#I watch it every year pretty much solely to see the waltz scene because I ADORE it

[tyrramint]

~Have courage and be kind…~

Best viewed on a bright screen because apparently I can’t draw bright things well, loll

(Closeup under cut :)

[cilliansaccent]

Class of Temptation - CHAPTER TWELVE

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PLEASE READ:

No mention of Cillian’s true family or relatives. All names are made up.

This is a TEACHER x STUDENT fanfiction, it’s going to be kinky and very taboo!

I will write whenever the mood grabs me, so I apologise if there are long breaks between chapters :)

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Background: Tessa is a twenty-three-year-old model from a broken-up family, living in London with her best friend and starting a course on Drama and Theatre. Though, when she gets closer to the super hot Mr Murphy who is her much older teacher, there is a battle of lust and love between them. They’ll have to figure out what to do with their tight relationship as other issues begin to rise and nip at their heels…

Word Count: 4,410

!!Warnings!!: Lil bit of smut in the beginning...

Chapter Name: He Likes ‘em Naughty

Brief Chapter Outline: Tension begins and Tessa is feeling it hit her hard as she back-tracks into her old, explosive self. But she has a revelation. 

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Cillian watched Tessa lay down on the bed, wearing nothing but a silk slip that just came below her ass. Her smile was all but lust and sinful. "What are you doing?" She asked, her voice a low purr.

He came closer to the bed, his head tilted to the side. "Staring at you. Admiring you." He sat down slowly, leaning towards her.

"Oh yeah?" She rolled to her side, her full breasts now pressed together and peaking above the lacy neckline. "I want you to do more than just stare." Her hand ran down her side and to the end of her slip and began to lift it.

Those perfect eyes trailed down as he stared at what she offered to him; a perfect slit with no ounce of hair. His groan was audible as her fingers parted that lovely treasure and were graced by glistening pink petals.

"You tease." He murmured as he moved between her legs now his hands on her knees as he got her to roll her on her back.

"But you love it." She removed her hand and tucked them under her head, "And I can see you want me." She parted her legs wider for him as his hands slid up her thighs.

"Indeed." Cillian bit his bottom lip as he moved on top of her, bring her slip up higher on her body before he pulled it off. He then looked into her eyes and leaned down to kiss her lightly, then her chin and her neck, her collar bones then below her breasts and down he went.

Tessa felt his moist lips press around her before he delved into her treasure. She gasped and arched her back, her hands shot down and gripped his long hair, "Cillian!" Her gasp was soft and tender as she rocked her hips.

"Tessa," His voice was husky, muffled from his mouthful of her.

"Yes." She whispered.

"Tessa." His voice changed a little, bit clearer.

"Don't stop," She gritted her teeth, the pleasure felt amazing.

"Tessa." Now his voice seemed echoed and more demanding and she was quite confused as to why he sounded like that.

"Cillian?" She frowned then felt her world around her shift.

"Tessa!" His voice held annoyance and the scene fell apart and she felt her body be shaken before she sat up with a start.

"Tessa, hello, good morning." Cillian was standing before her desk, his hands braced on the table.

She glanced around, squinting as she realised she was in class. Not in her bedroom and getting head from her- Fuck! She felt her face go red as people snickered and whispered.

"Thank you for finally joining us again. You made quite the noise." He stepped back from her desk and went back to the front of the classroom to resume his teaching.

Holy... Fucking hell. She wiped her mouth, she had drooled all over her books. What fucking noise? Was she snoring? She wasn't sure she snored, no one told her. Julian beside her slipped a tissue and she hastily wiped up, eyes downwards as she could not bring herself to look at any of her classmates. Jesus Christ... She was tired.

Last night was full-on, her producer wanted a specific type of shoot with the right lighting and make-up and whatnot. It was quite hectic and all over the place and she didn't get home till one in the morning.

Tess watched Cillian explain something and took in how he spoke with so much passion for it. His hands moving wildly around as he pointed to a student to answer a question and grinned as he happily explained it. He went to his laptop to bring up a video for them to watch and took a seat and leaned back, crossing his leg over his knee.

As everyone's focus was on the projector screen but her eyes were on the man who was relaxed in his seat. His hands were neatly folded in his lap, those cute glasses perched on a freckled nose... Her mind brought back that dream she had not long ago. His head between her thighs and eating her out, his grip like an iron cuff.

She shifted in her seat to try and ease the ache that had grown. She needed release. Release from him, in any way possible.

