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Daphne likes to think that she knows Velma better than anyone else, even better than those in the Scooby Gang. It’s a sort of mutual understanding, a sort of intimacy that she can’t seem to describe with words.
It wouldn’t come as a surprise to the rest of the gang that Daphne loves Velma. They’ve been best friends since elementary school, on the recess playground, when Daphne had finally found enough courage to approach the bookworm and ask about the book that was clutched in Velma’s hands. She didn’t care that everyone else thought the girl was a nerd—she was curious and wanted to be her friend.
What would surprise the gang, however, was that Daphne wanted more than just friendship.
Of course, she had always pined for Fred, but his extreme love for the Mystery Machine and traps made him a lot harder to love. Sure, he was quirky and fun, but he seemed rather incapable of mustering up enough emotions to love actual human beings in a romantic way.
It started as a small spark right after solving their case on the Moon. It’s ironic, really, considering that Daphne was blind during most of the case, getting increasingly irritated at Velma as the other girl fought her emotions. After being given the time to reflect, she realized just how much Velma cared for her, and how it must’ve broken her heart when Daphne turned away from her and towards Shannon. Her heart warmed just thinking about how Velma encouraged her, first during her driver’s license test, and second when handling the second version of the Sly Star. Afterwards, when they all returned and she had had enough of news reporters who wouldn’t stop asking about her hair, she turned around and grabbed Velma’s hands. At that very moment, there was so much love between them that Daphne wanted to reach forwards and pull her into a passionate kiss.
(Then she was extremely confused as to where that thought came from. Perhaps from the excitement and sheer joy of getting Velma back and not that she had always been attracted to her?)
From there, the spark only grew. Sometimes, it was a small candle, barely getting by in the dim, cold winter night… but sometimes, it was a raging inferno, uncontrollable by even the most skilled of firefighters. There were moments where she struggled to reign it in, where she had to physically restrain herself from getting close to the other girl in fear of Velma not feeling the same way, like when Velma suggested getting an apartment together. When they did eventually move into the apartment, Daphne had to pretend to “check out the bathroom”, giving her time to give herself a mental lecture on personal distance.
It eventually became too much, and she began finding ways to weave the thoughts of a romantic relationship into their daily conversations. She worried that she was flirting too much for Velma’s comfort, but the other girl always blushed and dismissed her. It was as if she liked it, but was too terrified to admit anything.
(She did like it.)
Taking her response as encouragement, she continued pressing. Pushing, even, albeit tenderly.
They’re on Daphne’s couch one day, alone, her parents gone to who-cares-where. They’re pressed up against each other and so intimately close that she has to resist the urge to ravish Velma right there and then. Daphne imagines pushing the shorter girl up against the couch, moans spurring her on as their tongues entangle, pulling that cute but overly frustrating turtleneck up and exposing—
Instead, she’s slung an arm around Velma’s shoulder and mindlessly drawing circles with her hand. The other girl thumbs through a textbook about advanced coding in C, murmuring strings of code that Daphne can barely understand.
“Wouldn’t it be nice,” Daphne whispers into her hair, “if you could spend the rest of your life loving someone? If you could spend the rest of your life with the person you love most?”
She feels Velma swallow. “Yes, it would be,” the other girl responds, “but no one would ever—”
Daphne cuts her off gently. “We could be together for the rest of our lives,” she murmurs. “If you’d be willing, because I’m willing.”
The other girl freezes. “I—I’m—” She closes her book with a soft, muffled thud, before lightly pushing Daphne away from her. As Velma does so, there’s a sudden pain, a vivid ache, that shoots through Daphne’s chest, threatening to make her cry. It’s all over, Daphne thinks, she doesn’t feel the same way, and I’ve ruined our friendship.
“It’s not worth the risk,” Velma finally says.
Not worth the risk.
Her chest begins to unclench as the connotations of Velma’s words begin unraveling themselves in her mind. She didn’t say ‘no’, and if Velma meant no, she would’ve simply said so. It sounds almost like Velma feels the same way, like Velma loves her the same way, but is rejecting Daphne against her own will. The sentence was vague, and the more Daphne tries to decipher it, the more confused she becomes.
