Chapter 44: Stabilized

~~~

The sun slipped through the blinds, slow and sleepy, painting slanted stripes on the scuffed classroom floor. The teacher’s voice droned on, blending with the scratch of pens and the shuffle of papers.

I slumped in my seat, finding it hard to maintain focus with the lulling drowsiness that came along with the pleasant warmth.

Things had... stabilized. Somehow.

Selina hadn’t shown her face in days now, not since the incident. Kelvin wasn’t on my hide anymore. And as for me, I was catching up in class. Piece by piece, I had been gaining ground on my studies and workload, clawing my way where I ought to be.

My nightly cloudiness that haunted me felt like it had gone away, wisping away like smoke from a dying fire. And I was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, things were getting better.

Well... if I had to mention one issue.

“Hey Mark.”

A voice broke my thoughts, followed by a sharp tug on my wrist. I blinked and looked down. Wryn. Her hand was already grabbing at my arm, dragging my tray closer as we sat across from each other at the cafeteria table.

“Did you even eat anything? You’ve just been poking at the rice like it insulted your heritage,” she muttered, frowning as she scooped up a spoonful and raised it toward my mouth.

Wryn had also offered, well, insisted on helping me with my studies. And honestly? It had been a huge help. Without her breaking things down, quizzing me, and walking me through lessons after hours, I probably would’ve drowned in coursework by now.

She’d seemed almost stunned at first by how behind I was, but I caught on to the pace quickly. She seemed proud of her work, smug even, but in that way that made me feel like I was back in primary school and she'd just taught me how to count.

Of course, the help came with a catch. Her “price,” as she liked to call it. Every day, she got one demand. Any one favor, no matter how small or big that I had to follow through.

It started small, simple stuff like having lunch with her, massaging her sore shoulders. Silly stuff like that. But lately… her requests were getting bolder. As for how they were going on about now…

Wryn was nudging the spoon against my lips, trying to prod it through my lips.

“C’mon, open up,” she cooed with exaggerated sweetness. “Here comes the aeroplane- vrrrmm~” She even made a buzzing sound, spinning the spoon in a little circle before aiming for my mouth again.

I shot her a deadpan look. “Are you seriously doing this right now?”

“I’m very serious,” she said, barely suppressing a grin. “It’s today’s deal, remember? You agreed.”

“I agreed to let you help with studying,” I muttered, trying to tilt my head away from the spoon. “Not turn me into a baby feeding doll.”

“Well,” she sang, “today’s help includes fuel for that tiny brain of yours. And that comes at the cost of spoon-feeding.” She leaned in closer, her voice dropping a little. “Don’t make me use the jet next.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You know. The jet. Bigger, louder, way less polite than the plane.”

I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. “I hate you.”

“No you don’t,” she replied, eyes sparkling. “Now say aaah~ or I’m feeding you in front of the whole class next period.”

I stared at her… then reluctantly opened my mouth.

The spoon slid in as a silent, triumphant look graced her face.

“There,” she whispered with satisfaction. “Wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Wryn’s grin stretched ear to ear as she happily fed me. She leaned in after, giving my head a firm, playful pat like I was some toddler who’d finally behaved.

It was humiliating, but it was hard to say no to her. The way her eyes sparkled like she was proud of herself only deepened that gnawing frustration growing in my mind.

“I never got a chance to treat my siblings like this,” she chimed, her voice light, almost playful as she entered another spoonful of food into my mouth.

I could feel others staring, their eyes just crawling up my back. The amused expressions that turned away a second too late.

“Wryn.”

She blinked, still holding the spoon up like I hadn’t just spoken.

“I don’t want to do this,” I said.

Her head tilted slightly. “Do what?”

“This whole thing. The feeding.” I nudged the spoon away, enough that it was clear I meant it. “It’s… kind of ridiculous.”

“The plane is a classic,” she said flatly.

I rubbed my temples. “Look. You helping me study? That actually means a lot, but this kind of stuff… it’s too much. It’s not that I’m ungrateful. I just don’t want people thinking I need to be hand-fed like I can’t function on my own.”

She just said, unfazed. “That was the deal.”

“Yeah, but…” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Would you be fine if our roles were switched? If I pulled this kind of thing on you in front of everyone?”

Wryn blinked, slowly. Then set the spoon down with an audible clack.

“Okay,” she said.

“…Okay what?”

“Do it.”

I paused. “What?”

“You feed me.” Her tone didn’t change, but her eyes locked onto mine. She was dead serious. “Right now.”

I blinked. “That’s not what I meant.”

“You brought it up.”

“Yeah, as a hypothetical, not-” I said, lowering my voice. “Wryn, come on.”

She didn’t budge. In fact, her expression hardened slightly. “No, you wanted me to imagine how it’d feel. So make me.”

There was something sharp behind her eyes now. Insisting me on following through with the words that had just slipped past my lips.

I hesitated, glancing down at my arm. It was in better shape now, enough for me to use it to feed someone, but my reluctance lied more within the embarrassment that would ensue.

“…Fine,” I muttered, grabbing the spoon she’d set down. At least it’d be better than being infantilized.

She didn’t answer, just leaned forward, hands folded under her chin, eyes never leaving mine.

I scooped up some rice with my arm and gradually brought it up to her, grains of rice trembling slightly as I aimed for Wryn’s lips

“Go on,” she said, her voice low, almost in a growl-like fashion. She didn’t open her mouth yet, just tilted her head, letting her dark hair spill slightly over her face.

I inched the spoon closer, my arm steadier than I felt. “You sure about this?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light, but it came out rough, like I’d been holding my breath too long.

Her lips curled, not quite a smile, more like a challenge. “You wanted to switch roles, Markus. So switch.” She leaned in, just enough that the space between us felt suffocating, her breath warm against the back of my hand. “Feed me.”

The way she worded it felt like I was walking into a trap of my own volition. My hand moved, almost on its own, the spoon brushing against her lips.

She parted them slowly, all while maintaining her gaze. The rice disappeared into her mouth, and as she drew back, a thin bridge of saliva stretched between her lips and the spoon, glistening for a fleeting moment before it snapped.

“Good boy,” she murmured, her voice soft but laced with something dark, something that made my skin prickle. She leaned back slightly, her fingers brushing her lips as if savoring the taste, her eyes still locked on mine. “See? Not so hard.”

I wanted to laugh it off, to say something snarky, but the words wouldn’t come. She’d flipped the script so effortlessly, I didn’t even feel at control.

“You okay, Markus?” she asked, her tone mock-innocent, but her eyes glinted with amusement, like a cat toying with a mouse.

She reached across the table, her fingers brushing my wrist, lightly grazing my skin as it sent a jolt through me. “You look… flushed.”

“I’m fine,” I managed, but my voice cracked, betraying me. I put the spoon down, trying to break the spell, but her fingers curled slightly against my skin before she pulled back.

Wryn grinned, broad and slow, like a wolf who’d just cornered her prey. That same playful glint in her eyes returned, only now it was sharper, bolder.

“Alright,” she purred, her voice low and dragging. “Next bite.”

I stared at her. “You’re joking.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” She leaned in, resting her chin on her palm like she had all the time in the world. “C’mon, you made the offer. Don’t start quitting halfway through.”

“That’s not what this was.” I picked up the spoon again, more out of habit than intent. “You proved your point. Great. We’re done.”

“Mmm... no, not yet.” She tapped the table gently. “I haven’t eaten enough to make it even. We should be fair, right?”

“Wryn-”

“Mark,” she said sweetly, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “You started this. Now feed me.”

It was clear enough by now that she was gonna let this new amused fixation she’d discovered just slip by.

I sighed, resigned more than anything, and spooned another bite. “This is ridiculous.”

“You already said that,” she murmured.

I leaned in, slower this time, and offered the spoon. She didn’t even hesitate. Took it with a pleased little hum, like she was enjoying a warm treat rather than plain cafeteria rice.

Her expression stayed steady the whole time, watching me like she was waiting to see if I’d flinch again. I didn’t. But I didn’t enjoy it either.

“Alright,” I said, lowering the spoon and wiping it on the edge of her tray. “You got what you wanted.”

“Not quite,” she said.

I frowned. “What now?”

“You still look embarrassed.” She tilted her head. “One more bite. Just to make sure it sinks in.”

“Seriously?” I asked.

“Seriously.”

Finally, I gave in. Another bite. Another perfect, unbroken stare from her.

When she swallowed this time, her eyes fluttered just slightly. Just enough to make me wonder if I’d actually thrown her off even a little, that perhaps she might show her unwillingness.

Though that’d be too good to be true. She just leaned ahead as her arm propped her head up, satisfied after we were done. I wiped my hand on a napkin and tried to ignore the fact that I was practically coerced into spoon-feeding a female friend of mine.

“Lunch is over,” I muttered. “We’re going to be late.”

“Mmhm.” She rose from her seat, brushing off her skirt as if nothing had happened at all. “Let’s go then. You still owe me a favour tomorrow.”

My stomach twisted.

“Favor?”

“You didn’t think this was free, did you?” She gave me a grin as she turned and started walking. “Spoon feeding me carries a steep cost.”

“You can't be serious,” I said, catching up beside her. “You’re just making up rules as you go.”

“That’s how deals work when you don’t read the fine print.” She gave a sideways glance, like she was still riding the high of my reaction.

