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Chapter Text

Hinata Shouyou knew what ‘anomalies’ were. Feared by many, and said to congregate in groups according to their deformities - they were scary creatures, using whatever mutations they had to kill and maim. This, his father told him as his mother carefully tucked his tiny wings under his shirt, making sure they folded in a way that made them almost invisible.

He would run outside and play with the other children, kicking a ball back and forth and exploring the outskirts of the woods nearby. On occasion they would bump the ball to each other with their arms, which quickly became a favorite of Hinata’s. His wings would ache at the end of the day after being pressed against his back for so long, and he’d fall asleep with them splayed outwards, flapping when he dreamt of flying.

His father returned home one day, face red and fists clenched. He made a beeline for Hinata, who stared at him with wide eyes. His voice rose as he spit at his son, furious. “Three!” He advanced further, backing Hinata into the corner. “Three dead, because of the likes of you! Those things on your back,” here he wheezed, “you may share my blood, but there’s no way you’re my son.”

Livid anger simmered into cold contempt. His stare, so unlike the warm brown gaze of his mother, left Hinata feeling hollow. His father turned, snatching his coat and a few other things, leaving his wedding ring behind on the table. Then, he turned and left, the snap of the door closing sending the left behind anomaly to his knees.

That’s how Hinata’s mother found him that evening; knelt on the floor, head down as his tiny hands tried to reach the wings on his back to tear them away.

He’d hardly grown compared to the other kids living in his village. While they gained height and muscle, Hinata could observe the rapid development of his anomaly characteristics. His wingspan reached beyond the tips of his fingers, and his mother could hardly fold them underneath his clothes anymore, as the bumps they created were far too obvious.

His feathers, mainly orange, with the intermittent auburn or black down, could be found lying around the village as the result of his most recent molt. Because it was now spring as opposed to winter, his plumage was more vibrant and lively.

He stretched out on the floor of the room he shared with his younger sister, wings spread. Hinata had no reason to venture out anymore, and his mother feared his secret would be discovered if he weren’t careful.

The deaths from all those years ago had been only the beginning. Anomalies supposedly did away with more and more humans every day. Surely if Hinata’s secret were revealed, he would be killed, no questions asked.

He’d only have to endure boredom for a few more minutes, as Natsu, who had been born after his father had left, would be home soon. Sure enough, it didn’t take long until a smaller version of himself came marching through the door.

Natsu squeaked out his name, leaping onto him and making grabby hands at his wings. He humored her, allowing for the tugging of feathers, knowing they’d be disheveled later. She settled down after their greeting, babbling about this and that.

She’d seen a butterfly, as orange as the hair atop their heads, and it’d flown right past her, too! Natsu had also seen a flock of crows overhead, flying towards the woods and making lots of noise. She talked until her eyelids drooped and her head thumped against Hinata’s shoulder.

He carefully tucked her in, returning to the front room as his mother opened the front door. “Shouyou,” she said, quickly closing it behind her. “Front room means they have to be away, you know that.” He stayed silent as she fussed, hands fluttering to pat his head and smooth his ruffled down. (No doubt a result of Natsu’s overzealous tugging).

She made small talk as she made herself something to eat in the kitchen, and Hinata couldn’t help but observe her careful movements, wondering if he’d ever be able to mimic them himself. There was a lull in the conversation, his mother’s gaze fixed on empty air.

“Have you ever tried to fly?” She wondered aloud, eyes moving to stare at the back of his shirt. The question took him aback. He’d thought of it many times before, but how would he ever manage without being seen?

“Today I saw something over the woods. It was much too large to be an ordinary bird,” she wrung her hands nervously. “I felt it look at me. It sat atop the trees and watched.” His breath hitched a bit. Anomalies were savage killers - by all means his mother should be another tally to the death toll.

“I tried to say something and spooked it away. Took off in a flurry of feathers, but it flew, Shouyou,” she sighed his name, growing increasingly nervous. “What I mean to say is, are they not as dangerous as they’re supposed to be?”

What was she getting at? What was being implied? His mother stepped to him then, and folded him in an embrace. “People have become wary of you. I never let you outside anymore. They’re becoming suspicious,” he felt her shoulders shake as a sob escaped.

“Anomalies tend to band together,” she stuttered to a stop, as he pulled away to look at her. “I can’t help but wonder if maybe it’s time to send you off. Don’t misunderstand me Shouyou,” she was begging him now as he stared at her.

Leaving? Like his father had left? “What do you mean, I can’t just -”

She grasped one of his hands in both of hers, staring him down with shining brown irises. “It’ll be safer for you. I can’t protect you anymore,” the tears tracked silver lines down her face. Had his mother always had that fringe of gray framing her hairline? What about the lines worn in her forehead? He gripped her shoulder firmly.

“It wouldn’t be good for any of us if they found me here,” Hinata said quietly. “I can take off in the morning, just tell Natsu…”

His mother smiled wearily then, and shook her head. She stepped past him, preparing food he’d be taking on the journey, placing it gently into a worn sack. “Now I myself am not sure how to fly,” she teased. “Just trust your wings to get you there. Birds flock together. They’ll find you, or you’ll find them.”

She pressed a kiss to his forehead as she handed him the sack, which he then tied and slung over his shoulder. He’d been ready to leave then, hand grasping the door knob, as an idea hit him. “Mom, wait,” he dropped the sack to the floor and tugged his shirt off.

It took a quick moment for him to pick the feather out, and he handed it to her, marveling in the soft smile she gave in return. He quietly made his way to his room, where Natsu lay, snoring.

Hinata pinched a feather between his thumb and index finger and plucked it quickly, the tiny burst of pain akin to ripping away a bandage. He carefully tucked it under Natsu’s arm, running his fingers through the wild orange locks that were so like his own.

A few ruffles of hair and a deep, shuddering breath later he was giving his mother one last hug. “I’ll make up an accident,” she offered, clutching her only son to her. “Be careful, Shouyou.”

She let him go, then, watching from the door as he made his way towards the towering trees on the outskirts of the sleeping village.

His footfalls sounded too heavy to his own ears, and he feared every moment someone would leap out of their home and somehow know of his wings. The wings that, today, would be flying for the first time.

Hinata made it past the last few houses and pulled his knapsack so that it hung over his stomach. He shed his shirt and stuffed it into the bag, letting his wings flare. He couldn't remember the last time they’d felt open air, the last time they’d stretched to catch the breeze.

The sun was just beginning to rise, peeking over the mountains that loomed in the distance.

He jumped a bit, trying to judge the strength of the wind and the weight of the appendages attached to his back. He had to concentrate in order to move them, and his first experimental flap sent his face plowing into the dirt.

After removing the majority of the muck from his visage, he tried again. After consecutive failures, he decided he really, really didn’t appreciate the taste of dirt. The sun was much higher than it had been, and Hinata let out a frustrated noise.

Back in the village, a small crowd of men set out for their hunting trip, bows slung over shoulders and daggers in hand. Food was priority after the harsh winter had depleted their stocks.

They wandered down a worn path to the nearby forest, boasting of the game they’d surely bring back. The man in front stopped suddenly, sending the others behind him to a ungraceful stop.

Hinata turned, eyes wild, and stared at the group of hunters. One drew their bow, the head of the arrow glinting threateningly in the morning light.

He turned and ran, no longer having the time to attempt flight. He did his best to tuck his wings close to his body so that he could run without them getting caught on any branches, but a couple close calls occurred nonetheless.

An arrow arced over his head, embedding itself in a tree nearby. His face paled as he frantically sought out a solution. If he stopped running, he was sure the men would kill him without giving him a chance to talk.

Even if Hinata were able to fly, he’d run into the many branches overhead or take an arrow as soon as he left the ground. With not many options left, he turned sharply towards the tree where the arrow had landed, scaling it as quickly as he was able.

He hoped their fear of anomalies would keep them from following him up. A few arrows shot past his face, and one of the hunters even threw a dagger, which fell just short of his ankle. When he was about halfway, their vigor seemed to wane. The arrows were less in number, though the occasional one still came much too close for comfort.

Just as Hinata reached to pull himself up to the highest branch, an arrow struck him. He let out a breathless scream as his left wing fell limp and pain branched throughout the appendage.

Willpower pushed him to keep climbing until he rested firmly on the topmost branch, wings curled around his small figure. The arrow had lodged itself in his wing, and the feathers surrounding it were tinged a dark red as opposed to the light orange they’d once been.

As the hunters far below him continued to shout, he pressed his forehead to his knees, taking deep, steady breaths. What was he going to do? There wasn’t an out for him.

The thin branch above him swayed as a large crow landed on it, peering down at the ginger anomaly. It let out a loud caw, causing the boy to immediately look up. Other crows began to situate themselves in the surrounding trees, cawing noisily.

Hinata reached up slowly to touch the crow above him, expecting it to startle and fly away. Instead, it leaned down so that his fingers made contact with its side. His eyes widened comically.

Because of his wings, did these birds think that he was one of their own? He lightly pat the crow as he thought, watching as more birds, not just crows now, continued to land near him. The clamor of the men below was drowned out by the calls of dozens of birds.

He could make out even more flying towards him in the distance. There were a few with extensive wingspans, which he chalked up to being big birds. More crows? Eagles? They drew closer, and Hinata’s mouth dropped open, dumbfounded by the sheer size of some of the avians coming towards him.

He’d never seen birds that massive.

He shifted, drawing his hand back from the crow, blanching when the pain flared, reminding him that he had a predicament lodged in his wing. His crow, still perched above him, cawed obnoxiously.

Hinata thought he heard a voice, aside from the men who were still below. He strained his ears, and heard it again, “HEY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” His head swiveled to face the approaching flock, now alarmed because of something other than their immense size.

Those wings weren’t attached to birds, exactly, no. The anomalies were close enough that he could make out their faces, which didn’t particularly look hostile. Except for the bald one, maybe.

A stray arrow fell short of their feet as they landed on the branches near him. One landed right in front of him, smiling reassuringly.

