The Pool Day

"Don't you dare! Don't you DARE!" Tsukishima hisses at Kuroo, holding onto his boyfriend's shoulders as the man tries to push him into the pool.

"Aw, come on, Kei-chan~!" Kuroo whines when Tsukishima pulls away and goes to sit down with Kenma, Oikawa, and Suga by their towels. "You look very pretty in that swimsuit, don't let it go to waste~" Kuroo looks him up and down, licking his lips.

"No!" Tsukishima shouts, suddenly feeling horribly embarrassed. He pulls his now-long hair up into a messy bun. "Go hang out with the shorty or something!"

"Why do you hate pools so much, Tsukishima-kun?" Oikawa teases, pushing him off his towel.

Pulling off his glasses, the blonde cleans them off with a wipe he found in his drawstring bag. "I just do. They make no sense. If you're going to douse yourself with water, just take a shower. Don't play in piss-filled germy chlorine-ridden water."

"He's a cat when it comes to getting wet," Kenma mutters, momentarily breaking from his phone. "It's hilarious."

Tsukishima sputters, "Y-You're one to talk!"

"Maybe, but even I'm still going to get in the pool at some point."

"Yeah, Tsukishima-kun, I'll even get in too," Suga says, standing up straight. "Might as well get it over with while it's still adult swim."

Rolling his eyes, Tsukishima feels himself starting to give in. "Fine, but I'm only sitting on the side."

"YAY!" Kuroo cheers, raising his hands to the sky.

***

Tsukishima sees Suga off playing with Hinata and Kageyama. Kuroo talking to Daichi and Tadashi.

Once they entered college, now as second years, Tadashi had another growth spurt. He now stands an inch above Kei and wears his long hair back in a spiked half-ponytail. His ears are pierced three times on the left and five on the right, a rod running across the top. His eyes are brighter and his jaw is lined sharper.

Tadashi's "girlfriend" absolutely loves the "beach boy" look on him.

Kei says "girlfriend" because the boy Tadashi is dating prefers feminine pronouns, not that he goes above and beyond like Tadashi to comply.

In fact, Kei hears him squealing at Tadashi right now. "Yeah, baby, you're so sexy!"

The boy wears short jean shorts, accentuating his ass. He wears a bright neon pink wrap around his slightly-rounded chest (which Kei KNOWS is stuffed with either socks or some kind of pre-packaged bread). Paired with strawberry hair, blue eyes, and a curvy body, Yui has everything Tsukishima isn't.

Tadashi waves at him absentmindedly. "Thanks, Yui-chan," he says awkwardly.

Kei can't deny it, Tadashi has gotten to be pretty damn sexy. He's sporting a six pack now, too.

Quite frankly, he doesn't understand how Tadashi and Yui are even together. Yui's too much of a ditz to deserve Tadashi.

Yeah, that's right.

Tsukishima used to have a thing for Tadashi. When the man closed that door, rather loudly, Kei was devastated. Well, as devastated as a quiet, reserved, gives-zero-fucks-about-anything guy could be.

He stayed home locked in his room for a solid week.

But then, Kuroo found him, and he essentially yanked Kei back into reality.

Eventually, toward the end of the semester, Tadashi sat Tsukishima down and explained why he shut that door.

In fact, he still remembers their conversation.

***

"Kei, I like you. Much more than a friend, even more than a best friend. But... If we dated, we'd never be in love. We'd only have that awkward fondness that we've always had. I want to fall in love. And I know you do, too. Yeah, don't give me that look. You do, too, whether you accept it right now or not. I... just know that we're not going to be a good couple. Does what I'm saying make sense?"

"Don't say that like I'm a child, Yamaguchi," he hissed.

Tadashi sighed loudly. "I didn't mean it that way. I just want you to know how I feel. And... how I don't feel."

"I know, but... even if you're right, I don't want to lose you because of this," he whispered.

"You won't lose me. I don't want to lose you either. We'll just... try to go back to what we were, if that's okay with you."

He felt betrayed, he felt hurt.

"...I don't know."

But he also remembers Tadashi setting him up for a date and Kuroo.

Now that he and Kuroo are officially dating, he and Tadashi have let go of everything that went on that semester.

They're back to being the same people they were before.

Tadashi was right, though. He only felt fondness to Yamaguchi. With his own boyfriend, he feels like love is an option. In fact, he's even started giving in to Kuroo's strange need for public displays of affection.

He hates it, but seeing as Kuroo holds back so much for him, he has to give in, even just a little.

"Kei-chaaan~" Yui rushes over to Tsukishima, wrapping his arms around him.

He sighs, yippee. "Hey, Kuwari-san." He has to turn around fully, leaving one leg in the water, to see the cerulean-eyed boy.

"Tadashi-kun won't pay attention to me~" he sobs obnoxiously. "Will you play with me, Kei-chan?"

"No."

"Waaaah~" he sobs louder.

"Oh, gods, stop your whining. Fine, I'll play with you. What do you want to do?"

Kuwari giggles, running off. "Nevermind~ Just stay there and look pretty!"

"What?"

He hears three voices in front of him, "One, two," his foot and arm are taken captive, "THREE!"

He's thrown over Kuroo and Tadashi, landing just to the left of Daichi.

The water is FREEZING.

"Aah!" He screeches, pushing off the bottom and gasping for air as he resurfaces.

He glares at his classmates. "Wha-What the h-hell was that for?! Where are my glasses?!" He growls, shivering, watching as his glasses float on top of the water about three feet away.

Daichi grabs them, handing them back over. "Sorry, Tsukishima-kun, we had to! You were being such a grump."

"Grumpy~" Tadashi and Yui, who must've jumped in next to him, stick out their tongues and laugh.

"I hate you guys," Kei says, but he can't help the smile creeping up his face as he kisses his boyfriend.

"I love you, too," Kuroo teases, holding him close. "Tonight I'll show you how wet I can really make you."

"Get a room, you two!" Yui half-shouts, feigning a look of disgust.

Kuroo chuckles, pointing back to his bag. "Already paid for."