A MATTER OF TIMEᵎᵎ WS²
╰ Synopsis You and Macklin were bestfriends at BU, hating on Will with a passion. But him following you and texting you, quickly changed your mind.
tags/contains Will Smith x fem!reader. Fluff, angst, enemies to lovers (kind of), Macklin Celebrini x platonic!reader, takes place at BU/BC, secret relationship, mutual pining, jealousy, kissing, mentions of underage drinking, 2.7k words, requested.
➺ from Sera, to you📨. This felt a bit rushed, so sorry. But plss need some feedback!!
masterlist ᥫ᭡ please reblog this fic if you enjoyed it!
Being friends with Macklin at Boston University meant that you absolutely hated Boston College. Not the school itself, necessarily, the campus was fine, and the parties were decent but more specifically, you hated their hockey team. And more than anyone on that team, you hated Will Smith.
You couldn’t even remember the exact reason the hatred had started. Whatever it was, Macklin remembered and told you, and that was enough for you. He was one of your closest friends so obviously you were on his side.
Anytime there was an upcoming game where BU was playing against BC, you two sat in your dorm room and complained about him. “He’s just a pretty boy..” Macklin grumbled, scrolling through his phone with a scowl. “He literally thinks he can just flash that stupid smile and the refs will hand him the game.”
“Right? God forbid he actually works for it instead of relying on those baby blues and flowy hair.” You agreed. You didn’t even notice you knew that information about Will, but Macklin didn’t think much of it so neither did you.
Macklin laughed. “Exactly. I don’t know, he just thinks he’s God’s gift to the sport..”
So when the notification lit up your phone _willsmith2 started following you. you nearly dropped it.
You were in the dining hall between classes, when the little heart icon appeared. Why the hell was he following you?
You didn’t follow him back right away. You even considered showing Macklin the notification just to laugh about it, but something stopped you. Instead, you closed instagram and went about your day like it hadn’t happened.
That resolve lasted until you were back in your dorm room, lights dimmed, your roommate already asleep. It was a little after 11pm when boredom and curiosity finally won. Your thumb hovered over the button for a long second before you clicked Follow Back. The blue button turned gray instantly.
Not even a full minute later, your phone buzzed with a new message.
Will Hey👀
You stared at the message, this was a terrible idea. If Macklin ever found out you two were even following each other after all the shit talking.. you didn’t want to think about it.
Before you could overthink it more, your fingers moved on their own.
You Hi?
Will Are you this petty without Macklin around too?
Your eyebrows shot up. The audacity.
You How do you know I’m not with Macklin right now?
Will It’s 11pm
You And?
A small laugh escaped you before you could stop it. You quickly pressed your lips together, glancing at your sleeping roommate.
Will And Macklin doesn’t strike me as the type to let his attack dog stay up late texting me
You I’m not his attack dog but ok
Will Isn’t that why you don’t like me?
You bit your lip, equal parts annoyed and.. entertained? You knew you were wrong, but why did you like this..?
You I never said I didn’t like you
Will Is that right?
By the time you finally put your phone down, it was almost 1am. A heavy wave of guilt settled in your chest. You should tell Macklin. You knew you should. But what would you even say? “Hey, so Will followed me and now we’re texting, but don’t worry, I still hate him.. mostly”?
The next time Macklin tried bringing up Will, you forced a smirk and said something that wouldn’t give anything away, but now the words just tasted a little sour. You didn’t know if you could just go on talking about Will, when you have been in his dms for the past couple of days. So you changed the subject quickly.
Will knew one thing you didn’t like: when he brought up Macklin.
After two weeks of texting that had somehow become the highlight of your days, he finally worked up the courage. The message came through while you were halfway through a lecture: Want to get dinner this weekend?
You’d stared at your phone before typing back a simple Yes.
He was more surprised than he let on. Part of him had been convinced you’d say no because of Macklin. You didn’t tell many people. Just one of your close girlfriends, who immediately raised an eyebrow and said, “Macklin isn’t going to like that.” You rolled your eyes and shrugged it off. One day he’d have to accept it, whether it was Will or anyone else.
Will picked a nice restaurant well outside the usual BU-BC radius for obvious reasons. He insisted on paying for everything despite your protests. He was funny, quick witted, and genuinely curious about your life outside of university. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t have fun.
His baby blues really were distracting up close, and his smile was charming too. You wouldn’t be surprised if hockey didn’t work out and he became a model instead.
After dinner, he drove you to the beach to watch the sunset. You two sat on his jacket spread across the sand, the waves gently rolling in. You told him about your major, the classes you were taking, and how much you’d learned so far. “Me and Macklin are studying the same thing.” You said, hugging your knees. “I’m scared if he gets drafted he’ll leave and I’ll be stuck here alone.”
