Level Horizon (Haikyuu!! WingedAU)

Year Two 1/1; Dawning Cognizance

You don't need another human being to make your life complete, but let's be honest. Having your wounds kissed by someone who doesn't see them as disasters in your soul, but cracks to put their love into is the most calming thing in this world. ~Emery Allen

~Six Months Later, Early Summer~

Tobio Kageyama smirks as Hinata strains to reach a sweet on a high shelf of a small bake stall.

It's a tart made with four different fruits and the avian heir can almost see his mouth watering hopefully as he raises up as far as he can on his toes, his lower lip curling around his tongue with the effort. Hinata has always favored sweets, loves fruits. He enjoyed meats and every other part of a meal, but light sugary things with a pinch of snap are an easy way to make a best friend for the immediate future. Kageyama leans in behind him.

"Would you like a boost?" He asks, positive his amusement is bleeding through.

"Shut up, moron!" Hinata mutters and stretches just a little further. Beside them, Kuroo chuckles.

"You know they put the expensive stuff up high so kids can't get to them, right?" Hinata scoffs at him.

"Just you wait." He grunts. "When I get my wings back, I'll show you a kid." The cat snorts.

"I look after a dozen of them already. Speaking of, where did the loud twins disappear to?" He says craning his neck around.

Kuroo is ever their caretaker, and he's easily consumed with tracking down the others, his feet taking him away of their own accord. Kageyama turns back to where the redhead is still determinedly reaching for the sweet with a fierce frown on his face. The crow can't help but grin impishly.

"I hope you never grow any more." He murmurs and Hinata throws him an annoyed look.

"Idiot Kageyama, no one asked your opinion." He grumbles before turning back, and Kageyama can't help the small pool of warmth that stirs in his gut.

A hand reaches out on its own and spreads across the redhead's lower back, and the smaller boy twitches slightly in surprise before looking up at him questioningly. His large almond eyes focus on him with cautious curiosity from beneath his lashes, his face coloring just a bit across his cheeks, and Kageyama's mind stalls. His fingers absently find the ridges across Hinata's ribs beneath his cloak and shirt as the warmth in his belly blooms with quiet happiness along with a slow burn that he doesn't quite know what to do with. Either way, his greatest concern just now is if there's a way to make the redhead's face flush even more.

"Eh... Kageyama?" Shouyou asks tentatively and the taller boy is pulled from his mental kill. He reaches up and secures the tart Hinata'd been after and holds it out to him.

"Here." He says, his mouth itching to turn up at the corners and Hinata watches him carefully for a long moment before that blinding smile erupts across his face.

The redhead takes the sweet from him, his entire being lighting up. He reaches for Kageyama's sleeve and turns toward another stall, tugging him along behind. Kageyama has to pry his fingers off for a moment so he can go back and hand a couple coins over to the stall owner for the baked treat with a mumbled apology, and by the time he turns around, Hinata isn't behind him anymore.

His shoulders tighten just a bit and he quickly scans the crowd of milling people for the signature orange head of fluff. He's almost ready to leave the ground so he can search more thoroughly from a higher vantage when he spots his leveler at a nikuman stand, his bright voice drifting back to him through the throngs of people.