Emotionless Mutation (Book Three)

Chapter 46: Lessons in Home

"I can't—" Destiny stops when she notices her therapist's look and sighs. "Right, I know. I'm sorry."

Melanie smiles and reaches out to pet Destiny's ears, making her tail wag. "Cookie?"

"Yes, please," she says, grabbing one. Before she takes a bite, her face softens with concern. "Is Diaval okay?"

"His head's bandaged and he's bruised, but you know him. He's tough." Her cheeks flush and she casts a fond look to the living room. "That man...he's something else."

Destiny snickers and starts to nibble at her cookie. Melanie hands out food to Donatello and Sarina before giving Michelangelo seconds, acting as if feeding a bunch of mutant teenagers is a normal pastime for her.

A loud beeping sounds from outside the lab and Melanie's face pales, her freckles becoming more prominent as she does. "The second batch! Oh, fudge nuggets..."

She hands off the cookies to Michelangelo and dashes away, muttering about losing track of time. Michelangelo shovels the last treats into his mouth, humming and smiling around his stuffed cheeks.

"Y'know, she's adorable," he comments.

"And, like, ten years older than us," Donatello retorts.

"Oo, Mikey's a cougar hunter," Raphael says with a devious grin.

The orange-masked turtle pouts. "Nuh uh! I just appreciate cuteness!" His chest puffs with pride as he jabs his thumb against it. "Besides, I've got my eye on someone else! She's blonde, she makes videos—"

"Aw, geez, is that that Youtuber you found a few weeks ago? DeepFriedDonut or something?" Raphael asks.

"Uh, duh. Annalise is literally the most adorable thing on Youtube. And her videos?" He kisses his fingers and shakes them at the air. "Molto bene. She's perfect."

Sarina shakes her head as she giggles, packing up her first aid kit. She clears her throat and turns her attention to the group scattered before her. "If we're done here, does that mean we can go get Leonardo?" she asks, breaking up the discussion.

Destiny's eyes widen and she gets to her feet. "Yes, definitely, let's go right now," she says, heading for the door.

"Woah, hold up, dudette," Michelangelo says, snatching her good arm and pulling her to a gentle stop. She whirls around to look at him. "You should get some rest and let us find Leo."

Her expression is stony, determination carved into her features. "No."

Raphael furrows his brow and stands, prompting Donatello and Sarina to follow as the trio joins them. "I probably won't say this again, but you should listen to Mikey," Raphael says. "You need to—"

"I'm going to find Leo, and none of you are stopping me," she interrupts, her tone forceful. "I will rest when he is safe in my arms again."

There's a tense moment of silence. She crosses her arms, daring someone to try and stop her. The remaining four mutants look at each other, searching for some kind of agreement.

When they look back to Destiny, they find that she's already opened the laboratory doors and gone into the living room. Splinter, April, Casey, Melanie, and Diaval are already standing, looking between Destiny and the others.

Donatello is the first to try and chase after her. "Destiny, I really think—" he starts.

"I won't sit here and wait, Donnie," she retorts with hardly a glance over her shoulder.

"Des—"

Raphael rests his hand on Donatello's shoulder, shaking his head. "We can't stop her, Don," he says.