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“what the fuck, mack.” oh, it’s wenny. too bad mack doesnt care even a little bit.

“are you will?” mack spits out, scowling.

“no.”

“then don't touch me.” 

will makes his way over to ask what's wrong, smelling the unmistakable scent of his upset omega.

“i barely touched him and he tried to bite me.”

mack just huffed and crossed his arms, not even bothering to plead his case to will, whos gently shooing everyone else away now. he pulls mack into his chest and lightly plants kisses over the shoulder. mack soothes instantly, melting into it, letting will calm him by rubbing two hands over the baby bump.

when practice is done, he’s looking for will in the rink when he overhears a conversation that flips his mood 180 from the start of the day. 

“...sorry man, i really wasnt trying to upset him. i was trying to make him feel better about not being on the ice.” he recognizes wenny's voice again.

mack knows instantly it’s about him.

“it’s okay, just gotta be careful right now, yknow? he doesn’t mean to snap.” wills voice cuts straight to his chest because he’s right. mack doesnt mean to snap. in fact, he doesnt wanna be mean at all. he loves the team all very much and instantly his heart is hurting with guilt, eyes welling up.

will scopes him out in seconds, worry all over his face, wenny not far behind.

mack is fully crying now, looking at his teammate saying things in the saddest wobbly voice like “im sorry:(“ “i didnt mean to:(“ and he pulls them into a hug while will looks at mack as if hes the most precious thing to ever exist.

when the baby is actually born, mack would prefer holding her in his arms at all times. so when will has the baby, he has to take the opportunity to let other people hold her because it’s important for her growth to smell other people.

but mack always finds out eventually.

“will.”

“yes.”

“where is my baby.”

“our baby is in the loving hands of our trusted friend and colleague.”

mack doesn’t answer before immediately scouting out his pup in the hands of gaudette. the second he’s within her line of vision though, shes squirming and babbling ‘mama’ with a smile that goes to her eyes. mack swoons and scoops her back into his arms, purring so she can feel it. 

he notices a second later that will followed him and is now shaking his head softly, but smiling and not hiding his endearment very well, especially through his scent. 

“you’re in for a treat with those two.” adam says.

will just reaches out so the pup in macks arms so she can wrap her tiny hand around his finger.

“yeah, well, she loves her mama.”

having will gone and hurt is already trying. for once in his life, mack wishes he weren't on the ice. that he could skip roadies and games and practice altogether and just curl up with will until he's fully restored to health. their relationship is so fresh and new, the loss of will a constant ache.

& everyone thinks he's just upset about will and he is but it's so much worse than that. without his alpha, without a nest, his body is shutting down. meanwhile, will hasn't even seen his nest yet.

so, mack decides the only way to settle his rattled nerves, to promise his hindbrain will really is safe & healing, is to bundle him up in mack's nest. warm and drenched in mack's pheromones.

when macklin opens his bedroom door for will, and he sees mack's nest for the first time...his heart clenches. it's so barren. absolutely nothing like his mother's or sister's nests. their nests have padded perimeters, plush blankets, a million pillows. mack's just looks like a regular bed, mostly. just one teal hoodie, a #2 emblazoned on the chest. will looks around the room, half wondering if his nest is actually tucked away in some corner, and his bed is just a bed. it's not.

he schools his expression and his scent, not that mack is particularly apt in decoding either. mack's face is wide open, shyly tinged with treacherous hope.

"you wanna come in? is it okay?"

"yeah, of course, baby. your nest is perfect. i'd love to come in."

mack glows at the praise and tugs will over, gently manhandling him where he wants him. he winds up on his back, on his usual side of the bed. mack pulling at his sheets and blanket, arranging everything exactly how he wants. he tucks the extra blanket half over will and half over himself. will feels at it. it's soft, but thin. definitely not nesting grade. nothing in his nest is. just standard bed linens haphazardly thrown together into some approximation of a nest. they don't retain scenting as well. he can see worn, frayed edges where mack must've rubbed the fabric raw, where he might've chewed on the corners during his heat.

mack's purr fills the room as he settles against will's good shoulder (only after reassurances from will that he isn't bothering the bad one at all, that it's not bothering him that much anyway with his pain killers and the massage the trainers gave him earlier).

