# Vinyl and Octavia: University Days

## by DawnFade

### Chapter 20

Chapter 20

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Morning in the Bon Bon household was almost militaristic in its organisation. Octavia watched through half-lidded eyes as the shop owner rushed about preparing for the day. Lyra was ushered to the kitchen counter for breakfast, then shoved into one of the bathrooms as soon as she finished. Octavia wondered what role the reformed unicorn played in the operation of Bon Bon’s shop. Surely she wasn’t in charge of serving customers? Lyra had made great progress as far as Octavia could see, but that might be a little too much for now.

Vinyl was snoring on the couch beside this one, still completely oblivious to the world and would likely remain that way for another couple of hours. Octavia felt the itch to get up and move to the other couch so they could be closer, but decided against it in review of present company. Even though they were all friends now, Octavia didn’t quite want to push the boundaries yet, and snuggling in plain view of their hosts was a sure-fire way of doing that.

Eventually, the rush died down and both Bon Bon and Lyra trotted downstairs, already discussing the day’s agenda. Apparently there was a basement below the ground floor where Bon Bon mixed up and cooked all of her confectionary delights, and she was eager to start another batch.

Left alone in the living room, Octavia finally sat up and opened her eyes properly. Everything had a nice, homely feel to it, she could see that every little decoration had been lovingly chosen with no thought as to whether it was ‘in’ or not. Bon Bon just chose things she thought looked nice, and that was far more meaningful to Octavia than all the Feng Shui in the world.

It had been a long time since she had thought about fashion or style seriously. Being away from her mother made her realise how little those things mattered to her. Appearances could only hide so much; sooner or later the heart had to shine through. And in this place, the heart was blinding.

She found herself in a very happy mood as she slid off the couch and stretched her hooves. This place shared many qualities with her dorm room that she hadn’t noticed last night. Lyra and Bon Bon’s companionship gave the whole building warmth in the same way Vinyl’s presence did. She felt safe here, at ease. There was no need to worry, nor any cause for alarm. Just the simple pleasure of a nice winter morning.

Octavia dug a hoof into her mane, only to find she had forgotten to bring her phone. She shrugged and trotted into the kitchen. No matter. It’s not like I use it often. Bon Bon had left some pancake mix ready to go on the counter, which surprised her. That mare’s thoughtfulness knew no bounds. She quickly found a frying pan and began cooking. The back of her mind wondered how much walking she would need to do to burn off such an unhealthy meal, while the front of her mind politely told it to be quiet so she could enjoy the darn thing.

Vinyl showed no signs of waking up, so once the pancakes were done, Octavia cleaned up and devoured her creation with the ferocity that privacy affords. She only barely contained a satisfied sigh at the cost of her belly gurgling in agreement. With breakfast over with, she returned to the couches, this time approaching Vinyl’s pale form. After a quick glance around to look for observers that was fuelled by habit rather than logic, she planted a syrupy kiss on her DJ’s half-open lips. Smiling softly, she made for the bathroom to freshen up. A perfect start to what was clearly going to be a perfect day.

---

Vinyl’s eyes cracked open at the sound of the bathroom door closing. Why do my lips taste so sweet? she mused groggily, wincing at the growing sunlight shining through the window overlooking the front of the shop. She instinctually looked around for Octavia, and upon finding her missing, she groaned and let her head flop back down. Waking up next to Octavia was the only reason she tolerated mornings at all; take that experience away and all that was left was sore eyes and dead muscles.

Slowly, the faint sound of falling water made itself apparent. Vinyl turned her sluggish gaze towards the source. The thought of Octavia in the shower woke her up quickly, sending familiar little tingles down her spine. She was of the mind to charge in there and interrupt her lover when the smell of pancakes drifted over from the kitchen. Her stomach gurgled and immediately overruled the more cheeky parts of her body, and she stumbled over to investigate.

