A Scratched Orchard

by BaronVonStallion

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After a half an hour of walking, Vinyl’s party arrived at a tall, gray building, surrounded by more tall, gray buildings. The only thing separating this particular building from the rest was a long neon sign that hung above the entrance. The blue tubes on the sign spelled “Hystérie.” Loud music rocked from inside, slightly muffled by the stone walls. After enduring a quick I.D. check, the group entered the strange-looking club. A wide, mostly full dance floor stood between the DJ and the entrance. A stainless steel bar with blue neon lighting ran along the right wall, with mostly occupied glass stools in front of it. The group scooted over to a small booth on the left side and wedged in, not wanting to get pushed into the crowd just yet. The booth cusions were well-used, slightly giving with their weight.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Caramel shouted. He voice was still over powered by the deep electronica. Vinyl and Mac nodded, while Cheerilee just smiled. Flitter crossed her arms, frowning.

“How are we supposed to hear each other? I can barely talk to the person next to me!” she moaned.

Mac turned to his girlfriend. “That ain’t really the point, babe.”

“Then what is the point?”

“Ah think it's so you don’t have to hear each other” he mumbled quietly to himself. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quiet enough. Flitter snapped her head towards Mac, her eyes glaring angrily at him. She stood up, standing at the end of the table.

“I’m getting something to drink” she said, stomping over to the bar.

Shiiiit. Mac sighed, getting up too. “I’ll be back” he said, heading in the same direction. He slinked through the crowd cautiously, trying not to knock into anyone. By the time he reached the bar, he caught sight of Flitter, sitting near the edge of the bar, drink in hand. He started to approach her, and suddenly Macintosh noticed she wasn’t alone. A short, skinny man with blonde hair was talking with her. He was getting rather close, too.

Mac strode up to his girlfriend, not quite angry, but... curious, to say the least. “Hey, Flitter. Mind introducin’ me to yer friend?”

---

After that little scene, Vinyl walked with Caramel and Cheerilee to the bar. She looked behind the server, astonished at the selection. She’d seen enough bars to know what a good selection was, but this... there were at least ten unrecognizable types of liquor in each category. Vinyl wasn’t one for beer; the amount of alcohol wasn’t enough for her to excuse the taste.

“Umm... give me... a gin and tonic.” The bartender nodded silently, retreating to another part of the bar. As Vinyl waited for her drink, she spotted Mac and Flitter in a heated discussion. It saddened her a bit; as much as she wanted Flitter out of her (and Mac’s) life, she hated to see Mac upset. She watched him stomp away through the crowd to a door near the back, past the DJ booth. It was strange to see Macintosh react so strongly.

“Yo” said a raspy voice from her back. “Here ya go.” The bartender handed Vinyl a small glass filled with a clear liquid.

“Thanks” she said, quickly slipping through the crowd towards Flitter. I’ve had just about enough of her ruining our trip. Vinyl passed through the dance area, deftly spinning and turned around the oblivious clubbers. As she approached her rival, she saw something she really wished she hadn’t. The sight put a pit in the bottom of her stomach and flared the hairs on her neck in anger.

“Flitter, what the hell!?”

Vinyl’s outburst cut short the make-out session between Flitter and some blonde-haired man. Flitter was sitting in his lap rather awkwardly; her arms were wrapped around the stranger’s shoulders in the same way she held onto Macintosh, just another slight in Vinyl’s mind. The two looked up from at Vinyl; the man with an irritated expression, and Flitter with a look of horror. “You manipulative little shit!”

“W-What? No I-”

Vinyl didn’t give her a chance to explain. “No, that’s it!” I’ve put up with your snide comments, your low blows, and your stupid mug for long enough! As soon as I tell Mac about this,- !”

“Wait!” Flitter stood up, standing up straight in front of Vinyl. “I don’t think either of us want that!”

“And why not?”

“Well,” Flitter started, “If you were to tell Mac about this tryst, don’t you think he might get a little suspicious of your motivation?” She slid up to Vinyl, wickedly grinning.

“Oh, please” Vinyl chuckled. “Mac knows me better than that.”

“Does he?” Flitter sneered. “It’s obvious to everyone that you’re into him, and he just might take that the wrong way.”