will slowly starts gifting mack new things for his nest. another blanket, which he washed and scented. a plush shark, which made mack grin widely and his fingers toy with the fin happily. a new pillow. more of will's hoodies & t-shirts.

with will temporarily off the roster, he manages to convince mack to pack a portable nest. some new items, his tried & true blanket. he's too stubborn to admit it, but it certainly helps. he facetimes will and falls asleep to the sound of his voice, wrapped up in his scent. it's almost like he's there.

however, mack's not stupid, so he catches on pretty quickly. he's not mad about the development of his nest, it definitely feels much nicer than mack ever imagined it could. every fiber is soaked with will's scent and it's so comfortable. he's proud to have made something will spends so much time in, that will cares enough to keep building it with him.

but he also feels overwhelmingly seen. like will has pinned him under a microscope for acute observation. that maybe he thinks mack's not very good at this omega thing at all, and he has to take over. that mack is too sensitive to take the criticism, so he has to be discreet about it.

it comes out at a bad time. he's frustrated with the team's performance, with his performance. they're on a losing streak and it's up to mack to dig them out of this hole. but he keeps stumbling.

he's tired and will is late to pick him up from the airport. will's being so fucking nice, too. he quietly fumes in the passenger seat, lets will carry his suitcase inside, and tries to keep his cool.

his mood flares when he sees a brand-new nesting mattress pad, still in it's box, on the kitchen counter. he can reads the words across the side, takes in the elegant script & premium packaging. its one of those ready made nest perimeters, stuffed edges piled high for protection. a ready made nest. a store bought nest. because obviously mack can't manage it on his own.

everything else will has gifted him has had an air of plausible deniability. this has none.

"if you hate my nest so much you can just say so. you don't have to be a fucking dick about it."

will goes stock-still. "what?"

mack moves towards his bedroom swiftly. will follows, frantic.

"mack?"

he starts roughly tearing at the bedding, tossing anything will gave him to the floor. he ignores the ache in his chest, the nausea roiling in his stomach, the burning behind his eyes. his throat feels tight.

"if i'm not a good enough omega for you, you can say it, will. or just fucking leave. no one's keeping you here."

"mack, what the fuck? stop doing that." he wraps his hand around mack's wrist, ignoring his efforts to shake it off.

"let go of me, will." he snaps, practically growling.

"no, mack, what the fuck is going on?" he relinquishes his grip, fingers still loosely clasped. he's surprised mack doesn't throw him off.

mack refuses to meet his eye, silent for a long moment. his chest rises and falls with labored breath. "you hate my nest." he mutters.

will can feel the distress pouring off of mack. at will's 'disapproval', at the destruction of his nest.

"i don't hate your nest, sweetheart. i love your nest."

"you bought a nest-in-a-box, will." the anger has dissipated into dejection, into sadness. will thinks this is somehow infinitely worse.

"mack, i don't-" he hears a sniffle, and ducks his head to see the glimmer of a tear sliding down mack's cheek. he acts on instinct, gathering mack into his chest. he cradles mack's head against his good shoulder and squeezes.

"mack, baby," he breathes. "i don't hate your nest. i promise, i wouldn't lie to you, mack."

mack shakes his head, so will continues.

"i'm serious. i just-" he tries to figure out how to phrase it, how to avoid hurting mack's feelings any worse. "you just didn't have a lot of things. which is fine! and i should've talked to you. but since we're courting, it's normal to, like, give your omega things to nest with."

"and i should've talked to you. i'm sorry. it's your nest, it's not up to me. and it's not a nest-in-a-box, it's just extra padding. like, extra protection? you don't have to use it, obviously." he rambles on. "or anything i've given you. whatever you want, mack. i like it because it's yours. and you want me there and that's all that matters. i didn't mean to hurt you, or make you feel bad. you're perfect."

mack pulls back from will's arms slowly, and will worries this is it. he offended mack, overstepped a very personal boundary. made him feel like a bad omega, when will thinks that couldn't be further from the truth.

mack rubs his eyes.

"you have to help me rebuild it."

will's heart soars. "done."

a small, closed-mouth smile. a start.

"i'll consider the other thing. maybe."