•Kairos•

good evening anon 🫡

My answer (if we’re trying to keep it somewhat realistic) is probably Mack, on a technicality.

That being: Mack would clock his feelings towards Will changing, while Will ‘the catholic symbolism on my chain weighs more than the average toddler’ Smith would not clock shit.

Allow me to elaborate.

idk if you wanted me to just reply with a name but i'm gonna offer a thesis (i'm not joking, my apa 7 citations are at the bottom. i am a psychologist mastering in neuroscience, i cant be normal)

I find Will to be such a God-fearing devout that his logic wouldn’t even follow the usual “omg I’m attracted to a guy this can’t be happening I’m going to Hell” pipeline, but skip it altogether.

I think it wouldn’t even register until much, much later. The possibility of gayness would be so far removed from the realm of possibility that he’d have no problem cuddling and hugging and spending far more time with Mack than he ever did with girlfriends because, to him, acting ‘gay’, or being perceived as such, wouldn’t even be an option.

"Because of sport’s historical role in facilitating normative masculine ideals, men who played sport were not thought likely—or even possible—to be gay." (Magrath & Anderson, 2022)

It's not on the menu, so it simply would not cross his mind.

I don’t think he’d be the kind to dismiss and laugh it off like “nah I’m just hugging my homie dude no homo”. He wouldn’t make excuses because there’d be nothing TO excuse.

This mentality is common among male athletes. Locker room talk and culture is heavily guarded—a lot happens in there, stuff that any outsider would perceive as 'gay' while those directly involved do not. Because, according to them, if they're willing to partake (ie: comparing sizes, touching tips, holding each others' dicks), it's proof of how straight they are. It's a way of bonding; creating a transcendental connection that unites them as a team. *

So Will would keep smiling softly at Mack, staring for too long, inviting him over, booking dinner reservations for two, and tapping his goddamn ass after a goal, right there on the ice where thousands could see. Because why wouldn’t he? Why wouldn’t he.

"Physical contact alone, as in the history of sex between straight-identified white men documented, does not confirm the nature or intention of a man’s desire, let alone, his sexual identity, and the absence of physical contact confirms nothing. Professional wrestler John Cena says: a hard-on is just ‘what the body does’." (Chow, 2021)

Walk with me

They would’ve both gone through the same thing at a similar pace, I believe—developing feelings and whatnot—but Mack (despite the internalised homophobia and fear that’d inevitably come with being a closeted queer boy in the NHL in today’s political climate) would’ve at least read between the lines of his repression. He’d recognise what was happening. He's too self-aware not to—too in tune with his body and its limits not to notice his pulse quickening when Will sits too close.

Sure, he would’ve preferred if it never happened at all, but he could admit that it had. If only to himself.

Will, however, would NOT read between the lines; he can’t see the lines. He was never handed the book in the first place.

I think that, in this case, Mack would understand Will’s ignorance wouldn’t come from a place of stupidity/bigotry, nor an attempt to pretend he wasn’t equally as neck deep in shit.

"One might argue that misogynistic and homophobic male bonding in the locker room is an attempt to disavow the overt homoeroticism of the space." (Chow, 2021)

I think Mack would see through the all-American, church-going, God-fearing, rich conservative jock and understand he wouldn't be consciously sweeping the ‘sinful stuff’ under the rug, but actually not sweeping at all—because Will doesn’t consider himself capable of ‘sinning’ in the first place. Not in that way.

So, nothing to sweep; nothing to hide.

And then, when Will inevitably got with the program, he'd be capable of recognising those feelings hadn't just spawned overnight, but that he'd been carrying them around for months.

Publicly, I don't think anything would change—nothing like suddenly sitting farther apart and pointedly looking away—that would only make it seem as though they'd been doing it 'romantically' up until that point. Privately, there would be a new tension neither would acknowledge. They'd fight tooth and nail to keep things 'normal'.

A never-ending game of chicken—if you don't sit close to me on the couch, if you refuse to hang out one-on-one, if you suddenly room with someone else on roadies—then you're the first one making it weird. A Thing. An issue. Gay.

Hugs and touches and looks don’t have to be gay unless one of them suddenly starts acting like they are.