“That arrow must hurt,” he pointed out, crouching until he was eye-level with Hinata. “Once we make it back to the Nest, Ennoshita can take care of it for you.” He motioned for one of the others to help him get the younger anomaly to his feet.

Hinata didn’t struggle. This was what his mother had wanted - for him to find others like him. He would be safer with these guys than he would be waiting in this tree, surely. The gentle one patted his shoulder as the bald one bounded over and helped Hinata to his feet.

He choked out his name when asked, warily eyeing the energetic boy approaching with his arms spread wide.

“You’re too young too fly, huh?” He said, a manic grin on his face. “I’ll do all the work, you’ve just gotta hold on, alright?” Nodding dumbly, Hinata looped his arms around the older boy’s neck, choking back a surprised scream as they went airborne.

The hunters became tiny, harmless specks on the ground far below, and the cold air bit at his face. Another anomaly, this one sporting impressively spiked hair, came into view. He gave Hinata a once-over and a friendly grin before launching into introductions.

“Nishinoya, at your service. The idiot carrying you is Tanaka,” Noya completely ignored the indignant retort shot at him from said idiot, continuing to ramble.

Hinata learned that the one who would be treating his wing was named Ennoshita, a rather tired looking guy. Their other companion was Sugawara. The silver haired man inexplicably reminded Shoyou of his mother. Perhaps it was the caring smile or the calm demeanor he exuded.

They flew for what felt to be an eternity. Eventually, Hinata resorted to tucking his chilled face into Tanaka’s neck for warmth. How the older boy had failed to tire while carrying him was beyond any understanding.

He drifted off into a half-asleep state, jolted awake when a nearby bird cawed or Nishinoya talked too loudly.

It was the gentle lilt of Suga’s voice that woke him upon arriving at their destination. “We’re home, Hinata.”

Tanaka shifted him so that he could have a better look at what lie below. His breath caught in his throat. They hovered over a forest of giant trees, all spread a fair distance apart. The faint outlines of mountains were visible in one direction, as was an immense lake, its shoreline a short walk away from the largest tree’s base.

Home, huh?

Chapter Text

There were a lot of birds. Crows, that had probably followed them here, eagles, hawks, sparrows and robins. Small flashes of color between the leaves of the trees looming ahead. Tanaka had gingerly deposited him on the floor of a treehouse like structure, where he was cared for by Ennoshita and Sugawara.

Removing the arrow had been a painful experience. His wing was now awkwardly bound in order to keep the wound covered. He’d been told rather firmly that excessive movement could damage it further.

He didn’t want that. Hinata wanted to fly.

He thought of his mother and what she’d said, wondering how his younger sister was holding up without him there. His musings were interrupted by a couple new arrivals.

If Suga was like a mother, than this man would be the likely candidate for father with his broad shoulders and the stern air about him.

“Daichi,” he shook Hinata’s hand firmly, discreetly eyeing his bandages, “I take care of most things around here. I’m sorry about your wing, I’m glad Ennoshita was able to patch it up.”

Before a reply could be uttered, Suga beamed from over Daichi’s shoulder, ushering a pair of younger anomalies forward. Though they were both taller than Hinata, as many were, neither looked much older.

The shorter of the duo introduced himself as Yamaguchi, and the glowering boy behind him as Tsukishima. Hinata imprinted their names into his mind, noting that the former, freckled boy gave off a slightly friendlier aura.

Tsukishima rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe it was the intimidating glint his glasses gave off while he glared down at the much shorter Hinata.

Or maybe it was just his face in general.

Ennoshita was quick to usher the growing number of visitors out, mumbling about how his patient needed space. He reminded Hinata once again to keep his wing still before taking leave himself, saying only that he needed to check on certain rambunctious individuals.

Hinata would bet on those individuals being a certain bald loudmouth and Noya.

He rested awhile, splayed awkwardly so that his wing would not be strained. Eyes locked onto the wooden ceiling, he mapped the area in his mind. While Suga had called the various trees home, he’d also heard it referred to as the ‘Nest’ by the others.

The ‘Nest’ consisted of many treehouses, each with their own purpose. He resided in one reserved for medical purposes, which was located directly off the main tree, which was used for meetings and where they all ate together.

Nishinoya had fondly rambled about the nearby lake on their way here, and promised a summer full of swimming. How would one even manage to swim with wings, anyhow?

The other, smaller trees served as individual nests, where they slept and lived, for the most part. Ennoshita lived in the infirmary, as was convenient for him most of the time. He assured Hinata that he’d get his own tree in due time, once his wing was healed.

The prospect excited him. His own tree - he’d never even had his own room before! He imagined he’d have a hard time keeping it clean of feathers and the like, as he and Natsu had never been very clean at home.

Hinata wondered what their mother had told her. Had Natsu managed to avoid crushing his feather in her sleep? What had she done with it? Imagining her bubbly personality and wide grin had his vision going blurry with tears. He missed her, but he’d never be able to go back.

Not if he wanted she and his mother to be safe.

His disheartening inner soliloquy was interrupted by the abrupt opening of the infirmary door.

The first thing Hinata noticed was the glare. It seemed to be a permanent fixture on this anomaly’s face, which was a shame, for if not for the glower then the guy would’ve been fairly pleasant to look at.

His eyes reminded Hinata of the sky at night, and his hair and wings made him think of all of the crows that seemed to stick around the ‘Nest’ on a frequent basis. He continued to stare as the boy completely ignored him, making a beeline for the back room - Ennoshita’s room.

When he didn’t find who he expected, he returned, and noticed Hinata sitting there for the first time.

“Who the hell are you?” He demanded, withering stare still prominent. How charming. Despite himself, Hinata may have stuttered when answering. This guy was unnerving.

“Where’s Ennoshita at? Asahi has gone and burnt himself again,” he muttered, a sort of fond annoyance in his tone. Hinata had no clue who this ‘Asahi’ was, and didn’t know exactly where Ennoshita had gone, and he said so, shifting his wing so he could better face Kageyama.

“Asahi makes the food around here,” Kageyama moved to leave, glancing at Hinata’s limp wing as he neared the door. “And thanks.”

Hinata nodded, and then was left alone once again. In lieu of anything else to do, completely bored and quite exhausted, Hinata drifted to sleep.
While recovering, Hinata met the remaining members of the ‘flock’ and heard a fair share of gossip as well. Yachi and Shimizu, the sole females, often came in to talk to him, sharing stories and feeding him info on his new family.

“Then there’s Ukai and Takeda, who live up in the mountains,” Yachi explained, careful hands stitching worn seams of a shirt back together. “They’re like extended members of our flock.” From next to her Shimizu took the now mended shirt and folded it carefully.

Though she was quiet compared to the rest of her rowdy family, her thoughts were portrayed by her actions and her small, caring smiles. (Which were usually directed at Yachi and the younger members of the flock).

Yachi continued to talk until Ennoshita returned and helped her remove the bandages binding Hinata’s wing. He clenched his fists, hoping that this would be the day he’d finally be cleared, and then Noya and Tanaka would take him for his first fly.

He stretched out the appendage when Ennoshita asked him to, feeling a twinge of excitement when there was no sharp pain, only soreness from being bound so tightly. He performed a series of movements, growing giddy by the minute.

“Well,” Ennoshita smiled kindly at him as Yachi tossed the used bandages aside. “You’re perfectly healthy, though you’re likely sore. You should probably go tell Tanaka and Nishinoya you’ll be flying with them tomorrow.”

Hinata couldn’t refrain from letting out a happy noise of agreement.

That night, he ate with the rest of the flock in the largest, main treehouse, nestled between Tanaka and Kageyama. The topic of conversation was his upcoming flight, and whether or not Tanaka and Noya were really who should be the ones to teach him.

“Why not?” Tanaka argued through a mouthful of food, “We taught Yamaguchi not that long ago, and he flies just fine!” Said freckled flock member bowed his head slightly, stifling a laugh.

“I still have trouble with turning and doing some of the more basic maneuvers,” he said, Tsukishima snickering beside him when Tanaka’s jaw dropped.

“TRAITOR,” he hissed, shoveling more food into his maw as he pouted.

“Why not have Kageyama take him out tomorrow?” Sugawara proposed, eyeing said anomaly. “He’s one of the smoothest fliers of us all, and they’re around the same age, anyhow.”

Kageyama stared at the flock mother, still processing.

Nishinoya floundered in the silence, protesting that since they were both so young that it’d end badly. “At least let us be there to supervise!”

“If anything, you and Tanaka are the ones who need to be supervised,” Daichi said dryly, holding back a sigh. “When you three take him up tomorrow, stay fairly close, and be careful.”

Kageyama finally snapped into the present. “Wait, I didn’t agree to this - ”

“Well you’re doing it anyway, should’ve spoken up sooner!” Sugawara grinned at him sweetly, before returning his attention to Hinata and his slew of never ending questions.

“So are all anomalies birds like us? Why don’t we all live together then?” His inquisitive face warmed Suga’s heart, though the topic wasn’t exactly something he could easily explain.

“There’s all sorts of anomalies out there,” he began, eyes far away as he recalled a few past instances. “There’s some bad blood here and there, and it’s not as if we’re all compatible to live together… those out there would like to live in the trees about as much as we’d enjoy living underwater.”

The discussion carried far into the night, until the majority of the flock lay draped across each other in various states of consciousness. Hinata nodded off, head cushioned by Kageyama’s arm and Tanaka’s snoring face pressed against his side. Ah, family.

The next morning started early, as Narita’s foot slipped from it’s spot atop the table and plowed into Asahi’s stomach. His pained wheeze awoke most of the others, who in turn awoke those still sleeping.

Hinata shook of all hints of drowsiness, eager to get into the sky. He recalled his mother’s face, the expression she had worn when speaking of flying; wistful. Even if she’d never be able to fly, Hinata would certainly do so.

