that way [w. smith]
“we say we’re friends, but i’m catching you across the room it makes no sense, ‘cause we’re fighting over what we do”
in which, will smith wants what he can’t have: you
extra info: no warnings other than a little bit of angst! college!will because i love him at bc, also this was a request from a reader over on wattpad!
word count: 4.8k
Will Smith had never asked for much. He was talented, funny, good-looking. Once he started getting good at hockey, things just happened to him. He got drafted to the NHL, won second place in the 2024 NCAA tournament, and was on his way to play for the San Jose Sharks once he finished up the school year. Because of this success, he was incredibly popular at school. He could have had any girl he wanted. But he didn’t desire any of them. He just wanted you, his best friend.
But Will couldn’t have everything he wanted.
Because you had someone else. Paul. God, Will hated him. He was tall, handsome, and too charming for his own good. He was the captain of the Boston College football team and was likely to be a high draft pick in the NFL once he graduated. Will couldn’t stand the way you looked at Paul, as if he had hung the moon. But Will saw something you didn’t see. Paul had a bit of a wandering eye.
“He was flirting with that waitress,” Will would say after a failed double date with you and Paul, and him with one of your friends.
“Don’t be silly, Will,” you would say. “Paul’s just a nice guy.”
And yeah, maybe you were right. Paul had always been nice to Will’s face. But given the lingering glances and scowls the football team gave Will every time they ran into each other in the sports center, he had to assume there was more that Paul wasn’t saying to his face.
So Will had to take the backseat in your life, both metaphorically and literally. He was especially sick of third-wheeling when you suggested a late-night study break at McDonald’s but then insisted on bringing along Paul. The guy didn’t even eat anything when you all went, claiming it was against his diet. Will was on a strict regimen too, and he still allowed himself a small portion of French fries on occasion.
Will had nearly reached his breaking point by spring break, when you cancelled the trip you both went on yearly with your families to go to Miami with Paul, his friends, and their girlfriends. You didn’t even like Florida, claiming the humidity was too much for you. But you went just because your boyfriend had asked you to.
But everything changed one Saturday night in late February. Will and his close friend and teammate, Gabe, had decided to stay in that night, as Will was tired of going to parties only to see you all over Paul while he had Gabe in his year nagging him about ‘looking at a taken woman with “fuck me eyes.”’ So instead of visiting house parties and getting hit on by too many girls to count, Will and Gabe were having a movie night when Will got a text message from you.
Shit.
The two of you, since starting college together, had a system of texting each other. If one of you were at a party and needed help, they would send a text mentioning the word watermelon. Pineapple seemed to be the go-to fruit when it came to codes, but you hated pineapple, so you suggested a different fruit instead. It was a sort of SOS call to the other person, while staying discreet about it.
“Hey, I gotta call Y/N,” said Will suddenly, standing from his spot on the sofa. “I’ll be right back.”
“Is everything okay?” asked Gabe, but Will wasn’t paying attention. He was already hitting the call button next to your contact and heading into the hallway.
You didn’t pick up the first time he called. Will was breathing heavy as he hit the call button again, pacing back and forth in front of his door as he waited for you to answer.
“Will?” you asked when you finally answered.
There was a lot of noise in the background, like you were at a party, though it wasn’t as loud as it would be if you were in the building. Will suspected that you had stepped outside to talk in peace.
“Y/N,” he said immediately. “Are you okay? Do you need me to come pick you up?”
“I don’t know,” you said with what sounded like a sniffle. Your voice sounded different, and it wasn’t from the quality of Will’s phone speaker. He knew what your voice sounded like over the phone and this wasn’t it.
“Where are you?” Will asked. “Where’s Paul?”
“Can I come over?” you asked, dodging the questions. “I don’t want to talk about it over the phone.”
“Of course,” Will said gently. “Gabe and I are hanging out right now but I’ll kick him out.”
“Well in that case, we can talk tomorrow,” you suggested.
“Absolutely not,” Will said. “Come over, we’re talking. Gabe and I can hang out some other night. Let me take care of you tonight.”
“Thanks, Will,” you said, and he could hear the tiny smile in your voice. “You’re a great friend.”
Friend. The word felt like a punch straight to his gut. “Anytime,” he choked out. “I’ll see you soon.”
