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“What if she, like, hates it?” Mack asks from his spot on the counter.
Rigney is by his feet, biting his toes a little too hard, but he lets him have that.
Will sighs and turns to look at him. “She’s not gonna hate it, Mack.”
“How do you know? Maybe it’s not her style,” he insists.
“I’ve known Grace for over twenty years, I think I know what she likes.”
Mack ponders. Maybe Will is right. Maybe he’s overreacting. And maybe he should be helping Will with dinner instead of sitting there and whining.
Will and Macklin are at Will’s family home in Boston. They just got there and were immediately given the task of making dinner since Coleen and Bill won’t be home until the next day, something about visiting friends who just became grandparents or something. Macklin can’t quite remember.
He’s more focused on overthinking the gift he got Grace as a belated birthday present. She will be home in half an hour and Mack is seriously considering going shopping again to get her something else.
“You could give her a cardboard box with glitter inside and she would love it. She’s nice like that,” Will continues.
He leans against the sink where he was chopping vegetables for the salad. Now that his whole body is turned toward Macklin, he notices that Will is wearing an apron that says “Queen of the Kitchen” in bold letters. He chooses to ignore that.
“So you’re saying my gift is bad?” Mack whines.
“I’m saying she won’t be an asshole about it even if it’s, somehow, not her style.” He looks at Macklin intently, which makes him squirm a little. “Plus, I don’t know why you’re so insecure about it, it’s a good one.”
Mack bites the inside of his cheek. “I don’t know, I just want her to like me.”
It sounds so bit sad and ridiculous he almost regrets saying it that way, and he sees something shift in Will’s expression immediately.
“Mack.” He studies Mack’s face for a moment, like he’s considering whether this is serious or not.
Macklin won’t quite meet his eyes.
Will circles the kitchen island in one swift movement to step between Mack’s legs. “She likes you, where is this coming from?”
His voice is soft. Too soft. The kind of soft Macklin only hears when they’re in the quiet of their bedroom or in a locker room after a terrible loss.
He didn’t expect to hear it now, not in Will’s childhood home, not when the sun isn’t even set yet. It makes him avoid eye contact. Will, of course, holds his jaw gently, making him look at him.
He has a worried look and furrowed eyebrows. “Mack?”
“This apron is really stupid,” he deadpans.
Will looks down at where the letters are forming the saying, then rolls his eyes. “Macklin, seriously, stop dodging the question.”
Macklin huffs. “I don’t know, okay? It’s stupid, I’m stupid.”
“It’s not stupid if it’s making you spiral like that.” He strokes Mack’s cheek and doesn’t take his eyes away from his face even for a second.
Macklin is fully aware he’s pouting now. It’s upsetting.
There are times when he feels small and wants to hide. His lips are wobbly and his eyes get teary. The last thing he wants is to speak and ruin his hiding.
Will doesn’t let him do that. Will makes him want to be vulnerable and to actually communicate when he needs to.
He fidgets with the hem of Will’s apron for just a moment before taking a deep breath.
“It’s just…” He trails off. “I feel like I have to make them like me, they’re important to you.”
Will matches his pout, but in the way he does when he’s thinking. “That’s valid. I also want your family to like me, but it doesn’t look like that’s just it.”
He’s right. Unfortunately.
“Yeah…” he admits. “I don’t know, Grace is just so cool and she really likes your friends and actually has a connection with them, I don’t feel like we have that. And we’re kind of. Distant, I don’t know.”
“Why do you think that?” He frowns.
“You know. The whole BU and BC thing, and I’ve played against you and your friends a lot”
Will blinks. “It’s not like you were beating us up or anything,” he jokes.
Macklin glares at him. “William.”
“No, you’re right, it’s not funny,” he says, pressing his lips together. “But you know what I mean, right? College for Grace was years ago, she doesn’t care about this shit anymore. Nobody does.”
“Well, your friends don’t seem to see it that way,” he mutters.
“What? Of course they see it that way, they like you.” Will seemed offended by the idea.
Macklin didn’t press, that’s discussion for another day. “Whatever, my point still stands.”
Will hums in thought. “Well, baby. You two didn’t have the time to have a bond yet, but you’ll get there.”
“You think so?” He sounds childish, almost.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure of it.” He moves his hands to caress the back of Mack’s scalp, where he knows it makes him relax. “Grace is nice and so open-minded, once she gets to know you she will want to have a bond with you.”
“Yeah?”
Will nods. “Plus, you’re not like my friends, you’re my boyfriend, she knows I chose you to share my life with, I’m pretty sure it gets you some points.”
