A warm sunbeam peeped through the partially closed curtains, causing Derryl to wake up and rub the sleep from his eyes. He sat up and looked around. He wasn't in his bedroom, it was the almost unfamiliar guest room of an increasingly familiar man who'd invited his family to spend New Years with him... He smiled slightly. Finally, it was New Year's Day. Which could only mean...
He jumped out of bed and ran towards an antique mirror in the corner of the room, only to halt mid-step with a confused "Wah...?" He stood face to face with a young teenager with floppy hair and acne-ridden skin. The same young teenager he'd been seeing for the last year in every single reflective surface. "But, but... We were supposed to... It was meant to... It's the new year!" He blustered before stomping his foot with a frustrated growl.
Derryl sulked out of his room and through the warm cabin. There he saw a young man in the open kitchen cooking some scrambled eggs, coffee in hand. He was needlessly shirtless, as if he were showing off his toned muscles. "Hey there, sport," he grinned as he set the eggs aside. "Happy New Year! We missed you at midnight. You just couldn't stay up an extra hour, could you?"
"Don't you 'Happy New Year' me, Asher!" Deryll replied in disgust. "Why haven't we swapped back? It's a new year! Those old resolutions should be null and void, and I should be your father again!"
"Well if you'd stayed up last night, you'd know I had this exact conversation with-"
"I don't care about your boyfriend! I only care about reclaiming what was once mine!"
"Okay, cool your temper and let me plate up some breakfast. Then we can discuss things a little further. We're mere hours into the new year, don't spoil it with those rancid vibes."
Deryll scraped a chair out from under the table and slumped into it with a scowl. "Stupid site, stupid magic, stupid life..." he grumbled under his breath as Asher prepared some bacon and eggs for him. "I spent weeks trying to get a response from that hackneyed group that wasn't just automated bullshit."
"Language..."
"Then when I finally got through to an actual person, they couldn't do anything but tell me to wait! All I've done for the past year is wait. Wait wait wait!"
"Well maybe if you worked on the entire reason we swapped... You know, our resolutions? Then maybe you'd feel more fulfilled with the way things have turned out."
"That resolution was a steaming pile of horse sh..." He paused as Asher's eyes narrowed. "Dung... They really thought turning me into a teenager was the best way to get me to learn how to relax? Today's teens are notoriously not relaxed. How can I relax when the combination of trying to return to my old life and struggling to adapt to my new life coincide together? When did school become so stressful? I've been a ball of nerves all year!"
"Don't I know it..." Asher grumbled under his breath. "But it is what it is. You've certainly achieved better things at that school than I ever did."
"Yeah, because the thought of failing and ruining my life and, I was hoping by extension, your life, was only adding to all the stress! I don't know how you ever did it..."
"It's because I didn't care about my future, and I should have. I know that now. If I could go back..." Asher paused for a second wistfully. "Do you think I wanted to stay like this?"
"You mean as the musclebound hunk with a steady job and a sugar daddy? Of course!"
"Hey now, don't be rude. I admit that when we first swapped, I was ecstatic to be the man of the house. I loved looking like an action movie hero. But after a year spent living this life? I'd jump at the chance to be the laid-back teen with no ambitions again. Life was so much simpler when all I had to worry about was exams instead of managing a team of thirty-odd people. Remember when I thought I'd grown up to be a male model?" Asher grinned at the thought before letting out a hefty sigh. "But no, I ended up with your crappy job in crappy marketing with all the stress that comes with it. Even maintaining this hot bod is more hassle than it's worth. It sucks, but at the very least, it has taught me a lot about being responsible. I feel like I've matured a lot in the last year. Being a single parent to an ungrateful brat helps too."
"Hey!"
"What? You know it's true. All you did last year when you weren't complaining about your resolution or puberty or homework is complain about how I run the company or care for the house or my relationships. I'd say your resolution this year should be to complain less, but you'd have already broken it and it's not even noon."
Before Derryl could formulate a response that didn't prove his point, a booming voice from the back of the cabin called out. "AAASH-ER!" It was proceeded by the thuds of heavier footsteps until the source of the interruption barged into the kitchen - a tall, lanky man with a short salt and pepper beard and a hairline that swept back past the back of his ears barged in, his fluffy bath robe flapping around his ankles. "Asher!" chided. "It's nearly nine o' clock, and I still haven't taken my traditional New Year's plunge into the lake. You're going to join me even if I have to throw you in myself!"
