This is one of many Seddie one-shots that coincide with my previous fic, iProm. These one-shots take place after iOMG and before iProm.
Approximate date: late July
The fire escape was always the quietest place for Freddie to just think. It was where he spent most of his time after Sam said he never kissed anyone on iCarly. It was also where he and Sam shared their first kiss.
He didn't think he'd ever forget the lock-in. It changed everything. And no one could just sweep it aside and call it "no big deal". This wasn't just a crush. Sam was in love with him. This was bigger than any crush.
He'd always thought Sam hated him. But after a while, he had to admit to himself that it was kind of dumb to think that Sam actually felt hatred towards him. If she did, they wouldn't have gotten closer over the last few years. They'd become friendlier since they started iCarly. There was still teasing and punching now and again, but he was able to take it now. It was similar to a playground crush. When a boy liked a girl in elementary school, he wouldn't tell it to her face. He'd called her names, push her on the playground, and pull her pigtails.
One thing he knew is he didn't hate Sam. At first, he hated how aggressive she was towards him, but he became accustomed to it. It was just part of her personality. But he definitely didn't hate her. He actually considered her a friend. Then she kissed him, and it all became confusing.
At first, it shocked him. He didn't see it coming at all. And she just kept kissing him. He didn't really know what to say when she let go of him. He managed to get out an "it's cool". He didn't really know what else to do. He didn't even know that Carly saw everything until she cornered him and forced it out of him. He had to tell her. She didn't like that they kept the first kiss a secret, and they promised not to keep any more secrets from her.
One thing he was able to fully admit now, about both kisses, was that he actually kind of liked them. The first one was simple and calm, and although they agreed to kiss just to get it over with, it didn't feel like it. The second kiss was more aggressive. Sam was taking his advice to "put your feelings out there". It was as if she'd been bursting to do that for a while.
"This is a really big deal for you. I get that," Freddie had said to Sam.
She nodded. She didn't say anything, she just looked at him.
"I don't want to impulsively make a decision now. That's not me. I'm the kind of guy that needs to think things through."
Sam nodded again. "So, what does that mean?" she had asked.
"It means... you'll have an answer by the end of summer, at the latest. I want to take this as seriously as you are, so I don't make any bad decisions."
He didn't know what to expect after that. But he really didn't expect Sam to nod and say, "Okay."
And just like that, they were back to being the friends they were. It seemed a little forced at first, but they eased into it slowly. They didn't forget the kiss ever happened. There was no way they could.
Carly wanted details. Every now and then, she would try to bring up the kiss, but when she did, Sam and Freddie just gave her looks telling her not to talk about it. Even though she wasn't going to interfere or try to help, Carly tried to find out what was going on between them. Sam had told her they had this under control, and they were going to do what they wanted, so she kept going to Freddie. Freddie wouldn't say anything either, though. He was still thinking, and if he ever came up with an answer, he wanted Sam to be the first to know. He didn't want Sam to find out from someone else. It would dimish the meaning and intent of his answer. Eventually, she decided it would be best to back off.
Even if she was going to back off, she still wanted details. Instead of asking for them, she kept her eyes peeled for them. She watched Freddie and Sam interact with each other, and she ended up noticing things that Freddie hadn't.
"You just seem... different," Carly had said after an iCarly rehearsal earlier in the week.
"Different?" Freddie had asked.
"Yeah, in a good way. Your jokes are funnier, your ideas for the show are more creative, and you just seem happy."
The sudden image of Sam swam in front of his eyes. He remembered he came up with an idea of improving a bit using molasses and feathers. Sam had laughed and called it a really good idea. She'd laughed for real. He knew what her fake laugh sounded like.
Freddie looked at Carly. He looked into her brown eyes to see if that spark he always saw was still there.
It wasn't.
After years of his one-sided crush, he'd finally gotten over Carly.
What Carly said made him think. When he and Sam went back to being sort of friends, they tended to hang out together outside of iCarly rehearsals. It was usually a lot of hanging out at Carly's, but they'd go to the movies or the arcade a few times. This past Tuesday, right after an iCarly rehearsal, Sam used the Shay's pay-per-view password to watch the CFC semi-finals. Armed with a giant bowl of popcorn, she and Freddie cheered like maniacs at the TV screen. Freddie had gotten a little more into it than he usually would have.
Freddie climbed into his apartment and shut the window. He went across the hall and knocked on the Shay's door. He heard Spencer yell, "It's open!"
He let himself in. Spencer, for once, wasn't making an insane sculpture. He was in the kitchen, pulling a bag of popcorn out of the microwave. "Hey, Freddie. If you're looking for Carly, she went to the movies with Jason."
