The Gig [Finished]

[yamikuronue]

Bill nods. "I can't in good conscience volunteer my siblings, but if nothing else, I will be there." Bill is the oldest of the four, and clearly feels the weight of that responsibility.

[accalia]

"We'll work it out later." Tony promises. He likes this kid, course it makes sense, Vic's a likeable kid and that does tend to flow in families.

[yamikuronue]

And work it out they do. Now that the nurse is appeased, Andy's allowed to head home with a course of antibiotics and instructions to get some bedrest. Tony's not privvy to the arguments that follow, but the next evening, he's informed his "new temp" is here, set up at a desk near his office: Vic, looking sullen in a clean button-down shirt and gently-worn khakis.

[accalia]

"Looking sharp kid." Tony comments. Okay the shirt isn't quite right, and the lines weren't quite perfect, still it was a good effort.... also small talk is hard!

[yamikuronue]

"I guess," he says, shifting awkwardly.

[accalia]

Right, the kid's not used to that sort of dress... Well, now's as good a time as any to get used to it, besides there's a dress code. Tony had to bend the rules to the breaking point just to pull off this stunt, the rule'd snap if he relaxed the dress code.

"Job's pretty simple. Got a bunch of paperwork that needs to be sorted and filed. I'll show you how to recognize the file paperwork and we can work on that tonight. once you get the hang of that we'll show you how to take care of the rest of it."

Tony gestures to his desk which is covered about three foot thick with paperwork, Tony's been trying but he just can't keep up with it all and run the place, hence why he needed an intern.

[yamikuronue]

Vic follows along attentively as the filing system is explained; he doesn't say much, but during a brief pause as they're wrapping up, he adds, softly, "Thanks."

[accalia]

"No thanks necessary, yet. You had a problem, I helped, It's what I do." Tony pauses for a moment "Oh, make sure you see Kate before you leave in the morning. She's got to set you up on the payroll, We may be garnishing your wages to cover the debt but we can't take all of it, there's a fair bit left over we're not allowed by law to take."

[yamikuronue]

"...Not everyone would have helped," says Vic, still in that soft tone.

[accalia]

"No, they wouldn't." Tony agrees "Some because they couldn't, some because they would be afraid, and some because they consider helping others a sign of weakness. I am none of those people. I might not know you and your family well, but i knew you were in trouble, and that was enough for me."

Yeah, again with the corny hero talk, still it's pretty obvious Tony means every word.

[yamikuronue]

Vic nods, accepting that answer. He doesn't bring it up again, but by the end of the shift, he's proven himself a diligent, intelligent worker; when he errs, it's because he didn't ask for help or ask clarifying questions, but he has good instincts as he rapidly builds an understanding of the work.

[accalia]

"Good work tonight." Tony grants as he reaches for his coat, it's genuine, if gruff, praise.  The piles on his desk are at least a foot lower, there's even a spot or two of clear wood "Don't forget about seeing Kate, and get a good days rest. I'll see you tonight and show you how to deal with the rest of the files."

[yamikuronue]

And so the pair fall into a pattern. Even when Andy is recovered, Vic keeps turning up; it's easier to explain to everyone at work that he's still interning or whatever than that his brother is showing up, and Andy can just pay Vic back by doing his usual errands around the house. And it's... nice, to have a steady desk job. Maybe not a forever kind of nice, but it's nice for a while.

Slowly, Vic begins to relax more and more around Tony. He never quiet lets his guard down, never becomes talkative, but he's less stiff, less tense in general. They're not friends, but they're.. coworkers.

Which is why it's real surprising when one night, Vic, apparently angry at paperwork, shoves the whole pile off his desk in a fit of anger. He'd come in with an off expression, as if he was dealing with something at home, but he brushed off inquiries with a brusque "fine", so it had seemed like he was just grumpy.

Aware he's attracting attention, Vic does something even more strange: covers his face with his hands and runs for the bathroom.

[accalia]

Tony notes the behavior.... that's odd. Vic's usually a lot more composed. Still....

Tony recovers the papers from the desk and stacks them up neatly for Vic when he returns. The kid probably needs a couple of minutes to compose himself. right?

[yamikuronue]

When Vic comes back, he's dragging his feet, and his face is grim.