"Uhm, I'm kind of a little preoccupied now..."
The man looked to Asher, then to Derryl, and his stern look broke into a smile. "Ah, of course. Happy New Year, slugger." He reached over to ruffle the teen's hair, who batted the attempt away with a growl.
"You..." Deryll snarled at the older man as he sat down in a wicker chair with a curious expression. "How can you be so accepting about all of this? You used to be as young as I am now before that New You Resolution lot forced you into this grown man's body!"
"I fear I may have missed something important..." He frowned as he rubbed at his furry stomach.
"Now now," Asher tutted. "Don't take this out on Brian. He was kind enough to invite us to his lake-house for the holidays."
"It's not his house though, is it?" Deryll sneered. "He didn't put in the work or effort to afford such a comfortable life. It was pure coincidence that that stupid website swapped him with a millionaire." He turned his ire to the man involved. "How can you talk about traditions when this is your first New Year as a balding, tiresome middle-aged man?"
"Well first of all, I live comfortably but I'm far from being a millionaire. Secondly, It was the previous Balding's tradition, and I've inherited Balding's life, thus this is now my tradition. Third of all, before you snark back, I know you meant my hairline and not my surname. The fact that I'm a balding Balding does not escape me."
"Balding, graying, nearing fifty, it's a far cry from the kid you used to be, huh? Doesn't it make you want to get justice from those that wronged you?"
"Not really, no." Brian pinched at the spot between his brows with a sigh. "I don't know why you're being so confrontational about this. You regained your youth and fresh opportunities. Whereas your father and I-"
"Asher isn't my dad, he's my son."
"Your Father and I," he stressed. "We've had to give up far more than you. And we weren't even given the choice to back out. Have I ever told you how I became this man?"
"Like a dozen times."
"It was a dark and stormy night,"
"Please don't..."
-----
It was a dark and stormy night, which meant that the plan to set off fireworks to bring in the new year was unfortunately cancelled. Which was fine by me, I didn't want to stand about in the cold night freezing my ass off to a mediocre light show.
Instead, I spent that evening doomscrolling while everyone else had big fancy plans. That was when I first saw it trending. New You Resolutions. One of those fake reality show "stars" shared their own resolution and suddenly everyone was making their own. Personally, I'd never made a resolution before. It always seemed pretty lame to me. But I didn't want to miss out on the newest trend. I was always one to follow the crowd, never the trendsetter.
But I'm anything if not self-aware. I knew I was a bit of a pushover, always following orders and trying to do what everyone else does. So I decided that my resolution for the year was to be more assertive, and the one in charge.
For the first few weeks, I actually stuck to my guns. I said no to things I didn't want to do that I would usually cave in to make someone happy. I actually led a group project and did the presentation myself. But there were cracks in the wall as the days went by, and it wasn't long before I'd fallen back into old habits.
It was a few months before I heard anything about the resolutions. I'd almost forgotten about it, except those painful reminders when I blindly followed the crowd once more or didn't speak up for myself. Which is how I found myself spending my after school hours helping to decorate the gym for the spring fling. I didn't want to do it, but my homeroom teacher said I was always so reliable and knew that I'd get the job done. I didn't even have a date to the dance. Yet here I was hanging streamers for what felt like the hundredth time. I loathed myself for being such a pushover.
I took a break on the bleachers to flick through Bluesky when I got an email from New You Resolutions. Usually they went to my junk folder as they were all blatant attempts to get me to sign up to a premium membership. But this one went to my focused folder. I glanced through for anything important, and it said something about me helping another person with their own resolution while giving me the opportunity to get back into my own. It sounded like another scam so I ignored it until I felt a strange feeling. My arms were extending outwards in front of me, dark hairs sprouting across my gradually exposed forearms. Looking down, I could see the same happening to my legs as the soles of my shoes began to creak from the sudden expansion of my feet.
I excused myself to the restrooms, and stumbled down the hallway as fast as I could. Every step I took covered more distance. Every breath I took seemed to push me higher off the ground. There was a breeze around my tightening shirt became more of a crop top, exposing my newly hair-coated skin to the world. I couldn't understand what was happening to me, but in the back of my mind, I knew it had to do with that email.
