Jason woke to the familiar hum of the ventilation system, its steady drone a poor substitute for birdsong. He'd almost stopped noticing it now—almost. He splashed cold water on his face, ran fingers through his hair, and dressed in a worn t-shirt and cargo shorts. The bunker's temperature remained a constant room temperature, but the clothes helped maintain some illusion of normalcy, of seasons that no longer mattered.
The breakfast table held its usual assembly: Richard behind his tablet, Elaine hummed softly under her breath as she plated toast, the motion relaxed rather than robotic, Lily munched on scrambled eggs, one leg tucked under her as she read her book. Jason grabbed a protein bar and some coffee, sliding into his seat just as Marissa appeared.
"Morning," she said, reaching past him for the coffee pot. She wore running shorts and and a white tank top that clung to her frame…more casual than usual, and more distracting than he liked to admit. Jason couldn't tell if she was wearing a bra underneath, and he forced his eyes to stay on his coffee.
"Don't forget," she added, leaning against the counter. "Pool day."
"Like I could forget after you mentioned it three times yesterday," Jason replied, earning a small smile from Lily.
"Just making sure," Marissa said, sipping her coffee. "Meet you down there in twenty minutes?"
Jason nodded, finishing the last sip of his own cup before heading out.
The pool room was cavernous compared to their living quarters, with high ceilings and bright fluorescent lights that hummed overhead. The air felt dry and stale, carrying a musty odor of disuse. Their footsteps echoed as they walked around the empty basin…a concrete pit waiting to become something more.
"Gross," Marissa said, pointing at the grimy waterline stain that circled the pool's interior. "How long has it been since anyone's used this?"
"Dad mentioned they filled it once for a test run, not long before everything happened," Jason said, kneeling by the filtration system. "I guess they never got the chance to clean it afterward."
They divided tasks without much discussion. Jason took a long-handled brush to the pool floor while Marissa worked on the filter panel, unscrewing the cover with surprising efficiency.
"You've done this before?" he asked.
"Summer job at the community center," she replied. "Though their system was ancient compared to this."
Jason helped her rinse the filters in a utility sink, their shoulders occasionally bumping as they worked. The filters were in better shape than expected…another small mercy in their underground existence.
"I'll get the chemicals," Jason said, heading to the storage room. He returned with an armful of bottles 'chlorine, pH adjusters, algaecide' and set them carefully on the deck.
They sat cross-legged by the pool's edge, the maintenance manual open between them, consulting it as they measured chemicals and discussed ratios. The sound of water slowly filling the pool created a pleasant background rhythm.
"Remember when Dad used to throw us in?" Marissa asked, dipping her fingers in the rising water.
"And Mom would yell at him every time," Jason added, smiling at the memory.
Jason set the measuring cup aside and stood, wiping his hands on his shorts. Marissa rose beside him, brushing dust from her knees.
"Think it's ready?" he asked, eyeing the slowly filling pool.
Marissa stepped closer to the edge, peering down at the water. A sly smile spread across her face.
"Only one way to find out," she said, and before Jason could process her words, her hands were on his chest, shoving him backward.
"What the—" Jason flailed, instinctively grabbing her wrist as he teetered on the edge. For a split second, their eyes locked in mutual surprise before physics took over.
They hit the water together with a tremendous splash. The cold shocked Jason's system, stealing his breath as they plunged beneath the surface. He released Marissa's arm, kicking upward through the icy water until his head broke the surface with a gasp.
"Jesus Christ!" he sputtered, pushing wet hair from his eyes. "That's freezing!"
Marissa emerged a moment later, laughing as she trod water. "That wasn't part of my plan," she said, splashing him playfully.
"Your plan sucked," Jason shot back, but couldn't help grinning as he made his way to the edge.
He hauled himself out, clothes clinging uncomfortably to his skin. Water pooled around his feet as he stood shivering on the tile.
"Help me too," Marissa called, extending her hand upward.
Jason offered his hand to Marissa, the water dripping from his arm as he braced himself on the slick tile. She reached up with a mischievous grin, fingers curling into his as he pulled her out of the pool.
The air outside the water hit colder than he expected, sending a chill through his wet shirt. But it wasn't the cold that made him freeze.
Marissa straightened up in front of him, pushing back her soaked hair. Her tank top, now thoroughly drenched, clung tightly to her body—almost transparent in the light filtering through the overhead lambs.
Jason's eyes flicked downward before he could stop himself. He realized she wasn't wearing anything underneath. He could see a glimpse of her perfect round tits and hard nipples beneath the thin fabric, and for a moment, his thoughts stopped entirely.
His gaze lingered on her curves, perfectly shaped like gentle mounds beneath the wet fabric. Something primal stirred within him—an urge to reach out, to feel their softness against his palms, to taste her skin.
A fake cough snapped him back to reality. Marissa stood with eyebrows raised, watching his face.
"What the fuck am I thinking? For fuck's sake, what's wrong with me?" Jason mentally berated himself, feeling heat rush to his face. This was Marissa 'his sister' standing there watching him openly gawk at her body like some hormone-crazed teenager. The shame hit him in waves, followed quickly by confusion at his own reaction. He'd never looked at her that way before, and the sudden, primal response astonished him deeply.
"I guess you liked it, little pervert," Marissa jokingly teased, as she wrapped her arms around herself.
Jason flinched, attempting to conceal his discomfort. "What? I have no idea what you mean."
"Uh-huh," she said with a raised brow. "Looked like your brain went on vacation for a sec."
A flash of defensive anger surged through him. "You're the one who threw me into a freezing pool without warning and showed up to clean the pool without wearing a bra."
"And you're the one who stared like a deer in headlights after," she shot back, her voice light but edged with something more.
"I didn't stare," he protested, knowing he was lying.
"Sure you didn't," she teased, wringing water from her hair. "You know, if you wanted to see, you could've just asked."
"Very funny," Jason muttered, feeling his face burn despite the chill.
"I'm just messing with you," she said, laughing at his discomfort. "You're too easy."
"And you're impossible," he countered.
"Part of my charm," she said with a wink, water still dripping from her hair onto her shoulders. "I wanted to keep messing with you like this but I'm freezing." She wrapped her arms around herself, a slight shiver running through her body that Jason couldn't help but notice.
And just like that, she was gone, padding across the pool deck with quiet footsteps, leaving only wet footprints and the lingering scent of chlorine in her wake. Jason was unsure whether to feel relieved or disappointed that their strange encounter had ended so abruptly.
He remained where he was, surrounded by the stillness of the now-filling pool. He let out a slow breath, his heart still racing.
His thoughts wandered to the occasion when he'd unintentionally glimpsed Elaine without clothes, and now this strange interaction with Marissa. Either he'd always harbored some hidden deviant streak or this environment was seriously disrupting his normal boundaries. He had just engaged in flirtatious behavior with his sister only moments ago. He felt simultaneously terrified and oddly intrigued about the ultimate destination of this peculiar situation.