Initially, Elio had a hard time grasping the concept of crushes since he was still in the emotionally-stunted phase of his childhood. Aside from him not fully understanding basic emotions, Ardyn had constantly advised him and the other decuplets to be wary of people being "too nice" to them, as they often have ulterior motives (i.e. currying favor to get in their family's good graces). Thus, Elio instinctively distanced himself from those crushing on him since such discriminate niceties were "red flags" to him; sadly, since he didn't understand how to properly respond, his actions came off as a bit coldhearted and crass.

However, during and after his emotional journey - where he began to explore his own emotions, Elio handled crushed much better than before; while he was still unsure, he would try his best to meet the person's expectations while doing more research on the elements of romance. It was... "messy" (for a lack of a better word), but it somehow managed to work out in his favor since those crushing on him were able to educate him little by little to the best of their ability. At some point, they came to realize that both they and Elio were still emotionally immature, and what the latter needed the most is a friend; they only had a crush on him because they deeply envied his talents, his unique physical traits (i.e. his hued silvery hair and gemstone-esque eyes), and how famous his family was. So, those crushes eventually faded - being replaced with a desire for a genuine friendship, which, surprisingly, Elio reciprocated fully because he was more familiar with the feeling.

From his TUA days and onward, after losing his virginity, appropriately figuring out his sexuality, emotionally maturing by incredible degrees, and being in an open relationship with his closest friends (i.e. "Best Friends with Benefits"), Elio handles crushes from others like a pro since he's aware of his own popularity. Since he's technically taken, he lets down those who have a crush on him easily - though he does express his genuine happiness knowing that he's loved by them and others in their position. Even his "crushes" are momentary and superficial since he's attracted to certain aspects of that person instead of the person themselves.