Chapter Text
“Come on, Smitty, it will be fun,” Mack said, trying desperately to sway the opinion of his stubborn roommate.
“It doesn’t sound fun,” Will said, cleaning off the counter after their latest attempt at cooking. Mack had loaded the dishwasher and taken out the trash so Will was cleaning the rest of the kitchen.
When it came to cooking, they always tried to split the chores evenly.
“I’m going to have some downtime, so I bet we can make it fun.”
“How are we supposed to make a media tour fun,” Will asked, moving onto cleaning up the salsa that had dripped onto the stove. Tacos had seemed like a good idea an hour ago...but now Will had some regrets.
“We can bring a football or something to toss around. And I know there’s a few interviews at a rink, you can bring your skates and we can shoot pucks between takes or whatever.”
“Maybe…”
Mack sensed that Will was close to giving in so he kept pushing him. “Come on, Smit, you know how much I hate all this media stuff and it’s not like you have anything better to do.”
“True,” Will admitted, tossing the washcloth in the sink. He grabbed the broom so he could start sweeping the floor. How had they dropped so much lettuce? “But I wasn’t invited to any of these events. The coordinators might not want me there.”
“What? That’s crazy. You’re not just some nobody, you’re on the Sharks with me. You have every right to do media too.”
“I guess, I just don’t want it to be weird.”
“It’s not going to be weird. You’re my best friend and we’re on the same hockey team. Who knows they might even ask you to jump into some of the interviews.”
Will scoffed. “Yeah right,” he muttered before going back to his chore.
“Okay, well I don’t know about that,” Mack admitted, running his hand through his wavy brunette hair. “But you should still come. We can shoot pucks and practice our Sewer game. And let’s be honest, with you’re Sewer skills, you could really use the practice and–”
“Okay fine,” Will exclaimed, turning back to Mack in frustration. “I’ll go with you on your stupid media tour. Happy?”
“Yep,” Mack said with a smile. “You wanna go in the pool?”
“I haven’t finished cleaning the kitchen yet,” Will said, gesturing to all the work he still had to do to put the space back to normal. Though he never liked cleaning, they had learned very fast that if they didn’t keep up with the chores, things got out of hand very quickly
“Well then hurry up,” Mack said with a smirk, pleased he had gotten his way.
“You know, if you would help me this would go a lot faster.”
“No way, I already did my chores. It’s not my fault that you’re slow.”
“You’ve been bothering me for the past fifteen minutes,” Will insisted.
“I haven’t been bothering you, we’ve been having a conversation,” Mack replied calmly, hoping that he could convince Will to put off the chores and come out to the pool for a while.
“No, you wanted to have a conversation. I’ve been trying to clean up this mess you made.”
“I didn’t make the mess,” Mack said, putting his hands up as if he was totally innocent.
They both knew very well that Mack had been a big part of the reason that the kitchen was so messy. But despite that fact, Will also knew his friend pretty well after two and a half years. And because he knew Mack so well, Will understood that Mack was just trying to piss him off so he would join Mack outside.
It was an old trick that Will had fallen for before…but not again.
“Really? You think you’re totally innocent in all this,” Will asked, casually taking a few steps closer to the sink.
“Definitely,” Mack said with a smile, hoping that his plan was working.
“Well I think you’re full of shit.”
“Okay, so what are you going to do about it?”
“This.”
Without saying another word, Will grabbed the extendable faucet, turned on the water and sprayed it directly in Mack’s face. Sure, Will would likely be the one cleaning up the mess, but at the moment, he didn’t care.
“Shit! Smitty, what are you doing,” exclaimed Mack, brushing the water out of his eyes.
“Get out of my kitchen,” Will said calmly, though he couldn’t quite hide the smirk on his face.
“You could have just used your words.”
“Right, but you don’t seem to be able to listen. So I had to get creative. Now get out,” Will said, spraying Mack once again.
“Smith!”
“I mean it, get out,” Will said, spraying his friend a third time.
“Okay, okay, I’m going,” Mack said, brushing the water off of his face once again. “But you better come outside when you’re done or I’m going to–”
Still not interested in what Mack had to say, Will sprayed the water at his friend once again. Mack finally left the room, cursing as he walked away.
Will chuckled to himself. Yeah, it was going to be a pain to clean up the water in addition to the mess that was still in the kitchen. But he didn’t care. It was totally worth it to see that expression on Mack’s face and to shut his friend up for a moment.
