My problem is the way the story is going. From the first DPC has made the MC something of a doormat. He totally Simps for Josey and Maya, even after they reject him. The last thing this story needed was another woman to use the MC as a doormat, and yet here comes Zoey.
I have a particular viewpoint on this, and the whole DIK/CHICK system in general.
What we have here is not KOTOR. We don't get a blank canvas MC.
BaDIK is the Witcher of adult games. Our protagonist comes with a set backstory, set of beliefs and core characteristics. Even in his DIKest, he is maintaining a modicum of respect to the women in his life for example, or even in his CHICKest, there's a violent streak in him.
Put simply, he is a sort of Geralt-like protagonist. We can determine his quirks via choices, but not his core beliefs.
This aspect, what you call him being a doormat, is a very clear outcome of being motherless + being an outcast + poor + only having a very dominant personality best friend / girlfriend for his formative years.
It is what makes him the MC of this story. Just like I can't really help anyone who doesn't like Geralt to like Witcher games, I can't really say anything to someone who dislikes MC that way. It is a part of the artist's vision and part of the story.
Now, there's a disagreement I will put forward. MC is not a doormat. In fact, when presented with the situation, he's the first one that says 'f this' and fucks off from Maya/Josy drama. Depending on route taken, he disentangles himself from that mess in most paths. But he doesn't stop being their friend.
That's not being a doormat. That's being a decent person. You also have to remember, this guy has a chivalrous streak he can't keep in check at all times. He sees these two girls he cared for in one way or another, and just can't let them suffer by themselves. This is not that much different to walking with Sage so she isn't alone when in emotional pain, or trying to stop an asshole that keeps calling Lily a whore.
It's the same principle for him. It is one of the most consistent thing that MC has, actually. And I quite like that consistency in storytelling and characterization.