Connected:

A Series of Josh and Sam One-Shots

Title: A Little Favor...

Synopsis: Insecure over the fact that she's never kissed a boy at (gasp!) 17, Sam enlists in Josh's help. Much to his annoyance.

Genre: Fluff/Comedy/Romance

Timeline: Pre-Game Events, High School

Pairings: [Josh/Sam] Pre-Game Canon couplings

Rating: T

A/N: Here's some shameless fluff. And more good news! I have 3-4 one shots I'm adding to this fic as well as a new collab with Enula, Darkest Hour. XOXO

Josh was playing Silent Hill on his PlayStation4 when Sam had finally got the courage to ask him, so he only partially heard her at first. He'd been trying to defeat the doll-monster for a solid hour now and he wasn't so focused on the petite, blonde nuisance beside him. He crooked an eyebrow, his sight never leaving the screen.

"Come again? What are asking me?"

"Please, Josh," she repeated, quieter this time. It was an embarrassing request in the first place. She really didn't want to ask twice. She sucked in a sharp breath and bravely uttered, "just… teach me how." Josh snorted. It caught her off guard and made her cheeks pinken.

"Ha. Yeah. That's not gonna happen." Josh shook his head. He suspected this might even be a prank and one of his sisters put her up to this. "Nice try, though. I'll give you an 'A' for effort."

"Oh, don't be such a prude."

"Says the 17 year old who's never even kissed a boy. That's rich," Josh retorted, dryly.

"Low blow, Washington." Sam crossed her arms over her chest and sunk into the couch cushions beside him. "And I could have kissed plenty of boys, thankyouverymuch. I just haven't."

But again, Josh was barely listening to her as he violently shook his controller and pounded on the "A" button.

"C'monnnn," he hissed under his breath to himself just as his character was sliced in half by the monster. The screen turned red - he'd died. Irritated, Josh turned to the distraction beside him. "Then go kiss one of them! Scram! I'm trying to beat this-"

Before Josh could finish his sentence, Sam had the remote in her hand. She switched the TV off. Josh leaned across her to retrieve it, but Sam hid it behind her back. She was waiting for him to agree to her request before she'd relinquish it.

Josh just stared at her a moment, noticing their very close proximity to one another. His eyes inadvertently trailed from hers, down to her plump, pouting lips. Before he could even entertain the idea, he was shaking his head again.

"Why don't you just practice with one of your girlfriends like a normal girl," Josh then suggested. Sam rolled her eyes at the cliche.

"You mean sometime between our cupcake baking and pillow fights?" Josh was uninterested again. He sat upright and away from the temptress.

"Something like that. How about Jessica? I'll film."
"Oh, ha, ha. Very funny," Sam mocked before hitting him in the face with a couch cushion. Josh laughed, but still couldn't stop thinking that it was such a bizarre request. Sam was like a sister to him.

Well, kind of.

He'd always harbored that irrational crush on her, sure. But he'd never imagined he ever actually stood a chance. And now here she was, asking him to teach her how to kiss. Yeah, right. He still thought it was some mean prank his sisters were pulling. He was not gonna be caught falling for it.

"Please? My date is Saturday. I don't want it to be a disaster." Josh's gaze landed on her hand that was now sweetly resting on his arm.

"Who is this guy?" Josh asked her, trying to veer the conversation in another direction. Sam rolled her eyes again, and it occurred to Josh that he should know the answer to this. Between Beth, Hannah and Sam there was always some kind of incessant chatter going on. He'd just learned how to tune them out when their discussions turned to the more boring things. Like boys.

What was that guy's name? Randy? Danny?

"Evan," Sam told him.

Not even close.

"And our date is in two days and I'm freaking out. Can't you just… help out a friend?"

Oh, cool. The 'friend' card, Josh thought to himself.

"Why me? Isn't this more Mike's area of expertise?" Josh folded his lips after he said it, silently scolding himself for pushing her towards Mike. What was he thinking?

"And deal with not only the wrath of Emily, but the heartache of your sister? Noooo thanks." Sam bit on her bottom lip and it was hard for Josh not to imagine what it would be like, kissing her. "Plus…" Sam began, hesitantly. "I don't want it to be Mike. It would mean more coming from you. You're one of my best friends."

