Jokes and hockey.

I think the supposed drama surrounding maromon week came from the fact that Willmack flew to Boston together but only were seen interacting twice despite being in the same city for a week. Mack hung with Will and his friends twice (Circle, Strega dinner) and Will hung with Mack’s friends zero times (that we saw obviously. Possible alleged bar sighting w Will/mack/aiden). Will took Gabe to family dinner and Mack wasn’t there.

Sure the logical side of me says they probably saw each other way more than that, maybe were staying together and hanging outside of public places. We did get the car FaceTime from empty netters that might have been in Boston. Or, maybe Mack’s whole reason for going to Boston to begin with was to see Aiden and the BU crew and the trip wasn’t intended as a segue into Will’s Boston bubble. They’re certainly allowed to have friend circles outside of one another.

I think the tension posting and web weaving comes into play when people see them as more than friends. Some may call it tin hatting, delusional behavior but I think it’s safe to say that there was/is a growing number of people in this fandom that began to believe there was a real chance they are truly together, given the insane whirlwind of willmack events that was post-pens game and post-Olympic shift. If they are romantically together, then yeah we would expect them to be entering each other’s friends and family circles. Acting more like they do when they are in SJ (always together). Although it was technically the first week of offseason, it seemed like an extension of their in-season life. But I don’t see a world in SJ where Mack goes out drinking like 5 nights in a row and out to brunch every day without a single appearance from Will.

I myself have an ever shifting view of what they are to each other. I will not deny that I am one of those who was growing ever surer of something going on as the past season progressed. Other times the tension posting will get the best of me and have me questioning everything. So if I view Bostongate through the lens of two friends going to a place where they both have their own separate friend groups and will meet up here and there if they can.. then ya it was a Normal interaction and start to the offseason. But I can also see a side where it was intended as an introduction of Mack to Will’s world outside of SJ, which we all know is incredibly important to Will. And if that was the case then from the outside looking in it’s not clear whether that was successful.

I honestly think they planned on spending a lot more time together this offseason than has panned out (zero after that insane first week). Mixing and melding their friends, families, and their non-hockey worlds. Obviously they had plans to at least train together, and yeah there’s still time, but it’s quickly ticking. Plans can change for any number of reasons, be it some dramatic fight or the most mundane family/school/work-related commitments getting in the way. But we are getting to that time in the offseason where it is looking more and more likely that something derailed them.