"So we're definitely mentioning that Shaggy and Scooby fainted at the sigh of a cockroach to the police right?" Velma said with a smirk, collecting the headsets they were all wearing and putting them back in their designated case. Technically it was a giant cockroach but that hardly counted for much anymore.
Daphne sent her a glare as she rubbed Shaggy's back, his shoulders were still ridiculously tense despite the fact that their mask was currently restrained.
Shaggy rolled his eyes and said, "Like go ahead Velms. If it's that important to you…" He groaned when Daph began to push hard into his shoulders. Turning his head back to look up at her he said, "Easy ma'am! Do you wanna dislocate something?"
Daphne frowned and leaned over, her hair falling down and getting in his face. After he gently pushed the red waves back behind her neck, Daph said, "Well it's not exactly my fault that every single muscle in your body is stretched out like a rubber band. Now take some deep breaths and let me do my thing…"
He gave her an annoyed look but complied, taking a few deep breaths as she resumed her assault on his tense body. He was currently sitting on the curb (just with the goal of catching his breath) and Daphne had gotten on her knees behind him (where the comforting rubs turned into all out warfare).
Velma let out a snicker at the exchange and said, "You know it's time for a vacation when Mr. and Mrs. Non-Confrontation start snipping at each other."
At that, Daphne's grip on him loosens and Shaggy straightens up until he's leaning against her, his head resting against her stomach. It seemed that Velma was actually serious about this whole "we need a vacation" thing.
"I agree." Fred's voice came from the back of the Mystery Machine where he was still picking bits of flypaper out of his hair."But the real question is," He poked his head out and the other three looked at him, "…Where?" He said this with a dramatic tone which received a scoff from Velma.
Shaggy and Daphne simply shrugged; leisurely getaways were a foreign practice among the Scooby gang and the prospect that they were even going on one was still hard to grasp. A revelation that shocked Daphne because her parents practically went on a vacation every other week. She'd expected to have more knowledge on the subject.
Did they even know how to enjoy a vacation?
That question didn't sit in anyone's head for too long because Velma suddenly said something incredibly unnerving, "Don't worry about it losers. I'll take care of it." She puffed out her chest and gave them all a relaxed grin. As if them putting their faith in her was a natural phenomenon.
Fred, Shaggy, and Daphne all shared a look that spelled out their concerns:
'Is it a good idea to leave our fate in Velma's hands?'
Of course Velma wasn't stupid so she quickly picked up on this unease floating in the air. She crossed her arms over her chest, "Oh come on you guys! What? You assholes don't think I know how to find something fun?"
Fred's stuttered defense and Shaggy's blunt nod were her conformation.
Her cheeks went red and she leaned against the van, "Wow- okay. Two things, one: fuck all y'all. Two: I am planning this vacation and proving that I actually am capable of facilitating a fun time. And then I guess you can grovel or something, I don't really care."
"What if Freddie takes you out for dinner?" Daphne said as she began to trace patterns along Shaggy's biceps with her fingers. "If we actually have a good time…" You could hear the smugness in her voice.
Velma's eyes went as wide as humanly possible and Fred fell out of the van. Shaggy let out a laugh at the two overly exaggerated reactions and raised his hand up for Daph to slap. Instead, Daph grabbed onto it and held it - mistaking his high five for just wanting to hold hands. He decided to spare her the embarrassment and squeezed her hand.
"Jesus, like we really do need a break. Normally that wouldn't get to y'all that much" Shaggy said, sending a teasing grin in Velma's direction.
"You guys are conspiring against me…" Velma stated, sending a glare at the couple
"Velms you'll only encourage them." Fred said as he brushed the dirt off of his jumpsuit. Daphne and Shag didn't miss how red his ears were though.
Suddenly, Daphne's skin went cold as she looked around, her grip on Shaggy's hand tightening, "Shags… Where's Scooby?"