Will still didn’t really want to go on the media tour with Mack, but maybe his friend was right… maybe they would still manage to make it fun. After all, Will had been in the kitchen cleaning up supper, and they had managed to make that entertaining. So maybe the media tour was next.
~~~~~
Thankfully, it wasn’t too complicated for Will to get a ticket so he could go with Mack to LA. They were used to traveling together and so the whole thing was actually very familiar.
They got an early flight so they were in LA by ten AM which gave Mack plenty of time before his first interview at 12:30. He only had a few scheduled for that day so Mack was convinced they would be able to do some sightseeing later on.
Mack was also still convinced that they would have some downtime to hang out in between shoots so he made Will to bring his skates, a hockey stick and his Sharks gear. Privately, Will wasn’t convinced that he would be asked to join in on the videos the way Mack seemed to think, but hopefully, at the very least, they could get some ice time together.
They had barely dropped their stuff off in their room when there was a knock at the door. Mack answered it to find a woman his agent had introduced him to a couple of times. “Hi Becky, come on in.”
The middle aged woman walked into the room, totally comfortable around Mack. She was dressed in a dark blue suit and heels that seemed way too impractical for the day ahead. Her hair was curled and her makeup was subtle but professional. She was also carrying a few heavy looking garment bags which was probably not fun considering the painful looking heels.
“Alright, I’ve got a couple of options of outfit choices for your first interview. I was thinking we could start with–Oh, who’s this,” she asked, noticing Will for the first time.
“This is a buddy of mine on the Sharks, Will Smith. Will this is Becky Nelson. My agent brought her in to help me with the media tour.”
“Hi, nice to meet you,” Will said, extending a hand.
“You too, she said, accepting the handshake. Though her tone was polite, Will couldn’t help but notice the look of judgment and disapproval on her face when she was talking to him, as if he wasn’t good enough, or wasn’t welcome.
Immediately, Will got the feeling that the whole thing was a mistake. But unfortunately, he didn’t have time to think through the situation because Becky had already moved on and returned her focus back to Macklin once again.
“As I was saying I have a few different outfits for you to pick from before we head out to your first interview.” She laid the bags on the bed, opened the first one and pulled out a set of clothes. They clearly were meant to be sporty, but professional. At the same time though, there was a strange pattern on the jacket…one that Mack would never have picked out for himself.
Will was about to make a comment about how stupid it looked when Becky handed the clothes over to Mack. “Why don’t you try these on and see how they fit?”
He glanced down at them having the same reaction as Will. “This is what you want me to wear,” he asked, clearly skeptical.
“Yes. We can make adjustments if need be, but I think it will be a good look for you.”
“Okay,” Mack said, though he didn't seem 100% convinced. He walked over to the bathroom to change into the strange clothes.
Will stood there awkwardly, not really sure what to say. Though the lady was probably just doing her job, Will wasn’t sure that he liked her. Yes, he was a hockey player, so he dealt with people all the time who were gruff or so professional that they came off as cold.
But this was more than that.
It was as if this woman had a job to do and helping Mack was just another item on her to do list. Like maybe it didn’t really matter who he was, or what his opinions were. She had a plan and she was sticking to it.
Not really wanting to make conversation with the woman, Will sat down on his bed and began scrolling through his phone trying to act as if he was busy. A few minutes later Mack walked out in the clothes that Becky had asked him to put on.
Once again, Will had to resist the urge to laugh. Though the clothes fit him well, they were way too ‘out there’ compared to what Mack usually wore. Sure, he had an okay sense of style, but being a hockey player he was never particularly adventurous with his clothes.
But before Will could make a comment or suggest that maybe he try something else, Becky jumped in. “Oh, that looks perfect,” she said, her entire face lighting up. “Exactly what we were going for.”
“It is,” Mack asked, furrowing his brows. The moment he had put on the strange outfit, Mack had hoped that Becky would realize the whole look was a mistake and go for something much tamer.
But that didn't seem to be the case.
“Oh, definitely, this is the look we’re going for today. I’m sure of it. Oh, and you can wear these matching shoes,” Becky said, reaching into the bag to pull out an ugly pair of what Will could only call boat shoes.
They had a purpose, of course, but Will would never have imagined anyone wearing them with that outfit.
“Those shoes,” Mack asked, the skepticism still obvious in his voice.
“Yes, I understand it might be a little different than what you’re used to wearing, but you have to remember that we are trying to convey an image here.”
“An image that shows he’s an idiot,” Will muttered under his breath.
Becky didn’t give any indication that she had heard what Will said and continued ‘selling’ the new look to Mack. “And this image needs to say that you are becoming the new face of the NHL. It needs to say that people should take you seriously and that you’re someone to be respected.”
