willow

updates will mostly be on fridays, but i may post a bit sporadically :)

requests are open!

and go follow me on instagram (pottershawkins)! i tend to post sneak peeks or inspiration i have for my writing over there

masterlist

user1 OH EM GEE

pinkpantheress i had so much fun working with you! 🫶 your.username @/pinkpantheress we need to collab again soon!

user2 is swedish boy real? your.username @/user2 🤐

user3 ON REPEAT

user4 can’t wait for the album! your.username @/user4 who said there was going to be an album? 😉 user4 @/your.username is this confirmation???

yourbestfriend Y/N I LOVE THIS SONG AND YOU your.username @/yourbestfriend thank you for listening to it when it was a work in progress and bad yourbestfriend @/your.username baby you could never write a bad song

user1 oh she’s in LOVE LOVE

user2 what a breath of fresh air after the last album 😭 user3 @/user2 that album was so sad omg

user4 someone figure out what man made her write such a sappy looking album

yourbestfriend AHHHHHH i can’t wait to listen to it! your.username @/yourbestfriend girl you’ve already heard it– yourbestfriend @/your.username well yes but now you get paid for it yourbestfriend @/your.username i have to make sure my girl is well provided for 💪

user5 i call dibs on lover girl

user6 what song’s going to make me cry the most? your.username @/user6 my love all mine or come back, be here! user6 @/your.username oh i know i’m going to be adding those to my sad playlist

your.username has added to their story…

replies

eklund_72 kissing you in person real soon ❤️ your.username I CAN’T WAIT OMGGGGGGGGGGGG eklund_72 damn someone’s excited your.username i mean i guess that’s fine for you to do that eklund_72 my nonchalant girl 😘

yourbestfriend you were incredible!!!!!!!!

yourbestfriend i could watch you perform every day for the rest of my life

yourbestfriend can i follow you for the rest of the tour your.username @/yourbestfriend don’t worry you’re on my packing list already! <3 yourbestfriend @/your.username just realized i have work and can’t go your.username @/yourbestfriend maybe next time 😔

user1 BEST CONCERT EVER!

user2 oh i can’t wait for my concert your.username @/user2 which one are you going to? user2 @/your.username minneapolis!

user3 having so much fomo rn…

user4 praying she adds loves a waste to the set list, i miss that song your.username @/user4 oh you know ball

your.username has added to their story…

replies…

eklund_72 min äskling ❤️ your.username i miss you already 😘 eklund_72 i’ve literally never played better than last night, i think you have to come to every game now your.username but i have tour… eklund_72 cancel it your.username but…the world tour… eklund_72 is that a justin timberlake reference? your.username maybe…

yourbestfriend OMG EKY ON MAIN your.username can’t show his pretty face though 💔 yourbestfriend just hard launch him your.username no bc what if people are mean to me, or worse, HIM yourbestfriend then as the #1 fan of you and wille, i will fight all of them your.username and i’ll fight them all with you bc no one can be mean to my wille yourbestfriend “my wille” Y/N BABY YOU’RE SO IN LOVE your.username i’m aware i wrote a whole album about him 🧍‍♀️ yourbestfriend he’s literally your muse! your.username i guess he is!

user1 GIRL WHO ARE YOU HIDING

user2 IS THIS THE GUY THAT INSPIRED YOUR ALBUM

user3 y/n y/l/n is dating a san jose shark: confirmed?

user4 are you dating macklin celebrini?

eklund_72 has added to their story…

replies…

your.username blurry ahh photo omg eklund_72 all of the other ones had your face in it :( your.username that’s okay tho bc my tits look fantastic eklund_72 damn right they do your.username omg wille are you flirting with me? 🥰 eklund_72 yes? your.username good, that’s your job eklund_72 good boyfriend first, hockey player second your.username exactly!

_willsmith2 this is why you had to leave after practice so quickly? eklund_72 please don’t tell coach _willsmith2 i won’t if you tell me who she is eklund_72 you’re not going to believe me but y/n y/l/n _willsmith2 you’re right i don’t eklund_72 believe me or don’t but it’s true _willsmith2 fine then introduce me and mack to her or i tell coach eklund_72 that can be arranged

mackcelebrini YOU’RE DATING Y/N Y/L/N? eklund_72 how’d you figure that out from one photo mackcelebrini i’m magic (i’m with will rn) eklund_72 i should’ve guessed 🙄 mackcelebrini okay so you're telling me she wrote tears about YOU? eklund_72 do you want me to be honest? mackcelebrini okay i'm gonna pretend i never asked, that's disgusting eky eklund_72 😛 mackcelebrini GROSS

your.username has added to their story…

eklund_72 has added to their story…

user1 and what if i kms?

user2 y/n being off the market is actually devastating news (she wrote a whole album about being in love, i should have seen this coming)

user3 mr. eklund you ain’t slick… user4 @/user3 AS IN WILLIAM? OR VICTOR? user3 @/user4 🦈

user5 it’s totally william eklund, he was at her show in chicago and she said there was a ‘very special someone’ in the audience user6 @/user5 plus she was especially emotional singing cbbh, i think long distance is really hard for her

user7 omg they look so happy! user8 @/user7 bro you can’t even see their faces user7 @/user8 yes but the vibes feel happy, plus her posts about him are cute 🥰

user1 it’s totally eky, he was at her concert and she visited san jose at the beginning of her tour/was at his game

user2 damn i thought she was dating macklin user3 @/user2 girl where did you come up with that idea? user2 @/user3 idk i guess they just look like they’d be cute user3 @/user2 she’s like three years older than him…

user4 william eklund you are mister stateside ❤️

user5 okay but what a power couple

user6 okay it’s totally eky, y/n just posted that she’s doing a european leg of her tour this summer and there’s a noticeable break right after she’s in sweden

user7 stop i’m so happy for them!

eklund_72 i’m so happy ❤️

eklund_72 i love getting to share my life with you your.username @/eklund_72 i can’t believe i’m a hockey fan thanks to you!

eklund_72 you are such a blessing min äskling your.username @/eklund_72 baby you cannot be real your.username @/eklund_72 like i have never been so in love with someone your.username @/eklund_72 my muse fr

user1 OMG I KNEW IT

user2 watch out lexi lafleur brown, a new queen of the wags has arrived your.username @/user2 omg thanks?

yourbestfriend Y/N AND WILLE HARD LAUNCH

yourbestfriend MY FAVE COUPLE EVER OMG

yourbestfriend MAMA Y PAPA FR eklund_72 @/yourbestfriend you mean mamma och pappa yourbestfriend @/eklund_72 MAMMA OCH PAPPA

user3 eky you can’t fight all of us eklund_72 @/user3 but i can try my hardest eklund_72 @/user3 and i’ll get reave-o to step in when i’m too hurt your.username @/eklund_72 help?

user4 i’m going to spontaneously combust

Once the ceremony was over and photos had been taken, you sat at the reception hall beside your husband. Though it still felt unfamiliar, being able to refer to Will as that could not have been more perfect.

Your maid of honor had already given her speech and taken her seat again, meaning it was time for Mack’s own speech.

You couldn’t help but be a little nervous about it. It was no secret that Mack had been in love with you for years. It had never gotten in the way of your close friendship with him or your relationship with Will, and you hoped that wouldn’t change this evening. You didn’t realize you were holding your breath with anticipation until Mack tapped the microphone to test if it was still on.

The room went quiet. Mack looked down at the microphone as if checking to see if it was still there. Then, he looked up, addressing the guests before his eyes landed on you and Will.

