"I think what I want is to stay a kid for a while and let you become my uncle."
"Really? No kidding? Because I don't want to pressure you into it."
"Seriously," Adam said as he studied himself closer in the mirror. He rubbed his soft, baby fat lined cheeks and grinned to himself. He really was cute as a button again. But he needed better clothes than what Jeff dug up. The sweater was too big on his tiny frame, and the jeans were a little baggy for his liking. It had been a long time since he wore ill-fitting hand-me-downs. Not since he left for college all those years ago. Adam turned back to Jeff and added, "I think it'll be good for me to take a break from army life. Truth is, I'm supposed to be shipped out to another base at the end of January."
"Wait, what? Where??"
"Okinawa, Japan..."
"Ooof, mom and dad won't be pleased at that..." Jeff fell onto his bed, a little shaken by the news. He wasn't pleased either. He hadn't seen Adam in years and now he was going halfway round the world?
Sensing Jeff's disappointment, Adam cried "I wanted to wait until the new year to tell you guys but now, maybe I don't have to go..." Jeff sat up and looked at his little brother with an inquisitive expression. "If I stayed a kid for a month or two, I could avoid the move altogether and just stay here! Sure, going back to school would suck, and I can't say I love being so small and unmanly again... But I do miss when mom used to fawn over me. Plus, I have my leg back!" Adam stomped his foot and kicked the bottom of the bed. He cringed at the slight pain but still smiled because he could feel pain! He rubbed his sore foot and added, "Don't get me wrong, my prosthetic was fucking awesome! I'll miss being able to freak people out with it. And the pity sex I'd get..."
Jeff raised an eyebrow and grimaced. "You used your missing leg to get women to fuck you out of pity? That's messed up..."
Adam rolled his eyes and muttered, "Says the hyper-masculine man pretending to be a teenager. Who used a machine to turn me into a toy and a little boy..." Jeff tried to retaliate but stopped himself, nodding his head in defeat. The kid had a point... Adam continued. "But that's also something I'd better keep under wraps... Is there a way to somehow filter my mind so I don't accidentally spill my guts to the wrong person? Life in the army isn't exactly PG."
"I don't know," Jeff said with a shrug. "It sounds like the sort of thing it'd have."
"Alright then. So it's settled. I'm going to give a second childhood a go, and you're going to fix your shitty reality mods and become my uncle! I won't tell you to get younger if you don't want to but at the very least, make people see you as your real age. I mean, you're twenty-fucking-six years old! Mom and dad would've had to have been teenagers to give birth to you."
"Psh, you don't have to tell me twice!" Jeff bellowed, rubbing his hulking, adult body. "I'm sick of high school and everyone treating me like an alien. I should have dealt with this a long time ago..." Jeff stroked his beard with determination. He couldn't wait to just be a man without having to hide it from anyone.
"Speaking of things you should have dealt with a long time ago..." Adam leaned in to smell Jeff, then recoiled with exaggeration. "You stink! You need a shower, big time!"
Jeff grinned as he smelled his own pits. He did smell pretty ripe. "I guess it slipped my mind in all the excitement... Nothing deodorant can't cover up!"
"I think you underestimate your man smell..."
Before Jeff could respond, their mom yelled up to them again. "Boys! Did you hear me? We have a visitor!"
"Just a second, mom! We just gotta finish this game!" Jeff called back down. He could practically envision the eye roll his mom gave in return.
"Well hurry up, they can't stay for too long!"
"Alright, better make this quick," Jeff said with a crack of his knuckles. He turned back to the Chronivac and pulled up the reality levels on Adam's page. Currently, it was adjusted so reality was unaltered. "I'll change this real quick so you can greet our guest while I finish with myself."
"Sounds like a plan! I wonder who it is..."
