Record Scratch

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Garrett had been fit, he’d gone to this gym at least twice a week while he’d been alive. His family was bred on vanity and he’d believed that he would lose some part of himself if he didn’t have abs and a constantly evolving bench pressing number. Marigold had always been intimidated by the gym. She was a bike ride person, a morning jog person, a take the stars instead of the elevator person. Workouts intimidated her. But a change of heart had been taking her over the past few weeks, with everything going on all of her usual energy habits were failing to cut back on the tension building beneath her muscles. Something different. She needed something different.

Her eyes moved from his book, the glazed over disinterest in his eyes right before he addressed her, to the wall of free weights that she very strongly felt was not the place for her. “Hi. The website said you guys have classes. Um…are there any like beginner beginner kickboxing classes? Like for people who want to punch something but need serious assistance with hand-eye coordination?” She begins second guessing, flustered embarrassment making her fidget with her keys. “Or maybe I should do the yoga class. Or zumba…what the heck is zumba anyway? Is it just a rebranding of those dance routine aerobics workouts my mom used to do?”

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She nearly looked as lost as he felt staring down at his textbook. It was almost a comforting sight, though Drake didn’t know her. There weren’t many that came into the gym without knowing what they were doing or why they were there. Well, maybe except for the occasional drop in from Frankie or Edith aside. 

He let her fidget with her keys for a moment, the jangle sounding out in the air before he smiled a bit more, relief written plainly on his face. He’d asked for a distraction, something to save him from the menacing words on the pages of his book and the universe had delivered. “If you’re looking for beginner’s kickboxing that would probably be with me, actually,” he said, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. He was just starting to get into the intermediate stuff with Maggie after hours, so they were nearly in the same boat. “And zumba...” he paused, trying to find the right words to describe it. “You kind of hit the nail on the head. Just... maybe with a lot more sweat involved. It’s choreographed running.”

“If you wanna go from Soda Baby to Champagne Papi status, you really gotta step up on your game, man.” He always had his good share of unsolicited advice to give, specially for Drake. Most of the interactions Theo had with him were on the gym, but on those rare occasions he saw him out and about, well… The older man’s awkwardness was a constant, and the second hand embarrassment he felt when he saw him talking to women was too much. An intervention was needed. “We’re going through some crazy times, but this catastrophe and the idea of the world probably ending soon could work on your favor, “ he clasped his hands together, grinning smugly. “You want to find a soulmate or just some fun for the night?”

( @drakelis​ )

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Drake wasn’t sure where to look. Confusion washed over his face. Which... wasn’t all too unusual in Theo’s company. 

“Soda baby?” was all he managed to say. He frowned a contemplative sort of frown before he shook it away, flushing slightly. It wasn’t that bad, was it? He’d been on his fair share of dates. Nothing all that long lasting ever came of it, but it was a mutual thing. He just... hadn’t found something that fit. Too many corners and not enough edges that clicked neatly, as it were. If he were being honest, he was still slowly putting the puzzle pieces of himself together.  “I don’t know, neither? I honestly don’t get how you can just jump into things as easily as you do.” 

“Oh thank god for that.” Maggie said, relaxing immediately. If Kellan wasn’t around it meant she could actually bask in finally having a good excuse to text Ida for at least another five minutes. Hell she could think about pulling out her phone and texting Ida right now. Tempting. Probably desperate? But so tempting.

She shook her head. “Family comes from the entirely wrong side of China for that. Nowhere near Russia.” At least he was eating. What was it with boys and forgetting that food mattered? She swore to god, between Drake and Alex she had a full time job just feeding idiots.

“Shame it’s not the kinky kind of dominance. That always makes loads more sense.” She said wistfully. Not that she had much experience in it but at least it made sense. 

Maggie spluttered, waving her hands. “She was happy to see everyone! She’s just so nice! And she offered to make me cake. And told me to text her. All very normal Ida things. Genetics! Let’s talk about dumb stupid genetics!”

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Drake smiled, noting the tension leaving his friend’s shoulders. It was a rare sight, at that. He drummed his fingers on the desk a couple of times before he tilted his head. He hated to bring it up, but might as well get it out of the way now that they were on the topic. 

“Speaking of people better left avoided... there was this really weird lady who came in here today...” he started gently, sighing. His brain still felt rattled from the whole experience and it hadn’t managed to find its rightful place since. No wonder he couldn’t get any studying done. It was a good excuse, at the least.

