//------------------------------//
// I Am Yours 
// Story: Who Am I? 
// by Zeck 
//------------------------------//

	Vinyl Scratch sat on a chair, her chin resting on her table while her phone sat in front of her. It was in sleep mode, its screen dark as it conserved energy. She hoped that by staring at it hard enough, she could will it to come to life. She had taken her sunglasses off to add to her stare’s strength. 
Sadly, it still wasn’t enough. The phone continued to sit lifelessly on the table, which was still spotless from Rarity’s little cleaning spree two weeks ago.
Sweet Celestia, had it really been two weeks? No, she had forgotten to count the week she had spent in Ponyville. Her home had been clean for three weeks! That had to be some sort of new record for her. Okay, so maybe her living room was starting to slip a bit and the dishes were starting to pile up again, but the place still looked clean. At least by Vinyl’s standards. 
Still, the realization that her home was actually clean only held Vinyl’s attention for a moment. After that, her entire being returned to focusing on the phone in front of her. She had been jealously guarding it for the past two weeks, though this evening was the first time she had ever sat and stared at it. It was mind-numbingly boring to do, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave its side for even an instant. 
The small fear that had been building in the back of her mind ever since the return trip from Ponyville was now threatening to swallow her entirely. She was starting to worry. 
She wasn’t worried about not hearing from Octavia. They were speaking again. That bridge had been mended and Vinyl had dashed across it several times to make sure it was in perfect condition. There was no threat of Octavia cutting Vinyl out of her life, at least none that Vinyl could see. And she planned to keep it that way as best she could.
No, she was worried about something else. 
It had started on the train ride back from Ponyville. She and Octavia had ridden together. Vinyl had been so happy to have the cellist all to herself after missing her for so long. It hadn’t been possible to spend alone time while they were in Ponyville. Vinyl had had to share Octavia with adoring fans after Rarity’s fashion show had ended. And then again when Lyra and Bon Bon had invited them both over for dinner and to spend the night. And the next morning, when Octavia’s band friends had taken her and Vinyl out for breakfast. 
But Vinyl had endured all of that because she knew she’d have Octavia to herself on the train ride back. Only, when Octavia had taken her seat, she had lain down just enough so that there had been no room for Vinyl to sit next to her comfortably, and the cellist had shown no sign of making room. So instead, Vinyl had sat across from her. They had talked all the way back to Manehattan, discussing their time in Ponyville, what they had both been doing since “the thing,” and basically nothing at all.
Octavia had said she wished she could have seen Vinyl during her spa treatment because she couldn’t imagine the unicorn doing such a thing. Vinyl had nearly died laughing when Octavia had told her about asking if Bon Bon was any good. 
It had been a great time. Vinyl had loved every moment of talking with Octavia, but she had also wanted to sit next to her, to snuggle, and to have the cellist fall asleep on her shoulder, but Octavia had never given Vinyl an opening to move.
They had arrived at Manehattan last Sunday evening. They had shared an awkward goodnight—without so much as a hug, much less a kiss—and had gone their separate ways.
The next day, Octavia had called and had asked Vinyl if she would like to get lunch. Vinyl had jumped at the chance, offering to pay for the entire meal herself and promising to take Octavia wherever she had wanted to go. Octavia had refused both offers. She had paid for her own meal, and had chosen a simple restaurant, nothing fancy.
Still, at least Vinyl had been able to spend lunch with her.
Tuesday had come and gone. All Vinyl had heard from Octavia was a single text that had read, “Good Morning.” There had been a smilely face with the text though.
Wednesday, Vinyl had decided to try and take the initiative. She had gotten up extra early—eleven a.m. no less—and had called Octavia, asking if she had had any plans for that day. Octavia had answered, said that it she would have loved to spend the day with Vinyl, but that she was busy and would not be able to. 
That night was the first night when Vinyl’s brain had started to slowly murder her all over again. It had begun as a tiny thought: What if I’ve lost her for good? She had immediately brushed it aside. She hadn’t lost Octavia. The cellist was just busy. Still, there had been the train ride, the good-bye at the train station, the not-a-date lunch, and then Octavia had turned her down.
