Together As Mutants (Book Six)

Chapter 23: Nothing to Worry About

Destiny comes back to the lair a few hours later. Her wings feel like lead and by the time she went on her way home, it was starting to rain, so she's wet too. She hops over the turnstiles, shaking her sopping curls to relieve some of the water from them.

She can hear the TV playing and the sound of laughter. When she looks up, hair still dripping, she sees Michelangelo and Annalise watching a show, his arm draped over her shoulder.

She moves further in, glancing around. "Guys?" she asks.

Michelangelo cranes his neck back, making his head appear upside down, and grins. "Hey, Desti-bear!" he greets. "Waddup?"

Annalise mirrors his movements. "Leo's in his room."

She blinks. "How...?"

She giggles. "He asked us to tell you."

"Oh." Destiny returns the smile. "Thanks."

"No problemo," she replies.

"Have fun!" Michelangelo adds before they both return to normal.

She hurries towards Leonardo's bedroom, stopping by the bathroom for just long enough to grab a towel and scrub her hair and tail dry. With that done, she moves to his door, takes a breath, and knocks.

"Come in," he calls.

She pushes the door open a bit and peeks in. Leonardo lays on his back on his bed, tossing a ball to himself over and over again. He glances over at Destiny and for a second, she notices the hurt that still lingers on his face before it melts away into surprise. He catches the ball and sits up, eyes wide.

"Des," he breathes.

"Hi." She brushes her bangs out of her eyes, sucking in a breath as she moves into the room and shuts the door behind her. She notes that he's cleaned up their discarded clothing: always so neat. "Leo, I'm...ready to talk."

"Me too," he says, a little too fast. He scoots back, patting the mattress. "Please, sit?"

She nods, moving to the bed but, instead of sitting down, she just flops over. She lets out a long sigh, letting her wings go limp, and she hears Leonardo chuckle.

"Long flight?" he asks.

"I flew downtown," she admits. She shifts onto her side so that she can look at him easier. "Wanted to get a peek of Times Square."

"You weren't spotted, were you?"

"Nah, and...even if I was, who could prove anything?"

He shakes his head. "Reckless..."

She shrugs and they fall silent. For a bit, they just linger, unsure of what to say or do. They're talking, sure, but this isn't the talking they need to do.

"So...Des," he starts.

She sighs and pushes herself up, sitting facing him. "I'm sorry," she says.

"What?" He blinks. "Wait, no, I was going to say sorry."

She frowns a bit. "Leo, I'm the one who overreacted. You didn't do anything wrong."

He cocks his head. "But...this morning, you were all upset. I thought...?"

She breathes deeply, bringing her knees to her chest, chin on her knees, and closes her eyes. This is the part she's been dreading, the part she knows might start up the waterworks again and god, she's so sick of crying.

"No," she murmurs, almost to herself. She averts her eyes. "No, you...you were amazing."

His face flushes, eyes wide. "So you...remember it?"