Shaggy Shed
Freddie stood in front of his mirror, pausing his morning skin routine briefly to admire himself. Flexing slightly he lauded his muscled physique, the weight set he’d gotten for Christmas was certainly paying off and he’d even hit a new PR he could officially bench 220lb. His bright blue eyes framed by his under-eye masks, great for de-puffing, perfectly arched brunette eyebrows that stood out against his stark blond hair. Though he wasn’t ‘technically’ a natural blond it certainly suited him more than his dark hair, the one summer he’d tried to give it a chance had only convinced him more. Flashing himself a cheesy movie star grin he resumed gelling his hair carefully combing it into place, before pulling on a white tee with a blue and orange stripe and a pair of jean board shorts. Spraying on a musky body mist he checked his hair one more time. Freddie prided himself on being well groomed, he felt it was important to always put his best foot forward. Next to traps, it was the one thing he devoted most of his time to. He wasn’t exactly vain but Freddie did enjoy looking nice for…he blushed as he thought of Shaggy. He quickly turned off the lights in the bathroom and busied himself with cleaning up his room a bit, trying to push the boy's goofy grin from his mind without much luck. He gave up cleaning halfway through to glance out the window overlooking the backyard, he watched Scooby chase birds around the yard before hopping into the bird bath himself. Maybe he could mow the lawn today that would keep his mind off of Shaggy, and there were always things that needed to be done around the house.
—
The estate his parents had given him for his 18th birthday/graduation present was perfect for the gang. A two-story cottage-style house located about a mile outside of downtown Coolsville sitting on a half acre of land. It had 4 bedrooms, a nice yard for Scooby to run around in, and a garage big enough to fit the van and all of Freddie's traps. He wasn't quite sure when his parents had bought the house, their relationship wasn't very talkative these days so he doubted he’d ever know just why they decided to give him the place. Freddie was thankful nonetheless, it was a place for the gang to call home, a home they could live freely without their families' judgment, with people who loved them for them.
The decoration process had taken a long while to come together, Fred had started with a very eclectic style that heavily incorporated leftover parts from traps that didn’t make it into the field, lots of nets, jagged metal edges, and live wires. When Velma moved in she insisted they redecorate if not for style for safety since some of the wires were not properly disconnected. Then came the bookshelves, every size you could imagine and in a number that rivaled the local library, each one was filled with books mostly Velma’s science-y stuff or history books on the places they'd been over the years. While useful in a lot of ways the house quickly became cramped and hard to traverse, not to mention dusty as quite a few of the books were somewhat ‘antique’.
When Shaggy and Scooby joined the house they helped declutter the books as well as install some of the shelves in Velma's room. Shaggy also helped Fred set up his trap shop in the garage which was an upgrade to the shed he’d been working in out back. Fred smiled fondly remembering the weeks they’d spent together building shelves, moving in workbenches, and shopping for new tools. Freddy and Shaggy had always been close since they were the only boys on the team, they initially bonded over their love of video games and wrestling. Fred had been the first one Shaggy came out to as trans, but in a way, he’d always known and Fred loved him all the same. Over the years they’d grown closer eventually Freddie came out as gay and of course, Shaggy showered him in love, in his own way. Shaggy wasn’t exactly the most emotional guy and this made it hard for Fred to know how he was feeling sometimes.
Freddie had had a crush on Shaggy for… well awhile, sometimes he even thought Shaggy felt the same way but others he wondered if he was just kidding himself to save face. He’d come close to confessing his feelings a few times, but always backed out at the last moment. In his mind he figured if Shaggy ever did have feelings for him he might’ve said something first…but Fred knew that wasn’t likely. Freddy let out a long sigh, his hand absently tracing the tattoo on his arm, an orange flower just like the ones on the mystery machine. He and Shaggy had decided to get matching tattoos one random summer while Velma was away in Egypt, it was one of the only times Shaggy was braver than he was. Shaggy had held his hand the entire time, thankfully he blamed his blushing on the pain but really he was just elated to feel Shaggy’s hand in his. That night they'd both slept in Shaggy’s room, marathoning bad movies, eventually falling asleep in each other's arms. The next morning he woke up to Shaggy absentmindedly running his hands through his hair while he had his morning smoke, Freddy closed his eyes and relished the tender embrace for a few minutes. Eventually, he feigned waking up slowly looking up at Shaggy again, he was happy to see his blushing face looking down at him, realizing what he’d been doing. Before he could sputter out an apology Freddie smiled up at him, unable to hide his feelings in the moment, and for what seemed like ages they just looked into each other's eyes. There wasn't a sound uttered but so much was said at the moment, Freddie had thought they were going to kiss that day and they might have if Shaggy hadn’t started coughing up a lung. Maybe he’d been holding his breath too…waiting for a kiss.
