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vernoncallum45852 · 4 years

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HOME SAFE

Ever considered purchasing a home safe? Buying a safe for your home, office, or business bodes well in the event that you have resources that you need to ensure. For example, your significant other may have bunches of gems you need to store in a home safe or you might need to keep cash, gold, business archives, or family legacies safe from likely hoodlums. One of the most widely recognized kinds of home safes are those for weapons and guns. Picking the correct safe for your home or business isn't that simple since there are endless assortments and highlights you can pick.

We propose that you initially choose what it is that you will store in the safe so way you can decide the best possible size you'll require. A few safes are incorporated with dividers or floors, so you'll have to consider a room that could oblige that style on the off chance that you so pick. What highlights do you need in your safe? Continue perusing beneath to see our purchasing guide.

Purchasing Guide - There are 4 fundamental kinds of safes - divider safes, firearm safes, in-floor safes, and general safes. For most property holders, an essential safe is all you need since they are worked to secure your assets and can be found anyplace in your home. Attempt to discover one that is weighty enough that if a looter were to go into your home and attempt to pull off it, the weight may deflect them from attempting to divert it.

A divider safe is the most ideal decision for those that need to conceal the safe from any expected cheat. Divider safes can be introduced effectively in homes or organizations and they can be put in cement or wood dividers. To conceal the divider sheltered, simply spread it with a mirror or picture and immediately you have a shrouded safe. Divider safes arrive in an assortment of profundities, so ensure your divider space can deal with the model you pick. Weapon safes are enthusiastically suggested for any individual who claims guns.

Protect your firearms and guns from youngsters and outsiders who may be interested. In-floor safes are an inventive method to store and secure your resources. The protected will be introduced directly into your floor and lowered beneath the floor level. Cupboards or carpets are the ideal method of masking the area of an in-floor safe. The locking systems on safes are offered in 3 different ways - key locks, electronic locks, or mix locks. Key locks are the most essential and presumably all you need by and large.

Keep an additional arrangement of keys around on the off chance that you lose the main set and never store the protected keys close to the safe. Blend secures are preferable terms of security over key locks since it is workable for somebody to pick a key lock. Mix bolts typically expect you to turn a dial and enter 3 or 4 numbers so as to open the safe. You can get a safe with both a key lock and mix lock joined. Electronic locks on safes are the best (other than unique mark bolts) and work incredible if more than one individual will get to the safe. Fireproof safes are unquestionably the best approach if there should be an occurrence of a fire.

Remember that the protection materials will contrast ablaze safe safes relying upon the substance you will store. Effect safe safes are additionally accessible on the off chance that your safe has something fall on it. Water obstruction is another element to consider when taking a gander at safes. If there should arise an occurrence of a flood or a fire (the firemen will dowse the flares with water), you would need a protected that opposes water or fluids.

The top brands in home safes are American Lock, Cannon Safes, Fire Fyter, FireKing, Gardall Safes, Gun Vault, Honeywell, MasterLock, Schwab, and Sentry. We went online to locate the most mainstream and top of the line home safes available. Costs extend from around $100 to $1300 for quality home safes. They don't convey the enormous, weighty safes, however they convey an assortment of littler models, including numerous Honeywells. You can peruse their rundown of smash hit safes here.

Protex is one of the principle provider of safes for lodgings, inns, and sports clubs. You have likely observed one of their safes in a lodging or utilized one yourself. The Protex HD-100 Burglary Safe ($1000) is the ideal home safe with 5 dynamic chrome locking fasteners, 30 minutes of fire assurance, a velvet lined inside (shield gems from scratching), and an electronic keypad for speedy programming and access.

The Protex accompanies pre-penetrated grapple gaps at the base in the event that you need to join this beast to your floor, yet at 256 pounds it isn't essential. Just a unimaginably solid or clever hoodlum will make it out of your home with safe. The strong steel plated entryway is 5/16" thick and the inside proposals more than 5 cu. ft. limit. There are 4 inside racks so you can arrange your significant at any rate you like. Protex makes home security safes in all sizes and they give dial mix locks, electronic bolts, and unique mark locks for the most noteworthy security conceivable.

You can see a greater amount of their line of items online. Proprietors state they are anything but difficult to utilize and hold cash, coins, gems, and all-size documents.Wall safes, as in-floor safes are a significant responsibility relying upon where you put them. A story safe should consistently be secured and a divider safe once put into a divider will watch off-kilter whenever taken out. Something else to consider is the manner by which profound you will require your divider safe to be.

Not all dividers will stretch out back far enough, so you may require a protected that is taller as opposed to being profound. At last, an inherent divider safe ought to have a mirror, picture or household item before it to help cover its area. To introduce a divider safe you need to cut a gap in the divider between studs, at that point embed the safe and jolt it into the studs from within - there must be sufficient space behind the divider for it to fit, so a divider that backs to shut off loft space or something works best, however many smaller models are intended to fit into simply the few creeps of room in a standard divider.

The Honeywell - Digital Anti-Theft Safe ($89) is a mind blowing worth and offers more than 1 cubic feet of room. The Honeywell divider safe is basically robber safe with a re-programmable computerized electronic locking system. Strong steel development, covered pivots, protected dividers make this an all around fabricated divider safe that is a top merchant on a few sites. Requires both a key and mix to open it for twofold assurance. Extraordinary spot to store your gems, significant reports, or cash.

The LockState 52EN-BWS Large Wall Safe ($180) is intended for business just as home use. It's very nearly 3 1/2 inches down and will hold every one of your resources. LockState safes are substantial in development and have fantastic dependability records. Highlights electronic computerized lock, 1 ace code (3 to 8 digits), hoodlum safe strong steel packaging, and simple to introduce mounting equipment that is incorporated with the safe.

There is not any more significant motivation to possess a safe than if you have a firearm. Safes intended to hold guns will spare lives. We hear stories on the news all the time where a youngster went into their folks firearm cabinet and pulled out a gun just to incidentally fire their companion or kin. These are silly passings that can be maintained a strategic distance from if weapon proprietors would basic purchase a weapon safe and store every one of their guns in it (bolted obviously).

The measure of weapons you have to place into your firearm safe will no doubt figure out what size you get. With just a solitary hand firearm in the house, consider the Mini-Vault Deluxe Quick Access Gunsafe ($150) from GunVault. Keypad passage (even in obscurity), movement sensor caution and inside light. On the off chance that you have various weapons the Stack - On 10 - Gun Safe with Combination Lock ($330) might be the arrangement.

Holds up to 10 rifles or shotguns and highlights a 3 number blend lock with a strong steel, pry safe entryway. Stack On is a legitimate firearm safe producer and this model gets superb surveys from weapon proprietors posting commments on the web. Customers call the sheltered "solid" and "ideal for putting away guns". Suggested - We propose perusing the top of the line weapon safes here.

An in-floor safe is extraordinary for those hoping to make their safe imperceptible to thieves and thiefs. Simple to cover up under rug or furniture, the floor safe will secure your advantages. Once more, size is a basic factor in determing the expense. You can get a Gardall - Square Tube In-Floor Safe for $275 and comes in little or medium sizes. The pyramid shape lets you secure it to the floor pleasantly and the entryway has no depend on it.

Your lock alternatives incorporate a mechanical blend lock or an electronic punch-buttom lock. The Cobalt FS-B In-Floor Safe ($500) is more pleasant than the Gardall and offers more inside room (7" x 11" entryway freedom). The entryway is 1/2 strong steel and the body is 1/4" strong steel. Accompanies a mix lock, spring stacked entryway, and gauges a strong 113 pounds. Floor safes are incredible for littler things, however infrequently will you see an in-floor safe that will hold huge assets (they're simply not advantageous). View all top of the line floor safes here.

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spectres-n-knights · 7 years

