SubtleBubbles gave me the prompt for figuring out how Leo got his fear of heights. I took this straight out of my childhood, so I hope y'all like it!

- Fearless No More -

In hindsight, the entire ordeal was stupid to begin with, yet it had been the cause of the first fear on a slowly growing list. Had he known that a slight slip of the hand would have caused this issue to come up at all, he might not have taken up the challenge.

He and his brothers had finished training with Master Splinter and were taking a much deserved break. Now that it was finished, all four were playing on the new playground Splinter had constructed for them. Raph had taken over the tire swing; Mikey had claimed the slide for himself, but still let his brothers have a turn every once in a while; Donnie was swinging on the monkey bars, and Leo was spotting Donnie. Ever the concerned big brother, Leo wanted to make sure that his brothers were safe before he started playing. Master Splinter had told all of them that the monkey bars were dangerous, so one of them had to be there in case the other fell. Since the other two had wanted to go to their respective spots on the playground, that Leo to help his little brother. He held onto Donnie's feet while he swung from one bar to another. Once Donnie reached the last bar, he kicked his feet to show that he was done swinging. Leo stepped back to give his brother room to drop down. Once Donnie had landed, he turned to Leo before saying, "Ok, your turn."

Leo looked up at the bars before looking back at his brother, his nervousness clear as day.

"I don't know Donnie. Are you sure you want to stop?"

It was a poor defense, but the best his six-year old mind could come up with. Unfortunately for the young turtle, Raph was listening to their conversation. He stood on his tire swing and taunted his older brother.

"Ha! Is fearless Leo afraid of the monkey bars? I bet you need Mikey to hold your feet."

Leo and Mikey both shouted, "Hey!" at Raph, clearly insulted by what the hotheaded turtle had said. Leo fell for his brother's taunted and indignantly said, "I don't need anyone's help. I'm a big turtle! I can do it by myself."

Raph smirked then said the two words that created Leo's first fear.

"Prove it."

Leo gulped, then looked back up at the daunting iron bars above him. He mentally prepared himself before slowly climbing up the ladder to the first bar. Leo looked back down at Raph before reaching out to the first bar. He grabbed the cold metal and swung his other arm to the next bar. Leo continued this cycle until he made it to the other side of the monkey bars. Leo let out a triumphant shout then smiled at Raph.

"See, I told you I could do it!"

Raph felt his cheeks flush in surprise, before he countered, "Yeah? Well..." Raph paused, trying to think of something that would be more difficult for his older brother, "I bet you can't do tricks on it!"

Leo stared at his brother before accepting the challenge. As much as he loved his brother, it was fun to prove him wrong.

Leo reached out to the bar he had previously held and grabbed it again. Knowing that all three of his brothers were watching, he grabbed the same bar and swung his legs past the second bar and wrapped them around the third. He let go of the first bar and let himself hang by his legs, laughing at his brother's stunned faces. He rocked back and forth to gain momentum before reaching for the next bar. He continued this pattern two more time before Master Splinter walked into the living room turned playground. He saw his eldest son hanging from his feet and reaching for the next set of bars, and saw that none of his sons were spotting him. Splinter felt panic run through him and couldn't stop himself from yelling his eldest son's name. Startled by his father yelling at him, Leo missed the next bar and ended up smacking his head on the bar. The force of the blow was enough for Leo to loose his grip on the other bar. As he fell, he felt weightless for a fraction of a second before hitting the cement floor.

Leo's family ran over to him as he slowly sat up, putting a hand on the blooming bruise. He could Donnie and Mikey yelling his name and Raph apologizing to him over and over again, but he didn't respond to it. He felt a paw on his shoulder and slowly looked up at the one who owned it. He heard his father ask him if he was okay, and shook his head. Leo regretted it as he felt a sharp pain in his temple; he winced and his eyes started to water. Master Splinter picked up his son and held him close as he took him into the kitchen. He set Leonardo down on the counter before rummaging through the medical cabinet. Once he found the right herbs, he mixed them with quick precision. Taking out the gauze, Splinter spread the paste onto the bruise before wrapping the gauze around his son's head. Once Splinter had finished, he stood in front of his son and asked him what had happened. Leonardo looked down in shame before explaining.

"I'm sorry Master Splinter. I thought that I could play on the monkey bars by myself. I did it the first time with no problem, so I thought that I could do it again."

Leo neglected to tell his father that Raph had made him do it; he didn't want his younger brother to get in trouble.

Splinter stood there, contemplating what he should do next. He sighed before deciding on letting Leonardo off with a warning; there was no need for him to add insult to injury.

"Be more careful next time. I make rules for a reason, and we don't need a repeat of this."

Leonardo nodded before jumping off the counter. He was a little wobbly on his feet, but shook it off as he made his way towards his room.

In the next few weeks, Splinter would notice his eldest stray from the monkey bars.

Thanks for reading! Please send a prompt!