Sponge: Thanks for coming back for chapter 3! No content warnings this week, so I hope you enjoy! Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Scooby Doo characters. They belong to Warner Brothers, Cartoon Network, and Hanna Barbera.

Chapter 3: She's Miserable

For example – physical appearances could change.

On Monday, Daphne and Fred were greeted at the Crystal Cove airport by Ricky Owens and Cassidy Williams, who looked worlds different than they had the last time they'd met. Ricky had lost a lot of weight and Cassidy had cut her hair short. But they were both all smiles as they welcomed Fred and Daphne at the baggage claim area.

"It's so great to see you!" Daphne gushed, throwing her arms around Cassidy while Fred and Ricky shook hands.

"It's great to see you too, baby," Cassidy replied, holding Daphne by the shoulders and beaming.

Ricky eyed Fred appraisingly. He could be a little bristly, but was a generally kind man overall. "Jones, have you gotten taller?" he remarked.

Fred and Daphne laughed. Fred wasn't sure about taller, but he was certainly broader. His fraternity brother Rhino had become a gym rat over the last semester, and Fred often accompanied him on his workouts. Granted, he was more often than not studying the mechanisms of the machinery that Coolsville University's gym contained, but he'd enjoyed participating in the exercise and muscle-building. He felt better and healthier than he had since his years as a high school quarterback. Not to mention, he picked up on the way Daphne kept looking at him, and it felt so good to be noticed like that by her. Even though they'd been together for several years, Fred still felt that blood-rushing excitement whenever she looked at him a certain way.

"Are we the first ones here?" asked Daphne, easily swinging her purple suitcase off the baggage carousel as it spun by.

Cassidy shook her head. "Velma arrived a few hours ago – she went to get a coffee while we waited for y'all. And Brad, Judy and Nova's flight should be landing any minute."

"Shag and Scoob are on that flight too, right?" Fred asked, looking at Daphne. She had a better memory for logistical information like that.

She was mid-nod, when her eyes suddenly grew wide with ecstatic surprise. "Oh my God!" she squealed, racing away from the group. Fred followed her with his gaze, shocked to see her throw her arms around an unfamiliar auburn-haired young woman holding a paper cup of coffee.

"Jinkies!" the woman exclaimed, laughing as Daphne let her go. "It's so good to see you!"

Fred's mouth dropped open – he couldn't help it. He recognized the woman now. It was Velma.

The last time he'd seen her in person, she'd looked pretty much the same as she had in high school, with the exception that she had let her pageboy style haircut grow out to her shoulders. But that had been last summer, and clearly a lot more had changed since then. There were facets of similarity – she still sported the same thick glasses she'd worn in their youth and her face was still dusted with freckles. Even her outfit was similar to what he'd seen her wear in the past – a fitted, short-sleeved orange scoop neck and red shorts. But her hair was much shorter than he'd ever seen it. It was now in a stylish pixie-cut, and it gave her an air of sophistication he'd never seen on her before. She also seemed more toned than the last time Fred had seen her, as if maybe she'd been hitting the gym lately too. She looked older than eighteen, in a good way.

Fred hated to admit it, but it looked like Velma's breakup with Shaggy was agreeing with her.

"You look amazing!" Daphne exclaimed, looking Velma up and down as she led her back to the group. "I love your haircut!"

Velma blushed and glanced away. "Well…thanks," she murmured. She looked up, shaking her bangs out of her face, and shot Fred a huge grin. "Hey Freddie!"

Fred scooped her up in a bear hug. He hadn't realized just how much he'd missed her until she was here in front of him, looking like a completely different person. "It's great to see you Velm!" He released her, but for the first time he was starting to feel nervous now too.

Fred remembered those horrible two months during their senior year when he and Daphne had been broken up. Even though he was technically the one who had ended the relationship, he remembered how it felt to see Daphne across the cafeteria or in the hallway – like an icepick was piercing his heart every time she smiled at someone who wasn't him.

Now that Velma and Shaggy had broken up…would Shaggy have those same feelings?

Fred hated when any of his friends were hurting, and while he'd been sad for Velma and Shaggy when they'd announced their breakup, he assumed it was for the best. And while he was happy now that Velma seemed to be doing well, he was worried that Shaggy might still be feeling the after effects. And seeing Velma looking the way she did, it might make it even harder on him.