Vinyl glared at Flitter, grinding her teeth together. But on the inside, she was worried. ...Fuck! She... She might actually be right. I haven’t exactly kept my feelings close to the vest, and I don’t want him to mix that up with the truth. But, I can’t keep this from Mac. Unsure of what to do, she backed away from Flitter, holding her glare until she was enveloped by the crowd. Vinyl slipped away from the dance-floor, rubbing her temples in frustration. For once, loud house music wasn’t helping her mood. Spotting the door Mac had exited to her left, she walked over and opened it, hoping to find him somewhere inside. That, or at least a place to clear her head.

A set of stairs sat at the base of the door, which led to a second story balcony. The balcony ran along the backside of the building, where a stone canal lay below. A few iron tables with matching iron chairs sat outside. Though, on a brisk night like tonight, none were being used. Only one person occupied the awning, but at least he was a familiar face. Mac was leaning against the black railing, which stopped just above his waistline. A cool breeze tousled his hair and the tips of his jacket.

“Hey there” she said, leaning against the railing next to Mac. The lights of the city spotted the skyline, showing up like little earthbound stars. The night sky was dark and clear enough to see actual stars, but due to light pollution, the city wouldn’t allow for it.

“Hey there” Macintosh responded quietly.

Silence prevailed as the two stared out into the night. The only sounds were the muffled beat of the song inside the club, a slight whistle of wind and the sloshing sounds of canal water flowing with it’s current. Mac took a drink from his glass, a brown liquid with two ice cubes.

“What’cha got there?” Vinyl asked.

“Whiskey, Ah think. Jus‘ asked fer the strongest thing he had.”

Vinyl laughed. “Well that isn’t cliche or anything. Though I doubt that’ll someone as big as you’ll get buzzed.” She scooted a little closer to Mac, and took a sip of her own drink. “So....

“So?”

Vinyl took a deep breath. “So, you okay? I saw you and Flitter...” she trailed off, leaving Mac to fill in the blanks.

Mac sighed. “Ya saw all that?”

“Yup.”

“Crap.” Mac took another drink. “Ah just... Ah don‘ know what Ah did. Shoulda kept mah damn mouth shut!”

Vinyl was a little surprised at his outburst; he never been that vocal about his relationship before. He'd usually say everything was fine, regardless of whether it actually was or not. “Did... did she say or do anything to help you understand her?” Vinyl asked anxiously. “I don’t know if I’m the best one to talk to about this stuff...” she added.

“No” said Mac, gulping down his drink quickly. “Ah... Ah want to. W-With you, Ah mean, if that’s alright. Ah don’ wanna bring down the mood with mah problems.”

Vinyl visibly blushed, smiling. “Of course, dude. It was gettin’ boring without you. Let me get you another drink, first.” She made it to the door, but stopped. “Hey Mac” she said, turning back towards Mac. She opened her mouth to tell Macintosh about Flitter’s indiscretion, but something made her stop. She did want Mac to herself, that much was obvious. And no matter how much she knew Mac deserved to know what happened, Vinyl couldn’t get rid of an empty pit she felt. She knew what that feeling was, that emptiness in her gut. It was fear, fear of losing one of the few friends she had. “...Never mind.”

She left Mac on the balcony, heading inside quickly and grabbing another whiskey. She returned outside just as quick, and sat her friend down at one of the unused tables. “Here ya go!” she said, handing the drink to Mac, who swallowed half of it in one sip. “Wow, Mac. Didn't know you could drink.”

He set the drink down, a happy grin on his face, his cheeks a faint pink hue. “Ah can’t. This is actually mah firsh time” he giggled.

Oh god, what have I done!? “M-Mac, why didn’t you tell me!? You’re gonna be smashed!” Vinyl snapped.

“Hey, it’s makin’ it easier fer me ta talk” he said nonchalantly. “Ah don’t normally like talkin’ ‘bout mah feelin’s.” He was slurring his words a little, which added to his accent. Vinyl could follow him easily enough. But it was getting a little more difficult, and she felt it would only get worse from here.

“Okay, I get it.” Vinyl groaned, taking a swig from her own glass. “...Why me, anyhow?”

