Work Text:
In hindsight, Mack really should’ve seen this coming after that video when everyone agreed Will would be the most likely to do the show, but the reality just hadn’t set in until today.
They’re aware that the camera crews are coming for practice. Really, it’s nothing new, and the socials team is getting their own footage for after the GMA announcement drops, but with the extra eyes on them, Mack’s more on edge than usual about today’s optional skate.
“Remember us when you’re famous, Smitty,” Adam chirps as he skates past the younger blond, who flips him off.
“Already am, dipshit.”
“Language, Will, it’s a Disney show.” Toff chimes in from behind the boards as he reties one of his skates.
“You gonna watch it real time?” Will asks, corner of his mouth quirking up in a way that makes Mack’s stomach flutter.
“Bold of you to assume Cat’s not gonna host weekly watch parties,” Mack says as he turns to his best friend, and Will snorts in amusement. “C’mon, best of three to shoot on Asky before Warso bites your head off.”
“You’re so on, first one down to his side gets first dibs.” Will pushes off from Mack, nearly knocking him over in the process.
It’s long after the ice is a mess that the PR team lets them know Will’s dance partner has arrived and will be ready to skate as soon as the ice is resurfaced. Everyone scatters. Mack, for his part, joins Toff on the bench.
“D’you know anything about the show?” he asks the older man.
Toff scoffs. “Hell no,” he says, “but I’ll learn it for Will, obviously.”
“Same,” Mack says, and Tyler’s expression goes unreadable in a way the younger man doesn’t want to think about, so he focuses on the PAs fussing with Will’s curls and wiping sweat from his brow.
The dancer’s a petite, dark-haired woman named Jenna who’s maybe a bit younger than Toff and full-on stunning. She’s wearing all black with a Sharks scarf tied around her neck, and she’s clearly in great shape, even if her form is a little wobbly as she makes her way to center ice to meet up with Will.
“I was hoping it was you!” Will’s smiling as he pulls her in for a hug, and Mack tries to ignore the spike of discomfort he feels when someone else is touching his best friend.
She’s on his team now, too, he tries to remind himself, no reason to be jealous.
San Jose Sharks @SanJoseSharks: Wishing our own Will Smith the best of luck as he goes on #DWTS this season! 🕺🕺
|
kayla @sharkiestan91: i am very Calm and Normal about this omggggggg
Smitty Hockey Updates @wshupdates_: But will he be back w after the show ends
|
Taylor (hockey’s version) @pucklover13: obvs yes you really think mack’s gonna let his bestie off that easy 💀💀
|
WILLMACK FOR LIFE @wi11m4cktruther271: lmao “bestie” lmao
|
Taylor (hockey’s version) @pucklover13: can rpfers stfu i beg 😭
For opening night, Mack, Toff, Graf, and Eky manage to make it down to LA, cramming into the back of an Uber to arrive on time at the ballroom.
In Mack’s opinion, the TV studio doesn’t look that impressive from the outside – one big gray warehouse in the Southern California sun with a trailer maze scattered outside of it and Will somewhere amongst those trailers
Mack hasn’t seen any of the rehearsals, but he has seen some of the TikToks Cat’s sent him from Jenna’s page, and Will – well, Mack is reluctant to admit it, but seeing Will in rehearsals? The other man is glowing, and Mack would be lying if he wasn’t a little jealous.
He knows it’s not romantic, Jenna’s married with a kid, but someone up close and personal with Will in a way Will normally only is with him? And to see the audience online adore Will’s partnership with someone who isn’t him?
(Sue Mack for reading the comments, he knows it’s not healthy, but he’s curious, damn it, and he wants to see if people see Will the way he sees the other man, and well…he’s a hit.)
Eky nudges him, which brings Mack back to reality.
“So how do you think he’ll do?” the other man asks him as they take their seats at the table reserved for them.
Mack shrugs. “No idea. I mean, he can move, yeah, but – it’s dance, not hockey, I don’t…”
On the other side, Collin snickers. “Eloquent, Celly.”
“Shut the fuck up, Graf.” Mack kicks him. Toff winces, and Mack apologizes immediately, not intending to have hit the older man.
In the end, Mack doesn’t remember much until show time, when the opening number is being filmed. It’s a punchy, upbeat song, and his eyes immediately find Jenna in the number. She’s not just good, she’s really good – Mack, obviously, is aware she does this for a living, but if she’s even half as good a teacher as she is a dancer, well…maybe Will can pull this off after all.
