Sequel to "Unbeneficial"

Bakugou rolled his ankle a few times before stepping out onto the ice. He glided across with ease, his entire body tight and flamed with adrenaline. He was ready to beat these bastards.

Although… something was eating at him. Something in the back of his mind, wiggling away like a termite.

"Yo, Bakubro!" Kirishima glided up next to him and slung an arm around Bakugou's padded shoulders, pushing him out of his thoughts. "I bet you're super pumped to be officially playing again!"

"Tch. Duh, idiot," Bakugou said. He glanced past him to find Todoroki on the other side of the rink, his gaze focused elsewhere.

"That's all you have to say?" Kirishima asked. "Geez, I thought you'd be more excited than that."

"Hah?" Bakugou snapped, boring his red eyes at his friend. Kirishima took his arm from Bakugou's shoulders and gave a timid smile as he raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Easy, Chief. Just messing with you," he said. He lowered his hands and his expression turned more somber. "But you just seem a bit out of it. Everything okay?"

Bakugou frowned and then turned his gaze back towards Todoroki. He finally found what that half 'n half bastard was staring at.

Freakin' Deku.

Freakin' Deku who was chatting up Round Face by the rink's entrance.

Bakugou stared at Todoroki's expression again, noticing the obvious longing stare and hurt that was plastered on the poor idiot's face.

Then, it was at that moment that Todoroki chose to look at Bakugou, the same look of hurt on his face for a moment. It fell a bit when they locked eyes. Was it just Bakugou, or did he almost look more relaxed?

Bakugou's brows pinched and he gave Todoroki a knowing look, to which Todoroki nodded back and looked away, continuing his stare into oblivion.

"Bakugou?" Kirishima asked again.

Bakugou huffed out a breath and turned away from his over-excitable friend.

"Whatever, I'm fine. Let's just crush these bastards into the dust," he said gruffly.

"Ah, there's the Bakubro I know and love!" Kirishima said.

"Don't call me that, Shitty Hair!"

After a few moments of warming up around the ice, the referees blew their whistles. The UA team gathered around Coach Aizawa near the bench.

"All right," Aizawa started, looking down at his strategy board and then back up at the team. "I'm putting Midoriya upfront with Bakugou to start with. Todoroki, you stay back and provide backup in case we lose possession at the start."

"Yes, sir," the three said in unison.

As much as Bakugou hated being next to Deku, he had to admit that they really did make an excellent team on the front lines. Having Todoroki as their wing support would also put them at a great advantage.

Well, as long as Todoroki was mentally present.

He eyed the two-toned bastard and caught his eyes spacing out. He appeared to be looking at the board and listening to Aizawa

Bakugou sighed. These feelings and crap were the worst. He wished this feeling of heartache would go away. He hated that he was feeling jealous over Deku, of all people.

After a few more moments of strategic discussion, the teams broke out onto the ice and got into their positions. Bakugou headed towards the center circle, passing by Deku as he waved to Round Face in the audience. Disgusting.

"Ah, so you're the famous son of Enji!"

Bakugou skidded to a halt, just shy of the center circle, and turned towards the voice. He saw a taller opponent hovering in front of Todoroki, his larger frame hulking over him.

"What, no response?" the other student asked Todoroki. "Guess you're going to be just like him."

Bakugou felt his stomach do a gnarly twist. He suddenly wished he could trade places, sacrificing his front spot just to deck that asshole right in the face.

"Teams ready!" the head ref called.

Bakugou clicked his tongue in frustration and settled near the net in the middle of the ice. He got into position and waited for the dreadful drop of the puck in front of him.

Both Bakugou and the opposing player in front of him held their breath and watched as the puck fell, and as soon as it touched the ice, their sticks were swinging.

The crowd's cheering was almost a distraction tonight, but Bakugou tried to focus on getting that damned puck down the ice. He was determined to smack that thing right through the net.

"Deku!" Bakugou yelled as soon as he gained control of the puck.

"Here! Pass it!" he called in response.

