//------------------------------//
// Chapter 16 
// Story: Vinyl and Octavia: University Days 
// by DawnFade 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 16



-----


“Hey,” Vinyl whispered softly. The makeshift double bed creaked as Octavia looked up and gave her fillyfriend a sleepy smile.

“Hello there,” she replied, voice still a little croaky from not being used for a few hours.

“Has anypony ever told you how hot you look with a messy mane?”

Chuckling quietly, Octavia hugged Vinyl’s chest closer, using her as a pillow. “At least that solves the mystery of what you’re thinking when we wake up together.”

“Hey, I think about other stuff too,” defended the DJ.

“That’s not what your racing heart is saying.”

Vinyl blushed and looked away. “That’s cheating.” After a moment, she turned back slowly. “What day is it?”

Octavia’s grip stiffened almost imperceptibly. “Wednesday, if memory serves.”

“Uh huh.”

It took a full minute before one of them was able to continue the conversation. Vinyl gently lifted her fillyfriend off her chest and prepared to get up. “I’ve got drawing and musical theory today, I better get ready.”

“But you’re warm,” protested the cellist, falling into the place where Vinyl had lain. “Can’t you stay in bed for a little bit longer?”

Looking at the grey sculpture of perfection sprawled half beneath a blanket, Vinyl found herself thinking that yes, yes she could stay in bed a little longer. Only the last dregs of her self-control stopped her from diving back in. “C’mon, you know what we’d end up talking about. I want a few more hours to think it over.”

“When did you become rational?” Octavia grumbled, playing with a strand of electric blue hair dangling from her hoof.

“I guess you’re rubbing off on me,” shrugged Vinyl, poking her fillyfriend’s nose to make sure she knew the double entendre was intentional. She expected Octavia to stuff her head into a pillow or just blush uncontrollably, but instead the earth pony just smirked and winked up at Vinyl.

“Not enough, I think,” she whispered. 

Being the smooth, cool-under-pressure unicorn that she was, Vinyl choked on air and found that her mouth had gone too dry to speak. Octavia quickly lost her mischievous look and sat up in concern. “I’m sorry, are you okay? Did I do it incorrectly? Oh, I knew I should have practiced in the mirror first.”

“I’m fine,” assured the DJ with only a little voice-crack. “You, uh, you did that really well. Trust me. I’m gonna be useless in class today ‘cause of that.”

“Don’t say that. Just… draw like you do when I play my cello.” They shared a smile at that.  Their joint art sessions were very occasional, but that only made them all the more memorable. Octavia was always stunned by the quality of her DJ’s artistic binges. She had carefully hidden a few of the drawings among her clothes just in case Vinyl lost her sketchbook.

Once, immediately after a session, Octavia had asked the unicorn about the drawings, specifically the ones where she was the model. They had been lying on the floor, the sketchbook open between them.

“Vinyl, the way you draw me… is that truly how you see me?” She had felt a little vain asking something like that, as if she were begging for compliments.

“It’s… it’s not just how I see you… it’s sorta what I feel as well. I dunno how to explain it.” Vinyl half-shrugged and looked away, but Octavia could see the colour in her cheeks.

It was one of those moments she loved so much, when the jokes and banter gave way to the pure, unfiltered feelings beneath. The cellist had pushed the book aside and moved closer to cuddle the DJ. Wordlessly, Vinyl had returned her affection.

Octavia sighed dreamily at the memory, but caught herself quickly. Only silly little fillies sighed about romance. Her nose scrunched up distastefully as she remembered who gave her that bit of advice. She forced another dreamy sigh, just to spite the very thought of that mare.

“Filly, are you okay?” asked Vinyl, who was in the process of drying her recently-washed mane. It seemed that during Octavia’s… vacancy, she had taken the opportunity to get ready.

“Why do you call me filly?” Octavia quickly replied, dodging the question.

“Huh? I dunno. It’s like calling ponies ‘dude’, I just do it.”

Seizing the success of her distraction, Octavia suddenly realised there was actually a question she had been meaning to ask along this train of thought. “Vinyl, around when we were first getting to know each other, we had a conversation about nicknames. Do you remember it?”

“I thought you wanted me to pretend it didn’t happen?” retorted the grinning DJ.