Since that day almost a year ago now they have had a few more of those moments, close calls you might say. They were circling each other but both were too afraid to make the first move, at least that’s what Freddie told himself. Having Daphne back in the house had him seriously considering confessing his feelings, he had watched the girls' relationship blossom over the years from friends to maybe something to now, head over heels for each other in every way. Back when they first started dating he’d been jealous and hid it poorly, at the time the girls thought it was because he was into Daphne since he wasn’t out to them yet, but in reality, he wanted that with Shaggy. He wanted to steal kisses behind the van on missions and hold hands while cuddling after a hard case. When Daphne moved away though all that jealousy dissipated, he truly understood the depth of their love and it threw him into a deep depression. He had to watch his friend's heartbreak, blame herself for the whole ordeal, and try to put herself back together, all the while he was thinking about how his life would be different if he was honest with Shaggy. Was it worth the potential pain of heartbreak? Would that pain be worse than what he was feeling now trapped in this cycle of ambiguity? Freddy shook his head in frustration, why was this so hard, he was supposed to be the brave one yet he couldn’t tell Shaggy how he felt. How long could he spend pretending he only loved Shaggy as a friend, pretending he didn’t want to relive that night over and over again? No, he couldn't wait any longer today had to be the day he told Shaggy no matter what. All he needed to do was make a plan…and then actually follow through this time. Perhaps it was time to call in some reinforcements to help him execute this plan perfectly, who better to ask for help than the brilliant scientist who’d just led the team in a rescue mission of love? Freddy took a quick detour to Velma’s room, breakfast would have to wait.
—
Fred hesitated for a moment in front of Velma’s door, was he really prepared to put his heart on the line? Right as he was going to turn away from her door it swung open and Velma walked right into him. “Jinkies Freddie I’m so- what are you doing outside my door?” Velma asked, her voice laced with suspicion, “ Oh uhm morning Velm, I was just…well the thing is I-” Freddie was stuttering and his face was almost as red as Velma’s pajama bottoms. Thankfully Velma put a hand up and he stopped talking, “What’s going on Fred it’s a little early to be this worked up…even for you.” Velma said, yawning, obviously still waking up. Freddie cleared his throat and ran his hands through his hair nervously, even though he couldn’t bring himself to meet her eyes he knew they were focused on him, trying to figure out what had him so upset. With a sigh, he finally looked her in the eyes, “I’m in love with Shaggy and I have to tell him how I feel. Today.” It took everything in him to not break eye contact as he said those words. I’m in love with Shaggy…this was the first time he had ever said it out loud. Sure he’d told Velma before in not so many words that he had feelings for Shaggy, but never in love. He realized he’d been holding in a breath when Velma finally spoke and it knocked the air right out of him. “ Awh Freddie, I was right you’re as lovesick as a puppy. Hypothetically, of course, come in it seems we have a lot to talk about.” She said with a smirk as she opened the door wider to allow him in.
Freddie was practically dragging his jaw on the floor, had he really been so transparent in his feelings? He thought back to a few days before they’d brought Daphne home, Velma had walked in on him in the garage crying at one of his work benches, when she was close enough to see what Freddie was looking at she couldn’t help but tear up a bit herself. Scratched into the table ‘F + S 4evr’ Velma later found out they’d done it while building Freddie’s workshop together. That was the moment Velma knew his feelings were much more than a passing crush.