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JJ's Character sheet

BASIC INFORMATION: Full Name: Jonas-Jeremiah Alfred Kayne Shepard Jonas Jeremiah Jacob Micheal Smith (birth name) Nickname(s): JJ, Jon, Shep, Loco, Stargazer Species: Human Ethnicity: Canadian/Hawaiian Pre-Service History: Earthborn Psychological Profile: War Hero Morality: Paragade MBTI type: "THE DEFENDER" (ISFJ, -A/-T) https://www.16personalities.com/isfj-personality Alignment: True Neutral as a child. Lawful Good/Neutral Good as an adult Star Sign: Aries Chinese Zodiac: Wood Tiger Class: Soldier (ME) Vanguard (2 & 3) Warrior - Reaver (Inquisition) Rank: Lieutenant Commander (ME) Staff Commander (2 & 3) Captain (post 3) Armour: Colossus (ME) Sentry Interface, N7 Chestplate, Strength Boost Pads, Stabilization Gauntlets and Life Support Webbing (ME2) Mnemonic Visor, Hahne-Kedar chest, Kassa Fabrication shoulders, Hahne-Kedar arms, Ariake Technologies legs (ME3) Sturdy Battlemaster Mail & Battlemaster Coat, Battlemaster Coat Arms, Battlemaster Mail Legs, Helm of the Inquisitor (Inquisition) Weapons: HMW gear (ME) Weapons: Sword and Sheild, Bow and a pair of Daggers (Inquisition) Title(s): Hero of the Skyllion Blitz, First Human Spectre, Saviour of the Citadel, Conquerer of the Collectors, Destroyer of Reapers, Saviour of the Galaxy, Avatar of Victory, Battlemaster, Your Worship, Herald of Andraste, the Man Sent by the Maker, Saviour of Thedas, Inquisitor (formerly), Inquisitor First-Thaw Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual Significant Other: Lady Josephine Montilyet (later Shepard) (wife) Family: Alejandro Shepard (Son) Rosanna Shepard (Adoptive mother) Gale Shepard (brother) Jean Shepard (sister) APPEARANCE: Height: 6'2" Body Type: Solid, Athletic Eyes: Cobalt Hair: Sable. During the hunt for Saren, the Suicide mission and the Reaper War his hair is kept in a Butch cut. Grown out to a Brush during his time in Thedas. Tattoos: 23 total on various parts of his body all up before his time in Thedas. (diagram →) He begins with 14 prior to ME; Polynesian tribal half sleeve (right arm) Native American tribal quarter sleeve (left arm) Polynesian tribal Manta Ray and Shark (back) Native American tribal Bear (left pectoral) Alliance armour chestplate (right pectoral) Minimalist Sol solar system (Earth glows in the dark) (left inner forearm) Potter glasses and scar (right inner wrist) N7 gauntlet (right forearm) Hogwarts (left front thigh) Weeping Willow & Marauders tribal (left calf) I solemnly swear I'm up to no good (left lower calf) Toothless (right front thigh) Aries star constellation (stars and line glow in the dark) (right calf) Memorial quotes (left ribs) "We're Alliance marines aren't we? This is what we do!" "Then let's go kick some batarian ass!" "OOHRAH!" Lee, Kayo, Lara, Tyron, Howl and Rebekah 3 more after they've stoped Saren; Spectre symbol with starscape inside (stars glow in the dark) (back of neck) Paragade symbol (lower back) Memorial quotes (left ribs) "It was Vyrnnus who made me see how 'human' aliens are. They're not different or special. They're jerks and saints, just like us." Kaidan He gets them redone after Cerberus rebuilds him. 6 more after the end of the Reaper War Memorial quotes (left ribs) "Victory. At any cost." Tarquin Victus "Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong. Would have liked to run tests on seashells" Mordin Memorial quotes (left ribs): "Your assassin should be embarrassed. A terminally ill Drell stopped him from reaching his target." Thane "It's for the people of Omega, I get it." "Someone has to be their voice in all this. Incredibly powerful forces are about to do battle with them caught in the middle. I hope you can keep the people in mind as we go to war." Nyreen Kandros "Does this unit have a soul?" Legion "You did good, son. You did good. I'm proud of you." Anderson Final one after returning from Thedas as a homage to the Anchor as well as a representation of what he was once apart of. Inquisition heraldry (white parts glow greenish-white in the dark) (right inner middle forearm) Piercings: None Scars: 3 scars that form a misshapen D on his right cheek, Long jagged scar from his left cheekbone to jawbone, burn scar on his stomach the size of a dinner plate (prior to Cerberus reconstruction) jagged scar over his left eye from final fight with Corypheus' dragon, Hyena bite on his right thigh. Various other nicks and cuts from weapons training. Birthmarks/freckles: right side of face is covered in a splattering of caramel freckles Typical clothing style: On duty: Alliance crew uniform Off duty: Dressy casual - button-up shirt, vest, jeans and lace up boots or t-shirt, jacket, jeans and lace-up boots BIO: (Born: 11 April, 2154 - 11 Cloudreach, 8:91 Blessed) Abandoned at an orphanage in Vancouver when he was just two hours old, JJ was raised by strict nuns and teased and bullied constantly because of the names the nuns gave him and was miserable as a result. He ran away from the orphanage when he was 8 because of the bullies and the Tenth Street Reds took him in shortly after, becoming his new family. For the next few years he learned the ropes of what his family would expect of him once he became a full member. When he turned 14, the time for his initiation came and he was sent to lay down the law to a woman that had been standing up to the Reds and taking in younger, uninitiated Reds and guiding them away from a life of violence. Rosanna Shepard - also known as Mama Rosa or Dragon Lady because of her love of medieval reenactments - saw something in him even though he was on the borderline age of kids she took in on her farm "Arundel", so she took a chance on him, somehow knowing that this young man was destined for great things, and adopts him. Once JJ was a Shepard she began to home school him along side two other youngsters she'd taken in - Jean and Gale - and she also introduces him to the world of Renaissance fairs and Medieval reenactments of which she is heavily involved in. He was soon just as hooked as she was having being enthralled by such things as a boy. At 16 he enters his first contest of Arms and to everyone's surprise, he wins - though only just. Under Rosa's guidance he also learns to play the guitar and also comes to love doing needlework (cross stitch, candle-wicking and crotchet) though ask him and he'll deny doing the later. He was also baptised shortly after being adopted and becomes a Roman Catholic. JJ first met Anderson at a Careers Expo when he was 16. And after being blown away by the man after his talk with Anderson, JJ vowed that he would join the Alliance once he comes of age. Once through Alliance marine training, the Skyllion Blitz occurred whilst he and his squad were on shore leave on Elysium. Though he is able to hold the line, his squad are KIA and he blames himself and falls into grief. Anderson finds him and literally knocks some sense into him and then recommends for JJ for N School. Once JJ graduates from the ICT with his N7 designation, he's assigned to the Tokyo under Anderson. 3 years later, Anderson is given command of the Alliance's new prototype ship, the SSV Normandy SR-1 and Anderson selects JJ to be his XO. And the rest, as they say, is history. PERSONALITY: Temperament wise, JJ is a firm believer of the paragon path as it was what saved him from the possibility of prison and or worse had he stayed with the Reds. But by the same token, do something that he detests and you'll be lucky if you escape with your life, showing the hardened streetwise side of his personality. He also has a firm but fair way of dealing with things and his experience with the Alliance and as a Spectre means he can be a diplomat but also know when words aren't getting him anywhere.

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nyxysabyss · 8 years

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LEVEL HORIZON; YEAR FIVE.25 2/3; Tentative Direction

Chapter 35!

Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time. ~Lynden B Johnson

Lev Haiba smirks as the small redhead pauses beside the net with something of a guilty look of surprise, realization dawning.

“Eh… Kageyama?” Hinata says sheepishly as he looks at the Volley net. “I maybe spoke too soon. I didn’t realize we were talking about regular Volley…”

“You don’t say.” The setter deadpans.

“We only ever played aerial at the rookery, it makes sense that they wouldn’t know the ground game.” Asahi says and Noya cocks a brow at him.

“Did you plan this?” Lev grins. Kuroo may have gotten to see aerial Volley games— and maybe Mori, too, but he never had.

“They have a ground net just over there if we want to play a bit later. Mori could probably still play either way, though; he doesn’t need height for his position so I doubt he’d need wings, either.” He says instead, his leveler’s death glare quickly finding him across the circle of avians.

He can’t help the way his smile gets bigger. Ribbing the short cat has always been a staple in their relationship, an indirect contributor to them ending up levelers. Heh, he will never regret pushing that little bit extra the day they became levelers instead of backing off like he’d considered.

“Keep talking, you moron.” He dares, the slight twitch of his tail just like it had been that day. Hinata looks up at Kageyama uncertainly.

“We haven’t played Volley in five years. And my new wings don’t always react the same as my old ones. Can we really go up against Iwaizumi’s team?” He says with a half-pout, and Kageyama turns a dull cobalt gaze on him.

“Probably not. But we’ve already agreed. And stomaching one more loss to my father for the chance to escape unhindered— I have no intention of swallowing it without a fight, so get ready.”

“All right! I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to play regular volley with you guys.” Bokuto says and Noya glances up at him with a flat expression.

“Probably less fun than you are thinking— you are playing with Kageyama. You won’t catch any breaks if you are screwing up.” He says and Asahi grins a little sheepishly.

“He can be pretty tough sometimes. But he’s trying to motivate you.” He says.

“You mean he can be worse than normal?” Tsukishima asks with a cynical smirk. Kageyama scowls with annoyance, but Hinata’s face lights up.

“You haven’t seen Kageyama serious in a match, Blondy. He doesn’t usually get that into it in Ground Volley because it’s always casual play, but he goes all ‘Fwah!’ and hyper focused and tunnel vision— the whole bit when he goes up against the Grand King or Iwa’s team. He gets scary zoned and it’s so cool and it’s awesome when we win!”

The redhead’s sudden enthusiasm makes Lev think that even if he’d realized they’d be playing aerial Volley, the small spiker would have still agreed to play even if only to see Kageyama get into it.

“So the psychosis is a family thing.” The ibis drawls.

“No, it’s a sentry thing, so can it, Beanpole.” Noya mutters.

“Eh, how do you want us lined up Kageyama?” Asahi asks, pointedly steering the conversation away from the aggravated path it had been headed down. The avian heir looks around at them with assessment.

“Lev’s probably right, Yaku could play libero position if Noya starts slowing down. You okay with that?” He asks and the russet cat nods, and Lev’s eyes crease with excitement at the anticipation in his leveler’s smirk.

“Okay, keep tabs in the meantime and tell us where we are slacking. Bokuto, are you okay to fill Tanaka’s spot and hit strong side?”

“Bring it on!”

“Great. You can line up across from Asahi.” He says before looking to the short crow. “They don’t really have a libero position in regular volley, but… I think we should try it, because nothing gets past Noya. What do you think?” The small crow’s eyes crackle with a fire to match Hinata and Bokuto.

“Give me a couple cracks to get the feel of it and I’m game.” He says and Kageyama nods.

“Akaashi, are you okay hitting off side? We can both hit—”

“Tobio! You wouldn’t happen to have a spare setter, would you?” Kageyama blinks, a rigid tension slipping into his jaw before turning to look over his shoulder with surprise.

“Setter?” He asks.

“Sir, if you’d just—”

“We are going to need one. Yahaba is out on a scout mission with Kiyotani and Iwa’s shite for tosses.” Tooru cuts off the sentry leader’s aggravated interjection.

“If you’d just play, we wouldn’t have a problem.” He grumbles, but the Grand King waves him off.

“Nonsense, Iwa. How am I supposed to be a spectator if I’m in the game? Besides, I haven’t played in five years. I would be useless anyway.” He says with a remarkably well fabricated but false grin. Lev has the acute impression that he’s definitely scheming something behind that friendly exterior and resists the urge to twitch his tail restlessly.

“Eh… we haven’t played in five years either.” Asahi murmurs. Surprise flits across the rookery leader’s face.

“No?”

