lanes and lines (will smith x reader)
word count: 1000+ !ong narrations ahead
a/n: post number twenty-two! 🩵 i did not proof read this please forgive me 💔 but do enjoy reading!
part one -> two -> three -> four -> five typing...
004. peace-be-with-us plan
the quiet that settled into the house after that porch night was suffocating kind that belongs solely to people who have known each other too long to lie well.
you had been in your room for three days. yes, three.
you knew it was dumb, but you were deeply hurt. you just couldn't grasp what the hell will’s problem was, completely blowing up over a simple tank top and those damn sweatpants that were currently sitting in the laundry basket right beside your bedroom door. why the hell did he care if you had a guy in your life? tsk. did he think you were that ugly, that you weren't even capable of being liked by someone? you thought and thought and thought until your head practically ached.
the night the porch fight happened, you had also completely surprised your dad—well, more like he surprised you. you and leo had been way too distracted by the residual tension to notice the front door opening, and your dad had burst inside. he was all smiles, fresh from his shift, and hell, he was getting old. but he was still handsome, exactly the same warm, grounding pops he had always been.
you really had to thank your dad for raising you the way you were right now. he was the one who always reminded you to be yourself, no matter what and no matter how. it’s always mind over matter, kiddo. but fuck—you couldn't exactly quote your way out of the mess that had happened with will.
on the fourth day of your so-called isolation, a soft knock rattled the wood. "hey kid, are you alright?" your dad asked, peeking his head through the crack. you nodded quickly, trying to look fine, but he pushed the door open anyway. leo was trailing right behind him, casually eating a thick slice of rye bread slathered with butter.
"i'm 'kay," you mumbled, shifting on your pillows. "you know, college stuff... i just need to rest and just—"
before you could even finish your sentence, they both walked right in. your dad sat heavily on the edge of your mattress, while leo claimed your desk chair, spinning it around backward to face you.
"your brother told me what happened," your dad said gently. he reached down, pulling the heavy blanket away from your face, and heaved a soft sigh. "how are you feeling?"
you swear your dad always chose the most random timing to drop his serious phrases, but you knew this wasn't about jokes anymore. he knew you were sad, mad, and completely overwhelmed. you didn't say anything; you just let out a heavy sigh, sat up, and buried your head straight into his chest, hugging him tightly.
your dad's rough hand caressed your hair, fixing the messy strands as you leaned into his flannel shirt. leo, watching from the desk chair, met your dad's eyes over your shoulder. oh, just how both of their hearts melted at the sight of their prime princess looking so small.
"i'm just mad, you know?" you mumbled against your dad's chest, your voice thick and frustrated. "smitty's words really hurt. i don't know if it was just the alcohol in his system or what, but it hurt me knowing how hard i've been trying to fit into that damned college, pops."
you weren't crying; you were just thoroughly exhausted. your dad let out a deep sigh, his large hands coming up to cup your face and pull you back slightly.
"oh, you poor prince princess," he joked softly, using his thumb to playfully wipe an imaginary saliva stain from the corner of your lips. your brother snorted, finally sliding off the desk chair to sit at the end of your bed.
"you know smitty, don't you?" leo asked. you just nodded mutely. "and you know he wouldn't say those things if it weren't for the sake of you? maybe okay, well—he completely overdid himself. he was a caveman. but you know he’s been with you ever since you guys were kids, right? he saw how those idiots bullied you back in middle school. maybe he just doesn't want that happening to you again."
your dad shifted on the mattress, wrapping one massive arm around leo on his left and the other around you on his right, pulling the two of you into his sides.
"pfft, as if i don't know what i'm doing," you heaved heavily, leaning your head on his shoulder. "and pa... do you ever think a guy would even like a girl like me? for fuck's sake..."
"yeah, i don't thi—" leo started to chime in, but your dad shot him a terrifying side-glance that made him immediately shut his mouth and swallow his bread.
"what i'm trying to say is, he’s worried," your dad added, his voice steady and warm. "he is in the nhl now, and he knows how these guys move. he has a lot of knowledge about the kind of crowds that hang around athletes and colleges. who knows, maybe he's just trying to protect you from those ugly idiots." he patted your head, standing up from the bed. "i missed you, kiddo. and it's a sunday—you can't just rot in this room forever. think about it, get ready, and we're heading to church, okay?"
he kissed the top of your head and grabbed leo by the neck on his way out aggressively shuffling his hair while leo resisted, looking thoroughly annoyed. you laughed at the sight and nodded. god, thank you for the best dad ever.
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it was 11:00 am by the time you finished getting ready. you had put on a soft baby-blue dress with a delicate white touch along the embroidery of the hems. sliding into a pair of sandals, you let your hair fall naturally down your back. looking in the mirror, your freckles were completely visible, and the cut of the dress complimented you perfectly.
