Chapter Text
Fred stares at his reflection, studies it with slightly annoyed expression. His hair is damp, skin under eyes coloured with exhaustion reminds him of just how many sleepless nights he has been through and yet, somehow, everything is the same. And maybe that is the problem. Every day he wakes up, eats breakfast, talks to Daphne about everything and nothing and after an afternoon filled with mystery and friendship he goes to sleep. Then he wakes up and everything is the exact same – breakfast, chit chat, work and sleep. It’s not always like that, no. Sometimes he has a day off, spends it with Daphne or with the rest of the gang, share laughs, drink beer.
One day Shaggy secretly brought weed to their van. If Daphne or Velma knew, they would kill him for it but for Fred it was something new, different in his life. He found it mostly funny, him and Shaggy casually smoking weed in their mystery machine, laughing their asses off watching stupid videos on the internet, shoulders touching, smiles seeping into each other’s.
It’s a nice memory, Fred finds himself recalling it more often than he probably should. So peaceful, unusual and astonishing. Every move, every sound – all of it is like stepping into darkness and not knowing what’s hiding in there. It is like a mystery, something he has to solve. What exactly is the mystery? Fred thinks about it, his eyes, cold, looking at him back and saying: is the mystery Shaggy or is it something within you? Something you have to figure out? He shudders, shakes his head and steps out of the bathroom.
It’s nice chill evening, Daphne sits on the couch, waiting for him with popcorn and a movie on the TV screen. It’s one of their days off and when he sits down next to his girlfriend it feels as if he has lived this day already. It’s the same. So same, even the movie seems too familiar. He loves Daphne, he truly does but he’s tired of re-living one day over and over.
He should talk to her about that. However, he doesn’t.
He talks to Shaggy instead.
Shaggy is making dinner when Fred calls. The sound of his phone startles him but as soon as his eyes read the name Freddy all of the tension leaves his body. Smiling, he takes the call as he still tries to hold the pan with his free hand.
“Hey dude, meet me on the van in five, wanna talk.”
“But I’m making food right now.” Shaggy sobs dramatically, eyes glued on the pancake in front of him. It smells amazing and he can’t wait to finally bite into it – he’s been waiting for that the entire day.
“Oh. Okay, it can wait.”
Freddy sounds sad, something must be wrong. “Or come to mine, I can maybe share-“ he looks at the pancake shining on the pan, ready to be flipped over, “never mind. Bring your own food, I won’t share.”
Laugh can be heard from the other side of the phone and Shaggy can’t help but smile at that even though his pancake is getting a little bit darker than he would prefer it to be.
“Sure, I’ll be there soon.”
With that Fred hangs up – just in time for Shaggy to flip over his beloved pancake. Oh, thank God it didn’t burn, that would make his already bad day even worse.
In a month, there’s a ball in the town and with the finest green suit and bright eyes he asked Velma to go with him. The timing was good, the question came out of his mouth confidently and he even had the drip. It was all going well until his mind came back to earth and he realized Velma was staring at him with blank expression on her face and slight worry in her eyes.
“Shaggy,” she started and he knew he was fucked. It’s nothing good when they start an answer to an easy yes or no question with your first name. “I’m sorry, I- “
“It’s fine.” He laughed, trying to cover the embarrassment even though he could feel the heat going to his cheeks and ears.
“No, no. Listen, I- Daphne and I we had-“ she sighed, reaching out to softly hold Shaggy’s hands.
“We got drunk one night. And I- we...kissed and since then I just... can’t get over her.”
Now it was Shaggy whose expression was blank. His mind was empty, brain smooth, no thoughts. Did he hear her right?
“You can’t tell anyone, though. Please.”
“I won’t.” He said automatically. “Oh, wow I didn’t know you-“
“Don’t think about it, Shaggy. I didn’t want to lie and make up stupid excuse. So, don’t make me regret that.”
“Sure.” Heart beating in so many places, torn into a lot of little pieces, all pulsing and dying at the same time, he left.
Shaggy went straight home, Scooby being nowhere in sight made the situation even worse so he decided to make the pancakes he’s been dreaming of the entire day. And now Fred called him, wanting to spend some time with him so maybe the day he got his heart broken for the first time won’t end up being that bad. In the end he will not be alone.
Fred arrives when Shaggy’s mouth is full of the second pancake, “Hey,” he says and it sounds a lot like humming only...his mouth so full it can barely make any sound but Fred understands.
