#will smith au

[dailywillmack]

can you do a pov: your camera roll if you were dating wsh

pov: your camera roll if you were dating will smith

[bnwrittes]

BC party

WC: 3.2K

masterlist // series masterlist

The music inside the house was so loud Kennedy could feel the bass in her ribs.

It wasn’t exactly the kind of party she would have chosen for a Friday night, but Ryan had insisted they had to go. “It’s college, Kai,” he had told her while pulling a jacket over his Boston College T-shirt, as if that explained everything. “You can’t spend every weekend pretending you have homework.”

Gabe had backed him up with an easy smile from the apartment doorway, holding the car keys like the decision had already been made. “Come for a while. If you get bored, we’ll leave.”

And Will… Will hadn’t said much. He had only looked at her from the other side of the room with that expression of his Kennedy still didn’t entirely know how to read. They had grown up together. He had known Ryan since they were nine or ten, had been there for birthdays, games, summers, family dinners, long car rides, afternoons when Kennedy ended up stuck in the middle of the boys even though no one had officially invited her. Will had always been there, part of the landscape of her life.

But lately, he no longer felt like part of the landscape.

Lately, when Will looked at her, Kennedy forgot for a second that Ryan was standing two feet away. Lately, when he opened the door for her, when he took a drink out of her hand because someone had left it too close to the shared table, when he called her “Kenn” in that low voice that seemed meant only for her, Kennedy felt something inside her chest shift out of place.

They weren’t dating.

Kennedy didn’t know what they were.

She had had boyfriends before. Bad ones. Stupid ones. Selfish boys who had used their closeness to Ryan to show off, boys who approached her as if being with Kennedy meant gaining access to some VIP section where her brother, Gabe, and Will were. Boys who were nice at first, until they weren’t. Until they treated her like she was difficult for asking for respect, intense for setting boundaries, or cold for not wanting to give more than she could.

That was why, ever since she started college, Kennedy had tried to be careful.

With boys. With girls. With everything.

It had been hard for her to make real friends. Much harder than she wanted to admit. At first, she thought it was normal: everyone was starting from scratch, everyone was looking for their people, everyone was talking to everyone. But then she started noticing the pattern. The girls who sat with her in class ended up asking about Ryan. The ones who texted her to grab coffee eventually wanted to know if Gabe would be at some party. The ones who invited her out lit up a little too much whenever Will showed up with them.

Kennedy was getting tired of being the bridge to other people.

That night, though, she had tried not to think about it.

She had accepted the cup Gabe handed her when they arrived—one he had opened himself right in front of her—laughed when Ryan made some comment about how ugly the house decorations were, and pretended not to notice the way Will stayed close to her for the first twenty minutes, as if he were keeping an eye on her without wanting to make it obvious.

“Relax,” she had told him, leaning toward him so he could hear her over the music. “I’m fine.”

Will looked at her, one eyebrow slightly raised. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You’re doing the thing.”

“What thing?”

“The Will thing.”

He let out a short laugh, glancing down for a second before meeting her eyes again. “I don’t have a thing.”

“You absolutely have a thing.” Ryan, who had shown up behind them with Gabe, pointed at Kennedy with his cup. “He does have a thing.”

Gabe nodded with fake seriousness. “Very intense. Very tragic.”

Will shot them a dry look. “You two are annoying.”

Kennedy smiled, and for a moment the night felt easier.

Then the music changed.

Someone shouted from the middle of the room, several people started jumping around, and Kennedy, maybe because she wanted to feel like any other college girl, handed her cup to Gabe and stepped into the crowd to dance.

She wasn’t alone for long.

A guy came up to her with a smile that was way too confident. Kennedy had seen him around campus before, though she couldn’t remember his name. He had a white T-shirt, messy hair, and the kind of confidence some people confused with charm.

“Hey,” he said, stepping close enough that Kennedy had to tilt her head back.

“Hey,” she replied politely.

At first, it wasn’t weird. They danced close, but not too close. Kennedy tried to relax. Tried not to look toward where she knew the guys were standing. Tried not to think about Ryan watching like an overprotective brother or Will with his jaw clenched, because she knew if she looked, she’d get nervous.

The guy said something in her ear. She didn’t quite catch it, so she laughed out of politeness.

That was the first mistake. He took that laugh as permission. His hand dropped to her waist, then lower.

Kennedy tensed immediately. “Don’t,” she said, pulling away a little.

The guy smiled like she was playing around. “Come on.”

“I said don’t.”

He moved closer again.

Kennedy pushed his hand away more firmly. “Stop.”

He rolled his eyes. “Relax.”

The word hit her like freezing water.

Relax.

As if she were the problem. As if he hadn’t just crossed a line.

Kennedy tried to move sideways to get out of the center of the room, but he followed her, still wearing that crooked smile, still too close. The music kept playing, the people around them kept dancing, and for one horrible second Kennedy felt alone in a room full of people.

“Seriously, stop,” she said, louder this time.

The guy stopped smiling. His expression changed fast, too fast. The amusement disappeared from his face, and something uglier took its place. “Why are you dancing with me then?” he spat.

Kennedy blinked, taking half a step back. “What?”

“You heard me.” He let out a bitter laugh, looking around as if he wanted witnesses for the humiliation he had invented. “Don’t act like a slut and then get all dramatic.”

The word barely had time to settle in the air before a hand appeared between them and shoved the guy backward.

Will.

Kennedy barely saw him arrive. She only felt the immediate change, like the space around her had been reclaimed by someone who had no intention of letting anyone touch her again.

“What the fuck did you just call her?” Will asked.

His voice wasn’t loud. That made it worse.

Low. Cold. Controlled by a thread so thin Kennedy knew, even before she looked at his face, that he was about to snap.

The guy raised his hands, but his smile came back, now edged with mockery. “Dude, chill. We were just dancing.”

