mekachu04 | Waving your Banner

Waving your Banner (1861 words) by Mekachu04
Fandom: Good Omens (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley (Good Omens), Gabriel (Good Omens), Metatron (Good Omens), Sandalphon (Good Omens), Michael (Good Omens), Hastur (Good Omens), Uriel (Good Omens), Ligur (Good Omens), Satan | Lucifer (Good Omens), Dagon (Good Omens), Beelzebub (Good Omens), Brother Francis (Good Omens), Nanny Ashtoreth (Good Omens), Background & Cameo Characters
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Hockey, Fights, Drinking, Concussions, Hereditary Enemies, Francis is not Aziraphale, Nanny is not Crowley, Vomiting, couple of eff-bombs, delayed medical attention, hurt!Aziraphale, Concussion-induced Vomiting

Because I really like hockey. Every season, i sit there, cheering on my team, wondering what my current fixation would look like as a hockey team. This year, it's Good Omens.

And, because it's me, it's also written for the prompt 'secret injury'
At this point, this is a one shot. but i reserve the right to come back and play later.

Title from "We will Rock You" by Queen, the universal Sports Anthem

Teams and their Starting Line Ups:

The St James Archangels

Mikayla Aella = Michael (captain, forward center)

Gabek Riel = Gabriel (forward right)

Yuri El = Uriel (forward left)

Sanford Phon = Sandalphon (right def)

Matthew Tron = Metatron (left def)

Alisar Zayden (AZ) Fell = Aziraphale (goalie)

The Damion Lake Demons

Lucifer Morningstar = Satan (captain, forward center)

Asherah Danica = Dagon (forward right)

Anthony James (AJ) Crowley = Crowley (forward left)

Duncun Ligur = Ligur (right def)

Hastur LaVista = Hastur (left def)

Beladona Beavis = Beelzebub (goalie)

Staff included in this story, but not mentioned by name:

On-ice officials

War = Referee

Pollution and Famine = Linesmen

Off-ice officials

Death = Video goal judge

Brian and Wensleydale = Goal judges

Adam = Game Timekeeper

Pepper= Penalty Timekeeper

Anathema = Announcer

Newt = Official Scorer

Tracy = Statistician

Other

Shadwell = Zamboni driver

The worst part about playing the St James Archangels was the absolutely holy-er-than-though attitude that goes along with them, win or lose. Anthony James ("Please call me 'AJ' ") Crowley had been playing for the Damion Lake Demons since they started six years ago, and playing St James was the low point of every single season. It was by the grace of the hockey gods they'd yet to have to play them post season yet, but Anthony wasn't holding his breath that their luck would would much longer. The league had expanded this year, and the new shuffle put them in opposite conferences. And both had been playing well this season, leading many to speculate them both in the running for their conference's championship this year. If that held, St James and Damion Lake would be playing off for the finals.

Anthony almost wondered in winning the Harp Cup was worth having to play a full series against St James.

At least, that was a full half-season in front of them, and tonight, they just needed to get though this one game. On the surface, Damion Lake looked like the more aggressive team - they did throw the most punches, and they held the league record in combined penalty minutes because of it. But, no one would ever claim Damion's fought dirty. Mean, sure. But every hit was a clean as they could get, and most fans - the whole league minus St James' supporters anyway - would also agree that most of the tossing of hands was deserved.

St James fans, however, didn't see it that way. Neither did the St James' players. The problem - in Anthony's option, as he took his place in the face off across from Archangel's Gabek 'Gabby' Riel - was that St James was a team of ass-hats who either paid off the refs, or just had miraculous timing in dirty hits, and rarely got called out on them. Which meant enforcers like Damion's own Duncan Ligur or Hastur LaVista had their work cut out for them keeping the game in check since the refs clearly didn't. Problem was 'Decking Duke' and 'Hasta LaVista' didn't like Anthony all that much, and only tended to step in if they started falling behind in the score board.

