Author's Note: This will be a multi-shot fanfic focusing on my favorite couple Freddie and Sam, a.k.a. Seddie. The overall story will be rated M based on specific chapters to come. Feel free to skip those chapters if you are uncomfortable with such material. Takes place directly after iCarly episode: iOMG. As always, please enjoy…Read and Review. As a side note, I am a HUGE, huge Radiohead fan and most of the chapters will be directly linked to one of their songs, but not a songfic, so no worries.
The song for this chapter is, Jigsaw Falling into Place by the brilliant Radiohead! So, without further ado, here goes…
Chapter 1: First "Date"
"I don't know why you don't just ask her out on a date," said Carly, helping Freddie set up the equipment for tonight's iCarly webisode. "I mean she told you that she loved you—well hinted that she loved you. I think you're being a coward."
Freddie huffed and shook his head. "What am I supposed to say? Hey Sam, you want to go on a date with me? One—she'll break my arm, two—she'll probably think I was forced to ask her out…which I am. If you hadn't realized, this is a rather weird situation. The girl I thought hated me for the last three years has suddenly kissed me, confessing her love for me." Freddie stopped to take a breath, and for a moment Carly thought he was going to pass out. "I mean—how am I—why did she have to—how did she think I'd react?"
Carly guided him to the nearest chair and told him to sit down before he fainted. "Look—I had a feeling Sam liked you for a long time. The only thing that you need to figure out is how you feel about her." She looked nervous for a second. "How do you feel about her," she asked, slowly.
Freddie's eyebrows bunched together as he thought it over. "Sam's my friend—best friend even, besides you—I…she was my first kiss, and second—well, maybe that was Melanie, I don't know. We get along…I guess…we have our moments of peace, but dating her? We'd be required to spend more time than usual with each other. Time we'd spend arguing or fighting or insulting each other."
Carly shook her head. "You still don't get it. Sam loves you. All that fighting and picking on you was her way of saying it. Like the birthday card she gave you. The one that read: To Freddie, Happy Birthday, I hate you, Hate, Sam." Carly laughed. "What she really meant was, To Freddie, Happy Birthday, I love you, Love, Sam—besides, you two get along well enough when you're doing the mini-sodes on the webshow."
"Yeah, but that's because we're alone and," Freddie paused to think more about this. "You're not with us."
Carly feigned offense for a second. "I'm hurt," she said before laughing. "Of course, you two get along better when I'm not around. Sam hated the fact that you were always crushing on me and never paid her any attention. When I'm not around, she feels that you actually notice her."
"Hey! I always notice her," said Freddie.
"Oh really? When was the last time you gave her a compliment?" Carly asked. Freddie started to answer her, but she cut him off, "AND FOR THE LAST TIME, THERE IS A MELANIE! So if you complimented her, that doesn't count. I mean, when was the last time you gave, SAM, your friend, a compliment on her looks?"
Freddie was completely silent. He couldn't remember if he had ever complimented her. But so what? That didn't mean anything. What mattered was figuring out whether he felt the same way about Sam as she did him. He liked her to an extent and valued her friendship with him, but love? Did he love her? He had long accepted the fact that he never loved Carly, just really liked her. Had he ever loved anyone? He loved his mom. He loved technology. He loved being a part of the Mathletes. He loved being in the AV club. But did he love Sam?
"I don't know," he said, finally. "I can't remember."
Carly shook her head. "Just what I thought—why don't you give her a compliment when she gets here?"
"WHAT? Do you wanna get me killed?" he yelled.
"Stop being so freaked," said Carly, getting up. "If you want to date Sam, you have to build up your confidence—at least, your confidence around her."
Freddie closed his eyes and shook his head. He could not believe this was happening to him. Two days ago, he would have never predicted he'd be in this situation. NEVER. Now, not only was he in this situation, there was no way to get out of it. He stood up from his chair and walked over to his camera station. He almost tripped over his own feet when he saw Sam walk into the room.
"What's up Carls?" she said, eating a drumstick. "Freddison?" She went over and plopped down on one of Carly's beanbag chairs and crossed her feet.
For a moment, Freddie wondered if she forgot what had happened. She was acting relatively normal, like nothing was wrong and nothing was different. He looked over at Carly, who shrugged her shoulders and smiled. Typical Sam, he thought. Freddie knew she was giving him an out. He could either, bring up her love for him and deal with the situation, or he could forget about it and keep things the same between them. For a minute, Freddie juggled with his choices, but for some reason he decided to go with the first option.
"So Sam," he started. "You look pretty hot tonight." He was nodding his head, giving her the LOOK.
Sam effectively pulled the piece of chicken out of her mouth, making a big rip of meat through it. "What?" she said, angrily. "Do you want me to chuck this chicken at your head? You're lucky I love chicken so much, or you'd be dead."
