A Leap of Faith

Shapeshifter!AU

Kageyama x Hinata

Rated T for animal violence and swearing.

Chapter 1: A King's Death

It was cold; abnormally, strikingly, unsettlingly so, considering his thick fur should have been able to ward off the chill with no problem.

But he could feel it seeping into him slowly, invading his very bones and stealing away what warmth remained. Not that there was much left; the life was quietly draining out of his body with every slow, feeble pump of his heart. The snow beneath him was red and slick with his blood. Every breath was a struggle and felt like tiny icicles were filling his faltering lungs.

This wasn't how he was supposed to go.

He blinked weakly at the fading light falling through the gaps in the forest canopy. The day's birdsong had long since died out with the encroaching twilight, and the silence of the winter night unnerved him even as he lay at death's doorstep. He was all alone. He would die here all alone too. It terrified him, because there was no one there. No one...

How did he let things get this way? He had thought he'd been a good alpha to the pack after Oikawa left, but clearly everyone else felt differently. Even though he had worked hard to make sure his pack got enough to eat to keep them all in optimal shape, they still turned on him. Kindaichi had been the one to lead the rebellion against him. He'd turned his back for just a second to examine their dinner and then… and then…

The memories of what happened after were a blur to him. Teeth and claws and screaming howls filled his sluggish mind. Blood and hatred and burning eyes. Darkness and cold and betrayal and painpainpain—

He wanted to laugh hysterically, but it hurt too much.

They called him the 'King of Wolves', a title he had once held in high regard. So much for that! He might as well be the King of Failures at this point. Betrayed by his own pack and left to die in the snow; there was nothing stately about him anymore. Mighty as he was, even he couldn't take on an entire pack of wolves by himself (and he would deny it to his last breath, but maybe he had subconsciously held himself back because he was supposed to be protecting his pack, not fighting them to the death).

If his lungs hadn't been protesting so badly, he might have let out a sob. How pathetic! He knew he didn't have the best personality, but his skills were—had been—top notch. So where had everything gone wrong? How could the pack, their skills honed and refined under Oikawa himself, have looked at him and found him lacking? Inadequate?

He didn't know. He couldn't answer that.

The light was gone now. It was dark, and cold; so very cold.

Should he count it as a blessing in disguise that nobody was around to see him in such a pitiful condition? That he couldn't feel the weight of their judging gazes watching with glee as the mighty king toppled from his pedestal at long last?

He blinked slowly again, a last surge of sudden dread, fear, and regret flashing through his mind.

No. No! He didn't…

He could feel the darkness enveloping him now.

...He didn't want to die like this…! Oikawa… Iwaizumi… someone, anyone… he...

...He didn't want to…

...He didn't…

...He…

…

His thoughts fizzed out as a low ringing noise began to buzz in his head. The snow didn't feel so cold anymore; now it was more like a warm blanket gently cushioning his broken body against the hard ground. Kageyama exhaled, probably his last breath, and sank beneath the overwhelming waves of unconsciousness.

The air reeked of wolves and danger. Also blood—lots of it.

Hinata dared not venture outside while the smell lingered. The last time he did something that reckless, both his parents and Natsu had been killed by one of the wolves. He had only been able to escape by the skin of his teeth, and it had taken hours of him hiding and backtracking and covering his tracks in the wake of his family's death before he had finally lost them.

The days had been dark and bleak back then. If it hadn't been for—

The little fox shook his head fiercely. There was no use lingering in the past. He was starting to get a little hungry, but he also didn't want to go out hunting and accidentally wander into one of those wolves' paths. He shuddered at the thought, his tail puffing up visibly in imagined fear.

His stomach growled unhappily. Hinata whined quietly, cursing the wolves' timing, before he shuffled to his feet, slinking towards the hidden entrance of his den. It wouldn't hurt to just poke his nose out and see if the smell had faded yet. Hopefully he'd be able to track down a nice, juicy rabbit despite the other predators' overwhelming scent.

