enter smith, 20

willmack pulling pigtails, a compilation

(i know there's more from last season but this is more the post-olympics shift™️ coded)

i definitely agree with you, it's so confusing! i think the best thing would be to just not worry about it too much. i don't think they show us anything that they don't want us to know/see. they're notorious gatekeepers. i agree that sometimes ppl overstep, but i think a lot of the time will and mack are the ones putting themselves/their...whatever they are to each other in the spotlight. like personally, i think if will had a problem with the shipping stuff, he'd never change the tiktok username back to being joint.

ok i think mack's is definitely physical touch as we've seen from the constant bullying of will LOL

and i think will's is acts of service/gift giving because of all the planning he does + baking and giving what he makes to others

he would remember everythingggg about every kid so quickly and make all of them feel special 😞 and teach them how important breaks are 😞 and make them treats 😞 and encourage them to have whatever hobbies keep them happy and balanced 😞 and be open about his hobbies so they felt safe to share 😞 and make sure they’re always enjoying the sport 😞 just going above and beyond to make sure they’re have a healthy relationship to the game that they can take with them wherever they go. of course with lots of actual work too but he’d want them to know it’s not the only thing that matters :’)

i just saw that video of mack sadly stickhandling all alone bc he has no one to be silly with...i'm sick.

what i'm about to say is going to sound so tin hatty and conspiratorial but just know im saying it in good faith

it's almost like it's getting harder and harder for them to keep seeing them as straight...as if some things are started to become undeniable...and they have to grasp at straws throwing things at the wall until they stick

They had woken up tangled together, late for breakfast after one too many '5 more minutes' as an excuse to keep clinging to each other. So Mack added it to the list. He'd wanted it for a while, but it seemed safer to lock it away. Make it something to look forward to. Something that would be easier to swallow once the pressure valve was turned down a bit. He opened the notes app on his phone back up, eyeing the list, and typed out slowly, at the very bottom: kiss will.

And now, finally, after many disappointing playoff runs year after year, Mack was crushed against the boards in the corner of the Panthers' rink in Florida, with the C stitched on his chest. He did it. He finally did it. They did it.

His eyes search for Will, and by the time he finds the messy blonde curls, Will is already looking back at him. His eyes are sparkling, bright like the ocean, and he's grinning so hard at Mack it looks like it hurts. He starts yelling something unintelligible, but Mack can't hear him; it's so loud. All he can hear is the blood rushing through his ears, and all nineteen other guys screaming. And then it hits him all at once, like a bucket of ice water has been injected directly into his veins. The list.

The problem was, Mack had forgotten about it. He had fooled himself into believing that the Stanley Cup was so out of reach, so far from his clutches, that nothing on the list would ever come true. And that included Will. The problem was, Mack had a girlfriend now. Who's currently standing with his mom, chatting excitedly with his sister, wag jacket and all. The problem was that it was hitting Mack in real time that he didn't want any of that, on what was supposed to be the happiest day of his life, because of a damn bucket list he made when he was 20. Because what he did want--what he probably wanted all along--was standing 20 feet away, still smiling and yelling at him like he was the only person in the world.

thanks for the tag @dailywillmack !!!

i know ppl love tension weaving about the bc line but i feel like gabe is like as close to will as a brother