#the devil works hard but Cal works harder

[nightlight-rising]

Finally finished every piece from my second commission batch! Thank you to @felixitous-rising, @sleepless-sketches, and everyone else who ordered!

[najatheangel]

genre: fluff, drama, and comedy. high school au!

pairing: Choi San x Reader

author's note: apart of the Ateez Summer Collab hosted by @bangchan-fairy My first official posted collab please let me know what you guys think. Enjoy your summer! ✨

word count: 5.3k

summary: After slacking off junior year and struggling to juggle responsibilities, you're stuck retaking your math course in the summer. With your future on the line, you were stuck with San to work together with you so you both can pass this summer course as seniors. You two seem to have a hard time focusing on your studies. Is it because you don't understand the work or a certain someone that's distracting you

taglist: @purplepsycho03 @melonmochimoon @neptunehobi @soleilsuhh @dundun-baby @kpopsnowball (Send me a message if you want to be added or removed from the tag list.)

Your stepmom Maria seemed to be very disappointed in you once again for letting her down this year. She had planned so many family trips, vacations, and hangouts for the whole family to enjoy this summer, but thanks to my failing this dumb math class, I have to be stuck in this school until July.

“You better be lucky I can afford for you to retake this class. Your reckless behavior has gone on long enough.” Your mom walks beside you upstairs inside Walnut Hills Highschool making sure you don’t skip out on the first day of summer school.

“Mom, you know you don’t have to walk me to class. I know what I’m doing!” You groan at her as she links her arms with you in the hallway.

“Clearly you don’t! If you did you wouldn’t be stuck here retaking this class. Now we’re almost there so keep your head high and lose the tude.”

There it was class 2A once again. This class was an absolute nightmare. I took a deep breath and slid the door open slowly with my eyes halfway open anxious to see who was sitting in the classroom.

“Welcome back miss Y/LN! Good seeing you again.” Mr. Harris said with a smile. This sucker, you had a love-hate relationship with Mr. Harris. You loved the fact that he was super nice and helpful when he was your English tutor freshman year, but you hated how he had a crush on your mom and how weird teacher-parent conference meetings would get when they would sneak off with each other in his office.

“Good morning Mr. Harris. Good seeing you again.” Your mom blushed to try to contain her excitement, but it was too obvious. “Anyways I’ll be heading my way out. She’s all yours for the summer.” Your mom gave you one last hug and kiss on the cheek before she left.

You sighed, rolling your eyes, fanning yourself already sweating from the classroom’s lack of cold air blowing. You complained again by saying.“Mr. Harris, are we staying in this room all summer? I’m sweating like a fat pig.”

“Unfortunately, yes. The PCs in the computer lab have been shut down and the school plans on replacing them with apple PCs by august. So these are the cards we’ve been dealt with. Let’s get started shall we.”

All the students in the classroom sighed, taking sips of their water bottles as Mr. Harris took attendance.

“Let’s see...We have Angela, Oliver, Chris, Yui, Y/N...Who’s missing? Choi San?”

“Here.” San slams the door open, arriving 20 minutes late with his chocolate milk in one hand and a glazed donut in the other. “Sorry Mr. Harris, I’ve overslept.”

Mr. Harris sighs, shaking his head, chuckling to calm himself down. “As expected. Just glad that you’re here, please have a seat.”

There was only one seat left which was in the front next to you and that would of course be his assigned seat for the rest of the summer.

You never heard much of San except everyone saying that he dropped out sophomore year.

You remember having a crush on him during freshman orientation when you both were shadowed by this kid named Lee Know. The whole time you were quiet, but you remembered staring at the handsome devil strutting in his uniform the whole time.

So to see him once again took you and everyone by surprise.

“Class, make sure you remember your partner’s name sitting next to you for this summer because you will work together in order to pass this class.”

“Say what?” You look over at San, who was making origami at his desk. “Good seeing again kid.” He smirks at you leaving you speechless. “Want a donut?” He reached out, handing a piece to you.

You were slamming your head on the desk thinking to yourself. “Mom, I know I promised I would finish this class, but I don’t know if I can...”

Mr. Harris had you paired up in groups of two to complete a series of word problems and online on this website called Pearson. On the bright side, walnut hills provided MacBooks for students that didn’t have their laptop, but of course, if they tried to watch Netflix, facetime with their friends, or search for something inappropriate, their laptop will be shut down for 24 hours until further notice.

The first two weeks were pretty quiet between you and San because both of you aren’t necessarily the best conversation starters and whenever San would ask you something it would only just help him cheat on an assignment or help him make up an excuse to skip class. Up until the third week hit you had enough of his excuses trying to avoid doing the work.

The third week you were assigned to work on three hours of pre-cal on the computer and you had the option to locate to a different classroom of course if you couldn’t focus in a cramped room full of sweaty students. So you and san decided to work in the math lab across from class 2A and try to work out a plan.

“Listen San I know this class is our worst enemy, but I promised my mom I would graduate next year and If I have to restart my junior year again I would die of embarrassment. So please try a little harder.” San sighs nodding to your proposal looking deeply into your eyes.

“Fine. I guess I’m in the same boat. I figured retaking junior year would make my mom mad too.” He reaches his hand shaking it with yours smiling.

Your heart starts pounding pretty fast as you're exchanging the agreement with San and you gaze your eyes back at the computer again clearing your throat.

“So, all we have to do is remember the methods Mr. Harris taught us and we'll be alright. What section are we on?” San scrolls through his laptop trying to login into his Pearson account. “I believe it's section 3.A. 20 questions which are due this Friday?! Man, Mr. Harris won’t give us a break.”

You giggled at his surprised reaction. Sometimes he can be soft which makes you melt inside even more. It made you wonder why he was always hanging around with the rebels with no future at school. Maybe life at home was rough and he didn’t have a lot of friends. All these questions were running through your head, which made you not realize that San suddenly moved closer to you.

“You need help with that problem? You were staring blankly at the screen for the past 10 minutes. Here let me show you how to do this.” San wraps his arm around you, pulling you closer to writing the answer problem step by step to help you understand it better, but that wasn’t exactly helping.

All you were doing was admiring his beautiful face to face. It made you remember the first time you saw him with his glowing melon skin, sharp jawline, the way he can pull off a white collar and a striped tie it just seemed impossible.

On top of that his knowledge in math made him 10x more attractive, but you couldn’t understand why someone as brilliant and essential as him set himself up in the wrong crowd and stuck in this situation that cost him his high school diploma.

“So that’s how you get y= 18 + 15x. Any questions?” “Yeah, why the hell are you so fine. Forget Mr. Harris, you can be my tutor.” Would’ve sounded better in your head, but you accidentally said it out loud.

San looked at you with his eyes flashing open and then he burst out laughing. “Well Ms. Y/LN if I knew you were having this much fun, I would’ve signed up for this a long time ago.”

“Same here. You know I didn’t think math was your thing. How come you're so good at it?” He sighs, leaning looking up at the ceiling as his mood changes very quickly. “My dad is an entrepreneur and a CEO of his own company.

He’s very good at math so he taught me at an early age so someday I can take over his company someday. He’s never home at times either so I’m pretty much always helping my friends with their math homework as a side hustle.”

“That must be tiring. I know that must be a lot of pressure for a 17-year-old.” San nods his head in agreement and says “It is, but hey that’s what I’ve been dealing with all my life. We got to finish these questions so we can go home early.” With the both of you panicking you turn back to your computers finishing the last set of problems.

You were having so much fun at school with San that you forgot you had to make it to dinner on time with your wicked stepmother. Ever since you’ve started your sophomore year at Walnut Hills your father was keeping his dating life a secret until he unexpectedly announced that he wanted to marry Maria. Your dad was always the playboy so it always would irritate you whenever he brings another woman into the picture.

Your father planned on marrying Maria by the time you’ve graduated high school, but that all ended in tragedy when your father one day died in a car accident on the way to your volleyball game. This is why you quitted sports, fell out with your best friends, and flunked almost all your classes. Maria has always shown tough love even when your dad was around, but that’s because she never knew what it was like to raise children and she wanted to learn to become closer to your family, but your relationship with her was always rocky.

Arriving late at night you’ve run to your house sweating and panting to your angry stepmom in the kitchen tapping her foot.

“Y/N, do you know what time it is? School ended at 5. Why are you late for dinner? This better is good missy.” You caught your last breath and then rolled your eyes at Maria’s snarky comment. “Me and my partner in my class took longer than expected to finish our assignment. Sorry, okay?”

You’ve slammed your backpack on the back of your chair and grabbed a plate of yong chow rice to eat with your family. “Don’t you roll your eyes at me? I just asked a simple question. Don’t tell me your working with that Choi San guy?”

You shook your head as you started to feel yourself explode at the dinner table, but you let her finish. “I know that because Mr. Harris told me. Look all I’m saying is you better stay concentrated on getting out of summer school and don’t fool around with these boys. Got it?”

You’ve finally snapped and stood up slamming the table with your fists. “You know what, I don’t understand why you're nagging me about every little thing going on in my life. You can’t just be proud that I finished my assignments for this week. But, no you keep finding ways to complain to me about me not working hard enough or messing around. I’m getting really tired of it. That’s why I hate it here!”

“Y/N! Don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you.” She followed you all the way upstairs until you closed the door and locked it in her face. You were too tired and frustrated to be dealing with her constant ranting so you’ve just sat in your room, put your AirPods on, and blocked her yelling from the background. “We’ll talk about this another day. Psh teenagers.”

For the rest of the night, you smush your face in your pillow crying yourself to sleep. You look back on the polaroids of your dad around your room and through your phone missing his presence in your home. “Dad, why did you leave me alone with her? If it was just the three of us, things would be so different. I miss you.”

