Ollie looked up at Nevin with his eyes shining in excitement.
"Why don't you be our age and then we can all have a sleepover! It would be fun!"
Nevin eyed the two cautiously.
"You just want me to play with you guys? Really?"
"You want him to be our age?" Justin asked. "Hey, maybe that would be cool. Then you could be a kid again and have someone to play with."
"You should do it. I used to be grown up but I love bein' a kid again." Ollie said.
"Yeah but...I have a wife. I can't just go back to being a kid like you did. I have to support you and her and your brothers."
Stacy, Connor and Jackson were all out for the night, staying at Stacy's mom's house. This worked out perfectly.
"You can tonight, Mommy and Jackson and Connor won't be back til' tomorrow!" Ollie said. "Please change to be a kid! It would be so cool! Pleeeeeeease?"
"I wanna see you change! That would be really cool!"
"You guys really wanna play with me? Because I have to change back and Stacy will be back here, so no funny business or she will intervene. I need you guys to swear that you won't try and take advantage of me just because I'll be smaller."
"I promise, I promise!" Ollie jumped up and down.
"You're not the one I'm worried about. Justin, this is really important. If I become a kid for tonight, you can't try to...to do anything bad. No trying to take the ring. No trying to power trip. It will be friendly and you guys will be on your best behavior."
"Okay, I promise. I can't believe this is really happening. You look way better with hair!"
"Thanks," Nevin said, rolling his eyes. "It's why I've been doing it, that and I just like remembering my college years. I mean when I go out it's just for attention and to dance. As a 39 year old, I have a lot less hair and a pretty big gut and I miss being able to dance and not look like a fool."
"We'd never laugh at you! If you become a kid we can have a dance party! Come on!" Ollie pleaded.
"Okay. Okay, I'll do it." Nevin relented. He went to grab an old pair of shorts and a T-shirt with dinosaurs on it. He took off his own shirt revealing his ripped muscles.
"Whoa you look like a superhero!"
Nevin smiled and even blushed. He was pretty proud of himself at this age. Ollie was definitely feeding his ego. He took down his pants and told the kids to look away while he took off his underwear and slipped on the shorts that barely fit over his torso. The shirt was about to break and it barely covered his pecs and his flesh strained against it. He concentrated and the ring did its thing. He got shorter and shorter until he was as tall as the boy. It was like going down an elevator, he thought, watching the two boys come "up" to his height, that's what it felt like. They then saw his face change, losing its solid scruff as it disappeared into stubble and then a sheen that made his face cherubic as his face grew softer and softer and lost all its hardness, the set jaw that jutted out shrunk, and the face shrunk back through the years until he was 8 years old again.
"Ta da!" he shouted. Ollie clapped. Justin just stared with his mouth wide open. He thought that this might be real and part of him expected some kind of prank, like this was all a practical joke, and now it was turning out to be real!
"So what do you guys want to do first?" Nevin said in his pipsqueak voice. He patted his hair. It was no longer as short, more floppy and caramel blond-light brown.
"I think we should play Transformers!" Ollie said. Nevin smiled.
"Great idea. Let's go get your toys..."
Justin followed suit, thinking of a way he could convince Ollie and his boy stepfather if he could use the ring as well...