Level Pair; Day Two 1/1
We all at certain times in our lives find ourselves broken. True strength is found in picking up the pieces. ~Jeromy Shingongo
"I know it's not even a comparison, but I woke up feeling like this was one of those things that we will all find hilarious later… like that incident with the bats." Shouyou says tentatively.
Kageyama doesn't look up from where he is focused intently on his task, carefully and painstakingly cleaning the deep wounds that used to be Hintata's wings. He listens with half an ear just the same; it is the first time the redhead has really started talking and Kageyama doesn't think he could ignore him even if he wanted to.
"Well, you're right. There is no comparison there." He says distractedly.
"But it feels kinda like that. It's really funny now, but we didn't think that cut on Tanaka's head was going to stop bleeding at the time. I mean, I felt awful at first." He says, and Kageyama wonders if he's just talking so he doesn't have to think. He will roll with it for now.
"You obviously didn't feel bad enough; you and your blind enthusiasm got Tanaka to tell our drill instructor that he walked into a doorframe when, really, he fell out of the top bunk because you released a bunch of bats in the barracks in the middle of the night." He cajoles. The other boy flinches when he brings the wet cloth to his skin still freezing cold from the river and grunts when Kageyama presses the abused flesh just a bit too hard. The first brush of the material had taken the top layer of scab away, revealing disfigured muscle and sinew beneath. It had started bleeding a little again, but Kageyama is sure it will be okay.
"Yeah, that was a bad choice in retrospect… who knew our drill instructor that day would be the one instructor in the whole military who had a scar over his eyebrow for pretty much the exact excuse Tanaka gave. He got unnecessarily salty over the whole thing." Shouyou says a bit wryly and lifts a shoulder in a half shrug, making Kageyama tense for a moment in his work.
"He thought Tanaka was ribbing him and Noya's snort did nothing to help." Kageyama deadpans as he returns the shirt to Hinata's skin. Shouyou huffs slightly.
"It was legitimately an honest mistake; that guy seemed to have it out for us the rest of the year. Tanaka made sure to remind me of that every time we got a diving drill or something." He mutters and Kageyama almost smiles slightly at the sullen sound in his voice before the redhead continues. "Honestly, I'd have pegged Asahi for that kind of reaction instead of Tanaka, but he barely woke up enough to wonder what the heck was going on until Suga hit the light and everyone saw the blood."
"And Daichi wasn't even there. I'll never get how you had the presence of mind to keep a pile of bats in a bag under your covers, but not realize the person you were really looking to spook wasn't even in the room when you let them all go." Kageyama grumbles, secretly relieved that Hinata is responding so easily. He resolves to try and keep the conversation going.
"Daichi's bunk is on the other end of the room next to the door. I didn't know he'd left. And his reaction when he came back was pretty flat, too." He says petulantly.
"That's because he came back to bats flying everywhere while everyone was losing their minds because Tanaka's face wouldn't quit bleeding. I'd have been massively irritated, too." He mutters as he uses Hinata's shirt to gently rinse and work away the last bits of dirt and excess dried blood from the wound, trying to gauge exactly how much damage the redhead sustained.
"Yeah, I guess I maybe went a little overboard." Hinata says sheepishly.
"One bat would have been sufficient, two or three would have been overboard. You released eighteen of those flying squeaky mice. They were still flushing them all out of the barracks two days later." Kageyama says with a touch of indignance, a frown marring his face as he gently works the feathers free of the old blood matting them together against Hinata's back and carefully pushes them all aside to lay the open wound bare. And for the millionth time, he wants to murder that white winged asshole.
The long bones that ran the length of their wings were anchored in the back by the shoulder blades and small coracoid bones… to have them forcibly ripped out would not only dislodge the coracoid bone in particular but strip the attaching muscles and nerves as well. One of Hinata's coracoid bones just barely peeks out through the damaged tissues, and white tendons that had once run into his wings to control expansion and mobility end in shredded ribbon-like bundles. All that is left of his companion's once glossy, powerful wings are the sad feathers that ring the two mangled holes in his back.
"Eh, the one it seemed to get to the most was actually Noya. He complained that he could still hear them for months afterward."
"Yeah... Hinata…" He murmurs contritely, not wanting to change the subject but unwilling to just start yanking away. "I'm probably going to have to pull one or two of these to make sure they don't get caught in the scabs and cause infections."
Hinata glances at him a little defensively but turns away and nods mutely. Muttering an apology, Kageyama takes hold of one of the small flimsy feathers that clings to the very edge of the damaged tissues and tugs sharply.
Hinata goes rigid, his breath escaping in a slight keen. It makes Kageyama cringe and want to shrink away in guilt for causing such pain. One by one, he removes two, three more that he deems too close and likely to hinder healing. Hinata still has a patch of feathers and as the injury heals, more will likely grow back in.
Too bad he can't grow the whole wing back in, he laments cynically.
He gently taps Hinata's shoulder to let him know he's finished and rinses the shirt once more before handing it back to the redhead.
"How long before you suppose your dad's sentries finds us?" Hinata asks, twisting the wet garment in his hands. There is still a scratchiness to Hinata's voice and Kageyama does his best to ignore it.
