DISCLAIMER: Not mine.
T/W: This story contains sexual abuse of a minor
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And take extra care with strangers. Even flowers have their dangers. And though scary is exciting, nice is different than good.
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"How did you meet these people again?"
Daichi scratched the back of his head absentmindedly, staring up at the multilevel hotel the group stood in front of.
Hinata bounced forward, spinning around to face everyone. "I told you! I ran into them on my bike ride home yesterday. They got lost and needed help finding their way back, so I did what any decent person would and helped them out! They were super nice and invited me to their party!"
"Fine but why did you drag us here?" Kageyama interjected from the back of the group.
"I actually agree with the king for once."
Kageyama flashed bewildered eyes at the tall middle blocker to his right. Tsukishima's gaze was fixed disinterestedly on a point somewhere down the road, his hands stuffed in his pockets and slouched posture conveying just how little he enjoyed this predicament.
But Hinata wasn't to be deterred. "Because it's gonna be fun!"
Three voiced rose in a hearty cheer at his words. Sugawara, Tanaka, and Nishinoya pumped the air with their fists. "Party timeeeee!" Tanaka crowed to the sky, Noya cackling maniacally beside him.
And before anyone could stop them, the pair charged for the door with Hinata racing to catch up, calling for them to wait since they had no idea where they were going. Ennoshita jogged after the trio, knowing someone had to be the voice of reason. Not wanting to be left behind, Narita was quick to follow.
Daichi offered a consoling pat on the shoulder to an anxious-looking Asahi before strolling off in pursuit of his underclassmen. Suga bumped his arm against his bigger friend's and, with an encouraging smile, managed to get Asahi moving towards the door, Kinoshita flanking the pair.
Yamaguchi planted his hands into the backs of both reluctant partygoers and shoved forward with all his might. Tsukishima sighed, but allowed himself to be pushed along. The raven-haired setter dug his heels in for the first few steps, but it was obvious that Yamaguchi had no intention of slowing down or letting up. It was either walk or be dragged.
A deeply unsatisfied grumble escaped Kageyama's lips.
He'd never enjoyed himself at parties before and he wasn't about to start now. Kageyama had never been the social type. The type who easily engaged in conversations with others, was surrounded by a group because he told funny jokes, or told exaggerated stories while reenacting facial expressions; an extrovert.
No. Instead, he was the one hanging out in the corner by himself or sitting on a couch alone, content to let the laughter and music wash over him.
To Kageyama, parties weren't fun.
Why should this one be any different?
––––––––––
The hotel room was abnormally large; Kageyama wasn't sure he'd seen one this big before. It spanned wide enough to fit three queen sized beds, two sofas complete with tables, and a four-seater table with chairs. The room was filled with over 40 people, all eating, drinking, laughing, and overall goofing off.
Hinata had waited until everyone was inside the building before leading the team up to the eighth floor where he'd been told the event was happening.
The door to the suite was thrown open at their first knock, revealing a man who had to have stood well over 200cm. It wasn't until they'd entered the hotel room that Kageyama noticed that this wasn't uncommon.
Almost every single person already at the party was, at minimum, 180cm or taller.
"Oh I almost forgot!" Hinata had yelped, slapping his forehead. "These guys are from a basketball team, so they're into sports too!"
Basketball. That explained it.
Kageyama wasn't intimated by the height, but he could only imagine what it must be like for Nishinoya and Hinata. Come to think of it though, it probably didn't change anything for them. They were surrounded by people much bigger than them everyday so it most likely didn't phase them.
"Glad you guys could make it!" Said the man who had answered the door.
He said it in Japanese but something about his intonation gave the setter pause. "American?" Kageyama said shortly, eyes narrowed.
The man sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Heh heh… yeah. Damn and I thought my accent was getting better too." He extended a hand to Kageyama. "I'm Tobin. Our team's from Maryland. We're in town for a tournament."
"Kageyama," was all Kageyama said in reply, shaking Tobin's hand only once.
He didn't see much of Tobin, or the rest of his team for that matter, the rest of the evening. He'd made himself comfortable in the corner seat of the couch, choosing to observe rather than participate.
