After a week Derrick felt guilty. Yes, Tanner looked happy and had fun as a two-year-old, but with a regressed mind that would be normal. Derrick didn´t know if it had also affected Tanners memories, but guessed so.
He decided to give Tanner back his mental age of 17 years, as well as making him able to speak clearly and see what he thinks now. Most likely Tanner would be angry at him. At the moment Tanner sat on the ground in a clean diaper and played with some blocks. Derrick looked at him as he saved the change, and saw him age up mentally at his eyes lost their childish look.
Tanner shook his head, than grabbed it with his small hands before looking at Derrick angry. „Derrick you asshole, what have you done?“ he screamed.
Derrick looked at him, shaking his head. „Calm down, Tanner. I know I was mean to you. But do you think I would have aged your mind back only to be screamed at?“ Tanner calmed a bit as he thought about it, fearing Derrick would just regress him back, before asking: „Why then? I have been blissfully unaware thanks to being a two-years-old mentally as well.“
„I enjoyed being older, but felt guilty for you being forced to be younger. And I made it worse by resetting your mental age. So even when you liked it with your youthful mind, I felt bad for you as the older you had no say in all this.“ Derrick explained, looking miserable.
Tanner still looked a bit angry, but after a few seconds of silence he replied: „Okay, you have handled it wrong just to cover your tracks to everyone, but I forgive you. I wasn´t easy on you either. Can we look to get me older again? I just hope it doesn´t change us like before if you want to stay older as well. Then we would need to stop in the middle or something like that.“
Derrick hugged the small Tanner, thankful that his apology was accepted. Then he returned to the chronivac, setting Tanner on his lap. „Let´s look now then. Maybe we find the reason why our age was linked and can make you older without regressing me.“
After searching for around ten minutes they found that Tanner had linked them with a check-box he had not really read before. „So it was your fault, Tanner, but I would say you got punished enough for that. Let´s hope that this is the only mistake.“ Derrick said smiling as Tanner looked embarrassed. Derrick changed Tanners age back to his normal value of 17 and Tanner slipped down from his lap before Derrick saved the changes.