“Evening,” he said, his voice cracking a little.

A few people laughed. Mack cleared his throat.

“Sorry about that. I’m Macklin, for those who don’t know me.” You smiled, knowing that the majority of the audience was familiar with one of the most famous faces in hockey, even if they hadn’t met him before that night. “I’m Will’s best man, but even before he came along, Y/N’s been my best friend. So it’s a privilege to get to stand up here in front of you all and give a speech about my two favorite people.”

You smiled, shoulders relaxing a little bit. Will’s hand found yours under the table. Your husband leaned slightly towards you. “He’s nervous,” he whispered.

Sure enough, Mack’s smile looked a little forced, and his gaze kept shifting back and forth between the audience and you. Will lifted his free hand to give his best friend a thumbs-up. The Canadian smiled genuinely and continued.

“Even though I’ve technically known about Will longer, I’ve known Y/N since we were both at university together. And boy am I grateful I didn’t ignore her email,” said Mack, earning some laughter from the crowd of guests. The way he looked at you conveyed so many more emotions than he would end up expressing to the audience. And perhaps the average person wouldn’t notice anything different, but you did. The look in Mack’s eyes was one of someone forcing themself to keep it together while their heart was in the middle of breaking. “Y/N, you’ve always been someone I can go to when I need a break from hockey, even though, ironically, you work in hockey journalism. I know I can go to you for anything and not have to worry about it ending up in headlines the next morning, so that’s always nice.”

You groaned, leaning back in your seat, but there was still a smile on your face.

“And Will, it’s no secret that I didn’t like you at first. But I didn’t know you in the way I know you now. We went from rivals to living together in a year, and we haven’t spent more than a season apart since. Where you go, I go, Smitty. You are everything I could ask for in a teammate and, somehow, even more than that in a friend. You’re my brother, Will.”

Mack got a little choked up with his last sentence, and he took a moment to compose himself. You find yourself tearing up at his uncharacteristically public display of emotion. Will passed over a square of fabric– his handkerchief, embroidered with his initials. You smiled at him gratefully and dabbed at your eyes with it.

“I have had the very entertaining experience of watching my two best friends become completely unbearable about each other as they fell in love. Now I know we all know I was the one to introduce these two to each other during Y/N’s Fall Break. She came to visit me in California, this was back when she was still in school and I was still with the Sharks. I introduced her to Will, thinking nothing would come out of it, just my best friends hopefully also becoming friends.

“But when Y/N went back to Boston, Smitty was constantly texting someone, and I could always tell it was the same person. You’re going to hate me for this, buddy, but Y/N, when I tell you he’d get a text message and sit there giggling and kicking his feet-”

You burst into a fit of giggles as you looked at Will’s face. He was grinning ear to ear, but his face was redder than a tomato. The blush was so extreme it extended down his neck until it disappeared beneath the collar of his shirt.

“Sorry to embarrass you, Will, but the people needed to know,” said Mack.

“Leave it to Mack to mortify me on my wedding day,” muttered Will, sinking a little lower in his seat.

“I think you’re adorable, Will,” you said.

“Thanks, angel.”

“And suddenly, Will’s flying Y/N out to California for games and I had no idea she was coming.” Even after so many years, you could still hear the hint of hurt in Mack’s voice.

You swallowed, your chest tightening. Will noticed immediately, his thumb tracing lightly over your knuckles.

“Hey,” he whispered.

“I’m fine,” you murmured back.

Will squeezed your hand gently. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Your attention focused back on Mack.

“I’m really glad you two found your way to each other,” he was saying. “And I’m really glad I got to be there for it. There’s no one else I’d rather third wheel with.” He raised a glass towards you. “To Y/N and Will.”

The room echoed it back, then drank in unison. Then the audience erupted in applause.

But you could barely hear it, too focused on Will resting his forehead on your shoulder. Something dripped from his face onto your bare skin.

“You crying?” you teased gently.

“A little,” he admitted.

You turned your head to kiss his soft curls as he pressed one of his own to your shoulder. Your breath caught slightly at the tenderness of the gesture. It was like you two were the only people in the room, completely unbothered by the guests who were probably staring at you two. You passed Will’s handkerchief back over to him so he could dry his eyes.

Then you directed your attention back to Mack, who was stepping away from the microphone. But as he passed your table, he looked over briefly.

His expression was light, content. Happy for both of you. You looked away first, as you always did, already focused back on your new husband.

The reception festivities had died down. You had eaten dinner, shared a slice of cake with Will, and greeted every single one of your nearly two hundred guests. Now everyone was socializing dancing, and having a good time. Ties were loosened, heels had been kicked off under tables, laughter came more easily. It was finally a good time to get some air.

You excused yourself from a conversation with Will and one of his cousins and slipped onto the patio outside. Cool air hit your skin as you rested your hands against the railing. It was the perfect summer night, the sky clear enough to see a smattering of stars across the darkness above you. It was quiet.

“Thought I might find you out here.”

You smiled before you even turned, recognizing the voice of your best friend. “I don’t know what you're talking about,” you said.

Mack stepped up beside you, also leaning against the railing. “Right,” he said. “Totally not coming out here to breathe like you do at every event Will drags you along to.”

“I come willingly to those things; he does not drag me,” you argued. “And the weather’s nice tonight. Besides, I wanted to talk to you.”

“You did?”

“That surprising?”

Mack shrugged, looking out into the garden below you.

You nudged his shoulder lightly. “I really liked your speech, that was lovely.”

He smiled down at you. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you confirmed.

A familiar, comfortable silence settled between you two. You gleaned back through the glass doors. Immediately, your eyes landed on Will, who was inside laughing with your grandparents. Your chest warmed automatically. As if feeling your gaze, he looked out the window. His eyes lit up and he waved at you and Mack.

“I’m sorry I haven’t talked to you much this week,” you said, waving back at Will before turning your attention fully back to Mack. “With the rehearsal, and my bachelorette party, and making sure everything was perfect-”

Mack interrupted you before you could stop stumbling over your words. “Y/N/N, it’s okay. You just got married, this isn’t about me. And your crazy attention to detail paid off. This is probably the most beautiful wedding I’ve ever attended. And I’m not just saying that because I’m the reason it happened in the first place.”

“Oh, hush,” you complained, pushing him away with a laugh.

“How are you feeling?” asked Mack after another brief moment of quiet.

“About what? The wedding?”

“Mhm.”

“Relieved,” you admitted. “Is that crazy?”

Mack shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. Why?”

You shrugged. “I mean, I’ve been planning this since Will proposed, and it’s nice to know that all of that hard work amounted to something this perfect. I mean, it could have been Will and I at a courthouse with like three witnesses, and that would have been more than okay, that’s how much I love him. But at the same time, it means so much to get to share this with everyone we love. Everything feels right.”

There was a pause before Mack answered. One that was just a little too long. “It does,” he agreed softly.

You glanced over at him. He wasn’t looking at you anymore, his gaze locked on the trees at the edge of the garden.

“Mack?”

He hummed his acknowledgement, but didn’t say anything.

“You okay?” you asked carefully. You knew today probably wasn’t the easiest for Mack, so you were treading lightly.

His jaw was set just slightly tighter than usual. He let out a small breath before speaking, pushing off the railing and turning to face you.

“I’m fine,” he said.

You raised an eyebrow. “Macklin.”

He huffs a quiet laugh, shaking his head a little. “Nothing. I’m just–” He trailed off.

“Just what?” you urged.

Mack leaned his back against the railing, his fingers tapping nervously against the cool metal. “Thinking,” he said finally.