There was that 'friend' thing, again.

"Sam, you're great. You're gorgeous. You know I adore you. But even despite all that, Hannah would kill me. And you." Sam popped to her knees, eagerness in her eyes. She leaned in close to him with a devious look on her face he'd never seen before, and Josh felt his breath hitch. Since when had she become so… grown up?

Why was he telling her no, again?

"Hannah doesn't need to know," she promised. "No one does, for that matter. It can be our little secret-"

Tempting, but no.

Too complicated.

And also… Josh didn't want to be her first kiss just because she wanted to learn for some other dude. He wanted to be her first kiss… well, because she actually wanted him to be.

(Not that he liked her like that, anyways.)

"Sam. The answer is no. Accept that," he told her firmly before he could change his mind. Her eyes traced his face, clearly trying to gage just how serious he was. When his expression remained stern, she collapsed back onto the couch.

"Fine," she said curtly. Josh rolled his eyes at the dramatics.

"Oh, c'mon, don't be like that-"

"I said fine."

She'll get over it, he thought.

"Fine," he snapped back. "Now get outta my way." Josh reached by her, grabbing onto the remote. Desperate to focus on anything other than her, he turned the tv back on. "I've got a monster to kill."

"You're an idiot." Chris shook his head in disapproval.

"Oh, just drop it, will ya?" Josh grumbled before shoving the bland, school lunch into his mouth. Today was apparently Beef Stroganoff. It just looked like gray slop over white rice. He wasn't picky, though. He'd eat anything. "I shouldn't have even told you."

Chris was flabbergasted.

"Seriously? Sam is like… the perfect girl. Sh-she's smart. She's pretty. She's funny-"

"She's a real pain in my ass, if you ask me," Josh interjected.

"Plus... you know... she's one of your best friends."

"Exactly. She's one of my best friends," Josh repeated, but his tone gave the statement a completely different meaning.

Of course he wondered if he'd been too hasty with his decision. It's all he'd been able to think about since it happened yesterday.

Clearly she wanted him to be the one to teach her, but then what? Girls were complicated. What if it changed things? Or what if she started to like him afterwards and it got awkward? He also knew the roles could end up reversed, and he was not in any rush to get hung up on his little sister's best friend.

"It's just too weird. You shoulda seen her. She was super pushy about it and everything. I've never seen her act like that-"

"Do you think it's just a ruse to get you to make out with her?" Chris pondered. "Maybe she's really into you." He took a sip of his Coca-Cola. Josh didn't even glance in his direction, just shrugged a shoulder. He'd already given this way more thought than he wanted to.

Stupid Sam and her stupid request.

"Don't know," Josh said through another mouthful. "Don't really care. Hannah would give me an earful, that's for sure. It's not happening." Chris leaned back in his chair, pondering.

"I mean… aren't you even slightly interested at all? I thought you liked Sam-" Josh sat up abruptly, trying his best not to roll his eyes. Chris was quite the romantic.

"Dude, that was for like, a day," he scoffed. He wanted to forget that fleeting moment in his life, last summer. He'd become enthralled with Sam when she came over for a pool party. Girls in bikinis will do that to a guy.

"Okay, then what?" Chris pushed.

"Then…" Another shrug from Josh. "I dunno. Then I guess I realized how messy it would be. So I just shut it off." Chris raised his eyebrow, his face painted with skepticism behind his black-framed glasses.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"You can just shut it off like that? It's that easy?"

"Yup," Josh bobbed his head. He smirked wryly over at his puzzled friend. "That's one of the many perks of being a sociopath." Chris snorted, his head falling forward.

"I don't think it's that you don't feel anything, Josh. I think the problem is that you feel too much. So I wouldn't classify you as a sociopath. Nice try though."

"Hmm. Maybe so."

"I think you should do it."

"How's uh… how's Ashley?" Josh changed the subject. He wasn't going to allow himself to be badgered about his reluctance to make out with Sam from Chris. He'd been dragging his feet towards his own crush for the better half of the last year. "Finally gonna segue from the Friendzone to the Bonezone?"

"Nahhh…" Chris mumbled, but his face brightened. "She did touch my arm in Chemistry yesterday, though." Josh's eyes widened in mock excitement.

