Sponge: Hello everybody! I hope you're excited for this third installment in the Origins series, Three To Get Ready. Some preliminary info: You don't HAVE to have read either of the first two stories in this series to enjoy this one, though people who have read the first two will find some good references and call-backs to my earlier stories. In the world of the series, about a year and a half has passed since the events of the last story. Two For The Show ended in November of their junior year, and Three To Get Ready opens in February of their senior year. Hopefully that time jump isn't super confusing, but all this to say is that a little more than a year has passed since the end of the last story.
Chapter titles, again, come from song titles, but we're back to doing the fun contest from One For The Money. If in your review, you correctly guess where the song comes from or the name of the artist who sings it, you'll get mentioned in the start of the next chapter! May the odds be ever in your favor.
One final announcement: you'll notice we're starting with an M rating right off the bat. This is due to the fact that this story is the darkest one in the series so far. Please read at your own risk! Warnings for this chapter include language and some graphic Shelma romance. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Scooby Doo characters. They belong to Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, and Hanna-Barbera. A few lines near the end are taken directly from the first episode of "Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated." You'll probably know them when you see them. Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Sixteen Going On Seventeen
"Like where the hell did I put it?" Shaggy Rogers muttered to himself, frantically going through the drawers of the desk in his bedroom. His friends were going to arrive any minute to pick him up for school, and he needed to find the envelope soon if he wanted to be on time.
"Raybe re rould rave rooked refore reakfast?" This was said by his Great Dane, Scooby Doo, who was currently sniffing around under Shaggy's bed.
"Yeah but like, then we wouldn't have had time to eat," Shaggy pointed out. Food was one of the most important aspects in the lives of the two best friends.
"Rood roint," Scooby admitted. "Rey! Rye round it!" Triumphantly, the dog pulled a rumpled white envelope out of the pocket of a pair of brown jeans that had somehow ended up under the bed.
Shaggy breathed a sigh of relief. "Like, thank God," he muttered. "Are they all in there?"
Scooby opened the envelope and looked inside. "Rep. Rall rive!"
"Good." Shaggy took the envelope and stuffed it into the pocket of the brown jeans he currently wore – similar to the jeans the envelope had originally been found in.
Scooby grinned at his master. "Relma's roing to re rexcited."
Shaggy nodded. "Like, I hope you're right, Scoob."
Today was their friend Velma Dinkley's birthday. Shaggy'd had an idea for a gift for her, which he'd asked their other friends Fred Jones and Daphne Blake to help pitch in for. He was feeling pretty excited himself, to present the gift to her. The five of them – Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby – had been inseparable for the past few years, ever since Shaggy and Scooby had moved to Coolsville, Ohio from Vista Heights, California in the middle of their sophomore year. They were seniors now, and Shaggy was still amazed at the fact that he'd managed to find such close friends. Of course, a lot of the closeness had to do with the fact that the five of them spent a lot of their free time solving mysteries around their small town. They called themselves "Mystery Incorporated," and conducted their business at the local library. Since their first case, the gang had solved numerous other crimes, and were well-known around town for their curious – and occasionally meddling – nature. Shaggy and Scooby, admittedly, didn't care much for the terror that came with chasing after monsters and ghosts, but they hadn't had a mystery to solve in a while. For this, Shaggy was a little grateful – senior year was a bit much to handle. Thankfully, everyone had submitted all their college applications and now there was nothing left to do but play the waiting game. They were supposed to hear back from their schools within the next few months, but the stress was starting to get to them. Shaggy hoped the gift that he and the gang had planned for Velma would help take their minds off it all.
What the gang didn't know was that Shaggy and Velma had been secretly dating for the past year.
It had started off innocently enough – they'd been cast as love interests in the fall musical in eleventh grade, and had needed to work on their chemistry. But it had escalated quickly and what had started as a physical attraction had turned into a full-blown relationship in a matter of months. Shaggy had always found Velma attractive, especially as time had gone on and she'd begun to fill out. But of course there was more to his attraction to her than that. She was quick-witted, and brilliant, and funny. She was kind and caring. She could be stubborn and hard-headed, but he liked that about her, usually.
The biggest issue with their relationship was that it was a secret. They hadn't told Fred and Daphne, who had just celebrated their two-year dating anniversary last month. But Shaggy wasn't worried about their reaction – in fact, both he and Velma knew that Fred and Daphne would be thrilled. No, Fred and Daphne weren't the problem. The problem was Scooby Doo. Shaggy had seen the way Scooby responded whenever they caught Fred and Daphne together, which was getting more frequent as time went on, and Scooby's reaction was never positive. Shaggy knew that it would be way worse if Scooby found out about his relationship with Velma, so they'd kept it a secret all this time while Shaggy tried to figure out a way to tell Scooby about them. Shaggy knew that Velma was getting impatient, and rightfully so. He just couldn't figure out the right timing.
