MiRACLE (KnB Fanfic)

13.

"You're removing me from the starting lineup?"

Midorima almost falters. He looks way, unable to bear being the one that had to deliver this news. It hurts more to realize that Aisaka isn't directly asking him why.

Aisaka sits there, quiet, eyes wide, hands clenched over the side of his desk.

Midorima offers the reason anyways.

"Akashi wants to make better use of Haizaki's skills in matches from now on," and it's a practiced reasoning Akashi told him to repeat word for word, "you will not be Haizaki's substitute-- but you will be our trump card."

It's not hard to guess.

Akashi isn't doing this because he's worried about Aisaka's wrist worsening-- of course, he was concerned, but to freak out this far was just exaggerating. Midorima chants the reason in his head and quickly understands that Akashi's put a lot of thought into this.

Akashi had been planning to propose this idea much longer ago. The wrist injury was just an excuse.

There was something in Aisaka's play style that made him valuable as a player-- not in the same explosive way as Aomine or Midorima-- but as an abrupt, surprising force to swerve the flow of the game in trying times.

Like a pinch hitter, or clutch shooter-- that's where Akashi will use Aisaka in a game. That's where Aisaka's talents would most bloom, or so Akashi believes.

Aisaka looks torn by the end of Midorima's explanation. The green-haired boy simply turns around, clutching his lucky item between his fingers and trying not to show the world how he regrets telling the boy the news.

Being taken off the starting lineup for his own junior-- maybe it was degrading. Maybe he thought the whole trump card thing was bull. Midorima wouldn't blame him for thinking that.

"I understand."

Midorima doesn't like the smile on Aisaka's face. He usually finds his smile warm and oddly endearing-- but now, they were just irritating. So irritating-- because that's not his face. That's nothing like him--

Midorima doesn't let himself be angry.

He doesn't have the right to be angry.

-

"Saka? It's rare that you're calling me-- are you crying?"

"I'm not."

"Oh god, who? Saka, you better tell me who and what they did--"

"It's nothing, really! Just--"

"Is Kuroko there? Does Kuroko know?"

"I'm really fine."

"You wouldn't have called if you were."

-

"I'm depressed. Tetsuya, buy me a milkshake."

"Yes, yes," Kuroko eases into his seat, setting down an icy strawberry milkshake in the space before him.

Aisaka grabs it like a zombie, sluggishly tilting his head aside and bringing the cup down under the table so he could drink just like that.