The rest of the show is a bit of a blur, too – some reality star guy named Rob opens the contestant part of the night and does pretty well. There’s a Lola and a Liz who go somewhere near the middle of the show, and both get straight sevens, which Mack stage-whispers to Toff during a commercial break, asking if that’s good, and gets a thumbs-up in response.
Will’s third from the end, and Mack sits up a little straighter as he sees the video intro package load up on the big screen behind his friend and Jenna.
“My name is Will Smith,” screen-Will says, positioned in the same generic background everyone else had gotten, “like the actor, but I’m not quite that cool.” Eky’s biting his fist to stop giggling. “I don’t even act, actually, I’m a hockey player for the San Jose Sharks.”
“Hell yeah, he is,” Collin whispers, and Mack bites his lip to contain his grin and focus on the screen.
There’s a photo and video montage with some of Will’s highlights: draft day, his first NHL goal, a couple of clips of him on the ice celebrating with various teammates, and a culmination of him meeting Jenna for the first time that even Mack can admit is sweet. Below the screen, he can see Jenna in her dark red costume, squeezing Will’s hand, before Mack’s eyes flit back up to the screen.
There’s a little bit of rehearsal footage as Jenna explains the song and dance, and the screen fades to black as the music starts.
Mack clocks it immediately as “Get the Party Started” and finds himself jamming along as his eyes stay trained on Will. He’s not a trained dancer by any means, but Will seems to be doing pretty much just fine. He’s got the same concentration on his face that Mack knows all too well from their time on the same lines. Will’s eyes are steeled like it’s the end of a shootout where he’s got to make the goal.
It’s not perfect, but the end pose looks great, and Collin lets out a loud whoop as the dance ends and the ballroom applauds; the cameras are trained on their table now as they’re Will’s friends and family for the night. Will seems to have heard them. He smiles just a little bit wider as Jenna stands next to him for the feedback.
They get a nineteen out of thirty, which isn’t the best of the night, but is towards the top of the leaderboard.
“He’ll get better,” Toff says as it cuts to prep for the next dancer, and Mack nods in agreement.
He still doesn’t understand why Will’s doing the show, but Mack knows one thing: Will’s going down swinging for that disco ball trophy as best as he can.
Practices and pre-season game preparations mean Mack’s a little more focused on the upcoming NHL season than he is on Will’s dancing journey for the next several days, but his best friend’s never far from his mind. Unfortunately, their schedules don’t really align until Monday night, after they’ve lost 2-0 to Calgary in their preseason opener the day before.
“Kings on Thursday,” Will says on FaceTime that night after he’s back from rehearsals. “You guys ready for them?”
“We have to be,” Mack replies, “but it’s…” he struggles for a moment to put it into words. “Eky has Wenny, Dickie and Misa have each other, and Graf…well, it’s Graf, y’know? Grillmack line’s not the same when it’s Eky instead of you, man.”
“I know,” Will’s face drops, “but it’s a good opportunity for the team, and Bettman was all over it when one of the producers said it’s better press for the league–”
“Wait, Bettman had to sign off on it?”
Will rolls his eyes. “Yeah, him and Warso and ownership, you really think I did this without anyone higher up caring?”
“Jesus,” Mack says, “seems like overkill.”
“That’s hockey, baby,” Will jokes, and Mack’s heart skips a beat at the pet name.
“I guess,” he eventually replies, and Will’s giggling brings things back to normal.
After they hang up when Will yawns for the third time in as many minutes, Mack doesn’t even hesitate before sending the other man a text.
Mack: miss you
The three dots pop up and disappear for a while before Will settles on a response
Smitty: same
The twist in Mack’s heart keeps him awake long after the lights are off as he stares at the ceiling.
Will, for his part, survives the double elimination on the show the next evening.
Mack gets two goals and an assist against the Kings on Thursday.
He gets pulled for press afterwards, and it’s pretty standard questions up til one reporter asks about Will’s absence and performance on the dance floor.
“It’s not hockey, obviously,” Mack says, and the media scrum lets out a polite chuckle, “but it’s an art form and athletic, and getting to see that live last week…I couldn’t be prouder of him if I tried.”
Mack Attack @mackenzieloveshockey: Macklin talking about Will on DWTS…when will it be my turnnnnnnn 😩😩
|
WILLMACK FOR LIFE @wi11m4cktruther271: he’s so soft for will i’m goo byeeeeee
kayla @sharkiestan91: oomf i know i melteddddddd 🥺
Taylor (hockey’s version) @pucklover13: yeah ngl that response was cute af
|
WILLMACK FOR LIFE @wi11m4cktruther271: am i…converting you 👀👀👀
|
Taylor (hockey’s version) @pucklover13: lmfao in your dreams babe
They lose to Vegas in overtime, but that’s not even close to the most viral thing a member of the Sharks roster does that week.
