Chapters: 2/?
Fandom: Men's Hockey RPF
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Macklin Celebrini/Will Smith (b. 2005), Macklin Celebrini & Will Smith (b. 2005), Macklin Celebrini & Tyler Toffoli, Aiden Celebrini & Macklin Celebrini, Macklin Celebrini & San Jose Sharks NHL Team Ensemble, Will Smith (b. 2005) & Tyler Toffoli, San Jose Sharks NHL Team Ensemble & Will Smith (b. 2005), Aiden Celebrini & Will Smith (b. 2005), Cat Belanger Toffoli/Tyler Toffoli
Characters: Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith (Hockey RPF b. 2005), Celebrini Family (Hockey RPF), Will Smith (Hockey RPF b. 2005) Family, Tyler Toffoli, Cat Belanger Toffoli, San Jose Sharks NHL Team Ensemble, Aiden Celebrini, Grace Smith | Will Smith's (Hockey RPF b. 2005) Sister, Michael Misa, Sam Dickinson (Hockey RPF)
Additional Tags: NHL | National Hockey League, Soft Hockey Boys, Dumb Hockey Boys, Top Will Smith (Hockey RPF b. 2005), Bottom Will Smith (Hockey RPF b. 2005), Top Macklin Celebrini, Bottom Macklin Celebrini, Trades (Hockey RPF), Light Angst, Long-Distance Relationship, Codependency, learning to love, Phone Sex, Phone Calls & Telephones, How easy you are to love
Summary:
Will gets Traded at the worst time. Luckily love doesn’t speak in distance.
—
"Willie?" Mack's voice was low, closer now to him than before. The hand around the back of his neck tightens and another joins to rest on his hip. It was grounding almost but not enough as his brain spirals for a second. His whole life twisted and yanked out from under feet in a simple 5 minute formality call. He chokes on his next breath his hand reaching out to curl along Mack's shoulder. He needed to support himself or else he was going to fall.
"I'm out."
"Out?"
Mack's voice raises. His eyes were a bit frantic trying to catch Will's to read between the unspoken lines, Will's bottom lip trembles. He feels the tears collecting at his lashes for a moment before his head bows.
"Out— traded."
There is silence between them before those hands on his body tense tightly and suddenly. There is a pull, their bodies colliding like two passing stars.
"Fuck."
Will wholeheartedly agrees as a sob yanks through his chest. Fuck indeed.
personally I dont think that Sam and Misa ever face time. they snapchat and set short videos of dogs or bugs or their dick as they jerk off or whatever, but they never facetime. in fact they barely ever call each other. Sam swears the only time Misa has ever called him was to check he was coming over and to ask if he could pick up chipper along the way.
they text constantly and have a snapstreak of like 400 from the summer before they started on the sharks together, and during the season they see each other literally every day for multiple hours. they more often request each others locations or send their own to let the other know they're coming over than ask over voice or text.
its very much well of course i'm going to go hang out with mikey, why would i do anything else? why would he do anything else?
they feel very entitled to each others time. its okay though, neither of them mind.
but it does make the off season a bit worse, and the reunion a whole lot better
sam ragebaiting toff and calling him homophobic, because toff makes a face of disgust when he walks into his own living room to his billet son on sam's lap, and sam has his grimy hands under misa's shirt.
I hope someone is excited for chapter 4 of the Trade fic. I keep gently editing it bc it has a lot of feelings being written in it. I love it very much
feeling guilty over not working on your fic is so silly if you think about like why are you stressing over the hobby you do in your free time for fun lol wip not whip
I love finding Samisa fics and reading through them when I need a break from the WillMack fics. Like :
“At this moment, Misa knew that he had to marry Sam. There was simply no other option. This was his husband, laying here on his bed, talking about going to his favourite place for dinner. God, in a few years, if this all worked out, Misa will have it made. Hell, maybe they’d even beat Will and Mack in becoming the first Husbands of Hockey.”