Your partnership with San seemed to improve drastically which was surprising, to say the least. All the other kids in the class however didn’t seem to improve. Some were either cheating or missing the deadlines. Mr. Harris was not pleased by the results so he found other alternatives.

“You know what class, here’s what we’re about to do. To make this a lot more fun, how about we do class activities for extra credit. Since some of you are glued to your devices nowadays we can play games like Kahoot, Jenga, and Tetris to answer questions. I can even narrow down the questions on the assignments. How does that sound?” Everyone in class chants and cheers loving the idea which keeps them even more motivated to continue working.

“Alright everyone the games won’t start today, but next week. This is the last week of June and summer school so that means we’re halfway there from finishing. You cannot screw this up. Try acing this week’s quiz with 90% everyone or no games for those with below 70%. Got it?” “Yes, Mr. Harris!” You’ve become closer to the class since it was only nine of you, but your best friends are Angela, San, and Chris. The four of you stopped for ice cream after school to study for this week’s big math test that covered five sections.

“Gosh, Mr. Harris put 40 questions on the test! What the hell is he on crack?”

Everyone laughed at Chris complaining. He would always try to find shortcuts just so he can finish playing PubG, but he always ends up getting in trouble because he procrastinates too much. The only reason he’s somewhat doing well is because of his girlfriend Angela.

She was always a straight-A student and a bit of a geek at school, but outside of school, she was a baddie. She ended up having to retake pre-cal because she wanted to offer to help Chris with homework but ended up failing with him. “Oh hush it’s not even that bad. If you would’ve done those practice problems like you were told, you wouldn’t be complaining so much.” She slaps the back of Chris' head making him spat out his dip cone.

San looks at them admiring their silly dysfunctional relationship and then looks at you mesmerized. He leans in whispering in your ear saying “Why can’t we be more like them. They’re cute together.” You turned to him, slapping his shoulder softly giggling. “We shouldn’t. We agreed to only focus on school, remember?” He looks at you pouting “Does it have to be strictly about work? Like Mr. Harris said, we can have fun with it. We are partners after all.”

You look to the side trying to avoid his gaze as you take another spoonful of mint cocoa. With your sloppy spoonful of ice cream leftover on your face, San quickly grabbed a napkin from the table and whipped your face. “Be careful, you had a little mint chocolate on your face.” He kissed the side of your lips and smirked at you right afterward leaving everyone shocked.

“You guys are hot together.”

Chris with no filter shouted out leaving you a blushing mess. You quickly grabbed your ice cream and backpack as you heard your stepmom pulling up at the dairy parking lot. “You know what duty calls. I’ll meet you guys at the same time tomorrow at San’s place just like we planned. I gotta shave my legs. Later!” San wanted to grab your arm real quick to give you a proper goodbye, but you already beat him to it by sprinting to the car.

“Honey, why did you run in the car so fast? You would have finished your ice cream-”

“No time for that, just drive Mom.” Maria laughs looking at you covering your face with your cardigan and looking at San’s pouting face playing with his spoon he just ate from his ice cream. “Reminds me of the good old days when I was in high school.” Your stepmom cranked the engine and drove all the way home.

When you arrived home you flopped your body on your bed trying to focus on finishing studying for your test by yourself, but all your thinking about San’s kiss replaying in your head over and over again. “Ugh that San man, why did his lips have to be so soft? I'm supposed to be finding the formula for x, not the formula to get into San’s heart.” You’ve pulled out your laptop attempting to send an email to Mr. Harris said that you wanted to switch partners, but you prevent yourself from pressing send through your mouse.

“There’s no point. We only have four more weeks plus he would be upset if I do that. I just need to calm down.” You’ve closed out of your email tab and finished your homework sinking in your thoughts.

“Dad, hey it’s me again, I just wanted to leave a voicemail letting you know that later on today I’ll be bringing my friends over to work on studying for our big test. It would be nice for you to meet them, but of course, I know work is more important. Anyways please come visit again sometime soon. Love you, peace.” San sighs, hanging up the phone as he sets the table up getting ready for you, Angela, and Chris to come over. San has always learned to live basically on his own growing up.

His father is always running off on business trips, his mother left him at a young age to marry a wealthy man and his older brother was already out of the country to join the Navy. His brother was the only person he can count on for family events when it came to birthdays, Christmas, and even father’s day. At least his brother could attend and catch up with his crazy high school life.

Snapping out of his train of thoughts he opens the door as soon as he hears the doorbell ring. “Coming!” He fixed his Pikachu long sleeve and parted his hair before he opened the door. He was smiling so wide after seeing it was you, Angela and Chris.

“C'mon in you guys. Welcome to mi palacio. Let’s study in the living room.”

Everyone ran to the living room pleased with the smell of pina colada candles filling the house. You were shocked that San got to live in this huge nicely decorated home yet you seem to notice that his family is not present.

You see picture frames of him when he was younger in a monster inc sitting on the fountain at Disneyland.

There was also another cute family photo of San’s best friend named Wooyoung that he met since kindergarten, but sadly they ended up cutting ties since they went to different schools.

A picture that stood out from all of them was one of him sitting on his mom’s lap when he was five smiling super hard with his pretty white smile. You’ve never seen him smile that hard and you were always curious more about his past so the family photos have shown a nice glimpse into his past “Hey y/n cmon I made some ramen. We have to pull out the flashcards so we can study.” “W-wait, but your baby pictures I want!” “No time we can look at them later.”

He winks and gently holds your hand and walks downstairs with you.

“Here goes the love birds. We have to try San’s famous spicy ramen dish before it gets too cold.” Everyone sits down at the dinner table clasping their hands together ready to dig in until the door opens.

“Surprise brother! Sorry I’m late. Did I miss dinner?” San’s brother Jinhyuk walks in with veggie wraps and steak bulgogi in his hand. San runs up to his brother hugging him super tight happier to see that he finally made it home. “Guys this is my brother Jinhyuk. Jinhyuk this is Chris, Angela, and Y/N.”

Jinhyuk smiles at everyone greeting everyone. “So what’s been going on with you guys? I know you have been stuck in school together, but what have you guys been doing outside of school?” Angela started by saying “Well so far me and Chris have been seeing each other every day. We always go to the park or the carnival when we get the chance for dates. We have also been hanging out with these two right here.”

Chris joined in saying “Exactly right. You can say we’re like the Scooby-Doo gang of course without scooby.” San laughs adding on “No way you’re definitely Scooby. Angela is Velma, I’m Freddy, and Y/N is Daphne.” Everyone at the table laughed as they enjoyed San’s ramen catching up with each other.

Jinhyuk elbows you as he chats with you in the kitchen. “Hey, I noticed that you were sitting there staring at my brother. What’s going on with you two.” Your eyes flashed wide open as you were surprised by Jinhyk’s sudden question. You faced him scratching the back of your head not knowing how to answer his question. “Well, I honestly don’t know. I think he just likes teasing me. One minute he flirts with me, the next minute he treats me like one of the guys. My mom also doesn’t want me getting distracted so I’m trying to keep my distance.”

Jinhyuk laughs and then pets your head. “Well, you both already failed at keeping your distance. I think he likes you, but since you keep running away or avoiding him too much, he feels like he’s making you uncomfortable and that you strictly want to stay as friends. I wouldn’t give him the wrong idea to be upfront about how you feel about him. You got this kid.” He grabs your empty bowl for you and washes the dishes giving you that boost of confidence. “You know what you're right. Mama didn’t raise no punk. I’ll tell him after we finish studying. Thanks, Jinhyuk I owe you the next time you visit.” You give him a thumbs up and skip happily out the kitchen looking forward to seeing your friends.

After hours of studying flashcards, everyone finally studied feeling confident in themselves about the final test of the semester. Everyone packed their things and was ready to head home since their parents were outside. You were the only one that still felt confident about your process throughout the class so you’ve decided to stay an extra hour to study with San.

“Are you sure this is right?” You put the pencil down crossing your fingers as San checks your work. “Wow yes, that is correct. See you’re doing just fine. You only got 7 wrong out of the 40 questions. Just keep using that method I taught you and you’ll be just fine.” San smiles at you pinching your cheeks. “It’s 10:30 pm. Your mom is going to be worried about you. You should start heading home. I'll drop you off.” San started putting his notebook and laptop back on his desk getting ready to leave his room, but you pull on his sleeve bringing him back down on the couch with you.

“Wait, um why don’t we watch a movie or something. My mom is out with Mr. Harris anyways they won’t be back until the morning. I kind of told her I was spending the night at my cousin’s house.”

San smiles, shaking his head gulping, sitting back down next to you. “That sounds nice and all, but I don’t want to get you in trouble. Plus you do realize you’re staying over at a boy’s house at night.” You lean your head on his shoulder holding his hand yawning. “I know I trust you. You wouldn’t do anything unless I told you I wanted to. Just for tonight please San?” San sighs, lifting your chin patting the back of your head. “Fine, but next time let me meet your mom. I want to know everything there is about you okay?” You nod linking pinkies with him. “Deal. Now let’s watch Money Heist Shall we?”

The next morning you wake up in San’s arms as you share a blanket on the living room couch. You woke up fixing his messy black hair struck by his sleeping face. “Gosh you're even more dreamy when you're sleeping.” You checked the time on your phone and realized what time it was.

Pre-cal normally starts around 10, it was 11:20. “San gets up, we're late for class! We can’t miss this one Mr. Harris is giving us get extra credit today.” San woke right up alert as he wiped the drool from the side of his mouth.

“Dang, we gotta go. Here brush your teeth real fast, brush your hair and let’s roll.”

The two of you got ready as fast you could and hopped right on his motorcycle speeding through the traffic throughout the city.

You wrapped your arms around San the whole time scared you’ll fall on the motorcycle. San felt so happy whenever you depended on him for anything. “God I love this girl. I know they say I’m too young or going too fast, but I can’t help it.” He mumbled under his breath as he arrived at the school.