Cillian could feel her heated gaze on him and he tried not to meet it. These damn thoughts of Tessa swirled in his brain, he could still feel her body so close to his, her breath tickling his lips as he leaned in to kiss her. These thoughts were no good, he should not be thinking like this about his student. And who was twice as young as he. Though his eyes slowly moved to where she was sitting and he was glad she was watching the video. When she had come into class she looked extremely tired and allowed her to fall asleep, he would catch up with her later today with anything she had missed anyway. But the moment she began to make soft noises as he made his way along the row of desks he knew he had to wake her up. Those were not just any type of noises with the way she moved on her chair.

Tessa returned her gaze back to her teacher and found him now looking at her. She held it unable to tear her eyes away. She could not fathom that he had any sole interest in her other than just to help her out for this semester. But with that move he did to her last night... No way. No, he seriously was just confused and it was all just tense and stressful and he wasn't thinking straight. Someone nudged her and she looked at Julian.

"Why are you sexing up our teacher?" He whispered to her.

"What are you talking about? I am not." She scoffed and folded her arms.

"Uhm, I can see it. You've been ogling him for like the past fifteen minutes and you said his name while you were passed out." Julian murmured.

"What?" She was shocked, "No. I couldn't have."

"I heard you man, and I'm pretty sure Lisa beside you did as well." Julian gave a quick check of Sofia and her crew and could see them wildly texting, most likely to each other.

"The whole fucking class seems to know to." She bit her bottom lip, sinking back into her chair.

"Fuck 'em. Let's hope they won't bother us." Julian said but there was a hint of fear in his voice.

Tessa knew what he was talking about but didn't want to stare at those group of girls. She tried her best to stay focused on what Cillian was teaching.

Class ended and it was time for her to head to her next one. She bid farewell to Julian and before she could run away Cillian approached her. She could see he was hesitant but she smiled anyway.

"Hey." She said as he stopped and watched her.

"How are you?" He asked, smiling and saying good-bye to students who walked by them.

"Tired. But fine." Tess replied, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. "You?"

"I'm fine." He nodded.

Sofia waltzed over, she wore a very tight crop top and jeans and smiled provocatively, "Hi, Mr Murphy. I want to give you this a little bit earlier."

He looked at the folder she had in her hands and took it and she had the nerve to push up her breasts. He looked through it, "I'll take a look at it. If there is anything you need to improve I'll make sure to tell you."

"Oh, I am sure you will find no mistakes in my portfolio. I've made sure it is perfect right down to the last detail." She licked her lips reaching out to touch his arm.

He glanced up, trying not to look at her over-inflated breasts, "I will still check it either way. Thank you, Sofia." He said and smoothly brushed her hand off his bicep.

"Great. Will I still see you tomorrow afternoon?" She asked.

Tessa felt her heart go still.

"Yeah. Same time. Same place." Cillian nodded, "See you then."

"I look forward to our private session." She brushed past him and headed out giggling with her friends.

Cillian sighed and once more looked at Tessa who seemed to have gone vacant. "Tess?" He reached out to touch her shoulder.

She stepped back and shook her head, "I best get going, Cillian. I've got a class to attend to."

He frowned as he felt nothing but coldness come from her, "What's wrong? Tess?"

"Nothing. Why would you think anything is wrong?" She stalked to the door but Cillian walked quickly to her side and prevented her from leaving the room.

"Because I can see it. I see it every day that I am with you." He said keeping his eyes on her.

"And? That doesn't mean I have to talk to you about it. What's my issue is my issue to deal with. And don't give me that shit about how you are out here for us. I get that. But I do not want to talk about it." She felt her body warm-up despite what she just heard. He was close to her to the point that it was to close for a teacher near a student. She could reach out and touch him, feel his arms wrap around her and guide her through a dance- She pressed her lips together.

"Tessa, that is not nice to speak like that. Especially to me." Cillian's eyes flashed with hurt as he stepped back and crossed his arms. Those damn muscles sticking out through the tight dark blue shirt he wore.

She shakes her head, trying not to stare, "Sorry. But I gotta go. I really do." She opened the door and hurried out. Her feelings were bouncing around in her brain, making her quite stressed out and hurting. For fucking what? Because Sofia was seeing Cillian too? Did she really think she was that special he would see just her? She pushed open the door to the bathroom and paused when she heard familiar voices.

"Yeah. God, I can't believe he still wants to see me. Our sessions are so fucking hot. The way he moves... I am a hot mess. I love it when he touches me." Sofia drawled.

Tessa only felt worse and she made to turn but her damn phone began to ring. She tried to grab it to shut it off but Sofia came around the wall and smirked.

"Listening in on our conversation?" She laughed as Tessa pushed past her. "Hey, I know you were." She walked after her as Tessa stood in front of the sink, "I wonder. What are your thoughts about Cillian seeing me?" She leaned against the counter, the other girls not too far behind her.

"Uhm, I don't really care? I need help with my work that's about it." Tessa washed her hands, trying to hide her shakiness.

