23.6k words
Summary:
When Macklin decided to leave everything behind and disappear, during the first few months, he liked to imagine what he would do if the people he left behind suddenly appeared in front of him. He always went through each member on the team and what they would say. All but one.
He did not let himself imagine because he knew it would feel too much like hope.
He never let himself think what would he do if Will Smith ever knocked on the door, part his rain-soaked lips to breathe out Macklin's name and then pass out in Macklin's arms.
Was reading tightrope on ao3 and just wanna say it is amazing😭 especially the part Mack says he didn’t run away because he believed and was angry about the fake news that Will’s engaged. Omg I found myself crying over this…
Thank you so much. I enjoyed writing the fic so much and it is very dear to me. So glad you loved it (sorry for making you cry)
willmack all soft and happy. mack curling into will’s lap with his face buried in the crook of will’s neck, will’s hands tucked underneath the hem of mack’s shirt on the soft skin of his back so that they can merge into body. mack with his feet on will’s legs while he lies stretched out across their couch during a movie night, will’s thumb tracing calming circles on his ankle. will with his chin propped up on the top of mack’s head while they scroll tiktoks together, mack slouched in the space between his knees. mack nibbling so lightly that it doesn’t hurt on the knob in will’s wrist, eyes half closed in ecstasy. mack with his hands tangled in will’s soft hair, breathing in the smell of him from where he’s lying on top of will’s chest. will with his cheek pressed into mack’s thigh as he sits splayed on their rug, mack in a desk chair playing some random game. willmack always touching, pinkies interlinked ever so slightly during golf and training and dinner dates and team hangouts, because they’re one being.
Writer confidence is not a thing you build and then have. It's a thing you have for about eleven minutes after writing something good and then it evaporates and you have to make more. There is no reservoir. There is no saving it up. You produce it fresh each time from scratch like some kind of emotional artisan bread and if you don't write for a few days you run out and have to start the whole process over again from flour.
sometimes I’m reminded that there are still people who don’t know ao3 was literally created by incest shippers — and the site’s sole purpose is to 1. be completely against censorship and 2. host all kinds of dark, taboo fics that are banned on other platforms — and the first ever fic that was posted on ao3 was a fic about an incest ship from supernatural.
you are in the house that was created by freaks. for freaks (affectionate). every disgusting thing you can think of is rightfully allowed and welcomed on ao3, because they are exactly the reasons why ao3 was created in the first place.
ao3 was created because its creators got tired of censorship, they got tired of dark and taboo fics getting banned on pro-censorship platforms, and they wanted a place that was safe for ALL FICS THAT WERE DARK AND TABOO.
ao3’s main principle is being against censorship and being proship / profic.
there are some things in fiction that make me uncomfortable, but instead of shaming people who are just minding their own business and not harming anyone in real life, I choose to curate my own internet experience by blocking/muting what I don’t want to see. ao3 has excellent tagging system, so instead of being a bitch, use their tagging system properly and you won’t see the things you don’t want to see.
it’s your job to curate what you see. it’s not other people’s jobs or responsibilities to censor themselves for your personal comfort. the world does not revolve around you.
also you cannot censor “only the things you personally hate” without expecting everything else, that isn’t of conservative beliefs, to be censored too. because censorship is a slippery slope and a fascist tool. I promise you there are people who think “why do tags for queer love even exist on ao3? they’re grooming children”.
if you allow the things that you hate to be censored — because someone with enough power gets to control what other people can and cannot create/consume, it will not stop at the things that you hate.
❌ “friends don’t look at friends like that” devalues friendship/platonic forms of love, pushes amatonormativity
❌ “historians will call them friends” devalues historians and forces complex relationships into modern simplicities, also devalues friendship/platonic forms of love
✅ “do they know its legal now” suggests the characters are stupid, poorly suggests that this is the only barrier to their relationship—both of which are funny as hell
they were doing this on center ice btw. right in front of thousands of fans, in front of the players’ bench, the coaches, and every single camera in the building. and you want me to believe shipping would be what makes them uncomfortable?
Projecting Will Smith's Next Contract After Macklin Celebrini's Extension
Adam Proteau | August 11, 2026
The San Jose Sharks recently signed superstar Macklin Celebrini to a massive contract extension, but San Jose GM Mike Grier also needs to sign youngster Will Smith to a new deal. How much should Smith expect to be paid on his next extension, and how will it affect the rest of the Sharks?
The San Jose Sharks got some nice business done this summer with the lucrative extension for superstar center Macklin Celebrini, but the work isn't done for GM Mike Grier just yet.
The 20-year-old Celebrini signed a five-year extension worth $18.8 million per-season, setting the upper limit for the franchise's core players.
However, another young star needs a contract extension in San Jose – at least, after this coming season.
That young star is right winger Will Smith, who is coming off a terrific sophomore season in which he posted career-best totals in goals (24), assists (35) and points (59) in only 69 games. In Smith’s rookie season, he put up 18 goals and 45 points in 74 games, so his progression is notable and encouraging.
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The Sharks have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to prospects, including second-year center Michael Misa, rookie winger Ivar Stenberg, and defensemen Sam Dickinson and Keaton Verhoeff.
San Jose GM Mike Grier needs to balance his financial books very carefully, and that’s where the question of how much and how long they should be paying Smith on his next contract comes into play.
Smith came in with high expectations as the fourth-overall pick in 2023, and he’s lived up to those expectations. In addition, he’s turning out to be a fantastic linemate for Celebrini, so Smith’s offensive numbers should continue to climb until he’s at least a point-per-game player.
So how much is Smith worth? Signing him at $10 million per-season would be a huge win for Grier. With the consistently-rising salary cap ceiling, it would not be an unreasonable ask, and if you want to make Celebrini happy, you make his linemates happy.
But it’s this writer’s opinion that Smith is worth considerably more than $10-million per year. Signing him to an eight-year-contract in the $100-million range ($12.5 million AAV) makes sense for both parties.
These are the last few weeks that a player can be signed to an eight-year extension. After September 15, 2026, seven years becomes the new maximum term that a player under team control can be signed to. If Grier and Smith want to make that commitment, things must materialize quickly.
That commitment is far from certain, though. Smith may decide to take a higher annual payday with a shorter term like many of the league's top stars have. Considering that San Jose currently has $30.4-million in cap space, they can easily afford to give him a raise that puts him relatively close to Celebrini.
Eventually, there will be a cap crunch with the Sharks. That inevitably happens to all teams. But the beauty of what Grier has built in San Jose is that everything is merit-based. If and when Stenberg, Misa, Verhoeff and Dickinson deliver phenomenal results, the Sharks will pay them accordingly.
San Jose needs to follow up their performance last season by making the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2026-27. As long as they continue to improve, the team's core of youngsters will earn exceptional raises.
It’s fair to expect Grier will get Smith signed soon, as it makes sense for all parties to find a way to keep the good times rolling in San Jose.
NHL teams are making large commitments to young players more often these days, and Smith and the rest of San Jose’s core almost assuredly will be compensated handsomely sooner than later.
i unfortunately think about willmack coming out way too often i need more coming out fics like i wish hockey wasn't the way it was because imagine how insane it would be...like picturing them winning the cup and mack gets it first bc he's the captain and he's obviously gonna pass it to will and when he does they share an incredibly intimate moment (maybe a smooch) and then they do a stupid brodie interview where they're just like "yeah we've been together this whole time"
anyways drop ur coming out fic recs below (or outing fics but those obviously aren't as fun)
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