A/N: Here's my latest iCarly one-shot. It's another Creddie, because I personally don't think there are enough of these out there. I get the whole fascination with Seddie, but you know, I like both sides. Because really, those are the two kinds of love stories: the classic kind of boy next door/girl next door stories, and the love-hate stories. So, since there is such an insane amount of Seddie, I think I'll stick with Creddie. And I wrote this before iSaved Your Life, so it's definitely AU. Enjoy! R&R! Thanks! –Mac
Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly.
iCan't Take It Anymore
Sam was frustrated—something that didn't happen very often as she was accustomed to taking anything she wanted or scaring away anyone who got in her way. But in this matter she had no power. This thing she wanted to occur was hardly tangible and of course out of her control. It was in the hands of her best friends, but they were both pretending it didn't exist. And Sam couldn't very well use her fists on them to have them head her advice. Sure, she could on Freddie, but she found a way to cause him pain everyday and it had done no good thus far. She had to figure out a different way to go about it.
Until then, she would have to live with the frustration, which made her grumpy and irritable, and a whole lot meaner than she usually intended—which meant her fellow students were cowering away from her in the halls, Gibby was limping slightly from extra wedgies, and Freddie was nursing several new bruises. Carly had become worried about Sam's seemingly unprovoked anger, but was too oblivious to ever fathom that she may have had a hand in the cause of the violent behavior. Freddie was simply concerned for his own health and what he would have to endure if the unexplained anger continued.
Sam just growled in frustration when Carly politely asked if she was okay the first time. She threw her hands up in the air and stormed off when Carly, more wary the second time, asked if there was anything she could do to help. This offered no relief to Carly, who was all the more confused for asking. All Sam wanted to do was scream at the poor girl, her oblivious best friend.
No, she was not okay. She was being slowly driven mad by the perpetual dance her friends participated in around each other. Yes, there was something Carly could do. She could tell the boy what was what and put him out of his misery.
Sam knew that most people would look at the two and break out into a simultaneous 'Awww.' In that hopeless romantic kind of way, the two were kind of classic. The boy next door falls for the girl next door, the girl next door falls for the boy next door, and neither ever reveals their true feelings. To normal people their blindness was cute. To Sam, it was sickening. She couldn't stand the way they avoided each other's eyes or the way they flush a bright pink when the other caught them staring, or the way both of them were so freakin' blind to the other's feelings. God, it was annoying.
Yet she couldn't do much to change it. She had to let their relationship run its course and hope that eventually they manned up and got themselves together. Preferably, before she went completely insane.
It didn't seem like it was going to work out in her sanity's favor, however.
If Sam wanted to get technical, their behavior was getting worse by the day. Their sidelong lovesick glances were increasing in number. Carly asked Freddie how she looked one-hundred-and-fifty-percent more times than she used to—to which he blushed and made an excuse to leave the room. Freddie became a grumbling, jealous slump every time anything with a Y chromosome looked at Carly. It was all very Junior High, and as fully mature high school students—this close to graduating—they were too old for it. And Sam wanted to punch something—but the only thing within reach at the time were her locker and their new principal and she wasn't up for getting expelled for either destruction of school property or assault on the administration officer. So instead, she clenched her fists so tight, her nails left crescent shaped marks on her palms. She didn't think she could take much more.
She reached her absolute boiling point the night of the rehearsal for the next iCarly episode.
Carly had rented a movie and asked Sam and Freddie to hang out to watch it. Though Sam wasn't really up to spending two hours watching the two make googly eyes at the back of each other's heads, she had a hard time saying no to Carly when she pouted and pulled the best friend card. So, she found herself settled in on Carly's couch, smack dab in the middle with Carly on her right and Freddie on her left. Carly popped in the movie and the torture began.
A half hour into the movie, Sam realized that Carly and Freddie were periodically sneaking glances at each other over her head. She tried to ignore it and focus on the movie playing in front of her. When her attempts failed, she stood abruptly.
"I'm going to make some popcorn," Sam announced.