Will took a step toward him. “No. You were touching her after she told you to stop.”

Kennedy felt her heart slam hard against her chest.

Ryan appeared a second later, pushing through the crowd. “Will.”

Gabe came behind him, faster than usual, his eyes fixed on Will’s hand like he was calculating exactly how much time he had before the situation exploded.

The guy looked at Ryan, then Gabe, then Will. He laughed in disbelief. “What, she needs three guys to save her?”

Will moved again, and Ryan grabbed his arm before he could get any farther.

“No,” Ryan said sharply. “Will, no.”

“Let go of me,” Will muttered, without taking his eyes off the guy.

Gabe moved to Will’s other side, blocking his path with his body. “Not worth it, man.”

Will let out a dry, humorless laugh. “He called her—”

“I know,” Ryan cut in, his voice shaking with contained anger. “I heard him. I know.”

Kennedy hadn’t said anything. She couldn’t.

Her throat was tight, her hands cold, her skin burning where the guy had touched her. She hated that people were looking. She hated that some were whispering. She hated feeling ashamed when she had done nothing wrong.

Will turned his head slightly toward her.

And everything in his face changed.

The anger was still there, hard in his jaw, in his shoulders, in the way he was breathing. But his eyes softened the second he saw her. As if remembering she was there, right behind him, mattered more than any punch he wanted to throw.

“Kenn,” he said.

Just that. Not Kennedy. Not Kai, the nickname Ryan and Gabe had always used, the one that belonged to childhood, to backyard games, to her brother teasing her for stealing his hoodies.

Kenn was Will’s.

Kenn was that careful way he had of coming close without invading her space.

Kennedy swallowed.

“Can we go?” she asked, hating how small her voice sounded.

Will stopped looking at the guy immediately. “Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, of course.”

Ryan slowly let go of Will’s arm, but he didn’t fully relax. Gabe was still staring at the guy like he was memorizing his face.

The guy muttered something, part insult, part mockery, but this time Ryan was the one who stepped forward.

“Say one more thing,” Ryan said, with dangerous calm, “and I swear to God, I won’t be the one holding him back anymore.”

Gabe put a hand on Ryan’s chest. “Ry.”

Ryan breathed hard, his eyes bright with anger. “No. He doesn’t get to talk to her like that.”

Kennedy felt like crying, and that only made her angrier.

Will turned toward Ryan and Gabe. “I’m taking her home.”

Ryan looked at his sister. The anger in him cracked a little when he saw her. He didn’t just look furious anymore. He looked guilty, like he hated himself for not getting there sooner.

“Kai,” he said softly, “you okay?”

Kennedy nodded too quickly.

Ryan didn’t believe her. He never believed her when she lied. But he didn’t push. “Text me when you get there,” he said.

Will nodded. “I will.”

Gabe handed Kennedy her jacket without saying anything. She pulled it over her shoulders even though she wasn’t cold.

Or maybe she was. Maybe she was freezing.

Will walked ahead of her at first, making a path through the crowd, but the second they reached the hallway, he slowed down and moved to her side. He didn’t touch her. Kennedy noticed that. Noticed how he kept his hands close to his own body, as if he understood that after what had happened, any contact had to be her choice.

That almost broke her.

The night outside was cool. The noise of the party fell behind them when they crossed the yard and made their way down to the street. Kennedy took a deep breath, but the air went down wrong, like she had something stuck in her chest.

Will glanced at her. “Kenn,” he said carefully. “Do you want me to call Ryan?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

They walked for a few seconds in silence.

“Do you want to sit somewhere before we go?”

Kennedy shook her head.

“Okay.”

More silence.

Will didn’t fill the space with questions. He didn’t ask her to explain. He didn’t tell her she was okay when she clearly wasn’t. He just walked beside her, attentive, present, with a quiet fury still humming through his body.

When they reached the car, Will opened the passenger door for her. Kennedy stood still for a second, looking at the seat, Gabe’s jacket around her shoulders, her own hands trembling slightly.

Then she said it. “I told him to stop.”

Will went still.

Kennedy didn’t look at him. “I told him more than once.”

“I know.”

“No, I…” Her voice cracked a little and she clenched her jaw, frustrated with herself. “I wasn’t… I wasn’t leading him on. I was just dancing.”

Will closed his eyes for a second, as if those words hurt him physically.

When he opened them again, his voice was low. “Kenn, look at me.”

Kennedy took a second, but she did.

Will’s eyes were dark, serious, full of something that wasn’t pity. Thank God it wasn’t pity.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said. “Not one thing.”

She let out a humorless laugh. “He called me a slut in front of everyone.”

Will clenched his teeth. “Because he’s a piece of shit who got embarrassed when you told him no.”

Kennedy lowered her gaze.

“Hey.” Will leaned in slightly, still not touching her. “That word doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to him. To how ugly he is. Not to you.”

Kennedy swallowed. She didn’t want to cry. But her eyes filled with tears anyway. “God, I hate this,” she whispered. “I hate that I can’t just go to a party and be normal. I hate that people either want to get close to Ryan or Gabe or you, or they think I’m some… I don’t know. Some easy way in. Like I’m not even a person.”

Will’s expression cracked slightly. “Kenn…”

“And I tried,” she went on, unable to stop now. “I tried making friends. I tried being nice. I tried not assuming the worst in people, but it’s always something. They want my brother. They want invites. They want you guys. And then when I say no, when I set one boundary, suddenly I’m a bitch or a tease or—”

“No,” Will said.

The word came out firm. Kennedy fell silent.

Will took a deep breath, like he was forcing himself to speak calmly. “No,” he repeated. “You do not get reduced to what people want from you. Not by girls who use you to get closer to us. Not by assholes at parties. Not by ex-boyfriends who didn’t know how to treat you. Not by anyone.”