A plate stacked with pancakes had been set out for her like a gift from heaven. She didn’t hesitate before diving straight in, stuffing as much as she could into her mouth. They were never really able to cook anything great in the dorm kitchen, mainly because half of the appliances were broken, so it made a refreshing change from the usual freezing outing to a local café. Celestia, she had forgotten how good homemade pancakes tasted!

Once she had recovered from her flavour-orgasm, she wiped her mouth and trotted across the room, having heard the water stop a few moments earlier. A few wisps of steam puffed out from beneath the door, swirling as they were disturbed by Octavia on the other side. Vinyl knocked twice and pushed the door inwards.

“Oh! Um, occupied!” Octavia was in the process of wrapping up her mane with a towel and she couldn’t see the trespasser. Vinyl smirked and stepped closer, knocking the door shut with her flank so the heat didn’t escape. “Bon Bon?” The cellist’s lips pursed, confused at the lack of response. Without wasting another second, Vinyl leaned in and kissed her, holding it for a few moments just for fun. When they broke apart, Octavia was visibly trying not to smile. “That had better be you, Vinyl.”

“Nice to know you’ll think of me when you kiss strange mares.” Vinyl poked her fillyfriend’s nose.

Octavia finally wrestled the towel into place, revealing her big, violet eyes, twinkling with mischief. “I do seem to be attracted to the strange ones.” She stepped closer and brushed her lips against Vinyl’s for the briefest of seconds before turning and exiting the bathroom, leaving her DJ standing there with her lips puckered in anticipation. After a moment, Vinyl coughed awkwardly, feeling a little stupid, then followed her lover.

“It’s a lovely apartment, isn’t it?” Octavia called, standing at the large window overlooking the street below.

“Yeah. I gotta admit, I’m kinda jealous,” admitted Vinyl, joining the grey mare in her observation.

“I still like our place better though.” Octavia bumped her hips against Vinyl’s, giving her a warm smile.

“Agreed.” After a moment, Vinyl added: “I think we should head back there now. I’ve got a hankering for some sex-ering.”

“Subtle as always, love.” Octavia sighed tolerantly and removed the towel from her head, placing it on a nearby stack of laundry. “I suppose we should get going. Wouldn’t want to overstay our welcome, would we?”

Together, they pulled their winter clothes on (Vinyl didn’t even remember taking hers off) and trotted downstairs. The store was quiet, the day not yet begun. From the basement came the sounds of somepony hard at work. Lyra stood amongst the displays, using her magic to set a few of them in motion. When she noticed the couple, she nodded in greeting. “Heading out?”

“Yes, we’d best get out of your hair before the customers arrive. This place is beautiful, by the way,” said Octavia, still feasting her eyes on the colourful signs and decorations.

“Thanks. You’d best not bother Bon Bon, she needs to focus on making the products. I’ll let her know you left.”

As they passed Lyra, Vinyl paused and stuck a hoof out. After a moment of hesitation, Lyra bumped it with her own. No more needed to be said, and they left the store quickly.

Outside, the air was surprisingly warmer than expected, though snow still coated the ground. A few brave ponies wandered the streets, the unlucky souls that had errands to run this early. The couple set off in the direction of the campus, enjoying the insulation their boots gave them to the white powder covering everything. The rising sun reflected blindingly off the white rooftops, making the streets shine in a way Vinyl had never seen before.

“Should’ve brought my glasses,” she muttered, squinting at the sharp glare of light.

“I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to have my retinas melt. I suppose this is my lucky day,” added Octavia, raising a hoof to shadow her eyes.

“We’ll be blind together. We can tie a rope around our necks and lead each other around.” Vinyl giggled at the thought.

“The blind leading the blind? Knowing my luck, we’ll fall into a pit and never get out.”

“At least the company will be good.”

By the time they made it back to the campus, the sun had risen a quarter of the way into the sky, and the city had well and truly awoken. Thankfully, the angle at which they approached the university was in the same direction as the white reflection, giving them sweet relief. They watched students exiting the campus clutch at their eyes and wince in pain. Two stallions stood on either side of the entrance, their eyes welling up with tears as they stoically refused to cover them. As Vinyl led the way past them, she wondered if they could even focus on anything right now. From their bloodshot, stubborn eyes, it didn’t seem likely.

