"The Tech Whiz And The Former Grunch"
A iCarly/Victorious crossover, written by Fanfic-Reader-88
Pairing: Freddie/Trina
Rated M for language and sexual content later in the story
Disclaimer:
With the exception of Hungry's Sports Bar and Diner, Hi-Def Vision, "SportsMinute", SaveHut, Angeles Village Apartments, 206 Film And Graphics, "The Next Great Designer", "CFC Unrestricted", Adrenaline TV, Stephanie Rodriguez, "Knuckles" Rogers, "CFC Championship Saturday", Pencils Stadium, Rock-Tarts, Orangefly's, The Naked Longhorn, Spartan "Almost Raw" Condoms, McArthur's and The Grub Village, I don't own anything, anywhere or anybody.
Author's Note:
What's up? If you didn't notice, I'm Fanfic-Reader-88, longtime reader and reviewer, and now, first-time writer.
Regardless of what kind of feedback I receive for this story, this may be my only fanfic, at least for these two shows. I just needed to write something before the iCarly and Victorious fandoms completely died down. And for various reasons, I decided to do so with a Freddie/Trina pairing.
Again, this is my first (and maybe only) fanfic, so excuse and forgive me if this story seems hard to believe, like it's missing something, or if it's just not good. Positive reviews are welcome. Negative ones are welcome too, if they're written with constructive criticism. Simply saying "you suck" is a waste of time.
So, without further "to do", I give you my story, "The Tech Whiz And The Former Grunch". Hope you enjoy it.
Los Angeles, California
Friday September 1, 2017
Sometime around 8PM
In his apartment, with a glimpse of sunlight still beaming through his living room window, Freddie Benson was sitting on the edge of his couch, and at the moment, he found himself as the lucky recipient of a make-out session with a sexy waitress that he had met earlier in the day. Better yet, the Seattle native/former technical producer of iCarly/Ridgeway High and University Of Washington graduate was actually somewhat familiar with the young woman who was practically sticking her tongue down his throat.
Oddly enough, the female in question was Trina Vega: Los Angeles-area native, Hollywood Arts High School graduate, aspiring actress and model, older sister of Tori Vega, and currently, as Freddie found out, waitress at Hungry's Sports Bar and Diner. Much to his and other people's surprise, she had came a long way from being the girl who was obsessed with fame, completely untalented (according to others), self-centered, and according to old-enemy-turned-friend Jade West, a person that nobody liked.
The evident change in Trina's personality was part of why, in the space of nine hours, she and Freddie were now not only reunited friends, but also potential lovers, or at least sex partners, which was about to happen in the immediate future. A friendship that had started six years ago during a party at Kenan Thompson's house, and had been somewhat resurrected earlier in the day at Hungry's, was now turning physical inside of Freddie's apartment, and it all started earlier that morning.
(Friday morning)
Freddie had woke up at 9AM, surprisingly early due to the fact that he had the day off as a early start to the Labor Day weekend, and also because he had spent the night before hanging out and partying.
Because of the following holiday weekend, and his recent success at Hi-Def Vision (the production company where Freddie worked), he and some of his co-workers/friends went to a local bar, where they indulged in drinking, game playing and game watching, as well as engaging in activity with the opposite sex. Freddie's luck was particularly decent, as he had talked with various women, and he even managed to score a phone number or two.
Back to present times, after his morning workout, a shower, and tackling other hygiene matters, Freddie got dressed. After throwing on a white T-shirt, khaki-colored cargo shorts, and the usual pair of black-and-white Converses, he headed out to go on with his day.
After paying bills and handling other affairs, it was almost 11AM, and Freddie was hungry for some breakfast, or lunch - whichever one was being served at the place where he decided to eat. He didn't want to go to the usual fast-food joints, but going home to cook wasn't an option at the moment, since he wasn't afforded many choices in his fridge, and his trip to the grocery store wasn't planned until later in the day.
Suddenly, he thought of Hungry's, the new place that had opened not too far from his apartment just a few months back. He hadn't been there yet, but from what he had heard, it was already a popular place to eat and hang out. The food was the biggest draw, and unlike other bars and diners, Hungry's gave their customers the options to either dine in, pick up food for take-out, or to have it delivered. It didn't hurt that the restaraunt's hours were extended on the weekend, and that inside, there were TV's and a room designated as an arcade, which was a big deal for young customers, and older customers who had families.