“Well well if it isn’t San and Y/N. You better be lucky you didn’t miss the test. We just got done playing Kahoot.” The two of you poured with your heads looking down feeling ashamed as you walked to your seats. The two of you took one last glimpse of each before Mr. Harris handed out the test.

This was it after everything you’ve been through this past month with San and your friends. The hard work was going to determine if you actually made it through or not. Mr. Harris gave you a whisper of encouragement you never heard in a long time except for your dad. “Y/N no matter what happens I’ll always be proud of you. Finish this strong.”

Mr. Harris' words almost moved you to tears as you smiled and nodded your head right back at him. Now you understand why Maria loved him so much he was always passionate about teaching and cared about your well-being.

You grabbed your pencil and your laptop as you started getting to work. The whole time you were nervous and a few questions caused you to slip up, but in the end, you remembered how to do most of the work. San seemed to be holding up just fine so you weren’t too worried about him, Angela would always double-check her work before turning it in and Chris was surprisingly focused the whole time.

As everyone finished their tests Mr. Harris checked everyone’s grades one by one slowly seeing their process.

He stands up taking off his glasses and says. “Class...congratulations on becoming seniors! Everyone has passed summer school. See you in the fall.”

Everyone screamed cheering as the paper was flying and everyone in the classroom cheered. “Yeah, you guys hang out at the carnival!” Chris screamed and everyone followed him out.

Before catching up with everyone you called your stepmom to tell her the good news with Mr. Harris next to you.

“Mom, I finally passed. Dad’s face right now you know he’s probably crying. It was all thanks to Mr. Harris too, he's the best teacher ever.”

You can hear your mom’s voice on the other end as she gets teary-eyed. “Your dad would definitely be so happy that you passed, but also pissed because he never wants you in summer school ever again.” The three of you laugh together as you share the happy news.

“I’m so sorry I doubted you and was super harsh y/n. I love you and just want you to succeed. Your my only banana muffin I got in this world so don’t pull off any dumb crap like this ever again.”

“Yes mom, you know I will. I made a promise to dad after all. I will graduate and stay close to you if it’s the last thing I do. Love you, I'm going to the carnival with my friends.”

Maria makes kissy noises back and says “I love you too. Don’t stay out too late. Matter of fact I’ll meet you there since me and Harris have a date anyways. See you there.” You hang up feeling emotional as you hug Mr. Harris.

Mr. Harris pats you on the back saying “Didn’t I tell you she’s very proud. Now I think you need to catch up with your friends before he leaves without you. I’ll meet you at the carnival.” Mr. Harris leaves the classroom giving you one last smile and heading out.

You walked in the hallway looking all around the school for San, luckily you found him in the science lab where he’s sitting by the window with a sad look on his face.

“San. We’ve gotta meet up with everyone at the carnival. Why are you here by yourself?”

San sighs, crossing his arms.

“There’s no point in celebrating. I tried reaching out to both of my parents to tell them about one of the biggest accomplishments in my life and as usual, they didn’t answer.” You sat right next to him at the window petting his head. “You know what, how dare they? Forget them.

You have a supportive big brother, an amazing group of friends, and the best teacher a school could ever ask for. You have a family right here and we’re proud of you.”

San lifts his head up as he sees your bright smile that always makes him helpless.

“You always know exactly what to say. What would I do without you?”

He links pinkies with you. “I really can’t wait for you to meet my stepmom. She gets on my nerves sometimes and we always tend to bump heads, but we always come right back together. Dad would’ve also loved you. He was always straight to the point and never held back. I loved that confidence he always had.”

“Oh yeah he did get into that accident last year, I’m so sorry about that.”

You shake your head “It’s alright, I’m still holding up just fine. I’m just happy to have you here with me plus I get to be seniors with you and everyone else.” San looks up at you one last time slowly leaning his face close to yours until your noses touch.

“Gosh, I wonder what would happen if I made out with Y/N in the science lab? The janitor would for sure catch us in the act.” You giggle flirting with him back.

“The only thing he would have to worry about cleaning up is the kiss marks that are going to be on your neck.”

“Wow, I didn’t know you were this playful. I love seeing this side of you.”

The two of you finally exchange a short yet sweet kiss in the orange sunset peeking against the window. It was going to last longer until Angela and Chris crashed the party with a loud knock on the door.

“Hurry up Freddy and Daphne the Scooby gang has to pull up at the carnival together. You guys can finish eating each other's faces off in the car. We can’t miss the flight of fear!”

The two of you looked at each other shrugging and walked together hand in hand out the classroom. “Well, I guess we will have to finish this on the carousel.” “Indeed, that sounds more romantic than making out while being surrounded by jars of disinfected frogs in the science lab.”

The two of you catch up with the rest of the seniors of class 2021 as you look forward to your last summer as juniors together. Today was going to be the day where you go all out and live like you're gonna die young.

[pinkbubbles-and-bigtroubles]

Electricity

A bit of light m/m Malumy goodness to get you through the weekend. Let me know what you think

"I'm bored, can I come by?"

Michael grinned at the text message from Calum. Jinx would be back tomorrow so he'd spent the last couple days getting the house cleaned up and finishing all of the laundry. She'd been gone for a week, and he was missing her and wanting more to do than play video games and munch on pizza rolls she'd never allow in her house. He could use the company and he knew Calum had been in a foul mood lately because he and his girlfriend Kitten had been having difficulty getting time together since they'd all gotten back from Australia. 

Michael couldn't help but feel a little smug. Luke and Calum liked to tease him and Ashton about being wifed up, but Michael wouldn't trade Jinx for anything in this world. They'd celebrated a year together a few months ago, just before he left for a benefit concert in Australia and her to the UK for a photoshoot. Calum was restless and unsettled about the status of his relationship, while Michael was eagerly awaiting the return of his girlfriend and the bagful of British crisps and candy she'd promised to bring him. 

As if she knew he was thinking about her, Jinx called him on FaceTime.

"Hey babe," she chirped, smiling brightly at him.  "Wanted to check in before I went to bed. How's everything? You haven't managed to burn the house down yet. That's a good sign." 

"The house is just fine. It misses you almost as much as we do." 

"Let's cut to the chase Clifford, where are my babies?" 

"Ana is right here with me," Michael held the phone up so Jinx could see their Yorkie, Anastasia. 

"Daddy's girl, are you being spoiled rotten getting him all to yourself?" The little dog barked and turned away from the camera, resting her head on Michael's thigh. "You're such a cheeky little bitch Stash," Jinx laughed. "Where are my boys?" 

Michael whistled, and two large Labradors came thundering into the room. When they saw Jinx on the phone they began dancing around and barking furiously. Michael held the phone up so she could say goodnight to first Jett and then Brooks, their oldest, with a reminder to "watch over his brother and sister, and help Dad out around the house." 

After she'd talked to the dogs Michael had her attention once more. "I can't wait to see you tomorrow, my love," Michael sighed. "I've really missed you." 

"I bought you a Fleshlight for that you know?" 

"Oh yeah, in that case maybe you could stay a few more days?" 

"Watch it now," Jinx laughed.

"Calum is coming over in a bit," he told her.

"Oooh, now I am sorry I'm going to miss that. The two of you are a riot especially when you've got a few drinks in you." She smirked at him, letting her mind wander.

"I don't think he's coming over to get laid babe. He's having issues with his girlfriend." 

"That's because Calum doesn't know what he wants and he likes bratty women. He's just looking for an excuse to break up with Kitten so he can go off with Miss and do whatever it is those two miscreants get up to." 

"One of these days I'll get him to crack, but Miss just got a new girlfriend so she's disappeared again. We're having Luke and Lola over for dinner this weekend, she'd know better than I would." 

"I'm glad they're coming over. I want Lola to feel welcomed into the family. Luke's been such a smitten kitten since he met her. I really think they're in for the long haul. That just leaves Calum to get himself sorted." 

There was a knock at the door. "Speak of the devil," Michael chuckled, picking up Stash and heading to the front door to let Calum in. 

"Hey handsome," Jinx called out when she saw him on screen.

"Hey gorgeous," Calum pushed Michael out of the frame. "I really came over to see you and the dogs but you've run off so I guess this guy will have to do." 

"Ooh, that sounds fun. What are you gonna have him do?" Jinx teased and Calum blushed and the suggestive tone to her voice. 

"I didn't realize it was gonna be that kind of night. I feel like a lamb to the slaughter, you devious perverts," Calum laughed.

"Well it wasn't my intention, but you know how she gets around you." Michael wiggled his eyebrows, giving Calum a nudge with his hips. 

"I did nothing. I have to get some sleep so I can fly home tomorrow. Feel free to spend the night Cal. You boys have fun, and if you can't be good, send pictures." 

"Get some rest, my love," Michael made kissy faces at the phone. "Can't wait to see you tomorrow."

"Love you, babe," she blew him a kiss.

"Love you more," he replied before hitting End Call. 

"You two are so gross," Calum made a disgusted face, giving Stash chin scratches. 

"You know you're jealous because I have the best girlfriend." Michael stuck out his tongue, blowing a raspberry at Calum.

"Nope, no comment there," Cal backed up holding his hands up in surrender. "There's no way I'm siding with Jinx or Honey." 

He shrugged, "Fair enough. I know Honey is your other side chick." 

"I do not have side chicks," Cal grumbled, rubbing his face wearily. 

"You're right because Miss fucked off again. Ever gonna give that one a go?" 

"It's not like that. I've told you, it's complicated." Calum pointed to the fridge and looked at Michael who nodded. Cal grabbed a White Claw for each of them, tossing one to his friend before pulling the tab. "It sounds stupid when I try to explain it so I don't." 

"What's going on with Kitten then? I know she's not complicated," Michael joked, earning him half a smile from Calum. 