"Oh, of course. Cause you're like, failing the class. Well, I'm not. I just need some extra... Lessons to help out with some things." Sofia looked at her nails, tracing them with her thumb.

"Okay. That's nice to know. Again, I could care less what you do with him." Tessa could not hide the bite in her tone but it already came out.

"Ahh. Is someone jealous? Girls, I think our little play toy is jealous that she isn't the only one who gets to have our hot teacher to herself." Sofia came closer, standing behind her and placed her hands on her shoulders, "You should know that he is a skilled man with his hands and the way he talks..." Sofia shivered, "He is one hell of a god, I must say. Though, I could give you a little bit of advice... He doesn't like his girls to behave well, wants the chase. He loves 'em naughty. But I doubt you'll have the fucking balls to be bad, not like me. You're too... Soft." She jabbed her in the arm with her acrylic, "Too much sympathy especially with that gay prick you hang around with. I guess I can see why Elijah likes you. You're easy to get to, you do whatever anyone says. I mean, you could go tell someone about me and you but would they care? Everyone loves me, all the teachers think I am superb." Sofia stepped away and laughed as she joined her group, "So, stay away from my man. He's mine. Have a good day, Tessa." And she walked out of the bathroom.

Tessa stood there, trembling with anger. Why was she reacting like this? As if she had any fucking chance with that man, and besides she was developing something with Elijah who she had much more of a chance to be with than someone who was twice her age. Shaking her head she left the bathroom to head to her next class. She was being absolutely ridiculous about this whole who Cillian could see. Besides, Sofia was only saying that stupid shit to get a reaction out of Tessa. She knew that for a fact. There was no way... No fucking way Cillian would take any interest in some... Fake bimbo who only saw a botox life ahead. Seriously. No way.

  ----

 It came to the third meeting for this week and Tessa waited in the large drama room space, sitting on the floor and reading a book. She drowned herself in the paranormal romance, reading one hell of a sex scene. She had one hell of a shit conversation with her sister, Mila who was organising a baby shower in two weeks and wanted her to come. Everyone would be there, especially her new friends at her father's company. She said sorry and would send the present up but she would not attend. Mila had not held back with her hurtful words.

She did not notice Cillian who walked in on silent feet and had walked up behind her, peeking over her shoulder.

Cillian read whatever she was reading and was surprised to see it was one raunchy scene and let out a whistle, "Tessa." He said.

She jumped and dropped her book and scrambled forward and on to her side as she stared up at him, "Cillian! What the hell are you doing?!"

"Checking out what got you so interested. You haven't heard me walk in." He mused as he stepped back to give her some space, she looked as if she might tackle and beat him.

"Well, that- that doesn't mean you have to read what I was reading!" She was beet red as she grabbed her book and tucked it into her bag.

"Sorry. Whenever I see someone read I have a habit of checking it out. What is it?" He asked as he began to pull out his folder in preparation.

"Uhm... It's a vampire series. J.R. Ward is the author, she's written a lengthy series called the Blackdagger Brotherhood. I like it, it's a good take on Vampires." She said as she stood up, she didn't really want to discuss anything about what she read really, but she found it so easy to tell him anyway.

"Interesting. Never really read those types of books." Cillian smiled easily, "Ready to start?"

She nodded. She wanted this over with and see Elijah tonight and try to rid the damn thoughts of Cillian.

They went through the rest of the topics and she was finally up to speed from last week and she was glad there weren't many things that require to be close to him.

"So, how are you finding this week? Got five weeks to go till its showtime." He had sat down in a chair, she was sitting in front of him. He watched her body language, she was tense all over and tried not to look at him for too long. He knew why.

"It's alright, busy as always, finishing up my reports and essays for my other classes." She replied, continuously staring at the clock.

"Yeah? How's that coming along?" He continued, he wanted to talk to her about yesterday and to see how she was feeling today. But he had no idea how to come across it, he was worried he might say something and she would find anything he did uncomfortable or disgusted about him.

"Good. Almost done, just gotta proofread it." She nodded meeting his gaze for a short moment before looking away. All she could think of was yesterday and the dance they shared, and the almost kiss. God she would kill to have that moment again... Oh, god here she went again. She rolled her eyes.

"Excuse me?" Cillian asked confused as to her reaction from his question he just asked.

"Sorry? I didn't hear what you said. Sorry." She frowned and her leg began to shake.

"I asked how are you coming along with the report I gave you earlier in the term? It is due in a few days." He looked at her leg and she was breaking before him.

"Uh... Yeah. Almost done that too." No, she hadn't. She was only halfway through it, neglected it a few weeks ago.

"Are you sure? I can offer you help-"

"I don't need it." She cut him off very quickly and uncrossed her leg, "I should go home and work on it further so I may have it done by the due date." She stood up and he did as well.