“Whadda ya mean?”

“Mac, we’ve only been friends for, what, three months now? Why do you wanna talk with me? Wouldn’t Caramel be better for this?”

Mac blinked. “Really, three months? Huh, feels longer... Well, Ah dunno, Ah just trust ya. Ya are mah best friend an’ all. Caramel's great, but... he's family. Ah don't want them finding out about all this ...drama.”

“Really?” Vinyl perked up. “Mac, I’m.... well, honored I guess. I’m glad you can call me that.”

Mac rose his eyebrows. “Vinyl, Ah know ya don’t like bringin’ it up, but... well, something tells me ya didn’t have a whole lotta friends in Canterlot.”

“You’re right. I don’t like bringing it up” Vinyl sighed. She’d talked with Mac once before about Canterlot; she avoided the subject due to her wanting to start fresh somewhat. And the fact that thinking of home always reminded her off her dad. “But, yeah. Canterlot sucked mostly.” Vinyl spat the words, looking away from Mac. “I only had a few friends, none of them at school. I... I got teased a lot. All the way through elementary, up to this year.”

“Why?” Mac asked, leaning forward.

“Hell if I know. Maybe my pale skin, or my hair. Probably ‘cause I had bad eyes. But for whatever reason, they had fun giving me hell.” She crossed her hands under her chest. “Don’t think I’m complaining, though. I gave as good as I got. but... it just got tiring after awhile.” Vinyl stretched out, putting her hands back on the table. “I had friends, sure, but I couldn’t really talk to them about anything important. They're not ...like you.” Vinyl sighed, quite relieved to let al of that out.

Mac reached across the table, placing his hand over Vinyl’s. “Well in mah opinion, them high school kids are the biggest bunch o’ idiots Ah ever heard of.” Vinyl smiled, her stomach turning over as Mac held her hand for the second time that day. Something about that gesture made Vinyl feel safe, it was tender but strong, just like her lug of a friend.

“Thanks Mac” Vinyl said coyly, looking down at the table, “but I thought we were talking about you. How are you doing?”

Mac leaned back, sliding his hand off Vinyl’s and onto his drink. “Ah dunno. It seems like, every time Ah try to add mah two cents, she gits mad.” Mac took another taste of his whiskey. “An‘ fer some reason, half the time we fight it’s about you” he added, chuckling.

“Me?” Vinyl inquired.

“Yeah. Kin ya’ll believe she thought you were jealous o’ her?”

Vinyl’s eyes darted back and forth nervously. “Wha-What? Why would I be jealous?”

“That’s what Ah said!” Mac exclaimed, finishing off his drink. He was tipsy by now, not quite drunk but his inhibitions were dropping fast. He stood up and leaned over the table, his nose nearly pressing into Vinyl’s. “Truth be told, Ah think she should... *hic... be jealous o’ yew.” Vinyl froze, shocked at the words coming out of his mouth.

“Um...I don’t know about that... ” Vinyl blushed furiously.

“Ah do” said Mac with a toothy but charming grin. “She may be slightly skinnier, maybe a bit more athletic, but that’s it. She don’t have a personality like yours, and she certainly isn’t as pretty...” He fell back into his chair with a red face. The liquor was affecting him fairly well by now. He rocked back and placed his elbows on the table, resting his head in his hands and stared straight into Vinyl’s glasses. “...And might Ah add, Ah don’t know if Ah’ve met any girl with a better ass than you. It’s definately yer best asset ” he laughed with a stupid grin at his own pun.

By now, Vinyl swore she could could an egg on her cheeks. “Ahhhh... um... T-Thanks” was all Vinyl could squeak out. She wanted to say all the things she felt about him. How kind he was, how confident he made her feel, the fact that he wasn’t bad-looking at all either. None of those words came to her. Only a warm pressure in her chest, and a little twitch in her left leg.

Mac shot from his chair, his hand gripping the edge of the table. He started bobbing his head to the beat of the muffled song inside the club. “Let’s dance!” he proclaimed, grabbing Vinyl hand. He led her inside; well, pulled her inside would be more accurate. He dragged her down the stairs and onto the dance floor. Before Vinyl could protest, Mac started dancing.

