1 DAY LATER
Current age = 24 YEARS 7 MONTHS
"Coming!" Carol yelled down the hall to the person who kept ringing the doorbell. Whoever it was, they were eager for someone to answer. She saw the large figure shift uneasily through the frosted glass at the sound of her voice.
As she opened the door, she was surprised to see an unfamiliar man as tall and as broad as the door itself. Yet despite his size, he looked meek and anxious. He rubbed the back of his neck and said "Hi, Missus C..."
The man's voice was deep and hollow, but she recognised the tone anywhere. Carol looked him up and down a few times before asking "Jeff...?" He nodded. She said "My stars, is that really you? I barely recognised you dear!"
Jeff blushed and mumbled "Yeah, I get that a lot recently... Is Bryan home?"
"Oh hun, I don't know if now's the best time for a visit. Something must have upset him last night, he came home a little flustered. So he's having a little self-care day. You know how he gets sometimes..."
Jeff sulked and leant against the door frame, it slightly creaked under his weight. "You sure he won't come down? I had something to show him..."
Carol shook her head. "He explicitly told us no visitors, I'm afraid... But I'm sure things'll blow over in no time. You'll be together again, right as rain!"
"I hope so..." Jeff sighed, before turning on his heels and moping back to his car. "Just let him know that I visited. See ya..."
"Say hi to your parents for me!" she called back, waving him off until his car was out of sight. Carol closed the door and sighed deeply. That boy had shot up like a beanstalk and gotten huskier than a cornfield. She understood why Bryan was so mopey about his own development now. There wasn't much they could do about that, however. It's not like they could up and magic him into his perfect body. She looked up the stairs, hearing muffled music from his room. Things'll smooth out between the two boys soon, she was sure of it.
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Jeff pulled up outside the local coffee shop and laid his head on the top of his steering wheel with a dramatic groan. This whole Chronivac issue was starting to unravel his life. He glared at the bag in the passenger seat, the Chronivac box sticking out of the top. He was planning to show it to Bryan, maybe even use it to help with his body issues, but he'd flat out rejected him. He was going to ruin his friendship with his oldest and greatest friend, and for what? The hyper-muscular, hyper-masculine body of a grown man? Well, there were worse reasons for a fall-out... But he didn't want a fall-out in the first place!
Maybe it was time to stop this charade. Hell, he was the same age as his adult brother. He might even be older by a few months now. his gut flipped at the thought, how anyone still saw him as a teenager was beyond him. Obviously the Chronivac was playing its part, but surely there were limitations. He couldn't keep this up. The first thing he'd have to do when he got home was fix things, maybe even return everything to normal. Sure, he'd miss being tall, and buff, and hairy, and brawny, and mature, and so incredibly huge, did he mention muscular? He'd miss all of that, especially his muscles, but he might just save a friendship in the process. Jeff reignited the engine and backed out of his parking spot. It was time to go back to being sixteen.
15 DAYS LATER
Current age = 25 YEARS 10 MONTHS
Jeff did not go back to being sixteen. He kept getting distracted by his parents asking him to do chores, or to finish his homework. By the time he remembered his plan, he decided to put it off until the following day. And then the next day. And the next... Two weeks later, and the Chronivac was still buried in the canvas bag he'd stuffed it in, waiting for the opportunity to use its extraordinary powers. Those two weeks had been more of the same for his body. Jeff continued to pile on the muscle, with huge pillowed pecs, solid washboard abs, meaty thighs and a round, juicy ass that caught everyone's eyes. His broadening frame meant he now had to side-shuffle through every doorway. His body hair was getting unruly, with new patches of hair dusting his shoulders and beginning to spread across his back. His chest hair not only poked out of even the highest of shirt collars, it bristled up his neck to connect with his facial hair. Not that you could see it under the long whiskers he'd grown. His fast-growing beard was out of control. Jeff had resorted to buying a specialised beard trimmer so he could keep it trimmed to a specific length without having to visit a barbershop every day. It was a beard to be proud of, a beard that men envied. Especially his former best friend.
