Work Text:
mack realized his mistake before they’d even made it past the second store.
he pressed his fingers to his temples, barely breathing as the mall noise swelled around him, an overwhelming, teeth rattling wash of echoes. footsteps thudding on tile. beeps from checkout scanners. toddlers crying. music thumping through cheap speakers like it was being piped straight into his skull.
he didn’t have his headphones.
he’d meant to grab them. they were sitting right there on the passenger seat, tangled next to will’s hoodie. but the sun had been too bright and they were already running late, and will had been smiling at him like he was made of light.
and now the world was too loud and too bright and everything itched.
“mack?” will’s voice broke through, soft and warm and careful. “what’s going on?”
mack opened his mouth, then closed it again. he couldn’t talk, not really. his brain felt full of cotton, too fuzzy and fast all at once. he shook his head once, hard, then covered his ears with both hands and squeezed.
will didn’t press. he never did.
“okay,” he said, already stepping closer. “we’re gonna find a spot to sit, alright? just nod if that’s okay.”
mack nodded. or tried to. it felt stiff and slow, like moving through water. but will saw it, and that was enough.
they ended up on a bench near a vending machine, far enough from the flow of foot traffic that mack could uncurl just a little. his hands stayed glued to the sides of his head, fingertips digging in hard. it wasn’t enough to make the noise stop, but it dulled it, like turning the volume down from screaming to shouting.
will sat beside him. didn’t talk. didn’t touch.
he just waited.
a full minute passed. maybe two. and then mack peeked at him.
will had his phone in his lap, screen off, hands still. his knees were bouncing just slightly, like he wasn’t sure what to do with his energy. but his face was calm. patient. safe.
mack dropped his hands. not all the way just let them fall into his lap, his shoulders tight.
“headphones,” he said, barely audible. “left them. car.”
“got it.” will leaned forward a little. “do you want to go back for them?”
mack nodded.
“you okay to walk?”
mack shrugged. kind of. maybe.
will reached over then, slow and deliberate, and brushed the back of his knuckles along mack’s arm. “can i hold your hand?”
mack nodded again. this time it felt easier.
their fingers slid together, familiar and grounding. will didn’t squeeze, just held. steady.
they walked slowly. not quite in step, but close. every time someone brushed too close, mack flinched but will shifted with him, like a shield.
outside, the air was cooler. quieter. the parking lot smelled like pavement and car exhaust and something sweet from the nearby coffee kiosk, and mack’s chest finally started to loosen.
“front seat,” he mumbled, tugging will gently toward the car.
will unlocked it, and mack reached in fast his hands curling around the soft foam of his noise canceling headphones like a lifeline. he slipped them on and let out a long, shaky breath the second the world dulled to a manageable hum.
everything stopped buzzing so violently. the pain behind his eyes faded. his shoulders dropped a few inches.
when he looked up again, will was watching him.
“better?” will asked, voice still soft even though mack could barely hear it through the headphones.
mack nodded. then, without thinking, leaned forward and pressed his forehead against will’s chest.
will caught him instantly, arms wrapping around his back, hands splayed warm across his spine. he swayed them just a little, like a slow dance.
“you’re okay,” he said, mouth near mack’s hair. “you didn’t do anything wrong. this stuff just happens sometimes, yeah?”
mack closed his eyes. nodded again.
“you wanna try again?” will asked after a moment. “we can keep looking for the watch. or we can go home. seriously, i don’t care which.”
mack paused. thought about the way he’d picked three possible watch stores. the way he’d planned this day for a week, right down to where they’d get boba after. he didn’t want to throw that away.
“we can go back,” he said. “just- now i’m ready.”
“okay,” will said, smiling against his temple. “let’s go then. my birthday isn’t gonna shop for itself.”
mack smiled and nodded.
they held hands the whole walk back inside.