megas217 prompted "first day at daycare".

Jackson avoids Alex for most of the next day. It's easy considering they both have surgeries that overlap. Jackson's able to focus on the craniosynostosis. He has to work alongside Derek for the neuro part of the procedure, but even then his brain is solely on the patient. He does notice that Derek watches him a little closely which causes a slight eye roll on his end. Still, the neurosurgeon is quiet and doesn't try to take over, so Jackson lets it go. Derek can hover and worry all he wants. So long as he doesn't embarrass him, it can be ignored.

The surgery takes 5 hours and Jackson is starved by the end of it. Once he does a follow up with the patient's family and fills out the paperwork, he dashes down to the cafeteria to get something to eat before he's called again.

At first he thinks he's in the clear as he settles in a quiet corner to eat his chicken sandwich. There's no signs of anyone from his former residency class. Maybe he won't have to talk about it.

"Hey, Ducky."

Jackson's head snaps up as his jaw tightens. Alex stands there with a smirk on his face and a tray in hand. Jackson looks around. Luckily, everyone is too engrossed in their own conversations and food to notice.

"Go away," Jackson demands.

"Nah." He drops into the chair across from him. "What fun would that be?"

"If you open your mouth to anyone, you'll lose your teeth."

"Gee, relax," Alex says, shaking his head. "I was just kidding around."

Jackson scoffs. "Right."

"I'm serious, man. Like I told you last night, I get it." Alex's smirk remains but there's a hint of sincerity in his eyes. "It took me months to be able to tell anyone."

"Yeah, well if I can help it, I will."

"That may not be as easy as you think."

"We'll see. And you won't make it any harder, right?"

Alex holds up his hands. "I swear. Secret's safe with me."

"So no more calling me…that," he says with a glare. "Even Mark knows better than to do it in public."

"Mark. Right."

Alex jabs at his vegetables with his fork. He eyes Jackson curiously.

"How did that happen?"

Jackson shrugs. "It just sort of did. He figured out my secret somehow. I thought I was doing a good job of hiding it."

"I was thinking about this last night. I mean, the signs were kind of there. You could be a little whiny."

Jackson rolls his eyes. "Thanks."

"But really, somehow you managed. I didn't work with you as closely as Mark, though."

"Anyway," Jackson takes a sip of his water. "He offered, or rather insisted. I'm still not sure why I accepted."

"Because as much as you want to pretend you can handle it alone, it's sort of nice to talk to someone about it."

Jackson chews on his lip. Alex is serious right now, too serious.

"Like I said, I get it," the peds surgeon mumbles. "I put off my classification for a long time. I sort of had to, given my family situation." Jackson tilts his head. He's still not privy to Alex's past. Then again, Alex knows nothing of his either. "But residency programs are no joke. I was on my own, not really talking to my family. It was the first time I could really allow myself to regress."

Jackson nods. It makes the most sense, actually. He had gotten through his residency fine, more or less. Not exactly in healthy ways but he could cope. Could it be that the idea of becoming a full fledge, board certified surgeon that finally allowed him to accept that part of himself.

"And Meredith and Derek…"

"They were there, I already lived with them, ya know. It's why I was curious about you and Mark."

"I don't think I'd trust anyone else," Jackson admits.

Alex nods. "Your mom…"

"Not an option," Jackson interrupts, in a way he hopes closes the conversation. Luckily, that earns him another nod.

"Enough said. Again, I get it."

From the tone of his voice, Jackson knows that conversation is equally off the table.

The conversation getting to heavy, Alex brings back his smirk. "So. Mark's your daddy."

Jackson rolls his eyes. "I don't call him that. He's just my…Mark."

"Awww, so cute."

"Dude, I was serious when I said I'd punch you in the face."

"Won't that end you up in timeout?" Alex snickers.

Jackson tosses a BBQ chip at his face. "Don't you have a teddy bear to snuggle?"

Alex glares at him, though the smirk doesn't leave. Jackson takes a bite of his sandwich.

"Thanks for last night, I guess. Better you found me than, well, anyone else."

"No problem."

Jackson pauses as something hits him. "Wait. How did you know my nickname? You weren't in the room when Mark came to get me ready."

"I heard my parents talking about it."

Jackson groans. "Great. My boss knows my nickname."

"It was bound to happen eventually."

"Right, Tiger ."

Alex scoffs. "See, my point. It gets around quick."

Jackson smiles a little as he returns to his food. Maybe having someone know isn't the worst thing in the world.

Mark has never dreaded Jackson dropping. Still, when he finds the little one sitting up in bed and hugging his puppy tight one morning, his stomach flip flops.

It's Jackson's day off, so that's fine. The issue lies with Mark. Any other time, he could take the day off. He has plenty of sick leave. That isn't an option today. He's had this reconstruction planned for months. The patient made it through a double mastectomy and struggled with her options after. Mark was able to win her with his charm but it means she only trusts him. There's no way she'll let anyone else take over and this is the only availability she has for the next few months.

Meredith and Derek are working today. They're the only ones he'd trust to babysit. Maybe Hunt, but he doesn't know about the situation yet.

With Jackson's blessing, he did enroll him as a drop-in at the daycare. They haven't had to use it.