Kennedy looked at him with wet eyes.

The street was half empty. The music from the house still carried faintly through the air, as if it belonged to another world. A group of students walked by laughing on the opposite sidewalk, oblivious to everything.

Will dragged a hand through his own hair, frustrated. “I wanted to hit him,” he admitted.

“I know.”

“I really wanted to hit him.”

“I know.”

“But you asked to leave.” His voice dropped even more. “So we left.”

Kennedy felt something in her chest loosen, painful and warm at the same time.

That was what no one else had ever understood. She didn’t need someone to make a scene for her. She needed someone to listen.

Will held the car door open, but she didn’t get in. Instead, she stayed standing in front of him, looking at him as if she were trying to find the exact point where their friendship of so many years had turned into this.

Into this different kind of trust.

Into this soft tension.

Into this terrifying certainty that Will saw her even when she was trying to disappear.

“Why do you call me Kenn?” she asked suddenly.

Will blinked, surprised by the shift. “What?”

“Ryan and Gabe call me Kai. Everyone close to me calls me Kai.” Kennedy wrapped her arms around herself inside Gabe’s jacket. “But you call me Kenn.”

Will looked down for a second. When he looked back at her, there was something vulnerable in his expression.

“I don’t know,” he said at first.

Kennedy looked at him like she didn’t believe him.

Will let out a short breath. “Maybe because Kai feels like Ryan’s sister,” he admitted. “Like the girl who used to steal our fries and yell at us from the stands.”

Kennedy’s mouth moved faintly, almost a smile.

Will continued, quieter. “Kenn feels like you.”

She stopped smiling.

Will seemed to realize what he had said a second too late, because he glanced away toward the street, swallowing hard. “I didn’t mean—”

“Yes, you did,” Kennedy murmured.

Will looked back at her.

Kennedy felt her heart pounding again, but now for a completely different reason.

For years, Will had been Ryan’s friend. The boy who was at her house so often he stopped knocking. The one who knew she hated orange juice with pulp. The one who remembered her birthday even when she pretended it didn’t matter. The one who had once, at fourteen, walked three blocks in the rain because Ryan told him Kennedy had fought with a friend and was crying in the park.

Will had been there before all the awful boys. And maybe that was why he scared her more.

Because if Will hurt her, he wouldn’t be just another ex.

He would be losing part of her life.

“Ryan wants me with you,” Kennedy said, almost without thinking.

Will let out a low, disbelieving laugh. “Ryan has not been subtle.”

“No,” she said, barely shaking her head. “He really hasn’t.”

“Gabe too.”

“Gabe thinks he’s subtle.”

“He’s worse than Ryan.”

Kennedy let out a small laugh. It shook a little, but it was real.

Will looked at her as if that laugh were the first good thing to happen all night.

Then he went serious again. “I don’t care what Ryan wants,” he said.

Kennedy felt a small sting in her chest, but Will kept going before she could misunderstand.

“I care about what you want.”

She went still.

Will took a deep breath. “And I’m not saying that tonight because you’re upset. I’m not trying to take advantage of a bad moment. I just…” He ran his tongue across his lip, nervous. “I need you to know that if anything ever happens between us, it’s not because Ryan approves or because Gabe jokes about it or because we’ve known each other forever.”

“Then why?”

Will looked at her directly. “Because it’s you.”

Kennedy felt the tears come back, but this time they weren’t exactly because of the party.

They were because she was tired.

Because she was relieved.

Because she was scared.

Because Will was standing in front of her, the boy who had almost broken someone’s face for insulting her, and still hadn’t dared touch her without permission.

Kennedy took a step toward him. Will stayed still. She lifted her arms slowly and hugged him.

At first, Will didn’t move. Maybe out of surprise. Maybe out of care. But then Kennedy rested her face against his chest, and he seemed to let out all the air he had been holding since the party. He wrapped his arms around her, firm but gentle, one hand on her back and the other on her shoulder, without holding her too tightly.

Kennedy closed her eyes.

There, in the middle of the street, with distant music behind them and the cold slipping under the jacket, she finally stopped feeling alone.

Will lowered his head just slightly over hers. “I’ve got you, Kenn,” he whispered.

Kennedy tightened her fingers in his shirt.

“I know.”

And for the first time in a long time, she believed it.

[peachhcs]

for  as  long  as  there's  light  (for  as  long  as  there's  you)

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

summary: a hockey gossip account is looking to stir drama before the game about things that aren't there. will and ryan go head to head until it all comes spilling out and will learns that samy's still struggling harder than before.

words: 4.1k

warnings: talk of mental health struggles, mentions of ED and feelings surrounding it. please read with caution if this triggers you!

semi present-time will and samy fic! after my crazy long hiatus, i kind of didn't talk further about samy's ed and how she's been doing with that. this takes place like last fall after the summer she admits to it but i wanted to touch on it again. obvi this all fiction and please read w caution if this stuff triggers you! i know i've been writing kind of sad fics as of late but i like to keep things real in my stories (not trying to glamorize) and make things more normal to talk about in fics like these. people relate to and enjoy characters they see themselves in which means talking about the harder stuff matters!

au masterlist

the picture started circulating twitter an hour before puck drop. some hockey gossip account posted it and it was already up to 1,000 retweets and 500 comments. will had a thing about not looking at his phone before games—something about it being bad luck—so he hadn't seen it. he was busy taping his stick up and thinking about the game ahead. the sharks were going against the washington capitals, the first game of the season against ryan's team and really, the first game he was playing against ryan since the brunette joined his professional team.

it was supposed to be a good night for hockey. some of their old boston teammates even flew into san jose for the weekend to see them play. the hockey gossip account was looking to spread drama though. whoever ran it was looking to get under some skin.

mack saw the tweet the more it kept getting reposted and talked about. his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, not fully believing what was being said in the tweet because he knew ryan and he knew samy well enough that neither of them were like that. at least he didn't think so.

people in the comments were talking though. a lot.

the younger boy found will in the training room.