Hinata slowly parted the branches of the giant bush that hid the opening to his den. A quick whiff brought the sickening, cloying stench of wolves' blood straight to his sensitive nose. He had to resist the urge to jump out and bury his nose into the snow just to escape it. He cast a suspicious glance around his immediate area. Seeing no threat in his vicinity, he carefully climbed out of the hole.

Hinata winced as the full force of the smell smacked him in the face. Did one of the wolves get badly injured and die? The other scents had faded a little, so they had probably already left the area. The little fox felt fear crawl up his spine as he debated on checking out the source of the blood—what if it was a trap and one of the wolves leapt out at him from behind a tree? He'd be killed in one bite.

On the other hand, if something was wrong, then he'd be informed. He pawed at the snow nervously as he thought about what to do. The scent of blood had most likely already scared away any potential meals for him, and he himself could become a meal. Or maybe a nice wolf chew toy.

A distant caw snapped him out of his thoughts. The crows were flying in—which meant there was probably a corpse lying around somewhere and it was probably the origin of the blood smell. He wondered if Daichi and Suga were around. If they were, he had nothing to fear.

Hoping that he wouldn't regret this decision, Hinata followed his nose and the murder of crows, bracing himself for what he might find.

And what a sight it was. Bright red arcs of blood splattered the gleaming white snow, surrounding the body of a large, frightening, and very much dead-looking black wolf lying in the middle of all the carnage. Strangely enough, the crows were merely standing around tilting their heads as they waited for a verdict from the two birds examining the body. One of them was much larger than all the others in the group and black as the night; the one next to him was pale as the snow he stood on, and slightly smaller in stature. His feathers were lightly dusted with tiny ash-blond spots.

Hinata gave an excited yip as he raced towards them. The crows spotted him and they all let out enthusiastic caws, catching the attention of the two next to the body. The large black crow nodded to him, while the white crow hopped up and down and fluttered his wings with elation.

Despite the chill of the snowy night, they all transformed at the same time.

Hinata squealed as Tanaka put him into a headlock, affectionately grinding a fist down into his fluffy orange locks. He laughed even as his tail flicked upwards to thump harmlessly against the bigger shapeshifter's stomach, "Tanaka-san! Stop it, it tickles!"

Tanaka grinned. "Good to see you too, shrimp! We were worried about you with all those wolves skulking around!" he said, releasing the little fox. "Have you eaten yet? You look like a twig!"

"I was going to, but the stupid wolves probably scared all the good stuff away!" Hinata replied, his cheeks puffing out irritably. He cast a cautious glance in the dead wolf's direction. "...What do you think happened to him?"

"That's the thing," Daichi cut in, his thick brows furrowed in confusion. "This one looks big enough to have been the alpha, but none of the animals around these parts except the wolves could have made all those claw and teeth marks in his hide." He gestures to the ugly, gaping wound at the wolf's throat and the jagged vertical tears in his hide. "It's pretty rare in this area, but I think his own pack attacked him and left him to die."

Hinata let out a horrified gasp. Killed by his own comrades? What a ghastly way to die! Hinata might be terrified of wolves because they had slain his family, but even he felt a bit sorry for the black wolf. But maybe he did something to deserve it? If he had been the alpha…

Suga softly cleared his throat, the sound catching everyone's attention in the ensuing silence. "I don't think he's dead yet. It's very slight, but he's still breathing," he said, prodding gently at the wolf's side and bloody underbelly. "Of course, if he doesn't get some treatment quickly, he's going to go within a few minutes." He looked straight at Hinata, his gray eyes shining with acceptance and understanding.

The little fox looked down uncertainly. If they treated the wolf, he could attack all of them. Or maybe he'd just die during treatment. Hinata was so, so afraid of seeing his adopted family murdered by another wolf. He didn't want it to happen again. Thinking about it made all his fur bristle. But what if the wolf survived, and didn't attack them? What then? Hinata already knew that the crows living in this forest were atypical considering they were all shapeshifters. What if the wolf was one of them? What if—what if he had been a wolf shapeshifter in charge of a pack of them and he'd been betrayed by them.