He’s not half bad, Vinyl thought, laughing a little at how easily Mac got tipsy. At least he was limbering up a bit. When Caramel first mentioned going to a nightclub, Mac was against the idea. He didn’t think getting drunk the night before they went home was a smart plan, but Caramel, with Vinyl’s help, convinced him otherwise. Watching him drop it like it’s hot was one thing Vinyl didn’t think she’d see tonight.

“C’mon!” Mac called to her, waving with his hand.

“I’m coming” Vinyl said, sliding through the crowd. She made it to the middle of the floor and started dancing next to Macintosh. The house music playing right now was blasting away at a moderate pace, making for at least decent dancing tunes. Vinyl matched Mac’s movements, following the beat of the bass and enjoying herself thoroughly.

“You’re actually pretty good, Mac.” He just smiled and continued to dance. The dance floor started to crowd up, forcing Vinyl to squeeze in front of Macintosh. As the DJ transitioned to the next song, she stole a glance at Mac. He was looking across the room, a faint smile on his lips. His cheeks were still red, probably from the whiskey.

A low hummed emanated from the speakers, signaling the start of the next song. The crowd cheered, rising their hands up over there head. A quiet synth piano began to play, accompanied by a steady but slow beat. Vinyl quickly realized what song this was, brimming with glee. swayed her hips and rocked her head back and forth. She began to get lost in the music like she normally would, blocking out nearly everything to create a personal escape bubble of sound. Vinyl kept kicking it, swaying and bobbing, even throwing in a grind or two. The flow of the music took hold out her and wouldn’t let go, until she heard a deep gasp behind her.

Vinyl turned around, realizing Mac was at her back the entire time she was dancing. And sure enough, her butt was just level with Mac’s groin. If their earlier talk was been awkward, she didn’t even no what to call this. Mac’s face was really red now, and he was looking away to the side. Vinyl blushed, quite embarrassed about the whole thing. “I’m sorry!” she blurted out. “I... forgot you were back there.”

Mac nervously chuckled a little, making his red face even more so. “....It’s alright. Ah... Ah didn’t mind it so much.”

Vinyl grew a wicked smirk. This is a terrible, terrible idea, bur I might as well have fun with it. “You mean, when I did this?” Vinyl cooed, rubbing her rump back across Mac.

“Y-Yeah, that” Mac managed to squeak out.

“So, I should stop, then?” Vinyl acted contrary to her speech, leaning her back up against Mac’s chest as she kept moving her hips. She pressed her head back into his lower shoulder, looking up into Mac’s gaze. He was clearly enjoying it, and Vinyl felt a bit cruel for messing with him, but the opportunity was too great. He probably wouldn’t remember any of this, and she could act out her inner desires with no repercussions. He did just admit he thought I was hot, Vinyl thought giddily. That’s just the whiskey talking though. Mac didn’t really mean all that. Vinyl eased back on the flirting, but continued to dance with Mac.

---

Mac and Vinyl stumbled out of the club behind Caramel, Cheerilee, and Flitter. After a few more songs, the two grabbed a few drinks for the road, and joined their friends to head back to the hotel. They made their way down the street, tumbling and giggling all the way. Mac had to lean against Vinyl to keep his footing, her having a much greater tolerance for alcohol than him. Vinyl didn’t think she drank that much, but it was apparently more than Mac did. Mac’s cousin and Cheerilee made small talk, and Flitter just huffed angrily as they entered the lobby of their hotel. Nearly falling into the elevator, they hit their floor number and waited uncomfortably.

The small metal box was deathly silent. Flitter was burning a hole through the elevator doors while Macintosh swayed a bit from the movement of the elevator. A light piano played an unknown but familiar tune in the backround. Mac had his arm across Vinyl’s shoulders, slumped over a little from the mix of fatigue and booze. By the time the group reached their floor, Vinyl could almost see steam coming from Flitter’s ears. As she left the elevator, Flitter turned to Mac, a deep scowl on her face.

“Have fun falling on your face!” she hissed, trudging down the hall to her room.

“Well” started Cheerilee, “I think that’s enough excitement for me today. See you guys tomorrow morning.”

