The Distance Between Shifts
Warnings: mild swearing, light angst, themes of anxiety
Summary: While you secretly pack to transfer to San Jose State, your silence sends Will into a slow spiral. He turns to Macklin Celebrini and Tyler & Cat Toffoli for reassurance, only for you to show up at his apartment with the truth â and a future closer to him.
Notes: This is one of my first works ever so please bare with me. i 100% want constructive criticism so leave advise in the comments. I have my requests here so please request!!! and when you do be as detailed as you want! i just dont do smut. also heres my masterlist so check it out!!
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You donât mean to disappear on him.
It starts with one email â Your transfer to San Jose State University has been approved â and suddenly your entire life becomes a countdown. A list of deadlines. A mountain of forms. A dorm room that looks like a tornado hit it.
Your academic advisor is talking a mile a minute on the phone, youâre scribbling notes, and your laptop is buried under a pile of transfer paperwork.
Your phone buzzes on the bed.
Will: hey babe, how was class?
You glance at it, heart squeezing, but your advisor is still talking, and you tell yourself youâll answer in five minutes.
Five minutes becomes an hour.
Then itâs midnight, and youâre surrounded by halfâpacked boxes, exhausted and overwhelmed. You fall asleep without texting him back.
You wake up to three messages.
Will: you okay? Will: long day? Will: call me when you can â¤ď¸
You type out a reply â Sorry, crazy day, Iâll call you later â but you donât send it. You want to tell him in person. You want the surprise to be perfect.
You shove your phone in your pocket and keep packing.
By evening, youâre kneeâdeep in bubble wrap and stress. You miss another call. Then another. You tell yourself youâll call him after you finish packing your desk.
Heâs not dramatic at first. He just frowns at his phone between drills, checks it again in the locker room, then again in the car.
By the time he gets home, heâs pacing.
Macklin Celebrini watches him from the couch. âDude. Youâre wearing a hole in the floor.â
âShe hasnât answered in three days,â Will mutters. âThree.â
âMaybe sheâs busy.â
âSheâs always busy. She still texts.â
Mack pauses the movie. âCome here.â
âYou didnât do anything wrong,â Mack says. âYouâre overthinking.â
Will stares at the floor. âFeels like I did.â
Mack bumps his shoulder. âYouâre allowed to miss her. Youâre not allowed to assume she hates you.â
Will huffs out a humorless laugh. âI didnât say that.â
âYou didnât have to.â
Will doesnât sleep well that night.
He tries to distract himself.
Practice. Video review. A workout. A nap that doesnât happen.
By evening, heâs staring at his phone again.
Will: hey. just checking in. Will: iâm starting to worry. Will: please tell me youâre okay.
Tyler answers immediately. âWhatâs up, kid?â
Will tries to sound casual. âNothing. Just⌠wanted to ask something.â
Tyler snorts. âYou sound like youâre about to confess to a crime.â
Will groans. âItâs notâ okay, maybe itâs kind of like that.â
âHang on,â Tyler says. âCatâs better at this emotional stuff.â
Thereâs a shuffle, then Cat Toffoliâs warm voice comes through. âHi sweetheart. Whatâs going on?â
Will exhales shakily. âShe hasnât answered me in four days.â
âI donât know what I did wrong.â
Catâs voice softens. âLong distance is brutal. Silence doesnât always mean somethingâs wrong.â
âBut what if it does?â
âIf she was done with you,â Tyler calls from somewhere in the background, âsheâd tell you. Trust me.â
Cat swats him (you can hear it). âIgnore him. Listen â youâre allowed to feel scared. But donât jump to the worst conclusion.â
Will rubs his face. âI just⌠I miss her.â
âI know,â Cat says gently. âGive it a little more time.â
He hangs up feeling worse.
Day 5 â Morning â Boston â San Jose
Youâre at the airport at 6 a.m., running on two hours of sleep and pure adrenaline.
Will: iâm really worried now. please just tell me youâre okay.
You close your eyes, guilt twisting your stomach.
Youâll tell him soon. In person. Itâll be worth it.
Day 5 â Afternoon â San Jose
Will is sitting on the couch, staring at the wall, phone in hand. He hasnât eaten. He hasnât moved. He hasnât stopped checking his notifications.
Mack sits beside him. âYouâre spiraling.â
âYou need to breathe.â
Mack sighs. âShe loves you. Sheâll call.â
Heâs too busy imagining every worst-case scenario.
So when thereâs a knock at the door, he barely reacts.
Mack gets up, opens itâ
âUh,â he says. âWill? You might want to get over here.â
Youâre standing in the doorway, suitcase behind you, backpack slung over your shoulder, eyes soft and nervous and hopeful.
Will is on his feet instantly.
âYouâreâ youâre here?â His voice cracks. âYouâre actuallyââ
You nod, tears pricking your eyes. âSurprise.â
He crosses the room in three long strides and pulls you into his arms, holding you like heâs afraid youâll vanish.
You melt into him, burying your face in his shoulder. âIâm sorry,â you whisper. âIâm so sorry.â
He shakes his head, pulling back just enough to cup your face. âAre you okay? Did something happen? Did Iââ
âNo,â you say quickly. âNo, you didnât do anything. Iâve been packing. I transferred. Iâm going to San Jose State.â
Will blinks. âYouâ what?â
âI wanted to tell you in person,â you say, voice trembling. âI didnât mean to scare you. I just⌠I wanted to be here. With you.â
For a moment, he canât speak.
Then he kisses you â soft, slow, desperate â like heâs trying to make up for every day he didnât get to.
Mack clears his throat loudly. âIâm still here.â
Will doesnât look away from you. âDonât care.â
Youâre curled up against him, his arm around you, your head on his chest.
âYou really scared me,â he murmurs.
âI know,â you whisper. âIâm sorry.â
âI thought I messed up.â
âYou didnât. I was overwhelmed. And scared. And guilty. And⌠everything.â
He kisses your forehead. âNext time, just tell me. Even one text.â
You nod. âI promise.â
After a moment, you nudge him. âSo⌠you called Tyler and Cat?â
He groans. âDonât.â
âYou were spiraling.â
âYou probably paced around the apartment like a sad golden retriever.â
You grin. âNo, you donât.â
He kisses you again, soft and warm. âYeah,â he murmurs. âI really donât.â
You settle against him, fingers intertwined, his heartbeat steady under your ear.
For the first time in days, everything feels right.