"Oh, gee golly! When's the wedding, big guy?" he teased flatly.

"Shut up, Josh."

The two of them silenced as they watched Sam walk right past their table with her bagged lunch - the school cafeteria didn't have much in the way of vegan options. Chris eyes spoke to Josh's.

Well? You gonna go over there? they seemed to say. Josh heard him loud and clear. He tossed his plastic fork on his tray in defeat, sliding out from behind his lunch table. He heaved a sigh and left Chris behind to go see if Sam was still sore at him.

"Hey shortstack," he greeted, but she didn't seem to hear him. With how loud the cafeteria was, that could have very well been a possibility. "I said, hey shortstack," he repeated, a little louder this time. Still no response from the blonde. Josh felt a chuckle fall from his throat as he waved his hand in front of her face, "yoooo. Sammy. You deaf?" Josh only then realized that Sam was giving him the silent treatment.

"Oh, so you're not talking to me now. Is that it?" Josh leaned down, trying to get Sam to at least look at him, but she resisted. He huffed out a quick, uncomfortable laugh. Sam had never been mad at him before. At least, not like this.

"Are you serious? All because I'm not gonna kiss you?" Sam finally glanced up at him. She blew the loose, golden hair from her face and heaved a careless shrug. Josh pulled a chair out and sat in it backwards, leaning in towards her playfully.

"There's no way you can resist talking to me," Josh challenged, hoping reverse psychology would break her. Sam smiled smugly as to accept his challenge before looking back down at her lunch.

"Fine," Josh snapped, crossing his arms defiantly. "Be that way. I don't care."

But he did care.

Sure, Sam was Hannah's best friend, but over the last year or so they'd built their own friendship separate from his sisters.

There was movie Monday, first off. Every first Monday of the month, Chris and Sam (and sometimes Ashley) would come over to watch a slasher film with him, since Hannah and Beth refused.

Sam was also a night owl like him. They'd found themselves talking late into the night with his sisters quietly snoring beside them. Having her mad at him just made things feel… strange.

"What did you say?" Josh asked suddenly. Sam turned, looking confused. "Oh, it's just… I thought I heard you say something. Nevermind."

A look of realization crossed Sam's face when she figured out that he was messing with her. She shook her head, shying away as he scooted in closer to her. His gaze was intense.

"It seems like you really wanna tell me something," he said quietly. Sam shook her head, trying not to break. ""Are you suuuuure?" They stared one another down for a moment. She went to open her mouth, but instead she closed it. The way she looked at him now made him feel like it might be true, that she did have something to tell him but couldn't.

Or wouldn't.

He sighed again, almost becoming bored with this little game now. Sam was no fun when she wasn't mouthing off to him. He stood, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Alright… I'll leave you alone," he surrendered. Sam continued to eat her lunch as he leaned down, his mouth close to her ear. "When you decide to stop being mad at me, you know where to find me," he told her, and then he walked back to rejoin Chris for the rest of lunch.

Josh couldn't sleep.

Probably because it was only 8:30 pm. But he also suspected that Sam had something to do with his restlessness, as well.

Her silent treatment hadn't wavered for the rest of the day - not even when he drove the four of them home after school. It even bled into the evening when she'd arrived at the Washington house for her weekly slumber party with Hannah.

Josh had done a pretty good job of avoiding her while she was here; he had other things to take care of anyway, like his research project for video production class and then his dinner plans with Chris.

Even still, her presence around the house was heavy, like a lingering raincloud, and he just couldn't shake it off.

Josh turned in his bed, stuffing the pillow under his neck to get comfortable. His laptop had died and he was too lazy to retrieve the cord from downstairs, so he was left to wallow in his own agonizing silence. He thought about what Chris had said to him, that he should just go with it. He was having a hard time holding his ground now. He'd wanted to avoid ruining things with Sam, but it seemed that things had just gotten ruined anyway.

When he really thought about it, it kinda started to piss him off that she was being so stubborn about the whole thing. Was she really so ready to throw away their friendship over something like this?

She must have gotten a fresh batch of teenage hormones recently because he'd never seen Sam be so… well, emotional. She was always pretty laid back. Persistent, yes, but she was the most level headed person he knew. He was shocked this whole stupid kiss thing had gotten her panties in a twist.