“Pancakes for dinner?” Fred asks, closing the door behind him, a bottle of something in his hand.
Shaggy swallows before he speaks, “Shut up. Don’t judge.”
“I would never.”
“What’s that?” Shaggy asks, pointing at the bottle Freddy’s holding and as an answer Fred slams it on the table.
“Woah, did something happen?” Shaggy shoves another pancake into the mouth of his after the question.
“Whiskey. And yes...well no, but maybe yes.”
Shaggy cringes at the answer, he’s never been a fan of alcohol. When it comes to it, he’s more of a weed guy and he knows Fred is the same so that means something really must be bugging him.
He decides to ask no more they will get to it after one or two drinks. “Let me finish these, then we can drink.”
Fred nods, goes to the kitchen to look for something he could pour the alcohol into but finds nothing except for two plastic cups with their own logo on it. Where the fuck did he get it from? He doesn’t question it though, pours some of the liquid into the colourful cups and comes back right when Shaggy is finishing the last pancake.
He sits down, facing the brown-haired man and takes a sip. He rolls the whiskey on his tongue; it tastes like the spiciest confessions would.
“So,” Shaggy takes the cup examining the print on it before he drinks, “What did you want to talk about?”
“I-“ he can’t, not now, not sober – eyeing the liquid he thinks about all the possible starts of this conversation because honestly what even is this conversation? What does he want to talk about? What exactly does he want to tell Shaggy? He’s not sure so he lets the whiskey enter his body in one swift move.
“Dude,” Shaggy laughs with wide eyes and Fred cringes at the after taste – whiskey surely isn’t something you should one shot.
“What the fuck is going on?”
“Okay,” Fred calms himself, fingers pressed into his thigh, and despite the lack of alcohol in his veins he continues, “Do you remember the night in the uh the van? With you and me only?”
“Yeah, that was cool. You were so stoned you ate all the hamburgers I’ve hidden in th- “
“Yeah, yeah but,” Fred looks down at his hands, he realizes he left the bottle in the kitchen and frowns. “It was really...nice. I had a lot of fun, it was exciting.”
“Yeah,” Shaggy laughs, confused, “Why are yo-“
“I don’t feel like that with Daphne.” Fred blurts out, eyes frozen on the hand wrapped around the green plastic. “Not anymore...I-I think.”
“So, you’re saying you wanna get high with her? I could provide you with some if you wanna.”
The silence is heavy, it fills the room and Fred understands – Shaggy has no fucking clue what he’s hinting at. With silence still glued to his back he walks into the bright kitchen again, grabs the bottle and returns with it. He finds Shaggy nonchalantly sitting there with a hand full of crisps that surely weren’t there before.
Fred drinks straight from the bottle, “Shaggy,” he says after wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his white shirt – that’s probably going to stain, oh well.
“I’m saying that... I’m not as happy dating Daphne as I used to be.”
Black eyes are on him now, “Oh,” Shaggy puts the bag of crisps down.
“Yeah, every day with her is the same and I came to you so that I- I don’t know maybe to like...I could use some advice, you know?”
“Girls are hard, man. Maybe uhm...try talking to her?”
Fred gives him a ‘are you kidding me’ look and says, “And what am I supposed to say?”
“I don’t know but- okay, no... just like...go with her on a trip! Yeah! Just the two of you. Maybe,” Shaggy takes a sip of the whiskey, “you need something new... something exciting.”
“Exciting.” He says, mind wandering to the conversation they had few minutes ago.
Shaggy nods, “Yeah but who am I to talk. I asked Velma out today and she said no.”
Shaggy shrugs like it’s nothing and picks up the bag of crisps again, “But that’s fine, I got Scooby and a lot of food. And you guys, obviously. I don’t need a girlfriend if I have you all.”
Fred watches as Shaggy stuffs his mouth with last bits of the salty snack. The fact he got rejected surprises him more than the fact he asked Velma out.
“I would never,” Fred breathes out, eyes locked on the other man.
“What?” Shaggy furrows his eyebrows, puzzled look on his face.
“Reject you. I wouldn’t do that.”
The serious tone in Shaggy’s voice when he asks, “Really?” startles him.
“Yes, you’re funny and smart and you can cook well. And I think you’re brave uhm...people say you’re not but I think you’re the bravest of all of us.”
Feeling the heat coming to his cheeks, Fred wonders if it’s the alcohol or the embarrassment that’s responsible for this.
“Are you trying to do something here, man?” Shaggy laughs and finishes his drink.