In the safety of the kitchen, she took her time finding the popcorn and laying it flat in the microwave. She sat watching the package revolve around and around until the popcorn was done. She poured the popcorn into a bowl and took a deep breath before she returned to the couch. Carly and Freddie were still pressed against opposite ends of the couch, leaving ample space in the middle for Sam. With a sigh, Sam plopped back down on the couch with the bowl of popcorn on her lap. She was happy to at least have the distraction of eating to help her through the rest of the movie. Or so she thought. Within a few minutes of her return with the bowl of popcorn, Carly and Freddie began to munch on the snack as well. They were cautious to only reach for the bowl when the other wasn't. Carly would sit with her hand hovering over the bowl until Freddie had pulled his own hand away. This worked for a short time, but as the movie reached its climax, their attention turned back to the TV screen. Focused elsewhere, they each plunged their hands into the bowl at the same time. Their fingers grazed each other and they pulled their hands back so fast Sam would have thought they had been burned. Both of them sat with their eyes wide in surprise. Sam looked at Carly and then at Freddie.
And then she snapped.
Sam jumped from her seat on the couch, knocking the bowl off her lap to spill popcorn all over the floor, "I can't take it anymore!" She turned to face them as they sat there in shock at her outburst. "That's it. I'm done. Carly, everyone and their mother's chiropractor knows that Freddie has had a crush on you for like ever. And Freddie, Carly tried to be all aloof and pretend she doesn't like you too, but she does a lot. So there, since the two of you were two terrified to tell each other, I got it out of the way for you. Now I'm going to go to the Groovy Smoothie to calm down over a Strawberry Splat. When I come back, you better have worked everything out, or so help me…I'm going to have to kill both of you and find a way to blame it on Gibby."
With that final threat, Sam turned on her heel and stalked out of the apartment. As the door slammed behind her, Carly and Freddie shared a tentative look. Their eyes met for a split second before they turned back forward to focus on the TV. The credits for the movie were already rolling on the screen.
Carly reached over for the remote and clicked the TV off. The two sat in silence for a few long moments before she finally said, "Is it true what Sam said? Do you still like me?"
Freddie scoffed, "More like love you."
The minute the words left his mouth, his eyes widened in shock at the very unintentional confession.
Carly's lips formed a small smile, "Really?"
"Well…yea…yeah," Freddie stammered. He paused for a moment before turning to Carly. "Was it true what Sam said about you...you know…liking me?"
Carly was quiet as she scooted over on the couch so that she was sitting next to Freddie. She turned to face him and slowly raised her eyes to meet his. Freddie raised an eyebrow in question to prompt her to answer.
"Yeah, it's true," Carly said softly. She reached over and took one of his hands in hers. She laced their fingers together and smiled down at their joined hands. "I know I should have said something myself, but I was afraid that I was too late, that you had moved on. I mean, you haven't made any obvious attempts since the summer before freshman year."
"Yeah, well…we were going into high school. I started to think you were never going to have feelings for me…" Freddie trailed off.
"I can't believe Sam had to call us out…" Carly shook her head. "It's like the least romantic thing ever. Plus I paid good money for that movie and I can't remember anything that happened in it and to top it all off now I got to clean up this mess." She glanced down at the popcorn that littered the floor. "Sam had to be so dramatic with all her—"
Carly was mid sentence when Freddie reached over his free hand to tilt her face back toward his and leaned forward to capture her lips with his. Carly let out a small squeak in surprise and Freddie pulled away abruptly. His cheeks flushed a bright crimson and he looked down at his hand still clasped in hers.
"I'm sorry," Freddie murmured. "I thought you wanted—"
"I do!" Carly exclaimed, laughing lightly. "You just surprised me, that's all. Why don't you try that again…?"
Freddie grinned as he leaned in closer. His hand gently stroked her cheek before sliding back to keep a loose hold on the back of her neck. Carly's eyes fluttered closed as he closed the distance between them to kiss her again. This time Carly was far from surprised and was able to kiss him back. One of her hands came up to hold on to his shoulder and pull him closer.
When Sam returned, still sipping on her smoothie, Carly and Freddie were still making out on the couch. For a minute, Sam smiled as her shoulders eased out the tension and she was overcome with relief. Once that passed and they still hadn't noticed her, she forced a scowl onto her face and pushed her way onto the couch, separating them out of the reach of the other's mouth.
"Okay, that's enough. I'm happy you worked things out, but you're making me nauseous."
The two settled back into their sides of the couch. Carly blushed a pretty pink and Freddie had on a lopsided grin.
"That's better," Sam said. And she meant it in more ways than one.