[for Mark- Post fight]

[toshiko_san]

It had been a mostly good day for both Jackson and Tosh. They'd napped for a bit after Owen had dropped him off, and spent some time down at the beach, and visited with Banon and Charlie. If anything, she'd tired her son out a bit too much. He was cranky enough that it seemed it, fighting sleep with every ounce of his will. She'd hoped to make

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[make_creation]

Mark had said he'd come back later. In fact, it seemed like he was spending more time here than at home lately. Chalk that up to being new and exciting. Even more exciting since he'd gotten hit.

He knocked softly, careful of his knuckles, Jackson, and the fact that he simply didn't cop-knock.

Jesus, his head hurt.

[toshiko_san]

Tosh liked him spending time here. She wasn't ready for another great commitment, but she was comfortable with Mark. Yet, still, he made her smile just by being around, her skin tingling each time they touched. It was a nice thing, and she was trying to not read too much into it. To just let it be, and happen as it would.

It was a harder thing for her to do than some might assume.

Pushing away from Jackson's door, she called out quietly, "Come in." She stopped with her hand on the door, when she caught sight of his face. "What happened?"

[make_creation]

"Hi," he said, smiling a little. He raised his head and closed his eyes as he took off his glasses and slipped them into his pocket. He couldn't see shit, but just having them resting on his nose was too much. He'd gotten here and he could take looking at the fuzzy outline of Tosh.

"Um, I kind of got into a little fight? No big deal. It's okay," he continued. "Just so you know, I don't really do the fighting thing."

Because it obviously needed to be made clear that Mark and his Bohemian-artist-hundred and thirty five pounds soaking wet frame wasn't the sort to go out brawling regularly.

[toshiko_san]

"A little fight?" Her hand hovered near his face, not quite touching it. "You look like you've been run over by a lorry. Alright, not so bad," she tried for a smile wanting to be reassuring, but sure knew she just seemed worried. "But fairly awful."

"What happened?"

[make_creation]

Mark scowled a bit. A very little bit. Any more and it made him ache, and he wasn't a big fan of hurting. He didn't want to tell her. How much of a wuss did it make him sound like to say something like 'oh, you know, just got punched by your ex because being with you means I'm going to drop his son in the ocean or something'. What a thought, especially considering he'd do ninja acrobatics just to keep his camera from falling from his hands, and a baby was a hell of a lot more important than a camera.

Still, no point in lying about it. She'd find out eventually.

"Owen knows I'm seeing you. He's not very happy about me being around Jackson," he said quietly, picking at a loose thread on the hem of his sweater.

[toshiko_san]

There was no way that he could be serious. Owen couldn't have done something like this, especially not when she'd seen him only hours before. Except she imagined that he could, in the end. Her shock gave way to annoyance and anger, her hand dropping and clenching. "Pardon? He's worried about you being near Jackson so he decided to start a brawl?"

Actually, now that she thought about it, it sounded entirely too much like Owen. Shoulders squaring she did her best to meet Mark's eyes, "that's beyond moronic. What sort of horrible influence could you be on Jackson? I've not declared that Owen can't bring him near Daniel, have I?"

Though, now, she was considering it. It took a great deal to make Tosh angry, and now she was. Furious in fact. "I'm sorry. He's a prize-winning git, and if you wanted to walk away from all of this, I'd understand."

She had to give him the option.

[make_creation]

"No. No, look, Tosh, I don't know what--I mean, it's just--"

Yeah, he was great at making excuses for people. He could justify and make peace and try to get even a riot to calm down (not that it worked). But this...he couldn't make this sound right.

"He's his dad. You know I'm not trying to, you know, be that. I just, with you I'm...I knew what I was getting into. I thought it through. I'm not this easy to scare off."

[toshiko_san]

"Jackson has a father, and he has two godfathers and uncles galore. There's no way to avoid him being a part of your life if you're a part of mine, but you're not a replacement for Owen, in no way." Not long ago and Tosh would have made excuses for Owen. In fact, if this had happened to someone else, she might have still found herself falling into that habit. She couldn't now, shaking her head in disagreement. "Adults have conversations with each other Mark. He was here this morning. He could have asked me what was going on. He could have spoken to you, not attacked you."

