“I hope this is what I asked for!”
Danny unwrapped his sole birthday present, his face filled with optimism and pre-emptive gratitude. The party was the previous week, but Danny's birthday was to only involve the family, consisting of him and his parents.
Given that it was his 16th birthday, one would think that Danny wanted the keys to a car, but he had already told his parents that he could work to get a used car himself. He never asked for anything flashy or expensive, even though his dad makes a six-figure salary. He learned the age-old lesson a long time ago: `We're not rich. I'm rich`.
The present he had asked for was unorthodox for a teenage boy. His parents were puzzled when he had asked for it, but Danny was optimistic. After all, it sold for about the same price as a standard dehumidifier.
When Danny removed most of the wrapping paper, an excited grin appeared on his face. The words in front of him made his heart jump persistently. Before him was what the teen had asked for: Pubertaway.
“It's exactly what I wanted! Thank you, guys, so much! You’re the best!” Danny gleefully shouted before wrapping his arms around both of his parents.
“It's our pleasure, honey,” his mom responded, “Your dad got lucky, too. This was the last one they had in stock.”
“It was absolutely crazy. They were selling out fast, and I heard that so many people wanted to buy it that it broke the internet,” his dad added, “Anyway, happy birthday son!”
Danny reached out for one more hug before dashing to his bedroom.
The Pubertaway, the device he had been wanting for weeks, was finally in his hands. Danny had a desire to send his body back to an earlier stage. This started the previous summer, when he was attending his cousin’s 9th birthday, which was a pool party that his mom made him go to.
Aside from the parents, Danny was the oldest one there. His wispy moustache, developing treasure trail, and his then height of 5 foot 8 made him stick out like a sore thumb. He was closest in age with a 12-year-old cousin and his friends.
In secret, he observed the subtle changes the preteens were sporting. One’s voice could not stop cracking. Another had two strands of hair on his left armpit, and one on his right armpit. A third was towering the others, yet had the voice and torso of a child. The fourth boy's voice was already deep, yet he was the shortest out of the group.
Seeing the boys made Danny feel nostalgic about seeing his body develop through puberty. He remembered the discovery, the changes, and the awkward moments the teen had along the way. Now that he was nearing the end of puberty and nearing adulthood, Danny longed for a chance to go back and rediscover. His heart jackrabbited as the way back was in his hands.
Danny unpacked the box and set up the device himself. Upon learning that it could only be used while sleeping, Danny placed it nearby his bed as instructed. He was about to review the instructions when he remembered that his friends were doing some online matches on the PS5, so Danny booted his system up and joined them.
"Dude, why the hell would you wanna have your puberty sucked outta ya?" Jase, one of Danny's friends, asked through the chat.
"Yeah Danny, maybe that's not the best idea," Scottie, another of Danny's friends replied, "Why'd you wanna go back anyway?"
"Guys, I don't need to explain, okay? I'm just feeling nostalgic, that's all," Danny replied, "I can always turn back any time, you know."
"True, but people are gonna start treating you differently," Jase said, "Especially if you turn into a middle schooler."
"Yeah, the guys would feel odd as fuck having a friend whose balls didn't drop yet," Scottie replied, "If you're gonna use it, just hope that your parents don't try to monitor your screen usage."
"Or take you back to middle school! Scottie and I don't wanna lose ya, man!"
"Hey, that won't be happening! Besides, I haven't decided what I'm gonna do with it yet," Danny replied, "And what I do with it is my business!"
"I know, Danny. I know," Jake said, "Just looking out for ya."
The three friends stopped talking about the Pubertaway as soon as the match started.
As night fell, Danny remembered to prepare for the device. He opted to forgo his sweatpants and plain t-shirt in favor of a pair of boxers and a white undershirt. He measured and weighed himself for comparison's sake, and even took some pictures of his teenage self to look back on in the event that the device worked as advertised.
When he took his last photo, Danny grazed his fingers down his nearly developed torso. His treasure trail out and proud, burying his faint abs. His chest just beginning to sprout hairs. His arms and legs also had muscle development, which came with his athleticism. He appeared to be saying goodbye to his adolescent body before retreating to his room.
Seated on his bed, Danny finally had the chance to review the instructions. He was surprised to learn that the device could take him past the start of puberty, but even moreso that the device could turn him into a girl.
Danny figured that if he were to use Mode 1, he'd might as well become a girl because one year would not make a difference on his body alone. However, he could go for either Mode 2, Mode 3, or Overdrive and decide on whether to become a boy or a girl. As much as he yearned to go back to an earlier stage of puberty and rediscover his body, he wondered what it would be like to experience puberty as the opposite sex.
Overcome with excitement, Danny put in his desired changes and turned on the Pubertaway before going to sleep.