“Mmmm.” Vinyl groaned slightly as she slowly returned to the land of the living. “Go away sun.” She moaned, rolling over to evade the beam of sunlight streaming through the curtains that had rudely awoken her. Her eyes snapped open when the warm, fuzzy lump she was expecting wasn’t there. “Octy?” She asked, seeing her marefriend’s side of the bed was unoccupied. “Octy?” She asked again, louder.
“I’m in here!” She responded. “I woke up before you, and I didn’t want to wake you.”
“You could have waited.” Sulked Vinyl, sitting up.
“I made pancakes.” Octavia called in a sing-song voice. Vinyl immediately perked up and shot into the kitchen, her sunglasses somehow remaining in position on her white snout.
“You are forgiven.” Joked Vinyl, giving Octavia a nuzzle before sitting at the table. Octavia blushed at the nuzzle, and smiled at Vinyl.
“I would have thought last night would clear me of transgressions for a week at least.” Vinyl blinked at the long word, before grinning.
“Not quite Tavi.” Replied Vinyl, using the pet name that she knew irritated Octavia. As predicted, Octavia’s left eye twitched slightly, as did her left hoof, the pan she was using twitching along with it and spilling some pancake batter.
“You’re cleaning that up.” Said Octavia, turning her attention back to the hissing pan in front of her.
“Aww come on Octy.” Pleaded Vinyl, dreading the thought of cleaning.
“No. You’re allowed to keep your workshop as a pig sty so long as the rest of the apartment stays clean.” The workshop Octavia referred to was Vinyl’s ‘inner sanctum’, though the white mare preferred the term ‘tinker box’. It was where she repaired and ‘upgraded’, or in Octavia’s words ‘made louder’, her various bits of kit, anything from headphones and microphones to the largest speakers she could bring to bear against the world of music.
“Fine, so long as you stop criticizing my music.” Vinyl muttered, folding her hooves over her chest.
“Excuse me, but that assault on the senses is not music, and every time you open fire with your speakers the death toll on the side of taste is horrendous.” Octavia teased Vinyl, and even Vinyl let out a chuckle at that.
“At least I can do my own thing with my equipment. I don’t see you tinkering with your box with strings.” Octavia’s jaw dropped at the insult to her cello.
“My cello has more taste in an ounce of string than in a tonne of your equipment.” Defended Octavia, huffing as she did so, causing Vinyl to grin.
“You are too easy to wind up Octy.” She said, grinning wider. “Now, where are those pancakes?”
Vinyl locked the door after Octavia, rubbing the back of her head. “That still stings.”
“You have no one but yourself to blame.” Said Octavia, smiling. “After the pancake comment, I was more than entitled to retaliate.”
“Yea, but with a frying pan? Since when did we live in a cartoon?” Asked Vinyl with a wince as she applied pressure on the egg-shaped lump that was forming.
“Improvisation.” Was all Octavia said, before leading the way.
“Remind me what we’re doing again?” Asked Vinyl.
“I need to pick up a new bow for my cello, since the one I have at the moment is getting a bit worn.”
“Right, and I need to pick up some supplies for my equipment as well.” Vinyl thought out loud, remembering one of her speakers had blown out and needed to be repaired.” She chuckled. “Remind me never to attempt to re-wire a speaker when drunk again.”
“Duly noted.” Replied Octavia, nuzzling Vinyl. Vinyl blushed, before looking around to see if anyone saw them. Octavia sighed. “Vinyl, you’re going to have to stop being so paranoid about us.”
“Sorry Octy, automatic response.” Apologised Vinyl, visibly wincing as she remembered the events that forced her to move out of her hometown. She idly rubbed at a shoulder, causing Octavia to frown.
“You’re going to have to tell me what happened one day.” She said, looking into Vinyl’s eyes. Or at least, the shades she always seemed to wear.
“I know, I know. Just, not today?” Pleaded Vinyl. Octavia nodded, smiling.
“Of course.” Celestia knows I’ve got my own secrets she thought, sighing. Maybe one day… She shook her head to clear her thoughts, before smiling at Vinyl. “Whatever it is, it’s in the past. Can’t hurt us anymore.” Liar
Vinyl brightened at that. “I guess you’re right.” She grinned warmly at her marefriend, causing Octavia’s mood to improve as well.
Curse you Vinyl she thought sarcastically as Vinyl trotted ahead of her. “What are you looking for?”
“I can smell pizza.” Said Vinyl, sniffing. Octavia sniffed as well, blinking.
What do you know? How did Vinyl smell that before I did? She mused silently. “How can you be hungry already?”
“I’m not, I just smell pizza.” Vinyl beamed back at Octavia. “Pizza for lunch?”
“After pancakes for breakfast? Not all of us have quite the same metabolism as you do Vinyl.” Replied Octavia.
“Aww come on Tavi.” Pleaded Vinyl. Octavia twitched again.
“You think using that name will help you?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. Vinyl snickered.
“It will if I say it enough.” She responded, a wicked grin plastered on her face.
“…If you promise never to use that nickname again, we’ll go for pizza.”
“Make it for the rest of today.”
“Fine.” Relented Octavia, willing to let Vinyl off this time. The frying pan had been a bit much, she had to admit. Doesn’t stop it being funny she added in her head, smirking. “Looks like this is where we part ways for now.” Said Octavia as they reached a cross-roads. “I’ll see you later, ok?”
“Ok Octy.” Vinyl smiled. “See you at the pizza place at noon?”
“You got it. Love you.” Beamed Octavia.
“Love you too Octy.” Vinyl gave Octavia a quick nuzzle, her confidence slowly improving, before trotting off down the road. Octavia sighed.
Please let her be safe, please let the past stay behind me