This is going to be my first attempt for a longer and more mature SEDDIE story. They're going to be a bit older and a bit OOC.
Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly
Freddie stood in the shower with his forehead resting on the wall. Even with the water set to as cold as he could stand, Freddie still couldn't shake off his drowsiness. He looked right into the shower head and let the cold water hit his face. He was having trouble sleeping for a few weeks. No matter how sleepy he was when he tried to sleep – as soon as his eyes shut, his mind went into overdrive. Thoughts would jump around incoherently, nightmare situations and happy recollections tumbled incessantly through his subconscious. It would force him awake dozens of times at night – covered in sweat – often with just a few minutes sleep in between. Worst thing was… now he knew exactly why.
When he finished showering, he stepped out and wrapped the towel around his waist. He looked blearily at his reflection in the fogged-up mirror. He was much taller and a lot trimmer than he was last year. At seventeen years old now, his chest and stomach were more defined. Secretly, and without really knowing why he wanted to keep it a secret, Freddie had worked out every night with a set of weights he hid under his bed. In the morning he would stand here and flex his muscles at himself like an idiot - but right now, he didn't much care. In the last few weeks, he actually worked out even harder than usual - just hoping he would be too exhausted to think about anything when he went to sleep. It hadn't worked.
He grabbed another towel and stumbled out of the bathroom while rubbing his body and hair dry. A gust of cold air hit the bare skin of his chest and legs. He looked around and was alarmed to find his bedroom window wide open.
"What the f…" he began to mumble.
Beside his ear, he heard someone seductively say, "Hey stud."
"GAAAH!" Freddie jumped and spun around, knocking things of his dresser. They fell to the floor with a loud clatter. "DAMMIT Sam!"
Samantha Puckett grinned back at him with her eyes full of wicked glee.
"Freddie!" Mrs. Benson called out from the kitchen. "Is everything ok?"
"It's fine Mom!" he yelled back as he rushed to lock the door in case she tried to come in. Wide awake now, he glared at Sam who was now sitting on his bed trying not to laugh. "I just stubbed my toe on something!"
"I don't know how many times I've told you to pick up your room Fredward Benson," she scolded. "You can really hurt yourself, you know." Sam mouthed his mother's words at him from the bed.
"I know Mom," whined Freddie.
"Do you want me to come and put some ice on it Freddie-kins? It might bruise if we don't." Sam was failing miserably at not laughing now.
"NO Mom!" Freddie was starting to panic. "I'm fine!"
"Alright, sweetie. Come down for breakfast when you're ready."
Freddie waited to see if that was the last of it. Satisfied, he turned on Sam. "WHAT THE," he started then lowered his voice. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He walked around the room, picking up all the things that fell. "My Mom would flip out if she finds you here. And what the hell are you doing here right now?" he asked finally as he faced her.
Sam seemed unfazed by his anger. "You're cute when you're angry, Freddie-kins," she said and watched him impotently rage at her. Sam looked him up and down as she said, "And you don't look bad in just a towel either."
Freddie's face reddened and he spun around to avoid further scrutiny. "Sam, please go into my bathroom," he asked curtly.
"Take it easy tiger. I'm not that kind of girl," said Sam suggestively.
Freddie felt more and more exposed. "I need to change," he said slowly, "and my clothes are out here. Could you PLEASE just go into the bathroom for a minute?"
"Ok, ok, if you're going to be such a prude about it." She stood and walked over to the bathroom. Sam gave him one last appraising glance as she shut the door behind her.
Freddie grabbed his clothes and started pulling them on. Sam always left him confused when she acted like that. Ever since they started their junior year, Sam had changed. 'Filled out' - was the term that jumped into his mind. She started acting and dressing differently. She still went out of her way to bust Freddie's balls, so not everything changed, but Sam definitely acted more like a girl - although still not as girly as Carly. Both of them were beautiful without a doubt, but where Carly was demure and delicate, Sam was more bold and direct. Still, Sam got as much attention from the boys in school now. She had stopped beating up on most of them and even started dating some. Freddie wasn't sure how he felt about that.
