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one.
“It’s two per room,” Collin announces, hastily taking in the list of room assignments Warso had handed him before disappearing off to who knows where. They’re in some random hotel, something about post-trade deadline team bonding that Collin’s not entirely sure they have time for with their busy schedule. But here they are anyways, everyone half-asleep and expectant.
“Hit us with it,” Reavo calls, a reassuring smile on his face, and Collin feels some of his anxiousness dissipate, sinking back into the dark, hidden parts of his brain. He quickly reads out the list, not even bothering to say anything when he gets to Will and Mack. Those two are always paired together, and he’s not surprised to find that this team bonding thing is going to be any different.
“And lastly, Eky and Mukh, you’re in together,” Collin finishes. Mukh looks up from his phone with a smirk, and it’s only when Collin meets his gaze and sees the gleam of mischief there that he realises what Shakir’s about to say. “Oh god, don’t start this again.”
“Are you gonna leak more secrets about me, Eky?” Shakir teases. Eky launches into another self-defensive yet apologetic spiel at that, and it’s just as funny as always. Everyone’s too caught up in their play fighting to notice Will and Mack, but Collin does, has been particularly attuned to them since he realised they were a pretty formidable first line.
Mack might just be dead, though. He’s slumped in Smitty’s hold, unmoving, not even twitching like the way he sometimes does when he naps on the bus. So maybe, Collin muses, he’s awake? Just hiding from the world?
Will’s not much better, though, letting Mack cling to him without protest. One hand deftly strokes through the hair at the nape of Mack’s neck, and the other scrolls through something on his phone. Collin smiles at them before turning away, giving them their privacy. Toff’s eyes meet his and they exchange a knowing look that Toff quickly turns into something mischievous.
“Wait, I didn’t hear Mack or Will’s names in your list, Graffer?” Toff says. It spears everyone’s attention, eyes snapping over to Mack and Will’s huddled forms. Will lifts his head, eyes wide with a pink blush encasing the tops of his cheeks. The one he always gets when it comes to Macklin.
“Figured I didn’t need to say anything. They probably already knew they were rooming together,” Collin says with a shrug. Mack extracts his face from Will’s neck at that, fixing Collin with a stern glare that actually used to scare him until he realised Macklin’s just got a fiercely protective streak when it comes to Will.
And Collin’s not really a threat to Will now, is he?
“What if we we’re fighting and didn’t want to share a room?” Mack questions. It’s the most nonsensical thing Collin’s ever heard. Will and Mack have had their fights before, Mack ignoring Will whilst he tried to calm down, but even then, he’d bared his teeth at the idea of swapping rooms with someone else for the night.
“Yeah, sure, I’ll believe that when I see it,” Sam cuts in. Everyone laughs in agreeance, even Sherwood, who’d picked up on Will and Mack’s… thing far quicker than anyone had expected. “Come on, let’s just get settled into our hotel rooms before these two start tryin’ something to disprove my point.”
Collin can agree with that idea. He hefts his bag up off the floor and follows after the rest of the team, making sure he doesn’t fall too far behind and get caught up in Will and Mack’s conversation. The two of them are further behind, and he loves them, especially loves their chemistry on the ice, but he’s heard their conversations, knows how out of pocket they can get, and he’s on the wrong side of tired for their shenanigans today.
He’s just glad he’s not rooming with either of them. Knows it’d turn into a sleepover sooner rather than later, and whilst he’s used to feeling like a (somewhat helpful) third wheel with Mack and Will, he’s not quite willing to deal with their… themness again anytime soon.
No way.
--
There’s a knock at the door, and Alex looks up from his phone at it. Collin, sprawled out on the second bed, also looks up, and they exchange a look before Alex shrugs and crosses to the door. When he opens it, Mack’s there, Will leaning against the wall beside him. “Wenny! Graffer’s in with you, right?”
