Nobody talks about soft dom mack! The power he holds over Will is soooooo good yet he knows never to abuse it. And Will knows he wouldnt. So he'll always feel safe doing what Mack says.
Mack clearly loves, craves, and needs control. I don't think it's a stretch to say that, and if anything, it's the least interesting thing about him to me. I don't say that to be pretentious or different; I just think, like most faces of a franchise, first overalls and or captains, it's very typical and expected to seek that control and or naturally accept it. Where I differ (at least from what I've seen on here) in my headcannoning/rpfing of it...is that I don't think the "cure" for that excessive need/pressure is to completely strip control from him.
I might be projecting a bit of my own psyche into this, as I was the co-captain of my team when I played competitive sports...and lowkey had (minor) anger and control problems. Still, as someone who can relate to Mack a little in that sense, I personally can't see him wanting or needing to be submissive to find a healthy balance.
Enter Smith, 20. (i've been wanting to use that forever, it's tuff as hell)
I know Will is often characterized as "nonchalant", and while he fits that to a certain degree, it's a little surface level. If anything, to me that "noncholance" stems from being kind of a people-pleaser (insert everything I could possibly say about the bc and usndtp dynamics + the windshield accident + baking for the marleus + how he blushes at every praise). Mack gets his confidence from seeing the numbers, goals, and plays pay off (wins, playoff push, medals, etc). Mack doesn't care about or need the extra praise (from someone he doesn't look up to/value) to feel confident and sure about himself (insert how he reacts to reporters glazing him). Will, on the other hand, seems to get his confidence from being told that he's good, being asked about a sick play, Drew telling him to say the line, etc.. it doesn't matter who it is.
All of that to say, I think Will provides Mack a healthy repreive and outlet to exercise control and vice-versa. After a bad loss or during a rough game, when Mack feels like he doesn't have control, Will can be the outlet for him, a way for Mack to still feel like he has control of something, even if it isn't the game. It's a way for him to give a command and see it pay off in real time (cause like I said, he thrives off seeing the direct results of his efforts.) For Will, seeing the calming and grounding effect that listening and submitting to Mack has would fill his people-pleasing cup, too!
