Level Horizon (Haikyuu!! WingedAU)

Year One.30 3/3; Reparation

Some people care too much. I think that's called love. ~Winnie the Pooh

When Shouyou's eyes drift open through the wisps of a headache, he blinks at the early morning sunlight that drifts through the large front room window. All he can see is a wrinkled shirt before he notices the blankets beneath him, a cat's warmth at his back, and gradually, it dawns on him: he's still alive, so Kageyama must also still be alive.

The steady rise and fall of the warm chest beneath his hand reassures him. He slowly blinks once more and notes a weight across the back of his neck, before sluggishly glancing up at his leveler.

Kageyama must have woken sometime during the night, because he's rolled onto his back. The color has returned somewhat to his face, but it's still drawn and pale. The pressure on his neck is, in fact, Kageyama's hand, and Shouyou can't keep the swell of nostalgic fondness from his gut. A dark object on Kageyama's shirt beside his thumb catches his gaze and he frowns slightly, his hand sliding toward it. His fingers close around it, light and scratchy, and as he focuses on it, his gut drops and his head rises with dread.

His eyes land on Kageyama's wings and Shouyou abruptly wants to weep, because nearly all of his feathers look like the scruffy fried one in his hand, many of them already having dropped from the featherbeds to scatter loosely around them.

The weight on his neck disappears and a heavy sigh escapes Kageyama, making Shouyou freeze. When he finally looks up at his leveler, Kageyama's hand is on his forehead, his cobalt eyes fixed firmly back on him with tired focus. Shouyou wants to fidget so badly, and he knows he's staring wide-eyed at the black-haired crow, but he can't help it.

He doesn't know what to expect. The last time they'd spoken, they'd been locked in an argument and attempting to kill each other via leveler bond. Kageyama blinks lethargically and Shouyou caves to his nervous tension, his jaw working to begin what he just knows will be a useless string of babble.

"Kageyama, I—"

"Water." He cuts him off with a scratchiness that's not unlike sandstone. Shouyou blinks before jerking upright.

"Right." He says, scrambling to fulfill his leveler's request. He nearly collides with Noya who's already holding out a glass.

"Yaku says six of these in the next three hours." He announces and Shouyou's jaw drops.

"Six?" The small crow nods.

"You didn't see the number of times he heaved yesterday and he sweat buckets. He'll need that and more." Noya says bluntly and Shouyou automatically reaches out to take the glass from him. When he turns back, Daichi is already helping Kageyama sit up, the motion dislodging more crisped feathers. It takes Kageyama a solid ten minutes to finish the glass of water, and Shouyou watches him in nervous silence the whole time, his hands clasped in his lap. When his leveler finally passes the empty glass off, the redhead looks down at his hands.

"Ano..."

"I'd like a bath. I feel gross." Kageyama says to Daichi, and Shouyou bites his lip and glances up at him feeling very much ignored. Their former unit leader simply nods.

"Shimizu and Hitoka already have one set up. Be sure to thank them." Kageyama nods as Daichi helps him to his feet... and it becomes very apparent how weak the black-haired setter is.

He can barely stand on his own without bracing himself against Daichi, the simple act of balancing under his own power draining what little color he's regained from his face. And Shouyou's pulse stutters as more feathers drop from his disheveled wings. Tanaka slides into place on Kageyama's other side to help support him and Shouyou jumps at a light touch on his shoulder. Suga pushes another glass of water into his hands without a word and gently pushes him forward after the other three crows.