Bakugou smacked the puck over to him and fell back, waiting for Todoroki to come up from behind to provide backup.

But as he turned, he found that Todoroki was nowhere to be seen.

"The hell…" Bakugou grumbled, twisting his head around.

He spotted Todoroki trying to get around that same opponent he had faced earlier, but instead of the other player blocking Todoroki's path, he was acting very aggressive, using his shoulder to dig into Todoroki's chest.

"C'mon, let's see it!" Bakugou heard the guy say to Todoroki. "Let's see that fire that you inherited from your trashy father!"

Bakugou frowned and spun on his heel, readying to charge at the bastard.

"Kacchan!" Deku's voice called, making him stop in his tracks. He turned towards the net and saw Deku being blocked by two opponents.

"Damnit," Bakugou grumbled under his breath.

He growled and raged towards the net, making himself available. Deku slapped the puck in his direction, making the pathway very clear. He could see an opening in the net as the goalie was still preoccupied with Deku. He swung back his stick, aimed, and—

"Augh!"

Bakugou felt his stomach twist as he heard a pained scream and a harsh thus against the wall. He whirled around and saw Todoroki on the ground, his eyes gazing up at his opponent, who was staring down at him with a smug smirk on his face.

"Kacchan!"

Bakugou snapped back to reality and heard the distinct click of a stick hitting the ice, and suddenly, the puck was gone.

"Shit!" Bakugou yelled.

"C'mon, we've got to give Kirishima and Iida some backup!" Deku said, flying by him.

Bakugou growled and hurried down the rink, keeping a watchful eye as Todoroki stood back onto his blades and headed down to help.

Good. At least he wasn't injured.

He surged ahead, not without hearing another, "Enji's son bastard," coming out of that idiot's mouth. Bakugou shook his head and headed down the rink, coming up to shove a Shiketsu player out of the way to overtake the puck. Another player was gaining on him, and he could practically feel his breath on his neck.

With a frustrated growl, Bakugou shouted, "Kirishima!"

"On it!" Kirishima yelled, coming in fast to shove the Shiketsu player away, giving Bakugou room.

Bakugou slid behind their home goal, sliding past Iida, their goalie, and skated back towards the center. On his way, Todoroki sidled up next to him, giving him a knowing nod. Bakugou nodded back and passed him the puck. It should give them the edge that they so desperately needed. To score first would give their team a huge advantage.

"Not so fast, son of Enji!"

A body slammed into Todoroki's again, shoving him away and causing him to slam into the wall. The Shiketsu player slammed into him hard, causing Todoroki's head to bash against the protective glass.

What the hell was this guy's problem?!

"So? Are you going to light up the rink like your bastard of a father? C'mon, what's the holdup?" he goaded. He pushed Todoroki harder against the glass wall. "Let me see it, you shithead!"

"Get… off!" Todoroki gargled out, and he pushed the opponent off. What was when Bakugou saw a thin line of red coming from Todoroki's lip. His mouth guard must've pinched as his head hit the wall.

"What's the matter? Scared of becoming just like him?" the Shiketsu student said, shoving Todoroki back against the wall.

Bakugou frowned, his skating slowly coming to a halt. He heard Deku whiz by him, calling out to him, but he couldn't quite focus. He was too busy holding his breath in his chest, and it burned.

"C'mon. Show me the filthy bastard that flows inside your veins!" the Shiketsu player yelled. He shoved Todoroki back, making his back hit the glass again, dammit. "C'mon, you heartless piece of shit! You shouldn't even be a hockey player! You should just go and die alone, just like your father will end up."

Todoroki's hands curled into fists, and Bakugou could see his shoulders rise in tension. He could still hear Deku vaguely calling out to him, but he still couldn't find it in himself to move.

"Heh, your dad must be a real piece of work," the student continued, "for your mom to be admitted into a mental hospital!"

The hell? How in the world did this guy know all this? It wasn't public knowledge, was it? Todoroki had come to the team a while ago to admit his situation, but had someone really leaked it? His father was an icon in the sports realm, but he was an expert at keeping his dirty family history under wraps. How did this lonely student know—

"Shut… up!"