“Yeah? What’s up?” Alex says. He’s not expecting a response, however, stepping out of the doorway for Mack and Will to enter. They immediately barrel over to Collin’s bed, bodies pressed together in a way that Alex swears he was never like with Felicia, as much as he loves her. It’s a bit uncanny. He’s not sure he’s ever met two people so in love yet so oblivious about it.
“Collin! Why didn’t you tell us our room only has one bed?” Mack asks, prodding at the mostly healed cut on Collin’s cheek. Collin bats his hand away with an almost complacent familiarity. Alex knows exactly how that feels.
“It didn’t say anything on the list,” Collin says. He tries to look back at his phone; a futile effort. Alex shakes his hand fondly and plucks the list from atop Collin’s bag. He crosses the room and dangles the paper in front of Mack’s face. Mack makes a noise of shock, head whipping around to stare at Alex, before he takes the list and reads it over.
“Oh…” Mack says. Alex peers over his shoulder, spotting where Mack and Will’s names are typed together. There’s nothing about their room only having one bed, and he wonders if Warso genuinely didn’t know, or if he omitted that information on purpose.
Alex wouldn’t put it past their coach.
“Can we go back to bed now? I’m tired,” Will grumbles. And really, how much of Mack is made up of wet paper? Because Alex has never seen anyone give in so easily. The pair of them slip off of Collin’s bed, disappearing out into the hallway with a quick goodnight thrown over their shoulders.
“Those two…” Collin starts.
“Are obviously yet obliviously and obnoxiously in love with each other?” Alex finishes. Collin huffs out a breath of laughter at that, tipping his phone towards Alex in acknowledgement.
“Yeah, that.”
two.
Reavo doesn’t even think about it at first. Just walks past Mack and Will curled up in one corner of the locker room before he stops and retraces his steps. He stands in front of them, frame shielding them from the harsh glare of artificial lighting. The position they’re in can’t be comfortable. Legs entangled, Mack lying on his side whilst Will lays sprawled over him. How Mack’s shoulders aren’t smarting and waking him up, Ryan doesn’t know, and he mutters a small ‘huh’ under his breath.
“What is it?” Someone says. When Ryan turns, he spots Orlov. Beckoning him over, he points at the entwined Sharks. “Oh. We should probably send this into the group chat, no?” Dmitry says and yeah, Ryan forgot about that.
Procuring his phone from his pocket, Ryan snaps a quick photo before shooing Dmitry away. If Mack or Will wake up and catch either man hovering about and watching them, they’ll get all snippy, especially Mack, and that’s the last thing the Sharks need right now.
Or not. Reavo still remembers that game against the Penguins and the way Mack had nearly dropped his gloves and bloodied his knuckles in defence of Will. It’s a side of Mack he never hopes to be on the receiving end of, to be honest.
“They’re insufferably in love with each other,” Orlov says. Ryan hums in agreement, quickly sending the photo to the special WillMack complaint zone group chat, before doing the same thing in his DMs with Alanna. She responds immediately, almost matching the group chat with how many messages she sends.
“God, Alanna’s cooing over them again,” Ryan huffs fondly. Orlov chuckles in a way that Reavo knows to mean he gets it. From what’s he heard, Alanna isn’t that different from Varvara, or any of the wives, really. Cat and Felicia seem just as diehard for Will and Mack to fix their shit, after all.
Reavo follows Dmitry out onto the ice after that, and it’s almost immediate that everyone converges on them, Misa with his phone out, screening display the photo Ryan just sent. “We told them that was the only spot they were allowed to nap in, I just didn’t expect them to actually listen,” he chirps.
“They couldn’t have taken turns?” Ryan snorts.
“Absolutely not, do not be stupid. Those two would sooner die than be separated,” Asky says, skating over in all his goalie gear. “I almost tripped over them just now. They’ve moved.”
