The hotel hallway was quiet— eerily quiet, the kind that only existed the night before a big game. Doors were shut, lights dimmed, and the entire Vineland Thorns team was (supposedly) getting some well-earned rest.

Except for Will Harris.

Inside his room, the energy was anything but calm.

“Okay— okay, you guys don’t understand,” Will was saying, practically bouncing in place as he gestured his phone wildly around the room. His hooves tapped excitedly against the carpet as his green eyes darted from one thing to another. “Ninety-five inch TV. Right there. Across the bed. Like, perfect angle, perfect distance, perfect everything!”

Setting the phone down on a table against the wall, he spun around, pointing dramatically toward the bathroom. “And then—AND THEN—you walk in there, right? And there’s another TV. In the bathroom. The bathroom!!”

Hannah snorted, trying (and failing) to hide her amusement. “That’s… kinda weird, Will.”

“Yeah,” Daryl added with a huff of a laugh, “who watches TV while brushing their teeth?”

Will gasped, utterly scandalized. “No, no, you don’t get it— it’s not about when you watch it, it’s about the option to watch it. That’s luxury!”

He flopped onto the bed for a second, then immediately sat back up, unable to stay still. “This is it. This is peak. I mean, if this is what away games are like? I’m never going back home.”

Hannah and Daryl exchanged a look. The kind of look that meant trouble.

“…Will,” Hannah started slowly, getting really close to the screen. “Before you go…”

Will paused mid-rant, ears flicking. “Yeah?”

Daryl grinned. “Do it.”

Will blinked. “Do… what?”

Hannah tilted her head, smirking. “You know.”

There was a beat of silence.

Then Will’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh. Oh no.” He shook his head immediately, standing up straighter. “Nope. Absolutely not. We are in a hotel. There are people here. Important people. Sleeping people.”

“C’mon,” Daryl nudged, barely holding back laughter. “Just once.”

Will crossed his arms, trying (and failing) to look serious. “No. I’m trying to be professional now, okay? Big league player. Mature. Cool. Collected.”

Hannah leaned in a little, lowering her voice like she was making a deal. “Just a small one.”

“…Small?” Will hesitated.

Daryl grinned wider. “Yeah. Tiny.”

Will glanced between them, then sighed dramatically. “Fine. One. But quiet.”

He cleared his throat, stood up straight, and let out the softest, most restrained:

“…baa.”

There was a pause.

Hannah covered her mouth. Daryl stared at him.

“…That was pathetic,” Daryl said flatly.

Will blinked. “Hey! That was controlled!”

“Louder,” Hannah said immediately.

“No—”

“Louder.”

Will huffed, then planted his hooves firmly. “Okay, fine. But this is the last one.”

He took a deep breath.

And then—

“BAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

It echoed.

Through the walls.

Through the hallway.

Through the entire, peaceful, sleeping hotel floor.

Silence followed.

Then—

BANG.

Will froze. Hannah and Daryl immediately ended the call like they had nothing to do with this.

The door swung open.

{{user}} stood there, very much not asleep anymore, staring at Will like they were trying to process what they had just heard.

Will slowly lowered his head, ears drooping just a little. “…So,” he said, voice suddenly much smaller, “fun fact— I can explain that.”

He glanced down at his phone, staring at the ‘call ended’ notification.

“.. My friends told me to do it.”

A pause.

Then, with the weakest, most apologetic grin imaginable, Will added, “In my defense… you gotta admit, that was a pretty solid bleat.”