As I entered the restroom, I was stunned to see I had to crouch down to even look in the mirror. I still looked like myself for the briefest of moments. My teenaged head perched atop the body of a slim, hairy man. My ragged clothes had began to change now, leaving me half-dressed in an unbuttoned dress shirt and slacks. It was surreal to see as those buttons closed themselves and a dark suit jacket unraveled down my torso.
Then I watched in awe as my head caught up with the rest of my body. It elongated and sharpened into the harsh contours of manhood, my jawline quickly being covered with a dense, dark beard. I hoped that I would stay that handsome young man. Though those hopes were dashed as that young man became not so young. My hair thinned and receded back up my scalp while my newly grown beard was stained with grey. Cracks shattered through my skin as it took on a duller, weathered tone. And as the tie around my neck tightened, I knew whatever had happened to me was over. I had become a middle aged office worker.
While I was still processing the loss of a good thirty-odd years of my life, there was a crash and a young teen about my old age burst into the room, immediately rushing for the nearest mirror. He gawked and preened at his reflection until I cleared my throat. He looked at me, and smiled. "You must be the donor," he smirked with a slight crack in his voice.
"The what?"
"The one who's supposed to help me with my resolution." He nodded. "You see, I wanted a fresh start to life, and I'd heard this new year resolution website was going to help. My resolution was to go back to school to learn something new, and I've been paying the premolution membership for months just waiting for the algorithm to find someone with a complementary resolution that could help. I was hoping for someone a little more athletic, but you're young enough to pick up a sport to grow into. Or rather, I'm young enough now."
After exchanging a few unpleasantries, It turned out that he was Frank Balding, the superintendent for the school district. He was in the area because we needed to make some budget cuts for the upcoming school year, and he was about to meet the principal to discuss what options they had. So thanks to him, not only was I now the one in charge of all the schools in the district, but I had to be the one to break any bad news to our principal. I suppose being more assertive and in charge was my resolution, but I was being thrown into the deep end here! And Mister Wants Less Responsibilities wasn't any help since he was too busy taking in his own changes to care.
I had no other option but to play along. I was a bundle of nerves as I entered that office, but if I showed any weaknesses, it didn't appear to affect the principal. He was intimidating, but he was actually scared of me! He gave a compelling argument for what needed to be funded for the year, and how best to divest those appropriate funds for the betterment of the students. But budgets are budgets, and his ideas were too expensive. It pained me to have to tear into his plans. But I didn't budge or give into any compromise. I even managed to explain that the board's demands were out of my hands. He was lucky we'd be able to renovate the gymnasium with the new budget. New equipment would have to wait another year. Such are the woes of public schools...
But what surprised me was how grown up I sounded. I had no idea what I was even saying half the time, but it seemed to work. It must have been the same magic that turned me into a man that was giving me all of that knowledge.
I tried to find former superintendent Frank before I left to let him know I'd done a good job, but he had already fled the scene. I haven't seen him since. I think he might have even moved states, my parents were talking of doing such a thing after all...
For now, I used my newfound knowledge to drive myself to the handsome townhouse I call home to discover what my new life was like. Not as ideal as I'd pictured, I'm afraid. It turned out that I was divorced with an adult son currently in the midst of a college degree. I had this large house all to myself and my sheepdog, Rex. It was a little lonely. I could understand why Frank had wanted to escape his life by any means necessary. Why he even considered taking over someone else's life to get what he wanted.
It took a few weeks to settle into the craziness that is the academic institution. I overlooked a dozen schools, the staff, the budget, everything. Even when I'm off the clock, I'm still expected to be contactable 24/7 for emergencies big and small. A weaker mind would crack under the pressure. My former self would have shriveled up the second he was faced with a decision. But the new me had discovered this was the exact environment where I could truly thrive. Finally, I was the one in charge making every decision.
Despite it all, I still had a nagging thought. NYR had literally changed me into a new man, yet in all the resolution craziness that led me to make that resolution in the first place, I hadn't heard of a single incident like mine. So I went to the one bastion of the Internet that could provide me with the answers I needed - Reddit. The New You Resolution subreddit was full of people tracking their progress, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. I told my story there, and was subsequently banned by the mods who assumed I was trolling. Nobody believed me, I thought I was all alone.
