Chapter Text
"Do something, Krang! I want to be big again!"
"But Shredder," chuckles the brain from DimensionX, "that's what I've been saying all along: you need to grow up!"
"You're so cute. Oh, I almost feel like a dad already." Laughing, Rocksteady nudges a cute snub nose with his big, gray index finger.
Offended, Shredder crosses his arms in front of his chest and turns his head aside.
"I hate you," he mutters in a bright voice quite appropriate for his current appearance, but light years away from his usual baritone.
Krang examines the little creature - the toddler! - on Rocksteady's knee with amusement. He, too, must admit that the sight is just cute. A little Wannabe ninja, wrapped in his purple cloak and wearing a helmet that's far too big and slips over his eyes with every breath.
The fact that he's just as drenched as his two idiot mutants only makes him look even more deplorable.
"We should get matching baby clothes. Hmm. And maybe ... diapers?"
Klonk!
With a loud clang, Shredder's helmet bounces off Krang's android body and lands unceremoniously on the floor.
Wow. That kid is fast as hell. Krang didn't even see him throw it.
But the brain quickly recovers from its surprise and laughs, grumbling.
"Already at the age of defiance? That was fast!"
"I hate you guys!" Angrily, Shredder jumps off Rocksteady's knee.
Unfortunately, the coordination doesn't work so well yet, so the landing isn't as graceful as planned. Accompanied by Krang's gleeful laughter, he struggles to his feet again, pulls his dripping wet cape protectively around him - he's naked underneath, damn it! - and wobbles toward the door. Well, at least he tries.
Two hands, which he feels are very large and especially strong, grab him under the armpits and press him face-first against a red and wet vest.
"Easy there, little fella." Holding a mini-shredder trembling with rage, Bebop turns to Krang. "What about an antidote, Krang?"
Krang does not answer immediately. When he does clear his non-existant throat, it sounds in Shredder's ears like the final sound of a guillotine coming down. Actually, he doesn't even need to hear the words that follow, and he doesn't, because he's far too busy trying to keep his composure.
"I'll try, but I don't think there is one." For the first time since they returned from that ill-fated mission, something like genuine regret resonates in Krang's voice. "He'll just have to wait for his body to break down the mutagen. With his current body size, though, it could take a very long time. Worst case scenario, he'll just have to start all over again."
Krang hesitates briefly and then adds, but this time with his usual dash of biting derision,
"Hey Shredder - look on the bright side: a lot of people would spend a fortune to start over as a kid."
"But! I ! Don't!"
Crying out, the shrunken man lashes out and actually lands a pretty mean haymaker against Bebop's sensitive pig nose. Surprised by the sudden attack and pain, the latter's grip loosens around him. Shredder finally struggles free and splatters to the ground like a wet sack.
Quick as a flash, he picks himself up, holds his cloak tightly, and runs limping through the door as fast as his little legs will carry him.