Work Text:
Daphne didn’t like sleeping in cars because of the vulnerability, of the feeling that her life was entirely in someone else’s hands. She didn’t like how something could happen to her and she wouldn’t know about it until she woke up— if she woke up. She didn’t like missing what people were saying, the statements shared in whispers that were definitely about her, weren’t they?
Fred didn’t like sleeping in cars because of the missed inspiration for traps. Flora and fauna, concrete jungles and nature cities, watching them interact fueled his brain and the gears constantly turning in it. He didn’t like missing a single thing, though he wasn’t sure anymore if that was because of his love of traps or his long-standing position as the designated driver.
Velma didn’t like sleeping in cars because of the notes and books she couldn’t read. She didn’t like not being able to pour over the gang’s notes on the latest mystery, hated feeling unprepared for a culprit they’d never seen before. She didn’t like sitting with the unease of the unknown and the knowledge that her friends’ very lives might be in her hands.
Shaggy didn’t like sleeping in cars because of the restaurants they always passed. He didn’t like missing a meal, and then meals between meals, and then the snacks between those meals. He didn’t like that his friends often got so caught up in solving the mystery that they forgot to eat—especially bad on Daphne’s part, taking her different food allergies and intolerances into account—and he had to be the one to make them stop and rest.
Scooby didn’t like sleeping in cars because of the intense emotions that were buried deep down in his people. He didn’t like being unable to relieve them of some of that pressure, of the inner turmoil troubling each of them, by shoving his head into their lap. He didn’t like waking up to find someone wiping away tears, curled into themself in the front and unwilling to speak.
But they liked sleeping in the Mystery Machine.
Because Daphne knew that she was safe in her friends’ hands and no harm would come to her. Because Fred knew that someone would write down the most important things they saw for trap inspiration later. Because Velma knew that someone else was reading the notes she took to prepare them for the mystery. Because Shaggy knew they had enough food in the Mystery Machine to feed his friends. Because Scooby knew that here in their big colorful van, they felt at home.
They liked sleeping in the back, where Scooby and Shaggy usually sat during trips, and where a mattress had long ago been tossed in. They liked sleeping curled into one another, Daphne holding Velma, and Fred holding all of them, with Scooby draped overtop. They liked sleeping on rainy nights, and the sound of rain against the Mystery Machine’s roof gently lulling them to sleep.
And they liked waking up in the morning safe and sound and with the ones they cared for most. They liked waking up in their home.