AN: This is rated T for now. That will most likely change. Also, as a warning, this will get angsty AF. And this goes without saying, but this story has nothing to do with any other fic I'm currently working on and shouldn't be seen as something that happens in the future for any of those stories. And on that note, I'm still working on my Cam fics. I just couldn't shake this story from my head, and it was demanding to be written. The curse of a creative person.
A Hero's Lament
Chapter 1
It was late, probably after midnight, when Sam felt Cat crawl into her bed. She had done this a lot since Sam had met her. It started that first night Cat had offered for Sam to stay with her after the blonde had saved the redhead's life. Cat couldn't believe her eyes when Sam had pulled her out of the trash in that garbage truck. The redhead had been dumped into the compacter and was upside down, covered in trash, when she felt strong hands pull her right side up.
"Oh, my god! You're Sam from iCarly!" Cat exclaimed excitedly when she met the blonde's beautiful, blue eyes. She'd had a secret crush on Sam for years from watching her on the popular webshow, though she never told any of her friends.
Cat would have surely died that day if Sam hadn't risked her life jumping into the garbage truck after her, especially after Cat had fainted from fright, falling into Sam's arms. The redhead had offered for Sam to come back to her house to shower, in thanks for rescuing her. Truthfully, Cat hadn't wanted for Sam to leave just yet and later that evening, told Sam she could spend the night on her Nona's sofa bed. Cat had crawled in next to Sam that night with a smile, saying, "I'm gonna sleep next to you so you don't get scared."
Sam was about to protest, but when the redhead began climbing in next to her, simply said, "Oh-kay." She didn't want to argue with the person who had offered her a free bed for the night. The following morning, Sam had nearly tackled Cat, pinning her to the bed after the redhead tapped her on the face, startling the blonde awake. Then, Cat did it again the second morning after Sam decided to become her roommate and her Nona had moved to Elderly Acres retirement home.
Cat had been hoping Sam would pin her to the sofa bed again and her hopes had become a reality. "How many times have I told you not to do that?" Sam had asked irritated that her slumber had been disturbed. Cat had felt the heat of Sam's body pressed into her and it felt wonderful but she wouldn't admit that to anyone.
Sam was brought back to the present after pondering the first day they'd met. Normally, Sam hated people, except for her best friend, Carly. But Cat had intrigued her from the start. The redhead was so sweet and bubbly, and under normal circumstances, would have driven Sam crazy. But something about Cat reminded her a little bit of Carly. Innocent and good. Plus, Cat had seemed helpless at times and Sam had a tendency to protect people she thought couldn't protect themselves. In her earlier years, it was only Carly she ever protected. But over the years, she had grown up and even came to the rescue of a nerd or two who was being bullied, and stepped in to defend them.
Cat cuddled closely to Sam; the redhead's front pressed into the blonde's back. And Sam felt Cat wrap an arm around her waist and nuzzle her face into her blonde curls. The first couple times Cat had done this after they decided to share the big bedroom (and each get their own bed), Sam had asked Cat what she was doing. The blonde had only ever shared a bed with Carly, her best friend. Cat had simply stated that she'd had a bad dream or that she was afraid of the thunder and lightning.
Rather than kicking the poor, scared girl out of her bed, Sam had allowed Cat to sleep next to her. Or rather, on top of her, as how most nights went since Sam's bed was only a double, slightly bigger than Cat's twin sized bed. And Cat had a tendency to cuddle up close to Sam and cling to her tightly. They would start off the nights laying side by side, with Cat cuddling into Sam. But by morning, Cat would usually be laying fully or halfway on top of the blonde.
In the beginning, Sam begrudgingly allowed it, but over time, the blonde started hating it less and less. And as time went on, and their friendship grew, Cat started sneaking into Sam's bed more and more, often without a real excuse. The redhead found that she just wanted to be close to Sam all the time. Sam made her feel safe. She was, quite literally, Cat's hero. Every time the redhead crawled into her bed, it reminded the blonde of her cat, Frothy, she used to have years ago. The gray tabby would curl up next to her at night to stay warm and feel safe and loved.
On these nights that Cat snuck into her bed, Sam wouldn't say anything when she felt Cat get under her covers. She just pretended to still be asleep in the hopes that the redhead would let her sleep and not start a conversation. Sometimes Cat would whisper something into her ear just before hugging her tightly and drifting off to sleep. It would be, "I'm so glad we're friends" or "You make me feel safe" or "You're my favorite person." The sentiments would make Sam's heart melt and she had a hard time not feeling something for the redhead.
