when you come back down

"Nice work boys" boomed Hibaridia through the gymnasium. Another successful practice under the team's belt and they were just that much closer to making it to the Olympics. The man beamed, feeling only pride in knowing that this was the best team he had seen in years. He wanted to make the the boys understood how proud they made him. They weren't really boys (all full grown men), but they made him feel more youthful.

As the towels and water bottles were passed around by other staff members, the players chatted amongst themselves and sucked down the precious liquid like they were in a desert for months. While practice was good, Kageyama felt the notable absence of a certain carrot mopped man. He claimed he had a doctor's appointment, to "make up for missing the physical" as he put so eloquently. Plus, he needed to go in for his yearly anyways, so his doctor would send the results to the team physician and Iwaizumi.

He felt the sting on his back, a slap courtesy of his overly cheerful teammate Bokuto, congratulating him on absolutely nailing his sets today. Atsumu chimed in as well, an air of fake arrogance and a smirk on his lips, saying that he was almost as good as him, but "better luck next practice". Kageyama gave him a small smile, a strange gnawing feeling growing in his stomach. Shaking his head, he headed towards the locker rooms a minute after saying he wanted to practice height sets solo. As his long and nimble fingers got to work, he could hear the coach and Iwaizumi murmuring in the background. It wasn't until he heard the words "Hinata" and "abnormal" that he slowed the intensity of the ball hitting the wall. Soft thuds mostly covered their conversation, so he gave up on listening, choosing to focus on strengthening himself. Hinata was always abnormal, that was his normal.

That night, Kageyama layed in bed, fitfully tossing and turning, anxiety building in his chest. Dark eyes opened suddenly, staring at the ceiling. Shallowly, his chest rose and fell, his body slick with sweat.

He definitely needed to ask Hinata tomorrow.

-

Relief flooded his senses, seeing the vibrant tangerine-esque speaking animatedly with the coach. His hair was shorter. Not noticeably shorter if you weren't familiar with Hinata's disdain for regular haircuts. This was several inches, and it seemed slightly thinner than usual. The tanned skinned painted in freckles stood out during that practice, aside from their usual quicks that never failed to impress the team. Routine changes were something Kageyama always struggled with, from the time he was a little kid, even know as a 25 year old. It felt good.

It felt normal.

What wasn't normal, was Hinata dipping out almost immediately after practice. Normally, he, Hinata, Boktuo and sometimes Atsumu would stay after and get extra training in. They would go up to Coach and ask for specific critiques and iron out the wrinkles in their plays until they were pristine. Crisp and clean, just like they always had been.

But this? This was unusual. The one time they convinced Atsumu to stay on a Friday by bribing him with paying for his usual bar excursion post-season for at least a month, and Hinata doesn't stay. Now, the three were stuck paying his tab, no Hinata and staying after five. And there it was again, that gut feeling. Hinata had brushed it off, saying he promised his sister that he would attend a game when he got a free night. Nobody could argue with that. They all loved Natsu and liked watching her highlights on Mondays before practice. Hinata was always the proud brother, chest slightly puffed when they would cheer or compliment her skills. She would occasionally stop by, dropping off a bento his mother insisted on making even though Hinata had made his own. The visit was a welcome break sometimes, despite the team being in top condition. There wasn't always time for messing around, but they would always spare sometime for her.

She shined as radiantly as he did, Kageyama once thought as he observed the duo, seeing who could mess up each other's hair more. Since Hinata's hair was shorter than usual, it was more difficult for Natsu to make it more fluffy and cloud-like. Hinata had won that time, panting more than he normally did. The next day he came to practice with bruises where her elbows had hit him and then some. There was an unspoken air to not ask about it since he seemed tired. They all seemed to agree, it was just stress. They all felt it.