“Nope, we play ground Volley.” Lev supplies and the Grand King’s gaze settles on him with guarded appraisal. Yaku scoffs at him and the lanky cat is sure he’s made a remark his leveler thinks he shouldn’t have.

“Ground Volley?” He asks, his head tilting, and Lev grins, Mori’s hard look of disapproval not deterring him in the least.

“We can show you a bit after your match—there’s a net over there.” He says pointing to the other court.

“That would be… interesting.” He says before turning back to Feathers.

“I know you probably won’t consider it, but what about Nishinoya? I know he was doing some setting before he left… think we could borrow him?”

Lev’s gaze swings back toward the short crow only to see a black frown on his face as he looks up at Kageyama ready to argue. But the avian heir is already rebuffing the Grand King’s request.

“No. We need Noya for a new lineup we want to try.”

“That’s awfully selfish of you. Guess you’re just out of luck Iwa.” The Grand Kings says with a light laugh and the sentry leader rolls his eyes.

“I can toss.” Akaashi’s quiet voice slips between them and every eye swings in his direction. Lev’s head tilts in curiosity as Bokuto’s golden orbs dilate with slight alarm.

“Akaashi, you don’t—”

“It’ll be fine Bokuto. You just have to pick up the slack when everyone else starts dragging. I’m not as great at spiking anyway.” He says before meeting Kageyama’s intense cobalt gaze.

“Of course, only if you are okay with it.” He defers quietly.

“You’re sure?” The avian heir asks cautiously and the smaller owl nods. A muscle beside one of Feathers’ eyes twitches when he looks at Iwaizumi.

“Akaashi’s willing to toss… are you willing to play with an owl?” The sentry leader’s eyes have widened and he looks at his superior for input.

“Why not? He knows the game?” Tooru asks and Akaashi steps forward.

“I’ve been playing ground for five years, so I’ll probably be rusty, but give me a few minutes to try getting back into it.”

“Akaashi, do you have to play on the other side of the net?” Bokuto complains and the smaller owl turns an exasperated look at him.

“It’s one match. You will be fine for a half hour, you streaked pigeon. Kageyama’s the better setter anyway. And don’t you dare hold back, because I won’t. I’m going to make this guy send every spike straight at you.” He says, jerking a thumb at Iwaizumi, and Bokuto’s jaw clicks shut.

“Shots fired.” Noya murmurs with a smirk and Lev grins.

“Well, I’m glad that’s settled, then! Shall we?” The Grand King says with a welcoming hand and a smile that might be more curiously amused than fake, Lev’s not sure.

Akaashi nods once more to Kageyama’s team before following the rookery leader and Iwa back to their side to warm up a bit, his leveler’s golden eyes soulfully following him with a solid sullen pout. Kageyama stares after them a few moments before taking a deep breath and turning back to his team.

“Right. Yamaguchi, I was going to have you sub in for Hinata when he starts slowing down, but—”

“I won’t slow down, jerk!”

“Keep telling yourself that.” Kageyama remarks dryly without looking away from the freckled crow. “Are you comfortable hitting off-side?”

“Sounds good! What about Tsukki?”

“He’s a middle, he’ll line up across from Shouyou.” Lev almost chuckles at the abrupt direction.

Still no love lost there. They do amazing at putting aside their crap on the court, but they just don’t get along well.

As soon as the lineup is figured out they take to the air and Lev watches them all start going through the motions, Mori just off his elbow.

“It’s ironic when they finally come full circle and play their first aerial match together since leaving the rookery that it’s against the Grand King’s team—the very same from the last time they played.” His leveler murmurs, and Lev settles in the grass with a bright-eyed nod and a smile.

It’s taken over five years to get back to this point, but as he watches the avians he’s come to trust, rely on, and love, he can’t help but think all the struggle, pain, and emotional instability were worth the effort. Noya’s eyes are bright, the small crow reading the hits that Asahi sends at him, his body automatically pitch-diving to save them with a wild grin. The large bearded crow looks like he’s sincerely enjoying himself, his movements and swings fluid with no noticeable weakening yet in the wing that had been crushed in the earthquake.

Bokuto’s first couple hits are wild, but the streaked owl’s brow furrows in concentration while Kageyama simultaneously makes adjustments. Within a few more tosses, the large owl lets out a whoop as he connects cleanly, the ball thwacking off the broadside of his wing. Tsukishima’s face has narrowed with intense focus as he both works on timing for hitting and blocking, his umber eyes calculating and critical. Yamaguchi’s face creases with an easy smile when one of his serves lifts high in a perfect float, the ball jittering back and forth as it strikes through the air, it’s entire track completely different from Kageyama’s bullet fast drop serves.

The setter himself has slipped into an intense attentiveness, his eyes tracking everyone with practiced efficiency, and Lev finally realizes what the redhead means when he says the avian heir ‘zones’. His focus is totally on the ball and the court at all times, his tunnel vision forcing all of his attention to the matter at hand. And yet… even now, consumed by the motions of an aerial Volley warmup, Lev can tell that he’s still hyper conscious of his leveler. When Hinata finally connects for the first time, a small smile that whispers of pride, love, and elation tips his mouth.

And Shouyou, at the center of them all, lets out a shout that has Bokuto clapping him on the shoulder, Noya returning a rallying cry as he bowls him over in a hug, both Asahi and Yamguchi grinning, and even the ibis pauses to watch his small celebration at returning to the aerial game. Lev gins widely.

Hinata is finally playing ground Volley with the rest of them again when his wings are too tired to keep going with drills. They all knew he’d been probably more frustrated over that than anything else after his wings had first emerged. With his back muscles so weak that just balancing and walking was a task, Volley had been off the table entirely at first.

But this is somehow a little different than him getting back into Ground Volley.

Somehow, Hinata returning to the aerial game is much more profound—a significantly greater moral and personal achievement not just for the redhead, but them all. They’ve all seen him struggle and fail, seen him in pain and frustrated. They’ve seen him despondent and hopeful, overwhelmed and motivated, progress and regress. They all knew where this mountain of a setback began, they’ve all watched him walk this path, and they all know how far he’s come. To see him reach a goal he’s never voiced, but always wished for… Lev feels gratified to have seen his journey, been there to support him along the way.

Kageyama recalls their focus, but his mouth still quirks with that happy little upturn, his expression softer than Lev assumes it would be. The avian heir’s quiet reminder does the trick and their concentration redoubles so that by the time they are lining up at the net, everyone’s minds are focused with excited anticipation.

“Ne, Kageyama… think we’re still invincible?” Hinata asks and a predatory grin splits the avian heir’s face.

“Only one way to find out. Don’t drop your arm when you swing, got it, idiot?” Hinata’s eyes are bright when they fix on his leveler with joyful challenge.

“Don’t slack your tosses, moron.” He returns and the blue-eyed crow scoffs.

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” He mutters before he glances at the ibis.

“Tsukishima.” The blond cuts a bored look at Feathers’ address.

“Don’t pull your punches. I know what you’re capable of.” The ibis blinks before a condescending smirk curls his mouth.

“Shouldn’t be that hard; they all remind me of you.”

“Then you shouldn’t have a problem getting fired up.” Kageyama’s maniacal grin matches the blond’s and they line up. Lev smirks.

Those two might not see eye to eye, but still… that relationship has come leagues from where it started. Mori’s right. With collaboration comes understanding even if they clash in every aspect.

And then the match starts, Bokuto tossing one last look of betrayal at his leveler across the net as Hinata serves. Lev’s own better half is on his feet in a mere two rallies, the short cat barely able to restrain himself to watching quietly on the sidelines instead of pacing anxiously. The lanky cat is sure he’d be an excellent candidate for a coach someday, and privately chuckles at the thought of the small cat battling for respect from a team who would likely all have outgrown him.

“May I sit?”

Lev blinks and looks up to find the Grand King beside him with that genial smile from earlier and suppresses the urge to get warily to his feet.

“Sure… though I think you would be more comfortable around your own.” He says with a shrug and a small smirk instead. The rookery leader’s head tilts, that easy expression never wavering.

“What makes you say that?” Lev’s grin becomes genuine.

“Because I’m uncomfortable. Kageyama wasn’t kidding. There’s something about you that makes my hair stand on end, and I can’t decide if it’s the fake smile that almost makes me relax or the air of threat that radiates from you just behind it. It’s like you are prepared to off me at any point, and you’ll do it with a laugh. It’s quite disturbing.” Lev says, and the Grand King’s mouth quirks with a hint of true amusement as he eases down beside him.

“That’s a given; you’re a cat.” He says lightly and Lev turns his attention back to the match where Kageyama just highlighted Bokuto for a dynamite hit. As he listens to the streaked owl gloat to a disinterested Akaashi, his mouth twitches.

“Then between you and me, I’ve lived with Feathers for five years and in that time, I’ve seen his life saved more times by a cat than a bird.”

“Is that a subtle brag?” Lev can almost hear the cocked eyebrow in his tone and his own rise as he looks back at the rookery leader.

“Brag?” He asks with a laugh. “No, I’ve never saved his life, but Mori has… and Kuroo has twice— although, it’s probably a good thing he’s not here. He’d probably kill you on sight.”

“And you wonder why I’m uneasy with my son living with cats.” He says with a tight smirk. Lev shakes his head slightly, his green eyes dancing with mirth.

“Kuroo’s avian reservations are almost entirely restricted to you and your sentries. You did take out over half his clan, after all. But Kageyama isn’t you. Kuroo’s nearly died saving your son’s skin more than once; Feathers is easy to figure out and Kuroo identifies with the things he desires most.”

“Does he?” The Grand King asks absently before looking at him with heavy focus.

“Would you know what’s up with his wings?” He asks and Lev’s brow furrows as he tries to keep up with the rookery leader’s abrupt topic change.

He frowns a little because it feels like he’s just been asked something he’s pretty sure Mori wouldn’t want him casually discussing with this guy… but the creases at the edges of the Grand King’s eyes—he recognizes them. This man…is hurting.