Josh silently chastised himself for even thinking about her panties.

Josh scoffed at himself and crawled out of bed.

Who knows.

Maybe she did like him.

Either way, he wasn't going to allow himself to go round and round in his own head over this. He needed Netflix and he needed it now. There was no other way he was going to get out of his own head.

Josh ventured down to the rec room to grab his laptop cord when he heard laughter coming from behind Hannah's door on the way back. Sam and Hannah were up hanging out, of course. Maybe even Beth. He wondered to himself if Sam had ran this whole situation by his sisters. After all, they'd gotten a couple weird looks from Beth and Hannah over their obvious avoidance of each other this evening, but no one had said anything to him.

I really don't care, he thought to himself. He hurried past Hannah's door, only to almost knock into Sam in the hallway. She was on her way back from the bathroom. His stomach sunk; he had hoped the laughter from the bedroom was an indicator that the coast was clear.

Sam froze and Josh could see she was just as uncomfortable with this run in as he was. Standing there and seeing her made him realize just how ridiculous all of this was in the first place. He hoped this could be an opportunity to put the whole thing to bed.

"Still not talking to me?" Josh asked her teasingly. Sam tried to slip past him, but he blocked her way. After a moment she mirrored him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You know, you didn't have to be so rude about it," Sam said in a quick burst. She'd clearly been waiting for an opportunity to unleash on him for hours. She shoved him lightly in the shoulder. "Instead you made it weird, you doofus-"

"Sam, you made it weird. I mean, don't you understand that the whole thing was weird in the first place?"

"Well, why don't you want to kiss me?" she asked, shifting her weight on her feet. "Are you not attracted to me?"

"No!" Josh exclaimed. How could she misconstrue the situation so entirely? "I mean, yes." Sam raised her eyebrows, the rest of her face falling. Nothing he said was right. Josh closed his eyes and groaned, hiding his face in his hands.

"Can you be a little more articulate, please?"

Josh dropped his arms. He leaned in towards her, their faces close. He shook his head and lowered his voice, "of course I'm attracted to you." He ignored the way her mouth pulled, wanting to smile but resisting. He felt his face flush, "Oh, don't act like you don't know you're a pretty girl, Sam. C'mon. It's obviously not about that at all."

"Then what is it?" She stared at him impatiently. It was clear she was growing more irritated as the words caught in his throat and he couldn't seem to spit it out. "Ya know what? Nevermind. Just forget it. Maybe I will just ask Mike-" She threatened, turning to head back to Hannah's room.

"Sam, wait," Josh called after her. Sam's green eyes burned into him intensely and he swallowed.

"Don't… don't you want your first kiss to be with the guy you actually like? I mean… first kisses aren't something you can take back." Sam froze, her jaw clenching as she digested his concern. She gave him a weak shrug.

"You've kissed tons of girls, what's it matter to you if my first kiss is special or not?" she asked him, her tone softer.

"I just don't want you to regret it." Sam's gaze grew sweeter, more understanding, as she reached up to brush his jaw with her fingers.

"I mean…. I-I guess I don't really know how long Evan is going to be in my life. But… I kinda expect you'll be in it forever. I would never regret it if it was with you."

Sam turned again to go to Hannah's room, but not before Josh impulsively hooked his arm around her waist, bringing her to him quickly. Without thinking he brought his mouth to hers and relished in the sound of Sam's surprised but pleased murmur against his lips.

Sam relaxed, both of her hands slowly inching up to cup Josh's face, bringing him even closer to her. His grip tightened around her and he felt her lips move against his - she tasted like starburst and lemonade and it was utterly intoxicating.

Before he got to a point where he couldn't stop himself, Josh let go of her. She seemed wobbly on her own feet, dizzy from the suddenness of it all. He would be lying if he said he wasn't feeling a little frazzled and worked up himself.

Her shocked expression was adorable, and Josh found himself chuckling a bit as she stammered over something to say. She looked both excited and outraged and he was glad to be responsible for it. He ran his hands over his face, groaned nervously, and then quickly pecked her lips one more time.

