Author's Note: Helloo, fellow iCarly fans! This is my first attempt at an iCarly story that isn't a cross-over. So pretty please, drop me a line, be it criticism or praise. I decided to do this one-shot last night on a whim after joining a Creddie forum. I've been inspired to write about Carly and Freddie since watching a few new episodes of iCarly. So you are forewarned, this is a Creddie story. Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly, the characters or Dan Schneider's brain. If I did, some things would go slightly differently in the show...
iHave A Snowball Fight:
It was fast approaching Christmas and Seattle acknowledged this fact with the arrival of snow. In just a few days, Bushwell Plaza had begun to resemble the interior of a snow globe. The building and road below were caked in hefty layers of mushy snow that reached up to one's ankles.
On a day approximately two weeks before Christmas, Carly and Freddie had opted to take their bikes out to the Crown Ridge Mall to get some ideas on what to get their loved ones for Christmas. They needed to stretch their legs in any event, since they'd been off school for a few snow days.
It was nearly 3pm and they needed to be back at Carly's apartment to rehearse their upcoming episode of iCarly. Sam hadn't accompanied them to Crown Ridge Mall because her mother had grounded her for not cleaning her room yet again. But she had promised to sneak out of her bedroom for rehearsals and get back home in time before her mom returned from her Karaoke/Poker meeting.
Though Carly and Sam were the best of friends, she hadn't missed her company that much while Christmas browsing with Freddie at the mall. While she enjoyed the endless array of girl talk with Sam, the comfortable silences in between conversation with Freddie were just as enjoyable. When he wasn't openly declaring his love for her and figuratively kissing her feet, that is. She could be herself completely with Freddie without fear of judgment, even on her less perky days.
Freddie, on the other hand, was more than pleased that Sam hadn't joined him and Carly at the mall. He was ecstatic. It wasn't very often that he and Carly were afforded quality time together away from Sam's abuse (aimed predominantly at him) and his mother's over-protective molly-coddling. He treasured their friendship, especially if it meant he could be closer to her without things becoming terribly awkward. But he hadn't given up on finally making Carly Shay see the light, that he was her predestined knight in shining armour. And today would be one of many days he would happily spend convincing her of that simple truth.
As they reached home, they found that they couldn't navigate the usual path with their bicycles due to the snow. So for the next few metres, they trudged through several inches of snow. The air from their mouths rose in great cold billows about them while they talked amongst themselves.
"Seriously, Freddie. I can't think of what to get Sam for Christmas," Carly continued on exasperatedly.
"I told you, Carly. Sam will probably be over the moon if you got her a gigantic Christmas ham, or a lifetime supply of pork chops she could eat in bed." Freddie returned teasingly.
"I practically give her that every day when she comes over to my house. I need something original and well thought out." Carly put in pensively.
"How 'bout a 'Get Out Of Jail' card? It's original and well thought out, because we both know that Sam will end up in jail before we graduate from high school at any rate. Plus, it won't cost you a dime and can be easily retrieved from Spencer's Monopoly board game." Freddie responded cleverly, which earned him a smack from Carly on the arm.
"That is so mean, Freddie! Sam will probably get you a really thoughtful present for Christmas…like a punch to the gut." Carly guffawed.
"Or knock me over with her ten-pin bowling set like last time," Freddie quipped darkly.
"What are you getting Spencer for Christmas?" Freddie asked curiously of Carly.
"I don't know, maybe more socks that glow in the dark." Carly mused thoughtfully.
"I thought Spencer got glow-in-the-dark socks from his friend, Socko." Freddie stated in bewilderment.
"Okay, maybe glow-in-the-dark boxers then. What are you getting your Mom for Christmas?" Carly inquired.
"A muzzle." Freddie retorted, which earned him yet another smack from Carly.
"Ow. Relax, it'll be a bejewelled muzzle," he teased, which mollified her for the moment. God, he loved her smile.
Carly did look exceptionally adorable for the occasion. She was wearing jeans, ankle-high boots, winter gloves, her favourite snow jacket, a woollen scarf and a small beanie with a tassel on the end. Carly suppressed a smirk at Freddie, who appeared to be wearing what looked like two thick snow jackets or snow jacket with a showy anorak underneath. He too was wearing jeans, a woollen scarf, Ice Cream sneakers, a woollen beanie and winter gloves.