"Nah, definitely not, but she's being a brat right now. I think she's gotten into someone at work and is trying to decide if she wants to stay with me or sleep with them." 

"Doesn't that make you jealous?"

"I mean yeah, but her instability is part of her charm," Calum cracked himself up with that one. "You know how much I adore Kitten, but we just can't be around each other sometimes. I also think she is a little miffed our relationship isn't as close as Ash and Honey." 

"They've been together over two years, longer than Jinx and I.  What does she expect?" 

"Right, I'm not ready to go public with a relationship when we've only been together for six months. Has the Mrs ever pushed you about going public?" 

"Are you kidding? Neither of us is ready for that. You saw the way they went after Honey when the news broke, and she's white. If we ever get married I suppose it'll come out then." 

"Why are music and women the only things we ever talk about anymore?" Calum mused.

"That's all we've ever talked about, mate. Now come on before the boys break down the gate trying to see their Uncle Cal." 

Calum's face lit up as he hopped the baby gate that kept the big dogs out of the front part of the house. Michael settled the Yorkie on the couch next to him while Calum got down the floor to wrestle with the brown and black Labs. Calum joined him on the couch about twenty minutes later sweating and breathing heavily. 

"I swear you come over here more for my dogs than for me," Michael pretended to pout. 

"I've never pretended otherwise," Calum reminded him before taking a long drink. He landed a smacking kiss on Michael's cheek before picking up his controller. "I wanna be Bowser. Do you have any liquor? I feel like taking a shot." 

Michael could tell Calum was antsy; he was squirming in his seat and jiggling his leg. His eyes caught a tiny flash of light drawing his attention to the small gold necklace resting at the base of Calum's throat. His shirt was open enough that Michael could see black ink on tan skin as the first three letters of "choose life" came into focus. He let his gaze trail back up Calum's neck allowing himself to remember how his skin felt against Michael's lips. Calum cleared his throat and Michael looked up meeting a pair of mischievous dark brown eyes. 

"Shots?" Calum asked again, smirking at him. 

"Are you sure?" Michael challenged, standing up looking at Cal. "One, you already play like shit." 

"Fuck you," Calum shot back but he was grinning.

"Exactly, remember what happened last time? You always act like I'm the one who starts it," Michael watched Calum's tongue dart across his bottom lip as he smiled up at him. 

"Tequila if you've got it, por favor," Calum replied. 

*******

"Cheating bastard," Calum leapt up, a bit unsteadily sending the pizza box, empty except a few half-eaten crusts flying. "You beat me six times in a row and when I finally get ahead you pull some sneaky shit." Calum was red faced, and Michael couldn't help but giggle even though he knew it wouldn't help the situation. 

"It was a green shell," Michael protested. "Those aren't even hard to dodge if you're not terrible at this game." 

"Piss off," Calum grumbled. He stood up and picked up his mess along with several now empty cans of White Claw and headed towards the kitchen. 

Michael sighed knowing Calum was overreacting in part because he was stressed, but also that Calum sometimes threw tantrums to get what he wanted. He found Calum in the kitchen standing at the sink with his back towards him. Michael came up behind him pressing against his back his lips next to Calum's ear. 

"Don't be like that," he whispered, making Cal shiver at the heat of his breath so close to his skin. Michael squeezed Cal's shoulders, his fingers slid down, feeling the muscles in his arms relaxing under the familiar touch. Michael nibbled on Cal's ear making him exhale in a rush of air before placing a soft sucking kiss on his neck that he knew would raise a tiny bruise on the bronzed skin. His teeth scraped across the spot making Calum let out an almost inaudible moan. Michael let his teeth sink in deeper, nipping harder this time earning him a gasp as Cal began to push back against his body. 

"It's not that easy," Calum protested weakly. 

"Don't bullshit me," Michael scoffed, letting go of Calum's arms, one hand reaching down to his hip and the other slipping around his waist to palm Calum's semi erection. "It's always been this easy hasn't it, mate?" Michael murmured against Calum's heated flesh, his fingers digging into Calum's hips to stop them from grinding back against his cock. "You've always given in so easily." 

Calum moaned as Michael squeezed his cock. He could feel Michael pressing against his ass making Calum's stomach flutter in expectation. 

"Please," he whined, ducking his head as Michael landed another kiss to his throat. 

"You're always so easy Cal, so needy. You get cranky when you don't get attention." 

Calum pushed back against Michael and spun around so they were face to face. They locked gazes and he saw the surrender in Calum's eyes before their lips met, his tongue parting Cal's soft full lips. His hands cupped the younger man's jaw pulling him in to deepen the kiss. Calum's hands slid up Michael's chest clutching the other man's t-shirt. He pushed Calum's thighs open with his own feeling Cal's arousal brushing against his own. 

Michael pulled back and began tugging at Calum's belt. "Off," he grunted as Calum set his phone on the counter before dropping his jeans to the floor. His dick was throbbing against his blue Calvin Klein boxer briefs, a wet stain growing as Michael squeezed Calum's length through the fabric. Kneeling in front of Calum he ran his tongue along the small trail of dark hair beneath his belly button before hooking his fingers under the waistband of Calum's underwear and easing them down over his hips. Michael ducked his head a bit to the right to avoid Calum's cock as it sprung free, twitching against the slight swell of his belly. 

"Do you have any idea how sexy you look right now?" Michael asked him, dragging the tip of his tongue up Calum's shaft, teasing him with the slight contact. 

"Please Mikey," he begged, brushing Michael's hair out of his green eyes. "You know how I like it." Calum braced himself against the sink. His hands gripping the ledge before he threw his head back, mouth hanging open in pleasure as he felt the warm sucking wetness engulf the sensitive tip. 

Michael was startled by a sudden flash of light and the sound of a camera shutter. He pulled back causing a whine from the back of Calum's throat at the loss of contact. He looked up to see Calum with his phone in his hand. 

"What the fuck?" He started to stand up but Cal stopped him by placing his hand on Michael's shoulder. 

"‘If you can't be good, send pictures’, right?" Calum reminded him. 

Michael responded with a wicked grin before taking Calum back in his mouth making sure to look into the camera. He hummed as he went down damn near causing Calum to drop his phone. 

"Fucking hell mate," Calum moaned, taking another picture before hitting send and setting his phone to the side.  His spine tingled as Michael wrapped his hand around his cock, calloused fingers tracing the veins on the underside of his shaft. Michael took him all the way down allowing Calum to fuck his face, keeping a slow steady rhythm. He braced one hand against Calum's thigh as he reached down and squeezed the bulge forming in his own shorts. 

Michael pulled back for air. "You're so cute when you get angry. It gets me every time, and I swear you know it." 

"You piss me off on purpose." Calum bucked his hips as Michael flicked his tongue along the ridge.  "You're gonna make me cum if you keep doing that." 

"That's the fucking point. Video it so Jinx can see you cum, I'm only doing this for her." 

"Fuck you," Calum grunted as Michael bobbed his head working his cock down his throat. "Shit Mikey, keep doing that." He rose up on his toes as Michael pressed his nose to the slight swell of Calum's belly, inhaling the other man's smoky, musky scent before exhaling and scorching Cal's already flushed skin before pulling back. 

"You won't be talking like that when I've got you bent over later," Michael winked up at him before using his mouth and his hands on Calum's cock. He could feel it twitching and filling against his tongue, and he hummed in anticipation of Calum's orgasm. 

Calum grabbed the phone and watched Michael sucking him off. He didn't hold back, allowing the moans to slip out as the pace increased. He felt his climax building and struggled to hold the phone steady. Calum tried to hold back, to prolong the pleasure through denying himself, but Michael wouldn't let him. Years of practice allowed him to read Calum's signals, and Michael loved nothing more than the sounds his partner made when he made them cum. Calum was always so vocal. Michael thought he might cum in his pants listening to the grunts coming from his lips. Michael gave his dick another squeeze, he was so hard, he needed release, but it would take time to get Calum prepped for what they both wanted. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud groan from Calum as he rocked his hips into his mouth. Michael felt him twitch before he found his release. He struggled to swallow it all as Calum erupted down his throat. Tears pricked his eyes as he gagged slightly while he allowed Calum to fuck his face through his orgasm. 

 As soon as he'd milked Calum dry, he pulled back and stood up, wiping his sticky chin before crashing his lips into Calum's. Tasting his own salty sweetness on Michael's tongue, Cal felt the other man's desire pressing against his thigh, and he knew what was coming. 

Michael pulled back from the kiss, his hand sliding into Calum's shirt to twist the silver barbell that adorned how dark rosy nipples. He smiled when Cal flinched slightly. "On your knees Hood," Michael growled, “show me how you say ‘thank you.’" 

Calum knelt eagerly, smirking up at him as Michael pulled his cock out, stroking it slowly. Calum unbuttoned his shirt and threw it to the side. Bringing his hands up to toy with his piercings, Cal licked his lips.

 "Gonna paint me?" He asked with a smirk.

Michael grabbed the phone and made sure it was recording before he began jerking himself faster. He knew it would be quick, with Calum's taste still in his mouth he was so worked up. When Calum stuck his tongue out eagerly, it sent Michael over the edge, his bracelets rattling as he pumped himself furiously. Calum felt the hot liquid first on his cheek and chin before Michael aimed for his chest covering the black ink of Cal's silver fern tattoo and Roman numerals with his hot white cum. 

Michael ended the video and fumbled to hit send. Jinx would wake up to that now. It would be a long flight for her, Michael thought to himself, putting his dick away and grabbing a towel so Calum could wipe himself off. 

  As Calum cleaned up, Michael cleaned up any mess before washing his hands and throwing what was left of the two pizzas they'd ordered in the oven to reheat. Calum grabbed a glass, filled it and downed it in two gulps. He repeated that twice and Michael walked over to check on him.

"Hey man, you good?" He came up behind Calum wrapping his arms around his chest and kissing his cheek.

