Charlie held up his hands with all fingers out, then added a second flash of 3. "Thirteen."
As Jacob watched his friend, he felt a pang of regret. He and Charlie had done everything together all their lives - this would make them very different. Not that they looked anything alike. Charlie was a pale-skinned freckled ginger who was small and skinny, while Jacob was a tall, muscular man of pure Chinese heritage. It didn't matter - they were closer than most brothers, and had been all their lives. Charlie had tried to talk him into the regression magic, but up until now, Jacob was too nervous about the change. The process had been around long enough that it was known to be safe. And there were choices available - you could get younger for a week, or a year, or make the change permanent so that you just aged up normally. Some regressed people went back to their old lives as kids, working like before. Even though the process was still fairly new, it was not uncommon to see teenagers in management positions.
The doctor nodded and looked at Jacob. "So, you are the adult supervision?" He grinned. "Not interested in going back yourself?"
That made Jacob flush slightly. "I guess. Sorta expensive, and I wasn't sure about it."
"It's not too late, Jake!" His friend looked at him with growing excitement, having picked up on Jacob's glimmer of regret. "I can reschedule, and we could do all this together! It's what I wanted anyway!"
Jacob shook his head. "No, man. You have been so excited about this for months, and there's a no refund policy, remember? No backing out."
That had been a clause probably intended to prevent people from changing their minds at the last minute and walking out. The doctor nodded. "Yes, sorry. That is our strictest policy. Either you get regressed now, or you forfeit your entire fee."
While not huge, the price of regression was enough to require some real scrimping, and in the end Jacob had kicked in a large portion to help his buddy out, having to even be officially listed on the paperwork as financially liable. Both of the young men sighed, mostly for Jacob's change of heart coming too late.
The doctor looked over the paperwork and chewed his lip thoughtfully. "You know, both of you are listed on the contract. And it isn't common knowledge, but a regression spell is an area of effect - if the two of you were to lay close together, one spell could change both of you. Officially, the clinic would not admit such a thing is possible, but to be honest, I'd like to try it. There could be some side effects - nothing awful, but you could become more alike, or swap appearances, or maybe get a taste of each other's minds. And whatever happens, the center would not be liable. You already signed full releases on the paperwork. We can reverse anything later, of course."
Charlie looked at his lifelong buddy with pleading eyes. "Come on, Jacob! We've never done anything alone."
"Oh, what the Hell?" Jacob rapidly stripped off his clothing. "Uh, but what about needed adult supervision?"
The doctor glanced at the closed door. "I want to keep you under watch for a while, since this is a very unusual procedure. How about I send you to a special camp close by - outdoors, lots of activities, all boys. Expenses paid by the Clinic as long as you allow us daily blood samples, a quick interview each morning and evening to gauge aftereffects, and unobtrusive video monitoring for records."
"Wow! A free vacation? Sounds good to me!" Charlie slid over on the table so that Jacob could lie down next to him.
"One last thing." The Doctor looked over the paperwork. "Your duration is marked as open - that means normal aging but no set time limit. That still OK for both? You can have your original ages restored within a month."
Jacob pressed his side against Charlie's - it was weird being naked together with another guy there, but his fingers found Charlie's and they gripped hands tightly. "Go for it." Charlie also agreed.
The Doctor turned off the lights and started muttering in the darkness. Up to now it had all been like going in for a physical, but Jacob suddenly realized the Doctor was also a Sorcerer - a powerful wizard of magic! The words he spoke echoed around them, causing vibrations and flashes of heat and cold to shoot through his body. Now Jacob remembered why he had been so reluctant - or all the normal-seeming processes, this was wild and powerful magic that sometimes had unpredictable results. That was why the paperwork was so specific about liability. But it was far too late now. The Sorcerer completed his spell and both Jacob and Charlie cried out as their bodies were assaulted by magic. The two young men rolled together chest-to-chest, hugging tight as the powerful forces tore through them, both screaming in pain and fear. And then, just as suddenly, the pain was gone.
They remained hugging close, shivering and crying, skin slick with sweat. From the smell, one or both had pissed themselves. Jacob had not imagined the experience would be anything like that, and he was sure Charlie hadn't either. The lights came back on, and he found that he was looking over Charlie's shoulder. The Doctor/Sorcerer looked a bit surprised. Both he and Charlie moved away from each other at the same moment, eyes going wide as they saw each other's faces for the first time.