A steady playlist of songs Kageyama didn't recognize played from a speaker in the corner. He couldn't tell what the artists were singing about, but the energy seemed rather angry. Occasionally, Hinata's voice could be heard over the crowd, gushing over someone's height or retelling a story with his usual enthusiasm and sound effects.
Throughout the evening, people came and went through the doors that adjoined the two neighboring suites.
Once, Suga had come by and dropped off a plate of snacks to his junior, which Kageyama had accepted and munched through them absentmindedly. A few of the basketball players had been kind enough to try and engage the shuttered off setter, but no one had been too successful. There was a brief moment where Kageyama had seen Nishinoya lifted onto the hands of a small crowd and passed around as he whooped and cheered.
All in all, it seemed like everyone was having a good time.
But there was a feeling that Kageyama couldn't shake.
He couldn't quite explain it, but something felt off. Felt wrong.
No one on the Karasuno team was older than 17. But nearly every one of the American basketball members sported facial hair of some kind. Now Asahi was proof that facial hair wasn't a good distinguisher of age. But these guys, these men, had to be over 20. They downed bottles of beer, shots of vodka and tequila, cups of mixed drinks with well practiced ease.
Kageyama had heard stories that Americans were big partiers and loved to drink, but seeing it in person was almost unsettling in a way.
They needed to be on their guard. He didn't like this.
For the first time that evening, Kageyama left the safety of the couch and set off in search of Daichi.
––––––––––
"Just try it! You might actually like it."
Hinata reared his head back as the cup was thrust at his face. "What even is it?"
The guy who had shoved the cup at the ginger, Alex, lowered his hand slightly. "It's cider, pineapple flavored. Come on, it just tastes like carbonated juice. You'll like it!" He insisted, raising the cup to Hinata's mouth again.
This time, Hinata actually retreated a step, but he didn't get much farther. Tobin braced a hand on the middle blocker's shoulder as the smaller boy bounced off him.
"Cut it out, Alex," he said, leveling his teammate with a mild glare. "He clearly doesn't want any."
An expression that could only be described as a pout slid over Alex's face.
"Why're you being such a killjoy? We're just having fun. Right, Shoyo?"
Hinata's eyes lit up in affirmation. "Yeah!"
Tobin shook his head, releasing his hold on Hinata. He gulped down the last of the beer held in his other hand. He had to admit, it was pretty fun having the Karasuno players here. The two different teams had gotten along swimmingly from the get go, almost all of them jumping into conversations and cracking jokes with one another. The angry-faced Kageyama and the tall, impartial blonde were the only exceptions.
Tobin had played his part as the host well, drifting between the three rooms and engaging with groups here and there. He made sure that there was still enough food and drink, and that his teammates were staying in line.
This was the last night of their stay in Japan. Their flight left early the next morning, so he needed to make sure that too much alcohol wasn't being consumed. Otherwise it was going to be hell dragging everyone out of bed the next morning.
When they'd invited Hinata (and, by extension, his friends) to come to the party, Tobin had known that they were all going to be underage. But it seemed he didn't need to worry about them getting into the alcohol; they'd been revved up for the party without the need for the liquid relaxer.
And yet, Alex was persistent on getting this one to try some.
"Just one sip. One sip and I swear I'll leave you alone."
Tobin's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to tell the older guy off. But before he even got the chance, the little ginger had snagged the proffered cup and downed the beverage in one go. Tobin blinked rapidly, his brain racing to process what he had just seen.
Hinata coughed twice, smacking his lips as he thought. "Ehhhh… It's kinda like juice, but there's a weird icky taste in it too. I don't think I like that." He pushed the cup back into a now cackling Alex's hands.
Tobin reached over Hinata and shoved the man in the shoulders, hard.
Alex stumbled back a few steps, laughter cutting off sharply as he stared at his taller teammate in disbelief. "Dude, what the hell?"
Hinata's head whipped back and forth between the two as a verbal sparring match broke out. They'd switched back to English so he couldn't make out most of it. The extent of Hinata's knowledge of the English language were numbers 1-20, the alphabet, the song Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and the phrase "Stop! Police!". This actually worked in his favor just this one time as he caught both the number 15 and the word police thrown about a few times in the midst of the argument. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to be able to follow along with the conversation.