"Tessa-" He rubbed his forehead before he dragged his fingers through his hair.

Her sigh was loud and frustrated, "Do not start. I really don't need a lecture on it." She gave him a look and turned on her heel, flicking her long black hair over her shoulder and sauntered over to grab her bag. She had a sway to her hips, exactly how a model would walk down the catwalk.

Cillian couldn't help but stare but flushed, "Well, let's talk about something else then." He came over.

"Yeah? How you forgot to mention to me you're seeing that bitch Sofia?" She couldn't stop the words and it came out before she could bite her tongue back.

"What?" He was gobsmacked.

"Fuck." She turned away and slung her bag onto her back, "Forget what I said. I seriously do not care." Her anger was rising up fast and she was going to lose it.

"No, talk to me. I do not want to end this day on a bad note. What about Sofia? I am simply helping her out with some of her studies much like I am doing with you." He explained finding it super odd that Tessa would get so mad about this.

Tessa could imagine what he was doing to her. And she felt her eyes sting with tears.

He loves 'em naughty. 

She sucked in a breath, reining back her tears and pulling her fucking self together.

His hands rested on her shoulders and she didn't wince or pull away, she had gone still. "Tess." He murmured, "Is this about yesterday?" He finally asked, wondering if her absurd reaction was about that. Did she think that there was something...?

Tessa felt her mind calm as she shoved her emotions deep into her chest, locking it up before she dragged her empty stare into his eyes. His look crushed her, "Yesterday was simply a mistake, Cillian. I do not want that to come between us. Ever. As I said, let's just forget about it. Just a silly mistake, okay?" She placed her hands on his bare forearms, giving him a smile. She oddly liked the feeling of his tight muscle in them.

The touch made him tingle as she squeezed his forearms, "Are you sure?" His brows knitted together.

"I am." She sighed, "I'm sorry for acting out like that. Just a little stressed but I can handle it. I will not do it again." She reached up and touched his clean-shaven cheek, her fingers lightly pressed to his jaw.

Now that... That feeling made him lean into it a little, "Alright... I believe you." He felt saddened when she stepped away.

"You have a good afternoon." She said to him as she ran her fingers through her hair slowly and slightly bit her bottom lip.

"You... Uh, you too." He nodded and watched her walk away. This time she really swayed her hips and his eyes stayed on her till she was gone. Thoughts of sinful desire swirled through him and he wondered if she was doing this deliberately. Sofia tried her best but she was simply a thing for him to get off to when they had their... Sessions. He only thought of Tessa in the various positions he took Sofia in his very own office. Or in the classroom. But he wondered, did Tessa know? Was it that why she reacted how she did not long ago? He didn't think Sofia would be that stupid to let the little secret out. He would have to talk to her tomorrow maybe.

  ----

 Tessa headed home to drop off her shit and pull on something sexier for Elijah. Mila had called once more and left voice messages which Tessa didn't bother to listen to and simply deleted them. She was now working on whatever reserve she had left in her very soul and it always came to her when she was worked overtime and to the point of mentally breaking.

It was a thing she had to learn very quickly when she lived with Grace and her father. She had to learn how to shut the shit out and not feel a thing and let whatever happen, happen while faking it till she could get out. Even after she had left and got a new agency, the shit she still had to deal with was the same. Long hours, short fast meals, flying to countries, listening to producers yell and scream at you, pop a pill occasionally to aid with the pain that you'd get from the to tight costumes or the ankle-breaking heels.

And now those same feelings and the familiar chest with chains came back to her and she was piling all her fucking emotions into it. She would lock it away, put on a smile and power on. It was totally not good as she had lashed out sometimes in the earlier years of her working with her agency but had a wake-up call from Esther who pulled her through it all.

Tessa was stepping back into that dark world but she would remember to not let her emotions get out. She would find a way to soothe that shit down on her own as always. Little steps that required delicate care. And that was Elijah who had come to like her so much, he always made her feel lighter and make her forget about her messed up life. She found herself smiling as she took a cab to his place. Maybe Elijah was the key to helping her sort her shit out, much like Esther did but nowadays they barely got to see each other from their different working schedules.

With a start as she walked up to the apartment Elijah lived in, she had a thought. Esther had copped the brunt of Tessa's shit in one blow in one night. Small steps, delicate care, do not rush it, let it out bit by bit, a small voice in her head told her. She glanced down at her trembling hands. The shakes began a week ago but seemed to stop when she was with Elijah. Or Cillian.

No. Only Elijah she would agree on.

But back to her revelation, Tessa had a wild thought. Why not...

"You want to talk?" Elijah asked when he had brought Tessa into his room and sat with her on the bed.

"Yeah. Talk. You know, between us." She waved a hand between them.