“Same here” added Caramel. “Mac, you need help to your room?”

“Nah” he said, lifting his arm off Vinyl. He wobbled a bit, but eventually got his bearings. “Ah... Ah think Ah’m okay.”

“Alright. Goodnight, Scratchy.”

Vinyl waved to Caramel as he left the hall with Cheerilee. She looked to Mac, smirking. “So, today was... eventful, to say the least.” She rubbed her elbow anxiously. “Sorry about all that. I know you wanted to talk tonight. Didn’t really get to that, huh?” she said morosely.

“Don’ worry ‘bout it. Ya did more than ya had to, an’ that’s all Ah kin ask.” He said, leaning against the wall. “Well, ‘night Vinyl.”

“....See ya tomorrow.” Walking to her room, Vinyl seriously considered turning around, grabbing Mac and just planted a kiss on him. This is what I wanted. He pretty much admitted he liked me. He doesn’t like Flitter, at least not right now. Why can’t I just... Vinyl closed her door and collapsed on the bed. I... I can’t. He’s drunk. And even if he really does mean all that, I’m his best friend, officially. That’s like, the impenetrable friend-one area. I might as well be Caramel.

Vinyl’s string of thoughts was interrupted by a knock on her door. Curious, she got up and laid into it. “Who’s there?” she moaned tiredly. The dancing, skating, drinking combo was really starting to wear on her.

“Um, me” said an unmistakable deep bass from the other side. Vinyl cracked the door to see Mac resting against the frame, hanging his head in shame. “Ah... Ah locked mah key in mah room.”

“And what am I suppose to do about it?” Vinyl wasn’t particularly mad at Mac, but it was late, and she’d have just enough teasing for today.

“Well, um... Ah know you don’t have a roommate, so... Ah was wonderin‘ if Ah could use the other bed.”

Vinyl slid the door open a little further. “Mac, there’s only one bed in here.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him in. “But I think I have an idea.” She closed the door behind them, grabbed a blanket and a few pillows from the bed and laid them out on the couch. “I’ll sleep here, and you can take the bed.”

“Eenope” Mac frowned. “Yer takin‘ me in. Least Ah can do is give you the bed.”

“Mac, you’ll barely fit in that tiny couch. You can have the bed.”

“Ah can’t allow that. It ain’t fair.”

Vinyl huffed. “Well fine then.” She took the pillows off the couch and threw them back on the bed. “If your gonna be so damn stubborn, looks like were gonna hafta share.”

Mac’s eyes went wide, a thin bead of sweat forming on his brow. “Vinyl, we can’t!”

“Well, you wouldn’t give me the couch. And I don’t wanna hear about neck problems from you cause of that tiny thing. Now get in” she commanded. Vinyl slid off her pants and over shirt, revealing a pair of black panties with two bridged eighth notes. She had a white tank top on, fortunately for Mac. He wasn’t sure if he could handle laying next to Vinyl completely in her skivvies.

Mac walked to the other side of the bed, pushing his shoes off and climbing in as well, although very stiffly. He’d never been this far with Flitter, and the whole situation just put him out of his comfort zone. He breathed nervously, a stutter in his stomach as he caught the silhouette of Vinyl’s frame in his periphery.

“You’re not really going sleep like that, are you?” Vinyl asked, trying to hide the hope from her voice. “Dude, we’re responsible adults. Just sleep in whatever you normally do.”

Mac sighed. He would’ve hoped Vinyl didn’t noticed. Not that he didn’t want to disrobe with her there. Woah, slow down there cowboy.. He looked to his left. Vinyl was propped up on her elbows under a thin white sheet. Her hair was unusually messy tonight, and she had a bit of color in her cheeks. Her blue lipstick was smeared ever so slightly, and something about all those things were driving Macintosh wild.

She was the complete opposite of his current girlfriend. She was smart, funny, increasingly talented. Where Flitter was tanned and uniform, Vinyl was pale and imperfect, in the perfect way. She had a mind of her own, a completely unique personality and she wasn’t afraid to show it off. It was one of the things that originally attracted him, and right now her usual gorgeous looks were pushed in overdrive by her disheveled state.