When he didn’t move right away Velma took his hand and gently led him into her room, closing the door behind them. They settled in two bean bags sitting across from each other, Velma giving him a reassuring smile before speaking. “I’m happy you told me how you feel Freddie really, but I’m a little confused as to, well why? If you’re hoping I’ll talk you out of telling him how you feel I’m afraid I can’t in good conscience do that.” At this, Fred shook his head and Velma gave him her full attention, “Well that’s good news because I don’t want you to. I want you to help me tell him…please” he said with a shy smile before continuing. “I’ve felt this way for a really long time, well you know that, but I just can’t keep going like this Velm I need to tell him.” Freddy was biting his nails practically to the bone by the time he finished blurting that out. Velma could tell he had been holding this in for a long time, it broke her heart to imagine just how much this was weighing on him. “ I’m in, what’s the plan,” Velma said her voice resolute but emotional, Fred looked slightly bashful “I don’t exactly have one yet…which is why I came to you!” He shot her another shit-eating grin which earned him a good-natured smack. “Hm okay, I’ll have to come up with a few different ways to go about this. Have you thought about just talking to him?” Velma said, trying to sound as sincere as possible but failing to hide the smile on her face as Freddie glared at her as if looks could kill. “HaVe U tHoT A- of COURSE, I’ve thought about it! It’s all I think about! I thought you were supposed to be the smart one?” He shot back jokingly, “ Well I thought you were the confident himbo, so I guess we were both wrong.” Velma giggled as he sighed dramatically throwing himself onto her bed, “That one cut me be deep Velm I'm deeply wounded” Freddie said theatrically laying his hand on his forehead as if to faint. After a moment he hopped up and bowed to an invisible audience, “Thank you thank you really you’re too kind!” He said to his ‘adoring fans’ while Velma rolled her eyes. “ Alright you primadonna let’s get to work I’ve got an idea.”
They sat on the bean bags again Freddie listening intently now, “It’s quite simple but the devil is in the details. You’re going to take him on a date.” At this Freddie furrowed his brow, how could he take him on a date without telling him his feelings? Sensing his confusion Velma continued “ He won’t know it’s a date at least not at first, for him it’ll just be another normal day hanging out with you. Instead, it will be a day filled with his favorite things courtesy of his favorite person, that’s you.” “I still don’t get it”, Freddie said “How is this supposed t-“ Velma interrupted him “Shh listen, you’re going to make breakfast like always but make sure to cook his favorites, after that, you’ll need to find a reason to get him in your workshop to see the carving you guys did.” Freddie blushed at this part, he started to say something but closed his mouth after Velma shot him a look. Pushing her glasses up on her nose she continued, “ After the visual reminder of your bond, invite him to cook with you and make his favorite meal. I’d suggest a nice intimate place to eat together, maybe the balcony in your room? This part can be improvised, but once you’re eating it would be a good time to start The conversation. You don’t have to say the words ‘I love you’ but tell him how he makes you feel. Be honest with him, that's important. We both know Shag isn’t exactly forthcoming with his emotions but if my deductions of the situation are correct this should give you a favorable outcome.” Velma looked at Freddie, he looked like he might pass out at any moment, maybe her advice had been too forward. She placed a hand on his shoulder to reassure him or perhaps make sure he was still conscious, when he looked up at her his eyes were a sea of emotion. Perhaps today was too soon for him to go forward with this plan, Freddy thought doubting himself again.
It all seemed so simple when Velma spelled it out, and the idea of spending all day with Shaggy made the butterflies in his stomach swarm. Why was he so hesitant then? His mind was moving a million miles an hour, every possible outcome surfacing at once, it was useful for traps but not so much with matters of the heart. Maybe it was his head that was the problem here, too much thinking about his feelings not ever doing. Velma was right he would make today the perfect date for Shaggy and tell him how he feels.
Fred looked up unsure of how long he’d been silently lost in his own world, “Sorry Velm I guess I zoned out. I think—I think you’re right, I’m gonna do it for real this time.” Freddie looked confident for the first time that morning, it made Velma smile. “That’s awesome Freddie, I’m really proud of you. I know this is a big deal. Is there anything else I can do to help?” She said excitedly, Velma may have been a nerd but she was also a romantic and the idea of new love was heartwarming. Fred thought a moment before answering, “Can you just make sure he comes down for breakfast on time? Oh and maybe keep Scooby with you? If you don’t mind.” Velma nodded, unable to speak from excitement. “Okay great I guess I’ll get breakfast started then…thanks again Velm you’re the best” Freddie said giving Velma’s hand a small squeeze before standing up to head into the kitchen.