Tonight, however, after Cat had cuddled up to her from behind, Sam heard her whisper, "I love you," just before Cat placed a gentle kiss to the back of her neck and nuzzled into her hair. Sam tensed and felt goosebumps cover her body. She just means it as a friend, Sam reminded herself. They were close friends now but Cat had never said that to her before, not even in a friendly way. Cat had no concept of personal space when it came to Sam for some reason. She would hug Sam often and cuddle with her on the couch. She would often grab Sam's arm or hide behind the blonde when she was scared. Cat was very physical when it came to Sam.
For a long while after they had become roommates, the blonde assumed Cat was like that with all her friends but whenever Dice or Goomer were over, she was never that close to them. And the few times that Sam had dropped Cat off at school, giving her a ride on her motorcycle, the blonde had noticed that Cat wasn't very touchy feely with her group of friends there either. She only ever greeted them with a "Hi," or a "Good morning." Never with a hug. No, it seemed the redhead only ever hugged Sam like that. And on a regular basis. And in public.
Has it really been a year since I moved in with Cat? Sam pondered. Almost. At least 10 months. She hadn't intended to stay in LA. She was just passing through when she saw Cat get dumped into the back of that garbage truck and rushed to save her life. She had meant to only stay a couple days with the redhead after Cat offered her a bed for the night. She had fully planned on hopping on her motorcycle and letting the road guide her to her next destination. But Cat had offered, not only a home, but brought adventure, friends and love into her life. Those last two, Sam hadn't thought she'd ever have again.
She thought back to her growing friendship with the bubbly redhead over the past several months and realized that Cat was always close to her. Often hugging her for the smallest reason. Sam had to always yell, "Not a hugger!" just to get the redhead off her. If she never said that, Cat would most likely keep hugging her to her heart's content, possibly never letting go. And Cat always seemed to be on her in some way. If it wasn't Cat sneaking into her bed and cuddling Sam, it was Cat hugging Sam for no reason, or Sam waking up on the couch after falling asleep watching a movie to find the redhead literally laying on top of her. Or "accidentally" hitting her in the boob while making hand gestures or "unintentionally" bumping her butt after running into her from behind.
Once, they were talking to Dice over the phone and Cat was leaning in close to Sam to try to say something over the cell, but she had just kept leaning in until she was on top of Sam on the couch with her cheek pressed against the blonde's face and their bodies flush against each other. Sam had said, "You're literally on me," pointing out to Cat the awkward position they were in and hoping the redhead would move but Cat just smiled and hugged Sam, the redhead's pelvis pressing into the blonde's and Sam felt something stir in her. It's just the close proximity, Sam had thought. I don't have feelings for Cat!
But the redhead just continued to lay there on top of her and Sam's arousal increased. She'd had to push Cat off her, making the redhead shriek in a high-pitched voice as she landed on her butt on the floor. Cat was used to this kind of behavior from her grumpy friend. Sam had even pushed her off a bench once but Cat had said, "I deserved that," as soon as she got up. Sam had been upset about the whole Yay Day atrocity and Cat couldn't blame her. She didn't take it personally when Sam acted grouchy. But it hurt sometimes when Sam refused to hug her back or acted like she didn't like her. But Cat just reminded herself that that's the way Sam was. She wasn't a touchy-feely person. Quite the opposite in fact. She much preferred to punch someone. But the blonde could never hit the redhead. Sam was quite protective of Cat, and the redhead had noticed this and it made her heart beat faster every time Sam came to her rescue in some form.
Sam heard Cat moan in her sleep and felt her nuzzle her face into the back of the blonde's neck. She probably just missed me this past week, Sam thought, that's why she's cuddling me so much. Cat had just returned from a trip to Phoenix with Dice for his hair modeling gig. She'd been gone for a few days and called and texted Sam multiple times every day just to check in and hear Sam's voice. On the last day of the modeling shoot, she'd almost gotten in trouble for attempting to pull a supposed wig off one of the other hair modeling boys in order to expose his deceit but it turned out that he wasn't wearing a wig and it was his natural hair. After the boy's hair didn't budge from Cat tugging on it, Dice pulled her off the kid to prevent him from getting hurt, and Cat from getting in trouble. Dice was also worried he would get kicked off the photo shoot. Luckily, it all ended well. Dice won the photo shoot job and they came home the next day.