“Ah, well okay. Just fer you, though” Mac spoke with a mischievous grin. He stood up and took his pants off, showing his light green boxers. He took off his shirt next, adding “Sorry Ah don’t have another one.”

Vinyl’s eyes traced the outline of Mac’s body, just as when she walked in on him in his room. She fell back to his scar, now being able to et a good look at it. It sat in the same spot and was about a bit bigger than a large cigar, but she hadn’t noticed how red the skin was. The vein running through it was pulsating, and it was a little gross to her. The surrounding skin that wasn’t beet red was cracked and dark, strangely. She also noticed the same type of scar on Mac’s back.

“Hey, if you don’t mid me asking... how did you get that?” she asked cautiously, pointing at his stomach.

Macintosh fidgeted, looking away from Vinyl. “It’s... well, it’s actually really personal. Ah don’t like rememberin‘ it too much. It... It involves mah pa.” He slid into the bed quickly, extending his legs to their full length and resting his head on one of the fluffy white hotel pillows.

“Okay” Vinyl said. “I understand.”

“Thanks. Maybe another time, okay?”

"Okay" Scratch smiled. She pivoted, shutting off the desk lamp that had illuminated the room. She laid down next to Mac, blue waves of moonlight shining in through the window. It gave everything a calmer, gentler feeling. It helped to slow Vinyl’s heartbeat as she wondered what would happen now.

“Um, Mac” Vinyl nearly whispered.

“Yeah?” he whispered back.

“Okay, don’t freak out, but... I gotta take off my glasses now.” Vinyl took a deep breath, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. Only a few people outside her family had ever seen her real eyes, and they were... less than receptive. She carefully slid off her purple-tinted goggles, and put them in a case on the nightstand.

Holy... Mac’s jaw just about fell off when Vinyl laid back onto her back. She looked to her right, and her ruby red gaze connected with his jade irises. Mac felt like every function in his brain had stopped; no matter what color he had in his mind, nothing could come close to what he was looking at right now.

“Um, could ya stop staring? It’s kinda embarrassing...” Mac shook his head, snapping back to reality. He smiled sheepishly, mentally chastising himself for making Vinyl uncomfortable.

“Sorry, it’s just...”

Vinyl frowned. “I know. I’ve heard it all before. I, ah... just thought maybe they wouldn’t bug you.” She felt her chest tighten, her eyes had freaked Mac out. Damn it, n-not again, she thought. Stupid eyes... Vinyl fought back a tear as she turned to her side, facing away from Mac. It’s weird, she thought. Around anyone else, i’d just give ‘em the finger and by on my way. But him...

“Vinyl, are ya’ll okay?” Mac leaned over and placed his hand on her shoulder, felling her shudder under it.

Just gonna make this harder, aren’t ya? Vinyl flipped onto her back, stared up into his eyes again. “I just... it’s hard for me to show these puppies off” she said with a laugh that carried no happiness.

“Vinyl” Mac spoke warmly, “Ah would like to recanter one o‘ mah earlier statements. Yer butt isn’t your best feature, not by a long shot now. Those gems you’ve got are prettier than the shiniest apple in anyone’s orchard.” Mac propped up on his left hand, moving his right from Vinyl’s shoulder to the side of her neck, rubbing her cheek with his thumb.

“Mac...?” Vinyl breathed. She scanned his his face, looking for any sign of a lie. She found none, just like she’d hoped. Vinyl watched as he slowly moved his head down towards hers, his eyelids gently closing. She rose up to meet him, until their lips were mere centimeters apart. She could feel the heat from his breath fall down her chest, making her shiver.

“Dammit” Mac uttered, and he stopped rubbing Vinyl’s cheek.

“What? What is it?” Vinyl asked, not caring to keep the desperation out of her voice.

“Ah... Ah can’t. I’m technically still... taken.” Mac pulled his head away and opened his eyes, a look of genuine sadness on his face. He rolled onto his back and threw his arms to the side. “Ah’m sorry.”

