//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Tavi and Vi 
// by Master Koschei 
//------------------------------//

	“Tavi~”
“Taaa-vii~”
Octavius groaned, hiding his face in his pillow.  He’d had a long night, and the last thing he wanted was to be woken up so early.  He felt a gentle hand on his back shake his body, causing him to look up slowly.  His gaze met a pair of beautiful dark red eyes, barely visible in the darkened room.  He smiled and sat up.
“Good morning, love,” he murmured, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.  Vinyl smiled and pecked him on the cheek.
“G’morning, sleepy head,” she giggled.  “Ya sleep alright?”
The man nodded, stretching his arms over his head and taking in a big breath, which he let out in a gust of air when he relaxed again.  He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his bare feet touching the cool wood of their bedroom.  He cast a quick glance over at his calendar.
December 25th.
He stood up and caught the DJ’s lips in a gentle kiss, pulling back and smiling at her.  “Happy anniversary, and merry Christmas, dearest,” he said, kissing her forehead.
“You too, ya big sap,” she replied, though wore a grin the whole time.  Vinyl was too cool to show it, but Octavius knew her heart was beating just a little faster, if the light read tinge on her cheeks was any hint.  “Come downstairs, Dash and Scoots are down there waiting on us.”  She started towards the door, pulling him along behind her.  “Ditzy and David are here, too.”
Octavius smiled but pulled his hand away.  “Love,” he said, gesturing down to his T-shirt and sleeping pants, as well as his messy hair and unshaven face.  “Let me get ready first.  I will meet you all in five minutes.”  Vinyl nodded, stepping out of the room and leaving Octavius to himself.
The man turned back to the waist high wooden dresser, opening it and pulling out a silly sweater that Ditzy had gotten for him to wear, as well as a pair of loose sweat pants.  Everyone downstairs was his friend, so he had no need to dress to impress.
He shut his drawer, then headed to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.  He stripped down to nothing and stepped into the shower, deciding it best to wash up quickly.  As he grabbed his shaving cream and started to lather it on his face, he thought back to when he’d first met everyone.
It had been nearly three years since he arrived in Central Town and met Vinyl Scratch on an elevator.  He grinned at the memory, wondering how his life might be different if he’d left her alone.
You’d certainly be a lot lonelier.
He rolled his eyes at the thought, though he knew it was true.  Vinyl had changed his life for the better, even if he did end up in the hospital for a week because of it.  He felt a phantom pain tingle in his right arm at the memory, rubbing it gently.  He didn’t blame her for it; it had been a freak accident.
He pushed the painful memory from his mind, thinking back instead to the Christmas party three years ago.  Everyone had been having a great time, laughing and playing games, or just shooting the breeze.  But as the party had wound down, he had called for everyone’s attention.  Then, in front of everyone, he’d told Vinyl he loved her, and that he wanted to be with her.
They’d been together since then, moving out of ‘Dash’s’ about a year and a half ago.  Vinyl’s DJ career had really taken off, and Octavius himself had found a place in the local orchestra as the first cellist.  Of course, the band had quite a few non-local performances, so Octavius spent quite a lot of time away from home.  He knew it made Vinyl sad that he had to leave, but she knew it was necessary.
However, as Octavius’ reminiscing reached present time and he stepped out of the shower, drying himself off, he had noticed Vinyl had been acting a bit strange.  She’d been complaining about feeling exhausted after hardly doing anything, and had been eating all the barbeque potato chips she could get her hands on.  Octavius figured she had been overdoing it with the chips, because she said she felt very bloated most days.
He shrugged and got dressed, staring at the sweater in the mirror.  The shirt was adorned with a very happy looking reindeer.  Ditzy had gotten it for him last year, and had insisted upon him wearing it this year.  He sighed and brushed out his shoulder length hair.  He made a mental note to schedule an appointment with the barber next week.  He brushed his teeth, then walked out of the bathroom, flicking the light off behind him.
He walked down the stairs and into the living room.  In the corner sat a five-foot tall fake tree, underneath which sat quite a few beautifully wrapped presents, as well as a couple not-so-beautiful ones.  Octavius smiled.  He knew Ditzy would insist on wrapping her own presents, even if she wasn’t very good at it.  He greeted everyone, then took his seat on the couch beside Vinyl.
The gift giving didn’t take too long, a thank you here, a hug there.  Eventually, everyone sat with a small pile of gifts beside him or her.  At last, there was only one box under the tree.  Scootaloo, who had volunteered to pass out gifts, picked it up.
She glanced at the tag, and smiled.  “To Octavius, from Vinyl.”  She handed the box to the cellist, who took it with a smile.  He pulled the wrapping paper off of it, then opened up the box.  Inside was a pregnancy test.
A positive pregnancy test.
Octavius felt himself freeze, staring at the little thing sitting so proudly on display.  He looked over at Vinyl; she was smiling from ear to ear, a tear appearing from behind her glasses.
“Congratulations, daddy,” she whispered, eliciting applause and cheers from around the room.  David came up and clapped Octavius on the back while the girls flocked around Vinyl, all tittering about names and the like.  Octavius had to take another look down into the box; just to be sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him.  The contents hadn’t changed, and the realization finally hit him like a truck.
He was going to be a father.