Tony paced the hallway in front of his guest bedroom, listening to the cries of his nephew. He gave a wry laugh at the thought. Who would have ever thought that he would be an uncle? His brother hated children. His brother had always hated children. Clearly nothing had changed- the bruises on the boy's body proved as much. What Tony couldn't figure out was why Andrew had the boy in the first place.
His nephew's cries dulled into whimpers, but Tony was still restless. His instincts were screaming for him to go in and help lull the boy back to sleep, but he knew that it would only worsen the situation. His nephew, James, had been staying with him for about a week, and in that time, if Tony had learned nothing else, he had learned that James didn't like him.
Tony cursed Andrew under his breath for the umpteenth time. Identical only in looks, Tony was as different from his twin as it was possible to be. Where Tony was easy-going and friendly, Andrew was stubborn and cruel. Too many times in the past they had been mixed up by teachers or well-meaning neighbors and Tony had taken the heat for some heinous crime Andrew had committed. It was one of the reasons he didn't often mention that he had a brother. After all, it wasn't like he had any reason to: Andrew lived a thousand miles away, and they hadn't spoken a word to each other since high school. Tony never would have thought that Andrew would impact his life, but once again, Andrew had managed to impose.
He growled under his breath as his nephew gave a shuddering sob. It had been one thing to take Andrew's lickings when he threw a ball through a neighbor's car window or when their report cards got mixed up, but the fact that he couldn't comfort his own nephew because he looked like the abusive bastard made him want to put another round through Andrew's head.
Eventually, Tony heard the deep, even breathing that signaled James had finally dozed off. He wandered back to his own room, but sleep didn't claim him as easily. Ever since he had taken James in, the boy had suffered from nightmares. Tony didn't know if it was a result of Andrew's suicide, right in front of the child, or if the nightmares had been going on longer than that. He did know that they couldn't continue. Neither of them was sleeping, and although he was no psychologist, he was pretty sure that it wasn't healthy for the boy.
What was he supposed to do, though? James wouldn't let Tony anywhere near him, nor would he listen to a word that Tony said. Tony would be the first to admit that he didn't know how to take care of children. His father hadn't exactly been a role model, and he'd never babysat. Besides, he was pretty sure that he didn't have the disciplinarian gene in him. The thought had never concerned him before- he wasn't looking to settle down. Now, though…
He glanced at the clock, a sigh on his lips. He'd taken a couple of weeks off from work, using his copious amount of personal time in order to provide himself and James a period to adjust to one another. In a couple of days, though, he needed to be back at work. He would need to hire a babysitter, but he had been postponing it as long as he could. How could he, in good conscience, ask some teenager to take care of a seven year old who was, quite frankly, out of control?
Normally, he supposed, one would ask their parents about this kind of thing, but even if his parents had been alive, Tony knew that he could never have asked for their advice. He wished that he had someone he could lean on. After all, in his heart of hearts, he knew that his current arrangement wasn't working, and it would take more than a couple of weeks of adjustment period for him to get things under control, if he even could get things under control, which he seriously doubted. How could James ever trust him when he looked so much like Andrew? The last thing that Tony wanted was to put an abused child into the state system, where he could land in any home and be raised in any way. Where Tony might not see him ever again. James had been through enough upheaval in his life already. Unfortunately, if things continued the way they had been, it might be his only option. Tony wanted what was best for James, and clearly, he wasn't the best option.
He just wished that he knew where James was going. He wished that there was some guarantee that James would be living with someone who would care for him properly-someone who would be gentle with him, but someone who would discipline him, too. He wished that he could make sure James would be staying with someone like…
He sat up straight in his bed, his hazel eyes widening at a thought that had just come into his head. He was sure that he was going crazy, but something- perhaps a lack of sleep, perhaps an intense desperation- had him reaching for the phone anyway. He hit speed dial, not caring that it was three in the morning, not even thinking about it, really, and when a tired, gravely voice came on the other line, Tony spoke without thinking about the huge commitment he was begging.
"Boss? I need a favor."