She Could Make Hell Feel Just Like Home

Tony and Jaime both unfolded the large table the boys had in their trailer outside, setting out chairs for everyone. Mike set down the last chair, then stretched, yawning.
“Should I go get the Sirens?” He asked. Tony shrugged as Jaime peaked his head into the bus, then gave him a thumbs up.
“Go fetch the others!” Jaime called as Vic came out, carrying a bowl of eggs and another bowl filled with hashbrowns. Aria came out behind him with a syrup jug in her teeth, a plate with pancakes and a plate of sausage and bacon.
“Jaime, Tony, could you grab the plates and the food I made for Tony and Kellin?” Aria asked, setting down the food. They both went inside to grab the plates. “Vic, glasses.” Aria told him and they both went back inside. Vic grabbed all the glasses they had and Aria grabbed milk and orange juice. Tony was carrying another plate with tofu bacon and sausage, along with a vegan breakfast burritos. Jaime was balancing the plates on his head.
“Dude, don’t drop those.” Vic cautioned as they walked outside. Mike, Gabe, Justin, Jesse and Jack were all sitting down, staring at the mountains of food.
“Where’s Kellin?” Jaime asked, setting down the plates as Aria moved to spread them out, setting a fork down next to each of the plates.
“He’ll be out in a second, he’s just going to the bathroom.” Jesse said. Just then, a loud shriek pierced the air and Kellin stormed out of the bus, pointing at his face and shouting incoherently.
“You drew on my face. YOU DREW ON MY FACE.” He screamed. A moustache and goatee were crudely drawn on Kellin’s face.
“You just look like Beatus.” Vic pointed out, trying not to laugh. Kellin glowered at him and crossed his arms.
“Beatus has a fake mustache. Not one drawn on him in permanent marker.” He pointed out.
“Relax Kels, its waterproof mascara. Come on.” Aria said, pulling him onto their bus to clean it off. Mike looked from one person to another and then at the food.
“Do we have to wait or can we eat?” He asked.
“We wait.” Vic told him calmly. Mike crossed him arms, pouting.
Kellin came out a minute later, wiping his face dry on his t-shirt and glaring at Vic.
“I cannot believe you did that.” Vic held up his hands and laughed.
“It wasn’t my idea. It was Aria’s. You’re the one whose always trying to be Mexican, so we just gave you a Mexican stache. I can’t believe you didn’t like it.” Aria came out then, sitting down next to Vic.
“Why isn’t anyone eating?” She asked, looking at the empty plates and the full bowls of food. Mike gaped at Vic and Aria.
“Vic told us to wait and you wanted us to eat and life just isn’t fair.” He whined. Aria gestured at the food.
“Go for it.” Aria said, then leapt up and snagged the spatula and doled hashbrowns onto her plate and stabbed two pancakes, slamming them onto her plate. Mike let out a squeak of horror, then dove in also. Everyone else stared momentarily, then followed suit until everyone had food on their plates.
The table fell silent as everyone ate, minus Mike and Jaime groaning and moaning as they ate. Vic and Tony both stared at them until they paused.
“Can you be a little quieter? It’s a tad embarrassing listening to you.” Tony said, cutting into a pancake.
“I’m sorry, I’m trying to show Vic’s girlfriend some appreciation.” Mike said.
“A good idea would be to thank her instead of sounding like a pack of gorillas.” Kellin pointed out, gesturing with the vegetarian burritos Aria had made.
“I would prefer a simple thanks.” Aria muttered, taking a sip of orange juice.
“Picky picky.” Mike said, then dug into his heap of bacon.

~~
Aria leaned against Vic as he wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder. She breathed out and shut off the water in the sink, turning around and wrapping easing against him, encircling his neck with her arms.
“Apartment or house?” He breathed, easing her back so they were an arm’s length apart. Aria fidgeted and pulled on a strand of his hair before shrugging.
“Doesn’t really matter to me, I’m happy wherever I am with you.” She smiled as Vic ran a hand over her hair, smoothing it down.
“What about a box then?” He said and Aria threw back her head, laughing.
“As long it was big enough for when your boys come crashing in.” Vic let her go and gestured towards his computer. “Sit your ass down honey.” He ordered. Aria sat down on the couch, pulling his laptop onto her lap as Vic sat down next to her and took it from her. He typed in a password and pulled up the internet.
“Whats your background?” Aria asked, prying the computer from him and closing the internet. “I’m your background.” She stated, staring at the picture of herself. “When did you take this?”
“Not me. Some fan took it at the show on your birthday. It was during a part where I was singing and you were grinning at me like an idiot.”
“I was looking at Jaime actually.” Aria countered as Vic took the laptop back. Vic frowned and pinched her hand.