He shook his head fiercely, slapping his cheeks to get himself to focus. He looked at the black wolf again, his bushy tail swishing side-to-side in agitation. Everyone was gazing at him expectantly. He had to make a choice; the clock was ticking down and every second he wasted debating was a second that could be used for action.

Hinata steeled himself. It was going to be okay. The crows were with him.

"Let's save him."

"Move faster! Cling tighter! Use the fangs and claws you've all been gifted with! Do you want to starve?! No? Then get moving, our pack needs food!" he roared.

Pain flared in his side and at his throat. Victorious howls rent the air as he finally hit the snow.

Kindaichi stared down at him with disgust and vicious satisfaction. "We're sick of doing your dirty work, King. You should just stay down and die like the tyrant you are."

Oikawa's blank, unsmiling face, buried under the facade of pleasantry, as he left the pack under Kageyama's leadership flashed before him. "Goodbye, Tobio."

Iwaizumi gave him an apologetic glance and a curt nod before he vanished into the forest after the other wolf. "Take care now, Kageyama. Don't be a stranger."

Stop, he wanted to say. Don't leave me. Come back.

He saw red, like the sunsets. Red, like the color of fresh blood. His blood. Unknown voices in the snow. Warmth tingling through his bones. And something orange, a smile as bright as the sun, before it was eclipsed by something big and black—

Kageyama woke up with a scream. He heard alarmed voices around him, felt hands pushing him down, holding him down, restraining him, no, NO, GET OFF, GET OFF, GET OFF! He thrashed wildly, desperately trying to throw them off, and barely registered that he'd shifted back to his humanoid form sometime while he was unconscious. He couldn't fall here. He couldn't die here. He needed to show them who's the alpha here! He was the King!

He felt something cool tingle over his skin and instantly a calming sensation washed over him. He slumped into the plush cushion he lied on, blinking groggily up at the crowd of unfamiliar faces that stared worriedly down at him. Huh, that was new. When was the last time he saw someone look that concerned over his well-being? Not since…not since Oikawa and Iwaizumi had left the pack.

"Have you calmed down now?" he heard a voice say. It was deep and baritone and belonged to a broad-shouldered man with cropped black hair. The small black feathers poking out from the ends of his hair and along various parts of his skin marked him as some sort of bird shapeshifter. "You gave us quite a scare there, you know. Can you talk at all?"

Kageyama's tongue felt heavy and unresponsive in his mouth. He settled for shaking his head slowly, and even that took effort.

"You might want to tone it down a little, Kiyoko," the fair-haired man said to the black-haired beauty standing next to him. "I think he'll be alright."

Kageyama sort of recognized her. Resplendent in her robes of silk, which shimmered and rippled gently around her in a myriad of rainbow colors, with a pair of magnificent, paper-thin, butterfly-like wings protruding from her back, Shimizu Kiyoko was hailed as the undisputed Queen of Fairies, just as he was known as the King of Wolves. Her unparalleled beauty, impassive demeanor, and amazing healing powers made her incredibly popular with the male population of shapeshifters living in the forest. She must have been the one to bring him back from the brink of death. Which was, well… Kageyama didn't know how else to say it, it was a goddamn miracle that he had survived the brutal betrayal.

The calming thrall she had him under lifted slightly. Kageyama could focus a little better on the people around him, but without the madness he had woken with.

"Where am I?" were the first words out his mouth, and he snapped his jaws shut in mortification when he realized he sounded pissed off.

To their credit, the crowd just laughed. The bird shapeshifter—wait, except for the Fairy Queen and the orange runt hiding behind the fair-haired man, they all bore marks of being bird shapeshifters—gave him an amused smile and said, "I think the more pressing question is 'who are you.' I'm Sawamura Daichi, the leader of this motley group of crow shapeshifters, aside from Kiyoko and Hinata. Everyone calls me Daichi."

"...Kageyama," he muttered after a moment. "Kageyama Tobio. I'm a wolf."