The smirk quickly disappeared from his face and he turned to look at Carly. Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He reached down and pulled up the text. It was from Carly and read: Okay maybe complimenting her is not the right route to take, but at least that proves you know her well. Hold off any more attempts until after the show :) Freddie looked up at her and nodded. He knew he was right. Complimenting Sam would only gain him a one-way ticket to pain city.
"Come on, it's time to start the show," said Carly, pulling Sam to her feet. "We had to cut Gibby's teddy bear skit because he's sick, so I thought we could end the show with a random dancing montage."
"Fine," said Sam.
"No problem," said Freddie.
Carly and Sam took their places and Freddie began the countdown. "In five, four, three, two…"
The show went on like usual. They answered random questions from fans. Spencer came in to assist them in a 'face painting' skit. They showed a fake trailer they made for the new 'Twilight movie'. All in all, they agreed it was a pretty successful broadcast. It wasn't until he was wrapping up the equipment and about to leave that he decided he'd try again with Sam, but this time taking a different approach.
"Yo Sam," he said. "My mom's making meatballs tonight. I was going to bring over a Tupperware bowl full of them and watch a movie over here with Carly and Spencer—you can stick around if you want."
Sam, who was on her way out of the studio, halted at the word 'meatballs'. She slowly turned around and eyed both Freddie and Carly before saying, "I guess I can stay for a while. Who am I to pass up a good meatball?" She walked out the studio with Carly and Freddie following close behind her.
Later on, they were all sitting on the couch, watching the movie 300, when Freddie once again decided to be brave, but seeing that he was dealing with Sam, he knew he couldn't be too brave. He was currently sitting between Carly and Sam, with Sam holding the large bucket of meatballs on her lap. He looked between the two girls and cleared his throat.
"You okay Freddie?" asked Carly.
"Shut up, Freddork. This is the best part…that guy's head is about to get cut off," said Sam, shoving a meatball in her mouth.
Freddie remained quiet until the scene was over and then took a deep breath before continuing.
"The movie Thor is coming out tomorrow," he started, trying to act nonchalant. "I was wondering if you guys wanted to go see it." He paused at their lack of enthusiasm. "Did I mention the fact that he fights with a hammer?"
This got Sam's attention. "I like hammers."
"Yeah I know," he said, slowly. "We had an iCarly debate about the importance of hammers versus milk. So, do you wanna go?"
After a while, Sam said, "Sure, why not? You're buying the refreshments."
Freddie smiled, inwardly, and was about to relax when…
"Yeah, sounds like fun. I think I'll go too," said Carly, not looking away from the movie. A particularly hot guy was currently on screen.
Freddie whipped his head to the left so quick he almost got whiplash. He nudged her a little and Carly finally turned away from the TV. He gave her the fiercest death glare he could manage. Carly looked confused for a moment before realization finally dawned on her. She looked sheepish.
"Oh actually I just remembered that I have to tutor tomorrow," said Carly, laughing nervously. "So, I guess I won't be able to go with you guys."
Freddie cracked a smile before regaining his composure. "Aww—oh, well. I guess it'll be just me and Sam."
"Fine," said Sam, eating another meatball.
Freddie looked over at Carly and got her nod of approval.
The following afternoon, Freddie stood outside of the movie theater waiting for Sam when he noticed a hot dog stand a couple feet away. Having a hot dog waiting for her when she gets here will probably earn my some brownie points, he thought. After a moment, he thought, well it couldn't hurt. A couple minutes later, Freddie, hot dog in hand, saw Sam walking towards him.
"Why don't you look…not disgusting, today," said Sam, looking at him. He was wearing a dark blue button up and dark wash jeans. And to top it all off, he was holding a hot dog.
He held out the hot dog, "You look…not disgusting, too." On the inside, Freddie felt as if he were going to faint. She looked so hot! She was wearing a form fitting white top with a loose red vest over it and shorts. She also had on black boots. Her hair, which he had always liked, was straightened. He hurriedly looked away, not wanting her to catch him staring.
Sam took the hot dog and quickly ate it. "Very good, Benson." She watched as he walked up to the booth to buy the tickets and caught up with him. "Hold on," she said. "I'll pay for the tickets." She rummaged through her purse and slapped down a twenty on the counter.
Freddie was beyond confused. "Is this some kind of joke? Is Sam playing a prank on me and you're really Melanie?"
Sam punched him in the arm.
He winced and grabbed onto his hurt arm. "Okay—you're Sam, but why did you pay?"
"Because Freddigon, you're about to spend more money than you realize at the snack bar." She grabbed onto his arm and pulled him into the theater.
When they finally got to their seats, Freddie shook his head. She wasn't kidding about the snack bar. He bought two tubs of popcorn because she said, 'sharing popcorn with her would only end badly for both of them', and he bought three boxes of candy, two large sodas, a thing of nachos, a soft pretzel, and some ice cream. It had taken him two trips to and from the snack bar to get everything. He turned to her with intention of scolding her when he stopped abruptly, taking in her appearance.