But aside from all that, their relationship was great.
"Norville!"
The sound of his given name being called up the stairs yanked Shaggy from his reverie.
"Like what, Mom?" he called back.
"Your friends have arrived!" Mrs. Rogers replied.
Eyes widening, Shaggy glanced out the window and saw a green-and-orange psychedelic van pull into the cul-de-sac.
"Zoinks!" he exclaimed. "Let's go, Scoob!" Shaggy grabbed his bookbag, pulled on a coat, and he and Scooby raced downstairs, calling goodbye to Shaggy's mother as they left.
The van, which the gang called "The Mystery Machine," had rolled to a stop at the end of Shaggy's driveway. Normally Shaggy and Scooby were the last stop before they went to school, but the route had been changed slightly this morning because Daphne wanted to decorate the van for Velma. Shaggy and Scooby opened the back doors of the Mystery Machine and climbed in.
"Zoinks," he said again when he saw the back of the van. "Nice work, Daph."
Daphne shrugged and grinned humbly. "Thanks. It was nothing, really." The redhead had decorated the back of the van with streamers and balloons, and was just pinning up a banner that said "Happy Birthday, Velma!" All the balloons had the number 16 on them, as it was her sixteenth birthday. While Shaggy and Fred were both eighteen (Fred's birthday having been last month, and Shaggy's back at the end of November) and Daphne was seventeen (her birthday was on Christmas), Velma had skipped a grade in elementary school and thus was just now turning sixteen. It never ceased to amaze Shaggy how she was able to not only keep up with everyone socially, but she was leaps and bounds ahead of them academically. She was taking all AP classes and had sent in college applications to every Ivy League school – and she had high hopes of getting in to all of them. Shaggy sometimes didn't understand why Velma liked him. He was an idiot compared to her.
"You got the tickets?" asked Fred, who was driving. Daphne climbed out of the car and got into the passenger seat so Shaggy and Scooby could crowd into the back.
Shaggy patted the pocket of his jeans. "Yep. Like, got 'em right here."
"Ret's ro!" Scooby barked, eager to see the look on Velma's face when they surprised her like this.
It didn't take long to drive to Velma's, as she only lived one street over from Shaggy and Scooby. She was already waiting on her front porch when they pulled up, and Shaggy felt his heart accelerate slightly, as it always did when he saw her.
"SURPRISE!" everyone shouted when Velma opened the back doors and saw all the decorations.
Her mouth fell open in shock before a brilliant smile took over. "Jinkies!" she exclaimed with a laugh. "You guys didn't have to go to all this trouble just for me." She climbed in, pushing balloons out of the way as she went.
"Sure we did," Daphne replied, reaching over the seat to give Velma's arm a squeeze. "It's not every day your best friend turns sixteen."
"Speaking of," Shaggy added. "Like, what are you doing this weekend?"
Velma looked at him confusedly for a moment, and Shaggy suddenly wondered about the implication. Did that sound like he was asking her on a date? "Why?" she asked hesitantly.
"It's part of our present to you," Fred told her. "But it only works if you're free this weekend."
Shaggy breathed a sigh of relief that Fred had come to the rescue. Velma looked mollified. "Well lucky for you all, I am free this weekend," she said. "So what's the big surprise?"
Shaggy reached into his pocket and pulled out the envelope. "Happy birthday, Velm," he said, handing it to her.
Her reaction was just as Shaggy had hoped it would be. She looked inside, gasped, covered her mouth with her hand, and shrieked.
"Holy shit!" she cried. You could always tell that Velma was feeling overwhelmed when she needed a stronger exclamation than 'jinkies.' "You guys got me tickets to see The Hex Girls?!"
"We know they're your favorite band," Fred told her. "And they don't come to Coolsville much, do they?"
Velma shook her head, still staring astounded at the tickets. "No, they're based out of Massachusetts, and they don't go on tour very often. I had no idea you'd planned this!"
"It was Shaggy's idea," Daphne told her. "He called us the minute tickets went on sale and told us that we should surprise you for your birthday."
Velma looked up. Her eyes found Shaggy's, and he felt heat rise to his face. He couldn't always help his body's reactions when it came to her, and he was convinced that one of these days, it would give them away.