“Hush your face or I’ll get a box for you and I’ll live in a mansion.” Vic laughed. Aria bit his shoulder and scooted onto his lap so she could see better.
“Other way around.” She giggled as Vic pulled up a site of real estate near her college. “Vic, I thought we were going to rent.” She murmured. Vic looked down at her and shrugged in response.
“Let’s just see what’s out there.”
“Its my last year, and then I’m moving to another college for graduate school, so lets not buy a house. Rent.” Aria said gently.
“I thought for a minute you didn’t want to buy with me because you don’t love me.” Vic teased.
“Don’t be stupid. You know I love you.” Aria answered, pulling up the tab of houses for rent. “Nothing big either.”
“Mike was right, you are picky.”
“I am not. I just like things simple.”
“You’re dating a celebrity, we’re gonna have a big house.” Vic told her, rubbing her knee as a page loaded for a three bedroom house.
“Sorry to tell you, but you’re not exactly famous outside of the punk world.” Aria murmured, looking at the house.
“Not important.” Vic said, clicking through the pictures as Jaime opened the door and came in, plopping down next to them and putting his head on Vic’s shoulder.
“What’re you doing?” He asked finally, as Vic opened a page for a different house.
“Looking at houses for me and Aria this fall.” Vic answered as Aria shook her head and took over the mouse, steering it down half a page and clicking on a two bedroom house.
“Wait, what?” Jaime asked, shoving the computer down and gaping at both of them. “You’re moving in together!?”
“Uh yeah, over the fall. We’re not touring, so I figured I’d stay with her while she finishes school, then drag her to Cali.” Aria glanced back at him, confused. “Kidding babe, kidding.”
“For some odd reason, I doubt that.” Aria muttered, pulling the laptop back open and waiting for Vic to type in the password.
“So you’re going to move across the country for her.” Jaime stated. “Not that there’s anything wrong with you Aria, this is just a really big step.”
“None taken Jaime. I understand.”
“Look Jaime, can you just keep this to yourself? I know they need to know eventually, but I’d like to be the ones to tell them. I was going to tell all of you tonight, but…” Vic glared at him and Jaime smiled.
“This one, right here. This is it.” Aria said, grabbing Vic’s face and dragging it to look at the house she was looking at. “This one is perfect.” She said, jabbing her other hand at the screen. Jaime leaned over and looked at it, then nodded.
“I like it. Preciado seal of approval.” Jaime said, patting Vic on the back before getting up and walking into the bathroom.
“Ok babe, what about this house?” He said, turning his attention back to the computer and studying the house. It was a small two story house ten miles away from the college with a decent sized yard that stretched into the back.
“It’s perfect. Its close to my college, it has a basement that’s sound-proof, its small but not too small and its got this cute little yard.” Aria looked hopefully up at Vic. “What do you think?”
Vic looked at the house, studying the pictures and the description, pausing and tapping the keyboard as he thought. Aria twisted the hem of her shirt as she waited for his answer.
“Hand me my phone love.” He finally said and held out a hand. Aria got off his lap and got his phone from the counter and handed it to him. “Can you run outside and ask Mike to call the bank and wait for him to tell you a number, then run back in here and give it to me?” Vic asked, tapping some numbers onto his phone. He looked up at Aria and lifted an eyebrow, then gestured for her to do it, Aria stuck her tongue out at him, then headed out the door.
“Mike?” Aria hollered as she stepped outside. She crossed her arms against the wind and walked towards the Siren’s bus. Mike was leaning against the side of their bus with his phone out in his hands, tapping a message onto the keyboard.
“What’s up?” He asked when he saw her.
“Vic wants you to call the bank and get some number, then tell me what it is and then I get to run back inside.” Aria explained. Mike grinned and shrugged off the hoodie he wore, handing it to her.
“No problem.” He said, scrolling through his numbers and putting the phone to his ear. “Go ask Kellin if he wants to go get food anywhere.” Mike asked before turning and walking towards their bus. Aria threw up her hands and went onto Kellin’s bus, where the boys were all clustered around the TV.
“Uhm, Mike wants to know of you want to go get food.” Aria said. Kellin spun around and threw an arm around her shoulder.
“Hey Ariel, well, we’re not going to need any food. We’re going to have food here, my treat.” He smiled, clapping her on the shoulder. “Tell the brothers.” He said, releasing her as her phone went off with a text from Mike, telling her to go back to the bus. Aria left Kellin’s bus and went back into their trailer. Mike was no where to be seen, only Vic, sitting on the couch with no laptop in sight.
“Ms. Torres, we officially have a house. Well, at least for the next eight months.” He said, smiling at her widely. Aria felt a grin spread across her face as she leapt into his arms, her whole body warm with excitement at the thought of them living in the same house.