Shaggy heard the worry in her voice and quickly replied, "Like he's trying to find a place for us to eat. I don't think I can survive much longer without sustenance… This body is a machine and it's, like, running on fumes."
Daph let out a sigh of relief and let their joined hands go slack.
"It's New York - fucking - City. How long is it gonna take for a dog to find something appetizing?" Velma groaned, realizing she was actually starving too.
"Maybe he's just looking for something that'll suit all of our tastes." Fred said optimistically and joined Velma in leaning against the van.
Daphne smiled, "That's sweet of him…"
"Dino's Pizza on 3rd and Main is pretty solid." Said a voice belonging to none of them.
They all shrieked, Daphne wrapped her arms around Shaggy's neck and Fred and Velma quickly stood back to back in a defensive stance. They all held their breath for a second (except for Shaggy, who only managed a quick "Zoinks" before losing the ability to breathe because Daph was squeezing on his windpipe) before realizing that it was actually their criminal, Mr. Coppler, in the cockroach costume. They had been so caught up in the vacation discussion they had forgotten that their mask was tied up and laying down next to Shag and Daph.
/
"So like, do any of us win a prize for calling that Velma would fail at planning this vacation?" Shaggy stated as they exited the vampire themed museum, "Here's your book back by the way." He added after Van Helsing had bid his goodbyes and disappeared back into the festival.
He handed the brunette back her mainstream vampire novel which was evidently interpreted as corporate schlock by any self-respecting vampirologist. Not like Shag was really all that proficient in teen vampire culture (he could barely follow whenever Daphne tried to explain it). Velma scowled at him and roughly grabbed the book.
Daph slowed down and turned back to look at him as they descended the stairs, "I don't know Shags… I mean- did you see that vampire bride jewelry? It was gorgeous!" She beamed brightly simply at the memory of the display, "I mean can you imagine being given that on your wedding day?! So romantic…" She sighed blissfully.
Shag raised an eyebrow at her, "Well you know what Daph… I think I'm gonna have to say no. Like, I can't imagine wearing anything related to vampires on my wedding day."
"Yeah Daphne- he'd be just as happy with a corndog buffet at his wedding." Velma said with a giggle that passed through to Daph and Fred.
Shaggy smiled, "Well the joke's on you Velms because that is actually a brilliant idea. C'mon Scoob."
He begins to make his way down the steps when suddenly Daphne lunges forward and grabs onto the back of his shirt. But it quickly backfires and she loses her balance, falling onto Shaggy who is just barely able to regain his footing.
Fred and Velma are just a couple steps above them when Velma says, "First Danger-Prone Daphne antic of our vacation and we haven't even been here an hour."
Fred smiles down at them apologetically but nods in response to Velma's words.
Daphne groans and takes a tentative step back, letting go of Shag's shirt while saying, "Don't you guys think we should maybe try and find a place to stay for the night?
All eyes turn up to Velma, who puts her hand on her chest and lets out an offended gasp, "You guys really think that little of me? As if I would go to the trouble of planning a whole vacation and not put any consideration towards our lodging." She crossed her arms triumphantly.
There was a beat of silence.
And then Fred broke it with, "So we do have a place to sleep?"
Velma frowned and elbowed him, "Yes nimrod!"
"Oh great!" Daphne said with a bubbly smile, "Ugh I hope it has a pool, otherwise I'll have packed my swimsuit for nothing…"
She grabbed onto Shaggy's arm and they began to make their way back to the van.
Unfortunately, when Velma said they had a place to stay, she had meant that Van Helsing had agreed to let them stay in his living quarters in the museum. Oddly enough, there were plenty of bedrooms so none of them needed to share. Daphne had gotten over the lack of a pool pretty quickly as she warmed up to the gothic decor.
Shaggy was in the middle of cleaning the dust off of everything (it was obvious that Van Helsing didn't get many visitors) when Daph invited herself in.