Not worth the risk. Not worth… wait…
“What risk?” She can practically see her emotions rising, boiling to the brim, threatening to spill out, because what if she’s the risk, what if Velma believes that she won’t treat her right. She leaps over the chasm, hoping desperately that Velma will be there to catch her on the other side. “We love each other, right? Sure, people might think it’s disgusting and forbidden, but I don’t think it is! Isn’t that enough?” Tears begin stinging her eyes. “Aren’t I… enough?”
Velma visibly hesitates before reaching forwards, softly rubbing the tears away from Daphne’s eyes. “You are enough, Daph, you always have been,” she says quietly. “I just… I fear that I’m not enough. I’m not enough for anyone, not even myself, and I don’t want… I don’t want to risk our friendship.”
At that, her anger rises dramatically. She sits, silently fuming, as she tries to find adequate words. It must’ve shown on her face, as Velma opens her mouth.
“Who hurt you? Who did this to you? ” she demands before Velma even has the chance to make a sound. “Who… who broke you?”
At that, Velma simply laughs. It’s bleak, hollow. Like listening to the void. Completely devoid of emotion.
Broken.
“I’ve always been broken, Daph.” Velma’s smile wavers for a moment, and for the first time, Daphne can see just how truly tired and upset Velma looks. “It’s only a matter of time you do it to me too.”
“Do what?” Daphne shouts, throwing her hands up. “What could I possibly do that would hurt you like this? You never beat around the bush like this, just tell me!”
There’s a pause. Daphne looks at Velma for an explanation and she realizes just how angry and aggressive she had sounded a moment ago. Without warning, she throws her arms around Velma and pulls her in, receiving a squeak in surprise.
“Just, please, tell me,” she whispers.
Velma stays limp in her arms, but Daphne holds on, refusing to let go.
“You know that you’ll always have me, no matter what it is,” she murmurs, rubbing Velma’s back in reassurance.
“That’s just it, I don’t know that,” Velma cries into her shoulder. “I don’t know if you’re always going to be here for me!”
She stays quiet, waiting for Velma to continue, coaxing out the sobs and the baggage Velma keeps caged.
“You’ll leave me,” the other girl chokes out, “just like everyone else, and then spread rumors about how I’m too ugly to be a girl and too much of a nerd and untempting—” She suddenly cuts off, her rant overtaken by sobs.
Untempting. Daphne’s mind suddenly processes exactly what Velma is talking about. She remembers the words of Ethan dressed as Hebediah Grim. Plain, wholesome, and untempting. It suddenly occurs to her that Velma’s claims about how she doesn’t care about her own appearance, how she doesn’t care about the words of idiot criminals in monster masks, how she doesn’t care for much outside of the gang and mystery solving and science, just aren’t true.
Just how long has Velma been blatantly lying to keep Daphne from worrying about her?
Velma pulls away gently and looks up at Daphne with the most defeated look she’s ever seen on the other girl. It scares her, because Velma isn’t supposed to look defeated. Velma is the strong one, the one that always pulls through. Daphne is the one who’s always feeling defeated no matter how positive she sounds to the rest of the gang, who always ends up relying on Velma to reassure her that everything is going to be okay.
“I’m tired of carrying so much responsibility,” Velma whispers. “I feel like I’m always being pressured to do the right thing, and when I mess up, I get all the blame. And I know—” she adds quickly as Daphne opens her mouth to interject, “—I know you all would never actually blame me, but this sort of thing has lost me friends before, and I don’t want a repeat of it. And despite what you all think, I’m not that smart. I just… I try to live up to your expectations, and live up to my expectations, because that’s my job in the gang. I’m so scared of failing … and I’ve failed you all so many times…”
Daphne thinks back to the most recent case they had, where Velma had literally thrown herself into the mouth of a jack o'lantern monster before the rest of the gang after making a similar speech. (Granted, she knew what she was getting herself into, but it was still extremely sweet of her to do.) She realizes, now, that it could not have been easy for Velma to admit her weaknesses. No matter what case they’re solving, Velma is always the first one back on her feet. She’s always the most straightforward one, always the one pushing forwards with solutions.