Thursday Vinyl had decided to…do something. She couldn’t remember now as she stared at her phone. It had been nothing involving Octavia, of that she was certain. What was it…?
Right! She had gone to a club and performed. She hadn’t heard from Octavia all that day, so she had decided she had needed to do something to take her mind off of things. That plan had worked, until she had gone back home at three in the morning and noticed that she had missed a call from Octavia while she had been out. She had spent the rest of the night staring at her ceiling, hoping Octavia wasn’t mad at her.
Friday Octavia had called again, asking if Vinyl would like to come to a concert that she was playing in. Vinyl had been out the door and halfway down the street before answering yes. She had stopped to pick up some flowers and then gone to the park where Octavia had said she’d be playing. When she had arrived, she had thought she had the wrong place. There were only a few ponies in the park, and none had appeared to be expecting a show. Vinyl had almost left, but then Octavia, Fredric, Harpo, and B.B. had shown up and had started playing under a gazebo. Vinyl had spent an entire hour sitting in the grass, watching Octavia’s hooves move back and forth and swaying with her music. When the musicians had stopped, Vinyl had clapped loudly, startling the other ponies who had stopped to listen, and then given Octavia the flowers.
Octavia had thanked Vinyl, given her a quick hug, and asked if she would like to accompany her home. Vinyl had happily agreed, but the walk home had been one of awkward silence. At Octavia’s door, Octavia had thanked Vinyl for coming, and then turned to go inside.
“Hey, um…do you want to get dinner tomorrow or something?” Vinyl had asked before Octavia had closed the door. “We can go to your favorite restaurant. My treat.”
Octavia had agreed, and Saturday night they had eaten together. It had been fun, and it was the first time Vinyl had believed that things had truly gotten back to normal between them.
Until Vinyl had walked Octavia home. She had given Octavia a quick kiss on the cheek as a goodnight. It had apparently been a mistake, because Octavia had simply smiled, thanked Vinyl for dinner, and then closed the door as if nothing had happened. Vinyl had been left standing on the front step wondering what she had done wrong.
Sunday she had asked Octavia through a text if the cellist was mad at her. Octavia had said that she was not, but she needed some time to think. She had promised to call her later in the week so they could talk.
Talk. Vinyl twitched as she heard the word again in her mind. 
It was now Saturday evening and Vinyl still hadn’t heard from her cellist. Sure, she had received the usual polite messages and conversations, and Vinyl had done her best to not try to force the issue, but the uncertainty was starting to kill her.
Octy had forgiven her. She had made that very clear, but Vinyl thought that meant they could also pick up where they had left off. Now, two weeks after the fashion show, she wasn’t so sure. She ran over the events in her head again, trying to figure out where she had screwed up. Was it the kiss? But Octy loved it when Vinyl gave her a quick one on the cheek. The flowers weren’t the best, but they were  Octy's favorite. So why was the mare keeping her at a distance?
Vinyl continued to stare at her phone, begging it to ring. She needed to talk to Octavia. If she had done something wrong again, she needed to know how to fix it. If she needed to do something, she needed to know what.  If she—
What if she just doesn’t want to be with you anymore?
Vinyl laughed at the thought. “Pu-lease. She said she forgave me, and I am sorry about missing her show. And I totally meant it when I promised her that I would change.” She shuddered as she remembered the feeling she had felt when she had seen Octavia’s empty chair that night. Yes, she had meant every word of that promise.
And yet, it’s been two weeks and you’re staring at a phone that’s not going to ring.
“Shut up,” Vinyl said. She blew her mane out of her eyes and rolled her head to the side as she continued to stare at her phone. The annoying little voice in the back of her head had a point though, as much as she didn’t want to admit it. What if Octavia didn’t want to get back together? What would Vinyl do then? 
She had absolutely no idea. Not being with Octavia for over a month had nearly killed her. Going the rest of her life without the cellist didn’t seem possible.
No. She wouldn’t let that happen. If Octavia didn’t want to be with her now, then she would just keep trying. She had sworn she’d go to every show, and she had meant it. She would be there for Octavia no matter what. And if Octavia didn’t take her back, then she would wait. If she ended up waiting until she was in the grave, then she’d do it. If Octavia found somepony else, she’d…
“Celestia, I don’t even want to think about that,” she whispered.