Tanaka groggily stood, pulling Nishinoya up with him. He immediately met Hinata’s eager gaze, and barely held back a laugh. “So eager,” he teased. “At least let us eat first, won’t you?”

Breakfast was quick, much to the newest member of the flock’s relief. He didn’t trust himself to eat anything, instead choosing to watch the flock.

Kageyama stonily observed him, trying not to roll his eyes at the redhead’s exuberant energy. He only hoped the newcomer could put this fire into his flying. Now that would be a spectacle. Could this kid be even quicker than Noya in the air?

They set off after receiving well wishes from Suga and more pleads to be careful from Daichi. Tanaka had Hinata slung over his shoulder as they took off, cheerily commenting at the lack of wind.

They flew over the clear land of the lake’s shore, and Tanaka abruptly dropped him.

He didn’t have time to scream before he righted himself in the air, limbs spread to slow himself in the air. His instinct led him onwards - mind completely blank.

Foremost, Hinata moved to glide, wings held at an angle to slow his descent even further. His wings moved on their own, clumsily flapping to gain altitude. Soon he was nearly aligned with the members of his flock.

Nishinoya grinned cheekily at him. “Just like the rest of us learned - naturally!” And moved to dive. His wings were short and pointed, allowing him to reach incredible speeds in the air.

Of course, Hinata immediately moved to follow him, wondering what the rush of air from such velocity would feel like. A harsh tap from Kageyama stilled him. “I’m here to teach you the little things,” he said as Tanaka dove after Noya, calling boisterously after him.

Kageyama rambled on about lift and angles, briefly going over the basics on hovering and how to adjust to wind. Hinata listened raptly, zeroing in on his voice. The faster he absorbed all of this, the sooner they could move on and do even more. Hinata wanted to be flying like a natural in no time.

When they moved onto diving, things went south. Different wings called for different angles and so forth, which Hinata didn’t quite adhere to. The soreness in his newly mended wing hit him like a punch to the gut, and he wavered in the air, plummeting much faster than was safe.

Kageyama’s frantic call was hardly audible over the air rushing past his ears. In an instant, Nishinoya was beside him, calmly guiding him through what to do.

He imitated the anomaly alongside him, turning his body and unfurling his wings, trying to gain enough lift to at least slow his plunge.

He hit the ground rolling, but at least he was unscathed, save for a few minor scratches.

“Rolling Thunder!” He heard Noya call out from somewhere nearby, breathless but otherwise intact. Tanaka and Kageyama landed nearby, rushing to where they lay.

“No more diving for you,” the latter managed, lingering on the many minor scratches marring his skin. “That and we still have to teach you to land.”

Tanaka bounded over, slinging his arm over Hinata’s shoulder. “So how about Daichi never hears about this little incident? I mean, it’s probably better for his health that way…”

The other three readily agreed.

Hinata considered patrolling to be the most enjoyable task. Hunting with Daichi was amusing, and collecting herbs with Ennoshita wasn’t the worst thing ever, but he much prefered this. The wind whipping his hair into a mess, surveying the vast forests and open land below, and finding the weirdest birds along the way. It didn’t hurt that his patrols were usually with Tanaka and Nishinoya.

Even his patrols with Kageyama were enjoyable. As long as he wasn’t stuck with Tsukishima or the cautious types like Asahi, they were fun. The only other thing to rival patrols were his rare trips into towns with Nishinoya.

Because their wings were small, at least compared to the rest of the flock, they could be concealed with the addition of a cloak. When cooking wares or certain medicines were needed, they’d slip on their cloaks and set off to the nearest village by foot.

It reminded him of his mother and sister.

It was on patrol now, with Kageyama, during which he enjoyed himself. Sometimes he’d perform tiny dives, just to tick him off, or swoop close to mess his rhythm up. The grump would manage to get him back - whether it be with a sharp elbow when Hinata wasn’t paying attention and the like.

Sometimes Kageyama would one-up him in maneuvers, gracefully executing sharper dives and the occasional midair flip. They could go on for hours, trying to get the upper hand in an unofficial competition, forgetting to survey the ground beneath them and just goofing off instead.

Hinata glanced over at his companion now, reveling in the calm, undisturbed expression he wore. He could easily make that face change, but for now he’d let it be. A strong headwind sent him off balance, and he grinned inwardly, swooping in front of Kageyama and ceasing all movement.

They collided, feathers and curses flying. Hinata howled with laughter until Kageyama had to chuckle, too. They made their way back to the ‘Nest’, continuing to jest and swipe at each other all the way home. They thrived in the peace.

Chapter Text

Currently, the flock lounged in the main tree, eager for the food that was soon to soothe their ravenous appetites. Asahi barely had time to place the meal on the table before everyone dug in with gusto.

Daichi, Shimizu, and Yachi had yet to return from their evening patrol, so a fair portion was - reluctantly - set aside for them to eat later.

Even after they’d each had their fill, most decided to stick around, as their energy hadn’t quite yet diminished. Tanaka proceeded to tear his shirt away when he got too rowdy, swinging it in the air and managing to knock away Tsukishima’s glasses.

If the blond had been able to see, Tanaka may have ended up with a few bruises.

Yamaguchi retrieved the glasses, which were thankfully unbroken, and led his taller companion away from the tree, presumably back to their own individual nests. Hinata was kind of surprised that they didn’t live together as some of the others did, seeing as they were so close.

Hinata lived in his own tree, one situated close to Kageyama, Noya, and Tanaka. Suga and Daichi, the sort of flock parents, shared one located near the main tree. Shimizu and Yachi shared one nearer to the lake, and often fell asleep to the quiet lapping of the water against the smooth shore.

Gradually, the flock members filtered out, until only Hinata, Sugawara, Kageyama, and Nishinoya remained. They awaited the patrol’s return, even when the flock mother insisted he could wait by himself.

They didn’t have to wait very long. Daichi entered alone, as the others had retreated to bed. His face was tired and drawn, and his shoulders tense. He readily accepted Suga’s offer of food, and sat heavily at the table.

“The cats have been moving,” he spoke between bites of food. “Shimizu’s got sharp eyes, though they weren’t exactly hard to miss.” His eyes were fixed somewhere far away as he set his bowl aside.

“I personally haven’t seen either of them before. I’ve never seen a cat this close to us, either… I don’t know exactly what it is they’re doing. The first one we saw was huge - likely taller than even Tsukishima. He was loud too. The other was tiny, but he was also more observant.”

“Did the smaller one happen to spot you?” Sugawara asked, his eyebrows furrowing as he reached to place his hand atop Daichi’s own. He received a curt nod in response.

“That’s why we returned so late,” their leader explained. “We didn’t want to give the Nest away, so we took a detour.”

Hinata looked on nervously. More anomalies? How close were they, exactly? He tuned out the conversation as he lost himself in his musings, thinking back to his father’s words long ago. Could these cats be the anomalies responsible for so many human deaths?

A sharp poke to his stomach jolted him into awareness. He shot Kageyama a glare and shifted farther away, out of his range.

“Hinata?” It was Nishinoya, staring him down from across the table. “We’re going to the nearby village tomorrow to gather news and get more supplies for Ennoshita.”

He perked up at the news. Going to the village was a rare occurrence, happening only once every few months, when the flock was in need of something they couldn’t make themselves.

“You’ll need to get some sleep,” Daichi smiled wearily at them as he stood. “We all could use the rest. Suga?” The two were the first to take off in the direction of their nest, gliding gently and enjoying the lack of wind.

Hinata was about to leave with Kageyama when a small hand grasped his shoulder firmly. Noya stared him down, his smile looking forced. “Go on ahead Kageyama, I just need to borrow him for a minute.”

The anomaly in question gave a short nod, glancing back at the two before he disappeared.

“So, tomorrow!” Nishinoya sat heavily on the floor, gesturing for Hinata to join him. “It’s a usual run - Asahi wants some stupid spices neither of us has ever heard of, and Ennoshita needs some run-of-the-mill herbs… ”

His normally upbeat expression took a 180 and he fixed a serious gaze on the younger anomaly. “Tomorrow I’m going to need you to be more cautious than usual, okay? There’s been a bit of unrest relating to other anomalies. So just keep your cloak on tight tomorrow, Shou.”

Dumbfounded, he nodded in agreement. He’d never seen the older boy look so grim.

Hinata returned to his nest to sleep that night with a muddled, nervous mind.

Boy, did his stomach hurt - must be a result of all of the nerves. Hinata rolled over to meet the bright eyes of Noya, who’d woken him up with a cloak to the face. Because of their smaller stature, they had smaller wings as well. This meant that their wings could be hidden away underneath baggy clothes, and no villager would be able to tell them apart from an ordinary human.

The orange haired boy carefully situated the cloak over his shoulders, tucking his wings tightly against his back. Good; this cloak still fit him, as he hadn’t grown any since the last village voyage.

He followed the older anomaly to the main tree to eat a quick breakfast before taking off in the direction of the rising sun. The nearest village would take a good hour to reach, and they’d have to land prematurely to ensure secrecy.

A small bag was tied securely to Noya’s belt, containing money and a short list of what they were going to have to track down.

The hour passed swiftly, both of their minds too tired to register much of the dull trip. Though the cool wind on their faces and through their wings was always a welcome feeling.

Noya swiftly dropped into a sharp dive, performing his signature move, ‘rolling thunder,’ upon nearing the ground. He rolled to a stop, and observed Hinata’s descent.

The orange of his wings was clearly visible against the blue sky as he spread them wide to slow himself down, plopping heavily next to the other anomaly.
They closely inspected each other, making sure not even a single feather was visible. Once satisfied, they made their way into town.

Hinata’s feet felt suffocated in his boots, as he was used to traversing barefoot. He kept his head down and wings pressed stiffly against his back, worrying as he usually did that his bright hair color would attract unwanted attention.

The people of the village seemed especially cautious today, giving the newcomers wary glances and giving them a wide berth. Noya swiftly pulled Hinata aside, taking the money from his belt and pressing it into his hand.