For the longest time he thought he was in love with Carly, but ever since he shared his first kiss with Sam when they were thirteen, he wondered how he really felt about each of them. Carly was still cute, smart and sweet as ever. Everyone who met her fell in love. And Sam… well Sam was his enigma. She had an undeniable knack for getting under his skin. Sometimes it was through direct insults and others through veiled innuendo. He couldn't figure her out at all.
Freddie had grown up too - he wasn't naïve and inexperienced about girls anymore. He had been on more than a few dates now. Some of his relationships might have become more serious if not for Sam and Carly. Not directly though. The problem was when he would date a girl, he inevitable compared her to the two of them and she always fell short. He sometimes felt that they've ruined other women for him forever.
Forever was a long time though, and nothing lasts forever. In fact, some things were all too brief. He shook his head not wanting to think about it. Instead he turned to a different mystery. He asked Sam through the door, "What are you doing here, anyway?"
Sam's answer was muffled.
"What?"
Freddie jumped again when Sam yanked the door open and repeated, "I said - Carly asked me to come over and tell you something." She watched him button up his jeans and testily asked, "May I come out now?"
"Go ahead," he told her still self conscious without a shirt on. He walked over to his dresser to grab one. "What did she want you to tell me?"
"That you are a total loser and you should give up because she will never ever go out with you," said Sam impishly. "Ever."
Freddie was quiet and just pulled his shirt on.
"Come on, Benson. You're taking all the fun out of it." When Freddie didn't say anything she continued, "Fine! She told me to tell you that she's having Spencer take her to school early for some dumb student body meeting - and that you will have to find another way to get to school - because Spencer has somewhere else to go after he takes her - that you should offer me a ride if you find one - since I was too lazy to wake up early to go with her. And if you would happen upon some meaty, breakfast-y type objects, you should offer them to me too." She said the whole thing in a sing-song way. "I might have added that last bit myself."
That made Freddie chuckle as he pulled on his shoes. "You could have called or text'd me instead," he complained.
"And deny me the chance of answering a timeless question about you Fredloser?" she quipped. He looked back at her questioningly. Suddenly she stretched out a pair of his underwear.
Freddie jumped up and snatched the boxers away from her. "C'mon Sam, cut it out." He felt his face flush again as she laughed.
"Figured you for a tighty-whities kind of guy."
To quickly change the subject he said, "Ok, I'll ask my mom to drop us off."
"Thanks, Fredward." Sam's looked curiously at his face and added, "You know, I have to exaggerate when I say this usually, but you look like crap."
His adrenaline rush was wearing off and he was starting to crash again. He rubbed his face with his hands and sat down on the edge of his bed. The lack of sleep made him dizzy and nauseous.
"Thanks a lot," he grumbled sarcastically. "Just can't get any sleep lately." He leaned backed to stretch and took a good look at her for the first time.
Sam wore her long blonde hair straight now, with the bangs swept to one side. It was all held back with a black silk ribbon. She had on light purple eye shadow and dark eyeliner and he lips were a soft pink. He wasn't sure he could get use to the fact that Sam wore make up now. Under her grey and red striped hoodie she was wearing a tight black t-shirt with a hearts and skulls print. It left some of her midriff bare above her tight low rise jeans. He would have called it her emo look – if he didn't mind getting smacked around by her for saying it. Besides, it looked good on her – which he didn't say either since he would get smacked around for that too.
In the end it didn't matter, Sam smacked him on the side of his head anyway. "Hey Freddork, are you listening?"
"Sorry," he yawned, "I'm just really out of it."
Sam was looking at him seriously "Why can't you sleep?"
"I dunno."
She tilted her head, not believing him. "You've been out of it the last couple of weeks. There has to be something."
"There's not."
"You know, you can talk to me about it."
"It's nothing," he said dismissively.