But at that moment, all Freddie wanted was to eat, and with that in mind, he drove off on his way to Hungry's to fulfill that want.
Once inside, he went to a seat at the main counter and sat down. Almost immediately, a man slightly taller than him, with a haircut similar to what Freddie had sported in his younger days, approached him.
"Welcome to Hungry's Sports Bar and Diner. How may I help you?" the man had asked.
"Hi, uh, I'm here to eat in for... is it breakfast or lunch right now?" Freddie wondered.
"It's lunch, sir. Lunchtime begins at 10:30 every morning. But anyway, here's a menu. Just take your time, find out what you want. One of the waiters or waitresses will be with you shortly. Enjoy your meal, sir."
"Thank you," Freddie replied. Not long after opening his menu, he decided to order a chicken sandwich with fries and a glass of root beer. While waiting for his order to be taken, he noticed the small crowd, and the other customers being attended to by the waiters.
On each employee's shirt, "Hungry's" was written in big, bold cursive font normally found on sports jerseys. All the shirts were in different colors, and male employees all had on normal short-sleeved shirts. Female employees' shirt styles varied. Some were wearing short sleeves like the men, and others were wearing the shirts either with the sleeves rolled up or cut off, or they had wore tank tops. Some of the women were even bold enough to tie the bottom of their shirts in knots, clearly with the purpose of showing themselves off in mind.
In the short time of waiting for someone to take his order, he managed to take in a segment or two of "SportsMinute", and he even exchanged a couple of friendly and flirtatious "helloes" and "hi's" with some of the waitresses. But eventually, he noticed another woman in the diner, a brunette with a white tank top that had "Hungry's" written in red with black outline. That was only the beginning of Freddie's observation.
On top of the jet-black hair, the young woman also had brown eyes, along with tan skin and a slim but curvaceous build that included nice-sized breasts and amazing legs. Along with her Hungry's shirt, she had short black jean shorts on, and a pair of Converses much like Freddie's. He hadn't yet realized that Trina was the object of his attention, and she wasn't aware of him either. But that was soon about to change.
"Hi, and welcome to Hungry's. May I take your order?"
"Yeah, I'd like a chicken sandwich and fries, and a root beer, please."
"And would you like that fried or grilled? Wait. Are you Freddie?"
"Uh yeah, I - I'm Freddie Benson, from iCarly. I don't - "
"I know that you're from iCarly! Everybody knows!" Trina exclaimed. "You don't remember me?!"
"Not right away, uh... Hold on. Trina Vega?"
"Yeah," the waitress replied, her voice filled with happiness mixed with surprise. "You... what brings you to L.A.?"
"I actually live here, for the last year now. You work here?"
"Yeah, I do. I got hired when the diner first opened. Wow, it, it's good to see you again, Freddie."
"Thanks, it's good to see you too, Trina."
After a brief silence, Trina was snapped back to reality, and she remembered why she was originally talking to Freddie to begin with.
"So, back to your order. You uh, you wanted a chicken sandwich, fries and root beer, right?"
"Yes, that's... that's my order."
"Fried or grilled?"
"Uh, grilled."
"Sure. Grilled chicken it is." Trina noticed on one of the clocks that it was 11:20, and as a result, it was almost time for her break. Feeling ambitious, she thought that this was a chance to catch up with a old friend over lunch. She then took the opportunity by saying, "hey Freddie, I have a couple more orders to get to, and by then, your food should be ready, and it should be time for my break. So, I was hoping maybe we could... have lunch together?"
"Yeah, sure. That, that sounds good," Freddie responded. While both Freddie and Trina were happy to see each other again, both of them were feeling a slight sense of nervousness around themselves and the other person.
"See you in a few minutes, then."
"Okay, later." With that, Freddie remained in his seat as Trina handled his order, and those of other customers. Before she was totally out of sight, though, he noticed the way certain body parts moved as she walked away. When he saw how she strutted into the kitchen, he thought to himself, 'well alright, Trina' as she had done so. He was unaware that later that night, he would get to observe her body again.
At 11:55, he had watched Trina walk away with a tray that had four plates of food placed on it. Freddie had thought that his plate was there, and the other three belonged to other people. He was right, because along with his and the other customers' food and drink, Trina had been carrying her own lunch on the tray: a veggie burger with fries and iced tea. Once she gave the other customers their lunch, she went to the counter where Freddie sat. After laying their lunches on the counter, she realized that before joining him, she needed to return the tray.
