I think a lot of readers don't realize how much of a relief it can be to just see desire treated as fluid, you know? It's less about the label being central and more about how that openness rewrites the whole tension formula. The push-and-pull isn't confined to a single axis. A character might be navigating an established same-sex dynamic while a new, unexpected attraction to someone of a different gender throws everything into chaos, and it feels organic, not like a plot checkbox.
That complexity feeds into the emotional stakes in a way I find way more realistic. Jealousy, insecurity, exploration—it all has more layers. There's a specific scene in 'Something Wild & Wonderful' by Anita Kelly that captures this perfectly, where the protagonist's internal monologue about who he's drawn to is tied so tightly to his fear of not belonging anywhere. The story stands out because the bisexual experience isn't the conflict; it's the lens through which a deeply human conflict about acceptance and worth is magnified.
Honestly, those stories often ditch the sanitized, predictable relationship escalator. The messiness is the point, and it makes the eventual connection, if there is one, feel earned in a different way.