Donatello woke up on the daybed in his lab and groaned. He felt sore and even though he stretched and rubbed at his muscles he knew it wouldn't be going away soon. He paced back and forth a few times around his lab breathing deeply before sitting down at his desk and turning on the monitor of his computer to check the security feed. Sliding a hand down his side he pressed his fingers into the soft skin, feeling something shift under the pressure.

"Just a few more weeks." He groaned.

"Just a few more weeks for what?" Leonardo asked a few paces behind him making Donatello jump.

Spinning around quickly Donatello's mind raced for an explanation. He hadn't even noticed his brother walking into the lab, he needed to be more careful about that now that the date was arriving quickly.

"Just a simulation I've been working on. Needs a bit longer before it yields results." He ventured, trying to think of the abandoned experiments he hadn't been working on since his "condition" had worsened.

"Don, we need to talk." Leonardo stated as he walked back to the door and closed it for some privacy.

Donatello bit back a groan. He did not need this right now. All he wanted to do was try to wake up a little and keep some breakfast down before having to worry about his sorry performance during training.

"I know this time of year is more… difficult for you." Leonardo started in a soft voice. At least he didn't seem too angry, though Don didn't value the pitying look on his face either. "But you need to try to keep to a regular schedule as much as possible."

Don's eyes darted up to Leonardo's, trying to discern his meaning before saying anything. Over the years he had learned to never give anything away to his brother before it was too soon. When he kept silent waiting for Leonardo to continue, his brother sighed.

"You're tired during training, during meditation it gets even worse. You've been falling asleep almost every day and I know you can't help a lot of the changes you go through but you really need to try sleep through the nights and not stay awake in your lab. It isn't helping."

Donatello rubbed his face as he thought of a way to respond, biting back the scathing remark he really felt like saying. "I'll… try." He offered lamely.

"No. This isn't good enough." Leonardo answered more firmly. "You haven't been making an effort during training either. Even when Master Splinter calls you out on it you stay on the defensive. I get it that you're tired and… unfocused, but you've also been putting on some weight as a result of your lack of training and discipline."

Donatello automatically lowered his hands to his softer thighs and then quickly recovered when he noticed what he was doing, electing to cross his arms instead. He hadn't thought he'd put on that much weight that it was noticeable. His midsection didn't bulge out like in pregnant women, his plastron didn't have much give and the eggs were small and you could only tell they were there if you pressed against his sides and felt for them. Or so he thought.

"You're right." Donatello interrupted, cutting Leonardo's lecture short. Best to just get things over with before Leo started observing him more closely and decided to just go with Leo's first assessment of the situation so he wouldn't dig deeper. "It's just so hard, Leo, you don't know what it's like. It's like I can't think straight any more and I don't know how to handle that."

Going for the pity card seemed to work, Leonardo's stance immediately relaxed and his expression softened placing a hand on Donnie's shoulder. It wasn't a lie, just the incomplete truth. His focus was completely shot and he was tired out of his skull. He'd had to set aside his more fragile experiments almost at the start of the season for that reason and now he was just too tired to get any non essential work done at all.

He found himself napping every chance he got, feeling completely worn out even after a long night's rest. If his brother thought it was because he was pulling all nighters and not getting any sleep, he was fine with that. He didn't want Leo investigating further into it.

"I know you're struggling with this." Leonardo continued after a moment of quiet. "For some reason the season affects you much more strongly than it does the rest of us. I can only imagine how it must feel for you to have your mind affected when you rely on it so much." He frowned squeezing Don's shoulder offering comfort. "If you need any help, you know you can come to me even if it's just to talk. You know that, right?"

Donatello nodded, keeping his mouth firmly shut. He wanted to talk so much but he wouldn't. Leonardo wouldn't understand, none of them would. If he told them his secret it would change everything and he wasn't willing to do that. Only a few more weeks and everything would go back to normal. For a time.

Sensing the conversation was over, Leonardo left the lab as quietly as he'd entered but this time Donatello made sure the door was firmly shut behind his brother to not be caught unawares again. Another slip like that and he could have discovered his secret or at least given him something to be suspicious about and he was too close to having to lay his eggs to be able to shake off his concerns without giving himself away.

If only he knew…

At twelve years old he hadn't been prepared for what his body had in store for him. He'd believed he was just like his brothers, he had all the same "bits" as them which was why he didn't understand what was happening to him as he sat on the toilet, bent over on his thighs and hugging his midsection.

He groaned as he shuddered through another cramp, the muscles in his abdomen twisting in spasms before he suddenly felt the need to push. He whimpered against his sweaty knees as his body trembled. He'd never felt so sick in his life.

Don considered briefly calling for his father when his body relaxed and he could heave panting breaths to fill his straining lungs. He'd been feeling off for a while now, attributed it to the change in weather and now he must have eaten something off and his body was doing its best to rid him of it.

He grunted as he bore down, teeth clenched as he dug his fingers into his arms. He barely registered the banging on the door until it was accompanied by the angry voice of his brother.

"Cmon! What's taking so long!" Raph hollered through the wood. "You've been in there for ages! I really need to pee!"

"Just-" Donatello gasped, his voice breaking as he tried to talk through the pain, his vision spotting as he lifted his head instead of speaking to his knees. "-I need a minute."

Fading footsteps let him know his brother had given up and he relaxed somewhat as he got ready for the next wave of nauseating pain. It didn't last very long.

"Donnie? Are you ok? Want me to go get father?" Leo's worried voice was heard next along with Raph's angry arguing.

"Does he need help taking a dump?" Raph scoffed before banging on the door again. "Don! I better be able to breathe when I go in there. I swear if you stink up the lair…"

"Raph!" Leo berated him. "He could be sick, Don hasn't been feeling well lately."

"I'm okay!" Donatello called out in a weak voice. "I just need a few more minutes."

"I don't got a few more minutes! I need to pee!" A thump on the door was interrupted before it could continue.

"Just go in the tunnels." Leonardo must have dragged him off.

Donatello blocked out their voices as he bore down again, feeling a bit of relief when he managed to push something out. The sting in his backside was immediately followed by relief of pressure in his abdomen and he continued. He sighed as the rest left him much easier and faster after the first and it was suddenly over, leaving him a little dizzy and disoriented.

He wiped himself over and over even if there was nothing more than a spot of blood and then slid off the toilet seat when he was sure he wouldn't topple over, after regaining his breath. His legs, and most of the muscles in his body, were still trembling and his knees nearly buckled when he put his full weight on them.

When he turned to flush the toilet he stared for a moment. Peeking in between the pieces of paper dotted with red he could make out small, golf-ball sized white spheres. Taking a few deep breaths he put the lid down and flushed.

"There's plenty of things that could make stool look like that." He said to himself, his hand still gripping the handle of the toilet. He couldn't think of any reasons right then but he was sure there was a logical explanation for it. It wasn't what it looked like, that would be silly. There was no need to worry. He flushed the toilet again before lifting the lid to make sure there was nothing there.

There was no need to worry.