So. As of today, December 7th 2025, if they were attracted to each other in any capacity, they'd both be aware. The oxymoron of it all would reside in acting 'gay' to highlight their straightness: "We're so comfortable in our heterosexuality that we can kiss and spin and lovingly stare at each other on live TV as a sign of brotherhood."

I don't think anything else would make sense.

Neither of them would be willing to risk so much (in Mack’s case, his career; in Will’s, his faith and values)

So Will would keep smiling softly, staring, plopping down on Mack’s bed to scroll on TikTok, holding him too tight after a goal…

And Mack would take it like a champ; and to the goddamn grave.

To summarise: if they fell, they dragged each other down—Mack would simply notice sooner.

They would carry it in silence and pretend like nothing had changed. Because if they stopped all the touch and closeness, that’d be far more incriminating. They'd never say it out loud—they'd sit even closer together as a way to convince themselves that they were successfully being 'normal'.

REFERENCES

Magrath, R., & Anderson, E. (2022). Sport, Masculinities, and Heteronormativity. En L. A. Wenner (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Sport and Society (1.a ed., pp. 889-906). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197519011.013.47

Chow, B. D. V. (2021). Epistemology of the locker room: A queer glance at the physical culture archive. Contemporary Theatre Review, 31(1–2), 74–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/10486801.2021.1878505

(Decided to finally add Toff and Ekky into the mix)

AKA

Reasons why he had every fan around the globe screaming “omfg shoot the fucking puck” for months + the willmack paradox

Will’s hesitation (borderline reluctance) to shoot the puck has been An Issue this season. So much so that he’s been questioned and called out on multiple occasions by reporters and commentators (and his dad).

I’m not sure if he insisted on passing the puck, rarely attempting to score himself, because he genuinely believed other players had better chances, or because the possibility of missing—trying and failing—would be too much to bear. But the fact remains: for a while there, he seemed scared to even try.

My guess, however, would be something along these lines:

If your name is regularly spoken in the same sentence as a generational talent’s—someone like Macklin Celebrini—comparison is unavoidable and really fucking unpleasant. Because no matter how you look at it, stats and numbers don’t lie—you automatically become a walking second place medal. So, better to pass and let someone else fail (or get an assist if they succeed) than try, miss, and remind everyone you’re not as good; why you’re the sidekick and not the one being compared to Crosby.

You can’t fail if you don’t try.

Here’s the thing. Will is only second to Mack in points within the Sharks, and he’s tied with players such as Evgeni Malkin and Mitch Marner across the league, which is stupidly impressive for someone on his second year. And yet, his name is rarely brought up without Mack’s attached. And no matter how good the friendship, that takes a toll.

Will adores Mack, that’s not up for discussion, but first and foremost these guys are hockey players. Elite, competitive athletes who only got this far by consistently being better than everyone else, outdoing their peers, and proving their worth.

And if suddenly his every achievement is used to elevate someone else? Someone who’s already being compared to the players he grew up idolising? It cuts deep.

Additionally, Will’s always been among the top players of every team he’s been a part of. Maybe not the best, but at least it was acknowledged that he was important. Now? He’s repeatedly benched after the most mundane of mistakes, he wasn’t allowed on the same line as Mack at first, and when he scores the media hones in on Macklin’s assist instead.

Every single time. Because up until yesterday, Mack had been involved in every single one of Will’s goals this season.

It’s hard to hype yourself up while spending 24 hours a day next to a legend in the making. A living, breathing reminder that breaking records at 19 is possible, just not for you.

Mack has already cemented himself as the future of the franchise—bound to be One Of The Greats—and it comes to a point where we have to remember that, yes they’re friends, but they’re also NHL players who compulsively watch tapes of their own mistakes and highlight reels of everyone else’s successes.

We’re talking about people who spend 90% of their time picking apart their every flaw, so it must be excruciating to know that he can train as hard and for as many hours as Mack, and still fall short. Because the fucked up truth of the matter is sometimes you just don’t have it.

Accepting he’ll be in Mack’s shadow for as long as they play together must’ve been a hard pill to swallow.

So, to summarise: I’m very glad he put his foot down and is finally taking chances on his own; shooting the puck from impossible angles and reminding himself (and everyone else) that he got picked 4th overall for a reason

Will and Mack, as a pair, have become a force to be reckoned with and that’s indisputable, but I think Will got used to being “the magician’s assistant” and forgot he can do magic of his own

I hope that what we saw last game in Vegas is here to stay, because no matter how gratifying willmack’s chemistry is, Will has been relying on Mack like a crutch he’ll stumble without.

