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Shoulders so heavy, the weight of the world so heavy, yet there Willy is, there to catch him when he falls, there to give him a reason to get back up again, there to tell him to celebrate his accomplishments and goals being met, there to tell him that it'll be okay, there to tell him not to lose sleep over it, there to tell him to be proud in moments of victory, there to tell him to take a break and slow down, there to tell him to lean on him when it gets hard to breathe.

And you know what Mack does to reciprocate it all? Devotes every fiber of his being to Will. When Will gets benched, Mack is right there to pick up the pieces and take him to a basketball game to get his mind off things. He’s feeling down because he messed up a play? Mack will be right there for him to lean on when he comes out of hiding all the way on the other side of the bench. To tell him tenderly, “it was a good try though.” Will is feeling overwhelmed and like he is not enough to play on Mack's line——enter, "he's gonna come back and see that I'm not McDavid." -Will Smith? Mack doesn't even say anything; he just shows him that he is enough by passing to him every chance he gets and giving up his own chances, regardless of how many times Will misses the shot and out of frustration, punishes himself for it by isolating himself from all else with his head hung low. Will gets shade thrown from the media; Mack responds by reminding everyone that he is a fourth overall pick and that he is an elite player you should expect greatness from.

But no, he doesn't, and we get further and further into the season, and he's back on the ice with Mack. The looks, the subtle touches, the undiscreet shows of protection, and the joy are doubled tenfold. Anything about him and Mack dating or how it looks to others didn't cross his mind apparently. That ALL literally happened while he was on IR, and you're telling me he still didn't tone it down but instead moved forward until it turned into intimacy that translated to smelling salts being shared with only one other gap-toothed Canadian boy? He doesn't care; he doesn't fucking care.

That's the most precious thing about their whole relationship: they don't care what other people think, and they never will, because they are the only ones who know what's going on with them and how their relationship is doing at all times, and that's enough for me. I hope they stay as private/lowkey but also as loud as they have been so far.

Then we move on to the Olympics, and your American boy isn't picked, but you are, and he doesn't post anything after you; a Canadian loses to the Americans in the GOLD medal game.