"Yeah, just thirsty. That was amazing. Missed that," Calum replied. 

"Let's eat then we'll go take a shower and get ready for me to fuck you." 

"I love when you feel like being a top," he sighed, wiggling his butt back against Michael's crotch.

"Careful or we'll skip the food," Michael growled and they both laughed.

@sexgodashton​ @kiiiimberlyriiiicker1995​ @maluminspace​ @irwinkitten​ @wildmichaelflower​ @ghostofmashton​ @kchillout​ @calteahood​ @sublimehood​ @5-secondsofcolor​ @h0tsos​

[maygodblessyourlife]

Son of batman

Robin/Damian's POV

I was at the roof of the titan's tower, looking at the beautiful sunrise. I love the sunrise. I started to think about my past life, it's been a while since I joined the titans and approximately three months since we defeated Trigon.  When I first came here I thought this place was gonna be hell, and well it is actually. I can always see how everyone here judges me for how I am but they don't know why I am the way that I am. I am the son of Batman, I am the son of Talia Al Ghul, and finally, I am the grandson of the of Ra's al Ghul. I was trained to be a master assassin, I was destined to rule the world along with my mother and grandfather. I killed so many people, I have so much blood in my hands. I slaughtered so many people. when I lived over there, I was brought to the edge of death by my own grandfather. According to him, that would only make me tougher and stronger. The torture I endured only got worse if my grandfather didn't think I was good enough. My grandfather had made a contract with the devil himself, Trigon, that would explain some of the horrible things I saw in there. I was taught to never have emotions and if I did have them I was trained to turn those emotions into anger, so no matter what I felt my primary emotion would be anger. Then my grandfather died and I moved in with my father Batman, the dark knight. It was obvious that my father didn't think I had a heart. Everywhere I go everyone thinks that I'm dead inside. I'm pretty sure my dad wishes I was never born. The only one that's really ever understood me was Grayson. I will never say it out loud but I do consider him to be my brother but if someone ever asked me, I would normally tell them that Grayson was an unavoidable irritation. But then there's also raven. she's had a rough life like me so in a way we understand each other, but that doesn't mean we get along. I hated it when she went inside my head, I felt her prying into my entire life, it was not appreciated. Not to mention that sometimes she would unexpectedly read my mind or feel my emotions. During training she did it and I left angry. right now I was on my way to her room to tell her to stop messing with my mind. while I was on my way I was thinking again. I Betrayed the league of assassins, and the final straw was when I killed my own grandfather in order to save raven. So who am I? Am I robin? am I Damian Wayne? Am I Damian Al Ghul?

Finally, I reached the raven's room and knocked, there was no reply so I knocked even harder. I swear that if she didn't open the door I was gonna take it down and burst into her room. everyone knew that raven didn't like it when someone entered her room, but I couldn't care less. As I was about to knock the door down she opened it.

What do you want Damian? she said in her normal calm tone. I want you to stay out of my head I said angrily. this wasn't the first time we've had this argument.

I hate it when you do that.  Damian, I've already told you that it's not my fault! I can't control it, when I healed after your fight with blue Beatle I accidentally created a bond between us! I don't know how to undo it nor control it. Believe me, If I could I would have done it a long time ago!

I got even angrier when she said that. Well, find a way to UNDO IT!  I can keep you out of my mind most of the time but sometimes it doesn't work, the worst part is that sometimes I see your memories too.  

Last I checked you weren't the leader Damian, Kori is.  LISTEN RAVEN! DONT MAKE ME DO SOMETHING I'LL REGRET, YOU BETTER FIND A WAY TO FIX IT.

Raven pov

How dare he, who does he think he is. if there were a way to break the bond I would but he doesn't seem to get that. he acts like he's the boss of me.

GO AWAY DAMIAN! if you're going shout at me for something that's not my fault I suggest you leave me alone. I then slammed the door of his face. I could feel the anger radiating off of him. But I didn't care, I decided to cal down and read a good book.

a few hours later.

ravens pov

It was getting late, but honestly, I wasn't tired. I tried to concentrate on the book I was reading but I couldn't then thoughts and memories came rushing me and I started remembering my life before I joined the titans. I was a half-human half-demon hybrid. I was born in a beautiful place called Azarath but I didn't fit in, I was always different I was the outcast the shadow, no one cared. Despite all that I loved Azarath, and most importantly I loved my mother. But it's because of me that she's dead it's because of me that everyone there died. it was because of my foolishness that Azarath paid the price. Then my father took me to his hellish universe, I will never forget the things I saw there. All those people being tortured the screams the horror, the blood! Everyone here accepts me but they still think I'm creepy but I'm not creepy I'm just different. No one here seems to get that except for Dick, Kory, and Damian. That's right when I can tell that Damian doesn't judge but sometimes he does but only because he doesn't know much about, I sure that underneath all that he's a kind and generous soul. sometimes I can feel his emotions but it's hard it's like even if he's felling an emotion other then anger, HE IS STILL "sigh" angry it's like he transforms all of his emotions into anger. I remember when smiled infant of me for the first time I could feel he was happy but that happiness had an outer shell of anger. I don't know how he does it but the times I do want to read his mind he blocks me. he puts on a wall, some sort of barrier between my mind and his and no one has ever been able to do that. Kori is like an older sister to me, she's always been there for me, she's the one who found me and convinced dick to take me in.she's good at giving advice and she never forces me to tell her anything. Dick has also been so nice to me I can't believe he's Damian's brother. He's so pure happy and everything that Damian isn't. I remember the first time I met my teammate Garfield, it wasn't that good. He saw how sad I looked and he hugged me I then blasted him across the room. I DID NOT SAY YOU COULD TOUCH ME, I DIDNT GIVE CONSENT. After that, he never hugged me again. Jaime came a few months after I joined he was shy at first but easily became best friends with Garfield but he doesn't like me at all he's always saying bad things about me he thinks I don't know but I do. after a while, I felt tired and I went to sleep.

[cal-puddies]

talking to calum about anything and everything, and you two debate about your opinions sbakcnd

You hop on the counter in Cal’s kitchen. He immediately hands you a cup of coffee.

“It’s 10 o clock at night Cal.” You laugh.

He leans over to you and kisses you, “I know, I missed you though… and we have some catching up to do.” His lips press to your nose and then he rests his hand on your thigh as he rests against the counter next to you. “Tell me about your classes, everything going ok?” He asks.

“Yeah, I got accepted into a couple masters programs so I need to decide where I want to go.” You mention.

“And where are these taking you?” There’s a tone. He doesn’t love that you only applied to programs away from him, and not just in Northern California but in other states through out the country.

“Tennessee, Illinois, Maryland.” You list.

“You wanna get away from me that bad.” He sighs.

“Calum… no.” You shake your head and sip the coffee.

“Our relationship is hard enough… and you wanna move across the country from me, it’ll be even harder to see you.” He looks over at you, sipping his coffee.

You set your coffee down and hold out your arms. “C’mere Cal.” He fits himself against you and his arms go loosely around your waist, and he rests his head on your shoulder, his lips press to the side of your neck. “Hear me out, ok?” He nods. “I’ve lived my whole life here, in this city. I have barely ever travelled out of this state, other than to see you. You travel all over the world for your job. I just want to expand my horizons.” You explain.

“When you put it like that…” He groans. “I want you to have the life you want. If that takes you away from me then I have to let you have it.”

“You’ll just have to visit me somewhere else.” You shrug.

“Where are you gonna live? Can I at least help you pay for someplace by yourself? And you can keep Duke while I’m gone?” He asks.

You rub your hands across his shoulders. “We can talk about it, once I figure out where I’m going.” You mention.

“What makes you nervous about me helping you?” He asks, pulling his face out of your neck so he can look at you, because he knows. He knows how you are about this.

“Well… what if something happens and we break up, and I’m in this place I can’t afford without you, and then I’m screwed.” You wrap your arms around his neck.

“Barring a cheating scandal, I don’t see a reason for us to break up that I’d leave you high and dry in that situation babe.” He explains.

“You say that, but breakups make people spiteful.” You pull your hands forward and rest them on the sides of his neck, your thumbs caress his cheeks.

“You know… I’ve seen that. But I believe you and I are more bonded than that. You’re the first woman I’ve needed to have a real relationship with. And I love your brain.” He holds your cheeks and pushes his lips to your forehead. “Go wherever you need to go, I’ll be wherever I need to be to see you. And we’ll work out the apartment thing.”

“Calum…” you start.

“That’s the end of that discussion, grab your coffee, let’s go sit in bed and I’ll tell you about tour.” He grabs your hand, and waits for you to jump off the counter, grabbing your coffee.

Things were even with you and Cal and it was something you loved. You didn’t rely on him for anything other than his companionship, and he was always a great debate partner, you could talk to him about anything and often went to him when you’re working through a paper because he could easily play devils advocate for you.

“You know I like you a lot, right?” You ask quietly as the two of you walk into his room.

“I’ll accept that.” He smiles. “I was just thinking about how much I love you… and it’s not up for debate.” He laughs.

masterlist || ashton || calum || luke || michael

[folkstudies]

College Personalities Masterpost

[This is supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, and I get that everyone will have a different opinion. No offense intended!]

***

Universities

Harvard: The Stanford of the East. They go to Harvard, sweaty :))), and will make sure you know it. Senator’s sons: brash, smart, and never loved enough as children. Marxists who will graduate only to become CEOs. High School Salutatorians.

Yale: Power gays and hyperfocused law students. Secret societies, a housing system like Hogwarts’s, and a fistful of adderall in every pocket. High School Valedictorians.

Dartmouth: Frat guys, athletic stoners, and upper middle class mountaineers. Imagine a Penn student who spends their summer semester at Brown, vaping their way through business school.