“What?”
“Are you hitting on me?” he says slowly, each word complete and soft creating small shivers on Fred’s body. He’s not sure if he can hear any hint of playfulness in Shaggy’s voice.
“Uhm I... what if I did?”
Shaggy scoffs, “Then I’d play along,” he says, leaning forward so he’s closer to the blonde man.
Ignoring the bottle and the two colourful cups between them, Fred mimics Shaggy’s motion. “Yeah? What if you kissed me?” He mocks him. “Would that be something new, something exciting?”
“Why? Do you want to find out?”
“I think so,” Fred whispers, his breath mixing with Shaggy’s.
Shaggy pulls away, making space between them “You’re stupid, Freddy.”
“What?”
“Do you think,” Shaggy stands up, fingers tracing the corner of the small table, “I would throw away the longest friendship I have...for you to experiment?”
He leans against the wall as cold as his eyes are. Fred has never seen him that serious before.
“You’re afraid.” Fred leaves his seat to go and stand right in front of the other man. “You are afraid you’ll end up liking it.”
He’s as close to him as before or maybe even closer, Fred can’t tell.
“I’m afraid of lots of things, Freddy. Not this though.” He says firmly despite the slight smile playing with the corners of his lips.
“Prove it then. Show me what Velma is missing out on.”
The sky peeping out of the window next to Shaggy is violet as the moon illuminates Shaggy’s face – or perhaps it’s just his imagination and the faint light is coming from the kitchen’s lights but either way the night looks perfect and Shaggy looks even better.
The night, Fred thinks, is the best night to kiss the homies. Maybe Shaggy thinks so too because he leans in, lips sealed and warm he presses them carefully on Fred’s and leaves them there, just brushing the soft skin of the other.
He waits but Fred doesn’t – the moment Shaggy’s lips are touching his he opens them, taking Shaggy in with him and moves them slowly not knowing what he can or should do or what pace he should set. He’s careful, slow and delicate as his hand find its way to Shaggy’s jaw and brings him closer and- oh god, maybe he should stop.
Maybe it’s too much.
So, he does, he stops, pulls away slightly and opens his eyes just to see Shaggy’s face flushed and breath heavy. Fred wants to take a step back, draw his hand away from the soft skin but Shaggy doesn’t let him. He reconnects their lips with palm tangling into blond hair and kisses him with passion that Fred didn’t expect and – fuck, it makes his legs shake so much.
It’s everything and even more, tongues and bites that colour Fred’s cheeks bright red. It’s the softness mixed with want and two hearts hammering against each other. It’s the hand in his hair softly tugging at the blond strands. It’s his own hand on Shaggy’s waist, bringing him closer. It’s all, it’s Shaggy and it’s Fred and it’s them and it’s-
“You were right.” Shaggy breathes out after he stops kissing the other yet still keeps his lips insanely close.
“What? Do you like it?” grinning, Fred rests his forehead against Shaggy’s, breath shaky and shared with the other.
“Fuck, yeah I- “
“Shit, me too.” The grip on Shaggy’s waist tightens – we both liked it, we should continue so shut up and kiss me again. It’s now and it’s been done, there’s no turning back.
Shaggy notices the change in the touch so with big eyes he asks, “What about Daphne?”
“We will tell her.” Fred says firmly. Somewhere mid kiss he decided he doesn’t want to think about it – about him confessing to Daphne that, fuck, he cheated but he cheated on her with their friend, with someone who they spend most of their time with.
“We should.”
“Not now, right?” Fred asks, voice small and soft.
“Not now.” He confirms and nuzzles to Fred’s neck, breathing in the smell of his... cologne? Axe body spray? Who the fuck knows? He just smells good.
“Do you worry?” Shaggy’s question is muffled by the warm salty skin. His breath there...it tingles and it sends shivers down Fred’s spine.
“Everyone does... isn’t that a human nature?” Long fingers play with brown hair – or dirty blond? Fred can’t tell so he keeps examining them until Shaggy pulls away and looks up at him.
“You don’t seem like the type of person that worries too much though.”
“You surely worry more. You worry for me. Don’t do that.” Fred presses a small kiss on Shaggy’s forehead.
“Sorry, it’s a lot- “
“I know. But it’s gonna be fine, yeah?”
He smiles and Shaggy smiles too. They are gonna be alright, they have to.
As soon as it’s a promise sealed with a kiss they continue with their night in warm arms and slow touches which burn their skin the same way the whiskey burnt in their throats.