“Eh? Wings?” He asks curiously.

“The ends… why are they white? I knew him since he was moments old before they ever grew in and they’ve never come in white.” The Grand King clarifies and Lev’s confusion clears.

Yeah, definitely something Mori probably won’t like him talking about, and to the man beside him no less.

Eh… oh well. I’ll grovel later. I know one or two good tricks to mollify him.

“Ah, that. Mori’s the leveler expert, but since he’s mine, I pick up some things, too. The white tipping means that his leveler was injured enough that the only thing that saved him was the activation of that bond. Basically, Hinata would have died if Kageyama wasn’t there—which means they both would have.” He says.

“So that bond saved their lives? The stories are true?” The Grand King asks with narrowed eyes.

“Not on its own, it can’t. The leveler bond actually has very little power unless the pair are together. But you don’t have to be together—or even know your leveler—for it to take you out if your other half dies.”

“Sounds more like a curse than a blessing. How do you know who your leveler is?”

Lev frowns slightly, his eyes drifting to Mori as he calls out to Asahi to start his approach quicker after one of his hits is blocked. The small russet cat was the only exception he knew of to the rule; no one really knew who the avians’ levelers were until they found out via the breaking or binding side effects. Somehow, the small feline just knew, but the rest of them… everyone’s guess was a good one until they had a confirmation.

“You don’t.” He says, his thoughts drifting. Mori had such a keen eye and such a powerful sense of perception that he’d had Lev figured out while the grey cat himself had been clueless.

“I was born the youngest of three by only a half hour— triplets. By the end of my first day of life, I was one of twins. My sister and I, Mom used to tell us she didn’t think we’d make it either because we were so small. But we did. Alisa and I survived infancy, got bigger, lived. We were inseparable as kids, always did everything together. We started walking, talking, hunting together— everything. She was my best friend.

“But like, five centuries ago, we were cornered by some hawks while we were out playing by the creek. She died that day… and do you know what her brother did? He fled. He left her there and ran, only to return after dark to a cold, stiff body. I don’t know what they all did to her, but I know she was missing one of her ears and she’d been drowned. They’d tied her up and tossed her in the river.

“And instead of even going for help, I ran and hid. Mom didn’t tell me about how we’d beaten the odds as kids anymore after that.” He says, the recollection suffocating him.

“Your reaction as a child was normal. An adult would probably act differently.” The Grand King’s oddly reassuring remark surprises the grey cat as it pulls him back to the present, even if the note of puzzled annoyance that still bleeds into it does not. He smiles slightly with a short nod.

“I’m sure you’re right; you seem smart like Mori… but it didn’t matter how old I was, it didn’t change how much knowing I abandoned her hurt. I still think about her all the time, still wish she was here, too. I’ve been stuck in that memory for centuries. But five years ago, I glimpsed a future for the first time since that awful day when I ran into Hinata and Feathers. I met that future a year later.

“I don’t remember what it was like not to have white ears, didn’t even realize they weren’t natural when Mori first pointed them out. But they were a dead giveaway that I’d lost someone very close to me. When he asked me about it, all I could think was that if there was one person whose death had irrevocably changed my world, it was hers. Mori’s a bit like her— she was taller than he is and less angry all the time… but I could still embarrass her on a whim.” He says with a small smile.

“So, the white ears are like the frosted wings.” The Grand King says, a bid for clarification that recalls the grey cat’s focus.

Lev nods once, his gaze landing on the russet cat as he barks at Kageyama for sending a toss just out of Tsukishima’s reach. He almost laughs at the ensuing grudging apology from the avian heir and amused scoff from the ibis, but the very next volley Hinata snaps into place out of nowhere and that devastating quick finally makes its appearance. Lev grins; they are finally finding that rhythm. When he glances over, he’s pleased to see the look of surprise on the rookery leader’s face.

“Pretty impressive, huh? That new quick is murderous on the ground; I’m surprised they’ve managed to translate it to the air game so fast.” A small smirk slips onto his face, but Tooru’s eyes remain on the match in front of them with rapt focus.

“It might have been a fluke.” He says and Lev snorts.

“Kageyama doesn’t have flukes…he’s always on point, and there’s no one who matches up with him better than Hinata. Not even Suga and Daichi are that synced, no matter how much better they get along off the court.” He says with a laugh before turning back to the game.

“Sugawara and Sawamura? They are alive, still?”

“Of course! So is Tanaka, he was a sentry you’d know, too, I guess. They’re just all back home with the others yet.”

“Others?” The Grand King asks and Lev irrefutably knows this is somehow a question Mori would forbid him to answer. So he grins widely when he looks at the Grand King.

“Yep, others! This isn’t everyone, there’s a bunch more. We’re supposed to be sending ravens with every town we hit.” He says easily and the rookery leader cocks a brow at him but doesn’t push the issue. Lev is glad, because he’s not that good at keeping critical information under wraps. His smile softens just a bit and his emerald gaze drifts.

“Leveler bonds are a curious thing. Mori says it doesn’t matter if its avian, feline, or whatever, the bond can exist between anyone. It can be between lovers, siblings, parent and child, allies, enemies, strangers, friends. A leveler is supposed to bring out the greatest person you can become; it might not be typical, but that person doesn’t have to be a significant other. The difference between felines and avians is that we kind of get to ‘pick’ ours while birds always seem to exist exclusively in pairs. Mori has a theory on that, too, but I think he might be reaching on that one.” He says.

“And what does Mori think?” The Grand King prompts with a patronizing smirk and Lev blinks.

“I’m not as good at the leveler stuff and he explains it better, but… he thinks leveler bonds develop in response to circumstance. Basically, the bond coalesces in response to a shared incident or experience. I think he’s thinking too hard on this one, though, and the link is established as soon as both exist. But avians have no real way of knowing who theirs are for sure unless they sustain injury, or something like that.”

“‘Or something like that’?” The rookery leader echoes skeptically and Lev shrugs.

“Like I said, Mori’s better with the leveler stuff.”

“I’m curious, Cat. If I make you uncomfortable, why are you telling me all this?” Lev’s brow furrows and he looks back at the Grand King’s searching dark eyes.

“Because you asked?” He answers, unsure why the rookery leader wants to know. The way his face creases into a much too friendly smile lets him know he missed the mark.

“Subtlety and nuance is lost on youth, apparently.” He murmurs more to himself than Lev and the lanky cat’s head tilts.

“Not that it matters, but I don’t think there is anything subtle about you, Grand King.” He says, because really, the man is a walking beacon.

The way he talks, dresses, acts, his entire personality really—just the way he carries himself, he stands out as nobility or at the very least, privileged. And that doesn’t even cover the rigid posture and movements that betray his military standing. The Grand King looks at him for a moment with a cocked eyebrow and then laughs.

“I suppose so. Why did you suggest a Volley match? Why would you help me?” He says with a grin that’s more real than fake.

Ah. So that was the real question.

Lev wants to bang his head against a tree, because he was raised in the forest, not a court or even a town. Mori would have been far more skilled at navigating this guy with all of his world knowledge; the tall cat knows very little about decorum and subterfuge. Still, he started this and even if he’s not as versed in politics, he can still offer a candid response.

And with wry chagrin, he realizes that this is probably why the Grand King zeroed in on him to begin with. Nearly all the Karasuno unit had all remarked on his uncanny ability to read people and manipulate them, hadn’t they? If he was that good at it, he’d probably have picked up that the tall cat was easy to ply for information—skies knew the other avians had all figured that out by this point much to Mori’s annoyance. Lev mentally shrugs, resigned to the reality that he will probably be facing an angry leveler once more.

“Because Feathers is one of ours and you are a parent. A child craves affection and approval, and a parent will frequently pay any price to see their kid well. I think what you want probably isn’t that different from what he wants.” He says. Mori won’t be happy with him, he’s certain, but that’s okay. Family is important—especially when it’s ready to make an effort to connect.

“And what do we want, Cat?” The Grand King asks, a brow rising up his forehead curiously. Lev can’t decide if the man beside him is just insulting him or is honestly interested in what he thinks—or perhaps both.

Eh, don’t really care, he muses and turns to look back at the game only to find his leveler’s gaze fixed on him with a well-worn homicidal stare. Ah. He should have noticed that it had gotten quieter the last few moments.

Well, that means time’s almost up.

“I think at the moment, you just want the chance for a relationship; he probably shares that, but before that he’s always just wanted to keep the people he cares about safe. There has to be some common ground there?” He asks as Yaku starts their way with an irritated stomp, so he continues without any prompt.

“Blood calls to blood by its very nature, but… if you pressure him, you’ll set him against you. Use Hinata to force him, you’ll make an enemy for life. Threaten that which he will and has killed to protect, and you’ll lose him forever. His next step has always been to disappear entirely. If you push him, he will go off grid and overseas, and you can be sure you won’t find him again.”

“Lev!” His ear flicks sheepishly in Mori’s direction. He does sound irritated. But really… sometimes it’s almost worth it to get his leveler worked into a frenzy.

“He might be different from the way you remember, but he is still the same person. I think he’d be willing to give you the opportunity to get to know him again, but he’s going to need a show of faith before he’ll consider it. I guess it comes down to whether you hear him and are able to trust him.” He says getting to his feet. The Grad King’s eyes watch him sharply as he mimics the motion, the crow having to look up at him as he straightens. The easy smile hasn’t wavered from his face, but the tension is back around his eyes.

“Trust him to what?” He asks with a hard edge and Lev smiles.

“To be Tobio Kageyama. To be your son.” He says simply as Yaku stomps up to him.

“You freaking grimalkin. You have an attention span worse than that of a five-year-old. You are supposed to be cheering your team on, not making friends with the other side.” He growls, latching onto Lev’s collar. He has to bend a little as Mori yanks him along behind himself, but he smiles impishly all the same.