He twirled his chopsticks around idly, thoughtfully chewing a bite before he nearly choked on it. He turned his seat around, coughing into his fist a few times before he felt ready to face Maggie again. A pink flush still colored his cheeks though. “Damn Mags. I-” 

Had no idea? Never thought to ask? It honestly felt taboo, coming from her. Like finding something out about your sister you were never supposed to know. Or your grandma. Drake shook his head again.

***

It wasn’t easy to get out of the house, or her room at the Sherwood, without a purpose which today had provided itself in the help of Drake who was seeking a partner in crime ( so to speak ) to keep together as they hit the empty streets for supplies. She had a secondary purpose, one that she hadn’t spoken out loud when told that they would hit the pharmacy along the way eventually. There they would be able to find a few things to stock up on with Sam in her care, or rather in the same room that she often stayed in on the nights when she didn’t want to be alone.

Or couldn’t make the walk back on her own with a shaky feet after an exceptionally rough day at the club or even trying to keep her head above water, but the pharmacy held things that would help her. Medications that weren’t needing a prescription if she could hit the shelves without being seen, tucked away out of the main crowd that lingered the aisles before they too were shuttled back to their homes before the mist rolled back in. She kept an eye on Drake, who was getting his own supplies like the rest as she slipped behind the counter and eyeballed the countless medications before a few of them fell into her open bag.

What she hadn’t expected to find back there were a few pieces of protective gear that must have been saved when the pharmacist was still selling to the highest bidder as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. Danielle cast a quick glance over her shoulder at the sound of Drake’s warning tone and smiled, even if it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m shopping,” she told him with a shrug as the gas mask was in the palm of her hand and slowly making it’s way into her bag too. “Isn’t that what we’re all here to do?” Her shopping just wasn’t going to be paid for.

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“Yeah, but-” 

The words that would have come out of his mouth next almost felt hypocritical. They tasted weird. Never in a million years would Drake have thought he’d be the one to advocate for the rules, but here he was, about to do just that. He wouldn’t have, if it were a few years ago. He probably would have just turned a blind eye and pretended he wasn’t seeing what he was clearly seeing. And then he would have lied to anyone else who said differently.

It was funny. He hadn’t realized how much he’d changed already. 

Shaking his head, he started again. “You know, I'm not really a philosophical sort of guy but uh... doesn’t there have to be some sort of equivalent exchange to call it shopping?” he asked. “Otherwise it’s just-”

Well, whatever he’d been doing for most of his teenage years was what it was called. But the word wouldn’t leave him. He left his spot in the aisle and carefully looked around, coming up towards the counter. “What if someone sees you?” 

That seemed to be the most pertinent issue. One that kept him looking over his shoulder and the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. It could happen at any moment. He could feel his heart start to beat a little faster in his chest uncomfortably- never a good sign, despite its familiarity. Maybe he’d been foolish to think they could just get whatever they needed and dip. Maybe he’d picked the wrong person to go with. If he were being honest with himself he’d only really seen the hazy, distracted, not fully there Danielle. Maybe that’s why he’d trusted her so much that day, over anyone else. He’d needed someone to keep him calm amid the chaos.

drakelis​:

“Uhm…” The word ‘thanks’ dropped from his lips before he could say it. Drake could feel his ears going pink, entire body tensing as he dropped his head back down into his textbook, pretending to read words he was definitely not reading. No matter how many times Edith said it and no matter how many times Maggie said it, the compliment still brought with it the same reaction, the same level of nervousness in his gut. God knew if he’d ever get over it one day. He’d stick to most likely not.  

“I’ll say it again, Beast for mayor.” The dog would have his vote in a heartbeat. Frankly Beast would be a step up from what Grimmbook had now. Chaos after chaos after chaos with no end in sight. And that was only counting the past few months. Drake liked to keep his chin up on most things but sometimes… sometimes the wrong things couldn’t help but glare brightly at you. “He could run on a save the tortoises campaign. Who doesn’t like tortoises?” The answer was, decidedly, people without hearts.

“They’re both still leaves,” he pointed out quietly, glancing to his side to see if they’d been overheard by the health brigade. Once he felt like all the words had been out of earshot, he smiled gratefully up at her. “What would a cram session be without you?” Drake knew he’d certainly be less inclined to power through them without the other anyway.

