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"I once threw a blue plastic hairbrush at the Lord of Time," Rachel says. "It hit him in the eye."
Drew feels her own eyebrow lift, and she actually turns to look at her.
"Imagine the damage you could have done if it'd been a bronze or gold brush."
Rachel shrugs. "Maybe, but it wouldn't have had the same aerodynamics and all that."
"Marry me," Drew says.
Rachel laughs, taking it for a joke or just a compliment, which is probably for the best.
Rachel shows Drew a sketch she's been working on of a sight Drew pointed out to her the other day, noting that it was one of her favorites at camp. "You could say I... drew it for you," Rachel tells her, with what should be an absolutely unbearably, corny little grin hiding at the corner of her lips.
Drew can't help it, she giggles. Not her cute, charming, rehearsed giggle that she employs to get things done, but a sort of high pitched, breathy thing that makes Drew want to just walk away.
She's mollified when Rachel smiles fully at the sound, pleased with herself.
As she passes over the sketchbook to show Drew in more detail, Drew catches sight of Leo on Rachel's other side, looking at Drew in judgmental pity. When he sees her looking, he mouths, "That wasn't funny."
Drew bristles, because she's seen Leo all flustered and laughing when Frank makes puns way lamer than that. At least Rachel tailored it to Drew especially.
Rachel kind of knocks her off balance by just asking her out, no games, no back and forth dance.
Drew's always been more focused on the events leading up to falling in love, and the events when that love implodes. Granted this is all when she's orchestrated it for other people, but maybe Piper has a point about that being, you know, not a great thing to do.
It's actually kind of terrifying, being right in the line of fire like this. She wonders if she did something to make her mother mad.
Or if she did something to make her mother happy.
"When I want something, I say as much, or I don't get it," Rachel says in explanation. "And when I want something, I want it to keep it, not just to win at getting it."
Which makes Drew flush for a lot of reasons, that Rachel wants her, and wants her enough to actually keep her around, and at the reminder that Rachel knows exactly what Drew used to do regarding love. It makes her feel defensive, but luckily for her, she is able to swallow down the impulse that would ruin, or at least throw this off track.
Leo laughs for a solid fifteen seconds when Drew makes the request. She's well versed enough in his laughter to know this isn't malicious or judgmental, but Drew thinks it's a bit much all the same.
"Are you finished?'" she asks.
Leo lets the laughter peter off and clears his throat, "Sure, but I might start laughing again later."
"I don't see what's so funny," she says, because she really doesn't. She just asked him to design a hairbrush with defensive capabilities for Rachel, which is far from the strangest thing he's ever made. Evidence of this is clomping around in the workshop behind them, that little flying table Leo finds to be better company than half the camp. She can't help but agree on that point.
"I've heard the stories," Leo says. "It's not going to have the same aerodynamics as her old brush would."
Drew frowns slightly. "That's exactly what Rachel said."
"Besides, I think that was more of a fluke," Leo goes on, though he does pull out a sheet of drafting paper.
"She could do it again if she needed to," Drew says, a bit defensively.
"Sure, I love a woman with that level of hand eye coordination-"
She levels him with an icy stare.
"-but she only used it because she didn't have anything else. She's got a whole shed of weapons at her disposal now."
"That's not the point," Drew says.
"Oh, you're being sappy, I see," Leo realizes, and Drew glares again. "Hey, don't come in here and ask for a super romantic gift for your girlfriend and then be offended when I point out that it's meant to be a super romantic gift."
Drew guesses she should have expected she'd be as transparent as glass to the boy whose idea of romance is to forge his boyfriend shapeshifting armor that molds itself to whatever animals he's turned himself into.
She will admit that the swarm of bumblebees with chest plates are very cute though.
Drew pulls out a sketch of the kind of brush that will best work with Rachel's curly hair and says, "Can you make it like this?"
Leo scans the drawing and nods, setting to transfer it to the drafting paper. He clearly recognizes Rachel's handiwork, because he asks, "So, she knows you're having this made then?"
"Nope."
Leo doesn't bother glancing up from his work as he asks, "How'd you get her to do that drawing then?"
"I have my ways," is all Drew says.
"Probably better I don't know," Leo mutters, already getting sucked into his work. "So, are you just looking for a blunt weapon or do you want like, a blade in the handle or maybe a mode where the bristles could double as spikes or...?"
"Would that not tear up her scalp?" Drew asks with an unimpressed frown.
"I mean, it would be the battle mode," Leo says.
"Knowing her, she'd accidently leave it in that mode and then rip half her hair out," Drew sighs. "No, she's not a fan of blades, so just the blunt weapon."
"Cool..." Leo makes a note on the paper
"And I've finally gotten her to stop dry brushing her hair, so it needs to be rust resistant too," Drew says.
The brush lodges into the practice target with a satisfying thwack.
"Gods, she's never been more beautiful," Drew says, sitting on the first row of seats to watch Rachel practice with her new weapon.
"You think she'd want some weaponized paint brushes?" Leo asks, drafting out shapes in his book, though Drew doesn't bother looking away from the practice range to check if it is for said paint brushes.
"It would be on theme, and I've been thinking about making some for Hazel anyway," Leo goes on.
"Make sure they're distinguishable from each other's so they don't get mixed up when they hang out," Drew says after a moment.
When Rachel comes over later for a drink of water and to press a kiss to Drew's cheek, she spots Leo's work and seems to put two and two together. "Oooh, can you make a silver one? In case I ever need to stab a werewolf?"
"Bet," Leo says, making a note in the margins.
As he does, Rachel turns back to Drew and asks, "Want me to show you how to throw this?"
Drew laughs a little, "Trust me, I know my way around a hair brush."
But Rachel just smiles as she takes Drew's hand and tugs her back to her targets, "I... actually am just using it as a segway into doing that cliché thing of wrapping my arms around you to guide your toss."
"What ever happened to just saying what you want?" Drew asks with a grin.
"I'm trying to be charming about it," Rachel says.
"Hmm," Drew pretends to consider this. "I'd say there's already a certain charm to your usual approach."
Rachel's eyebrows lift like this is a surprise. "Wow, that's quite a compliment coming from you of all people."
"You know what would make it even more impressive?" Drew asks, but before she can continue, Rachel slips behind her and indeed, does bring them into the cliché, cheesy, wonderful embrace disguised as guidance.
"Something like that?" Rachel asks, sounding rather proud of herself, and Drew can't help but laugh.
"Exactly like that," Drew agrees.