Penn: Future opioid abusing bankers, who party hard but have enough connections to compensate for their academic performance. Like Dartmouth but not as chill; like Princeton but not as prissy.

Brown: They would have went to Berkeley, but Mother insisted on an Ivy. Blue hair, red flannel, white skin. They’ve got universal pass fail but it’s taboo to take advantage of the system. The creative version of every subject–their CompSci students go to Pixar and their Biomed students go to Calico.

Cornell: Engineers from old money families and Conrad Hilton fanboys. Are they depressed because they live in Ithaca or because of their crushing workloads? Teenage Kurt Vonneguts. Wealthy, but it’s not always obvious.

Columbia: In a one sided dick measuring contest with Yale. Heavy workloads, heavy drinking. Erudite, ambitious (and they know it). The angel to NYU’s devil. A fast track to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

Princeton: Secretly thinks Harvard is for the impoverished. Eating clubs. Well developed Econ and Math departments, but UChicago is catching up. Great undergraduate teaching, especially if you fit in with the culture.

Stanford: They’d have gone to Harvard, but California is the closest thing Earth’s got to Eden and Massachusetts is…clammy. Massive startup culture. Duck syndrome and stress culture. Elitist, especially about class and status, but somehow gets a pass.

Caltech: “Hey MIT, we’re you but stronger.” Pretends that test scores trump all other metrics of success, because they’re *Number One at the SAT, baby.* Something of a male dominated culture, lighthearted.

MIT: Robotics, engineering, business, and math. 90s computer nerd aesthetic but in an ironic way. Sunlight averse. 1) study hard 2) ??? 3) profit

Duke: Beautifully gothic. Has successfully implemented a caste system, albeit informally. Intelligent, southern socialites. United by basketball, divided by highschool-esque cliques.

UChicago: Will fight the Ivies on sight. Very good at Econ and Law with an intense classical “core” curriculum. Have your weekly panic attack in a stunning glass egg-inspired library. “If you study hard enough you can become God.”

Vanderbilt: The scent of Tennessee honey in the trees. Frat culture. Los Angeles’s beauty standards, Mississippi’s snark.

Johns Hopkins: Students are required to duel you if you call it “John Hopkin’s.” People who have been premed since third grade. Academically intense without being prestige obsessed–I’d cautiously call it “well balanced.” They’re there to become doctors and medical researchers, period.

Berkeley: Study while a riot between Trump Supporters and Antifa rages outside. If Calculus III has you down and depressed, pick up a can of mace and assault somebody. Competes with Stanford, is the champion of Public Universities. Insanely expensive area to live in. Most students are too absorbed in their academics (read: 3.3 GPA CompSci qualifier) to worry about much else.

UMich: Berkeley but with snow. Ann Arbor is as good as college towns get, but has almost dangerous levels of school spirit. International students with $4k apartments and $850 winter coats. “Harvard waitlisted me but I’m not even mad.”

UCLA: Everyone is a former premed. Valley girls and the Asian students they make problematic comments about. Frat guys lost in a scary world where you can’t pass a midterm with a hangover. Cal’s politically stable cousin.

USC: “The University of Spoiled Children” still rings true sometimes, but not as much anymore. There are some seriously competitive academic programs hidden behind Los Angeles’s gauzy party culture. Loyal alumni.

WUSTL: Cooperative with a competitive biology program. Low school spirit, largely because their last star athlete graduated in 1943. Prominent STEM culture, but not exactly nerdy. A midwestern fusion of Brown and Columbia.

Carnegie Mellon: UPitt’s smaller, bourgeois sister. Cliquey nerds–a Drama student would rather die than speak with an Engineer, and visa versa. CompSci champions.

Northwestern: Nerdwestern and Northwasted. They went to private high schools and it’s obvious. Show up to your Art History final drunk on rosé. A version of UChicago where you won’t get mugged on campus.

UWash: Architecture designed by Athena herself. The premed children of Microsoft engineers. White boys wearing colored socks and Nike sandals. Washington rains endlessly with the tears of tormented Amazon employees.

Rice: A refreshing dose of New England in the depths of Texas. “Hmm, Rice? I’ve never heard of it!” Spanish architecture, conquistador vibes. You’ve got a fair chance of finding the library packed at 1am, depending on what week it is. The MIT of the South.

Penn State: Drinking school with a football problem. Parties harder than Miami U. Not really bothered that they get confused with UPenn. Mild frat culture.

Boston University: Rich girls and self centered frat bros. Hipsters and hipster engineers. Athletes in the CGS (“Crayons, Glue, and Scissors”) school. Wealthy slackers who will regale you with tales of Martha’s Vineyard over break.

UVA: Preppy but not on purpose. Public school snobs. Southern-ish and definitely conservative. DC kids with a seemingly endless flow of money from home. The wealthiest, whitest school that’s not called Harvard.

LACs

Williams: Oxford and Harvard’s laid back son. Amherst can suck a dick. The bourgeois version of outdoorsy. Sports culture despite not being in a major division.

Amherst: Prelaw or business. Pastel polos, party drugs, and a general Gilded Age aesthetic. General distaste for the hoi polloi.

Swarthmore: “Swatkward.” Highly academic atmosphere, no time for social skills. Beautiful leafy campus. UPenn students aren’t shit compared to us. Stress culture so intense it would make a UChicago student weep.

Tufts: Don’t ask us if we got denied at the Ivies. Friendly, midsize school that maintains the atmosphere of an LAC. Very good International Relations and Philosophy (Dr. Daniel Dennett!) programs.

Reed: Swarthmore but with a lot of LSD. Atheism, communism, and free love. No one here knows a goddamn thing about sex ed. Nuclear reactor that students can train to work at.

Grinnell: Brown’s midwestern cousin. Concrete, glass, and corn. Well developed STEM programs, especially for an LAC. Close knit community, extreme hookup culture. Quirky. Emphasis on writing skill. Gigantic per-student endowment.

Carleton: Trimester system that intensifies the academic culture. Cold winters, warm hearts. Parties more than a typical LAC but there’s still a sense of awkwardness. The smart version of eccentric. Mini Northwestern.

Bowdoin: Not a single person here has ever known a moment of hardship. Dining hall food that could earn a Michelin star. Rich, white, and cliquey. A pretty significant “old sport” culture. Everyone pays full tuition.

Pomona: Like a university packaged as an LAC. All the benefits of California, located next to the Greatest American City—Los Angeles. Large endowment, lots of opportunities. Flagship of the Claremont colleges. Mini Stanford.

Harvey Mudd: A tiny population of quirky engineers. The one true STEM LAC. Mini MIT. Male dominated, socially awkward, highly academic.

Middlebury: Bourgeoisie teenagers in the wilderness. Has a reputation for excellent language programs despite that fame stemming largely from summer specific programs. Quirky, in a reserved way. An amalgam of Dartmouth and Columbia.

Oberlin: What conservatives think liberals are like. A dot of blue in a sea of red. Theatre, music, and dance. “My parents are making me double major in Econ.”

[coneygoil]

“Moonlight Swim”, wir fic

Writer’s note: This fic has taken me soooooo long to finish. I started like a month ago, and have worked on it on and off since then. It was supposed to be for hero’s cuties week back in Nov...all I can say is life happens and a case of having trouble writing the last few months XD Anyways, my good friend Crafty asked for a prompt about Felix and Cal going for a swim in the Niceland lake. Here it is!

“I don’t know about this, Tammy. I’ve never taken a dip in the lake before.”

Tamora arched an eyebrow. “In over 30 years you’ve been plugged in, you’ve never once swam in this lake?”

The pool noodle in Felix’s hand drooped in his grip. “Not that I can recall.”

When his wife suggested they go swimming, he imagined cruising over to EZ Livin’ 2 and using the hotel pool there. The Niceland lake was the last place on his mind!

“Drop your tool belt, short stack,” Tamora retorted with a smirk, “we’re goin’ in.”

“What am I doing?” Felix wondered to himself as his jeans dropped to his ankles. Tamora was such a naughty influence on him. She was a grade A soldier, but boy howdy, that woman had a mischievous side.

He glanced over at Tamora, a blush automatically forming on his cheeks. Her long legs were absent of cargo pants, leaving barely anything left to the imagination – although, Felix could conjuring up a few things, which only made the poor handyman’s cheek glow like Christmas lights. Felix silently thanked the bush they were currently ducked behind.

Tamora shot a glance at him, one eye hidden behind her bangs. “Better get moving with unbuttoning that shirt,” she remarked before nonchalantly removing her black tank top.

Felix fumbled with the buttons, too distracted as Tamora adjusted her bikini bottoms. Finally, he managed to remove both his shirts. Tamora held her hand out, smirking, and they strolled to the lake, Tamora not hesitating towing him into the water.

Felix wasn’t quite sure what he expected when his feet hit the water. He clinched his teeth, but eased up when he realized the water was pleasantly warm. Tamora let go of his hand, wading out into the deeper part. She sunk down into the glassy blue like a graceful sea goddess, the water softly swaying around her.

“See, Fix-It? It’s not that bad.”

He had to admit, the water did feel good and the mud squishing under his feet made him want to giggle. “You were right, Tammy.”

“Damn straight.”

Felix swam out to her, and Tamora caught his outstretched hand, tugging him almost flush against her. A certain gleam shone from Tamora’s eye. “Do you know what skinny dipping is?”

“I-I“ he stuttered, a flash of heat attacking his cheeks thinking of the description, “heard of it.”

She leaned close to his ear, whispering, “Let’s do it.”

Felix gasped. Never in his life…“We can’t do that.”

“Sure we can. Now take it off, Fix-It.”

“Tammy-“

Before Felix could retort any further, he felt the absence of fabric on his bottom half and his hand drove to cover himself, despite the fact that he was in a lake…at night. “Tamora Jean!”

“Do you want to draw attention to us by yelling?”

