Splinter wishes that he could say that he didn't expect something to go wrong. He knows that his sons and their allies are at risk any time they leave the lair and yet that doesn't stop the ageing rat from hoping that they complete their missions without any hiccups involved. As he lingers near Donatello's lab table and watches as Donatello and Sarina work at Destiny's very feathery body, he finds that above all else, he is just glad that they are all home. That is all he can truly ask for.

"Remind me again," Splinter says. Leonardo glances up from where he sits near Destiny's head and both Sarina and Donatello momentarily stop working. "You say Destiny got...partially...mutated?"

"It was from segmentation mutagen," Donatello says. He lifts up Destiny's arm and examines the feathers, right down to the stalks. The wolf mutant stays asleep. "The Kraang experimented with it a while ago."

"It is so named because it mutates only segments of people," Sarina adds, sifting through a medical kit. She pauses to tap her chin in thought.

"Uh, hate to change the subject, but what exactly are you going to do to her?" Leonardo asks. His gaze darts to Destiny's sleeping face, as if expecting to see something. His hand drifts to her wolf ears and starts to pet them.

"We're going to pluck the extra feathers, but leave the wings alone," Sarina answers. Her expression falls and her eyes flash. "We may have to submerge her in hot water to loosen the feathers. That is what farmers do to slaughtered chickens before plucking them."

Leonardo leans a little closer to Destiny, his arms now framing her head. An image of a Thanksgiving turkey with Destiny's face on it pops into his head and he shudders, earning an odd look from his brother.

"Relax, Leo, we're going to be very gentle," Donatello assures him. "She's sleeping now. She won't feel a thing."

"What if she gets one of her attacks while you guys are working?"

"We will immediately call you, but I am sure that you will hear her distress before we get the chance to do so," Sarina says with a slight smirk. Leonardo bows his head and she moves closer to him, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Trust us."

He takes in a long breath, then nods. Sarina feels her heart swell and her expression brightens, a dull glow emitting from her eyes for a second before fading back to normal, and she returns to her work. Splinter's hand replaces hers on Leonardo's shoulder and he gets to his feet, petting Destiny's ears one more time before he follows his father out of the lab.

"While I get everything ready, could you do me a favour?" Donatello asks. "Could you call Diaval and let him know what happened? I think he'd appreciate an update about Des."

"I do not have his number," she states.

"Use my phone."

He digs it out of his belt and hands it to her with hardly a glance from his work. Sarina takes the t-phone and opens it, finding the contacts and scrolling through them. She finds Diaval's name right beneath Destiny's, his contact picture a selfie where Destiny's face is half in the frame and Diaval is smiling just a little bit. Sarina clicks his name and puts the phone to her ear.

It rings three times before someone answers. "Donatello? That you?"

Sarina is struck by Diaval's voice. She expected him to sound gruff and menacing, just judging by the constant dead-eyed expression that she had seen in pictures, but his voice is more tentative than that. It's rough, sure, but it's got a gentleness to it.

"Hullo?"

Sarina blinks. "Oh, sorry. No, this is Sarina. I'm using Donatello's phone."

"Donnie's friend? From TCRI?"

She nods. "Yes."

"Mentioned you. Cool to meet you," he says. "M Diaval. Destiny's friend."

She smiles. "I have heard good things. It is nice to meet you too," she says.

She hears a soft muttering from the other end, something like a thank you or an embarrassed mumble. The sound of a woman's voice comes from far off and Diaval's voice drifts away from the receiver, as if he took the phone away from his face.

"S'just Sarina," he says. "Donatello's friend." A pause. "Okay." His voice returns. "Melanie says hi."

"I don't know who Melanie is, but tell her that I say hello as well."

"Mmkay."

She takes a breath, shaking her head and blinking a few times as she composes herself. "Right, well, I actually called to update you about Destiny. You already know about her condition, correct?"

There's a pause, then, "...yes?"

Donatello looks up from his work. "Sari, try to make it as simple to understand as possible," he says, making her gaze dart to him as her eyes flash. "He's...slow."

She makes an "o" shape with her mouth before returning to the phone. "Diaval, I'm sorry. Allow me to retry this," she says. "Destiny hurt her shoulder."

"Mhm, yup."

"Well, her shoulder is all better now."

She hears a soft release of breath. "Oh, good."

"But she did get mutated. She has wings now."

