shaggy rogers.

It wasn't cold, not compared to the recent winter weather, but Shaggy liked hoodies too much to ditch his just yet. They were perfect for concealing him from the world a little more, which also meant concealing him from familiar faces from time to time.

the ghoul leaned over the desk enough , elbows propped on it's surface , that her feet floated just above the warped floorboards . she tilted her head , light hair falling to one side . " coach ?? is that you ?? " she perked upon recognizing him , ghoulish laughter floating from her lips as she lifted her hands to cradle her chin in her palms .

Lowering his hood, Shaggy nodded, shaking his hair out of his face after he did so. He couldn't blame her for assuming he was here for Velma . . . which he supposed was somewhat true, but on his own decision.

𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫: @evermorehqsstart !! 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: the library

It wasn't cold, not compared to the recent winter weather, but Shaggy liked hoodies too much to ditch his just yet. They were perfect for concealing him from the world a little more, which also meant concealing him from familiar faces from time to time.

"oh god no, please don't humor me." velma encouraged with a chuckle that rolled off her lips so effortlessly. the first genuine laugh she managed since being back--it practically caught her by suprise, eyes widening slightly in realization. Hoping Shaggy hadn't caught on. "Besides you're just saying that since you're now bound to me by law Mr. Rogers." She was teasing of course--hoping to distract him from how broken she felt. Besides she already knew that statement not to be true. Even into their young adolescence Shaggy had been the only person to sit by her side and listen to her talk endlessly for hours about anything and everything. Caring in a way that no one had shown her before, by just listening.

Her laughter was genuine, he knew it, and it made him feel accomplished. There was nothing he wanted more in this life than to make her laugh, and laugh, and laugh some more. She deserved to be happy. More than anyone he'd ever met. And he would spend the rest of his life making a fool of himself if that was what it took to bring her a little joy. "Not yet," he reminded her, "you still have time to come to your senses." But it was a joke. Though Shaggy had no idea why she had put up with him for so long, he didn't fear her abandoning him... not by choice. When she left, it hardly crossed his mind to think she'd done it on purpose. He knew she was in trouble. Because he didn't understand why Velma loved him, but he knew her. And he trusted her. And maybe he actually was a fool, but every part of him really and truly believed they were going to last.

It was nice that things were starting to fall back into place before all the disappearances, including hers. Even the most mundane things felt refreshing, precious even. While she already cherished her life with Shaggy she knew what it was like to live in a world without him. She never planned on letting go again. "It is catchy, I have to give her credit there." She smiled softly, remembering Daphne blasting a whole playlist full of Sabrina Carpenter the last time she spent the night. "Logically I get the euphemism behind it, but espresso just tastes so bitter to me. I'd be kind of offended if my love compared to a bitter shot of energy that only lasted a couple of hours at the most." She trailed off, looking up at her fiance--cheeks flushing like they were teenagers again. "Sorry, rambling again." Leave it Velma to always dissect everything.

It wasn't unusual for Shaggy to stare at her, just stare, while she rambled. There was something about it that was so endearing; he didn't care if she ever gave him the chance to speak another word, he would happily listen to everything she said, even things that were too smart for him to wrap his head around, a goofy smile on his lips. He missed it so much while she was gone, he missed her so much, and he'd been doing his best to not dwell on the what ifs, let his anxiety run off with the idea it could happen again. If anything it made him appreciate every little thing even more... if it was possible. It was still incredible to him that she would even give him the time of day, that she would love him, that she hadn't grown tired of him yet. That she accepted him, every part of him, every flaw, everything he lacked, as is.

Daphne pouted before shaking her head. "Shaggy, what am I gonna do with you?" she teased before turning to order her own coffee. "Whatever he wants is on my tab, by the ways," she said matter-of-fact. Even if he decided to order one of each baked good on the menu she would happily pay. "No offense, Shag, but you sound a bit dated. We gotta work on that."

Shaggy's eyebrows pulled together, clearly still confused about the whole ordeal, before asking for a gingerbread latte and turning his attention to the conversation at hand. "Like, I am dated, Daph, look at me. I practically need a walker." He was the oldest out of all of them, after all... even if just by a couple years. "You can't teach an old dog new tricks. I would know."

Cringing at the comment Mei grabbed her muffin and slid closer thinking, 'If I wanted to tell girls about this later I'd better get up and close'. Not taking into account the children zooming by, forcing her to take shorter strides and bounce into the two.

The poor barista looked confused, only confusing Shaggy in turn until the question was rephrased. "Oh, no, I didn't... I didn't order that," he clarified, noticing the girl moving closer. "Like, are you waiting on the uh... double shot espresso?"

~

"Like, listen man, even culinary geniuses make mistakes," Shaggy defended himself, palms up in surrender. Really, he didn't think it was the wasabi that was the issue but the amount. Or the size of the bite he'd let Fred take without a warning. "See, that's the spirit. Trust me, honey mustard is already sweet, people dip fries in it, right? And they dip fries in ice cream. So you mix the sauce with vanilla ice cream, it just makes sense. I don't know about chocolate, though..." He had yet to try that one. "Maybe chocolate syrup too, to ease into it. No wasabi tonight, though. I'm not feeling that brave. Regular hot sauce might be good. Frank's Red Hot or something..."

Closed starter for: @norvillc Location: Shaggy & Velma's place

Even though Velma and Fred were back, Shaggy still woke every single morning petrified, sure one of them had vanished into thin air again. If there was any reason for what had caused it, what had happened, it hadn't been released to the public, and it felt safe to assume that it could, unfortunately, happen again. To anyone. He tried to ignore it, knowing worrying would do nothing, but it sat in the back of his mind like a threat. "Not at all," he laughed, taking another hit of his own. It was nice, hanging out with him, he was able to push the worries to the back of his mind for awhile. "Like, I'm gonna kill your taste buds... in a good way. Hear me out, have you ever had ice cream with honey mustard?"

Velma remained silent with her eyes closed, counting down the seconds until the sound of his footsteps would eventually fade away. Much to her dismay the sound of crunching leaves beneath boots only grew louder. She squinted her eyes shut harder, to the point tears were escaping and cascading down her cheeks. His voice was different, there seemed to be a shift in the wind--or something blocking it. It wasn't until he spoke into the void that she dared to flutter her eyes open again. Staring down at the blades of grass through blurred vision. Suddenly as if she'd be electrocuted she whipped her head around to look at him. Eyes wild as they searched his face for a sign--a miracle even. Her heart was beating into her throat and she felt the world begin to spin making her slightly nauseous. "Can you see me?" She whispered, frightened that if she spoke any louder he'd evaporate into thin air. This couldn't be right, not after all this time. This couldn't be real.

"I can see you," he confirmed, not quite understanding the question, but he wasn't about to ask any of his own. His heart lurched at the realization. He could see her. He could touch her. She was real. His hand moved from her shirt to cup her face, a choked laugh of relief escaping his lungs. He had missed her, he had missed her so much that it had felt like a physical ache, but he would never miss her again. If someone wanted to take her away they would have to go through him first. He swore it, to him and her both, a silent promise. Her teary eyes locked on his, the warmth of her cheek beneath his touch, he felt his chest swell. All he wanted to do was sweep her off the ground but he hesitated to move. His mind was buzzing with thoughts but he could only focus on the one at the forefront of them all. "I can see you," Shaggy whispered again, "you're so beautiful."