“Come on. And don’t think I don’t know what you are up to, you cheeky twit!” The short cat snaps. Lev glances back toward the Grand King once with a devious glint as if to say ‘Watch this’. He snakes his arms around his leveler and lifts him from the ground in a suffocating hug.

“It’s alright, Mori, he just had questions about the other short guys.”

A moment later, Lev is still grinning madly despite the sharp pain from his ear where his leveler pinches it with one of his blackest scowls since they’d met while spewing colorful threats. His green eyes dance, the talk with the Grand King largely sidelined for later contemplation, because Mori’s getting remarkably worked up, and he just knows tonight is going to be one for the records.

Level Pair ; Chapter 1; Chapter 34; Chapter 36

A/N: So Lev chapter. I never had one planned for him and this one came up for grabs in the last week and I was like... 'why not'; it was a struggle. It feels super disjointed to me- like i had a goal but no idea how to reach it, so I took the clumsiest, longest route to get there. Lev is a character I am comfortable writing from the outside; the moment I try to step into his mind, I feel lost, so I apologize if this one seems really all over the place.

Next chapter is also unfinished as of right now, and I'm flying tomorrow again, so if I post, it will probably be late like today's (sorry for that, it wasn't intentional). In the meantime, stay awesome and have a wonderful evening guys!

#Level Pair #Level Horizon #haikyuu #lev haiba #oikawa tooru #levyaku #fanfiction #long post #i hate how this one came out #i think both lev and oikawa are BOTH really OC #I apologize for this

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atlasifyllm · 2 years

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rina is a real damn tough character to pinpoint i stg

1.) I still haven't come up with the "green virtue" that she's supposed to have which is hard when cultural differences between the green-blue spectrum exist and I need to make hers not too similar to Cobalt's serenity or clarity

2.) It's a little shaky as to why she attends a fighting school despite not having a drive to be a tournament fighter OR sentry... or sheep herder

3.) Her lack of involvement and interest with the tournament fighting scene makes her very difficult to develop her initial opinions on Cobalt Zaffre BEFORE the Turqbalt reveal, as Rose/Jay/Ame have enough distance from Cobalt to be okay with his dual identity, Ruby witnessing him at rock bottom helps her sympathize with his dual identity, and Blaze's casual treatment of Cobalt as a fellow tournament fighter makes her easily swayed one side or another

4.) Aaaand the constant struggle of making her toxic enough to develop the Arc 2 storyline but not TOO toxic that it jumpkicks CoRi into being a straight up nonsensical at best and absuive at worst kind of relationship

I stg I'm starting to hate the color green over how much writing grief this cottagecore cuck has given me @_@

#atlas speaks;#dots danger rally text;

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nyxysabyss · 8 years

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LEVEL HORIZON; YEAR ONE.30 3/3; Reparation

CHAPTER 12!

Some people care too much. I think that’s called love. ~Winnie the Pooh

When Shouyou’s eyes drift open through the wisps of a headache, he blinks at the early morning sunlight that drifts through the large front room window. All he can see is a wrinkled shirt before he notices the blankets beneath him, a cat’s warmth at his back, and gradually, it dawns on him: he’s still alive, so Kageyama must also still be alive.

The steady rise and fall of the warm chest beneath his hand reassures him. He slowly blinks once more and notes a weight across the back of his neck, before sluggishly glancing up at his leveler.

Kageyama must have woken sometime during the night, because he’s rolled onto his back. The color has returned somewhat to his face, but it’s still drawn and pale. The pressure on his neck is, in fact, Kageyama’s hand, and Shouyou can’t keep the swell of nostalgic fondness from his gut. A dark object on Kageyama’s shirt beside his thumb catches his gaze and he frowns slightly, his hand sliding toward it. His fingers close around it, light and scratchy, and as he focuses on it, his gut drops and his head rises with dread.

His eyes land on Kageyama’s wings and Shouyou abruptly wants to weep, because nearly all of his feathers look like the scruffy fried one in his hand, many of them already having dropped from the featherbeds to scatter loosely around them.

The weight on his neck disappears and a heavy sigh escapes Kageyama, making Shouyou freeze. When he finally looks up at his leveler, Kageyama’s hand is on his forehead, his cobalt eyes fixed firmly back on him with tired focus. Shouyou wants to fidget so badly, and he knows he’s staring wide-eyed at the black-haired crow, but he can’t help it.

He doesn’t know what to expect. The last time they’d spoken, they’d been locked in an argument and attempting to kill each other via leveler bond. Kageyama blinks lethargically and Shouyou caves to his nervous tension, his jaw working to begin what he just knows will be a useless string of babble.

“Kageyama, I—”

“Water.” He cuts him off with a scratchiness that’s not unlike sandstone. Shouyou blinks before jerking upright.

“Right.” He says, scrambling to fulfill his leveler’s request. He nearly collides with Noya who’s already holding out a glass.

“Yaku says six of these in the next three hours.” He announces and Shouyou’s jaw drops.

“Six?” The small crow nods.

“You didn’t see the number of times he heaved yesterday and he sweat buckets. He’ll need that and more.” Noya says bluntly and Shouyou automatically reaches out to take the glass from him. When he turns back, Daichi is already helping Kageyama sit up, the motion dislodging more crisped feathers. It takes Kageyama a solid ten minutes to finish the glass of water, and Shouyou watches him in nervous silence the whole time, his hands clasped in his lap. When his leveler finally passes the empty glass off, the redhead looks down at his hands.

“Ano...”

“I’d like a bath. I feel gross.” Kageyama says to Daichi, and Shouyou bites his lip and glances up at him feeling very much ignored. Their former unit leader simply nods.

“Shimizu and Hitoka already have one set up. Be sure to thank them.” Kageyama nods as Daichi helps him to his feet… and it becomes very apparent how weak the black-haired setter is.

He can barely stand on his own without bracing himself against Daichi, the simple act of balancing under his own power draining what little color he’s regained from his face. And Shouyou’s pulse stutters as more feathers drop from his disheveled wings. Tanaka slides into place on Kageyama’s other side to help support him and Shouyou jumps at a light touch on his shoulder. Suga pushes another glass of water into his hands without a word and gently pushes him forward after the other three crows.

He can’t help but feel awful as he stares down at the cup in his hands, the water’s reflection rippling with each uncertain step he takes. Kageyama hasn’t hardly acknowledged him and Shouyou is positive he’s still angry. It makes his stomach twist uncomfortably until he’s sure he’s going to hurl. Like before a Volley match only several times worse. Another scorched feather drifts by him and he pauses for a long moment.

Slowly, he turns and stares down the hallway they’ve just come through, his heart fracturing at the trail Kageyama is leaving behind. He’s losing so many of them that Shouyou is sure he won’t have any left by the end of the day. The sound of the bath door opening makes him jump and he hurries after the other three.

“Would you like us to leave?” Daichi asks and Shouyou wishes he hadn’t, because Daichi’s given Kageyama the perfect opportunity to banish him from the room.

“Please.” The other boy says simply.

Shouyou’s gut sinks, his shoulders hunching as his eyes hit the floor. He isn’t sure what he expected; he’d rendered his leveler unconscious, he should probably be thankful Kageyama hasn’t tried to kill him. He sets the glass within easy reach of the setter and turns to follow the other two back out, sincerely struggling to keep the burning sensation behind his eyes from spilling over.

But he doesn’t get more than a step away before one of Kageyama’s larger hands closes on his arm. It doesn’t bear the usual bracing strength, but it freezes him on the spot and his head snaps up to look at the avian heir.

“You will stay.” Kageyama says in a flat voice, his cobalt eyes dully fixed on the wall.

So Shouyou stays.

Kageyama makes a sour face at the lukewarm water in the basin, but doesn’t complain as Shouyou helps settle him in. His leveler has yet to look him in the eye since he’d initially woken and he can’t decide if that’s a bad thing. It’s awkward and the redhead has no idea what to do with himself in the building silence, but he will stay no matter how uncomfortable, because Kageyama told him to.

His fingers itch with nerves and he absently picks up a washcloth and tentatively runs it over one of Kageyama’s shoulders. His leveler doesn’t balk and he takes it as consent… or at the very least, indifference. The contact eases his tension just a bit and his movements grow more sure; the cloth dips into the water and across his shoulder again, then down his arm and across his back.

“Hinata.” The sound of his name from his leveler makes him flinch and his hand jerks back.

Shouyou can hear it in his voice; Kageyama is done. He isn’t sure what he’s all done with, but he knows he is tired and he is through. Everything has failed, so Kageyama is resorting to bared words with all the forward precision of a scalpel but all the searing pain of a blunted blade. And Shouyou cringes because he knows his heart will probably sob before his leveler is finished, but he dares not interrupt.

Kageyama’s face turns toward him slightly, but his weathered gaze still doesn’t seek him out. Shouyou can feel himself holding his breath, afraid of what the other boy will say.

“You never ask about my nightmares, so I never ask about yours,” he begins quietly, his voice an even flat tone and Shouyou’s chest constricts with dread, “but… in mine, I’m always waking up under an oak tree, frantically wondering where you are. I’m always stumbling across a crumpled shattered wing, blood flecked across crushed feathers and red against the grass. I’m always running out of daylight to see by, and I’m always seeing blood tinted water. And always, I’m racked with the sense that I won’t make it there in time like I did before.”

“Kageyama, stop!” Shouyou begs, scrambling to prevent him from speaking another word. He doesn’t know if he can take this brutally honest and forthcoming version of his leveler; Kageyama didn’t do confessions and his voluntarily voicing something they both avoid somehow feels inherently wrong.

“You don’t have to tell me.” He says quickly.

Kageyama’s admission prods the limits of his own emotional endurance— and he doesn’t think he could return the favor and tell him what he dreams of. He doesn’t think he could ever tell Kageyama that one of his nightmares all but played out verbatim yesterday and the remnants of it still linger now.

“I think I do, because you need to know.” His leveler says emotionlessly and Shouyou shakes his head.

