The dull throb broke through Leonardo's frame provoking a whimper to slide between gritted teeth. The turtle was lying on the floor of his room in the darkest, coolest corner he could find, and to put it simply, he was miserable. He had been in agony for the past few days, and Leo had tried to muscle his way through, believing that it would eventually go away. But it didn't. No, this had to be the worst growth spurt he'd ever endured and the growing pains were like no other.

Leonardo pouted at the explanation of his malady. Growing pains, it sounded so petty and childish. He was seventeen, surely they should have stopped growing by now, right? Apparently not, and today was proving the worst day of the week. This morning he felt fine, like most mornings, the pain only got worse the closer he came to evening. Unfortunately, this day quickly turned bad and continued to devolve into something worse.

He managed to make it through morning training, although he felt so stiff. Thankfully, master splinter had chosen to spend their training in meditation. But even that was painful. His knees screaming at being forced to bend into a lotus, and by the middle of the session, Leo could feel his shoulders heaving in heavy pants. Ultimately, he was grateful when their father called it an early day and the eldest turtle attempted to walk back to his room as surreptitiously as possible, trying hard not to limp.

Now, he lay on the cool floor, scrabbling for any relief he could find to ease his suffering. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy, frankly, for him it never was. His spine ached, shooting pains dancing through his bones and down into his limbs like lightening. His joints were swollen and tender, sensitive to the slightest pressure. His shell, already growing quite large and unwieldy to accommodate his future growth, hung heavy on his frame. The extra weight only put further pressure on his aching body. To make matters worse, Leo felt feverish and dizzy with fatigue. It didn't help that he'd lost his appetite and could count on one hand how many meals he'd eaten that week.

Another sharp pulse shot down Leo's spine and into his ribs. A choked sob caught in his throat, but the turtle clamped his lips shut. He could make it through this, he just needed to focus. Yeah, right. The intense desire to hide away in safety stole over the mutated turtle, a base instinct that whispered reassuring words and promised peace. Rationally, Leo knew it wouldn't help ease the pain, and though the ninja normally prided himself in his control over such things, he couldn't help but give in to instinct this time. Such was his misery, that he just didn't care anymore. Withdrawing into his shell, the new growth affording extra room for his aching body, Leo allowed silent tears to fall in the relative privacy.

……….

"Im telling you Donny, he looked like crap." Raph's brusque tones resonated in the kitchen.

"For once, I'm with Raphie," Mikey gave a sympathetic nod, "The guy couldn't even meditate today," he exclaimed with a dramatic wave as he set the table with toast and eggs "you know how crazy that is. Leo loves to meditate, him not meditating is like me saying I don't want to play video games! It's a dangerous anomaly!"

Don chuckled at his brother's theatrics, shooting a smirk at Mikey "First, I applaud your correct usage of the word," deft hands grabbed two mugs of coffee, while one was handed to Raphael the other was taken to the table "second, I've already planned to check on Leo."

"Then why haven't ya yet?"

The purple turtle rolled his eyes at Raph's impatience "Because I'm giving him time to himself before I barge in demanding a physical. You know how he is. He hates being the center of attention. If I go in too soon, he'll withdraw and insist he's fine."

Turning so to lean his back against the kitchen counter, Raphael sighed "I hate to say it, but ya've got a point," and sipped his coffee somberly.

"I'll say," Mikey giggled, setting a glass of juice on the table before sitting down to dig in to his breakfast "it's like that time Leo twisted his ankle and he hid it for, like, a week before it finally gave out on him during patrol. By then it was just plain broke."

"The guy was so determined to prove to me he wasn't hurt. I pestered him about it, but that only made his stubborn streak worse." Don growled, stabbing his eggs venomously with a fork "After that, I learned how to deal with him. Let him stew in his misery, don't say a word, and after some time alone he'll listen to reason."

"Hardheaded dork," Raph hissed into his mug.

The kitchen fell into silence as the brothers ate their breakfast, the only sound being the clink of cutlery on plates and the occasional sip of juice or coffee. So preoccupied were they with their thoughts about stubborn older brothers, that none heard the approach of their father. Splinter's ears gave a surprised twitch at the unusual quiet accompanying the morning meal, and at noticing the obvious absence of the eldest the old rat sighed.