“Photos?” Michael asks, phone clutched between his hand. Almost like he predicted this response, Asky holds the device out, screen already lit up with the new photo. Sure enough, Ryan notes, they’re in a much different position. Mack’s starfished out on his back, not a single limb touching Will apart from the one hand he’s got curled in the fabric of Will’s hoodie, tethering him in place. Will’s laying atop Mack in the tiniest ball Ryan’s ever seen, and it makes his spine hurt. He can see a few of the other older guys wincing too.
“That cannot be comfortable,” Vinny mutters. He shakes his head before skating off, calling back across the ice, “they’re terrible.” And yeah, Ryan can’t really argue with that now, can he?
three.
Shakir’s still not sure why he’s here, when he has a newborn child and a beautiful wife waiting for him at home, but she’d insisted he spend time with his team, so here he is, cramped in the lounge of Toff’s house, having a sleepover with the rest of the Sharks after a particularly gruelling shootout win at home.
“Fuck, I don’t think we have enough covers. By one,” Toff groans. Shakir doesn’t even think, just slides his gaze over to Mack and Will. They’re already sharing, happy to snuggle close together whilst waiting for a second cover to come their way, and really, Shakir shouldn’t speak, but it’s out of his mouth before he can stop it.
“Mack and Will are already sharing. I’m sure they won’t mind that for the rest of the night.” All eyes snap to him, and Shakir blushes, ducking his head down to hide the faint hue that takes over his cheeks. It’s silent for a few excruciating seconds longer before Eky laughs and claps his hands on Shakir’s shoulders.
“That’s a brilliant idea, Mukh!” Eklund says. Everyone else laughs and agrees, and Shakir brightens. He’s still not used to the team praising him, even though they go above and beyond to do so every time he’s out on the ice. It’s a bit head fizzing, to be honest.
“Not even gonna ask if we’re okay with that, hm?” Will asks. Shakir snaps his gaze over to the two, fearful that he’s crossed a line, but nope. Will and Mack are both smiling too. Or, well, Will is. Mack is already half asleep on Will’s shoulder, lips quirked up in a way that Shakir is entirely sure is because he’s in Will’s proximity and nothing more. “It’s fine, though. We don’t mind.”
“Problem solved!” Toff playfully cheers. “Thanks for that, Shakir.”
--
It’s dark when William wakes, the threads of a weird dream still lingering at the edges of his mind. He sits up, shaking his head to dispel the remaining fog before he peers around the room. Everyone else is fast asleep, so Eky is careful not to make noise when he stands up.
“Eky?” Someone whispers, startling him. Okay, maybe not everyone is asleep. When he peers across to the voice, it’s Shakir, resting his weight on one elbow as he rubs at his eyes with the other. “Everything alright?”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you. Just a weird dream,” William explains. Shakir hums before he muffles a yawn, muttering a quick apology after. “All good. Why you awake?”
“It’s a dad thing. Heard shuffling, so instinct woke me up,” Mukh explains, and yeah, that makes sense. A tendril of guilt creeps into Eky’s brain, but he ignores it. He’s apologised plenty of times for that incident already. “Carry on with what you were doing, I’ll be fine.”
“Goodnight,” Eky whispers before creeping out to the kitchen. He pours himself a glass of water and quickly drinks it down before returning to the lounge. He’s about to slip through the sleepy huddle of bodies when he spots the tangled two.
Will is laying on his back, arms curled tight and protective around Mack’s torso, their legs knotted together. Mack’s lips are pressed to the underside of Will’s jaw and it’s… intimate. Like insanely so. William rubs at his eyes to confirm what he’s seeing before he makes a low, strangled noise.
Shakir stirs again, and Eky wordlessly gestures in Mack and Will’s direction. Shakir turns before immediately turning his eyes back to Eky’s. “What the fuck?” He whispers and Eky can only nod his head in response. He’s never, ever, seen the two of them like it. He’s about to scuttle over and grab his phone when Mukh beats him to it.