Edith grinned at him in response before her gaze lowered back to the textbook, an exasperated sigh leaving her lips. The female stared at some definition but secretly wondered when it’d become a drag? Acquiring new knowledge and skills. However, deep down she was well aware when her thirst for knowledge had been satiatied– suppressed, was a more fitting word. With maybe too much force, she closed the textbook. “Right?! Beast looks at the world through pink glasses but he would be an excellent mayor, at least he’d–” care. Was left hanging in the air. Which brought Edith to her second distraction, current events. The female paused in her movements for a second and made a mental note to find out when his birthday was, perhaps there was some special tortoise out there he could save and give home to. At his final comment, the corner of her lips lifted into a smile. “I know a cram session would be lame without you.“ A fact one hundred percent true, without his friendly break requests, her nose would literally get stuck in one of those books. “Alright, see you tonight,” she leaned in and left a peck on his cheek. “Bye.”

***

            “You talk as if this is going to happen again that your run will coincide with my need for help,” she pointed out gently as the odds were already not in her favor despite the current help. It had taken at least an hour for anyone to stop and offer her a hand, which was her own fault when she often found herself scowling at most that looked untrustworthy with her things. Frankie was supposed to be there eventually, but time was moving in another direction than the right one. 

She opened her mouth and shut it again, not sure if she wanted to note that broken stairs were less likely than a broken elevator but then again it would leave her homeless and moving back into the Sherwood. “Perhaps they would open up more apartments on the ground floor if it came to that.” Not that the stairs wouldn’t be enough, but right now they were not helping the situation as she sucked in her bottom lip as she watched the other take in the sight of her things.

She glanced at the boxes and knew what some of the more important ones were compared to the ones that could be replaced with ease. “I care about my equipment and my cameras, and my keyboard,” she spoke more to herself than him as she sorted through the boxes to find the ones that contained the items that she was most likely needing to keep in her line of sight. “I can’t take them all in one go but I think if you can grab the box of camera equipment then I’ll take the board.” She already slung a camera around her neck to help as she stepped towards Drake to put one around his neck too. “These are my life.”

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“I just like to keep my opportunities open,” Drake shrugged simply. He smiled again. He knew about that all too well. The phrase, innocuous enough had saved his skin more times than he wanted to count. And had landed it in trouble just as much. If not more. Maybe he needed the saying on a t-shirt, one of these days.

A light chuckle left him, hardly registering the way she grasped for words. She was new about town anyway. She probably had no idea exactly how truthful what he said was. Nor how bad things could end up being. It was behind him now, but he could still remember it. Though he had tried to make the best of what he’d had. He’d tried. “Now there’s a thought. Maybe we should get you in touch with city council. Or something.” She would be a step up from what they had now, in his opinion, even though he didn’t know Alana well. Hardly at all really, outside of the gym. She kept her cards close to her chest and honestly he couldn’t blame her. He did too. He wasn’t as open of a book as people thought of him or as much as he liked to seem. He didn’t do it on purpose. If he really thought about it, he didn’t exactly know how to stop. He wasn’t sure how. 

Carrie waited patiently for the other to write down the number that she’d need to bring this entire place to its knees. Arms crossed over her chest as she looked him over. A smirk framed her lips then, already thinking up lies to tell that would get many of the liscences removed. 

After all, she was a woman who was used to getting her way and when that was not possible, then she’d flip every table in her way until satisfied. A grin framed her lips when he mentioned her name as she stepped forward and extended her hand to take the piece of paper from him. 

“There’s a reason I didn’t give you my name. I’m sure you’ll know it soon enough.”

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Drake didn’t like the look on her face. He watched it warily. If he were being honest with himself he’d seen that look on the faces of many people he would much rather avoid and would probably be the better of for it. But still, he had no idea who this woman was. Other than the fact that his coworker had been right about her from the start.

She was fucking crazy.

Damn, Drake did provide a good excuse. Edith herself definitely had a soft spot for Beast’s piercing crystal blue eyes as well, there was no point in denying so with a quick shake of head and a smile on her lips, she said. “Fuck, why do you have to be so adorable. What am I going to do with you.” Grinning, she asked, before adding. “As a mother, I have to be the responsible one. But listen, the other day, he saved a tortoise, helped it cross the road. It was adorable,” Beast was always a pleasant conversation subject, one she liked to linger on as much as possible. Especially when the alternative was… Genetics. An exam she hadn’t studied for, to be exact.