“About?”

He hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. “A lot of things.”

You were starting to get a little frustrated. Mack wasn’t one to keep things from you. Except for one thing-

“You’re being vague on purpose,” you accused.

“Yeah,” Mack admitted.

“Why?”

Your best friend tilted his head from side to side, like he was weighing out two possible explanations to give you. “I just keep thinking about how long I’ve known you,” he said.

“Okay,” you said carefully, almost sure you knew where this was going.

“And how different everything is now,” Mack added.

“Different good?” you asked, looking at his expression carefully. Unfortunately, his media training was doing wonders for him, and you couldn’t read a thing in the dim lighting.

But he nodded. “Yeah. Obviously.” To the unassuming person, it seemed like nothing, but you– who knew Mack better than anyone– could pick up the slight strain in his voice, the pause before he spoke that lasted a little too long.

“You know nothing about this is weird for me, right?” you clarified gently. “Like, it doesn’t change–”

“I know,” Mack cut in quickly, his face red. “Sorry, that was harsh. I know,” he said, softer this time.

You nodded. You believed him, of course you did. But you knew he was still keeping something hidden, and even though you were sure you knew what it was, you would wait to hear it for as long as he needed.

“You’ve always been good with timing,” you said sarcastically after a moment.

That made Mack laugh. “Yeah, that’s one way to put it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He shook his head, looking down at his feet. “Nothing.”

“Mack–”

“I just mean–” he paused, then sighed. “I’ve had a lot of chances to say things over the years.”

Your chest tightened. This was it. You were about to get confirmation of a theory you’ve had for nearly seven years.

“But you didn’t,” you said.

“No.” He took a second to gather his thoughts. “Which, in hindsight, probably worked out better for everyone.”

You frowned. “Mack, what do you mean by that?”

He glanced at you. There was a smile on his face that did nothing to disguise the fact that he was shaking with nerves and he was only a few minutes away from bursting into tears.

“I almost made things way more complicated than it needed to be,” he said.

Your stomach dropped. Was he implying that–

You couldn’t focus on that. “What?”

Mack immediately caught the change in your tone, the expression on your face. He paled, eyes wide.

“Not like that,” he added quickly.

“Macklin–”

“Oh my God, Y/N, I didn’t mean today,” he added, voice urgent. “I could never mean anything like that. I would never–”

You let out a shaky sigh of relief. “Okay, because it sounded like you were about to say you almost stood up and–”

“No,” Mack said immediately. “Absolutely not.”

You watched him, still a little unsettled about thinking Mack was confessing an almost-objection during the ceremony.

“I would never do that to you or Will,” he said. “Especially not you. Ever.”

You knew it was the truth. Mack wasn’t the type to lie to you. You nodded slowly in acknowledgement.

“Okay,” you said, only a little skeptical now.

Mack rubbed the back of his neck. “I just meant a long time ago. Way before any of this.”

Your shoulders relaxed a little.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” He seemed a little more settled now that the truth was sort of out there. Knowing Mack, this was the closest he was going to get to telling it. But to your surprise, he kept talking. “I thought about saying something once.”

“When?” you asked softly.

“Fall Break.” You didn’t need to ask him which year. It had to have been the one where you met Will.

“Why didn’t you?”

Mack laughed a self-deprecatory laugh. “Because I’m an idiot.”

You stepped closer to him and nudged him gently. “No, you are not. Be serious.”

He glanced at you out of the corner of his eye.

“You mattered more than whatever I thought I was going to say,” he said. “I knew you didn’t feel the same way, and thought if I waited longer, maybe things would have changed by then. But then…”

“Will,” you finished.

Mack only nodded, his lips pressed together. Eventually, he spoke again. “Kind of ruined my whole window there.”

“You had years before him,” you pointed out.

“I know. But I wanted to wait for you. I know I would have had to wait for a very long time. And you don’t need to agree with me on that; I’d actually rather you didn’t.”

You kept your mouth shut because you were tempted to agree, even if it was just a joke. But this was getting too serious, and you needed to lighten the mood. “For the record, if I was marrying someone awful, you should have objected.”

Mack snorted. “Oh, I would have. No hesitation. I would have intervened long before that happened, I hope you know.”

“Good.”

“But you’re not in that situation,” he said. “You married Will. Our Will.”

“I did,” you said. “And I’m very happy.”

“I know you are,” said Mack. “And I’m happy for you. Truly.”

A quiet settled between them again, different now than it was before. It wasn’t heavy or tense. It was comfortable, warm. Just a conversation break, nothing more.

“You’re not losing me, you know,” you said after a moment.

Mack smiled faintly. “I know.”

“You’re still my person. When someone takes the last packet of hot chocolate in your apartment, I’m still the first person you’ll blame.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” said Mack.

You glanced back toward the doors. Will was looking around, finished with the conversation he was having with your grandparents. Mack noticed, like he always did.

“You should go,” he said.

You nodded. Then paused.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

You wrapped your arms around Mack’s broad chest. He pulled you closer to him, his arms resting on your shoulders. It was probably the friendliest hug of all time. You inhaled his familiar scent, one that you would never get sick of, despite your complaints about him wearing too much cologne after games.

“I love you, Mackie,” you murmured.

“Love you too, Y/N/N,” he whispered back. “And congratulations again. You two are perfect.”

“I know we are,” you said cheerfully, pulling away from your best friend. “I’m going to go find my husband, but don’t forget to save me a dance. I know you’ll have girls lined up to get a chance to talk to you, but I’m sure you can spare me a song.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” said Mack, a blush on his cheeks.

“Ooh, and do you remember my roommate from BU?” you asked. “She was one of my bridesmaids; I think she walked with Gabe.”

“She was on the basketball team, right?” he asked.

“Yes! Go talk to her at some point. She’s currently single and very cute,” you said with a wink. “I’ll see you later, Mackie!”

You left him to finish catching his breath as you went inside, immediately finding Will and wrapping your arms around his neck.

“What did he want?” Will asked, his hands finding your waist.

“Just to clear the air,” you said, hoping Will understood what you meant. And he did, every time.

“You okay?” he asked, searching your eyes.

“Never better,” you said, pulling him in for a gentle kiss.

By the time Mack got back to his room, the house was quiet. And not the nervous hush of the night before, whispers, and footsteps in empty hallways. It was silent, all of its inhabitants too tired or too drunk to make a sound.

The wedding was over. You were married now. The thought settled in a new way.

Mack closed the door behind him softly and leaned against it for a second, loosening his tie. His jacket had been abandoned downstairs, the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled unevenly up his forearms. He was absolutely exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

He kicked off his shoes and crossed the room slowly, sitting on the edge of the bed and staring down at his hands for a moment.

Today had been beautiful. It was painful, but it was genuine.

Mack had watched you walk down the aisle with tears already in your eyes as soon as you saw Will. Will had looked like he had forgotten to breathe the second the doors opened to reveal you. You had smiled at each other during your vows as if there wasn’t anyone else in the room. Mack haad expected it would feel worse to watch it all unfold.

He’d spent months preparing himself for the ache that losing you to Will would bring– the sharp, stabbing pain of watching the person he loved choose someone else forever. But as he stood there beside his best friend, watching you laugh softly while Will whispered something in your ear, all he could really feel was love.

It was sad, but there was a bittersweetness to the way his breath caught in his chest when he thought about you too much. But underneath that, he could feel something warm. You and Will truly belonged together. And your love was a beautiful thing.