"I love it," she said sincerely. "Thank you." She embraced Shaggy, and he allowed himself to enjoy, albeit briefly, her scent and the feel of her arms around him. He really did like her, a lot. He might even…
No! Stop! Like, don't even go there. Shaggy forced the thought out of his brain. He couldn't think too hard about the intensity of his feelings for Velma – there was too much to unpack, and it confused him. Plus, he knew he had to tell Scooby about their relationship before he admitted anything to Velma.
To keep up appearances, Velma let go of Shaggy and hugged Scooby and Daphne in turn. She would have hugged Fred too, but he was driving, so she settled for placing a hand on his shoulder. "All of you," she said to the group at large. "This is the best birthday ever!"
x.X.x
When they arrived at school, the gang found that a group of Velma's friends from the science club had decorated her locker. They could tell the science club had done it because the wrapping paper they used was decorated with different chemical structures and the club president, Marcie Fleach, was waiting by Velma's locker when the gang arrived.
"Happy birthday, V!" she said, grinning at the group. Shaggy'd met her briefly a few years ago at Fred's birthday, but he'd been seeing a lot more of her lately due to Velma's re-involvement with the science club. She'd taken a break from it last year, but they'd asked her to come back, so she had.
Velma gasped again. "Marcie, this is great! Thank you!" The girls hugged.
"Hey, Dinks!" A familiar New York accent announced the arrival of the gang's friend Tony Moretti. "Happy birthday," he grinned, enveloping her in a one-armed hug.
"Thanks, Tony," Velma replied with a smile, returning the hug. Shaggy bristled a little. He couldn't help it. Even though he and Velma were secretly dating, he still felt a little twinge of jealousy anytime she interacted with Tony, who had been her boyfriend once. Incidentally, Tony was the only one who knew Shaggy and Velma's secret, as he had caught them once while they'd been in the play.
"Rey, Rony!" Scooby barked. Scooby had always liked Tony, and he didn't understand why Shaggy always went a bit stiff whenever Tony came around.
"How's it goin, Scoob?" Tony patted Scooby on the head, then glanced at Velma's locker. "Fleachy, did you do this?"
Marcie grinned humbly and looked at the ground. "Well, me and a few other people from the science club."
"It's awesome. Hey, speaking of science, what did you all think of that guided reading we had to do for AP Bio? It kinda made my head spin." Tony said this to Velma, Marcie, and Fred. Daphne and Shaggy were both taking regular biology for their science credits. The AP Bio students talked about their class for a while until the warning bell rang.
"Crap! I gotta head to the main office," Fred exclaimed. He had once again been elected to be the class representative, which meant that it was his job to make announcements for the twelfth grade over the PA system every morning. He quickly kissed Daphne, nodded farewell to Marcie and Tony, then called "See you in homeroom, gang!" to the rest of his friends before jogging off.
"I should get to homeroom too," Tony said. "Fleachy, wanna walk with me? We're going to the same place."
Marcie nodded. "Sure thing." She grinned at Velma. "Happy birthday again."
"Thanks, Marce," Velma replied, also with a smile. Tony and Marcie headed down the hall while Velma turned to her locker to drop off some textbooks she wouldn't need till after lunch.
When she opened the locker, a slip of paper fell out.
"Rut's rhat?" Scooby asked, picking up the paper when it drifted down and landed at his feet.
Shaggy's face hardened. "Is it like, another secret admirer note?" Someone had been leaving notes in Velma's locker since September, all signed from her 'secret admirer.' It had been driving Shaggy crazy, especially since he couldn't tell anyone about why it made him crazy.
Daphne took the note from Scooby and opened it. "Dear Velma," she read.
"I know today is your birthday
So this is just a poem to say
That I hope this special day
Is perfect for you in every way.
From, Your Secret Admirer."
"Not much of a poet, is he?" Shaggy pointed out. "He like, used the word 'day' twice in the same rhyme."
"Roo ris it from?" Scooby asked, as he did every time Velma got a secret admirer note.
