MiRACLE (KnB Fanfic)

12.

"You did my move just slightly different," Aisaka says to Haizaki, "so when I tried again, I subconsciously tried to replicate yours, which made me not jump high enough. Effectively, you stole it from me at least for the rest of that match."

No one blames Haizaki when the boy shrinks away from Aisaka.

"Huh-- oh, you're talking about yesterday's one-on-one?" he asks rhetorically, "yeah, that's... one of my skills."

Aisaka sits down beside Haizaki. Said gray-haired boy becomes too nervous to drink his water. Aisaka pays it no mind.

He continues his observation, "but it's not that you did it deliberately, right? I mean the difference in our jumps."

Haizaki blinks. Then he seems to have his own epiphany.

"That's right, your jumping style is weird!" he's speaking impulsively before he thinks twice, "it's like your body's got no weight or something, what are you, a ghost?"

It's Aisaka's turn to be confused.

"We're the same height, but I jump higher," Aisaka says, remembering the information he'd read out from Momoi's list, "is it normal for you to be able to imitate other moves perfectly?"

"Yeah, that's normal," he doesn't even hesitate. Absolutely not humble at all.

Aisaka doesn't bat an eyelash at that. He continues the discussion, "is there any other specific moves you can't imitate, like other than my jumps?"

They spend a moment of silence.

"Midorima's three pointers?" Aisaka offers, and Haizaki nods frantically like he's just realized it himself. "They've got that crazy arc, after all."

"Murasakibara's jump reflexes are crazy too," Haizaki continues, "some things you're either born with or train like hell, after all..."

"Oh, so you can't copy talent!"

"Hah?!"

Aomine looks at the two, and something like jealousy fills him.

"What's that asshole doing, stealing my one-on-one partner?" he mutters spitefully (to who? To Midorima beside him?) as he grips the basketball in his hand, "heyy, someone! One on One with me!"

"Don't wanna!"

"You're scary."

The answers come more as a joke than a serious answer, because a senior walks up to him, muttering something about hyperactive freshmen who don't know how to catch a break. He still offers to play the Power Forward anyways.

Midorima fixes his glasses. "They are indeed making a surprisingly good combination," he says, mostly to Akashi, "we thought Haizaki would be a handful, but look at that."

"He tamed him," Murasakibara chides, "Saka-chin is good at that."

Akashi blinks up at the male, silently conveying his disbelief, because to this day he still can't believe that Aisaka won over Murasakibara (who he got along the least with,) with a bag of sugar cookies from Home Ec.

(Is Murasakibara admitting to being tamed?)

"He's a natural beast tamer," Akashi concludes.

-

藍坂 大翔 ・ (Aisaka Hiroto)

"Tetsuyaaa!! Teach me Japanese, please!"

"For the twentieth time, your name is written as Daisho, read as Hiroto."