—
Freddie was usually the first one awake in the mornings so he’d gotten into the routine of making everyone breakfast. Everyone’s ‘order’ was fairly simple but he did like to mix it up occasionally. Today though his focus was all on Shaggy. Washing his hands and tying up his favorite apron Freddie began the process of making Shaggy’s favorite waffles, chocolate chip Nutella filled, from scratch. After he prepped the batter he quickly cut up a few potatoes, drizzled them with oil, and perfectly seasoned them, before putting them in the oven. As he poured the first batch of batter into the waffle maker he heard someone's feet padding toward him. He turned to see Velma walk into the kitchen, she looked a bit more awake now and changed from her pajamas into loose shorts, a cropped sweatshirt in her signature orange, and a pair of slippers, “Morning Velm” Freddie said in a chipper voice “Good morning lover boyy” Velma teased in a sing-songy voice. Freddie shushed her before wildly gesturing to the doorway though there was no one there. Laughing to herself Velma started brewing coffee for everyone, the kitchen was soon filled with the smell of garlicky potatoes, sweet waffles, and coffee. Daphne soon joined them in the kitchen with Scooby following close behind her, “good morning love” Daphne said planting a kiss on Velma’s bedhead before joining her at the table “And good morning to you chef. What's the occasion?” she asked eyeing the precariously stacked pile of waffles on the counter, the question though innocently posed still made Freddie's cheeks go pink and left him too shy to answer. Raising an eyebrow at Velma as if to say ‘what gives’ Daphne could tell by the look in Velma’s eye that she would find out later. Daphne let it drop, for now, focusing instead on preparing herself a nice iced coffee to pair with her crepes Fred had come off the griddle. “Have you seen Shaggy?” Velma asked to which Daphne shook her head, Scooby grunted and pointed in the direction of his room without looking up from his food. “Right, I’ll go wake the beast I suppose,” she said playfully before walking down the hall as the others listened to her feet shuffle away.
As Velma returned, alone Freddie noted, he was disappointed but finally settled himself at the table with his own cup of coffee and a protein smoothie, “Hey Scoob why don’t you grab Shaggy his breakfast is gonna get cold” he tried to sound casual but inside he was a mess of nerves. Scooby bounded out of the kitchen towards his best friend's room. Why hadn’t Shaggy come down yet, had he somehow overheard their conversation and decided to avoid him? He took a deep drink from his coffee, burning his tongue in the process. “Fred’ll agree with me won’t you?” Daphne’s voice snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts, “Huh? Oh yeah, I agree…what are we talking about?” Freddie said sheepishly. Behind her mug, Velma smirked “Oh nothing Daphne was just saying Shaggy would look soo cute with a nose ring. Dontcha think?” Freddie pictured Shaggy with a septum, silver to match his other jewelry, Freddie did love it when he wore all his rings they accentuated his long slender fingers…he was losing focus again. “Oh yeah, I think Shag would look great,” Freddie said careful not to call him cute as Velma had. Thankfully the sound of Scooby racing into the kitchen saved him from having to say anything more, he gave him some well-deserved pats as Shaggy slunk into the kitchen.
Freddie could feel his heart pounding, he was sure the others could hear it knocking against his chest. How could Shaggy manage to look so adorable even in the morning, his eyes were low, slightly obscured by his bangs, the rest of his hair sticking out every which way, his cute sheepish smile as Velma teased him. How couldn’t he be in love with him? As if he could hear Fred’s thoughts Shaggy glanced at him through his bangs and gave him a soft smile. Freddy nearly collapsed right there, thankfully Velma must have sensed this because she gave him a quick kick under the table. Freddie cleared his throat and went back to drinking his coffee, listening to their conversation as best he could, though when Daphne started in on Shaggy about how long his hair had gotten he couldn’t help himself. He reached over and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Shaggy’s ear revealing a growing flush on his cheeks, which made Freddie giddy. Had he really elicited such a response from that small gesture? Maybe he had a chance with Shaggy after all! Fred came back to earth as Daphne was brainstorming ideas for Shaggy’s haircut, he and Velma exchanged a look as they cleared up the breakfast dishes but waited until the others had left the kitchen before speaking.
After a few minutes of cleaning in silence, only the sound of plates clinking against silverware filling the air, Freddy finally spoke. “So I’ve been thinking about what we talked about earlier, you know creating the moment, etc, I think I know the perfect thing to do.” he paused to rinse a plate and hand it to Velma to dry. “You know the shed outback? I used to build traps there but it was empty for a while after Shag helped me fix up the garage, I figured I could still put it to good use so… I turned into a Shaggy Shed!” In his excitement, he flung his hands up forgetting they were wet and covered in suds, fortunately, most of it missed Velma instead making the floor slippery. “Oops guess I got a little excited sorry Velm.” He said cleaning the water from her glasses and then the floor. Velma waved him away eager to hear what else he’d done to the shed, “Right so, I cleaned out everything from before, put in this funky new wallpaper, a couple of rugs, lava lamps, and surround sound speakers of course. I also installed some shelves so he could put some of his favorite bongs in there! I was originally planning on getting a daybed and some other things to really make it feel like his own space, then presenting it on his birthday, but it’s mostly finished now and I think it could be the perfect place to…you know” Freddie grew bashful realizing that he’d been rambling on, he looked over to see Velma teary eyed and using the dish towel to try her eyes. “I think it’s perfect Freddie, he’s gonna love it I just know he will,” Velma said collecting herself, she really was a romantic at heart. They finished cleaning up the kitchen chatting about this and that, when they were done they parted ways with Freddie promising to keep her updated along the way.