Will was quiet for a moment, staring out at the pink sky. He couldn’t lie, he was starting to really like you so hearing you say this wasn’t nice. He realised how close you two were and what if you liked Macklin? “You can always visit him if he gets drafted.” he offered.
“Yeah, I hope so.” You glanced over at him. “I honestly don’t even understand why you two don’t like each other. You’re so much alike. You’d probably be great friends.”
Will’s jaw tightened slightly. Is that why you’re hanging out with me? he thought. Because I remind you of him?
He shrugged. “Are you two dating?”
You burst out laughing, the sound bright and unrestrained. You held your stomach, trying to calm down as tears pricked the corners of your eyes. Will raised an eyebrow. “Alright, it’s not that funny..” he muttered, but his lips were twitching.
You finally caught your breath, still giggling. “Macklin and I? He’s like a brother to me. You think I’d be here right now if we were dating?”
“You’re right.” he conceded, a small smile breaking through. “Does he know you’re with me right now?”
Your smile faded. “Why do you keep asking about Macklin? I’m not going to hang out with you if you keep bringing him up.”
Will smirked, leaning back on his hands in the sand. “Is there a next time?”
You looked at him, the sunset casting a warm glow across his face. You nodded. “Thought you’d want there to be a next time?”
The next hangout escalated faster than you expected. You found yourself in Will’s dorm room at his campus, straddling his lap as the two of you made out like you couldn’t get enough of each other.
His hands gripped your waist, pulling you closer against his body. The kiss was heated and a little desperate.
When he finally dropped you off near your BU dorm later that night, the car idled at the curb. You leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the lips, smiling softly.
Back in your room, you quickly texted Macklin: Hey, I’m finally back. You can come over now
A few minutes later he strolled in, flopping down on your bed like he owned the place. “Where were you?” he asked, scrolling through his own phone.
“I was hanging out with a friend,” you said casually, turning to your desk and pulling out your notebook.
“Can you pleaseeee get me some snacks? I’m starving.” Macklin changed the subject.
You groaned dramatically. “Mack, you’re so annoying-”
“Okay fine, I’ll get it..” he cut in, starting to stand.
“It’s fine, I’ll get it.” you said quickly, waving him off. You left the room, leaving your phone on the bed where you’d been sitting.
At first, Macklin didn’t think anything of it. But when your phone buzzed once, then again shortly after, curiosity got the better of him. He glanced at the door, then picked it up. The screen lit up with two new messages from “Will”
Will: the hangout was so nice this time
Will: maybe next time you should come over again
Macklin’s eyebrows furrowed. Will? No. There was no way. This couldn’t be the Will he was thinking of, right? Were you seriously hanging out with THE Will? As in Will Smith? The same guy you both had spent months complaining about? And right after being with him, you came back and acted like nothing happened?
He stared at the messages, mind racing with questions. How long had this been going on? Did you actually like him? After all you said, you were in his dorm?
The sound of your footsteps coming back down the hall snapped him out of it. Macklin quickly locked your phone and set it back exactly where it was, trying to keep his face neutral even as betrayal and confusion churned in his chest.
You and Macklin did your project together, you were halfway through outlining the next section when Macklin suddenly spoke. “Someone also texted you while you were getting snacks.” He said, pointing at your phone.
“Oh, thanks.” You picked it up and unlocked it. Will’s messages glowed on the screen, a smile tugged at your lips. You closed the app and set the phone face down, figuring you’d just answer later.
“You aren’t going to answer?” Macklin asked, his tone deceptively casual. “I think it was important.”
“Nah, I’ll just answer later.” You replied lightly. “It can wait.”
Macklin let out a short, humorless chuckle. “Is that why you were hanging out with Will?”
Your stomach dropped. You cursed yourself internally, he knew. You forced your expression to stay neutral. “Yeah, but I’ll just answer later.”
“It’s not the Will I’m thinking of, right?”
You shrugged, pretending to focus on the project. “Nah.”
“But it’s the only Will we both know.” He pressed.
“Well, I can know other Wills without you knowing..” you shot back, tapping randomly on your keyboard. “There are plenty of people named Will in the world.”
“Yeah, right.” Macklin’s annoyance was clear now. He closed his laptop with more force than necessary.
“Macklin, what is your problem?” you asked, frustration creeping into your tone.
“You know what my problem is.” He snapped, standing up from your bed.
You crossed your arms. “I really don’t.”
He ran a hand through his hair, the betrayal in his eyes hurt more than you expected. “Maybe we should finish this another day..” he muttered, already grabbing his stuff.