"Donatello," he stated, tone firm and unyielding "I want you to check on your brother after breakfast, he did not seem himself today."

"That's what I said!" Mikey bellowed making Raphael wince at the sudden volume.

"And, as I said," Don reiterated, smirking at Mikey's yelp when the hothead smacked him "I already plan to."

Splinter nodded his satisfaction at the answer, "Good," he murmured a clawed hand stroking his beard "your brother's aura is troubled. I fear he may be hiding an injury again."

Eyes were rolled around the table as they once again commiserated over Leonardo's worst habit, "Trust me, sensei," Donatello affirmed "I'll get to the bottom of it."

"Ya'd betta," Raphael muttered, concern glinting in his usually fiery gaze.

………..

Once breakfast had concluded, the brainiac vaulted up the stairs towards their living space. The way the rooms were arranged, Leo's bedroom was the first door nearest to the exit. The eldest claimed that room for varying reasons. Mostly because any threat coming to attack would have to get past Leo first, secondly it made it easier to know if any of his brothers were sneaking out when they shouldn't be. Their family's guardian angel, Leonardo took his role as protector very seriously.

"Even to unhealthy extremes," Don grumbled.

Their brother's introverted nature, and propensity for privacy, was both a comfort and a consternation to the small family. To all, Leo was a rock, a foundation stone immovable in its devotion to his family. He was steady, reliable, his wisdom and compassion irreplaceable and essential to the clan.

However, sometimes the blue clad turtle took that too far. Choosing to hide injuries and illnesses alike, giving the excuse that the clan needed him more than he needed to rest. That rankled. Don pouted at his brother's stubborn pride. While he wouldn't trade his eldest sibling for anyone, he wished Leo would be a bit more honest and open with them. He would love to see more than just the rare glimpse of the personality hidden under layers of filial duty.

Heaving a sigh, Don steeled himself for any possible confrontation, then stepped into Leonardo's bedroom only for his heart to break.

"Oh, aniki," he mourned.

Leo was tucked in the corner on his plastron, his gear lying on the floor in discarded heaps, though his swords were carefully stowed on their rack. However, the elbow and knee pads were left in a trail from the door to where Leo now currently resided, and even his belt and sheath straps were strewn across the bed. The general disarray of the room was worrying enough, but the worst part was Leonardo had partially retracted into his shell.

That was never a good sign.

Due to their mutation, they were too big to fully retract like normal turtles. However, if they were feeling sick enough, or were in enough pain, sometimes the animal instinct was difficult to ignore. Resulting in the teens trying to retract as much as physically possible before running out of space. Mikey could retract more than the rest, him being the youngest, retracting in his sleep was something of a security blanket. No one teased him for it, it was a basic fact of life. When they were children, Raph would go inside his shell if his feelings had been hurt and he didn't want to talk about it. The hot headed turtle didn't do so anymore, but Don was sure he still fought against the urge same as the rest of them. Donatello didn't retract as much as the other two, but he was usually busy with an experiment. The only time he could remember struggling against the instinct was after the double mutation debacle. Coming back from such a raw, feral state had messed the brainiac up for months.

Leonardo, however….

When they were tots he would retract in his sleep same as his brothers. But as they grew older, and started accumulating muscle becoming too bulky to be housed inside their shells, he eventually stopped altogether. Don couldn't remember the last time Leo was anxious enough to cave to that basic instinct to hide. As Mikey said just that morning, it was a dangerous anomaly to be sure.

The purple banded terrapin stepped lightly over to his brother, features wreathed in heavy concern. Kneeling down on the cold floor, three fingers gave what he hoped was a comforting caress to the scarred carapace. "Leo? Aniki? Can you hear me?"

A muffled grunt was his only answer, and Don shook his head sorrowfully, "Come on, bro, I need you to come out."

"….Hurts…" Leo's voice was small, and sounded uncharacteristically young. The meek tone sent a pang through Donny's heart.

"What hurts?" The resident doctor pressed.

