"Other than pizza?!" Mickey crys out, "What kind of question is this? Pizza is the pinnacle of human cuisine, the rich spicy sauce, the melty gooey cheese, the toasty hot crust, and you can top it with every other food in the universe anyway. I bet the guy who made pizza probably has a place in the museum of food with his own statue and section in the gift shop. No way, pizza is my number one every time, end of story."
"OK But Mikey what if there wasn't any pizza? What would you eat as your next choice?" asks April.
"Weeeelll if there wasn't any pizza hmmmm," Mickey scratches his head and his chin simultaneously, "oh oh I know I'd just make one with what we got here in the kitchen."
"Oh sure Mikey," scoffs Rapheal, "What if we just had ice cream and hot sauce?"
Without missing a beat Mikey relys, "I'd make an ice cream and hot sauce pizza."
"Ewww!" everyone exclaims in unison then followed by a burst of laughter.
April then turns to Rapheal, "Haha ok what about you Raph?"
Rapheal sighs behind his newspaper, "Texas barbecue."
Everyone's eyebrows rise.
Leo chimes in from the kitchen, "When did you ever have Texas barbecue?"
"Casey hooked me up one time. Everything was smoked, there were ribs, brisket, sausage, and turkey. There was a stack of sliced bread this high and a bucket of coleslaw, heh. And dessert was this warm peach crumble thing *groan* I'm gonna make Jones get me some more this weekend now that's what I'm gonna do. He still owes me." Raph sighs and whips his paper back up to continue reading.
"Well that does sound delicious but a bit too meaty for me," Leo points out while holding up a freshly prepped salad.
Raph scoffs again but harder, "Well then Mr. Vegetarian, what's your favorite food, besides leaves."
Leo quickly retorts, "Easy, Murakami's special menu,"
"He made a special menu?" April asks, intrigued.
"Yup, I used to go there a lot to learn more about Japanese cooking and he would ask me about the food we liked. He wanted to make more fun creations like Pizza Gyoza for kids like us. And now there's special fried sushi rolls and my favorite is a new vegetarian ramen I've been helping him develop. He's hoping that when business picks up he can buy new appliances, and if that goes well we can have his old rice cooker."
"Aww that's all so nice, good for you guys, ok so Mikey is still stuck on pizza, Raph loves Texas Barbecue, Leo loves Murakami's, and that just leaves Donnie." April looks to Donnie working on a gadget in the corner.
Donnie's starts, "Well I love-"
"CHICK-FIL-A" The other brothers spat out in unison without looking up.
Donnie looks at each brother, "H-Hold on, how did you all know I was going to say Chick-fil-A"
"Because," Raph explains pointing a stern finger at Donnie, "last month when April brought it to us for dinner, you wouldn't shut up about it for a whole two days. How could we not know."
"Y-You're exaggerating, I did not," Donnie replys getting nervous.
"You guys," Mikey giggling as he impersonates his older brother, "you guys these nuggets, you don't understand it's like it's real chicken or something Hahaha!"
"Well duh Mikey up til then we've had nothing but processed chicken shapes freeze dried in batter," Donnie says a matter of factly.
"Look you guys," Raph adds, "and look there's so many different sauces even from different countries Hahaha"
"They literally have ten different dipping sauces and how was I supposed to know they would have Polynesian sauce," says Donnie still trying to defend himself.
Leo joins in," Ha Don't get him started on the macaroni and-"
"Cheese," Donnie could no longer resist, "It was the best Mac 'n' Cheese I have ever had and the best waffle fries too. Everything just tasted so real there I don't know how else to describe it. It was the best fast food ever."
"Wow you really like Chick-fil-A that much?" says April directly behind Donnie.
Donnie forgot April was listening to him obsess over fast food. He started turning red and tucking away into his shell as he starts, "Y-Yeah I guess so. Thanks again for bringing it, I never would have known about it if you hadn't been such an awesome food ambassador to us."
"I like the title 'food ambassador'," muses April, "I think I'll keep it. Ok and last is sensei, what is his favorite food?"
Mouths open but then shut as sensei clears his throat in the doorway to the dojo.
"I do love sushi," Splinter began,"as all of my sons know but lately I have been craving a patty melt."
Everyone's eyes widen.
"W-What's a patty melt?" asks Mikey in awe.
"Sensei, when did you last have one?"asks Leo equally in awe at this exciting development.