There was a buzzing noise, followed instantly by a loud musical beat. Vinyl jumped and fell out of her chair, crashing to the floor. She scrambled up and looked at her phone. It was ringing! And the number was Octavia’s!
“Hey, Octy,” Vinyl said, trying to keep her voice steady, “what’s up?”
“Are you busy?” came the voice from the other end.
“Um…” Vinyl looked around her apartment for a second, trying to stay two steps ahead of the conversation. She suddenly had a whole new appreciation for the bridles the Saddle Arabian delegates wore. “Nah, I’m not doing anything.”
There was a long silence. Too long. Vinyl felt sweat running down the back of her neck. 
“Oh,” Octavia said after what felt like a lifetime. 
“Yeah, so…”
“So…”
“Octy, are you sure you’re not mad at me?” Vinyl asked quickly, unable to take the suspense any longer. “I mean, if you want me to back off, I will. I just thought everything was cool between us again. But, well, if you want me to disappear I—”
“No!” Octy said suddenly.
“Okay, I won’t disappear,” Vinyl replied. She forced a laugh and smiled nervously when she heard Octy laugh as well. “But, um, seriously. Are we still…you know, us?”
Octavia paused again and Vinyl started to count the seconds that ticked by. 
“What do you think?” Octavia asked after fifteen seconds.
“I…I don’t know,” Vinyl said, the words catching in her throat. “I mean, I thought we were. I thought everything was cool with us after we made up in Ponyville. But, you’ve been acting…weird around me. Like you don’t want me around.” Vinyl blushed. She hadn’t meant to call Octavia names. “Which I’m, uh, totally okay with. I mean, not okay with, but I understand if you want me gone. Well, not gone, but—ugh. You know what I mean, right?”
“What do you mean, Vinyl?”
Now it was Vinyl’s turn to pause. She wanted her next words to be perfect. She wanted them to give voice to the imgaes in her head. Images of Octavia and her together, walking through a park, going to a movie, cuddling on a bench, and sharing a bed. She wanted the words to convey the feelings she got from stroking Octavia’s hair, of the elation she got when she ran up and covered the cellist’s eyes from behind and Octavia briefly stiffened, then relaxed completely into her embrace, of when their bodies were pressed together and their manes tangled as one. She wanted the words to be perfect. They needed to be perfect. She was suddenly wishing very much that she was wearing a bridle.
“I miss you, Octy.” 
Dammit! Vinyl slammed her hoof against her forehead, then slammed her head against the table. “I miss you, Octy?” Seriously? That’s the best you can come up with? You stupid mare! Of course she knows you miss her! She’s not the idiot, you are! You blew it! Who says something as stupid as that? Ugh!
“I apologize, Vinyl—”
“No,” Vinyl interrupted, her ears drooping. She didn’t think she could handle what she knew Octavia was about to say. “No, it’s cool. I get it. Listen, I…I hope I can at least still hang out with you. Go to your shows and whatnot. Maybe play together like we used to.”
Octavia was silent for a long time, the longest she had been for the entire conversation, then finally said, “Would you like to come over and play tonight?”
“Really?” Vinyl’s ears perked back up. “You sure? I-I mean, I’m down for it, if you are.”
Octy chuckled. “I believe I am, quote, down for it. Listening to you has put me in the mood.”
“Sweet! I’ll be over in about twenty minutes.”
“Very well.” With that, Octy hung up and Vinyl couldn’t help but smile. Okay, maybe the situation wasn’t completely hopeless. So Octy didn’t want to get back together yet, but she hadn’t told Vinyl to scram either. In fact, she had invited her over, without any suggestions or pressure from Vinyl, so they could have one of their jam sessions. At least there was that.
She briefly considered taking a shower, but decided there wasn’t enough time. She looked at the turntable sitting in the living room. She’d need to bring that with her if she and Octy were going to play. It would be a bit of a chore carrying it so far, but she could handle it. The image of mixing tunes with the cellist again was giving her more than enough strength. 