“Do you think you can handle today’s list?” He asked. “Something just popped up that I need to take care of. I’ll be back before you know it!” And the older, though shorter, anomaly slipped into the flow of the crowd headed for the outskirts.

With the money in one hand and the list in the other, Hinata put his tiny body to good use, weaving between others as he made his way to the bustling part of town. The first stand he visited took care of nearly all of Asahi’s list items, and now he carried an additional sack full of spices and some spare clothes.

He was scanning the wares at a medicinal store when his ears picked up unwelcome chatter. A chill ran up his spine when one man hissed ‘anomalies’ with tangible hatred. Had he been discovered?! Did he dare turn around and confront them?

The man continued spitting at the people around him, voice booming about what dastardly deeds anomalies had recently committed.

Hinata let out a long breath.

He quickly bought what he needed and moved on, stuffing more items into his bag. He smiled to himself when the list was completed, and began making his way to the less busy part of the town to wait for Noya to return.

While squeezing in between others, he heard more anomaly talk, and none of it good. What was really killing all of these people? He thought back to Daichi’s report and wondered if the same group had been responsible for the deaths here.

Hinata finally pushed out of the horde of people, he placed his bag on the cobble and dusted himself off. There was no sight of his partner yet, so it looked as if he would have to wait.

As he straightened, his vision was flooded by the sight of his own feather. His eyes crossed just trying to focus on it as he panicked internally.
The stranger was just barely taller than Hinata, wearing a tan cloak not unlike his own. When he spoke, his voice was quiet and hard to hear over the din of the marketplace: “I believe you dropped this.”

Hinata’s own feather was pressed into his clammy palm as he stared the other down, catching a glimpse of the oddest golden eyes and a small smile. Before he could blurt a single word, they vanished into the flood of bodies.

Nishinoya did not appreciate the situation he now found himself in. He and Shouyou had been in the village mere moments before talk of anomaly movements had spread, and a meeting was announced.

He casually dropped a question about it to the nearest bystander, who assured him it was a meeting of powerful men working to dispose of anomalies. Noya thanked her even as he paled, quickly sending Shou on his way to collect what they’d originally came here for.

He hadn’t been planning to sneak into a dangerous meeting, really. Certainly it was nothing he couldn’t handle.

The men gathered outside of a house on the outskirts, near the very forest where they’d entered from. Noya crouched behind the burlier men, easily hiding himself behind brawn.

“The most recent attack on our village, as you know, occurred three days ago…” One man spoke, eying his audience with, well, the only eye he had. The other was concealed underneath a makeshift bandage due to some sort of injury.

The meeting dragged on, mostly consisting of various men piping up to spout hate about anomalies and swapping stories of the most recent attack.

Nishinoya could’ve stood through the entire meeting with little to no concern. Humans making vague, invalid threats to the various anomaly races was nothing new. He’d heard it before.

He paid rapt attention, noting information like how the humans hoped to attack them and where they thought most anomalies lived.

“Don’t all living things require water? A group of them has got to be near a water source,” the one-eyed man spoke up, scanning the gathered men with his eerie gaze. He gave Noya some serious bad vibes.

He tilted his head as the man continued to ramble, some of his babble making sense while the rest was complete nonsense.

“The only anomalies we’ve even spotted recently have been those damn birds,” he said, shaking his head. “At this point I don’t know if other kinds exist.”

Noya’s mouth dropped open a bit. Birds? Their flock had stayed well near the nest for years. His own wings were currently well hidden, and they’d never flown too close to surrounding towns.

So there was the nearby cats to worry about already, as well as this new, undefined threat. Nishinoya slipped away while the men were still engrossed with tales of anomalies dropping from the sky and dragging their loved ones away.

An Hour Later -

Nishinoya found his flock member slumped against a wall with a bag full of their needed items next to him. Through his worry, Noya sent him a proud smile.

“Are you ready to go home?” He asked, heaving Shou onto his feet. The boy nodded, practically dragging him into the woods.

As they walked farther away from civilization, they swapped information of what they’d come across. Noya went first, leaving out the bit about another group of bird anomalies. He’d have to tell Daichi first before letting the information leak to anyone else.

The fact that Shouyou had anything to report at all caught Noya’s interest. When the younger anomaly relayed his experience with the molten-eyed stranger, he spoke with his hands.

“Taller than the both of us,” Hinata said miming the height with his hand. “But just barely. He was wearing a hood that made it hard to make out his face. His hair was really weird too, but I didn’t get the best look at it.”

“We can tell this all to Daichi when we get back,” said Nishinoya, retying the money bag to his belt and loosening his cloak.

The duo took off into the air, this time heading towards the setting sun and their flock.

Chapter Text

Hinata had left early in the morning with Nishinoya to visit the nearest village, leaving Kageyama to patrol with Tanaka, instead. He had nothing against the older flock member, but it was odd, as always, without an obnoxious Hinata around.

Of course, Tanka seemed to be trying to make up for his absence by being twice as loud. And irritating. A wing casually whipped Kageyama in the face several times and cackling laughter followed. He grit his teeth and held himself from whapping the other back.

Soon enough, their patrol ended. The sun was ducking beneath the distant mountains and casting their nest in a deep shade of orange, similar in color to Hinata’s unruly hair. Despite himself, Kageyama felt the corners of his mouth lift at the thought.

“You’re doing that creepy face again,” Tanaka spoke up from beside him as they glided in for a landing. “Not plotting a mass murder or anything, huh?”

Kageyama shot him a dry look. The bald bird spoke as if his own face always held a normal expression, but that was definitely not the case. He had no time to point this out, however, as their feet touched the platform that extended out from the main tree.

The entire flock was gathered around that evening’s meal, but no one had touched the food yet. No one ever waited for a patrol to come back before eating, instead setting aside some for said patrol to eat when they returned.

Kageyama noted the return of Hinata and Noya, and also took in their unusual expressions. Hinata had his arms crossed over his stomach, something he commonly did when nervous or distressed. His amber eyes were fixed, unseeing, on the surface of the table. Next to him, Noya’s eyebrows were knitted together, while his hand toyed with the feather and beads attached to his cloak.

There was an awkward beat of silence before Tanaka cleared his throat and pushed past Kageyama.

“So,” he started, sitting heavily next to the stone-still Nishinoya. “Spit it out - what’d we miss?” His face was pulled into one of those odd expressions of his - expectant and unsuspecting.

From the head of the table, Daichi leaned forward. “You both know there was a village trip today. Nishinoya observed some unfriendly human activity towards us and gained some knowledge that there are definitely other anomalies out there. Hinata ran into one.”

“He could’ve outed me to the entire village,” Hinata piped up, tearing his gaze off the table. Shoved into the pocket of his pants was one of his own feathers; the one the stranger had handed to him. He could recall the unnatural, bright color of the boy’s eyes and the odd slit to his pupils.

“The humans in the nearby village are angry at some birds, but clearly the offenders aren’t us. They know we’ve got to be near a body of water,” Nishinoya stared, noting the way the moon reflected off of the still lake nearby.

“So now we’ve got the nearby cats and these different birds,” Ennoshita spoke up, turning a bread roll over in his hands. “And according to Hinata, if that stranger was really a cat, then they must know about us.”

A chorus of questions arose around the table.

“What do we do then?”

“Are we going to have to move?”

“Cats? Do you think they’re dangerous?”

Sugawara cleared his throat, and the commotion quickly died down. “There’s no sense in worrying about it tonight. The best thing we can do is eat up and get some rest, right?”

Every pair of eyes upon him was met with a gentle but firm smile. The eating began, and slowly a more light-hearted conversation began to build itself up.

Shimizu and Yachi were the first to finish dinner. Yachi politely bid the bird family goodnight while her partner smiled beside her. The rest filtered out in pairs until only Asahi and Noya remained.

Nishinoya helped Asahi clean up a little before heading to turn in himself. As they worked, Asahi thanked the shorter boy beside him for the spices and supplies he had brought back. Their shoulders brushed as they moved to set dishes back in their proper places, and the familiarity and proximity helped ease Noya’s tense mind.

“Don’t worry about today, Noya,” Asahi said as they prepared to take off. “Daichi will figure something out.”

Ironic of him to say, being such a worrier himself. But the sentiment warmed him, and Noya gave a cheeky grin as he pushed off into the air, calling a goodnight as he went.

- The Next Morning -

Breakfast the next morning still saw some uneasiness lingering about, especially with the two most energetic being the ones most affected. Hinata ate in a subdued sort of way, lacking his usual energy. Nishinoya, while softened from Asahi’s reassurance the night before, still had the slightest furrow to his brow.

Sugawara noted all this, and subtly dug an elbow into Daichi’s ribs. The flock leader hissed and shot him a half-hearted glare. Suga answered back with a soft, sweet smile. What a tricky bird he was.

Daichi cleared his throat, easily taking the attention of most flock members. Of course, Tanaka was too busy eating enthusiastically, and had to be nudged out of his eating spree by Ennoshita. Kageyama tore his (totally not concerned), gaze off of the redhead next to him to look at their flock leader.

He met the eyes of Sugawara again before speaking, “I know the past day or so has been a little … rough, so to say,” so many eyes on him should’ve been daunting, but this was his family. “So what do you say we take a dip in the lake after breakfast?”

Hinata made a small, happy noise, unable to talk around the food still crammed into his mouth. Noya had no such reservations, crowing loudly and shooting his mouthful of breakfast across the table.

An incredibly unimpressed Tsukishima received a shot straight to the glasses. Next to him, Yamaguchi tried (and failed), to hide his laughter. Half of the flock was already making their way outside, racing each other to see who could dive into the water first.

Suga clapped the blonde on the shoulder on his way out, offering an empathetic smile.

Asahi began to clean up after his messy family, as he usually did, noting the fine morning outside thoughtfully. The weather lately had been wet and cool, unfit for any sort of swimming at all. Things were definitely looking up. He stacked the last of the dishes together before deftly taking to the air after a still disgruntled Tsukishima.

