#like look at what happened when ppl found out they were wrong about mike

[acerikus]

Why are there still people who KNOW it was confirmed a fan project still trying to hype up the UZ Inu stuff as genuine and acting like their hidden 'hints' are real lore 😭 I wanna go over some points as to why the arguments I've seen don't really hold up at this point.

Trying to get people excited about 'real' content despite it confirmed as not so isn't... A great idea. Yes, the undertale support email that got back and said it was fanmade wasn't Toby himself, but y'all realise he has people from fangamer who playtest his games, right? Plus they know him better than any of us could - they're gonna know when a giant dump of enough music to make up an entire chapter doesn't feel like it's truly his (or if they've heard any of his REAL tracks that world prove these aren't real, such as the genuine themes for Tenna or Toriel).

Yeah, there's lots of toby-ish parts about them but... Some of y'all really need to listen to more utdr fangame osts and fan music/fan music edits in general. People are VERY good at this. Y'all can explain to me why Jockington's theme would make canon sense to contain Ghost Fight though, looking forward to that explanation.

U.Z. Inu being an actual psuedonym he's used in the past proves nothing either - have y'all never heard of the countless fake Toby Fox accounts across a ton of different social media? They just chose a more vague one - most likely bc this is SoundCloud and they'd rather not mislead people THAT badly since Toby himself shares his stuff there and they don't wanna get in trouble or make things difficult for him.

The other argument I've seen is that 'He probably just really wants to share his music! He's been waiting so long!' this man has the patience of a saint. He hid every scrap of deltarune from us for YEARS - and besides, he showed us new music on the ut anniversary and the sweepstakes anyway - more than I expected tbh! He'd have no reason to 'leak' that much music, and ESPECIALLY not to toss out random lore hints with it. Again, that's what the sweepstakes were for. I'd say the closest thing to this he really did was the deltarune website in 2017 - but that was a single page with one sentence and no music. Again, this U.Z. Inu situation isn't his style.

Tldr; it's clearly a fan project, and that's okay! Nothing wrong with appreciating fan works for what they are - that's what fandom is about after all. Whoever's behind this deserves some appreciation for their work (bc it all sounds rad as hell!), and I hope they drop their social media for us to go check out once they've finished playing their little game.

[golbrocklovely]

I know u said ur over it but just wanted to add that i think the problem is Sam and not necessarily him being the bad guy but that certain people think because he and Colby are passive they can walk over them, and when they finally speak up (im guessing Sam does more than Colby since most seem to have issues with Sam) , instead of realizing where they went wrong they decide to act petty once more than one person shares the same feelings.

Mike at first said he did not have issues with Sam. Then after in two other lives he implied that he did and actually name dropped Colby when assuring people he was still cool with him. He said he has issues with someones B gf always intervening. Around the same time or perhaps a little later, Jake made some comments regarding not being allowed to do certain productions but being forced to be in someone else’s (Some thought he meant kats mv). Then spoke about how excited he was to be getting his own space so he could do what he wanted without worry.

I know the whole Devyn podcast stuff happened, i found it odd that if there was such an issue with snc, why on earth was she at their house not once but twice and seemed to only stick to Cassie and Coreys friends when he was no longer living there. Corey also complained bout rules and not being able to do stuff on tiktok live.

Basically, Jake and Corey forgot this wasn’t just a roommate situation and forgot their friends were now their landlords. I mean we cant forget Coreys constant traveling and bringing people over in 2020, and Colby expressing concern to Sam in a live about covid and not knowing these people. I just wonder how the sitch is living with Elton cause that man was way more strict.

i can definitely see that.

i think regardless of what happened, it just seems like (from me, an outsider that doesn't know everything) that what happened between them all could have been solved if they would have just talked things out.

my whole thing is, again, is that them all awkwardly ignoring each other's existences as if they didn't all use each other for clickbait less than 2 years ago is hilarious to me. like, you can at least look civil. bc if it was really that big of an issue, and not just some dumb drama that most likely happened, you would have told the fanbase or word would have gotten out that X person is a dick for what they did to Y.

and while i love colby, the only reason no one has a problem with him is bc he won't call out someone's shitty behavior unless it directly effects him (or they offend him personally). sam is probably the first to call out someone's bs and that's why it seems like a lot of ex friends have a problem with him.

or maybe he's a dick sksks jk

the jake and corey stuff is interesting to me only bc they all seemed so close and then all of sudden not. there has to be more to it then what it seems like on the surface. my only thing is, the amount of shenangians that snc let jake and corey do in that house but then the moment they both move out they end up saying it's just so much better to be able to do what they want in their own places… lol okay

while i would love for all of them to be friends again, if they're all gonna get upset over petty shit and not talk it out, then good riddance on all their parts. don't be friends with ppl you can barely tolerate lmao

[willowistic22]

I saw that your requests are open so I was wondering if you might have any ideas as far as jomike and/or newsbians maybe with the group playing truth or dare.

I’m sorry this took so long hehehehe. it’s also fairly longer than my other requests (and i mean it this time) so uhh... oops? I am also trying to work on those other requests ppl don’t worry i didn’t forget them! Anyways, unpopular opinion: brotp jojo and kath pls let that sink in :) mentions of alcohol btw but it’s just them drinking and having fun and that’s abt it (i’ll still put a tw in the tags just in case) 

send in some requests!! Or not i’m not the boss of you lol

It sucks sharing an apartment with two other people and being the only single one out of the bunch. At times his roommates would schedule a date night on the same night, which would leave Jo Jo all alone. It has happened more than once, believe it or not. Well, Jo Jo isn’t exactly salty. He’s fine being single. What he doesn’t like with his situation is the part where he’s left behind in their empty apartment. 

These are one of those nights. But Jo Jo pushes through the lonely feeling and searches for company. It’s a good thing his good friends, Kathrine and Davey lives just a floor below him. They usually have movie nights together and wouldn’t mind with another friend crashing in. 

Jo Jo passes a few doors before he arrives at his destination. He knocks on the door, fully expecting Davey to be answering the door. If it’s movie night, he’s sure Kathrine is wrapped up in a blanket on the couch with no desire of moving a muscle. 

The door was answered, but not with who he initially expected. The other Jacobs sibling, Sarah, who just so happens to be Kathrine’s girlfriend. The optimism nearly fell off of Jo Jo’s face but he quickly picked it up to avoid giving the wrong impression. 

“Sarah! I didn’t know you were here!” Jo Jo tried to cover up his disappointment. 

“Well, Davey’s out so Kath invited me to join her for movie night!” 

They didn’t turn away their lonely friend. Though, third wheeling a couple was not what he was looking for. It just makes him feel more lonely. But the couch is big enough for the three of the to cuddle. The feeling of the fabric against Jo Jo’s skin is a little rough but the orange comfy cushions makes up for its roughness. 

Jo Jo bounces a bit on the couch before settling under the huge pink fluffy blanket with the couple. It’s big enough for Kathrine and Sarah to be cuddling on one side of the couch and let Jo Jo be an outcast on the other. 

He tries to ignore the fact that Kathrine has her head laid on top of Sarah’s chest. The occasional small kisses Sarah gives Kathrine and the butterflies from the pit of their stomachs they express through small giggles. The apartment is dark so the visual can be easily ignored by hyper focusing on the TV screen. Though, Jo Jo can’t shake away the feeling of its presence. 

The movie that Jo Jo can’t recognize, moved on to a passionate kissing scene. As if tormenting him with his two friends beside him is already doing the kissing themselves isn’t enough. He hadn’t realize he sighed out too loud when Kathrine sat up from where she was lying down. 

“Oh, Jo Jo, I’m so sorry! We didn’t mean to left you out of the cuddling!” 

Kathrine proceeds to shift closer to Jo Jo, wrapping her hands around his torso to give him an apology bear hug. Jo Jo didn’t turn it down and hugs her back, hearing Sarah giggling behind. 

They let go and moves a little to the center of the couch. Sarah shifts closer too so they can snuggle up with them and they concentrate back on the movie. The only things is, the movies sucks and is boring the hell out of them. 

“Why’d you even pick this movie in the first place?” Jo Jo asked after the two girls expressed their boredom. 

“I don’t know, I just picked a random movie hoping it isn’t bad” Kathrine confessed. 

“Okay... so now what?” Sarah asked the others. 

So there’s the new problem that emerged from the shadows as Kathrine turn the lights on and Jo Jo stops the movie. No other activity came to mind. Not even picking another movie since the girls already spent nearly an hour watching some lame movie. 

“I know!” Sarah suddenly chirped up after a few moments of silence. Kathrine and Jo Jo looked at her hopefully, “A game of truth or dare perhaps?” 

“I’m not interested in doing any dares right now” Jo Jo replied. 

“Then... let’s make it a game of truth or truth!” Sarah continued on. She shifts a little closer to the two but kept her gaze fixed on Jo Jo with a grin painting her face, “If you could date one of us, who would you date and why?” 

So it appears Jo Jo is up first. Not exactly sure when did they decided it though. He squints his eyes at the girl and tilts his head in confusion. 

“Ignoring the fact that we’re all gay here. Of course you wouldn’t date either of us but if you had to choose, who’d it be?” 

Since there isn’t anything else for them to do, Jo Jo plays along with this game of truth or truth. Half an hour asking others questions, real spicy ones too, they were having a blast in the end. 

Kathrine opens up the beer stash she and Davey keeps, but if they’re being real: Kath is the only one that really needs that stash. Sarah shares a bottle with Kathrine and Jo Jo passes the offer. 

“Tell me, Jo Jo: why are you still single?” it was Sarah’s turn again to ask Jo Jo a question. A fitting one as well, since the reason he came here is to not be lonely while his two roommates are out on their respective dates. 

He rolls his eyes before diverting them back to where the other two girls were, still sitting in the same position they were the whole time, “I just haven’t found the right one yet!” 

“So Mike’s not the ‘right one’ for you?” Kathrine plainly asked, as if it wasn’t suppose to be a secret he was keeping with a few other people. 