"Let me just put this back, and I'll get with you in a second." Sure enough, when she was done, she had walked back to her seat at the counter next to Freddie. But as Trina did so, she took a second to notice how he had developed over the years, a sign that puberty wasn't quite through with him when he left Ridgeway.
First, there was the matter of a new, shorter haircut that Freddie had. All of his hair was still very much in place, but now he wore it in a sort of butch-cut pattern. He also acquired a slightly thick circle beard, which he had grown out over the last few months. What caught Trina's eyes the most though, was when she noticed how Freddie had gained a stronger, more muscular build. He wasn't like a bodybuilder, nightclub bouncer or a gym rat who may have had a case of "'roid rage". But she, like anyone who knew Freddie or knew about him, was well aware that he was significantly bigger than he was in his teenage years. Then finally, she saw traces of ink underneath his shirt sleeve, which indicated that he has tattoos. Just as she got closer to her seat next to him, she quickly licked her lips, and in that moment, she heard herself say in her head, 'I want some of him,' not knowing she would have an opportunity to get "some of him" in the next eight hours or so.
Realizing that she needed to pull herself together, Trina blinked sharply to snap out of her daze. But the feeling of her recent thoughts still lingered, and she understood it would take a serious deal of self-control to avoid taking Freddie somewhere private and doing things that were only normally seen in the average adult flick, something she might risk doing if she was still her old self.
Finally, she was at her seat, and the only thing left to do at the moment was to rid herself of hunger, and to catch up with the boy, or rather, young man, who ventured into Los Angeles the summer before.
"Hey," she greeted as she sat down. "Is something wrong with your food?"
"Oh, uh, no. Nothing's wrong with it. I just thought I'd wait to eat until you got here," he responded.
"Well, that was awfully considerate of you," she said in a slightly joking manner. But in her mind, Trina was urged to wonder where Freddie, or someone like him, had been during her days at Hollywood Arts, and in the rare occasions she had dated since then.
After taking a sip from her tea that washed down the first bites of her veggie burger, Trina noticed Freddie was still experiencing his first taste of the chicken sandwich he ordered. "So what do you think?"
As the taste of the sandwich kicked in, once he finshed the bite, he responded with, "wow, this is pretty good."
"You like it?"
"Yeah. Now I can see why this place is such a big deal. I might need to come here more often."
"I'm sure my boss would love to hear that." As the pair continued to eat, Trina felt it was high time to get to the reunion part of their lunch. "So, you really live here now?"
"Yeah, I do. I actually moved here a little over a year ago."
"Really? That's good to hear. So is it for work, starting over, or did you just get tired of Seattle?"
"Haha, no. I found a job, or maybe the job found me, a couple of weeks after I graduated from Washington."
"They thought of you as a top prospect, I take it?"
"Yeah, they did."
"So, if you don't mind me asking, what do you do?" Trina pondered between bites.
"I work at Hi-Def Vision. Among other things, I do web and graphic design."
"I heard of them, they're a big deal around town. Probably a bigger deal now since you work there."
Freddie smirked and chuckled at Trina's statement, then stated, "No, I think they would be just fine, even if I wasn't there."
"Now come on. Even I know how well you do with computers and a camera."
"Maybe that's true, but still..." Beginning to grow tired of talking about himself, Freddie wanted to know more about the woman who once seemed determined to be the biggest star that ever existed.
"Alright, enough about me. I think it's time we talked about you. How'd you end up here at Hungry's?"
"Well, among other things, I needed a steady job. I didn't wanna ask anybody for money to get through life, and as it turns out, Hollywood wasn't as ready for me as I thought they were. So long story short, I became a waitress."
"Nothing wrong with being self-sufficient, I guess. So did you give up on acting and singing altogether?"
"No, I didn't give up on it, I just... I just don't put all of my hopes into it anymore."
Upon hearing Trina's update on her life, he sensed a bit of frustration, and even a bit of sadness in her voice.
"Did you ever get any parts?"
"Yeah, I did, every now and again. I had some parts as an extra, and while we still went to Hollywood Arts, I had been on this Spanish-language comedy show for a few episodes. I even had a few modeling gigs here and there. But nothing big's come up yet."