Asahi landed softly on the sandy lakeshore, laughing to himself as he watched Nishinoya dive recklessly headfirst into the water. His hair, usually blown comically straight off of his forehead from wind, now hung limp in front of his sharp eyes.

Many of the flock stuck to the shallower parts of the water, their wings lax and shoulders unburdened. It had been too long since they’d come together to unwind. No work, no threats, no other anomaly worries. Just a lively, warm morning.

In the deeper parts of the lake, Hinata sunk until only his eyes and bright hair were out of the water, bubbles erupting from his nose as he waited for his prey to draw near. Kageyama floated nearby, face stormy as he pondered to himself.

Somewhere nearby, there were possibly threatening anomalies lying in wait. Not to mention the other possible threat of a bunch of stupid, angry humans. Although he would rather die than admit it, the flock meant everything to him. Even the likes of Hinata and Tanaka, obnoxious as they were.

If things came down to a fight between his flock and another group, who would be the victor?

His inner monologue was interrupted when a pair of hands seized his ankles and swiftly yanked him under. Water flooded his mouth when it dropped in surprise. Instinctively, Kageyama kicked at the unknown assailant with all of his might, though his movements were sluggish and less powerful due to the water around him. His foot connected with something solid and the grip on his ankles abruptly retreated.

When his head broke the surface, he was spluttering and trying to breathe and cough all at once. Noya took notice and paddled over, reaching to steady him so that he could focus on inhaling. Once his breath had returned, Kageyama glared viciously into the murk in an effort to spot who had grabbed him.

Aside from the dull mix of green and blue, he zeroed in on a color that definitely did not belong and was quickly rising. Hinata popped up directly in front of him, wings askew and hands cradling his jaw. Already a bruise was beginning to form.

“You didn’t even notice me!” Hinata’s grin was a mile wide, mirth evident in every facet of his expression. His hands left his bruise to slap the water next to him in his excitement.

“I was all quiet, and then I dove under,” his hands moved as his mouth formed the words, “then I grabbed you, and you made this sound like GWAH!”

Despite himself, Kageyama felt his anger quickly diminish. It was hard to even be annoyed when Hinata was clearly so proud of this accomplishment. Of course, this didn’t mean he wouldn’t be getting revenge; he would simply have to bide his time. It wouldn’t do to dunk the redhead under if he was expecting it, after all.  

Tanaka joined the three others in the deep end, quickly turning a leisurely swimming time into a brawl of sorts. Wings and arms alike were used to sweep wave after wave into any who drew too near. Things died down a little after Daichi took a particularly vicious sweep of Tanaka’s arm to the face when he decided to wade a little deeper.

It was nearing noon when the flock started to return to shore, spreading their wings out to dry under the high sun. Exhausted, Hinata began a weak paddle from the middle of the lake, wanting nothing more than a long nap. Kageyama swam beside him, just as drained.

The water surrounding Hinata’s toes was much colder than the water closer to the surface. He shuddered as he felt a tail brush one of his feet, wondering inwardly what kind of fish it was. On occasion, he would help Asahi catch fish in the warmer months. Hinata’s luck never amounted to anything much larger than a catfish, but he found it enjoyable all the same.

When the tail brushed past him again, he squeaked and jerked his feet higher. Kageyama shot him a questioning look. Hinata made his best fish face in an attempt to explain, laughing when Kageyama’s brows only furrowed in confusion.

His amusement was cut off unexpectedly when something decidedly less fishy brushed against his ankles. Panicked, Hinata flapped his wet wings in an attempt to lift himself into the air. However, his sodden wings failed him spectacularly and whatever altitude he’d managed to gain was quickly diminished by the force of the bony hands now encompassing his ankles, tugging him downwards.

Hinata met Kageyama’s gaze before his head, too, was pulled under.

The warmth of the surface rapidly retreated as Hinata was dragged deeper. He forced himself to open his eyes, only to close them immediately after due to the uncomfortable sting. He couldn’t tell for sure, but it felt more like he was being dragged sideways instead of downwards now. Pressure slowly built in his lungs as his need to breathe went unanswered.

Feebly, Hinata wiggled his foot, trying to loosen the grasp of the one leading him around. Sharp nails dug into the flesh of his ankle. More bubbles fled his mouth. Without warning, another hand dug into his bicep and pulled him up, up, up until his head broke the surface.

Hinata had never been so relieved to breathe. He brought his free arm up to swipe across his eyes, wiping away the water that obscured his vision.

First, he stared at the tan arm currently restricting his upper body, following it to a shoulder, and then to an irritated face. Movement near his feet drew his gaze to another person, this one much paler. Though his expression seemed friendly enough, something about him seemed much more sinister.

“Ah,” he said, rising further out of the water. “Good to see you’re still alive.”

Hinata’s mouth dropped when a long, scaled tale emerged from the water after the man’s torso. No, this wasn’t a man. This was another anomaly.

“Sorry to grab you on such short notice, but we’ve got a few questions.”

Chapter Text

Kageyama liked to think he was an even minded individual. It took quite a bit to jar him … so what was this? Surely Hinata was just being his usual, idiotic self. Playing another prank on him, and so quickly after the first? Then again, how did he manage to yank himself so far under?

Sharp eyes affixed to the now still water, he counted inwardly as he held his own breath. His lungs quickly begun to beg for air. Eventually he was forced to inhale rather loudly; drawing the attention of the nearby Nishinoya.

The smaller anomaly quickly made his way over, nearly as fast in the water as he was in the air. “What is it Kageyama? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” Noya took in the lost expression on the younger boy’s face and tracked his gaze to the still surface of the lake.

A call from shore jolted the two out of their reverie: “Hinata! Daichi wants to see you, something about the market yesterday!” Tanaka was calf-deep in the water, hands (unnecessarily) cupped around his mouth to better project his already loud voice. However, no chipper, acute voice answered him. His sharp vision picked up no mop of orange out in the water.

The bald boy turned to scan the rest of the flock lounging about behind him, a cold feeling that had nothing to do with the slight chill of the water sneaking through his veins. Nothing. He watched as Noya guided a dazed Kageyama to shallow waters.

Everything seemed to hit the dark haired boy at once. His head whipped behind him to stare at the now vacant waters, mouth open but no sound emerging. Kageyama tried again, the name that finally left his mouth so quiet he wasn’t even sure if it had actually made it past his lips.

“Hinata?”

No longer were the flock members spread out on the sand, enjoying their peaceful morning. Everyone was on their feet, a sudden discord erupting from the ranks. Question after question arose, and Kageyama did his best to offer up the miniscule information he had.

“He was right next to me … something must’ve brushed past him, because he freaked and tried to get out of the water but it dragged him down?” He couldn’t meet their eyes. He should’ve done something - should have made a grab for the smaller boy, should’ve reached for him, but he had only watched as Hinata was pulled down, down, down.

Before chaos could erupt, Suga placed a comforting hand on Kageyama’s shoulder, steering him towards the Nest. The rest of their flock trailed afterwards.

Yachi and Shimizu clasped their hands together, the taller girl offering small, empty words of comfort.

Yamaguchi lagged behind, staring at the now vacant water. Initially, he had always believed this lake led to nowhere. Yet somehow, Hinata had been dragged out of the vicinity. Were there underground tunnels leading elsewhere? Little offshoot streams? He snapped to attention when Tsukishima subtly prodded him forward. Daichi brought up the rear.

They settled around the table usually reserved for upbeat mealtimes and stared at each other, each of the flock consciously avoiding looking at the empty seat. Daichi began the discussion: “The last thing we want to do is panic - that won’t bring him back. So what we’re going to do is form some search parties.”

A murmur went up around the table at the idea. Yamaguchi quickly offered his thoughts from earlier.

“That’s a good point,” Sugawara smiled warmly. “See? We’ve already got a plan hashed out. We can start our search by following whatever streams lead off from the main lake.”

Tsukishima stood, drawing the attention and stopping the conversation. “We can take the first patrol.” His wings hung suspended behind him as he waited for Yamaguchi to rise and join him. They left after Daichi explained where they should try searching first.

Slowly, the flock members trickled out of the main tree and to their own nests. Kageyama was left alone with his guilt.

- Hinata -

As Hinata gaped at the unfamiliar anomalies, more of them began to pop up out of the water. A particularly furious looking anomaly stared him down with only his eyes above the water. His hair was an odd combination of blonde and … black?

His scrutiny was interrupted when the talkative one spoke once again: “So, obviously you’re not human - which makes you an anomaly like us,” his impressive tail slapped the water next to him in agitation. “No, not like us. You’re a bird of some sort.”

Despite himself, Hinata felt nausea begin to crawl up his throat. Those sharp, narrowed eyes followed his every move. He jolted when the male behind him spoke: “Oikawa, you’re scaring him. He’s not going to talk if he’s scared out of his mind.”

The change of demeanor was immediate, and if anything the quick, drastic change only served to freak Hinata out even more. “C’mon Iwa ~” he cooed, threatening ambiance completely gone. The bile rose in the back of his throat.

The anomaly that had been staring him down seemed to notice and made a quick series of clicking sounds. Hinata found himself shoved towards the shore until only his bare feet still dangled in the water. A pair of hands quickly clasped his ankles as he leaned for the bush ahead of him to empty his stomach, still dampened wings askew behind him.

Relieved, the redhead collapsed into a pathetic, feathery lump. He started when he felt himself being dragged back to the water, twisting quickly so that he was upright and could stare the strangers down.

The anomaly holding his feet confused him greatly. How could someone who spent their time underwater have such spiky hair? It made no sense. He was prodded for a time, but all they were able to extract from him was his name, which wasn’t much, seeing as Hinata had gotten all of theirs as well. Not that he could remember them all.

“Is your nest nearby the lake?” Oikawa asked, once again. Hinata curled his toes and offered no response. He wasn’t just going to spew out his family’s location. Then again, what could a bunch of people with no legs do? No, no. He’d keep his mouth shut.