Sam had wanted to go with Cat to Phoenix but one of her many arrest warrants prevented her from traveling to Arizona with the redhead. Nona had ended up staying with Sam that week due to Elderly Acres being infested with funk mites. Sam and the elderly woman ended up bonding more over those few days with Nona cooking all of Sam's favorites, doing her laundry, and babysitting for her. But Sam was happy when Cat came home. She had secretly missed the redhead. And Cat hadn't held back showing Sam how much she missed her blonde roommate. The first thing Cat did when she returned was embrace Sam in a tight hug that lasted unnecessarily long. Sam hadn't argued with her usual, 'not a hugger' phrase. Instead, she hugged Cat back. She'd only been gone for a couple days but it felt like much longer to the two girls.
It took Sam a long time to fall asleep that night after Cat had said, "I love you." But eventually she was able to drift off to sleep with the cute redhead cuddling her from behind. Cat never knew that Sam heard her all the times she whispered sweet nothings into the blonde's ear. She always assumed Sam was asleep whenever she did because Sam usually groaned in protest whenever she snuck into her bed if she was still awake.
Cat couldn't help it. She'd had feelings for Sam since the first day they'd met. Even before that. But she always just assumed it was just a little crush whenever she watched iCarly. She never, in a million years, thought she would ever meet the beautiful blonde that filled her fantasies, let alone be rescued by her. It was like a dream come true. And her feelings for Sam just grew and grew over the months as they got to know each other more. She knew that Sam only saw her as a friend and it was painful to Cat but she was just thrilled to have Sam in her life. Not to mention, overjoyed that she seemed to be wearing Sam down every time she hugged or cuddled the blonde. Sam used to kick her out of her bed if Cat didn't have a good excuse when she snuck into it at night and would yell, "Not a hugger!" every time she hugged her. But over the months, Sam had started to let her sleep in her bed more and more and didn't remind her that she wasn't a hugger nearly as often anymore.
Cat supposed her feelings for Sam made her gay or bisexual. But she didn't care. She just knew she loved Sam and wanted to be close to her all the time. And her heart gave a flutter every time Sam entered the room. She didn't question it. Just enjoyed it. Lately though, her feelings had been taking on a sexual nature. Something she hadn't felt with anyone else before. Whenever she saw the blonde or even just thought about her, she could feel her lower regions burning and aching in desire. When she first noticed these new feelings, she tried to deny them. But then, after a few weeks, she had to give in to them and found herself having to engage in "self-service" way more often than usual.
It was difficult to find alone time since she shared a bedroom with the beautiful blonde delinquent who had captured her heart. So many nights, her feelings would flare while staring at Sam after she had fallen asleep. And she had to "relieve" herself of them, usually staring at a sleeping Sam from across the room the whole time she pleasured herself. She had practiced staying quiet the whole time so she wouldn't wake Sam. And after she would get off, she always felt guilty about it.
The next morning, Sam woke up and yawned. As she stretched, she rolled over and realized Cat was no longer next to her. She smelled bacon and realized why. Cat was making breakfast. It was Saturday and summer, so they didn't have to worry about school and, if memory served her correctly, they didn't have any babysitting gigs today. She was really getting tired of babysitting. But she knew they needed some source of income. The majority of Nona's finances were being used for her at Elderly Acres. Nona was only able to contribute a small amount towards their rent every month. And that left, the rest of the rent, all the utilities, food, and anything else they needed to be paid by them.
As Sam used the bathroom, she thought of ways to bring in more cash. Something that would pay better than parttime babysitting. Plus, if she were being honest with herself, she couldn't stand being around babies and kids all day long. Some of them were alright in her book as long as it wasn't longer than a couple hours that she had to be around them. But Sam had been pondering her future lately as well. Something she hadn't done in almost a year. She hadn't wanted to think about what was going to happen when Cat graduated next spring. Would Cat move? Go off to college? Start a singing/acting career as she had been dreaming of doing?
Ever since leaving Seattle, Sam hadn't given any thought to her future; mainly just living in the present. Her plans had been derailed ever since the incident that caused her to leave her home city in the first place. Now, however, she realized she needed to give it some thought. Even if she was just going to plan out the next year or two. She didn't know if Cat would be a part of her future or not and she needed to be prepared either way. And now that she had finished her online school and officially gotten her high school diploma, she had more time on her hands and was feeling restless. After she'd left Seattle, she didn't care about getting her diploma but after meeting Cat, she'd been motivated to finish high school. Now that her schooling was done, she was getting that restless, fidgety, bored feeling again.