As Fred walked back up the stairs to his room he could hear Shaggy and Daphne’s laughter coming from down the hall, it made him smile to hear them together again. He turned on some music to calm his nerves while he waited for them to be done, laying on his bed he stared up at the ceiling watching his fan spin getting lost in his thoughts again. It wasn’t too late for him to back out of this plan, not really. Sure there was the hair-tucking thing at breakfast and the waffles…okay maybe it was too late. He wanted this So badly, but this was also the one thing that truly scared him, being honest with Shaggy meant everything would change, and while he did want it to change he didn't know what he would do if Shaggy didn't feel the same way. The way Shaggy had blushed at his touch this morning had to mean something, the lingering touches, the eye contact that was held just a beat too long. Even if Shaggy didn’t love him, it seemed like there was the possibility of something there, please let there be something. He silently begged someone, anyone, who could hear his desperate pleas. God, when had he turned into such a love-sick puppy? The music wasn't enough, Freddie decided to hop up and started lifting some weights, working out always helped to clear his mind. Just as he was getting into a good rhythm his phone went off causing him to break his stride, he dropped his weights and wiped the sweat from his brow, at least he would have a post-workout glow for whatever happened with Shaggy. The message was from Velma ‘Come see your beau’s new haircut ;)’, he rolled his eyes at her cheek, she was really never going to let him live this down. He looked in the mirror one more time, a strong flex for good measure, and walked down the hall to see ‘his beau’.
He could hear the gang chattering and giggling down the hall in Daphne’s room, he let out a deep breath and walked in. Scooby was sitting in his plush bed near Daphne's vanity tail wagging happily, Velma was standing in the doorway of the bathroom fawning over Shaggy’s hair, when she looked over and noticed Freddie inching into the room she waved him over. “Daph has worked a miracle on Shaggy’s mop, come see!”. As he walked into the room Shaggy turn to face him with a bashful look on his face, “Like what do ya think Freddie?” he was speechless, Shaggy’s dirty blond hair was neatly combed, resting just above his shoulders, his overgrown bangs had been trimmed and swept to the side, perfectly framing his face, the highlights Daphne had added made his green eyes pop. He’d never looked more handsome. “Uh Freddie, you are like okay? Are the highlights too much, I like told Daph it was too much” Freddie realized he had been staring for too long. “No, no I was just- admiring you. Your hair! I was just admiring your hair.” he stuttered out “It looks really good, Shag and the highlights really bring out your eyes,” he said the last part softly, but he could tell by the look on Shaggy’s face that he’d heard. “You think? Like thanks… I’m glad you like it. Uh I mean like I’m glad uhm you guys like it.” Shaggy was nervously flicking his lighter, his face was beet red, Freddie was looking at him with stars in his eyes, they didn’t notice the girls slowly creeping out of the bathroom to give them a moment alone. Freddie bit his lip nervously as Shaggy met his eyes again, eyes that he could get lost in, “Hey Shag you got a minute?” if his voice was nervous Shaggy didn’t seem to hear, “Sure Freddie what’s up?” Shaggy said with a small smile, “So I was gonna save this til your birthday, but well I can’t wait so I’m showing you now! Follow me.” Freddie started leaving the room before he could say anything, Velma and Daphne gave him a quick thumbs up as he passed, there was no going back now.
