Small favor (Patreon)

David stood in the doorway, bewildered, trying to gather his thoughts. His long hair annoyingly brushed against his shoulders and neck, each movement a reminder that this body wasn't his. The red t-shirt felt too tight, stretching over the new figure, while the soft sweatpants clung uncomfortably to his hips, making him feel awkward. Just a few hours ago, he had been forced to take an exam in Priya's body, as if it were some absurd prank. She had promised to try and figure out how to fix everything in the meantime. But what he saw now was more unsettling than anything that had happened in the past few hours.

"Hey, Priya, what the hell?!" he shouted, but even his own voice grated on his ears. High-pitched, melodic, with a distinct Indian accent.

In front of him, standing at the doorway, was Priya in his body, fully dressed in his usual clothes—jeans, a t-shirt, and his backpack slung over one shoulder. She was clearly about to leave. Not just leave—escape. With his stuff. With his life.

"What are you doing?!" he asked, his voice trembling with outrage and fear, but Priya only rolled her eyes, as if she'd been caught doing something trivial, not betraying him.

"Look, David, I was going to tell you everything," she said calmly, her tone cold, as if she'd rehearsed this conversation in advance. "It's not what you think."

"Not what I think?" His voice shook. "You switched bodies with me, Priya! You convinced me it was an accident and got me to take that exam in your body while you promised to find a solution, and now you're just going to run away?!"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Priya waved dismissively, as if it all didn’t deserve this much attention. Her voice, coming from his own body, sounded cold, even disdainful. He struggled with the surrealness of it all. The words stuck in his throat; he just didn’t know what to say—it was too much, too sudden.

"Listen, it’s not that bad," Priya stepped closer, adjusting the backpack on her shoulder. She spoke slowly, as if explaining something to a child. "You know I'm in deep trouble with those debts. You'll be doing me a favor, and I'll return it. I just need some time alone. You’ll manage living my life. You’re smart, resourceful. You’ll figure out the exams, my friends, and... the debts... Maybe you'll even have some fun in my body. Isn’t it exciting?"

"Exciting?" David’s voice cracked again, high-pitched and foreign. No matter how hard he tried to keep it together, the new emotions, fueled by this body’s hormones, overwhelmed him more and more with each passing second. His palms grew sweaty, and his knees shook. His breathing quickened. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I’m serious," Priya, standing there in his body, said irritably, as if they were discussing something trivial. She adjusted the backpack again, like she was ready to walk out the door. "David, you’re overreacting. It’s not the end of the world. It’s just a body."

"Just a body?" he repeated, feeling anger rise up inside him. "I can’t live your life! You have debts, problems... You’re just going to leave me with all of that and run away?"

Priya only shrugged, as if his words didn’t bother her at all. "David, you’ll manage. You’ve always been smarter than me. All you need to do is hold out for a while. You’ll pass my exams, deal with the debts, and then maybe we’ll find a way to switch back. If we even want to."

"If we even want to?!" A wave of horror washed over him from head to toe. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," she answered dryly, finally turning to leave. "Look, I’ve got to go, so... I’ll text you."

Priya was almost out the door when she glanced back, her tone mockingly soft as she added, "Don’t worry so much, Piyu." She called him that diminutive name—gently, but with a hint of mockery, as if all this was just a joke, leaving him completely lost.