Antedate (verb): to precede in time; to come before (something) in date.

The Chairman of Kunugigaoka Academy, Gakuhou Asano, was a logic-driven man.

His thinking was based on pure rationality. Emotions were a mere afterthought. All that mattered was strength, and using that strength to create strong students.

It was always about strength.

However, with the abrupt changes to his life and ideals, it probably shouldn't surprise him that his own way of thinking was shifting. Perhaps his recent defeat in the final exams did some damage to his brain.

Damage was weakness.

That yellow octopus had turned his whole life upside-down, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, he did confirm the credibility of Gakuhou's educational philosophy, and proved to be a worthy adversary as a fellow teacher.

Speaking of fellow teachers… there was one he'd had his eye on since their first meeting. The one who, when he came to mind, somehow made everything not make sense.

Nonsensicality… irrationality… emotions… weakness…

That man stirred something inside of Gakuhou Asano that was a horrible amalgamation of those… things.

The chairman knew this feeling all too well. It brought back painful memories of college dorms and quiet libraries and hot bodies rubbing against each other in the throes of mindless passion.

He was in love.

Ah, no, that sounded juvenile.

Perhaps in lust was a better way to put it.

Yes, lust. For it wasn't an emotional relationship he wanted to pursue with the object of his interest—it was a carnal, primitive desire to… well… fuck. He hadn't actively engaged in any sexual or romantic pursuits with other people in quite a while, and, in all honesty, celibacy was such an insipid thing.

Which drove him to ask the raven-haired man in front of him:

"Karasuma-sensei, would you like to go out with me?"

Tadaomi Karasuma froze in the middle of his monthly report, looking as if he had just been asked to stop a hydrogen bomb with his bare hands. Beside him, his partner, Sonokawa, stared at both men with wide eyes, mouth agape.

"Excuse me?"

Gakuhou chuckled, reclining in his chair and linking his fingers together. "Well, of course, not now—that would be unprofessional, wouldn't it? Perhaps after graduation, if your students manage to kill Korosensei."

There was a moment's hesitation before Karasuma cleared his throat.

"Sorry," he said, "but I'm not attracted to men."

What a poorly-constructed lie. Unfortunately for the soldier, Gakuhou was quite skilled when it came to reading body language—he was a teacher, after all—and the signs pointed to dishonesty.

"No?" He tilted his head, feigning disappointment. "My hunches are never wrong."

Karasuma scowled. "Well, this one is."

"I see…"

"Um, I apologize for interrupting, Chairman Asano, but we're getting off track," Sonokawa pointed out, rather awkwardly.

"Oh, of course." He waved his hand. "My apologies. Continue with your report, please."

It took a while for Karasuma to compose himself, but he managed to resume updating Gakuhou on E-Class's progress. There wasn't much to say—the assassination classroom was progressing fairly nicely, although the day that Korosensei was scheduled to blow up was less than three months away.

As the younger man spoke, Gakuhou scrutinized him, as he had done so many times before. Karasuma was definitely handsome. His features were sharp and smooth, radiating professionalism and strength, from his jawline to his eyes. Keeping his military training in mind, the rest of his body was, undoubtedly, just as aesthetically pleasing.

God, he really wanted to fuck him.

When the time came for the two agents to leave, Gakuhou stood.

"I'd like you to stay for a while, Karasuma-sensei. Let's have a little… chat."

Obsidian eyes narrowed suspiciously, but their owner stopped in his tracks, gesturing for Sonokawa to go on without him. The door closed behind her as she exited the room, leaving the two men alone.

Karasuma sighed. "Is this about you wanting to go out with me?"

"Yes," Gakuhou said. "It is. After the end of this school year, when you are no longer my employee, I'd like to ask you out on a date. Would you be willing to accept?"

Karasuma furrowed his brows. "Why?"

Since the man couldn't be bothered to dignify his request with a proper answer, Gakuhou decided to reciprocate the gesture.

"Sex."

It took barely a second for the word to register in the younger man's mind, before his features twisted into an expression of such mortification—so unlike his usual calm demeanor—that Gakuhou couldn't help but chuckle.

"W-What?"

"Sex. Coitus, copulation, intercourse, lovemaking, etcetera." Teasingly, the redhead loosened his tie and undid the top button on his shirt, stepping closer. "Perhaps you'd like a demonstration?"

"N-No, thank you."

As he tried to calm himself down, the raven-haired man was turning red, his eyes turned away from Gakuhou—how endearing. And strange. It wasn't like he had breasts or anything, and surely Karasuma had seen other men's collarbones before.

"Was that a no-thank-you to the demonstration or a no-thank-you to me?"

Karasuma crossed his arms over his chest, content to stare at the chandelier. "Both."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," the raven-haired man said with a firm nod, although it felt like he was saying it to himself. "I told you, I'm not into men."

Gakuhou took one more step towards Karasuma, arching an eyebrow.

"You don't find me attractive?" The redhead felt neither shame nor uncertainty in asking the question. He knew that his looks were something to brag about, even at his current age.

The silence that filled the room was heavy and tense.

Then, Gakuhou leaned in, as if meaning to kiss the younger man. He was aware of Karasuma's body, so close to him, so warm and so tense, coiled like a spring, but not a single finger was lifted in protest.

Karasuma tilted his head up, eyes half-lidded and hazy with desire.

So he did want him.

He stopped, barely half a centimeter away from those lips, and pulled back.

Their gazes met again—Gakuhou's was taunting, and Karasuma's was a mix of surprise and disappointment.

He had clearly enjoyed the blatant sexual harassment.

Suddenly, the raven-haired man composed himself, eyebrows drawing together in a frown.

"Excuse me." With a parting nod, he quickly turned around and left the room.

What an interesting man. Gakuhou had hardly expected him to walk away without giving him a definite answer. His words said no, but everything else—his expressions and his body—told a different story. He sat on his desk and crossed his legs, barely able to contain his anticipation.

Now, all he had to do was wait.

I'd like to apologize for taking this story down in the first place. That was inconsiderate of me to do.

(My reason was that I felt that this story focused too much on sex and fetishization and not enough on actual emotional connections, so it felt kind of uncomfortable to have it up on my story list. But I kind of regret taking it down, since a story's a story, even if the writer's views have changed.)