"dude, have you looked at your phone recently?" mack walked up to him. the blonde raised his eyebrow, "uh, no. i don't look at my phone before the game."

most times mack wouldn't care about stupid tweets saying stuff about them, but this one seemed like whoever posted it was trying to spin things that weren't before the game. he didn't want will to find out about it on the ice or something. "you need to look at this." 

will took his friend's phone. he scanned over the screen, briefly reading the caption before jumping down to the photo attached. 

WASHINGTON CAPITALS ROOKIE RYAN LEONARD AND UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN WOMEN'S SOCCER CAPTAIN SAMY HUGHES SEEN SHARING A QUITE INTIMATE MOMENT TOGETHER!!

fans are speculating whether or not hughes broke up with her longtime boyfriend will smith, san jose sharks forward. are they done for real??? what does this mean for the game tonight against the washington capitals and san jose sharks? always thought ryan was the better choice anyway. 

the photo attached was some sneaky photo of the two in a restaurant together. ryan was sitting on samy's side and he had an arm wrapped around her while her head was tucked into his shoulder. 

will stared at the tweet for a long time. he scrolled into the comments that continued increasing by the second. 

omg?!! this is insaneeeee

woah insane work posting this when there's a game tn

ok this is totally from a few months ago..why is this just being posted now.. 

about time she finally got rid of him and moved onto the better option 

samy hughes cheating?? not on my bingo card 

"what the fuck is this?" will finally spoke. he looked back up at his friend who looked as clueless as he felt. "i don't know. i just kept seeing it. it's spreading like crazy." 

the blonde tried to be rational about this. he knew samy went to new york city almost two months ago now to visit gabe who invited the three of them out. only samy and ryan went though because will was too caught up with practice. so he definitely knew this photo was semi-old. he also trusted samy and he trusted gabe and ryan. they weren't the kind of people to just..do something like that to him and neither was samy. 

the comments kept coming in though and the hockey player kept reading them. 

let's not jump to conclusions it lowk looks like she's crying or was upset about something

this looks more like ryan's consoling her..not some romantic getaway

real ones know samy has been best friends w ryan and gabe for like ever so i def do not think this is like..some weird cheating scandal.. i do think she is upset about something though 

isn't she struggling with an ED? maybe it's about that

ok but why would she go to ryan and not will?? 

"maybe you should just go talk to him? it's obviously just someone try to spread shit," mack said after a moment of silence. 

the last comment got stuck in will's mind. why would she go to ryan and not will? if samy was upset about something that night, this was the first he was ever hearing or seeing anything of it.

his chest pinched. 

"i'll be back," will mumbled and gave mack's phone back. 

on his way back through the locker room, he grabbed his own phone and it didn't take long to find the tweet people were talking about. some people were even tagging him in it asking him to explain. 

will was a fairly secure guy in his relationship, especially with samy, but he did know she went to gabe and ryan a bit more than she leaned on him for support through things. sometimes that did hurt a little more than he wanted to admit because he was her boyfriend after all and one of her best friends and to think she couldn't go to him about stuff but turned to his old teammates instead.. 

maybe it was a little bit of jealousy too. 

he made his way to the capitals locker room. he didn't care about sticking his head in, he just did it. the other players glanced curiously in his direction. "is ryan around?" he asked. 

the older guys exchanged a glance before nodding. "yo, leno! you got someone here wanting to talk," they called further into the locker room. 

ryan stuck his head out from around the corner. he met will's gaze and raised his eyebrow. "i need to talk to you. in private." 

some of ryan's teammates chirped, but the brunette ignored them as he walked out of the locker room and followed will down the hallway to a bit more secluded area. "what's wrong?" the boy wondered. 

will held his phone up with the tweet. "what is this?" 

ryan's eyebrows drew together in confusion. he glanced at the phone and skimmed the text and then the photo below. "what the hell is this?" 

"i don't know. you tell me. i just saw it and it's blowing up." 

"okay well first, we were not sharing an intimate moment. gross. that's totally wrong. second of all, this is from like two months ago when we were in new york visiting gabe. this is not from today," ryan clarified what will already knew and figured. 

"then what is it? what is going on in this photo? why are people saying she looks upset?" 

when ryan briefly hesitated, the blonde drew back. "we were just talking. we got dinner together because gabe had something with his teammates. it's wasn't really anything." 

"why did you hesitate?" will narrowed his eyes. 

"what? what, you want me to tell you what we were talking about?" ryan raised his eyebrow. 

"like..yeah. was she upset?" 

"dude, come on. it's not..that's not my business to be telling. whoever took this photo was being a creep and not minding their own business. also, why is this just being spread around now when this was took two months ago?" 

"well, it's my first time hearing anything about this and i actually never heard anything about this from the trip," will wasn't trying to sound mad, but it was coming off that way anyway. also, the jealousy he felt was slowly rising that samy opened up so easily to ryan and gabe but still had trouble with him. 

"will, i don't know what you want me to say. nothing happened in that photo besides us talking. it's not my business to tell her business," ryan shrugged, trying to ease any tension away. 

"you're not telling me so maybe i do have a reason to believe something actually happened." that was a low blow and they both knew it. 

"oh, come on. i'm not like that man and neither is samy. don't say shit like that," now the capitals rookie was getting mad his friend would even think that about him. "i've been your friend since we were kids, lived with you for two years, went to college with you and you really think i'd make a pass on your own girlfriend? that's so fucking low." 

"what else do you want me to think? this photo is trending and people are thinking i got cheated on by my two best friends. why does she go to ryan and not will? hell if i know!" 