The answer rode a breathy whimper, with the barest hint of a wet sniffle, "Everything,"

Ok, now Don was really worried, and now that he was thinking about it the shell under his hand felt uncomfortably warm. Keen eyes scrutinized what portions of his brother he could see. A red flush had built up in the joints of his elbows, his knees were similarly swollen. Not only that, but the edges of the shell were cracked and peeling, burnished golden bronze tipped the scutes.

A harsh grimace twisted Don's beak, even as his head rolled with guilt.

Of course, it was time for another growth spurt. And with Leo being the oldest, he was the first to get hit. Angry knuckles rapped the floor with consternation at how badly he had failed his eldest brother. It was something the scientist of the team monitored carefully, doing physicals and ensuring that they had time to bask in the sun as the UV rays made the entire process less painful. The access to the farm house had made the last few years so much more manageable, with growing pains becoming a problem of the past.

He'd dropped the ball on this one though, with all that they had been going through, Don had gotten lazy about the quarterly physicals. "I'm so sorry, ani," Don whispered, rubbing Leo's shell, "don't worry, I'm going to take care of you."

Leonardo's hands clenched, and Don almost chuckled as he could easily predict why. No doubt Leo was annoyed at his little brother having to take care of him, and wanted to refute such an action. However, the inflammation and utter agony stopped him from making any form of rebuttal, and he was left laying on the floor looking as miserable as he felt. Shaking his head, the scientist murmured reassurances.

"I'm going to be right back, stay right here,"

A sardonic snort echoed from inside the shell, clearly conveying Leo's skepticism about moving. Don laughed softly before turning tail and jumping down the main floor. Mikey and Raphael's heads popped up, their eyes practically screaming for an answer on the well-being of their big brother. The purple banded turtle's gaze fell to the floor, guilt once again gnawing the pit of his stomach.

"He's ok, but he's in a lot of pain," Don stated simply.

"From what?!" Raph demanded, amber lightening flashing in his eyes.

"Yeah, did he get hurt on patrol or something?" Mikey's face lost its exuberance to fearful concern.

"No," Don groaned, one hand rubbing the back of his neck anxiously, "he's not hurt, but I really dropped the ball, guys."

Raphael gave an impatient harrumph "What are ya talkin' about, Donny?"

"He's in the middle of a growth spurt, and-"

"Whoa, what?!" Mikey's eyes were wide, the news a shock as even he knew the implications of what Don was suggesting "But we haven't been to the farm house in months! Leo isn't in any kind of shape for this!"

"Exactly why I'm going to call April and ask her if we can camp out at the farm house for the next month," Donny cut back in, "we all know the drill, Leo goes first and we're not far behind. He needs to get some serious basking in just to ease the swelling, and we need to get a head start so we don't end up in the same mess."

Raphael cocked an eyebrow at his brother, sensing the self deprecating tone, "Don, it ain't ya fault, it's not like we have this stuff down to a science."

"But I did," Don insisted dropping his face into his hands "I've been so careful to make sure our 'special needs' are taken care of."

Raphael gave a snort, shaking his head at Donny, "Uh, I don't think ya've noticed, egg head, but we've been kinda busy."

"Yeah, man, with the ninja tribunal, not to mention getting zapped to the future, our schedule's been tight." Mikey wrapped a soothing arm around around his older brother, giving the purple banded turtle a side hug "Besides, we all know that Leo gets the worst growing pains out of all of us, we just haven't had to deal with it in a while."

Donatello winced, vivid memories of his eldest brother suffering in silence when they lived without access to consistent sunlight. The young turtle would lay in bed, stifling sobs as their father applied hot water bottles. They had it bed, but it seemed Leo had it worse. Leo always had the misfortune of hurting worse than they did, whether it was from the cold or how he'd get really intense headaches, but especially in the growing pains. He wouldn't complain though, which made his current behavior so terrifying. Mikey was right. The poor guy probably didn't remember how bad they could be when he'd enjoyed a three year break. The scientist jolted as a thought struck.

"That's why this one is worse," he murmured, eyes distant as he put the puzzle pieces together, "I've insisted on making sure we have quarterly check ups, and any sign of growth I sent us packing to the farm house to get some basking in. I haven't done that in…" fingers flew as he calculated, "over nine months!"