Then I received a DM from a guy who said he knew exactly how I felt since NYR had caused him to swap lives with his dad! It happened at the start of the year, and the site wouldn't do anything to swap them back. We got to chatting and discovered we lived in the same area, even the same neighborhood. We bonded over how we'd been forced into these hectic lives where we were responsible for large teams. How we still found the time to enjoy the things we used to do before the swap. We were even both divorced men, twice in his case. Of course, I took the initiative and asked him out for a drink so we could talk in more personal terms. And that is how I met your father.
---------------
"I'd given up my youth so that one selfish man could relive his glory days. I accepted that we'd never go back to our old lives long ago. Yet I still hoped that I would wake up this morning in my old bedroom, with my parents sleeping off a hangover from the previous night. But I didn't. I woke up with your dad by my side, still the balding, tiresome middle-aged man I was yesterday. I'm still 47 years old. And you're still 14."
"And I'm still 35, by the way," Asher added in an attempt to include himself in the conversation.
"Exactly. We were never going to change back because a New Year's Resolution isn't meant to be abandoned the second the new year begins. You don't just quit learning a language, or changing your diet, or playing an instrument. It's supposed to be a lifelong commitment. Which is why most resolutions are broken within the first month of the year. Nobody can commit to overhauling their entire lives. But we're the exceptions. Even if it was by force."
Derryl frowned, unable to talk back. He hated to admit it, but the old man was talking sense. Why he assumed he'd turn back into a dad the second the new year started was beyond him. Maybe because he'd failed to commit to his resolution in the first place? Even now, he was anything but chill. He'd tried, of course. Mimicking what Asher used to do in the average day. But all those worries kept him from truly relaxing. In the end, he fell into his old ways whilst watching his former son get ever more responsible and mature by the day. It was hard to believe the man before him was ever his son. Eventually, he sighed and sank further into his chair. "So that's it. I'm stuck trying to be someone I'm not..."
"No you're not," Asher said as he put a hand on his son's shoulder. "You're denying yourself the opportunity to live your new life because you're stuck in the past. So you couldn't live up to your resolution, so what? Most people don't. You just get a new one and move on.""A new resolution..." Derryl's eyes lit up. Why hadn't he thought of that before? His previous resolution was wrong for him. That's why he didn't commit, and that's why he was now stuck as a teenager. But with a new resolution crafted to his own needs, namely the desire to not be stuck as a teenager... He looked at his phone and, almost as if by intention, there was a new email from NYR. "There's still time," he read aloud. "Time to make a New Year Resolution!" Before the men could say anything, he'd run down the hall and back to his guest room.
Asher looked on, concern plastered over his face. "Is that something I should be worried about?" He asked aloud.
"I wouldn't," Brian said with a sniff. "It's like my boy. He may hate college right now, but he's not the one for an easy way out. He won't give into temptation. I've taught him better than that."
"You taught him or your predecessor did?"
"Let's not get into semantics." Brian grinned as he put down his empty coffee cup. "Derryl may be all angst and anger right now, but that's what teenagers are like. Not only do you have his best intentions in mind, but he used to be your age at one time. He knows better than to jump headfirst into these things."
"See, I don't think he does," Asher said with a shake of his head. "His ignorance did cause us to swap in the first place, after all. But I guess it's out of my hands now."
"Exactly," Brian nodded in agreement. "Now, back to the matter of our new year's swim in the lake."
Asher sighed, and rubbed the back of his head. "I love you and all, but I'm really not one for the cold..."
"Well, would it change your mind if I told you we'd be skinny dipping?" He loosened the tie around his waist and let his robe spread open, revealing his toned, hairy torso and his thick cock swimming in its own pool of pubic hair.
Asher raised an eyebrow at the scene, his heart beating just a little faster. "I'm afraid it doesn't, babe." He eventually said with a light chuckle.
"Well tough nuts," he said as he jumped to his feet and pulled Asher into a bear hug as he reached down to pull his sweatpants down. "It's my new year tradition, and I'm not doing it alone."
Asher gasped as his own cock slipped out of its cotton confines, already throbbing and half-erect. "Well maybe I could be persuaded," he said breathlessly as he placed his lips on to Brian's neck with a sensual kiss. "If we can get a little warm-up session in beforehand."
Brian sighed as he fell back onto his chair, arms up to cup his bald head. "Okay, let's make it quick. But only because I love your warm-up sessions. And once we're done, I'm chucking you into the lake head first." Asher only grinned as he dropped down to his knees and gripped his lover by the thighs, eager to get this fresh year started with a mighty bang.
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