Apparently, week three of the dancing competition is Guilty Pleasures Night, and with Will’s song of choice being infamously documented…
Look, it’s not Mack’s fault something possessed him to watch the uploaded version of Will’s rumba to Pony a concerningly healthy number of times, okay, it’s just…damn.
Will’s unbuttoned shirt, messy hair, and that chair choreo at the start, it’s really doing something for Mack, he can’t help it, and fuck has he never wanted to be a piece of furniture so badly.
The cherry on top is that it’s the highest-scoring dance of the night, and Bruno had apparently called him “a real front-runner.”
It’s got nearly a hundred thousand TikTok likes according to Cat, and it’s tied with that Rob guy for most Instagram interactions. Hell, even the NHL's official social media had shared it on their stories.
Something swells in Mack’s chest, and he does what any reasonable person would do.
“Aiden, how do you know if you’ve got a crush on your – you asshole, why are you laughing at me, I’m serious –”
Latin Night is two days before the first official game of the season, and Mack uses the time off to go over to the Toffolis’ and have a watch party with the team.
Eky, Graf, Misa, and Dickie are all there, as are Wenny and Felicia, and Mack makes himself comfortable on the floor at Tyler’s feet. Stella curls up next to him, and Mack pets her absentmindedly.
“Missing your boy?” Dickie asks him, which gets him a glare from Mack and an elbow to the ribs from Misa.
“Not my boy,” Mack mutters.
“But you want him to be,” Eky chimes in. Mack must pause for a little too long, because the Swede follows it up with an “I knew it, pay up Misa, Graf–”
Mack’s head swivels at that. “You were betting on me?”
“Uh, yeah,” Graf replies, “you’re not exactly subtle, buddy.”
“For the record,” Toff says, “I had money on you admitting it before Will did.”
“I hate all of you,” Mack grumbles.
“No, you don’t.” Misa chirps a little too cheerfully.
No, Mack supposes as the opening theme for the show starts up, I really, really don’t.
A win against Vancouver, an overtime loss against Anaheim, and Carolina beating the shit out of them on Monday night make the early flight Mack’s taking down to LA on Tuesday morning to be at Will’s Dedication Night dance at the last minute a much-needed escape from the bullshit.
Maybe it was impulsive, but Will’s got no idea he’s going to be there – he’d texted Grace and DM’d Jenna on Instagram to try and pull off the surprise.
It’ll be worth it, he tells himself over and over as he stumbles into the Uber, even if the six forty-five flight was a pain in the ass.
Toff, thankfully, had agreed to take his gear bag with him so it’d arrive in Utah ahead of the game on Thursday, and Mack knows he’ll be flying out first thing tomorrow to catch back up with the team and get some ice time in again before the game, but for now, the hotel gym after a nap will have to do.
It’s just Mack and Grace in the audience tonight for Will’s dance, and he finds his best friend’s older sister easily enough.
“How was the flight?” she asks him as he takes the chair next to her.
“Sucked, but I made it.”
“You let Jenna know?”
Mack nods. “As soon as I got to the hotel room. Can’t stick around too long after the show, but…”
“Have you interacted with her much?” Grace asks him, looking so much like her brother, as an eyebrow raises.
“Not before this,” Mack admits. “Wanted to last time I was here, but–”
“She must care a lot about him, then, if she helped with no hesitation.” Grace pauses, studying him carefully, seeming to really consider Mack for the first time in a way that almost makes him squirm. “He’s got a good team in his corner.”
“Yeah,” Mack softens, “he really, really does.”
Daily Macklin Updates @71brini: SPOTTED, LAX: #71 on his way out of the arrival terminal
|
WILLMACK FOR LIFE @wi11m4cktruther271: which could mean nothing 👀👀👀 unless 👀👀👀 it doesn’t
Mack Attack @mackenzieloveshockey: wait doesn’t the team have a game in UT Thurs
|
kayla @sharkiestan91: yes they do!!
|
Mack Attack @mackenzieloveshockey: interesting
Taylor (hockey’s version) @pucklover13: hmmm
Look, Mack won’t admit to crying on prime-time TV, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t wiping away a tear or two by the end of Will and Jenna’s contemporary dance.
