Author: Elina

A/N: This is something I just scribbled down during a break. When you have nothing to do... Well, for once, no one's dying or getting blown up or anything tragic. It was about time I wrote a story like that, wasn't it? *g*

Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be.

Rating: PG

*** A Tough Guy ***

"Where's Toby?" Leo asked glancing around at his staff. One after one they all just shrugged and shook their heads. "Will, you've seen him?"

"No. He must've got stuck in the traffic or something," the young man answer and gave the same kind of shrug as the others. "I'm sure he'll show up sooner or later."

Leo frowned but let it go. "Okay, then, we don't have time to wait around for him. Let's get started --"

Just then the door open and Toby waltzed into Leo's office. "Hi, sorry I'm late, Leo."

He didn't answer. He was too stunned to see his face. So were everyone else.

Ignoring them, or not even noticing that they stared, Toby crashed on the couch next to Josh, lifting his arms up on the backrest.

They were all still silent.

His fingers drummed the couch and he shifted uncomfortably. He was slightly disturbed by the fact that all of his co-workers were all staring at him with their jaws open.

"Well," he started and cleared his throat, "I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long, but should we get on? I have a meeting soon, and it would be nice if we, you know, got to business here."

They didn't say anything.

He shifted again.

"Stop staring at me."

Finally, it was CJ who opened her mouth. "You have a black eye."

"Why, thank you, I didn't know that," he responded with mock and shot her a look.

"Yeah, but..." she stammered. "You... have a black eye. And it's... bunged up."

"Thank you, I didn't know that either."

"It's... kinda gross."

Another warning look from Toby. Well, as warning as one can give with just one eye. "I think we've all noticed that already. Could we get on with it?"

"Is everything okay, Toby?" Josh asked carefully with worry in his voice.

"Yeah," Toby grunted irritably.

"I just mean that people don't just..."

"Could we stop talking about my eye?" he snapped. That stopped Josh in mid-sentence, but couldn't wipe the worried look from his face.

"Toby," Leo started. He waited until Toby decided it was time to actually look at him instead of the wall. "How did you get that?"

He shifted uncomfortably, again. "It's not a big deal. Really."

Leo's eyebrow arched up. "Toby..."

Toby wouldn't look at him, instead he found something interesting from the floor that he started poking with his shoe.

"Toby."

"I ..." The rest of the sentence was incomprehensive mumbling.

"Come again?" Leo spoke.

"I hit myself with a baseball bat," Toby muttered with his head bowed.

"Excuse me?"

"I hit myself with a baseball bat," he answered a bit louder.

"You..." Leo started, his face filled with amazement. "You hit yourself..." He couldn't help the sides of his mouth starting to twitch. "With a --"

"Baseball bat," Toby filled in.

"How can you...?" He couldn't end the sentence because he was too afraid that he'd laugh out loud.

"It's a very simple thing actually. You just get a baseball bat and swing it in a certain way," Toby said sarcastically.

A sudden bark of laughter made his head spin around. He saw Will pressing a hand against his mouth, trying hard to hold back. Toby's eyes drilled holes into him. "I -- I'm sorry, I just..." His shoulders started to shake.

"Shut up, Will."

"Oh, c'mon, Toby," CJ chuckled next to Will with a wink. "I think you're particularly hot like that. I like my men rough."

"Claudia..."

"No, really, that's a real turn on."

"I'm leaving soon."

Leo cut in with a serious tone: "Okay, guys, that's enough. I think we should get to business."

"Thank you, finally," Toby grunted.

"Yeah, well, first we have this thing about children's safety kits. Toby, would you like to take it?"

Toby didn't let him finish as he jumped up and walked out, leaving them all to laugh.

DA END