Edgar stroked his chin. As much as he wanted to use the machine on himself, he knew there was a risk of things going wrong. Especially as the inner mechanisms were switched about. He would need someone with smarts to ensure the settings were correct. Someone who'd know how to adjust the settings on the fly and get it in tip top condition. Someone like... "Rod, how's about you give it a try tonight?"
Rod was taken aback. Edgar really trusted him with his new device? It must have cost thousands in its altered state! And he was so desperate for a dose of maturity, maybe people would take him more seriously if he appeared older than he was. Perhaps the increased hormones could give him the body of his dreams. And yet, the machine hadn't been tested before. All this talk of a Puberthere was hearsay in the first place, there was no real evidence supporting that swapping a few wires about could reverse the Pubertaway effects. Besides, It could backfire and make him younger, or even a girl! He didn't want that. He wanted to use the machine but only once it had been properly tested. But he didn't want to let Edgar down... "Oh, I couldn't deprive you of the chance to use the machine. It is yours, after all."
"No, no. I insist!" Edgar said with a fake smile. Rod seemed so eager earlier. What did he know that Edgar didn't? "With your brains, you'd know exactly how to use it."
"Don't sell yourself short, it's only a few simple switches. I can wait."
"Really? You seemed so desperate a minute ago... Go on, it's yours for the night!"
"Ah, but I don't think my house is equipped for such a machine."
"All it needs is a plug socket, I'm sure it could be used anywhere."
"But I don't want to risk breaking it and depriving you of the chance..."
This back and forth continued for several minutes until both teens were ready to burst. Finally, Edgar put his foot down. "Alright! Neither of us want to be first. And I don't trust anyone else to use it. So how do we test it..." He looked around his bedroom for a moment. It was pretty big, like the rest of his house. More than enough room for two beds, in fact... He snapped his fingers as an idea struck. "How about a compromise. You stay here tonight, and we use it together."
Rod pondered the idea. It was an intriguing concept. Would the Puberthere work on two people? Would it provide the same effects or would it be half as effective? It certainly proved less of a risk, and yet these questions weren't suited for an initial test of the machine... However, he knew there'd be no talking Edgar out of it. Eventually, he nodded. "That could work..."
-----------------------
It was late night, dinner was finished, their movie choice was rolling credits, and Edgar and Rod were preparing to go to bed. Edgar had his own bed, of course, while Rod was delegated to an inflatable mattress on the floor. But before they could sleep, there was the question of the Puberthere. It was plugged in and placed in the center of the room, but currently switched off. The two teens sat on the edge of Edgar's bed, staring at the machine. It was now or never. "So what do we do to start this thing?"
Rod prodded at the device. "Well, you adjust the strength of the effects with this knob, decide whether you want the gender swap to be on, and then just press the switch on the top. I suggest we use the lowest setting for now, just so we have a baseline for the effects. We don't want to wake up too old, right?" He turned the dial to the first setting, and reached for the on switch.
"Wait-" Edgar grabbed Rod's arm before he could turn it on. "The settings are all whacked out compared to the original, right? What if the lowest setting is actually the highest?"
"Well I've only ever heard of the gender switch being affected by that. Luckily, that's either on or off. Although you pose a good question..." Rod hovered his hand over the dial. Could the settings be switched as well? Maybe they should put the dial in the middle to negate any nasty effects. However, that would definitely mature them further than the year or two the lowest setting would offer. They could potentially wake up as full-blown adults. The thought both excited and scared him.
Edgar noticed his friend's hesitancy. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything... But they were the first test subjects, it was right to be cautious. He wanted to be older, but he didn't want to wake up as an old man. Would the Puberthere's effects even be that strong? He didn't want to be the one to find that out... He poked Rod and said "What do you suggest we do?"
"Well..."