"I - I'm sorry, Trina. I mean, it's good that you've been able to do what you've done, but... I know that you were set on being a big star."
Even with the lack of face-to-face interaction over the years since the party and Tori's play, Freddie knew enough about Trina to understand how obsessed with fame she was, or at least had been.
"For so long, I asked myself and wondered what it might be that's keeping me from getting a breakthrough. Is it because I'm not as talented as I thought? Is my lack of success some type of payback from GOD for the way I used to act? Or am I just not supposed to be famous?"
Somewhat unsure of what to say that might make Trina feel better, Freddie finally felt that honesty, kindness and humor mixed together could help.
"Look, you are talented, and even if it takes a long time, you could make it. Just keep practicing, maybe take some more acting and singing lessons. Definitely keep your ego in check. If you do that, then who knows? Maybe one day, you could be an award-winning actress... or at least somebody's go-to woman if they need a hot mom in some new movie or cheesy sitcom."
Trina laughed and gave Freddie a soft punch after hearing the last part of his pep talk. "Haha, very funny, Benson." For a few seconds after, she reflected on his advice and felt a sense of gratitude and relief knowing that someone saw potential in her, even if she had lost sight of it herself.
"Seriously, I do thank you for what you just said," she added. "It's nice to know somebody still believes in me."
"You're welcome. But I doubt I'm the only one who believes in you."
The sudden votes of confidence from Freddie had lifted Trina's spirits. As he lifted his hand to grab his root beer, she again noticed some ink under his sleeve, this time on his right arm. Her newfound mood, along with a sense of curiosity caused her to break her silence.
"Okay, 'Mr. Tech Producer', tell me something. What's with the tattoos?"
"How'd you know about my tattoos?" he asked with a look of surprise.
"I kind of noticed them when your shirt sleeves came up whenever you moved your arms. So what about 'em?"
"Well, the stuff on my right arm, I got it a couple of weeks before graduation last year. It was sort of a present to myself. Then my left arm, that was done a few months ago."
Freddie then went on to explain in detail about the half-sleeves he had acquired in the last year. The work on his right arm consisted of a portrait of Jesus on the shoulder area of his arm, and underneath on his bicep, there was an angel dressed in a robe posing in a praying motion. On the inside of his bicep, there was a black cross with black-and-gray shaded praying hands and a ribbon surrounding it. And inside of the ribbon, Freddie's last name BENSON was written in all caps.
On his left arm, there was a vast collection of ink paying tribute to his hometown of Seattle and his new residence of Los Angeles. His shoulder contained a sketch of a bulldog head, in honor of his days at Ridgeway. At the start of his bicep, it consisted of the Seattle Mariners "S", the Los Angeles Dodgers "L.A.", and the University of Washington "W". The remainder of his outside bicep was filled with another angel. But unlike the one on his right arm, it came in the form of a curvaceous woman facing her right who appeared to be nude, and had her hand covering her breasts. Above her left hip, the angel had her own ink: the words "City Of Angels", which served as the common nickname for Los Angeles. The inside of his bicep was covered with a set of comedy and tragedy masks, better known as a "Laugh Now, Cry Later" tattoo, something not too hard to find on someone in L.A.
And on the back of each of his arms above his elbows, when they were read together were the words SINCE 1994, which paid honor to the year he was born.
"So what made you do it?" Trina asked, greatly interested in his collection of body art.
"Well, one of my roommates at Washington, he drew a lot of different stuff, mainly just for fun, but also because he took art classes which were part of his major, graphic design. While we were there, a good number of people decided to get tattoos, people who lived in our dorms. They knew that he was this great artist, so they would go to him for tattoo designs, either because they couldn't find any art they liked on their own, or because they liked his art better than what they had found.
So eventually, after seeing different pictures online and in magazines, I started to get interested in tattoos myself, and after doing some thinking, I wanted to get one... or a few. Then when I figured out what I wanted, I went to the shop where my roommate went. And as you see, the rest is history."
"And the stuff on your left arm, you got it a few months ago?"
"Yeah. I wanted to get some more, and I got the idea to have something about where I've been and where I live, so all the stuff about Seattle and L.A. found its way onto my arm."
"Are you getting anymore?"
"If I really want one, and if I find something I truly like, I might. Right now though, I'm just sticking to what I already have."