His eyes Kathrine down with silent rage. Sarah’s eyes widen and her jaws dropped to the floor. She was laughing breathlessly when she heard her friend having a crush on another friend she hadn’t expected. 

Jo Jo isn’t up to argue with her so he just slouches back in the couch with a pout and a loud sigh. Sarah’s laugh and Kathrine’s cheeky grin at him is infuriating. It’s quite hard to ignore it too since they’re both up on his face. God, he wishes he has the heart to punch the light out of them. 

The bullying only lasted for a minute or so. Sarah stops laughing as soon as she noticed the visible pout on his face. But she couldn’t hold back the grin. 

“Alright, alright, stop it you two!” Jo Jo said, before slouching again with his hands crossed. 

A few seconds of silence to wait for Sarah and Kathrine to come down from their high. Once Sarah caught up with her breath, though the excitement was still verbally there, she speaks up, “So how’s that going on?” 

“What?” Jo Jo gazed at her confused for a second. Not that he didn’t understand what it meant, but rather at the fact that she doesn’t understand the situation, “You think I’m the kind of guy that can make the first move?” 

As much as Jo Jo loves his friend, Sarah is out of her mind to think Jo Jo can make any form of progress. He doesn’t know what Mike’s reaction would be if he does. Hell, he wouldn’t even know where to start!

“I mean, easiest way to do it is by talking to him” Sarah added on, “You never know till you try!” 

“I wish this was truth or dare. I would’ve given you a dare to go talk to Mike right now” Kathrine commented. It’d be a very fitting dare since Mike lives with his twin brother Ike just a few doors down. Though, she’d expect Jo Jo to chicken out and switch to a truth. 

Regardless of the unfortunate circumstances, they keep playing. Sarah, being the only one who isn’t entirely in the know of Jo Jo’s crush, kept asking questions about it in between turns and sometimes she makes it her question to him. Kathrine already knows because Jo Jo often talks about it to her. 

If you ask him, Jo Jo doesn’t even know how he’d gotten his feelings tangled with his friend in the first place. It suddenly happened and it hasn’t left his system ever since. If he could, he’d do something about it. But Mike’s far out of his league, he’s sure of that. Plus he’s probably already busy with someone else. So what’s the point in trying? 

A knock on the door brought their laughter to a sudden stop. It couldn’t be Davey, since he’d already have the keys to enter his own apartment. As Kathrine recall, her roommate didn’t left his keys at home. Even if he did, he’d call Kathrine beforehand. 

The three observes the door quietly, bodies frozen in place and simultaneously thinking of the same thing. They exchange looks to each other before focusing back to the door. 

Jo Jo stands up from the couch and tip toes to the door. His movement are careful as he gets his hand closer to the doorknob. There was more knocks, since it’s left unanswered for quite some time, followed by a familiar voice calling from the other side with a familiar voice that makes his heart drop, “Davey? Kath? It’s Mike!” 

He could not have such bad timing than to come knocking on the door right now. What can be so important that the next morning couldn’t wait?  

Jo Jo twisted his head back to face the girls who are now smiling widely, visibly trying to hold back a laugh. They gestured him to go open door but Jo Jo refuses, frantically shaking his head with a look of horror behind his eyes. 

“Hello? You guys home?” Mike called out again with a few more knocks. 

Jo Jo starts to sweat. His legs glued to the floor, unable to escape his problem. Kathrine rolls his eyes with an annoyed sigh, getting up from her seat to get to the door. Jo Jo isn’t sure what she’s going to do but it was too late to stop her before she realizes she’s opening the door for him and proceeds to hide herself behind it. 

Mike froze for a moment, surprised to see the boy’s face, “Jo Jo? Wh-what’re you doing here?”

Jo Jo couldn’t answer quickly, his brain not being able to pull him away from the sudden act Kathrine just pulled on him, “Uhh... hi” 

A slap can be heard in the background. Jo Jo can feel the disappointment from Sarah’s distant facepalm. He hears a silent sigh from behind the door, Kathrine deciding to step in and save the day with a huge smile on display. 

“Hey, Mike! You need me to return that cooking pot?” 

“Oh, yes! I need it for tomorrow” Mike answered, moving his focus to Kathrine. 

“I’ll go fetch for you but it’s gonna take some time” Jo Jo is slowly realizing what Kath’s up to and he can’t do anything about it, “In the mean time...” 

A big shove from the back made Jo Jo’s feet obey to the movement since his brain isn’t registering to what’s happening yet. Mike, being confused as to what’s happening, didn’t move an inch which resulted into Jo Jo crashing into him. The door shuts behind them and they’re left in the front hallway of the apartment. 

Jo Jo didn’t move at first other than moving his head back to get a better look at what’s happening. His head is inches away from Mike’s, chests’ pressed up together, and limbs getting tangled. Both faces show obvious confusion and a hint of embarrassment at the situation they’ve gotten themselves. 

They stammer at their words, head scrambling all over the place as they try to figure out what’s the next move. Mike takes one step back with an awkward smile, an unnatural thing for him to do since he’s always so fun and relaxed.  

“I... wasn’t expecting to see you in there tonight” Mike tried to ease away the awkward tension. 

“Yeah, I just... I was looking for some company” Jo Jo explained. 

“Being single sucks, huh?” 

“I mean... not necessarily. I’m fine but it can get a little lonely” 

Mike nods along, returning to his easygoing demeanor, “Yeah, I get it. Ike basically leaves me stranded in our apartment when Hotshot comes to pick him up” 

Jo Jo just nods silently. 

So new information of the day: Mike is single. Jo Jo’s brain starts to get excited. But he knows better to shut that thought away with the knowledge of needing to consider in more factors. 

Mike coughs, taking this chance to look away. The moment is slowly getting awkward. The two boys not knowing what to do other than rocking themselves on their own pace to ground their nerves. 

“What’s the pot for?” Jo Jo blurted out, now fully realizing the awkwardness between them is slowly getting intolerable. 

“Oh, our parents are visiting tomorrow. We’re gonna make dinner for them” Mike answered, “And it’s Ike’s chance to introduce them to Hotshot so he wants things to go as smoothly as possible” 

Admittedly, Jo Jo has never felt the nervous feeling of introducing someone special to someone as important as parents, but he’s sort of associating it with what he’s feeling right now. The context is not the same yet he somehow understands the feeling by just standing here. 

“And... you’re not inviting anyone?” Jo Jo timidly asked, “I mean, I know you said you’re single but... there just have to be someone out there... right?” 

Mike scoffs with a smile and Jo Jo swears on his life his eyes just twinkled, “No point in asking them, we don’t even talk” 

Jo Jo laughs a little and scratches the back of his head, “I guess you’d be moving things a bit too fast if you did that” 

More awkward silence envelop the two. Jo Jo is praying for Kathrine to return with the pot. Although, he knows Kathrine is taking her time on purpose. But finally, the door opens again only Kathrine wasn’t the one walking out. 

“Eavesdropping to you two are going to be the death of me so I’m going to interrupt the conversation!” Sarah said, standing in between the two boys griping the pot with both hands. 

“Even from behind the door, I could sense the sexual tension and you guys have to do something about it or I’m about to throw hands!” Sarah continued on, “Admit it! Like literally just admit it: you like each other any dumbass can tell you that! Now kiss!” 

Sarah jots the pot in between her upper arm and her side so she can grip both of their shoulders and shoves the two forward. Somehow, they were able to capture each other’s lips perfectly. The boys’ eyes widen from the sudden act. Despite Sarah’s hand are no longer gripping their shoulders, they linger in the kiss for a few seconds because of the shock their brains are experiencing. 

The finally found the realization to pull away from each other, recollecting their scattered minds and steadying their breaths. Jo Jo is refusing to believe this is reality. He did not just kiss his crush right then and there for no reason!

“Now that we’ve established that, here’s your pot Mike!” Sarah shoves the pot towards Mike. He fumbles with the pot as he hasn’t fully has his feet back on the ground, much like Jo Jo, “Alright, see you later!” 

Sarah drags Jo Jo back in the apartment and shuts the door. She turns to a still shocked looking Jo Jo with a smile, “See? Progress right?” 

Jo Jo cocks his head to face Sarah, stuttering a few of his words before finally blurting out, “Not like that!” 

Kathrine watches the two from the couch, now occupying the newly popped popcorn, “I mean, that was kinda funny but I think you just ruined his chances now” 

“Well, I’m sorry. I just got annoyed from the pining!” Sarah exclaimed. She returns to her spot next to her girlfriend on the couch, leaving Jo Jo where he’s frozen in place and still trying to process what just happened. Sarah turns back to where Jo Jo is, “And for your information: I wasn’t lying. I know for a fact that he likes you!” 

Kathrine and Jo Jo gives her a questioning look. To which, she answers, “He admitted it himself” 

Jo Jo’s jaws drop and his eyes widen once again, tilting his head in wonderment, “WHAT?!” 

[sidespromptblog]

Blank: Part 2

Summary: Logan is logic no more, now all that is left is Apathy.

One, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen

Everything felt like it had been turned on its head, to Roman it felt like everything was impossible. He couldn’t breathe and he could scarcely move as he stared at this person who called themselves Ap… No, this is still Logan. This was still their Logan, he wasn’t truly gone. Roman refused to think that..he couldn’t think that.

“That’s not your name!” Roman finally barked out, sounding a lot harsher than he meant to at that moment, “You’re name is Logan!” With his fists were clenched down by his side but that certainly didn’t stop him from marching forward and grasping both of Logan’s shoulders.

He’s so cold…

It was like gripping a huge chunk of ice with how cold Logan was, his entire body seemingly radiating cold while his bland dead looking black eyes simply stared ahead into Roman’s seemingly without a single care in the world. Roman’s eyes burned and stung the longer that he looked at Logan, the smear of blue and the total lack along with the total lack of any and all color that had once been in Logan’s wardrobe. It made the logical side look washed out and void of anything that had made him...him to begin with.

“Remove your hands from my person Creativity.” Logan’s voice matched how icy cold he felt, even the tone of the other which would have previously held some kind of anger was now just...flat and empty. He couldn’t be gone..he just couldn’t.