Bakugou's train of thoughts was interrupted when Todoroki shoved back at the Shiketsu student, shoving him back away from him. The Shiketsu student laughed at first, but when Todoroki threw his stick on the ground, his smile vanished.

There was a beat, and then the Shiketsu student dropped his stick down and then threw a wicked punch at Todoroki's helmet, knocking his head sideways. Bakugou saw a bloody mouth guard fly out of his helmet and skid across the ice.

"Shit," Bakugou heard from behind, and he turned his head to see Kirishima standing next to him. "What do we do?"

Bakugou frowned, his chest bubbling with anger as he turned his gaze back on the Shiketsu student, who now had thrown a punch so hard that Todoroki fell to the ice.

"I'm gonna kick that guy's ass!" Bakugou growled, readying himself to step in.

Kirishima grabbed his arm and hauled him back, making them slide across the ice a bit.

"You can't! You were just cleared to get back on the ice! And you're still in a tough spot since you fought in the match that you were injured in!" Kirishima said. "Aizawa will have your head if you fight again!"

Bakugou snarled, readying to slam into that asshole—

Another thud, and all of a sudden, Todoroki was on the ice without his helmet. The other player ripped off his own helmet, showing off his shaven head, and threw it aside to use his fists. Todoroki did the best he could at defending himself, trying to get in a few punches himself, but since he was on the ground, it made it much more difficult.

"Holy shit," Kirishima said.

"That's it!" Bakugou growled, throwing down his stick.

He raced across the ice and towards the two who were still in the middle of a rough scuffle. His fist was raised behind his head as his momentum propelled him forward. He was almost ready to strike, his teeth bared and his lips snarled—

A black and white uniform suddenly came into Bakugou's field of vision, and two hands pressed against his shoulder pads.

"What the—" Bakugou said, startled.

He glanced up to see a referee staring him down with a warning glare. He didn't have to say a word for Bakugou to understand what it truly meant.

Bakugou straightened his back and frowned, peering around the referee to see that the Shiketsu bastard and Todoroki had finally been pulled apart. Both of their faces were battered, with the Shiketsu student sporting a split lip and Todoroki's nose busted with blood flowing down to his chin. There was also a cut on his temple that made his white hair almost pink in color. He was a complete mess.

Once they were separated on the ice, the head referee held up a red card, pointing directly towards both the Shiketsu student and Todoroki.

Bakugou felt his stomach flip.

They were both being ejected from the game.

"Is he serious?" Kirishima asked sadly as the crowd started to boo. "They don't usually suspend players over this."

"There's a lot of blood," Iida said, suddenly by their sides. "They try to discourage such behavior on the university level."

Bakugou glanced at the two of the fighting players, noting that the Shiketsu player was wearing a smug look on his face.

That bastard.

He started all of this knowing it would escalate.

He wanted to go over to that prick, son of a bitch and shove his fist right up his—

"What the hell were you doing?!"

Bakugou snapped his head to the side to see Deku approaching Todoroki. Even with his helmet on, Bakugou could tell that Deku's brows were scrunched up in that weird way they do when he's angry and concerned at the same time. He wasn't sure which emotion Deku felt more at this moment, but Bakugou knew that he was probably a mess inside.

Todoroki glanced up at Deku with a hurt look on his bloodied face for only a moment before he skated around him and stepped out of the rink. He was slow-moving, which indicated to Bakugou that he was in more pain than he was leading on. That idiot better not have broken anything.

Aizawa sent in Kaminari to replaced Todoroki, and then he turned towards the battered UA student to mumble a few words and then immediately dismissed him from the arena. Todoroki took a moment to breathe and then, with sagging shoulders, he fled down the tunnel and out of sight.

"Damn it," Bakugou heard himself mutter. He turned just in time to glare at that Shiketsu idiot, who looked surprised by Bakugou's expression. Good. Let him be scared shitless. After that small exchange, the player left the rink to disappear down his own tunnel to the away team locker room.

