Walking the few more blocks back to the bowling alley Will's feet were beginning to feel tight again. Hope pushed him forward as he entered the bowling alley. Not even 24 hours since he last had been there, the place felt significantly different. No longer having been his dad for the majority of the day, the place now lacked the familiar charm he appreciated last night. Glancing back to where he, George, and Colby had played yesterday he felt disconnected from it all, as if it were a dream.
As will walked up, Bobby was again manning the shoes, but rather than the perception of him being a "decent kid," Will saw him as a man closing in on his mid 20's. Will smiled as he approached, "Are the 44's available?" Will in cringed internally as Bobby's brow furrowed. "Have we met? Did you go to high school around here?" That was his dad's phrase, of course it would trigger a sense of familiarity! He's that he's looking more and more like someone he sees regularly, just younger, but probably old enough to have been a younger sibling of one of his high school friends.
"Not really." Will muttered. If he said yes, Bobby would surely ask what year he graduated, and '2 years from now' wouldn't make much sense to him... Unfortunately, that weird response got another cocked glance and once over from Bobby. Will just stared at the slot designated for the 44's and pointed hoping to end the conversation, it worked.
Will got the shoes and walked away realizing there was only one thing for him to do... he had to undress in the restroom and swap back and forth between bodies... apparently several times. The thought of touching restroom floor tiles with his naked feet was disturbing, but he already looked 20 and couldn't take these shoes home with him...
Will got in the stall and undressed, the college body was challenging the limits of his clothes, his dad put on 50 lbs since then. Uncomfortably, Will sat on the stall wearing nothing but socks and shoes, clothes hung on the coat hook. The magic was instantaneous, his already modified form, lurched forward in age, body hair erupted, and weight materialized as if his body was poised and ready to become his father all along. Which, apparently it was.
Will felt the magic subside and switched to his shoes, waiting several minutes for the effects to kick in, but eventually he needed to reposition himself on the seat as the change in mass and height concluded... Again he put on the bowling shoes, and the change occurred much less eagerly, though faster than he felt his return to his own body took. He cycled like this another time, hoping the slightly faster time turning into his father was due to the effect of the loafers still being effective... 'if not that then...' Will cut the thought off.
Will got dressed again noting for the first time since this morning that he didn't feel outright wrong in his body. He collected his things and looked in the mirror making sure he was wearing the soccer shoes and non-magical socks. His clothes were too big and baggy for him and he had the telltale signs of starting to grow facial hair on his fresh 15 year old face. Pinpricks of sideburns, chin, and moustache hair which will one day culminate to be a beard, but no time soon. Instead of his dad's black, his hair color was brown and though he wasn't really expecting it, he checked to confirm there was no gray beginning to come through. He really was himself. "Back to shaving every week or two." he muttered to himself, his own awkward mixture of relief and disappointment surprised him.
Will began his exit dropping the shoes off at the counter, Bobby looked up and gave a very confused look but Will didn't offer any answers. As he passed by the food/bar area where he, George, and Colby ordered the few beers they had enjoyed, pangs of disappointment echoed as he realized he'd probably have to wait 6 years to enjoy anything like that with them again.
Will exited the bowling alley dodging customers entering the building who were in their 20s - 30s. No longer being a beefy, if slightly hefty, middle aged man, Will was expected to wait and move off to the side, which he noticed missing the respect that came with his fathers maturity.