"I don't know," Velma replied, as she did every time Scooby asked. And it was true – Velma had no idea. For a hot second in the very beginning, she thought they might be from Shaggy, until she noticed how annoyed he was by them. And she knew he would never do something that obvious. She took the note from Daphne, stuffed her textbooks in her locker, and shut the door. "Come on," she said. "Let's go to homeroom."
x.X.x
Homeroom was the only class the whole gang shared. They also had the same lunch and study hall periods, but those were the only times they were all together. Scooby and Shaggy shared every class, as Scooby was Shaggy's emotional support dog. Shaggy, Velma, and Daphne all had AP English together. Velma and Daphne had AP US Government together. Daphne and Fred were together in AP French. Shaggy and Fred had the same Discreet Math class. Fred and Velma were together in AP Bio. Shaggy and Velma were together in AP Spanish. They all took different electives – Fred was in student government, Shaggy was in art, Daphne was in drama, and Velma was in chamber band.
After lunch, the gang headed to the library together for study hall. Each grade had its own designated place – seniors were in the library, juniors in the auditorium, sophomores in the basement, and freshmen in the lecture hall. There wasn't supposed to be any talking during study hall, but Shaggy whispered to Velma as they sat down at a table before the bell rang. Fred, Daphne, and Scooby weren't far behind, so their conversation was quick.
"Like, wanna come over tonight?"
Velma's heartbeat sped up in anticipation. Shaggy's house – specifically the finished basement – was the easiest place for the two of them to go when they wanted alone time together. Velma's parents always believed her when she said that she was going to Shaggy's to "study," while Shaggy's parents went to bed early and Scooby always fell asleep during movies – all Shaggy had to do was put on a (non-scary) film, and Scooby would be out like a light.
"Ten o'clock?" Velma whispered back. It was usually the time she'd come over for things like this.
Shaggy nodded. "Like, can't wait."
Velma bit her lip. "Me neither." They shared a secret smile. Shaggy gave her hand a squeeze, but dropped it as Scooby, Fred, and Daphne arrived.
Shaggy had actually proven himself several times to be a thoughtful and attentive boyfriend – when he wanted to be. He was still nervous at the prospect of being caught by Scooby before he had an opportunity to tell him, but when they were alone together, Shaggy was always sweet and gentle with Velma, holding her close and kissing her softly. And though they hadn't done anything they weren't ready for, Shaggy was rather good at being physically intimate – at least, in Velma's experience, which was extremely limited. Shaggy was the only person she'd ever so much as made out with, let alone taken clothes off for.
The thought of being alone with Shaggy later tonight was enough to distract Velma from study hall, and she had to keep shaking herself from imagining their evening together so she could concentrate on her notes. It was a blessed moment when the bell rang and she could go to AP Bio, where the lesson was sure to keep her mind otherwise occupied.
x.X.x
Later that night, after her favorite dinner and birthday cake at home with her parents and younger sister, Velma bundled up against the cold and headed out the back door. Cutting through the woods was the shortest distance from her house to Shaggy's. In the forest, she passed by an old oak tree and grinned to herself, remembering the first mystery they'd ever solved, which had ended at that oak tree.
On the other side of the tree line, she saw the lights from Shaggy's house, and sped up. He was standing at the back door of his house and opened it when she approached, beckoning her in.
"Hey," she said quietly. She felt herself go a little pink. Even after all this time, she still felt a little nervous and excited when they met up.
"Like, hey," he replied, his voice just as low. He closed the back door as she entered and Velma took off her coat, draping it over her arm. They carefully made their way to the basement and silently shut the door behind them.
"Everyone asleep?" she asked as she followed him downstairs.
"Yep," Shaggy answered. "Mom and Dad went to bed like an hour ago, and I put on 'To All the Ghouls I've Loved Before' for Scoob. He always falls asleep within like, the first five minutes."
Velma smiled. "Good."
As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they kissed. Their arms curled around each other as they stumbled backwards to sit down on a couch. Velma dropped her hand between them to sneak it under Shaggy's shirt. He sighed at the contact and deepened the kiss as his own hand traveled up Velma's leg under her skirt, causing her to break away with a sharp gasp.
"Happy birthday," he murmured, crawling his fingers further up her thigh.
Velma shut her eyes and bit her lip. "Is this part of my present?" They often talked like this when they were alone together – equal parts teasing and sensual.
"Like maybe," Shaggy replied, moving his hand between her legs. She threw her head back and let out a small sigh.
"You've already gotten me Hex Girl tickets," she said quietly.
"Like do you want me to stop?" he murmured, his tone teasing.
Velma shook her head 'no' emphatically. "Keep going. Please."
Shaggy obeyed and as Velma reacted to his touch, he felt his own body respond. It was like this every time, no matter how often they hooked up. He pushed the cowl of her sweater down so he could suck and bite along the tender flesh of her neck.
"Mmm," she sighed. "You better be careful or you'll give me a hickey."