Eventually, he stopped trying. His attention instead landed on how warm he was feeling all of a sudden.
Was this how alcohol made people feel?
His fingers felt oddly tingly and he wasn't sure if he was standing or had mysteriously gained the power of levitation. A quick glance down at the ground confirmed that he was not, in fact, floating. So why couldn't he feel the floor beneath him?
Hinata blinked rapidly, trying to shake off his confusion.
He really shouldn't have tried that drink.
Crap, Kageyama was so going to yell at him. Actually– forget Bakeyama; Hinata physically shuddered at the thought of what Daichi would have to say once he found out.
He lifted his head to look back up at the two men still arguing above him, but that turned out to be the second bad idea he'd had that night. His head spun violently and wow he really couldn't feel the floor at all. The world began to tilt alarmingly and Hinata's leaden feet shuffled helplessly in an attempt to keep him right side up.
Just before that battle was lost, firm hands gripped his shoulders and held him fast. His knees chose that moment to give out, forcing those hands to not only steady him but hold him upright entirely.
"Hinata? Hey! Are you okay?"
He distantly registered the voice as Alex's, but he couldn't quite get his eyes to focus on the man's face. Instead, he flapped his hand weakly and said, "'M fiiiiiine, 'm fine."
Was that his voice? Why did his words sound so weird? And when did his tongue get replaced by a piece of cardboard?
"Damn, kid, you really can't hold your drink can you?"
"That's cause he's a kid, dumbass. See this is why–"
"Yeah yeah yeah, I get it I get it," Alex interrupted, adjusting his hold on the slouching teen. "I'm going to try and get him sobered up. We'll be back in a few."
Sober? Surely Hinata was sober. It was only one drink and the cup had only been half full. Even with never having had a drink before, there was no way only one drink could do this much damage to him.
A distant alarm began to ring in Hinata's head.
But his brain felt fuzzy; he couldn't think straight. Who's hands were on him? Where were they taking him?
––––––––––
Daichi was bent double. He and three of the Americans had tears streaming down their faces at the story one of them had just finished recounting.
He straightened up after a few moments, still chuckling as he wiped his eyes. Before he had a chance to open his mouth and tell a tale of his own, he felt a hesitant tap on his shoulder. He blinked in surprise as he caught sight of Kageyama standing behind him, eyes averted and looking distinctly uncomfortable.
The volleyball captain had tried his best to keep an eye out for his teammates as the party progressed. He been gauging their energy levels and keeping track in his head.
Tanaka, Noya, and Yamaguchi were still joking and laughing with the other partygoers. Ennoshita was sat on the edge of one of the beds with a few others, conversing easily. Kinoshita and Narita were continuing to snack on the different varieties of food.
Asahi was finally finding his rhythm and had seemed to relax. Sugawara was holding one leg of a basketball player who was currently doing a keg stand. Tsukishima was toying with a half-drunk bottle of water while two members of the basketball team compared their shoe sizes with his.
The only two members Daichi had yet to check in on were the demon pair of Karasuno. But Kageyama had apparently decided to take it easy on him by coming to look for Daichi first.
"Hey!" Daichi said cheerfully, clapping a hand on to the young setter's shoulder. "You having fun?"
A frown began to settle on Daichi's forehead as Kageyama kept his eyes averted, shifting restlessly on his feet. Something was wrong.
Turning back to the other three, Daichi said lightheartedly, "Back in a second guys." He led Kageyama away to a quieter corner of the room, keeping his hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "What's going on?"
Kageyama was silent for another moment or two. Finally, he seemed to find his words. "I think we should leave."
Daichi blinked in surprise. He knew Kageyama wasn't the most relaxed at parties, but he'd never asked to leave before. The young setter would always just grit his teeth and politely wait until everyone else was ready to go as well. This, asking to leave, was a first.
"Did something happen?" A hundred scenarios flashed through Daichi's mind, each one worst than the last. But Kageyama was shaking his head.
"No, I just…" he paused to take a deep breath, finally meeting Daichi's eyes. "I have a bad feeling and I really think we need to go."
Daichi held Kageyama's gaze for a moment, searching the younger man's blue eyes and finding nothing but pure resolve, not unlike that which Kageyama displayed on the court. That was all the affirmation Daichi needed.