my canadian boyfriend au where gabe and leno constantly tease will for being the only one who’s always single and never really seems interested in a relationship.
then over the summer will goes on vacation with his family and comes back to college with a boyfriend.
obviously gabe and leno want to meet him.
will’s like “well he’s canadian so you wouldn’t know him.”
so they ask for a picture.
will explains that his boyfriend doesn’t really like having his picture taken, so he doesn’t have that many and then shows them this blurry ass picture of some guy clearly trying to dodge the camera who could genuinely be anyone.
like he could have got that shit off pinterest.
they’re like “okay bud”
then they ask what his name is.
“macklin celebrini”
and gabe and leno kinda side eye each other.
because what kind of name is macklin celebrini? that’s not even a real name, he couldn’t have thought of something more realistic?
months pass and will is still talking about this fake canadian boyfriend like he’s a real person, he’s constantly talking about what macklin is doing, texting him, turning people down because he has a ‘boyfriend’
eventually they start getting genuinely worried about him and agree this is their fault, they spent so long teasing will about being single that he’s had to invent a fake boyfriend and now he’s gone crazy and thinks this guy is real.
so they use their spare key to get into will’s apartment and start putting up an intervention banner that says WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT MACKLIN.
they’re trying to be quiet enough to set it up while will’s asleep, but then they start arguing over the positioning of the banner and hear rustling coming from will’s bedroom.
and somebody comes out.
but it’s not will?
it’s a guy around their age, auburny brown hair, green eyes, looking completely rumpled and tired, he looks at them and goes “who are you?”
leno blurts out “who the fuck are you?”
the guy just looks between them “macklin?”
gabe and leno just stare at him.
gabe goes, “you’re real?”
macklin looks at them, completely unimpressed “evidently?”
and then will comes out of the bedroom, equally rumpled, looks at gabe and leno then the banner and is like “what the fuck is going on?”
I think about Will living at the Celebrini house while he was in Vancouver all the time. I've been thinking about it since before we had confirmation he was even in Vancouver.
Will, sleepy and bleary eyed, in the Celebrini’s kitchen trying to put together a single bowl of cereal because he's hungry but every cupboard or drawer he opens is the wrong one. And Mack's koala curled around him, forehead to shoulder, arm snaking around Will’s waist, providing no help at all when Will asks where the spoons are kept.
Will drying his hair off with a towel he finds under the sink in the shared boys bathroom where toothbrushes are left on the side instead of in the pot. He's glancing at notches in the doorframe from where angsty teenage versions of Mack and Aiden would slam the door years ago. And Mack's popping his head in to ask if Will wants to watch a movie before bed. Its like those nights in shared hotel rooms, but in Mack’s house instead.
Will sitting out on the garden furniture with Cali resting her head on his lap, the same way Rigney does but she's triple his size, looking out at the view so new to him but so familiar to the family sitting around him. Robyn fussing over her her plants are growing this summer, Rick teaching Charlie how to use the grill, RJ gloating about his hockey team to grab Will’s attention. And Mack. In this house, this back yard, his arm thrown over Will’s shoulder as they lean into each other without thinking.
I think about Will living with the Celebrini’s even if just for a week.
The way Will softly called Mack’s name in that video is everything. Then Mack's little soft "huh🥺?" takes the cake. Like, you mean to tell me that on top of everything, they also speak THAT softly to each other? I can’t even imagine the way they have their softest conversations, laying under the covers together, voices just above a whisper, talking to each other about their future together or some fuckass sweet, affectionate topic. Who knows what will transpire with these two anymore? They've proven time and time again that they are indeed "too soft" on one another; instead of it being just one sided, Will is just as soft on Mack as Mack is on him, and it's so adorable. Like, Will literally going "Mack😟?" Almost as if to say, “why are you not beside or in front of me to talk to me about something as simple as water?” Then he was looking at him the whole time he was skating over. Like, you can't make this shit up. They speak to each other so softly it hurts😔
mic’d up misa vid sending me I love him so fucking much, yapping away with sjs pwhl draft queen, being continually bullied by dickie (he just has to touch him all the time) and being so aggressively canadian that’s my BOY
Been reading and seeing a lot of things about USNTDP and I just— I have an image. My brother was a Marine (he’s out now) but I remember when we picked him up from Boot Camp and like when we drove him back home he had like panic attack awake up calls constantly. Like he’d fall asleep and jolt up after a minute in fear and I just— people say it was like the military and talk about the background and this image won’t leave my head.