"I know that but... About what?" He wondered as he held her hands between them.

"My actions lately. Me being so abrupt and all... That." She couldn't meet his eyes as she glanced to the side.

"Ah... Yeah. I've been wondering about that." His voice softened, "You know I truly care for you, yeah?" He cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing her cheekbone.

"I know. If you didn't you wouldn't stick around for this long." She smiled a little.

"Maybe. But who knows. Know this you are secret safe with me. Nothing will escape this room nor through me." He kissed her knuckles and she cupped his face this time.

"Thank you, Elijah. I just want to say first thing first, I am sorry for how I acted yesterday. Studying is getting to me and with my modelling shit, it's like... All over the place. Gotta juggle it all." She murmured. But it wasn't the only thing that got to her.

Elijah nodded, "Understandable. I forgive you, even though I already did ages ago. But... Yeah. Got scared, that's all."

She looked over at the radio that played softly, "There is more to it but... I am not... Sure if I can tell you. I'm..." Scared. Worried you might judge me. 

"Hey," he brought her gaze back to him, "You got nothing to worry about, Tessie." The nickname made her heart swell, "You mean a lot to me and I am always, always here for you. I will not judge you whatsoever. I won't contradict you but have a civil conversation and a good discussion. It's how a good relationship is based on."

She held those beautiful mint green eyes and could see how much he was so sure of his words and he would stick to them with that lovely warm heart of his. As she laid down and with him at her side, she found herself before that chest that materialised in her soul. The emotions were breaking through it.

Delicate steps. Careful. Gentle. 

She reached out and put her hand on the rusty chain. And started from when she was twelve years old and hearing the horrible words that fell from her drunk mother's mouth, and her father pleading with her to stop this madness for the sake of their three little girls...

[lilyths-blog1]

♦ : ^ ). You can set this in our normal verse or write that lil scene I told you about that coulda happened in America.

Intimacy Meme. — (( @rinadealga

♦: Slow dancing.

The ear numbing cacophony of overzealous shouting, singing, and overall merriment echoed throughout the halls of the White House; sounding so strongly within the now mess hall that the walls quivered. The atmosphere was electrified with excitement and anticipation . . Only causing the crowd of celts to grow louder and more rowdy by the second as the aura gradually grew stronger.

They were celebrating; Celebrating the final approaching battles, completely assured that with the power of a grail, their beastly king, and his newfound magus that the said battles were already won. A grave mistake, perhaps, for any other battalion . . But even SHE knew that they were not overestimating themselves. It was entirely possible that they would win . . Against Chaldea, the savior of humanity, and likely every battle to come after that. They would win here, and the world she’d left behind would end in flames.

Rubied hues stare out, over hundreds of exclaiming, joyous heads . . Scanning the groups and crowds below her balcony perch as a realization hits her. It does not strike her with force as it should have . . It is not the mind shattering, gut wrenching thought that it should have been. It’s subtle, and simply put, and by the time it even becomes a true thought, she’s already accepted it.

Her mind had wandered for a moment, and now as it returns, she brushes her fingers along the balconies marble rails before walking from it; Leaving the bustling main hall behind her as she walks into the somewhat darkened presidential suite.

The heels upon her feet click softly as she moves to take a seat upon the side of the bed, reminding her of the dull ache they’ve caused upon her soles. With a sigh, she reaches down and removes them, bending down and placing the pair to the side . . As her head raises once again, a glint of silver catches her eyes, and she pauses.

Slowly sitting to her full height, a satin gloved hand reaches out, fingers gingerly curling about the chipped music box on the nightstand. Staring down at it for a moment, her free hand reaches for the small key about her neck . . It had never worked before. Clearly broken when they had found it during their excursion . . A peace of junk with no use to anyone any longer, left to ruin along with the building about it as the war raged on. Naught but fancy scrap metal now . . And she had only been allowed to keep it back then because she had promised to keep her mouth shut.

It had never worked before, just a small chunk of wood and metal that shouldn’t have been able to bring joy to anyone anymore; Completely useless. So . . There was no point in trying to play with it anymore. Her free hand drops back to her lap now, eyes dimming as she stares down at the music box, thumb idly pawing along its sides.

No . . No. She should try again. Maybe some sort of miracle would occur and this time it would work? Her hand once again reaches for the key, removing it from about her neck and sticking it into the music box’s keyhole. With a deep inhale, Selena twists the key slowly . . Around, and around, until she hears a soft ‘click,’ indicating that it could be turnt no further. Holding her breath, she slides the key from the hole . . Soft mechanical whirs come from within, and her eyes light up seeing the top of the box slowly lift open . . Revealing a miniature ballerina upon a spring. A singular musical note resounds from the box, and the ballerina begins to turn. Ah, was it actually going to—?

