Destiny wakes up slowly. Her body feels weighted with drowsiness and she's pretty sure she's never been more comfortable. Leonardo lays at her side, his plastron cool and hard against her skin, and she exhales as she snuggles closer to him, her eyes drifting shut.

For a few blissful seconds, she feels okay. She feels sane, collected, like everything that was driving her up the wall has been taken care of. She didn't even have any nightmares last night.

Her eyes snap open and her breath hitches. Wait, did they...? She peeks under the blanket, confirming that she is indeed nude, and then she looks at Leonardo. He's less obvious, as he always sleeps without any gear or his mask, but their situation says enough.

Her heart pounds as she gazes at him and all too soon, her brain's gone back into overdrive. She wishes she could stop it and just sink into his arms and forget the world, but it won't let her. It screams at her, demanding that she listen. She screwed up.

The second she heard the word "heat" from Donatello and Sarina, she made a personal vow to just muscle through it. She was going to lock herself in her room for the entire duration if she needed to, but she couldn't resist him. It was hopeless.

She remembers everything, but last night feels like a dream. She said yes. She can't deny it. She wanted him so badly that it hurt and because of that, all her common sense abandoned her.

This is bad. This is so very, very bad.

He stirs, letting out a tiny groan before his eyes close even tighter. His arm shifts from where he had it draped over her stomach as he rolls onto his back and yawns. His lips smack together sleepily as he blinks once, twice, then too many times to count.

He looks at her and she feels such an intense surge of emotion that it brings tears to her eyes.

"Hey," he greets, voice deep and raspy. He shifts back to his first position, one hand dropping to her waist and caressing it. He smiles sleepily. "How are you feeling?"

That's the worst question he could possibly ask her. She opens her mouth, closes it, and looks away. His idle stroking stops and she can almost sense how his expression falls. It's like the air itself grows tense.

"Des?" he asks. She feels the bed shift as he comes closer. "What's wrong?"

She covers her face, unable to focus when he's looking at her with those royal baby blues. "I feel better," she says.

He exhales. "Oh, good! I'm happy to hear that." There's a pause, then she feels him grip her wrist and gently pry one hand from her face. He smiles at her, but it's nervous, hopeful. "So..." He clears his throat. "You, uh...enjoyed yourself?"

What a dork. What an absolute freaking dork, she thinks. She wants to kiss him so bad when he's like this, confident one second then a rambling sweetheart the next. He's so worried about her and...god, she isn't even sure how to explain what she's feeling. She doesn't regret a thing and yet she totally does. This is great and this is so, so awful.

"I..."

Her throat feels tight, choking the words before she can spit them out. She should have told him about this long before now, but there was never a good time. There was never a reason! She thought it didn't matter, that it was something she wouldn't have to worry about. What a stupid, childish way of thinking.

A few tears roll down her face and before she can wipe them away, Leonardo's eyes widen with alarm. He sits up and leans over her, hands cupping her face and thumbing away the tears.

"Woah, hey, Des," he says. "What—"

She pushes herself up, sinking into his arms and pressing her forehead to his shoulder, trying desperately to stop crying. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she keeps telling herself.

"Destiny, babe," he whispers, reaching around to rub her back. He presses a gentle kiss to her hairline. "It's okay. It's okay, just...take your time."

"I...d-don't know what I'm feeling," she says. "I...I..." Her eyes widen and she looks up at him. "O-Oh, god, did we use protection?"

His expression mirrors hers. "Uh...no, no...we didn't." When her face crumples, he stammers, "I mean, we were pretty, uh, laser-focused and we were both pretty eager—"

"I know, I know," she groans into her hands, still trembling. "Oh, no. No, no, no..." He opens his mouth, ready with more comfort, when she flips the blanket off and stands up. "I have to go."

"Wait!" he says, catching her wrist in his grip before she can go too far. "Please, Des, don't do this. Stay here, talk to me."

"I want to, I just...I can't. I literally...can't, I...I don't know what to say or how to say it."

She pulls her hand from his, reaching down to pick up her discarded panties, and puts them on. She looks around for a second more before tucking her wings to her back in frustration. There's not a wing-friendly t-shirt in sight.

"Des," he repeats.

"Please, just...give me some time," she begs, looking up at him as she crosses her arms over her chest. There aren't any new tears aside from the ones glittering on her eyelashes.

He stares at her, shoulders slumped, and exhales. "Okay, but promise you aren't going to hide from me."

She doesn't say anything for a moment. Then, she moves forward, leans down, and presses her lips to his gently. He lets his eyes close, savouring it, and she pulls away, taking his Space Heroes blanket with her.

"Promise," she murmurs, wrapping herself in the soft material.

She opens his bedroom door, checks the hallway, then disappears. Leonardo takes a second after she's gone, just breathing, before he flops onto the mattress and runs his hands over his face as he lets out a long sigh.