When they finally got to the front entrance of Bush Plaza, Freddie looked about him and began formulating a cunning plan.
"Hey, Carls. Why don't you take your bike into the lobby so long and come meet me back out here? I wanna show you something," Freddie instructed with the slightest of smiles.
"But Sam will be here in a few minutes," Carly pointed out impatiently.
"Just do it. Oh, and take my bike into the lobby too." Freddie interjected calmly.
Carly shot Freddie one last withering glance before stalking into the warm lobby with their bikes in tow. Freddie grinned at her back and walked towards a thick clump of snow. When Carly returned a minute later, he was still standing in front of the same clump of snow, a smirk plastered on his face.
"Alright, I'm back in the freezing cold again. What do you wanna show me?" Carly demanded impatiently, her hands on her hips.
"Just stand right here." Freddie commanded in a soft voice, using his hands on her hips to steer her onto just the right spot.
"O-kay." Carly muttered in confusion, while Freddie backed away, taking up a position behind her.
"What am I supposed to be looking at?" Carly asked quizzically, her eyes squinting ahead of her.
"Don't you see it? That little speck in the sky? It looks like a cool cloud formation." Freddie explained dubiously, taking something out of his pocket.
Holding a freshly made snow ball carefully in his left hand, he drew back his arm and swung it forward.
"I think you're getting brain freeze from being outside too long, Freddie. 'Cause I don't see anything – hey!" Carly thundered, rounding on Freddie, who stood a few feet away.
He was openly laughing now as she stalked towards him. Even though she couldn't feel it, she knew there was now a large splatter stain on the back of her jacket.
"Oops." Freddie apologised unabashedly, a wide smile on his face.
That does it. If Freddie thought he was going to ruin her favourite snow jacket without some kind of retaliation, then he had another thing coming.
Freddie's smile evaporated as Carly advanced towards him, her boots taking long stride in the slushy snow.
"Hey, Carly, come on now. I was just messing around. It's me, Freddie. Your best friend," Freddie countered, backing away from her, his hands raised in surrender.
A wicked smile crept onto Carly's face, causing her dimples to show.
"Well, that was your first mistake. 'Cause when it comes to snow ball fights," Carly trailed off demurely, bending down to the ground to pick up a clump of snow.
"I don't mess around," she finished off, patting the snow down in her hand to form a perfectly shaped circle.
"Carly, what are you doing? Come on, you wouldn't really throw a snow ball at me, would ya? That would just be mean, and you're not a mean person. Not like Sam." Freddie pointed out smoothly.
"True," Carly concurred simply, making to put the snow back down.
Then at the last minute, she lobbed the snow ball straight at Freddie's astonished face with a powerful wrist action.
"But you've gotta admit, I do have a better aim than you." She concluded devilishly, laughing openly at the wet slush that had gotten into his brown hair and was currently running down his face.
"That is so jank, Carly!" Freddie retorted and picked up yet another clump of snow.
After that, the snowball fight raged on in that little strip of earth just in front of Bushwell Plaza. Carly and Freddie laughed together openly at each other's antics, dodging one another's hits as if they were dancing in slow motion.
After a minute of pure annihilation, Freddie and Carly's actions unconsciously became more strategic. Carly sprinted towards the back wall of Bushwell Plaza while Freddie hid behind a garbage can on the opposite end. When it seemed like the game would have no obvious winner, they approached one another cautiously, their clothing completely sodden with wet precipitated snow.
"Truce?" Carly asked hoarsely, her voice feeling strained from laughing and shrieking, keeping one hand behind her back.
"How do I know that you don't have another snow ball stashed on you?" Freddie asked suspiciously.
"Come on, Freddie. I don't want to continue this stalemate anymore. I'm extending the olive branch here," Carly pleaded with those puppy dog eyes of hers.
Freddie sighed loudly and put out his right hand.
"Okay, truce." He conceded, putting his hand on hers.
In one swift moment, both of them had simultaneously yanked out concealed snowballs from their left hands and had unceremoniously smashed the other smack bam in the middle of their chests with the sticky snow. Both looked down at their clothes, then glanced back at each other with indignant looks.