But no. It falls silent after that. Excitement immediately dissipating, Selena places the music box back down upon the nightstand with a defeated exhale.

The sound of the door opening behind her alarms the woman, though she knows by the sound of the footsteps that follow that she has no need to be startled. With her eyes glued upon the music box, she waits for him to speak.

‘It was your idea, remember? So . . Why aren’t you out there?’

It had been her idea; Some sort of get together . . One last, large shindig of sorts to raise morale . . And it had certainly worked judging by the ever present buzzing from the main hall. It was a party, and everyone was enjoying it, except her. So, why wasn’t she out there?

Sighing, Selena puts on a half-smile, glancing back at the mad king over her shoulder, “ . . And YOU’RE their king. Shouldn’t YOU be down there too?” When had she grown so bold? How could she sit there and speak to carnage made man with such cheek? She didn’t remember when the feelings had shifted . . But she did know, that had she been anyone else, she wouldn’t have been sitting there intact for much longer.

Meeting his gaze, they’re silent for a moment and the quiet fills the room, her eyes returning to the music box, “It was my idea, yeah. But, I’m not much for crowds, honestly. They make me queasy.” She was lying, partly. She had no problem with crowds, but . . She WAS feeling queasy. As for why? It was easier to know and accept than explain. This seemed to be the one time a fib of hers had actually been convincing judging by the berserkers tone (tinged with worry so faint it would be unnoticeable by most,) when next he spoke.

‘Then rest. You’re going to need your strength tomorrow. I’ll go get some water—’

He must’ve seen the way she was shaking her head because he paused there and waited, “No. I don’t need it.” Silence consumes the suite once again until, at last, the magus stands. Walking about the side of the bed, she makes her way to stand before the man before extending a hand . . A soft smile taking its place upon her lips.

“This is a party, isn’t it? I don’t know about you guys but, at OUR parties . . Theres usually dancing. And since I don’t see anyone else up here, I guess you’re just going to have to dance with me.”

She watches with slight amusement as a wave of confusion washes over his face . . Though it’s soon replaced with resignation before her hand is engulfed in the claws and scales adorning his own. Slowly raising her opposite hand, she moves closer so it can gently grasp his free hand and place it upon her hip before it trails its way up his arm to perch upon his shoulder.

And as the first step of their waltz is taken, just as her now bare toes land against the floor; The music box begins to play.

Eyes now fixated upon her partners, she grips his hand firmly as she leads them both about the room in gradual circles. The white noise of the main hall suddenly forgotten as she focuses in upon the gentle melody filling the room. It was strangely peaceful considering what was happening . . As if the world outside had gone and poofed away for the moment. No party, no celts, no war . . Just her, and him, and the music box.

And when at last the music stops, and feet along with it; She decides. No, she’d already decided, from the moment those command seals had appeared on her hand . .

Her eyes fall to the ground now, though she doesn’t let go of him just yet.

“ . . Tomorrow.” A pause as she inhales, “Tomorrow is it. Tomorrow is our last fight . . At least for now.” And now her gaze rises again, “We’re going to win. And when we do, you’re . . Really going to be king around here.” Theres blatant confusion on his face now . . And she understands why.

“I must sound really fucked up right now, right? After all, this was all a mistake. I was never supposed to be here to begin with . . And then you locked me up, forced me to make a pact with you . . Made me fight against the people I was supposed to be fighting to save. Not to mention you pretty much forced yourself on me multiple times—” She pauses, shaking her head, “Yeah . .  I’ve gotta be screwed up in the head or something . . But that’s okay. I’ve already forgiven you.”

“ . . I’ve . . Never been able to do anything for anyone. Never once have I ever felt that I’ve been of use to anyone no matter how hard I tried. No matter how desperately I strived or how much I pushed myself . . I’ve never been useful, I’ve never been enough.”

“I poured years of my life into training . . To become a magus actually worth a damn. I gave up a normal life . . So that for once I could be useful to someone. And thats why I went to Chaldea . . Because surely they could make use of me there, right . . ?” A quiet, sorrowful laugh escapes her after this, “But, of course not. In the end, Fujimaru was the only one they cared about . . And I ended up being nothing but a bother they pushed grunt work on so they wouldn’t feel bad because I had nothing to do.”

“Then I come here, and I become your . . Master. And god I hated you. I should STILL hate you, you know? You’re my enemy . . You’re my WORLDS enemy at this point, you are what stands between a future of prosperity, and one that ends in fire. But . .”

“But you’re the only one who could make use of me . . you’re also the only person who’s ever NEEDED me. And after years . . And years of searching for that, to find it here of all places . .” Her voice gradually turns whisper like as she speaks . . She’s shaking now, it’s barely noticeable but . .

