Catching Fire (Billdip AU)

Chapter 7

(Dipper pov)

We both practically carry Tyrone to my house. I just kick the door open knowing already that it will be unlocked.

"Mom! We need help help over here!"

My mom runs over to us and I see the look of horror cross her face before she manages to keep it together. "Bring him in here."

We follow her to the dining room where we lay Tyrone on his stomach on the table. "Mabel, get in here!" My mom yells for her urgently.

Mabel runs into the room and gasps seeing the state Tyrone is in.

"Oh my god..."

"Mabel, focus." My mom gets Mabel's attention.

I feel Bill's arms around me as he gently pulls me out of the room. He leads me outside and shuts the door as I hear Tyrone yell in pain. Bill sits me on thr front steps and I put my head in my hands as he sits next to me.

"What were you thinking by telling that guard to shoot you?"

"I don't know. I'm just so sick and tired of everything."

"...What did Tyrone say?"

"He won't leave. Says he wants to stay and fight back."

"That seems to be a lot of people's opinions, especially here. There's even people in district 4 that want to fight back."

"Why? Don't people know how dangerous it is to fight back?"

"I think people just don't care anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"People started fighting back after you volunteered for that kid. No one in this district ever volunteered before."

"I did that to give him a chance to survive."

"Maybe, but in the end you gave him the chance to fight. You gave everyone here that chance."

"But how? They'll kill everyone who tries to fight back."

"I don't know, but we'll figure something out."

"When do you have to leave?"

"Tomorrow, after the Quarter Quell announcement."

"That's coming up already?"

"Yup, this 75th hunger games they'll add some new bullshit rule."

"I just hope they don't double the number of tributes again."

"Who knows. I'm just glad that we don't have to be part of it and neither do our families." I hug my arms to myself shivvering as the sun slowly lowers into the west. "It's getting late, let's get to bed." He wraps an arm around my shoulders as we head inside.

I see Tyrone on the table still, passed out with a blanket covering him.

"Are you coming?" I look up at Bill.

"Yeah, you go on upstairs. I'll be up there in just a minute."

"Take your time." He softly kisses my forehead before he heads on upstairs.

I go over lifting the blanket off Tyrone slightly to see his entire back bandaged, blood staining ertain parts.

"It looks worse than it is."

I jump slightly before realizing that he's awake. I sit in a nearby chair and hold his hand.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I could run a marathon." He lightly jokes.

"What happened? When I got there it was just chaos."

"I don't even know how it started. I just saw a guard hitting an old woman so I tried to stop him. What hapened to your cheek there?"

"Nothing, I just got hit when I went to stop him from hurting you."

"It looks like it's swollen up a bit."

"I'm fine, you're the one people are worried about."

"Aw, Mason Jar is worried about me."

I laugh slightly at his teasing, it feeling like how things used to be before I was ever a part of those games.

................................

The next day we all sit in the living room watching the TV to hear the Quarter Quell anouncement. Tyrone sits next to Mabel and my mom on the couch while I sit next to Bill on the floor.

The new gamemaker stands in front of a podium on the screen. I can't remember his name for the life of me.

He opens a sealed envelope and takes our a paper reading from it.

"For the 75th hunger games, the tributes will be chosen fromprevious victors of the games with no age requirement."

It feels like everything around me stops as my brain tries to process what I had just heard. When it finally understands what this means I just get up and run out of there.

I eventually end up in the forest and collapse afainst a tree, screaming and sobbing as I hug my knees to my chest rocking myself back and forth, the snow and col feeling like it's cutting into the skin of my bare feet. I feel someone wrap their arms around me and I lean into the warm embrace once I recognize that it's Bill. He runs his fingers through my hair as I sob against his chest.

"I-I-I c-c-can't.....I-I....."

"Sh, calm down. Take a few deep breathes in and out to calm down a little."

I do as he advises before I try talking again.

"I can't do it again. I just can't. W-What if we both end up in the games again?"

"We'll figure it out, okay? Come on, let's go talk to Stan. This involves that old man too."

He keeps his arm around me as he helps me back to the district. We go to Stan's house, letting ourselves in and see Stan sitting in his living room drinking, more whiskey bottles surround his feet. He glances over at us.

"Figured you two would be here soon enough."

Bill sits me in an armchair. He declines the alcohol Stan offers him but I take it, grimacing as it burns down my throat."

"W-What if we both have to be in the games because we're the only victors of district 12?" I ask Stan before downing more whiskey.

"They won't do that, they'll just choose between the two of us. Bill, how many victors are in your district?"

"4. There's me, Finnick, Mags, and Annie."

"So we all have 50/50 odds. The best thing we can do now is train like hell and hope for the best. That understood you two?" We both nod before everything I just drank chooses to come back up onto Stan's already stained carpet.