Alas, Jeff hadn't spoken to Bryan since that fateful December evening. Every time he tried to contact his friend or even try some small talk in class, he'd be ignored. And Bryan wasn't the only one giving him the cold shoulder. Even Shiro was acting cold towards him, also growing a little bitter and jealous of his newfound growth. On the other hand, James was still his joyous, sassy self but he'd definitely upped the flirting and adoration of Jeff's buff muscles and lumberjack beard in a way that made him feel uncomfortable. When you added the stress of mid-terms and a heavy workload, it made the previous two weeks hard to get through. To top it off, he was convinced he found his first gray hair in his beard the previous day, yanking it out with a frown. Whether it was the Chronivac or the stress, it was more than unappreciated.
Winter break couldn't have come any sooner. Jeff was free from school, free from having to be sociable, and free to just relax. With Christmas right around the corner, Jeff was already sorting through his wardrobe to get rid of any old clothes. It was the one thing he'd asked for from everyone. New clothes for winter. Almost everything in his wardrobe was too tight for him to wear without stretching out the seams to downright ripping down the middle. Jeff sighed as he stripped the fuzzy shreds of his Norwegian cable-knit sweater off of his hirsute torso and added it to the pile of duds. At the rate things were going, he wouldn't have anything to wear...
Jeff yanked one of the only shirts that still fit him over his head and frowned as it clung tight to his beefy body. He poked at the slim strip of furry flesh that peeked out separated the shirt from his pants. It used to be a perfect fit not even a week ago. How could he still be growing, he was almost in his late twenties at this point... Jeff eyed the bag he'd left in the corner. Maybe he wouldn't have to wait for Christmas after all. He just had to break out the Chronivac and alter all his clothes so they would fit. He slapped a palm to his bearded face and groaned. Why did it take over a dozen ruined sweaters to come up with that idea? Hell, why stop at his clothes? he could turn himself back into a slim teenager, and everything would work out. As he picked up the bag, he heard the doorbell ring three times in a row, followed by two knocks. Jeff froze for a second, then chucked the bag onto his bed and dashed out of his bedroom. Changing anything would have to wait, he knew that combination of rings and knocks anywhere!
Jeff ran downstairs to see Adam in the hallway, greeting and hugging his parents. His brother was home for the holidays! He was a tall and classically handsome man, with a strong body built up from the army. His dark, messy hair was cut short, and he was clean shaven with the burgeoning five-o-clock shadow of a man who'd spent hours on a plane. His long pants hid the prosthetic leg he had gained after a nasty mountaineering accident when his left leg was crushed under a boulder. It hadn't affected his determination to excel in the army, and was already rising through the ranks. Jeff hadn't seen Adam since he joined the army straight out of college. Sure there were phone calls here and there, but this was the first time he'd been home for christmas in three years! "Adam!!" Jeff yelled, as he tackled his brother to the ground with a bear hug, combined with a well earned noogie.
Adam laughed and threw his brother off him, only to cut short with an extended gasp. "Woah... Jeff... Is that really you?"
"Of course it's me, dumbnuts. Who else would tackle an amputee soldier like that?"
"But you're... How did... You're huge!" Adam stumbled to his feet and gripped the staircase handrail. "And hairy... Why do you have a beard!? You're, like, 16! That's not normal!"
Jeff's dad stepped in and calmly said "Now now, Adam. Jeff's gone through a lot of changes recently, it's all puberty and what not, " He chided his adult son. "Don't be rude, you've only been home 5 minutes!"
Adam backed away from Jeff, who still laid on the floor with a worried expression, and rubbed his eyes. Confirming that it wasn't just jet lag, he cried "But he looks practically as old as me. He's as big as me, bigger even!"
Jeff clamoured to his feet and laughed nervously. "C'mon bro... You just haven't seen me in a while, that's all." He attempted to put an arm over Adam's shoulder, but he shrugged him off and backed up towards his parents, unwilling to co-operate. Jeff felt his heart jolt. Bryan was one thing, but Adam too...?