"Aww! Your room has way more bookshelves than mine!" She sat down on his bed, examining the furnishings in his room.
"Like tell me about it… And Scooby just so happened to vanish right when I could have used his help." His statement was followed immediately by a sneeze as a cloud of dust surrounded him.
Daphne giggled, her hands feeling the dark red (knockoff silk) comforter on his bed. They were supposed to meet with Van Helsing in a bit to watch some sort of vampire themed show. A show that Shaggy had expressed plenty of disinterest in but was still agreeing to go for the experience (meaning Velma was forcing him to go). Daph was significantly more excited about it, all things vampire captured her interests.
They stayed quiet, Daph watched him finish up dusting (taking breaks to sneeze) and dropping the duster next to a black lacquered desk, in the corner of the room furthest from the bed. He then flopped next to her and laid down, Daph turned to look at him.
"Like what time do we need to leave?" Shag said, looking up at her.
She brushed some unruly hair out of his eyes before bringing her hand to rest on his chest, "Vincent said the show started at eight."
He groaned, "The theater better have a fully stocked snack bar or I'm never gonna be able to keep my wits through the whole show…"
"Oh come on Shags! You really don't find these vampires even a little bit appealing?" She smirked down at him.
He rolled his eyes, "Believe it or not Daph, like not everyone finds vampires as sexy as you do."
Daphne blushed and bit her lip, "I like the 'tude."
"Like believe me Daph - I've noticed." Shaggy stated with a sigh as brought his hands up to rub his itchy eyes.
With her lightening-fast reflexes, Daphne grabbed onto both of his wrists, "Shags! Think about the wrinkles!"
He gave her an annoyed look as he mildly struggled against her grip, "I don't care about wrinkles! Like, the dust is still haunting my being!"
But Daphne didn't let go, "Well I care! What am I gonna do when my boyfriend gets premature wrinkles that I could have prevented?" The fight over the freedom of Shaggy's hands got more intense as he was now legitimately trying to pull them free.
"Oh… I don't know- maybe like, love him for who he is?" He said with a grunt, Daph's iron grip was no joke that was for sure.
At his words Daphne relented, releasing his arms, "Damn it. You've got me there…"
Shaggy smiled up at her little pout and grabbed onto her hand, "Aww, like look on the bright side Daph." She looked down at him skeptically, "At least love is blind."
"Very true…" Daphne replied with a warm grin and interlocked their fingers together.
Neither of them said anything, the only sound to be heard was from the millions of creepy grandfather clocks ticking throughout the building. This was pretty normal, sometimes the two of them would stop talking in the middle of a conversation. They didn't really notice how weird that was until Velma had witnessed it in action. She was then so kind to point out that it was freaky but she was brushed off. ("It's not what we say Velms, it's what we don't say that really sells the conversation.")
After a few minutes of blissful silence Daphne sighed and looked down at Shaggy, "Do you wanna make-out?" She began to trace shapes on the back of his hand.
Shag's eyes went wide, "What, like-….like right now? Here?"
Daphne - with eyes sparkling - nodded, "We're in a gothic, vampire-themed bedroom! Can you think of a place more romantic?" She was now leaning forward to run her free hand through his hair.
He looked up at her in disbelief, "Uh… Yeah, like I can think of a lot of places actually."
She giggled and Shaggy could now see that the sparkle in her eyes was actually a mischievous glint. He'd been tricked.
Suddenly, her eyes widened and she let out an excited gasp and clapped her hands together, "I have a brilliant idea!"
"That's a pretty snazzy word Daphne…" He said, a tinge of worry building up in the back of his mind as her smile grew bigger.
"I bought one of those vampire capes while we were walking around at the festival. I have it in my room… Just gimme a second- I'll go get it!" She made the move to stand up.
Shaggy quickly grabbed onto her hand and said, "Daph, like you're not getting me to wear a vampire cape. Then I will most definitely not want to make-out with you."
