Moonlight Mutation (A TMNT Fanfic)

Chapter 14: Out in the Night

There's a quiet tap at Destiny's bedroom door, one that rouses her from her disrupted sleep. She sits up, blinking a few times as she rubs her eyes. She looks around, casting her eyes to the door and momentarily question whether she actually heard something.

"Destiny? You awake?" Leonardo's soft voice asks.

She crawls out of bed and steals across the floor, stretching her arms as she goes. She opens the bedroom door, a small yawn stretching her face out briefly as she leans against the doorframe.

"I am now," she answers, rubbing at her eyes again. "Hey Leo."

He smiles, looking far too awake for the hour. "Hey," he responds. He looks around for a moment, gauging their surroundings. "Listen, I want to help you out."

Destiny arches an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"If you're going to keep visiting the surface anyways, I'm going to go with you."

She stares at him, eyes squinted and lips parted. "Huh?" she repeats.

He chuckles and rolls his eyes. "You heard me, Destiny. Come on, let's go."

Before she can react, he's taking her hand and dragging her through the silent lair. She stumbles after him, still trying to comprehend whether she's dreaming or not. Only then does it register that she is wearing nothing but her baggy hoodie, which thankfully hangs far below her pelvis, adding a second layer to her butt and nether regions.

"Leo, I'm not dressed," she hisses, her cheeks flaring with heat.

He stops, turning around to look at her. His eyes flicker to her bare legs for a fleeting moment before they shoot back up, his cheeks turning pinker as he gulps.

"Oh...yeah," he says. "Sorry, I don't really wear clothes, so—"

"I get it," she says, stepping backwards and maneuvering her hand from his grip. "I'll be right back."

She dashes off to her room, the excitement of returning to the surface numbing the ache in her foot.

She returns in record time, wearing her tattered green shirt and equally-tattered jeans, seeing as she has little else to choose from. Together, they head out of the lair in silence.

The sewer tunnels twist and turn the way they always do, but they pay no mind. They just keep going, knowing the way out by heart—or at least, Leonardo does. She follows him with a blind sort of faith, hoping that if he's the one who wants to bring her up, he has something planned.

Eventually, they reach the vertical tunnel reaching up to the surface. Leonardo climbs up first, shoving the manhole upwards and scanning the surroundings. He climbs out, sliding the heavy cover away and peering down to where Destiny is still working her way up the ladder.

He reaches a hand out to her once she gets nearer. She accepts the help, him pulling her from the sewers easily. She stops in place as she settles on solid ground again, a sigh of relief passing her lips before she can stop it as the cool night air caresses her face. Leonardo glances over at her before crossing his arms and casting his eyes to the sky.

"Come on, I've got a spot I think that you'll like," he offers. "Follow me."

They head off after a short nod from Destiny. He leaps up the side of a building effortlessly while she scrambles after him using the fire escape. No matter what Destiny does, she stays far behind the turtle in blue.

He keeps stopping to look back at her, his smile feeling as though it's teasing her. Even so, she keeps running and maneuvering over obstacles that come along as best she can. Leonardo always manages to stay ahead.