Beginning to laugh as she realized how overprotective Mrs. Benson had been in the past from what she had heard, Trina then asked Freddie, "so what does your mom think?"
"Well, she was shocked. Definitely a little disappointed, but then she backed off. She told me even though she wasn't happy about it, it was my body, and I was a grown man, so I could do what I want. She just hoped I didn't turn into a person whose whole body was full of ink. It was a lot better than what happened in 8th grade at Ridgeway."
"You got a tattoo in 8th grade?!" Trina was greatly surprised at the end of Freddie's story. Luckily, she hadn't been eating or drinking anything, otherwise it would have been on the floor, or she would have choked on it.
"Yeah, I did," he responded, slightly chuckling at her shock. "It's a long story, a long horrible story, and needless to say, my mom freaked out back then. Maybe when I get a chance, I'll explain it in full detail."
"Good, because I'm wondering how you went through getting a tattoo at 13."
Freddie continued to eat his lunch, and Trina ate hers after the story. While doing so, he noticed something on her waist as she moved in her seat. Realizing what it was, he took the opportunity to question the waitress about her own body art.
"Not the only one with tattoos at this counter, now am I?"
Almost confused at the former technical producer's statement, Trina realized what he was talking about and blushed, knowing that he saw her ink.
"Yeah. You saw that, huh?"
"So what are they?" Freddie asked after nodding his head yes.
"Nothing really, just some girly stuff." Trina quickly looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone watching them or looking as if they could be doing so. When she saw that all eyes except Freddie's were off of her, she slowly lifted up the bottom of her shirt, which showed off the left side of her waist. Just above her shorts was a small trail of butterflies and flowers along with a few stars. After a few seconds had passed, Trina asked Freddie what he thought.
"It looks pretty good." Freddie was truly interested in her artwork, and he wasn't lying about what he had said. But in his mind, he was wondering what the rest of her looked like in the flesh, without her work uniform, or any other clothes for that matter. That thought, along with what he had already seen, was almost enough to send him over the edge. Fortunately, he had gained a sense of how to keep his cool around attractive women, something he had to acquire in light of all the years he spent with Carly, among other things.
When he asked her when she had got the tattoo, she explained that it was soon after she left Hollywood Arts, as sort of a spur-of-the-moment move. That particular design, according to her, symbolized beauty and star power, both of which she thought she had at the time. She then said that she kept the tattoo because she understood that beauty wasn't just about how she looked, but also about how she acted and how she treated others.
From the little bit he knew about Trina, Freddie took this as a sign of growth, because her mentality was nothing like that when he met her, her sister and their friends over six years ago. Nice, maybe. But considerate? Caring? Not really.
It was nearly 12:30 in the afternoon, and the both of them had finished their lunches, with only the rest of their drinks remaining. When those were finished, Trina noticed the time, and that she had to get back to work.
"It's been fun seeing you again and catching up with you. But my break's almost over, and duty calls, you know?"
"Yeah, I understand. I should probably get going too. I have a few things to do before I get back home."
"Okay. Maybe you can come back soon, and we coud talk over lunch again?"
"Sure, that sounds good."
"Good. So, see you soon then."
"Later, Trina." Just when she was gonna walk away, Freddie thought of not wanting to wait until his next trip to Hungry's to see Trina again. So in that instant, he decided to make a vital move.
"Trina, wait," he called out to her as she began to leave.
"Yeah?"
"Are you doing anything this weekend?"
"Uh, I may be going to see Tori and my parents on Monday, but that's about it, I think. Why?"
"Well, it's just... I wanted to talk to you again, and I wasn't sure when I would be back here, so I was thinking that we could talk or even hang out some time."
Sensing what Freddie was suggesting, even though he hadn't asked outright, Trina started to smile and questioned him.
"Do you want my phone number?"
"Yeah, sure. Do you... Do you want mine?"
"Would I be giving you mine if I didn't want yours?"
"Good point." With that, Trina typed her number into Freddie's phone, while he wrote his on a napkin since she didn't have hers at the moment because of her shift. Before finally returning to work, Trina went to hug Freddie, which he gladly accepted and returned. As she stepped away, she urged him to call her sometime. He told her he would, and as she began to leave, she waved goodbye to him, and he had done the same, and when the exchange was over, she went back to work, and he left out of the diner.
(Continued in chapter 2.)