"Oh no, you didn't!" Freddie snapped with an evil glint in his eye.
"Oh yes, I di-id!" Carly retorted with a triumphant smirk.
"Have it your way then," Freddie muttered before hoisting Carly over his shoulder.
"Hey, put me down, you skunk bag! Freddie, FREDDIE!" Carly shrieked, pounding her petite hands savagely onto Freddie's back.
Her persistence finally paid off when Freddie lost his balance, causing the both of them to tumble forwards into a huge cluster of snow. Freddie was instantly winded when Carly decided at that moment to gain the upper hand by rolling him over so that she was now lying on top of him.
"Carly, can't breathe, here!" Freddie yelped.
"Say it!" Carly urged, locking her hands over his to stop him from moving.
"I still can't breathe," he teased stubbornly, enjoying how exasperated she was getting by his response.
"Say it!" Carly repeated, digging her fingernails into Freddie's wrists and pressing her knees against his stomach, cutting off his respiratory system more.
"Okay, okay, you win. Carly Shay, you are the queen of snowball fights." Freddie declared as sincerely as possible, a smile playing on his lips.
"Thank you." Carly murmured appreciatively.
In that moment when she locked eyes with him, Carly realised how close in proximity she was to Freddie. She was practically straddling him and Freddie hadn't done anything yet to remedy the situation. He could very well have thrown her onto her back and taken charge; he'd proven his strength once before, accelerated by adolescence after she had freaked out about him and Sam kissing. In that moment, all she could think about was that if she were lying flat across him face to face and leg to leg, her legs would only come up to his ankles. Freddie had grown tall. Not that she hadn't been aware of this fact previously; it had just been reasserted now that the breath from his nose was coming out in quick wisps against her face. Granted, she was on top of him and pinning him down by her free will. But in a strange twist of irony, she couldn't feel the immediate need to distance herself from him.
"What's wrong?" Freddie asked in concern, noticing that Carly had gone oddly quiet.
"Nothing. It's just that I never realised how brown your eyes are." Carly murmured softly, her eyes still locked on his.
"It came with the rest of the modifications." Freddie teased with a wink.
"I should get up," Carly stated abruptly, part of her senses coming back to her.
"Okay." Freddie responded quietly, waiting for Carly to get up so that he could catch his breath.
Carly didn't move a single muscle.
"I can't move." Carly admitted after a pregnant pause.
"What's wrong? Are you stuck?" Freddie asked with a nervous chuckle.
"No." Carly answered slowly.
"Then what?" Freddie questioned curiously.
"I don't know. I just…why have you had a crush on me for so long?" Carly spluttered abruptly.
"W-what? That's what you're asking me?" Freddie asked quizzically.
"Yeah, I guess. Um, I don't know." Carly answered uncertainly.
"You don't really expect me to answer that in my current position?" Freddie demanded incredulously, his eyes drifting over their bodies entwined together.
"What's wrong?" he asked once more.
"Why did you really invite me out here?" Carly asked seriously, her eyes trailing down towards his chest instead of meeting his eyes.
"I was trying to get you into a snowball fight." Freddie answered truthfully.
"Or was it just another ploy to get me to see you in a different light?" Carly questioned shrewdly.
"That depends. Did it work?" Freddie asked softly.
Carly's eyes met his once more. She hadn't been expecting that answer from Freddie at all. Freddie 'Eternal Mama's Boy' Benson had just thrown her a line. One that she wasn't currently opposed to. And that unnerved her a great deal. But just not enough to stop her from what she was about to do.
"Maybe," she muttered before pressing her lips forcefully against his.
Freddie's eyes shot wide open at the sight of Carly's lips on his. What was going on? Carly Shay was kissing him! Carly Shay, the girl of his dreams, his best friend, was kissing him. Was this some elaborate dream? It couldn't hurt to test the waters a little.
He opened his mouth a fraction, letting his tongue graze tentatively against her bottom lip. This was it; she was going to beat the crap out of him for being so bold or do something completely out of character.
Carly chose the latter, gasping slightly at the sensation, but opening her mouth wider all the same. Freddie decided then and there that pressing his luck seemed to be the right thing to do. His hands reached up around her and stayed on the small of her back at just the right height that wouldn't make her uncomfortable. He almost fell apart when she bit down possessively on his bottom lip. Carly closed her eyes, losing herself completely. How was it possible that these strange feelings in her that she didn't even know existed were suddenly igniting into combustible proportions, especially for Freddie of all people?