~~~

The door clicked shut behind me with a dull thud after a tiresome day, and I didn’t bother locking it. I struck the matchstick against the box and used the flame to light up the candle's wick, as the small light pushed the darkness away.

My bag slipped off my shoulder and hit the bed, forgotten. The apartment was quiet. I rolled over onto my back, staring up at the ceiling fan that did nothing but make the silence louder.

My eyes flicked toward the desk by the window. The papers there hadn’t moved in days.

I hadn’t been entirely honest with myself, things hadn’t stabilized, that was just my wishful thinking. The truth sat right there on that table, envelopes I hadn’t opened, forms I hadn’t filled out, numbers I didn’t want to read.

The bills had started small at first. Then the hospital ones came. Then the utilities. Then the notices. Everything was piling up. Quietly. Relentlessly.

The insurance money had been taking care of it for a while, but…

I buried my face in the pillow, hoping I could just sink into it and not come out for a while. When mother was gone, Nora had always handled that side of things.

But now, when there was no clue when Nora would come back to me, I was lost on how to keep this house afloat. The electricity had been gone for a while now, soon the water would be next.

I had no legal access to our bank account either, and just gaining access to it would be a lengthy court process as well. Troubles just kept latching onto me left and right, as if I were a magnet that attracted them.

I just lay there, staring at the ceiling again, trying to pretend like my livelihood wasn’t at stake.

I just had to find a job, one way or another.