A brief flash of (necessary) light follows that has both Eky and Shakir freezing in anticipation of someone waking up, breaths caught in their chests. They remain like that for a few moments before finally relaxing when no one moves. Shakir quickly sends the photo into the group chat, a handful of phones lighting up or vibrating, before he shoots Eky a playful grin.
“They might have gotten worse.”
four.
“Fuck. Apparently one of our rooms is unavailable now due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’, and there’s no spares to replace it,” Vinny announces. Michael groans and slumps back into Sam’s hold. He can already feel it coming, the announcement that it’s their room that’s gone, and he’s going to be separated from his boyfriend.
“Whose room?” Sam calls, gently brushing his thumb along Michael’s hip as he speaks. It’s soothing and reassuring, if a little risky. They’ve not exactly told anyone they’re together yet, after all.
“Uh…” Vinny trails off as his eyes scan the list. When he looks up, Michael already knows the answer. “Sorry, but it’s yours that’s unavailable now.” Michael groans anyways, thumping his head back against Sam’s shoulder.
“You two can crash in with us? We don’t mind sharing,” Mack offers. He’s stood with Will, letting Will do something with his hand (Michael thinks he might but checking out Mack’s new nail polish) but the smile he sends Sam and Michael’s way is steady and reassuring. And besides…
“Ammunition,” Sam whispers, finishing Michael’s thought for him. Shooting Sam a sly smirk, Michael turns back to Mack, nodding his head.
“If that’s alright. We don’t mind sharing either,” Michael says. It’s more of an admission than him and Sam had agreed upon, but who cares? Sometimes hockey players end up in situations like these, and you have to take it all in stride if you want to win. Yeah. Sounds about right, reasonable.
Definitely not Michael’s still-scared brain trying to come up with a reason as to why he immediately jumped to being okay with sharing a bed with another guy. Definitely not.
“Great. Will you, um, shall we, uh,” Mack trails off with a huff before he plucks his hand free of Will’s grip (did Will just whine?) and crosses over. He holds out a keycard with a quick ‘here’, and Michael gently takes it, careful not to catch any of his ragged nails on Mack’s polish.
(He knows how crotchety Mack can get about his fresh nails chipping.)
“Thank you,” Sam says when Michael doesn’t respond straight away. He swallows down the bump in his throat before thanking Mack in return. “We’ll let you guys pick which bed you want. Your room, after all.”
Mack giggles, looping his arm through Will’s before all but dragging him down the hallway. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Sam and Michael exchange looks before turning to the rest of their team.
“Wish us luck,” Michael huffs. A playful chorus of ‘good luck’ comes their way before they follow Mack and Will towards the elevators, careful to keep their distance. “We’re about to be outcoupled by a couple that aren’t even a couple,” Michael grumbles under his breath.
Sam only responds with a laugh. A cute one, but still. Michael isn’t sure that alone will get him through the night. At least they’re together, he supposes.
--
The room is so silent when Sam steps out of the ensuite, dirty clothes in one hand and damp towel in the other, that he almost thinks he’s entered the wrong place. But Michael’s there, and his eyes are wide, phone light aimed at the ceiling as he stares at Will and Mack’s bodies. Will’s lying on top of Mack like usual, and really, Sam’s not sure why Michael looks like a flashbang has gone off in his face.
“Babe? What is it?” Sam whispers. He drops the towel in the hotel hamper before shoving his clothes into his suitcase, unfolded and messy. He’ll have to fix it later, but he has bigger priorities right now.
“Get over here, now,” Michael hisses. Sam crosses on the quickest yet quietest feet he can manage. He settles on the bed next to Michael, knee pressed against his boyfriend’s ankle. “Look at them.”
Sam looks. And oh. Oh. He’s not sure how, but Will’s managed to get his head inside Mack’s hood, alongside Mack. Some-fucking-how. If it wasn’t for the faint haze of Michael’s phone light shining off of the golden cloud of Will’s curls, Sam’s not sure he would’ve even noticed. “Well…” he mutters.
