Hey everybody! This is the result of one of many plot bunnies that savagely maimed me in the past few weeks, so I've decided to post it here. I hope you all enjoy it!

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It shouldn't have happened.

This couldn't be real.

There was no way that Hinata, obnoxious, energetic, pain in the ass Hinata, was the same person now laying on the gymnasium floor, limp and unresponsive.

"Hinata! Hinata, wake up, damn it!" Kageyama was kneeling beside his fallen teammate, eyes wide and hands shaking as he tried to wake the orangette.

He vaguely registered his teammates gathered around the fallen crow and could hear Ukai distantly, but none of that mattered.

"Wake up, damn it!"

"-eyama! Kageyama, you've gotta move!" The setter tuned in as Tanaka's voice broke through and suddenly he was being pulled away. He tried to fight against the second year but Asahi quickly got in front of him.

"We need to get out of the way," the ace said, and Kageyama understood what he meant as the campus medics rushed over to the unconscious decoy.

Coach Ukai appeared and ushered the whole team back, giving the medics a wide berth as they carefully loaded Hinata onto the stretcher and headed out of the gym, Takeda-sensei following them closely.

It wasn't until the stretcher was out of view that Kageyama's senses filtered back in. He could hear Yachi crying loudly, and Kiyoko trying to comfort her. He could hear Daichi and Suga talking; trying to figure out what had gone so wrong. Nishinoya and Tanaka were boasting loudly about how tough Hinata was, how thick his skull was. They were doing their best to lift the teams' spirits, even with fear on their faces and tears gathering in their eyes.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Coach Nekomata there.

"Ukai" Nekomata called, the other coach coming over.

"I can only imagine how anxious your team is to see their fallen comrade. My team and I have decided to call it a tie, if you guys accept."

Ukai looked at his team who offered solemn nods in return.

"Thank you, Coach Nekomata." Ukai bowed to the older man.

The other coach just shook his head. "You don't need to thank me. No game score is worth more than the players. Now go tend to your boy and return when you can."

"Thank you," Ukai bowed again.

"C-Coach Ukai…" Lev was there, eyes red and wet.

"I-I'm so sorry!" He bowed. "I never meant-"

"Stop right there. You have nothing to apologize for."

"B-but if I hadn't spiked so hard-"

"You were only giving it your all, just like Hinata was. He got too excited and jumped early, so don't think for even a second that you're at fault here. It was an accident, that's all."

Lev bit his lip hard and looked down at his shoes.

XXXXXX

"Kuroo, nice receive!"

"Yamamoto, cover!"

Kenma got ready for the ball.

"To me!" Lev called, running towards the net.

"Lev!" Kenma got the ball and sent it to the lanky first year.

"Not this time, Lev!" Hinata declared, jumping up to block him.

Lev smirked at the tiny blocker and brought his arm down like a whip, aiming for the space between Hinata's arms.

His hand connected with the ball but his smirk fell and fear took over when suddenly Hinata's face was there, his incredible jumping power bringing him up higher.

'No!' he panicked, desperately trying to flub his delivery, but it was already too late for that.

The ball rocked forward, and it played out like it was in slow motion. He saw the look on Hinata's face as he realize what was about to happen, and then the ball was there, smashing into the decoys face.

The momentum of the ball sent Hinata's head rocking back, his body following a step behind in a loose arch as he fell head first.

The sickening thud of Hinata's head hitting the polished floor had stomachs clenching painfully.

A moment passed.

A breath. And then there was chaos as the Karasuno team rushed to their teammate who was splayed out on his back, lying frightfully still.

Lev felt numb, the room spinning around him in nauseating circles as his body battled between throwing up and passing out.

"B-bathroom" he choked out, handing flying up to cover his mouth as he made a mad dash out of the gym.

Kuroo appeared at his side to comfort his junior as Lev threw up everything he'd eaten that morning. By the time he'd washed his face and built up enough courage to go back out, Hinata was gone and the coaches were talking.