Vinyl opened the door to her apartment and grabbed her turntable with her magic. She focused for a moment, making sure she had a decent grip, and then levitated the thing off the floor and out the door. She stepped out after it and immediately set it down.
A cold wind was blowing through Manehattan, and while it wasn’t freezing, Vinyl knew that it would get colder the darker it got, so she decided she’d better put something on. She walked back into her living room and looked around, then found the scarf Octy had given her. She wrapped it around her neck and smiled as she felt its familiar weight fall around her. She briefly debated whether she should wear her sunglasses, then decided that she should. Octy had put them on her at the fashion show, so the cellist clearly liked them. Plus, they were part of her public appearance and they looked pretty damn good with her scarf. 
Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, Vinyl walked back out the door, locked it, and picked up her turntable again. She began to walk through the apartment complex and then turned onto the sidewalk. Humming happily to herself, she began walking toward Octy’s home. 
Vinyl completely ignored the strange looks ponies gave her as she walked down the streets of Manehattan, levitating her turntable behind her.  The thing was getting heavy, even with her magic, and the night air was changing from cool to chilly. Still, she didn’t mind in the slightest. The thought of having a jam session with Octy after so long was more than enough to keep her going.
Smiling despite the numbness that was threatening her cheeks, Vinyl adjusted her scarf. She could still smell a hint of the cellist in the fabric, even after so long. She couldn’t wait to see her again, even if things weren’t going as well as Vinyl wanted. Oh well. One thing at a time. She’d win Octy back eventually, or she’d die trying. The jam session was a good start at least. It meant that Vinyl hadn’t done anything wrong per say, and she’d use that to hopefully continue rebuilding the bridge.  
The jam session itself was a pleasant treat though. It was one of the things Vinyl missed most during the past month and a half. 
One of the things…
Realizing that her random humming had turned into one of Octy’s favorite melodies, Vinyl turned a street corner and found herself standing in front of the mare’s home. She stopped for a moment to look at the place that held so many memories for her. They pained her slightly as she recalled them, but she also found herself smiling. They were good memories, and hopefully she and Octy would be able to create more.
“Steady there, Vinyl,” she said to herself. “She made it really clear that we’re not together. Don’t blow this by acting otherwise.” She attempted to walk coolly up to the door, just in case Octy was watching for her.
Her strutting lasted all of two steps before her joy took over and she skipped the rest of the way up to the door.  Panting slightly—the turntable was a bit heavy and she had carried it for quite a distance—she rang the doorbell and then knocked loudly on the door.
“Hey, Octy!” she said. “I’m here! You want to let…” The door opened and Vinyl trailed off at the sight before her. “Uh…hi.”
“Hello, Vinyl,” Octy said in that voice. The voice that drove Vinyl insane and often made her take a cold shower if Octy wasn’t available. The voice she dreamed about when she was alone in her bed. The voice she hadn’t heard in over a month. “Would you like to come inside?”
“Uh…” was all the DJ could say.
“Oh, the dress?” Octavia asked, blinking her purple eyes slowly as she looked over herself. “You remember it, correct? The one Rarity gave me. You said I looked nice in it, so I decided to wear it tonight.”
“Uh…yeah, nice,” Vinyl said, trying—and utterly failing—to not stare at the mare before her. 
Octy had her hair down more than usual, so that instead of curling around her head it fell down in an attempt to cover her eyes. The dress was still blindingly white, but it seemed to be even lower in the front than Vinyl remembered.  Her eyes kept drifting to the cellist’s exposed neck, then down her front, following the V-cut as the fabric flowed down her fur. Her soft grey fur that felt so soft against Vinyl’s hooves… 
“Nice?” Octavia asked. “Is that all you have to say? Perhaps I should just take it off then?”
“Sure,” Vinyl said, her mouth suddenly going dry at the thought. “Uh, I mean, no! I mean, you don’t normally wear clothes, so—ah, what I mean is, if you want to take it off, I’m more than happy to help you—I mean, I’m more than happy if you do. No! I—” Dammit! All of her careful planning to not make a fool of herself and become a drooling idiot were quickly falling apart. Octy had made it clear that they weren’t together and—
Octy put her hoof on Vinyl’s mouth and silenced her, and her thoughts, with a blink. “How do I look? Be honest.”
