Sweet dreams
Disclaimer: Scooby-Doo! is property of Hanna-Barbera, I cannot and will not make lucrative funds using their work, I only use their characters for mine and your entertainment.
Shaggy nearly broke a lamp when he jumped out of fright…again. The reason why? Simple: a thunder…again.
(Uggh, I knew I should had woken up Scooby! Uncle's mansion is just too scary at night! …And this storm just makes it worse)-thought the tall kid while slowly walking down the mansion's corridor.
If it weren't for the fact that his friends and him were investigating a case of a mysterious monster around his uncle's mansion, Shaggy would had never stayed over the night. Don't get him wrong, he really likes his uncle, …but his mansion is (without any doubt) way too scary for him to handle. And on top of that: tonight was a stormy night, which only made things look even creepier than normally.
Taking all of this into account, it was no wonder that Shaggy couldn't sleep. And so, here he is: walking down familiar yet scary corridors (during a remarkably creepy stormy night) to go to the kitchen and make a midnight snack for himself, so that he can be a little less scared by all this situation. Usually, his loyal dog Scooby Doo would have accompanied him in such a ¨dangerous¨ mission, but unfortunately, the Great Dane pup was sound asleep. Seriously, it is incredible how the pup could still be sleeping while was thundering so hard outside. Shaggy tried to wake him up at least five times…before finally giving up.
(Like, thanks buddy)-thought Shaggy a bit sarcastically at the memory of that.
It's not like he was actually mad about it, it's just that…*sigh* He would really like some company right now. Pushing aside these thoughts, the kid kept walking to the kitchen…only to freeze up immediately by the sound of…crying?
His first instinct was to think it was a ghost and jump, scream and run away from there as fast as he could, but…that voice…why did it sound so familiar to him?
Curious (and still a bit nervous), the brown haired kid opened slightly the kitchen's door and took a peek inside…only to automatically jump scared again by the sudden sound of a new thunder and end up falling forward in the process, leaving the door wide open.
-S-Shaggy…? –now that he could hear her voice clearly: there was no mistake.
-Velma? …What are you doing here? –he asked while she helped him to stand up.
-I-It's…nothing-she only said.
-Well…it doesn't look like ¨nothing¨-he said and then pointed out her teary eyes-After all, it made you cry.
Quickly, the little girl dried her tears with the sleeves of her pajamas and looked to a side.
-I-It's nothing serious, really-she simply repeated-It's just…-she tried to come up with a better story, anything to hide the truth that she really didn't want to mention, but…she couldn't. And even if she could, his brown puppy dog like eyes and honestly worried expression wouldn't have let her lie so easily.
She left out a sigh in defeat and then responded:
-…I had a nightmare.
-Oh…-a brief silence followed until he finally asked-…So…you came here for a glass of water?
She looked at the ground and nodded.
-…And you? –she simply inquired.
-Like, I couldn't sleep so…I came here for a snack-he answered sheepishly.
-Ah. And…where's Scooby? I thought he always follows you on these ¨midnight missions¨-she asked curiously after finally noticing the Great Dane's absence.
-Well, he's sleeping this time around-he simply mentioned.
A new silence suddenly filled the air in the room. The thunders seemed to finally have quieted down, but the rain still kept raging on outside.
-I…think I'll take now that glass of water-and just as she said, she reached forward to the refrigerator.
-Wait! –Shaggy stopped her-I have a better idea.
Before she could ask him anything, Shaggy gently pushed her to a side and opened the refrigerator (which was an action very easy for him thanks to his height). Rapidly, the boy reached for a box of (chocolate chips) cookies and a bottle of milk. After closing the fridge, Shaggy put all the things over the kitchen's counter and took a pair of glasses from the cupboard.
-Shaggy, what are you…?
The older boy only gave her a smile and then poured some milk into the glasses. Once he was done, he opened the microwave and put both glasses inside. One command and some seconds later, the glasses were already warmed enough to drink comfortably.
Carefully, Shaggy took the glasses and placed them again over the kitchen's counter. He then opened the box of cookies and divided them into two plates. Content with the result, the brown haired boy turned back to his little friend, picked her up and put her on a high chair near the counter.
-HEY!
-Oh! S-Sorry-right, he just forgot how much she hates being treated like a little kid (even if she technically was one)-It's just…this always makes me feel better after a nightmare-he gestured toward the plate and glasses in front of them-…Thought it could help…
Velma felt her cheeks warm up a bit after hearing that, but quickly recovered her composure.
She looked at him, then looked at what he prepared, then looked at him again and…smiled.
-Thanks Shag…-she softly said-…But still: warn me before you pick me up next time, okay? –she declared firmly.
-Roger! –the boy exclaimed happily, with a funny military gesture and a wide smile.
Velma suppressed a little giggle and said:
-Come on, let's eat this and go back to bed already. It's getting late and we still have a case to solve tomorrow.
-Hey! About that…I was thinking…-the tall kid stayed silent for a moment before finally suggesting-…Would you like to stay with Scooby and me tonight?
Velma almost chocked at the sound of that.
-W-What…? –she could only say.
-I mean, that way…even if you have a nightmare again, it would not be so scary…-he softly explained.
-A-Am…-she considered the option on his mind.
Certainly, that way she wouldn't need to fear having another nightmare, but…that solution included a lot of other ¨problems¨ with it.