“I’m not telling you anything about the flock,” he said stubbornly. “You already know I’m an anomaly, isn’t that more than enough?”

Oikawa’s hands shot up to grasp at his now-dry hair in frustration. “You’ve got wings - not a tail. You expose yourselves to humans and we could all go down. You’re gonna give me information you little shrimp -”

“Bird.”

The fish in front of him was suddenly glaring again, but Hinata paid no mind to it, “I’m a bird, not a shrimp.” A slight wiggle of his feet told him that he was still very much captured, but eventually this guy would have to loosen his grip, right?
On the other bank, opposite of where Hinata currently sat, the leaves rustled, despite the lack of wind. Both the bird and the fish snapped towards the sudden noise. There was a distinct, familiar glint of gold before the swishing of the leaves quieted.

Oikawa whirled to shoot off more questions at him. Eventually, one question popped up that seemed semi-safe to answer. It wasn’t going to endanger his flock, and he was curious, too.

“Yeah, I’ve got a human sister,” he said, for once meeting the unnerving eyes of his questioner. “She was born after me, but she didn’t have wings or anything.”

Silent, Oikawa simply nodded as if this meant something to him. “I’ve got a completely human cousin,” he offered, one slim hand coming up to rub his chin in thought, “maybe being born an anomaly really is complete chance.”

The atmosphere grew slightly friendlier after Hinata had answered his first question. The grip on his ankles did indeed ease, but not to the point where he could easily wriggle out of it.

“Actually,” the excited tone of Oikawa’s voice stopped him from trying to ease his foot away from Kindaichi. “We’ve encountered other anomalies before you. Several kinds.”

He went on to tell the stories with his pale hands, waving exaggeratingly as he described the fierceness of the bears who lived only in the deepest parts of the forest. “They’re incredibly defensive,” he said, “I swam a little too close to their territory and nearly lost my beautiful face because of it.”

Bears? Fish? The cats mentioned by Daichi just a day prior? The world of anomalies really was expansive.

“I’ve seen birds before,” said Iwaizumi. “Their wings were much bigger than yours, though. And they were brown.”

Hinata’s mind blanked. His flock were the only birds he’d ever known, but then again … his flock hadn’t been responsible for the incidents back at his home village. He opened his mouth to ask to hear more about these other birds but closed his mouth when he realized the fish had all gone completely silent. Iwaizumi seemed to be straining his ears.

Then it came again: a subtle snapping of a branch from nearby.

His ankles were freed as the fish dove for the safety of the depths, leaving a sodden Hinata behind on the bank. He spun around just as the much, much bigger figure emerged from the trees.

It was hard not to notice his stature. For a moment, Hinata complentated making a break for it, perhaps making a beeline for a sturdy tree since he couldn’t take to the air with wet wings. Then, the stranger’s eyes snapped from the fading ripples in the water to the petrified face of the much smaller being before him.

Hinata feels as if he’s going to throw up again. He takes notice of the very inhuman features of the newcomer before him, aside from his monstrous height. The white hair atop his head is rather shaggy, as is the rest of him, really. He appears to have claws.

Hinata really, really feels like he’s going to puke.

But instead of spilling his empty stomach on the dirt before him, he puffs out his small chest and clenches his fists on either side of him. Two burnt-orange wings flare out on either side of him in an effort to make him appear larger.

“What do you want?” He demands, jutting his chin out the way he’s seen Tanaka do. The anomaly before him regards him silently, tilting his head and taking him in. He glances once again at the stream behind Hinata before sticking his hand out and offering his name in a voice so deep Hinata isn’t really sure he even spoke.

“Aone.”

Hinata beams back at him nervously, offering his own hand and name in return. He notes that Aone does have claws and wonders if it’d be rude to ask exactly what type of anomaly he is.

It hits him once Aone releases his hand and goes to take a drink from the stream, reminding him of the other anomalies he’d met mere moments before. Aone had no wings, but he did look an awful like a bear of some sort. Once the thought struck him, Hinata could only expand upon it, picking out similarities like the shape of his face and massive height.

“Do you live around here?” Hinata almost winced when Aone turned to look at him, wiping water from his mouth with the back of his hand. “I’m not quite sure of where I am. Do you know of a big lake around here?”

- The Nest -

Tsukishima wasn’t sure what had prompted him to leap out of the main tree like an anomaly on a mission. Only the steady whoosh of Yamaguchi’s wings behind him kept him from turning back and having someone else start the search. It wasn’t as if he was actually worried about his flock member, no, of course not. Hinata was far too stupid to die.

There was just something about the guilt riddled expression plastered on Kageyama’s face he couldn’t stand. The wind blew away all thoughts of that , at the very least. True to Daichi’s directions, he and Yamaguchi had been sweeping the area around one of the streams branching off of the flock’s lake.

So far they’d seen nothing out of the ordinary and Tsukishima’s wings were beginning to ache. He could still pick out the largest tree top of the Nest in the distance, so they hadn’t strayed too far. It was just brown and green and the murk of the water below. Idly, he wondered if the flock would ever swim again with the knowledge that another one of them could disappear just as easily as Hinata had.

Maybe they could try baiting whatever had grabbed Hinata? Then again, losing another flock member seemed pretty pointless. Probably.

Behind him, Yamaguchi dipped rather low before catching the limb of a tree and perching on it. “Tsukki,” he called, waiting until the other doubled back before speaking again, “I’m tired. We should take a quick break.”

Tsukishima sprawled on the branch above him, wings still held out to catch the slightest of breezes. He opened his mouth to speak, likely something snarky, but was almost immediately shushed by the freckled flock member below him.

He looked down, befuddled, into the wide eyes below him. Yamaguchi motioned below them, at the newcomer prowling silently through the brush. His breath caught in his throat. It had to be a cat - what another anomaly had eyes that would glow like that?

They observed as the small, foreign cat picked his way through tangles of branches without emitting a single noise. It was a miracle Yamaguchi had noticed him at all. When Tsukishima had to strain his eyes to pick the anomaly out, he carefully eased himself onto the nearest tree and motioned for Yamaguchi to follow him.

“What are we doing, Tsukki?”

“Tailing him, obviously.”

A branch groaned under his weight and he cursed inwardly.

“But why are we going after him?” Yamaguchi never took his eyes off of the cat, not willing to lose sight of someone potentially dangerous and unknown.

“Maybe he knows what happened to Hinata,” Tsukishima flared his wings and shot into the air, quickly gaining altitude to remain unseen.

“Do you think the cats took him?” Yamaguchi had caught up in time to catch Tsukishima’s nod. “But cats don’t like the water?”

His musings went ignored as the blonde focused on the anomaly swiftly making his way through the woods below. Perhaps he would lead them to their hideout.

Chapter Text

Kenma’s hearing had always been quite sharp. Aside from the soft give of the ground beneath his feet he could make out the steady beating of wings. He didn’t have to turn to know the duo tailing him had landed in a nearby tree. If he strained, he could just make out the gist of their conversation. The corner of his lips lifted slightly in amusement.

The branch they perched upon groaned mightily as they once again took to the air. They were talking, still, though now that they were much higher up it was difficult to eavesdrop. It was when a familiar name dropped from their lips that Kenma made his decision.

He could still see the sodden, captive anomaly sprawled on the bank, his wide eyes trained on his captors. Kenma was certain none of the cats had ever seen anomalies that lived in the waters before. How this group had managed to get their hands on the winged boy from the market, Kenma didn’t know. He gleaned the boy’s name and several other tidbits from his monitoring of the situation.

He knew that orange haired bird. It was the same boy he’d encountered at the marketplace. There was something about him, about Hinata, and something about the two currently following him that made him want to help. But should he wait and lead them back to his home or should he just confront them now?

Kenma didn’t make the decision himself. He winced and tucked himself farther under the foliage as the birds above him all but dropped from the sky. Their wings were pressed tight to their backs as they dove into the forest together and landed somewhere he couldn’t see. What on earth?

He crept towards the direction he’d thought they’d landed but stopped almost immediately. Womp. Womp. Womp. The sound of wings - a rather large pair of wings at that. He peered at the open sky, searching ….

Kenma almost couldn’t reign in his small gasp of terror. The anomaly in the sky was massive beyond belief. Surely this was a different sort than the two also hiding somewhere on the ground? Even as he crouched under the cover of branches and leaves he felt as if there was a piercing, unmoving gaze tracking his every flinch. The wings on the man were wide and powerful, cutting smoothly through the air as their owner circled slowly above.

Was he really sweating? Kenma was sweating. This was a tricky situation. Not only did he have to watch the two known anomalies, but now there was a third to keep a keen eye on - and this one seemed much more dangerous.

A branch snapped somewhere behind him and Kenma whirled around as his mind raced tenfold. While he was expecting to be met with wings, sharp talons, and even sharper eyes, he was instead met with a familiar, unthreatening presence. Not that it was an entirely welcome presence but … Kuroo was Kuroo. And he was certainly better than a potentially vicious bird.

How could he have that cheshire grin plastered to his face at a time like this? Kenma almost wanted to out the both of them and run - he knew he was faster - just to wipe the grin off of his stupid face. Then again, at least he was no longer dealing with this by himself.

Kuroo was now fixated on the bird peering down from the sky, the corners of his mouth suddenly straining to keep up the smile. “Hmm…”

His larger hand found Kenma’s and began to lead him through the woods, sharp eyes still trained on the perceived threat. Being cats, they both understood how to move without making much noise.

Soon the other two occupants of the forest were in sight, similarly crouching to keep themselves hidden from the other bird above them. The larger of the two might even have surpassed Kuroo in height, and even the shorter of the pair was larger than Kenma.

The freckled boy looked on the verge of tears as he tucked himself behind one of the wings of his friend and stared at the sky. Kenma and Kuroo shared a look. While both seemed to be birds, it was probably safe to say they weren’t from the same flock.

Kuroo crouched to grab a small stone and took aim - right at the tall blonde’s forehead. Kenma stared. What the fuck was Kuroo doing right now?

