Chapter Text
Mack doesn’t know when it happened or why it happened, but one day he was just Mack: 1st overall draft pick, future of Canadian hockey, hockey’s rising star. And the next, he was Mack, one half of Willmack.
It’s not like Mack minds exactly.
He likes being around Will.
He likes that Will is always there, that he knows what Mack likes, and that he’s just so easy to be around. Mack doesn’t really remember the last time he wasn’t around Will, or talking to Will, or thinking about Will.
It’s like he has his life before Will and his life after Will. Like his life is measured in B.W. and A.W., like with Will’s God, ya know.
Life before Will was fine. Mack had hockey. Mack had always had hockey. His whole life was hockeyhockeyhockey.
Well, it still is kind of like that, but now it's more like hockeyhockeyWill.
And Mack is so lucky because he never has to separate those two things. Mack gets to have his favorite thing and his favorite person all the time.
And he does. Whether it's at practice, at each other's houses, grabbing coffee, or driving to the rink, they're always glued to each other's sides.
You'd think they'd have gotten tired of each other by now, but they never do. Well, at least Mack never gets tired of Will. Not like he has with other teammates, or old roommates, or even his siblings. He doesn’t think Will gets tired of him; he assumes that he would tell him if he did…probably.
Well, regardless, they are always together and it seems like no one is every really surprised anymore by any of their…behaviors.
Like the other day at practice, Will was sitting on the bench with Dickie on one side and Reavo on the other, and Mack, just messing around of course, went and sat on Will's lap because there wasn't really anywhere else to sit and he had something to tell him anyway. Literally no one batted an eye. Not one chirp. Will just wrapped an arm around him to steady him and gave him one of his megawatt smiles and a "Sup, Celly."
It made Mack wonder, exactly how much could he get away with?
Like Mack knows he gets away with a lot because well he’s Macklin Celebrini. It’s not like he means to be arrogant or conceited, but it’s just the way things seem to be. Kind of the way things have always been. Like when Mack and his brother Aiden would both sneak out and when they’d eventually get caught either slipping on their story or just flat out caught out, only Aiden would ever get in trouble. Dada saying he’s the older one and therefore, he should be the responsible one and set a good example. Mack’s always been younger than most of the people around him. Being an elite athlete that everyone says you have a gift or whatever will do that to you. Sometimes it bothers Mack, that people think just because he’s younger, they treat him differently. Or just because he’s a “generational talent” that he isn’t just a guy.
You know who has never made Mack feel like that?
William Charles Patrick Smith (hockey).
Will makes Mack feel normal.
Normally that would probably sound like a bad thing, but when people spend your whole life telling you you're special, sometimes all you really want is to feel normal.
People call Mack intense. Overbearing. Wayyyy too much.
Will never has.
Yeah, sometimes Mack can be a lot. But that's just because he cares. He cares so freaking much about everything all the time, and sometimes it feels like it's too much to fit inside one person.
The first time it happened in front of Will, the first time Mack let the cap fly clean off of his composure, they were shooting hoops outside of their hotel room during dev camp. It was stupid, really. Looking back on it now, Mack may have overreacted. But after his fourth shot in a row circled the rim and popped back out, something in his brain just kind of...snapped.
He launched the ball halfway across the parking lot.
It smacked into some random car.
It maybe left a dent.
Mack froze.
He looked over at Will, already bracing for the look. The one that said, Dude, what the hell is wrong with you?
But Will wasn't looking at him like he'd lost it.
Will was laughing.
Like, really laughing.
Mack stared at him for another second before he started laughing too.
Eventually, Will managed to catch his breath.
"Jesus, dude," he said, shaking his head. "Quite the arm on you."
And with that, Mack knew. Knew he was going to be okay. Knew he had at least one person who would understand him here.
It's been over a year since that happened and not once has Will made Mack feel stupid for anything he's done. Or for anything he's felt.
Will is almost infuriatingly calm. Nothing seems to make him mad for very long. Even when Mack gets frustrated, or says something he doesn't mean, or spirals over something stupid, Will just...gets it.
That doesn't mean he lets Mack get away with everything. He doesn't. Will calls him out all the time. Sometimes more than anyone else does. But there's a difference between making someone feel bad and making them want to be better.