“Now kiddo...let’s play nice here.” Patton, dear sweet Patton attempted to interject between the two of them, an uncertain smile was glued to his face as his soft brown eyes darted back and forth from Roman to Logan and then to Virgil. Virgil who hadn’t moved a single inch from the position he had been in when Logan had shown up changed in so many ways. Virgil who’s hand was clasped over his mouth as if he was about to make himself sick, and Virgil, who’s eyeshadow was starting to run down his cheeks as the tears fell from his eyes. Virgil, appeared equal parts terrified and heartbroken all at once.

“I will not repeat myself Creativity, remove your hands. Now.” The words rumbled Logan’s chest, as the logical side didn’t pay an inkling of attention to Patton, almost as if pretending that he wasn’t there to begin with. Then again, it made since in a demented kind of way, Apathy wouldn’t care for emotions all that much, and Patton...by that very same prospect.

Even so, Roman’s gripped Logan’s shoulders tight enough to feel the bony structure of Logan’s shoulders under his baggy shirt. “No, I’m not going to leave you alone until you..until you stop being like this! Stop this Logan!” Roman felt the fear gripping his heart like a clawed talon as Logan tilted his head to the side, and he felt a single warm tear trail down his cheek in just pure frustration. He didn’t want this new Logan! He wanted the one who would banter with him, the one who would look over his drafts and..and the one who had read his fanfiction so many times that he had worn the spine of the book out until it needed to be glued back together. That was the one that he wanted, not..not this unfeeling one. 

Never this one.

“Emotions are a sign of weakness Creativity, now let’s wipe away those tears.” The faintest sign up a curled upper lip was the only warning Roman got before he felt Logan’s frigidly cold thumb raking over his cheek wiping away the sole tear.

It was Patton though, who watched in mounting terror as the rosy sheen of Roman’s cheek started to sap away more and more at the deliberate contact that Logan had made with the creative side, it was small at first, before the patch of grey started to grow and grow. It even made Roman’s once wavy hair droop down like he had dunked it into a bucket of water, that was before the shaking had started.

He felt so cold, and yet he also couldn’t move. Why couldn’t he move? He knew that he was shaking and yet he couldn’t move. All he could see was Logan’s dead-eyed stare looming over him, why was he so cold again? It felt so cold, would he ever be warm again? What did warmth feel like again?

“Stop!” Virgil finally found his voice and his will to get his legs moving as he darted forward a lot faster than he had previously ever done before, he went straight for Roman, gripping the prince tight before practically ripping him out of Logan’s grasp, an action that the other let happen all too easy. Especially given how Logan stuffed his hands back into his pocket, pulling out yet another lollipop before shoving it in his mouth.

It was blue just like the last.

“What the hell is wrong with you?! This isn’t funny Logan!” Virgil snapped as he rubbed his hands up and down Roman’s arms, rubbing some warmth as well as some color back into the prince’s cheeks. Although, separating himself from Logan seemed to do the trick well enough, made clear by how his hair regained its soft wavy curls and his cheeks once again were flushed with color.

Roman though practically clung to Virgil, as the shaking and just the bare bones terrified look in the creative side’s eyes remained for far too long. Shooting a glar back at Logan, Virgil’s angry and outright furious expression all but crumpled at Logan’s next words. Words that reminded him that this..this was their fault, but largely his as well.

“It’s not funny...is it?” Apathy mused out loud, before popping his lollipop out of his mouth, the color was already mostly drained from the sucker, leaving behind a dull blue that was already mostly grey.

Next to him, Roman continued to shake as Apathy turned slowly and yet still brushed past Patton, who moved to reach out to Apathy. To try and bring back the friend that they had once had, his hand missed Apathy’s shirt by an inch. Leaving Patton as well as the others, with tears pooling in his eyes as Apathy left them all behind.

Tagged: 

@neko-ereri

@seas-space-and-stardust

@estraevelyn

@katatles-the-fish

@greeneggsandham1998

@ibelievewhatsontv

@sleepyssnail

@thats-so-crash

@serious-ppl-wear-neckties

@secretlyanxiouspersona

@nerd-in-space

@blue-wolfbane

@cats-vetal-miking-vomit

@ab-artist

@moonstonefox12

@echomist13

@goofigami

[amylillian22]

I’m In Love With My Best Friend – Cody Christian Imagine

Requested by Anon: Could you write an imagine where you told your sister that you have a boyfriend so she’d stop trying to set you up with guys, but now she’s coming to visit for surprise and you need a fake boyfriend during your sister's visit so you ask Cody (your best friend) to pretendbe your boyfriend and everything seems goes right until the act stop being act?

Word Count: 3,141

Warnings: None other than Cody saying a curse word, ha. Fluff?

Author’s Note: Y/S/N = Your Sister’s Name. I did this because in previous imagines where I’ve named a sibling or best friend, some of y’all have mentioned it was weird to read your own name. So I decided to let y’all use your actual sister’s name or come up with the name yourselves if you don’t have a sister.

Also, I sneaked in a line from Gilmore Girls. I wonder if anyone can point it out.

[My Teen Wolf Master List]

"Come on. Come on. Come on." Y/N whispered repeatedly as the phone rang. She paced back and forth in her bedroom, hoping her best friend would answer. "Pick up the damn ph-"

The sound of her best friend's groggy and sleepy voice interrupted her rambling. "Hello?"

"It's about time! Why aren't you answering your phone? I only called you like a hundred times! I could have been dying and-“

Cody noticed the nervous rush in her voice and rubbed this tired eyes. He cleared his throat before he interrupted her. "Okay, first of all I was filming all night and I just got home a couple of hours ago. Second of all, you're obviously not dying so this better be good, because as much as I love ya, you know I get cranky when I don't get enough sleep. Lastly, breathe. Just breathe," he inhaled and exhaled, which Y/N mimicked, making her feel a little better.

"Now tell me what's wrong?" He asked groggily yet genuinely concerned at the same time.

"I lied to my sister," she started as she finally sat on the edge of her bed.

"About...?" He trailed.

"That I had a boyfriend. I only did it so she would stop setting me up with all these guys she knew. I thought my plan would work," she continued.

Cody hummed, following along with her story with his eyes closed. "I remember you told me that. So, what's the problem?" 

"The idiot decided to surprise me by coming into town without any warning! Now she's on her way here, because not only does she miss me, but also because she wants to meet my boyfriend of two months..." she trailed for a second, silently praying Cody would agree to the favor she was about to ask him. "So, I was hoping if you could come over and play the part."

Cody's eyes flew wide open. He heard what she said but he still had a hard time believing it. "Come again?" He asked, needing confirmation.

"I need you to be my fake boyfriend for my sister," she explained as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt nervously. "I promise you, I'll get you a gift card for Chipotle that will last you for at least three months," she bargained knowing Chipotle was Cody's weakness.

Cody quickly sat up, "I'm getting in the shower right now and I'll meet you at your place."

Y/N smiled widely. "Seriously, you are the best. Thank you so much."

"Hey, you know I'd do anything for you," Cody smiled back even though she couldn't see him. “What time will your sister get there?" 

"She said she was about 2 hours away," she answered.

"Alright, I'll get there before she does," he said as he walked into his bathroom. "Hey, Y/N?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't forget the gift card," Cody smiled as Y/N laughed.

"This is ridiculous," Y/N's sister said as she blew her bangs out of her face repeatedly, trying to keep herself entertained. "I'm starting to think you made him up."

"I didn't make up my boyfriend. He's real. I just..." Y/N trailed as she looked at her phone for the millionth time. "I don't know where he is. He said he’d be here, so he'll be here. He's probably running late."

"Sureeee," she said annoyed. "If he's not here in 10 minutes, I'm taking you out to lunch to meet up with one of my friends I went to high school with. His name is Logan and he moved to LA a few months ago."

Y/N rolled her eyes at her sister, but deep down she was nervous she might have to meet another one of her sister's friends. Also, she was beginning to get worried, as she hadn't heard from Cody for the past two hours. He's never one to leave her hanging. He always calls or sends her a quick message if he's running late or if something came up.

"He'll be here. He's just a busy guy," Y/N defended both herself and Cody.

"Who is this guy? You've been dating him for two months and you didn't even tell me," Y/N's sister looked at her closely, seeing if there were any hints that might imply Y/N is making up a boyfriend.

"It's-" 

Before Y/N could even finish her sentence, her front door swung open as Cody walked in with a plastic bag. "I'm so sorry," he quickly apologized as he rushed inside and closed the door behind him with his hip. 

"An accident literally happened right in front of me, which naturally had me stuck in traffic until the tow trucks came to pick up the cars. While waiting for that to happen, the cops questioned me because technically I'm a witness, which took forever. By the time everything was settled and the road was clear for me to leave, my phone had died," Cody explained.

Y/N's facial expression went from worried the second she heard the word 'accident' to relaxed as Cody's story came to end. He was okay. That's all the mattered. 

She quickly walked up to him and hugged him. He immediately hugged her back as he pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"You're okay," she whispered.

"I told you I'd be here, didn't I?" He whispered back before he pulled back and gave her a genuine smile.

This entire time Y/N's sister was speechless, as she knew exactly who the guy was. She didn't need any introduction. She was a fan of Pretty Little Liars and she couldn't believe Aria's little brother was less than 2 feet away from her. 

Cody turned around to face Y/N's sister. He had never met her before but he had seen pictures Y/N had shown him. He smiled as he extended his hand, "Hi, you must be Y/S/N. I'm sorry I'm late. This is not exactly the first impression I wanted to make," he chuckled. “I'm-“

"Mike," she said still shaking his hand with a wide smile.

Cody chuckled again as he nodded. "I'm guessing you're a fan of PPL?"

"Duh! I mean I got into the show kind of late. I found it on Netflix and binged watched the entire series. Now I'm just waiting for the final season, which I don't know if I want to watch because I don't want it to be over. Oh my god! Are you going to make an appearance in the final season?!" She literally rambled nonstop with so much excitement. Y/N was a little embarrassed her sister was being a total fan girl in front of the most important person in her life.

"You can let go now," Y/N pulled her sister's hand from Cody��s. Cody couldn’t help but chuckle through all of this.

