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Tsukishima Kei had spent most of his life without a care about crushes. He had never had one, and anyways they are silly things: a magnet for heartache and distraction.
Then, in the span of a single week, he developed three separate crushes on three separate people.
The first one he realizes is none other than Bokuto Koutarou himself. He grabs Kei’s hand and pulls him towards the gym and Kei’s heart is pounding in his chest and Kei realized he is screwed.
He is also surprised, because Bokuto is so far from anything Kei had ever imagined for himself. He had always sort of thought: intelligence, snark- maybe even (if he was lucky) a kind heart. Instead he got Bokuto: overzealous, too loud, easily swayed Bokuto.
Kei could have dealt with Bokuto though. He could have simply ignored him- ignored his broad smiles (and shoulders) and spiky hair and cute animal noises- if it wasn’t for Akaashi Keiji.
Akaashi Keiji—tied with Suga-san for first place as prettiest setter at camp—is Kei’s second ever crush and he isn’t even over his first.
Akaashi is precisely what Kei had dreamed up for himself- and much much more.
He is so pretty—and hot and funny and smart and just the right balance of nice and snarky and add him up with Bokuto and suddenly everyone and everything is twice as appealing and Kei is finding it harder and harder to say no to them.
Kuroo was just a logical leap.
Kei is watching Akaashi and Bokuto (discreetly okay he wasn’t a moron) when Kuroo suddenly pops up in his periphery.
“Hey.” he says casually—almost suave—and suddenly Kei’s heart is racing and his palms are sweating and with a sort of despair most people associate with life or death matters he realizes he isn’t just screwed, he’s well and truly fucked.
Now, Kei isn’t an idiot. Mild curiosity (at 3 am) combined with Google has given him a broad knowledge of the romantic spectrum and all the different spaces on it. He had just sort of figured he was aromantic.
Polyamory was never a thing he had even thought about because he never even imagined being in love with one person—forget three.
But here he is: Jumping up next to the guy he has a crush on, to block a spike from the guy he has a crush on, which was set by the guy has a crush on. This is it. This is his life now. This is fine. His life is in flames and he is that stupid-ass dog from that comic strip.
Kei is too distracted by these life-ending thoughts to block properly, so when Bokuto slams down on the ball, it breaks through his arms easily and he falls down on his ass. Pain travels up his tailbone, a welcome distraction from his flaming shit-pile of a love life.
He cusses, loudly and none-too-eloquently.
“Tsukki!” Kuroo yells and Kei tries not to flinch at the nickname.
“Tsukki I’m so sorry!” Bokuto ducks under the net to hover over Kei, wringing his hands anxiously.
“Tsukishima-kun are you alright?” Akaashi asks, in his slow, sweet voice. He joins the other two as they crowd around Kei and now this is too much.
“I’m fine.” he says hurriedly. Kuroo frowns and squats down beside him.
“You sure?” he asks. “Because that silly owl is way too strong for his own good. Spikes from him can hurt.”
“Hey!” Bokuto whines, sounding hurt. Akaashi smirks slightly. They’re all looking at him, all three of them, with concern—he can see it in their eyes. They’re worried about him, they’re asking about him and Kei is feeling many things—pain, surprise, giddiness and pain in his tailbone, ow—but he’s mostly just overwhelmed.
He looks up at these three older, stronger, more attractive (very much so) boys that he really really likes and he panics.
“I’m late for something.” he blurts out and, before the others can react, he’s gone.
Yamaguchi finds him, on top of the grassy slope, behind the tree so that no one from the gym can see him. It’s late, and bugs are out, but Kei’s too busy repressing sheer panic to bother to slap them away.
Yamaguchi takes one look at him, shakes his head and then sits down next to him. He starts talking, “So Suga and Daichi were both flirting with Asahi-san during serve practice and he got so flustered he served right into Noya’s face.” He laughs, and then hugs his knees. He hesitates for a moment and then asks, “What happened in your gym?”
“I have a crush on Bokuto.” Kei delivers this statement to the fence. Yamaguchi’s mouth drops open, but before he can say anything, Kei continues, “And Kuroo. And Akaashi.”
There’s a pregnant pause. Then Yamaguchi starts laughing again. “Only you.” he chortles. “Only you would fall for the three people that annoy you the most!”