"Okay," he said simply, giving Kageyama a nod. "You grab the other first years, I'll gather the second and third years. Meet at the front door in 5."
The relief and gratitude was clear in Kageyama's eyes as he nodded his understanding of his assignment. He slipped away from Daichi and disappeared into the throng of people.
Tsukishima was the first person he came across.
Something on Kageyama's face or perhaps his body language must have given him away, for before Kageyama had a chance to say anything, the tall blocker asked,"Are we leaving now? Finally."
"Where's your shadow?" Was Kageyama's response.
A light frown of disapproval at Kageyama's unfair title crossed Tsukishima's face for a split second, but faded before it had time to truly take form. "Bathroom," he said shortly.
Kageyama started to back away. "Grab him and meet us at the door in 5."
With those two taken care of, Kageyama slipped into the next room over via the adjoining door. Daichi was already there pulling a sugar-hyped Noya off of one of the basketball player's shoulders. Scanning the crowd quickly, even going so far as to duck to see between peoples' legs, he concluded that the last first year wasn't in here either.
Which left the last room.
He passed into the next room, skirting around people with lightfooted ease, his eyes never ceasing their left to right surveillance. But no matter where he looked, there was no sign of the hyperactive human tangerine.
Spotting a familiar face, Kageyama sidled between groups until he made it to the other side of the room.
"Tobin," he called over the music.
The taller man turned at his name, handful of chips halfway to his mouth. "'Sup? You enjoying the party?" A sloppy grin stole over his face while a frown slid onto Kageyama's.
He ignored Tobin's question, instead posing his own. "Have you seen Hinata?"
Now it was Tobin's turn to frown. He lowered his handful of snacks, muttering the name to himself again and again, the way people did when they were trying to place a name to a face. "Oh! Hinata!" He said sharply, whipping his head up. "Alex took him somewhere to calm down a little while ago."
Kageyama's frown deepened. " 'Calm down' ?"
Tobin nodded slowly, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Yeah uh… he may have gotten his hands on some of the alcohol earlier…"
Shock mixed with fury, burning its way up Kageyama's neck and into his head. He knew Hinata was an idiot, but he never thought the doofus would be dumb enough to underage drink at a party. Not when Kageyama was there. And definitely not when Daichi was only two rooms over and could/would whoop his ass into next year.
"Boke," he spat under his breath. "Which way did they go?" He raised his voice enough for Tobin to hear. The American simply pointed to the far corner of the room where the bathroom was.
This time, when Kageyama crossed the room, he didn't bother with politely edging around people. His stomped through the crowd, shoulder-checking and elbowing his way across. It wasn't long before he found himself outside of the door.
He tried the handle first and found it locked. So he switched to knocking. Well knocking was a relative term.
––––––––––
What was that banging sound?
Hinata blinked slowly up at the ceiling. He didn't remember laying down, but then again there was a lot of things he couldn't remember currently. Like where he was, why he was lying on something so cold, and what that weird sensation was on his neck.
The last one was what was really bothering him presently.
It felt weird.
It kind of hurt.
It was rough and Hinata wanted it to stop.
"s-s-stoooo…" His words still weren't coming properly. His tongue had gone from cardboard to a dead mouse. It tasted horrible and refused to move the way it should.
But it seemed the message had been received because the feeling disappeared, leaving his neck feeling oddly cold.
A face suddenly slid into his half-lidded vision. "What was that, baby? I couldn't quite hear you."
Hinata blinked sluggishly, eyelids gummy and almost refusing to be pried open again. Something was very, very wrong. What was going with him?
"Wha….what did y-you do to me?" His voice was soft, barely a whisper. But again, the message was received.
Alex chuckled lightly, as if the situation was something amusing. "Sorry, that's my bad. I gave you a dose meant for people three times your size. Didn't think to adjust it."
The words took a second to compute in Hinata's foggy brain. "You…you gave me something?"
He wanted to flinch away as one of Alex's hands slid into his hair, combing through the fiery locks. "Well duh. How else was I going to get you to come with me? But I never dreamed you'd take it so willingly," he let out another chuckle. "You downed that drink like it was nothing more than a glass of milk."
