picture the whumpee and whumper starting out as lovers...

After one fight too many, whumpee ends things and tries to leave, but whumper is having none of that. They hire a thug to track down and jump whumpee, then play the 'healing angel' role to win them back.

Of course, their reconciliation wouldn't last long, leading to more and more elaborate actions on the whumper's part.

Arranged accidents.

Hiring another thug to beat them until they can't walk.

Anything to force them to come crawling back.

Another spin on the damsel in distress cliche:

Same old story, princess was taken prisoner by a pirate, dragon, or rival ruler, brave knight goes to save her, happily ever after, right? Wrong.

The fierce, rebellious princess has anger problems and control issues that the knight never saw coming. After all, he'd never really met her, just went on the quest to save her out of the good of his heart. Now he's stuck married to an abusive woman whose noble king of a father would surely have him imprisoned if he ever said anything against her.

Looks like the dragon is going to have to save the knight from the princess.