“Hot,” Vinyl said, both describing Octy and her own face at the same time. The cold that had been nipping at her cheeks moments before was long gone, and the scarf around her neck was starting to feel uncomfortably warm.
“Good,” Octy said as she smiled. “Now, would you like…pardon me, but what is that?”
“What?” Vinyl asked as she tried to figure out how wearing clothes made Octy look even hotter than when she had nothing on. The way the dress hugged her curves and traced lines across her fur was mesmerizing, and Vinyl found herself wanting to trace those same lines with her hooves. 
Stupid dress, getting all the action. Vinyl silenced the thought harshly. She was here to make music and listen to Octy play, not…anything else, even if her body was saying otherwise. She had to keep it together for the sake of her future and her future with Octy. The cellist would never take her back if she threw herself at the mare now.
“Why do you have your turntable with you?” Octavia pointed behind Vinyl. The DJ turned, startled to see her favorite music creator floating in the air behind her.
“Oh,” she said. “It’s my turntable. Or, the one I used to keep over here, remember? You said we could play tonight at your house, so I figured that meant I should bring it with me.” When Octavia didn’t answer, but instead just stared at her with a gentle smile, Vinyl started to grow worried. “Uh…was I wrong?” 
That’s what Octavia said, right? Come over and have a jam session, just like old times? Or did she say something else and I was just drunk?  No, she hadn’t had anything to drink in the past week or so.
For several heart pounding moments, Vinyl stood there, afraid to say anything in case she said something wrong.
“No,” Octavia said. “I just remembered that subtly is not your strongest trait.”
“Wub-whatly now?” 
Octy giggled, something she rarely did, and Vinyl’s heart threatened to tear open her ribcage at the sound. Octy laughed, she grinned, and she even chuckled, but she hardly ever giggled. Good thing too, Vinyl decided. She was pretty sure she would have died of a heart attack long ago if the cellist giggled often. 
“Come inside. It is rather cool out here.” Octavia turned, gently brushing her tail against Vinyl’s cheek as she did, and walked into her living room. 
That tail swish was just a mistake. That was all it was. Don’t read into it. Just pretend it didn’t happen! She probably didn’t even notice it.
It took Vinyl several seconds before she managed to tear her eyes away from the view and follow her in. The black tail continued to sway slowly back and forth with each step, hypnotizing the DJ with each swing.
“You may place it over in its original spot,” Octy said. Vinyl carried the turntable over to its corner in the room, placing it in the exact same spot that it had been before. The indents in the carpet made it very easy for her to make sure it was perfectly aligned. She hooked the cables into the wall and fiddled with a few settings until the familiar hum vibrated softly through the air.
“So, uh,” Celestia, it was really hard to keep looking only at Octy’s face, “where’s your cello?”
“It is in my room,” Octy said with a wave of her hoof.  “If you will excuse me, I will go get it.” She disappeared down the hall, Vinyl’s eyes following her swishing tail as far as they could. 
Why was her cello in her room? She had been the one that had invited Vinyl over for a jam session. Why did she seem so unprepared? Every other time Vinyl had come over, Octy had had her cello out and ready to go, and they often ended up waiting on Vinyl to get ready. 
A few moments later, Octy came back into the living room, carrying her cello on her back. “Vinyl, could you give me a hoof? This thing is…rather heavy.”
Vinyl watched as drops of sweat rolled down Octy’s neck. Her long, soft, elegant neck…Vinyl licked her lips without thinking. It was getting really hard to hear anything over the pounding in her head.
“Vinyl?”
“Oh, right!” Vinyl reached out with her magic and lifted the cello off of Octavia’s back. She moved it over next to her turntable and had it float there, waiting for the earth pony to come over and prop it up.
“A little distracted, are we?” Octavia asked as she walked over and took her spot next the cello. 
“Um…no?” Vinyl said sheepishly. She noticed that her scarf was really starting to itch now.
“Oh dear. Then perhaps we should cancel tonight’s get together. I believe you need to see a physician.”