As they wandered into the main court, she couldn’t help but marvel at them. “Those security guards back there are pretty damn committed, huh?”

“Committed is one way of describing it. Stupid is another.” Octavia shook her head. “Honestly, why don’t they just get some sunglasses?”

The grassy court wasn’t looking very grassy these days. It, like absolutely everything outside, was covered in snow. As they were about to trudge across it to the student village, Octavia was struck by a thought.

“Oh Vinyl…” she asked sweetly.

“Yesss?” replied the DJ, suddenly cautious.

“Could we stop by Psych’s office before we go back to the dorm?”

Vinyl’s shoulders slumped and she gave her best puppy impression. “B-but… my hankering…”

“There’ll still be time for that. Please? It’s my birthday.” As soon as the last words left her mouth, she knew she had won.
Vinyl perked up and took her by the hoof, putting on her best Canterlot noble impression. “But of course! M’lady will get whatever she desires on such an auspicious occasion!” Barely containing their giggles, the two mares trotted primly over to Psych’s office building. Octavia felt a pang of sadness when Vinyl let her hoof go. She knew that her DJ was just making sure not to get too much attention inside, but it still didn’t sit well that they had to continue being cautious after so many carefree months together.

The receptionist was shooting them a smile as soon as they stepped inside. She seemed to completely forget about the stallion standing in front of her asking for directions to a file room. “Oh, Octavia! There you are. Head straight on up!” She beamed, but her eyes didn’t show it.

“Thank you?” Octavia exchanged a glance with her fillyfriend before approaching the stairs. They’d discussed the strange behaviour of the staff in this building before, but only in passing. She made a mental note to bring it up later so they could discuss it in more detail.

Voices were echoing from Psych’s office, but they weren’t deterred. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d interrupted a confidential. Well, technically it would be the second, but that wasn’t the point. This time, it was an adult female voice accompanying the psychologist’s. As they neared his closed door, their voices became clearer…and Octavia’s heart threatened to explode.

“I know she came to see you, Psych. Don’t even think of lying to me,” said her mother, voice slick like oily water.

Octavia’s hooves were rooted into the floor. She leaned forward and bit Vinyl’s tail as the white mare tried to pass, pulling the unicorn back to her side. Vinyl looked extremely confused until she saw the look on her fillyfriend’s face.

“Are you sure?” she whispered. Octavia just nodded. “We need to get out of here, now.” Octavia nodded again, numbly.

Not now. Please not now.

Psych’s voice piped up. “The receptionist, right?”

“Indeed. Simple, yet effective,” replied that venomous tongue once more.

“That’s always been your style. No mincing words, no wasting time so that your prey can get away. You always see through all attempts to stall you and your plans.”

Octavia realised with a start that Vinyl might have been visible for a moment when she took a few steps forward. The cracks around the door were wide enough to make out colour, and Psych would recognise them anywhere. Was it possible that, for the split second that Vinyl might have been visible, the psychologist had realised who it was and who was likely with her, and then decided to subtly warn them? Who could think that quickly?

Wait. She blinked. I just did!

Without a second thought, she let Vinyl pull her back down the hallway, both being careful not to make too much noise. Just before they reached the stairs, the office door opened and a sky-blue hoof stepped out.

“All the flattery in the world won’t stop me, Psych. I will find out what you discussed with her, even if I have to get the file myself.”

Before she could take another step, the tutor quickly replied, “You mean the file I have right here?” The remark made the frightening mare pause, giving the runaway couple enough time to duck into the stairwell and find relative safety. As they stood for a moment, trying to compose themselves before escaping through the lobby, they heard the mother sigh in irritation.

“This is just a piece of paper with ‘Ha-ha’ written on it. Stop wasting my time.”

