The Bravery in his Eyes - A TMNT Leo X Reader Story

Chapter 32 - Confusion

A/N - Hi guys! This one's super long, I hope it's worth the wait!

Your POV

After freaking out because I overslept an hour, I scrambled to get dressed in something presentable and grabbed my shoulder bag from my bedroom with all of my college supplies: laptop, notebooks, folders, pencils, all the good stuff. I slung it over my shoulder and went into the living area.

Leo hadn't been in his room when I woke up. Only Mikey was lounging on his stomach on the couch, watching cartoons and shoveling cereal into his mouth. "Oh, hey Y/N," he said in between bites. "Leaving for school?"

"Yeah, do you know where Leo is?"

"Oh, I think he's already by the Shellraiser."

Why would he be there?‌ Sure enough, when I made my way over after fist-bumping Mikey, there he was. He sat on the stairs by the entrance to the lair and balanced his elbows on hsi knees, staring at a particular speck of dust by his feet.

I stopped next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey."

"Hey, good morning, college girl." His voice wasn't very reassuring.

"What happened?" I asked, sitting down on a step next to him.

Leo shook his head. "Don't worry about me. Let's get you to school." He pressed a routine kiss to my temple and took my hands to help me stand up. When he kept one of my hands firmly in his, I felt both a sense of safety and worry. Something was very wrong.

We walked silently through the subway and into the sewers. I ‌knew better than to probe too far. Leo always had a lot on his mind when it came to missions, and I got the feeling that something big was happening in the city. I didn't want to stress him out too much.

Still, when I‌ looked over at him and studied the seriousness on his face, I couldn't help but feel worried. Last night was so romantic and exciting, but now he was being distant.

I stroked his hand with my thumb. "Are you sure you're okay?" I asked as we made it to the ladder of the manhole.

He stopped. Stared right into my eyes with the most hurt look I'd ever seen on him. "I'm not."

"What's wrong, Leo?"

He let out a breath and rubbed his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Angel, I'm just thinking too much. There's a - there's a major patrol we have to do tonight, and I'm not sure...I just don't want-"

"Shh." I‌ reached up on the tips of my toes to give him a hug. "You know you can do this. You're strong and smart and so skilled at fighting. You'll be just fine, I promise."

Leo rubbed my back and settled into me. "But what if things aren't?"

"Everything will be. We're all here for you." I pulled back and took his face in my hands, cradling it and stroking his cheeks with my fingers. "Aw, I'm so sorry you're stressed out."

"It's not your fault. Come on, I don't want you to be late." He placed his big hands on mine and gently removed them from his face, kissing one of them before dropping it to my side. "You've got a big day ahead of you."

Before I could say more, he climbed up the ladder and carefully slid the manhole cover off to the side, just enough for both of us to fit through. I followed close behind and let him help me up. We ended up in an alleyway across the street from the main campus of the community college. Just seeing it brought butterflies into my stomach. It's really happening.

I turned to Leo, who was hiding in a shadow in the corner of the alleyway with his arms open. "Come here," he murmured.

When I rushed towards him and let him envelope me in his strong arms, I felt peace spread throughout my core. "I'm gonna miss you today," I‌ whispered.