The puck was dropped, and I fell back to my line. The game was fast and furious, and I could see the Penguins defense fucking with Rigby, but he skated around them easily. He was fucking glorious on the ice. He’d always been a natural, like he’d been born with a stick in his hand and skates on his feet.

The guy had him on the boards, and whatever he was saying had Rigby throwing off his gloves and throwing hands. I skated up to them as another player swooped in as well.

“I’m going to fuck your little whore too, Engman. Think she likes all player cock or is she only into you pussies?” the guy taunted near his ear, and I saw red. I barreled into him, his helmet flying off and my fists pounding into the mouthy fuck’s face until the referees were in there, trying to drag me off.

Muss was beside me soon enough, fucking up some other player, until everyone on the ice was getting into it. The referees wisely got the fuck out of the way, and even Perrier came up and was laying into the Penguins goalie.

Toons was trying to keep the rest of the team on the bench, and I hoped they stayed. I was probably already fucked, but it was a ten-game match penalty if you left the bench to join in. The crowd were screaming like monkeys at the zoo, and I was throwing punches as someone else laid a hit into my temple, making the room spin.

“You fucking pussy piece of shit,” someone grunted at me, but I couldn’t see who it was from the blood running down my eyebrow and into my eye.

Finally, the referees dragged away the guy on top of me, and I grimaced with satisfaction that he was bleeding just as much as me. Muss grabbed Rigby from the refs, shoving him toward the bench, where the trainer was waiting to patch us up.

I noted Ludo had a bruise blooming on his cheek as well. I lifted my chin at him, and he grinned. “Can’t let you guys have all the fun.”

Except he said it just a little too loudly.

“Fun?” Toons said softly, ominously. “Fun... He thinks this is fucking fun? Get your ass in here, Ludo, before I beat the shit out of you myself.”

The referees slid over to the bench and unsurprisingly put both me and Rigby in the box. I’d been slightly worried that it was going to end in a match ban, but fuck them. No one talked about Nova like that. No one.