Daphne huffed, a frustrated look painted on her face, "So is that a yes or a no on the making out thing?"
He rolled his eyes and yanked her down on top of him.
/
"You doing alright Daph?" Fred asked, his voice full of concern as he came and stood next to her.
Daphne was currently standing by the entrance of the museum, waiting for the rest of the gang to finish giving statements to the police. She figure Shag's first matter of business would be to get something to eat, and she wanted to be with him.
"Never better. Why do you ask?" She replied with her typical level of perky.
Fred gave her a confused look, "Well…a horrifying, undead vampire did get all up in your face."
Daphne shrugged, "Eh- wouldn't be the first time. At this point I'm used to it. The beautiful are doomed to suffer." She sighed dramatically and Fred genuinely could not tell if she was joking or not.
"Okaaayy… Well I'm glad you're not too shaken up." He put his hands in his pockets and directed his gaze up toward the eerily bright moon, "But that brings me to another thing."
"And what is that Freddie?" Daphne replied, rubbing at her arms to fight off the cold.
Fred hesitated for a second before saying, "You don't think you're laying it on kinda heavy with the whole flirting with Bram thing?"
Daph's gaze shot to Fred, her eyes spelling out a warning that he didn't pick up on, "And what do you mean by that?"
The blond frowned, "I mean you were flirting with Bram like it was going out of style… Or something. Don't you think that's not fair to Shag? I mean- he was in the room."
"He was fifty feet off the ground hanging from a curtain." Daphne deadpanned.
"Not the point." Fred huffed, "The point is that your boyfriend was within the area and you still batted your eyelashes at some sunlight-deprived crackpot. Are things with you and Shaggy…okay?" By the way he was speaking, Daphne could tell that he was attempting to tread lightly.
Daphne stewed on his question for a moment. Obviously they were doing fine, they had spent all afternoon rolling around his room until Scooby came back with snacks. She smiled proudly at the memory of how much she had managed to mess up his hair (even more than his normal messy).
Aware that he wasn't trying to start anything, she said, "Freddie, I'm just a naturally flirty person. You've seen how often I flirt with any man that looks like a supermodel." Freddie nodded and Daphne looked down at her shoes (periwinkle flats with special insoles for arch support) and continued, "Believe it or not, Shaggy somehow completely understands this. I'm sure if I took it beyond playful banter then he would have a problem. I think anyone would…"
She turned her gaze behind her and back into the museum, biting her lip. Shaggy usually took a long time giving formal statements because he would over exaggerate every detail and then be asked to repeat it when he started talking too fast.
Sighing, Daph clasped her hands together and brought her attention back to Fred. She was surprised to see a troubled look on his face.
Giving him a smile, she said, "Don't worry Fred… I still love him and we're doing fine. I don't plan on hurting him. Ever." Her tone was very serious in contrast with her tone from earlier.
After staring at her for a moment, Fred finally smiled and moved on. He spent the rest of their time up front talk about all the vampire themed traps he had concocted over the years. She was mostly half-listening; the rest of her was focused on when the sound of Shaggy's voice would emerge from inside.
By the time that happened, Daph's feet had started to fall asleep.
Him, Scooby, and Velma joined the two of them and quickly Velms began discussing her theories regarding the mystery. So much for a vacation.
Shag jumped in quickly and said, "Well… Not that I ain't totally thrilled that our vacation is over at day one but…" He began to exit his way from the circle, "Scooby and I have pretty much worked off the garlic through stress alone and we need to like, recharge."
He waved a short goodbye and motioned to Daphne that he had his cell phone on him. But just as he and Scoob turned to leave, Daph grabbed onto his hand - holding it tight - and said, "I'm going with you."
He looked down at her and smiled, "Sweet."
She shivered and leaned into his arm, which inadvertently caused all of him to start tilting and almost fall over. Daphne yelped and straightened him out by roughly tugging him in the opposite direction. This action resulting in her skipping a step on the stairs and almost falling down. She and Shaggy were both thankful for her strong grip.