"Some years ago I found a restaurant famous for their sandwiches and I was lucky enough to try one. I had eaten a cheeseburger before but this was different. The rye bread was sliced and fried crispy, there was lots of cheese, caramelized onions and the large patty was juicy and full of flavor."
"Wow that sounds amazing," says April, salivating, "Do you remember the name of the restaurant sensei?"
"Ah yes Whitman's, I do sometimes wonder if they are still in business as it was many years ago. But April, why is it that you wish to know all of this?"
"O-Oh I was just curious" April's eyes shift away from Splinters's questioning gaze.
"Hmmm curious indeed."
A WEEK LATER
MUTATION DAY
April and Casey walk into the lair, arms full of bags and boxes.
Mikey is blowing his party kazoo in Raph's annoyed face as he trys to pin up a banner that read out 'Happy Mutation Day!' in big colorful letters. Leo is putting the last touches on the two tiered chocolate cake and Donnie blows balloons, tries them to ribbon and adorns the layer with clusters of colorful balloons.
"HAPPY MUTATION DAY!" April and Casey shout from behind the turnstiles.
"HAPPY MUTATION DAY!" everyone shouts back from the other side.
They sat everything down on the dining table as the brothers and their father gathered around them.
Mikey began to hand April and Casey party favors, "Hey you guys, welcome officially to the party, here are your official hats, noise makers, aaaaannd"
Flash*
"A picture with me!"
"Thanks Mikey you're the best at birthdays." April says as she hugs Mikey.
"I know right! So what is all this, I know dinner was on you guys but I smell so many different things right now that my nose has no idea what's going on."
"Well first was you Mikey," April pulls out a box of pizza and opens it.
"We got you your freaky favorite from Falcone's," Casey scoffs.
"OMG no way Brookland style with anchovies, pepperoni, and gummy worms! You guys are the best thank you so much!" Mikey crys out with a big bear hug that smashs April and Casey bones together.
"Phew, and for Raph we got Mable's Smokehouse spread and there's enough for everyone." says April taking out several containers.
Raphs eyes sparkle and his mouth gaps open in a daze. Everything was there as he had seen before but now multiplied by three. Piles of smoked brisket, turkey, ribs, a gallon of coleslaw and a pan full of crispy sweet peach cobbler.
"You guys…," Raph blinking back to reality, "Thank you so much, but you didn't have to go through all the trouble"
"What trouble?" Casey muses "And personally, after what you got me out of last month, I owed you one."
"Ha this guy" Raph put his arm around Casey's neck and ruffles his black hair.
April continues, "Next we have for Leo, Murakami's entire special menu including your vegetarian ramen."
Leo's eyes shone bighter as they open each box, "No way, Hot Cheeto Fried Rolls, Pizza Gyoza, Spicy Fried Tofu and he finished the ramen?"
"Yup and you get to be the first one to try it and tell him about it, that was the deal," explains April.
"Wow April, Casey, thank you so much I can't wait to try it," Says Leo, licking his chops.
April searchs through the bags, "Now where did that-oh here it is- next is Donnie, Chick-fil-A nuggets, tenders, Mac and cheese with every dipping sauce they have."
"I-I don't have the words. Thank you, thank you so much. I will cherish every bite." Donnie holds it close as he sniffles, holding back happy tears..
"And finally," Casey announces holding up a paper food container, "all the way from the one and only Whitman's, one Patty Melt combo for Master Splinter."
Master Splinter looks up shocked to see a container for him. He opens it and there it is, in full glory. The crispy patty melt next to a pile of seasoned steak fries sent the aroma of caramelized onions and rye throughout the lair.
Master Splinter looks up at Casey and April, "It is as I remember it. Thank you both for your generosity and kindness, not just to me but to my whole family. You are very special to us and we are blessed to have met you. I hope I am not too bold when I say that I think of you both as family."
"Im really happy to hear you say that and trust me when I speak for both of us sensei, we're blessed to have met you all too. I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for this family, so I'm glad we all get to celebrate it together," replys April with a warm smile and watery eyes.
Casey clears his throat to speak, "I never had much of a family till now so I'm glad I get to be apart of this one, thank you."
Raph put his arm around Cassie's shoulder this time and patts his chest as he spoke, "You always will Brother."
Casey clears his throat again laughing nervously and shrugging Raph off, "Alright alright we just ganna stand around starin' or are we ganna dig in?"
"Let's Eat!" Mikey yells as he blew his kazoo loudly, starting the party.
HAPPY MUTATION DAY!!!