Somehow, finally admitting his feelings aloud in that roundabout way of his made those complicated feelings he had for you easier to carry. They weren’t gone, and they wouldn’t be for a long time, but they were different. They felt like something Mack could manage instead of bottling up and forcing them somewhere deep inside of him.

Mack exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his face. He had come to the realization tonight, somewhere between dancing with his teammates and drinking too much champagne, that he wasn’t grieving the future. That future that he wanted so badly never really existed. It would remain forever in a dark corner of his imagination, full of possibilities that would never come to fruition.

What he did have with you had always been real, though. Your friendship, late-night phone calls, and every exclusive interview that turned into gossip sessions. All of it could be packaged up into a bond Mack couldn’t compare to any of his other realtionships. And none of it had disappeared today. If anything, Mack felt like your friendship had gotten even stronger from both of you finally having the full picture.

Mack leaned back on his hands and stared up at the ceiling. He thought about your college roommate, whom you introduced him to late in the evening. She was easy to talk to, fun to dance with. Mack had gotten her phone number before he left the reception for the night. He’d text her in the morning, perhaps see if she wanted to get coffee. Not as a date or anything, but he was interested to see where things could go with your old friend.

For the first time in a long time, the idea of moving on didn’t feel like a betrayal to you. It wasn’t losing you because loving you had never been just about wanting you. It had been about friendship, comfort, wanting you to be happy so badly that it didn’t really matter if it hurt him a little.

And you were happy, seemingly impossibly so.

Mack closed his eyes briefly. He could still picture you during the last dance, held gently in Will’s arms, looking tired from the long day, but so completely at peace. There was a dull ache in Mack’s chest when he thought about it. Perhaps there always would be, at least a little. Love didn’t just disappear cleanly. But that pain didn’t feel life-ending anymore, more of an open wound than a bruise

Mack reached over, switching off the bedside lamp, the room going dark around him.

Tomorrow, everyone would wake up hungover, yet happy. You and Will would leave for your honeymoon. Mack would head home to Minnesota to get a head start on training for the upcoming season. Life moved on, because that’s what it did. And Mack was ready to move with it.

_willsmith2 ILYSM BABY yn.smith @/_willsmith2 I LOVE YOU SO MUCH MORE

_willsmith2 i still can’t believe we’re married

_willsmith2 but also why’d you do me so dirty on the last slide yn.smith @/_willsmith2 i think you look adorable <3

user1 our girl’s in her wife era 🥹

yourbestfriend that’s my girl!

mackcelebrini what a beautiful night, i could not be happier for you y/n/n yn.smith @/mackcelebrini love you mackie!

user2 me when y/n’s off the market :( _willsmith2 @/user2 hehe user2 @/_willsmith2 ariana what are you doing here

yourcollegeroommate loved celebrating you! yn.smith @/yourcollegeroommate you next, right? macklincelebrini @/yn.smith 👀 yn.smith @/macklincelebrini MACKLIN RICHARD CALL ME RN AND TELL ME WHATS GOING ON

yn.smith omg harry styles lyrics _willsmith2 @/yn.smith you trained me well ❤️

yn.smith also why did you pick that picture from our first date, there are so many better ones _willsmith2 @/yn.smith it’s my favorite early picture of us yn.smith @/_willsmith2 okay then it’s also my fave!

minnesotawild we’re so happy for minnesota’s it couple!

user1 i can’t decide whether to be jealous of y/n or cry bc they’re so cute

mackcelebrini feeling like the other woman rn :( _willsmith2 @/mackcelebrini you’re never the other woman to me mackcelebrini @/_willsmith2 🥰😍❤️ yn.smith @/_willsmith2 🧍‍♀️

graceccsmith my baby brother’s all grown up 🥹 _willsmith2 @/graceccsmith gracie i’m 25- graceccsmith @/_willsmith2 still my baby brother!

user2 omg my faves are finally married!

user3 i’m not crying, you are

_willsmith2 best best man ever!

_willsmith2 but why did you post me crying mackcelebrini @/_willsmith2 it was hard to find a picture where you weren’t _willsmith2 @/mackcelebrini not my fault i have the most beautiful wife in the entire world

yn.smith best. third wheel. EVER! mackcelebrini @/yn.smith happy to be of assistance 😒

yn.smith omg was that the first party we went to together? we were babies mackcelebrini @/yn.smith it was! yn.smith @/mackcelebrini i do not remember a single thing from that night mackcelebrini @/yn.smith yeah it was this picture or the one of you laying on my floor after throwing up in my trash can yn.smith @/mackcelebrini thank you so very much for posting this one <3 mackcelebrini @/yn.smith anytime y/n/n

user1 if i didn’t know better i’d think you were a throuple yn.smith @/user1 HELLO?

user2 you’re next, right?

user3 if you need someone for a double date hmu

user4 this trio is everything omg user5 @/user4 they love each other so much!

yourcollegeroommate it was great to meet you! mackcelebrini @/yourcollegeroommate make sure to text me next time you’re in mn!

user5 i remember when mack and y/n became friends and look at all of them now <3

user6 always the bridesmaid, never the bride 😔

_willsmith2 y/n i am so in love with you

_willsmith2 you are my entire world and i can’t wait to be your husband yourusername @/_willsmith2 sweetheart you are such a sap yourusername @/_willsmith2 but i love you so so so much and i am so excited to be your wife!

user1 i’m too single for this

yourbestfriend so ready for the nhl royal wedding!

user2 omg this is absolutely gorgeous yourusername @/user2 will picked out the most beautiful spot, it was so perfect <3

user3 omg the flowers! and the ring in will’s post! yourusername @/user3 he knows me perfectly 🥹

mackcelebrini congratulations! <3 yourusername @/mackcelebrini thanks bro!

graceccsmith welcome to the family! yourusername @/graceccsmith new sister alert!

yourusername can’t wait to marry you baby! _willsmith2 @/yourusername only 182 days left! yourusername @/_willsmith2 you’re counting? 😭 _willsmith2 @/yourusername obviously! you’re not?

user1 stop it you two are adorable

user2 congratulations!

user3 please tell me mack’s the best man mackcelebrini @/user3 i thought that was a given

mackcelebrini so happy for you guys! user4 @/mackcelebrini bro was fighting back tears writing this user5 @/user4 willmack lives on user4 @/user5 oh i wasn’t talking about will… user5 @/user4 y/n? user4 @/user5 all i’m going to say is there’s a reason she gets every exclusive interview with mack, he’s been in love with her since his bu days user5 @/user4 👀

user6 congratufuckinglations or whatever

minnesotawild congrats to the happy couple!

user7 so happy for you!

user8 there go my hopes and dreams of marrying will smith yourusername @/user8 well there’s always the actor… user8 @/yourusername y/n wtf 😭

graceccsmith so happy for you baby bro <3 _willsmith2 @/graceccsmith love you gracie!

It was the night before your wedding to Will. The entire wedding party had rented out a house the night before the event, and the festivities were finally beginning to settle down. Fewer and fewer voices were heard from the living room as friends went off to bed, hoping to get a good night's sleep before the wedding. It should have made it easy to fall asleep. It didn’t.

Mack stared at the ceiling, one arm tucked behind his head, the other resting across his stomach. He never did sleep well away when he was away from home. As a professional athlete, one would think Mack wouldn’t have a problem with it, considering all of his nights on the road, but he was never able to break the habit.

