Jason shuffled into the dining room well after everyone else had started eating. His eyes were sunken, dark circles betraying a night spent staring at the ceiling rather than sleeping.To Jason's relief, Richard's seat was empty.
"Morning, honey," Elaine said, her smile fading as she took in his appearance. "Are you feeling alright?"
Jason slid into his seat without looking up. "Fine."
Marissa pushed a plate of food toward him. "You look like hell."
"Thanks." He picked up his fork and moved the olives around his plate without taking a bite.
Lily leaned forward, concern in her eyes. "Did... did something happen with Dad yesterday?"
The question hit too close. Jason's grip tightened on his fork.
"Nothing important." The lie felt thick in his throat.
Elaine poured him coffee, the gentle clink of the mug against the table seeming unnaturally loud in the quiet room. "You know you can talk to us about anything."
Jason nodded mechanically. Each kind word, each concerned glance felt like a knife. They had no idea what Richard had proposed. No idea what thoughts now crawled through his mind when he looked at them.
Marissa and Lily shared a subtle glance across the table, but he noticed. Concern. Confusion.
"I'm not hungry," Jason said, pushing back from the table. The chair legs scraped against the floor. "I think I'll go lie down."
"But you've barely—" Lily started.
"Later," he cut her off, already halfway to the door.
He felt their eyes on his back as he left, carrying the weight of everything they didn't know.
Jason wandered the dim hallways of the bunker, his footsteps echoing against concrete walls. His father's words circled his mind like vultures.
"Need a goddamn drink," he muttered, running his hand along the wall to steady himself. "Just one. Just to... think straight."
In the storage room, he pushed aside boxes of canned goods and emergency supplies until he found what he was looking for—a dusty bottle of bourbon tucked behind water purification tablets. He clutched it like a lifeline.
Back in his room, Jason closed the door behind him. He opened his laptop and put on some low, melancholy music—just loud enough to drown out his thoughts. The first swig burned his throat, but the second went down easier. He slumped against his headboard, legs stretched out on unmade sheets, bottle dangling from his fingertips.
The alcohol spread warmth through his chest, a false comfort that didn't reach the cold knot in his stomach. Each swallow felt like both absolution and admission—washing away his shame while acknowledging the darkness that had taken root inside him.
He tilted the bottle back again, eyes fixed on nothing, when a soft knock interrupted the silence.
"Jason?" Lily's voice came through the door. "Are you in there?"
Jason took another swig from the bottle when the knock came. He didn't answer, hoping whoever it was would go away. The door creaked open anyway, and Lily peeked her head in. Her eyes went from his face to the bottle in his hand, and she sighed.
She slipped inside and closed the door behind her. "Drinking by yourself? You look as miserable as a husband who just caught his wife cheating." Her teasing was gentle, her smile forced. "Whatever Dad said must've been even worse than we thought."
"You have no idea." Jason took a long swig from the bottle, wincing at the burn.
Lily crossed the room and sat on the edge of his bed. "I can stay, you know. Even if you don't want to talk." She tucked her legs beneath her, settling in. "Sometimes it's just better not to be alone."
Jason stared at her for a long moment, then reached for a glass on his nightstand. He poured a finger of bourbon and handed it to her. She accepted without comment, and they sat in companionable silence, the only sound the soft music playing from his laptop.
Finally, Lily spoke. "Whatever it is, Jay, I won't judge you. I'm your twin—your other half." She nudged his leg with her foot. "I'll always be on your side."
Jason swallowed hard. "Dad... he opened a door in my head. Now I'm having thoughts—dark, forbidden thoughts—that I can't push away." His voice dropped to a whisper. "If you knew... if any of you knew what was going through my mind, you'd hate me. Even you."
Lily's eyes met his, steady and unafraid. "You'd be amazed how much I understand. How about a trade? You tell me what Dad said and what you're feeling—and I'll tell you a secret I've never told anyone. Not even you."
Jason stared at the amber liquid in the bottle, turning it slowly. The alcohol had loosened something in him—not enough to feel drunk, just enough to feel brave.
"You really want to know?" he asked.
Lily nodded, her eyes never leaving his face.
"Dad thinks..." Jason's voice cracked. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Dad thinks we might be last people alive. And he wants me to..." The words caught in his throat. "He wants me to father children. With you. With Marissa. With Mom."
The silence that followed felt eternal. Lily's expression remained unchanged, but her knuckles whitened around her glass.
"Looks like he couldn't do it himself…because of an accident. So now, it has to be me." Jason took another sip, welcoming the burn. "That's what he called me in to tell me. That's his grand plan for humanity. And now that he's said it aloud, it's like the thought won't stop echoing in my head"
"Fuck" Lily whispered.
"But that's not—" Jason pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes. "That's not the worst part. The worst part is... a tiny piece of me didn't immediately hate the idea. And I can't stop thinking about it. About all of you. And I hate myself for it."
He kept his eyes closed, unable to face her disgust. The mattress shifted as Lily moved. Here it comes, he thought. The slap. The screaming. The reaction he deserved.
Instead, he felt the softest pressure against his lips. His eyes flew open to find Lily's face inches from his, her eyes closed as she kissed him. Not a sisterly peck, but something deliberate and tender.
Jason jerked back, nearly knocking over the bottle. "What—what are you doing?"
Lily pressed her finger against his lips, silencing him. "Now it's your turn to listen."
She took a deep breath, her finger trembling slightly against his mouth before dropping to her lap.
"I've had these feelings since we were fourteen," she said quietly. "I tried to bury them. God knows I tried. Especially when you were with Emma. I never dated anyone else because of what I felt for you. I kept hoping it would fade…but it didn't.." Her eyes met his, unflinching. "But it never went away."
Jason sat perfectly still, afraid that any movement might shatter whatever was happening.
"I know what it's like to carry something like this alone. For years." Her voice broke slightly. "That kiss was my answer. I accept you. All of you." A tear slid down her cheek, but she was smiling. "And now I can finally breathe."
Jason stared at her, his mind racing to process what she'd just confessed. The world seemed to tilt on its axis, everything he thought he knew rearranging itself.
"Holy... mother... fucker," he whispered.