“I don’t really want to talk about her anymore,” Tony mumbled shyly, staring at the same spot on the floor.

“Of course, dude,” Vic said understandingly. He smiled sympathetically at Tony, letting him know that everything was going to be okay. From what Vic heard, Tris sounded like a nice girl, and although he was itching to find out where their relationship went wrong, he wasn’t going to press the subject any further.

“My brother should be home soon. Do you want to hang out with us? He’s bringing home Taco Bell,” Vic suggested, eying Tony’s small frame. Vic was smaller than Tony height wise, but Tony looked unhealthily skinny, as if he hasn’t eaten in weeks. He probably hasn’t, Vic realized as an afterthought.

“Er, I don’t want to intrude,” Tony said lowly, feeling once again like he was a huge burden.

“You’re not, I promise,” Vic said, meaning his words genuinely. Besides, the previous day, when Vic had decided to check on his hermit of a neighbor, Vic had also noticed how trashed Tony’s house was. He didn’t get a good look before Tony had shut the door on him, but he saw the darkness of the house and the flickering of glass bottles lying around. This was enough for Vic to see that Tony would be better off out of that house.

“I, uh, okay,” Tony conceded, shrugging his shoulders. In all honesty, Tony was afraid to go back to his house, afraid that the half empty bottles would taunt him, afraid that he would slip back into an endless state of drunkenness.

“Sweet,” Vic smiled happily, pleased that Tony would stay.

As if on cue, Vic’s front door swung open, an energetic and breathless Mike barreling through the door. Tony tensed up uncomfortably.

“Hey brotha,” Mike nodded at Vic’s presence, not noticing Tony at first. “I got Taco Bell,” Mike said, his back to the other two men while he put the bags on the counter. “I’m thinking about having Jaime over tonight. That way we can discuss things,” Mike said, turning around swiftly to join his brother in the living room. “Oh, hey there,” Mike stopped and noticed Tony, smiling awkwardly and wondering who the hell this was.

“Hey, how’s it going,” Tony said, trying his best to sound nice.

“Mike, this is Tony. He’s our neighbor. Tony, this is my fucktard of a brother, Mike,” Vic introduced the two, a small grin playing on his lips until Mike punched Vic in the arm.

“Excuse his immaturity, please,” Mike said to Tony. Vic frowned, rubbing the sore spot on his arm.

“Dude, that actually hurt,” Vic whined.

“Aw, grow up, little man,” Mike grinned, ruffling Vic’s hair. Tony just stared at the brothers, not sure what to make of them. He got the vibe that they were just messing around, but he couldn’t be sure. Nonetheless, he was beginning to get uncomfortable. Tony hadn’t realized how bad he was with a group of people until now, even if it was just a small group.

Vic noticed Tony’s apprehension, and he gave Mike a look. Mike calmed down a bit—enough to make Tony feel comfortable, but not enough to make what they were doing obvious. Tony didn’t notice their efforts, but he did feel a little more relaxed. Mike’s initial hyper activity just shocked him—given that Vic had seemed to be a quiet person— that was all. Tony just wasn’t used to so much normal activity; he’s spent so much time depressed.

“So,” Mike plopped down onto Vic’s lap, causing Vic to groan in pain.

“Dude, seriously,” Vic pushed on Mike’s back as he felt like he was being flattened. After a quick struggle, Vic had successfully pushed Mike onto the floor. Tony couldn’t help but smile at the pair—they seemed like they were good brothers, despite their mock fighting. Tony already admired the two guys, wishing that he had a brother he could goof off with.

As things calmed down, Mike’s mind drifted to the stranger in his living room. He has never seen him before, and wondered what he was all about. Mike didn’t stare, though, not wanting to make him even more uncomfortable than he was already. Instead, Mike stood up and walked to the kitchen.

“Taco Time,” Mike grinned at himself, rubbing his palms together mischievously as he eyed the bag of tacos.

Vic was much more observant than Mike, which was why he knew Tony was their neighbor. Mike didn’t have a clue and he probably would have never figured it out if Vic hadn’t of told him. Vic sighed, standing up and stretching his sore limbs.

“What did you do today?” Vic asked his brother as he walked into the kitchen, motioning for Tony to follow.

“Work, mostly,” Mike grumbled. He hated his job for the sole reason of it being taunting. He worked at a venue, preparing the stages for bands during the day and working the bar at night. It was painful for Mike because he wanted to be the one on the stage, not the one cleaning the stage. His job made him feel very diminished, like his dream was standing three feet away from him, but there was a bullet proof piece of glass in the way.

“Do you work tonight?” Vic inquired.

“Nah, I’m off. Which is why I think we should invite Himes over,” Mike pressed, bringing up the Jaime topic again. Jaime was the bassist that Mike had discovered at his job, and he wanted to work a deal out with him.

Vic furrowed his eyebrows, reluctant at the idea. It wasn’t that he was against Jaime, and he most definitely wanted to move the band forward, but he was worried about Tony. He didn’t want to make Tony feel unwelcome.

