definitely related to it.
Originally published at Unspoken. You can comment here or there.