Psych’s giggling reached them even as they trotted to the door. The receptionist watched them go, still smiling.

The second they were back out in the cold, Octavia felt like she had been drenched in icy water, waking her up quickly. Vinyl was quickly leading her across the court towards their home, but she put a stop to that instantly. “We can’t go back to the dorm yet. Didn’t you hear? That receptionist is going to tell my mother we’re back on the campus!”

Vinyl stopped and bit her lip, looking around cautiously. “What do we do then?”

“I… I need time to think this over. We need to go somewhere safe.”

Vinyl nodded resolutely. “Bon Bon’s place. She’ll understand.”

Octavia’s years of manners training screamed at her that going back there was extremely rude, but she shoved those thoughts away. This wasn’t about manners, this was about friends. And if there’s one thing she’s learned about friends, it’s that they always tried their best to help each other.

If the feeling in her stomach was any indication, she was going to need all the help she could get.

---

Psych looked out his office window, his brow wrinkled in worry. Vinyl and Octavia had shown up at the worst possible time. If he’d had an extra few minutes, he might have been able to distract that darn mare from her childish hunt, but as it was, she had left even more determined than ever. In the end, he’d ‘let slip’ that the receptionist had access to the file room, which gave him a few minutes of reprieve.

“Psych?” said a stallion standing in his doorway.

“Ah, Lush, there you are. Come in.” Psych turned back from the window to face his guest.

“I got that file for you. Octavia, right?” Lush placed the file on the desk.

“Yes, that’s right. Excellent work! Tell me, how did the receptionist react when you asked for it?”

“She was very distracted. Two students walked in behind me and it’s like she forgot I was there.”

“Oh, that’s fortunate. You’ve bought me a valuable few minutes, Lush. Thank you.”

The stallion reddened and scratched the back of his head. “I-it was nothing, Psych. Anytime, really.” With an awkward chuckle, Lush slipped out of the office.

I wonder if his wife knows he’s gay? Psych started to muse before quickly slapping himself. Focus!

“Please today, please today,” he mumbled, opening the file. At the top, Octavia’s birthdate shone like a beacon. Psych grinned, relief flooding his chest like hot chocolate staving off the cold.

Right on cue, the dark-blue-maned behemoth strode into his office once more, with lightning in her eyes. “No more jokes, Psych. She told me only you have the key to the student’s files, and that somepony else had just gone in there. I see you had one of your fool friends retrieve the file right under my nose. Give it to me.” There wasn’t a hint of request in her voice.

“Well,” Psych scratched his chin casually, knowing it would infuriate her, “I don’t really think I can.”

“Excuse me?” Hot damn this mare wasn’t used to not getting what she wanted!

“Because, as of midnight last night, Octavia is a legal adult. You can’t access her private files,” he said, keeping his tone conversational. There was no need for any provocative inflection; his words were all the emphasis he needed.

“As her mother, I–”

“–can ask Octavia for permission to view her files. Seems like that might be a bit difficult considering she’s not here.”

The mare’s lips were pursed. This wasn’t going how she expected it would. “If a child is suspected of having some sort of mental problem, the parents are allowed to go over the file with the psychologist. Octavia clearly isn’t in her right mind.”

Psych snorted. “She seemed fine to me. You know, her psychologist.”

“You’re clearly biased and unable to give a rational opinion.” She was attacking from every angle, unwilling to retreat.

“You’ve mistaken client confidentiality with bias. I’d love to help you out, but my hooves are tied on this one. Sorry, madam. It’s the law.”

Finally, the mare fell silent. She simply glared at him, those hateful eyes making him more than a little nervous. “You will regret this, Psych. I hope you don’t like working here.” With that, she turned and stormed out into the hallway, vanishing from sight.

The danger finally over, Psych sunk into his armchair, letting out a long breath he didn’t even realise he had been holding. A grin split his lips suddenly, and despite the fact he knew he was going to regret every word he said, he couldn’t help but giggle softly and recline back.

“Oh my goodness, that was better than sex!”