“I don’t think anyone’s taking him seriously in that clown outfit,” Will muttered. He wasn’t trying to be disrespectful. It was just kind of hard to envision that the strange clothes were really the best option for Mack.
Mack asked a similar question, just a bit more respectfully. “You’re sure these are really the best clothes? They don’t really feel like me,” Mack said, hoping he could get his point across without being rude. After all, even if he didn’t agree with every single thing that Becky was saying, his agent still had taken the time to find this woman and it was her job to help him. So the least Mack could do was be open-minded.
“Look, I understand that this whole process is a bit new for you, a bit…out of the box, you might say. But we’re going for kind of a different look, here, something that says that you are serious about your growing position in the NHL and how you contribute to the organization as a whole. And no, maybe you haven’t really worn anything like this before. But we are going for a look that says that you are mature and to be taken seriously. And that’s what this says, trust me, I know these things. I’ve also consulted with a stylist, and she agrees.”
Mack looked at Will. “Smitty, what do you think? Be honest.” Though Will had absolutely no problem being honest with his friend, before he could say anything Becky turned and glared at him. Based on where Mack was in the room, he couldn’t see the expression on her face, meaning Becky’s stern look was meant for Will alone. And though she didn’t say any words, the look was simple. It said, don’t screw this up. And since Will technically hadn’t even been invited, the last thing he wanted to do was make an enemy out of this woman.
“It looks good,” Will said, hoping he sounded believable. “I mean, yeah, it’s not what you usually wear,” he amended when Mack didn’t look quite convinced. "But like Becky said, you’re going for something different, so that’s kind of the point, right?”
“See there, you have it,” Becky said, turning back to Macklin. “I told you it looked good. Now we can leave.”
“Do I need my skates or anything,” Mack asked, not really knowing anything about what his day looked like.
“Nope, not for today,” Becky said. “Just a couple of different interviews. So you don’t need to really bring anything with you except maybe your phone and your wallet.”
“Okay, can Smitty come too,” Mack asked, gesturing to his friend. Though he had made a lot of jokes when he asked Will to come on the tour with him, Mack wasn’t totally messing around–he was still pretty uncomfortable about the whole thing and wanted Will to come along.
Once again Becky gave a look that said she wasn’t exactly pleased. But just like before, considering that Mack was basically her client, she couldn’t exactly say no either. So, she put a smile on her face and said, “of course.”
Then she glanced down at her phone and noticed that she was getting a call. “The car should be here any minute. I have to take this really fast. I’ll see you both downstairs in a couple of minutes,” Becky said, grabbing the garment bags.
“Sure,” Mack said with a nod, grateful that he had a few minutes alone with Will to debrief about what had happened.
Though he had no problem doing the job and going on the tour it was definitely much different than he was used to. And it would be nice to share a few moments with his good buddy, wrapping his head around everything that had transpired. When Becky had left, Mack turned to. Will. “Okay, be serious, do you really think this is a good look,” he asked, gesturing to the outfit.
“I mean, it’s definitely not what you would usually wear I'll admit," Will said again, "but I think she’s also right. If you’re going for a more mature, polished, different look than I say you hit the mark.”
“But does it look as stupid as it feels,” Mack asked, still not quite convinced about the choice in clothes. He didn’t bother to censor his comments in any way, knowing that he didn’t have to try and impress Will.
He paused for a moment, trying to decide how honest to be. “You pull it off well,” he finally said.
“Great, so that means I do look like an idiot.”
“Not totally,” Will said, trying to make his friend feel better.
“But enough,” pressed Mack, beginning to regret this whole thing.
“Look on the bright side, you always look like an idiot,” Will said, giving his buddy a friendly punch on the shoulder.
“That’s not the bright side. That’s just mean.”
“Well, that’s okay, too,” Will said with a laugh. Mack rolled his eyes and gave Will a friendly shove back.
Okay, so maybe the whole thing was a little bit out of his comfort zone, and maybe it wasn’t something he would normally wear, but at least Mack had Will around to help him get through the whole thing. And it was an important step in his next part of his journey in the NHL.
Mack grabbed his phone wallet and headed out the door. When Mack had started walking, Will dropped his smile for a moment. They hadn’t even been in the city for 20 minutes and already Will was beginning to feel like the whole thing might be a mistake…that maybe he shouldn’t have come on the tour.
He shook his head, trying to convince himself that he was just overreacting…that maybe things really would be fine. But if he was being honest, Will really wasn’t sure.