"Whoa whoa, does that mean you're the Kageyama we hear about? The King of Wolves?" the crow shapeshifter with a shaved head exclaimed. He yelped loudly when Daichi elbowed him in the side and the fair-haired man hissed at him to be quiet, but hearing the nickname again made Kageyama involuntarily flinch. He gripped the cushion beneath him tightly, feeling a tremor in his muscles as flashes of the betrayal ran through his mind.

A hand came down on his shoulder, jolting him back to the present. He looked up, right into the warm honey-brown eyes of the trembling orange-haired kid who now stood next to him. The fluffy orange locks, black-tipped triangular ears, and bushy tail screamed of fox shapeshifter. He was clad in a simple auburn robe that neatly showcased all of his foxy characteristics, but also brought out the impossibly bright color of his unruly hair. Kageyama instinctively bristled, sensing a weaker predator in his personal space. He felt the need to project his dominance over the fox, to show him who was alpha, but Kageyama shoved the instinct down as far as he could. The crows wouldn't react well to him attacking one of their friends. He had little doubt that if he crossed them, he would die for sure this time.

The fox shapeshifter trembled, as if he could feel the ill will of Kageyama's inner instincts, but he resolutely kept his hand clamped onto the wolf's shoulder.

"I'm Hinata Shouyou," he declared solemnly. "I'm a fox shapeshifter. I don't like wolves, but you seem alright." He took his hand back and retreated slightly as if fearing retribution. Kageyama didn't miss the concerned looks sent his way by the crows. The fair-haired man even slung a feathery arm around Hinata and whispered something in his ear that made him perk up.

Something foreign stirred in his breast at the sight. The wolf shapeshifters were a social bunch; it came with their nature. But nobody had tried to foster such close camaraderie with him. Neither Oikawa nor Iwaizumi had tried. Kageyama's standoffish nature had made sure of that.

It galled him to admit that the close bond that Hinata clearly shared with the crows actually made him jealous (just a little bit). For a split second he wondered if he could have that too, before he decided that it was probably too selfish to wish for something like that after being betrayed by the only family he had ever known. If he opened himself up again, even the smallest crack, surely he would become vulnerable once more. And that, he could not afford.

When the fair-haired shapeshifter finally drew away from Hinata, he looked at Kageyama and gave him an angelic smile that simultaneously relaxed him and made his guard go up. "I'm Sugawara Koushi, but you can just call me Suga. I'm Daichi's partner and the co-leader of this murder of crows," he said cheerfully.

Directly afterwards, the loud-mouthed, shaved-head crow stuck his feather-coated hand out and grabbed Kageyama's hand. Before he could protest this sudden intrusion of space, he loudly announced, "Tanaka Ryuunosuke! Nice to meet you!" He punctuated each syllable of his introduction by aggressively shaking Kageyama's hand. The wolf had to forcefully tug his appendage out of the crow shifter's grip and scramble backwards as far as he could manage on the cushion in order to put some distance between them. The belligerent crow didn't seem to take offense, thankfully; he simply threw his head back and guffawed noisily. Suga took him by the arm and led him away, throwing a sheepish and slightly apologetic look over his shoulder.

Kageyama was eternally grateful for his timely intervention. The other three crows came forward and simply told him their names with no dramatic and unnecessary theatrics involved. He was appreciative of that, too. He didn't miss when Suga returned to the room, having successfully distracted Tanaka with something else.

The wolf shifted against the cushion, trying to get more comfortable. He was starting to feel drowsy again, but this time it wasn't influenced by Kiyoko's power. He was simply tired. Watching the crows' antics and interactions with the Fairy Queen and the little fox shapeshifter made him feel twice as exhausted. Some paranoid part of his mind yelled at him to keep his guard up against potential enemies, but Kageyama knew that if they had wanted him dead, they wouldn't have saved him from his snowy grave.