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"Volleyball isn't necessarily a dangerous sport, but it has its risks. We all know that, and no one blames you for what happened." Ukai assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Coach Ukai is right. We don't blame you. Not even a little."

Lev looked over and saw Daichi standing there, the rest of the Karasuno team behind him. They all nodded in agreement with their captain, and Nishinoya even offered a thumbs up.

"When Hinata wakes up, he won't blame you either." They all looked at Kageyama, then nodded.

"Yeah!"

"That's right!"

"He'll probably laugh about it!"

Lev looked over the Karasuno team and nodded, eyes welling up with tears. "Th-thank you," he bowed to them all.

A hand landed on his other shoulder and he looked up to see Daichi grinning at him.

"We're headed to go see Hinata," he told him. "The Nekoma team is welcome to visit once practice is over."

"I think we're done for the day," Kuroo announced.

"Agreed." Kenma said. Seeing that the rest of the team was on board, the coach nodded.

"There you have it, Coach Ukai. We'll follow your bus."

With that, the teams scattered, gathering their things and lining back up in record time.

XXXXXX

"Takeda-sensei" Ukai called out when he spotted the teacher as the team spilled into the waiting room. Takeda stood and met them in the middle.

"How is he?"

"Where's Hinata?"

"Can we see him?"

"Everybody calm down!" Ukai ordered when everyone started asking questions all at once. Takeda waited for them to fall silent before reporting.

"The doctors said it's a pretty severe concussion. Because his head hit the floor first, there's a lot of concern for internal bleeding or brain damage. They're ordering a CT scan."

The entirety of Karasuno held their breath and the air was tense as Nekoma walked in, seeing crestfallen expressions.

"Tch. Hinata barely had a brain to begin with. I highly doubt there's enough in that empty skull of his to damage anyway." They all looked at Tsukishima, ready to be angry with him for being such an insensitive jerk, but stopped when Tanaka started to laugh.

"He's right! Hinata is such an airhead, I'll be surprised if they even find a brain!"

The others were quiet for a moment before Kenma tipped his head back and laughed, surprising his teammates. The tension in the room broke and others joined in the laughter, others just grinning or shaking their heads in amusement.

Takeda shot a grateful look in Tsukishima's direction. While it may have been an unconventional approach, the first year's snide comment had lightened the mood in the room, even if only by a little.

The teens started to get themselves situated around the waiting room, but with two full volleyball teams the seats filled quickly and several found themselves sitting on the floor.

"I grabbed some cards before we left. Anyone wanna play?" A Nekoma member held up a jumbo deck of cards. A group gathered around in a circle as they settled in for what could be a very long wait.

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Kageyama sighed through his nose as he looked at the choices in the vending machine. It'd been almost two hours and they still hadn't heard any news on Hinata's condition.

Some people had fallen asleep, some were on their phones, some playing cards still. Anything to pass the time and help keep their minds off what may or may not be happening beyond those double doors.

Finally deciding on milk –surprise surprise- Kageyama hit the corresponding button and waited for it to dispense.

"Yo, Kageyama. We're starting a new game of war, wanna jump in?" Kuroo called.

"Kay," Kageyama nodded, grabbing his milk and going over.

Just as he was about to sit down, the double doors opened and a doctor came out. His eyes widened when the suddenly found himself at the center of attention of two entire volleyball teams.

Takeda, Ukai, and Nekomata approached him, snapping him out of his daze.

"Which one of you is the teacher?"

"That's me," Takeda said. He pulled out Hinata's permission slip that his mom signed for the trip. It made him the temporary guardian of the kids while they were away, for instances like this one.

The doctor looked it over then nodded, satisfied with the contents.

"So, how is he?"

"Stable. The results from the CT scan came back," Everyone held their breath, "and there's no visible damage or bleeding."

Waves of relief washed through the room, Takeda's knees nearly giving out on him as he processed the news.

