Sponge: Hello! This is a one-shot that I was inspired to write after watching exploding fireworks in honor of the Fourth of July. It has nothing at all to do with "Scooby Doo and the Mysterious Tape" (although you should totally check that out if you haven't yet.) Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Scooby Doo characters – they belong to Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, and Hanna-Barbera. Enjoy!
"Let's see if we can find some good spots," Fred said. He and the rest of Mystery Inc carried their lawn chairs over the grassy lawn of the Coolsville Country Club, trying to find a good place to set them down to watch the fireworks. It was the Fourth of July, and the country club had a tradition of inviting the entire community of Coolsville, Ohio to partake in the festivities of the holiday. The country club made a huge deal out of it, getting a moon bounce and pony rides, as well as a lot of food to eat – hamburgers, hot dogs, funnel cake, snow cones, cotton candy…
"Where did Shaggy and Scooby go?" asked Velma.
"I'll give you three guesses," Daphne said, glancing pointedly in the direction of the food stand. Velma snorted. Shaggy and Scooby had loaded up on the food all right – their arms were full to the point of dropping things.
"Let me help you," Velma offered, catching a couple hot dogs as they fell.
"Like thanks, Velma," Shaggy said smiling. Velma felt a blush rise to her cheeks, but she smiled back.
"So do you guys plan to eat all of this in one sitting?" Velma asked.
"Of course! This food will definitely be gone before the fireworks end. And like knowing us, we'll still be hungry afterwards," Shaggy replied. Velma laughed.
"Do you think the fireworks will be better than they were last year?" Velma asked. The two of them thought back to the previous Fourth of July celebration, where the fireworks had been mediocre.
"Like, I hope so," Shaggy replied. "Last year's fireworks were like, awful."
"Hey guys! Over here!" Shaggy and Velma turned their heads to see Fred and Daphne waving over to them. They had set down their lawn chairs on the edge of the lawn, next to a bunch of people they didn't know. In front of them, however, was a large open space – and Fred had brought a Frisbee.
The five of them tossed the Frisbee to each other, laughing and calling out to each other. Eventually, other people congregated towards them and began to join in.
At one point, Velma got hit in the face with the Frisbee.
"Zoinks!" Shaggy, who was closest to her, rushed to her side. "Like, are you all right, Velma?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Velma said, rubbing her forehead in the place where the Frisbee had hit her. "I'm just…seeing fireworks." She laughed, and Shaggy laughed too, glad that she wasn't too hurt.
"Like, let's sit down," Shaggy said, offering her his arm and leading her over to the lawn chairs. They sat down next to each other and watched the Frisbee fly from person to person. The sun had just gone down, and the stars were beginning to come out.
"Like Velma, you know which stars are which, right?" asked Shaggy.
"Yes," Velma replied, wondering why he wanted to know.
"I've been wondering this for like, ever." Shaggy pointed to a bright object in the sky, high above the horizon. "What's the name of that huge star right there?" Velma giggled.
"That's not a star, that's a planet," she informed him. "It's Venus."
"Ohhhh…" Shaggy blushed.
"It's okay," Velma told him. She smiled to herself. He was adorable when he was embarrassed. Well, he was adorable all the time. But especially now.
"Well…like, what are some other stars?" The two sat there as Velma pointed out constellations and asterisms as they began to fill the sky. She showed him Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, as well as Castor and Pollux, the Gemini twins. She showed him the North Star and the great square of Pegasus. She pointed out the constellation of Leo and showed him where Zenith and Nadir were (the point directly above their heads and the point directly below their feet, respectively). Midway through the astronomy lesson, a sonorous baritone began singing the national anthem, interrupting all sounds of conversation as everyone stood up and faced the flag that waved near the food stand.
When the song was over, the first fireworks began and Fred, Daphne and Scooby returned to the lawn chairs. Velma was immediately rapt by the bursts of color that rose into the night sky, lighting it up for a brief moment of time. Splashes of purple and green, of red, white and blue exploded in the twilight and Velma smiled to herself.
At one point, Shaggy stopped watching the fireworks to watch Velma's face. The fireworks seemed like sparks rising from a magicians' wand, and Shaggy felt this was an apt analogy to use, for he felt as though a spell had been cast upon him. The colors of the fireworks reflected on Velma's face, so she seemed radiant. Shaggy felt his heart swell with adoration for the beautiful woman beside him.
When the fireworks ended, everyone began chatting away about how impressive the fireworks were this year. Velma sighed.
"Like, did you like the fireworks, Velma?" asked Shaggy.
"I loved them," she replied. "They were so much better this year than they were last year. They were better than the fireworks I saw when the Frisbee hit me in the face, too." She laughed. "I wish there had been more, though."
"Like, close your eyes," Shaggy told her. Velma looked at him and laughed again.
"What?"
"Just do it." Still smiling, Velma closed her eyes. "Like, what do you see?"
"…The backs of my eyelids?"
Velma was suddenly aware of a soft pressure upon her lips and she realized that Shaggy was gently kissing her.
"Like, how about now?"
Velma opened her eyes and smiled at Shaggy.
"…Those were the best fireworks I've ever seen."
Sponge: Baah, I'm such a cornball. I don't think that it's terribly well-written, and I DEFINITELY feel like the ending fell flat but meh. It's just fluff. I'm not really trying to do a lot with this story – all of my attention is currently focused on "Scooby Doo and the Mysterious Tape" (by the way, chapter 9 should be coming out sometime this evening.) Anyway, happy Fourth everyone! I hope you enjoyed the Shelma fluff! Review!