Will’s package beforehand had been surprisingly vulnerable, talking about his insecurities even as a first-round NHL draft pick, and how he’d learned to grow past them, and God if Mack can’t relate to that internal wondering if he did belong (does belong) in professional sports before meeting a person who pushed him to be his best.
Shake it out indeed – he sees Will a little breathless but beaming, and it’s when the cameras cut to him and Grace and Will ends up accidentally making eye contact with him that Mack notices the other man’s eyes going wide and a little shellshocked, so Mack gives a sheepish wave as a white flag of surrender.
Will gets a twenty-six out of thirty, and Mack can’t help it; his face splits into a grin so wide his cheeks actually ache.
It’s after the show and after Will does a few brief press interviews that Mack finally, finally gets to reunite with his best friend.
Will goes in for a hug with his sister first, of course, and then turns to Mack. He’s wearing light blue this week, which brings out his eyes, holy shit. Mack almost forgets how to breathe.
“You came,” Will said, “what the fuck, Macklin, does Warso know you’re here?”
Mack rolls his eyes. “Of course, I’m not a total idiot, Smitty.”
“Debatable. C’mere,” Will pulls him into a hug, and Jenna walks up behind them just as they let go, a soft smile on her face and a dark-haired man with slicked back hair shadowing her.
“So you’re the infamous Macklin,” Jenna says, extending her hand for a shake.
“In the flesh,” Mack ducks his head, a little embarrassed to suddenly have the spotlight shift off Will.
“Good to finally meet you. Will doesn’t shut up about you, you know.”
“Jenna!” Will blushes, and Mack laughs as he shakes her hand. Behind her, Grace is chatting with the dark-haired man, who also seems to be sizing Mack up from the corner of his eye. Mack bristles a little before the other man seems to give him the slightest nod of approval.
“And I see Grace has already met Val.” Jenna taps the man – Val – on the shoulder, and the conversation stops for a moment. “Honey, meet Macklin.”
“Just Mack, please.” He catches sight of the wedding ring on Val’s hand and briefly wonders if this makes Val and Jenna the dancing version of the Toffolis for Will.
Val’s handshake is firm, but his smirk spells trouble. “You’re the young man who slid into my wife’s DMs.”
Mack goes beet red. Will’s laugh is bright and carefree.
This was worth it, he thinks later that night in the Uber on the way back to the hotel.
In Jenna’s Instagram post the next morning, she sneaks a photo of Will and Mack on the ballroom steps together into her slideshow.
It’s a candid he hadn’t even realized was taken. Will looks relaxed, happy, a little exhausted, and Mack’s suit is a little rumpled in a devil-may-care way, but they look lost in whatever conversation they’d been having, like they’re the only two people in the world.
Will shares it to his story, tagging Mack in the process, and the Internet, of course, goes nuts.
WILLMACK FOR LIFE @wi11m4cktruther271: DHUJIFGAUIFJDGYFYGUHIAODE SOMEONE SEDATE ME THAT PHOTOOOOOOO
|
kayla @sharkiestan91: I KNOWWWWWWWW 😩
Taylor (hockey’s version) @pucklover13: no bc I felt like I was interrupting something lmao
Mack Attack @mackenzieloveshockey: when 😭 will 😭 it 😭 be 😭 my 😭 turnnnnnnnn 😭
Daily Macklin Updates @71brini: brb i am a PUDDLE
|
Smitty Hockey Updates @wshupdates_: same here oomf
|
WILLMACK FOR LIFE @wi11m4cktruther271: all aboardddddd 🛳️⚓️🦈🏒
|
Taylor (hockey’s version) @pucklover13: 🙄⚓️
r/SanJoseSharks: WILLMACK IN THE BALLROOM
1.8k upvotes | 216 comments
r/dancingwiththestars: Macklin Celebrini (Will’s teammate/BFF) visited him on Tuesday!
682 upvotes | 91 comments
r/NHL: Will Smith & Macklin Celebrini hanging out after Dancing with the Stars
348 upvotes | 17 comments
“You know,” Mack says to Toff as he sits next to him on the plane after their win against Utah on the way to Denver, “I almost miss people just asking me about hockey. I got two assists tonight, and all they wanted to know about in the media scrum was that photo with Will.”
Toff gives him a look. “It’s you and Will. When has the press ever been completely normal about you two?”
Mack groans as he leans his head back into the headrest. “If I have to see one more ‘and they were roommates’ joke from Eky and Charlie texting me–”
“Then stop feeding them, you idiot.” Eky chirps from directly behind him.
“Shut up, Eky.”
