By the time he got downstairs, his stomach was growling.
Wearing only a t shirt and boxers, he let his mom guide him to the kitchen where the rest of the family was waiting. No one caught his eye when he came in, except for his brother Mikey, who might not have understood all he had heard.
"I'm hungry, mom!"
"I know, honey, but you need to wait."
He rapped his fists on the table. "Why can't I have cereal?"
"Because it's bad for you now."
His dad raised his gaze. "Are you so sure about that, Linda? Maybe FemCorp is lying."
"Not in front of the children, dear." His mom shook her head. "I can already... feel... what the woman described happening to me. And if they were telling the truth about that, why not about what will happen to the men, too?"
"I can feel it, too." His sister Zoe's voice was barely a whisper. Still wearing her PJs, she gestured to her chest. "They're even beginning to hurt a little."
Mikey pounded on the table again. "I'm so hungry!"
Jon's mom shrugged helplessly. "If you want to eat, Ken, feel free to have an English muffin. But I'm not cleaning up any mess you make."
Jon had never seen his dad shut up so meekly. Given what he knew about the stone and its powers, he wasn't going to disobey FemCorp instructions. No matter how embarrassing it was.
"Come over here, Mikey," his mom said, patting her lap. "I've got something new for you to eat. Better than cereal, even."
Nodding, Mikey got up and slipped into his mom's lap. She'd already loosened the robe, so when he was in position it was easy to hold it open and slip his head under. Jon saw him squirm and try to pull away, but she held him firmly until... until...
Both Jon and his dad looked away, trying to ignore the slurping sounds from underneath the robe. While he was still a kid, Mikey's weight was enough to pull the robe open further, and he seemed to have no shame about what he was doing.
His mom stroked Mikey's hair. "Both of you need to focus. For the foreseeable future, this is how men are going to eat. You heard what FemCorp said."
Now it was his dad's turn to squirm. "Nanobots in our intestines, blocking nutrient absorption, except when the nutrients are accompanied by counter-nanobots that can only be found in... Yes, we heard. Only... why can't you pump? Why does it have to come directly from the source?"
"The nanobots die quickly when outside the body," Jon heard himself explain. "Or if they get too cold. The idea is that if men depend on women in this very direct way, they'll be more docile, especially in their behavior toward women."
"Right." His mom almost seemed to admire the experiment. "Now what about you, Jon? Are you ready for some breakfast?"
