I thought about what you had to say... and as you know I love your fic, so I very seriously considered how and where I enjoyed h/c, and came to the conclusion that it was much easier for me to read gen h/c than slash. While primarily a slasher, there are a few fandoms (mag 7, supernatural, numbers) where I do read gen, and h/c is easier to accept in those fandoms because a) the hurtee is less feminized in gen fiction and b) it isn't used quite as often as a quick-fix solution to creating a deep and meaningful relationship.
That said, let me look further at the h/c fics I enjoy in the Mag7 fandom. Nottasha and Tipper both write excellent h/c, which show Ezra reacting the way he would probably react in canon, he's still the manipulative, slick, con-artist, often getting hurt because of these very characteristics. There's plot, there's point and character.
On the other end of the spectrum is Violette, who I want to like, I really do, because she writes very well indeed, but the Ezra I know and love just isn't there. I mean, there's no way that Ezra would let himself be physically and verbally abused to the point of assault by the rest of the team, and then forgive on a mere apology. You have to work harder than that at building a character up...
I think all of us are all over the place with h/c, because the boundaries are so very unclear about what is palatable and what isn't.
My next post will be about why we read h/c and I'll be using your comment as a springboard :) so stay tuned