“Like that photo’s not your contact photo for Will anyway,” Dickie teases him from across the aisle, and Mack buries his face in his hands.
“I told you that in confidence, Sam, oh my God.”
Eky, like the asshole he is, cackles.
Back-to-back-to-back wins with Utah, Colorado, and Dallas do wonders for the team’s morale as they let the bone-deep exhaustion from three games in four days settle in.
They’re back in San Jose for the next five games, then have a brief trip to St. Louis, Minnesota, and Winnipeg. Their last game before the roadie is on Halloween, actually, and then they have a glorious four-day break before they’re due to arrive in Missouri.
Mack, for his part, already has plans. Best-case scenario, he flies out the Monday after the holiday on a redeye to see Will in person yet again on Tuesday; worst-case, if (God forbid, he’d never root against him) Will is eliminated, he’ll get a free day to explore LA before flying out to St. Louis first thing Wednesday.
Tonight, though, Mack’s got the TV on in the apartment he’d moved into with Will before the other fucked off to LA for three months.
He’s not mad that Will almost immediately moved out, but it’s too quiet, too big, too…everything by himself, even when he’s had people swing by on occasion. Sure, it’s not like Mack’s really home that often for that long these days anyway, but company would be nice.
Company, of course, is scarce when everyone wants to catch up with their loved ones, so Mack’s resorting to questionably-meal-plan-adjacent takeout and watching his roommate on Disney night.
He’d texted Will a “break a leg” before the show, of course, and just gotten a thumbs-up in response, but the relief he feels when he sees Will onscreen is palpable, even if Will looks a little ridiculous in his Hercules costume, except–
Those arms. How had Mack never noticed them before, all tan and toned and–
Okay, focus, geez.
Mercifully, Will’s up first tonight, and there’s a whole package introducing whatever the hell a jive is that still doesn’t quite make sense to Mack, but it’s why Will’s doing the show instead of him.
Will, by this point, is clearly a quicker learner than people have given him credit for, and Mack has to admit the song is catchy (of course it is, it’s Disney) as he sips his hot chocolate.
Will ends up getting straight nines, and he looks equal parts relieved and pissed about his score. Mack, for his part, tries to ignore the spike of something uncomfortable when Julianne’s hand lingers a little too long on Will’s bicep before the scores are shared.
It’s fine. He’s fine. Will’s going to be just fine.
As it turns out, it’s not fine.
Will can skate through Disney week unscathed, but his Halloween dance (even with a near-perfect twenty-nine points, mind you) somehow lands him in the bottom three. Mercifully, it’s Val and his partner who get eliminated, and Will goes over to hug the pair while Jenna looks like she’s trying not to cry on her husband’s behalf.
“That’s what we get for having a game on show night,” Mack mutters as he gets ready to go out for the last period of their game against the Flyers. They’re tied at two goals apiece at the moment, which would be less tense if Mack had gotten any points of his own up until now.
“You’re ridiculous,” Graf says as he takes the last bite of his protein bar, and Mack doesn’t bother to argue that point.
To make matters worse, he loses his next faceoff, and the game ends up as an overtime loss.
Everyone gives him a wide berth as he storms into the showers.
kayla @sharkiestan91: is it just me or did Mack seem off during the 3rd to anyone else???
|
Mack Attack @mackenzieloveshockey: no but him breaking his point streak the SAME NIGHT WSH almost goes home on DWTS??? Coincidence???? I THINK TF NOT
|
kayla @sharkiestan91: same
Taylor (hockey’s version) @pucklover13: same
WILLMACK FOR LIFE @wi11m4cktruther271: same
The silver lining of the next few days is the FaceTimes with Will that Mack clings to like a lifeline. It’s enough to put him in a calmer, better mood, boosted by Ned shutting out Vegas on Thursday and a hatty against the Habs on Halloween.
The Wennbergs host a Halloween gathering on Sunday night, and Mack’s cheeseburger costume looks a lot more ridiculous without Will matching in the fries to accompany him.
Still, it’s helped by the fact he’ll be seeing Will again face-to-face for the first time in weeks, and even Cat and Toff’s knowing looks after he mentions that part of his plan for the remaining days off can’t bring him down.
Daily Macklin Updates @71brini: i am once again reporting that #71 is back in LA
|
Smitty Hockey Updates @wshupdates_: do we think 👀👀
|
WILLMACK FOR LIFE @wi11m4cktruther271: bestie i assure you we absolutely DO think
Mack still doesn’t know what the hell a “Fusion Night” is, but apparently it’s about blending two different dance styles into one? Seems like more trouble than it’s worth, really, but maybe it’ll be entertaining.