"bro, you're being so fucking insane right now. we were talking and she just started opening up about stuff and obviously i was gonna be there for her because i'm a good friend!" now they were yelling at each other and probably attracting the attention of the other people in the hallway. 

"so she can open up to you but not me? it's always been the two of you knowing stuff about her before me and i'm her fucking boyfriend!" 

"well maybe if you didn't go and break her heart with some bullshit excuses last summer then maybe she'd feel more comfortable telling you stuff! incase you forgot, you told her she wasn't worth it to do long distance and proceeded to break up with her because it'd be too much work to keep up a long distance relationship across the country. i'd have trust issues too if someone told me that!"

that was an even lower blow. without thinking, will threw a nasty punch in ryan's direction. the brunette stumbled back, doubling over. he recovered quick though and lunged right back at the blonde. 

"who was there for her when she drove an hour and a half to my house when you broke up with her? me. who was there for her when all she did was cry her eyes out all night? me. who was there for her all of the other times she doubted herself and battled about what to do? me. gabe. aram. drew. vote. fowler. who was there for her when she hurt her shoulder and was scared to tell you because she feared she'd put too much on you and you'd run away again? take a fucking guess." ryan was riling will up and they were quite literally fist fighting each other.

mack had a bad feeling about the conversation, so he went to find gabe, aram, and drew who showed up for the game. he explained to them what was happening and the four of them made it into the back hallway in time to see will throwing another punch in ryan's direction. all of their eyes widened. gabe quickly went to pull will back while aram and drew held ryan back. 

"hey! what the fuck is going on?" gabe got between them. 

"go ahead, will. tell them how you're being insanely jealous thinking samy cheated on you with me and then proceeded to be confused about why she can never tell you stuff! tell them how we were the ones there for her through it all," ryan spat angrily. 

"oh fuck off, leno. you probably like that she goes to you more." 

"fine. you wanna so badly what we were talking about? fine. she thinks she's broken because of her eating disorder. she still can't eat and she spirals everyday about it. she fake eats her food. she's scared of telling you because she doesn't wanna ruin your reputation and make herself seem like she's not the perfect girlfriend everyone thinks she is. so yeah, while you're here accusing me of cheating and making passes on her, you might wanna make sure your girlfriend is doing okay." 

everyone stilled hearing that. will's eyes flicked to gabe who slowly nodded in confirmation while adverting his gaze. when he looked at drew and aram they didn't meet his gaze either. 

"you're serious?" 

"why the fuck would i lie about that? that's what that photo is about. she completely broke down in front of me," ryan said sadly. 

TWO MONTHS AGO

when ryan and samy couldn't decide what to make for dinner while gabe was out, they decided to just eat out too. they were in new york and that felt like enough of an excuse to buy dinner. after some brief research, they decided on a small restaurant only a few blocks from gabe's apartment. 

samy carefully stirred her straw around her cup. her gaze was on the table, kind of like her mind was somewhere else. ryan watched her carefully, wondering if he should pry or not. he wasn't one to really pick into people's lives, that was more gabe's thing, but samy had been looking spaced out ever since yesterday when she got in. 

"hey, you okay?" ryan gently nudged her foot under the tale. the brunette glanced up at him, flushing. "yeah, sorry. i'm good." 

she managed a smile, but the boy knew her better than that. he may not be will, but he had been samy's friend long enough to know when she was lying. he could tell there was more on her mind she wasn't saying. 

"all cards on the table?" he asked and samy knew what that meant. her, ryan, and gabe had this saying with each other that they used when one could tell there was more the other wanted to say but wasn't and the other two wanted them to know they were there to talk or listen. 

the soccer player grimaced. her skin felt hot like she was being caught in a lie. she struggled to meet ryan's glance, especially when the tears welled in her eyes faster than she wanted. being this vulnerable in front of people was something she hated. the hockey player heard her sniffle though and he immediately knew something was wrong. 

"hey, i'm right here. it's okay. you can talk to me. judgement free zone. whatever is said here doesn't leave this table." 

samy's head fell into her hands as she started crying harder. ryan's eyes flicked around the restaurant to make sure no nosy ears or eyes were trying to catch wind of what was going on. he carefully got up and scooted himself into samy's side of the booth. 

"oh, samy.." he tugged his arm around her and let her fall into his shoulder. 

"am i broken?" she finally asked through her cries. 

the boy raised his eyebrow, "broken? no. you're not broken, sam." 

"i feel so broken, ry. so broken. like i don't know why i feel this way or how to even feel better. it's like a cycle i can't break out of," she vented and the boy's heart broke hearing and seeing her like this. 

he's always known samy to have a hard outer shell. she knew what she wanted and didn't put up with people who talked down on her. hate comments rolled off of her back. seeing her so unsure of herself hurt. 

"you're so not broken, samy. you've been through some hard stuff, yeah, but that doesn't make you broken. you're still seeing your therapist and taking meds?" 

"it's not working. i still can't eat. the voices consume me and work harder than the meds do. i feel..stuck. i let it slip to my therapist and she put it in her notes. my psychiatrist thinks we should up my dosage and that fucking terrifies me because then that means i can't ever be normal again without them. i don't wanna have to rely on medication to make me feel an ounce of normalcy." 

ryan squeezed her shoulder, "it can be scary to have to rely on something like that, but taking meds to make you feel better doesn't make you any less normal. it definitely doesn't mean you're broken." 

"then why aren't they helping me?" 

"sometimes you have to take a little more of something to be able to feel its full effect." 

"my brothers are three perfect people. they don't struggle. they work hard and achieve these crazy things. i can't even eat a full meal without internally freaking out and having to throw it up or picking apart what's in it. i'm not supposed to be this way." ryan knew people online compared samy to her brothers a lot. most of it was stupid, but someone always had something to say. he couldn't imagine having to see that constantly. 

"just because you're struggling with this doesn't make you any less of a person or weaker than them. you're still strong, at least i think so. these feelings won't last forever." the capitals rookie tried reassuring. 

