Crows Like Shiny Things (Hinakage)

Selfpreservation for a village

Feathers slightly puffed out, face flushed, hands nervously fumbling with each other.
Hinata stood in front of Kageyama, a little unsure of what to say.
"...I'm sorry I left you."
Kageyama took a sharp breath before shaking his head, stepping towards Hinata.
"N-no, I-... I understand, it was scary, and I didn't expect it either. At least it was temporary... your wings are back."
Hinata kept silent for a couple seconds, then slowly wrapped his left wing around Kageyama's waist, smiling a little.
"Glad to see you're fine, tho. They didn't chase you off again?"
"No." Kageyama's eyes flickered back and forth between Hinata and his wing. He did miss his fluffy feathers, just a tiny bit. "To be honest, I'm not even sure I'm allowed to stay. They left me be, with mom, but..."

Kageyama frowned, pushing down those emotions that came barrelling down onto him. Those glares. Everyone, everywhere, they were all throwing him looks. Had been, all day. It was difficult, feeling so... ostracized, within his own home. It didn't even feel like home anymore. But neither did Hinata's village, which wasn't built for a human like him.
Where else could he possibly go?

"U-uhm..."
The two boys looked up, eyes moving over to a sheepish Kiyoko holding that bucket of charms. Kageyama felt a little bad for ignoring her in favor of greeting his beloved birdbrain again, but she didn't seem upset about it.
"Hinata... I need a favor..."
Said one's eyes fell down onto the bucket, and he dreaded the question.
"...will they take them away? Again?"
Kiyoko shook her head, and held out the bucket to Hinata with a toothy smile.

"I've worked all night on them. They are replicas. They work like the bracelet I put on you yesterday. But I've figured out and removed the rune that made them disappear completely. They are just going to be invisible. Your wings will always be there."
Hinata's eyes gleamed a little. So they wouldn't remove his wings, he would just not be able to see them. A slight problem for the more show off-ish people of his tribe, but he could live with that.
"...You want me to bring this to the elders, right?"
"Mh-hm."

Hinata exchanged a look with Kageyama. He didn't quite know wether the elders would accept this suggestion, but at this point it was about self preservation. Not only protecting their own village, but the humans who would end up lost within the forest searching for it.
"And all that from a white feather, and a prayer."
Kageyama still couldn't quite believe Kiyoko's story. Sure, he was raised to abide by the spirits and respect them, but his faith had wavered a little since knowing those omens of death were nothing more than birdfolk living their own lives. To hear about such a... miracle, there was no other way to describe it, was genuinely mindblowing.
"I'll get going then. Will you be fine by your own, Tobio?"
Kageyama gave a small nod, taking a step back to give Hinata enough room to take off back into the skies.

"What will you do now?"
Kiyoko stared at Kageyama, genuinely curious about this question. He had missed a lot of school, catching up was going to be hard. She wasn't even quite sure Kageyama was allowed back at the village's school. Said one could barely hide his disdain. Right, he had to get back to school again. In many aspects, live was far easier with the birdfolk, but he couldn't deny he was terrified of winter outside, and he did miss his bed just a little.
"Haa... Ask Tsukishima for tutoring, I guess..."
Kiyoko couldn't suppress that tiny giggle. She could see how much Kateyama hated that idea, especially with how condescending Tsukishima had been this entire time.
"You're gonna be fine."

And with the gentle autumn breeze going between the golden leaves all around them, nature preparing for winter and the scent of baking goods wafting over from the village, Kageyama found that she was right. He was going to be fine. Especially with Hinata able to pass as a normal human now. Things had changed. It was never going to be like it used to, especially since now everyone was aware of the birdfolk, but home was what he made of it. And he sure damn wanted to share his own with Hinata.

***

"You still haven't figured it out eh?"
Tanaka could see the frown on Kiyoko's face, clear as day. He knew it was still bothering her, even beyond this resounding success with the charms she had managed to recreate en mass for the birdfolk.
"I-I should be happy. And I am, truly. I just wish... I wish I would know what exactly it is. Who or what this feather belonged to."
The girl fell silent, staring up into the sky. Sure, that feather she that had landed on her lap all those weeks ago when she had checked on the trap had probably gotten itself stuck on a tree, and the wind had broken it loose.
"You're obsessed." Tanaka snorted, folding his arms behind his head. He completely understood it though."
"It's a shame our trap never caught anything. It was a pretty good idea tho!" He shot her a toothy grin and Kiyoko avoided his eyes, cheeks a little flustered.
"I-it's alright, I'm not beating myself up about it... the curiosity is eating me alive though."

"Good morning!"
Suga shot around the corner, shouldering his school bag.
"Caught you! Oh- was I interrupting anything?" That smile he gave them was oh so knowing and yet so innocent. Tanaka shook his head, face slowly but surely turning red.
"No, idiot. We've been talking about the charms, and... the feather."
"I've not been there, unfortunately, but news travel fast. I've heard it from my mother." Suga mused, drifting a little into his own thoughts, "And this charm makes... what exactly happen?"
"That's the thing."
Kiyoko adjusted her glasses as she spoke, pulling the one, the original bracelet she had been gifted, out of her pocket.
"This is the original. According to Hinata's reaction, they made his wings just... vanish. And he couldn't use them anymore, either. They shifted back as soon as he took it off."

Suga's eyes began to sparkle a little. Oh how fascinating! A shame he couldn't exactly experiment with this on himself; he wouldn't dare ask any of their bird friends for help.
"And I've managed to remake them... I even figured out which one of the runes was responsible for completely getting rid of their wings. W-with Bokuto's help."
Tanaka frowned, apparantly just now realizing something.
"Don't tell me that featherbrain bothered you again in the middle of the night?"
Kiyoko couldn't help but giggle.
"He looks like an owl, I d-didn't expect anything else, if I'm being honest..."
Suga's smile fell a little. Oh dear. Just how long had that girl been up last night?