Macklin ignores the warmth in his chest and the smile that’s threatening to appear. “Yeah, okay.” He nods and holds Will’s waist like it will steady him a bit. “I just know your family is very important to you, I don’t wanna fuck that up.”
“You won’t. And you’re important to me as well and Grace knows that. Anyone who loves me will love you just as much, okay?” He presses a kiss to Macklin’s forehead, and he feels like he might combust.
“You should be a therapist, you’re good at talking.” He teases, but is already jutting his lips, and Will meets him halfway for a chaste kiss.
“Nah, I prefer talking you through it,” he says against Macklin’s lips.
“Okay, you’re insane.”
Macklin has a stupid smile on his face now. An actual one, his teeth in full display.
He watches as Will pulls back with a soft expression, like he’s happy just for making him smile. “I love you,” he says.
Macklin doesn’t reply just yet, instead he wraps his arms around Will’s waist and buries his face in the apron, desperate to feel Will a little bit.
Will strokes his hair and leans down to press a kiss at the top of his head.
“I love you, too.” Macklin says, voice muffled and a bit high-pitched.
They hear a shuffle at the front door and a clinking sound of keys in the holder. Then slightly heavy footsteps.
Will laughs above him, and Macklin is a little confused.
“I think she’s being loud on purpose to make sure she doesn’t walk in on us doing something,” he states.
Macklin feels a bit of embarrassment and is pretty sure he’s blushing now. “Oh my god-“
“Boys! I’m home,” her sweet voice is hesitant around the edges.
She looks relieved when she walks into the kitchen and sees them. They’re a few inches apart now, only in front of each other.
She crouches and opens her arms so Rigney can throw himself at her. “Hey, baby,” she coos.
Grace looks glamourous as always, even though Mack is pretty sure she just had a twelve-hour shift at the hospital. Her hair is perfectly shiny and neat, and her makeup looks intact.
He looks back at Will, who also looks perfectly put-together, even after a seven-hour flight.
Macklin thinks they might be actual Barbies.
He can’t help noticing the glint of excitement Will has in his eyes now. He looks just like a child seeing his big sister coming home from college. Except now he’s the one coming home.
Grace has an equal look and a smile when she stands up again. She crosses the kitchen animatedly and throws her arms around Will like he’s a giant teddy bear. “God, I missed you.”
Will groans around a huge smile. “You’re crushing my bones.”
“Don’t complain, okay?” She pulls back with a grin. “Was your flight alright? This company tends to delay a lot, I should’ve booked your tickets for you somewhere else.”
“Nah, it was fine.”
Grace keeps asking endless questions and Will looks like he’s trying to mumble a response for most of them.
Macklin watches the exchange from where he’s still sitting. He notices, maybe for the thousandth time how much Grace and Will look alike. It’s more apparent when you look at their side profile. They have the same small nose and bunny teeth.
Macklin doesn’t really imagine himself being this affectionate to Aiden, even less RJ being like that to Charlie. But that’s just how they are in the Celebrini household.
He and Will have spent hours discussing how different their family dynamics are before. It’s like two sides of the same coin, or the same side of different coins. He doesn’t remember the conclusion they got to.
Grace turns to look at him and he barely has time to stand up before she also involves him in a bone-crushing hug. “Hi, Mackie!”
“Hi, Grace.” He returns the hug and feels the warmth spread all over his body. When he looks over her shoulder, Will is smiling fondly like the idiot he is.
She pulls back and stands in front of both of them. “Ugh, if I wasn’t so tired we’d go eat out somewhere, I have to show you guys my new favorite dinner place. It’s perfect, really.”
“It’s okay, I made dinner for us, go change and I’ll make the table.” Will is quick to say.
“Woah, okay.” She ruffles his hair a bit. “Actual dinner? No frozen pizza?”
Will rolls his eyes and nudges her hand, in fake annoyance. “Yeah, yeah. Go already.”
“Alriight, ‘kay!” She offers a smile before leaving the kitchen to climb upstairs to her room, walking a little too fast.
Mack turns to look at Will, who is already looking at him with a smug look. “That went well, right?”
“Shut up,” Macklin says, suppressing a smile.
Will is making his way back to the sink, where he was finishing the salad.
“She never hugs Gabe or Leno like that, that’s all I’m saying,” he says.
Macklin is glad that he’s facing away from him, because the huge smile he has on is embarrassing, even for him.
<3
They end up in the living room instead of the table. Macklin and Grace on the couch and Will on the floor in front of them.
Grace has changed from her scrubs to a comfy matching set, a baby blue one, and Will and Macklin changed into more comfortable clothes as well.
