Song: Stomach Tied In Knots - Sleeping With Sirens

"You need to rest."

   "I know, Leo."

   "I'll get you some water."

   "No, I don't want you waiting on me."

   "But you look sick, Lizzy."

   "I'll survive."

   "I'll be right back."

   I sigh, shaking my head at his stubbornness. I relax into the couch, rubbing my forehead. I feel like I was dropped off a five-story building and landed in thorns.

   But I simply fainted again. As usual, I didn't see it coming. I just fell out and woke up to Leonardo shaking me.

   He looked so worried, so terrified that I was sick. The only thing that ended his worried remarks was running upstairs to check on Raphael. I hoped the blue-clad turtle would forget about what happened with me once his brother distracted him, but nope. The whole way back down to the living room consisted of his anxious questions and my slight irritation at them.

   I don't mind him worrying. I just don't see why he did, since blacking out isn't anything new. I've almost completely coped with my issues, and I know the only thing that will help is sleep. Not water, not medicine. Just sleep.

   But Leonardo doesn't agree.

   The blue-clad turtle enters the room with an abnormally huge glass of water in his hand. "Here," he says as he carefully pushes it into my hands.

Not wanting to be rude, I thank him and drink half the glass, despite the fact that I know it won't work. I set the drink on the coffee table and sink down into the couch cushions.

"Do you need anything else?" Leonardo questions. He has calmed down a bit, but he's still being pushy.

I kick my feet around so I am spread across the couch. I place my head on the armrest. "No, but thanks," I mumble. Sleep is already begging to claim me for the night.

Just as I start to drift off, I feel a tug at my hair. I open one eye and look to see Leonardo playing with it. I smile.

"This again?" I can't resist laughing.

Leonardo smiles a bit as well. "Are you complaining?" he asks cheekily, his hands slowly trailing through the locks.

"No way!" I reply immediately. The feeling of someone playing with my hair always relieves stress. It also helps me sleep- though I'm already exhausted enough to fall out on my own.

Leonardo keeps on with his soothing rhythm. Eventually, the feeling of hands running through my hair fades. It's replaced with a different- but equally satisfying- pattern.

"What are you doing now?" I mumble, unable to obtain the energy to do anything else.

"Braiding," is all Leonardo says.

I burst out laughing, louder than last time. "Excuse me? You don't know how to braid," I get out through my giggles.

"Who says?" Leonardo responds, and I don't have to look at him to know he is grinning.

When he finishes, I reach back to feel it. Some strands of hair aren't in the braid, but it isn't awful.

"Not bad for an amateur," I tease, smiling up at him.

Leonardo blushes faintly. "Hey, I'm a ninja, not a beautician," he chuckles.

"True," I giggle again. "Where did you learn to do that, anyway?" I question as I settle down further into the couch and close my eyes.

"I've seen April do it to her own hair a couple of times," Leonardo explains.

"And why were you watching her play with her hair?" I asks playfully, smiling to myself.

"It's not what you think," Leonardo says quickly, as if I assume he was just being a creep. "She was talking to me while braiding her hair, and I couldn't help but watch. It was kind of distracting."

I laugh and shoo his words away like they're flies. "Sure, Leo. Wait until I tell Donnie," I respond with a smirk, looking up at him.

Leonardo's eyes sparkle with amusement through the darkness. "You wouldn't dare!"

"I would!"

"Then I'll rip your braid right off," Leonardo teases, tugging gently on the plait.

I gasp in fake astonishment. I reach back to move his hands away. "I'll have your shell removed!" I threaten jokingly.

"Good luck finding someone who can accomplish that," Leonardo retorts lightly, his pink tongue poking out of his mouth.

His hands slip around mine and our fingers tangle together. It's a strange feeling, since he only has three fingers. Oddly enough, however, they curl perfectly between the spaces of mine.

Leonardo's gaze locks loosely with mine, and then he quickly looks in a different direction. But to both my surprise and slight joy, he doesn't remove his hands from mine.

He bites his lip and starts to mumble. "Hey, Lizzy... I... Uh..."

"You, uh?" I repeat, looking up at him questioningly.

Leonardo smiles weakly at the poke of fun. "I need to, um, tell you something..." he begins again, and then he trails off. I wait for him to go on, but he just continues to caress his fingers over the palms of my hands instead.

I get a bit worried. What does he need to tell me, and why is he holding it in? Is it something bad?

"Yes?" I prompt.

Leonardo blinks, still not meeting my gaze. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm expecting you up early for training," he finally answers.

I roll my eyes and laugh, pulling my hands away from his. "Yes, Master Leonardo," I reply, before sticking my tongue out in the same manner that he had earlier. I close my eyes again and snuggle down into the couch.

I feel Leonardo taking the braid out of my hair. "I'm going to redo your hair," he announces, and then adds briskly, "You better be asleep by the time I finish."

"Yeah, yeah," I whisper, unconsciousness finally getting its way.

I fall asleep with a smile on my face.