Instead of closing his eyes, he looked around the room, trying to get a sense of his surroundings. There was the window that looked into the backyard, a tree branch scraping against the glass if the wind blew too hard. There was a desk and chair in the corner next to it, or was that where the dresser lay? Mack couldn’t remember. He could, however, see the faint outline of his suit where it hung from the closet door. Outside his room, a shadow blocked the light that streamed underneath the door: someone walking past his room. The sound of footsteps retreated, and he was alone again.

He thought about the wedding, exhaling slowly through his nose. He wasn’t nervous, not exactly. He knew what he was supposed to do, where to stand, everything. He knew exactly what he was going to say for his speech. But he wished he were nervous. Anything would have been easier to deal with than what he was actually thinking about.

Mack’s thoughts kept circling the same thing, over and over, like the mascot of his former hockey team with a school of fish. He just couldn’t stop thinking about how he had everything he could possibly ever want– good friends, a loving family, more money than he needed, two Olympic medals, and a Stanley Cup win– and yet, he couldn’t have you.

He thought back to the first time he met you. It had been during his only year at BU, when you had sent him an email asking for help on an assignment. You were a communications studies major, hoping to work in sports media, and you were tasked to interview an athlete on campus for your sports journalism class.

Mack almost didn’t answer the email. Perhaps he wouldn’t be here in this bed, waiting for your wedding to someone else if he hadn’t. But he couldn’t predict the future, and he was a nice guy, so he’d agreed to meet you at a coffee shop on campus.

He could still remember it like it was yesterday. He’d shown up a little late, after getting stuck talking to his trainer after a long practice, then taking a quick shower so as not to scare you away. You were already sitting at a table, laptop, notebook, and phone open to a voice recording app already set out neatly in front of you. He could still remember what you were wearing– light wash jeans and a sweater that brought out your eyes. Your hair had been pulled away from your face by one of those claw clip things. Mack still wasn’t exactly sure what it was.

“Macklin?” you asked, looking up at him with the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen.

He nodded awkwardly, hoping he wasn’t blushing like an idiot. “Y/N?”

“That’s me,” you said cheerfully. “Have a seat. Thank you so much for doing this. I know you’re busy with school and practice, but the opportunity to interview an NHL prospect is huge for me. I promise I won’t take too much of your time.”

He had expected it to be quick. He’d been interviewed by other journalism students in the past after games or for similar assignments to this one, and they didn’t tend to last too long. Cookie-cutter questions with answers Mack didn’t have to work too hard to come up with.

Mack watched as you flipped open your notebook to a blank page, clicking a pen and setting it down. You pressed the record button on your phone so you would have the interview for reference in your article. You were organized, prepared, but not stiff. You knew what you were doing, and you clearly put the effort into your work, but you weren’t uptight about it. You made it seem easy.

“Alright,” you say. “To start off simple, how has the transition been when adjusting to collegiate hockey?”

Easy enough. That was a pretty typical question, so he gave a typical answer. Mack found himself falling into a rhythm, giving you what you need for your article without having to think about it. But as the interview progressed, Mack found his answers changing.

He stopped responding as he always did, with carefully curated, almost rehearsed words, to something that came from the heart. He wanted to give you something new, and it was clear you were trying to get something different out of him.

“Do you ever feel like people only see you as an athlete?” you asked, pen pausing as you looked up at him.

Mack hesitated. There it was. It wasn’t a hard question necessarily, just one he wasn’t used to. He found himself struggling to give you a good answer.

“Sometimes, yeah,” he said, shrugging slightly. That was far from eloquent, but at least you had a follow-up question.

“How do you deal with that?” you asked. Just by the way you said it, Mack knew it wasn’t a shove. With the way your head tilted to the side, you seemed genuinely curious about getting to know the real Macklin Celebrini, not just the hockey prodigy.

Mack leaned back, contemplating his answer. “I don’t know,” he said. “You just kind of get used to it. It’s part of being at this level at such a young age.”

Oh well. He never claimed to be good with the media.

“That sounds like a non-answer,” you accused.

Mack blinked. “I guess.”

You smiled and refused to let it go. “Try again,” you urged.

Again, it wasn’t a push, just a gentle encouragement. It was refreshing to hear that, instead of just asking questions with no empathy for the person asked to answer them. He liked that about you.

Mack studied you closely. “You don’t let people get away with easy answers, do you?” he deduced.

You smiled, a small smile tugging at the corners of your mouth. “Not if I can help it.”

So Mack told you everything. About how difficult it could be to walk around campus and have people ask him about NHL rumors, or congratulate him on a good play during a game. He couldn’t go to parties without being bombarded by people who wanted to talk to him just for the opportunity to say they were associated with one of the most talked-about young hockey players in North America. He didn’t know what was happening to him, but there was something about the way you watched him talk, nodding along and taking notes, that wouldn’t let him finish. He’d never allowed himself to be fully comfortable giving interviews and wearing his heart on his sleeve when cameras were involved.

But you were different. Sure, you had only reached out to him for a school project, but you seemed to be putting in the effort to actually get to know him. The conversation stopped feeling like an interview. You went off topic, more than once, no matter how many times you tried to steer the conversation back to Mack and the article.

You asked about games, of course, but you also asked about why he started playing, his move from Canada to Boston, his thoughts on living in America, and what he liked about hockey. You even asked what he didn’t like about the sport.

Mack found himself asking you questions back.

“What made you pick journalism?” he asked.

You leaned back slightly, deep in thought. “I like stories,” you said. “I like figuring out how to tell them in a way that makes people care. I want people to feel like they know the athlete they’re reading about.”

“I like that,” decided Mack.

“I know.”

Mack laughed. “How?”

“Because I’m actually getting something new. I’ve seen your interviews, Macklin. You might be the most media-trained person I’ve ever met. That’s why I reached out to you. I wanted to meet the guy no one else gets to see,” you said.

Woah. That was almost enough to send Mack reeling. You wanted to work with him. Just him. Because you could sense that there was more to him than met the eye.

Mack was aware that they had passed the fifteen-minute mark a long time ago, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to end this conversation. At this point, it wasn’t even an interview. The conversation shifted away from hockey and journalism and into what you did in your free time– even trivial things, such as your favorite pasta shapes and dream vacation spots.

Mack had never met someone he enjoyed talking to more than you. It was simple, and getting even easier by the moment. It was almost scary how much he liked you after just one conversation.

When the sun was going down, and the coffee shop was closing for the night, you asked for his phone number to text him if you had any follow-up questions. Mack took the device with shaking hands, hoping it wasn’t obvious how happy he was that you wanted to text him, even if it was just for the purposes of your project.

It ended up going beyond that. Quick questions to clarify a quote or to make sure a paragraph shed Mack in a good light turned into congratulatory messages after a good game and invitations to campus events.

Mack had become your best friend in just a few weeks, but you– to him, you were so much more.

And now, seven years later, he was hopelessly in love with you. But you were getting married to his other best friend of all people. Obviously, Mack wanted you to be happy; that’s all he could ever hope for. But he couldn’t help but hurt at the idea of you finding that happiness in someone who wasn’t him.

It was his fault, of course it was.

He had introduced you to Will when you visited San Jose during Fall Break of your junior year. At the time, he had been so excited that his two favorite people in the entire world were finally going to meet each other. He saw Will as a brother, and you were, well, you were just you. Mack could never find the right words to describe you, no matter how hard he tried.

Mack thought that in inviting you to spend your long weekend in California, in meeting Will and their other teammates, he’d show you just how much he wanted to involve you in every aspect of his life. And he supposed it worked, just not in the way he wanted it to.

Instead of finally reciprocating the feelings he had for you for so long, you found solace in someone else. Will.