T h w a c k.

The impact left a tiny red patch on the bird’s forehead, which wasn’t very noticeable compared to the petrifying gaze now zeroed in on the cats instead of the lone threat in the air. The other bird gaped soundlessly at them and shakily moved his fists into a sort-of fighting position. Kuroo snickered soundlessly beside him and guestered for the pair of crows to follow, still grasping Kenma’s hand as they retreated away from the beast in the sky and further into the woods.

**********************************

Hinata had never moved through the woods so effortlessly before. Aone seemed to cut through the forest like a knife through butter, the annoying branches and leaves and other foliage bending away from his enormous frame. After staring at the back of the bear’s head for a few moments, the tiny crow had to stifle a gasp when he spotted tiny, rounded ears buried in the short mess of light hair.

Aone turned abruptly to face him, and this time Hinata failed to muffle the noise he made. The bear had an intense, unwavering gaze locked onto the smaller anomaly, only looking away when he caught scent of what he’d been searching for in the air. “This is where we part ways,” he said, inclining his head to Hinata politely. “My home is the opposite direction to where I believe yours lies. You said something about a pond, right?”

“A lake,” Hinata corrected instinctively, crossing his arms in defense when the bear locked eyes with him again.

“If you continue to walk through these woods East, you will reach your home. Are your wings still too wet to fly,” the giant crouched further to examine the sodden wings on his back, humming in affirmation before turning to leave. Hinata noted the bear was making for the cluster of mountains visible in the distance. How had there been so many other anomalies so close to them that had gone unnoticed all this time?

When he thought to ask the bear more about where he lived, and maybe if they wanted to meet again, Hinata wanted to thank him for his help, after all - but the bear was gone. The young crow didn’t have long to think anymore, too relieved to be so close to home!

He took off running, tearing through the woods with more difficulty than he’d had trailing being Aone, but not caring when low, thin branches sliced cuts into his thrashing arms and cheek, too focused on returning to his flock. He broke through to the shore of the lake, annoyed to see that he was on the opposite side from the nest. Childishly, he stuck his tongue out at the still water of the lake before continuing to pick his way past the shore to go around to the big tree overlooking it all.

He was going to get a noogie from Noya when he burst into the main room, a bro-hug from Tanaka, a motherly scolding from Sugawara, accompanied by the low timbre of Daichi close behind him. Hinata couldn’t wait. Yachi would cry on him, probably. Kiyoko would be right behind her, a small smile on her lips. Tsukishima will glare at him, but there will be a secret look of relief hidden behind those glasses he always wears - Yamaguchi will smile softly at him, followed by a trembling Asahi. Kageyama will probably call him a dumbass , looking away in that embarrassed way he always does, and Hinata will pretend not to see the fond blush on his cheeks, the way he always does.

What, what -

Before he has time to dwell on the weird direction his mind has wandered, something heavy hits him in the back, pinning him to the sandy bank, which he promptly gets all up in his mouth. He’s trying to cuss whoever it is out, but there’s sand and rocks in his mouth and this is nasty and his wings are wet so they’re just kind of flopping around uselessly, and then a pair of hands grabs him by the shoulders and flips him over.

There’s a Nishinoya screaming unintelligibly in his face, but that doesn’t matter, because Hinata is spewing the sand out of his mouth so that he can yell back, even though they’re right next to each other and all. And then Noya is crying, and Hinata is so very confused, because Noya has barely teared up at things like tender moments with Asahi, or a touching ‘bro’ moment with Tanaka, but the shorter bird is clutching with a death grip at Hinata’s still slightly-soggy shirt, shaking him as he fires off questions too quickly for Hinata to answer. The most resounding one is ---

“WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN, YOU DUMBASS!” And Kageyama and the rest of their flock was surrounding him on the shore, grabbing for his shirt, ruffling his hair, and pounding him on the back. Hinata forgot the awkward chill of his damp clothes and wings, now surrounded by the warmth of the flock. Yachi and Kiyoko both had a hand fisted in his shirt, the blonde's face absolutely soaked with tears. Tanaka tilted his head back and crowded in delight, hefting the recovered anomaly atop his shoulders to fly him back up to the nest.

When they landed, everyone crowded around the table, looking at him expectantly. Hinata gratefully took the glass of water pushed at him by Sugawara, downing it in a few quick gulps. He was gonna need that for the explaining he was about to do. He opened his mouth to begin, momentarily distracted by the lack of freckled and stuttering, and tall and grumbling, but was quickly ushered on by a sharp look from Dadchi.

Daichi’s eyebrows rose closer and closer to his hairline the further Hinata got into his tale. Yes, they’d been aware of the likelihood of other anomalies, even if it had been a recent development, but for this small crow to meet two different species in a day was … unsettling to say the least. One of the groups had nearly drowned him, and who knows what else may have transpired had the bear not stepped in. But why did such an obvious predator help him? If even the fish were frightened, maybe it was better to be wary, but this Aone character had led Hinata back to the nest, back to safety.

Suga elbowed him in the gut, interrupting his internal worrying. Hinata had dissolved into a mostly incomprehensible mess of noises like “GWAH” and  “FWOOSH” when retelling his brief adventure, so Daichi decided that the tale was likely over.

“How many fish did you say there were? And you only saw one bear?” He interrupted, palms on the table.

“I mean, I didn’t count, but there were like, GWAHHH so many of them! There was one with these weird lines in his hair and a mean face, and this baldy - like Tanaka - and this guy with pointy hair even though it was wet, y’know?” Sure, physical descriptions weren’t a bad piece of knowledge to have, but ‘gwah’ wasn’t a number. Daichi rolled his shoulders and cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the flock to him.

“It’s quite late already, and I’m sure Hinata is hungry. Someone keep a lookout for Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, the rest of you go help Asahi make supper. We’ve definitely got a reason to celebrate, and a lot more to talk about, to boot,” he grinned, and was met with a chorus of affirmations as everyone took off to help.

Hinata frowned, a foreign look on his usually bright face, and uselessly flapped his wings in an attempt to dry them faster. Daichi watched Suga walk over to him, not bothering to hide the fondness in his expression as he watched his other half fuss over one of their many, stupid children.

**********************************

Kenma had some regrets. Maybe he should’ve dragged Kuroo off and left the two grounded birds to themselves, maybe then he wouldn’t have the beginnings of a majorly unwelcome headache. Kuroo was carelessly pissing the blonde, Tsukishima, off with his weird ‘oya’ noises and provoking the poor guy into oblivion. His freckled companion kept looking up to the sky, as if contemplating the merits of taking off and facing the unknown threat rather than Kuroo’s attempts at ‘making friendly’ any longer.

He stopped, suddenly, raising a hand behind him to stop the others as well, then motioning for them to be silent. He strained his eyes and ears all at once, sure he had heard something nearby. When he realized what, or who it was, the headache seemed to worsen suddenly.

His eyes narrowed in annoyance, which the birds seemed to perceive as something else, puffing up in a sort of agitation as if ready to attack. Kuroo doubled over laughing, confusing them further.

Lev and Yaku were soon easy to hear for the others in the group as well, mostly because Lev was an idiot. A loud one, at that. They broke through the bush without much warning, at least to the avians.

“Oh, shit!” Said the giant one, Lev, bending abruptly to knock his head against Kenma’s in greeting. He ignored the immediate hiss and he greeted Kuroo, before realizing they had company. Behind him, Yaku rolled his eyes, greeting them in a calmer, more soothing manner, fixing Kenma’s mess of hair, not bothering to touch Kuroo’s mop, and twining his tail around Lev’s wrist when finished. His tail went from lithe and calm to a puffed up mess in seconds when he noticed the party wasn’t entirely comprised of cats.

“Who are you?” He demanded, straightening, eyes darting to the sky and back down again, and then looking to Kuroo and Kenma for answers when neither Tsukishima nor Yamaguchi offered any words.

“They were following me,” Kenma offered, flinching minutely when all the eyes turned to him. “Then there was a bigger bird in the sky, so Kuroo decided to take them with us,” here he glared at his dear companion, wondering why the stupid anomaly was constantly dragging them all into new trouble.

“It wasn’t Bo,” said anomaly mentioned, leaning on Kenma’s shoulder. “Too big, and too not owl looking, y’know? Wings sounded way different too, plus it was light out, and you know none of the owls like to come out much during the day, they’re too lazy for that --- ” he was cut off by a squeak from Yamaguchi.

“Owls?”

“Yeah, sure, you never seen Bo before?” Kuroo put a hand to his chin, peering down at the shorter bird. “I figured all birds kinda knew each other or something. You look like a crow that’d fit in with the rest of em, but what’s Tsukki over here?”

He narrowly dodged a swipe from said ‘Tsukki’ who barely gritted out a: “ Don’t call me that,” through his clenched teeth and scrunched expression. Kuroo opened his mouth to continue taunting him, but was quickly stopped by Yaku.

“Are we bringing them with us? Giving away the location of the den is stupid, you both know that…” He locked amber eyes on the outsiders, sizing them up from his, admittedly, tiny height. “Why were you following Kenma, anyways?”

Surprisingly, it was Yamaguchi that spoke up. “We’re looking for a friend that disappeared. It was weird to see another anomaly hanging around, so we figured Kenma would be a good as a lead as any,” he was more brave when speaking about Hinata, his determination to find the missing flock member shining through his normal shyness.

“I saw him,” Kenma offered, shrinking a little behind his other companions when the birds turned sharply to regard him. “He got taken by the fish anomalies that live in the rivers. I don’t know what they did with him. I left when they noticed me…sorry.”

It was a start. Tsukishima spread his wings, turning his back on the cats while he carefully scoured the sky for any sight of the bird that had driven them to the ground earlier. Yamaguchi turned to the cats in his stead.

“Thank you,” he said, offering a small smile. “We’ll talk to our flock leader about you, and the help you’ve given to us. I think it would be nice to have other anomaly allies.”

He took to the skies after his taller, blonde friend.

