Lessons most of us have to learn the hard way, unfortunately. Pedestals are uncomfortable places to perch regardless of gender, as either side can be guilty of the predicament you describe.

The night he told me he didn’t want to be my knight in shining armour I told him that was fine because knights fuck their sisters. The Game of Thrones reference thankfully didn’t fall flat, though ill-timed on my part. I definitely had some issues to still work through at that time. He had some issues himself stemming from infidelity from previous partners and a tendency for him to recoil the minute he felt things were going sideways. He taught me the value of a partner who is even keeled without the great swings of emotion I was used to. I taught him the value of communication and how to express his own wants and needs better.