Drabble Below - Reality or a Dream
It didn’t happen as much anymore. Will had grown out of it. He didn’t experience the spine jerking panic at the sound of the thudding steps or a sharp whistle. He normally could just brush it off but there were moments, times, when he was aching inside and his head was a mess and it snuck up on him.
He didn’t mean to doze off. He didn’t mean to drift off but they were coming off along roadie and for some reason they had scheduled practice for the morning after getting home at 3 am. They had two home games coming up and the playoff countdown was obvious on the board with the points in bold staring back at them. He had been sitting in the floor outside the locker room head tipped back tucked into his hoodie.
He had slept like shit for the handful of hours he got and his morning coffee hadn’t bene correct when he got it so he’d abandoned it after a couple sips leaving it in the cup holder of his Bronco before coming inside. The locker room door was locked, some trainer running behind and the few guys who had showed up early like him had set up guard outside the door in stumbled seating or leaning towers of morning silence. It was nice, comfortable in a way that Will didn’t really get to enjoy in the buzzy movement of NHL life.
It reminded him a bit of when he was under 17. The shifting of hockey bags, low conversation, and the humming of the hallway lights. It was sinking into his body even if his eyes had fluttered closed and his body slipping into sleep. He didn’t fall asleep in unconventional places anymore, not like before when Lenny or Gabo would find him tucked against laundry carts or cabinets grabbing the small moments of rest. He didn’t like sleeping in public spaces even struggling to slip off on bus rides or the flights.
He wasn’t sure what triggered it, the wake up call that buzzed through his body like heavy lightening. He didn’t know if it was the heavy slam of the door or the sharp trill of a phone but Will remembered one second he was dreaming of the beach, and the next he was sitting up. His vision hadn’t even cleared and his eyes were still basically stuck closed but he was moving. A hand down to grab the edge of his hockey back where it had been tucked at his side and the other pulling at his hoodie with aggressive tugs.
“Get dressed— you’re behind, you’re going to be running suicides—“
He could hear growled at him from somewhere beyond his present mind. His hands shaking slightly a vague thought of how mad the boys would be at him for fucking this up. Thinking about how being a kid shaking and sick to his stomach because he couldn’t stand the last meal prepped dinner that had been in the fridge, the taste of week old plain chicken and heavy white rice. He didn’t want to fuck this up for everyone else so his bag gets yanked open and his shirt lost in the movements.
“Kibs— Will?”
Will’s hands twitch where his fingers had curled around his undershirt and leggings he had tucked in the top of his bag— easiest to grab in a hurry. They normally only had 2 minutes to get dressed from the minute their Coach stepped into the space snarling and pushing before there was actually punishment time. He had the chance to get ready before their Coach got too mad. He shuffled to learn forward forward over his bat the buzzing of the hallway light lulling him into the dissociated stated he always got when changing.
“Privacy is for those who EARN it. You haven’t earned it yet.”
He didn’t need to think about the privacy of his body, he didn’t need to focus on the aching wrong feeling that ran through him everytime he had to do this. It was what made a champion, a soldier. It’s what brought his line to number 1.
You’ve already done that— gold medal.
A part of him whispered as he shifted to start working his clothes off. He needed to move faster or it would get worse.
“Buddy?”
