Family is Forever

Bullhop: Part 1

Aria's POV:

In the last few weeks, we've caught and lost dozens of oozesquitoes. Worse, we've run out of Big Mama's web goo. Until we figure out how to break into her lavish hotel, we decide that it's time we repay a debt to the bellhop that used to work there. When we first met Big Mama, we accidentally let an oozesquito bite him, which turned him into a klutzy bull mutant. Eventually, we find him hiding in an abandoned alleyway as we surveil him from a nearby rooftop.

Raph: *via comm link* "Purple Rain & Black Beauty, do you see the target? Purple Rain & Black Beauty, do you copy?"

To answer Raph's question, Donnie enters a narrative tone of voice with a British accent.

Donnie: "As we pan across the asphalt savannah, we find the noble Bullhop. Survival in these cruel streets will require harnessing all of his fine-tuned natural instincts."

Donnie & I watch Bullhop clumsily try and fail to ransack a trio of garbage cans for food before hopping into a nearby dumpster to hide from passing cars and pedestrians.

Donnie: "And the king of the vertical veldt will go hungry again."

Raph: "Donnie, quit messing around! Where is the target?"

Donnie: *yells* "Why must you always put science on the back burner?"

I gently massage his shoulder to ease his nerves, and he gently places a hand over mine with a sigh in relent.

Donnie: *to Raph via comm link* "Bullhop is in the alley by Big Mama's hotel, ya happy?"

The five of us leap down to stand before a makeshift tent in the alley, using the blankets to wrap Bullhop up. Bullhop runs around in a panic before crashing into the wall and passing out.

Donnie: "Oh. Now I'm not gonna get to test my tranquilizer dart."

And yet, thinking no one notices, Donnie tests it out on Raph, who collapses from the impact. I turn to Donnie with a shake of my head.

Me: "You're lucky I love you, Donatello."

{Time skip}

Once we return to the lair, we carefully place Bullhop onto a table in Donnie's lab as he wakes up.

Leo: "Hey, bud. You may not remember us."

Bullhop: "Oh, I do! You're those bug hunting buffoons who turned me into a klutzy bull."

Mikey: "He remembers us!"

Me: "Look, we were trying to stop those oozesquitoes."

Donnie: "In fact, we, meaning Aria & I, built this technologically astounding BugSlapper so we could catch them all."

Mikey: "But it ran out of Big Mama's web goo, so, fail."

Leo: "Anywhizzle, we feel pretty bad about what happened."

Raph: "So we Mad Dogs are gonna make it up to you by showing you the best day ever."

At that, balloons, confetti, and a festive banner drop from the ceiling to celebrate the occasion.

Bullhop: "You mean, you're just gonna be nice to me without expecting anything in return?"

Turtles & I: "Mm-hmm."

Bullhop smiles at the kind gesture.

Bullhop: "Wow! That's how we do it in my native Etobicoke, Canada."

Mikey: "Happy BUllhop Appreciation Day!"

{Time skip}

I love helping people out whenever I can. It's how I was raised, what any good ninja/kunoichi does for her home. But this guy is starting to get on my nerves! First, he wrecked our skating ramp since he was too heavy for Leo's skateboard. Then, he ate all of the pizza Leo and I made except for the crust, and we still needed to put the cheese on top! Next, he beat everyone's score in our dancing game, which was fine by me but annoying for the Turtles. And worst of all, he wrecked one of Donnie's droids and nearly broke the photo I keep from when the turtles and I met and became a family.

Luckily, over the past seventeen days, we've planned how to sneak into Big Mama's hotel to get more web goo.

Raph: "Ok, Big Mama's party's tonight. This is our chance to get some web goo. Here's the plan: We go in dressed as waiters, sneak on past her, and nab the keys to the vault where she stores her goo. It'll be like taking candy from a-"

Suddenly, the ground starts to shake, and we follow the source to find Bullhop exercising along to a video before crashing onto the armchair and drinking milk straight from the carton.

Donnie: "That's it! He has to go!"

Raph: "Yeah. We gotta sneak into that party tonight. We can't leave him here and we sure can't take him with us."

Leo: "But I feel terrible! We're the ones who made him into this."

Me: *sighs* "I hate to say this, but we need Dr. Delicate Touch."

Mikey: "I'm on it, sis!"

Mikey walks forward to sit on the armchair next to Bullhop.

Mikey: "Bullhop, we're friends, so this'll be very easy to say.-*yells*-You got to go! Hit the bricks, Slappy!"

Bullhop: "What? You're kicking me out?"

Mikey: "That's right. You have been working a nerve, hoser!"

Leo steps in to mediate the situation.

Leo: "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's take it-Are you wiping your mouth with my Jupiter Jim comic?"

Bullhop tosses the comic aside as he kneels with a puppy-dog pout.

Bullhop: "I'm sorry! Please. Let me make it up to you."

Mikey: "No way, chico. We've got a big mission tonight and we don't have time for this whole situation."

Bullhop: "A mission? I can help!"

Leo: "No way. We're sneaking into Big Mama's to snag her web goo. A klutz like you would only get us caught."

Bullhop: "I wasn't a klutz until I met you guys."

Me: "Ok, if you promise to sit here and not break anything till we get back, we'll work something out. Deal?"

Bullhop nods, so Mikey, Leo & I walk back into the kitchen toward Raph & Donnie.

Leo: "Great news, guys! We totally punted. We'll doo our dangerous mission and deal with the unpleasantness later."

Raph: "Ok. Let's get to Big Mama's gala!"

But when we walk back into the living room, everyone's suit has been shredded, except for Raph's since he and Bullhop are similar in size.

Raph: "Looks like Goldilocks tried on all your waiter outfits before he got to mine."

Leo: "Would he really be insane enough to try to make up for everything by doing our dangerous mission on his own? Of course he would. Let's go!"

TO BE CONTINUED