Love Never Lost

Mikey Gets Shellacne: Part 1

{A/N: I'm skipping over 'Follow the Leader/Mutagen Man Unleashed' since I don't see Brooke's presence having any significant changes}

Brooke's POV:

Mikey's sleeping in, so the guys and I are making breakfast. I'm doing well, but the guys have ups and downs.

Donnie: "Toast is done."

Donnie uses his bo staff to whack the toast pieces through the air onto Leo's plate. Leo holds up the plate but falls over as he catches one of them in his mouth.

Leo: "Might be a little overdone, Donnie."

Raph places a red cup onto the counter.

Raph: "Orange juice coming right up."

He leaps into the air as he tries to squeeze four oranges with his sais, but the juice sprays Donnie's eyes, causing him to run around in pain.

Donnie: "It stings! It stings!"

I hand Donnie a cold, damp washcloth, and he takes it before accidentally bumping into Leo, who sends the frying pan on the stove into the air, the eggs landing on each of Raph's eyes.

Raph: "Donnie, I told you scrambled."

I pick the eggs off Raph's eyes and kiss his cheek for compensation.

Leo: "Oh, man. This place is a disaster."

Raph: "Yeah, Mikey usually makes breakfast. What's the deal? Mikey! Mikey, get up!"

It takes a few minutes, but we eventually hear Mikey scream from his room.

Mikey: "Aah! What the? I'm a mutant!"

Me: "Uh, he's just realizing that now?"

Mikey runs into the kitchen, his forehead covered in huge zits.

Mikey: "Guys, look at me! I'm covered in turtle zits!"

The guys all groan in disgust.

Raph: "Talk about shellacne. You look like a green chimichanga."

Me: "Relax, Mikey. It's no big deal."

Leo: "Brooke's right. It's all part of being a teenager"

Mikey: "Have you ever had them?"

Leo: *diva pose* "Heck no!"

Donnie: "Hold up, guys. I think this might be serious."

Donnie leads Mikey into his lab for a more definitive examination.

Donnie: "Ok, Mikey, the good news is these so-called 'zits' aren't gonna hurt you. And, more importantly, they won't interfere with you making us breakfast."

I roll my eyes.

Me: "I'll take care of that today, Mikey. No worries."

Mikey: "Thanks, Queen B."

Donnie: "But the bad news is they'll continue to spread all over your body.-*voice gets deeper*-Spreading, and spreading, and spreading, and spreading."

Mikey: *Laughs nervously* "And then they disappear in a couple hours, right?"

Donnie: "No. And then your entire body will mutate into one, single, huge, giant, gargantuan zit."

Mikey: "NO!"

Me: "We gotta work on your bedside manner, D."

{Time skip}

After that, and endless teasing from Raph, Mikey locked himself in his room. So, Leo & I have been trying to coax him out for hours.

Leo: "Mikey, come on! It's not as bad as you think."

Me: "And Raph promises not to make fun of you anymore."

I nudge Raph forward with a stern look.

Raph: "That's right. I'm sorry I called you 'Crust Muffin', and 'Fungus Face', and 'God-zit-la: King of the Pus Monsters'. Now, come on out here."

Mikey: "No way! Not while I'm covered in gross, slime-filled, zits!"

Donnie: "Technically, they're pustules filled with oil and sebum which is even grosser than slime."

Leo: "Uh, not helping, Donnie. But thanks. Mikey, come on."

Mikey: "Forget it, guys. I'm too hideous to be a ninja. I'll stay locked away in here forever! And even longer if I have to."

I sigh in relent as we all retreat into the living room. Hopefully, this all blows over without any problems.

{Time skip}

Mikey tries to sneak past us by covering his face with a pizza box. Unfortunately for him, Raph notices.

Raph: "Cool! Mikey brought his own pizza: his face."

I nudge Raph in his plastron.

Raph: "Ok, ok, I'll stop. Now come on and zit down.-*laughs harder*-Zit down? I crack myself up."

Where's Splinter when you need him?

Splinter: "Raphael."

Nice.

Splinter: "You should know better to make fun of one's appearance. After all, how would the humans above react to yours?"

I send Splinter a grateful look, and he nods in understanding. I can handle the guys, but it never hurts to have a little help. Hopefully, the feeling is mutual.

Raph: "You're right, Master Splinter. Sorry, Mikey."

Mikey slumps down in his seat diagonally across from us.

Mikey: "Just kick me out, Master Splinter. I can't be a ninja when I look like a moldy pickle."

Splinter: "And why not? I do not let my appearance affect me."

Mikey: "Well, yeah. 'Cause old people never care how they look. Or smell."

Splinter and I sharply look toward Mikey, who looks away with a nervous whistle.

Me: "Mikey, is there something you're not telling us?"

Mikey: "What? No! Not at all. Really, I didn't do anything."

We all look at him suspiciously, and he cracks under pressure.

Mikey: "Ok, ok! You got me! I kinda, um, sprinkled a little mutagen on my skin."

Mikey pulls a jar of mutagen from behind his back.

Turtles & I: "What?! Are you kidding? Why?"

Mikey: "To become better. Cooler, y'know? You guys treat me like I'm a big goofball all the time. So I found this vial in Donnie's lab. The label says it'll make you super cool."

Donnie: "No. It says you're supposed to keep it super cooled. As in temperature! This was a reject batch of retro-mutagen, Mikey. It's dangerous!"

Mikey: "Well, you could've made it a little more clear."

Donnie turns the vial around to reveal multiple warning signs.

Mikey: "Still not that clear."

Ok, don't panic. Donnie's the smartest guy in the world! He'll diagnose Mikey, work up an antidote, and Mikey will go back to being his old self, mentally and physically.

TO BE CONTINUED