"Night, Sammy," he said, unable to meet her gaze now. He'd never done anything like that in his whole life. "Uh. Sweet dreams."

"Night," she breathed, still dazed.

"Good luck on your date tomorrow." Josh turned to retire back to his room before she could see precisely the shade of rouge in his cheeks.

It wasn't like it was the kiss of the century or anything; it was actually quite tame. But it certainly hadn't left his mind for the rest of the night.

Or the next day.

Josh tried to focus on other things but he always seemed to veer back to it. So much so that he even found himself hiding away from Hannah, much to her annoyance. She'd tried talking to him a few times throughout the day, only for him barely respond and hide off in his room. He felt guilty for not telling her about the kiss, especially since it was clear that he definitely and reluctantly had feelings for Sam.

He couldn't avoid Hannah when she came pounding on his door, insistent that he open up immediately. He crawled out of bed, where he'd been hibernating, and yanked the door open to see a waiting and red-faced Hannah. He stared her up and down, taking in the sight of her decked out in her tennis uniform.

"Um, hello!" she said, pointing to her racket. "It's 3:30. I'm gonna be late." Josh glanced at his watch - she was right. 3:30 pm. He was supposed to take her to practice ten minutes ago. He heaved a sigh and retreated towards his closet, patting down his bedhead as he rooted around for a presentable flannel to put over his t-shirt.

"What is your deal?" Hannah challenged, stepping into his room. "You've been hiding out in here all day." Her concern was deeply evident, even if her tone was somewhat scolding. He knew she was just worried about him. She was always worried.

"I'm fine," he tried. He knew that wouldn't be enough, but he still hoped. He glanced at her as he buttoned his shirt. "Really."

"Is this because you kissed Sam?" she asked blatantly. Josh froze, his brows furrowing.

"Wait, how did you-" Hannah chuckled.

"You're really dumb if you thought she wasn't gonna tell me. She's my best friend, numbnuts!" She exclaimed as she plopped down onto his bed, obviously not as concerned with being late as she was before. Josh sat beside her.

"So… she really into this guy, or what?" he asked, trying to be nonchalant but failing miserably. Hannah leaned back on her hands, sighing.

"I mean… I guess. She's still going out with him tonight, if that's what you're asking."

"Oh," Josh muttered. He tried not to let him bother him, but it still stung a little.

"Why don't you just… tell her you like her?"

"Why don't you just tell Mike you like him?" he snapped back, far more viciously than he wanted to. He eased up when he saw the hurt in his sister's eyes. "I'm sorry, Hann. It's just not that simple."

"Mike has a girlfriend. And doesn't even know I exist," Hannah clarified, somberly. "Sam is single. And cute. And sweet..."

All of those things were true. And Josh was incredibly mad at himself for liking her like that. It was so much simpler before. Hannah leaned into him, nudging him a bit.

"And… she likes you." Josh crooked an eyebrow and stared down at Hannah.

"She tell you that?"

"In a way, yeah," she laughed. "I mean… I guess we all thought it was obvious."

"Then how come I don't see it that way?" Josh questioned, running a hand through his disheveled hair.

"Because maybe you were so afraid of being rejected that it's blinded you."

Josh pondered that a moment, realizing that his sister hit the nail on the head. He was so convinced that Sam wouldn't ever like him back that he'd smothered any chances they'd ever had with awkward humor and deflection.

And now he was sitting alone at home like a hermit.

And she was getting ready for a date with someone else.

"Josh…" Hannah squeaked, pulling his gaze back to her. "She wanted you to be her first kiss because you're the most important guy in her life. I think you have your answer," Hannah said quietly. "So what if she's on a date. I bet you fifty bucks she'd rather be hanging out here with you any day."

Josh was done talking about it. He appreciated his sister's sincerity, but she was a dreamer. And she definitely watched too many soap operas to be a credible source for romantic advice.

"Let's get you to practice," he said, abruptly and thoroughly ending the conversation.

Josh spent the rest of the day with Chris to get his mind off Sam - even though he couldn't stop checking his phone to see if she'd texted him. He didn't want to tell Chris how crazy it was driving him out of fear his friend would offer to 'help,' so instead the two of them just indulged in some pizza, beer and video games.