"Actually, I can't say if I’m coming back to PPL or not," Cody answered her question.

Y/N's sister sighed. "I figured but it didn't hurt to ask. Wait a minute..." she paused as she looked back and forth between her sister and Cody. "Is that why you didn't tell me, because you two are secretly dating?"

"Yes," Cody answered, taking Y/N a bit by surprised. They hadn't discussed their story and she had planned to do that when he was suppose to come over before her sister did. Now she's hoping one of them wouldn't blow their cover.

"Well that makes sense. He's in the public eye and you wanted to keep this between you two. I get it now." Y/N relaxed a bit as her sister bought the lie.

"I didn't want the media up in our business and I didn't want people harassing her online," Cody said as he grabbed her hand in his and intertwined their fingers. Y/N looked down at their locked fingers and her heart skipped a beat. They had never held hands like that before and it felt right. Like his fingers fit perfectly between the spaces of her fingers.

"I care about your sister and I want to protect her as much as I can," Cody said as he squeezed her hand, causing Y/N to look at him. He was already staring at her with a genuine smile on his face. Y/N couldn't help but smile back at him as her heart raced.

Then she remembered this was all an act. This wasn't real. They were just best friends. Not a couple. She didn't understand where this was coming from, as she never had feelings for him before. 

She slowly pulled her hand away from his and walked towards the bag he brought in and placed it on the coffee table. "What did you bring, babe?"

"Oh!" Cody suddenly remembered as he walked next to her. "I brought some Chinese food for us, but with the accident stuff that happened, I'm sure it's cold by now."

"I love Chinese food!" Y/N's sister gushed.

"I know. That's why I got your favorite," Cody smiled.

"How did-"

"I listen to every thing your sister tells me," Cody smiled. Y/N was taken back that Cody actually remembered. "I also got your favorite, baby," he leaned in and kissed her cheek.

Y/N felt her cheeks heat up, no doubt hinting a shade of pink. "Thanks, babe."

"I hope this makes up for being late," Cody said. 

"Cody, all was forgiven the second you walked into to door," Y/N's sister said. "I'll go into the kitchen and heat this up."

Y/N and Cody waited until she disappeared into the kitchen before they both spoke at the same time. "Are you okay?" "I'm sorry I'm late."

"Yes," Cody answered as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug.

Y/N relaxed a little as she hugged him back. "I was worried something had happened to you, and then the second you said accident-"

"Shh," Cody ran his fingers through her silky hair. "I'm fine. I'm right here." She looked up at him at the same time he looked down at her, their eyes instantly locking. Y/N had seen and looked into Cody's eyes a million times, but this time it was different. It's like he was also looking at her differently.

They both slowly leaned in, the anticipation making their hearts beat fast against their chests and echo in their eardrums.

"Are you two coming or not?!" Y/N's sister yelled from the kitchen, causing Cody and Y/N to pull away from one another. Cody hated that Y/N's sister ruined the moment, as he wanted nothing more than to finally kiss Y/N. 

Y/N cleared her throat. "Yeah, we’re coming!" She yelled back before she grabbed Cody's hand and dragged him to the kitchen.  

They walked in to find everything warmed up and set up on the table. Y/N's sister had already dug her chopsticks in the carton of Kung Pao chicken. "What took you two so long?" She said between bites. "If I didn't know any better I'd think you two were feeling each other up of something." 

"Y/S/N!" Y/N shouted with embarrassment as she sunk into her seat.

Cody chuckled as he sat next to her. "You're cute when you're embarrassed," he playfully nudged her shoulder with his before he reached in for his carton of Orange Chicken.

"So, tell me the story of how you two met," Y/S/N's asked before she took a bite of her egg roll.

"Can I tell it?" Cody asked Y/N.

Although she knew how they met and who approached the other first, Y/N was curious to hear his side of story. So she nodded her head and motioned him to tell the story as she took a bite of her Teriyaki Chicken.

"There was a party in Hollywood. I was with my friends from work. We were having a good time laughing and joking around. The normal shit, ya know?" Cody started. "Then from the corner of my eye, I noticed someone walking up to people with a tray full with drinks." 

Y/S/N raised an eyebrow at Y/N. "When did you become a waitress?"

Y/N shook her head. "My friend got sick that night and needed someone to fill in for her. So she asked me if I could do her a favor. Her boss didn't care who it was as long as there was someone passing out drinks. I figured it was easy. So I told her I'd do it," Y/N explained. "Go on, babe."

"Right. So when I saw her, I was completely blown away. She was beautiful with her light make up and pretty fishtail braid-"

"I was a mess, babe," Y/N remembered thinking how tired and exhausted she was. She had rushed from school and dealt with traffic, which caused her to change in the car to make the party on time.

Cody shook his head. "No, you were the most beautiful woman in the room. I couldn’t take my eyes off you the entire night."

Her stomach flipped. "Really?" She whispered.

Cody grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before he continued, "I watched her throughout the night. I mean, not in a creepy, like, 'I'm watching you'," Cody made a creepy looking face, which made both of the girls laugh. "But sort of in a way where I just noticed her."

Y/N looked at Cody surprised and in awe. She never knew that part of the story. She just knew the moment when he approached her.

"So then who made the first move?" Y/S/N asked. 

"Cody," Y/N smiled as she remembered. "There was this guy-

"An asshole," Cody interrupted.

The upset tone in his voice had Y/S/N's attention. "I wanna hear Cody's side of the story."

"There was a guy who kept harassing her and I could tell he was really starting to make her uncomfortable. So I chugged my champagne glass and walked over to her to get a refill. Except, I pretended to be her boyfriend to let the guy know she's taken and he needed to back off. It worked. He left her alone and I stayed by her side throughout the night between trays."

"I honestly don't know what would have happened if Cody hadn't come in and saved me," Y/N said honestly. "But I'm glad I did," she leaned into him, which Cody immediately wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

The sound of Y/S/N's ringtone blasted through the room. Refusing to leave his embrace, Y/N turned her head and rested it on Cody's shoulder as she watched her sister say hi to someone.

"Oh shit! I completely forgot," she stood up quickly to throw away her trash. "I know, but I'm sorry you won't be able to meet her," she quickly washed her hands in the sink. "No, because she's seeing someone and she's happy," she smiled back at Y/N and winked.

Suddenly there was a pang of guilt in Y/N's chest. She hated that she was lying to her sister and the second Y/S/N would leave the apartment, it would be back to the reality of being single and just being Cody's best friend. Truthfully, she never realized she had feelings for Cody until today. It was unexpected. Sure they got along really well, hung out all the time, and connected on a level they never had with anyone else, but she never knew the deep feelings she had hiding somewhere deep in her heart. She was in love with her best friend and she had no clue if he felt the same way.

"Yeah, I'm on my way now," Y/S/N said before she hung up. "I'm sorry, but I gotta go and meet a friend before I drive back home."

Y/N got up and hugged her sister. "It's okay. I'm glad you came to see me for a little bit and meet my man."

Cody chuckled as he leaned in and hugged Y/S/N. "It was nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise," she hugged him back. "I hope to see you more often."

"You will," Cody smiled as he and Y/N walked Y/S/N to the door and to the driveway. Cody wrapped an arm around Y/N shoulder as she leaned into him. They watched her pull out of the driveway and waved goodbye as she drove off. When her car was out of sight, Y/N pulled away from Cody and walked back inside the apartment without saying a word.

Cody followed and stayed quiet himself. From the moment he saw Y/N that night of the party, he was in complete awe with her. He really did feel something for her, but she never gave him the same impression. So he settled to be her best friend instead of not having her in his life. He had gotten so comfortable being her best friend that he had completely forgotten what it would be like if they were something more until that moment they had in the living room. It's not that his feelings for her disappeared at some point, because that's not the case. He's always cared and loved the girl. He just didn't push the idea if she wasn't ready, but he doesn’t know she wanted to kiss him just as much as he wanted to kiss her in the living room.

Y/N was throwing away the trash and cleaning up the kitchen when Cody decided it was time to do something about his feelings for her. He walked up to her, causing her to stop what she was doing to look at him. He had a serious look on his face as he bored into her eyes. 

"Cody-" She started, but quickly silenced herself the second Cody cupped her cheeks gently and closed his eyes as he leaned forward. Her heart suddenly raced against her chest as his hold paralyzed her. She knew exactly what was about to happen.

Cody hesitated for a second as his lips brushed against hers. When she didn't pull back or give him any signs of not wanting to kiss him back, he captured her lips with his. The kiss was slow, yet deep and passionate. It was as if everything finally fell into place and made sense.

Their hearts were bursting through their chest as their stomachs flipped and a spark of electricity ran down their spines to their toes. Y/N leaned up on her toes as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Cody wrapped his arms around her waist and walked backwards until he pressed her up against the fridge without breaking the kiss. Their lips moved in perfect sync until their lungs were begging for air.

Cody pulled back slowly as Y/N kept her eyes closed. Cody had literally taken her breath away and she just wanted to take in the blissful kiss they just shared. 

Cody cupped her cheek again as she slowly fluttered her eyes open. "I have something to tell you," he traced her cheekbone with his thumb, his eyes never leaving hers. She held his gaze, wondering what he was about to tell her next. "I'm in love with my best friend..." he trailed nervously.

Y/N smiled before she pulled him in and kissed him deeply once more. Cody kissed her back with so much passion and desire as his arms tightened around her. She pulled back, instantly locking her eyes with his once more. "I'm in love with my best friend too," she smiled.

[flauntpage]

A Pro/Rel Column – Why American Soccer Can Exist Without It

I’ll start by saying that I don’t hate promotion and relegation. I can’t dislike a system that rewards success, punishes failure, and provides opportunity. Stripped down to the simplest of explanations, it sounds very American.

My stance has always been that domestic soccer has unique challenges and considerations that aren’t necessarily fixed by structural changes to the pyramid. There’s no magic bullet here, as some would have you think.