“I don’t know, Mike,” Vic said, taking out a few tacos and passing some to Tony. Tony gazed at the food, and his stomach immediately churned. He hasn’t eaten anything of substance in what felt like forever, and this taco sure looked appetizing.

Mike frowned at Vic’s response, but he didn’t press the subject. He wanted his older brother to be in the right mind when deciding about Jaime.

“Dig in, buddy,” Vic grinned, patting Tony on the back. Vic dug in himself, and so did Mike, all three of them eating the delicious Mexican food in peaceful silence.

Tony only had one taco, afraid that his stomach wouldn’t be able to handle any more food, while Vic had three and Mike had six.

“Fat,” Vic coughed sarcastically at his brother, receiving yet another punch in the arm.

“Damn! That’s the same spot, too,” Vic whined, holding his arm again.

“That’s what you get for disrespecting me,” Mike said properly. Vic squinted his eyes at Mike, and for a few moments they both sat there glaring at each other. They couldn’t handle the seriousness, though, and started to burst out laughing. Tony smiled at the two again, finding the brothers intriguing.

“Tony, do you care if we have another friend over?” Vic suddenly asked, his desire to work things out with the band making itself a priority in his head. He didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

“Of course not,” Tony said approvingly, feeling slightly honored that Vic cared enough to ask.

“Business time,” Mike wiggled his eyebrows, leaving the room momentarily as he dialed Jaime’s number.

Tony tilted his head to the side, confused as to what Mike meant. He didn’t want to butt into their business, though, so he didn’t say anything. Vic, however, noticed Tony’s face slightly twist in wonder.

“Mike and I are in a band,” Vic said, deciding to talk a little about their band. He was proud of it, after all, and he figured Tony would like the distraction.

“Oh, really?” Tony asked, genuinely interested.

“Yeah. We are called Pierce the Veil, and we have an album out already. Just Mike and I recorded it though—he did the drums while I did all of the vocal, guitar, and bass parts. Which brings Jaime in to the picture. We think he might be our bassist,” Vic said, an enormous smile plastered onto his face. Vic couldn’t help but get pumped up talking about his music—it was his passion, and he liked to share it with others.

“That’s really awesome!” Tony said, a real smile forming on his mouth. Tony hasn’t smiled like that in weeks.

“Yeah, it’s exciting. I mean, we have a long road ahead of us, but we’ll see how things turn out,” Vic said dreamily.

Tony nodded. Pierce the Veil. He liked that name, and he wondered what it meant. “What does ‘Pierce the Veil’ mean?” Tony asked.

Vic smiled, feeling rather proud of the name. “It comes from a phrase I learned in my sociology class when I was still in college. It’s kind of an idea that helps me cope with things that I may have otherwise never gotten over. To Pierce the Veil means to go directly to the source of a problem and completely cut it out. If something is truly bothering you or causing you pain, just go to the heart of the problem and get rid of it at the root,” Vic explained, his words laced with meaning and truth. This idea combined with the music he created along with it was the best remedy for any problems he had to face. Vic knew that without his music and without this idea that gave him hope, he wouldn’t be here right now. “It’s like a breath of fresh air,” Vic added, referring to the way it felt to simply eliminate problems. “I mean, it’s not as easy as it sounds, but if you try hard and really think about it, it really does work,” Vic said.

Tony nodded, liking this idea. He felt inspired by it, feeling as if Vic was giving him advice in his explanation. Which he was; Vic was hoping that maybe his words would help Tony cut out his problems, move on, forget the girl who left him so abruptly. Tony remained quiet for a moment—thinking. It seems like Vic has had or still has problems of his own, Tony thought, taking back his previous assumption that Vic was unbroken.

“Music does have a way of fixing things, doesn’t it?” Tony asked distantly, scrunching his mouth in thought.

‘Will you play for me?’ Tris stared at Tony, her bright green eyes melting Tony’s insides.

Tris stuck her bottom lip out, knowing that her pouting face drove Tony insane. Tony knew that she was doing this on purpose, though, so he stood his ground.

‘Nope,’ Tony said, popping the ‘p’ sound. He grinned at her as she continued to pout. ‘Now don’t you try to use those puppy dog eyes on me, babe. It’s not going to work,’ Tony clenched his eyes shut so he didn’t have to look at her.

‘Noo, that’s cheating!’ Tris giggled, her soft fingertips tracing Tony’s eyes. Tony couldn’t help but open his eyes at her touch. He caught her hands on the side of his face, holding them hostage in his own.

‘Play for me, please,’ Tris begged. Tony gazed at her porcelain features—their faces were now centimeters apart, and Tony had fallen backwards in their mini-struggle, Tris hovering over him. ‘Please,’ she said again, and the expression in her face changed. Her green eyes continued to electrify Tony, but there was something else mixed in there: sadness. Tris had a smile on her face, but it didn’t spread to her eyes. Tris had disguised it all day, but the burden of today was becoming too much for her to handle. She let her guard down for one moment—Tony was somehow able to knock down her walls, or, at least, see through them—and now he knew. Tris changed her facial expression again, back to the fun-loving, flirty, happy expression from before. But Tony had seen it; he had seen enough.

