My Fearless Leader | Leonardo x Reader

Desperate

Leo's POV

A long, mouth stretching yawn forces its way out of my body as the metallic doors encasing Donnie's lab grace my vision after turning the corner. I lift my arms to stretch away my languidness as I briskly stride into the room, aching to rejoin my brothers with the new information they've found since I left. I hadn't realized how much I needed that rest until waking up a few minutes ago. Practically felt like a new turtle.

Donnie's the first to notice when I walk in, Raph and Mikey scattered around the room and sitting in chairs, looking bored and unoccupied until Don speaks up.

"Hey, bro. Feeling any better?"

"Definitely. Thanks. But how's the search going?"

"Um– great."

"Very productive." Mikey adds, grinning while holding Ice Cream Kitty whom he's playing with. They're spread out across the room like all they've done for the past few hours is sit and wait.

"... Why are you saying it like that?"

Silence is the only response. They all glance at each other with unsure expressions without moving their heads, as if I won't notice that way.

"Nick hasn't responded." Raph tells me flat out.

"What?" My shoulders slump. I make my way over to Donnie while he turns her phone over so we can see the screen.

"He hasn't seen the message yet."

"I was so sure he would've responded by now. He wouldn't stop texting her last night... How could he have not responded yet? Is this really all we have?"

"Don't worry! It's not as bad as it sounds. We know where he is. He's just been working a shift at the store since it opened this morning. And it just hit five o'clock so he should be getting off soon."

'Soon' would've been nice four hours ago. This waiting is torture.

"I hope so. We're running out of time and Y/n is alone out there."

"You don't know that," Donnie disagrees gently. "We may not know where she is– I've been doing nothing but watch the facial scanner all day just in case– but, it can't be as bad as you think it is."

"Maybe not. But it's not as good as being here with me." I mumble it mostly to myself, but the others still hear and look at each other silently while my head is down.

I know, I need to snap out of it. Nothing's gonna work out right if I stay pessimistic. I really need to get back in the groove, for Y/n. I just wish this worry knot in my stomach would unravel. It physically hurts, and only grows more persistent by the hour.

"I'm sorry... You're right. We're gonna get her back, and everything will be fine... What are Casey and April doing?"

"They're probably almost finished searching the blocks I assigned them to that surround that alley she disappeared in."

"And?"

"So far they didn't find much, other than an effaced part of the dumpster she hid against when she ran into us."

Yep. Still kicking myself for that.

Maybe if I had gone with my gut she would be with us right now.

Snap out of it, Leo.

I check her phone screen to read the message Donnie sent so long ago to occupy myself and almost flinch when the phone vibrates and a message pops up in a blue bubble below the gray one.

'Nick, this is one of Y/n's friends. She left her phone at our house yesterday. We need your help with something ASAP. It's urgent.'

'Uh, yeah. Sure... I just got off work so I'm free. What's going on? Is Y/n ok?'