"what took you so long, jv lineman, for christ's sa—oh."
your brother busted through your door, stopping dead in his tracks when he looked at you. "wow you look nice. you actually showered, right? you didn't just put that on with a stinky body?" he teased, pointing a finger at the fabric. you threw a pillow straight at his head and followed him out into the hall.
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the drive to the church wasn't far—a good ten minutes filled with your usual bickering and your dad loudly shouting from the front seat to just shut the both of you up.
the church was a beautiful, serene building covered in fresh white paint that felt completely peaceful against the autumn sky. you swore you could almost feel the second coming of christ—but then grace approached you on the steps, and you realized hell was standing just three feet away.
will was right beside her.
his hair was neatly tidied up, completely free of the usual messy hockey helmet look, and he was wearing a crisp blue polo with white trousers. he looked devastatingly handsome.
"hey—how are you? i-i'm so sorry for will—" grace started quickly, her eyes wide with apology. before she could even finish her sentence, you threw your arms around her, hugging her tightly and pulling her straight inside the church foyer. your dad greeted mr. and mrs. smith with a warm chuckle, following the two of you into the pews.
the mass was a peaceful, quiet time—or it was supposed to be. with will standing just a few feet away, peaceful was the absolute last thing on your mind. leo had deliberately slid into the middle of the two of you, acting like a massive human shield, but the arrangement did nothing to stop your hyper-awareness.
your thoughts were suddenly cut off by the pastor's voice booming during the homily.
"love is what showed god that he was helping us, brothers and sisters," the pastor announced, raising his hands toward the congregation. "as we gather here for our loving father, we must remember that he is the strength of our bodies, the one who cleanses us from our sins. but love also requires us to swallow our pride. we cannot let stubbornness build walls between us and the ones we care about. when we let anger fester, when we snap at each other out of fear or jealousy, we are failing the people who share our burdens. love your enemies, yes, but learn to extend grace to the fools close to you who don't know how to use their words."
you swear to god, the homily was a bit too true to what you and will were currently experiencing. you wished you could just bury yourself alive and meet christ himself right then and there, but you were just a young girl trying to survive a sunday. from the corner of your eye, you saw will clear his throat roughly and fix his composure, adjusting the collar of his blue polo. you just snickered under your breath and glared at the side of his face. he tried to look over at you, but you kept your eyes fixed rigidly on the altar.
suddenly, leo leaned over and nudged your arm. "i gotta go," he whispered. you immediately grabbed the fabric of his shirt, tugging him back and begging him with your eyes not to leave. he just slapped your hand away playfully, giving you a goofy grin. "the rye bread made my stomach ache, kiddo. i'll be right back."
you could have punched your brother right in his face as he slid out of the row. and now, there was an empty space between you and will.
and just on cue, the pastor spoke. "let us offer each other the sign of peace."
when you were kids, the sign of peace was the ultimate joke. you used to use it to tease grace and leo because they had accidentally kissed each other during a game of tag once; both of them had been so thoroughly disgusted by it that you and will had laughed until your stomachs hurt. it had been an inside joke ever since.
but now, you were stuck standing right next to him.
it was so awkward. you turned, placing a soft, quick cheek-to-cheek with your dad, then grace, and then mrs. smith. and then you turned around, and there stood will.
fuck it—fuck it. you both just stood frozen in the aisle, the silence between you thick and heavy.
"peace be with you," he muttered, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly register.
you just nodded, your throat dry. "peace be with you," you mumbled, trying to sit right back down to escape the proximity.
"how about smitty, y/n? you guys used to hug each other every time!" mrs. smith said happily, wrapping her arms around mr. smith's arm as she beamed at the two of you.
when will this end?
you had no choice but to stand back up, facing will. you leaned in, giving him a quick, stiff side-hug. will wrapped his broad arm around your shoulders, but he didn't entirely place his hand flat against your back, his fingers hovering awkwardly against the baby-blue fabric as if he was afraid to touch you. your heart did a dizzying lap against your ribs before you both broke away and sat down, staring straight ahead.
you're going to kill leo. you just knew that.
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the end of the mass was quick and chaotic. the second the final hymn concluded, you quickly made your way out into the side courtyard, excusing yourself early before will could catch up to you. standing near the brick arches, you patted down your hair and checked your reflection in the glass of a small window, trying to calm your breathing.
"hey."
"what the fuck!" you yelled, jumping slightly as you whirled around. your heart completely skipped a beat.
will was scratching the back of his neck, his ears turning a bright red under his neat hair. you cleared your throat quickly, smoothing down the front of your dress to hide how rattled you were by his presence.
" 'm sorry."
the words were a tiny whisper, a muffled mumble that barely carried over the wind.
"what?" you asked, crossing your arms and glaring at him, forcing him to say it properly.