What we get is a noxious clash of ideas with a lot of shouting and idiocy on both sides. Pro/rel advocates froth and whine on social media while those of us on the other end of the spectrum, or somewhere in the middle, are guilty of engaging in the pissing contest instead of ignoring the trolls and seeking out rational thought instead. Just like Capitol Hill, moderate voices and measured takes are often drowned out.

So I think the premise of the column is this –

American soccer doesn’t necessarily need promotion and relegation. I think we can be successful in our current setup, with a closed league, steady growth, and a soft salary cap that promotes pseudo-parity in lieu of top-heavy foreign-framed systems. Let’s fix MLS before tearing the whole thing down and starting over.

The main pro/rel argument basically suggests that opening the pyramid will provide opportunities for smaller teams and result in widespread investment at lower levels due to the removal of the ceiling that limits those clubs. Would-be owners who can’t buy in to Major League Soccer can start a lower division team that has unlimited potential for upward growth. Lesser division one teams, like your Philadelphia Union, can’t be cheap and lazy, or else they go down.

Sounds good in theory, right? Fresh blood and motivation. Jay Sugarman, one of the worst sports owners on this side of the Atlantic, would be punished for his thriftiness with D2 relegation, which would have happened in 2015 after the Union finished with 37 points and a 10-17-7 record. Down goes boring Philly, up comes the exciting New York Cosmos. We punish the underachiever and reward success.

Nothing wrong with that on paper. My stance has always been predicated on four things:

1. There are organic ways to remove owners and executives in a closed system

During that 2015 Union season, the Sons of Ben marched to the gates of PPL Park carrying a coffin with an image of CEO Nick Sakiewicz inside. Painted on the casket were the words “serial franchise killer,” a reference to Sakiewicz’s time with the Tampa Bay Mutiny and New York Red Bulls, the former of which folded in 2001 and the latter which found little on-field success.

This was a grassroots protest from the same fan body that lobbied for an MLS franchise in the first place, starting with a group that gathered in McGillin’s Olde Ale House to discuss ways to generate interest in Philadelphia soccer. In a way, that 2015 protest was a natural extension of the process that started the Union, which was organic and fan-generated. Sakiewicz was removed at the end of the season and Earnie Stewart was installed as the club’s first Sporting Director.

Two years later, Union fans have come to realize that the failures were not entirely Sakiewicz’s fault, as the team continues to struggle after his departure. But the takeaway here is that fans were able to influence the front office even in a closed system with no built-in punishment for under-performance. And if they’re fed up with the team in 2018, they can simply stop showing up, stop buying tickets, and stop buying merchandise. The consumer always has the power, whether he or she realizes it or not.

Another point is that relegation doesn’t automatically mean that ownership and front office problems are solved. Take Hull City, for instance, who are currently in 19th place in the English Championship. Owner Assem Allam bought the team in 2010, saw it promoted twice and relegated twice, and tried to change the name at the same time, angering the entirety of his fan base with one weird decision. Here’s a team on its fifth manager in two years and now trying to stay afloat in the second division after seven seasons of turbulence.

How about Francesco Becchetti, who took Leyton Orient from the verge of the Championship to division five?

Or Ellis Short, the guy who oversaw Sunderland’s descent into irrelevance? What about Mike Ashley and Karl Oyston?

Relegation isn’t an auto-fix for ownership issues. There’s no guarantee that Jay Sugarman or Stan Kroenke would leave town if their clubs took the drop. They can drag it down even further into the mud.

As it stands, their franchises continue to increase in value with the addition of new MLS expansion teams, so they can simply sit on their rear ends and watch their investment grow. Sugarman paid $20-30 million in an expansion fee back in 2010 and that fee is now up to $150 million. I don’t know how much that value drops if Philly takes the fall. If anything, the asking price probably remains relatively high in a system where that franchise can potentially go back up. I think it’s a wash.

What the league can do is guide ownership from within. MLS can certainly pressure cheaper owners to add new partners or increase their financial profile, or run them out entirely ala Chivas USA. You can tweak cap and roster rules to price them out. Look for MLS to start turning the screws a bit once expansion finishes.

Trust me on that one, per sources that have been spot on in the past. I’ve spoken to numerous people who say MLS HQ isn’t exactly thrilled with Union ownership right now. Sugarman sits on the expansion committee and, theoretically, the value of his club should level off at least somewhat when we get to 28 teams.

2. Pro/rel creates top heavy leagues and alternative boardroom objectives

Look at the Premier League table right now, where Manchester City is 13 points clear with a +49 goal differential after 20 games. Might as well hand them the trophy.

They’ve been a pleasure to watch, a team with 18 straight wins and 0 losses this entire campaign. They’re having historic success this season.

Next up is the clump of Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, and Arsenal, who are sort of jockeying for Champion’s League positions. Going into this season, I think those were the six clubs that really had a chance to win anything in the Premier League, which is usually the case every year.

What, then, are squads like Stoke and Watford playing for? 10th place? Moral victories?

The problem with a pro/rel setup that doesn’t have a salary cap* is that only a handful of teams can really achieve anything, while the mid-table clump is irrelevant and the bottom feeders are just trying to stay afloat. That creates auxiliary goals for smaller clubs who aren’t even necessarily trying to win, they’re just trying to remain in the division. And maybe that’s a success for a small team like Huddersfield, which is trying to make progressive forward steps after years in the lower divisions.

But the nice thing about American sports is that everybody, theoretically, is pulling a Herm Edwards. You play to win the game. Sure, teams like Toronto and Seattle are obviously going to be favored to beat New England and Colorado, but at least the lesser MLS teams still have a chance at the playoffs in September and October. This doesn’t turn into a two-team race between Barcelona and Real Madrid seven games in.

For starters, eight different clubs have won MLS Cup in the last 10 years. La Liga has three different winners in that time frame. Same thing in Italy, where Juventus has won six Scudettos in a row. Same thing in… Germany, too, where Bayern Munich has won the last five. In Turkey, only one non-Istanbul club has won the Super Lig dating back to 1984.

1984!

In the prem, it’s United, City, Chelsea, and… Leicester!

We love Leicester. What a story, right? It’s the prime example pro/rel advocates use when explaining why their system makes more sense than what we currently have.

Problem is, a story like Leicester only comes around once in a blue moon. Chapecoense doesn’t happen often enough. There’s a big gap between Eibar and the Spanish top-five. Go around the world and you’ll find that these “small club” success stories are too often drowned out in top-heavy leagues with oil sheikh and Russian oligarch owners. It results in some high quality football at the expense of table slots 5 through 20, which are ultimately pointless unless you care about the Europa League. What we’re trying to build here is not a three-team snooze-fest, but a league with parity and competition.

Let’s take a look at the last nine years of Ukrainian football:

See a pattern there?

I enjoy the MLS system, where every season 10-12 teams can win a trophy. Our league has plenty of ridiculous issues, which requires a separate column, but I like the idea that squads are playing to win hardware, or at least make the playoffs, as opposed to “just staying up” or being satisfied with a mid-table finish.

Let’s check in with the Crystal Palace boardroom:

“Well lads, we finished in 14th place and fired our manager, but at least we didn’t go down! Hooray!”

I don’t like the direction the Philadelphia Union are going in, but I can appreciate the fact that they don’t need to bring in Sam Allardyce to save themselves from the drop. They’re at least committed to a young manager and not going to bail after four months to bring in a “relegation specialist.” Say whatever you want about Jim Curtin, who isn’t the best example for this story, but we can’t be canning coaches at the rate of Swansea City. Caleb Porter went from 1st place in the west, all the way down to 6th, then won a title. Bob Bradley will have a chance to build something at LAFC, not get run out of town at a shit club after 11 games.

Honestly, a lot of this just boils down to preference. Do you like open leagues with unrestricted spending that results in three to four clubs having a real title-winning shot? Or do you like a closed league with restrictions that close the gap from one to 22? MLS, of course, is not the best product out there, but it’s certainly more competitive and interesting, and at least I know that there’s something to play for in October, November, and December. Truthfully, I’m just bored with the Premier League and Serie A and La Liga, where it’s the same shit year after year after year, save for one enjoyable season of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez. I watch the games and enjoy them in a vacuum, but the title-races leave a lot to be desired.

Now, does pro/rel automatically come with the removal of the salary cap? No, I don’t think so. But are we going to open the pyramid and then tell Miami FC that they can’t spend more than Jacksonville? You can’t cap teams while asking them to be ambitious investors at the same time. The MLS salary cap is waaaaaay too low right now and that has to change. We haven’t even scratched the surface, and we have to get rid of at least 50% of the absurd MLS roster building rules if we’re going to keep moving forward. Again, another article entirely, but I can’t get behind pro/rel entirely until I feel like we do everything in our control to maximize what we currently have. It’s like tearing down a building that’s only half-way finished.

(*I put the asterisk there because, yea, you can go above the MLS cap with a couple of designated player signings. That’s why it’s a soft cap with pseudo-parity instead of a true cap like the NFL or NBA.)

3. We’re not financially stable, yet

Let’s say the Philadelphia Union take the drop. Say it happened in 2015.

Now you’ve got a division two team playing in a half-full, eight-year-old stadium in one of Pennsylvania’s poorest cities. Chester is under a state-mandated recovery program (Act 47) and already pulling from other revenue sources to cover for the $275,000 annual shortfall in county bond payments. The stadium lease doesn’t expire until 2040. The pending litigation over waterfront property (and its valuation) takes a turn. How many people are driving down there to watch the Union play the Richmond Kickers? Every painfully small step to improve that area goes straight into the toilet if Philly goes down.

In a perfect world of Capitalism, you let it fail, right? Just let the market do its thing, which is what our economy is predicated on. That sounds good in theory, but the cost is just too much here. People lose their jobs. The city loses money. Fans stop showing up. The Philadelphia Inquirer pulls Jon Tannenwald off the Union beat to go do high school football instead. 2,000 season ticket holders decide not to renew and the front office lays off 10 sellers. Academy investment is cut back and Bethlehem Steel hemorrhages more money in year number three. It’s like a devastating backwards version of Reaganomics, where nothing is really trickling in either direction.