“This is a whole other level of clingy,” Michael says. He snatches up his phone and uses the flashlight to help him turn on the bedside lamp before he turns the torch off. “I need to document this. You said it yourself – ammunition.”
“Be quick,” Sam says, a yawn rippling through his system. “Wanna cuddle my boyfriend.” A blush coats Michael’s cheeks at that, but he’s quick to snap the photo and switch the lamp back off.
“There,” Michael says as he taps at his phone. Sam’s own screen lights up with the notification and he quickly locks it again, the brightness stinging his eyes. Michael dots a kiss to Sam’s cheek before stealing the device away. “Bedtime.”
With both phones wedged under the pillow, Sam and Michael curl into each other’s space, arms over waists and breaths mingling. It’s peaceful, exactly how Sam likes it, but somewhere, in the back of his mind, Sam knows they’re being outcoupled.
By a couple that aren’t even a couple.
five.
Laughter rings throughout the air as Tyler looks around the garden. Whilst only a handful of Sharks remain after their impromptu gathering, the atmosphere is still bright and jovial, the rookies and baby Sharks doing a brilliant job of keeping the mood up.
“That was not my fault,” Michael screeches, clambering over Sam’s lap to prod a finger against Collin’s chest. Which… yeah, Toff hadn’t seen Michael and Sam being a thing, but the more he watches, the more he gets it. They work well together, both on and off the ice.
Sort of like Will and Mack, Tyler muses.
He turns his gaze towards the duo then, the pair of them too wrapped up in each other to join the chaos like normal. It’s actually unnerving. They’ve been quieter recently, more silent and stuck together, and Toff wants to corner them and question them about it, but that’s rude, according to Cat, so he’s reluctantly holding back.
“Are they staying?” Cat asks, nodding in Will and Mack’s direction. Toff smiles and presses a kiss to her lips before deigning to answer her. Sue him, he’s in love.
“Not yet. I can ask now?” Toff says. Cat hums noncommittedly and sits next to him. She sips from her new mug, hissing at the boiling warmth. God, Tyler loves her so much, it’s actually infuriating sometimes.
Like cuteness aggression, but with love.
“Stop staring at me and ask them already,” Cat says, a sly smile on her face. Toff huffs and steals another kiss from her mouth before turning to face his favourite dynamic duo.
“Mack, Will,” he calls. Their heads snap up in unison, fixing their gaze on Toff. “You two staying tonight or what?”
“If that’s alright,” Will says in response. He shrugs and looks back down at his phone, Mack copying him. Like a boy and his shadow. He says as much to Cat, which earns him a chuckle.
“Of course. You guys are fine with sharing the second spare bedroom though, yeah? The single bed one?” Toff chances. It’s a stupid question, even to his ears. He’s seen the way they curl around each other every chance they get, can still remember the exact moment he saw Michael’s last photo. How the fuck the two of them had been sharing a hood, he isn’t sure, but they most resolutely were.
(Cat had gone especially feral over that photo.)
Will and Mack don’t even look at each other when they agree, both of their accords, soft little ‘yeah’s falling from their mouths in near perfect unison. Toff can see the look Cat is giving him, but he’s also pointedly ignoring it. Not sure he can hold himself together if he acknowledges it, acknowledges her. He’s ninety-five percent sure something will be asked that really shouldn’t be.
“Great. Just with Eky, Graf, Sam and Michael staying, it’s the only option we have left,” Toff explains. He doesn’t need to, but he wonders if the two of them will change their minds once the offer is really, well and truly spelled out for them. Judging by the complete lack of body reactions, Toff isn’t sure they will.
“It’s fine,” Mack says, not looking up from where he’s watching Will’s phone, chin hooked over Will’s shoulder. They’re absolutely inseparable. And sure, Tyler should be used to it, but that doesn’t make it any less sickening, if he has to be honest. They seem to get worse every day, somehow.
