//------------------------------// // A Talk With An Old Friend // Story: Blue Eyes and a Beat // by TheOriginalDash //------------------------------// I was standing on Vinyl's doorstep an hour later, ringing the doorbell just a little bit more forcefully than was necessary. I heard a thump, which meant she probably just fell out of bed. I wish I could sleep like that. About thirty seconds later, I heard the door lock click, and the door was yanked open to reveal a rather irritated Vinyl. I whipped my finger away from the button, trying to pretend innocence. I don't think she bought it, judging by the look on her face. I leaned in to kiss her through the door, and she tried to bite me. Yeesh, scary lady! "Dash, what on God's green earth could you possibly want at this hour? And why the hell did you have ring that doorbell like you were gonna murder it? I can hear it just fine from fifteen feet away, even asleep." She glared at me, and I smirked, happy to have irritated her, even a little. It was always something I took pride in, because her reactions were something that I always found funny, mostly because she didn't get angry often. "I just wanted to come and say good morning to the most beautiful girl in the world, and to tell you that I love you. Does there have to be a reason?" She still kept on glaring, and I waited for her response. Maybe I pushed her a little too far this time. I'm sure I'll be paying for it later. Oh dear. "I don't believe you. You're crazy, but you're not usually suicidal. What did you come here to talk about? And don't try to smile and make me forget it, because I know you must have had a good reason." I heard a muffled rhythmic beat, and I glanced down to see her foot tapping a pattern into the carpet. Okay, I definitely may have taken it too far. But jeez, PMS much? "Look, I'll tell you if you let me in. It's kind of important, and I'm sure you don't want to stand here for how long it's going to take. So why don't we go inside, sit down, and have a nice long discussion about one of our old friends." Vinyl's eyes narrowed. Crap. "And just which one of our friends might that be? Because I can only remember a few. We aren't exactly super popular, in case you haven't noticed." I looked deeply into those blue eyes, and sighed, sagging against the door frame. Sure, she might have been cool with Shy and I being together, and she was there for us when we broke up. But that didn't mean that she wouldn't react differently to hanging out with her. You know how jealous girls can get, especially with exes, no matter how close they all used to be. I ran a hand over my face, and looked up into her eyes again, contemplating how to phrase this. "Well, that would be Shy. She texted me last night, or sometime this morning, I don't really know. Anyway, that's not the point. What she said was, she wants to know if we could all hang out sometime, and just reconnect, you know? We haven't seen each other in such a long time, and I think it would be a good idea. Now, could we please go discuss this in private?" I looked hopefully at her, and she seemed to be debating something in her thoughts. Finally, she looked up at me, smiled, and then proceeded to close the door on me. I slumped my shoulders in defeat, and began the long walk home. I heard a clicking noise behind me, and a door opening. I figured it was just one of her neighbors, out to walk their tiny little lapdog. Of course, people you don't really know don't usually hop on your back and almost knock you to the ground. I regained my balance, and turned my head to see a very amused Vinyl perched on my back. I grabbed her legs, to help her stay in place, and she giggled slightly. I grinned, too, not expecting the sudden shift in mood. She leaned up, and blew a raspberry on my neck, and I grimaced. That was something that she always did, and I never could stand. I crouched and dropped her legs, letting her feet thump to the ground. She let go of my neck, and I stood back up. Turning around to face her, I saw that she had a huge grin on her face. What is wrong with this girl? And for that matter, how did I manage to end up dating this psycho? "You just shut the door on me, and then you jump on me and act like I'm the best thing you've seen all day? What's with you? Are you bipolar? Maybe you're pregnant or something, what with the mood swings and all." She slapped me on the arm, and gave me a hug that nearly crushed the life out of me. For such a small girl, she was incredibly strong. "I had to close the door to unlock the chain, silly. And I'm not bipolar, or pregnant. Seeing as we're both female, and we haven't done anything, that should be impossible." I laughed, and tried to imagine a scenario where that was possible. Unfortunately, not even my brilliant mind could see one. "Anyway, there wasn't a mood swing. I was mad at you for waking me up, but I was happy when you mentioned going to see Shy. Did you honestly think I wouldn't be happy to see the girl that's practically my sister?" She tilted her head to the right, and stuck her hands on her hips. I stared sheepishly back at her. "Honestly? I had no idea how you would react. Girls do get jealous over their partner's exes. Granted, it's still Shy, but I can't just go around expecting you to be okay with that. I was trying to play it safe." She smiled at me, and walked the few