“What? Why?” Vinyl asked, her eyes going wide as she looked herself over.
“Your magic.” Vinyl felt her face go so red that it actually hurt. She closed her eyes and smiled, then carefully opened one partway to look at the cello. Sure enough, it was surround by a grey aura. 
“So…uh, how long have I been doing that?” she asked, staring at the floor as her face continued to burn. 
“Oh, not long,” Octavia said. Vinyl let out a sigh of relief. “Just since I first opened the door, that is all. It was rather pretty watching it change colors like that.”
Vinyl wanted to sink into the very carpet and disappear. This wasn’t going well at all. Stupid unicorn magic. Her own body was selling her out and ruining any chance she might have at rekindling their relationship. “Sorry ‘bout that.”
“Why? I think it is a lovely color.” Vinyl looked up and saw a grin on Octy’s face that she rarely ever saw. The fact that her bangs were partly hiding her eyes made it even sexier.
Is…is she teasing me? Can Tavi do that?
Focus, Vinyl. You just miss her that much, but if you blow it now, you’ll never get another chance. Calm the buck down!
“Can we just start playing? Please?” Vinyl begged. “Before I make even more of an idiot of myself.”
“Certainly,” Octavia said. “But I need your help with something first. I cannot seem to get the clasp on my dress to close. Could you get it for me?”
“Okay, Tavi, even I know that trick,” Vinyl said. Tavi had to be flirting with her now. Maybe everything Vinyl was seeing wasn’t just her over-eager body and depraved mind. Maybe things were better—
“Tavi? You know the rules about calling me that,” Octavia said calmly.
Or maybe not. 
Confused, Vinyl walked over to the cellist. She could have easily used her magic to fix the clasp, but she wanted to touch Octavia. She wanted to run her hooves through the grey mare’s mane and feel her fur against her own. Magic couldn’t do that.
Just as Vinyl reached Octavia, the cellist turned and stood up on her hind legs, as if she was about to play her cello. Her black mane spilled down her back. She ran her hooves through it, making it flow across her spine in a silky onyx river. 
“Can you see it?” she asked.
“Uh-huh,” Vinyl said, not looking at the clasp at all. She found herself rooted to her spot on the floor, her legs unable to remember how to move. She shook her head to clear it and stood up behind Octavia. She wasn’t that great at standing on her hind legs, but Octavia had given her a few pointers. She could manage well enough as long as she had something to catch herself with if she fell. And that something would happen to be Octavia right now.
Don’t you dare fall then! It will give her the wrong impression. She’ll think you did it on purpose. 
Vinyl stood close to Octavia, making extra sure that she wasn’t touching the cellist at all, and extended her shaking hooves to slowly part the mare’s black mane and look for the clasp around her neck. She kept telling herself to only find the clasp and attach it and do nothing else.
Not run her hooves through Octy’s hair.
Not trace a line down her spine. 
Not caress her cheek. 
And certainly not bury her muzzle into the back of Octy’s head and breathe in the faint scent of Octy’s favorite shampoo. 
That last one was proving extra hard, as the scent tickled Vinyl’s muzzle while she felt around for the clasp. She found it and tried to get it to hook together. It took her a few tries because of her shaking hooves, but she finally heard it click.
Vinyl took one last deep breath of Octy’s scent, hoping it wasn’t too obvious what she was doing, and then started to pull away. She was startled when she felt a hoof slide around the back of her neck and pull her closer. She stumbled and fell, but instead of falling flat on her face, she found herself pressed against Octavia’s back. Her head came to rest on Octavia’s shoulder and the cellist held it there gently with her hoof.
Oh. Bucking. CRAP!
“Um…Octavia? I’m really, really sorry. It was an accident.” Vinyl tried to move away, but Octavia wouldn’t remove her hoof from the back of Vinyl’s head. “Um…if you could just, let me go, I’ll get off of you and go sit on the other side of the room. I promise it won’t happen again.” She was suddenly aware of a lot of things all at once. She hadn’t brushed her coat when she had left. Octavia had. Her blue mane was a ragged mess. Octavia’s was nothing short of perfection. She felt extremely warm. Octavia felt warmer. The dress felt like bed sheets. The same bed sheets Octavia liked to sleep on.