And that’s simply not true, my guy. You were picked 4th, you’re the highest BC draft in history, you’re on par with Evgeni Malkin and one point away from Alex fucking Ovechkin. Act like it 🫵

***

A summarised list of miscellaneous things that have brought us to this point (them becoming the most popular hockey rpf pairing despite this being their SECOND year) :

Less than 2 years ago they were rivals, genuinely hated each other. Nowadays they mention one another anytime the opportunity presents itself (fondly and smiling softly).

They openly and happily admit they spend most breaks together. They used to sneak out of their respective houses to have dinner together.

They‘re side by side at every anthem and skate out one after the other at every game.

They often go out to lunch, and golf, and basketball games, and sometimes broadway shows on their own. They still share hotel rooms (and anytime they had to room with someone else, they called the experience ‘strange’). They admit to being disappointed when their stalls aren’t next to each other in the locker room.

They sometimes ditch the group to play sewer soccer by themselves.

They accidentally have matching suits (and cars, and shoes)

They spend most of their free time at each other’s house and have gone through a considerable number of classic movies (not horror) and niche romcoms.

Will puts up with Mack’s white noise at night, and Mack puts up with Will’s synth pop music in the morning. They would be each other’s emergency contact. They objectively perform better on the ice if they’re on the same line.

They have a joint TikTok account. The username is both their names smashed together — wcpsmrc — and it used to be Will’s personal account. He offered it up. Instead of, yknow, making a new one.

Mack often seems to instinctively lean into / sway towards Will if they’re standing / sitting close enough.

(Not to say Will doesn't lean into Mack's space, because he does. A lot. But as far as i can tell Mack does it more often)

(i mean. look at those nfl game pictures, that man tries to have as much direct contact with Will as possible) -- (they're different pictures, i swear) -- (also peep the iron grip)

On the bench Mack tends to yap nonstop right into Will’s ear (bc personal space isn’t a thing) and Will lets him, silently nodding along.

(Mind you, on average that’s 40 minutes on the bench per game).

They look for each other after scoring. They look for each other even if they’re not the ones who scored.

Will taps Mack's ass after celebrations (I'm not fucking joking) and Mack simply smiles.

During cellys they refuse to let go of each other, even as the other guys crowd them.

Mack has an assist on all of Will’s goals. Will has an assist / was on the ice for most of Mack’s goals. They’ve already entered the top 5 scoring duos (and they weren’t even on the same line the first month of the season).

They made each other wear their college jerseys after losing a bet.

Other teammates use them as a measuring scale when explaining how close they are to other players "we're good friends but not like will and mack, those two are different".

When they get to hotels, they rarely use the TV at all because they spend too much time talking. Additionally, Toff has said sharing a wall with them during roadies is Hell because those two will be wrestling/play fighting/laughing and “making weird noises” until midnight. They also order milk and cookies every night.

When one of them is being photographed to capture that ‘tying his skates before the game’ picture, the other one is usually trying to make them laugh by being an idiot behind the camera.

They have a specific handshake they do in the locker room before skating out onto the ice

They’re together so often there are virtually no candid videos of one without the other in the background.

Mack is helping rehab Will through strength training.

Will stays nearby when Mack argues with a ref.

If they’re not sitting together on the bench, Mack constantly glances over at Will, even if someone’s talking to him.

There have been multiple instances of Will pulling a face or doing something funny in between whistles to get a laugh out of Mack (ie: pretending to eat the salts).

And they’re both pathological liars. For instance: Will often claims to be a communication student at Boston College to avoid social interaction, and Mack claims to be 6’ft.

He is, in fact, not 6’ft. He is 5’11.

Honorary mention to their banter:

“That didn’t happen” “It did happen and there’s proof” “He’s being dramatic” “There is a HOLE in my WINDSHIELD?” “There’s a small dent in your windshield, you can barely see it” “ITS THE SIZE OF YOUR FIST??”

***

WILL SMITH HOCKEY

🦈

This took longer than I'm willing to admit. So much longer.

Me: omg what if I make chibis of all my fav hockey players and fi drivers-

* spends 7 hours on this shit *