Selena lets go now, stepping back . . And when she raises her chin, tears have begun to stream down her face, “Please . . Just say that, after tomorrow, you’ll still need me. Even if it’s just as a mana source . . So long as you continue to need me . . “

“Then, I’m content staying here with you. Forever.”

[punkbakugo]

Kacchan & Deku's Subconscious Understanding: A Sports Festival Analysis

“...They’ve know each other since they were kids, so it could be that they had something in common, something that they understood about each other since they were little. That’s why [Bakugou] tends to pick fights with Deku, and Deku, despite it all, tends to stick together with him. I think they have a subconscious understanding.”

-Masahiko Minami, head of Studio BONES (x)

I’ve wanted to talk about this arc with regards to Bakugou and Deku’s relationship for a while now because their dynamic in it is so interesting to me. The Sports Festival Arc focuses mainly on Todoroki, his backstory, and his character development and Bakugou and Deku only interact directly once or twice throughout the entire arc, but it’s their lack of direct interaction that actually makes their influence on each other shine through all the more.

The first instance is at the very beginning of the arc, two weeks before the Sports Festival. When the festival is announced, everyone gets pumped. The students are told that this is one of three (since it happens every year) major opportunities they will get to showcase their talent with hopes to get scouted. It's touted as a pretty make or break situation for them and as such everyone takes it very seriously. Except, at first, for Deku. In his mind, he already has the #1 hero as a mentor and so he doesn’t have the motivation to stand out at the festival, he doesn’t have the need, he’s complacent with where he is.

And this stands out because not only do his closest friends’ enthusiasm (particularly Ochako’s hyper-enthusiasm) not sway him, but a direct request from All Might to use the Sports Festival to announce his presence doesn’t even convince him. His idol is telling him this festival is an integral step for him as the #1 hero’s successor and yet

Even a threat in the form of Shinsou declaring war on 1-A and his intent to use his performance in the Sports Festival to steal a place in the class for himself doesn’t seem to motivate him properly. It isn’t until an offhand line from Bakugou (which reminds him of Bakugou’s declaration after the Battle Trial) that the importance of this festival sinks in for Deku.  

It’s Bakugou’s words that finally inspire him to take this seriously when even All Might’s didn’t. It’s Bakugou, the way it always is, that spurs him on.

And that’s just the beginning.

I intend on going more into detail on this in a later meta, but Bakugou and Deku are two sides of the same coin. And by coin, I mean the greatest hero. At the core of it, Bakugou embodies the 'winning' aspect of being a hero and Deku embodies the 'saving' aspect of being a hero. These are what they admire in All Might respectively and what drives them in their pursuit of becoming heroes. But their sole emphasis on either 'winning' or 'saving' unbalances the two of them. However, as I've stated in a previous post (spoilers for the manga), Deku has the upper-hand in that, in addition to his admiration of All Might, he has his admiration of Bakugou, his self-described "image of victory".

After the obstacle course, All Might expresses his concern that Deku's innate selflessness would be his downfall during the Sports Festival but after Deku's victory he’s relieved that he was proved wrong. And how did Deku come in first in the obstacle course?

Yeah. Taking inspiration from Bakugou has, yet again, proven to be one of the keys to Deku’s success and forward progress as a hero.

The difference in their philosophies is something I’m going to come back to. For now, onto some of Bakugou’s side of things, because for this arc the counterpart of Deku taking inspiration from Bakugou is Bakugou’s fixation on Deku.

At the very beginning of the Sports Festival, Bakugou makes his blunt pledge to “be number one”. His classmates were dismayed but not surprised and to everyone else it just reinforced their view of him as an arrogant ass. For Deku, our resident Kacchan expert, he understands Bakugou’s words and actions for what they are: He’s purposefully cornering himself.

This is a nice little scene to show how much insight Deku has when it comes to Bakugou, but it’s also indicative of just how much focus Bakugou tends to put on Deku. Bakugou’s intent to corner himself is made clear, and then he immediately goes out of his way to bump into Deku in a subtle declaration of war (which people just love giving him in this arc). It’s also a bit of a callback to something he said in middle school.

The direct translation for what Bakugou says is something along the lines of "standing in the same ring" as him but the sentiment behind it is very much the same (he is, in fact, in the same ring as Deku right now) and so I love how this translation makes the parallel stand out so much more since Bakugou's silent little challenge is a literal rubbing bumping of shoulders. It’s an indirect acknowledgment of Deku’s strength, because as much as Bakugou would like to deny it, on a subconscious level he does think highly of him and, therefore, singles him out like this. He is, the way he always seems to be, using Deku as a means to measure his own strength.

And he really did intend to face Deku at some point during the festival. I mean, look how disappointed he seems when Deku loses his match against Todoroki. (I almost want to say that it feels like he expected Deku and himself to end up the final two in the tournament.)