With that confirmation in mind, however, Toff finally turns to look at Cat. She’s smirking into her coffee, and Toff should be annoyed that she was right – that they’re insufferable and would find a way to share a single log of wood if it was their only option – but he’s a little too in love with her to really care.
--
“They’re too quiet,” Toff mutters under his breath. He finishes putting the plates away and turns to face Cat. She’s leaning against the doorframe, watching him with a soft smile on her face. God, he loves her. “We should check on them.”
“Maybe they’re just tired,” Cat offers. She crosses to Toff, letting herself be pulled into his embrace. “Saying that, they were really quiet at dinner earlier.”
“Exactly. I know Mack’s been struggling a bit with the pressure on his shoulders, but even still. Should we check on them? Maybe they’re fighting. We’ll go in and find one of them on the floor or something,” Tyler theorises. Cat hums before she pulls back with a sigh and a shake of the head.
“If it’ll ease your mind,” Cat says. He nods resolutely and pulls away from her, already heading towards the stairs. “We need to keep quiet, though. And we knock first.”
“That’s fine,” Toff agrees. They creep over to the smallest spare bedroom, and Toff gently raps his knuckles against the door. About thirty seconds pass without an answer, so Toff presses down on the door handle and eases his way in.
The room is just as quiet when Toff pushes the door in, Cat hot on his heels. The lights are off, curtains half-drawn in a way that leaves the room in a hazy, silver glow, and there’s not a single sound to be heard other than steady breathing. No squabbling, no low audio drifting out of someone’s phone speaks. Toff can’t even hear Mack’s white noise machine, weirdly enough.
Hitting Cat with a confused look, he steps further into the room. And yeah, he sees why it’s bone quiet almost immediately.
Mack and Will are curled up together, like commas or speech marks, knees touching, spaces intertwined. Mack’s got one hand wedged under the skewed edge of Will’s hood, fingers enmeshed in his curls, and Toff can just see the tips of Will’s fingers underneath the curve of Mack’s neck.
Even from just within the doorway, Cat tucked under his raised arm, Tyler can see the way Will’s breathing open-mouthed like always. He can only imagine the warm and wet breath that is most likely brushing over the exposed skin of Mack’s wrist, and he wrinkles his nose. It’s disgustingly fond in a way that not even Toff is sure he can handle.
Look, he loves Cat, in this shit for life and hopefully the next kind of love, but he’s not sure he could ever tolerate her mouth breathing against his wrist all night. He turns to face her, grimacing playfully before guiding her out of the room.
“They’re so gross,” Toff says when the door is shut behind them, and the words are way softer than they should be. Cat laughs at him, slipping her fingers through Toff’s and pulling him towards their bedroom.
“You were just as clingy with me at first,” Cat reminds him. He was, embarrassingly so, but he wasn’t that bad. Never mouth breathing against bare flesh bad. He says as much to Cat, which makes her laugh. Tyler’s favourite sound. “Aren’t they always like that, though? Breathing into each other’s mouth and stuff? I mean… especially Kibble.”
“And? That doesn’t make it any better. Getting my wrist all wet and warm because you’re mouth breathing on it? No thanks,” Toff says. Cat rolls her eyes at him fondly as she settles against the pillows, legs already tucked under the covers. She lifts up the other side of the duvet for him, and he slips under the sheets, latching onto her waist in seconds. Clingy, but not mouth breath-y.
The way it should be.
Cat kisses him once they’re settled, both sighing in relief at the simple affection, before they let their eyes slip closed. The day had been long, and trying to figure out why Mack and Will had randomly gone silent two hours earlier than usual hadn’t helped.
But Tyler supposes they figured it out, so now he can focus on more important matters like sleeping in Cat’s arms and waking up not so early the following day.
plus one.
“The rooms are under renovation?” Warso says. Mack’s head snaps up at that, eyes wide. He can feel the same reaction flitting through the rest of the players. It feels a little bit like the Chicago incident all over again.