—
As they walked down the stairs Shaggy nudged him, “So am I gonna get a hint or like what man?” he grinned nervously but obviously excited at the idea of an early birthday present. “You can wait, we're almost there don’t worry”, Freddie said just as excited, if not more as he led them to the sliding glass door that opened to the backyard. Without thinking Freddie took Shaggy’s hand and led him to the shed that sat at the edge of the yard, when they got in front of the door he stopped, “It’s not quite finished yet but I really hope you like it.” he said before pulling open the door and gesturing Shaggy inside. Freddie watched as the lanky man gazed around the room, mouth wide open. Every wall was lined with multicolored retro wallpaper, the floors adorned with plush rugs in the shape of flowers to match the van, and the wall was plastered with Shaggy’s art and various posters from bands he’d seen live, Freddie's favorite piece was the spiky skull disco ball hanging from the ceiling it was the original from their time on Spooky Island. Shaggy walked through the tiny hallway into the big room, spinning around taking in every inch, each time noticing more details including the shelf positioned perfectly over the arm of the small loveseat sitting against the wall. On it were a small rolling tray, a pack of Shaggy’s favorite rolling papers, and a new zippo lighter. Shaggy turned to face the blond in awe, “Freddie I- how did you set all this up? This is like totally far out! You even got my favorite movies on DVD. This is like totally awesome!” Shaggy was practically vibrating with excitement, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. “You really like it? I wanted to add a few more shelves and seating options, maybe some A/C…” Freddie trailed off when he saw the look on Shaggy’s face, it was excitement for sure but also something else, something he couldn't quite read, “Shag-” Before Freddie could finish the sentence Shaggy had wrapped his long arms around him, squeezing with all his might, after a moment he pulled back, “This is perfect, like absolutely perfect Freddie. I can’t believe you like did all this for me… thank you. This is probably the best gift like anyone ever got me.” Freddie found himself again staring into those gorgeous green eyes, in that moment he understood the emotion he had seen in Shaggy’s face earlier, the same thing he had been feeling all this time. Love. Freddie couldn’t bear it any longer, he again tucked a stray strand of hair behind Shaggy’s ear but instead of backing away this time, he cupped his stubbled cheek lightly closing the distance between them as he kissed the taller man's soft lips. A surprised noise escaped Shaggy’s lips before he leaned into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Freddie's shoulders to pull him closer and kiss him deeper. After a moment they pulled away, both a little flushed and breathless, grinning like fools. Freddie was the first to break the silence “ Shaggy I- uhem I like you, a lot quite a bit, actually, I love you and I’ve been in love with you for years but I was too scared to tell you because what if you didn’t love me back! Then Daphne and the mission and the garage an-" "I love you too.” Shaggy blurted out raising his voice slightly to talk over Freddie’s frantic speech. “You…what?” At this Shaggy smiled down at him, his eyes misty and adoring, “ I love you too Freddie” he said gently kissing his forehead “I’m like in love with you, I just never thought you would go for someone like me…do you really mean it?” Shaggy wouldn’t meet his eyes as he muttered those words, Freddie felt a twinge in his heart, “ I mean it more than I’ve ever meant anything before. I’ve never felt like this about anyone and honestly, I don’t think I want to. You’re all I’ve ever wanted Shaggy. someone like you, perfect for someone like me.” The tears welling in Shaggy's eyes finally spilled over trailing down his cheek, Freddie gently brushed them away before pulling him closer, wrapping him in a bear hug. Shaggy held him tightly as if afraid he would slip away if he let go. Freddy felt his heart beat against his chest, he took a deep smell of his T-shirt snuggling deeper into the sweet mixture of musk and smoke. He felt like he was walking on clouds, Shaggy loved him too, was this actually happening right now or was this another dream he’d wake up from disappointed? The steady beating of Shaggy's heart, the warmth of his arms wrapped around his broad shoulders, this was very real. They stood there wrapped in each other’s embrace, swaying gently to some unheard music for half an hour at least, eventually settling down on the loveseat never letting go of the other's hand. At some point the pair fell asleep, awoken by the girls calling through the door to make sure they were okay. Two groggy figures emerged a few seconds later, still holding hands, matching grins across their faces as they greeted the girls who were beside themselves with excitement. They gushed over the new couple for the rest of the evening, going so far as to insist on walking the boys ‘home from their date’ to Shaggy’s room leaving them with a reminder to use protection.
When they were finally alone again they shared another kiss, sweet and shy but it made their hearts race nonetheless. Freddie put on a movie, one of Shaggy's favorites he’d gotten him, before climbing into bed with him. As the opening scenes played, Shaggy pulled Fred closer, trailing kisses across the cheeks, foreheads, and lips, whispering ‘I love yous’ after each one. Freddie closed his eyes, soaking in the feeling as he drifted to sleep in his lover's arms.