Tamora pushed away, leaving Felix to expose himself to the depths below to tread water.

“Give those back,” he demanded.

She circled him like a predator circling prey, holding up his swim trunks. “Give this back? Catch!” Felix watched flabbergasted as his trunks went flying like a wet ball to shore.

Felix looked forlornly at the wadded up fabric on shore. Another wad splatted on the grass, and Felix spun around to find Tamora had joined him in baring it all. She gracefully glided toward him. “Quit having kittens, Felix, and enjoy a swim with your wife.”

Her lips soften into a coy smile that Felix couldn’t help but find enduring. He reached for her outstretched hands, trying to push away the fact that they were nude outside of the walls of their home. He placed a wet kiss to her knuckles. It always amazed him how her slender hands could pack such power.

The tender moment was interrupted by a splash of water right in his face. Felix watched Tamora through droplets dripping from his hair onto his nose and cheeks. She looked at him expectantly, daring him to retaliate. Another wave splashed him in the face, and that was all the motivation Felix needed.

An all-out water war began as the couple flung splash after splash in each other’s direction. It was harder for Felix to get in some good hits. Tamora’s long legs easily kept her above the surface, but he had to put in more effort keeping his head above water while his hands slapped the splashes at her.

Tamora disappeared under the surface, and Felix halted his assault, peering into the dark depths for any sign of her. He yelped as he was flung a few feet, gasping for air as he resurfaced. Felix wiped the water from his face, hearing his wife snickering close by.

He threw a playful glare her way. “Y’know, it’s fair that you have the advantage.”

Tamora clicked her tongue as she glided to him. “Awww, pint-size.” The term of endearment caused Felix to glare harder, making Tamora erupt in laughter. She ushered him to her, placing a deserved kiss on his nose. “Let’s call a truce and move on to play another game.”  

The heat in her words and hooded eyes told Felix exactly what games his wife insinuated. His cheeks burned at the idea, but Felix reckoned that they’d gotten this far, why not all the way. He giggled as Tamora’s fingers tickled his waist, and he leaned in for a kiss-

“What in blue blazes?!” exclaimed possibly the last person in the arcade Felix would have chosen to discover them.

A flashlight that felt more like a search spotlight beamed directly on them. Felix yelped in surprise, nearly slipping under the water if it weren’t for Tamora catching him.

“Felix!” there was an audible gasp from Gene as the beam pointed to the abandon bathing suits on shore, “are you two skinny dipping?!”

“Crawl back into your martini glass, Gene!” Tamora growled.

“I knew that she-devil was a bad influence!”

This was possibly the most mortifying experience Felix had ever been in. The fleeting thought of using his magic hammer to fix the situation crossed his mind. But as magic as the tool was, it couldn’t make embarrassment disappear. But a fire burned inside of Felix to protect Tamora’s honor as Gene spat out those harsh words.

He swam in front of Tamora, hoping he didn’t resemble a tomato. “This was my idea, Gene. I’ve always had a-” Felix cleared his throat, in all his life never thinking he’d have to say this, “hankering to skinny dip in the lake.”

Gene sputtered, appearing bewildered at the admission. He glared disappointment at the handyman before bidding them a curt good evening and shuffling away.

Arms hooked around Felix, the nice feeling of Tamora’s front pressed against his back. “You are one brave man to take on the mustache,” she whispered into his ear, knowing how hard it was to take up for her against Gene of all people.

The embarrassment began to fade at her admirable words. His back pressed into Tamora’s front as he took in a deep breath.

“Now that we’ve been found, do you want to get out?”

Felix touched Tamora’s arms that securely held him. As mortifying as being caught was, wanting to finish out their time swimming outweighed it. He looked back at his wife, smiling. “Let’s stay in just a little longer.”

[kindahoping4forever]

idk if i made this clear but,, i am the pegging anon😭😭😭 i’ve had two fics in like two DAYS🥵🥵🥵🥵 the devil works hard but galaxybrain works harder FUCK🥵😭~🍒

Buddy! Listen! @cal-puddies and I are forever indebted to your beautiful, filthy clown brain. The pegging prompt has had us DESTROYED for a month. And that more recent prompt just happened, I don't even remember us writing it 😂

We're so glad you like what we did with your ideas and you welcome in either (or both) of our inboxes anytime!

What's Mine Is Yours

Wanna Know That Body Like It's Mine

[buddyrabrahams]

Early favorite to win every major conference in college basketball

The turn of the calendars to a new year can mean only one thing for college basketball: Conference play is here!

The first two months of non-conference play can feel like the first quarter of a thoroughbred race. Jockeys move, shake, and jostle for positioning, but no mistake can truly cost a potential champion of their chance to win down the stretch. Teams from across the country play games that matter on their resumes but feature teams that will look and play differently than those we’ll be watching in March. True freshmen can look lost or unpolished. Veterans can dominate. Sleepy arenas in ignored holiday tournaments can lead to puzzling results.

Conference play, however, is here to save the day. Now we get to see packed student-sections (once all students return from winter break) and the rivalries we know and love. This is when college basketball hits its stride and we can really begin to assess every team on a familiar playing field.

Here, then, is the early front-runner for each power conference championship:

ACC – Duke

The Blue Devils are unquestionably the most talented team in the conference, but Duke’s schedule isn’t without its fair share of challenges. Coach K’s squad will play five road games against the KenPom Top 50, including three games against teams in the KenPom Top 10.

Virginia, though still undefeated this season, arguably has a tougher slate through conference play. The Cavaliers have six road games against top 50 competition still to come. Virginia and Duke are scheduled for a home-and-home that could provide the inside track to the regular season conference championship. Those two games will feature a radical clash in styles, with the Hoos forcing Duke to play at a slower pace. If Duke’s athletes are still able to force the issue in the halfcourt and use their speed and size to maximize their scoring chances, the Blue Devils can be successful against Virginia. If the Cavaliers can force RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson to settle for jump shots, they’ll have a tougher time in Charlottesville.

North Carolina will remain part of the race to the top of the conference as well if Coby White continues to play like an All-American. Of the three teams, Carolina has looked the most like a work in progress, but also sports the best win of any ACC club, as they handled Gonzaga fairly easily.

In the end, Duke’s top-level talent likely comes out on top. Even if they drop a game to UNC or UVA, the Blue Devils stars make them less susceptible to losing any other unexpected games in conference.

Big East – Marquette

For the first time in recent memory, the Big East is wide open. Even when Xavier has challenged Villanova in the last few seasons (and won the regular season crown last year), the Wildcats had distanced themselves from the middle of the pack. The third-place team in Big East play hasn’t finished within four games of the league leader since the conference realigned in 2013.

This season, there are no fewer than six teams capable of finishing the year atop the standings. Villanova has clearly taken a step back, but still is plenty capable of finding its way in time to win the conference. St. John’s is 13-1, having looked strong against a questionable non-conference schedule. Creighton, Butler, Xavier, and even DePaul will be competitive this season. Top to bottom, the league will feature great games all season long.

Marquette gets the nod as the early favorite thanks to the balance through its roster. The Hauser brothers make for a sturdy frontcourt, capable of controlling the glass. Theo John is a dominant rim protector off the bench for the Golden Eagles, while Joseph Chartouny adds a shooting touch on the outside.

Everything Marquette looks to accomplish, however, is driven by Markus Howard. The 5-foot-11 junior guard might be the best shooter in college basketball. He’s made 45 percent of the 500-plus long-range attempts in his college career, while missing just 22 of the 266 free throws he’s attempted. No player in the Big East can get hot as quickly as Howard, which he proved by scoring 40 points against Buffalo in the second half!

Even though Marquette lost its Big East opener at St. John’s, the Golden Eagles are best positioned to be the top seed at Madison Square Garden this March.

Big Ten – Michigan

It’s never easy to pick against Michigan State in the Big Ten, especially when this year’s Spartans have lost just twice, to Louisville in overtime and Kansas. It would take an elite team to not only challenge Sparty, but to have a leg up on Tom Izzo and company.

Down the road in Ann Arbor, Michigan is that kind of special elite team. Defensively, Michigan has been among the country’s best teams. The Wolverines are forcing opponents to score the 4th-highest percentage of points on 2-point baskets, while also allowing the 6th-worst shooting percentage inside the arc. Michigan funnels teams away from efficient scoring chances and right into difficult shots. It has worked like a charm, thanks in part to the teaching of de-facto defensive coordinator Luke Yaklich. Since his addition to the coaching staff last season, Michigan has leaped into the top tier of defensive scheming programs in college basketball.

Offensively, John Beilein once again has his players running a pitch perfect motion system. While playing a slow pace, the Wolverines have committed the fourth-fewest turnovers in the nation. No team but Michigan in college basketball has had the ball stolen on fewer than five percent of their possessions.

Without extraordinary star power or overwhelming athleticism, Michigan is outsmarting and outworking every opponent they meet on the court. They look like a contender for both the Big Ten crown and the national championship.

Big XII – Kansas

If you want to pick anyone but Kansas, go ahead. I’ve considered it in past years or gotten my hopes about other contenders. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me fourteen years in a row, well, welcome to Kansas’ dominance of the Big XII. The Jayhawks have at least shared the league title each of the last fourteen years, a stat you can’t avoid when watching any Kansas game. You hear less often that the Jayhawks haven’t even shared the title since 2013. This year would make six straight outright conference championships.

There’s certainly no reason to doubt that this is the Kansas team to let the streak die. Dedric Lawson has been a steady double-double machine. Devon Dotson is a joy to watch streak up and down the court. Udoka Azubuike is a monster in the paint. Lagerald Vick would like to have a word with me about me calling someone else the best shooter in college basketball a few paragraphs ago.

