Carl's hands moved quickly over the remote, his brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to reverse the bizarre transformation. The alien symbols blinked, and he muttered to himself, trying to decipher the complex technology.
Meanwhile, behind him, Marco—now fully embodying his teenage self—was bouncing around the room like a kid on a sugar rush. His excitement only seemed to grow the longer he stayed in this youthful body.
“Hey, Carl! I bet you can’t take me down!” Marco suddenly lunged forward, throwing his arms around Carl’s shoulders in an attempt to wrestle him to the ground.
“Dad—ugh—not now!” Carl grunted, shrugging Marco off as best he could. His dad was still pretty strong, even in his teenage form, and Carl had to use more force than usual to shove him away.
But Marco just laughed, unfazed. “Come on, man! You used to love wrestling when you were a kid. Bet I could pin you in, like, five seconds. C’mon, let’s see what you got, bro!”
Carl pushed him back again, glaring. “Dad, I’m trying to fix this! You’re not supposed to be a teenager, remember? You’re a grown man!”
Marco waved it off, brushing invisible dust from his oversized clothes. “Yeah, yeah, but why sweat the details? Dude, this is awesome. We should be having fun! Ooh, or how about this—we could have a belching contest! I’ve been practicing!” He grinned mischievously, leaning back and letting out a loud, exaggerated belch that echoed through the lab.
Carl’s face scrunched up in irritation. “Dad, seriously? We don’t have time for—"
But Marco wasn’t listening. He was too busy cracking up at his own belch, his laughter filling the room. “Man, I forgot how fun it is to just cut loose. I’ve been working too hard lately. You know what? We should prank someone! Maybe we call up Luke and pretend we’re, like, hackers or something.”
Carl groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to keep his cool. “Dad, I get that you feel like a kid again, but you’re acting way too immature. Can you just sit still for two minutes so I can figure out how to reverse this?”
Marco’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh, we should totally prank call Luke! We’ll make him think the aliens are coming! He’ll freak out! Oh man, that’ll be epic!”
Carl slapped his forehead, muttering under his breath. “This is impossible…”
Marco hopped onto the desk, kicking his legs like a kid who couldn't sit still. “Bro, you’ve gotta loosen up. Seriously. When’s the last time we did something fun together? You’ve been all work and no play lately. I mean, I’m your dad, but I feel like we haven’t just hung out in forever, you know?”
Carl sighed, his frustration mounting. He knew this wasn’t really his dad talking—it was the teenage immaturity taking over—but it was hard to keep calm when Marco was acting like this. His dad had always been the responsible one, the hardworking single parent who kept their family grounded. Now, he was acting like Carl’s impulsive best friend, and it was driving him insane.
“Dad, please just let me fix this before you get us into any more trouble,” Carl said, trying his best to stay patient.
But Marco wasn’t done. He leaped off the desk, suddenly grabbing Carl in another playful headlock. “What trouble? We’re just having some fun, bro! You’re taking everything way too seriously. Live a little!” He ruffled Carl’s hair like an annoying older sibling, completely oblivious to his son’s growing irritation.
Carl growled under his breath, breaking free and stepping back. “Dad, I swear, if you don’t—”
“Wanna play video games?” Marco interrupted, his face lighting up as if he’d just come up with the best idea ever. “Or we could totally raid your snack stash. You’ve got those nacho chips, right? We should binge-watch some movies. Ooh! Horror marathon!” He jabbed Carl in the ribs with a grin. “You always used to hate scary movies. Let’s see if you can handle them now, tough guy.”
Carl’s patience snapped. “Dad! Focus for five minutes! You’re a grown man! You can’t just goof off like this!”
But Marco just laughed again, clearly not taking anything seriously. “Man, you’ve gotta chill! We’re supposed to be buds now, right? What’s the point of being young again if we can’t have a little fun? Come on, it’s like old times—just you and me, messing around!”
Carl gripped the remote tighter, fighting to control his frustration. His dad’s youthful energy was overwhelming, and it seemed like no matter what he said, Marco wasn’t going to stop acting like a reckless teen.
Marco suddenly gasped, eyes widening with excitement. “Oh! We should totally TP the neighbor’s house! Or… ooh, ooh! How about a prank war? Me and you against the world!”
Carl couldn’t take it anymore. He shoved Marco gently but firmly into the desk chair. “Dad, you need to stop! I’m serious. We have to fix this, now.”
But Marco just looked up at Carl with a wide, boyish grin. “Fix what? I’m having the time of my life, bro! Come on, let’s just hang out. You’ll see—it’ll be a blast!”
Carl ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. His dad’s behavior was spiraling out of control, and he didn’t know how to reel him back in. Marco was acting like a completely different person—like a teenage version of himself that Carl had never known.
Desperate, Carl took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He didn’t know how much longer he could handle this before losing his own cool. One thing was certain: if he didn’t figure out how to reverse this soon, his teenage dad was going to drive him completely nuts.