>>57913091
He really does love her too much. Sapphire has a higher purpose beyond their relationship (protecting Hoenn) but Ruby doesn't, because he's too selfish (plus "lmao I'm from Johto I just moved here"). That's also why he's so emotionally dependent on her in such a lopsided way. Westoid Franticshipping haters had a point constantly spamming that Ruby needs therapy, and so does Sapphire, so they could maybe disentangle themselves from each other a bit and make their relationship less messy. Keyword being "had" because it turns out many irl therapists are groomers, and if Ruby went to therapy he'd be told to chop off his dick because he likes sewing. Everyone's looking for the perfect solution but just like in real life, perfect solutions don't exist. Only 15 year old genderspecial commies whose only relationship experience is "dating" Discord strangers for a year believe that. Ruby will always have brain damage and his relationship with Sapphire will never be perfect, but she's still the best copium he'll ever find.

The line between their love and their traumatic baggage is supposed to be blurred, especially for Ruby, that's literally the whole point of the story. It's not just shipping, it's also social commentary, though of course whether it was actually done well or not is debatable https://www.marriage.com/advice/mental-health/how-to-make-anxious-avoidant-relationship-work/