For the love of Celestia, watch where you put your hooves or she’ll skin you! Vinyl kept her hooves outstretched as far as she could. It made it even harder to keep her balance, but she dare not put them anywhere on the mare supporting her at the moment.
“Did it work?” came a soft whisper.
“The clasp?” Vinyl said, her heart racing inside her. She was fairly certain that Octavia could hear her heartbeat. She was positive the cellist could feel it on her back. This was really bad.
Octavia took a small step back, pressing her body against Vinyl’s. Her plot pressed against a very sensitive spot on Vinyl. The DJ tried to back up before her legs buckled, but the cellist refused to let her go. It took all Vinyl had to remain standing upright.
“Not the clasp. The trick.” Octavia turned her head slightly and kissed Vinyl’s cheek, then turned forward again.
The DJ suddenly found it very hard to focus. The fact that Octy’s tail was brushing between Vinyl’s hind legs was not helping matters at all. The hair gently brushed each leg, tickling the DJ and scrambling her brain. She felt her legs going weak and, if Octy wasn’t propping her up, she was certain she would be face down on the floor. She tried to form words, but all that came out was a quiet squeak and gasps of air.
“I will take that as a yes,” Octy whispered. She stroked the back of Vinyl’s mane. 
“Uh, look, Octy,” Vinyl said carefully. She was cursing herself for not wearing a bridle now. After tonight, she was seriously going to consider carrying one with her at all times. “Don’t…don’t take this the wrong way, but, uh…I thought we…and you’re, well…I mean, I’m very happy right now, but—”
“I can tell.” Octy giggled again and Vinyl felt another muscle in her leg give out.
“Not helping,” Vinyl said, way too playfully. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself. “I mean, you said that you didn’t want to get back together and—”
“I do not recall speaking those words.”
“But you did!” Vinyl protested. She knew she had heard those words right. “After I said that I missed you, you said that you were sorry but we weren’t getting back together and—”
Octy tapped the back of Vinyl’s skull once. “Think, Vinyl. What did I say, exactly?”
“Er…I think I just said it, didn’t I? Or, well, paracrazed it.”
“Paraphrased,” Octy said with a laugh.
“Yeah, that.”
Vinyl felt Octavia sigh’s pass through her body. Great. She’d blown it. Octavia was about to tell her to go away and that they were really through. She wouldn’t even get a chance to play with her tonight.
Vinyl braced herself for the coming pain and closed her eyes in hopes that it would stop the tears.
“If you recall, Miss Scratch, I never said anything of the sort.” Vinyl’s eyes flew open. Those weren’t the words she had been expecting. “All I said was, ‘I apologize, Vinyl,’ and then you rudely cut me off. It was very inconsiderate of you.”
“Oh.” Vinyl ran the conversation back through her head. She had done that, hadn’t she? “Sorry.”
“What is worse, you presumed to know what I was about to say.” Vinyl felt Octavia’s hoof slap the back of her head, not exactly playfully either. “The arrogance of such a thing.”
“Yeah, I’m—”
“I am not finished,” Octavia said. “Worst of all, you cut me off because you were afraid of what I had to say. You were only thinking of yourself and your own well-being. Instead of facing the pain you thought was coming, instead of listening to me and considering my feelings, you chose to run away. That was incredibly selfish on your part, something I thought you had promised to work on. And look what your actions have led to. You have been reduced to a mare who is constantly second-guessing herself and can no longer form coherent thoughts because you are so afraid of what may happen. Your selfishness has made you afraid of your own shadow, and for what? To avoid some imagined pain? Is this really worth it?”
Vinyl was stunned. Octavia was upset with her. She could hear it in the mare’s voice.
“Choose your next words very carefully, Miss Scratch, or you will find yourself shortly on the floor, and then quickly out in the street.” Vinyl started to answer, but then Octavia added, “And ‘sorry’ is not the correct answer.”
So much for that. 
Vinyl’s mind raced faster than it ever had, and the fact that her body was aching in more ways than one made thinking even harder. Okay, she needed to figure out why Octavia was mad with her. That was easy. She had cut her off on the phone call. 