Will hung up and headed back into his room. He slumped back onto the couch next to Gabe. They traded places, Gabe taking his own turn to head to the door.
“I take it this is my cue to leave?” he asked.
“Sorry,” Will said sheepishly. “Something happened to Y/N at a party, I’m not sure what. So I’m on guy best friend duty tonight.”
“Sure, ‘friend duty,’” said Gabe, shooting him a glance. “You’re trying to get in her pants, aren’t you?”
Will threw a blanket at his teammate’s head. “Don’t say that about Y/N ever again, thank you. She has a boyfriend who is not me. I’m just trying to be a good friend here.”
“But you want to be more than friends,” Gabe said knowingly.
“Yes, but that’s not a problem for tonight,” argued Will. “Tonight’s about Y/N and making sure she’s okay. She didn’t sound great over the phone.”
“Let me know how it goes,” said Gabe. “Have a good night, man.”
“You too,” Will said half-heartedly.
As soon as Gabe was gone, Will flopped over so he fully lay on the couch, burying his face into a pillow. He hated to admit it, but he was nervous about you coming over. Since you began dating Paul at the beginning of the school year, you and Will had been spending less and less alone time together. He wasn’t sure he’d even be able to talk to you normally without turning into an awkward mess. He even debated grabbing a beer from his fridge to take the edge off things, but he didn’t drink in season. And he wasn’t going to start now.
It wasn’t long before there was a knock at the door. Will lifted his head from the couch.
“Come in,” he mumbled, struggling to sit up.
You entered cautiously, as if nervous to approach Will. You closed the door quietly behind you. Will stood up as soon as he saw the look on your face. You looked beautiful, as always, but there was something off about you tonight. The eyes Will had fallen in love with so many years ago were red and puffy, your mascara streaking down your face in black smudges. You looked impossibly small as you stepped towards Will, arms open for a hug.
Will immediately obliged, wrapping his arms around your shaking shoulders. This reopened the waterworks as you sobbed into Will’s hoodie, the soft fabric muffling your cries. He didn’t say anything, just rubbed your back and pressed his face into your hair, hoping his gentle presence was enough to calm you down.
Sure enough, eventually, your sobs subsided to a few quiet sniffles. You pulled away from Will just enough to peer up at him with bloodshot eyes. Will hated that even in your state of distress, the way you looked at him still made his heart skip a beat.
“I got mascara on your sweatshirt,” you said, your brows furrowing.
Will looked down. Sure enough, some of your makeup had transferred with your tears onto his clothes. His eyes softened as his eyes met yours again.
“It’s okay,” he said gently. “I have to do laundry tomorrow anyway.”
It was a lie, and you knew it; Will always did his laundry on Saturday mornings. But you didn’t press him any further. Instead, you released your hold on him and sat on the couch, resting your elbows on your knees and your head in your hands.
Will sat beside you, tentatively resting a hand on your shoulder in a way that he hoped felt comforting. “You wanted watermelon?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood.
You looked up. “You actually have some?” you asked with excitement.
Will frowned. “Sorry, bad joke. I’ll get you some tomorrow, I promise. I meant that as more of a ‘what was the watermelon text for’ question.”
You pouted, your disappointment in the lack of watermelon evident on your pretty features. “You’d better get me some.”
“I’ll get you all the watermelon you want if you tell me what’s going on,” said Will. “I promise.” He held out his little finger, which you twisted with your own pinky in a swear.
“Can I have some water first?”
Will couldn’t resist the innocent look in your eyes. As if it were part of his wiring, he was up and at his mini fridge, grabbing a cold water bottle for you and cracking the lid. He took a seat next to you again, passing you the bottle, trying in vain not to flinch when your fingers brushed his. Then he tucked a blanket over your shoulders, hoping the warm fabric would help you relax.
You looked forward as you drank, tears forming in your eyes again as you worked up the courage to tell Will what was wrong with you. You wiped angrily at your eyes, trying to will the tears away.
“I caught him,” was all you said at first.
Will’s eyes widened. “What?” he asked in complete disbelief. He had always known Paul to be a douchebag, but at the same time, he always felt that his expectations that Paul would cheat on you were unfounded just because he didn’t like your boyfriend. It was nice to know that even in his lovesick haze, his gut instincts were still reliable.
