Author's note: Hey guys, just wanted to take a moment to say that Sam and Freddie might seem out of character in this one, but they're supposed to. Ha-ha They've transitioned into a comfortable hateship without even realizing it and everyone else seems to notice except them. In their minds…they still loathe one another, but every time they turn around…they're being affectionate without intending to. Once it's pointed out, they'll have to face their feelings for one another or figure out how to stop it from happening :)

"Hey, have you seen Carly?" Sam asked as she slammed the front door and meandered up to the kitchen counter of the Shay's home.

"Yeah, she ran off with Gibby somewhere." Freddie was sitting at the counter, puttering around on the computer. He rubbed a hand through his shaggy hair shrugged at the blonde hair demon, who didn't really seem demon-like anymore.

They'd always fought like cats and dogs. Sam was the ferocious bull dog whose bite really was as bad as her bark, while Freddie took on the role of the tiny kitten with no hope of escape. Something had changed in their odd hateship. Freddie still maintained that Sam loathed him with a white hot hatred, but he- for some inexplicable reason - seemed to be at her beck and call. It wasn't the same sickeningly doting way he'd followed Carly around in their younger years. He'd long ago grown out of puppy-like with his raven haired friend.

Freddie had matured and Sam didn't seem to have the same strong compunction to rough him up until he cried. Don't be fooled, there were times that he would say something "nub-like" and she'd have no choice but to flick him on the forehead or smack him upside the head, but she refrained from attempting to dislocate his extremities.

Unless he really irked her.

He seemed to always know what Sam needed and made himself available according to her needs. Similarly, many of their friends had noticed Sam's aversion to affection seemed to disappear. She wasn't lovey-dovey like Carly, hanging on any boy who'd give her a second look. But with Freddie, she didn't seem to mind the closeness that he offered once in a while.

"What the chiz? She told me to meet her over here and she ran off with the Gibster?" Sam slumped back toward the living room and flopped down on the sofa. She let out a contented sigh as Freddie followed close behind and settled in beside her.

"Ah, she'll be back soon, Sam." He smirked, his arm resting along the back of the sofa.

"What was so important anyway?" She turned to glance at her sometimes nubby friend. He'd gotten kind of cute in recent months. Okay, okay. He'd always been kind of cute, but he'd certainly filled out.

"No clue, she told me to come over too." When he shrugged in typical Freddie fashion, he subconsciously let his arm rest around Sam's shoulder, pulling her gently against his side. Neither seemed to notice the gesture or find the behavior odd. It felt nice, it felt comfortable, it felt…right.

Sam yawned, letting her head fall to the side and rest against Freddie's newly strong chest and shoulder. His hand smoothed down her arm and came to rest on her flat stomach as he searched for Girly Cow on the TV.

"Long day, Puckett?" He wasn't even aware that as he concentrated on surfing the channels, his fingers tucked beneath the hem of her tank top and traced small circles on the warm skin of her stomach.

"Aren't they always, Benson?" She murmured, blankly staring at the flicking channels. She'd had more than a long day. Not one, not two, but three of her teachers had given her detention. Staying so late after school had really put a damper on her plans to veg out with Carly.

"Hmm." He nodded, settling on a sham-pow infomercial. "This guy is such a nub."

"Relative of yours?" She smirked, but didn't have enough energy to elbow him in the ribs or smack him in the forehead like she normally would have.

"Oh hush." He wasn't really in the mood to fight or argue, he'd had a long day too. His fingers, still caressing her stomach, seemed to have a mind of their own. He didn't know how they ended up like this or why they ended up like this. But lately, if they were in the same vicinity, it just happened.

And he didn't want to think about why. If he just pretended that it was normal, it would be normal.

"Hey guys sorry I'm late." Carly amended as she skipped in, holding a bag in her hand. "Gibby and I…what are you doing?" She quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

This was odd.

Really odd.

Sam hadn't been a mean to Freddie lately and she'd been happy for that. She hated when her two best friends were at each other's throats.

But cuddling? Since when did Sam let people touch her? And since when was Freddie brave enough to poke an angry bear?

"Sup Carls?" Sam ignored the question, assuming Carly was talking about her atrocious posture again. Would her raven haired friend ever realize that she was not a princess and would not act like one?

"Back so soon? Figured Gibby would have drug you all over town" Freddie commented idly as he pushed his body back against the sofa and stretched his arms. His right arm came back down to rest around Sam again casually, as if it wasn't as weird as seeing pigs flying around the apartment.

Carly stood there in Shock, opened mouthed and pointing at Freddie's hand that was now rested on Sam's outer thigh. His digits gently moved across the denim of her jeans in an absent motion.

"You…what? I…just…" Carly's brain was having a terrible time processing the oxymoron in front of her.

"What is wrong with you?" Sam sat up, pulling out of Freddie's light hold. He didn't seem to notice. He was focused on the episode of Girly Cow that had just come on.

"You're cuddling with Freddie!" Carly finally spit the words out. "That's weird! You hate each other, remember?"

"We were not cuddling." Sam chuckled at the thought. Her and the nub? Cuddling? Well that just have her the skeevies thinking about it. No. They loathed each other. Well, not really loathed, but he was her punching bag and he was afraid of her. She smiled at the thought. "I do a lot of things to Benson, but cuddling isn't one of them."

"You SO were!" Carly stormed into the kitchen. Why was she so upset anyway? It wasn't like she liked Freddie. He was her friend, her buddy. Sure, he'd become extremely attractive in the recent months, but she liked a different type of guy. She didn't want a nice guy. She wanted a bad boy, one she had to work for his attention. She liked feeling like she was special for conquering a guy like that.

Sam lunged across Freddie to grab one of Spencer's works of 'art' off the end table and chucked it in Carly's direction, purposely missing her. "Say that again and Mamma's gonna get real mad!"

"Aw come on Sam, I can't see!" Freddie pushed on her back, pressing her down across his lap so he could engross himself back into his favorite show. He wasn't paying attention to what the girls were shrieking about. Probably some hot guy that he didn't want to hear about.

Sam flailed against him and finally got off of his lap. She turned and glared at him as he continued to toss pieces of pop corn in his mouth and watch the TV. Sam's face turned red. Had they been cuddling?

"I'm just saying…you two looked awfully cozy. Is there something I should know?" Carly put her hand on her hip as Sam joined her in the kitchen.

"I had three consecutive detentions today. I was tired and he's obviously in his own little nub world." She gestured to Freddie who was animatedly laughing at whatever nonsense was happening on the show. "It won't happen again." She nodded her head in affirmation.

It couldn't happen again.

They were frenemies.

He was there purely to make her day a little brighter by letting her torture him in various ways.

Then why had it felt so right?

So natural?

Sam's stomach knotted. Could she subconsciously have feelings for the nub?

So, what'd you guys think? Worth continuing? If not…let me know and I'll work on something else :)