Even when five-star recruit Quentin Grimes got off to a slow start, Kansas was the clear favorite in the conference. Grimes was scoring just 7.4 points per game and shooting under 40 percent from the floor before Christmas. In Kansas’ last two games, the freshman has averaged 15 points per game and hasn’t missed a 2-point attempt.

Even though Texas Tech looks like an elite defensive team, if Grimes can get his game rolling, Kansas not only will win the conference, but will do so easily.

SEC – Tennessee

A team like the Vols loses a lot of cache when they fall from the ranks of the unbeaten. If Tennessee were still undefeated, they’d have a chance at the top spot in the polls and be atop the minds of everyone discussing the nation’s best. Even with one loss, they’ve become somewhat of an afterthought among teams ranked in the AP Top Ten. Their only loss to date came to Kansas, in overtime, in a game played in Kansas City.

Grant Williams has a real chance to repeat as SEC Player of the Year, and the rest of the Vols perfectly complement his game. Best of all, Tennessee is a hard-working team that will make any team fight for 40 minutes. Defending and battling the likes of Williams and Admiral Schofield wears teams down like a smashmouth running game in football. By late in the second half, the Vols punish tired teams around the rim.

Pac-12 – Arizona State

Earlier this week, this pick may have been debatable. Then we learned that Bol Bol would miss the rest of the season with an injury, severely damaging Oregon’s chances to challenge the Sun Devils.

Now the rest of the Pac-12 will chase Bobby Hurley’s squad like a roving pack of zombies after the conference had a dismal collective non-conference performance. UCLA grabbed the headlines with a four-game losing streak and by firing its coach, but the rest of the middle and back of the conference has been just as ugly. Arizona has four losses and narrowly avoided disaster in its last game before the holidays, beating UC Davis by just two at home.

Colorado lost back-to-back games to Indiana State and Hawaii. Oregon State lost to Kent State. Washington State has losses to Seattle, Montana State, New Mexico State (twice!), and Santa Clara. USC also lost to Santa Clara, Utah also lost to Hawaii, and Cal also lost to Seattle. For a power conference to have not just one-off losses to lowly programs, but multiple teams losing games to the same mediocre mid-majors, is embarrassing.

Collectively, the entire conference is just 5-26 versus the KenPom Top 50, and three of those wins are Arizona State’s. The other 11 schools have combined for a .074 winning percentage versus top 50 competition.

Touting Arizona State as the early favorite should have been more about the Sun Devils’ positive qualities, yet winning the Pac-12 this year looks like a low bar. If the Sun Devils can’t surge to a decisive lead in the standings, there will be no team in the league that will look capable of a run in March. That surge got a bit harder after Arizona State stumbled and lost to Utah at home to open conference play. If the Sun Devils can’t bounce back, the Pac-12 may be in serious danger of being a one-bid conference on Selection Sunday, for the first time since 1978 when the conference had just eight schools.

Shane McNichol covers college basketball and the NBA for Larry Brown Sports. He also blogs about basketball at Palestra Back and has contributed to Rush The Court, ESPN.com, and USA Today Sports Weekly. Follow him on Twitter @OnTheShaneTrain.

from Larry Brown Sports http://bit.ly/2Qn5T8H

[yahoo-the-dagger-blog]

Dillon Brooks' inextinguishable competitive fire has fueled Oregon's rise

As the rest of his teammates warm up before games, Oregon star Dillon Brooks typically retreats to a quiet corner of the locker room, plants himself in a chair and drapes a towel over his head.

Eyes closed and mind clear, Brooks spends the next few minutes getting into a game-ready mindset. It is here that he sheds the laid-back, soft-spoken temperament he exhibits off the court and morphs into college basketball’s notorious instigator.

“It’s the competitiveness I have that brings it out of me,” Brooks said. “When I’m off the court chilling or relaxing, I like to be very composed and calm. When the game starts, I’m so intense and so locked in that nothing can really deter me from what I want. If I acted like I do on the court all the time, people would think I was crazy.”

Striking the proper balance between playing with passion and knowing when to show restraint has been a career-long battle for Brooks. The fiercely competitive junior forward often walks a fine line between emotional and hotheaded, between intense and uncontrollable.

More often than not, Brooks’ attitude brings out the best in Oregon.

An insatiable work ethic and a competitive fire that cannot be doused have fueled his rise from unheralded recruit to Pac-12 player of the year. He sank last-second game-winning jumpers to beat UCLA and Cal this season and averaged more than 20 points the past two months, propelling Oregon to a share of the Pac-12 title and a berth in the Sweet 16.

Of course, Brooks has also gained notoriety a few times for less flattering reasons.

His showboating in the direction of Duke’s bench in last year’s Sweet 16 earned him a postgame scolding from Mike Krzyzewski. His theatrical, stumbling attempt to draw an offensive foul this season against Utah may be the most egregious flop of all time. His ejection for kicking a Washington State player in the groin could have been costly for his team, as could the technical for taunting he received in Oregon’s previous NCAA tournament game against Rhode Island.

The constant yammering and physical play can even get under his teammates’ skin in practice. There aren’t many players in the Oregon locker room who haven’t gone nose-to-nose with Brooks at some point the past few years.

“My freshman year, I was like, ‘This dude’s crazy,'” junior forward Jordan Bell said. “Off the floor, he’s really calm, cool and everyone loves him. On the floor, he’s just really intense and plays with a lot of passion. Some people take it the wrong way, but I’ve been around him for three years so I understand it.”

Those who have known Brooks longest insist he’s a lot tamer than he once was.

The first time Oregon assistant coach Mike Mennenga met Brooks, it was the Canada native’s competitiveness that made more of an impression than his talent.

Mennenga, then the co-director of a youth program in Toronto, was putting some kids through a drill called “bump and grind” in which they had to score at the rim despite heavy contact. Brooks, then a pudgy eighth grader, missed his first attempt at a layup when Mennenga bodychecked him, but he refused to quit.

“It was flat-out war,” Mennenga said. “I make him miss again, he gets the ball and from there, he was like the Tasmanian Devil. We were on the floor. We were scrapping. Eventually he scores the basket, mean mugs me and goes to the back of the line. I remember thinking I didn’t know how good that kid was going to be, but I knew he was wired differently.”

Dillon Brooks and Oregon can reach a second straight Elite Eight with a win over Michigan. (Getty Images)

Some of Brooks’ unusual aggression likely stemmed from a difficult childhood. During grade school, he often felt isolated from his peers because of a reading and writing disability. His mother urged him to channel his frustration toward basketball and other sports.

Early in Brooks’ career, wanting to win so badly hindered his development.

Sometimes he’d lose his temper when a coach yanked him out of the game instead of allowing him to make up for a mistake he’d made. Other times he’d erupt if a teammate didn’t properly run a play or if a borderline call went against him. He also often accumulated personal and technical fouls in a hurry by playing with needless aggression.

“He believed he could win every second, every play, every loose ball, every rebound, and when he didn’t, he wanted to fight double hard to get it the next time,” said Tony McIntyre, founder of the Toronto-based grassroots basketball program CIA Bounce. “When you’d sub him out after he missed a rebound or turned the ball over, he’d get mad because he wanted to prove that he could get it done. He wanted to prove that you needed to keep him on the floor.”

The outbursts initially baffled McIntyre since Brooks was such a relaxed, quiet kid away from basketball. Only after a lengthy chat between games at the prestigious Peach Jam tournament in South Carolina did McIntyre begin to better understand how to help Brooks.

“I kept Dillon in the hotel room with our coaching staff for hours just picking his brain,” McIntyre said. “‘What do you feel? What makes you get that burst of energy? What makes you want to snap at someone or take a dumb foul?’

“That conversation was all about coming to an understanding that when he felt that happening, he had to tell us. The very next day, the ball goes out of bounds, the ref makes a bad call and Dillon looks at the bench and says, ‘I’m kinda getting that feeling.’ We subbed him out for a second, let him calm down and then we subbed him right back in again.”

Learning to recognize when the anger was building within him was the critical step in Brooks’ development. At first he’d just ask to come out of a game until the storm of emotions dissipated. More recently he has often channeled his frustration into something positive like working harder defensively or on the glass.

Having mellow-tempered coaches like McIntyre and Oregon’s Dana Altman has also helped. They both have been savvy enough to realize dialing back Brooks’ emotions is more effective than riling him up further.

“That’s why Coach Altman has been such a great fit with him,” Mennenga said. “Coach is not a yeller, screamer, cusser. He’s not going to throw gas on the fire.”

If learning to better control his emotions has been one key to Brooks’ development, working to improve his body and his jump shot have been the others.

A healthier diet coupled with plenty of early-morning workouts have helped Brooks trim down to a sculpted 6-foot-7, 225 pounds, making it easier for him to guard smaller, quicker wings off the dribble. He also has spent hundreds of hours in the gym the past three years improving the consistency and range of his 3-point shot, meaning opposing defenders can no longer go underneath screens against him in an effort to prevent him from driving to the basket.

“I’m shooting it at a high rate and guys have to really play me tight,” said Brooks, now a 40.9 percent shooter from behind the arc. “If they play big, I’m going to either take them out to the 3-point line or take them to the rim. If they play small, I’m going to post them up. I feel like the game is much easier now.”

Exploiting mismatches will be especially important in Thursday’s Sweet 16 game against a Michigan team that typically plays two big men. Brooks will have a quickness advantage against 6-foot-10 D.J. Wilson whenever they are matched up against one-another.

When Brooks is alone in the Sprint Center locker room before the game with a towel draped over his face, you can bet he’ll be focused on winning that matchup. And if he does win it, you can also bet college basketball’s most notorious instigator will let Wilson and the Wolverines know about it.

“Hitting a shot and talking a little trash makes them want to guard you a little tighter or back off more than usual,” Brooks said. “Pretty soon I’m just playing with the defender. They get a little frustrated and get themselves out of their own game.”

– – – – – – –

Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @JeffEisenberg

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