And Mack always wants to be better, like all the time.
Better at hockey.
Better at being a teammate.
Better at being...well, a person.
Mack wants to be the best. Mack will be the best, and Will will be right there with him. While sometimes Mack is the one pushing Will on the ice to be better, even though he’s already amazing, sometimes Mack needs a little push to keep his shit together off the ice. Will is his motivator, but also his moderator, sometimes his filter, and often the glue that keeps him from completely falling apart.
Which is probably why Mack started wondering about the bench thing.
If sitting in Will's lap wasn't weird...
Then what was?
Mack is chewing on the string of his sweatshirt lost in thought when Will plops down next to him.
“What do you want to watch?”
Mack snaps out of it, the soggy, abused string dropping from his mouth.
“Dude, you pick,” he says grabbing the bowl of Skinny Pop off Will’s lap. “You know I can never decide.”
Will rolls his eyes at him, grabbing the remote from the table, then tucks his legs under him as he leans into Mack’s side. “Fine, bud, but no complaining.”
“M’kay, promise.” Mack pulls the fleece Sharks blanket Will’s mom made them their rookie season over both of their laps. A big #2 and #71 printed across each corner. He snuggles into Will without thinking about it. There isn't really any space between them, but there never is.
This too is normal for them. After practice they’ll rehydrate and watch a movie, usually resulting in a nap, at least for Mack. He has a hard time paying attention during movies. He usually falls asleep or just watches Will. That tends to be Mack's favorite part anyway. Watching Will watch the movie. Even if he’s seen the movie a hundred times, he still reacts to everything. Sometimes Mack will catch him mouthing along to the words, having memorized the best lines of his fav movies. Mack hasn’t seen most of the movies Will has them watch—usually romcoms or old classics—but he enjoys them most of the time.
Mack's favorite movie Will ever made him watch was probably Clueless.
The fact that she ends up realizing she's in love with the guy who's been there the whole time even though she never saw him that way before?
Priceless.
Honestly, Mack didn't know how she missed it for so long.
“Okay, get ready to have your mind blown.” Will tosses the remote onto the other side of the couch and turns towards Mack, another fat smile on his face.
“What are we watching?”
Will's grin somehow gets even bigger.
"A classic."
Mack squints.
“It’s another romcom isn’t it?”
“It’s a surprise.”
It’s obviously a romcom.
Mack shoves another handful of popcorn in his mouth and turns his attention away from Will and onto the movie.
It seems interesting enough. It starts with this writer who's apparently trying to make some guy dump her for an article or something. Meanwhile, there's another guy who's trying to make some girl fall in love with him because of some bet.
Mack glances over at Will.
"Like how bad could she possibly be?”
"Just wait," Will says, grinning.
So Mack is patient. And, like, yeah, some of these things are arguably insane, but not everything. Mack and Will have nicknames for each other that are kind of embarrassing, but that's a totally normal hockey thing. They do everything together, so it wouldn't be weird if Mack showed up to a hangout he wasn't technically invited to. He's hung out with Will and his BC lineys before. And Mack isn't trying to date Will, and you usually have less boundaries in dating than you do between bros probably?
The main characters are so interesting, though. Like they're obviously so into each other regardless of all the bullshit they're both pulling. The girl is so real for being like, Yo, why is this guy just accepting all of my craziness?
It makes Mack think about Will.
Like...was there actually anything Mack could do that would make Will finally go,
Dude, what the fuck?
Like Mack’s not just going to show up to the Marleau’s with a dog randomly, but like what if he just started redecorating his room or would Will get into a fight with a stranger if it meant defending Mack?
“I don’t get it.” Mack looks over at Will. “How does he keep putting up with her?”
“Well, one, because he’s competitive and doesn’t like losing a bet.” Will gives him a pointed look.
Mack ignores it.
“And two,” Will continues, “because he’s falling in love with her.”
“Yeah,” Mack says. “But, like, everybody has a limit.”
Will is quiet for a second.
His eyes drift down to where their legs have somehow ended up tangled together beneath the blanket.
“Probably.”
There had to be a limit.
Right?
Mack was going to find it.