"and what happens when they do?" 

"a lot of people who struggle can't even admit they are or need help. it's a big step already that you're admitting to the help and letting people help you. have you told anyone that you still feel this way other than your therapist? your brothers? will?" 

samy shook her head. "god, quinn would be so disappointed if he knew i wasn't getting better. if he knows, he'll tell my parents because they still don't know. that was our deal. he moves things around and puts me on his insurance to help me and i get better, then we don't have to involve my parents. i don't, and he tells them because then it's a bigger problem that they need to know about." 

"he wouldn't be disappointed in you. he loves you and just wants to make sure you're gonna get better. the same goes for will," the boy said gently. she grimaced at the mention of her boyfriend who also didn't know about any of this. 

"i can't put something like this on will. he's got so many other things to worry about with his career hitting a high. i can't...i can't be the one to ruin that or fuck up his reputation because he has a mentally ill girlfriend who can't pull her shit together. everyone thinks i'm some perfect girlfriend..and i can't fuck up any of that for him."

ryan frowned hearing samy think will wouldn't carry this with her. if anything, he'd drop it all if he knew samy was still struggling this badly. "sam, you know he loves you and also cares a lot about you. you wouldn't be ruining anything. he'd drop everything for you if you asked or didn't ask." 

"i know which is why i don't wanna tell him. this isn't his burden to carry. he can't be distracted thinking about me when he has his 2nd nhl season ahead of him. i can't be the distraction." 

ryan wanted to beg otherwise, but he didn't. instead, he squeezed samy tighter into his side and hated how she didn't even think she couldn't go to her own boyfriend because she didn't wanna burden him. that was definitely small remnants still from their breakup last summer. 

even though will was his childhood best friend, ryan would always hold that grudge against him for hurting samy like that and making her think she wasn't enough to stay for. 

"well, i'm always here for you and so is gabe and everyone else. you don't have to carry all of this alone, sam. tell us what you need and we'll be there," ryan promised. 

the girl managed a smile for the first time since she started crying. 

"thank you. i appreciate you. sorry for just..dumping all of that on you," she wiped her eyes wiyh the back of her hands. ryan quickly shook his head. "don't apologize. this is what we're here for. you lean and we lean back." 

NOW

later, after the game ended—the capitals walked away with the win and ryan just told will to call samy before leaving—the blonde sat in his bedroom hovering over the girl's contact. she had to have seen the tweet by now and all the people talking about it, so she was probably waiting for him to say something about it. 

he pressed call and held the phone to his ear. it rang three times before it connected. for a moment, both of them were quiet like samy knew what he wanted to ask her about. 

"hey," will breathed. 

"hi," samy said. 

"i'm assuming you've seen the tweet?" 

"yeah..i have," she paused. will bit his lip, mulling over everything he wanted to say and also how much he wanted to apologize for making samy think she could still never lean on him for things like this because of a stupid mistake he made a year ago. 

"will, i'm really sorry i didn't tell you..i didn't really think—"

"you don't have anything to apologize for. ryan told me everything. i'm the one who should be apologizing to you. i never meant to..to make you think you could never come to me or think you'd ruin my reputation or some shit. that's the furthest thing from my mind. i could literally care less about what people thought of me," the boy quickly cut her off. 

samy breathed out. she sat on her own bed in michigan mulling over her own words. 

"i wanted to tell you. i promise. i just..i dunno. i haven't really felt like myself in so long. i feel like i don't even know who i am anymore. i guess i felt shitty for lying to you about eating what i needed to and i didn't want you to be disappointed in me." 

"baby, i could never be disappointed in you no matter what. you're going through something really hard. i hate that you feel this way about yourself and i wish there was something more i could do to help you not feel this way."

"it's just like..these thoughts i always have. like a second voice talking to me. it psychs me out. it talks down on me. it yells at me. i'm battling my own brain to eat. i don't even know how to explain it. i was having a really hard weekend and..i guess it just all came out with ryan. whoever was watching us must've thought something else and wanted to make drama at the game tonight. i'm really sorry if it did.." samy frowned at the idea of will getting mad at ryan for something like the photo was trying to imply.

the blonde flushed. "if anything, i think it knocked some sense into me. i really wish i could be there for you more and not just through a phone." 

"i really wish you were here, too. the summer was so easy because i had you always checking in on me and eating with me to make it feel a little easier. it just gets so hard when it's just me trying to do it," the girl bit her lip, the ache of missing her boyfriend growing stronger in her chest. 

will's ache grew too. he missed her like crazy. 

"tell me how i can make this easier for you. we can facetime every meal? i can send more texts about checking in? pictures? videos? anything, baby. i'm here for you," will promised. 

"you wouldn't hate getting up early to eat breakfast with me or.." 

"never. i'd wake up at any time to talk to you. i'll even make my own breakfast to eat later. i'll send videos, pictures, whatever." 

a soft smile crept onto samy's lips. "i love you." 

"i love you so much. i promise i'll make it work to see you soon. you come here or i go there. i wanna see you so bad." 

"me too. it's so hard being so far," the brunette mumbled. 

"i know, but we'll be in the same city again soon. i'm so excited for you to live in san jose with me," the blonde grinned. 

a more comfortable silence fell between the couple as they just listened to each other breathe through the call. "can i ask if..if you ever did end up upping your dosage on your meds?" will wondered. 

"yeah, i did. i did about a month ago. it's been helping more which is good, but i don't know. it's like an addiction. it's always gonna be there and i have to actively work to keep it away."

"you're doing the best that you can, baby. it's gonna feel scary, but i'm really proud of you." 

even though he couldn't see her, samy smiled at his words. "i hope you didn't hate ryan too much.." 