Deku sighed in a frustrated huff. "What a mess," he said as he glanced off to the exit. "I just don't understand what he was thinking. He doesn't usually pick fights like this! I thought he was more level-headed!"

Bakugou suddenly felt a burning sensation in his gut and chest. It wasn't like the satisfying burn he got whenever he ate spicy ramen. No, this burning was sickening and continued to boil up to his ears: a heat that made his entire body shake. It quickly pulled tighter and threatened to explode in his veins. He wanted to hold back, be someone who didn't rage.

"I really thought I knew him well enough," Deku said. "I thought we were best friends."

Bakugou was simply going to just roll his eyes and focus back on the game at hand, but when Deku's quiet click of his tongue in disgust followed his statement, Bakugou lost it.

He whirled around and stared Deku down. "You know nothing," he spat with venom in his voice. "And stop acting like you're this perfect little shit. You don't even realize when you hurt him, do you?"

Deku flinched, his eyes blowing wide. "K-Kacchan, what are you—"

"Whatever," Bakugou interrupted as he shoved into Deku's shoulder and skated past. "Let's just kick these guys' asses. I'm sick of this shit anyway tonight."

He was surprised his voice didn't shake with how much anger was flowing through his body. He wouldn't have cared if it did.

All he wanted to do now was pound these assholes until they looked twice as beaten down as Todoroki did when he left the ice with his shoulders heavy.

He glared over his shoulder at his teammates. "Let's rip them a new one."

They ended up winning by one measly point. And it was a chip shot, not even anything worth noting. A stroke of luck by a stray shot by Kaminari that hit the pole of the net. It almost bounced off, leaving them in a tie, but the Shiketsu goalie knocked it back into their net by mistake.

What a joke. A totally and completely tasteless victory.

Bakugou felt like he needed to brush his teeth 20 times to get it off of his tongue.

"Geez," Sero said as he plopped down on the bench in the locker room. "That was brutal."

"You're telling me," Kaminari said as he slumped down next to him. He bobbed his head over to Iida. "How you doin', man? You had some nice saves!"

Iida sighed as he wiped off his face with a towel and placed his glasses on his nose.

"I'm afraid it will be an early night for me. I didn't think this game would be so taxing," Iida said.

"At least we won. Right?" Kirishima said with a small, wobbly smile.

No one answered him, but he didn't look too disheartened by the silence. Everyone was ready to just collapse into their beds for the night.

Bakugou, however, was still buzzing with the lasting effects of rage that he had throughout the entire match. He took out his anger on every single Shiketsu player he could and even got several penalties. Aizawa, no doubt, was angry with him.

He didn't really care, though. He got his point across and hoped those idiots, and Deku, learned their lessons tonight.

Speaking of which, that small bastard was quiet and contemplative.

Good. It seemed he was taking his comments seriously. The idiot.

Bakugou glanced around the locker room, his eyes zeroing in on Todoroki's locker and cabinet. His helmet rested neatly on the counter underneath his locker. He had completely left, but where was the ultimate question.

"Man, can you believe that fight?" Kaminari asked.

"I know!" Sero commented. "I can't believe Todoroki did that!"

Bakugou bit his lip and quickly began to strip out of his uniform. He didn't want to hear this. Not now. He turned to see Deku looking at them with furrowed brows.

"It did seem a little out of character for him," Iida commented.

"Yeah, I didn't think he'd have it in him to start a fight," Satou said.

Bakugou slammed his locker door shut, making the locker room go silent.

"He didn't start the fight. That bald asshole from Shiketsu insulted his family, his mother!" Bakugou shouted. He slammed his helmet on the counter and threw his duffle bag over his shoulder and headed to the locker room exit. "You assholes know nothing!"

"Whoa, hey! Bakugou, wait!" Kirishima called.

"Yeah, hang on—" Kaminari called.

He heard a cacophony of "wait's" and "what happened" as he slammed the locker room door shut behind him. He hurried out of the university ice sports complex and headed straight for the dorms, his legs protesting each step.