“I do know, Kageyama.” He reassures, earnestly trying to keep him from continuing. Unfortunately, luck has fled him today.

“I don’t think you do. I can’t just let you go. It’s not just that I don’t want to, or that I hate it, or that it makes me nervous— it’s that I physically can’t. I’ve tried, Shouyou. I’ve reminded myself of the consequences, know I’ll pay for it later, but it makes no difference. I’ve told myself that I won’t care, that I’ll leave it alone, or that it will be fine, but it’s always a lie. There is no fiber of my being that is alright with even a remote possibility that you might be in danger and I’m not there. There’s no part of me that will ever be okay with that.”

Shouyou’s mouth has dropped. Never mind the fact that Kageyama’s probably said more in that one breath than Shouyou can remember in the last several centuries, the redhead is left mentally spinning at his leveler’s blunt revelation.

“Kageyama, I—”

“I know you need people, I get that you have to have interaction and variety. I know that the same thing day in and day out will make you crazy. But this isn’t the solution...it can’t be, because I can’t do it. I can’t stand the thought that you might need help and I won’t be there.” He says, his brow creasing between his eyes, as if it’s something he’d never intended to feel let alone admit but he’s resolved. And Shouyou can’t stand that uncertain look, is instantly trying to reassure him with his next breath.

“You’ll always be there. Sheru Bay really isn’t that far, you can cover a league in—”

“And I’m telling you I can’t do it. It will only take one passing sentry to notice you and everything goes to hell.” He says, his voice still flat and… resigned. Shouyou lets out a heavy breath and tentatively raises the cloth to resume his task of assisting Kageyama with his bath.

“I’m not helpless, Tobio. I think I can hide from one sentry.” He says softly.

He already wore a cloak to conceal the feathers that would give away the fact that he’d been grounded; it was part of the original plan to help keep him less recognizable. With the mantle, it was possible to pass himself off as something other than avian. And he could handle himself in a brawl, that incident at the fish shop last year notwithstanding. He’d had all the same combat training as Kageyama and the others.

But the way Kageyama’s head tilts is a dead giveaway that he just rolled his eyes. Shouyou frowns slightly; his leveler obviously thinks he’s said something stupid.

“They won’t have to see you to notice you, idiot, all they’d have to do is hear you.” Kageyama murmurs. It’s still devoid of most emotion, but Shouyou can hear an echo of annoyance and he reaches for it like a lifeline.

“Pfft, yeah right.” He says with a skeptical huff, a corner of his mouth twitching. Kageyama’s cobalt eyes finally flicker his way and he catches his breath.

“I’m serious. You have one of the clearest voices I’ve ever heard. It has a pure sound that carries and I doubt anyone in my father’s military would forget it.” He says and Shouyou’s face is abruptly heating, because the way he says it with the tips of his ears flushing— Shouyou’s sure that this is something Kageyama somehow finds appealing.

“Eh… I don’t think—”

“Besides... if it gets back to the rookery that we’re in Sheru Bay, they will trace us back here and it won’t be just you and me and our unit under fire; it will be the cats, the owls, the girls, and Yamaguchi and the blond bastard—- everyone. If my father decides to bring a whole battalion of sentry units after us, I doubt even all of us together could stop them.

“You know my father, Shouyou— his track record with cats isn’t good, a unit that’s committed treason by desertion won’t fare much better, and skies only know what he’d do if he got his hands on owls. You and I might survive if he doesn’t haul off and eliminate you at the outset, and our outlook wouldn’t be bright in any case. No matter how I spin it, I can’t see that going down without at least a few casualties.” Kageyama’s royal blue eyes tiredly focus on the wall again with a dark frown. “Everyone already assumes the risk of being connected to us; I don’t think we have the right to ask them to shoulder more when it could get them all killed.”

Shouyou blinks as the conversation gains back all of its weight once more, and glances down at his hands.

He’s always known the things Kageyama says… but he’s not sure he’s ever really thought about them. Kageyama’s primary reason for not wanting him to leave the beach house might be personal, but he’d also assessed the potential impacts of Shouyou’s choices with regards to the others— which was more than he’d done. He’d been so desperate to get out and do something that wasn’t the same thing he’d done for the last year, that he’d never considered the peril for everyone else. Kageyama is doing the same thing now that he’d done at the rookery— trying to keep them all safe.

“You’re right.” He says softly. “They already place everything on the line as it is.”

Kageyama shifts a wing stiffly, bending it around in front of himself to absently examine the ragged feathers, his brow creasing in thought. The redhead allows himself to do what he’s been avoiding since coming to the bath and really looks at his leveler’s wings. His lungs burn and he swallows hard.

The once beautifully pristine wings sag with fatigue, the feathers crisp and brittle where they once flexed with smooth recoil. Kageyama is missing a mass of primaries and secondaries, creating a choppy outline where they are already gone. The ones that remain are so tattered, they look as if they’d been drug under a whetstone, the delicate vane fibers that line their shafts separated and kinked. It looks like Kageyama got way too close to an open bonfire with the melted appearance of the down near the wing beds, the covert feathering no longer lying sleekly against them. Instead, the small plumes stick out haphazardly, refusing to fall into any semblance of alignment and creating something of a pinecone effect. Kageyama’s spectacular wings, from his shoulders to the spread of the pinions… have been reduced to twisted remnants of frayed and frazzled feathers. Shouyou blinks as his vision threatens to water over.

“Ano… what do you think we should do?” Shouyou asks, hating the silence. One of Kageyama’s hands lifts to brush lightly across the disarrayed black quills, his frown deepening slightly.

“Not this again. And find another way… one that keeps us both sane.” He says quietly. His fingers close around one crisp feather that gives to the pressure far too easily; it’s on the verge of falling out as well.

“Do you have any ideas?” Shouyou asks, feeling helpless to fix the tension that has yet to disappear between them.

“Nothing realistic yet.” He murmurs and tugs the shabby feather free. The action makes Shouyou flinch violently.

“Kageyama, what—”

His leveler deftly pulls another and the redhead’s calm abandons him.

“Tobio, don’t!” He yelps, a hand latching onto his arm, but his leveler shakes him off.

“They’re all going to fall out anyway.” He says and reaches for another. Shouyou doesn’t have a reason for his blinding panic.

“No!” He barks anxiously, reaching out like lightning and slapping the menacing hand hard enough that it smacks into the water with a splash.

It takes a moment for his thoughts to catch up with his actions and he sucks in a sharp breath and yanks both hands back to his chest in horror. Kageyama’s head slowly rolls in his direction, his gaze flat in a look that Shouyou can’t read.

“S-sorry.” He whispers, terrified of having made things that much worse. Gods know, him hitting Kageyama now can’t possibly have made anything better. His gaze drops and his shoulders hunch in around him.

“Sorry.” He murmurs again, his gaze blurring and he blinks. “It’s my fault we’re so broken, huh? I… I’ve really messed things up, haven’t I. I’m sorry, Kageyama.”

There’s a quiet slosh and then a fierce grip closes on his shirt and yanks. He collides with Kageyama with a gasp, his shirt instantly sticking to wet skin as his leveler cages him into an uncompromising embrace. As the water soaks into the material, the avian heir’s hold tightens even more, trapping his arms between them.

“I don’t care how broken we are or how we got here. We’ve gotten through everything else, we’ll make it through this.” Shouyou’s breath catches.

“Do you still want me to go?” He whispers. If it’s possible, the redhead thinks Kageyama’s grip cinches a little more.

“Only if you think you’ll still be invincible.” He says, his voice sounding scratchy. “But that’s not what I want.” Shouyou hiccups, a silent sob rising through him.

“Me neither.” He rasps.

Kageyama doesn’t let him go.

He’s half soaked from his leveler catching him up mid-bath, and he’s choked with tears, but he’s grateful to any deity in existence that Kageyama still wants him to stay beside him. A long thumb rubs up one of the ridges on Shouyou’s back, his leveler quiet for several long moments. Shouyou takes the chance to try and collar his emotions again, so that when Kageyama does release him, he’ll be able to meet his gaze fully. His leveler lets out a sigh that puts him on alert.

“Shouyou… I’m going to pull the dead feathers.” He murmurs against his back and the redhead tenses.

“Don’t. Please don’t pull them.”

“The new ones grow in slower if I don’t. If I leave them in, it will take longer before I can fly again.” Shouyou jars.

“That’s not true.” He says shakily. Kageyama’s hand comes up against the back of his head.

“It is. I’ve been through this enough times by now to know. I’d be hard pressed to get off the ground already and they’ll only keep dropping. If I pull them, they’ll start coming in again in about a week from now. In the meantime, I’ll get to experience what you go through every day being confined to the ground.”

“I don’t want you confined to the ground. Besides, if you pull them all, your wings will be bald!” He whines and he hears a slight huff of amusement.

“I’m already confined to the ground so that’s a moot point. And just so you know,” He murmurs and Shouyou feels a burning pinch in his back.

Kageyama finally loosens his hold and leans back, raising a scruffy feather in front of him. The hint of a smirk creases a corner of his mouth.

“I won’t be the only bald one. You’re losing yours this time, too.”

Level Pair ; Chapter 1; Chapter 11; Chapter 13

A/N: This one is pretty close to it's original rough write. While I think Hinata would cave in a fight first, I imagine that Kageyama, when pushed to his limit, would be the more drastic personality swing.

Apologies for the late update... I was obligated to engage in human interaction and went for dinner with a friend. Thank you all for sticking with me, you are amazing. Have a stellar evening, guys!

#level pair #level horizon #haikyuu #kagehina #Shouyou Hinata #Tobio Kageyama #fanfiction #long post #this one cam out better i think

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nyxysabyss · 8 years

Text

LEVEL HORIZON; YEAR ONE.30 1/3; Mortal Contention

CHAPTER 10!

I think that everyone has a choice in every difficult situation. The thing about anger is that it invades your thoughts in such a way that you forget you have those choices and your emotions take control. ~Jim Medlock

~One Month Later; Summer’s End~

Koushi Sugawara hands a glass of water to Daichi where he sits beside the Volley net, sweat coating his brow.