Jeff couldn't believe how simple it was to completely alter the fabric of reality itself. All he had to do was toggle the 'ALTER REALITY' option from off to on. But he couldn't leave it at that. Then nobody would remember Adam was ever an adult, not even himself. He opened the advanced options and made a few changes. He left himself and Adam aware. He also initiated the memory filter option. This would ensure Adam would remember his previous life but be unable to share anything about it. That should ensure he'd adjust without kicking up a fuss.
PROCEED WITH REALITY ALTERATION? YES/NO
Jeff tapped the yes button and felt a familiar wave sweep through him. He turned to Adam who looked similarly perplexed. His clothes had changed, now a perfectly fitted Batman sweater and jeans alongside a pair of slippers. Adam rubbed a hand over his new sweater curiously. He'd never been a comics fan before, but now it felt appropriate.
"So how do you feel, little man?" Jeff asked the boy.
"About the same, I guess? I do have an urge to eat candy and play Fortnite. Is that normal for a 10 year old?"
"Sounds about normal. Better check those filters out... Think about the last time you had a one night stand. How did it happen."
"Do I have to?" Jeff nodded. "Sigh, OK... What is a one night stand?" He paused. "Wait, I mean... I don't know what that means." He sighed. "I know but I can't say it out loud!"
"So you can't tell me about the last time you had sex?"
Adam broke into childish giggles. "Hahaha! You said sex! Wow, that filter is incredible. I can't even say sex without-" He spluttered and cackled. "Without laughing!"
"Great! Looks like everything worked out OK. You better get down there before mom comes up to us..."
"And you'd better shower 'cause you're real stinky! Stinky man!" Adam giggled and ran out of the bedroom, leaving Jeff alone. He smiled to himself and returned to the Chronivac. His own reality alterations were a mess compared to Adam's. Why did the system make it so people were half-aware that he was changing? Maybe he should have paid more attention to the specifics at the time...
The first thing he did was make everyone, except Adam of course, unaware that he was changing. He almost added Bryan to the exception list but ultimately decided against it. He'd caused enough damage to their friendship and Bryan's psyche. He could always add him to the list later on if he felt like it.
Next he allowed reality to change whenever he got older. Now that he didn't have to hide behind the veil of a teenager, he actually welcomed the thought of getting a little older. He was only 26, after all. He was eager to discover how he'd change as he headed towards his thirties and beyond.
Finally, he adjusted his familial relationships, formally making himself his dad's brother and, by extension, Adam's uncle. Before he clicked accept, he noticed an empty box underneath occupation. He hadn't considered what sort of job he'd want to do. He was exceptional at fitness, maybe he could be a trainer or a coach. Then again, he always wanted to work with his hands. Maybe he could be a construction worker or a lumberjack. Then he thought back to Adam. They could always be a little closer. But would Adam accept him as a teacher? Jeff stroked his beard and pondered. In the end, he decided to let the system decide. He could always change it if he didn't like it, right?
He confirmed his changes and felt another wave sweep through him. This time, however, there was a bigger change. His bedroom pulsed as furniture shifted, wallpaper changed, posters rolled up and spun into framed photos. His laptop changed to a newer model and his desk changed from metal to wood. Jeff spun in his seat and observed the changes. It was still his room, but more suited for a man instead of a teenager. All of his toys and games had been replaced with books and more tasteful decor. He felt a little saddened by the change, but he knew it was for the best. It was almost like a temporary room, the room of a man who was supposed to have moved out... Jeff had a flash of memory of his brother offering up the guest room after he graduated from college, with the expectation that Jeff would have moved out after a year or two, and he'd clearly outstayed his welcome. But it wasn't Adam he thought of, it was Michael, his former dad. He could still remember Adam as his brother but his memories had now shifted to accept him as his young nephew. Jeff rubbed his temples and groaned. It was a lot to take in at once...
Eventually, Jeff stood up from his seat and stretched out his body. He was a man now, both in body, mind, and in the eyes of everyone else. It was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Jeff took a moment to appreciate his adulthood before he sprayed a shit-ton of deodorant over himself and slipped on a T-shirt. He had a visitor to greet.