It wouldn't hurt to get more rest in the meantime…

He drifted off into a dreamless slumber, barely registering Suga's voice whispering kind words to him as he fell asleep, and feeling someone's soft fingers stroking through his hair.

Hinata knew that sometimes he let his curiosity get the best of him. It was an innate part of him that he couldn't get rid of, and it was what got his biological family killed. But the very same curiosity led him to find Kageyama, and prompted him to make the decision to save him.

That curiosity now had the fox leaning over the slumbering wolf shapeshifter and examining his face. His eyes were closed, but when they had been open earlier, Hinata had seen that they were a brilliant shade of deep blue. There were patches of white fuzz along his nose, cheeks, and jawline that disappeared into his straight black hair. Thin, jagged black stripes curved underneath the corners of his eyes. Furry dark-gray ears sat on his head and twitched slightly in his sleep whenever Hinata or someone else moved around the den.

Overall it was an attractive face. Hinata couldn't help being a little envious, considering his own was softer, rounder, and more along the lines of 'adorable' rather than 'mature'. But slackened in sleep like this, Kageyama didn't seem dangerous at all. It was striking in a way that Hinata couldn't explain.

"Hinata," a soft voice spoke behind him, making him jump and puff out his tail in surprise. He looked at Suga indignantly from where he'd fallen on the floor. The white crow tittered at him from behind a raised hand.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that," Suga said, holding out a hand to help the fox up. "I just wanted you to know that it's almost dark outside and you should go out and hunt while you can."

Already?! He leaped to his feet, almost forgetting to keep his voice down as he raced past Suga, "Aaaah, I need food!"

He transformed into his smaller animal form and took a flying leap right out of the entrance of the den. The smell of wolves had faded in the few days that Kageyama had been unconscious, so it was easier to pick up on the scent of prey nearby. Hinata usually avoided eating birds as a courtesy to his crow-shifter family, but their eggs were fair game. But then again, bird eggs were usually a spring season delicacy. He'd have to make due with mice and rabbits for now.

When he returned to the den with a full belly, Kageyama was still asleep. The crow shapeshifters had also settled down for the night, with the exception of Suga and Daichi who were conversing between themselves quietly. Hinata slunk past them and curled up on a cushion pad next to the resting wolf. Kageyama still smelled of danger, but right now he also smelled like anxiety, fear, betrayal, and relief. Hinata didn't like that. If sleeping nearby gave the wolf some semblance of peace, then he would be here, ready and willing to help.

Kageyama might be a wolf, but he wasn't the one who killed Hinata's family. He didn't make his parents' faces or Natsu's flare up in his head like angry scars of the past. That made Kageyama alright in his books, as long as the wolf didn't try to outright attack him.

He closed his eyes and sank into a blissful sleep.

When Hinata woke up, someone's hand was petting him. He let out a sleepy noise and curled closer to the warmth he could sense to his right. The hand paused momentarily, before it resumed. He was too cozy to move. He wanted to sleep a little more.

Who was petting him though? The hand didn't feel as soft as Suga's, nor as firm as Daichi's. Tanaka was the kind of person who woke him up by shouting a morning greeting. Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita never petted him, but they didn't mind playing with him. Asahi was off hibernating somewhere for the winter, and Nishinoya was with him. So who…?

He opened his eyes and uncurled himself, subconsciously sniffing the air to see if he could tell who it was. He was not expecting to see Kageyama less than a foot away from him, with his hand frozen in the air as Hinata moved. He let out a shriek and tumbled backwards off the cushion, scrambling to his feet and letting his fur bristle outwards.

Kageyama slowly lowered his hand, his face twisting into a scowl. "You didn't have to scream," he grumbled, retreating back to his own cushion. His ears were slightly lowered, and his tail flicked behind him with a sad swish.

Hinata cocked his head to the side curiously. Was the wolf embarrassed that he got caught stroking Hinata's fur while he was sleeping? That was actually kind of adorable. He yipped loudly to catch Kageyama's attention, then padded across the floor to the cushion that the wolf shapeshifter was using as a bed. Kageyama watched him impassively.

