How to fly with clipped wings (English ver.) HAIKYUU!! FAN FICTION

Chapter 17: The Last Practice Game

Mild swearing/cursing ahead  (we already know in this fic there is no chapter without swearing but is good to make sure people take care)

The training camp seemed to blur by. Karasuno lost match after match, but the score was getting closer and closer every game. No one questioned Mikaela about that stupid article yet, and she was just waiting for the second shoe to drop. Sooner or later, someone would say something or ask questions. Until then? She'd enjoy not addressing the elephant in the room.

It was the fifth evening of camp when Mikaela was running around, doing errands for her coaches and some of the other players: carrying messages, putting away equipment, gathering forgotten water bottles. The week had been both mentally and physically exhausting, but Mikaela would've given anything to stay an extra week. She really wasn't up to going home to her mom.

Besides, she hadn't had this much fun in a long time.

"Hey, Tsukishima," she called as she passed by the far gym, the usual practice spot for Bokuto, Akaashi, and Kuroo. Tsukishima had started joining them there to practice more and more frequently, and whenever she passed by, they seemed to be doing two-on-two matches. "You should learn a delayed spike. You know, the thing where you wait until the blockers are in the air to actually jump yourself. It messes everyone up."

There was a pause on the court. The blond raised an eyebrow at her. "Where's this coming from?"

She shrugged. "Just an idea I had."

"Why should I bother?"

"Because it's an asshole move, and no one better to do it than the king asshole himself."

The black-haired girl ran from the gym before Tsukishima could throw something at her.

Overall, nothing had really changed in her friendship with Tsukishima since she told him about her prosthetic. They'd completely gone back to 'normal' (if you could call it that) and the weight that had been breaking Mikaela's shoulders felt like it was lessening. He hadn't spoken a word to her about it yet, and she certainly wasn't going to bring it up.

She had no sooner left the gym when she was tackled by Hinata, who hadn't noticed her coming around the corner. "Oof! I'm so sorry, Mikaela!" he squeaked, trying to steady himself.

"Where're you off to, Hinata?" she asked, secretly pleased by the fact he hadn't put any honorifics on her name.

His face twisted into a pout. "Bakayama's practicing alone again, and Kenma ran away after five sets. I heard that Tsukishima was with the Fukurodani ace around here and I wanted to come check it out."

Mikaela shrugged. "Yeah, I just left."

"Why'd you leave?"

"Tsukishima was debating throwing something at me," she said dryly, rubbing the back of her head, "and I didn't want to stick around for when he made up his mind."

His eyes widened. "Why don't you come practice with us?"

The black-haired girl's eye twitched in irritation. "Did you not hear a word I just said?"

"It's just Tsukishima," Hinata said, waving her off, "he's mean and a huge jerk but you can just be mean right back." Before Mikaela had time to face-palm at the horrible logic that Hinata had thrown into his argument, he added, "besides, you like to play, don't you?"

She hesitated before answering. "Yes," she admitted. No sense hiding it, right?

"So come play."

"I can't."

"Why?"

Mikaela opened her mouth and closed it again, gears turning in her brain as she tried to figure out what kind of excuses she could come up with. "Well..." she trailed off. "I just... Well, you see..." Mikaela groaned through her teeth and raked a hand through her hair, frustrated. "I can't," she concluded pathetically.