It was a typical Friday afternoon, which meant it was a day when young William "Billy" Brand felt on top of the world. The eighth grade student was excited about high school the following year, and making his way into the football team. Mostly just because he loved the spotlight and the fame that came with high school sports. Billy was already a surprisingly well built lad, moving into puberty with grace, and unlike many of his fellow students he actively looked forward each year to seeing how he grew and where he went next. He'd started lifting weights with his older brother Daniel last year, and he was exceedingly proud of the results he had so far...though they weren't anything next to some of the guys he'd seen on Instagram.
Billy wore a denim jacket, a white tank top most days, jeans and sneaker shoes, and while he was still quite boyish, he was proud of the scattered smattering of light hair at or near his jawline. His hair was well coiffed, slicked back a little bit and dirty blond, matching his slate grey eyes nicely. In many ways Billy craved maturity and the rites and concepts that came along with growing up. And despite all he had so far, Billy was by far not satisfied yet.
Unlike many of the younger teens there, he'd overcome his fear of girls early, and presently was going out or trying to with Katey Lane. She was just the loveliest girl as far as he was concerned, both were thirteen year olds, and both were - in Billy's view - destined for high school greatness. What did frustrate Billy was the fact her mother refused to let them actually date. They were too young, she said, and forbade it until they were at least sixteen. Which Billy had agreed to at the time, but privately was the source of unending frustration...like now.
"Wow, something must've happened to get you down, Bill." And there was Luis Teague, one of his clique who'd been a long time family friend. Luis was a year younger, and not quite as bold or eager to mature as Billy, which in the mind of Brand left their friendship a little fraught.
The lunch tables were predictably filled up, but as always Billy and his clique got a single large table to themselves that they shared with few others. Billy griped as he finished off a burger, "You wouldn't get it, Luis. It's a...it's a Katey thing."
"Oh, I get it. You're in a hurry. You like her," Luis chuckled a little at this - he did admittedly still find it kind of odd, "Dude, you'll have all of high school to get with Katey. Like anyone else will impress her like you do." Tell the truth, Luis was jealous of Billy's build, and Billy knew this well enough.
"But I'm already buffer than some sixteen year olds! I have facial hair! I should be able to...to..." Billy actually blushed a little bit thinking of what he might actually want to do should he actually win in this. Tellingly he was not quite mature enough to openly vocalize what it was he wanted. Even among friends!
"Again, man, just think how impressive you'll be when you're sixteen. And she says she likes you, what're you afraid of?" Luis said, and then sighed when he watched Billy just go gaga for Katey as she entered and went to sit down with her own friend group. This was hopeless, but Luis tried at least.
-------------
After school, Billy took off his jacket due to the heat of the early spring, and started to head home. He had specifically refused to have his mother pick him up after school any more, just so he could say he always walked home, and never had to get help from his "mommy and daddy". He paused in front of a car waiting in the parking lot for some sixth graders to pile in, and raised an arm to flex. "I've got fifteen inch biceps, six pack abs, I can run a mile in under 7 minutes...what more does that woman want from me? I'm mature!"
He kept walking, clearly frustrated as he watched Luis get picked up by his dad. "...Traitor..." He murmured to himself as he kept walking. Now, the route home from Walton Middle School was usually one that took Billy right by a flea market that operated down an old parking lot next to some decommissioned buildings. Something about unsafe stuff in the walls.
The flea market seemed to be bustling today, and Billy usually just walked past it, but sometimes he checked it out just in case there was anything in there he might want. Today he was feeling like he wanted to see if anything checked a box in what he wanted. He stuffed his hands in his jean pockets and walked in, grinning as he walked past some shorter guys here.
Still though mostly it was people selling weird trinkets and baubles, artifacts and curios. There were some spices being sold, and the occasional little toys and bootlegs on display. Nothing that Billy really cared for. He considered himself too old by far for toys unless those toys were a Switch or a PS4. As he passed by a certain store, he heard a raspy voice come from the concealed and covered store, "Excuse me, discerning sir, I believe I might have something that could well interest you."