Upon reaching the cushion, Hinata sat back on his haunches and stared at the wolf. Kageyama stared back. They didn't let up in their impromptu staring contest until Tanaka burst into the room, demanding to know who the hell woke him up screaming. Daichi, Suga, and the rest of the crows stumbled in drowsily after him, yawning.

Hinata shifted back to his humanoid form and pointed a finger accusingly at Kageyama's scowling face. "This guy was petting me when I woke up!" he announced.

If anything, that declaration made Kageyama's face look like a thunderstorm. It took all of Hinata's willpower not to whimper at the sight and just hide behind Suga like usual.

The aforementioned crow sighed, "And is that bad? You know you like to be petted in your animal form."

The fox shapeshifter flushed pink. "T-that's not the point!" he stammered, feeling even more embarrassed when everyone let out light-hearted and sleepy chuckles. "Guys! That's not funny, stop it! Hey!"

"Calm down, we're just teasing you," Ennoshita said, flapping a hand at him and grinning. Hinata pouted at him.

Daichi turned to address Kageyama, "How are you feeling today?"

"Better," the wolf replied quietly. He tried to stand up, but nearly ended up falling on his face. It was only Tanaka's quick reflexes that saved him from eating dirt.

"Whoa there! You were saved from the brink of death not too long ago, you should take it easy!" he said, pushing Kageyama to lay back down on the comfortable cushion. "Try to relax, we aren't enemies here."

Kageyama looked like he wanted to argue or protest or something like he didn't need to be pitied and protected. Well, Hinata would be having none of that. He didn't decide to save this guy's life on a whim only for him to undo all of Kiyoko's hard work several days later. He stepped up beside Tanaka and jabbed a finger straight between the wolf's eyes.

"Listen to Tanaka-san! We saved your life, so don't be so ungrateful!" he growled, glaring hard at the unhappy shapeshifter. Kageyama's lips curled back in a snarl, showing off his pointy white teeth.

Daichi clapped a hand on his shoulder. "There's no rush, is there? Just wait one more day, we'll help you back to your feet starting tomorrow," he persuaded warmly. His steely eyes told an entirely different story: if you resist and injure yourself again when we just healed you, I will kill you myself, is that clear?

Kageyama glowered at them, but grudgingly complied. Hinata knew Daichi could be scary sometimes, but he basically just intimidated an alpha male wolf into submission. And here he'd thought his respect for Daichi couldn't get any higher!

Suga laughed lightly when he saw the stars in Hinata's eyes. "Daichi does have that effect on people, doesn't he?" he hummed.

The little fox wholeheartedly agreed. Oh, how he wished he could be a crow too! His adopted family could fly away into the skies, to endless air and freedom, but Hinata was forever grounded.

"...He didn't die."

"I can see that! How the hell did he survive?"

"I've heard that the Fairy Queen is capable of healing the most grievous wounds."

"That bitch… well fine then. If we ever come across him again, we'll make sure he stays dead."

"I thought our main goal now is finding Oikawa and Iwaizumi?"

"It is. But if Kageyama gets in our way—"

"—kill him."

Another week had passed since Kageyama first woke up. In that time, the crow shapeshifters had helped him get back to his feet and be able to walk around on his own without using anybody as a crutch. They didn't shy away from him when he transformed into his animal form, although Hinata always conveniently made an excuse to leave whenever he did so.

The corner's of Suga's eyes crinkled with his smile when Kageyama asked if Hinata was afraid of him.

"Ah, Hinata does not have the best experience with wolves. All I can tell you is that you will have to be patient with him," he explained, brushing a few loose feathers from his hair. If Kageyama was more romantically-inclined, he might have blushed at how pretty Suga looked even doing the slightest action, his fine ash-blond hair glowing under the warm light of the den. As it was, he just frowned harder at the floor.

How could someone who seemed to embody the sun be so unbelievably fragile?

Suga gave him a sad smile and a little push. "Just talk to him," he said. "You'll understand why soon enough."