Anyway, Will’s supposed to close the round before the dance relay, and Mack feels himself do a sharp inhale when he sees Will’s outfit for the dance because fuck he didn’t expect his feelings to hit him like a freight train again.
Will’s tux is a tartan pattern, black and navy and greenish-teal, and it should look ridiculous, but it works. Beside him, Jenna’s dress brings out the green in Will’s suit. They look sharp and fierce and like they belong on that dancefloor.
On-screen above them, the package for the week begins.
“It’s Fusion Week!” Screen-Will’s smiling, a hint of redness around his eyes betraying that it was filmed first thing Wednesday morning, despite his chipper tone. “It definitely hits different now coming out from the bottom three, which was…tough.” His face falls for the briefest of moments in a way that tugs at Mack’s heart before Will brightens up again. “But we survived, and we’ll be okay. And really, we’ve been fusing two different skill sets this whole time, and it’s all been in Jenna’s comfort zone, so why not fuse her into my world with an introductory hockey lesson?”
The screen cuts to a brief package with Will, bless him, trying his absolute best to teach Jenna how to shoot a puck at the goal. It’s adorable, charming, and Mack finds himself smiling before he knows it, with the payoff coming with a whoop from Will as Jenna finally manages to shoot the puck directly to the back of the net.
(He’d gotten the blooper video clips from Will on Wednesday night. The packages mercifully spared the numerous times Jenna had wiped out with Will wheezing in the background while dutifully skating to help his partner back up.)
Screen-Will and Jenna high-five, and as they exit the ice, it cuts to a clip of Jenna explaining the concept for the dance. Mack, despite an almost embarrassing amount of extensive Googling, still doesn’t know what the hell a foxtrot or a Viennese waltz is, but Jenna makes it sound cool, and Will clearly trusts her at this point, so fuck it, he’ll lock in for their sakes.
What almost jolts him out of it is the song choice.
Sure, Will’s from Massachusetts, but he’s a BC boy, not a BU one – and yet, the opening notes of “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” are what’s playing now.
“What the fuck,” Mack whispers to himself, thankful he’d dared to make the trip tonight solo.
He knows who the most relevant BU attendee is in Will’s life, knows Will’d known he was planning on coming, and sees the determination in his best friend’s face as he and Jenna execute move after move after flawless move. The whole ballroom’s rocking out, and by the time they’re done, the music’s ringing in Mack’s ears as everyone’s on their feet, applause thundering louder than he’d thought possible.
Still, he misses the judges raving, or at least that’s what he assumes must have happened, because the next thing that registers is Will and Jenna celebrating a perfect score.
San Jose Sharks @SanJoseSharks: Congratulations to our own Will Smith for a PERFECT 30 on #DWTS tonight! 🦈🕺 #TheMirrorballIsTeal
|
Smitty Hockey Updates @wshupdates_: PERFECT SCORE FOR SMITTY IKTR #TheMirrorballIsTeal
WILLMACK FOR LIFE @wi11m4cktruther271: a BU anthem when Mack’s in the house and a perfect score???? It’s official romance is no longer dead
|
Mack Attack @mackenzieloveshockey: What a mood lmaoooooooo
kayla @sharkiestan91: felt this In My SOULLLLLL
Taylor (hockey’s version) @pucklover13: congrats William Charles Patrick Smith for being PEAK male love lettering
|
WILLMACK FOR LIFE @wi11m4cktruther271: oomf I’m screaming not the full govt name 💀💀💀💀
|
Taylor (hockey’s version) @pucklover13: i fear this warrants it
|
WILLMACK FOR LIFE @wi11m4cktruther271: and i fear you’re correct
r/dancingwiththestars: Congrats to Will Smith and Jenna for the first perfect score of the season!
2.3k upvotes | 391 comments
r/SanJoseSharks: SMITTY GETS A PERFECT SCORE ON DWTS #THEMIRRORBALLISTEAL
594 upvotes | 110 comments
r/NHL: Will Smith killing it on Dancing with the Stars???
334 upvotes | 35 comments
Surprisingly, it’s not one of the Sharks who tries chirping Mack about the dance.
Of course, it’d been shared everywhere hockey-related: the NHL’s social media, TSN, hell, even Sportsnet had congratulated Will (though Mack’s personal favorite was the screenshot Charlie’d sent of BC’s Twitter account giving Will a good-natured ribbing about the song choice). It was hard to escape, really, even if he’d wanted to.