Vinyl let out the air she was holding in. “It’s okay dude. At least I know you’re faithful.” The tightness in her chest let her know that it wasn’t okay. She knew Mac didn’t mean to tease her like that, but getting so close, just to have him pull back at the last second was unbearable. Vinyl rolled onto her right side, facing Mac. Should try to save some face. “I can’t really blame you, can I? I did make you sleep in here.”

Mac chuckled. “Still, Ah shouldn’t done all that. Didn’t mean to ...well, lead you on, Ah guess.”

Vinyl bit her bottom lip, peeking at Mac from the covers. “So, I just wanna know... did you really mean all that? Or was it-?”

“Every word” Mac interrupted. “Ah would never lie like that to you.”

Vinyl grinned. “I know, I just figured you were drunk.”

“Hey” Mac whined. “Ah’m not that drunk.”

Vinyl wrapped her arms around Mac’s chest, laying her head under his chin. “Sure ya aren’t. And... thanks. I don’t mean to be all mushy, but it’s nice to hear that once in a while” she breathed.

“Ya know, mushy stuff is good once in a while. I like mushy. Applesauce is mushy” He said, eliciting a giggle from his friend. Mac waited for her to let go, but it soon became clear that wasn’t going to happen. “Um... ya gonna stay like that all night?”

“Eeyup” she teased. “You’re warm. And it’s not like this is cheating.”

Macintosh squeezed his left arm under Scratch to return the hug, putting his hands on the small of her back. “Works for me.”

---

“Ugh god, mah head” Mac rubbed his temples trying to ease the throbbing in his head. He attempted to sit up, but his arm was wrapped around something warm. Plus, the pounding in his head was making it hard to see straight, let alone climb out of bed. He put his head back and peeked down. His wides shot open, seeing Vinyl snuggling up against him. She stirred, rubbing her head against his neck and tightening her grip around his ribs.

What the hell! What happened last night?! Mac racked his brain, segments of the previous night being quite fuzzy. He remembered going to the club and getting in a fight with Flitter, but over what he wasn’t sure. Then Ah went outside, and Ah... oh my. Ah can’t believe Ah said all that. Mac became red-faced, trying to control his breathing. Ah hope Ah didn’t...

“Morning” Vinyl croaked. Her voice was dry from sleeping with her mouth open, and it hurt to talk. She coughed lightly and opened her eyes, winking at Mac. “How’d you sleep?”

Mac caught Vinyl’s gaze, his memory still returning to him. Okay, Ah... lost mah room key, and then, ...something happened. A look of realization ran through his face as yesterday’s events returned to him. Ah almost kissed Vinyl! “Pretty good.” Mac failed to keep the smile off his lips. “And sorry again fer gettin’ carried away.”

Vinyl sat up and patted him on the chest. “Don’t worry about it.” She slid out of bed and stretched, cracking her neck and back. she looked in the mirror, laughing at her awful bed-head. “Hey” she turned to Macintosh; he was sitting against the headboard now, still holding his head, “Do you want the first shower, or can I take it?”

Mac looked up. “Well we already shared a bed, might as well just get in together.”

Vinyl heart stopped in her chest. “Whaaaaa?” She blushed for what felt like the millionth time recently and fell into the door frame of the bathroom. “I thought the booze would’ve worn off by now!”

“What?” Mac shrugged. “We used ta do it on the farm all the time.”

Vinyl rubbed the back of her neck nervously. “Well, I guess it would save time... but I dunno...” Vinyl contemplated the extreme risks to doing what Mac suggested, until she heard something coming from the bed.

Mac snickered deeply. “That’s fer the little dancing stunt in the club. Ya’ll don’t think Ah forgot about that?”

“There’s a special place in hell for you, Mac. Just know that.”

---

Mac grabbed his brown wool coat from the floor, shaking it off before he put it on. “So, Ah think it goes without saying...”

“...That we shouldn’t mention this to anyone? Already a step ahead of ya.” Vinyl grabbed her glasses and slid them up the bridge of her nose. “Also, I gots a question for ya. Why didn’t you go to Flitter’s room?”

“Honestly?” Mac quipped, “Didn’t cross mah mind. An’ Ah did knock on mah own room, but Noteworthy must’ve been sleepin’.”

“Noteworthy?”

“Yeah. Sophomore kid, blue hair and hazel eyes. Nice guy, bit on the quiet side.”