"uh..i may have threw a few punches at him, but i was being immature and irrational. i was upset he knew what i didn't. i got jealous that you went to him and gabe more than me," will frowned and so did samy. 

"i never meant for it to be like that, will. i always wanna talk to you—" 

"i know you never meant anything by it. i shouldn't have made you feel like you couldn't come to me." 

"we all learn from our mistakes. know i always wanna go to you for everything," will smiled at her words. 

"so we're good then?" the boy asked and samy nodded. 

"we're always good." 

[smittysmells]

# OFF CAMPUS

⤿ in which macklin celebrini , will smith , connor bedard , and

fraser minten , a group of elite college ice hockey players share

a house off campus from boston college earning their degrees

and figuring themselves out before the NHL does it for them.

macklin celebrini!

will smith!

connor bedard!

fraser minten!

hey divas! my current obsession is the ‘off campus’ book series and now the recently released prime video show!! i watched it and immediately needed to create an au on this premise with some of our favourite NHL boys.

i am horrible at updating this so please engage if you like this, jt helps tremendously. also a note that they’re in boston college, the tropes may not be the same as the original series but there may be some similarities between.

happy reading! 📖🦙

[alliwritespuck]

POINT IT WEST CASSANDRA CARTER X WILL SMITH AU

Summary: Cassandra Carter is done with her boyfriend’s games, so she decides to run. She never knew it would end up with her meeting someone else.

Warnings: cursing, fake names given to friends/side characters (not real people)

Word count: 1.1k

A/N: This is the first fic for the Cassandra x Will AU! I’m thinking it might need a name, but I've not come up with one yet. Any ideas for one can be sent to my inbox!

The last thing Cassandra Carter wanted to do was run. Not after last time. But everything was too real, too oppressive.

Cassandra couldn’t breathe. And being in the same state as him wasn’t helping. So she was going to do what she did best. She was going to run.

“Cass, I don’t understand what running is going to do,” Lauren says through the phone speaker as Cass shoves clothes into her duffle bag. It’s too full, but she doesn’t care.

Cass holds the phone between her ear and shoulder as she storms to her car, throwing the bag into her back seat.

“I can’t be near him, he doesn’t support me, it’s getting too real, and I know he’s gonna make me as close to a biblical wife as he can get me. That’s not what I want. And he knows that!” The sentence is punctuated by the slam of her car door.

Cass hears the sounds of shouting from inside as she reaches the front door to his apartment. She doesn’t know how she missed him walking in when she was downstairs.

“Cass. What the fuck is goin’ on here?” he says, throwing his arms up in exasperation.

“Texas is big. Huge. Everything is bigger here. And yet it doesn’t feel big enough for you and I to exist in the same space. So I’m leaving. I can’t do this anymore. You win, I concede, I’ll tell you whatever you want to hear, but I’m leaving. I’ve finally got my big break and you can’t even be happy for me, can’t support me when all of the hard work you've watched me put into this is actually starting to pay off.”

“C’mon Cass. We can work this out. You’re leaving the best thing that’s ever happened to you behind here,” he says, but she’s already got the last thing she needs–her beloved guitar, sitting pretty in its navy blue case covered in white stars–and the rest doesn’t matter.

“You don’t get to call me that anymore,” is the only thing she says before slamming his door shut, and taking her freedom with her.

She closes her door, and screeches off. She doesn’t have a destination in mind, but she’s got a full tank of gas and a wandering spirit. She’s going to go west until the missing pieces fall into place.

–

Cass had driven through New Mexico, Arizona, even rerouted to hit Vegas, where she gambled money she didn't really have. She drove to LA, seeing the glory of the city she'd always deemed way too big for her liking. Her black 1969 Z28 Camaro drove past all the places he said she could never possibly go.

She decided to get off the interstate to take a few back roads on her way to San Francisco. And as she entered San Jose going north, she heard a noise coming from under the hood. She was in the thick of the city, and when she noticed a vapor of some sort coming from under the hood, she quickly pulled into a mostly empty parking lot, save for a few cars.

She turned the car off, popping the hood, leaning away when more vapor greeted her.

“Jesus,” she murmurs, waving the smoke out of her face to be able to see.

She looks over the engine, but doesn't see what exactly is wrong at first glance.

And it sucks because now she doesn't know what she'll need to do to get it fixed.

“Excuse me? Miss? Do you need some help?” a voice behind Cass sounds out. She almost chuckles because he almost sounds like a teenager.

But when she turns around, she's stunned. Because the man walking toward her is six feet tall, blonde, curly hair, and the most blue-green eyes she'd ever met.

“I, uh. Yeah, I do. Do you know any tow truck companies around here? Something's wrong and I can't figure out what it is,” she says, almost sheepish. And she's surprising herself because she's never this nervous around other people, especially not men.

“Um, yeah actually. I do,” he says, getting his phone out and scrolling.

“Thank you,” she says, swaying back and forth on her feet. She didn't know what to say, the whole interaction felt awkward.

But he was really cute so she was bound to mess something up because she wasn't smooth in the slightest.

“Here, this is the company that I've used before. They're really good,” he says, showing her the number and she types it in, calling them immediately.

As she hangs up, the man is still standing there, shifting back and forth on his feet. It's then that Cass really takes in his appearance: hair slightly damp, a large teal bag slung over his shoulder. And he looks familiar, but she can't pinpoint it.

“Hi, uh, I’m Will by the way,” he says, stuttering a little before holding his hand out. She takes it gently and shakes it.

“Cassandra,” she says quietly, eyes darting around to avoid looking at him.

“Nice to meet you,” Will says, face pink but he's still smiling.

“Likewise.”

“Where are you from? That accent isn't from around here,” he asks, eyebrows suddenly furrowed at her.

“Texas,” she says, Southern drawl lacing through her voice.

They continue to chat, awkward small talk that made both of their faces flush, and Cass can't figure out why she's even nervous.