“Akaashi-san doesn’t annoy me.” Kei protests, but Yamaguchi wasn't listening.
“Ah, it’s not like I have room to speak.” Yamaguchi says and then he sighs dreamily. Kei tries not to barf.
“If I have to hear you wax poetry about the King’s eyebrows I will be very mad.” Kei threatens.
“You were listening?” Yamaguchi yelps, flushing.
“You never shut up!” Kei yells exasperated, and then adds, softer, fonder, “Of course I was listening.” Yamaguchi’s expression softens and he smiles.
Then he turns serious and says, “So, what are you going to do?”
“Nothing.” Kei says despondently. “I’m not going to do anything- it’s nothing more than silly crushes.”
“You don’t get crushes.” Yamaguchi says softly. Kei tries not to let his face tell Yamaguchi that he’s right, but he probably sees right through him.
He doesn’t get crushes. He’s never had on in his life and know he has three and it isn’t so much him not wanting to do anything but more so him not knowing what the bloody ever loving fuck to do.
It’s the last day. Kei reminds himself. You just have to stick through this and then you’re free. He doesn’t bother thinking about possible second meetings. The only person he’s likely to meet again would be Akaashi, and by then he’d probably (read: hopefully) be over him.
“Tsukki!” Kuroo sings, throwing an arm around Kei, who quickly schools his expression into one of disinterest.
“Don’t call me that.” he says simply.
“So mean!” Bokuto appears on Kei’s other side, pouting. And where Bokuto is, Akaashi isn’t too far behind.
Sure enough, Akaashi soon appears. “Please stop annoying Tsukishima-kun.” he says, coming to stand on Bokuto’s other side. He smiles apologetically at Kei, who shrugs. It’s not Akaashi’s fault that Bokuto and Kuroo are hyperactive and nosy (a horrible combination in his opinion).
“Aw, we’re not annoying Tsukki, right?” He turns to Kei, eyes alight with mischief.
“You are.” Kei deadpans. Akaashi smirks while Bokuto and Kuroo both wail dramatically. Kuroo even goes so far as to stumble backwards, hand on his chest, face flooding with fake hurt.
Something swoops in the base of Kei’s stomach—something that feels a lot like guilt. Then Kuroo grins, wide and bright and happy, and the feeling is replaced with something lighter—and scarier.
“I’m gonna miss you Glasses-kun.” Kuroo declares. He looks honest—sounds it too—and Kei tries to keep his heart rate under control.
“Me too.” Bokuto declares and Akaashi nods his agreement.
“Are you gonna miss us Tsukki?” Kuroo asks, head tilted and expression open, and when faced with such a person, how could Kei lie?
“I’ll miss Akaashi-san.” he says in a flat voice. Akaashi laughs, looking strangely pleased. Everyone nearby pauses in whatever they’re doing, watching him.
Most people say that, out of the setters, Suga looks angelic. Akaashi, with his hooded eyes and casual smirks, is sexual. Kei disagrees. Those people have never truly looked at Akaashi, never watched him interact with his teammates, never talked to him themselves, and, most importantly, never seen him laugh like he’s laughing right now—eyes crinkling at the corners, face open and happy.
Kei’s stomach does a happy little tap dance. It feels amazing to make Akaashi laugh like this. Bokuto has a dazed look on his face—it’s no secret he’s infatuated with his setter, yet another reason Kei has decided not to do anything about his ridiculous crush(es). He doesn’t want to come between these two, whose relationship is so precious to them. He doesn’t want to interrupt their coming together with his ignorable feelings.
Kuroo has somehow managed to get Kei’s phone out of his pocket and is now tapping on it, brows furrowed.
“What are you doing?” Kei asks, panicked. “How did you unlock my phone?”
“You’re password is a square.” Kuroo pauses in whatever he’s doing to look Kei straight in the eye. “I’m adding our numbers.” He gestures at the other two. “Now you won’t miss us.” He gives Kei his phone back, grinning.
Akaashi squeezes Kei’s upper arm. “They’ll never leave you alone.” He says sympathetically. Left unsaid: Akaashi won’t either.
Kei groans, in mock pain, but what he doesn’t say is that it didn’t actually sound too bad.