It was slow at first, the two of you quietly getting to know each other over the course of your four-day trip. Mack had never seen you talking to someone you liked in that way before, so it took him far too long to realize what was going on. But once you left, and Will was suddenly in the best mood of his life, constantly texting someone or leaving the living room to call someone, Mack knew something was up. It was only a matter of time before Will was flying you out to California to take you out on a real date, without Mack even knowing you were coming into town.

Which put him back in this bed, hopelessly trying to fall asleep. He turned onto his side, staring at the outline of light around the door.

He couldn’t regret introducing you and Will. Sure, it was complicated, but he just couldn’t do it. He knew, undeniably, that you were right for each other. He’d seen it, watching it grow from nothing into beautiful, undeniable, true love. It had lasted through distance, time, and everything else that came from a star athlete and a normal girl. Not that you were normal, you were in fact anything but that, but that was besides the point.

Mack’s throat tightened for a second, and he swallowed, trying to force the lump away. He couldn’t just lie here and cry for something he was never destined to have. It was too late for you two, and nothing he could do now was going to change that. Sure, maybe if he had done things differently, there would be a different outcome. But he needed to let go of that.

He dragged a hand over his face, exhaling softly.

Tomorrow, Mack would stand next to Will. You would walk down the aisle. Will would probably start crying, and you would too, just because he was. And Mack would be there for it. Pretending everything was totally fine, that his heart wasn’t breaking into pieces as two more were united as one.

But it would be perfect. Because he loved you. Both of you. And he loved you enough to let his version of the story stay hidden forever: in the past where it belonged.

Mack finally let his eyes close again. It took time, as it always did, but eventually his thoughts quieted just enough for sleep to seek him out.

On the other side of the house, you also couldn’t sleep. Your room smelled like flowers, the scent wafting from the vase someone insisted on putting on your nightstand. Your dress bag hung in the corner, zipped to protect it from damage.

You were exhausted, but sleep still wouldn’t come. Every time you closed your eyes, your thoughts amplified.

Tomorrow. The word didn’t even feel like a real one anymore. You were getting married tomorrow.

You pressed your lips together, smiling a little at the thought of Will, your beautiful fiancé. You missed him, which was crazy given the fact that you had seen him less than twelve hours ago at your rehearsal brunch. But it was rare to be in bed without him. You had been in such a habit of sleeping by his side that you left the right side of your bed empty, as if waiting for him to get home late from a game. But you refused to sleep in the same room as him the night before your wedding, as per the tradition of sleeping separately the night before to prevent bad luck. You were quickly regretting that decision.

Your phone lit up on the nightstand. You didn’t even need to check it to know who it was.

There was no reply after a few seconds, so you turned your phone off, setting it back on your nightstand. You stared up at the ceiling, heart beating a little faster now.

A soft knock at the door had you almost jumping out of bed with surprise. When Will poked his head in, covering his eyes with one hand, you breathed a sigh of relief. You didn’t know why you were so spooked; Will had implied pretty heavily that he was coming over.

“Can I come in?” he whispered.

“You’re already in here,” you murmured back, a laugh in your voice.

Will closed the door behind him and made his way to your bed. Well, he tried. He almost tripped over the dresser before you scolded him and told him to open his eyes.

“Sorry, I just didn’t want to see you, unless I knew you were serious about this. Bad luck and all,” Will said sheepishly. He removed his hand from his eyes and took a look at you, squinting through the dark. “Hi, beautiful.”

You shifted so you were sitting up slightly, leaning on your elbows. “Hi, my love.”

“Is this a bad idea?” asked Will, leaning against the wall.

“Maybe,” you said, making space for Will on the bed. “But it’s worth it.”

Will sat beside you, the mattress dipping beneath his weight in a way that was so familiar to you. He leaned over to kiss your cheek. “I missed you.”

“Will, it’s been twelve hours, we’ve gone longer than this before,” you said.

“You missed me, too,” he pointed out.

“How’d you know?”

“I just do.” He finished his sentence with another kiss, this time to your temple.

You shifted closer to him, so your shoulders touched, and neither of you said anything for a moment.

“If I leave before midnight, does it really count as seeing you before the wedding?” asked Will.

You shrugged. “I guess not.”

You looked over at Will, who was grinning at you like an idiot. “So can I stay for a bit?” he begged.

“Fine,” you said. “Only because I can’t sleep, and maybe you’ll make it easier.”

“I always do.”

Will was the first to lean in. The kiss landed easily, soft on your lips. Your hand came up to his jaw without thinking, your thumb brushing along his cheek as the kiss deepened slightly.

Will’s hand slid to your waist, pulling you closer to him until suddenly you were half turned toward him, tucked against his chest.

“Okay,” you murmured against his lips, smiling against them. “You saw me.”

“Hmm,” he hummed. “I think I need to double-check.”

You laughed softly before he kissed you again, softer this time, taking his time with you. It was like he wasn’t ready to leave you yet. He maneuevered your bodies so he was on top of you, his weight pressing you into the mattress. His silver necklace, the one that he had been wearing since before you met, settled against your own chest. The cross charm and the one with your initial clinked together. He’d added the latter after your first anniversary.

“We’re not having sex,” you reminded him.

“I know,” said Will.

Your hands traveled from his face to his hair. It was complete instinct, something you often did when the two of you were in similar circumstances.

You pulled away when you noticed something unfamiliar about him. “You got a haircut,” you noticed, running your fingers through Will’s soft curls.

“It’s not too short, is it?” he asked bashfully.

“I can’t exactly see it,” you said, squinting to try to see him better in the dark. “But it feels nice. It was getting a little long.”

“It was,” agreed your fiancé. “Now, where were we?”

He leaned back in, kissing you again as your fingers tangled in his blond hair, pulling on it gently. His breath caught in his throat.

“Y/N,” he warned.

You didn’t stop. Instead, you let your fingers trail down to the nape of his neck, playing with the short strand of hair. Will groaned against your lips, his hands tightening at your waist.

“You do know what you’re doing, right?” he asked, his sentence finishing with a sigh as you continued to tease him.

“Mhm,” you hummed, delighting in the way he was falling apart at your fingertips. One of the first things you learned about Will once you had started dating was that he loved it when you ran your hands through his hair. Well, loved was an understatement. Some nights, one gentle tug was all he needed to get in the mood.

Will’s hands trailed up and down your sides, as if he were exploring your body for the first time again. You inhaled softly against his mouth as one of his hands brushed down your side and settled on your hip.

In retaliation, you hook your fingers in your fiancé’s hair and tug on it a little harder. Just the way you knew he liked it. And it did the trick. Will pulled away a little, a quiet moan escaping his lips.

His kisses moved from your lips to your neck, though he was careful not to leave any marks on your smooth skin. Sure, you had a makeup artist coming in to help you get ready, but you didn’t want her to go through any extra trouble.

Will continued to test how far you’d let him go, the hand that was on your hip tracing over your thigh until it was in between your legs. You debated for a moment on letting this get further, to go against your prior plans and let him do the things to you that you so badly desired. But you both had promised, and this had gone too far.

You tugged on his hair. Not hard, just enough to elicit another moan and pull him away a little.

“Behave,” you reminded him against his lips. You had intended it to come out teasing, but your voice was a little breathless as his fingers trailed against your inner thigh.

Will exhaled sharply, his forehead dropping to your collarbone, trying to steady his breathing. “I’m trying,” he murmured against your skin, his voice low and rough.

“That’s not very convincing,” you whispered.

“I know,” he admitted. “You’re making it really difficult. You know, we could-”

“We are not,” you corrected.