----------

When Leonardo emerges into the main living area, he almost immediately finds himself standing face-to-face with Sarina. Her eyes flash, her arms crossed over her chest, and Leonardo feels embarrassment rise to his cheeks.

"Destiny was not in her bed this morning," Sarina states, keeping her voice at a low volume. To be fair, there's no one else to listen in on them that Leonardo can see. "I take it the date went well?"

Leonardo closes his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck. "It was a little touch-and-go for a while, but...yeah, I'd say it went well," he says.

Another flash. He winces at the light. "Yet you do not seem happy and when Destiny left this morning, she seemed very distressed." For a second, Sarina's expression falls into something protective. "Leonardo, if you did something unsavoury—"

"No!" he insists. "Sarina, you know I would never. Not...not on purpose, at least." He sighs. "This morning, she seemed...conflicted. She told me as much."

"And?"

"And...nothing. She said she needed time, but how long? I don't like it."

"Hm." She strokes her chin, eyes narrowed in thought. "Tell you what, I will look over some things in the lab. If I come across something that could help you understand, I will let you know."

"Is it...really okay if you do that? I mean, I appreciate it, but I'd rather hear it from her."

Sarina sighs. "It's a precautionary measure. I would rather you talk to each other too," she says. She glances over her shoulder, lips pursing, before she returns to facing him. "Keep me updated, alright?"

"Yeah, I will," he says. She nods, turns away, and he adds, "Hey, Sarina? Thanks."

She smiles. "It is no trouble at all. I am just looking out for you."

He exhales, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's just, ah...it's kind of awkward."

She chuckles. "If I were Donatello, it would bother me. Lucky for you," she says, winking, "I am not."

She turns away, heading back to the laboratory, and Leonardo eyes the empty lair. Michelangelo and Raphael must be out and Leonardo would venture a guess that Donatello's in his lab.

He needs to do something.

His eyes wander to the dojo and he sighs. A workout should clear his head.

----------

It doesn't.

He's so distracted that he can't even perform a kata correctly. He feels the same way he did when his brothers snuck out to go skateboarding and ended up creating a lifelong enemy in Baxter Stockman. Good times, but the exhaustion that followed the next day was horrible.

Leonardo isn't tired by any means, but he's distracted and his body seems to think of those feelings as the same.

He throws his katanas to the floor with a frustrated groan. This isn't working in the slightest and he fears that, until he can talk to Destiny, it won't go away. He sits, head in his hands as he stares at the floor.

Is she running from him again? Did he mess up that badly?

It's not like he can talk to anyone about it. Michelangelo would never understand why this is a big deal, Donatello seemed awkward enough during their discussion the other day, and Leonardo fears that Raphael would do nothing but tease him if he voiced his concerns. He could, potentially, have some decent advice, but with Raphael that chance is always 50/50.

He already spoke to Sarina a little, but she's so analytical about everything and, what's more, Leonardo squirms at the idea of telling her about what's going through his head. She'll have enough on her plate when Destiny inevitably spills her heart to her. Their sisterhood involves a lot of that.

Then, who else? Annalise? Taylor? Yeah, right. Leonardo sees Annalise in the same way he sees Michelangelo—an innocent, pure little sibling, whom he must protect—and he feels nauseous just imagining talking to Taylor. He'd rather do just about anything else and he's confident that she feels the same.

"You seem distracted, my son."

Oh. There is one more person...

"Master Splinter!" Leonardo startles, jolting up from his forlorn pose. "I...uh...I didn't notice you."

"You were very enveloped in your own world," Splinter says. He kneels in front of his son, not caring that they're in the middle of the dojo, and smiles. "What is wrong?"

Leonardo's cheeks burn. He shifts, folding his legs beneath him, and bows his head. "Sorry if this sounds rude, Sensei, but...I don't think you can help."

"You cannot know that for sure unless you give me the chance to help."

"Well, yeah, I know, but..." He sucks in a breath, then releases. "It's embarrassing..." he mumbles.

Splinter smiles softly. "I am here to listen."

Leonardo stays quiet, weighing his options. This could be okay, right? Splinter's got experience, although the idea makes Leonardo cringe internally and he definitely doesn't need details, but he would be the most well-equipped to talk to him about this.

After all, he's the one who gave them the original talk when they were younger. Leonardo remembers distinctly how they only got on the topic because Michelangelo had the brilliant idea to leave two pizza slices alone in a box in the hopes that they would make more pizza.

Splinter overheard, one thing led to another, and soon the four brothers were left in varying stages of disgust and intrigue in light of their new knowledge. Donatello was the most unfazed, as he had watched enough nature documentaries to know at least a little, and the only thing Michelangelo took away from the conversation was "pizza can't have pizza babies, but humans can have human babies."

They've all grown a lot since then and yet, sitting here, Leonardo feels like he may as well be a turtle tot again.

"I think I messed up," he says, letting his shoulders sink with the weight he's been trying to hold.