‘Come on, babe,’ he said gently, sitting up and scooping her into her arms. He carried her bridal style up the stairs, Tris leaning her head onto his protective chest. She focused on his prominent heartbeat, trying not to think about the stark contrast between hers, which felt like it was hardly beating, and his. Tris buried her face into his neck, ashamed for feeling this way. She just loved to hear Tony play—it made her feel better.

Tony set Tris down gently onto his bed, and then he grabbed his guitar and began to strum acoustically. Tris closed her eyes in bliss as he played, his fingers dancing up and down the neck of the guitar and the vibrations of the strings creating a magical tune that washed through her veins.

‘Better?’ Tony asked, his voice low and quiet.

‘Always,’ Tris smiled, and Tony began to play again. Tony knew that Tris was not trying to be manipulative when she begged him to play for her—he had seen this genuine desire in her eyes. Besides, he was going to play for her anyway; he was just teasing her, at first. Tris wrapped her arms around Tony’s waist from behind as he continued to play, breathing in his scent. The mixture of the music and Tony’s comforting warmth was like her drug—without it, she’d feel more lost than normal. This was her home. He was her rock. And that fact scared Tris more than anything in the world.

‘I love you, Tris,’ Tony said, turning to face her after finishing a few more chords. Tris answered with a silent kiss on the lips.

“Tony, are you okay?” Vic asked, concern spreading over his features. Tony had gone rigid, his eyes blank and his face like stone.

Tony shook his head. “Yeah, sorry.”

“Did I say something wrong?” Vic worried, afraid that his ‘Pierce the Veil’ explanation had hit some kind of nerve for Tony.

“No, not at all,” Tony said. “In fact, you said something right,” Tony said, his eyebrows knitting. Vic didn’t understand what Tony meant, though. Tony barely understood what he meant himself, too. “I have to go,” Tony stood up abruptly. Vic stared at him warily, afraid for Tony.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“There’s something I need to do,” Tony said. “Thanks a lot for listening to me Vic. It means a lot, thank you,” Tony said, meaning the words more than anything. Vic nodded slowly, still uncertain as to what Tony’s problem was.

“Here,” Vic handed Tony a slip of paper—it had his phone number on it. “Call me tomorrow and tell me how you are, alright?” Vic pressed. He was afraid that Tony was going to do something stupid.

“I promise. Thanks for the taco, also,” Tony said before he turned away. Tony opened the front door, gasping slightly when someone was already there.

“Oh, sorry,” Tony said, stepping aside to let the tall, happy looking man with spiky black and white hair in. Tony stared at the man’s hair, intrigued with the way it resembled a skunk. Like he knew Tony was staring, the man ran his fingers through his hair energetically.

“Hi, there, I’m Jaime,” Jaime said.

“Himes!” Mike came barreling to the door, greeting his friend.

“Sup, Mike!” they fist pumped.

“Leaving so soon, Tony?” Mike questioned, still wondering what this guy was all about. He made a mental note to ask Vic about him later.

“Yeah, I got to go. Thanks for the Taco Bell, by the way,” Tony said, and then he stepped outside, the July air thick and heavy, threatening to suffocate him. Tears immediately sprung out of Tony’s eyes as he made his way through the heat back to his house.

Without thinking much, Tony opened his door and raced up to his room, avoiding the broken bottles lying everywhere. The tears were flowing freely from his eyes, but he wasn’t crying. Salt water just meaninglessly poured down his cheeks, but his face was relatively placid as he rummaged through his closet—searching.

“Ah,” Tony said when he found what he was looking for. He stood still for a moment, staring at the inanimate object that brought back an endless amount of memories.

‘Play for me’, Tris said in a sing-song voice.

Tony shivered, his gaze at the guitar turning into a glare.

‘Please, Tony. Please play for me.’

“I can’t anymore!” Tony yelled at his thoughts, thinking that she could somehow hear him, wherever she was. Tony aggressively gripped the neck of the guitar, ripping it away from his stand, and, without a second thought, he slammed the guitar into the already trashed ground. The wood of the guitar base caved in, and the neck splintered.

“No more,” Tony hissed as he continued to destroy the guitar.

This was what he needed. This was Tony: piercing the veil. Cutting out the root of his problem—well, at least one part of the problem. Until Tony found Tris or her love, he was going to cut out everything from his life that triggered a memory with her.

Tony swung the guitar one more time, satisfaction soaring through his bloodstream. The guitar no longer resembled a guitar—just a pile of wood and wire strings.

Similarly, the memory of Tris asking Tony to play for her no longer resembled a memory—just meaningless words and broken promises.

Notes

Wow, I didn't expect to actually update this this often. And I think this is my longest update so far. Go me! But, thanks to everyone who's already commented/subscribed/rated. It means a lot :)

Much love xoxo

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Oh and the credit for the whole Pierce the Veil meaning thing goes to this Q&A, where Vic actually says the meaning himself.