Shaggy helped her regain her balance (while laughing of course) and said, "Like, I believe that's three points for Danger-Prone Daphne."
Daph pouted, "Three? What was point two?"
"Uh- remember when that hideous bloodsucker covered you in green mist and tried to propose marriage to you? Like, because I sure do." He said this with an amused smile but then his face sobered up, "You're sure you're alright Daph?"
His tone was so soft and his hands had slid up to gently hold onto her elbows. While his demeanor seemed relaxed (relaxed for him anyway) the worry in his eyes was plain as day. The image of Shaggy Rogers being worried about her made Daphne's heart ache. And then it made something in the pit of her stomach drop. She felt like the solid ground was swept out from underneath her and now she was falling.
Fred's concern had further convinced Daph that, after being pressed up against a coffin by a vampire in desperate need of cosmetic surgery, she was fine. More than fine, she wanted to go have something to eat with her boyfriend and pretend nothing happened. But Shag stopping in the middle of the stairs and towering over her with a simple question of conformation sent her way changed that.
She bit her lip, "I'm a little dizzy…"
His eyes widened and his hold on her elbows got tighter, "Why? Like, do you need to sit down?"
Smiling up at him, Daph shook her head, "No it's not that intense… I think it's from the green mist he was pumping in my face." She motioned for him to continue walking down the stairs.
"Well duh- Vampires have like, master-class hypnosis skills. Or something." He transferred his grip back to her hand and they made their way onto the path back to the festival.
Daphne, still smiling, said, "Oh so now you're the vampire expert?"
He sent her a pout and it only made her smile even more.
"I'm an expert on the areas where they could, like, potentially kill me." He states, looking straight ahead to where Scooby is (most likely sniffing out a place to eat).
Daph hums in understanding, nodding her head with a serious expression before saying, "So you still won't wear the cape?"
He gently elbows her, "Like, not on your life Blake."
He says that with a goofy grin and red cheeks that send Daph's temperature soaring. Now all she wants to do it make-out with him again.
/
"Daphne, what the hell are you doing?" Velma asks with an undertone of disgust as she enters the room and peeks over the redhead's shoulder.
"Scrolling through Bram's Insta." Daph replies, not looking up from her phone. She's enjoying the sound her pastel purple, acrylic nails are making as they tap against the screen. Although from the corner of her eye she can see the the noise is slowly beginning to get on Fred's nerves. That doesn't stop her though.
Velma stares at Daphne for a moment as she makes her way around the couch and to the lounge chair before saying, "Shag, you're cool with this?"
Shaggy is currently sitting on the couch with Daph and making little origami animals out of a stack of sticky notes he found sitting on the coffee table. At Velma's inquiry he looks up and cocks his head to the side - confused, "Like, cool with what?"
Rolling her eyes, Velma crosses her legs and gestures towards Daphne with her hands, "Cool with your girlfriend sexting some random necrophiliac."
Daphne's head shoots up and her face matches her hair in seconds, she glares over at Velma before putting her phone face down on the couch, "Velma you know I wasn't doing anything like that!" Her face still stays red.
She quickly scoots closer to Shag so their knees are touching, maybe in an attempt to put out any flames of doubt her had towards her. Or simply because his touch was a form of comfort for her.
Shaggy stares at his flustered girlfriend for a moment before looking back down at the swan he's making, "She's horny for vampires Velms… How else is she gonna get her fix? Like, certainly not from me."
"Shaggy!" Daphne whines out, her glare now directed at him.
"What? Like, am I wrong?" He says this with a laugh as her face gets darker and darker.
She playfully slaps his shoulder before hiding her face against his arm, the gang was certain they'd never seen Daphne get this flustered before. The three of them looked at each other with a similar bewildered expression - Shag breathing out another laugh and shrugging. Velma crosses her arms and a playful expression takes over her face. She decides to keep pushing the subject.
