Disclaimer: iCarly is not owned by me for several reasons. The first being; a gypsy curse.

A/N: So... this is set just after iGet Pranky.

I'm an idiot. Obviously. Stupid! Why did I say that? That I had a little crush on Spencer. I mean... it's true, but still. I regretted it the moment it came out of my mouth. Maybe it would've been fine if no one had said anything, and for a moment, I thought no one was going to. It's one of the perks of being feared; no one messes with you. But Carly's never been scared of me, and I'd never want her to be.

"Little crush?" She says in a soft voice, looking almost hurt.

I glance away from her guiltily. "Did he sign the contract or not?" I try to change the subject, get Carly interested in something else. I don't mind admitting that I maybe have a little thing for Spencer. I mean, I know nothing's ever gonna happen... it'd be too weird, and I couldn't do that to Carly. I don't mind it, but I knew Carly would. It's not that I didn't want to tell her... it's more that I just didn't want to hurt her or weird her out.

Ever since Fredbag and I... kissed, she's been looking at me differently. And not in a good way. The looks she gives me, when she thinks I'm not watching, or thinks I'm asleep... it's like she's trying to figure out who I am, like she's wondering what happened to the Sam she became best friends with all those years ago. The Sam who shared all her secrets, even the ones that were better left kept. It's simple though... I grew up. We both did. I don't like keeping secrets from her... I wish I could tell her, I really do, but she's too close. Too many of my secrets are about her. She's the one person in my life I'm making an effort not to hurt. She's right to be suspicious... there's a lot of stuff I'm not telling her. Admitting I have a littttle crush on Spencer... it's too close to the truth. I may have a little crush on him, but I have a big crush on someone else.

Thankfully she didn't mention it again, at least not while we were plotting how to get Spencer back, or, when that failed, her idea. But if there's one thing I've learned about Carly, it's that she remembers things. Little unimportant things that she tries to ignore, that gnaw at her until she explodes. Sometimes I think she has as many secrets as I do. I came over to check on her and Spencer, and to see if Carly's idea worked. Frankly, I still thought nun-chucks were the way to go. They'd make damn sure Spencer never pulled anything again.

I let myself in, confused when I see Carly picking up cushions, the sofa overturned. "What the chiz happened?"

Carly fidgets with the cushion in her hand. "Remember how I invited all those kids Spencer played that prank on to talk to him?" She sighs. "Well they beat him up."

I can't help but chuckle. "Really? Is Spence okay?"

Carly turns away from me, sitting the cushion on a stool. "You tell me." She says airily, glancing at me from over her shoulder.

My eyebrows furrow in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

She turns to face me, crossing her arms. "Oh, I don't know Sam. He's your boyfriend."

Crap. I should've known. Carly's like an elephant or something. She doesn't ever forget. And she can crush me if she wanted to. "Carls..."

She uncrosses her arms, a hurt expression on her face, and I know it's been eating at her over the past couple of days. "Why didn't you tell me Sam? I thought we agreed; no more secrets."

I sigh, turning the sofa upright and collapsing onto it. "I didn't think it was important. It's just a stupid little crush." I wish she'd just drop it, but that's not how Carly works. She's always got to dissect everything, make it mean more than it is. But this... this little, stupid crush... it's close to something so much bigger, and I'm scared I'll say something I can't take back. I'm not known for keeping my mouth shut.

I cross my arms and sit back in the sofa, Carly perching on the far end, looking at me, hands clasped. "We used to tell each other everything Sam... even if it was stupid. That's what friends do. You told me when you liked Pete..." She trails off, looking disappointed. "I just... what happened Sam?"

I sit forward, fighting to stop myself from reaching out to her. "Nothing. Nothing happened. Nothing's changed. I didn't tell you because... because he's your brother and it's nothing. It's stupid. Can't we just forget about it?" My voice comes out a little more pleading than I intended, and I have to stop myself from adding a 'please' onto the end. Carly picks up on it anyway. She always does.

"No." She says softly, studying me. "We can't. I wanna talk about this Sam, even if it is stupid. I want us to be like we were."

My guts twist inside me sickly. Why does she always do this to me? Why do I always give in to her? "Fine. What do you want to know?" I mutter.

A smile crosses Carly's face briefly. "Good." We sit there in silence for a few moments, and I'm tempted to smile. The problem with Carly is she has way too much tact. It's why she lets these things fester in her instead of just confronting them straight away. She finally manages to say; "So... how long have you had this... crush?"

I shrug. "I don't know. A year maybe?"

"A year?" Gasps Carly, shocked. "Okay. Okay." She takes a deep breath, calming herself down. "Uh... what is it about Spence then? That you like."

I've never felt so uncomfortable in my life. Well, once, when we were tied up before and Carly was needling me and Fredbag about the time we kissed. I shift uneasily on the sofa. We're getting into dangerous territory here. "I don't know. He's... he's nice and funny, and he's kinda cute I guess-"

"Sam!"