The drink…the drink… the drink.
Oh god.
Hinata felt tears stinging his eyes.
Alex crooned softly, noticing them and hurriedly wiping them away before they had a chance to get far. "Don't do that! But I have to admit, you do look very sweet when you cry." And before Hinata had a chance to react, Alex had leaned down and pressed a kiss to the corner of Hinata's eye, catching another stray tear with his lips this time.
No no no. This wasn't happening.
Where were his friends? Why wasn't anyone there to help him?
And what in the hell was that banging sound?
Alex sat back up with a huff, obviously wondering the same thing. He rolled his eyes as he pressed a hand over Hinata's mouth. "Hold that thought, love. What?" The last part was shouted, causing Hinata to jump involuntarily.
"I'm looking for Hinata, the short ginger. Is he in there with you?"
Kageyama.
He could hardly believe his luck. With strength he didn't think he possessed right now, Hinata bucked his body off the floor, straining against hand clamped over his face.
"Dude, I'm just trying to take a crap. I don't know where your friend is." A smug smile stole over Alex's face as he looked down at Hinata with glee.
Horror was slowly building in Hinata's stomach.
Don't leave, Kageyama. Don't leave.
He tried to scream, to cry out, yell– something to attract his teammate's attention, but his weak cries were easily muffled by Alex's large hand. More tears overflowed, escaping down into his hairline.
Please, Kageyama…
"Well if you see him, tell him we're leaving."
Hinata didn't hear Kageyama's footsteps retreating, but he also didn't hear his voice again, which was just as demoralizing. Alex's grin only grew as he came to the same conclusion; they were alone again.
"Now," Alex removed his hand from its place over Hinata's mouth in favor of smoothing it over the teen's hair instead, "where were we?"
This time a small cry did emerge as Alex lowered his mouth onto the sensitive skin of Hinata's neck. So that's what that feeling was earlier. Hinata tried to find that same strength he'd surprised himself with a moment ago at the sound of Kageyama's voice. But it evaded him as Alex continued to lick, suck, and bite his way around Hinata's neck and collarbone.
Another yelp of surprise came as Alex fisted both of his hands in the teen's shirt and ripped it open as if it were nothing more than gossamer.
It was right then that Hinata felt true fear.
This man was strong, with thick biceps and sinewy hands, driven by some kind of animalistic need. Hinata had never been the brawny type, always choosing to hone his stamina and agility instead. But by slipping him a drug, Alex had taken away Hinata's true weapon: his speed.
He was utterly at the mercy of this man and there wasn't a thing he could do to stop it.
––––––––––
Daichi checked his watch for the fifth time. It was well passed the five minute mark and Kageyama and Hinata were still nowhere to be seen.
"Captain!" Correction, Hinata was still nowhere to be seen.
As far as Daichi knew, Kageyama only had four expressions: focused, blank, confused, and angry. But this was the second time that night that Kageyama had showed Daichi something new. A new expression: worry.
Daichi leaned to the side to peek around Kageyama, half expecting half hoping to see the effervescent red-headed first year pop up. No dice.
"Where's Hinata?" He asked slowly, scrutinizing the look on Kageyama's face. Suga appeared at Daichi's elbow, concern written on his face.
Kageyama shook his head. "I checked everywhere. Tobin said he and another guy had gone somewhere to cool off or something, but I didn't see them anywhere. I don't know where else to look."
Hating the defeated tone hedging into the setter's words, Daichi bumped his knuckles against Kageyama's shoulder lightly. "What other guy?"
Kageyama's eyes were searching the room again, but he shrugged in response. "Tobin called him Alex or something. Said Hinata was drunk and this Alex guy took him to the bathroom. But when I went and checked, the door was locked and the guy inside claimed to be alone."
Two things in that explanation jumped out at Daichi immediately: 1. That Hinata was drunk and 2. that he'd gone somewhere with a stranger, willingly. Daichi scrubbed his hands over his face. That kid was going to be the death of him. But they had bigger problems to deal with.
He opened his mouth to start fleshing out a game plan, but Suga beat him to it.
