Ten hours later, Martin awoke with a stretch and observed how he hadn't felt so rested from a night's sleep in ages. He also felt considerably lighter about his belly as he rolled over and up. He looked down and noticed something off immediately, had he lost some weight? His pajamas had fit relatively well last night, whereas this morning he could feel the bottoms hang off his hips and the extra material scrunch under his butt from where he'd rolled. Likewise his decently fitting top had been rounded out by his belly the night before, now draped over his body like a slightly oversized tent. He quickly unbuttoned his top--his pot belly was still there, just far smaller than he'd seen it in almost... a decade?!?!
Standing, his pajama bottoms falling to the floor as he did, Martin shuffled over to the full length mirror in the room and saw a sight he definitely hadn't seen since his early forties. He was still an overweight man, just no longer bordering on obese. He just looked like a fairly average middle aged Dad who'd let himself go a bit is all. His hair was no longer salt and pepper, but was just graying slightly at his temples.
"I feel like I've slept for ages," said a voice from behind Martin, and he turned to see his wife, Lizzy, standing and stretching in a nightgown which seemed a size or maybe two a little big on her, but not outrageously outsized, like his pajamas had been. She looked about as good as she had when they'd found out she was pregnant with Timmy. And seeing her was causing Martin's morning wood to stiffen further.
"Well, well, well, do my eyes deceive me or does it seems yesterday's hike did somebody some good?" asked Lizzy with a smirk as she looked over at Martin. Martin knew that smirk. It'd been some time since they'd shared it, but he knew what it meant.
"Uhh, Lizzy, as much as I want to, perhaps you should first look in the mirror?" asked Martin, as Lizzy came over.
"Marty, we're on vacation. Just give your mind a break and relax..." said Lizzy as she approached Martin.
"I really think you should look in the mirror," said Martin as Lizzy draped her arms around his neck and leaned in for a kiss.
"Oh, if you insist," she said between kisses, feeling Martin's will break and then deciding to prolong the satiation of what she'd started. Martin was left panting from the hot and heavy kiss she'd engaged him in, and his boner throbbing to be released.
"I look the same 30 year old woman I was when I went to sleep," said Lizzy as she returned her attention to Martin after looking briefly in the mirror.
"30 year old?" asked Martin.
"Yes, what did you expect me to repeat that old lie about being 29? No, I own my 30 years on this earth, they're mine and no one else's, just like this thing here," said Lizzy as she grabbed hold of Martin's aching member and began to squeeze and rub in just the way Martin hadn't had done in a long while. At this point any reticence in Martin died down as he gave in to his hormones and eagerly shed his pajama top while Lizzy pulled up her night gown as they stumbled back and onto the bed from which they'd come. Soon they were thrusting and moaning the only way they knew how until they both were spent and panting in each other's embrace.
"Mommy!" called out a young voice from a different room. Neither moved immediately.
"MOMMY!" repeated the call, and Lizzy sighed, disentangled herself, adjusted her night gown, and left the bedroom to attend to Timmy, leaving Martin, who was already on the border of wakefulness and sleep to drift off. He awoke not too long later to the smell and sounds of breakfast cooking in the kitchen.
Martin rose, and threw on a robe, failing to notice that his tiny pot belly had just shrunk into a regular belly at this point, nor that his thinning hairline was returning since he'd fallen asleep. He finished tying the robe, stuck his feet into slippers and headed out of the bedroom. He followed the smell to the kitchen where he found Lizzy frying some sausage and flipping pancakes while a sight Martin hadn't seen in years--a two year old Timmy--sat in a high chair stuffing his face with his hands as he ate scrambled eggs along with sausage cut into tiny pieces for him to eat, and grapes. The sight of his son having lost a decade re-emphasized to Martin that at least that much age had left them.
"Daddy!" cooed Timmy happily as Martin entered the kitchen.
"You're finally up," said Lizzy with a grin--looking the same as she had when they'd woken up this morning. Neither Lizzy nor Timmy seemed to think anything was out of the ordinary about being a decade younger, perhaps Lizzy was right and he should just relax about everything. Perhaps that nightmare of a hike and being 52 with a pot belly had all been a nasty dream he'd had.
"Yeah, I'm up and no worse for wear," said Martin as he wrapped his arms about Lizzy and pulled himself close to her so he could rest his chin upon her shoulder and not just take in the aroma of the cooking sausage, but also
"Well, I've managed to do a lot in the three hours you were knocked out," said Lizzy.
"I can see. Timmy's all washed and eating, breakfast is nearly ready, you're dressed--mighty sexily might I add?"
"Ready for round two already? See next year won't be so bad," said Lizzy with a smirk.