"So you're totally fine with Daphne wanting to bang this guy?" Shag instantly can see that Velma is attempting to get a rise out of either of them.
As he finished up his paper swan he says, "Is there suddenly a rule that Daph isn't allowed to think other guys are hot because she's dating me?" He hands Daphne the swan, which she excepts without looking up from his arm.
Fred looked up from the odd contraption he was tinkering with (some kind of weird backpack designed to fire wooden stakes), eyes wide in shock, "You mean there isn't?"
Shaggy sighed and looked up at the light fixture hanging from the ceiling, "Hot people don't just, like, vanish after you start dating someone Freddie. Shocking - I know but I trust that Daphne knows how to look and not touch."
None of his relaxed statements were enough to pacify Velma, who continued, "Awww… So our little Daph isn't gonna get to see you jealous?"
Shag shrugged and grabbed another sticky note, "Like, in what way is that normal for me?"
But it's too late, Velma sees the realization flood over in Daphne's eyes. She keeps pushing it, "It's just a shame you know? Daph is one to enjoy the gap. I bet she probably wants you to get all cranky and stuff."
Shaggy chuckles, "Yeah. Like, I'll be sure to ask Fred how well that worked out for him."
Freddie sent him an offended look.
Velma only smiled, "Well obviously, that's not out of character for Fred. There's no gap to enjoy there. But if you - Mr. Free Spirit over here - managed to get jealous then Daphne would have a lot more to get out of that. Makes a girl feel special. You know?"
Shaggy stared at her, "Velma…like that makes absolutely no sense."
"Well neither does Daphne." Velma smirked as Daph emerged from her hiding place and frowned. She's succeeded in getting under the redhead's skin, her goal is now accomplished.
Shag rolled his eyes, directing his attention back to the new animal he was forming, "Well obviously- She's dating me for fucks sake."
Everyone freezes, Fred stops his tinkering and Daphne sits straight up. Even Shaggy's eyes are wide - a mixture of shock from what he just said and the reaction it earned. Nobody says a thing and Velma has suddenly shriveled up, picking at the fabric on the arm of the chair. She now regrets pushing the subject.
After a few moments of silence and surprised looks, Shaggy chuckles nervously and rubs the back of his neck, "Like, that was supposed to sound a lot funnier out loud…"
His words relax everyone, a comfortable slump returns to everyone's shoulders and the conversation is quickly moved to something totally unrelated. But Daphne keeps her head resting on Shag's shoulder and doesn't look at her phone at all during the discussion. Shaggy keeps handing her the little paper animals with the hope of cheering her up.
She simply smiles and begins to line them up on the arm of the couch.
/
With the vampire fuss amped up to an eleven, the festival has become significantly more lively. Meaning there are actual lines at all of the attractions now. Mostly whackos taking selfies next to cardboard cutouts of vampires far more attractive than Valdronia is. Not that anyone running around these grounds has actually seen him.
Daphne is currently taking in the sights with Fred and Velma - and looking out for more vampire related attire. She sighs wistfully as the image of those vampire bride's jewels pops into her head. The main bright side of becoming that guy's wife is she would get to just casually lounge around in lavish jewelry like it was no big deal.
She grinned and then her thoughts were invaded by Fred's voice, "So… Did you talk to Shag about what he said this morning?"
He and Velma looked at her as they continued to walk, a closer look at their faces told Daphne that they were still worried about Shaggy's earlier statement.
She clasped her hands together, tightly, "He was just joking you guys… You know if something was really bothering him I would have known." Her expression appears calm and doesn't betray her words.
Velma straightens her glasses and clears her throat, "How would you know Daph? You've only been dating a couple of months!"
"Two months and fifteens days actually." Daphne says with a smile.
Velma rolls her eyes, "Whatever - that hardly demerits my point. Dating Shaggy for seventy-fiveish days isn't gonna make you the expert on him."