She can’t even begin to describe just how panicked and terrified she felt the moment Velma launched herself into the monster’s gaping mouth. “I’ll admit it, I’m afraid! I’m afraid of failing, of failing science, failing justice, failing my friends. But you’ve been using those fears against me, and I’m not afraid of you anymore.” She remembers, just as Velma jumped in and the monster’s mouth fell shut, that the most determined member of the Scooby Gang had just given up before their very eyes. She had just stood there, in the moments afterwards, frozen, as the monsters approached them menacingly, because nothing mattered if Velma wasn’t there with her. She tried to keep her cool for the next few days, acting like nothing was wrong, but judging by the concerned looks Velma kept throwing at her, it didn’t work. She blamed her uncharacteristic display of jitter on Elvira’s presence, but she knew Velma didn’t buy it.
Thankfully, the other girl hadn’t questioned her further.
Daphne shakes her head mentally, before gently lifting Velma’s chin to meet her eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not—”
“I haven’t been the greatest friend to you, and I know that, considering the whole case on the Moon, and I can’t stop thinking—do you know how scared I was when you jumped into that Jackal-Lantern’s mouth? I thought you’d given up, and you know I can’t do this without you—”
Velma’s eyes, which were slowly drifting towards the ground again, widened at Daphne’s statement. The other girl’s gaze instantaneously snapped up towards Daphne’s. “You—”
“Look,” she says quietly. “I just, I don’t want to lose you again. Whether it be from an astronaut test or a pumpkin monster or literally anything else. I don’t care about anything in the world if you’re not here with me. That’s why—” She stops, knowing full well that the waterworks are coming her way. “—that’s just—those are my thoughts. You’re so strong, and confident, and it doesn’t matter if you make mistakes or if you fail, because I love you so much it hurts sometimes and I will honestly help you through all of it if you let me—”
The only warning she receives is a loud sob before Velma practically pounces on her with a hug. She’s the one that squeals in surprise this time as the shorter girl buries her face into Daphne’s shoulder, because it’s warm and amazing and when did Velma take off her glasses? Because she’s absolutely adorable without them, too.
“I’m sorry,” Velma cries. Her voice is muffled due to her face being pressed up against Daphne’s shoulder. Daphne does her best to restrain her own tears as she practically soaks up the feeling of Velma—her warmth, her softness, her love—in her arms like it’s the last time they’ll ever be together. “I’m so sorry,” Velma repeats again, her sobs only increasing in volume as Daphne holds her, caresses her, reassures her that it’s okay, that she’s going to be okay, that they’re both going to be okay.
(She mentally acknowledges that Velma is absolutely crying on her dress, and is willing to tolerate it for Velma and Velma only.)
“Honey—” she begins. At the word, Velma burrows herself deeper into Daphne’s embrace. “Aww, Velms, darling, there’s nothing to be sorry about. Okay?”
“Okay,” comes the shaky reply and Daphne smiles, forming circles on the other girl’s back once again.
She’s not really sure when the change occurs, but there’s a sudden shift of energy in the air. Velma relaxes fully in her arms, the sobs and hiccups long past. The stinging tension from before evaporated into a tender silence. The intimacy returns, full force, as Velma moves ever so slightly. She can feel the other girl breathing softly into her neck and she unconsciously moves her head to expose her neck. She wants it, craves the affection, and as she watches Velma’s eyes light up at the movement, it occurs to her that the other girl wants it just as much as she does, that both of them had been restraining themselves for so long. She nearly yells in protest as Velma detaches from her, but sighs in relief when the other girl merely dons her glasses once more and returns to the same position as she had been in once before. The breathing on her neck, right above her pulse, grows hotter and Daphne can feel the anticipation thrumming through every cell of her body—
She nearly shrieks as Velma nips her pulse point. It’s a simple action, really, but it sends pleasure and adrenaline coursing through her veins. “Please, again,” she gasps, and Velma obliges. Her back involuntarily arches from the couch the second time and she grasps Velma’s shoulders, pulling the girl impossibly closer.
“Before—before we… this,” Daphne gestures wildly, hoping that Velma understands through her blubbering. “Are you feeling better? Are you okay with this?”
When Velma nods confidently, Daphne leans forward. Velma bridges the gap between them, and when their lips meet she swears she sees fireworks. The heat in her core grows and everything is perfect.
It’s so perfect that when they part, she wants to cry.
“I love you,” Velma whispers, and somehow it all becomes more perfect.