We don’t have 75 years of history to create a diehard core of supporters who will stick with the club through something like that. If the Eagles go down, no problem. If the Union go down, I don’t know if they survive. This is a 10-year old team and long-term project that already faces incredible struggles, some of which are self-inflicted and some that aren’t, namely the construction of a soccer-specific stadium in a less-than-desirable area during the worst part of the economic recession. Good job by Ed Rendell on that one.

Furthermore, potential buyers know they’re going to take a short term loss on an investment that might not even pan out if the Union never make it back to D1. Sure, they’d probably slap around Charleston and Pittsburgh and remain in the top-half of the table, but there’s never any guarantee here. Portsmouth and Blackburn are where right down? League One? Where’s Charlton?

Here they are:

PROGRESS |

2013: Charlton finish 9th in @SkyBetChamp.

2014: Duchatelet buys Charlton.

2016: Championship relegation.

2017: 13th place finish in League 1.

December 17: Promotion campaign starts to falter, #cafc can’t fill the substitutes bench for a league fixture. http://pic.twitter.com/QqECqGFMeN

— Charlton Athletic {…} FC (@ParodyCharlton) December 26, 2017

People always talk about the rise of new clubs but ignore the fall of once-great clubs. Charlton has been around for more than 100 years and now languishes in the third division while their fans suffer:

“Next on 60 Minutes, it’s the side of pro/rel that they don’t want you to see. I’m Lesley Stahl and I’ll take you to Southeast London, where one of England’s historic clubs is now total shite.”

Is there enough money out there to provide a parachute payment that would sustain an MLS drop? I don’t know, but that same infusion is basically labeled as allocation money within our closed system. It’s all coming from the same source, I just don’t know how much you would need to keep these clubs afloat.

If Wall Street banks were “too big to fail,” then MLS clubs are too fragile to fail, at least the one that plays here. You’re trying to make inroads in the country’s fourth largest television market, not risk the entire thing falling apart. We’ve already taken major backward steps from 2011 until now, with local TV ratings dropping below 1.0 and a slight dip in attendance. The Union have become more and more irrelevant and demoting them to D2 ain’t gonna help.

For years, Major League Soccer’s success was built on the process of slow growth and steady expansion. Seattle came in. Toronto came in. Vancouver and Montreal came in. One or two teams every year or every other year. These are nascent and vulnerable clubs. The fallacy here is that every division one team is some established juggernaut, which is certainly not true. Philly is a venture. The club didn’t even have practice fields or a training complex until two years ago. They used to drive to a public park to train. Now we’re pulling the rug out and jeopardizing a decade of (slow) development in a difficult soccer market just so division five Traverse City can get a shot? Do we want Capitalism or Socialism? What exactly are we looking for here?

Overall MLS attendance has increased dramatically in the last 20 years. TV ratings aren’t amazing, but they’re better than they were. This league has grown by leaps and bounds, but don’t let the success of Atlanta and Portland fool you. There are a ton of challenges for numerous “big market” teams, especially on the eastern seaboard. Revenue needs to increase, our TV deals need to be stronger, we have to do a better job of attracting casual fans, and we have to keep improving the product and create some stability before we risk it with structural changes. 1,500 fans might work in Utica, but it’s not gonna work in Philly. We can’t start turning our attention to smaller auxiliary markets until we gain a foothold in places like Boston, Dallas, New York, Washington, and Chicago. That’s how we negotiate better broadcasting deals and get more eyeballs on the product. As someone who worked in television for nine years, I can tell you that division one Shreveport does nothing at the bargaining table. But if the Chicago market, with 3.4 million TV homes, tunes in to a Sunday afternoon Fire game against Seattle, then partners are willing to sign off on bigger and better deals.

On the bottom end, we need to get teams like Harrisburg (now Penn FC) out of baseball parks and into stable situations. We need to stop sharing college stadiums and we need to continue building on the positives at the USL level. A lot of lower level teams simply do not have the infrastructure and business setup to be viable at division one. MLS is only 22 years old, yet lower division teams that have played less than five seasons are ready for promotion? The cart is way out in front of the horse here.

We’re only just starting to find our feet.

4. You are not entitled to anything

You know what’s more American than a free market economy? Earning your spot at the table.

Sorry, but you don’t deserve a shot to play with the big boys simply because you started a division nine soccer team that plays in a borrowed middle school stadium.

“We want the shit we don’t have and we want it for free!”

It doesn’t work that way. I worked graveyard shift producing the 5 a.m. news in Augusta, Georgia before I earned the opportunity to work at a bigger television station and make more money. I didn’t come out of college demanding $55,000 and a nine to five gig at Action News.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not some apologist for the GOP or the “one-percent,” but there has to be a modicum of respect for the owners that took a leap on Major League Soccer back in 1996 and got us to where we are today. Yes, that includes Bob Kraft, who is terribly absent in 2017 but played an enormous role back in the day. That includes Phil Anschutz and Lamar Hunt and everybody else who got this thing off the ground.

If you don’t like it, you work against it. NASL pushed MLS but ultimately blew it. Cross-league jockeying creates competition that forces rivals to up their game. That’s how our economy works. Don’t like Verizon? Go to Comcast. Don’t like Comcast’s horrendous customer service? Cut the cord and stream the game on your Chrome Book. Don’t like your Chrome Book? Buy a Mac.

That’s America. It’s not about free handouts, it’s about making a product that’s bigger and better and more desirable than the other person’s product. And when you fail, sue the shit out of someone! Minnesota and Montreal went to MLS because it meant financial and competitive stability. Carolina, Tampa, and Ottawa saw a path forward in a smarter and less bombastic USL. The NASL shot itself in the foot with a lack of focus and poor expansion strategies (among many other things), then pointed the finger at the USSF instead of looking in the mirror.

And if we want to go down the road of, “well, the U.S. Soccer is a corrupt monopoly that favors MLS,” then go out and lobby for one of the candidates currently running for USSF President. Go be a part of the democratic process and make your case. There are pro/rel candidates out there who can change the game if they win the job. This is your opportunity make your voice heard. We’re still a pay-to-play sport that caters to suburban white kids with money. We need a national team coach. The women’s team isn’t being treated the same as the men’s team. U.S. Soccer has a million problems, but not all of them are directly tied to whether or not we have pro/rel at the professional level.

Just don’t suggest that the American soccer media, which is basically a rag tag group of part-timers, is “in the bag” for MLS or U.S. Soccer. I made less than $25,000 in eight years of writing about soccer ($3,125 annually) and never received a paycheck from MLS headquarters. I think I speak for most writers when I say that my motives were to put something on the resume and do a bit to hopefully grow the game in this country. I didn’t spend Saturday nights in Chester to pad my bank account, I was down there to hopefully play a small role in pushing the Union in a market that traditionally only watches the “four major North American sports.” I’d be flattered to receive bung offers but they just haven’t come. There’s no secret conspiracy going on here, so enough with the accusations of “collusion” and “tyranny” and all of the conspiratorial melodrama.

People with truly productive pro/rel opinions are being done a disservice by the tinfoil Twitter personalities. These guys claim to speak for the movement but they’re really just faux guerrillas fighting a contrarian war against the “establishment.” It’s like Occupy Wall Street, which started out as a protest against, well, Wall Street, then slowly morphed into a catch-all demonstration for the grievance of the day.

Walk away from these people and you’ll see the conversation open up. You can’t make outrageous accusations and then act surprised when the vitriol is reciprocated by myself and others.

Can it ever work?

Sure, pro/rel could work here, but it’s a monumental project. You’re talking about 100+ clubs spread out over a massive geographic region that includes two countries. Are we doing single-table or playoffs? Spring and Fall seasons? FIFA calendar? Is Canada on board? MLS is already on a seven-month, 34 game schedule built to accommodate weather, travel, and the existence of competing sports.

With the partnership between USL and MLS, people talk about doing a controlled, two-division pro/rel system after expansion is completed. I think that’s a start, but the problem there is that a lot of USL clubs are farm teams for MLS squads. Bethlehem Steel exists solely to provide minutes for academy kids and future Union signings, not to win trophies and make money. The team plays in a borrowed college stadium that has no lights. It’s funded entirely by Keystone Sports and Entertainment.

Now, compare that to teams like Charleston and Cincinnati, who have no affiliate and are not owned by a parent club? What now?

If you’re going to do pro/rel, I think you start with these four clumps:

Major League Soccer clubs

independent USL clubs

NASL leftovers and folded teams

USL clubs owned by MLS teams (Steel, NYRB 2, etc)

I don’t know what you do with the fourth grouping. Bring back the MLS reserve league? No idea. I like the idea of playing double-headers where, for example, Bethlehem Steel can get a 90 minute run out against Orlando City B after the senior teams finish their game. That might be a solution.

Then, if you take the first two groupings there, throw #3 a bone, and split the country in half, you’d get something like this:

West

East

It’s arbitrary. I’m just flying by the seat my pants here. But you get the idea, right?

I like four divisions split into two halves of the country, because it cuts down on travel and creates more meaningful games in smaller geographic regions. You’d play a 30 game schedule from March to September, with two teams relegated and two teams promoted every season. You could hand out a trophy for winning your regular season, then do a four to eight team playoff in October between eastern and western teams and award another trophy there. This all coexists with the U.S. Open Cup and Canadian Championship, so it’s basically placing more value on the regular season while still throwing out two more trophies to claim.

Maybe NPSL clubs or new franchises fill the slots that say “team.” There’s room here to add more, but I don’t know where a squad like Reading United fits in. They play at Exeter High School and are an incredibly small operation. Even if that team is promoted to D2 or even D1, that market doesn’t move the needle. Are we closing this off at four divisions in two regions or going further down the pyramid? I don’t know, but I think we need 8 to 10 more years of stability before traveling down this road.

It’s a start, though. I think something like this could work. More rivalry games, easier road trips for fans and media, and single tables that could still theoretically operate with a salary cap. You’ve got possible expansion from 16 teams per bracket, to 18, then up to 20, with room for new blood in ownership. Existing owners will never sign up for anything that could harm their investment, so they give them a five-year window to cash out before we install the new system.