"Ennoshita," he called to the teen standing at the back of the group. An instant response of "Yo" was heard. "You, Narita, and Kinoshita head downstairs and see if Hinata might've gone outside. Tanaka, Nishinoya, Yamaguchi: scour the next room over. Check under the beds if you have to. Everyone else, we'll head to the third room and see what we can see."
Daichi felt a surge of admiration for his vice-captain. Sure, Suga could occasionally be found causing as much of a ruckus as Tanaka, but at his core, he was as steady and level-headed as a it got.
A collective cry of "Hai!" rang out before everyone went to their designated areas.
As his group entered the farthest room, Daichi felt another uneasy fist clench his gut. He made his way over to Tobin as Kageyama had earlier, drawing the older man's attention away from a conversation.
"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have a key to that bathroom, would you?" Daichi asked, jerking a thumb at the restroom in the corner.
A frown stole over Tobin's face. "Uh no, but I'm sure I could get one from the front desk. Why? What's going on?"
Daichi attempted an easy-going smile, knowing he was failing miserably. "Oh nothing. We seemed to have misplaced Hinata." He laughed briefly, but it sounded fake even to his own ears.
Tobin's shoulders slumped. "Shit…"
Something about the look on Tobin's face and the tone of his voice sparked something in Daichi's mind.
This isn't the first time this has happened.
"Unfortunately not," Tobin muttered, scrubbing a hand over his forehead. Daichi started as he realized he'd accidentally said that out loud. "I'll go get the key." And with that Tobin disappeared from the room.
"Open the damn door!"
Daichi whipped around at the loud shout.
Kageyama was outside the bathroom door, both fists attacking the wood with vengeance while one foot repetitively assaulted the bottom panel. Conversations paused at the sudden outburst. Daichi hurriedly pushed his way through the frozen crowd, but Asahi made it there first, hooking his arms under Kageyama's armpits and hauling the underclassman back.
Sugawara was next to intervene, holding up placating hands and stepping into Kageyama's line of vision. "Kageyama, calm down! What do you think you're doing?"
Daichi had only ever seen Kageyama get violent with two people: Hinata and Oikawa. While the young setter's attitude was almost always prickly, it was incredibly rare to see him actually get physical with anyone else.
"He's in there! I heard him!" Kageyama was straining against Asahi's hold. "Something's not right. I know he's in there!" He yelled the last part at the door beyond Suga's frame. The way he said it wasn't just a fact, it was a challenge.
The Karasuno captain rapped sharply on the door. "Hinata? Are you in there? Can you hear me?" Even though he knew it was locked, Daichi tried the handle anyway.
Obviously, Daichi had wanted a response, but the one he got made his blood run cold and heart plummet into his shoes.
"Please…please get off me."
That was all the proof Daichi needed.
He rammed his shoulder against the door, hearing the wood splinter at the force. "You sick bastard! Get away from him!" He didn't know how many times he threw himself at the door, willing it to break, to come off its hinges, before a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him.
His head whipped around so fast it was a miracle he didn't get whiplash. Asahi nodded at him once, jaw set and eyes blazing. It was all the communication they needed.
Daichi stepped out of the way, allowing Asahi room to work.
The bearded teen went with a different strategy. With a grounded stance, he kicked at the bottom right of the door twice, then repeated the motion on the middle right of the door. Playing the wing spiker position since he was in middle school had built up an incredible amount of leg muscle from all the jumping. The kicks he delivered to the door were nothing to sneeze at.
"Tsukishima," Asahi said, throwing a glance at the first year who'd taken over restraining Kageyama. "Get the top for me."
He didn't need to be told twice. Tsukishima stepped up to an appropriate distance, fanning his arms out to make sure everyone moved out of the attack zone. Then with speed Daichi didn't know the middle blocker possessed, Tsukishima planted his right foot forward and spun over his left shoulder, simultaneously whipping his left leg up and around, the flat of his foot colliding with the door with a fierce thwack in a roundhouse kick.
The whole of the door shook from the force, now slightly crooked in its frame.
But before Asahi or Tsukishima could finish the job, another foot struck the door just below the handle. The door snapped off its hinges, the bottom half swung into the bathroom while the top half leaned out towards the party.
Asahi and Daichi ripped it out to the way just in time for Kageyama to charge past them into the small room.