“Well, sir, it’s only one room. Room… one-seven-six? We’ve prepared solo rooms for the two occupants to sleep in for tonight, free of charge, with a refund for the original room,” the lady says. “We’ve already activated the cards for rooms forty-eight and ninety-four. I have them here.”
“That’s our room, isn’t it?” Will hisses. Mack gulps and nods. Surely… surely someone will let them swap, right? Let them have the shared room and take the separate rooms. Surely?
“Well, consider this an experiment, then,” Warso says. Mack looks up at him, daggers in his eyes. “Separate rooms for you two tonight. No switching.”
“Why not? You know this is gonna make us play differently, right?” Mack snaps. He probably shouldn’t lash out at his head coach, but what’s Warso actually going to do? Bench him? Hah, sure. If he wants to lose.
“That’s the point of experimenting. Besides, tomorrow is just practice. You’ll be fine,” Warso dismisses Mack’s comments with a wave of his hand and really, Mack should just calm down and sneak into Will’s bed later, like normal.
But a teeny tiny part of him wonders what would happen if they didn’t share a room for once. To give into that experiment and see what happens. God, Will might just hate him for this, but Mack’s actually going to agree. Fuck.
“Fine. Fuckin’ Buffalo, dude,” Mack grumbles under his breath. He keeps the keycard between two fingers, thanks the receptionist on his way past, and makes his way down the hall to elevator. Will’s room is on the bottom floor, Mack’s on the next one up, and he’s already regretting agreeing.
--
Mack seriously fucking regrets agreeing. It’s four sixteen am, and Macklin hasn’t gotten a wink of sleep all night. He wonders if Will is struggling too, but the older boy is ignoring his texts. The first handful left on read, and the others not even that. He must’ve fallen asleep.
Asleep. Mad at Mack. Great.
Flipping over onto his front, Mack slips his hand into his hair, trying to soothe it the way Will does, but it doesn’t feel the same and his arm aches, so he gives up with a wobbly, tear-soaked sigh.
He misses Will.
--
Will grunts, slamming his alarm off. He hadn’t slept a wink all night, the lack of Mack’s presence and the guilt over ignoring his texts making Will’s system run haywire. He thought he could do this, could get through one night without Macklin to prove that he’s not dependent on him, to prove that he can fall out of love with him, but he’s failed.
And now he has to go and skate around a rink for two hours. Fuck his life, actually.
Standing on shaky legs, Will makes his way through his morning routine. Brush teeth, splash water on face, finger-comb hair, change into clothes, reach for…
There’s no Mack to reach for. Fuck.
Grumbling under his breath, Will falls back against his bed. Everything feels wrong without Mack by his side, and he needs to talk to someone about this before it eats him up inside. But who? Everyone will just give him the same response, the same advice.
Ask him out!
But see, Will’s not stupid. He knows that won’t go anywhere. Even though the thought of calling Mack his, of kissing him every morning and night, of snuggling into his arms on road trips, makes Will’s head fizzy, he’s not delusional enough to believe it’ll ever be a reality.
“Practice time, dumbass,” Will mutters to himself. He stands up again and stares at the door. One practice session and then he can hide away again.
--
Practice was shit. There’s no other way to put it. Both Will and Mack were struggling, Mack unable to make even the simplest of shots, and Will barely able to stay on his feet. Warso pulled them out and forced them to watch from the bench about halfway through, and now that Will’s trying to rush back to the hotel, he’s found himself cornered by Macklin instead.
“I’m sorry if I upset you, but please don’t ignore me any longer. I can’t handle you ignoring me,” Mack says, voice thick with emotion and Will can’t help but let a few tears form as well. He pulls Mack into a hug, burying his face in the curve of Mack’s neck as he mutters a litany of apologies. “’S’fine. Just stay… come back to my room tonight or something, please.”