Bakugou’s fixation on Deku really just permeates the entire arc. There’re little things, like the way his consistent preoccupation with Deku stands out when we see that he couldn't be bothered to remember his classmates quirks let alone their names. He doesn't even remember Kirishima's name at first even though they had to fight together during the attack on USJ.

And there are much bigger things, like in his match with Ochako, despite being one of the only people to not underestimate her for being a girl, he still underestimates her as a person and that the reason Bakugou was so cautious in his fight against her was because he knew she was friends with Deku and therefore had to have had some sort of scheme from him up her sleeve. There was no real reason for him to assume this, he just did because Bakugou can’t seem to keep Deku off his mind.

Because if there’s anything Bakugou expects from Deku, it’s scheming and being needlessly self-sacrificing. And the fight gave him so much trouble that he was convinced it had to be Deku’s plan and had to be told that it was actually Ochako herself that gave him trouble.

Even Bakugou’s petty little rivalry with Todoroki is at least somewhat dependent on Deku. The roots date back to the insecurity Bakugou felt when watching Todoroki in action for the first time back at the Battle Trials, but actual rivalry was kick-started when Todoroki challenged Deku before the festival, since Bakugou calls Todoroki out for “declaring war on the wrong person”. Of course, Bakugou would obviously hate one of the strongest in the class challenging Deku instead of him, but he always seems a bit irritated when Deku accepts these challenges and expresses desire to beat Todoroki, something that Bakugou probably believes should be reserved for him. And like I said before, Deku was the one Bakugou wanted to end up fighting in the tournament, not Todoroki.

And speaking of Todoroki, let’s move on to Bakugou and Deku’s respective matches against him. There’s a lot to unpack, but I’ll try not to ramble too much.

Its interesting to note that, despite having multiple examples of Bakugou's analytical skills (figuring out Dark Shadow's weakness to light, realizing Kirishima wouldn't last in a drawn out fight against him because of something he thoughtlessly said, the same way he figured out that Kurogiri had to have a physical body back at USJ) Deku and Todoroki's fight is the first time we actually get a proper internal glimpse into Bakugou's thought process. And it's remarkably similar to Deku's. 

(coincidence or not, I find this mirroring of habits way too endearing)

We even get a moment where, not only do Bakugou and Deku come to the same conclusion about todoroki's powers at basically the exact same time, but they use the exact same phrasing to make a point.

But it doesn’t stop there. In the middle of Deku’s match with Todoroki, he gets frustrated by the fact that Todoroki’s paying more attention to what will make his father angry rather than taking the match seriously and giving it his all. To this, Deku yells, “Where are you looking?”

When it’s Bakugou’s turn to face Todoroki and he accidentally waltzes into Todoroki’s prep room before the match, he gets frustrated by the fact that Todoroki is too busy ruminating on his match with Deku and thinking about his mother to pay Bakugou any mind. To this, Bakugou yells, “Where are you looking?”

(I had to use FA here instead of Viz Media because they completely changed Deku’s line in the official translation)

Todoroki even points it out; they both said the exact same thing to him.

There’s also this nice little parallel between the two’s matches that shows off their similar drive and motivation.

And the last thing I want to mention is regarding Deku yelling for Todoroki to do his best and not lose during Bakugou vs. Todoroki. He's obviously still concerned about Todoroki's familial issues holding him back, but I can't help but feel like Bakugou's own rant about not wanting to win against someone if they're not giving it their all pushed his little outburst, especially since Bakugou specifically mentions Deku and how there'd be no point if he couldn't do better than him and win against Todoroki at 100%, getting him to use his fire like Deku managed to. And regardless of whether or not Deku was consciously trying to help Bakugou out as well, attempting to motivate Todoroki to use his fire was something that Bakugou seemed to genuinely appreciate.

It’s just. Those two are so ridiculously in sync when they don’t have their personal issues to navigate around. I love it because it shows that, despite the fact that they’re opposites in so many ways, they still have this unifying core to them. Combined with the way their differences balance each other out, their innate similarities allow them a certain level of subconscious understanding (title drop) which is why, when they actually manage work together, they make a great fucking team.

And to tie this all up, I’m coming back to an earlier point to say that the outcomes of their respective matches against Todoroki exemplify their differing philosophies and more specifically, what that makes them lack, that unbalance I mentioned. Deku gets so caught up trying to help Todoroki face his demons that, while he manages to get him to use his fire, he loses the fight and winds up permanently injured for his efforts. Bakugou wins his fight, living up to the pledge he made at the beginning of the festival, but he fails to get Todoroki to use his fire resulting in an empty victory that he feels he didn't earn. 

Two sides of the same coin indeed.