The sun had already dipped below the horizon, but there were dark clouds looming overhead. He could smell rain in the air just before he entered the dorm entrance.

The first place he went was straight to the elevator and up to Todoroki's room. He was nearly panting by the time he reached his door and he pounded on it.

"Oi, half 'n half idiot!" Bakugou called. "Open up!"

He was met with silence.

Bakugou twisted his lips and banged again on the door.

"Todoroki!" he called, his tongue feeling strange for even saying his name.

Once again, no response.

"Damn. Where the hell did you go?" Bakugou said under his breath. He thought about calling him, but he doubted the bastard would answer. He probably wasn't even on campus anymore.

With a sigh, Bakugou readjusted his duffle bag, which had slid down his arm during his insistent pounding, and headed back to the elevator to get to his floor. His brain was still buzzing unpleasantly. He hated this sickening feeling that was swirling around in his stomach. The combinations of jealousy and hatred and anger and concern and worry were enough to make him want to throw up.

He wished there was a magic spell to get rid of a crush. Was it even just a crush anymore?

Damn it. He was falling for the bastard, wasn't he?

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, signaling to Bakugou that he was just one step closer to a sleepless night.

But as soon as he got off the elevator, he froze in his tracks.

There, sitting in front of his door with his head buried in his arms, was Todoroki.

"For crying out loud!" Bakugou shouted.

Todoroki jumped and lifted his head from his knees, staring blearily up at Bakugou as he approached. His face was black and blue and there were still remnants of blood in both his hair and on his chin.

You're beautiful, Bakugou's brain supplied.

"You're a dumbass!" Bakugou's mouth shouted instead.

Todoroki blinked at him, his brows lowering a bit. He looked exhausted and spent, but he still looked gorgeous.

Bakugou sighed and extended his hand down to him. "C'mon. Get up."

Todoroki grabbed his hand without hesitation and let Bakugou pull him to his feet.

"Nng." Todoroki winced on the way up, his hand coming up to touch his ribs.

"The hell is wrong?" Bakugou asked, his brows furrowed as he stared at Todoroki's torso.

"Just… sore," Todoroki said.

Bakugou finally released his hand and looked over his bruised face. The cut on his temple was still wide open but no longer oozing blood, and now that he looked more closely, that bastard's pupils were unevenly sized.

"Did you see a medic?!" Bakugou shouted.

Todoroki winced again. "Not so loud. Headache."

"You idiot! You're concussed!" Bakugou said.

Todoroki shrugged. "I didn't black out. It's mild."

"Did you get anything treated?" Bakugou said, fishing out his key to his dorm room and opening it up.

Todoroki gently rubbed his ribs. "I showered and cleaned the cuts."

"That's not enough!" Bakugou said. He grabbed Todoroki's sleeve and gently pulled him inside. "C'mon. Sit on the bed, let's get you actually treated."

He led Todoroki to his bed and gently pushed him down. He reached under the bed and pulled out his first aid kit.

"How did the game go?" Todoroki asked softly.

Bakugou pulled out gauze and tape. "We won by one point. Take off your shirt."

Todoroki frowned at him. "Why?"

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "I see the way you're holding yourself, idiot. I need to see the damage."

Todoroki frowned harder. "I checked it in the shower."

"Yeah, well, your judgment isn't really at its best today, is it?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Bakugou wanted to bash his skull in. But Todoroki didn't look hurt by it. He only looked tired, even fed up with himself.

"I suppose you're right," Todoroki said.

He reached down to grab the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head slowly and with painful grunts.

Bakugou winced at the black and mottled bruising that spread around his right ribcage.

"Shit," Bakugou said, reaching out to touch it.

Todoroki hissed as Bakugou's fingers grazed his ribs. Bakugou frowned hard when Todoroki's eyes shut tightly as he pressed, searching for any disfiguration in his ribs.

"Well, I don't think anything's broken," Bakugou said. "But your whole right side of your ribs are probably severely bruised."