Chapter Text

Tsukishima was relieved when he and Yamaguchi neared the familiar copse of trees that they called their home. He hoped that their resident ginger had somehow made his way home. Sure, if Hinata stayed swimming with the fishes, things would be quieter. However, Tsukishima was sure that Kageyama - among others - would be nearly unbearable without the little bird around.

They’d flown fairly close to the ground all the way home, scanning the treetops highlighted by the setting sun for any sign of the predatory birds they’d fled from earlier. Somehow, they’d gotten away unscathed.

 Mostly. 

Tskushima’s forehead was still a little red from where Kuroo had smacked him in the forehead with a rock. 

They angled their wings to descend towards the largest structure amidst the treehouses, and immediately knew that Hinata had returned to them. 

“Tsukishimaaaa! Yamaguchiiii!” The little bird greeted them as they entered and took in the room around them. Food flew from his open mouth, and Tsukishima had to remind himself that he was, in fact, happy that this moron was okay. His disgust still showed on his face, though. Yamaguchi squeezed past him to hug Hinata and ruffle his hair, smiling softly all the while. 

Daichi ushered them both to sit and eat, but conversation erupted around the table before the blonde could take his first bite. 

“What took you guys so long?” Tanaka asked, elbows on the table and as loud-mouthed as ever. “Hinata got back like, hours ago. You missed a lot, there were fish, right, and there was this bear -” beside him, Sugawara nudged his elbows off the wood and placed a warning hand on his shoulder. 

“Don’t toss the story at them all at once like that,” he cautioned, looking towards Daichi. “There’s a lot of things we have to talk about, tonight.” 

The mood dampened significantly at his serious tone. The flock glanced around the table at the sudden quiet. As always, Daichi stepped up to take the lead.

“I’ll lay out what you’ve missed,” Daichi said. “Hinata was taken by a fairly large group of fish anomalies. He thinks they must’ve dragged him away from the rest of us as an attempt to get some kind of information. They asked about our location and Hinata's human family. They said they’ve seen other anomalies, other birds . That’s as far as things got before Hinata was rescued.” 

Tsukishima blinked. “You guys found him that quickly?”

“No, it wasn’t us. It was a bear. He took Hinata back to the lake but didn’t say a whole lot. Hinata said he was huge,” Daichi answered. 

“Surely he wasn’t as tall as Tsukki!” Yamaguchi chirped nervously, only to be met with silence. His wings rustled as he tucked himself closer to his friend beside him. 

“Did the two of you come across anything of note?” Ennoshita offered, breaking the awkward silence. The two in question looked at each other. Tsukishima inclined his head and raised a glass to his lips, motioning for Yamaguchi to take the reins. 

“We followed one of the streams, like Daichi suggested,” he said. “Tsukki caught sight of an anomaly on the ground pretty quickly, it was one of those cats we were talking about yesterday.” He paused to let them remember. So much had happened recently that yesterday seemed ages away. “We followed him because we figured he might have seen something, but we were interrupted by tailing him pretty quickly - there were other birds in the sky. They were huge, and I… I don’t really think that they were friendly. So we dropped to the ground to try and hide.” He looked down at his lap, remembering the cold fear that had shot up his spine when he’d seen the massive wingspan of the foreign anomalies. None of the flock was even close to the size that those birds had been.

“They were huge,” Tsukishima drawled, leaning forward to rest his chin on his hand, “and after we dove to hide they circled the area, trying to find us.” 

Daichi inhaled sharply, brows furrowed. “You don’t think that those could be the anomalies all of those villagers have been talking about, do you?” 

“Going off of their sheer size alone, I wouldn’t be surprised. They were aggressive, too. They were not willing to leave without tracking us down, first,” Tsukishima frowned. “We got some… help.”

“The cat anomaly came back with a friend,” Yamaguchi offered, stifling a laugh, “and that friend threw a rock at his head to get our attention.” 

Tanaka spewed water across the table and out of his nose, choking on his own laughter. Yahci just barely managed to dodge the spray. Hinata and Kageyama were barely holding it together, Nishinoya was cackling, and Asahi was hiding a smile behind his hand. Kiyoko turned her head to hide her snicker. Even Sugawara cracked a smile at the sour-looking blonde’s expense. 

“He was annoying. They were annoying,” Tsukishima insisted, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, face scrunched in exasperation. “And then two more of them came out of nowhere. One of them was nearly as short as Hinata.”

"And  one of them was even taller than you, Tsukki,” the crow at his side pointed out. “They told us about some owl anomalies, and then said they had no idea who the birds above us were. They waited around and talked to us until the coast was clear to leave. Kenma said he saw you, Hinata. He says he’s sorry that he couldn’t do anything to help you.”

“I don’t blame him at all!” Hinata said earnestly, shaking his head. “Those fish were way too scary, I don’t think I would’ve been able to do much even if they weren’t holding me down.”

The table erupted with commentary and pointless chatter, but Daichi was quiet. Daichi was thinking. 

“Do you think you could put us into contact with the cats you came across?” He asked, interrupting the blonde as he berated Yamaguchi for revealing the reason for the bruise on his forehead. “And Hinata, would you be able to find the bear, again? If we can get all of the anomalies in the area together, we could do something about those birds. We know from the village that they’re likely the ones causing problems with the humans.” 

Hinata paled, but nodded. The raven-haired crow beside him eyed him sharply. 

“I’ll go with him, tomorrow,” said Kageyama. “No one should go alone, but tracking the others down in too large of groups could come across as a threat.” 

His point was valid, and the rest of the flock ended their stressful meeting by divvying up into smaller teams for the next day’s venture. 

Though he protested, Tsukishima was placed on the team that would be tracking down the den of the cats. With him were Yamaguchi, Tanaka, Yachi, Narita, and Sugawara. Kiyoko had looked distinctly uncomfortable at the notion of being separated from her smaller, blonde companion.

“You know where they are,” Sugawara had reminded him, “and the cats mentioned there may be owl anomalies nearby. That’s why we have to take a larger team.” 

Hinata, Kageyama, Nishinoya and Asahi would head west and follow one of the streams from the lake to try and find the cave where the bears resided. Asahi was fearful enough when faced with those smaller than him. He was honestly dreading going up against monstrous bear anomalies in their own terf tomorrow. 

When he voiced his fears, Nishinoya simply slapped him on the back, grinning sharply: “I’ll be there, won’t I? What is there to be afraid of?” The gentle giant could only smile weakly in response. 

Daichi, Ennoshita, Kiyoko and Kinoshita had the unenviable job of attempting to find the fish that had nabbed Hinata right out of their own territory. Ennoshita only hoped he could reign in the anger he could still see in their leader’s eyes. 

“All of that’s settled, then,” Daichi said. It was the end of the night, dishes were cleared, and the entire flock was exhausted from the stress-filled day. “Get some rest, and be careful tomorrow. Is everyone clear about the details?” 

The meeting of all of the different anomalies would take place next week around noon, on the shore of the lake opposite their own tree. It would be a peaceful event, and as many could come as each group felt comfortable with. They were meeting to discuss the large birds that had been preying on nearby villages and stirring up the humans. Hopefully, this meeting would result in some kind of plan or solution. 

After a few more tired words, the flock broke ranks to get some much needed sleep. Before Hinata could make his way to his own treehouse, he was stopped by a hand clamped tightly around his wrist. His squawk of protest was cut off when his captor dragged him into an awkward hug. 

“K-kageyama?” He asked, muffled. One of his wings was a little smushed by the sudden embrace. When he tried to move his head to look at Kageyama, the embrace only tightened. 

“I was worried, dumbass.”

“It’s not like I could help it, y’know!” Hinata’s voice came out louder than he had intended for it to. He was flustered beyond belief. They were moving, now, in a bumbling, slow little shuffle towards the edge of the main treehouse. 

“I know,” Kageyama told him, finally letting him move away. His features were barely visible in the night, but Hinata could make out the lines of his distressed expression and the stubborn set of his mouth with how close they still were. He was pulled out of his reverie by a sharp tug of the wrist.

“I think I would feel better if you stayed where I can see you, tonight,” Kageyama turned away from him, wings spreading in preparation for a short jump. Hinata followed suit, and soon they were standing on a platform that connected their homes to each other and to some of the others of the flock. Kageyama, still not looking at him, opened his own door and ushered the smaller boy inside. 

Kageyama’s nest was pretty bare compared to Hinata’s. Hinata littered the floor and shelves with all sorts of things he found on patrol or on trips to the village. He had an entire corner of the room dedicated to just nice looking rocks. 

Kageyama had one of the balls they often played with near the door, and a heap of pillows on his bed in the corner. Hinata noted, with a fuzzy feeling in his stomach, that Kageyama had kept some of the clutter he’d brought to him over the years: a rock or two here, a neat-looking coin that he had found poking around in the village, and a corded bracelet that Yachi had taught him how to make when they were younger. 

The larger bird strode ahead, tossing the blanket aside, and gestured sharply at Hinata. 

“Ah?” Hinata said, staying frozen near the door. “Are you sure that both of us will fit?” 

Hinata didn’t take up a whole lot of space, but Kageyama had grown like a stubborn weed the past few years. He was all large wings and lanky limbs, and his bed wasn’t the largest. 

Kageyama answered with a roll of his eyes and an impressive flop onto the mattress. His navy eyes peered up at Hinata expectantly. 

The redhead shut the door and climbed in next to him, facing away and shuffling his wings to get settled. He felt Kageyama’s knees knock uncomfortably into his back as they pulled the blanket up. Before he could close his eyes, Hinata felt long fingers begin to comb through his wings. He spluttered. 

“Calm down, moron,” came the low voice from behind him. “Your wings are all messed up from the water and from whatever else. I’ll straighten them out for you, so just…” Kageyama made a frustrated noise, “stay still.” 

The long fingers continued their preening, smoothing down the bent and ruffled down.

Hinata fell asleep to the sound of soft breathing and the feel of his heart fluttering in his chest.