"And why is that?"

"Um, well..." He still doesn't look his father in the eyes, trying to focus on anything other than his face. "So, uh...Destiny's been, uh..." He shakes his head. It'll just complicate things if he explains that first. He needs to cut to the chase. "Never mind. It's..."

"You must be truly concerned if your mind is this clouded," Splinter murmurs. He leans a little closer, whiskers twitching. "Leonardo, understand that there is very little you could do that would make me truly angry at you."

Leonardo doesn't entirely trust that statement. Splinter once wrecked them in a round of randori just because they were sleepier than usual. Still, his father's face is kind, understanding, and Leonardo thinks he might explode if he doesn't say anything soon.

"Destiny and I, we..." He sucks in a breath, waits, then exhales as he covers his face. When he speaks, his voice is tiny and squeaky. "We had sex."

Silence.

Leonardo spreads his fingers, peeking out at Splinter, to find that his eyes are slightly wider than before and his eyebrows have lifted.

"Ah," Splinter says, slowly.

Leonardo groans into his palms. If the earth could open up and swallow him right this second, that would be great.

"So, in what manner did you...mess up?" Splinter asks, and Leonardo hears how his voice lifts at the end. He drops his hands and, yes, he wasn't imagining it. Splinter is smiling. He finds this funny and Leonardo is, frankly, appalled.

"Not like that!" he insists, his voice pitching like a prepubescent teen, and Splinter's smile twitches with even more amusement. "It...it was fine! G-Great, even, or...or I thought it was—"

"Is this a matter of concern over your quality as a lover?"

Leonardo starts to stand up. "Forget I said anything, Sensei." He would expect this kind of behaviour from Raphael, but his grown-ass father—

"Leonardo, do not leave," Splinter says, his tone level again. "I apologize. That is just the last thing I expected to hear." Leonardo hesitates, still standing, and Splinter gestures before him. "Please, sit down."

If Leonardo were more like Raphael, maybe he would walk out, but he's always been Splinter's little golden boy, a kiss-up afraid of disappointing the man he admires most in the world. He sits down.

"My original question stands," Splinter says.

Leonardo pats his knees. "Okay," he sighs. "So, Destiny...I don't exactly know what happened, but she went into heat a few days ago, like the kind animals get into."

"I understand what heat is. Continue."

"She was acting weird, so I thought I'd cheer her up by taking her out to this party, but she..." He swallows hard, memories of last night flashing through his brain and shooting straight down his spine. He clears his throat. "Things escalated. I asked for her consent, repeatedly, and everything seemed fine, but she was so upset this morning. It's...making me wonder whether the heat kind of...ah..."

Words. Words are so hard to say. He waves his hand about, searching his mental library, and Splinter's ears flatten a bit.

"You are worried that...perhaps, she did not consent in her right mind?" he suggests. "That she was in a vulnerable state and you took advantage of her?"

Hearing it like that just makes Leonardo's chest hurt, but he nods. His body quivers, his eyes starting to itch, and he closes them tight in hopes that it'll stop his emotions from spilling. He would never do that to her. He's not the type of guy to do that, but...

"Hm," Splinter murmurs. "That is certainly a...difficult situation. My only advice is that you talk to Destiny about what made her upset and try to fix it from there."

"I want to," he says. "I wanted to right when I realized something was wrong, but she told me to...give her time. She left." He hates how defeated he sounds, but at least he feels better than when he was bottling everything up. "Sensei...father, what if this tears us apart again?"

"Leonardo," Splinter says. He brings himself closer, reaching out to grasp his son's shoulder. "You are an adult now, albeit a very young one, and you have made an adult decision. You have given each other a precious gift that must be cared for and nurtured if it is to thrive." He squeezes gently. "Talk to her. I feel...that her reaction may be out of fear. Her body has changed again and change can be frightening."

Leonardo nods. He could have guessed that, if he weren't so caught up in everything else. Fear rules Destiny more than any other emotion and it's something she's constantly fighting back against. Maybe this was too much.

"I'll talk to her," he says. He puffs his chest up a bit. "I'll...I'll make it right. Own up to it and...take responsibility."

Splinter smiles. "Good. That is a wise choice, my son," he says.

He deflates, face getting slightly paler. "Oh...but, I guess I did make a mistake already, though," he admits. When Splinter's eyebrow lifts, he mumbles, "We...didn't really use protection."

This time, Splinter lets out a sigh. "That is certainly a mistake," he says. He gives him a long look. "Is this something I need to talk to you boys about?"

Leonardo swallows. "Uh...m-maybe?"

"Very well. I will find time for it." Splinter gets to his feet, prompting Leonardo to follow him up. "As for you, if Destiny does become pregnant, I expect you understand what you will have to do."

"Take responsibility," he answers.

"Yes." Again, Splinter gives him an affectionate pat on the shoulder. "I wish you luck, Leonardo."