The tow truck pulls up, and Cass grabs her guitar case and clothes from her backseat, watching as the truck drives off, talking her beloved car with it.

“Do you need a ride to a hotel? I’m more than happy to drive you?” Will says, but he's eyeing her guitar case.

“I'll be alright. Thank you though,” she says. She turns to walk away but he's quick to stop her.

“Can I, uh. Get your number? Maybe? Just to make sure you get your car back and everything,” he says, face flushing once more, and Cass chuckles to herself before grabbing his phone and putting her number in.

“Don’t be a stranger,” Cass says, smirk on her face as she throws a wink his way, before strutting off toward the street.

Will just watches as her hips sway, his face redder than a firetruck, mesmerized by her brunette hair blowing in the slight breeze.

He was done for, but he hoped he’d see her again.

As Cass walks down the street, she thinks to herself. The city was beautiful, the palm trees, the architecture. It felt like a dream.

San Jose might just be the missing piece Cassandra was looking for.

Please do not copy, translate, or repost my work as your own!

Written by: @alliwritespuck (2025)

Photo from: Pinterest

Dividers from: @firefly-graphics

[fiapartridge]

WILL SMITH AU ! 😇

I WANT TO MAKE THIS AU SO BADLY -> perreault!sister x will smith LIKEEEEE ??????

gabe + will are roommates at bc

perreault!sister has known will since usntdp

she's a year younger than gabe and will

she didn't like will at first because he thought everyone liked him "why don't you like me? everyone likes me." "maybe because you think everyone likes you." "apparently you don't." "wow, and he has a brain! maybe i need to rethink this not liking you thing, huh?"

he pesters her so much about the not liking thing that she starts to actually like the guy -> they hang out without gabe a couple of times and she starts to realize why people like him

they date in secret for a while, but it all comes out during the draft

they start dating when will goes to bc (long distance) n then a year later, she joins them at bc + gabe is still getting adjusted to them being together "WHY ARE YOU KISSING MY SISTER?!" "Dude, we've been dating for over a year." "Oh, yeah!"

they're both so cute + happy (will's more reserved with his feelings in front of the guys, but y/n will confess her love for will to anyone - the guy at the flower shop, her building's RA, any random person in the elevator - she loves him)

they both love taylor swift. like. they love her. mainly perreault!sister, but once they got together, she made him a huge fan -> their song is mine LIKE UGHGOHFOI

THEY'RE SO TAYLOR CODED LIKE ITS CRAZY

[willsmithbc]

Will x Halle (OC) au moodboards

Will x Halle

Halle Drew

- trying to write a blurb on how they met but my lack of writing is so evident

[dailywillmack]

The silence of the apartment was the best reward after the day you’d had.

After what felt like the longest day imaginable, you had made it home, kicked off your shoes, washed away the exhaustion under a hot shower, and gone through every step of your carefully crafted nighttime routine.

You washed the day off your face, tied your hair up in a messy, claw-clip bun, and slid into your favorite oversized tee, the one you definitely stole from his closet.

You were already tucked beneath the blankets, the soft glow of your bedside lamp painting the room in warm golden light.. You were this close to drifting off when your phone vibrated on the nightstand, lighting up the dark room.

His name lit up your screen instantly.

A smile appeared on your lips before you could stop it.

Of course it was him.

You answered on the second ring, propping the phone up against a pillow.

"Hey, beautiful," his voice boomed through the speaker, breathless and buzzing with adrenaline.

His eyes were locked entirely on his screen. On you.

His hair was still damp from the shower, a few stray curls sticking to his forehead. His cheeks still flushed from the intense game, and the wide, boyish grin on his face told you everything you needed to know before he even said it.

"We won," he breathed out, the pride radiating off him in waves. "We actually won, babe."

"I saw," you teased softly, your voice a little raspy from tiredness. "I watched the final quarter. You were amazing, willie."

“I wanted to see you.” he said. The answer came so naturally, so simply, that it made your stomach flutter. Not because it was surprising. Because he meant it.

You watched as his eyes scanned your face through the screen, like he was memorizing every detail. Like seeing you was the best part of his night.

And maybe that was the dangerous thing about him.

No matter how many times he looked at you like that, you never got used to it.

"Man, I wish I was home. You look so cozy. Are you wearing my shirt?"

You didn't even answer. You couldn't.

Instead, you just rested your chin on your hands, a helpless, silly smile spreading across your lips. You just stared at him through the screen.

God, you loved him.

Not in the dramatic movie kind of way.

Not in the fireworks and grand gestures kind of way.

But in the way that made an exhausting day feel lighter the moment you heard his voice.

In the way he called you first after every big moment.

In the way he could be surrounded by hundreds of people celebrating and still want nothing more than to see your face before the night ended.

The conversation drifted effortlessly from one topic to another. His game. Your day. Random stories that didn’t matter.

And for a moment, all you could do was stare back.

The room was quiet.

The world outside your window was quiet.

And there he was, hundreds of miles away, smiling at you through a phone screen as if you were the greatest thing he’d ever seen.

A silly smile settled onto your lips.

The kind you couldn’t control.

The kind that happened whenever he looked at you like that.

You rested your cheek against your pillow and simply watched him talk, your heart impossibly full.

Because in that moment, with sleepy eyes and tangled blankets and his voice crackling softly through your speakers, only one thought existed in your mind: How lucky am I?

How lucky am I to have someone who wins a game and immediately wants to call me. How lucky am I to be loved by him?

And as he continued talking, completely unaware of the way you were looking at him, you couldn’t help thinking that if anyone was lucky, it was you.

Because somehow, against all odds, you got to call him yours.

(this is my first time posting something that i wrote it, pls be kind 😭 this is silly, ik, but i found those pics at pinterest and i couldnt help, it was all i could think about, let me know what you think)