Chapter Text
Punch, kick, dodge, kick…. Tommy punched his opponent square in the jaw.
Another win.
Looks like the late-night training sessions really did pay off.
It’s not like Tommy wanted to fight the guy, but the only other option was getting knocked out himself, going to the infirmary and possibly losing days of training.
He can’t let that happen.
After all, The Games are only a couple of weeks away. Of course, there is always a chance that his name doesn’t get pulled out of the big bowl, but everyone knows that the so-called “lottery” is rigged. Only the most troublesome of them get picked… Look, It’s really not Tommy's fault that those douchebags decided to pick on Shroud. If that means that he's going to have a bigger chance of getting picked, at least there’s a possible way of getting out, right?
That aside, right now his biggest priority is training.
He’s been one of the best fighters for a while now, but all that did was just put a big ol’ target on his back saying “Hello there, I’m a threat! You should probably get rid of me!’
He hadn’t been in this many fights for a long time.
All the more reason to believe that he’ll go to The Games.
When the coach declared the fight over, Tommy went straight to the cafeteria of the facility, accompanied by a guard, of course. After all, he was almost missing lunch, the only time of the day when all the different hybrid types (excluding natural predators like foxes) could see each other. And that meant that lunch was Tommy's only way of seeing Tubbo.
After maneuvering through the maze of white corridors that was the facility, Tommy reached his destination and immediately spotted his target. The bee hybrid sitting at their usual table waving him over.
Tubbo was shorter than Tommy, even though he was older. He had brown hair that sometimes covered his blue eyes, as well as a pair of thin wings on his back and antennas on his head, thanks to his bee genes. Tommy thought that he might have some radiation flowing through his veins.
Tommy himself was a fairly tall teen, with blond hair and blue eyes. Though he looked skinny, from all his time in the facility, he knew how to throw a punch. If it weren’t for his red wings he could’ve easily passed as a normal human. But Mother Nature decided that he is a cardinal hybrid.
Tommy walked closer to the table, the guard no longer in sight, Tubbo immediately got up and pulled him into a tight hug. Tommy might have hugged Tubbo back, though he’ll never admit it out loud.
“Good to see you bossman” Tubbo grinned.
“Y’know we met yesterday right?” Tommy asked, a little confused.
“Well yeah, but you never know what could happen with people in here”
That was… a whole lot of truth. The facility was known to experiment on the hybrids they kept there. Some never came back from the experimentation room.
But that was just the sad life of the facility. It was built on the promise to protect civilians from the hybrids since supposedly they’re dangerous, but if it really was trying to do that, it was doing a shit job at it, if the president being a goat hybrid was anything to go by (Tommy heard that from a member of the facility that joined quite recently, but nobody knew for sure so it probably was just a rumor). There were also some hybrids that had bribed the government so they were left alone, but as far as Tommy knew they could still be reported and taken away, so... equality, yay!
If you weren't from a well-known family and happened to be born as a hybrid, there was only one way out of the grip of the facility.
You had to win The Games.
If you win, you were granted citizenship and allowed to leave, if you lose, well…
The premise of The Games is simple enough. Every year 100 of the hybrids from the facility, starting from age 10, are selected to compete in The Games. The contestants can apply willingly, or all the names are thrown into a giant bowl, and then the gamemasters pick the necessary amount at random.
Then, as on the switch of a button, hell breaks loose.
All of them are let in an arena (most often a forest), with different dangers and challenges each year.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a friend, family or a stranger, they are all your enemies now.
If you don’t kill it, it’ll kill you.
There can only be one winner.
100 to 1.
These odds are exactly what repelled most of the hybrids from applying. They would rather live their life trapped, but without having to kill their friends.
Oh, and did I mention that it’s also broadcasted as public entertainment?
Tommy had the urge to tell Tubbo that it’s alright and they’ll be fine.
“Clingy” Tommy snickered instead.
Tubbo scowled and crossed his arms pretending to be hurt.
“If you think they can get rid of me, Tubzo, you are greatly mistaken. Nobody can kill me!” Tommy stated to a now chuckling Tubbo.
Tommy felt another pair of hands wrapping around his leg.
“I missed you too”
“Shroud! I didn’t see you there buddy. How’s it going?” Tommy said, picking the kid up.
Shroud had black hair and red eyes. He was a spider hybrid and Tommy's little brother. That doesn’t mean that they could stay in the same enclosure though, with them being different types of hybrids and all that good stuff.
Shroud turned 10 recently and The Games were coming up. Tommy couldn’t say that he wasn’t worried, but the spider hybrid had a pretty low chance of being picked. After all, he isn't a troublemaker, so he shouldn’t be the game maker's first choice.
“Hi!” Tubbo greeted Shroud, giving him a high five.
“Hello!” Shroud responded with a smile.
“Alright, we’re all here, let’s go and eat, I’m starving” Tommy suggested.
“You’re always starving.” Tubbo pointed out.
“Oi, fuck you, bitch” Tommy exclaimed and put his little brother down. "I’m thinking of a 3-second head-start. Three. ”
“Wha-”
“Two”
Tubbo understood and bolted away.
“One, come here dickhead.”
Tubbo screeched trying to outrun Tommy.
After a bit, Tubbo stumbled and Tommy caught him.
“No, please!” Tubbo begged while Tommy tickled the hell out of him, with Shroud laughing in the background.
When they calmed down, the trio went to get their food and sat down to eat.
After a while of joking around and updating each other on their lives, Shroud had to go. Since he was younger, he had a different schedule than Tommy and Tubbo.
When he was gone, Tommy turned to Tubbo.
“The Games are soon”, the blonde stated, in a more serious tone.
“Yup” Answered Tubbo, popping the p.
“Tubbo… I have a feeling that I might get picked this year.” Tommy continued, not daring to look into the brunette's eyes.
“Don’t say that! You don’t know whose name they’ll pull out of the bowl.”
“Oh, for god's sake Tubbo, you know very well that the so-called ‘lottery’ is fucking rigged. And they’re mad at me for disobeying the rules and being a ‘bad example.’” Tommy snapped.
Tubbo flinched at the sudden raise of his voice. Tommy knew he shouldn’t have done that
“I’m sorry, I just thought that-” the brunette started to mumble.
“No, no It’s fine” The blonde stressed “Sorry for snapping at you, that was completely uncalled for.”
Tubbo glanced at Tommy, not completely convinced that he won't shout again.
“But still, surely there are other people they’ll focus on,” Tubbo suggested, still a little cautious.
“Look… I’m not saying that my name is going to be drawn, I’m just taking the precautions necessary”
Tubbo looked at him confused.
“It’s just that” Tommy sighed “ Can… Can you promise me something Tubbo?”
“Of course,” Tubbo said immediately.
“If I’m picked, emphasis on the if, can u please take care of Shroud? I know it’s a weird request since he’s my brother, not yours, but I just-”
“Tommy” Tubbo interrupted, cutting him off.
“Don’t worry, I will. If that day comes I swear I’ll take care of him.” Tubbo promised, squeezing Tommy's hand reassuringly.
Tommy smiled.
“Thank you Tubbo, you don’t know how much this means to me.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Tubbo hugged Tommy.
And with that Tommy knew that no matter what, Tubbo would stick to that promise.
“I don’t deserve a friend like you,” Tommy said quietly.
“Neither do I” Tubbo whispered back.
And even though the two couldn't promise to protect each other, they knew, that no matter what the other would stay by their side, even if it meant death.