Chapter Text
The last game of the season was going great, adrenaline pumping through Bakugou’s veins as he flew across the rink, the puck weaving between defenders seamlessly.
Tetsu Tetsu had possession, barreling down the ice with a clear path ahead—the rink was his. Looking around, he sees Bakugou wide open, the star of the team, and makes the pass, knowing it would guarantee their success and lead them to another goal, making the game a clear blowout. Tetsu Tetsu makes the pass, and Bakugou meets it with a slapshot straight into the net.
But before the goal horn could even sound, everyone in the crowd gasps, and the whistle blows. Bakugou turns around, confused, and sees Tetsu Tetsu on the ice—slamming the ice and crying out in pain.
Somewhere in his pivot, Tetsu Tetsu’s skate got stuck in a divot, and when he twisted to make the pass, his leg didn’t follow suit—his knee taking the full force of the turn. No replay necessary, it was clear what had happened.
The medical team rushed out. Tetsu Tetsu could not get up. He leaves the game on a stretcher amid a round of applause for his impeccable, albeit tragic, performance.
Hands were on helmets, heads down. Everyone knew what this could mean for Tetsu Tetsu. A nasty ACL tear? Tetsu Tetsu might have just played his last hockey game. Ever.
There were only around 10 seconds left on the shot clock. Neither team moved, the clock ticked down in absolute silence, in honour of their fallen teammate.
The Yokohama Grits won the match—or whatever.
—
The Grits return to practice the next day, and the mood is sombre. All anyone has on their minds is Tetsu Tetsu, and it’s hard to bear. Their plays are sloppy and slow, which is very atypical for this team, which is usually full of flashiness and has fans flocking to watch their games.
Even the star Bakugou, who, in fairness, always looks upset, somehow looks even more perturbed than usual. However, the entire mood of the team changes when Coach Aizawa walks in, but he doesn’t walk in alone.
“Everyone, welcome Kirishima to the team, he’s going to be training with you guys throughout the summer, and if all goes well, he’ll be a part of our starting lineup for the next season,” Aizawa says.
Kirishima smiles at the praise, “Thank you, Aizawa. I’m so grateful for this opportunity, I can’t wait to train with you all this season.”
Bakugou is disgusted. How dare they just go and get a knock-off Tetsu Tetsu, not even twenty-four hours after his injury? There’s no way this guy is any good anyway. If he couldn’t even be drafted, they just had to find his ass on the side of the road. While the entire team steps forward to shake hands and exchange pleasantries with Kirishima, Bakugou skates off by himself to continue practicing.
Even after the entire team has left, and practice has long ended, the sound of the puck sliding across the ice, the friction of a hockey stick against the ice can be heard as Bakugou continues to practice. The crowds have never really liked him that much when it comes to personality, but they can’t ignore the way he dominates the rink the second he steps on it. Bakugou was built for hockey, and that’s undeniable, but he must continue to prove himself; he cannot fade into the darkness after his rookie season. This will not be his peak.
After Bakugou puts away all of the pucks he used and hangs up his stick, he skates somberly into the locker room. He starts to remove his padding, and is met with an unfortunately familiar sight—Kirishima.
“Hey man, didn’t get to talk to you earlier, it’s nice to meet you, I’m Kirishima,” he says as he extends his hand to Bakugou.
“I know who you are,” he responds, ignoring the extended hand in favour of continuing to remove his padding, never fully meeting Kirishima’s eye.
“Okay then,” Kirishima looks around, unsure of where to look or what to do with his hands. “Do you always stay that late after practice?”
Bakugou withholds his grin, looking up from where he was untying his skates with a scowl, making eye contact with Kirishima for the first time, “Do you always ask so many questions?”
Kirishima finally gets a proper glimpse of his face and is taken aback, almost forgetting to respond to Bakugou’s initial question. After an uncomfortably long silence, right when Kirishima was about to answer, Bakugou, who had changed into his regular clothes and packed his hockey bag, was just about ready to venture back to his apartment, passed right by Kirishima, brushing against his side as he whispered,
“Get a fucking grip, Kirishima.”
—
At practice the next day, Bakugou is on his game. Sero and Kaminari, who usually have the time of their lives teasing Bakugou every day, just to piss him off, don’t even say a word today, as they are just in awe of the way he’s been performing.
Kirishima is new and has to prove himself, so he and Bakugou have to mesh well together, and he’s been doing quite well himself, even though the only thing on his mind is Bakugou. Get a fucking grip, Kirishima. The words echo in his head as he plays, but they don’t motivate him to play better. He doesn’t understand why Bakugou dislikes him so much; he tries to be a nice guy, so it doesn’t quite add up. They’re scrimmaging right now, with Kirishima and Bakugou on opposite teams. Kirishima has possession, absolutely flying down the rink; nothing can stop him. He feels free; the only things he can see are the ice, the goal, and the realization of his dreams. He hits the slap shot; however, he doesn’t make contact with the puck, as he’s shoved to the ground by Bakugou. Coach Aizawa blows the whistle, signaling the end of the scrimmage.
Kaminari skates over to Kirishima, looking down at him as he lies flat on his back on the ice. He crouches down with a huge grin, “Don’t worry about Kat, he’s just a bit… aggressive, to say the least, but he’s just a big cuddly teddy bear… who can beat the shit out of you. But he probably won’t!” Kirishima stares at him for a few moments before his face molds into confusion and he lets out an exasperated laugh, “Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Kaminari just smiles at him before extending a hand to help him up. Kirishima accepts and begins to stand up, slowly but surely. He skates towards the exit, passing Bakugou, who looks him up and down. He says nothing and walks into the locker room.