"This really seems important to you Dustin." Ty pondered. "I wish you'd confide in me like I was your true friend. I understand why you don't want to be seen as a 16-year-old stuck at a 7-year-old's level of development. But would you be happy if I made you actually 7 years old again?"
Dustin's eyes filled with tears as he vehemently replied, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no."
"Whoa, Dustin, calm down! I'm just trying to understand. Why wouldn't you want to experience childhood again? Think about it – you could ace your classes, get scholarships, , you know how to work out so you'd be even stronger the second time around, and give your parents' savings for you nine more years to grow. Why wouldn't you be interested in that?"
"All the things you're talking about are things you invest in as a child for the rewards as an adult," Dustin explained, wiping his eyes. "I've already made those investments and I'm ready for the rewards. I don't want to go back to G-rated movies and games, 8 PM bedtimes, and more schoolwork. Do you really think I want to spend another 11 years here? My parents are something else man. I'm ready for freedom, I want to let loose and make bad decisions without them adding stupid consequences to make my life even worse. I want to be a man, and eventually, a family man with my own home and control over my life. I truly believe I can create a happier home than my parents." Dustin looked up in surprise, he was definitely confiding in Ty like he was his best friend.
Ty got an evilly playful smirk on his face, mimicking Mark, "There you go again, setting the bar as low as possible, you need to aim as high as you can because even if you miss..." Dustin chimed in with his own terrible mockery "...you'll land among the stars." the boys stared at one another for a second surprised at how they were getting along before chuckling.
Dustin's expression turned serious and pained. It didn't belong on a 7 year old's face. "You're right Ty," he finally said after a long minute struggling for words and staring at the ceiling fighting back tears. "I've been a shit brother to you and all this time we could have been friends, but at every turn I was put you down. I see your point and you got me. So go ahead, I see the trend, un-birth me, killing isn't really your style,..." he let out a sad grimace and finally looked Ty in the face, "I don't blame you and I can't defend myself." His face twisted to fear, "Just please don't let it hurt."
Ty was taken aback, he hadn't actually made any decisions about what to do with Dustin or any of them yet but with Dustin's sincere apology there is a chance for a real relationship, getting rid of him is now the last thing Ty wants to do. Messing with him however... "I promise it won't hurt at all and you have nothing to be scared of, I'll be with you the whole time and you'll be asleep throughout the rest of it." Ty said reassuringly, Dustin had already shrunk to the age of 6, Ty got off his bed and the pair walked to Dustin's room. "Go ahead, lay down on your bed, get comfortable." Dustin climbed up and laid his head down, his eyes were getting heavy and his cheeks were plumping into a 5 year-old's rapidly becoming a 4 year-old's. Dustin held Ty's hand and tried not to cry.
"Ty, thank you for staying with me. I think its time." Dustin softly moaned, Ty couldn't help but rub Dustin's head, he was so adorable and his loving instincts took over. Ty was distracted and Dustin kept regressing until Dustin was an infant.
"Oops! Okay, I wish Dustin would stay deeply asleep until morning, be unable to hear me in his room tonight, and stop regressing." Ty quickly began, getting to work. "I wish that the following will happen: Overnight, Dustin will grow to be his ideal 20 something self. Everyone excluding me will think he should be the way he is. Tomorrow, Dustin will awake and forget our last conversation and that I regressed him until I say otherwise. He will go about his business and indulge in all the 'bad decisions' and adult stuff he has wanted to without consideration of what Mark and June might think or say."
Ty finished speaking, and looked down at Dustin, who was now beginning to grow. Ty smiled to himself overwhelmed that he actually connected with Dustin positively. He then whispered quietly, "Goodnight Dustin, enjoy tomorrow, soon we will see if you make a better parent to parent of Mark, June, and I." Ty turned around and headed back to his room, his mind already thinking about what else he could make happen with his newfound powers.
The next morning, Dustin woke up, completely unaware of what had happened. He stretched and looked around his room, wondering why it looked different. He couldn't quite place it, but everything just felt different. As he got dressed and went about his day, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was different, but he couldn't figure out what it was.
"Right, I've got the day off and money to burn!" Dustin said to himself, Ty had realized some of these details need to be filled in for Dustin to let loose, a credit card and a few thousand dollars in cash appeared in Dustin's wallet and the room and clothes changed to fit Dustin's taste as the man he was becoming before Ty fell asleep.