At this, Daphne lets out a loud laugh that makes Fred jump and Velma raise an eyebrow.
She shakes her head, smile still on her face, "I've known Shags since grade school. We've all known him for a long time. We grew up together. Technically - we should all be able to recognize when he's upset or bothered by something. I mean… He always notices when something's wrong with us."
There's a beat of quiet before the other two nod, recalling any instance where Shaggy was able to pick up on their emotional state.
But then Fred adds, "Well… What if- what if there's a chance of doubt? What if he doesn't trust how much you care for him? If there was even that little shadow…would you let it stay there?"
Daphne chews on the inside of her cheek, the two of them don't seem too keen on letting this go. Of course that makes perfect sense when she considers who these two people are. There's a moment where Daph hopes that if she just doesn't answer that they'll move onto talking about the mystery or something. Of course then Velma nudged her with her elbow and Daph could see that they weren't planning on abandoning the topic.
She nudged Velma's shoulder back and smiled, "Do you guys wanna go check out the booth selling wooden stakes?"
Velma rolls her eyes and Daphne can hear Fred sigh next to her. She's forced the subject to be dropped and neither of them have to will power to fight her on this. They have no choice but to trust in her confidence and believe her when she said Shag's words weren't serious.
When the trio stumbles upon the boy and his dog (who are sharing a party-sized platter of cheesy garlic bread) Daph states, "I saw a matching shirt that would go with the cape! I'll totally buy it if you want it!" Her tone just a tad over-excited.
Shaggy visibly chokes on the bite of bread in his mouth and takes a second to reply, "Daph- W-… Why the fuck would I want one of those satin shirts?"
"Um… Because it matches the cape?" Daphne replies, eyes looking up at him hopefully.
Shaggy stares down at her - speechless - before making eye-contact with Fred and Velma. Fred looks completely lost and Velma just shrugs, an apologetic look covering her face. Neither of them have any way of saving him, Shaggy is on his own.
He groans and starts rubbing the back of his neck, "But…Daphne…" Suddenly he steps forward and grips onto Daph's shoulder, "I. Don't. Want. The. Cape." He gently shakes her as he speaks for emphasis.
She pouts, looking a little dizzy and a tad flushed.
And that's what makes Shaggy smile before flicking her nose and saying, "Like, you're insane. A fucking satin shirt? Like, are you kidding me?"
"Okay- stop with the kinkshaming. I get it. My boyfriend will never give me my heart's desire." She sighed dramatically while pressing the back of her hand to her forehead.
Shaggy laughs as he turns his attention back to the platter (which Scooby had finished while his back was turned) and Fred shares a look with Velma. Finally believing that Daphne's confidence was not unfounded.
/
She's holding onto him tight - her arms wrapped around his torso - as she slowly tries to breathe the terror out of her body.
There are still some, "Are you alright Daphne?!"'s being fired at her and she simply mumbles a breathless, "Yes.." Because she doesn't have to heart to tell them to shut up; she knows they're just as scared as her. Shaggy is trembling significantly more than she is in fact. But he keeps his arm over her shoulders in an effort to pull her in closer.
The sunroof is still open and chilly, humid air sends a shiver through her. Daphne wonders if Shag mistakes it for quivering. If so, he doesn't show it. Instead focusing on getting his own tremors under control. Her shoulder, her forearm, her neck - they're all burning from Valdronia's touch and nobody in the van can shake how close he got to pulling Daphne away. If Fred and Shag hadn't held on as tight as they did she might be exchanging vows with a thousand year-old freak.
It doesn't take long for all of the fear to be drained through one final exhale. Leaving Daph to be fully aware of how shallow Shaggy's own breathing is. As she leans comfortably against his shoulder, Daphne lets her bright purple nails lazily trace shapes onto the back of his hand. She's found that this soothes him pretty well without being too in your face.