She knew she needed to be careful because when she got this way, she had a tendency to get involved in illegal activities. She never intended to stay in LA for this long but now that she had, she needed to either get a real job or move on. Unfortunately, her skills were limited though when it came to making money the legal way. About the only type of honest work that she would be good at and qualified for would be working on motorcycles. But without any references, she doubted any auto shop would give her a chance. She continued to think about her options as she headed out of the bedroom.
"Morning," she greeted Cat sleepily when she strolled into the kitchen and picked up a slice of bacon from the plate on the counter.
"Morning!" Cat cheered in her normal enthusiastic voice. She was always happy to see Sam. Her heart pumped a little faster when her blonde best friend entered the kitchen. She's so cute in those pajama pants, Cat thought with a blush. And those socks. Sam didn't always wear socks to bed but when she did, she wore a different color on each foot because she thought it was good luck. Something she'd done since she was little.
Sam sat down at the kitchen table while she munched on the bacon.
"The eggs will be ready soon," Cat announced with a spatula in her hand and then went back to humming to herself and daydreaming about her and Sam owning their own house in Oxnard and her having a singing or acting career. She fantasized about the two of them being married and having two kids and adopting a cat and a dog, and them taking family trips to the beach. And at night, she and Sam would make love over and over in their big king-size bed and then cuddle naked. She dreamed of Sam coming home from work every evening and kissing her on the lips and saying, "Hi, honey, I'm home!" And Cat would set a huge roast on the table and she would gush while she watched Sam eat and talk about her day.
Cat sighed happily at the fantasy and went back to flipping the eggs. She loved cooking for Sam. She loved doing anything for Sam but especially cooking because of how much Sam seemed to enjoy food. And it was something Cat was now good at. It had taken her awhile to figure things out after her Nona had left but as soon as she saw how much Sam loved her meatballs, Cat was determined to learn how to cook anything and everything.
Sam finished her bacon and asked, "Hey, Cat?"
"Yeah?" Cat replied with a smile, looking over to the blonde.
"I was thinking about our business."
"Our business? What do you mean?"
"Well, how much do you really like babysitting?"
"Oh," Cat replied. She wasn't sure what Sam had meant by "business" at first. She'd had her mind on her relationship to Sam and thought the blonde might be asking about that. "Um, I don't know. I like it, I guess. Don't you?"
"Well," Sam replied, "to be honest, it's not my favorite. And I've noticed that we need to bring in more money to pay for rent and utilities. And more fried chicken for Mama."
"Oh," Cat replied again.
"I mean, if you like babysitting, we could still do it," Sam said. "But I kinda hate it. And we need something that will bring in more cash."
"Well, I really only like it because it's something we do together. And it's fun. But I don't necessarily like the babysitting part of it. Especially on days when I'm by myself."
Sam flushed when Cat said she only really liked it because she was spending time with Sam when they babysat.
"Well, what if we could spend time together and not babysit? Would you like that better than the actual babysitting part?" Sam asked her.
"Well, of course," Cat replied. "Being with you is kinda the whole point. I don't like doing it by myself." Then Cat blushed when she realized what she had admitted in front of Sam. She focused back on the eggs in the pan in front of her.
"Okay, so, why don't we think of another way to bring in some income that doesn't involve babysitting?" Sam proposed, ignoring Cat's blush, not wanting to embarrass her.
"Well, I guess I could ask my parents for some money. I mean, they are responsible for me. It shouldn't just fall entirely on Nona, especially when she's in a retirement home."
"But I thought you said you didn't get along with your parents," Sam said. The blonde didn't know much about Cat's parents, only that she barely ever talked to them and it was a topic that made Cat sad.
"I don't, but…I could still ask them…if you want," Cat replied, bringing over the plates of eggs, bacon and toast to the table.
"No, I don't want you to have to do that, Cat," Sam said, "I know you don't want any interference from them. We'll think of something else."
They both started eating the wonderful breakfast Cat had placed on the table, each deep in thought. Cat enjoyed watching Sam eat. The blonde always seemed so enraptured by the food she made.
"Hey, I know!" Sam suggested around a bite of bacon, "how about I start drag racing? My bike's pretty fast. I could-"
"No!" Cat all but yelled. "You are not going to drag race on your motorcycle for money!"
"Well, I don't have a car, so-"
"I mean, you aren't racing at all!" Cat shouted. "It's too dangerous. I don't want you getting killed! Plus, it's illegal. You could go to prison."
"Oh, okay, kid," Sam relented. She couldn't say "no" to those puppy dog eyes. Or more like, kitten eyes. Cat seemed to calm once Sam gave in to her.
Just then, their neighbor and friend, Dice, came through the door. "Hey, guys. What's up?" he greeted.