Their parents observed the two brothers. Adam did have a point. Despite their 8 year age difference, Jeff looked to be as old as his adult brother despite being a teenager. With Jeff's shaggy beard and wide-set stance, he even looked older than his clean-shaven brother. Jeff's mom sighed and said "Now that I see you both together, Jeff does seem a little, uhm, mature for his age..."
Jeff's dad squared up and said "Now Jeff, you haven't been up to anything dangerous have you? No drugs or steroids or whatnot? You've been pretty secretive these last few months..."
"What?? No!" Jeff cried in a panic. "It's just normal teenage growth spurts! And puberty! I'm just more developed than people my age. Look it up, it's a thing! It's nothing weird!" Jeff stumbled over his words in an attempt to sound convincing. But they couldn't find out about the Chronivac, he hadn't even had a chance to show it to Bryan yet! If they discovered it, who knew what would happen...
"Well, if you say so son..." Dad said, not entirely convinced.
Adam stared at his parents and cried "Come on, look at him. He has an actual beard!"
"Well so did you when you were his age," Mom smiled wistfully. "You're both so rebellious in that sense."
"That's not the same. I had some sideburns and a goatee, he has a frickin' hipster beard! I don't even think I could grow something like that now, let alone as a teenager!"
"Now now sweetie, we all develop differently," their mom said in her Mom Voice. "I remember you used to complain about being the tallest boy in school when you were little. That's enough accusations against your brother for one day."
"But mom!"
"I said, that's enough!" She turned to Jeff and said "Now would you be a dear and help your brother carry his bags up to his room?"
"Sure mom..." Jeff sighed as he grabbed Adam's suitcase and effortlessly carried it upstairs. He dumped the suitcase onto his brother's bed and turned around, only to encounter the man stood in the doorway.
Adam looked up into Jeff's eyes, a stark reminder of how much he had grown in the last few months. He sighed and said "I'm sorry if I freaked out back there. I just haven't seen you in so long, I guess I still have that image of my little kid brother in my head. The one whose voice was cracking and worried about when he'd get armpit hair. And now you're just so big, I guess I was surprised..."
Jeff patted his brother on the shoulder with a grin. "Don't sweat it, this whole growth spurt has been a surprise to me as well. It feels like only yesterday, I was your size..."
"Don't get cocky, you're still my little bro even if you look like this..." Adam looked around at his room and grinned. "At least nothing's changed in here. I can't believe you didn't get rid of anything..."
"Well Dad wanted to move his study in here, but Mom wouldn't let him."
"Heh, good ol' Mom... You still have the home gym in the basement, right?" He chuckled and tapped his fist against Jeff's pecs. "What am I saying, of course you do! You're gonna have to give me a rundown of your regime. Maybe I can pack on some muscle as quick as you have."
"Hah, maybe... Well I'll leave you to get unpacked." Jeff squeezed past his brother and lumbered down the hall to his own room. That was a close one... First Bryan, and now Adam. Whatever was letting people still think he was a teenager had its work cut out for it, especially as more people were questioning his appearance. The sad thing was, he was actually older than Adam now by nearly two years! That was only going to increase over the next few weeks if he didn't stop it now. Although Adam was starting to go along with things, maybe he should wait and see before jumping to conclusions...
Jeff jumped onto his own bed, the Chronivac bounced between his legs. He looked into the canvas bag to see the box. Maybe now he could use the thing to get some decent sized clothes... But just as he reached inside to pull it out, he heard a voice from his side. "Whatcha got there, Jeffy boy?"
Jeff yelped and shoved the bag under his bed, turning back to see Adam had crept into his bedroom and was snooping over his shoulder. "N-none of your business! Just, you know, a present. Unwrapped. Need to wrap it. Don't look!" He cried, stumbling over his words.
Adam smirked. "Well alright, I won't ruin the surprise..." He backed out of the room and shut the door behind him. Jeff collapsed back onto the bed. Did Adam see the Chronivac? He couldn't have, he barely opened the bag. But what if he did... Maybe now wasn't the best time to use it after all. Not with his brother snooping about. It was clear that Adam was still curious about his growth spurt. Maybe it was time to come clean to someone. If he couldn't show Bryan the Chronivac, Adam was the next best person, right?