No, it was more than that. Feelings. She had hurt Octavia’s feelings. Okay, how had she done that? Not by cutting her off, but by being selfish. Octavia had said that Vinyl had only thought of herself. The same thing she had done the night of Octavia’s concert. Oh, this wasn’t good. If Octavia was feeling the same as she had the night of the concert…
No, I can fix this. She’s giving me a chance to fix this. Think. What does she want to hear?
A million thoughts ran through Vinyl’s mind in a flash. None of them seemed right. How could she prove that she cared about Octy’s feelings? Cared about them more than she cared about her own? Or herself?
That’s it!
“Um…what were you going to say, Octy?” Vinyl winced, waiting for the support under her to disappear and for her face to crash into the carpet, followed quickly by her heart.
Instead, she felt Octavia’s hooves reach out and grab her own, bring them in, and then gently place them over Octavia’s waist. Octavia then put one of her hooves on top of Vinyl’s and placed the other one back on the back of Vinyl’s head and started to stroke her mane.
“I was going to say that I apologize, but I needed some time to think. About you. And me. And us. I missed you too, terribly, but that was not good enough. Sometimes, things are simply not meant to be.” Vinyl fought with every ounce of her being to remain silent. “I needed to decide for myself if we could still work. Forgiving you was the simple part. Deciding if we could be together again, if I could take you back, if I should take you back, that was difficult. And I needed to be away from you of my own choosing before I could come up with a satisfying answer.”
Vinyl gulped, but remained silent. She wasn’t sure where this was going. She felt as though she stood on the edge of the needle on her turntable. One small misstep, and she would tumble down into the twisting blackness of the record, forever doomed to spin out of control.
“It is safe to speak again,” Octy whispered.
“Okay. So, uh…what answer did you choose?”
Vinyl felt Octy sigh in her forelegs again, heavier this time. “Vinyl Scratch, you are amazingly thick-headed. You are extremely lucky I find you attractive. And that you can do that certain thing.”
Vinyl’s face burned. “Oh, uh, yeah. That. Glad you like it. So…I take it the answer is yes?”
“Do you honestly think I would be working you up to the point where all I need to do is this,” Octy flicked her tail up between Vinyl’s hind legs and the DJ nearly crumpled, “and you collapse, if I had chosen otherwise?”
“I’m really hoping the answer to that one is no. Or I’m going to need to use your shower before I go home.” Vinyl’s vision was growing fuzzy. She needed to find something else to focus on before she lost herself. She needed to calm down quick.  A thought crossed her mind. 
“So, are we going to play tonight or not?”
“Playing instruments was not the type of playing I had in mind.” 
“Then...oh. Ooooooh.” Vinyl had been certain her body couldn’t get any hotter without catching fire. She had been wrong. “I’m not too good at this when I’m on the receiving end of this stuff, am I?”
Octy chuckled and stepped forward, settling onto all fours and turning to look at Vinyl. “I admit that you are a bit…dense sometimes. But it is part of why I love you.”
Vinyl fell forward and landed on her front hooves as well, though not as gracefully as Octy, and nearly collapsed. Her legs felt like they were made of cotton candy and her entire body felt like a sauna. Octy had managed to push so many of her buttons that Vinyl was certain she’d never be able to walk right again. She was putty in the cellist’s hooves now.
Still, she had to at least try to maintain some sort of dignity.
“See, you were doing great, and then you had to say something cheesy like that,” she said. Octy glared at her, giving her a stare that utterly destroyed any chance Vinyl had at fighting back. She lost herself in those amethyst eyes, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I mean,” she said after a moment, “love you too, Tavi.”
Tavi bent down and grabbed Vinyl’s scarf with her mouth. She came up with the same look she had been wearing at the door and tugged on the scarf. Vinyl smiled as Tavi turned, scarf still in her mouth, and began to lead Vinyl down the hall.
Vinyl used her magic to take off her sunglasses and set them quietly on the couch as she passed. She noticed that the glow around them was a bright grey. Beaming, she turned back to the view in front of her and followed obediently.