Giggling, Octavia hopped off the bed and walked over to her fillyfriend. She smelt of soap and flowers, as well as another scent she couldn’t quite name; a sort of sweet muskiness. “Well, things have changed a little bit since then, don’t you think?”

As expected, Vinyl quickly leaned in for a peck. “Just a bit.”

“I was just thinking about how we never really gave each other nicknames.”

The unicorn frowned. “Do we really need ‘em? I kinda like saying ‘Octavia’, and hearing you say my name is like finding the perfect sub-bass.”

Octavia raised her eyebrows. She had learned a couple of little things about Vinyl’s music lately, and the enormity of such a compliment wasn’t lost on her. “That’s… Really?”

“Yeah. In fact,” Vinyl actually looked quite serious, so Octavia kept her mouth shut, “I wanna try and be romantic here, okay? Just stop me if I sound stupid. Alright.” She seemed to mentally psych herself up. “I haven’t given you a nickname… ‘cause I can’t think of one that would do you justice. There’s only one word that really fits you, y’know? Only one word that can capture everything you are, all your perfection and grace and kindness. Calling you by anything other than your name would be wrong, like calling a beautiful lioness a cat or something. I don’t know. This all sounded way better in my – mmfgh!”

Octavia wasn’t about to let her gorgeous, silver-tongued mare spiral into self-doubt. The fluttery feeling in her chest that always appeared when they were together had intensified tenfold during those heartfelt words. Seeing the usually-cocky DJ trying earnestly to be romantic just for her sent her mind reeling with happiness.

She could feel Vinyl’s mouth smiling into the kiss and couldn’t help but do the same. When they broke apart, Octavia rested her cheek against its alabaster counterpart. “You never cease to amaze me,” she whispered.

“And I never will,” Vinyl promised.


---


It was with an understandable sense of regret that she left Octavia in her dorm. Vinyl found it easy to forget that this whole ‘university’ thing actually required a bit of attention. Now that she had the most amazing, awesome, beautiful, perfect, incredible marefriend ever, the other parts of her life seemed rather lacking in interest. Why study or attend lectures when she could hang out with Octavia?

Luckily, the knowledge that if she failed her classes the repercussions might end up hurting their relationship kept her in line… for the most part.

Today, the DJ had made the executive decision to skip her drawing class without telling her cellist. Yes, she still packed up her drawing equipment and left, but her destination was quite far removed from the art buildings.

Indeed, rather than heading toward that colourfully bland district, she took a wide circuit of the campus, rounding back on the maintenance area… and a specific building nearby.

I can’t believe I’m doing this.

This is so stupid.

What do I even need his advice for? He practically tortured us for fun!

Okay, so maybe I owe him a little bit, but…

She groaned in frustration and summoned the courage to enter the reception area. While trying to remain both nonchalant and unnoticeable, she walked over to the counter. Behind it, a bored-looking mare spared her a derisive glance. “Be with you in a moment.”

While she was a little taken aback by such a flat greeting, Vinyl understood. Working in an office all day must kill any happiness a pony has, she figured. In that frame of mind, she actually felt a little sorry for the mare.

Fifteen minutes later, she felt a lot less sorry for the mare.

“Uh, excuse me, are you almost done?” Vinyl asked, stretching her hooves, which had begun to ache from standing still for so long.

“I said I would be with you for a moment,” was the harsh reply.

Vinyl backed away defensively. “Whoa there, no need for that. I’ll just… wait over here.” She walked over to a chair and sat down.

I bet Octavia wouldn’t take that kind of crap. She’d say something really clever and make that dumb office slug stammer and apologise.

Lost as she was in revenge fantasies that were becoming increasingly violent, Vinyl almost didn’t notice when she was waved over.

Waved over! Like a pet or something!

Baring her teeth in what she hoped looked like a smile, Vinyl walked back to the counter.

“What can I do for you?” asked the receptionist in a monotone voice.

“Uh, I wanna make an appointment with Psych. Y’know, the student councillor.”

“Let me check his schedule.” Out came a stack of papers, which she leafed through at an infuriatingly slow speed. “Oh, lucky you, he has a slot open right now,” the monster informed her without the slightest tonal shift, before returning to her work.

Vinyl glanced around at the unmarked doors and hallways. “Uh, where is he?”