“Mack…”
“Can’t sleep without you. Can’t…” Mack swallows before pulling back, shrinking himself down. Will frowns, reaching out for Mack’s hands without thinking. “I need you, Will. Yes, to help me sleep, but also just to help me live. Please. I… I’m kinda, maybe, stupidly in love with you.”
And Will hadn’t been expecting that. At all. “What?”
“Mm, no, don’t make me say it again if you don’t feel the same,” Macklin whines, pulling his hands back. He curls into himself again, shoulders hunched and head bowed. “Thought you did…”
“You’re in love with me.” Will means it as a question, but it comes out as more of a statement. Mack nods, still not looking up from where he’s dragging his socked toes along the floor. Will sighs and bullies his way into Mack’s space, cradling the round curves of his cheeks the way he’s always wanted to. “I’m in love with you too. And for the record, I couldn’t sleep last night either. You weren’t… couldn’t feel you shifting, couldn’t hear that little cat noise you make in your sleep, couldn’t… fuck, yeah, I’m in love with you too. So fucking much.”
“You are? You couldn’t? You’re in love with me?” Mack questions in the quietest voice Will’s ever heard. It’s the most heartbreaking mix of awed and insecure, and Will doesn’t like that. Doesn’t like it one bit. He’s not sure what to say, however, so he kisses Mack instead, finally claiming the one thing he’s always wanted.
“Oh, fucking finally,” someone cheers. Will pulls away lighting fast, eyes wide. Basically the entire Sharks roster is staring at them, but weirdly enough, it’s Sherwood at the front, hands crossed over his chest triumphantly.
“What do you mean ‘finally’?” Mack questions. He tucks himself into Will’s back, and Will lets him, welcoming the warmth of his embrace and the rush of giddiness that floods him at the idea of Mack trusting him like this.
“You two have been hopeless for the past season and a half. We’re glad you finally figured it out,” Nedy says and Will tenses.
“What?”
“Oh my god. They might actually still be oblivious,” Michael says, and whilst it should sound exasperated, it doesn’t. He seems almost gleeful, weirdly enough. Will doesn’t get it. “Are you two finally dating?”
“Uh…”
“Yes,” Mack says without hesitation. He adjusts until he’s standing by Will’s side properly, linking their fingers together like it’s the easiest thing in the world. And Will supposes it kind of is. It’s an overwhelmingly good feeling, actually.
“Great. Then we can stop snapping photos of you two being lovey-dovey as proof that you two are fucking insane about each other,” Sam says. Will blinks owlishly.
“What?”
“Oh yeah. Whole group chat, and shit. Got Bedsy, Leno, Perreault and Hutson in it too. You guys were that obvious,” Toff says. Will snaps his head towards him, mouth dropping open in shock. “You two are disgusting, by the way. Can’t believe you let him mouth breathe on you, Mack.”
“Hey!” Will protests. Mack giggles though, and it steals all of Will’s attention away. Which… okay, Will might be starting to understand their point. But still! This whole time…?
“We’re happy for you two, we promise,” Asky says. Will blushes when everyone else agrees, a handful of wolf whistles sounding out. Mack giggles again, pressing his face against Will’s bicep.
And yeah, Will’s not sure how he ever thought Mack didn’t love him back.
--
“We really shouldn’t be doing this,” Adam says, trying to reason with the rest of his team, but they all ignore him in favour of sneaking closer to Mack’s door, the door they know that Will snuck through hours earlier. “Guys…”
“Shush, I’m about to open it,” Michael hisses. Whoever let this kid lead the charge made a mistake, Adam thinks. The door opens without a squeak and everyone peers through the open doorway. Adam, guiltily, included.
Mack and Will are curled together again, Mack’s body blanketing Will’s this time, and when they shift closer, it’s to the sight of Mack’s head wedged into the overstretched material of Will’s hood. Everyone exchanges looks, and Adam can’t blame them.
A pattern of behaviour like that… makes sense for Mack and Will.