"What? You asked me why I had a little crush on him? I'm just trying to be honest. It's what you want, isn't it?"

Carly shrugs. "Well yeah, but... wait. You keep saying 'little' crush." Her face lights up like she's just realised something important. "Does that mean you have a crush on someone else? A bigger one?"

"N-no." I say uneasily, looking away.

Carly bounces up and down on the sofa. "It does, doesn't it? Come on, tell me!"

I fight a smile from my face. It really isn't funny... I'm actually scared, but Carly's enthusiasm is... well, it always has a certain effect on me. "I don't have a crush on anyone!" I protest, trying to make my voice sound like it's usual strident self. It's always different around her though... softer, nicer. More sincere.

Carly purses her lips at me. "You're lying. Who is it? Is it Gibby?"

I jerk forward. "What? No!"

Carly thinks, tapping her chin. "Is it... is it Freddie?"

I stare at her blankly.

"No? Oh! It's that new foreign kid, isn't it?"

I snort. "What, Hans? I just wanted his bratwurst."

Carly looks around, and I start to feel nervous. She knows I'd never hurt her, never even try. She knows that all too well. And... well, sometimes... she takes advantage of that. Never in front of anyone, but I keep vainly hoping she'll forget about how helpless I am around her. "Sam..." She says teasingly, scooting closer. "I think you should tell me."

"Carly." I say warningly, trying to sound like my usual self. Damn her! How does she do this?

She pounces on me suddenly, pushing me down on the sofa and I groan. "Carly!"

She raises her hands, wiggling her fingers. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me?"

"No... no, Carly, don't. Please? Plea-" I'm cut off mid-sentence as she begins tickling me, her fingers digging into my ribs. She's the only one who knows I'm ticklish. Frankly, she's the only one who's ever gotten close enough to find out. Ever since she found out she's used it against me. Unmercifully. Even I don't stoop that low. "Ca-Ca-Carly p-please!" I laugh, gasping for breath, tears in my eyes.

"Come on! Who is it?" She grins, increasing her assault and ignoring my bucks and lunges to try and get away from her.

"St-stop!"

"Nuh uh. Who is it?"

"It's-it's you!" I gasp.

She freezes. "What?"

"Fuck." Fuck. Just... just fuck.

"Sam?" Carly looks down at me, still straddling me. "It's... it's me?"

I smile weakly, holding my bruised ribs. "Surprise?"

She sits back and I manage to squirm into a sitting position. "You... you have a crush on me?" Carly says incredulously.

I don't answer, avoiding her gaze.

"You like me. In that way."

I shift uncomfortably. "It's not that big a deal-"

"Sam! It... it is. Why didn't you tell me?"

I stare blankly at her. "How was I supposed to tell you? 'Oh, hey Carly, how are you, and by the way, I totally dig your potatoes.'. It's stupid. It's... it's just a phase." Just a permanent phase, I say silently in my head.

Carly frowns, her eyebrows dragging down until they almost meet. I wave my hands frantically at her. "No no, no no... no thinking. There's nothing to think about. It's stupid. It's nothing. Carls, it's just-"

Carly leans down quickly, her lips meeting mine, and I freeze mid-sentence, eyes wide. It was so easy. She just had to lean a few inches... I never realised how easy it is to kiss someone. There was no build-up, no tension, just... instant. One motion, and now she's kissing me. Christ. She's kissing me! What do I do? Oh God. Her lips are so soft. My eyes flicker shut and I feel myself start to respond, start to kiss Carly back. Oh God. This... oh God. I can taste her lipgloss... pineapple. Oh God... I can taste her! My mind shorts out, just repeating 'oh God' over and over again, my muscles turning to jelly and trembling. Okay, so maybe I lied. Maybe it wasn't a stupid crush. Maybe it was a big, full-blown, terrifying one.

Carly pulls back, and I'm left speechless, gaping at her. She seems surprised. "That was... nice."

I manage to make a choking sound.

"Sam... do you really like me?"

I nod, unable to speak, barely able to breathe.

"Do... do you wanna try dating?"

I drag in a breath. "Really? Just like that? Aren't you... don't you...?"

Carly twists her mouth to the side. "Sam... I'd be lying if I said I never... well..." She runs her eyes up and down my body. "I mean... we do have a webshow. People leave a lot of comments about what we should do on the show. Some of them even draw pictures, and make music videos of us set to t.A.T.u."

I lick my lips. Pineapple. "I see."

"And... I sort of see their point. Now." She leans forward again, before I even have time to sigh or prepare myself or anything, and presses her lips against mine. I swear I'm melting. Soon there'll just be a puddle of Sam on the floor. And I'm completely fine with that. This... this is awesome.

Carly pulls back again, surveying me with a smug smile. "Made you forget all about Spencer, didn't I?"

All I can do is nod dumbly. Who's Spencer again?

A/N: It's stupid. I know. I don't claim it to be anything else. I could make excuses, but... eh.

So review, and let me know if you liked anything about it. It's fun at least... right?