The biggest struggle I have with pro/rel is that I feel like there has to be bridge here to involve investors who want to play a role, people dissimilar from Riccardo Silva and Dennis Crowley, who just want a piece of the pie that they didn’t bake.

That’s the important thing here, we’re selling ourselves short by excluding people who have good intentions and something tangible to provide. I joke about 500 fans showing up to a division four soccer game in Altoona, but we want these people on our side. We have enough obstacles trying to attract the Philly tough guy who could give a shit about the Union but walks around wearing a Chelsea kit. It’s counter-intuitive to divide soccer fans in this country when we already face an uphill climb against NFL and MLB traditionalists.

Right now I think we have four competing factions:

MLS fans

pro/rel NASL types

white Americans who watch foreign soccer but not MLS

1st/2nd generation immigrants who watch foreign soccer, but not MLS (think Mexican-Americans and Liga MX fans)

It’s ridiculous that soccer in this country features multiple groups of fans with contrasting opinions and interests, and that’s the priority here. We need to pull these groups together and find some common ground before we start working on the 65-year-old Phillies fan. He or she is probably a lost cause anyway, but we’re trying to grow the game here with soccer people on entirely different pages.

I don’t like going to bat for folks like Bob Kraft, but I do respect what they did for MLS in the late nineties. And I don’t want to dismiss investors at lower level clubs with good intentions, I just want to weed out the leeches who want a free spot at someone else’s table. I think pro/rel provides opportunity and forces lazy owners to spend, but I also don’t like top-heavy leagues with a lack of true competition. I appreciate stories like Leicester City while also being concerned about the future of a Bolton or Blackpool.

Each system has its own merits, and a lot of this, as I said before, just comes down to preference. Right now, I think we can be successful by improving what we currently have and building on a competitive and interesting league, instead of taking a huge risk by tearing down 22 years of progress and starting from scratch.

          A Pro/Rel Column – Why American Soccer Can Exist Without It published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[sidespromptblog]

Blank: Part 13

Summary: Logan is logic no more, now all that is left is Apathy.

One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen

The moment that Logan stepped away from the subconsciousness, it felt like someone had drilled a red-hot icepick into his brain and started stirring around the insides for fun. His first few steps away from the door had him stumbling and very nearly falling to his knees as he gripped the side of his head, his teeth ground together as searing hot pain radiated from his temples.

It hurt worse than anything he could have ever imagined, it took everything in him not howl at the pure agony he was going through and collapse uselessly onto the floor.

As the pain arched through his head, a warm dribble of blood dripped down his nose, splattering against his dark blue tie as he seized the edge of the Apathy’s bed. Gripping the stark white comforter so tight that his knuckles turned white, as he heaved himself back up to his feet. Logan dragged the back of his hand over his nose, roughly wiping away the thin line of blood that trailed down and over his lips.

“I..I’m coming..I’m coming Apathy.” He gasped out, his very voice rasping with the words as if he hadn’t properly talked in months, but as another agonizing scream rang out Logan shook his head. Powering through the sensation of someone taking a jackhammer to his face, he surged forward one hand pressed to the side of his head while he navigated the terrain that he was traveling through.

Where..where we’re the screams coming from? Where…

Logan’s head jerked up as another awful set of screams started from the down the hall. They were getting worse. Another searing pain scraped at the inside of his skull.

“Virgil!” He hissed darkly, his fist clenching up so hard that his nails dug into the palm of his hand, leaving behind little crescent-shaped marks in their wake. He didn’t wait a moment longer, as he pressed forward.

What he expected, however, was not even close to what he got.

“You!” Snarled as soon as he had slammed the door open, Logan’s expression contorted in a set of pure rage as he saw the sight before him. Apathy screaming his head off, in clear pain, as Patton..as Morality continued to tightly grasp Apathy’s face, not letting him go for a single second. A raw unfiltered kind of fury washed over Logan, the kind of anger that made one see red and nothing else as he charged forward. The pain of his splitting headache all but forgotten in the wake of what Patton was doing to his friend.

“How dare you…” Logan snarled, his hand grasping the front of Patton’s shirt, lifting him a few good inches off of the ground. When,

“Now! Do it now!” Patton squeaked out, releasing Apathy almost immediately, and before Logan could even turn to see just who he was shouting too, a blinding pain struck the back of his head.

And then there was peace.

“Adequate swinging Anxiety.” Apathy rasped out, his muscles feeling like that of jello as soon as Patton had thankfully released him from his hell inducing grasp, he stumbled for a moment, only held up by the fact that his knees had locked in place and Patton had grasped the back of his shirt preventing him from falling face first onto Logan’s unconscious body.  

Virgil however grimly nodded at the thanks, a rough sigh left him as he leaned down brushing a lock of Logan’s messy hair out of his face. The smear of blood coming from Logan’s nose made him grimace for a second, “Oh Lo,” He murmured, looking as regretful as he could while still holding the bat. His lips pressed into a thin frown as he hung his head, all wasn’t lost yet, they still had a chance. So holding the bat out for Roman to take so that he could heave Logan up onto his couch, Virgil waited.

Yet Roman didn’t take the bat.

“He..He’s wearing my sash.” Roman stammered out, swallowing drying as he stared down at the bright redness against the darkness of Logan’s shirt and tie, the dark eyeshadow was caked on underneath Roman’s eyes. “He’s wearing my sash, Virge..Virge what if we knocked out Logan.” He rambled slowly raising his hands to tug at the strands of his hair, “Not the asshole Logan but OUR Logan, we knocked him out! We..We..” Roman’s breathing shuddered, his chest heaving up and down as Virgil spun around to look at him, his room was getting to the princely side.

“Get him out of here! All of you get out now! I’ll deal with Logan, just leave before this gets any worse for you all.” Virgil barked out the order, feeling a gnawing sensation of guilt at the sight of the red sash that Logan had so carefully put around his shoulders. Just like how Roman wore it.

Roman shook his head, again and again, he didn’t want to leave. Not if Virgil was going to talk to Logan, he still needed to apologize further, he needed to see if Logan was back to normal, if anything would be like the way that it was before. If..If Logan remembered what he had said to him...

Yet, Patton’s surprisingly iron tight grasp clamped down on his wrist, dragging him out of the room. Leaving Virgil completely alone.

It took at least another hour for Logan to wake up, and when he groggily opened his eyes. The darkness of Virgi’s room even too bright for him at that moment, Logan had to squint before blinking a few times. The sight of cobwebs, cartoon spiders on curtains, and The Nightmare Before Christmas was all very familiar, turning his head he couldn’t help but to let out a groan as the smell of warm tea finally reached his nose. He was laying down..on Virgil’s couch. Moving his arms proved to be largely useless too, let alone even attempting to sit up and take more of his surroundings in.  The sensation of rope rubbing against his bare arms stopped him from so much as wiggling in the wrong direction.

Throwing his head back he glanced around, the velvety softness against his cheek told him that whoever had done the knocking out, had at least enough graciousness to put a feather soft pillow under his head and a weighted blanket on top of him.

“How do you feel?” Speak of the devil.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Virgil played with his cup that he had filled and refilled full of his tea in the hour that Logan had been out. Usually, it helped to relax him, now..now he wasn’t so sure. His cup was once again empty, but he made no effort to refill it as he looked back at Logan, as the logical side blearily turned his head to look at him.

“Like shit.” Logan sourly muttered, his eyes somewhat glazed as he rolled his head back to look at the anxious side upon hearing Virgil’s warm voice, the other just sat there for a moment. As they looked back at each other, Logan offering a tired if not exhausted smile in the other’s direction, as the anxious side just stared back at him with an open and...mournful gaze?

Virgil just stared back at him for a moment, trying his best to remain firm and strong as Roman would have in this moment. Like Roman had when facing down Logan when he had been furious at the creative side, he tried to be like that..strong, and yet. All it took was a single tear, a single tear before they all started pouring out, as he crawled over to Logan’s side. Grasping and clinging to the bright red sash, he pressed his cheek against the cool leather of his couch as his eyes started to fill with more tears.

“I’m sorry Logan. I’m so so sorry.” Virgil burst out, finally spilling the words he had wanted to say since the very moment that Apathy had shown up, letting them all know that nothing would never be the same again. His head somehow found Logan’s shoulder, and he felt the other attempting to move. A gesture he hoped that was meant to comfort, as the tears soaked the shoulder of Logan’s shirt, “I was a bad friend, I..I laughed when..when I should have stuck up for you. When..you needed me, all I did was hurt you!”

Logan was completely still now, there wasn’t a single word that was coming from the logical side now, his breathing was the only thing that told Virgil he hadn’t fallen unconscious again. There was just a stillness about Logan now, “I was a bad friend...I let it all happen.” He sniffled, feeling the eyeshadow running down his cheeks in messy currents, before he even attempted to glance and look up at Logan’s expression.

“I know,” Logan whispered, the words as soft and sweet as a lover’s caress, as his dark and stormy eyes stared into Virgil’s. “I know.” He murmured again, as Virgil’s grip loosened on the sash and a smile curling onto the logical side’s lips.

Just about as warm as a summer’s day and as refreshing as a drink of water in a burning hot day. A sense of relief washed over the anxious side, as he dragged his sleeve under one of his eyes, only further smearing the eyeshadow that had at one point been perfect. He sent a startled little smile back to Logan, maybe everything would be alright, maybe everything could go back to being somewhat the way it was before.

Logan’s fist clenched, his knuckles turning white as his dark gaze bore into Virgil’s.

“You let it happen.”

Tagged:

@neko-ereri

@seas-space-and-stardust

@estraevelyn

@katatles-the-fish

@greeneggsandham1998

@ibelievewhatsontv

@sleepyssnail

@thats-so-crash

@serious-ppl-wear-neckties

@secretlyanxiouspersona

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@cats-vetal-miking-vomit

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@cyberpunkjinx

@noahlovescoffee

@iaminmultiplefandoms

@entpscarleharrrr

@dragonsight9

@sanders-is-awesome

@tea0-0stache

[amylillian22]

The Secret - Cody Christian Imagine

Requested by Anon: May can you write something where the reader is a big fan of Teen Wolf/PPL (you choose) and she has a crush on Theo/Mike and now she’s dating Cody and she never told him about knowing and crushing on him/his character. And after dating for a while he, somehow, finds out and gets really mad about it? But a happy ending xx

Word Count: 2,178

Warnings: Mentions of sex 

Author’s Note: I love Cody. I need him in my life.