"Any sign of Scoob and Shag's flight yet?" Velma asked in a would-be casual way. Daphne caught it and quirked an eyebrow, but no one else noticed.

"Not yet," Cassidy replied, glancing at the arrivals board. "But it looks like they should be landing soon. Any minute now."

Velma went over to join her at the arrivals board. As she did, Fred nudged Daphne.

"She seems…good." He gave his tone a bit of a questioning inflection so Daphne would understand what he wasn't saying: She seems good for having gone through a relatively-recent break-up.

But to his surprise, Daphne grinned at him conspiratorially. "She's miserable."

Fred gave her an incredulous look. "What? What are you talking about? She looks incredible – you said so yourself!"

Daphne bit her lip to keep her wide smile at bay. "Exactly – it's revenge!"

Fred's head swam with confusion. "What are you talking about?" he asked again.

"It's the classic post-breakup game," Daphne explained. "When two partners end a relationship, even if it's for the best, there are usually some feelings of sadness or inadequacy that follow. It's the grieving period – the sweatpants, no makeup, not-trying-anymore phase – before the glow-up. That's when they make themselves over, looking their absolute best before the first time they have to see each other again. To make the other person realize what they're missing."

Now Fred understood what she was getting at. "So you think Velma gave herself a makeover to make Shaggy regret breaking up with her?" It seemed a little far-fetched to him. Fred had no doubt Velma had been upset about her break up with Shaggy, but she was far too practical to be playing into this idea of Daphne's. "Did you get this from that psych course you took last semester?"

Daphne chuckled. "Nope. This is all female intuition." Also, she'd had some personal experience – her own mother had always made sure she looked her best during meetings with Daphne's father and their lawyers while they were going through the divorce. But still, Daphne felt rather giddy – she'd thought that Velma had seemed too cavalier about the break-up. But she knew now it was because Velma was trying to put on a brave face.

Fred sighed, glancing over to the arrivals board. The Chicago flight's status had changed to "arrived." Ricky and Cassidy chatted to each other excitedly, while Velma bounced slightly on the balls of her feet. She did seem a bit nervous. But was it because she was looking forward to seeing Shaggy…or because she wasn't?

"So," Fred went on as he watched Velma throw away her empty coffee cup. "Do you think Shaggy is in the same phase?"

Daphne leaned her head against Fred's shoulder. "Only one way to find out."

x.X.x

Fred was right. And wrong. Velma wasn't looking forward to seeing Shaggy. But also…she kind of was.

Mostly she was looking forward to seeing his expression when he saw her for the first time in almost a year. Velma had to admit, she was pleased with her new look. She had gone to the hair salon with her roommate Marisol just after finals, which in and of itself was peculiar – Velma had never been a fashionista. But she'd wanted a change, and Marisol, who was even more of a beauty guru than Daphne, had been more than willing to help.

Velma knew that this was the best she'd looked in years. It didn't hurt that she'd spent the last several months visiting the campus gym a few times a week. This had a lot to do with the fact that for a while she had been seeing a girl who practically lived at the gym, but even once that casual relationship had ended, Velma had continued going. She had never been much of an athlete, but it felt good to take care of her body this way.

She glanced over at her friends. Fred and Daphne looked good too – Fred looked like he'd built some muscle over the past year. And Daphne, as always, looked beautiful, her thick red hair a bit longer than the last time Velma had seen it in person. She wore a purple romper that made her look stylish and fashionable, despite having just stepped off a plane. Daphne's head was resting on Fred's shoulder, and Fred had her arm around her. Velma grinned at the sight. Even if her own romantic life was virtually nonexistent, she was happy that Fred and Daphne were still going strong.

She took a deep breath and turned back to the arrivals board. Shaggy would be here any minute. She hadn't seen him in person since last summer, and hadn't spoken to him one-on-one since the fall. All of their correspondence these days was via the group chat with Fred and Daphne, or the occasional "like" on social media (which both of them rarely ever used). So Velma knew that today she'd have to be cool. Casual. The bigger person. She'd give him an offhand greeting – something easygoing and relaxed, like "Hey Shag, long time no see!" He'd probably do a double-take when he saw her, the way Fred and Daphne had. Perhaps he'd even be speechless. It was a good thought.