More silence. Sarina wonders if Diaval is like this in person or if it's just because he's on the phone and he isn't much for talking on the phone.

"Like...big wings? What kinda wings?" he asks. There's a gasp from far away and Diaval mumbles something that Sarina can't catch.

"Raven wings. They're small now, but I am sure that they will grow bigger in time," she says. "I was told to let you know that she's doing just fine."

"Well, thanks...for that," he says, soft again. "She awake?"

"No, she's sleeping. She's very overtired."

"Tell her 'm okay, said hi, love her...y'know. Wanna talk soon."

"I will."

"Mmkay, bye."

"Goodbye, lovely talking to you."

She hangs up, taking a quick breath that makes her shoulders bounce, and turns back to Donatello. He glances at her expectantly and she nods, hurrying back to him and handing off the phone.

"He seems nice," she states.

He pauses for a moment before shrugging and bobbing his head once. "He's alright." He clears his throat and gestures to his desk. "You mind grabbing that light for me?"

She obeys. She angles the light above him while he readies his tweezers over one of Destiny's many feathers, his forehead wrinkling with concentration. Sarina feels her mouth quirking into an expectant smile as she waits for his tongue to poke out from the corner of his mouth. Any second now...

She lets out a snorting giggle as his tongue appears, making him startle. His widened eyes meet hers as her hand flies up to her mouth and they remain locked in one another's stares for a second.

"What?" he asks.

"Nothing," she insists. "You...you are just adorable."

His cheeks turns pink and he laughs, eyes squeezing shut as he looks away from her. Her chest floods with heat and her smile remains. He clears his throat, rubbing his neck as he pivots his head back and forth.

"Oh-kay," he breathes. "Let's get this done."

"Agreed."

----------

Destiny doesn't remember everything about her nightmare when she wakes up. She knows for sure that she had one based off the fact that she feels like she can't breathe and every hair on her body is standing on end. Her face is damp—with tears or sweat, she can't tell—and Leonardo is standing near her with one hand on her thigh.

"Des, are you okay?"

She exhales heavily and nods. There's a dull, aching pain that starts between her shoulder blades and spreads outward over her shoulders and arms. She shifts a tiny bit and winces at the feeling of two tiny appendages pressing against the table.

"Careful, Des," comes another voice from her other side. Donatello's hand appears, steadying her as both him and Leonardo lift her into sitting position. "Watch the bandages."

Destiny looks down at herself. The sight of the bandages makes her stomach churn, her entire body tensing up as she swallows back a wave of nausea. She shuts her eyes, reaching one hand to brace itself against her forehead.

"How long was I out?" she asks.

"A couple of hours, I'd say," Sarina answers. She dries her hands off with a towel as she walks closer to the table. She sets it down on the edge and folds her hands behind her back. "We tried to be as swift as possible, but you kept almost waking up."

Destiny doesn't open her eyes. Her hand reaches for Leonardo's and he takes it without question, his thumb rubbing circles against her skin as she sucks in deep breaths. Donatello tries to get a look at her face, worry creasing his mask.

"Des, what is it?" he murmurs. "Are you in pain? Do you need anything?"

Her throat is far too dry. She swallows, able to wet it just enough to feel as if she can speak. "It's..." She shakes her head. "The bandages. They're like..."

Her tail bristles and she tightens her grip on Leonardo's hand. The brothers lock eyes as recognition flits through them. Sarina glances between the three of them in confusion. Leonardo gives Destiny's hand a small tug and she finally looks at him with glassy, exhausted eyes.

"Come on," he says, keeping his voice low and gentle. "You'll feel better once we're out of this lab."

She wobbles from vertigo as she gets to her feet, blinking away the stars in her vision, and spares a nod towards Leonardo. He casts a thankful smile at Donatello and Sarina as he walks away with Destiny. His arm moves to wrap around her, then stops, but she's already leaning closer to him with her arms wrapped in a self-hug.

The lab door rumbles as it closes and the remaining mutants listen as a few greetings sound from the others waiting outside. Sarina heaves a breath and sits down, stretching her legs and arms outwards so that she's imitating a starfish. Donatello smiles fondly at her before taking his own seat, folding his hands over his stomach and starting to tap his thumbs in a tiny drum beat.

"I am guessing that she will be okay soon?" Sarina asks as she relaxes. She starts to spin in little half circles, back and forth, as she gazes up at the ceiling.