Kageyama's anger level was already close to boiling over, but what he found inside caused the color red to cloud his vision.
Pressed between the toilet and the tub sat a man Kageyama hadn't seen before. But he didn't care about him. What raised the temperature of his blood was the impossibly small looking figure held flush against the man's chest.
Hinata's eyes were only half lidded, but there was no mistaking the sheer terror in them, even as tears slid down his cheeks. Both of his hands were weakly clawing at the brutish hand gripping his cheeks and covering his mouth.
Hinata's shirt was shredded, hanging onto his frame by a partial sleeve and a detached neckline. Bile rose in Kageyama's throat as his eyes took in the sight of multiple red and purple hickeys spotting the ginger's chest and neck. Worse than that, Kageyama was pretty sure he could see the outline of teeth around a few.
It all painted a clear picture of what had happened, or was about to happen, here all too vividly.
Kageyama's jaw worked furiously, but for some reason the words just wouldn't come.
"Let him go."
Fortunately for Kageyama, his Captain's tongue was in no similar predicament.
Daichi's words were cool, steady, but one look at his face and Kageyama knew the third year wasn't feeling either of those things.
"Why?" The man, who Kageyama assumed was Alex, hissed. "So you all can go crying to the police? Yeah, no. I don't think so."
"What other choice do you have here?" Daichi retorted, amazingly managing to keep his voice calm. "We've got you cornered, literally. There's no other way out of this room and we're not letting you leave with him, so why don't you just do the right thing for once this evening and let. him. go."
Normally, it was Asahi that everyone (other than his teammates) assumed would be most likely to go jail for murder.
But at that moment, every single person involved in that event knew that Daichi would wring Alex's neck without hesitation and treat everyone to meat buns and ice cream after like nothing happened. Vacillation flickered in Alex's eyes. He knew there wasn't a way to get out of this. However, Alex wasn't a very smart man. He was a man driven by impulses and gut feelings. And right now, his gut was telling him there was more satisfaction to get out of the situation before he'd be forced to concede.
Alex tightened the arm he had across the teen's chest, pulling him up higher. Hinata's low moan of distress was like music to his ears.
"I don't quite think I'm ready to do that yet," he said softly, nearly a whisper.
Faster than a striking snake, he released Hinata's mouth and gripped the boy's hair, yanking his head to the right and eliciting another cry of pain. And before his mind could catch up with his body, he bent his head forward and bit down on the exposed junction between the boy's neck and left shoulder.
A sweet, sweet symphony in the form of a heartbreaking yelp reached his ears as Hinata struggled listlessly against him, sobbing for Alex to please let go.
But Alex didn't have long to enjoy the sound.
Pain exploded across his face, emanating from his nose. He instinctively released Hinata in favor of clapping his hands over his streaming nose, but instantly regretted the action as the pleasant weight of the high schooler on his chest was torn away.
Before Alex could object, he felt something strike his abdomen, causing him to fold forward as all the air was forcefully driven from his body. The second he leaned over, another something collided with his forehead, driving him back the other way with enough power to send his head bouncing off the wall with a sharp smack.
Bright spots danced across his vision as he lay slumped against the wall, gasping for breath.
What in the hell just happened?
When his vision cleared enough to see his surrounding again, Hinata was no longer anywhere in sight along with that other scary-faced teen. Looming over him with matching expressions harder than diamond were the ash haired teen and the acerbic blond. One was shaking out his fist, the other idly tapping his shoe back into place.
Alex slumped down even further.
They never should've invited these guys.
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Not for the first time that night, Kageyama cursed himself mentally.
Hinata sat next to him on the curb, pressed as close to Kageyama as the laws of physics would allow. Kageyama could feel the force of Hinata's shivers against his arm, but felt helpless to stop them. The night air was warm with a gentle breeze blowing, but Kageyama knew that the shivers weren't entirely from the weather.
He cursed himself again. Why hadn't he thought to bring a jacket? He could've given it to the smaller teen and at least felt like he had done one good thing that night. But for the second time that night, the universe saw his predicament and sent help in the form of a teammate.
"Kageyama! You found– oh my god."
He could hear running footsteps behind them, but didn't want to turn to look for fear of dislodging Hinata.