It was a good enough distraction - enough so that he was panicked when Chris stood to leave.

"W-wait. You're not staying over?" Josh asked hopefully as Chris zipped up his jacket.

"Nah, man. I told Ashley I would come over and watch a movie. You know what that means," he winked oh-so-cooly..

"That you're both gonna sit on opposite ends of the couch and neither of you are gonna make a move?" Josh said dryly. Chris laughed, despite himself.

"Well, I mean. At least I'll get to watch a crappy romantic comedy."

"So it's win-win," Josh nodded. "Keep livin' the dream, Romeo. Eventually your hard work will pay off." Chris gave him a high five and left abruptly, leaving Josh alone with his thoughts. Which, of course, were riddled with Sam.

It was just a stupid crush. Exacerbated by a kiss. It would pass, just like most of his flavors of the week usually did. This was nothing different. Nothing special.

In fact, he was finding himself slightly peeved at her for dragging him into this in the first place, and more mad at himself for allowing it to happen.

Never again.

Last night in the hallway was the first and last time he'd be tempted by the golden-haired siren, that was for sure.

Josh stood, stretched, and checked the clock. It was getting kinda late and he was contemplating trying to turn in when he heard the gentle rap on the rec room door. At first his mind told him it was Chris, but reconciled that when he reasoned that Chris wouldn't have knocked.

"Hey," She said, standing in the doorway. She was more dressed up than he'd really ever seen her, save for a school dance or holiday. Everything about her was polished, from her long, curled blonde hair to her floral summer dress to her tan boots.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were out with Randy." It was hard to say that without it coming across as bitter. Josh stood up straight, smoothing down his rumpled shirt.

"Evan," Sam corrected him. She fidgeted with her hands nervously as Josh looked her up and down. "And… I was out with him.

"Uh huh… but?" Josh egged her on.

"But I told him I wasn't feeling well and cut out early."

Josh felt the corner of his mouth twitch; he didn't want to smile and give himself away that he'd been hoping this might happen.

"Oh really? Uh… interesting," he said coolly. Sam smiled now, her nose scrunching.

"Oh, yeah?" she said, suppressing a giggle that wanted so badly to erupt from her mouth. "And why is that so interesting, Washington?" Sam stepped towards him, the gap between them closing when he didn't move from where he was standing. Josh gave a small shrug, leaning against the doorframe. He stuck his hands in his pockets casually.

"I dunno… just 'cause you seemed pretty eager to go out with him, I guess," he mumbled. "How'd he do? Was it everything you'd imagined?" He was, of course, referring to their much anticipated kiss. Sam's smile bent and became strained.

"Eh," she croaked. Josh laughed now. It was becoming clear why she was here now, although he didn't want to get his hopes up. "I've had better."

"So, let me get this straight. You had a hot date, but you'd rather be here, hangin' out with lil' old me?" Josh was having a hard time containing his smile at this point. Hannah had been right all along. He owed his sister fifty bucks.

"I guess so." Sam neared him more, mindlessly playing with the buttons on his flannel. "Plus, I just… I think maybe I have a little more to learn, you know?" She glanced up at him, her eyes scheming.

"What do you mean?" Josh uttered, his breath slowing. She shrugged, smiling slyly.

"I think I need a little more practice. And since you were such a good teacher before-" her words trailed off shyly, but Josh knew what she was getting at.

Josh tilted her chin up, carefully pressing his lips to hers again. He felt her smile against him, her teeth softly crashing into his. His hand snaked up behind her neck, cradling her head as she relaxed into his lips. It was even more amazing than it was the night before, especially as her arms slinked around him, pulling him closer.

And Josh couldn't believe he was kissing Sam Jensen. Even more than that, that he was kissing her because she wanted to be kissed by him. It still felt so surreal.

He could definitely get used to this.

When they parted it was Josh's turn to be dazed and dizzied. She'd certainly improved since the last one, that much was certain. Although, that might have been because last time he completely caught her off guard.

"Well? How was that?" Sam asked, teasingly. Josh shrugged.

"I mean, no one's perfect. You'll get the hang of it."

"Oh, shut up Josh," Sam uttered between giggles. So he did as she asked and shut up.

And then he kissed her again.

fin