-S-Shaggy…I-I don't think that is…-but before she could end up her reply, she found his face suddenly too close to her own (and that made her heart skip a beat, in both: a good, and a bad way).
-Don't worry, I don't mind! And I know Scooby won't either! So, what do you say? –he excitedly asked her, showing his trademark bright smile.
A nervous ¨B-B-But…¨ got stuck in her throat and her face's temperature was getting so high by the second that, for an instant, she feared she might have got a fever.
-Velm? –the curious sound of his voice reminded her that he was still waiting for her answer.
-Y-Yeah…I mean- Yeah! T-That…would be nice…I-IF you guys are okay with it, obviously! –she finally responded, cursing herself on her mind for sounding so stupidly nervous all of a sudden.
-Great! –he exclaimed with a wide smile and then proceed to happily eat his first cookie.
Velma took advantage of the time that it would take them to finish the cookies to calm herself down.
(I-It's okay. It's not a big deal. You guys have had sleepovers and such before, remember?)-she reminded herself.
But her mind decided to correct her about two important facts. First: yes, they indeed have had sleepovers before…but at those times, all the gang was included. And second: at those times they were quite younger than now…well, actually just a few years younger than now, but the point still stands!
It took her way longer than she originally thought but, by the time they had finished the meal and cleaned the dishes used, she finally recovered her calm (…or at least mostly of it). Once back in the dark corridor, Shaggy immediately took her hand and held her tightly while confidently leading her way through the corridor. Velma suppressed a sound of surprise and felt her cheeks instantly got red. Luckily, he didn't notice and they got to his room without any trouble (which was a blessing, because now would certainly be the worst time for a monster to appear).
-Let's see…-Shaggy opened the door slightly and quietly (even though he knew it wasn't really necessary) and after a quick peek inside, then opened it completely-…Yep, he fell out of bed again-he confirmed after a mere second-Heh, he's just so lucky that my uncle remembers that habit of his-he then pointed out to the big fluffy dog bed where his best friend was now sleeping in, which was purposely positioned at theexact same side where the pup usually slept.
He let go of her hand (which made her miss his warmth and softness…but there's no way she was gonna say that out loud!) and moved the blanket to a side.
-You sleep without you glasses, right? –he asked, curious.
-Duh, of course I do-she answered a bit sarcastically-Otherwise they would break.
-Yeah-Yeah, I know, I was just confirming-he simply explained and reached her a hand.
It took her a second to process the action, but when she finally understood what he wanted, she let out a simple ¨Oh¨ and quickly gave him her glasses. He carefully put them over the nightstand near the bed, close enough to take them if needed, but not so close that they could easily fall down.
-Am…Do you want me to help you to get up? –he asked cautiously, looking at the difference of…Ehem, height…between she and the border of the bed.
Velma gave him an angry face for that.
-Don't underestimate me, Rogers.
And just like that, she climbed to the bed (…although: he still had to help her a little near the end).
Once she was comfortable, he took his designed place next to her and asked her:
-Do you need to go to the bathroom?
-Ahh…no? –she lifted a questioning eyebrow for that.
-Are you alright with your side or want me to switch over with you?
-No, I'm fine with it-she simple said.
-Will you need some water later? You know, to drink?
-No Shaggy, I don't usually need a glass of water in the middle of the night-she responded quickly, starting to get really pissed off by his silly questions.
-Would you like to-?
-AGGGHH, STOP IT ALREADY SHAGGY! I can't sleep when you are like that! –she angrily exclaimed.
-Oops! Heh, s-sorry, you're right. Sorry for that-he quickly apologized and patted her head a few times.
-SHAAGGY…-she pronounced his nickname with a controlled yet cold rage. It was clear: it was a warning.
-What? –he simply asked, oblivious about that.
-I'm not your little sister. Don't do that.
-OH! –he rapidly moved away his hand from her head-Heh, sorry, it's just that…you're so tiny that it reminds me of Sugie. And your head it is just at the right height for a pat.
-SHAGGY…
-Okay-Okay, I won't do it again. I'll just shut up and go to bed already-he simply remarked before finally putting the blanket back.
Now that they were silent, Velma could sense the smell that surrounded them…He smelled like milk and chocolate chip cookies and…his bed smelled like butterscotch and cinnamon…
(Of course it would smell like food)-she thought, and without noticing, she smiled fondly.
-Hey Velm…
-Umm?
-…Can I hold your hand?
She opened up her eyes instantly.
-…For what? –she asked cautiously (and a bit timidly).
-To be safe-from what and for which one of them that was…it was something that neither could say.
-…Okay-she simply nodded…and soon, his hand was holding hers again.
-Velm…
-Ummm?
-…Sweet dreams.
She looked at him for a moment…and then smiled fondly.
-Sweet dreams, Shaggy-she softly said before closing her eyes.
The brown haired boy smiled at her, before slowly closing his eyes and finally falling asleep for the first time in the night.
THE END
N.A: Hey, nice to see you again. I wasn't planning on publishing a new one-shot so soon, but it seems that my inspiration and the electrical company of my area thought otherwise. To explain it simply: there has been maaaany blackouts around my house recently…and so, I decided to use that ¨free time¨ to write some fanfictions (by the way, that makes this one part of ¨The blackout Saga¨, or so I call it XD). Anyway, changing the topic: be free to tell me if I made some grammatical or spelling mistakes in this fanfiction and I will try to avoid repeating them for next time. Without anything else to say: hope to see you soon!