“How’s it going?” He asks with a grin and his leveler glances up at him.

“Excellent. Thank you, my beautiful silver star.” He murmurs softly, his hand brushing across Koushi’s fingers a little too long. The thrush’s face heats and he knows he’s blushing.

“Daichi, you’re being embarrassing.” He murmurs, but his mouth tugs in a sheepish smile all the same.

“How else am I supposed to get you to look like that?” The crow says with a smirk and Koushi’s eyes widen. If he wasn’t blazing red before, he is now.

“Daichi.” He scolds. Daichi reaches for him and he ducks away with a laugh.

And then he stumbles at the sharp bark from Kageyama, and the thrush wants to both cringe and sigh. The two have been taking passive-aggressive shots at each other for over a month… since the last time they’d brought Hinata into Sheru Bay, to be precise. And they had planned another trip with the redhead today, but it sounds like Hinata has taken the same approach as last time and opted not to say anything until they are basically ready to go.

Koushi gets why the redhead has stooped to keeping his plans from the other setter until the last minute, but it makes him anxious with dread because Kageyama doesn’t do surprises— unpleasant ones even less so.

For the first months after they’d joined the beach crew a year ago, things had been fine between the two in the wake of their leveler ‘enlightenment’. But Hinata had slowly been losing his mind by the following spring, and that’s when things had begun to unravel. With Kageyama stuck at the beach house while Hinata mitigated his sanity with human interaction, a tension had returned between them that had only built. By that third trip with the redhead, they were blatantly arguing over it which had done nothing but escalate over the next six months.

As the thrush hears the rise of Hinata’s musical voice until it competes with Kageyama’s, he laments at where they’ve come. It truly breaks his heart to see them fight; they are members of his unit and his friends— his family at this point.

But he and Daichi have never had this kind of problem and he has no idea what to do about it. He’s tried reasoning with both Hinata and Kageyama to get them to mellow and has apparently hit a brick wall in both directions, because they are at it as hard today as they were last time— maybe more. And it’s accelerating down that horrible spiral much faster this time.

“I can’t stay here all the time, Kageyama! It’s like going around a circular room searching for a corner.” Hinata finally snaps at the setter, his patience gone and that heavy voice that betrays his fury lashes out at Kageyama.

Koushi sucks in a breath and turns to stare at them. He can’t remember a time where the redhead has turned that tone against the black-haired setter, no matter how insufferable he could be. Daichi had told him that it did occasionally happen growing up, but it was quite uncommon. Apparently, it’s as rare as he thinks it must be, given the way Kageyama stares back at the redhead. Finally, the crow setter’s face smooths out.

“Then go. And maybe don’t back, because I can’t do this every time you want to take a field trip.” He says flatly, his voice sounding horribly dead, and Hinata’s face goes slack, as if the words were a capital sentence.

Before Koushi can even process the enormity of Kageyama’s brittle remark, Noya is brushing by him, headed in their direction. It’s odd, he thinks, because the shortest crow has been probably the least inclined to interfere in the past.

“Oi!” He barks at them, but neither even notice him. Instead, Hinata’s face pulls down into a glare.

“Maybe I will.” He says spitefully, but it doesn’t seem to rattle the taller setter who readily fires back a retort.

“Good. While you’re at it, try not to die. You hold the other end of my rope, so if you buy it, I’m done, too.” The redhead steps backward almost as if the setter took a swing at him.

“Kageyama…” He says, his leaded voice wavering.

“Oi! You two brats—”

“This is what you want, isn’t it? Freedom? It’s yours. Go Hinata.” Kageyama cuts the smallest crow off as he reaches them.

Noya hauls the redhead backward in an effort to put distance between the two, but neither falter in their face off.

“You’re really being an ass.” Hinata spits instead, his face furrowing with a massive frown. Hinata rarely swears let alone at his leveler, and Koushi knows he’s really starting to lose all rationale.

“And you aren’t listening, you freaking shrimp. Leave.”

Noya freezes along with the rest of the Karasuno group. He turns to stare up at Kageyama beside a once more slack-jawed Hinata. Everyone outside has gone still. Lev, Kuroo, Tsukishima, Yamguchi, and the owls pause at the net while Tanaka and Asahi exchange a glance from where they are collecting items for trade, and Daichi finds Koushi’s wrist in a crushing grip.

Even if the significance of the setter’s barb is lost on the guys by the net, he and the other Karasuno unit members catch it. The Grand King was the first to call Hinata ‘shrimp’. Plenty of others had regularly called him that, but never Kageyama. Coming from anyone else, it would simply be a word… but coming from the raven-haired setter, it’s an epithet.

“That was un-fucking-called for!” Tanaka says and is quickly following the path Noya had cut across the beach to where he still has a hold on Hinata. The thrush jumps as the door slams open and Yaku bursts out, his expression narrowed with anger.

“Stop them.” He barks, leaping down off the porch, his feet never touching any of the steps. Daichi beside him starts moving at the cat’s command, but they are too late to stop the redhead’s watery remark.

“Fine, be an egotistical tyrant king.” Kageyama’s gaze narrows and he takes a step forward.

“Go.” The taller boy growls out.

“Dammit, stop them!” Yaku snaps, throwing his arms around Kageyama’s waist and attempting to haul him backward. Tanaka joins Noya in pulling Hinata away while Daichi plants a hand against the crow setter’s chest. Kuroo materializes out of nowhere and grabs Kageyama’s shoulder. The setter allows himself to be forced backward, but Hinata rails at the hands holding him.

“Kageyama, you’re such an idiot!” He bites out in a fractured voice.

“Get him out of here or we’ll be burying them!” Yaku snarls at Noya and Tanaka who jump at his sharp command. Daichi finally finds his voice.

“Go. We’ll cool Kageyama down.” He says and Noya and Tanaka pick the redhead up entirely and haul him away.

Asahi and Lev join them when they finally put Hinata down and steer him toward town. Kageyama’s gaze remains on them until they are out of sight, his cobalt eyes hollow while Koushi is frozen where he stands. Somewhere along the line, the girls and Kenma have come out to see what the commotion was and watch with wide eyes. Yamaguchi, Tsukishima and the owls all stare in tense silence, and all Koushi can process is horror.

Get him out of here or we’ll be burying them!

Yaku’s words ring in his ears as Kuroo and the russet cat slowly release the black-haired setter who simply stares at the bend in the beach where his leveler and the others disappeared.

Koushi’s seen it before; any minute now, Kageyama’s body will revolt on him and he will be emptying his stomach of this morning’s breakfast. Daichi knows what’s coming, too, and places a hand on his shoulder to steer him back toward the house. The setter looks at it before roughly shaking him off.

“Get off me.” He mutters coldly before staggering toward the porch under his own power.

Koushi can see the sweat already coating his face as he wavers on his feet. Kuroo shadows him and Yachi tentatively reaches out to him before withdrawing her hand as he struggles up the steps, his eyes glazed.

A low whistle over his shoulder catches his attention and he turns to see Bokuto and Akaashi, their eyes enormous.

“That was crazy.” The streaked owl says in a low voice.

“No, that was dangerous.” Yaku mutters as Kageyama disappears inside.

“He took it too far this time.” Daichi murmurs after the avian prince, but the russet cat shakes his head at him.

“Wrong. He was trying to stop that disaster by getting Hinata to leave.”

“Eh?” Bokuto asks with confusion.

“Stop a fight in the middle and yeah, they both still stew with anger, but they don’t have the chance to do more damage by loosing more of those destructive words. Kageyama was trying to control it— admittedly probably poorly— but he was trying to stop it.”

Kuroo’s hand finds its way to the back of his neck and he looks up at the sky with a brooding expression.

“This is getting worse. I’d have thought we’d be facing dangers from outside like that sentry a few months back, but our biggest threat is coming from within.”

“Do you have any ideas for fixing it?” Daichi asks, his face looking tired. Kuroo shakes his head.

“I don’t really—”

“Yaku!” Yachi squeals, her head poking out the door with a stricken expression and everyone looks at her. “Yaku, Kageyama’s down!”

For the second time, Koushi feels like his feet root into place as he runs through the possibilities that could mean while trying to avoid the most likely of them. Yaku curses under his breath and zips up the steps. Daichi takes his arm and it’s only after the other crow touches him that he can move again, and he joins the others as they all crowd into the house after the girls and Yaku.

Kageyama’s crumpled form is sprawled across the floor, vomit pooled around his face as Yaku and Yachi kneel beside him.

“What do I do?” She asks frantically.

“He’s just unconscious… no, don’t roll him backward, keep him on his side.” He instructs as Shimizu comes in with a rag and starts to wipe away his stomach’s expulsion.

“If he throws up again, you don’t want him to choke.” He murmurs as he peels back an eyelid. Koushi shivers at the black stare in the middle of the cobalt iris.

“Damn, dilated eyes. His body’s trying to detox.”

“What do we do for him?” Yachi asks again and the cat huffs.

“This is breaking. It’s the chemical reaction that levelers experience when they fight. The body releases a toxin that makes them physically sick and scalds the feathers. There’s no antidote and it’s not something you can just fix. He’ll have to ride it out. About the only thing we can do is make sure he’s comfortable and monitor him. If you believe in the gods, pray he’ll be fine.” He says with a dark frown. Kuroo and Bokuto move to pick him up while Akaashi pulls out a blanket to lay him on. Yaku looks up at Shimizu.

“Can we get a cool wet rag? He’s still burning with fever. We’ll probably need a light blanket, too, because he’ll be flipping between sweating and chills.”

“Ah! He’s heaving again!” Yachi squeaks, attempting to catch any mess with a towel, but it’s not nearly as much this time as his stomach is already empty. Yaku nods with a morose frown.