When she finally opened her eyes, she was surprised to find that Freddie's eyes were still closed, a goofy grin on his face. It seemed that he hadn't yet realised that she had finally stopped kissing him. Perhaps he too had gotten lost along the way.
When Freddie opened his eyes, his sheepish expression turned quizzical once more at the unfathomable look in Carly's eyes. She still hadn't moved off of him and the hair visible beneath her beanie now hung in delicate curtains, splayed out over his frozen cheeks.
"What's wrong?" Freddie asked for the umpteenth time, resting his limp hands on the frigid snow once more.
"Your lips are cold." Carly deadpanned.
Freddie couldn't decide if Carly was being truthful or sarcastic. So many strange things had already occurred. So he did the first thing that came to mind, the only thing that seemed natural in this moment. He laughed.
"Oops." He deadpanned right back, chuckling all the while.
To his intense relief, Carly's mouth curved into a familiar smile as she too followed suit. She continued laughing uproariously, her forehead touching Freddie's while they continued to lie in the snow for a few more seconds.
****************
When Carly and Freddie finally made their way back up to the Shay's apartment with their bikes, they were alarmed to find Sam already waiting for them outside the front door, wearing a similar ensemble of winter clothing. When did she get here? Neither of them had seen her use the front entrance to Bushwell Plaza. Then another staggering thought entered both their minds: had they not seen Sam because they had been a little…preoccupied? If so, had Sam seen them kissing?
"Guys, where have you been?" Sam demanded, tapping her foot impatiently on the hard wood floor of the hallway.
"W-what do you mean?" Carly asked with a hesitant smile, deciding to play dumb instead.
"You were supposed to have come back from Crown Ridge Mall already. What took you so long?" Sam asked suspiciously, narrowing.
"We got back about 10 minutes ago. But I uh sort've tricked Carly into an impromptu snowball fight outside." Freddie offered, opting for the truth instead. Some of it, at least.
"No wonder you're both soaking wet." Sam responded grimly, staring down at their clothing.
"Yip, that's why." Freddie and Carly chorused at the same time, then caught one another's eye. Freddie's Adam's apple throbbed while Carly blushed profusely.
"Wait, which way did you come up?" Freddie asked suspiciously.
"The fire escape. That way, I stayed warm and avoided Lewbert's disgusting mole too."
Sam noted that both Carly and Freddie let out what sounded like sighs of relief. She narrowed her eyebrows.
"O-kay. Wait, you guys had a snowball fight without me? That's so jank!" Sam retorted indignantly, hands on hips.
"Sorry." Carly offered weakly.
"Yeah. Sorry, Sam." Freddie apologised sincerely, which threw Sam completely. Since when did Tech Nerd ever apologise to her for something he'd done?
"Alright, you're forgiven, just as long as it doesn't happen again. Now can we please save the chit-chat for inside your toasty warm apartment? My little piggies are freezing in my boots. Speaking of piggies, you got any ham?" Sam inquired innocently.
Freddie laughed at this while Carly shook her hand and opened the door, a smile etched on her face. Sam made a beeline for the refrigerator, grabbing the first thing that looked like meat. She surveyed her two friends surreptitiously while they discarded of their jackets in the living room. Carly seemed way too happy in the company of Dorkward, yet oddly tense. Both of them did. Something was definitely up. Sam believed their story about going to Crown Ridge Mall and then engaging in a spontaneous snowball fight outside. But there was something else, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Sam shrugged and closed the refrigerator door. She began walking back towards her friends, who were sitting on the sofa, balancing the plate of ham carefully in her hands. Who was she kidding? In spite of Fredward's wildest dreams, nothing drastic could've changed in the space of one afternoon between him and Carly. Especially not over a snowball fight.
No one is more surprised than I that this one-shot is only about 3000 words. I'm usually more of a 'marathon novel' type. I really enjoyed writing the comedy in this one-shot. What did you guys think of the kiss? Be honest, I feel awkward writing pure romance all the time. So I always throw in a little comedy to bail myself out. That's all from me folks, Happy Holidays, everyone!