Todoroki nodded, his face tight. "I figured as much."

Bakugou sighed and reached for the bruising cream and bandages.

"I'll wrap them tonight just in case. But go to the freakin' hospital tomorrow, got it?" Bakugou said.

"Mmn," Todoroki said with a grunt.

He rubbed Todoroki's ribs with the cream and then gently and precisely wrapped the bandages around his upper torso. He then put bandages over the cuts on Todoroki's face and temple, and then cracked an ice pack for Todoroki to press over his ribs.

"There. Keep it here, got it?" Bakugou said.

"Okay. Thank you, Bakugou," Todoroki said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Bakugou sat down next to him and fell back onto the bed, putting his hands under his head and staring up at the ceiling. He breathed deeply and let his body relax.

"You staying here tonight?" Bakugou asked.

Todoroki looked back at him. "If that's all right."

Bakugou shrugged. "Whatever makes you comfortable, I guess."

Todoroki hummed, turning back around and leaning forward a bit. Bakugou could see the knobs in his spine, the thick muscles in his back as he moved. He reached out and touched his spine gently, making Todoroki jump.

He glanced back at Bakugou, his eyes a bit glazed. He put the ice pack down and carefully maneuvered himself until his head was resting on Bakugou's chest.

"Oi. You should stay awake for a bit since you're concussed," Bakugou said.

"Then keep me awake," Todoroki said.

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "And how do you want me to do that?"

He felt Todoroki shrug. "Just… talk to me. I guess."

Well, this was new.

Normally, staying awake for them meant making out for hours on end and then jerking each other off. But neither of them were in any kind of mood.

Bakugou reached up and gently began to stroke Todoroki's hair. "The team is worried, you know."

Todoroki hummed, tracing patterns over Bakugou's chest. "I want to apologize to everyone."

"Tch. For what? For sticking up for your family?" Bakugou asked.

Todoroki tilted his head up a bit to peer up at Bakugou. "You could hear what he was saying?"

"I was paying enough attention," Bakugou said. "That guy was an asshole and deserved to get a beating. Especially from you."

Todoroki nuzzled his face into Bakugou's chest and sighed. "That means a lot. Especially coming from you."

"Oi, don't push it or I'll take it back!" Bakugou said, lightly pinching Todoroki's arm.

"Sorry, sorry," Todoroki said, and Bakugou could tell he was smiling.

They were quiet for a few moments as Bakugou idly stroked Todoroki's hair. Bakugou was starting to wonder if Todoroki had fallen asleep, but he heard him breathe in sharply.

"I think Midoriya is angry with me," Todoroki said softly.

It felt like a dagger to Bakugou's chest, but he quickly squashed that feeling down. He knew he could never compete with that dumb Deku. But he wished he could at least be considered as a proper candidate. For crying out loud, Bakugou was the one with Todoroki right now! And where was Deku? Not with Todoroki.

"He's a dumbass who jumped to conclusions," Bakugou snapped. He took a deep breath. "He's probably more confused than anything."

Todoroki sighed. "Oh." He grabbed a handful of Bakugou's shirt. "Well, if he is mad at me, then maybe that's a good thing."

Bakugou lifted a brow. "Why the hell would that be a good thing?"

Todoroki took in another breath, seemingly to calm himself. "To give us distance." He tilted his head up at Bakugou again. "So I can get over him."

Bakugou felt his heart skip. Todoroki was officially giving up on Deku? Really?

Did this mean…

Did Bakugou have a chance?

"Don't think so hard about it," Todoroki said, resting back down on Bakugou's chest. "Thank you, Bakugou. For listening." He smoothed out Bakugou's shirt and sighed contentedly. "And for being here with me right now. I don't… I don't want to think about where I'd be tonight if you kicked me out of your room."

Bakugou closed his eyes and sighed. He didn't want to think that, either.

As rain began to patter against the window, Bakugou rolled over onto his side and gently wrapped his arms around Todoroki, planting a kiss on his forehead.

"You're welcome, Todoroki."