Billy stopped and looked at the guy. He seemed...shady to say the least. Wrapped up in so many bandages and wrappings as to seem like some sort of mummy. Maybe he was suffering from some kind of skin defect that made sunlight painful or something. Billy remembered reading about that in school somewhere. "...Uhh yeah? And what'd that be, Mr..."
"Gaunt. You can call me...Mr. Gaunt." The figure said and ushered Billy over to look at his wares. Billy looked across the proffered items. They all looked like weird little statuettes and curios that had a weird...vaguely uncomfortable air to them even though they all looked mostly normal. Yeah Billy was not liking this, but he decided to stay to be nice to this "Mr. Gaunt".
"Alright uhh, Mr. Gaunt. How were you thinking something here would interest me?" Billy asked, trying to figure out what if anything this guy wanted to sell him.
"I can read it in your face, in your body language, in your manner. You desire maturity, you desire to advance further and faster. You're not satisfied with what you have---" Gaunt started, and before Billy knew it, he was nodding along.
"And...how could you gather all that from just lookin' at me?" Billy was feeling curious and eager now, wondering what this guy might be offering. Steroids? Some kind of item that'd make Katey disobey her mom and go out with him? Both?
Gaunt stated as he fished out a strange looking small cube, "This device would be of great interest to you, sir. It is called the Leeching Cube. It will take your unwanted youthly years and progress you along the path you have chosen, at a prompt. Simply tell it how much time you want it to consume, and it will take that time. Once it is done, you may even have the Cube release the age contained within, regressing yourself or others..."
Much as Billy enjoyed a good story, and finding himself listening intently even as he realized how fantastical this all sounded, he did think there was no way this thing could do all this. And besides, how much would this cost? "Uhh, Mr. Gaunt, do you have any way to guarantee this works? And besides, even if it did, how much---"
Gaunt interrupted, "Ohh, it would not be a monetary cost I require. I simply would ask for...a favor later down the line. Refer a friend or relative to my store, my place of bargains and desires."
Well, that was a steal now, wasn't it? Billy grinned. If there was no cost, he saw no reason not to keep the cube. It was after all a remarkably well made structure, and he was looking for something new and cool to add to his bedroom aesthetic. "Alright! I'll take it, Mr. Gaunt!" Billy took up the cube from the weird guy, and started walking away with it. He was looking forward to trying it out as soon as he had some privacy, or if it didn't work, just adding it to his bedroom next to his bed.
---------------
As Billy got home - his home almost a McMansion level affair on the street - he waved hello to his mother and shouted to his dad, knowing dad was probably alone in his room. Dad was always distant like this due to his computer job, and Mom was herself pretty wealthy independently.
Billy bristled a little bit as his mom hugged him and cooed over how "brave" and "capable" he was for consistently coming home on his own. She didn't even seem to notice the "Leeching Cube" clenched tight in one hand. He looked forward to trying this out. Hopefully it wouldn't be overtly noticeable should it work.
Hurrying up to his second story room, Billy locked the door behind him and took stock. He had a computer in the corner, a laptop by his bed, several book shelves for his favorites, a game station in another corner with accompanying TV, and still had room for some weights and a bench press bar and rack. Billy as usual jumped on the bench press for 24 reps as soon as he got home. 165 was his usual weight, when he wasn't doing a full workout.
Once he was done, he got up and picked up the Leeching Cube from the side of his bench station. "Okay you, let's see if you work. I'll see if I can test this out. He did say any amount of time..." Billy held the cube aloft, and spoke to it, "Eight months." He near immediately felt a tickling, cold rush through him as he registered his shirt starting to feel tighter.
"Ohh...Ohh shit...I think it works!" Billy murmured to himself as eight months worth of workouts added themselves to his form. His biceps crested from fifteen to sixteen inches, his chest pressed out, and his back widened, lats finally fully forming. He grinned at himself in his bedside mirror and chuckled aloud, "Ohh yes! It works!"
No question about it. It worked. He could become as mature as he needed to be for Katey to go out with him. And...hey, he might even feel like going further beyond that! He cupped his chin and gave a dark grin as he regarded his new toy. So many possibilities. He wondered if he could get Luis to be more like him using it, or if it had no effect on the mind.
So many things to test out...