“In his office.”

“Where’s that?”

Heaving an exasperated sigh, the receptionist pointed at a stairwell. “Up there, last door on the right.”

“…Thanks.” The DJ ground her teeth as she climbed the short flight into a hallway. What kind of pony would get a job where she had to help others when she clearly had a personal grudge against life itself? Oh, if only she were Octavia! That mare knew how to deal with ponies who were less than good-natured.

Like that time they ran into Bonbon in that café. Her cellist had been amazing then! And Vinyl still hadn’t thanked her properly. Well, if everything went smoothly later, maybe she could thank her in a way that they would both enjoy…

And just like that, all negative thoughts were banished from her head and replaced by flustered giddiness. They would actually be talking about it later on! And maybe… maybe even…

“Are you going to stand there all day, or what?” asked Psych, raising an eyebrow.

Vinyl suddenly realised she was standing in the doorway of his office. “Uh, sorry. I was sorta lost in thought.”

I’m such an idiot sometimes.

“Not a problem. I don’t suppose those thoughts involved a certain somepony, did they?” He grinned.

“Hey, no mocking! What happened to being professional?” She dodged his question, though her blush answered him very clearly.

“I’m professionally mocking you.” When she glared at him, he responded with a knowing smirk. “So you’re not here to talk about Octavia, then?”

Vinyl opened her mouth to shoot back a fiery denial, but all that came out was a tired groan. “Fine. You win. Are you happy?” She closed the door and trudged over to the empty chair on the opposite side of his desk.

Psych frowned at her expression. “Well, no, not anymore. What’s wrong?”

“It’s… uh… personal stuff.”

Oh Celestia why did I come here? Now I have to actually talk to him about it!

He snorted. “Vinyl, I’m a psychologist. A grown stallion once told me, in graphic detail, about his obsession with a cartoon made for little fillies. There are some strange, twisted ponies out there, and I very much doubt anything you say will make me think you are one of them. Just trust me.”

Feeling slightly more confident that she wasn’t a weirdo, Vinyl took a deep breath, but still couldn’t meet his eyes. “Me and Octavia… later today… are gonna talk about… sex.”

“I see.” He leaned back and scratched his chin thoughtfully.

“Yeah…”

“And how do you feel about that particular topic?”

“I-I don’t know. Nervous.” She lowered her gaze even further. “Excited,” she whispered.

“Why does that make you feel ashamed?” he asked quietly.

Vinyl didn’t bother asking how he knew that. Heck, it was probably written all over her face. “I’m not sure. It just seems like such a big thing and I dunno if I’m…”

“If you’re what?” Psych leaned forward smoothly, like a predator spotting an opportunity.

“Good enough,” she finished, surprising herself. “I don’t think I’m good enough for Octavia.”

It was a startling realisation. Sure, she occasionally thought like that, but… well, maybe more than occasionally… okay, a lot more than occasionally. But still! Finding out it ran this deep was troubling.

She rubbed her face tiredly. “I’m gonna end up with a complex or something, aren’t I?”

Psych smiled comfortingly. “I don’t think we need to worry about that. You don’t think you’re good enough for Octavia because you feel as though you are inferior to her, correct?”

“Yup. She’s frickin’ perfect, dude.”

“Did you know that feelings of inferiority in young relationships are common? Especially in the lead-up to the first sexual encounter. Please tell me you two haven’t been constantly teasing each other. That would only exacerbate the problem.”

“Well… uh…” She reddened even more. “It’s too tempting, alright?! Don’t judge me, she’s so pretty!”

“I’m not judging you, but you may have brought these feelings of inferiority on yourself. Tell me, does she ever tease you?”

“Yeah.”

“Is she good at it?”

Vinyl swallowed. “Very.”

“Do you think she’s better than you at it?”

“Way, way better.”

“Have you caught on to where I’m going with this yet?”

“Huh?”

Psych looked at her seriously. “Simply because you’re reciprocating each other’s flirting, you’re both going to wonder if you are keeping up or ‘doing it right’. The stakes are absurdly raised, and you soon find yourself trying harder and harder to impress or seduce her, while she seems to just do it effortlessly.”

“It all comes so naturally to her,” Vinyl grumbled.

“You know her, you know her history. Do you think she has had extensive training in seduction?”