“I caught him,” you repeated. “Paul, I mean. He said he was going to use the bathroom, and then I lost him for a while, so I got worried and went looking for him. He was making out with a girl from his English peer-review group.”
The pain in your voice made something in Will’s chest twist painfully. It wasn’t even jealousy anymore. Just anger at Paul. Will knew you. You loved fiercely and trusted even more. Paul had known that. And yet he cheated on you anyway.
“I didn’t say anything at first,” you continued. “But he saw me eventually. ‘It’s not what it looks like,’” you finished in a surprisingly accurate impression of Paul.
Will closed his eyes, breathing deeply through his nose to keep himself calm when all he wanted to do was find Paul and break his nose. That, or kick him in the balls. But he couldn’t do either of those things and keep his spot on the first line of the hockey team, so he stayed where he was, listening to you rant about the party.
You laughed bitterly. “‘It’s not what it looks like’ while actively shoving your tongue down another girl’s throat.”
“He might just be the smartest person ever,” Will joked.
That earned him the smallest of smiles. It was tiny, only lasting for a second, but it was there. And it was real. Will took it as a win, albeit a minor one.
You looked away, turning your attention to the rug on the floor. “He kept trying to explain.” Then you looked back at Will. “I didn’t let him.”
“Good.”
“I just left, then texted him telling him we were done, and then I blocked his number.”
Perfect. Because if Paul had somehow convinced you to stay–
Will wasn’t sure what he would have done in that situation, but it wouldn’t have been civil or pretty.
Silence settled between you. You pulled the blanket tighter around your shoulders, breathing in the familiar scent of Will’s laundry detergent. You absentmindedly picked at the edges of the soft fabric with your fingers.
“I feel so stupid,” you said, your voice breaking again.
Will’s reply came instantly, his hand reaching over to rest on your knee. “Don’t say that.”
“But–”
“Don’t,” he repeated, cutting you off before you could say anything self-deprecating.
Your eyes were wide with sadness and shame. Will smiled gently at you, moving to sit closer to you.
“Someone treating you badly doesn’t make you stupid,” he said.
“I really loved him,” you whispered.
“I know, Y/N.”
“I thought he loved me too,” you said, and Will could barely hear your voice at all.
It hurt to hear you say that. Hearing the disappointment and betrayal in your voice, your realization that someone you cared about wasn’t who you thought they were. Will remembered the beginning of the school year when you started dating Paul. The betrayal wasn’t the same as what you were experiencing now, but it sure felt like it.
You wiped at your face again, and Will fought the urge to reach over and dry your tears for you. “Sorry,” you said sheepishly.
“You never have to apologize for crying,” assured Will. “Not around me, Y/N.”
“But I got mascara all over your favorite sweatshirt and I look like a mess and–”
“Y/N,” Will said sternly.
“What?”
“I can wash my clothes, you never look like a mess, and even if you did, I don’t care,” he said. “You’re my best friend, Y/N, and there is nothing you can do that’s going to change that for me.”
You looked at him with so much admiration in your wide eyes that his heart felt like it was cleaving in two. Why did he have to use the word ‘friend’ when there were so many words that better described how he felt about you?
“Thanks, Will,” you mumbled before leaning over to rest your head on his shoulder. Will hesitated for a moment before wrapping one arm around your shoulders, pulling your body closer to his. “You know what I don’t understand?”
“What?”
You shrugged against Will’s side. “How can someone pretend to love you and then turn around and do something like that?”
“I don’t know either, Y/N/N.”
Will looked down, understanding the feeling you described a little too well. Caring, wanting, loving someone who didn’t reciprocate in the same way you wanted them to. Watching silently as they chose someone else.
“You deserve better than him,” Will said. “You always have. Believe me, Y/N, there are people out there who’d give you the world if you’d let them.”
“Will,” you said, taking your head off his shoulder so you could see him properly.
Will shook his head, wishing he could take his words back. Maybe he could salvage the rest of this conversation. But as he exhaled slowly and looked back at you, he realized just how tired he was. He was exhausted from years of carrying his feelings in a place you could never see them, pretending he was fine seeing you talk and talk about Paul–or worse–seeing you all over your now-ex-boyfriend. All of a sudden, Will realized he didn’t have to be ashamed of every feeling he’d ever had for you.
