Behind a strong man [Ushiwaka /Oc]

Chapter 15 - A seed (Flashback)

It was the last Friday of the holidays before the start of the second year and Tamiko was sorting books in the library. That was her job. She was a librarian assistant and she loved it. She had even introduced the reading Friday where she read stories to children. A little stack of books was already waiting for her but she still had an hour of sorting to do. She loved those moments and she was sure nothing could ruin it.

"Kageyama Tamiko." she suddenly heard a voice next to her.

She turned her face to look into olive eyes. Ushijima Wakatoshi himself was standing next to her at eye level despite herself standing on a ladder. It was the first time she saw him since that incident and she was surprised that he even still remembered her name. His voice also seemed different. Deeper. No surprise there. All the boys went through puberty in their high school days and Ushijima was no exception. His features had grown more defined and the boyish face was turning into that of a man. His neck also looked thicker than last time. His hair was also a little longer. She swallowed when he didn't walk away.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as calmly as she could.

"Looking for a book." he answered plainly.

"In the 'gardening' category?" she asked with disbelief.

"Yeah." he nodded.

This surprised her. Was he really looking for a book in the gardening section? She wanted to laugh. But she tried to stay professional

"And I'm in the way." she said.

"No. I was just surprised to see you in a place like this." he admitted.

"And why exactly?" she asked.

"You work." was all he said.

"Some people don't always get money from their parents." she grumbled. "Or get famous enough."

It wasn't unknown. Ushijima was the star player and his fame had been growing over the year. Soekawa and Semi had shown her pictures of their powerhouse team in the volleyball magazine and it mainly featured Ushijima. Stupid popular guys, she had grumbled to herself. They are all the same, thinking they can get what they want. She didn't look at him since she expected a egotistical reaction like she was used to.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." he apologised.

What? Her eyes widened behind the glasses and she looked at him, reading his face. There was a hint of softness on his face and no ill intent. Then the shame flooded her. She had judged a book by it's cover. She has made the assumption that he was just like Oikawa when in fact, he wasn't. He was entirely different. If she thought about it, he was the complete opposite. Ushijima was quiet, contained. Oikawa was loud, emotional and flamboyant. Maybe she could give this guy standing before her a chance.

"How is your head?" he asked.

"Oh, it's fine. A little scar but otherwise everything is fine." she smiled.