Ennoshita appeared in front of them, stripping off his jacket instantly and wrapping it around Hinata's shoulders. The red-head sat up long enough to shove his arms through the sleeves before immediately returning to his effort of trying to physically merge with Kageyama. The second year turned wide, frightened eyes on the setter, but Kageyama merely shook his head, silently thanking the universe when Ennoshita nodded his understand and moved away to place a call to the police.
Eventually, other members of the team began to show up.
Kinoshita and Narita were first, both looking incredibly uncomfortable and choosing to give the pair space. Ultimately, Ennoshita took pity on them and sent them to wait by the edge of the parking lot to guide the police when they arrived.
When Yamaguchi emerged from the hotel lobby, he looked close to tears.
He sat on Hinata's other side, offering silent comfort and extra body heat.
Ennoshita was quietly asking Hinata for his mom's number when Nishinoya and Tanaka showed up. Both of their expressions were stony, but Kageyama could practically see the steam blowing out of their ears.
The police and an ambulance didn't take long to arrive. Kinoshita and Narita jogged up the sidewalk just as four of the officers rushed inside, two remaining in the lot. The paramedics were quick to disembark and attend to their patient.
They moved Hinata onto a gurney and were about to wheel him away to the truck, but a hand shot out and fisted in Kageyama's shirt.
One of the paramedics gently tried to pry Hinata's hand loose. "Sweetie, you need to let go so we can help you," she said it gently, but it only served to strengthen Hinata's resolve. His grip became stronger as he blatantly defied her words.
"Boke, let go," Kageyama growled. "They're trying to help you." He attempted to loosen Hinata's grip as well, but his efforts were met with the same results. Eventually, the paramedic raised a placating hand.
"How 'bout this: your friend can come with you so long as he promises to let us do our job. Deal?"
Hinata nodded slowly, consenting for Kageyama without even consulting him. And so, Kageyama found himself in the back of the ambulance, trying to squish himself into as small of a space as possible while they attended to Hinata. At one point, the woman asked Kageyama for Hinata's name, which he readily supplied.
"Pupil response is sluggish, but present. Hinata, my name is Koizumi. Can you tell me what happened?" The other paramedic directed the last part to Hinata.
Kageyama watched as Hinata's lips moved, but no sound was coming out.
Koizumi leaned down so his ear was closer to Hinata's mouth. He stayed there for a second until Hinata finished whatever he was saying.
The paramedic turned his gaze on the other teen in the bus. "Are you Kageyama?"
Kageyama started slightly but nodded his affirmation. Koizumi turned back to Hinata. "Kageyama's right here with you, sitting just over to your left. He didn't leave, but he needs to stay there so we can treat you, alright? I promise I'll let him over here as soon as I can."
Kageyama watched as the two paramedics efficiently worked to stabilize the small middle blocker.
By the time they were finished, Hinata had been given two blankets, had a line of fluids running into his arm, and something Koizumi called a nasal cannula feeding oxygen into Hinata's nostrils.
They had ruled him out of the danger zone, so they finally allowed Kageyama to get closer.
He inched forward on his seat until his head was positioned over Hinata's face, directly in his line of sight so Hinata wouldn't have to move his head. But Hinata's eyes were shut.
"Oi, dumbass," he said without any heat. "You still awake?"
Indeed Hinata was, but when he dragged his eyes open, Kageyama almost wished he hadn't. His eyes were rolling back and forth in their sockets, never stopping long enough to actually see anything. Eventually, Kageyama slid a hand over the ginger's eyes and forced his lids shut.
He was just about to make some sort of smart comment about how idiotic Hinata looked (cause to be honest, Kageyama never quite got the hang of the comforting thing) when he noticed Hinata's lips were moving again.
Kageyama leaned down as he'd seen Koizumi do, listening to the faint sounds Hinata was making.
He frowned after a moment, shaking his head. "Say that again; I didn't get it."
Hinata raised his voice fractionally, but his words were still impossibly faint. "Thank you. For finding me."
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Now I know, don't be scared. Granny is right: just be prepared. Isn't it nice to know a lot? And a little bit…not.
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Watch out for your friends and other partygoers if you can. Date rape drugs are more common than you'd think.
With love, Obsidian