"What's next year?"
"The big 4-0," said Lizzy.
"That's crazy I'm 42 already,"
"Babe, you're only nine years older than me, not twelve," said Lizzy.
That Martin knew was wrong.
"That can't be right," said Martin.
"It's the truth, unless you suddenly have an age fantasy you want to disrupt breakfast for, I'd suggest sitting down before I burn your sausage," said Lizzy.
Martin did as he was obliged and ate two of the four pancakes, both sausage links and about half of the scrambled eggs on his plate before his belly felt weird and tingled a bit.
"Man... I feel full," said Martin as he rubbed his mid-section.
"Good, last thing I need is for you to put on any more weight--you're starting to get a bit of a belly, Marty... in fact I forget why I gave you so much in the first place," said Lizzy as she continued on her own plate.
That comment also struck Martin as off as he pulled back his robe a bit and looked down to see a belly that looked almost flat, with just a bit of fat that smoothed things over.
"Uhh... I gotta check something out," said Martin as he got up, cleaned his plate at the trashcan, and put the dishes after a quick rinse into the dishwasher before returning to the bedroom and opening the robe before the mirror. He definitely looked like he was in his thirties now as he remembered them. Not just "39" but like he was 38 or so. He was getting younger--and Lizzy and Timmy weren't from what he could see--or else Timmy would already be a twinkle in his eye and Lizzy would be back to being a 26 year old hottie he was engaged to at this point. And neither Timmy nor Lizzy seemed able to notice what was happening to either themselves nor him. Why was this happening? He had to figure it out.
Martin dug through the suitcase he brought, none of his clothes fit him anymore, at least not without some serious alterations like cinching his woven belt far tighter than he had before--thank god he'd switched to woven belts years ago. It may have caused his shorts to bunch up against his skin, but it was an unavoidable level of discomfort until he could purchase something a bit more fitting for his youthening form. His shirt looked like a deflated balloon, but better that than reveal his bunched shorts held up by his belt. Thankfully his feet still fit his sandals, though he felt he could pull them a little tighter to his feet as though he had had some inflammation down there when he was older.
By the time he was finished dressing, Martin looked at himself in the mirror and smiled He looked about as good as he could, given the circumstances.
"Where are you all dressed up and ready to go?" asked Lizzy as she was wiping up Timmy's high chair--the toddler .
"I just realized my weight loss regimen must be working and that none of my shorts or pants fit me anymore. I need to go in and get some new clothes."
"Oh! Shopping? Just wait right there, and I'll be right back," said Lizzy disappearing into the bedroom.
It was more than a minute, and judging by how he needed to cinch his belt again while waiting and entertaining the toddler Timmy, he'd gotten younger again, Lizzy came out dressed in a way he hadn't seen her since she was last 30 years old, in a rather flowing sundress. She'd obviously showered, did her hair, makeup, and dressed in the hour or so that Martin had waited.
"I thought you wanted to get out of here, Martin, why isn't Timmy ready?" asked Lizzy.
To which, Martin figured if he wanted to leave while still older than 35, he'd best get Timmy ready to go out with them to hurry things along. He obliged and about the time he bent over to buckle Timmy into his car seat, Martin once again felt his shorts slipping, and promptly cinched his belt even tighter.
"Marty, aren't you wearing any underwear?" asked an incredulous Lizzy as he cinched his belt tighter.
"They're all too big on me."
"Well, we can fix that," said Lizzy.
They drove downtown, parked, and walked up and down the street visiting every shop, and Marty felt like he was more easily able to walk and carry Timmy, so he did, rather than push Timmy in his stroller. He quickly found new shorts and underwear to replace his bunched up clothes, and he even let Lizzy put him into a Large t-shirt to complete the "makeover" by the time she was done. Fearing where things might go if his youthening continued without stopping like it had for Lizzy and Timmy, Marty bought some smaller sized shirts, underwear, and shorts just in case as well--claiming they were for his cousins back home.
By the time they were finishing off the day at a local cafe, Marty estimated that he had to be equal to Lizzy in age and 30 years old just like her--which matched with how she was treating him oddly. Before there'd been a bit of unquestioned "experience" that he'd seemed to have taken for granted on his end, but Lizzy had always deferred to. But now, she treated him more like a peer who knew just about as much as she did. He was in the best shape of his life, muscles having returned and were visible underneath his size Large shirt. If his youthening would stop here, he'd count this as a happy ending and leave it at that. However, when he felt that strange tingle at his abdomen again, feeling his abs slowly marching back to the six pack he'd had in college, Marty knew he'd left 30 for 29 and a sinking feeling told him that this transformation was likely far from over.