Until she actually saw him.

She saw Scooby first – he came from around the corner, talking animatedly with Nova. Nova was a cocker spaniel, and her fluffy ears bobbed gracefully up and down as she trotted alongside Scooby, grinning and nodding along with him. Then she turned her head to see Fred, Daphne, Velma, Ricky, and Cassidy, and her smile grew even wider.

Scooby noticed them too and bolted through the airport towards his friends. "Reddie!" he barked. "Raphne! Relma!" All three of them knelt down as he barrelled into them, giving him hugs and pats and scratches.

"It's so good to see you, Scooby!" Daphne exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Rye missed roo guys," Scooby sighed as Fred patted his head.

"We missed you too, Scoob," Fred replied.

Scooby looked at Velma. "Roo look great," he told her sincerely.

"You really do," Nova agreed, peering up at Velma. "That haircut certainly suits you."

Velma blushed. She wasn't sure why it was such a big deal for her to hear it from the dogs – probably because she knew they'd never lie to her about something so superficial. "Thanks, guys."

"Brad! Judy!" Ricky cried, rushing forward to greet his friends. The humans were still several paces behind the dogs, but they rushed to catch up now. As the men clapped each other's shoulders and the women hugged, Velma finally saw Shaggy.

Shaggy saw her too, of course. His eyes grew dinner-plate wide as he took her in, and a blush tinged his cheeks. It would have been very satisfying for Velma…had she not been so distracted by the way Shaggy looked.

For one thing, his hair was even longer and – aptly – shaggier than it had ever been in recent memory. But it didn't look messy or unkempt – in fact, it looked great. His beard was growing in too, and the five-o'clock-shadow he sported was truly a sight to behold. He was as lean as ever, but with subtle yet surprisingly well-defined muscles in his biceps and forearms, which could be seen clearly since he was wearing a sleeveless green v-neck. His frame was no longer that of a lanky teenager, but instead that of a young man.

But the most surprising change about him was the tattoos.

A long chef's knife decorated his left forearm, while a sleeve of herbs encircled his right. There were three sets of numbers on his right bicep, and five small stars peeked out along his collarbone.

Velma had no idea why Shaggy's tattoos were making her feel lightheaded and flushed. But she couldn't deny it: Shaggy looked – there was no other word for it – hot.

"Holy…" Daphne gasped, trailing off when she saw him. Fred's own jaw dropped.

Shaggy waved at them, smiling exuberantly (Velma's stomach made a little swooping motion), and dropped his duffel bag on the ground to rush towards them. They all rose to their feet as he approached.

"Jeepers Shag!" Daphne exclaimed as he enveloped her in a friendly bear hug. "Your tattoos!" The last several times she'd seen him had been when the weather was cold, and his tattoos had been covered up. She hadn't even realized he'd had any.

"You like them?" He grinned again. "Let me show you my favorite." He turned around, so his back was facing them. He tugged aside the fabric over his right shoulder blade, where the letters "SD" were etched in yellow and blue, surrounded by a diamond in the exact shape of the Great Dane's identity tag.

Scooby noticed Shaggy showing off and shot the gang a proud smile.

"Wow!" Fred exclaimed appreciatively. "That's so cool! We should all get them!"

"Absolutely not," Velma spoke up involuntarily. "You know I can't stand needles."

At the sound of her voice, Shaggy turned around and their eyes met. Velma felt her face grow hot – she couldn't help herself. She glanced away before she could burst into flames. This was not at all how she'd imagined their reunion to go.

After a few awkward moments, Shaggy cleared his throat. "It's like…nice to see you, Velm."

She looked up at him again, only to discover that he was studying the floor of the airport. She sighed.

"It's nice to see you too, Shag."

So much for her offhand greeting.

"All right, everybody's here," Ricky broke the moment. "Let's get moving!"

Velma sighed again as she and her friends followed the adults towards the exit, being careful to still avoid Shaggy's gaze.

This was going to be a long week.

Sponge: More next week! Review in the meantime if you want to make my life! Thank you!