"I figured they'd have found us by now but I'm not so sure anymore." He says idly, and Hinata snorts.
"You suck at tracking and you found me. Pretty sure they'll find us just fine."
Kageyama shakes his head with annoyance, but revels in Hinata's jibe— it feels far more normal.
"It rained, Hinata. The blood trail I followed will be gone now. They have no idea what part of our scouting route we went missing on." He drops beside him, his hard cobalt gaze watching the river.
"Your dad runs the clan and you were his pick for an heir. The Grand King isn't just going to abandon you." Hinata says disparagingly. Kageyama's eyes flash and his frown deepens.
"So long as he thinks there's a possibility we're still alive. It's already been two days, Hinata. I'm sure as far as he's concerned, our chances are already looking slim." He grouches.
"Then we will just have to hike it. Or at least I will." Hinata says with a touch of his former cheer, though it quickly dampens.
"I'm not even sure which way to go. Everything looks different below the canopy." Kagayama mumbles and looks up at the trees around them. Hinata turns to him with a bland stare, one of his eyebrows creeping up his forehead.
"You are the one with wings, you moron. If one of us can get a view from above, it's you… or would you like me to try tree climbing?" He says unimpressed.
"Shut up, idiot. I'm aware of that. But I think our big priority should probably be some type of food today. We go much longer without it, I doubt we will be able to make it back regardless. We can start trying to find our way home tomorrow." Kageyama says, blatantly avoiding the real reason. His one joint is so stiff and painful that he can barely move it.
"Well I don't think we should wait too long… they tell us to stay out of the forests at night for a reason."
Kageyama has to agree. Every now and then, a sentry unit would corner and kill a cat who was trespassing, so he was aware that they were around, but the crows always outnumbered the cat by like five well trained fighters to one in those instances. He and Hinata are two badly hurt and weakened avians. He knows owls roam the woods and he's heard stories of their predatory endeavors on crows so not moving around much at night is probably their best option and it's probably safest if they don't light fires either. There are also large wild beasts in the woods that could easily take out an injured crow. Pumas, bears, and occasionally wolves are all a very real and potential threat. The rain had probably actually been as much a blessing as it was a curse. If his father's best trackers couldn't find them, he doubted much else would have better luck.
"I wonder what I will do if your dad lets me come back." Hinata breaks into his thoughts and when Kageyama looks at his face, there is a faraway glint in his eyes, an uncertain sorrow.
"What are you talking about—'if'. Of course you are coming back." Kageyama scoffs with a scowl.
"I'm not dense, you moron. I know your dad's position on weak people." Hinata won't meet his gaze but Kageyama is perturbed at his statement all the same.
"You are many things, Hinata, but weak isn't one of them. You've never been weak." He says and he has to wonder where such conviction comes from and how it bleeds into his voice without his permission. But it falls on deaf ears and Hinata barks a cynical, dry laugh.
"I've never been wingless before either. Pretty sure your dad will see them as largely one and the same."
"His can snip his pin feathers. You belong with the rest of us."
Kageyama is surprised at the ferocity in his voice. He's never really challenged his father in his life; he has no idea where the itch to do so now is coming from.
"Careful moron. You might admit that you find my company tolerable if you stop filtering statements like that." Hinata needles him and Kageyama is chagrined to realize that Hinata didn't miss his tone either. His face darkens with one of his textbook withering scowls.
"You analyze everything worse than a girl." He hisses at him and Hinata leans away from him and raises his hands.
"Yeah, yeah." He says placatingly, but there is the slightest upturn at the corners of his mouth that he's trying—and failing—to control, Kageyama can tell and his face darkens even more.
That little jerk is having a go at me.
For a moment, he intends to take a swing at him despite how that expression that's been absent the last twenty-four hours gives him a sense of relief, but stops before his arm can move more than a couple inches. The sight of the cut and bruises on his face and neck give him pause. Hinata still looks like hell and it would probably be better not to add to his long list of painful issues at the moment.
"You're lucky you look like you got into it with Asahi and came out on the wrong end." He mutters before standing and Hinata laughs outright, but Kageyama sees how it doesn't quite reach his eyes. They both know Asahi is one of the most pacifistic crows in their training group and probably the least likely person to return a punch from one of his friends. That doesn't stop the large and imposing crow from appearing homicidal.
"Daichi would have been a better pick, stupid."
Kageyama glares in his direction because he knows the redhead is right. But he refuses to let him win so easily.
"If you got into it with Daichi, we'd be having a funeral."
He mutters peevishly before turning away from the grounded flier, but he hears Hinata laugh once more and can't help but notice Hinata is chatting more than yesterday, seems lighter. He can tell the redhead is trying to find 'normal' again… or as normal as well as he can given everything that's happened.
"I'm going to go see if I can find us anything to eat. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone." He growls over his shoulder.
"Grounded, remember?" Hinata ribs halfheartedly with a thumb jabbing toward the empty air over his shoulder, "Doubt I can top that." He says and Kageyama hears the slight catch in his voice that lets him know that the redhead isn't really ok—that despite his more talkative demeanor, his deceptively brighter mood masks the fact that he is still staggering.
Unable to face the smaller boy, Kageyama waves him off and heads out to find something for them to eat.