The bathroom tile was incredibly cold, cold enough to give Vinyl Scratch goosebumps despite being against a warm body. She opened her eyes to see herself staring back at her in the full length mirror. Vinyl took a deep, shaky breath, letting the familiar chemicals invade her nostrils.
“You’re going to have to take your glasses off.” Octavia quietly said as she ran a gloved hoof through Vinyl’s mane. Their eyes met in the mirror. Well, Octavia’s eyes met the purple lenses of Vinyl’s signature glasses. Vinyl bit her lip. Octavia cocked her head.
“Look, I can just do it myself. I’ve been dyeing my mane since I was a filly.” Vinyl protested as she moved to stand up. Octavia firmly pushed her back down.
Vinyl sighed as the cramped bathroom’s temperature seemed to drop even further. She suddenly felt silly and plain without her usual eccentric look, compared to her marefriend’s natural elegance. Octavia could look elegant anywhere. Vinyl instinctively ran a hoof through her dark blue mane. She knew what she wanted to say, yet the words seemed to be elusive.
“I... I trust you, Tavi. That’s why I’m letting you do this. Because I need to show you more trust. I usually don’t even let people touch my mane.” Vinyl said to Octavia’s reflection. “But... I never, ever take off my glasses. Ever. And you know that. And I still trust you and everything.” Octavia simply looked downwards, causing Vinyl’s stomach to drop.
“Vinyl... please.” Octavia sounded as if she barely had the strength to speak. Vinyl took another shaky breath and surrounded her glasses with a magical blue aura, blurring her vision. They both heard the soft click of the glasses on the tile. With a small smile, Octavia looked up at the reflection of her marefriend to finally see her eyes... shut. Octavia couldn't take it.
“God, Vinyl, it’s as if you’re a foal. You're so damn stubborn. I’m in love with you, and you can’t even trust me enough to show me your eyes. I love you. Do you honestly think I’m going to judge you for that? I don't believe you.” Vinyl remained silent as her eyes filled with tears, stinging them, as Octavia's quiet but intense voice pierced into her. Reflexively, she opened her eyes, only to see something she hadn’t seen in years. She left them open, almost dumbfounded. Frozen. She’d almost forgotten. Octavia gasped a little as tears continued to stream down Vinyl’s cheeks. The two sat there, Octavia on the edge of the tub, for what seemed like an eternity. Almost frozen in time, just staring. Breathing. Blinking. Silence. Eyes met eyes for the first time. A rush of emotions that will never have the words to be put on paper. Staring. Breathing. Blinking. Silence.
Vinyl stood in front of the mirror, a blue-enveloped hairbrush running through her mane. She bowed her head a bit to check for any spots Octavia missed. Her marefriend had been diligent, especially after what Vinyl had done for her. Octavia stepped into the bathroom, her hooves echoing softly on the tile. Vinyl turned around to greet her.
“Thank you.” Octavia said as she wrapped her hooves around Vinyl’s neck. A bit startled, Vinyl dropped the hairbrush. Octavia jumped slightly as it hit the floor, pulling herself closer to Vinyl.
“Shh, Tavi...” Vinyl whispered as she nuzzled into her marefriend’s neck.
“I love you for who you are.” Octavia reassured Vinyl. “As cliché as it sounds.” Vinyl sniffled again, tears welling back up in her eyes. Tavi let go and put her face so it was almost touching Vinyl’s. She tried looking through the glasses to see Vinyl’s eyes, but as usual, all she could see was purple. But the difference was: Octavia now understood why. She smiled slightly at her marefriend, and it wasn’t far to go for a kiss.
Octavia had seen Vinyl’s eyes, and hadn’t cared. It made Vinyl unsure of why she’d kept them hidden for so long. She’d barely formed this thought before the memories flooded back. No, not flooded, trickled. A slow enough drip for Vinyl to divert the flow. She’d be fine. But then again, Octavia loved her. Not everyone did. But the world seemed so... unchanged, even after her biggest secret was revealed. The bathroom floor was still chilled, the dye still smelled like death, and Octavia was still Octavia. Combing dye carefully through small sections of Vinyl’s mane. Octavia was surprisingly skilled at it, but then again, she done it before. Even with magic, Vinyl always found it hard dyeing her own tail, though her mane was a breeze. A sort of serenity washed over the both of them. Vinyl felt oddly philosophical, though that could’ve just been the chemicals.
“So you really don’t think any differently of me?” Vinyl asked hesitantly.
“Mmm-mm.” Octavia said, unable to speak due to the comb in her mouth. She set it down. “Well, that’s not true. I think a lot better of you now. I’m just happy you trust me completely.” Vinyl shut her eyes and smiled as shivers went up her spine. It was if she had been chained to a wall her whole life, and was suddenly set free. Vinyl wasn’t the best at metaphors. Or was that an analogy? She could never tell.
“Okay, it’s finished.” Octavia broke the jumble in Vinyl’s mind. Vinyl smiled and turned around, craning her neck to get a better view of her bluer tail. She turned her head to thank Octavia, but was silenced by a simple kiss. They’d kissed before. A lot, actually. But there was almost... relief in this kiss, from both parties. In a quick peck.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