“But we could,” teased Will, but he removed his hand from between your legs anyway.

“Tomorrow,” you promised. “This time tomorrow, I am all yours for as long as you want me.”

You finally released your hand from his hair, brushing your thumb against his cheekbone instead. It was only a small change, but it helped.

Will exhaled again, this time much steadier. “I love you,” he whispered, looking you in the eyes as best he could in the dark.

“I love you too,” you murmur.

You leaned up, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. This one was soft and intentional. Will returned it the same way, one of his hands gently caressing your waist as he did.

“It’s almost midnight,” you said, your eye catching the alarm clock at your bedside.

“Is it?” asked Will, turning you so you both lay on your sides. He propped himself up on one elbow so he could look at you. He reached over your body so he could turn the alarm clock around, effectively preventing you from seeing the time.

“You should leave soon,” you suggested once he was settled next to you again.

“Or we could talk instead,” said Will, tracing the lines of your ribs beneath your shirt until you shivered. “You said you couldn’t sleep. Why is that? Not getting cold feet, are you?”

“I always have cold feet, I have poor circulation,” you complained, trying to press your feet against his legs to demonstrate.

Will shrieked as you made contact with his skin. “Y/N!”

You clapped a hand over his mouth. “You’re going to wake up the whole house,” you scolded. “Quit whining.”

Once you retreated your attack and both of you had calmed down, Will spoke again, still tracing abstract lines over your side. “You never answered my question. Why were you having trouble sleeping?”

“I’m just nervous,” you said in response.

“Yeah? Me too. But in a good way.”

“Same.”

“Like we’re getting married,” said Will. “I get to spend the rest of my life with you as my wife. That’s so cool.”

“Referring to us getting married as ‘cool’ is making me worried for your vows tomorrow,” you said with a giggle.

“Don’t be worried, I have everything ready. My vows are going to be fantastic,” assured Will, pressing a tiny kiss to your nose.

“I’m glad you’re also nervous,” you said. “I feel like it would be weird if one of us was freaking out and the other one wasn’t.”

“I’m just good at hiding the freaking out part,” said Will.

“Same.” You lay together in silence for a few moments, relishing in the presence of each other. Neither of you moved a muscle. Even Will’s habitual caress of your side had stilled. It was like you were trying to savor every bit of this moment, and shifting even a little bit of weight would change the memory.

“Wanna know what I’m most nervous about?” you ask to break the pause.

“What?” asked Will.

You start to giggle before you can get the words out.

“What?” Will repeated, letting out a laugh of his own.

“I’m scared I’m going to trip walking down the aisle and break my ankle or something,” you admit. “And I wouldn’t be able to make it to the altar. God, that would be so embarrassing.”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. If you broke your ankle halfway down the aisle, I would pick you up and carry you the rest of the way. And I don’t know, if your dress was just so ridiculously giant and I couldn’t carry you, I’d marry you in the middle of the aisle,” promised Will.

“Really?” you asked.

He nodded. “Really.”

You shifted a little closer together without thinking, your head resting against Will’s chest now. His arm wrapped around you more securely. His hand moved against your back in slow, absent strokes. It was the most natural feeling in the world.

They talked about little things after that. Who was going to cry first. Who was going to mess up the first dance. What they wanted everything to feel like when it’s over.

“Easy” was the word you came up with.

“Easy,” echoed Will. “I like that.”

After a point, your fiancé’s voice began to slow, his words a little more spaced out. His face pressed into your hair, his soft breaths tickling your head. The hand that had been rubbing your back went limp.

“You’re falling asleep,” you murmured sleepily.

“No, I’m not,” countered Will before immediately yawning.

“You totally are.”

“Nah, I’m just resting my eyes,” he argued, though his words were slurred.

You pulled away from him just enough to see his handsome face. “I thought you were just coming to see me. Not sleep over.”

Will looked down at you, blinking slowly, clearly fighting to stay awake. “Plans change,” he whispered, pulling you back against him, resting his chin on your head.

“Then stay,” you said, nuzzling your face into his neck.

You were aware of your feet touching his leg, but he didn’t seem to care. He pressed a soft kiss to your hair. “I love you,” he murmured against your scalp. “Can’t wait for tomorrow.”

You kissed his neck. “I love you too. Sleep well, baby.”

You fell asleep like that, his arm around you, your head tucked into the crook of his neck. Just the way you belonged: together.

Here it was. Finally, the day of your wedding. Here you were, just a few hours away from walking down the aisle. It still didn’t feel real.

You sat in a chair in front of the mirror, wearing a silk robe over your pajamas. Grace, your soon-to-be sister-in-law, fussed over the decorative pins in your hair.

“You look lovely, Y/N,” she said, meeting your eyes in the mirror of the vanity.

“Thanks, Grace.”

“You know, I’m glad to have you as a sister,” she said. “I’ve always wanted one.”

“Grace, you are the best older sister a girl could ask for,” you said, meaning every word.

“Aww, Y/N,” Grace squealed, squeezing your shoulders. “This might be my most anticipated wedding of all time, and I went crazy when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were married.”

“Thanks?” you said.

Grace proceeded to help you into your wedding dress, making sure everything lay perfectly.

“Will is going to cry his eyes out when he sees you,” she assured.

“God, I hope not,” you laughed. “He’d be so embarrassed.”

“Eh, he’ll get over it,” said Grace. “But he will not be getting over you in this dress, that’s for sure. Ah! Speak of the Devil!”

She reached over your shoulder to the vanity, where your phone had lit up. She passed it over to you, revealing Will’s image on the screen alongside a message.

The last 92 minutes passed by quickly. Everything was perfect– your hair, your makeup. Nothing was out of place. This was really happening.

Your body seemed to buzz with nervous energy. You shook out your arms one at a time, then repeated with your legs. You stood at the door to the main hall of the church. That and the aisle were the only things separating you from your fiancé.

There would be rows of guests: your families, friends, Will’s teammates. Every single person who loved you and Will was on the other side of that door. You could picture the hall in your head, every floral and draping of fabric. Things you had visualized for months as you planned the wedding. You knew everything was perfect.

The music changed, a stripped-down rendition of Jupiter by Gustav Holst, and it was time. The doors opened, and you stepped forward. Everyone in the room stands as you prepare to make your way down the aisle.

The world around you narrowed as you laid eyes on the blond man at the altar. Will. It’s as if there were no one else in the room. He stood with his hands clasped in front of him, shoulders a little too straight. He looked incredibly handsome in his suit, and you wished you didn’t have to walk so elegantly down the aisle; it took everything in you to refrain from hiking up the skirt of your dress and rushing toward him.

Will was looking at you like he forgot how to breathe. His eyes were already glassy. His mouth was open in a silent “oh.” Your smile widened as you realized how hard he was trying not to cry. Grace could not have been more right about her little brother.

When you were halfway down the aisle, Will whispered something you couldn’t hear, shaking his head with an awed smile on his face. When you finally make it to the altar, he exhaled like he’d been holding his breath for the entire time it took you to walk there.

“Hi,” he said softly.

“Hi.”

As soon as you passed off your bouquet to you maid of honor, your hands found Will’s without thinking. He squeezed yours gently, running his thumbs over them.

“I want to kiss you so bad right now,” he whispered, a faint blush rising to his cheeks.

“Just a little bit longer,” you said, squeezing his hands back. “We can’t skip all of the official stuff.”

“I know. You look incredible, by the way.”

“Thanks, honey,” you said, smiling up at him and blinking back tears.