Gabby only had an inch and 5 pounds on Anthony, but he played like this was rugby or American football, throwing himself over the line at puck drop to tackle Anthony to the ice. Anthony knew it was coming, but still manged to get knocked on his back each time. The swarm of players were usually down the ice by the time he got to his skates - luckily, Captain Lucifer Morningstar had won the face-off with Captain Mikayla Aella, and he and Asherah Danica are already antagonizing St James' defense, Tron and Phon. Anthony worked his way to his spot, planting skates right in front of St James' goalie, Alisar Zayden ("Please call me 'AZ' ") Fell.

Fell is the only likable player on the entire St James' roster, in Anthony's option. Maybe it was because Fell had never personally attempted to give Anthony a concussion on the ice, or tried to break his nose off the ice. He does get a sharp shove to the back of his knees for hovering too close to Fell's box; but it lacks the underhandedness one has come to expect from the rest of St James' players.

For a very short moment, it's like playing against any of the sane teams. And then Sanford Phon shoves the handle of his stick up under Crowley's pads when LaVista checks Matthew Tron into one of the linesman. Anthony's working on getting his breath back, and he can hear a harsh 'Sanford!' being hissed by the goalie behind him.

"Oh shut up Fell."

The second period plays out more like the first, and Anthony groans around a bruised rib as they skate off to the locker room to try and find a way to fight back onto the board.

Anthony's passing back up to Duke as he gets swarmed by Riel, Aella, and Yuri El. Morningstar and Danica work to keep the St James' trio from getting back into place and LaVista takes the pass up to try a shot of his own. There's too many bodies for a clean shot, and he's coming in fast. Phon trips him up, and Fell clears the puck, but can't clear the net in time to avoid behind slammed into by LaVista.

The net's pulled off the stakes, LaVista going fast enough the net's back bar hits the boards. LaVista ends up going under Fell when the net stops abruptly, and both players end up in a pile of pads and limbs. Duke takes offence to the fact the refs don't think a call of some kind should be made, and is right up in Phon's face. The linesmen are busy trying to keep that from becoming a fist fight, when Aella shoves Morningstar. Anthony ends up with a fistful of Riel's sweater, and with just about five minutes left in this god awful game, it's looking like it might be a bench clearing brawl. Beladona Beavis, Damion's own goalie, has skated up to the center line, but with Fell still down in a pile with LaVista, she's just eyeing St James' Backup goalie, daring him to skate out.

Anthony wasn't looking; he's punching Reil's handsome fucking perfect chiseled jaw (he hopes that's the jaw breaking, not his hand). By now, the crowd is loosing what shit is left in reserve, and sure enough, the benches are empty and their coaches are screaming at each other, only held apart by assistant and equipment coaches.

He's skating off to the locker room with enough penalty minutes that he'd rather sit out the next game than look at what that fine is gonna cost him, and a tooth he's pretty sure belongs to Reil. If it does end up belonging to any of the St James' team, he's getting that bastard but on a chain and giving it to Morningstar for Christmas. Coach has already been escorted out of the building after he charged out onto the ice and decked St James' coach, so the assistant coach has him and rest of his line shower and change while they try and finish the end of the game. Anthony listened to the radio play the last five minutes - it stretches out for another 10 - and Damion actually gets it tied back up under the last minute.

Shame none of them will be skating for OT. The announcer's chirping on Fell for not making that last save, and Morningstar, who is actively watching the game on his phone, makes a noise of agreement. "I think you rung his bell after all, Hastur."

Ligur and Hastur crowd their captain, watching the replay, "Still playen' better than that back up they got," Liger grumbles.

Three on three turns to shootout; what ever luck they had in getting that far fails them, as they can only get one past Fell to St James' two.

"Still," preens their captain, "Got the point for OT. Shootout loss isn't anything to cry about."

St James has crashed their pub by the time the Damions are finished being yelled at; Coach was still in the parking lot, and personally chewed them out one at a time as they left. Francis and Ashtoreth, the pub owners, have literally drawn a line down the middle of the establishment, and Ashtoreth promises to personally kick the ass of any player crossing it.