“Well… I guess not…”

“Do you know what that means?”

“She’s… probably trying just as hard as I am.”

“Bingo.” The stallion smiled.

Vinyl raised her eyes for the first time. Was it possible that the super-smooth enchantress thing was just Octavia trying her best to flirt with the first pony she had ever wanted to flirt with? That natural confidence and power… it wasn’t natural at all. She was forcing Octavia to act like that. Right?

“So I’ve been controlling how she acts?” The DJ felt guilt course through her. “What kind of fillyfriend am I?!”

“Don’t worry, it’s perfectly natural.  She has been controlling you too, but in neither way is it an extreme level of influence. It’s more of a subconscious, sexually-themed one-upping competition, as is common in brand new relationships.”

That made her feel a little better. “So… what do I do about the talk then? We’ve been leading each other on for weeks.”

Psych looked a little hesitant, but after a moment he cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “I’m going to be very frank here, Vinyl. Sometimes it’s the best way to cut straight to the heart of a matter… and sometimes it shocks the subject so much that they file a complaint. I think you can take it, though.”

“Uh, okay. Shoot.”

“Do you want to have sex with Octavia?” Her jaw dropped and he quickly added, “You don’t have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable. Celestia knows I’m still not comfortable talking to kids about… wait, you’re eighteen, aren’t you?” Vinyl nodded numbly and he cheerfully clapped his hooves together. “Never mind, I’m perfectly comfortable talking to adults about this stuff.”

“Yes.”

“Hm?”

“Yes,” Vinyl repeated, unable to stop a shameless grin from forming.

“Oh. Are you certain?”

“Very.”

“And if Octavia isn’t ready, what will you do?”

She shrugged. “Wait.”

Psych hated having to be the one to explore all possibilities, but he knew Vinyl needed to be ready for whatever came of their talk. “And if she is never ready?”

Vinyl Scratch looked at him and smiled. “Wait forever.”


---


Octavia held her breath as her fillyfriend opened the door and walked inside before carefully closing it behind her. She watched Vinyl dump her bags on the ground without looking and make a beeline straight for her.

As she had seen Vinyl do before, she patted the mattress she was lying on, and the DJ didn’t hesitate before hopping up beside her.

“How were your classes?” she asked the unicorn conversationally.

“Interesting, for once. I actually learned some stuff.” Vinyl smiled. There was something about her body language that seemed so calm and self-assured. Not cocky, for once, just… content. As if she was just happy to be with her, no matter what they talked about. It filled her chest with warmth.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Do you want to talk about it now?” asked Vinyl, still completely unfazed.

“I suppose we should.” Octavia wished, as she had done a million times before, that she could be that carefree. Vinyl seemed to be about to take the lead in the conversation, so she refrained from adding anything. She had no idea what to say, anyway.

“Have… have you ever thought about doing it? With me?” Vinyl stumbled over her words a little bit. Maybe not as carefree as Octavia had thought.

“Y-yes,” the cellist replied in a small voice. Seeing how those garnet eyes lit up at her words, she continued. “Um, quite a lot. I… I can’t stop.”

“Me too.”

They looked at each other, really looked. Each was surprised to see the other wearing the very same mask of strained calm that they were struggling to present. In that one look, everything that needed to be said was spoken. They smiled and leaned in for a quick kiss.

“It doesn’t have to be today,” Vinyl said. “I’m not in a rush.”

“I don’t want to schedule it,” Octavia added. “Let’s just wait and let events unfold naturally.”

“Yeah.”

“Quite.”

The cellist and her DJ looked around the room, not really focusing on anything. Octavia counted the seconds as they passed, five, wondering what in Equestria they were going to do, eleven, with the rest of a perfectly good, sixteen, obligation-free afternoon.

“Is now good?” she asked.





If you don't mind sex scenes, the chapter continues here.

We have another bit of music by Ponybro100 so show him some love!
This chapter was stuck at around 400 words for a couple of weeks, so it was a relief to finally make some progress and get it done.
No crazy-long author’s notes today, only a request. 
Continue being awesome!

EDIT: I can't believe I have to actually add this, but the little joke about stallions who like shows for little fillies being sick and twisted is a joke. I am quite clearly a brony. Why would I hate myself and my readers?