He was trying to do the same, but doing so unsuccessfully. His eyes were glassy, and a single tear traced down his cheek.

“I love you,” he mouthed as the priest began to speak.

“I love you too,” you said, unable to hide the grin on your face as you reached up to wipe away the tear on your fiancé’s cheek.

You couldn’t take your eyes off Will as the priest started the ceremony. He was listening as best he could, but you could see the way his attention kept slipping back to you. The whole time, he was blinking just a little too often, like he was still trying not to cry.

“You okay?” you whispered.

“Perfect,” he assured, though the word got a little caught in his throat.

When it was your turn to say your vows, you didn’t hesitate. When you and Will were planning the wedding, he insisted you give yours first, despite tradition. “Ladies first” was something he always insisted on, and he wasn’t going to let that change on your wedding day.

You took a deep breath before speaking. You hadn’t practiced your words too much before because you didn’t need to. You’d been telling Will all of these things for years.

“I didn’t expect you,” you began, voice surprisingly steady considering the ball of nerves settling in your stomach. “I always thought I’d settle down with someone with a regular 9-5. Never in a million years did I think I’d be standing here about to get married to a professional athlete.”

Will’s breath caught, a toothy grin on his face.

“I thought love was something you had to chase,” you continued. “Or earn, figure out, something.”

Your fingers tightened slightly around his.

“But you, Will, just appeared. And that changed everything in ways I never could have imagined.”

Will’s eyes are glassy again. He kept looking at you, not even blinking. He didn’t want to miss a moment.

“I feel safe with you,” you said. “I can come home to you at the end of the day, and it doesn’t matter how bad I’m feeling because you get me out of it. Life’s easy with you. And when it isn’t, we figure it out. Together. It’s crazy how you just came into my life and, well, you never left it. And I know you aren’t going to any time soon.”

A quiet laugh rippled through the room.

“I choose you, William Charles Patrick Smith,” you finished simply, cracking a smile at the use of his full name. “Not because I have to, but because I want to. Over and over again. I love you, baby.”

Will looked at you like he might fully lose it. It was like he’d never loved you more than he did right now. And you felt exactly the same.

When it was his turn to speak, he closed his eyes, exhaling to ground himself. He then immediately proceeded to ruin it by looking at you again. His eyes went wide, his mouth slightly agape, as if seeing a ghost.

“Oh no,” he muttered under his breath.

You tilted your head slightly out of confusion. “What?”

Will leaned forward, a blush on his cheeks. “Baby, I forgot my speech.”

You blinked, then laughed softly. “You what?”

“I had it,” he whispered urgently, still grinning, but there was a little bit of panic in his eyes. “I swear I had it. It was great, I promise.”

“Did you write it down?” you asked, amused at his attempts to hide his distress.

“Only ideas, nothing in full,” he said, patting down his pockets. “I don’t know where it is.”

You caught movement from over his left shoulder. Mack. Your best friend and Will’s best man. He casually slid a folded paper into Will’s hand like it was nothing out of the ordinary. You covered your mouth to stop yourself from laughing.

Will grabbed it and breathed a loud sigh of relief.

“Thank God,” he whispered. He reached behind him to pat Mack on the back, but he missed, accidentally slapping his best friend on the ass instead.

Will looked at you in horror as you covered your mouth to keep from laughing at the two’s antics.

“You’re ridiculous,” you murmured.

“I know I am,” he said. “Okay, now before I mess things up even more.”

He looked down at the unfolded paper in his hand, took a deep breath, and began.

“First of all, thank you to Mack for this lovely sheet of paper. This really goes to show that when I look at Y/N, I absolutely lose my mind.” You smiled lovingly at him as he spoke. “Oh, wow. There’s an annotation: ‘Remember to shout me out for introducing you two. Love, Mack.’”

Mack was fighting back laughter as Will turned to look at him. A few giggles sounded from the audience.

“Thank you, Mackie,” Will said with an eyeroll. “We are eternally grateful for your mutual friendship. Now back to Y/N. Wow, I really thought I was going to say something clever or poetic. At least organized. But again, in the most perfect way possible, my brain doesn’t work around you sometimes. Kind of rude, if you ask me.”

“Of me?” you murmur, pointing to yourself.

“You’re extremely distracting,” said Will, so only you could hear, taking your hand with his free one. His eyes were fixed on you like you were the only two people in the room. He spoke louder after that, so the audience could hear what you had to say.

“I’m going to try to say something coherent. I love you,” he said simply. “I think I have since the moment I met you. Y/N, I’ve never told you this because I wanted to save it for this moment, just in case it happened. When Mack brought you home for Fall Break, and I met you for the first time, I called Grace as soon as you left. And I swear I told her I was going to marry you.”

You looked over your shoulder at Will’s sister, who nodded in confirmation, a smile on her face that matched her brother’s almost perfectly.

“Now here we are, I get to marry you and finally tell you that after almost five years. Being able to love you and be loved by you is the easiest thing I know. When I’m with you, everything feels like it makes sense. Even when it doesn’t. Especially when it doesn’t.

“I know that no matter what happens when I’m at a game, no matter how poorly I play, you’ll be there when I get home with open arms. And that’s just one of the things I love so much about you. There are at least a thousand more things, but we don’t have all day.”

Will smiled at the sight of tears shining in your eyes.

“I still don’t know how I got here,” he said, his voice unsteady, “but I know I don’t want to be anywhere else.” He tucked the paper into his pocket; he hadn’t really been reading it in the first place. He then took your hands, holding them gently in his shaking ones. “I choose you, Y/N. Every version of you. Every day, I want to be the last person you see when you go to bed and the first person you see when you wake up. I want to be the one to proofread your articles, even though I don’t know anything about sports journalism or writing. I want to be there for every sick day, every fight, every single time you touch me with your cold feet in the middle of the night. I want those things because I love you, Y/N. And that love isn’t going away.”

Your vision blurred slightly at the edges as you giggled about the dig at your sleeping habits.

“I love you more,” you whispered.

“Not possible,” Will mouthed back.

When he was finally told to kiss you, it wasn’t rushed. Will took a moment just to look at you, taking in the realness of the moment. It was something both of you would remember for the rest of your lives, and he wanted to savor it. And he kissed you like he wanted it to last. With both hands on your waist, he leaned in, closing the space between you with a kiss that took your breath away. The world faded around you, and it was just you, Will, and the life you were beginning together.

players i write for !

fraser minten macklin celebrini will smith connor bedard

i may be open to writing one shots for other players, but this is what i’m sticking to for now :)

୨୧ be descriptive! i want these one shots to be as close as possible to what you want, so please tell me every detail you feel necessary

୨୧ please try to stick to this list of players, but if you have any other requests, i can let you know if am willing to write for them

୨୧ i am not willing to write for the hughes brothers, and no exceptions will be made to that

୨୧ i also don't write for players who are under the age of eighteen, and i won't write readers who are minors either

୨୧ i don't write player x player, male!reader, or gn!reader

୨୧ once requests are closed, they are closed, please respect that :)

୨୧ i don't write smut! i am comfortable writing making out, fade to blacks, and possibly other suggestive content. if you have any questions about what i am comfortable writing, please ask!

୨୧ other topics i won't write about: eating disorders, self harm, large age gaps

୨୧ and please request social media fics too, i'd like to try creating more of those :)

fraser minten !

so american

we go way back (coming soon)

honeybee (coming soon)

will smith !

that way

too little, too late part i, part ii

macklin celebrini !

go go juice (coming soon)

connor bedard !

8 letters (coming soon)

william eklund !