"i said i'm sorry," he repeated a little louder, his eyes finally snapping up to meet yours, completely wide and full of a raw, flustered sincerity.
you let out a slow sigh, looking at him. standing there, one thing you know two things for certain: one, you were absolutely going to forgive him. two, he had no right to look that damn good in a simple blue polo. you felt your stomach flip all over again, a sudden heat rushing into your cheeks.
"i was just out of my mind, and the words just slipped," he stammered, the explanation pouring out all at once as he took a step closer, his broad frame cutting off the draft from the street. "i was just scared, you know? you know how guys move, and i see how things are now that i'm in the nhl. i know how bad grace's ex-boyfriend was, and i just—i didn't want some idiot..."
"it's okay, smitty," you cut him off gently, reaching up to playfully shuffle his perfectly tidied hair just to break his panicked rhythm. you let out a soft sigh, a small smile finally touching your lips. "i forgive you."
"and just like god's miracale, drum roll please....! they reconciled, thank you jesus! whacha think, grace, how did our plan work?"
you both snapped your heads around. leo was standing by the walkway, grace right by his side, both of them grinning like absolute idiots.
"what plan?" you and will synced perfectly, your eyebrows raising in identical looks of pure suspicion.
"the peace-be-with-us plan," leo chuckled, thoroughly proud of himself as he high-fived grace.
"i knew it! you don't have a stomach ache from the damn rye bread! you're immune to that shit!" you yelled, your old tomboy instinct flaring up in a split second. you lunged straight at your brother, your sandals clicking against the stone as you started aggressively slapping his arm and his chest.
will let out a low, ragged sigh of relief, and a second later, your parents emerged from the church doors, watching the three of you cause a scene and laughing quietly. the afternoon quickly transitioned into a loud, comfortable sunday brunch at the local diner, the table filled with the smell of coffee, pancakes, and a few familiar jokes.
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by the time the afternoon began to wind down, everyone drifted out into the diner's gravel parking lot. your dad and mr. smith were deep in a conversation about the upcoming freight schedules at the pier, and grace was helping mrs. smith carry a box of leftover pastries to their truck, leaving you and will walking a few paces behind the rest of the family.
the autumn sun was high now, casting long, crisp shadows across the gravel.
will was walking close to you—so close that his broad shoulder brushed against yours with every step. the loud anger from the porch was completely gone, replaced by a strange, quiet shyness that made the space between you feel entirely fragile.
"so," will murmured, his hands shoved deep into his white trousers, his eyes fixed firmly on the ground in front of his boots. "baby blue, huh?"
"what about it?" you asked, looking up at him through your eyelashes, your fingers twisting the edge of your small cardigan.
"nothing," he muttered, his jaw twitching as a faint smirk tucked into the corner of his mouth. he cleared his throat, his neck turning that familiar shade of pink as his eyes flicked down to trace the clean, feminine line of your collarbone before quickly snapping back to the horizon. "just... it looks better than leo's old hoodies. a lot better, y/n."
your heart did a sudden erratic thud against your ribs. you looked away, your cheeks flushing warm as you tried to hold onto your steady, independent composure. "thanks, smitty. glad to know i have your stamp of approval."
"yeah, well," he mumbled, his pace slowing down until the two of you were lagging a full twenty feet behind your parents. he stopped near the side of your dad's truck, turning his massive frame fully toward you. he reached out, his thick fingers hesitating for a fraction of a second before he gently caught the hem of your cardigan between his thumb and index finger, tugging it just enough to keep you from stepping up onto the running board.
you froze, your breath hitching in your throat.
will stepped closer, crowding your space until the clean scent of the wind and his expensive soap completely filled your senses. he didn't say anything. he just stared down at you, his pupils wide and intense, holding your gaze with a unblinking focus that made the sounds of the parking lot completely fade away. his hand stayed clamped on the fabric of your sweater, his knuckles warm against your hip, his jaw tight as if he was fighting a massive urge he couldn't put into words.
there was something humming beneath his expression—something hidden so deep it made your knees go entirely weak. it was different from before. he wasn't just the boy next door anymore or will from the porch night.
he leaned down slightly, his mouth hovering just inches from your ear, his breath warm against your cold skin.
"i have to fly back out for the road trip tomorrow morning," he whispered, his voice dropping into a rough, low tone that sent a shiver straight down your spine. his thumb rubbed a slow, heavy circle against the fabric of your sweater, his grip tightening just a bit. "but you're coming back down to the city for the weekend game, right? tell me you're coming."
you looked up into his waiting eyes, the silence between your mouths stretching out until it felt terrifyingly dangerous, leaving the answer hanging in the crisp harbor air.
(GAHAHAHAHHS im dead ts so trash, but would you like the chapters longer or no, lmk! thank you all for your kindest comments and support, thank you!!)