So later that night, when everyone else was settling down for a long night of sleep and Hinata was gearing up for another successful hunt, Kageyama cornered him. The little fox bristled in fear and placed himself in a guarded stance as the larger wolf walked towards him.

"W-what do you w-want? A fight? Come on, I'll t-take you on any time!" the smaller shapeshifter stammered, holding his hands up. His ears, rather than sticking upwards like normal, had shifted so that they were pointing backwards and lying closer to his skull.

Kageyama stopped a good distance away and, despite his instincts screaming at him, tried to make himself seem as least imposing as possible.

It wasn't very successful. Hinata still looked ready to bolt at the slightest provocation.

Kageyama grimaced, then attempted a smile.

Hinata shrieked.

He suddenly propelled himself forward and shot straight past Kageyama, the end of his bushy tail disappearing through the entryway before Kageyama could blink. The wolf dropped his sad attempt of a smile immediately, his default thundercloud expression resurfacing. He had half a mind to follow after the fox, but he had a feeling that that would just make Hinata even more likely to run away from him.

Kageyama paused for a moment to see if anyone had heard Hinata's tiny scream. There was movement from one of the rooms. Suga poked his head out. Not registering Hinata's presence anywhere in the vicinity, he turned his sleepy gray eyes onto Kageyama's form frozen in front of the entrance to the den.

"You scared him, didn't you?" he sighed, shuffling forward.

Kageyama's glare could wither a tree.

Suga yawned in response, completely unfazed after years of dealing with Daichi. "Shift into your other form. I want to try something, okay?" he said gently.

The wolf was a little suspicious, but complied easily. Suga directed him to lay down next to the wall, not too close to the entrance, but not too far away. Then, starting with the fine fur growing over his skull, Suga began to skillfully comb through Kageyama's thick winter coat.

He would forever deny it, but at that moment he could swear that Suga's feathery fingers were magic.

He was so blissed-out that he nearly missed Suga's next words, "I know you're a predator, Kageyama, but scaring Hinata is not a good way to get him to talk to you."

The black-furred wolf let out an incoherent grumble at that.

"Daichi and I will speak to Hinata tomorrow and try to get him to talk to you, alright? So don't look so gloomy all time." Suga shifted so that his fingers were scratching gently at the base of Kageyama's fluffy ears. He nearly purred out loud at that—only his human pride kept him from doing it because of how embarrassing it was. "But I want you to try to talk to Hinata, too. I know you haven't shared your sordid past with us, but I want you to know that we are not here to judge, shun, dismiss, or condemn you. If you're earnest with us, we will listen to you."

A part of him was still skeptical about this whole thing, about putting his trust in another group of shapeshifters so soon after his pack's betrayal. Kageyama didn't trust them yet, but they did heal him. That warranted some sort of grudging respect and acknowledgement, at least.

The other parts of him were, quite frankly, relieved to hear Suga's words. Thoughts in your head sounded much more solid and real when they were spoken.

The wolf shapeshifter gave a little huff to show that he had heard. He could almost feel Suga's smile and contentment through his fingers, even if he couldn't see the crow's face.

Kageyama couldn't pinpoint when he fell asleep, but at some point during the night, he thought he smelled Hinata near him. He absently butted his head against the warm hand carefully stroking through his fur, not noticing when the hand faltered and drew back. Normally he hated being touched, but after Suga had worked his magic, he was feeling slightly more gracious, especially in his current half-asleep state. He gave a little rumble of approval when the petting resumed after a few seconds, and quickly drifted back off to sleep.

He didn't hear the soft "goodnight, Kageyama" whispered to him afterwards.

Meanwhile in the depths of a forest far, far away, two shapeshifters turned away from a newly-erected gray gravestone and decided it was time to go home.

"Stay close, I don't want you wandering off and getting shot by idiot hunters who don't know any better."

"Okay, Tsukki."

So this was partially complete and sitting around on my Google drive for a couple months because I forgot about it. Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it!

Also cross-posted to AO3.

MangaFreak15