You wanted to stop him to explain everything, because he deserved to know the truth. You wanted to tell him it wasn’t that simple, that Will wasn’t the villain you both had painted him as. But the words stuck in your throat. Macklin gave you one last disappointed look before heading toward the door, leaving you alone.
Two days went by without you and Macklin talking. You understood where he was coming from but you also wanted him to understand that it wasn’t that simple. You wanted him to see the side of Will you’d gotten to know.
You’d talked to Will about it the night before. “How would you feel if I just told Macklin about us?” you asked. You didn’t want to lose your best friend, but you also didn’t want to lose whatever this was with Will.
“I’m not gonna lie, I’m not thrilled. But if it’s that important to you, then do it. Just, make sure he doesn’t kill me, yeah?”
On saturday afternoon, Macklin finally texted you: I’m sorry I overreacted. And I’m sorry I thought you were lying.
You replied quickly: It’s fine but I think we need to talk.
You met up at the small park near campus, sitting on a bench under the trees. The air felt thick with awkwardness as you started. “First off, I’m sorry I didn’t explain everything that night when I should’ve.”
Macklin nodded. “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have just assumed it was Will Smith you were talking to. And you’re right, there are plenty of Wills in the world.”
You cut him off gently. “No.. you were right. It is the Will you’re thinking of. But I need you to-”
“What?” Macklin’s eyes widened.
“Macklin, it’s not a big deal. You two are-”
“It’s a big deal to me.” he interrupted. “Does that matter to you? No!”
“It does matter.” you said quickly. “But he’s literally not the person you think he is. And you two might even get drafted to the same team one day, so you should warm up to each other. I just want you to get to know him first and then make your own judgment.”
Macklin stared at you. “How do you even know where we both might get drafted?”
“I’m not stupid..” you replied. “And he told me that.”
“Whatever.” Macklin rubbed his face, clearly frustrated. “Are you two dating?”
“No, we’re not dating.” you said honestly. “At least not yet.”
He didn’t want to accept that his best friend was talking to Will of all people. But looking at you now, he could tell you actually liked him. And as much as it annoyed him, he knew he couldn’t talk you out of it. Once your mind was made up, it was made up.
He let out a long sigh. “This is weird as hell.”
“I know.” You said softly. “But can you at least try? For me?”
About two weeks later, someone from BC was throwing a party and a few people from BU were invited too. Will had asked if you wanted to go, and you saw it as the perfect opportunity to finally introduce him to Macklin properly. You’d texted Macklin the address and told him you’d meet him there.
When you arrived, you met up with Will near the entrance. You felt a little shy as he introduced you to a couple of his teammates. They were friendly, handing you a drink before you and Will found a spot on the couch to talk.
Macklin texted that he’d be there in a few minutes. You quickly sent him a picture of where you were sitting. Will smiled at you, reaching over to gently push a strand of hair off your shoulder, his fingers lingering for a second.
Suddenly, a familiar voice cut through the noise. You looked up to see Macklin standing right in front of you. You stood up quickly, and Will followed.“Macklin, this is Will,” you said, gesturing between them. “Will, this is Macklin.”
They shook hands. It was stiff and awkward at first, both of them clearly sizing each other up. But after a few minutes of small talk, the conversation started to flow more naturally. To your relief, they actually seemed to be getting along.
When Will excused himself to go to the bathroom, leaving you and Macklin alone, you turned to him excitedly. “So? What do you think?”
Macklin shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. “I mean.. he’s fine, I guess.”
“See? I told you!” You grinned, unable to hide your excitement. “You’ll spend more days together and you’ll be like best friends!”
“Okay, hold on,” Macklin said, raising an eyebrow. “Who said I’ll be hanging out with him?”
You laughed, lightly shoving his shoulder. “Come on, you know what I mean. It wasn’t that bad, right?”
Like Will had mentioned, he and Macklin ended up getting drafted to the same team. It was bittersweet. They both moved away for the new chapter in their careers while you stayed behind at BU, finishing your degree. You and Will officially became girlfriend and boyfriend, and Macklin was actually happy for the two of you. And you also visited them whenever you could.
It had only been a couple of months when they bit started sending you pictures together, whether it was after practice, in their shared apartment or just an silly picture of them hanging out. And you were really grateful they got along like you’d hoped they would.
You quickly typed out a group text to both of them answering to the picture: I’m jealous rn of you both.
Will replied almost immediately with a laughing emoji, while Macklin typed back an get used to it.
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Again, feedback would be appreciated for this fic because I didn’t know how I felt about it 😭