A hand flashes out toward him and for a moment everything slowed. He didn’t often see this motion at him. Lenny got it more, with his loud outburst and his sudden sharpness. It wasn’t uncommon though for Will to step out of line with Gabo at his side and for the coaches to reach out to set him straight. His head flinches back, tapping the hard wall behind him dazing him for a moment and his breath being caught somewhere in his throat. The thunk of his head was loud in the hallway and for a moment he’s lost again into the hazy background of being a kid in a high stress situation.
“Fuck— Smitty. You okay?”
A hand presses against the side of his head and for a moment his heart is in his throat before a face comes into his vision. Mack. He sucks in a sudden gasp of air the buzzy feeling around him fading and suddenly he’s aware of where he is. He’s 21, sitting outside the Sharks’ locker room. He was shirtless and his bag was open next to him. He felt cold and hot all over sweat dripping down his neck but the air or the rink freezing over his skin. His heart was pounding and his head ached where it had smacked the wall. He blinks his eyes twice before looking at Mack again.
He was worried, eyes wide and hands raised as if he was going to grab the other and hold him in place. He feels affection bloom in his chest for a moment before he lowers his head pulling his knees to his chest.
“Sorry, got lost, in it.”
He mumbles into his knee cap. He didn’t wanna explain more.
The things I’m learning about the NTDP right now are incredibly fucking disturbing
No wonder Will is living life at the fullest. He was fucking traumatised and abused for years.
No wonder he wants to make the most of every hobby when his ‘individuality was broken down’ to create a ‘better team’. When he was referred to as a ‘product’. Not prospect, not player. Product.
No wonder he keeps everything private when the coaches kept tabs on every player’s dating life. No wonder he’s always on time and plans everything when ‘there would be consequences’ for being late to anything.
No wonder he loves to bake when the NTDP controlled every meal down to the MINUTE and measured their weight and body fat constantly. No FUCKING WONDER he likes restaurants when the NTDP caught two players eating a McFlurry and publicly humiliated and punished the whole team for it. When he was only allowed “16 grapes”, “10 fries”, “23 almonds”, “12 baby carrots” AS SNACKS ?????
No wonder he’s chronically online and calls his parents at any opportunity when the NTDP confiscated his phone every fucking day.
No wonder patriotism runs so rampant when they’re made to exhaust themselves in the name of America and tap their sticks after each anthem. They are a CULT. They’ve partnered with the MILITARY!!!! Their merch says DEFEND THE FLAG.
No wonder he’s building a life outside of hockey after playing for an organisation that forced him to change in the hallways because he hadn’t ‘earned the right to privacy’.
An organisation that employed coaches using military training techniques on 15 year old boys. One of those coaches who was then charged for the murder of a 16 year old boy.
An organisation with a secondary ice pad for the boys to keep skating while the Zamboni flooded the main rink. So they couldn’t even rest for 10 minutes. 2 hours with no breaks. And then gym. And then weights. And then fucking jiu jitsu.
An organisation that forces families to hand over guardianship and power of attorney the moment their children move in with a billet family.
The organisation that urges players to do online school so no reporters outside USA Hockey can get information out of them.
They make these teenagers run miles with logs the shoulders. They made them go through a 12 week program in just 6 weeks. The conditioning was described as ‘excruciating’.
An organisation with NO OFF DAYS. Coaches that admit to push them further than their limits, and when they’re exhausted, they keep pushing.
Years of his life Will himself describes as ‘army style’. Literally saying “at first I was like ‘get me out of this place’. The workouts were awful. 8 hours a day in the rink”. And Leno said “work outs that just don’t end. Going through Hell with them.”
No wonder he’s doing anything and everything when he wasn’t allowed out of the rink from sunrise to sunset. Even online school was at the rink.
He was in a fucking cult. And the only thing that saved him from the full scope of horrors was his family taking one look at that place and going “you’re not going alone”.