"It isn't nothing," Sam said sharply.
Freddie could tell something was wrong all of a sudden. The playful look on Sam's face was gone now. Her eyes were hard and he could see Sam's jaw straining – like she was holding herself back. Alarmed now, he said, "It's nothing important, I just can't sleep."
"You're a liar – you know it's important," Sam pressed.
"No, Sam it isn't."
"You just won't tell me," accused Sam.
"No, that's not it."
"Then tell me!" demanded Sam, angry but still restrained.
Freddie was getting annoyed and angry as well and just wanted to end the conversation. "NO Sam! Look, just drop it. Ok?" Out of irritation he added, "It's none of your business anyway." Freddie got up to walk away from her. "
Suddenly he was off his feet. The air whooshed out of his lungs when Sam slammed her palms into his chest. Freddie fell back onto his bed from the blow and before he could do anything about it, Sam was on top of him. She straddled his stomach and pinned his arms back. Freddie, while still struggling to catch his breath, tried to fight her off - but he forgot how crazy strong she could be. He could feel her hands flexing menacingly on his wrists and he stopped struggling. The ribbon holding Sam's hair back had come undone so the mass of blonde hair framed her livid face. "How could you say that? I thought I was your friend, you bastard." she growled through gritted teeth.
Sam knew.
He had been the brunt of Sam's rages before, but they were always a flash fire of anger - easily forgiven and quickly forgotten. He had never experienced this. It was seething and smoldering and her eyes reflected a deep sense of betrayal. Even though he wanted to tell her he was sorry, his teenage male ego was still bruised. So he continued to deny her. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about, Sam! Now, get off me!" he demanded and struggled to get up.
"Don't fucking lie to me, goddammit!" She punctuated the statement by slamming his wrists back down onto the mattress.
Freddie knew he was stronger than her now and he could end this easily, but he just glared back and tried to look defiant. In the end he was just too tired though. He gave up struggling, closed his eyes and realized how tired he really was. He wasn't sure how much time passed when he felt Sam let go. He opened his eyes and watched expressionlessly as she pulled her fist back to punch him.
There was something intense in Sam's eyes that he couldn't stand to look at, so he stared at the ceiling past her head. "Go ahead Sam," he said in a resigned tone. "It'll make us both feel better."
A sharp breath escaped from Sam and he felt the tension leave her body. Sam's face looked as if he'd slapped her. She turned away from him muttering, "Damn you…" Her voice trailed off as she lowered her arm.
"So it's true?" Sam asked in a small voice.
"Yes," he admitted quietly. "How did you find out?"
"My mom," Sam started to explain. "She still talks to your mom sometimes - I overheard them." She searched his expression carefully and asked, "Why didn't you tell us?" He could hear the pain in her voice as she asked it. "Why wouldn't you tell me?"
"I don't know," answered Freddie. "I guess... I don't know."
They stayed like that in silence for a few minutes until and odd sound escaped from Sam. But before he could ask if she was ok, she got up abruptly and simply said, "Alright - let's go." She headed for the bedroom door without looking back.
"Sam," he called out, pushing himself up from the bed. She stopped with her hand on the knob and looked back at him. Sam wore a mask with no emotions now; her eyes were cold as they stared back at him. A few more moments of awkward silence ticked by and not knowing what else he could say, Freddie tilted his head and motioned towards the open window. "We'll meet you downstairs."
She just nodded blankly and walked towards the window.
"And Sam," he added as she stepped onto the fire escape, "don't tell Carly. I'll tell her. It should come from me."
"Fine, tell her yourself – spare your precious little Carly's feelings," she said. The flat tone she used to say those last words couldn't completely disguise the vehemence behind them. When he just stared back at her confused, she shook her head in disgust. "Never mind - I'll walk," she said and closed the window.
I'm seriously stuck right now. I'm still trying to flesh out some ideas. I hope to update soon, but this one is going to be hard.
Thnx for reading.