The patrons who seemed bothered by Edith’s words soon averted their gazes— mirrors all around them were much more appealing to look at after all and she pressed her lips together to stop herself from bursting into laughter. “Isn’t kale popular nowadays? Either way, we’ll have real snacks, don’t you worry.” Edith patted his arm, reassuringly. She loved vegetable and she preferred her plate to be colorful but there was something unbelievable enjoyable about a sour Skittle or two in your mouth when you had to power through a crazy amount of textbooks.

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“Uhm...” The word ‘thanks’ dropped from his lips before he could say it. Drake could feel his ears going pink, entire body tensing as he dropped his head back down into his textbook, pretending to read words he was definitely not reading. No matter how many times Edith said it and no matter how many times Maggie said it, the compliment still brought with it the same reaction, the same level of nervousness in his gut. God knew if he’d ever get over it one day. He’d stick to most likely not.  

“I’ll say it again, Beast for mayor.” The dog would have his vote in a heartbeat. Frankly Beast would be a step up from what Grimmbook had now. Chaos after chaos after chaos with no end in sight. And that was only counting the past few months. Drake liked to keep his chin up on most things but sometimes... sometimes the wrong things couldn’t help but glare brightly at you. “He could run on a save the tortoises campaign. Who doesn’t like tortoises?” The answer was, decidedly, people without hearts.

Chad: Yeah. Sorry. Things have been...a lot.

Chad: I'm okay though. Just had some relationship/not really a relationship stuff.

Drake: sounds rough... and a little confusing? care to share some details? if i report back with this much mags just might kill me

Drake: hey man, haven't heard from you in a bit...

Drake: and to be honest maggie's starting to do that thing where she obsessively worries

Drake Li was a good friend. Date? Sparks didn’t fly all too much. But friend? She quite liked him as that. He made her laugh, produced a kind lightness she enjoyed. He was a fun person to be around, a lot of goodness in him. Being around him in itself was an uplifting feeling. A feeling Blake missed considerably. Not to say she wasn’t content with her other friends, she cared about them all a great deal. But Drake was a special case, and the lack of him was something so note worthy. So… crappy. She missed the guy. She had thought their friendship was durable. Now, she had wonders about it. She hadn’t seen him in all too long, and quite honestly Blake couldn’t even explain why, just so many tiny things that couldn’t be it— lots of wonders and curiosities. 

There was a small startle, not having heard him initially. But she was quick to calm, because— now here he was. With something purring in his hood. Blake sure hoped it was a cat, or a kitten. She couldn’t imagine what else could be tucked in there. “Yeah, I don’t suppose you have a better lug wrench than mine?” 

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If he were being honest, Drake couldn’t exactly tell anyone why he hadn’t seen Blake. Not for a very long while anyway. He wasn’t hiding anything. At least he didn’t think so. But one day he took a look at the date and all of a sudden it had been a month since he’d seen his friend. And he didn’t know why. He liked Blake. Enough to try and go out with her and enough that when that didn’t work out was simply happy to keep her in his life by just being friends. He wasn’t avoiding her. That couldn’t be it. He liked Blake.

At the mention of the wrench his eyes moved from each tire on her car until he spotted the very sad looking one, saggy and deflated, its replacement also looking saggy and deflated tossed next to it on the side of the road like it was. “I might,” he said. “Not making any guarantees though. It could have performance anxiety.”

Send “✉” for a text that WASN’T SENT.

[Drake -> Mags] I think there’s something wrong with me. I don’t know what it is. And I don’t know how to tell you.

Send “@” for a SCARED text.

[Drake -> Mags] Okay, usually you know I don’t have a hard on for punctuality but... Mags, this is crazy. Where are you? 

[Drake -> Mags] Please be okay.

Send “%” for a CURIOUS text.

[Drake -> Mags] So, hypothetically, if I happened to ‘hypothetically’ find a bird with a broken wing and ‘hypothetically’ needed to rehab it, would you ‘hypothetically’ be interested in adding an alto and make your choir a quartet.

“I mean, if you really want me to keep talking about Maggie, I definitely can. You know, she’s so cool. Probably one of the coolest people in town. Which I don’t think she realizes. She downplays herself a lot, no matter what I say. Not that she has to listen to me or anything. I just wished she believed half the great things people have to say about her. It could fill up a whole encyclopedia.”