7.0 Leo x Jaelyn

                                    

                                          
@anxietywoofi3
Love Again
                          
by Daniel Caeser and Brandy
                          
Jaelyn sat with her feet propped up on the small coffee table in the lair, flipping through the channels. Leo walked by, catching her attention. After locking eyes for a second, the two quickly turned their heads. They had recently broken up over something Jaelyn felt was dumb.
                          
Another mission against the Purple Dragons came up while Leo and Jaelyn were training. All the guys suited up and began heading to the entrance of the lair. Jaelyn followed closely. When Leo saw that she was trying to come with them, he stopped her.
                          
"No, you need to stay." He said sternly.
                          
She groaned. "Come on, Leo. It's just the Purple Dragons. Let me come!"
                          
Leo shook his head and ordered Jaelyn to stay. The four brothers exited the lair, leaving Leo's girlfriend to her own devices in the lair. She threw on her leather jacket and released her brown auburn hair from its ponytail. Lately, Leo had been acting more like her boss than her boyfriend, and she knew why. His brothers had been teasing him a lot about being too soft and spending more time with Jaelyn than worrying about the threats in New York City.
                          
When the brothers finally came back, Jaelyn walked up to her boyfriend to greet him with a kiss. He pushed her away slightly and walked past her.
                          
"Really?" She frowned and walked behind him. "This is what we're going to do? You don't even say what's up. Around your boys you act so tough and-"
                          
Leo turned around abruptly. "Look, I need to be the leader my brothers need. I can't be looking soft in front of them. We have all the time in the world to be together, Jaelyn, but New York can't say the same. If we aren't ready at all times to save the city, who will?"
                          
"So you're just gonna push me away? Pretend like you don't love me?" Jaelyn crossed her arms. "That's not even a relationship, Leo. If you keep acting up, alone is where you're going to end up."
                          
"I guess that's what happens when two fools fall in love." Leo shrugged and began to walk away.
                          
Jaelyn shook her head. "No, Leo, that's what happens when someone like me falls in love with a fool. I'm done with this; with you."
                          
Jaelyn pulled her leather jacket on tighter and stormed out of the lair. Leo reached out to her, but he knew it was too late. She was gone and their relationship left with her because he was stupid enough to push her away.
                          
~~~~~
                          
Leo tried not to show it, but he was miserable. What makes it worse is that Jaelyn is still friends with his brothers who constantly invite her back over. He sat in the kitchen bitterly as he watched Raph and Mikey fist bump her and sit down to watch TV with her. He wanted her back more than anything. He just didn't know how to.
                          
Donnie walked into the kitchen to grab some coffee. "Sulking again?"
                          
Leo sighed. "No, what makes you think that?"
                          
"I don't know why you don't just go talk to her. She still loves you. It's not too late to fix things."
                          
Leo shook his head. "I can't take back the way I treated her, Don. What if she doesn't accept my apology? I don't deserve her, man."
                          
Donnie placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Apologize. Talk to her. If that doesn't resolve things, at least it will get you guys out of this bittersweet stage. You need to learn how to be a leader and a boyfriend. There's a balance. Don't let the scale tip too much one way and you guys will be fine."
                          
Leo nodded and looked back to where his ex-girlfriend and two brothers sat. "Thanks, Donnie. Could you distract Mikey and Raph for a minute?"
                          
They shared a smile and Donnie walked out of the kitchen, calling his other two brothers for help moving some machinery around in his lab. Jaelyn stood to go help, just as Leo rushed into the room.
                          
"Wait, Jaelyn, can I talk to you?" Leo pleaded with his eyes.
                          
She sighed and looked down at her ripped jeans before looking back at Leo. "Fine." She tucked her hands into the pockets of her jacket and waited for Leo to say something.
                          
Leo fumbled with his hands a bit before finding the right words. "Jaelyn, I'm sorry. I wish I could take back everything I did that hurt you. I just needed to talk to you."
                          
He looked to her for permission to keep talking. She nodded, motioning for him to continue. She already wanted to forgive him, but she refused to let her feelings for him let her get trapped in the same toxic relationship they had. She needed to know that he had changed.
                          
Leo continued. "I try to pretend like I don't care, but I do, I really do. I try to think about something else and my thoughts come circling back around to you. I want to be alone with you. I want to show you off again. Show you affection in front of my brothers and behind closed doors. I was stupid to push you away so I could be a better leader. You made me a better leader. I wish I would have seen that before I hurt you."
                          
Leo reached his hand out towards Jaelyn. "If you can take my hand, I promise we'll find love again. I won't mess up this time. I'm a better me when you're around."
                          
Jaelyn hesitated for a second. She wanted Leo back more than ever. She truly believed he was going to try to be better this time around. 
                          
She slowly placed her hand on top of Leo's with a smile. Leo ginned back, pulling her into his embrace. He crashed his lips onto hers and held onto her tightly. He let her go once, he wasn't going to make the same mistake this time around.
                          
When they separated, Leo placed his forehead on hers and closed his eyes. "I love you, Jaelyn. More than anything."
                          
"I love you too, Leo." She pulled him into another hug and rested her head in the crook of his neck.