#brucebannerd

Though he was more comfortable with himself than he had been not too long ago, it was rare to see Shaggy in full wolf mode outside the full Moon. But there he was, curled up against Velma, fretting.

“Okay Shag, we all want to help, but we need to know what’s wrong.” Fred said gently, holding Shaggy’s paw-like hand.

It took the werewolf a few tries to get the words out. “So, like, apparently last week they found black mold at Sugies school after a lot of the kids got sick.” Really badly sick. “Mom, like, didn’t want to worry me until she got Sugie’s medical results back. She’s gonna be fine.”

“Oh thank goodness.” Daphne breathed a sigh of relief. His baby sister getting seriously ill while he couldn’t even be there for her would have wrecked him badly.

“Yeah.” Shaggy squeezed Fred’s hand and curled deeper into Velma. “So they, like closed the school building and they’re going to do the rest of the year online. But that doesn’t affect the campus Mom works at, so she’s can’t be home with Sugie and doesn’t want to leave her home alone all day, and Dad’s still on deployment so-”

“Rugie’s romming rere.” Scooby finished.

“And I don’t know how to hide this,” he gestured to himself.

“I don’t think you can.” Fred pointed out. “You’re too worried about her.”

Shaggy sighed. “But what if she’s scared of me?”

Daphne laughed softly. “Shaggy, not one person who’s seen you like this has been scared of you.” Scared for him maybe, but never of him. “I don’t think Sugie’s going to break the trend.”

~

In retrospect, Velma was glad she hadn’t burned that hoodie. She had been tempted, sure, it was a symbol to her of the self-loathing Shaggy had felt. Now it may have been unseasonably warm, but was good for hiding if Shaggy suddenly sprouted fur or pointed ears. Which normally wasn’t a problem, but he was so worried it might be there was a risk of self fulfilling prophecy.

“Shaggy!” A blue bundle of energy hopped off the train and wrapped her arms around her brother.

He hugged her back and felt something in the wolf leap for joy. He was almost tempted to grow a tail just so he could wag it. A piece of his family was with him again! “Missed you, Sugs.”

“Missed you too, bro.”

Velma picked up the suitcase where Sugie had dropped it, grinning at how happy Shaggy was. “We’re going to pick up lunch on the way home. Any place you’d like to go Sugie?”

“Mellow Mushroom! I wanna get a multi-mushroom pizza and the mushroom soup!”

“Craving mushrooms?” Daphne asked, hiding a giggle.

“I shall eat fungus as an act of revenge.” Sugie said with the solemness only a twelve year old could muster.

Shaggy thought a moment. “Grilled Portobellos for dinner?”

Sugie squeezed him again. “And this is why I love you bro, you get me.”

~

They sat curled up in the living room, food half consumed, when Velma started giving Shaggy a meaningful look he couldn't avoid. He wanted to argue that it could wait until after lunch, but knew that he’d just keep avoiding it if given half the chance. He sighed and put down his pizza slice. “Sugie, there’s something we need to talk about. Some stuff has, like, changed since you and Mom left.”

“If you’re telling me you got a girlfriend, I don’t believe you.” Sugie said, attention still on her pizza.

Shaggy rolled his eyes. Yes, but that wasn’t the point. Okay, like a band aid. “Sugie I’m a werewolf.”

This at least got her to pause in her pizza eating. “Seriously?” she said in a tone that bespoke more ‘So you you really expect me to believe that’ rather than ‘You're really a werewolf’.

“It’s been an interesting past few months.” Fred allowed.

“Uh-huh.” Sugie’s attention was back on the pizza, clearly not believing a word of this.

Velma sighed. “Sugie look at your brother.”

She did and dropped her slice of pizza, which was snatched by Scooby before it hit the ground. “Shaggy, you...you-”

Shaggy ducked in on himself, more self-conscious about going full werewolf than he’d been in months.

“That is SO AWESOME!” Sugie was practically bouncing in her seat. “Oh man, can I touch your ears.” She reached her hand forward only to have it stopped by Daphne.

“You’ve been eating pizza. Wash your hands first.” She chided.

“Wash my hands?” Sugie asked in disbelief. “My brother is a werewolf and you want me to worry about washing my hands?”

“Would you want someone running greasy fingers through your hair?” Daphne shot back. 

Sugie looked at her mulishly, but got up to head to the bathroom.

“Like was that really necessary Daph?” Shaggy asked. “Have you ever tried to wash grease out of hair? Yes.” Daphne said vehemently.

“I’m really sorry that trap backfired.” Fred apologized.

“It was an accident.” Daphne kissed him. 

“Okay, hands clean, it is petting time!” Sugie declared. She didn’t even bother getting back on the couch, just came up behind it and started scratching behind Shaggy’s ears like she’d done with Scooby all her life. He leaned into the touch, clearly treasuring the contact.

“This is so cool.” Sugie whispered.

“You don’t think it’s, like, weird?” Shaggy asked.

“Oh it’s weird, but in the best way.” Sugie was still grinning. “What did Mom and Dad say?”

It was the wrong thing to say as she felt her brother tense under her fingers, the thumping of the tail against the back of the couch stopping. “Bro?”

“You can’t tell them.” he begged, “Promise me Sug.”

“It’s a conversation best had in person.” Velma explained. “Having your family upset at you is painful for werewolves, so we want to do it when we’re here to soften the potential blow.” Yes it was glossing over the more serious aspects of what could happen, but the fact that rejection could equal death for her brother was a heavy thing for a preteen, especially one who’d just gone through something as traumatic as what had happened with the mold.

“Hmph. Well, I guess that means I gotta be the problem child if you’re stuck being the good one. Way to be a teenage werewolf and have it be boring.” Her words were in a mischievous tone, but followed with a hug. “I won’t tell Shaggy. Promise.” And she meant it.

“Told you it would be fine.” Velma said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Sugie straightened up. “Wait...wait...what was that?”

“A kiss,” said Velma with a smirk. “You know, something girlfriends do to their boyfriends and vice versa.”

“Oh no. No no no. The werewolf deal is one thing but a girlfriend? How? And Velma? She’s smart?” Sugie sounded super offended.

Everyone laughed, even Shaggy. The fact that Sugie was far more upset over him having a girlfriend over being a werewolf was unexpected, but welcome nonetheless.