My Teen Wolf Masterlist

“We are here live on the red carpet for The Ryan Seacrest Foundation in San Antonio, Texas, where some of Hollywood’s biggest and favorite couples are spending their Valentine’s Day giving back and raising money for the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio,” Ryan Seacrest spoke into his E! microphone and looked directly into the camera before he turned to his left to see who was next on the red carpet. “In fact, here’s my good buddy and his girlfriend, Teen Wolf’s Cody Christian and Y/N Y/L/N. Watch your step,” Ryan offered a hand to Y/N as she picked up her dress a little and carefully walked up the steps with Cody’s hand at the small of her back, guiding her up the steps.

Hugs and handshakes were exchanged as they quickly said hello to one another before Ryan jumped back into work mode. “First of all, thank you so much for spending your Valentine’s Day with us as I’ve known you two for a while now, but I didn’t realize you two are also celebrating your ten year anniversary today!” Ryan put a hand to his mouth to cover his next words from the couple and looked directly into the camera, “I hear wedding bells soon,” he sang in a playful and jokingly kind of way as he winked at the camera.

The trio laughed. It didn’t make Cody and Y/N uncomfortable. The two have already talked about getting married someday and both knew Cody would propose when the time is right. Cody and Y/N were just 15 when they met at a book store and Cody asked her out on a date to the movies. Their relationship started off slow as Cody’s schedule was busy with Pretty Little Liars, but they made it work. They were both patient with one another, which made their relationship much stronger, meaningful, and deeper.

Ryan looked away from the camera and back to the happy couple,“ but seriously, congratulations! Not many relationships in Hollywood last this long." 

"Thank you,” Cody and Y/N said in unison before they laughed.

“What’s your secret?” Ryan asked. 

“First of all, thank you for having us,” Cody said. “We’re always here to help you when it comes to raising money for such a great cause.”

“We’re more than happy to be here,” Y/N smiled.

“As for the secret to our successful relationship, do you mind if I quote something Kevin Bacon said once during an interview when he got asked the same question about his marriage?” Cody asked.

“Not at all. Go for it,” Ryan held the microphone a little bit closer to Cody to catch every word.

“Keep the fights clean and the sex dirty,” Cody smirked.

“Cody!” Y/N playfully smacked his arm, shaking her head as everyone laughed. She looked back at Ryan, “don’t mind him. I think our relationship works so well because we definitely communicate and more importantly we’re patient with one another.”

“Which is so important because sometimes my job keeps me away from her. Sometimes I film long hours, sometimes I film in other states or countries, and she can’t always go with me. I’m so lucky to have her in my life, who not only understands me and my hectic life, but also loves me back,” Cody smiled as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to his side.

“Aww,” Y/N cooed as she leaned into him. “It’s hard not to love a man who says nothing but sweet things to me.”

“You two are just too cute for words,” Ryan chuckled. “Y/N, I have to ask, what does it feel like to be in a relationship with the Cody Christian? Our researchers at E! recently found out you were actually one of Cody’s biggest fans before you met him. You used to run a Cody Christian fan blog, right?”

Y/N’s eyes widened in shock as Cody’s head snapped in her direction completely taken back and gave her a quizzical look.

Remembering she was live on national television, Y/N quickly composed herself and shook it off as if it was nothing. “Oh, gosh, Ryan, that was so long ago. But you know what? I love Cody and there aren’t enough words to express how much I love him and how proud I am of him.”

“Well, thank you so much for joining us on the red carpet and being here tonight. You two enjoy the rest of your night,” Ryan shook their hand as they exchanged quick goodbyes.

“Cody, I can explain,” she quickly whispered as she slipped her hand in his and walked down the steps.

He gripped her hand tight, working his muscles under his jaw as he gritted his teeth, “We’ll talk about this later.” He closed his eyes for a second and let out a deep frustrated sigh. In an instant, his whole demeanor changed as he plastered a fake smile on his face. “For now, smile cause we’re still on the red carpet.”

It was a little after midnight and Y/N had changed out of her red ballroom gown and into a pair of black yoga pants and one of Cody’s old hoodies. Her eyes had been puffy from crying since she got home and Cody took off without telling her where he was going. After the interview on the red carpet, they had to pretend nothing was wrong, fake smiles and laughs when they socialized with their friends and met new people.

As soon as the charity event was over, Cody and Y/N sat in the back of the car in an uncomfortable silence. The driver could feel the tension in the car and he knew a knife wouldn’t cut through it. When the driver dropped them off and drove out of their driveway, Cody got in his truck and took off without so much as looking back at Y/N. Although she knew he clearly needed to clear his mind and sort things out, she wasn’t expecting him to leave her like that. They’ve had fights before, but Cody had never walked away from one. Y/N was worried she had messed things up for good and might have lost the only good thing she had in her life.

Y/N quickly wiped away the fallen tears once she heard the back door open and close and Cody dropping his keys in the bowl on a table they had by the door. She grabbed her pillow and hugged it to her chest as she curled her body in fetal position. Cody noticed a soft light coming from underneath the bedroom door. He slowly opened the door to their shared bedroom and peeked in to see if Y/N was asleep. Her back was to him, giving him the impression she was asleep, until he saw her shoulders tremble. He was pissed at her, but hated that he caused the tears he knew were sliding down her cheeks at the moment.

He closed his eyes as he let out a deep frustrated sigh before closing the door behind him. Cody moved around the room and into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Y/N didn’t move, nor did she make a sound. With her blurry vision, she just looked straight ahead at the wall in front of her. 

She felt the bed dip besides her as Cody laid down on his side. He reached over to the lamp on his nightstand and turned it off. He didn’t say a word, say or kiss her good night. He just stayed on his side of the bed and gave her his back. Although they were just about a foot away from one another, they felt miles apart, and the horrible tension they had in the car now filled their bedroom.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered in the dark. “I’m so sorry.”

“You lied to me,” he whispered back.

She immediately shook her head. “No, I didn’t." 

"You withheld the truth from me,” he leaned over to turn the lamp back on. He leaned up on his elbows and looked at her. “You withheld the truth and you lied about it." 

Still refusing to look at him, she closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. "I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you and I should have told you. You didn’t deserve to find out the way you did.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was afraid-" 

"Afraid of what?! That this would happen?! That I would be completely pissed about this? I mean could you bla-”

“No! I was afraid you’d stop loving me if you found out!” Y/N shouted back as she finally turned around to face Cody.

Cody scanned her features. Her eyes were red and puffy. They were also broken, filled with sadness and worry. Cody let out a deep sigh as he reached for her hand. “Babe, I could never stop loving you. After my mom’s cancer, your dad’s death,” Cody shook his head. “We’ve been through too much together and been there for each other when we needed each other the most. I could never stop loving you. I’m just mad you never told me about this, that you kept this from me. I had a right to know about this.”

“I know and I’m sorry. I stopped running the blog the second you asked me to move in with you after Jeff talked about bringing you back for the final season of Teen Wolf,” she finally sat up and fiddled with her fingers. “Cody, you have to know, although I first knew you as Mike and I was head over heels with him, I love you. I don’t love you because you were Mike and Theo. I fell in love with you because I love the way your eyes twinkle every time you laugh. I love you because you are kind and considerate towards others, and you often put everyone else first. You showed me the world from a different perspective. You taught me to love myself, be confident in myself, and believe in myself. I love you because even though you are the furthest thing from prefect, you’re perfect in my eyes.”

Cody looked at her in awe. He knew she loved him, but he never knew how deep her love ran. He had never heard her speak about him like that before and somehow that made him love her even more, knowing she loved him for all the same reasons he loved her. He cupped her cheeks and brushed away the tears on her face before pulling her in for a deep and passionate kiss.

Y/N didn’t hesitate to kiss him back as she placed her hands on his firm chest. Their lips moved in perfect sync, fitting perfectly against one another like puzzle pieces. It’s been ten years since they first got together, and to this day, every time their lips meshed together, butterflies would be released in their stomachs, heat would wash over their bodies, a shiver would travel down their spines and all the way to their toes as they saw fireworks.

“I’m so sorry,” Y/N mumbled again in between kisses. “I love you… so much, Cody.”

“It’s okay…” Cody pulled back with his eyes still closed and his forehead pressed against hers. “I love you, too, Y/N.”

Y/N wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a tight hug. He buried his face at the crook of her neck, taking in the scent of her perfume as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. His lips pecked her neck with wet butterfly kisses. “Marry me,” he whispered.

She pulled back and looked at him. “Did you just ask me-“

“I was planning on asking you tonight after Ryan’s thing. I had the whole thing planned out. A nice warm bubble bath and then eat some chocolate covered strawberries I got you with a bottle of champagne, but then I was so pissed, and everything-“

“Changed? Did you decide not to propose at all?” She asked afraid.

Cody immediately shook his head. “Babe, I want to marry you. I never decided not never ask you to marry me. Tonight, I just needed some air. I wasn’t mad at what you did. I was mad you never told me about it, and I didn’t want to propose the same night we had our biggest fight ever, but after what you just said…. I don’t want to waste another day. We’ve been together for 10 years and been through so much together, and guess what? We’ll get through this together too.” He grabbed her hands in his and lifted them up, kissing her knuckles before he looked up at her. “So… marry me, Y/N. Let’s continue to be there for each other, have stupid fights, followed by some amazing make up sex,” Y/N chuckled. Cody smiled at her, “Make me the happiest man in the world, babe.”

“Yes,” she leaned in and kissed him. “Yes, yes, yes, yes!” She repeated in between kisses as her arms wrapped around his neck and pushed him back on the bed. Cody’s hands rested at her hips as she straddled his hips. “Get ready for the best make up sex of your life.”

“Keep the fights clean, and the sex dirty,” Cody chuckled before he kissed her.