Another sign he was over Carly. A few years ago, if he'd heard that Carly was out with another guy, he would've gotten that jealous feeling in his stomach. But he didn't feel a thing.
"I was actually looking for Sam. She's usually here, right?" He peered behind the couch, expecting to see Sam asleep on the floor.
"Yeah, when isn't she? She's up in Carly's room."
"Thanks." Freddie went upstairs.
The door to Carly's room was open. He looked inside and found Sam lying on her stomach on Carly's bed, her feet swinging in the air behind her. She was watching Girly Cow on Carly's TV.
"Hey," Freddie said.
Sam looked around. "Oh. Hey."
"Spencer said you were up here." Freddie stepped into the room.
"Yeah, that dentist my mom's been dating stole our TV. Carly said I could watch stuff up here." She propped herself up on her knees and did a very cat-like stretch.
"I wanna talk to you about something," Freddie said.
Sam stopped stretching and looked at him. Judging by the look on her face, she knew what was coming, but she wanted to hear it from him. She paused the TV, sat up and moved to the edge of the bed. "Okay."
Freddie sat down next to her. He took a deep breath and turned to her. "Okay. You know I had to think about this. And I came to two conclusions."
Sam nodded.
"One was that you were right about Carly. She only dated me because of the hero thing. Since we broke up, I haven't seen anything that would say she still likes me. And, I really can't believe it's taken me this long to figure it out, but it's not worth chasing something that's not there."
Sam nodded again.
"The other conclusion is that when you kissed me at the lock-in, you turned my life upside down. When we started being friends again after that, I noticed that things were different. When we planned ideas for iCarly, my ideas got funnier. When we watched that CFC semi-final on Tuesday, I was cheering louder. When we played air hockey at the arcade on Saturday, I played better. Everything seems better when I'm with you. You make me better, and just happy."
Sam still didn't say anything. Her heart was pounding enough to burst all over the room.
Freddie was just looking at her. Her blue eyes stared back. They had a very challenging look, as if Sam was daring Freddie to kiss her.
So he did. One hand was on her cheek, and the other was holding him up on the bed, but it was by Sam's waist.
The moment Freddie kissed her, Sam had the image of fireworks in her mind. She had kept her cool all July, she didn't pounce on him for an answer every day. She knew he wasn't in love with her, but she wanted him to like her back on his own terms. She let him think, inwardly hoping that she would get an early answer. And, lo and behold, she got one.
When he pulled back, he saw her face. It was full of happiness and relief. Seeing her that happy definitely made him realize he made the right choice.
"You know, I've never seen you smile that pretty before," Freddie said, his nose inches from her.
Sam said, "Shut up," and pulled him in for another kiss. Her hands were on his shoulders. Freddie shifted, and put his free hand on Sam's waist.
"Hey!"
Carly was at the doorway with her hands on her hips. Sam and Freddie broke apart.
"What?" Sam said indignantly. "We're celebrating."
"Well, I'm happy for you two, but I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't 'celebrate' on my bed!" She marched over and started slapping them to get off her bed.
"Ah! Ah, okay! Okay!" Freddie said, flinching away from Carly. He and Sam scrambled off her bed.
"You said I could watch your TV, though," Sam said.
"Does 'watch Carly's TV' somehow translate to 'make out with Freddie on Carly's bed'?"
"Strangely enough, yeah."
Carly rolled her eyes, smiling. "So, are you guys a couple now?"
Freddie looked at Sam. She was staring at the floor. "Uhhh," she mumbled, "we're just kinda... you know... well, you saw what was happening on your bed."
"Well, yeah, you guys Frenched, but what does that mean for you two?" Carly sat on her bed.
Sam couldn't make any words come out. She looked at Freddie.
He turned to Carly. "Can we get back to you on that?"
She raised her eyebrows slightly, but nodded. "Sure."
Sam and Freddie walked out of Carly's room. Neither of them said anything until they walked out of the apartment and into the hallway. Sam leaned against the wall. "Sorry."
Freddie looked at her. "For what?"
"I didn't say we were... you know..." She couldn't seem to finish her sentence.
Freddie took her hand. "Don't worry about it."
"I wanted to say it, though," Sam said, looking at the floor.
"Hey." Freddie lifted her chin so she was looking at him. "It's okay. Really. This is something we both have to get used to, right?"
She nodded. Freddie leaned down and kissed her gently. "As long as you say it eventually."
She laughed a little. "I will. I hope that's soon, though."
R&R!