For example as to how something can be both fucked up and wholesome:
What comes to my mind is a sort of s&m, cnc scenario where the depressed sub comes from a really shitty situation but meets someone new who also endulges the subs trauma-kinks. After each session, they are increasingly overindulged post rough-stuff. After a while of recovery treat sessions they start to blow up from all the feeding, while also becoming more cheerful (and dependant) due to the doms emotional support. By the end of the story what was once an angsty twink ends up as a spoiled sweet little butterball, who also still likes it freaky.
(My imagination has this as some MLM but honestly the gender of the characters is no object to the story.)