feet between us to wrap me in a warm hug. I laid my chin on her shoulder, and she snuggled her head into my neck. "Thank you for being so concerned, Dash. I don't think I've ever met a sweeter badass." I mock glared at her for the inflection on the last word. I am totally a badass. "But still, she's the closest thing I have to an older sister. I don't think I could ever be mad at her, and certainly not for something so petty. So you two dated, so what? It's not like either of you are going to try and wreck our relationship by hanging out together. Besides, it'll be good to see her again. We haven't talked in what, almost a year? I miss her, seeing as she already went ahead and graduated high school on us. Now I know how you felt." I smiled at her, glad that she wanted to go and see Shy. And maybe just a little happy that she was getting a taste of her own medicine. She can't help it that she's a year older than me, but she could at least stop rubbing it in my face. I grabbed her hand, and she pulled me back to her apartment, shutting the door behind us. We took a seat on her comfy gray couch, and I waited for the conversation to pick back up. "So, when does she get here? I mean, I assume we're not driving across two state lines to see her, especially not if she was the one to suggest that we meet up." I leaned back further and crossed my legs underneath me, but I still kept a hold on Vinyl's hand. "Well, she said she was getting time off on the weekend. I haven't really messaged her back yet, aside from telling her that I was happy about it, and that I'd have to let you know." Vinyl frowned a bit then, and I immediately wondered what I had done wrong. I really hoped this wasn't one of those times where she starts getting all moody and brooding, and won't tell me what's wrong. I hate those times. "Does Shy know about, well, us? Being together, I mean. Did you tell her?" I relaxed a little, and smiled at her. "I would've told her, but I was so busy trying to come up with a way to tell you she was coming, and then getting ready to come over here, that I didn't think about it. But, if you want me to, I can call her, and we'll talk to her about it." Vinyl smiled at me, a grin that practically split her face in two. That was her scheming face. Oh dear, I'm in for it now. Poor Shy. "Well, why don't you do that, and I'll give her my personal hello." She still had that huge grin on her face, and I was starting to get scared. I hesitantly pulled out my phone, and unlocked it. I opened up the contacts list, and scrolled through it until I found Shy's name. Taking a deep, calming breath, I hit "Dial," and waited for Shy to pick up. It didn't take long. "Hello? Who is this?" Hearing her soft voice over the line made my heart flutter, and I was reminded of everything she meant to me, and all that I had given up. Maybe part of me still wished I could be with her. Maybe part of me wished that she hadn't gone so far away for college. But another part of me just wanted her to be happy, and she was happy where she was at. "Hey Shy. It'sa me, a-Dash-io!" I heard a giggle on the other end, and I felt a warmth fill my chest. I was always able to say something to make her laugh, no matter how bad she was feeling. My motives were kind of selfish too; making her laugh always made me feel better. "Hi Dash. How have you been? It's been awhile since we've talked. What's been going on?" This was the moment where I let out a sigh, and gathered my thoughts. "I've been great! I kinda miss you though, really bad. I wish you were here." This earned me a glare from Vinyl. I made a gesture that I thought meant something like, "Simmer down," or various similar phrases. "And not much has been going on since you left. Well, a few things. But nothing big. We can talk about it when you get here." "Okay. How's Tank been? I hope he's not been a naughty boy. Although, Angel Bunny is with me, so he couldn't have been too much trouble." I laughed lightly, remembering some of the antics that our pets had gotten up to. "No, he's been a perfect sweetheart. And he's strong as an ox, probably the healthiest he's ever been. I've still got him on that new diet you gave me, the one with the special fruit and stuff." "Well, that's good to hear. How's Vinyl been? I miss her terribly." I grinned, doing my best impression of a Vinyl-has-a-scheme face. "Well, why don't you ask her yourself? She's just right here, give me a second." I smiled at Vinyl, and handed her my phone. "What am I supposed to do with this?" She just stared at me, and the phone. Apparently the mastermind wasn't ready for her plan to begin. "Just take it, and talk to her. She just wants to know how you've been doing. It's not hard." I watched her squirm as she held the phone and put it on speaker. She never had been comfortable with talking on the phone to people. I was kind of half surprised she suggested it in the first place. "H-hello, Shy. How've you been? I haven't s-seen you in ages, it seems like." I laughed at her discomfort. Bad idea. She kicked me in the shin, and I began to hop around in agony. Man, that girl knows every possible way to hurt people, I swear. "I've been fine, dear. How are you and Dash getting along?" Vinyl scrunched up her face in concentration, trying to figure out how to answer the question without giving too much away. "Oh, we're fine. We've gotten