#rleonard

will and mack going to the beanpot together, bu wins. in those vids of mack celebrating with his old team, will is nowhere to be seen, so there's a chance he went to the bc locker room after to say hi to his guys. everyone happy to see him, it's smitty after all! but then there's leno, still stinging from the loss and the sight of will hanging out with the enemy at what used to be their thing, and he says something nasty. maybe it's about mack, maybe it's a dig about how will left them (left him) to go to a team that can't win more than two games in a row.

in my beautiful mind will doesn't get into yelling matches, that's not his thing. when he's mad he just goes very quiet and still and basically cuts the person dead. he walks away and leaves leno seething, but the words hurt - maybe more so because they come from someone he's known most of his life. he's hurt and angry for a while after (see practice and that game where mack and the others were visibly giving him space), and then it passes in the face of supporting mack through yet another loss. deep down though, he's already made up his mind - he's gonna work hard the rest of the season, get closer to his teammates and look after mack. leno, at least for now, is dead to him. something that's easier to not think about when he's out at cafés with mack or chirping toff and delly or hanging out with his former bc buds who adore him. but i think he does think about it. it's not easy to cut someone out of your life when they've had a place there since you were eight. he still can't bring himself to call leno, but that doesn't stop him from reposting the news of his signing. he can't help it. but he won't call.

as for leno, he strikes me as someone who flares up quick and flames out even quicker. there's a brief moment of panic when he sees the look in will's face, knows he's hurt him, but anger and embarrassment stop him from taking it back. why should he apologise? will was the one who left him, after all. the feeling continues right through his signing (amped up a bit perhaps bc will does nothing to congratulate him except repost on ig while gabe at least gets a message) but then he's settling into the caps and scoring and has his first real nhl fight and gets into the playoffs and will still won't talk to him. the caps are great: they call him little leno and tease and baby him all in one breath and it makes leno dizzy in the best way, especially when they might actually make it to the cup this year. but they haven't known him basically his whole life. they aren't smitty.