“Paul’s an idiot,” he said, realizing this was only the first of many confessions to be made tonight.
You blinked. “Okay…and?”
“No, seriously.” Will laughed. “Because if somebody gets to be with you and manages to screw it up that badly…” He let his voice trail off. “I don’t know.”
You were completely still beside him. “Will.”
He felt his stomach drop. You had to know now. Or at least suspect that there was more he wasn’t telling you. But he couldn’t back down now.
“I’m sorry,” Will said. “I’m supposed to be taking care of you right now. I didn’t mean for this to become about me.”
Your voice was quiet when you replied. “Make what about you?”
Will looked away. He tried to focus on anything in the room but you: his desk with his laptop and framed photos of his family, the television that was still displaying the paused screen of the movie he’d been watching with Gabe, the mini fridge that did not hold any watermelon. But eventually his gaze circled back to you. It always came back to you.
He laughed once, completely defeated. He was really doing this. “You really didn’t know?”
You didn’t answer, which was answer enough. Will dragged his free hand down his face. This was not how this was supposed to happen. Not while you were crying over a guy that wasn’t Will. Probably not ever, if he were to be honest with himself. This secret was something he had never intended to let out into the world. He’d come to terms long ago that you were only ever going to be his best friend; he was never freeing himself from the friend zone. But now he was about to ruin things with you for good.
“I’ve been in love with you for years,” he finally said.
The words landed in a heap between them, and Will could practically feel them wedging themselves into your friendship, yanking it apart until it splintered. The damage would be irreversible. Will immediately wanted to launch himself out of his third-story window.
“Will–”
“No, Y/N, it’s fine.”
But it wasn’t fine. Will couldn’t get enough air. Why did he say that? You were hurting and he just dumped even more baggage on you. He stood quickly, backing away until the back of his legs hit his bed. Then he sat, head in his hands, unable to look at you and the damage he’d caused.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Will,” you said again. Based on the sound of your voice, you stood up and made your way closer to him, careful not to get too close to him. “Talk to me.”
“I know the timing sucks,” Will said into his palms. “And I know you’re upset and I swear I’m not telling you because of what happened tonight. I’ve been spending years trying not to tell you, so I’m not really sure why I finally decided to open my big mouth now.”
He could still feel your gaze on him, which somehow made it even worse. He was scared to look up, not wanting to see your scrutiny, or worse– your pity.
“I felt awful about it,” Will confessed.
“What? Why?” you asked.
Your voice was closer now, soft and sweet. And suddenly, your hands were on his knees as you crouched in front of him. Your thumbs traced comforting circles over his kneecaps. He finally lowered his hands so he could talk to you face to face.
“You’re my best friend.”
“And you’re mine,” you said, a beautiful smile lighting up your features.
“And you had a boyfriend. So every time I felt jealous, wanted more, or hated seeing you with him, I felt like a terrible person. A terrible friend.”
It was the truth. He constantly went to bed hating himself for being unable to feel anything but love for you and not being able to do anything about it. He didn’t want to be jealous of every man you talked to, but he did. And you didn’t even do anything wrong. You’d trusted him, been there for him, loved him. All of those things as just a friend. And Will was selfish for wanting more than that.
Will laughed. “There we go. Elephant’s been addressed.”
You just stared at him. For a horrible second, Will knew he had ruined everything. Your friendship couldn’t come back from this. He couldn’t take it anymore.
He started to cry, hot tears rolling down his cheeks. He didn’t cry often, and never around you. He would much rather come home after a bad game or another hangout spent third wheeling and let his emotions run free in the safety of his own room. But there was no hiding anything from you anymore. He’d crossed that bridge as soon as he’d confessed his feelings for you.
“Oh,” you breathed. You took your hands off his knees and stood only to sit on the bed beside him, wrapping both of your arms tight around him.
Will’s entire body shook with emotion as he cried, his head falling onto your shoulder automatically. You just pulled him closer, holding him through it. Your hand slid into his hair, running your fingers through the blond curls. Will squeezed his eyes shut, your tenderness somehow making his tears fall harder.
You didn’t ask him to explain why he was crying, nor did you tell him it would be okay. You just stayed, one hand slowly moving through his hair, your other arm wrapped protectively around his chest.