"And?" Mikey asked, baby blue eyes confused.

"AND this is the first growth spurt in over three years that we haven't prepped for," Don elaborated "Leo hasn't felt the full force of the pains in years, it's a complete shock to the system.

"It can't be that bad…can it?"

Purple whirled on red, not in anger but at the stark reminder of the situation waiting for him upstairs, "I don't have time to explain, I need to call April. If you guys can help me, I'll get some painkillers from the lab, but I need you get hot water bottles and an electric blanket. Get them on Leo so we can at least ease some of the pains until it's clear to drive out of town in the battle shell!"

Both brothers nodded, Michelangelo rushing to the kitchen drawer where the water bottles were kept. Raphael strode to the living room and snatched an electric blanket they kept on hand at all times. The two met at the base of the stairs, Mikey grinning, "Good thing Leo's tea kettle of water was still hot,"

Raphael snorted, a small grin twitching the corners of his mouth, "Yeah, whatever, let's get these to Fearless."

After a brief scramble up the stairs, Mikey and Raph burst through the door only to stumble to a stop. "Oh, man" Mikey groaned, heart sinking at the sight "I didn't know that it was bad enough for him to go into his shell."

Raph didn't say anything, but his brows furrowed in concern. The red clad turtle swiftly got to work and plugged in the blanket. Turning it on its highest setting, Raphael draped it over the large shell, rubbing the carapace tenderly "We got ya, bro,"

The brothers watched with satisfaction as Leo's clenched hands slowly began to loosen. Mikey finished filling the hot water bottles, and then set them on his brother's swollen joints. Neither could help the chuckle when a small moan of relief drifted from under the blanket. "Poor guy," the jokester smiled fondly "its a good thing he's got us, huh, Raph?"

"Ya got that right," Raphael nodded.

The door opened to reveal their middle brother, medicine in hand, and the phone plastered to his ear, "Thanks, April. We appreciate it so much! Yeah, you too. Tell Casey thanks for me, yeah, ok, bye."

Hanging up, Donatello sent a relieved grin to his brothers "We're good to go as soon as we can get Leo up and around. April said the house is empty and they can bring some groceries up in a day or so."

"Hear that, Leo?" Mikey crooned, rubbing his brother's shell, "just a little longer and we'll be up at the farmhouse and you can lay out in the sun all you want."

A weary head poked out of the blanket, a small sigh of relief shared by the brothers that their eldest had finally come out, "That sounds nice," Leo rasped, eyes heavy with pain.

"Sorry yer goin' through this, bro," Raphael murmured, his own face lined with empathy, "but if it's any consolation, yer shell has grown huge. Can't believe I didn't notice before now."

"No kidding," Don added with a rueful shake of his head, "best guess without taking any measurements, I'd say once you catch up to your shell, you're going to be a lot taller. Not to mention your shoulders are going to get broader to handle the extra weight."

Leo appeared to ponder this for a moment, navy eyes blinking, "I guess I'll have to hit the weights once I'm back to normal." He slurred softly, words effected by the soothing heat. "Might even give Raphie a run for his money."

"Ha!" Raph guffawed, a happy grin lighting his features as his amber gaze burned with their old rivalry "don't be gettin' any ideas, Fearless." He growled playfully "Just ya wait until I get through this growth spurt, ya ain't beatin' me just yet!"

"I don't need extra muscles to beat you," Leo murmured, a mischievous grin stretching his face, "I can do that any time, any place."

"How about now?"

"I could, I just don't want to,"

Mikey giggled as his two older brothers bickered, sharing a swift smile of relief with Donny.

They'd be just fine. Give them a few weeks, and then all would be well. They would be taller, and maybe fill out as even human teenage boys do, but they'd still be them. Even though this day started out pretty badly, it was quickly shaping up for the better.

Hello everyone, I appreciate those that have taken a chance on this chapter. I hope you continue to read my Drabble series.

Once again, if you have any suggestions or writing prompts, please feel free to leave them in a review.

Thanks!