Will made a pasta salad from a recipe he saw on Tiktok and although Macklin didn’t put much faith in it at first, it’s actually delicious. They eat in silence while Love Island plays on TV, Grace’s pick.
“We should get brunch together tomorrow,” she says, putting her empty plate on top of the coffee table.
“Mack is leaving early to his brother’s dorm,” Will says around a mouthful, making Grace and Mack throw him disapproving looks.
“Close your mouth, William,” she rasps, then, “Wait, I thought you were staying with us.” She turns to Macklin.
“Oh, no. Yeah. I’ll stay with Aiden to, you know, BU hangouts and all.”
“Boo!” Will says, still concentrated on the TV. Mack gives his shoulder a light kick, making him laugh.
He continues, “But I’ll probably spend some time here too before we go to Vancouver.”
Grace hums in thought. “Well, invite him for brunch too, if you don’t have any plans,” she says. “Can he bring his girlfriend? I wanna meet Acacia so bad, I followed her on Instagram last week. She seems cool.”
Will cranes his neck to look at Macklin through his eyelashes. He’s smiling and Mack wants to slap him.
“Yeah, alright, I’ll talk to them,” he manages to speak.
When they’ve all finished eating, Will gathers the plates and utensils and throws them in the dishwasher. When he emerges from the kitchen, he looks a little too smug.
“Mack, why don’t you show Grace what you got her?” he says, looking all innocent before plopping down on the couch between them, a little more on Mack’s side, almost leaning on him.
“You got me something?” She beams.
Mack thinks he’s blushing now. “Oh, I mean, yeah.” He breathes in, then out. “Why don’t you go get it for me, babe?” He pinches Will on the side of his ribs, making him yelp and get up.
Grace smiles. “You didn’t have to, Mackie.”
“I mean, I just saw it in a store when I was with my sister and we thought it would look good on you,” he shrugs.
That’s mostly a lie. He spent weeks stressing over a birthday present for her, going over every single idea in the book. Will and Charlie had to go with him to help him pick it out.
Will enters the living room again with the bag in hand. It’s a typical store bag with a little bow on it, Charlie’s idea.
“You’re joking,” Grace says, looking flabbergasted.
“You haven't even opened it yet,” Will says with a smile, placing the bag on her lap.
“It’s from my favorite shopping place in California, are you kidding?” Her smile is contagious, Will and Mack exchanged a look. “Can I open it?”
“All yours!” Mack beamed.
Will now fully leans his back against Macklin’s chest, and Mack wraps his arms around him from behind. Both watched as Grace opened the bag delicately.
She shrieked and got up when the item was revealed. “Oh. My. God!”
It was a blue sundress with white details.
“Do you like it?” he asks, uncertain.
“Mack, I love it.” She smiled, looking at the dress like she couldn’t believe it was real. “It’s so beautiful, oh my god! Thank you!”
Will reaches up to stroke his hair soothingly. “Told ya,” he whispered only for the two of them to hear.
Mack didn’t have it in him to be annoyed.
“I’ll wear this on the Fourth of July. It’s perfect.” She looked at them expectantly.
“Yeah, it is perfect,” Will agreed.
Macklin nodded.
She seemed satisfied enough with the approval and sat back down.
“You have good taste, Mack,” she said, folding the dress neatly like it was before.
“Of course he has good taste, he’s with me after all,” Will teased, craning his neck to place a kiss on his cheek.
Grace grimaced. “Yeah, yeah, don’t get too full of yourself.
Macklin could no longer hide his joy and relief. He was also very grateful, so he kept his mouth shut for the rest of the evening to avoid saying something sappy.
That is, until after they head off to bed. Relatively early, but it’s given that they were all tired due to Grace’s shift and their flight.
After saying good night to Grace, who was talking animatedly about her plans for the summer, they took separate showers, brushed their teeth together in the sink, then went to bed.
“You look calmer now,” Will said softly.
He’s wearing a grey hoodie, Macklin’s hoodie. The one he borrowed a year ago and never gave back.
Macklin is wearing a plain white t-shirt, not feeling as cold as Will.
Under the covers, Will pulled him closer, pressing their bodies together from head to toe. Mack felt the warmth engulf him, and he hopes Will feels it too.
“I am.”
Will smiled. “You did good.” He was inches away from Macklin’s face, whispering like it’s a secret for them to keep. “I hope you know you don’t have to earn my family’s approval or something. They like you, they know you’re good for me.”
Macklin snuggles closer, burying his face in Will’s neck. “I’ll get there.”
“You will.” Will hummed happily, tightening his embrace around Macklin.
They fell asleep like that. Gradually, then all at once.