Both teams agree to her conditions, but that doesn't stop them from throwing words as the drinks flow.

Anthony's ducking out for a smoke, giving Francis a grateful look as the weird old man lets him duck out the service entrance to avoid having to smoke in sight of St James, the hypocritical wankers. He's caught Tron and Fell both smoking over the years. Though for all the fuss Reil throws at him, he'd love to catch that wanker, specifically, taking a drag.

He would have liked a heads up that Fell is already in the alley, but Francis thinks the stubby man is harmless. Mostly seems that way, so Anthony guesses he can't blame him. 's not like Anthony's gonna start shit, at least not with Fell.

Who is notably not smoking, even if he's leaning against the brick wall, and breathing like the game didn't end almost an hour ago at this point. " 'sup AZ?" he says around his cigarette, it coming out more like 'hazy'

Which is kinda the look he gets back, hazy and blinking way harder than normal, "Shit, Fell, you okay?"

Fell gives a pained little whine, almost not a noise at all, and then to Anthony's horror, he's watching the other man puke on himself. It's only Anthony darting forward to steady him that keeps the guy from collapsing into his own sick.

"Fuck, Fell? Hey! Hey, AZ!!"

It takes some maneuvering, but Anthony gets Fell sitting against the alley walls, out of the puddle, and is trying to get the man to look at him. Fell doesn't seem to be able to even understand Anthony's questions, looking around dazed; his pupils are blown, and Anthony's pretty sure it's not just because of the dim alley lighting.

"Fuck fuck fuck..."

"He's not fine," Anthony yells, surprising himself. Fell's not even on his team, and Riel is, yet he's trying to get the drunk to listen long enough to call their coach or something. Fuck, Anthony's ready to call an ambulance and be done with it. Only reason he hasn't is because he is drunk, and that part of him isn't sure that Riel is wrong. Maybe he's blowing this out of proportion.

Because if Fell didn't get knocked around after they got to the pub, then St James either failed to give him concussion check after that hit with Hastur, or they did, and let him play anyway.

Fuck - an extended third period, plus OT, and a shoot out. Concussed.

Fucking good goalie, and Anthony hates that line of thinking the most.

Concussed. The league's starting to take that more seriously, and the Damien's might not be anybody's favorite team, but they probably stick to it harder than any other team. The idea of letting someone play concussed has even has Hastur and Ligur pissed, much less taking the poor bastard out to drinks afterwards.

Fuck.. had Fell been drinking? Maybe it wasn't concussion. Maybe the asshole was drunk?

"League says concussion."

It's all the leeway he gets from Danica the next morning. He's not sure why he's passed out on her kitchen floor, but that's where he's at today, "St James' is under review for keeping Fell in for end of last night game. They're trying to pin it all on him for not speaking up."

She's left a cup of coffee precariously balanced on his chest, "Hospital's still won't release him, but hey," she makes a 'cheers' motion with her own cup where she's seated on her counter, "You bitching up a fuss probably saved his life. Congrats."

Concussion rates are on the rise in a lot of sports, and when mandatory concussion checks started in ice hockey, there was a LOT of push back against them (i imagine this was the same in other sports as well). Thankfully, many players understand that 'playing though the pain' can leave them with devastating injuries later in life, and are choosing to play it safe instead. Sadly, there are still many that don't understand this, and it really breaks my heart to hear some of the derogatory remarks thrown at these athletes who put their own health and safety over other peoples entertainments.

also - i am in full support of fighting in hockey. That being said, if you do not, fair, but it means the referees need to be significantly better about making calls. There is a 2016 documentary called ice guardians (i think it might be on netflix) that i highly recommend if you are interested in why ice hockey has this strange phenomenon of fighting, and how some studies actually suggest that allowing it to remain as part of the game drives DOWN injuries, especially as safety equipment gets more advanced.