Donatello nods. "You never know what thing will remind you of another," he says. A distant look vacates his expression for a moment before he blinks and looks to her. His face softens into something a little more cheerful. "I can relate."

"Oh?" She sits up, her eyes flashing as her all-too-familiar curious smile appears, eyebrows lifted. "Care to share an example?"

Heat floods his chest and he coughs, rubbing the back of his neck. "I...uh, just...that, that chair," he says, making her pucker her lips in questioning. "That chair made me think of you, at least...when you were gone."

"Aw, that is adorable, Donatello."

He chuckles, eyes squinting shut as he leans forward, and her heart soars. She rests her head on her hand and spins in the chair again, kicking her legs out and watching them sweep past the frozen Timothy jar, the lab table, the ShellRaiser, and Donatello. He doesn't offer anything more to the conversation and she finds relief in the fact that she doesn't find it uncomfortable. She likes being here with him, even if it's in silence.

"So...if my memory serves me correctly," she starts, "ravens fledge in thirty-five to forty-two days. Destiny will have to wait a month at least before her wings will be anywhere near flying condition."

He hardly misses a beat before he says, "I hope you'll be around to see it."

Her eyes flash and her posture improves. "I would like to," she states. After another moment, her voice becomes quieter and she adds, "If...it works out that way."

His heart pounds and he feels himself starting to sweat. He runs through conversations and outcomes in his head at a rapid pace while some tiny part of his brilliant mind screams at him to seize his moment. She's right there. She's away from the Kraang. Donatello wonders whether he should just wait for a better moment, but changes his mind. The last time he waited, he lost the girl that stole his heart.

"I...I want you to stay," he says, although he says it so fast that it's more like he's blurted it. He gets to his feet and moves closer to her, reaching out and taking her hand. "You mean a lot to me, to...to others too but mostly me, and...and..."

Sarina gazes up at him expectantly and he feels his stomach flip-flop with butterflies when he realizes that he's never seen her the way he's seeing her now. There's a spark of light in her eyes that isn't from the electronic side of her, a more human light that comes from being alive. Her expression is soft, childish yet wise, and to him, she doesn't look as severe anymore. Nothing about her direct appearance has changed; she's still got circuit patterns etched in her skin, she's still bald, she's still got three strips of blonde hair framing her heart-shaped face, and yet she has become the most beautiful thing that he's ever seen.

"Stay in the lair," he says as his hands sandwich hers, a command spoken like a plea. "But, more importantly, stay with me."

She gasps. "Donatello..."

"We're like covalent bonds, you and I. Covalent bonds, they're strong, stronger than ionic bonds, and they share an equal power together to create something better than they could ever be individually and I think that's what we are, what we can be." She covers her mouth with her hand as her eyes crinkle at the corners and his cheeks turn pink. "I guess, what I'm trying to say is that I want to be your...boyfriend."

Her entire face seems to light up as she leaps to her feet, maintaining eye contact as she grasps his hands and holds them between them. "Like dating?" she asks, eyes flashing.

He gulps as his nervous expression becomes a wobbly smile. "Yes?"

Her expression floods with shock. "Are you..." Her voice drops to a whisper as she leans up to his ear. "Are you trying to marry me?"

"What? I—" He dissolves into hiccuping, shocked laughter. "No! I mean, I...I'm only sixteen, I don't really—" He shakes his head and Sarina steps a little closer to him, expectant. "Dating first, right? We have to figure it all out. I've never dated anyone before..."

"Perfect," she states with an excited smile. "Then I will figure out dating with you and you will figure it out with me." When he nods, she wraps her arms around his neck and squeezes her eyes shut. "Donatello...does this mean that you love me?"

"I...I know that I like you a lot," he replies as he returns the hug. "I'm sorry, but I can't say more than that."

"It is alright. I like you a lot too," she murmurs. She pulls away enough to leave a space between them, her eyes flashing again. "We are dating, then?"

He smiles widely and it's brighter than anything she's ever seen. "Yes, I think we are."

"Donatello?"

"Yes?"

"May I kiss you again?"

He laughs. "Actually, if you don't mind, I would like to kiss you," he says, making her cheeks turn rosy. "May I?"

"You may."

He doesn't waste another second, pressing his lips to hers as he pulls her against him. Her eyes close, his hands tighten against her, and she takes hold of his mask tails as they disappear into a world that's all their own.