Thus, it comes as only a slight surprise when Robert Thomas, of all people, mentions it in the first faceoff of Thursday night’s game against the Blues.
“Congrats to your boy Twinkletoes,” Thomas says.
Mack, to his credit, plays it with a straight face. “He’s pretty good, isn’t he?”
That answer throws Thomas for enough of a loop for Mack to steal the puck, and even though the Sharks lose the game at the last second, he almost finds himself not bothered by it.
(Key word: almost. He’s still himself, after all.)
A Tuesday night win against the Jets means that Mack misses Will tying Liz (who’s now neck-and-neck with him for favorites to win, according to Cat) for the top of the leaderboard, but Will is a semifinalist on a dancing show.
“Are we sure you weren’t a figure skater in another life?” Mack jokes, and Will rolls his eyes on FaceTime.
“I don’t think I look that good in sequins, Mackie.”
“Better than I would, that’s for damn sure.”
Will makes a noncommittal noise at that, but Mack catches the way he starts to smile even though he’s blushing, which is enough to make him blush in turn.
“So,” Mack shifts gears as smoothly as he can, “two more weeks of the competition. You ready?”
Will shrugs. “Yeah, but…I miss the team, you know? Dancing’s been fun, it’s rewarding, and I love working with Jenna, but it’s not hockey.”
“Hey,” Mack says, tone softening, “you’ve got this, Will. Really.”
“Thanks, Macklin. That means a lot, actually.” Will’s smiling again. “Besides, no matter what, I’m back with the team the first week of December."
“And that,” Mack says, “cannot come soon enough.”
They lose in regulation to Edmonton the next night and in overtime to Chicago on Saturday, but at least they win (with a shutout, no less, thanks to Asky) against Calgary Monday night.
They arrive Tuesday in Vegas ahead of their Wednesday game, and most of the team’s out on the Strip, but for once, Mack isn’t too bummed about still not being twenty-one.
It’s him, Misa, Cherny, and Toff crammed shoulder-to-shoulder on a hotel bed watching the semifinals of Dancing with the Stars, an idea that would’ve seemed laughable to all of them even six months ago.
“She’s good,” Misa says as Lola and her partner (who Mack’s pretty sure is named Alan) leave the dance floor after their first routine.
“Not as good as Smitty,” Cherny chirps back, taking a sip of his Gatorade.
“What even is a paso doble, anyway?” Toff asks, and three sets of eyes are suddenly pinned to Mack.
“I have no idea,” he admits.
“How? You’ve been there three times, dude.” Misa seems like he almost doesn’t believe him.
“Yeah, and it’s a lot going on, cut me some slack,” Mack replies.
The commercial break eventually cuts back and Will’s on-screen again, and it’s so quiet in the room a pin could drop.
Not a word’s said between the four of them as the opening notes of Nina Simone take over, and although none of them have a damn clue what’s happening technique-wise, all four of them know Will. Mack’s heart swells with pride as he dips Jenna into their final pose.
“Holy hell,” Toff said, “kid’s a bona-fide dancer now, isn’t he?”
“What’s bona fide?” Cherny asks Mack, who shrugs.
On-screen, the audience is booing as one of the judges critiques just the tiniest detail, but Will’s clearly taking the feedback to heart, and he and Jenna end up getting a twenty-nine anyway, which is good enough for top of the board after four dances.
Liz, of course, immediately dethrones Will with a perfect thirty, but she and Brandon are so mesmerizing that Mack doesn’t even care.
The first three dances of the second round seem to stretch on forever until finally, finally, Will’s up again, and Mack’s half-paying attention to the intro package when Will’s skeptical tone catches his ear.
“A Viennese waltz? To Metallica? Jenna, are you sure?”
“You trust me, don’t you?” Jenna asks him.
“Absolutely.” Will says, and it’s in that moment Mack knows in his gut Will’s got that perfect score on lock once again, a feeling that only gets stronger with the opening of “Nothing Else Matters” swelling from the ballroom band.
(Five minutes later, he’s vindicated, and Toff lets out a whoop while Cherny and Misa start hollering.)
After Will is the first contestant announced as a part of the finale, #TheMirrorballIsTeal trends on Twitter for the next three days.
An overtime loss to Vegas and another win under their belt against Anaheim is enough to put the team in good spirits as they’re leaving the ice after morning skate on the Monday before their game with the Kings.
Right as they’re getting ready to board the bus, Warso and the PR team pull Mack, Toff, and Eky aside.