so much closer now that you're gone. I guess the both of us are just trying to hold onto what's left of our little group in any way we can. We both miss you an awful lot." I heard Vinyl say this, and I felt an arrow of pain shoot through my heart. Then, she began to speak again, in a barely audible whisper, so that I couldn't hear. "The worst part is, next year it'll just be Dash. I don't know how she's going to handle it, since we'd both be so far away." Her smile turned into a mildly concerned frown, and I picked up on a serious misery vibe. "I know, Vinyl. It'll be hard. At least you'll still be fairly close by, and not two state lines away from her." Vinyl winced, and I could definitely feel some pain coming from her. I walked over, and wrapped my arm around her shoulders in a sort of hug. She smiled at me, and I felt some of the tension leave her body. "Well, at least we'll get to see you soon. You said you'd be visiting us for break, right? That starts this weekend for you, doesn't it?" Vinyl had a hopeful expression on her face, like the one a small child would wear when asking Santa for presents. "Oh yes, I'll be coming. In fact, I should be there either tomorrow or the day after, to get my hotel and everything set up." Vinyl raised an eyebrow, and her face took a more concerned expression. "What do you mean, hotel? Aren't you staying with your parents?" I began to feel an extreme sense of worry. Shy had told me her home life had been bad. "Well, you see, Mother and I got into a slight disagreement over certain, people, that I loved, and she might have kicked me out of the house for good when I turned eighteen." The last bit was practically breathed in a tiny squeaky whisper, and I felt my heart lurch. Shy had been disowned because of me, because she dared to love another girl! I had always loved her mother, but I had no idea that one simple thing like that could turn her into such a rage-monster. This time, I spoke. "Shy, are you telling me that you have nobody to stay with when you get here?" Vinyl and I shared a worried look as we waited for her response. "Well, I did say that I was going to stay in a hotel. I'm sure I'll be fine." I resisted the urge to smack my forehead. "Nonsense, it's going to be Christmas! I will not let you spend Christmas alone. You can come and stay with Vinyl or I." Vinyl nodded as I said this, always willing to help our friend. "Oh no, really, I'm fine. I love hotels. They're so, hotel-y, and full of new people." I groaned at her inability to accept our hospitality. "Look, I know you don't want to impose, but it's not imposing if we've offered our homes for you to stay in. So, pick a person, and you'll stay with them for break. Neither Vinyl nor I mind having an extra person in our house for a few weeks, especially not if that person is you. You're practically our sister!" I was getting sort of frustrated, but I kept my cool. Sometimes, you just had to be patient with Fluttershy. "Oh, okay. If it's not a bother or anything. Um, if you don't mind, I think I'll stay with Dash. Is that okay with you, Vinyl?" Vinyl shrugged,and I took that as a yes. She knew better than to think that Fluttershy and I would do anything, especially not when I was already together with her. "Sure, Fluttershy, that's fine. She has extra room, anyway. I think she has a spare bedroom, or a pullout couch thing. Don't you?" I nodded my head. I did indeed have a pullout couch, and a spare room, although that was probably filled with my Wonderbolts merchandise. There shouldn't be too much to clean out, though. "Yeah, I do have a place, Shy. You're fine. Just let me know when you get here, and I'll come to the airport to help you with your things." Vinyl smiled, she knew I would need her car. Guess that means she's coming with me. "Oh my, that's very nice of you Dash. I'll call you as soon as the plane touches down." I smiled at this, and shook my head. "That's fine, Shy. I'll try to get there as fast as possible, so you won't be waiting for too long." I leaned back into the couch, and Vinyl leaned back with me, snuggling into my chest. I began petting her hair, and she curled up closer. "Okay, then. I guess I'll see you soon. Bye, Dash, bye Vinyl. I love you!" I chuckled, amused by her use of that phrase. At least I knew Vinyl wouldn't get all jealous on me now. "Bye, Shy, I love you, too. See you soon!" Vinyl sleepily opened her eyes, and added her own barely recognizable goodbye. "G'bye, Shy. I wub you. See yer temerw!" I giggled a little, because Vinyl was jsut getting to that point where speech became unrecognizable as such. "Goodbye, Vinyl. Get some sleep, it sounds like you need it." With that, Shy hung up, and I picked up my phone and slid it into my pocket. I shifted around to lay back on the couch, and Vinyl came with me, spread out on top of me with her head nestled on my chest, just under my chin. I lazily glanced around the room, watching the golden early morning sunlight turn the dust motes into tiny fireflies. Vinyl's breathing began to slow, and I felt myself slip into a slower thought pattern. A warmth snuck up on me, and the time between each opening of my eyelids became longer and longer. Finally, I didn't open them again, and I relaxed into the warmth of Vinyl's slumbering body, accepting that I wasn't leaving anytime soon. Good thing I had nowhere to go today.