"However," breaths hitched around the room, "we want to keep him overnight for observation. Just as a precaution, you understand."

Everyone let go of the breaths they'd been holding as the tension level in the room dropped significantly.

"Yes, I understand." Takeda said, nodding.

"Good. He's still asleep for the time being, but you're welcome to go in and see him."

The doctor realized his mistake as everyone tried to move at once. He held his hands up to stop their advance. "No more than four at a time, would be best."

Ukai nodded. "Right. Takeda-sensei, Daichi, Sugawara. We'll go first."

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Gifts and flowers from the hospital gift shop filled up Hinata's bedside table and spilled over to the floor as everyone paid their respects to the injured crow.

"He's so quiet and still… it's unnerving." Kenma murmured, looking down at the prone figure.

"Yeah. I don't think I've ever seen him this still for any length of time." Kuroo said. "According to his teammates he even moves around in his sleep." The Nekoma captain chuckled.

Lev bit his lip hard. "This… this is all my fault…"

"Don't start with that again" Kuroo said with a frown. "It's not your fault, or anyone's. Besides, you heard what Coach Ukai said. We all know the risks we face on the court, especially as blockers. It was a slip up, and there's nothing anyone could have done."

"R-right…"

Kuroo nodded in satisfaction. "Anyways, let's get out of here. I'm sure the hospital would like their waiting room back."

Lev and Kenma nodded, saying their goodbyes to the fallen crow before following Kuroo out of the room.

XXX

"Well, we're gonna clear out now," Coach Nekomata said. "I'm sure the hospital staff are tired of having a bunch of rambunctious teens clogging up their waiting room, so I'll take mine and go."

"Alright. Thank you for coming, I know it'll mean a lot to Hinata when he wakes up." Ukai smiled and shook hands with the other coach before Nekomata rounded up his team and headed out.

Ukai sighed and looked back at his team. Yachi and Kiyoko were just coming back from Hinata's room, fresh tears in their eyes.

"Who hasn't been in yet?" he asked.

Everyone was surprised when Kageyama raised his hand.

Ukai nodded at him. "You can go then."

The setter nodded and disappeared through the double doors without a word.

"I thought Kageyama would've been one of the first ones in," Tanaka said after the first year was out of sight.

Tsukishima scoffed. "Someone as emotionally constipated as him? It only makes sense that he wouldn't want others in the room with him."

There was a moment of silence before Suga spoke up.

"Yeah, I think you're right. They may fight all the time, and they hated each other at first, but now-a-days, they're nearly inseparable…"

Murmurs of agreement spread through the gathered teens as they all glanced at the doors their stoic teammate had gone through.

"For better or worse, those two are partners."

XXXXXX

Eerie.

That's the only word that could describe how Kageyama felt looking down at his partner. Seeing someone who's usually so animated and energetic laying so perfectly still was eerie.

"Tch. You just have to be the centre of attention, don't you, dumbass?" Kageyama asked, pulling a chair to the edge of the bed and lowering himself into it.

There was no response from the smaller teen, not that he'd expected one anyways.

The dark haired setter leaned back in the chair and watched the steady rise and fall of Hinata's chest.

'It's ironic,' he thought to himself. 'Normally, Hinata falling asleep is a blessing, because he's finally quiet. And now I'm just praying he'll wake up…'

Kageyama grit his teeth as another, unwelcome thought flitted to the front of his mind.

'What if he doesn't wake up?'

The setter shook his head violently, as though he could literally shake off the bad thought. Hinata would wake up, damn it!

He and Hinata had certainly had a rocky start, but together, they were invincible. Even the thought of playing volleyball without the orange haired monster at his side, never tossing to him again…

"NO!" Kageyama growled out loud and stood. "He's gonna wake up." He looked down at the grounded crow and pointed at him dramatically. "You hear that, dumbass Hinata? You're gonna wake up."

A soft scoff nearly stopped his heart.

"Yes, your highness."

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A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.

Reviews feed the plot bunnies :)