“Expect it off and on every half hour, give or take for a while.” Another four or five contractions of Kageyama’s gut and he goes still. And then his muscles start shaking, waves of shivers running the length of his spine and into his limbs.

“What’s wrong with him?” Bokuto asks.

“Toxic shock. The muscles go weak and his body will chill after vomiting, so they shake. Another fifteen minutes and he’ll be sweating as his body gears up for another round of heaving.”

The door slams open and Noya pushes in.

“Shouyou’s…” He pulls up short as everyone huddled around Kageyama turns to stare at him. The short crow’s gaze drops to the unconscious setter.

“What—”

“Shouyou’s what, Noya?” Yaku asks firmly. The crow’s mocha eyes snap back to him.

“We got maybe halfway to Sheru Bay when he threw up, and he’s really dizzy. He can’t walk a straight line and Asahi’s carrying him back right now.”

“Perfect.” He murmurs cynically. “Bring him inside when they get here. He could use the wakeup call, too.”

Noya’s eyes are still wide as he disappears back outside and in moments Asahi is following him back in cradling a pale redhead. His almond eyes lock onto his shivering leveler as the large crow deposits him on his shaky feet, the pupils dilating until Koushi can barely see the warm brown around them.

“Kageyama?” He whispers and stumbles forward two steps. “What happened to him?”

“You did.” Yaku mutters with a touch of anger. Hinata shakes his head, his lower lip trembling.

“I… I’d never do something like this.” Yaku eyes him incredulously.

“Did you think the ‘breaking’ thing was a myth? He’s been getting sick after every fight and yet you repeat the process each time. You finally managed to render him unconscious. Pray he survives, because if he goes, so do you.” Hinata’s eyes blow wide.

“Kageyama’s going to die?” He whispers.

“Hard to say... but I haven’t seen many people come back from this level of toxicity. You’d best hope he wants to live; it might be the only thing that saves him because your leveler link won’t help you this time. The ‘binding’ property can’t fix leveler inflicted injuries.” Hinata’s jaw drops and his orange head shakes once. He backs up a step and shakes his head again.

“Kageyama…” He whimpers before he turns and stumbles back outside, his eyes glossing with tears. Noya moves to follow but Yaku shakes his head as Tanaka walks back in with a raised eyebrow.

“Let him be. He needs to realize how serious this is. He won’t go far.”

“There’s something off. Why isn’t Hinata affected?” Tsukishima says from beside the door and Koushi looks toward the russet cat, having wondered that himself.

“He is. He just threw up, too, but it’s nothing like this. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it and puzzle it out, but I don’t have an answer, yet. I thought it might be something to do with being different species, but—”

“Wait, what?” Noya stops him. “Different species? What are you talking about?” Yaku blinks blandly at him.

“Hinata isn’t a crow. His hair and voice are indicative of that.”

“That’s ridiculous. He’s my brother. He is a crow.” Noya says with a frown and Yaku points at Kageyama.

“He’s a crow, but the redhead isn’t. He might be your ‘brother’ for all practical purposes, but he doesn’t share your blood. I think someone said he spoke another language when he came to the rookery, too?” Yaku asks glancing around for verification and Tanaka nods.

“He couldn’t speak a word of ours at first.”

“That’s another good indicator. See crows have a unique speech pattern...it doesn’t matter where you go, you will still be able to grasp what another crow is trying to say. The dialect and accent may make it difficult, but you can always generally get the gist of it even if you are on the other side of the world. The fact that your languages were completely separate means he didn’t start out around crows.”

“His wings were black, though.” Asahi murmurs helplessly.

“Plenty of others have black wings. Ravens, stilts, certain flycatchers, and cormorants all have black wings. But his hair makes me think he’s more a songbird, the foreign language, something exotic. I’d thought that could have something to do with it and Kageyama was somehow shouldering the majority of the effects, but…” The russet cat finds Koushi and he straightens. “You and Daichi aren’t the same species either. Does the breaking thing affect you differently?”

Koushi meets his leveler’s gaze. They’ve never had a fight like this; they wouldn’t be able to offer a credible example.

“It doesn’t.” Daichi says to his surprise. “We had a minor argument early on that still affected us both. Suga wasn’t exempt.” One of Koushi’s silver brows arches. That could hardly have been called an argument even if he still remembers how crappy he’d felt...

“Didn’t think so. And Hinata glows every night, so there’s no question that they are levelers....” The cat trails away in thought.

“What about the wings?” Kenma says softly drawing everyone’s attention.

“What?”

“The difference between them as a level pair and say Daichi and Suga or Bokuto and Akaashi is that one of them is grounded. Shouyou doesn’t have wings, and he doesn’t feel the full force of ‘breaking’. Maybe it’s something to do with that?”

“I get it.” Kuroo breaks in. “The toxin releases from glands in a cat’s ears. Do you guys know where it releases from for avians?” Kuroo asks, glancing up at them but it’s Tsukishima who answers with a flat expression.

“The feathers. Your princeling loses the burned-out feathers because they’re ground zero of the toxin release point and get hit the hardest. Hinata doesn’t have wings, just the few feathers around the base, so he doesn’t have the glands that release it.” Yaku eyes him with newfound respect.

“You’re probably right.”

“Is Kageyama really in danger?” Asahi asks quietly, breaking the brainstorm session.

“I’m not sure, but he’ll probably pull through okay.”

“But you said you haven’t seen many people come out of this.” Tanaka says with a scowl.

“That’s because I haven’t seen many people take it this far. But since Hinata escapes the physical effects of what this can do, the best way to make sure it doesn’t happen again is to give him a memory he won’t want to repeat. Real, gut-wrenching fear is one of the most effective tools for that. If he’s legitimately terrified he might lose Kageyama, he will be that much more cautious in the future because he will remember this moment.”

“That’s a little harsh.” Noya says with a frown.

“The alternative might be a double funeral.” The cat mutters with a dark glance at the small crow. Koushi gets it… tough love in this case might save both their lives.

“I wish we had more information on all this. None of our parents ever told us anything beyond the stories as kids.” Daichi says with a frown.

“They probably didn’t know much more than that themselves.” Yaku says mildly, taking the rag Shimizu holds out for him and runs it across the already beading skin of Kageyama’s forehead as the female crow sets a bowl of water beside him and Noya edges closer.

“It’s entirely possible to build an unbreakable bond with someone who isn’t your leveler. Avians achieve this all the time given how many of them never find theirs. But therein lies the danger of knowing your leveler, and level pairs frequently take that tether for granted—for more than it is, never considering its true nature.” Koushi’s brow furrows in puzzlement.

“What do you mean?” He asks and Yaku glances at him briefly before wiping the rag across Kageyama’s burning skin.

“Most people don’t realize that the leveler connection is essentially an indicator, nothing more. It’s like when you build a fire. The leveler link is the match that ignites the flames, but those flames will go out without more wood being added. A level pair will all too often rely solely on that connection as the foundation of their relationship, and they don’t realize that it’s like any other and requires work to sustain. There must be communication, empathy with the other half, the desire to understand each other without resentment, and the will to make it all happen. The leveler link provides the spark, but they must put in the effort to keep it going themselves. When they fail to do so, this is what happens.” He says with a pointed look at the unconscious avian. “The difference for level pairs is that they can’t weather fights like this without repercussion like anyone else… as I’m sure you can see.”

“How do you know all this? I mean, you’re a cat but you know about avians, too.” Akaashi says, and Yaku shrugs.

“I’ve met my fair share of feline level pairs, but I also spent a decade as the reluctant ‘guest’ of an eccentric group of avians after I survived the boat I was on running aground on an atoll. They’d maintained a constant almost unnoticeable cut on the undersides of their wings until they found their leveler. They had a tendency toward sleep piles like you guys, so when someone started glowing, they’d figure out who they were linked to through the ‘binding’ effect. Very few ended up with someone who wasn’t their leveler, and most of my avian knowledge comes from them.”

“You’re sure he’s going to come through?” Kuroo asks heavily.

“Not one-hundred percent, but probably about seventy-five. I don’t have much to go on here experience-wise; the avians I stayed with were good at mitigating arguments— sometimes several people would get involved to prevent something like this, so I rarely saw anything this crazy. If he makes it to tomorrow morning, I’ll be a lot more comfortable in giving you a ‘yes’.”

Koushi swallows.

Odds are in their favor then, strictly speaking, but in the thrush’s opinion, they aren’t good odds. There’s a one in four chance that Kageyama dies— and if he goes, so does Hinata. According to Yaku, there’s a twenty-five percent likelihood that they will be burying two members in the morning. Never mind the ramifications this will have with the rookery if the avian prince dies, he doubts any of them can stomach that loss.

And his entire being trembles, because if they survive, it’s a certainty that it will happen again. Hinata needs people and Kageyama can’t risk exposure. They will always be stuck being forced to separate to preserve the redhead’s sanity and for whatever reason, it’s something Kageyama can’t deal with. Koushi knows them too well; even if this incident leaves a lasting impression on them, they will still butt heads and argue again eventually. If they don’t want a repeat, something has to change. There has to be an alternative to a road that will only lead them full circle and right back here.

Koushi’s mind finally kicks into gear again after feeling like he’s been under water since the first words of the younger level pair’s confrontation had frozen his thoughts earlier. As Kageyama begins another round of heaving, Koushi’s eyes narrow.

They have to find another way.

Level Pair ; Chapter 1; Chapter 9; Chapter 11

A/N: And so begins the slow torture of my characters. Nyx should not be allowed to write stories.

This was one of the very first ones I completed for Horizon; it's still pretty close to the original rough I wrote with very little change.

I hope this was interesting... I've been over it enough times that my mind is pretty fried, which means the full effect of the chapter is a bit lost on me. I've been 'too close' to the story too long, so I can't tell if it is still legitimately interesting.

Eh. Have a spectacular evening you guys!

#level pair #level horizon #haikyuu!!#kagehina #Tobio Kageyama #Shouyou Hinata #sugawara koushi #fanfiction #long post

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