Eventually, as Will relaxed against you, his eyes slowly drying, you shifted slightly. You pressed a small kiss to his hair, right above his temple. The gesture was instinctive, gentle. And that reopened the waterworks.
Of course, you responded to someone else’s pain by loving them through it; it was one of the reasons he fell in love with you in the first place. Will wrapped his arms around your waist, his fingers curling helplessly in the fabric of your shirt. And you continued to hold him, without any hesitation.
After a little while, Will’s gasping breaths began to return to normal. The tears didn’t stop, but they subsided enough for him to look at you without too much embarrassment. You were still combing your fingers through his hair and tracing circles on his shoulder.
Will couldn’t remember the last time he’d been held like this, especially not by you. That was never something your friendship entailed. But it felt perfectly natural, the way he fit against you, not knowing where he ended, and you began.
You let go of Will with one hand, only to brush a strand of hair off of his forehead. The soft pad of your thumb ran under his eyes, wiping away a few remaining tears.
“You okay?” you whispered, looking at him like you always had. Maybe nothing had changed. Your hand lingered briefly on Will’s cheek. Well, that was different. He couldn’t remember you ever doing anything like that in the past.
Will nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. “I’m sorry,” he said, forcing himself to laugh. If he didn’t, he’d probably start crying again. “I don’t know what that was.”
“Don’t be sorry,” you said. “What did you say earlier to me? That I don’t have to apologize for crying?”
“Something like that,” Will mumbled, avoiding eye contact.
“Hey,” you said, your hand lowering to his jaw and forcing him to look back at you. “That applies to you too. Now, can I ask you something?”
“You just did,” noted Will.
You laughed, the sound like music to Will’s ears. “Shut up,” you teased. Then you took a deep breath. Will gulped. “Okay. Here it goes. Do you know what I was thinking when I walked over here tonight?”
Will frowned. “No?”
“I wasn’t thinking about Paul,” you confessed. “Well, I was. But mostly…”
You looked away for a moment before meeting Will’s eyes again. His heart was pounding so fast he thought it would beat out of his chest. It was like his body knew what you were going to say before you spoke.
“Mostly I just wanted you.”
Everything went still. The sound of the refrigerator and people in the dorm hallway were drowned out by Will’s erratic heartbeat. It was like he forgot how to breathe. You looked equally horrified by your confession, which helped, just a little bit. At least you were panicking together.
“I always came to you first,” you said softly. “For everything. And tonight, I was still there, with Paul and that girl, and all I wanted was to talk to you. I sent that SOS text before I even left the party. That’s how bad I wanted to see you. I guess in that moment I realized I wasn’t just looking for my best friend. Maybe there’s more love there than I thought there was.”
Years of almost stretched between you. Every single late-night conversation, hug, inside joke. Everything that you and Will had gone through together was racing through Will’s head.
“Y/N,” Will said, his voice barely a whisper.
Your eyes focus briefly on his mouth, then back up. It didn’t go unnoticed.
For a long moment, neither of you moved. You just sat there, looking at each other. Taking each other in, in a way you hadn’t before. It was like you were finally on the exact same page for the first time in years, the same paragraph even.
One conversation, and everything changed. But at the same time, it was exactly the same.
“Wow,” you said with a nervous laugh.
“Yeah.”
“That’s kind of a lot,” you said.
Will grinned at you. “A little.”
“You know this all would have happened a lot sooner if you’d just told me in high school,” you said.
“Well, I always had a taste for the dramatic,” Will joked.
The moment of laughter held for a moment, both of you smiling giddily at each other. But the humor dissipated after a minute or so, leaving an air of tension in its wake.
“Now what?” you asked, your fingers tugging at your sleeves.
Will felt his face turn red. There was only one thing he could think of to do. So he reached forward, cupping your jaw in one hand, his fingers threading into your hair.
“Can I?” he whispered.
And when you responded by placing your lips on his in a gentle kiss, it felt like the most right thing in the world. This is the way it was always meant to be, just Y/N and Will, together at last.
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replies
_willsmith6 glad i could assist with the watermelon <3
your.username ilyyyyyyyyyy <3
_willsmith6 😘😘😘 but you kinda did me dirty in that picture
your.username it’s not my fault somebody couldn’t fall asleep until 8 in the fucking morning and i think you look very cute in that picture i can’t wait to take more :)