“Like you can talk. Most people have heard parrots that talk more than you.” As Mac helped Vinyl gather up her things, he couldn’t help but imagine the eyes that Vinyl liked to hide so much.

“Ah know ya think to need to, but it’s a shame you hide your eyes so much.” He picked up Vinyl’s final bag and met her at the door.

“Okay, you need to stop complimenting me. I think my face’ll explode if you don’t.” The two shared a laugh as Mac walked out first, letting Vinyl lock the door behind him.”Also, ‘Prettier than the shiniest apple?’ Dude, that was totally cheesy.”

“Hey!” Mac scoffed. “Ah’ll have you know that’s a wonderful compliment, comin’ from an apple farmer.”

“Maybe so” Vinyl laughed. “Hey, don’t you need to get your stuff?” she asked.

“Ah just gotta get mah boots and...” Mac froze, his face locked in fear. “Um, heyyyyy Roseluck.”

Vinyl spun around to see a maroon haired girl standing in the hall, her hand on the door. She had medium length hair, and was wearing a cream colored t-shirt, white cargo shorts with a deep, knowing smirk across her face. She scampered into her room and slammed the door, a faint giggle coming from the other side.

“Oh, this is bad.”

“Eeyup.”

Vinyl clutched Mac’s arm, gaping up at him. “Please, please tell me there’s a chance she won’t say anything?”

Mac hid his eyes under his bangs, staring down at the floor. He shuffled in place, eventually sighed in defeat. “Considering she’s the biggest gossip in school, Ah’m gonna say.... Eenope.”

---

The ride home was awkward. Vinyl sat next to Cheerilee and caramel, re-living the events of the past two days. The two helped keep her mind off to Mac and what happened in the morning. Caramel was discussing one of the art pieces scattered around Manetreal, trying to convince Cheerilee that modern art was nothing more than bended metal.

“So, you guys definitely had fun then” Vinyl remarked.

“Oh yeah!” the two responded simultaneously. “Didn’t you? I loved all of it; the history, the skating, even the bar had it’s charm.” Cheerilee was true to her name, making Vinyl wonder if anything could get her down.

“Yeah, I have to say that club was quite awesome” added Caramel. “I thought you would’ve liked that.”

Vinyl Scratch smiled. “Ya know what? I did. It was a bit stressful, but yeah, I have fun.”

Unfortunately for Mac, his ride back was less wonderful. The bumping and rocking were throwing his hangover into high gear, and Flitter’s passive-aggressiveness wasn’t doing a damn thing to help. She was quite obviously still pissed, and was actually being vocal about her distaste for Mac’s DJ friend for once.

“Ughhh... This is what you get for drinking, Macintosh.” She scratched under her nails, keeping her gaze away from him. “I bet Scratch gave you all that, didn’t she? You can admit it, I saw her grabbing a bunch of drinks. Why you hang out with her is beyond me; It’s not like I would’ve keep you out of trouble or anything” she quipped.

Mac semi-tuned her out, enough to get the gist of whatever she was saying. He caught Roseluck peeking at him sneakily, and he glared at her until she turned around. Mac looked behind him, seeing Vinyl laugh with the rest of their friends.

“Mac, I hope you learned something from all this” Flitter scolded, tossing her gaze away from him and scoffing.

He sat back and smiled. Yeah, Ah think Ah did.

Comments

[Axel IV]

Huzzah! Great update this story is awesome I hope you know! Can't wait for the next chapter!

[Iron Sides]

great story bro!

[Aluminaughty]

Dang...........that was awesome

[BorderPatrol]

Oh man, this is good.

[BaronVonStallion]

1301330
1300968

Thanks guys!

[HighCutman]

mooar now!!

[MightyBigMacintosh]

1320923 Seconded

[NowhereBlackout]

A set of stairs sat at the base of the door, which led to a second story baloney. The baloney ran along the backside of the building, where a stone canal lay below.

I think you meant "balcony".

Ah don’ wanna bring down the mod with mah problems.”

I think you meant mood.
Other than that...
I LOVE IT!!

[flame5768]

cool

[flame5768]

flitter is a bitch