"Well then," Shaggy said, not stopping. "It's like, a good thing you wear this adorable turtleneck every day."
"Oh, you think my sweater is adorable?" Velma whispered, dancing her hands down Shaggy's torso to fiddle at the waistband of his jeans.
"Yes," Shaggy groaned in response, moving his head up to whisper in her ear. "Though I like, think it would look even better on the floor."
Velma laughed at the line. "Are you hitting on me?" she teased.
"Like, what do you think?" he murmured, caressing her between her legs again. Velma struggled to suppress a moan. In response, her own hand slipped beneath the confines of his jeans and boxers, causing a passionate growl to emit from his throat as he felt her soft fingers on him.
As they made out, eventually Velma's sweater did end up on the floor, along with Shaggy's green v-neck. Socks and shoes followed, and soon after, Shaggy's pants and Velma's skirt. They were lying on the couch now, just in their underwear, Velma trembling beneath Shaggy as he kissed her shoulders, her collarbone, and the valley of her chest while his fingers continued to explore between her legs.
Velma was vocally responsive, whimpering Shaggy's name over and over again, which Shaggy absolutely loved. Shaggy was pretty vocal himself, groaning or gasping harshly whenever Velma's hand under his boxers brushed him a certain way. They still had to watch their volume because even though two floors separated them from Scooby and Shaggy's parents, they knew from experience that they could get carried away. It wasn't perfect, but they would take what they could get.
Later, as they lay on the couch holding each other, Velma said, "I feel like I'm getting better at being quiet."
They were both still in just their underwear, though they had pulled a blanket over them from the back of the couch. Velma's left arm was across Shaggy's torso with her head resting on his chest. Shaggy had her in the crook of his arm and stroked her bare shoulder. "Okay," he said with a sarcastic chuckle. "Like, keep telling yourself that, Velm."
She shoved him playfully. "Come on," she said. "Give me some credit. It's not like you're making it any easier."
Shaggy shrugged. "It's like, not my fault I have better control of my noise level than you." He grinned at her. "What's the matter? Like, afraid to admit that I'm better than you at something?" He snuck two fingers into her exposed underarm and tickled her.
She swatted his hand away, squirming and giggling. "Okay, okay," she said as he stopped. "I admit, you have better volume control than I do. But just barely." She raised an eyebrow. "When Tony caught us, he did say we were both loud."
"Like speaking of Tony," Shaggy continued. "Are you like, absolutely sure he's not your secret admirer?"
Velma groaned. This was not the first time they'd had this conversation. "Come on Shaggy, not again."
"I'm like, just saying," Shaggy exclaimed. "He did go out with you before."
"Yeah, a million years ago, and neither of us felt romantically about the other one," Velma reminded him. "Besides, he's the only one who knows about the two of us. Why would he write secret admirer notes if he knows you and I are together?"
Shaggy, having no response, simply shrugged.
Velma sighed and shook her head. "It's not Tony, Shag. Trust me." She looked at him seriously. "You know," she pointed out. "Maybe I wouldn't be getting these notes if more people knew about us…"
Now it was Shaggy's turn to groan. "Velm, I told you…"
"Come on," she insisted. "Daphne and Fred are going to find out sooner or later."
"I'm not worried about them," he responded, "It's Scooby Doo – he's my best friend. I wanna break it to him like, gently. I'm just waiting for the right time."
"When will that be?" Velma asked. "We've been at this for over a year now."
"I know. I'm sorry," Shaggy sighed. He reached for her hand. "Just like, a little longer. I promise."
Velma sighed as well. "I'm sorry, too. I know it's hard for you. And for him."
Shaggy kissed her hair. "You know how much I like, hate sneaking around, right? It would be so much better if it wasn't a secret." He sighed again. "I promise I'll like, figure something out soon."
"Okay. I trust you," Velma replied, turning her head to kiss his collarbone.
"Like good," Shaggy said, bringing both of his arms back around her. "I didn't mean for us to get into an argument on your birthday. I'll like, make it up to you before you go home."
Velma chuckled as Shaggy shifted so he was over top of her and bent his head down to kiss her neck. "I'm listening…"
Sponge: All right, chapter 1 is in the books! Thanks for reading everyone. I'm still working on some loose ends so this will be the last update for a while. But I'll be working on this story all summer so I can come back on Wednesday, August 5th around 10 pm EST with the next chapter. In the meantime, review if you please, and don't forget to guess where the title of the chapter comes from! You've got plenty of time. See you in a few months!