She didn't know quite what had happened, but knowing Mark, she found it hard to believe that he'd thrown the first punch. "What happened? Really, I need to know."

So she could go and have words with the father of her child. Heated, pointed words.

[make_creation]

Mark was squirming on the inside. Ratting people out wasn't really his style, but she'd asked and he wasn't interested in lying about it.

"Um, well, I left this morning," he said as he looked up at her blurry silhouette. "And something hit me in the back and when I turned around there was Owen. I tried to fight back, but he, um...yeah. He hit me in the face. That was when Roger showed up and stopped it." He paused and actually smiled just a little. "My knight in shining armor or something. I don't know what I'd do if he hadn't, I was on my ass and had a bloody nose and...yeah. I really can't fight."

It had always been Roger. Roger with the temper. Roger with the skill. Roger with the righteous fury that only flared up when he was on the defensive--which was a place Mark preferred not to be on the receiving end of.

[toshiko_san]

"This is one of those stories we'll all tell years later and laugh, isn't it?" Tosh hoped that it was. Right now she was simply frustrated, and trying to not take that out on Mark. "Roger? It's a good thing he was there. I can't imagine him letting anyone impugn your honour, never mind attack you."

Anything else she might think of Roger, she knew he was a loyal friend to Mark. That they didn't get along very well was immaterial to her. That Owen might have simply kept attacking if Roger hadn't intervened, that was another matter. An upsetting thought, in the extreme.

Tosh rubbed her temples, knowing that she was fractious already today because of Jackson's crankiness. She tried to find a bright side, just not speaking for a moment until she did, even if the thing was feeble. "At least he didn't break your glasses."

[make_creation]

He reached out and slipped his arm around her shoulders, stepping into the hut more. "Yeah, small blessings, right? Can we go sit down? You look tired. Or, you know, a tired fuzzy person shaped thing. They aren't broken, but my nose is tender, so...yeah."

[toshiko_san]

"The smallest of blessings, but they're there." That Jackson hadn't woken up was another blessing, but she didn't mention it, not wanting to jinx their luck. She did smile at his assessment, pulling him toward the bedroom. "Jackson is sleeping. Possibly lying down and trying to not think of all this for a few minutes wouldn't go amiss?"

Tosh needed to not think about it now, while she was annoyed still. She'd deal with this later, in the morning likely, with a clearer head.

[make_creation]

"Lying down sounds great," he agreed. He was barely able to make out enough of the shape of things to keep from running into anything as he followed along. "With the exception of the fight, my day was pretty fuckin' great. There's leftover banana pie in the kitchen. And, you know, I woke up here," Mark said as he begged off lying down in favor of holding her loosely. "And I'm here now."

[toshiko_san]

"Banana pie?" She let herself be lulled into talking of other things, preferring them to what was weighing on her. Owen flying off the handle and attacking Mark. "Americans are strange strange people."

She sighed, leaning against him for a moment before sinking down onto the end of the bed, "I like your lists of things that make it a good day."

[make_creation]

Mark shrugged off the button-down he was wearing as a jacket and pulled off his sweater, leaving him in a threadbare Pepsi t-shirt that made him feel like a corporate tool. Even on Nowhere Island, there was marketing. He folded his clothes carefully and laid his glasses on top of the stack, then slipped out of his trainers.

"You do? It's kind of simple...pie and you," he replied as he moved over to give her the majority of the bed. "I guess when you know what a really shitty day is like, even the smallest things make one good, sometimes."

[toshiko_san]

She pulled herself closer, leaning against the head of the bed. He was careful to not touch his face, not wanting to hurt him. "Are you sore anywhere else?"

"Banana pie is strange thing, so maybe it does make me wonder that I'm grouped in with it." Tosh smiled at her joke, "the little things are often the best. I get to have you here. That's enough."