THIS DEVOURED WHAT
You ate that shit bro
I need you to explain everything to me from now on
repost repost repost, u rlly said it bro
Oh i found it!
I saw someone commenting smthng abt how JJ should've given Leo the benefit of the doubt, and also that the people around them should've noticed and said something about the issue with their relationship. I lost the comment, I'll find it later, but let's not forget.
They were in a relationship for YEARS. The fact that after all that, Leo didn't even realize or have reflected how his behavior could affect JJ is weird. He's a grown adult, and JJ has to do everything for him? And i know JJ doesn't really communicate well, but surely, with how long, how many times JJ has to clean up his mess he would atleast feel guilty or notice something right?
Second, their friends and co workers did try to tell Leo! Even before their breakup. Rememberin the earlier chapter, when Leo was drunk? Around the time they broke up i think. At that was one chapter too, imagine, after all those years they've been together, that surely can't be the only time people mentioned it right?
Yes theyre both in the wrong, but I've seen a lott of people defend Leo in the wrong way, and excusing the behavior that lead JJ to be fed up with him. I don't ever see anyone mentioning the fact that it took him YEARS to realize, he's a GROWN man, and he's do dependent on JJ.
But yes, JJ is also wrong, he should've communicated, he knew Leo's personality, b just because Leo is easy going, a big extrovert doesnt mean that should be excused. Everyone was hyping up that comment saying omg devoured... Anyway, JJ dated the dude, for his fun personality, not hid incompetence who would've known Leo was going to be so dependent on him? he didnt know the relationship was gonna be like this. Leo's personality and his behavior is entirely different. You can be outgoing and lively while still being responsible for yourself. Okay that's all.
On your point of Leo not reflecting despite being in a relationship with JJ for years: You're right. He SHOULD have stopped and reflected, because being in a healthy relationship means making sure both you and your partner are happy. I'm not defending him for that. But JJ also doesn't get to say Leo wouldn't have listened if he didn't even try to express what he was going through to him. Yeah it sucks if you feel like a handler and also have to carry the burden of trying to make your partner understand you on top of that.
That's not something you HAVE to do, you can just leave the relationship. And JJ did. But the thing is if he never personally gave Leo an open and honest indicator that he wasn't doing okay, it still is incredibly unfair and uncharitable towards Leo to put all the blame on him.
On the people around Leo: There's a difference between offhandedly saying "hey man you suck, it's a wonder JJ hasn't left you" in a half joking or exasperated tone, which clearly has happened over and over to the point where it's worn out, and having a serious heart to heart, which we have no evidence of actually happening. Plus, if you look at Leo's life: He's been famous from a young age and gets hate he has to shake off all the time, and though his sisters clearly do care about him in their own way, the way they show it could be interepreted differently by Leo. Like them visiting him and going straight to shopping? Or when they called and Leo said he and JJ broke up and their reaction was "Oh no wonder" instead of asking if he was okay first. To me it seems like Leo just doesn't receive a lot of empathy in general, and while I want to be clear that what he did still was wrong and awful to JJ, my point is also that it's understandable. It's like everyone deem him hopeless from the start, but they also clearly don't think of him as a bad person or they wouldn't stick around like that. In Leo's head, partying and having fun is his way of being happy and likely a subconscious distraction from what he's really going through. He's not going to magically wake up from that unless something makes him understand the seriousness of it, because he hasn't been given a reason to change. In his head him and JJ are happy, why would he question their relationship when he doesn't know better? As they say, ignorance is a sin, but also not your fault.
Also what is the "wrong way" of defending Leo? Being a "grown man" doesn't mean anything unless you've been given the resources and opportunities to truly grow up. Age and time means nothing, experiences do. There is no magical age where suddenly you turn into a decent person, or even realise that you need to change to become one. You could very much argue that JJ doesn't have an excuse either if being a "grown man" was a reason you should have your shit together. Then he should have been "grown up" enough to address his concerns in the relationship. It took Leo five years to realise? Then what about it taking JJ five years to speak up?
It's just unfortunate, is what it is.
Long story short, they're both shitty towards each other and are both young adults who still need to grow up. But neither of them is bad at heart.
100% agree w u
Yeahh Leo is very thoughtless and a shitty boyfriend, but if JJ never tried to express his needs, that puts him almost as much at fault for the break-up. Like, if you don't even give your partner the benefit of the doubt, you're not doing so hot either.
And yeah, Leo didn't exactly communicate with JJ post break-up either, until he was basically tricked into a situation where he naturally ended up doing it. But given that to him splitting up came out of nowhere and he's not very emotionally intelligent (neither of them are), it makes sense that he'd mask his hurt with the pride of not being the first one to fold. If JJ didn't give him the benefit of the doubt, why would Leo show that vulnerability he was never given first? Not saying it's right, but it is a pretty natural way to react to a situation like this if you don't know better.
I'm also inclined to believe based on the flashback that Leo actually would have listened to JJ if he had brought something up earlier, baecause of the fact that he took in JJ's constructive criticism of his racing despite how rudely it was said.
I guess everyone around them thought Leo was in the wrong in this relationship, but no one thought to tell him "hey man I'm being completely serious, you're going to lose your boyfriend if you keep this up"?
And of course no one would question whether JJ is asking to have his needs met, because no one is aware that he isn't communicating, so that makes the blame collectively get assigned to Leo.
As much as it would be great for Leo to be less selfish from the start, that's not really how people work.
Granted there may be a lot of stuff in the story that we just haven't seen yet that may change my mind. At any rate, the selfish brat x clammed up poker face guy really kinda isn't a good combo. Although it is why this is an interesting story.
But yeah basically the both of them need to grow up for the relationship to work.