"I think it'd be best if we didn't leave you by yourself Daph." Fred says once the tension has lifted, "Just to be safe."
Daphne nods but Shaggy jumps in, "Safe? Like, Freddie that psycho tried to get her while we were all still with her!"
His voice shakes a little at the end and Daph nudges her face into the crook of his neck to comfort him.
Fred turns around and witnesses this, learning that he can't approach this angry, "And because we were there Daphne is still fine." He tries to sound as relaxed as possible but Shag still raises an eyebrow at him.
After a moment, Shaggy lets out a sigh and nods as he rubs Daph's back. She emerges from her hiding place and looks up at him. When she's satisfied and believes he's gotten it all out of him, Daphne returns to sitting normally in her seat. But she keeps holding onto his hand.
Another beat of silence passes before Shag leans back in his seat, hand covering his eyes, and chuckles, "Man- like no offence Velms… but this vacation fucking sucks."
Everyone in the van begins to giggle and Velma sends him a fake glare in the mirror.
/
"What happened here?" Daphne asks, picking at the torn collar of Shaggy's shirt. "And more importantly, where have you been?!"
Shag jumped at the immediate change in tone before rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding eye contact.
Daph rested her hands on her hips, "I texted you like eighty times yesterday- seriously do you know how bored I was?!" She blushes then says, "I mean… Worried. Do you know how worried I was?"
Shaggy smirks and silently hands her his cell phone, "Forgot to pack my charger. Like, that shows you just how bad I am at going on vacation." Daphne smiles sheepishly up at him - eyes sparkling - and places his phone back in his pocket. He grabs both of her hands and she begins to swing their arms back and forth.
"To answer your previous questions…" He gestures toward his collar, "Like I've been spending the past twelve hours thinking I was turning into a vampire."
Daphne tilted her head, clearly confused.
"Wow… Like, somehow I thought you'd be more excited about that." Shaggy states with a sigh.
Daph giggles nervously, her face getting hot, "Oh now you're just being mean."
He squeezes her hands, "Anyway, I was wandering around the bayou like panicking out of my mind. Probably would'a died if Scooby wasn't babysitting me."
Daphne nods and looks over at the exhausted canine who is being doted on by Fred as Velma calls the police to confirm that they've caught Valdronia.
"He's a good boy…"
"Like, the best…"
She looks up at him and he can tell by the look in her eyes that she wants him to kiss her.
But instead he continues talking, trying not to laugh at the disappointment on her face, "At, like, the crack of dawn Fred and Velms find me. Well- Fred almost fucking shoots me; Velma finds me." Daph looks at him wide eyed - he shakes his head, "Like, don't ask…"
Now she's slightly tugging on his hands, hoping he'll get the message, but he still plays oblivious. She's beginning to pout and he thinks it's hilarious.
"And then of course Velms was kind enough to inform me that my vampire bite was actually just a splinter from someone's stake." Daph looks over at the scratch on his neck and hisses, Shaggy shrugs, "It doesn't hurt…like at all. But then those two told me that my girlfriend was about to get married to some guy like seventy times older than her. Boy was that a shock."
She frowns at him and he chuckles.
"So obviously you had to go and crash my uber-romantic vampire wedding." Daphne says, tugging on his hands again.
He takes a small step closer, "Well duh… Like what else was I supposed to do?"
She smiles, "You could have let me try and get those jewels in the divorce."
He laughs, another step, "What did you do? Make the vampire sign a prenup?"
Daphne rolls her eyes at how hard he's laughing, "You're hilari-"
She's cutoff by Rogers giving her exactly what she wants.
/
AN: So this is just me writing up some scenes to fill in the gaps of Scooby-Doo: Music of the Vampire. But with the fun concept of Shag and Daph already dating because it's been a long time since I've written some teenage domestic content.
Music of the Vampire isn't the best Scooby movie but it's one of my faves and I'd recommend watching it before you actually read this.