✯¸.•'*¨'*•✿┊put your best face on┊✿•*'¨*'•.¸✯

☆━━━ "HAVE YA' ATE TODAY?" Raphael questioned, his Brooklyn accent bleeding through his baritone voice. He stood in the threshold of the bedroom as his eyes observed the small ebony-haired twenty-year-old carefully. To anyone else, his tone would have come off as rude, and seemingly irritated. But to Alaska, she heard the underlying concern.

      Guilt festered in her chest for only a moment as she figured the red-banded turtle was worried for her health again, and she felt herself wanting to shy away from his observing eyes. She took a moment to answer, leaning forward in the old chair resting beside the bed as her elbows found a spot on her knees.

      Honestly, she didn't feel hungry and no, she hadn't eaten yet, and it wasn't like she was trying to starve herself; she didn't have an appetite.

      "Donnie brought me a pop-tart," She told him without looking back, and it wasn't a lie. Early that morning, at the butt-crack-ass of dawn, the purple-wielding turtle had busted into the room as if he were on a mission, practically forcing the sugary snack down her throat along with a glass of milk.

     She was still traumatized by the events that took place.

    Raph was silent for a moment, eyes trying to see her face to look for any indication of her lying before he asked, "When was that?"

      Damn, persistent ass turtle. She thought as she kept her gaze locked on Leo as if staring would magically wake him. "Um..I dunno," She lied to him, knowing if she were to tell the truth, he'd drag her from the leader's side, and she couldn't have that.

      He let out a gruff grunt. "Fine. I'll ask Don—"

      "Oh my god—this morning!" Alaska quickly snapped, her face pinching in annoyance as she twisted around in the chair to face him. "Are ya' happy now?"

      Raphael couldn't stop the twitch from his lips as she gave him her normal attitude, "Yep," He answered, an award-winning smirk growing as his perfectly sharp white teeth peeked out from between his scarred lips. Even though he was wearing his usual buoyancy, Alaska could still see the underlined concern in his gaze as he assessed the dark circles under her eyes.

      She turned away from his stare again, hoping Raphael would buzz off and leave her alone so she could watch over Leo in peace before having to train. She should have known better, though, because just as she settled back into her seat, large hands were placed under her arms and her body suddenly levitated as she was placed over the edge of a very familiar chipped shell.

      "Raphael Hamato put me down!" She screeched in a pitched voice, sounding like a knock-off pterodactyl as she kicked her legs in an attempt for him to drop her. She knew if she really wanted to, she could overpower the turtle and escape, but she didn't want to risk hurting him.

      The terrapin only chuckled, tightening his grip around her thighs as he bowed through the doorway to make sure she didn't hit her head as he kidnapped her. "Would ya' stop squirmin' before I drop your ass,"

     "That's the damn plan you big oof!"

      He didn't reply to her words, but she could feel the vibration of his chuckle through his carapace as he walked down the stairs and took her to the dining area, placing her in a chair like a fucking baby. She frowned at him with narrowed eyes, her arms folding over her chest as she watched him go to the icebox and pull out some leftovers from the night before.

       "Raph, I'm a grown woman. I don't need to be fed like a baby." She reminded the turtle as he fixed a plate and placed it in the microwave to heat it up.

      Raphael turned back around to face her as he leaned his shell against the wooden counter, bulking arms folding over his plastron as he turned his gaze to her with a lifted brow ridge, "Oh really? 'Cause it sure as hell seems like ya' need to be treated like one,"

      Alaska made a noise of offense as her tongue hit the back of her teeth, and she sharpened her eyes on him in what she hoped was a threatening glare, "What is that supposed to mean?"

      Before he could answer, the microwave beeped, and he turned, pulling the plate of food out and passing it to the girl with a fork. Her eyes shadowed him as he moved to lean against the counter again, being too big to sit in the chairs occupying the dining area. He lifted an expecting brow ridge, and she nearly groaned as she realized he wouldn't leave until she ate.

      So, with a sarcastic wave of the fork, she stabbed the food and made a show of taking an over-exaggerated bite.

      Raphael rolled his eyes at her antics and folded his arms over his chest, muscles flexing as he placed his fingers around the bicep, "This is what I meant...ya' can't starve yourself, Rebel. I understand you wanna be there when Leo wakes up, but ya' can't kill yourself in the process." Long gone was the normal gruff tone he usually used and was replaced with a strange softness she wasn't used to coming from her best friend.

      Alaska paused in eating, her eyes shifting away from his face so she didn't have to see that look of concern anymore. She took a few more bites of the food before pushing it away, her stomach clenching as it ached. How could she explain her lack of eating when she didn't even understand it herself? A deep sigh passed her nose as she lifted a hand to run her fingers through the mess of waves on her head.

     "I'm not trying to starve myself, Red...I just lose track of time when I'm up there with him."

      Her words weren't completely a lie. When she was up there, watching over the unconscious leader, she would be so lost in her inner turmoil to realize how much time had passed.

      Raphael nodded, his large shoulders lifting as he leaned more onto the counter and crossed his foot over his ankle. His eyes drifted back to her face again, "I know...jus' worry me with how long ya' stay up there — I know you don't sleep."

      Alaska looked away again, suddenly finding her fingers more interesting as she suddenly felt like a child being scolded. "I can't sleep..." She slowly admitted, this being the first time she had said it out loud.

      It had been three months since New York was invaded. Three months of being stuck on the farm, and it was three painfully long months of no Leo. Her lack of sleep started a few weeks in, and it was only getting worse with each passing day. Alaska didn't know what was wrong with her. The stress of whether Leonardo would ever wake up keeping her mind busy.

      She honestly didn't know how she was still going, seeing she was only running on a few hours of sleep, and she only got that because she dozed off in the chair beside the bed, only waking up when Donnie busted in to feed her and do his routine check-up on Leonardo.

      Her attention was brought back to Raph as he let out a rough sigh, running a three-pronged hand over his face, stressed.

      "Jus' promise you'll start takin' care of yourself, Leo would kick my shell if he woke up and saw how ya' looked right now,"

      Clucking her tongue, she gave him a mock-offended look, "Damn, Red, you really know how to make a girl feel pretty." She joked, trying to lighten the mood so he'd stop stressing over her.

      Her chest swelled with pride as a smirk twitched onto his scarred lip and he gave her a look, shaking his head. "Ya' know me, gotta make sure my girl feels appreciated."

      She laughed and he seemed to soften at the sound.

"Saska! Raph! Time to get your asses kicked!" Mikey bellowed from outside, urging them to turn and look out the kitchen window to see the youngest turtle. Michelangelo was doing odd-looking stretches and trying to do some weird ass ninja shit, punching at the air while flinging his nun-chucks around before pulling a stunt, epically failing as he face-plated the ground. "Totally meant to do that!"

      Alaska let out a snort, shaking her head at the orange-clad turtle as stood up to place her food back in the icebox, promising herself to finish it later if she felt hungry. She turned to face Raph with a lifted brow, "You ready to get our asses kicked?"

      His mouth kicked up into a crooked grin, "Our's? Rebel, yer' the only one that's gonna get their ass kicked," and with that, he left her in the kitchen as he went outside to get ready for training.

      Alaska shook her head with a soft smirk on her lips before her gaze gradually drifted to the staircase that led upstairs. Just a few hours. She told herself as she went outside to join the brothers.