She had already put on her 3D glasses. Unlike everyone else in the room, who were wearing their 3D glasses, Sam had managed to look cute rather than geeky. He smiled and put on his 3D glasses, as well.
"Here we go," he said, as the lights dimmed.
A couple hours later, the movie ended. Instead of leaving the theater, they sat and watched credits. Sam looked over at Freddie, whose mouth was hanging open. She grinned and tossed a piece of popcorn in his mouth causing him to cough and take a sip of his soda.
"Not funny," he said, laughing. "Couldn't help it—that movie was amazing."
Sam nodded her head. "Yeah—it was kinda cool." She stood up, Freddie following her and walked down the stairs. As they reached the door, Freddie stopped to throw away the rest of his popcorn. "Not so fast, Benson." Sam went over and snatched the bucket of popcorn out his hands and dragged him behind her.
"You're still hungry?" he asked, incredulously.
Sam looked up at him. "Did you forget who you're dealing with?"
Freddie laughed and the two began to walk. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Freddie couldn't take it anymore. Her love confession was plaguing his brain and he had to get to the bottom of the matter.
"About the other night—at the lock-in," he started.
Sam quickly cut him off. "You wanna go to the dance club?"
Freddie, caught off guard, agreed.
When they arrived, Sam went to find them a place to sit, while Freddie went to the bar to get them fruit drinks. This is so weird, he thought. The last time I was here, I was with Melanie. I wonder if this date will be like that one. He grinned, secretly hoping that Sam would take the initiative and kiss him again. He knew he would be the one to initiate it. Sam obviously doesn't want to talk about the lock-in and she doesn't— His train of thought was cut short by the bartender handing him their drinks. He walked off to find Sam and his nervousness was quickly replaced by anger when he saw her sitting with some guy. His grip on the drinks increased a little as he approached them.
"I got the drinks," he said, announcing his presence. Sam looked up and nodded at him, but the guy she was sitting with didn't so much as blink at his arrival. The more he stood there, holding the drinks, the more like a dork he felt. Here he was standing, looking like a complete loser, while some idiot flirted, openly, with his date. Remembering Carly's advice about him being more confident around Sam, he said, "So Sam—who's your friend?"
Sam turned away from the guy and spoke over the music. "This is Kenny—we met at Juvie. Kenny this is my friend, Freddie."
Freddie's felt physically pained when she introduced him as her friend. He sat down next to her and handed her the drink. "Great," he said. Freddie felt it best to just let them talk. If he said the wrong thing and it came to blows, he wouldn't stand a chance against this 'Kenny' guy. He'd been to Juvie for christ's sake. Then again, he was sure that if the guy did try anything, Sam would protect him. Freddie hated to admit it, but if they were to enter a romantic relationship, he was sure Sam would be the one to fight his battles for him. Not the other way around. Mustering up the courage, he said, "Look Kenny is it? Sam and I are kinda busy, so if you don't mind—"
Kenny looked at him for a second and then back at Sam. "I'll see you later, Sam." He got up and left.
Freddie watched him leave through narrowed eyes. The way he said, 'I'll see you later, Sam', bugged him. The guy said it as if he would DEFINITELY see her later. Freddie didn't realize how angry he was until Sam shook him out of his musings.
"You okay there, Freddison?"
Freddie looked back at her, shocked. "Oh—I'm fine."
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sam, realizing how awkward it was, decided to loosen Freddie up a little. "Come on, Fredwart. Let's dance." She pulled his up and onto the dance floor before he could protest. It was a fast song and Freddie didn't feel comfortable dancing in public.
"Sam, I don't want to dance," he said, pleadingly. "I don't know how, anyway. No baila, por favor."
Sam rolled her eyes. "Oh come on—how's this any different than what we do on the webshow? Just pretend this is a random dancing segment."
At his silence, Sam figured she had won.
"Yes, now Fredhead…let's show these guys how the iCarly crew dances," said Sam, starting to jump around, wildly.
Seeing the horrified look on Freddie's face and his lack of movement, she grabbed his hands and started dancing even more crazily. After a minute, Freddie rolled his eyes and started jumping around too. As the music picked up, so did they, and before they knew it, they were the only two on the dance floor, dancing around, wildly without a care in the world. When the music finally stopped, so did they. Sam looked around at all the people cheering for them and yelling, "Go iCarly!"
Sam smiled, all the while trying to catch her breath. She was caught off guard when she turned to look at Freddie, who smiled back at her, trying to catch his breath. She was even more caught off guard when he grabbed her hand, pulling her in for a kiss. At this the crowd cheered even louder. This kiss lasted much longer than all their previous kisses and when they finally separated, Freddie knew for sure. He loved her too.
Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing it. If you're feeling kind or bored today, drop a review, I'd really appreciate it. Remember, this will be a series of one-shots detailing their progressing relationship. Preview for next chapter: First "Serious Conversation" featuring guest appearances by Spencer, Gibby, and Carly. Modeled after the brilliant chorus of Radiohead's song 'Electioneering'.