“ABC has a favor to ask you,” someone says. “Normally, they’re not as last-minute as this, but would any of you be willing to wish Will good luck as part of a package for tomorrow night?”
“I’ll do it,” Mack says, without even hesitating.
“Perfect. Follow me.”
The video message takes a few tries until everyone’s happy they have something usable, and Mack makes it back to the hotel just a little delayed for his pre-game nap.
He doesn’t think anything of the slight shift in routine until he’s laid flat by Drew Doughty with a nasty hit two minutes into the third period, stretcher taking him off the ice in a daze.
r/NHL: Celebrini off the ice after Doughty hit
2.4k upvotes | 71 comments
r/hockey: Macklin Celebrini injured in game against LA Kings
712 upvotes | 64 comments
Smitty Hockey Updates @wshupdates_: Smitty seen rushing back to a car off the #DWTS lot at the end of camera blocking ahead of #DWTS finale. No other details available at this time.
The ER bay’s surprisingly quiet, and Mack’s weirdly glad Toff was the healthy scratch tonight and volunteered to accompany him in the ambulance.
No concussion or neck injuries, thankfully, but they’re waiting for imaging on his ribs and collarbone to make sure those X-rays come back clear.
“At least it’s the end of the roadie,” Toff tries to offer a touch of optimism. Mack snorts, then winces from the pain.
“Fat lot of good that’s gonna do if they won’t release me before I gotta fly back.”
“Mm,” Toff says, looking like he wants to say more, but his phone buzzes. He looks down, and his eyes widen a bit. “Mack?”
“Yeah?”
“You good if I step out for a few?”
No. “Yes.”
“I’ll be back as fast as I can, I swear.”
Mack’s left alone with his thoughts a little too long, almost long enough that he doesn’t register a second, blonder figure entering the room behind Toff a few moments later.
“Hey, roomie.”
“Will?” Mack’s shocked. “What the fuck are you doing here? Don’t you have rehearsals for tomorrow?”
“Details,” Will says, like he’s not risking pissing off a major network by being here on their dime.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“You’re more important,” Will says it with such sincerity that Mack almost believes it, and he feels his face heat up.
“I’m gonna, just, y’know…” Toff steps out. “Want me to call your dad for you, Mack?”
“Go for it,” Mack says, only half-paying attention to his older teammate.
A silence lulls over the room as Tyler leaves, and suddenly Mack is acutely aware that this is the first time since September that he and Will have been together outside of the ballroom.
“So who do I need to send to kick Doughty’s ass next time we face him?” Will asks, and Mack huffs a laugh.
“Don’t bother, apparently Sherwood took care of that and got a five-minute major right after they wheeled me into the ambulance.”
“God bless Kiefer Sherwood,” Will says, and Mack hums his agreement. Will takes his hand, and Mack’s heart flutters a bit in a way that makes him feel ridiculous.
“Hey,” Will says, “I never did thank you, you know. For coming to the show all those times when you didn’t have to.”
Mack’s brow knits in confusion. “Why wouldn’t I? Smitty, you know you’re important to me, you’re my–” he pauses, because honestly, what is Will to him, anyway? Best friend, teammate, roommate, linemate, none of those really fit the way the blond has sucked Mack fully into his orbit and vice versa.
“I’m your…”
“Does it matter?” What Mack wants to say is, are we really having this conversation right now, but he swallows it down.
“It does to me,” Will’s reply is soft, and Mack’s resolve crumbles.
“Fuck, Smitty, I like you, okay? Like, a lot, I know we’re best friends and living together, and I don’t want to make it weird for you, but–”
Just like that, Will leans in and kisses him, and Mack’s world tilts on its axis.
It’s soft, it’s sweet, it’s a little scratchy since the beginnings of stubble are growing for both of them, but most of all, it’s perfect.
Will pulls back first, both of them blushing furiously.
“I wouldn’t rush out of rehearsals for just anyone, you know,” Will says, squeezing Mack’s hand, and Mack feels his face slip into an easy smile.
“I’m just that special to you, aren’t I?”
“Macklin,” Will says, “you have no idea.”
In the end, the mirrorball goes to Liz and Brandon, with Will finishing runner-up (which Jenna half-jokingly blames on their perfect score for the freestyle), but Mack’s favorite moment from the night comes from the after-party.
Jenna sends this one to the two of them directly, for them to share privately should they ever choose to: Mack in his suit, leaning over the ballroom railing, Will’s head on his shoulder, his arm around Mack’s waist, and golden confetti still visible on the dance floor.
Who needs the mirrorball when the real trophy’s right here?