i got a little unhinged and wrote up a long response to your thoughts! tl;dr i agree with you and i think fitzie/MC is hot as hell, but i also think there are a lot of complicated emotions at play that would make the relationship compelling even if someone tries to level the playing field.
spoilered mainly because i dont really know forum etiquette yet! EDIT: wow holy shit this is so much sorry. forum regulars should i maybe take it down?
the thing about fitzie/MC is that fitzie is both embarrassingly hopeful & extremely vulnerable.
if you go through the code and find the points where fitzie can develop feelings for you, “*set fitziecrush true” is almost always triggered at a moment where the MC objectively states that they like fitzie as a person, enjoy their company, or otherwise respect them. this number is followed by moments where the MC is romantic/alluring towards or around fitzie, then followed by moments where u just really nail a skill check (successfully moving the table with brains or brawn comes to mind).
to me, this implies that fitzie is primarily interested in people that accept them as they are, which makes me think they can’t help but get their hopes up when someone invites them into their life. fitzie craves a comfortable, safe home filled with love – and it’s clear that this has been denied to them over and over. moments where an observant MC can see a “truer” version of fitzie slip through describe it as, “the look of someone who has touched a hot stove just to see if it will hurt them” (heavily paraphrasing gower’s incredible character writing here). fitzie has high walls, but will clamber over them if they think they could pursue a romance. it would be interesting to talk about why they want specifically romantic safety, but i’ll chalk it up to genre for the moment and move on.
an important complication arises between wanting to touch the hot stove and genuinely fearing the pain that will come from it.
fitzie finds the forbidden element attractive, there’s no doubt about that – but we can also see that fitize has their own moral compunctions about it. they don’t want to get taken advantage of again, and they knows how much power the MC has over them. even when fitzie has the upperhand, they’re still an employee with no safety net. the kindest, most loyal MC is still an aristocrat.
which is why fitzie won’t kiss the MC during the cab convo unless you show genuine interest in them. if you try to dance around your feelings the way fitizie conceals theirs, they won’t have the level of comfort/safety they need to actually kiss you. it’s still forbidden, and it’s still hot (thank you gower), but the reasoning behind fitzie’s actions as a character are more based in their hope for a happy ending rather than the sexy power dynamics at play.
this is kinda corroborated by the fact that the ch8 scenes – as compelling as they are – don’t culminate in a kiss. the only other time fitizie will kiss you is during the vice president scene, after you’ve publicly announced your loyalty to them.
this isn’t to say the relationship itself is meant to be moralizing! I’m trying to address the complexity in this character, which is what sets them apart from the other ROs (for me). fitzie likes this dynamic, they find it hot, and so does the MC. fitzie is also scared of this dynamic, because they have so much experience with being objectified and mistreated because of it. holding both of these truths in your head can change the perspective you might have when reading the text.
for example, they have a line in ch6 where they claim that “neither [the MC or fitzie] authentically like each other].” we can see in the code that this isn’t true of fitzie, and we know as the player that it isn’t true of the character. so why does fitzie say it?
it’s a test born of their contradictory nature. they have to constantly the MC’s feelings, because they have no way of reading the code or knowing the player’s intentions. consistent with the logic of the world and of fitzie’s lived experience, asking the MC to wear their heart of their sleeve is the only way fitzie can potentially protect their own feelings. i assume this is a part of the relationship ppl might not like – fitzie is a demanding RO. they’re also achingly vulnerable if you can see them clearly, because they aren’t testing you in hopes that you fail. they want you to prove them wrong! they can’t help themselves!
from the outset of your relationship, no matter how you play it, fitzie has to rest all their hopes on the MC. no matter how you treat them, or whether you even respect them as a person, fitzie needs you. they will ask for your help regardless of your reputation with them in the early chapters (a very compelling moment of form helping to shape the character, since gower as a writer has to offer some choices to everyone off the bat). this means that the only good outcome for fitzie is that you will care for them and want to take care of them. ultimately, the relationship isn’t even about the external forces at play that forbid the relationship and make it exciting. the real reason fitzie struggles with their feelings for the MC is that, while a romantic relationship offers the best possible version of the above outcome, they have only ever experienced it through the lens of someone wanting something they can’t have and being disappointed when they get it.
in other words, fitzie’s only option is to trust that the MC authentically likes them, but all prior experience points towards failure.
for me, that’s what makes the power dynamic so intensely compelling. it’s about finding the right person for you and not being able to rely on it because of a system outside of both of your control, and trying to assert control wherever possible, but also not being in control of your own stupid, hopeful heart!
He even comments on how MC behaves like a puppy for being obedient. I’m paying that clown to order me around 
(well, if you remove getting chased by creditors across the streets)