"Hey, Dice," they greeted in unison.
"Man, I've got a problem!" Dice went on. When doesn't that kid have a problem? Sam thought with a grin.
"What? You ran out of conditioner?" Sam quipped, referring to Dice's crazy curly hair that he got modeling gigs for.
"No," Dice answered, "Goomer was supposed to fight his next challenger in two weeks but his mother was in an accident and he's traveling across the country to visit her in the hospital."
"Oh, no!" Cat exclaimed, "Is she okay?"
"Yeah, they said she'll be alright but she won't be out of the hospital for a while and Goomer went to help her out for however long she needs. So, the fight's been cancelled."
"So, what's the problem, kid?" Sam asked.
"Well, one of my other fighters had to drop out of another match due in a week because of a death in the family. And, having two matches cancelled so close together does not bode well for me as a manager. I'll be blacklisted if I can't fill the open spot in time with a replacement. Not to mention, I'll be losing out on money from both fights that I desperately need."
"So, you need a fighter?" Sam asked.
"Yeah," Dice replied.
"What weight class?"
"Flyweight."
Sam considered this. She knew she would be on the lower end of that weight class but it could work. "How much money would I get?" Sam asked. This caused Cat to gasp in concern, knowing where Sam was going with this.
"Well, it's $3,000 but once taxes and trainer fees get taken out, you'll be looking at around $2,100, win or lose. But if you win, you could be considered for the next bout in that weight class next month for a higher prize amount."
"Hmm," Sam thought, intrigued.
"Sam, no!" Cat yelled, seeing where Sam was going with this.
"How about, I fight?" Sam suggested, ignoring Cat's protest.
"Really?" Dice asked, excited. "You'll do it?"
"Sure, kid. Count me in," Sam replied with a grin.
"Alright!" Dice exclaimed excited and relieved. He had been hoping Sam would step up when he went over to their house that morning. "I'll go make the arrangements." And with that, Dice ran out of the house, slamming the door behind him.
"Sam, you can't fight!" Cat exclaimed, worried for her friend.
"Cat, yes, I can," Sam argued, "this is what I do best. And I'm 18 now, so it's legal. And I'm finished with school too. Plus, I already know most of the rules and regulations, and with Dice training me, I'm sure I'll get caught up in no time."
"I mean, you'll get hurt!"
"Cat, I'll be fine," Sam replied with confidence, "and, win or lose, I'll bring in some much-needed cash."
"But, Sam!" Cat said flustered in a worried tone, "you shouldn't be the only one supporting us and…I…I don't want to see you get hurt." She said this last part quietly with a sad expression on her face.
Sam's heart fluttered at Cat's worry over her. It felt nice to have someone care about her that much and she felt bad about making her worry but they did need the money and this was something that Sam would be good at. "Aw, kid," Sam said with sympathy and reached across the table to caress Cat's wrist. The redhead blushed at the contact and looked Sam in the eye. "You don't have to worry about me. Mama knows how to kick some major ass. This is what I know how to do well." The redhead smiled at this and Sam smiled back.
But Cat was still worried. She knew Sam was able to handle herself but she would be going up against a professional fighter. The redhead was worried about her Sam. She didn't want this to be the way Sam brought in money, not if it meant her getting hurt on a regular basis. And Cat actually hated fighting. It made her grimace and the thought of Sam doing it made her stomach flop around. In a bad way.
After they had finished breakfast, Sam got a text from Dice. "Oh, I gotta go, Cat," Sam said downing the rest of her orange juice.
Cat looked disappointed. She was hoping to spend the whole day with Sam doing something fun, like shopping. Or walking on the beach. Or staring into her big, beautiful, blue eyes, Cat thought dreamily.
"Why? Where are you going?" Cat asked with a sad look.
"Dice wants me to meet him at Punchy's Gym to start my training," Sam replied.
"Well, I'm going with you," Cat announced.
"What? But you hate watching people fight. Plus, you always got bored whenever we were with Goomer and Dice at the gym," Sam pointed out.
"That's because it was Goomer and Dice. This will be you fighting. And if you're going to do this fighting thing, I want to make sure you're ready for it. It will help put my mind at ease," Cat answered.
"Okay," Sam replied with a shrug, trying not to show her blush that Cat seemed interested in her working out at the gym.
After brushing her teeth and putting on some workout clothes, Sam hopped onto her motorcycle and Cat climbed on the back. After strapping on their helmets, Sam backed out of her parking spot and then they zoomed off towards the gym.
AN: I should have the next chapter up in a few days. Please review.