There's a first time for everything.

"Morning, bud," Mark says as he enters the room.

Jackson rubs his eyes. "Mornin'."

"How are we feeling this morning?" Jackson shrugs. "Well, let's get you dressed and then I'll get you food in that little tummy before we head off."

Jackson tilts his head. "Off?"

Mark nods, ignoring the anxiety building up in him. "I have to go to work, so you're gonna go to daycare! Isn't that exciting?"

Jackson's face falls. He quickly climbs out of bed, though his wet diaper makes it difficult for him to walk at that speed once he's on the floor. Mark tries to grab his arm, but Jackson pulls away. He stalks for the bathroom. Mark follows quickly behind but the door is slammed in his face. A jiggle of the knob shows it's been locked. Mark sighs.

"Ducky."

A muffled voice can be heard behind the door. "No!"

"Baby, I have surgery today," Mark explains softly. "That's all I have to do. One surgery." It's true. This was supposed to be his day off too, but he agreed to come in for a few hours to do the surgery then observe post op. "It won't be more than 4 hours."

"I'm not going!" Jackson yells. "No daycare! You can't make me!"

Mark runs his hand over his face. He absolutely could drag Jackson kicking and screaming, but he'd rather not.

"I know you don't want to go, but you can't stay home alone."

"I'm not little."

Mark purses his lips. "You're not?"

"I'm a big boy! I can stay by myself!"

"I don't know, Ducky. You seem little."

"No, I'm not! You're stupid!"

Mark arches a brow. "Jackson Avery, I know you are upset but we do not call names in this house."

"This isn't a house, it's an apartment!"

Mark clicks his tongue as he tries not to smile. Even he has to admit that's a good one.

"Okay, so we don't call names in this apartment. That's in our rules, right?"

"Don't care about the rules. Don't wanna go to stupid daycare."

"It's going to be so much fun. There will be other littles. You can play and do art."

"Don't wanna."

"Hank can come."

"Hank doesn't wanna go either."

"He doesn't? I think he'd like to try it out."

"Nuh uh. He thinks it's stupid."

Mark leans against the door. He consults the alarm clock on the nightstand. They have a couple of hours.

"Listen, Jackson, I know you're nervous. You don't want to be Little at work, right?"

There's a beat of silence. "Yeah."

"I've done what I can to make that happen, but it's not possible today. Remember Nancy? You helped me with her consult." There's some more silence. "Well, I have to do her surgery today."

Jackson's voice comes out small. "I can help."

"I'm sure you'd do such a good job if you were big. You're always my helper. But today, you're not feeling very big, are you?"

He hears what sounds like a foot stomp. "I am!"

"Jackson, remember how we talked about surgery? How important it is that we do a good job. We need to be able to think about the patient. Do you think you could focus on the patient today?"

There's some more silence.

"No," Jackson eventually whispers.

"So, I have to do this alone. Which means you have to go to daycare. I'll be done before you know it."

Jackson whimpers. "You'll come back?"

"Always. After, we can go to the park. Would you like that?"

Mark hears some sniffles. "Maybe."

"Maybe, huh? Well, that's not a no. Can you open the door for me?"

There's some rustling. Mark steps away. A moment later, the door opens and Jackson steps out. His cheeks are stained with tears as he hugs Hank tight. Mark brushes them away.

"There's my brave boy!" He squeezes his shoulder. "Can I get you ready? Or can you do it yourself?"

Jackson chews on his lip. "Help please," he whispers.

Mark smiles. "That I can do. What should we wear to our first day?"

Jackson shrugs. Mark walks to the closet and pushes through his big boy clothes and consults the younger ones he found online. Jackson helped him pick out the ones he liked the second time around, which made the caregiver a bit more confident. Mark knows regardless of what Jackson wears, it may get dirty. He doesn't mind.

Mark eventually selects a pair of overalls with Barney on the front pocket. They snap at the legs, making diaper changes easier. He finds a gray long sleeved shirt to go under it. After fetching the diapering supplies, he walks back over to Jackson. The little one's eyes light up a little at the overalls. Mark smiles.

"Ready?"

Jackson lays back on the bed. Mark undresses him and tends to the diaper first. He makes sure to apply extra cream, still nervous about a rash. Once the diaper is on nice and tight, Mark applied lotion and deodorant. It's only then that he gets to work dressing him. Jackson keeps a tight hold on his puppy.

"Is Hank going to daycare?" Mark asks as he snaps up the overalls. Jackson nods. "Oh, good. You can pack your backpack with him?"

"Backpack?"

"Yup. I got my little man a duckling backpack. We'll put your diapeys in there, your lunchbox, books, whatever else you want."

Jackson thinks about it. "Trucks?"

"Of course you can bring your trucks. I think they may have some there but you could share yours with the other kids."

Jackson bites his lip. "Who gonna be there?"

"I don't know. I could text Derek and Meredith to see if Alex is."

"P'ease," Jackson lisps as he sticks his thumb in his mouth.

"Of course."

Mark quickly replaces the thumb with a Yankees pacifier, clipping it to the overalls. When he was feeling big after the on-call room incident, Jackson told him he was a fan, much to the caregiver's relief.

"There. My little ducky looks so handsome."

Mark helps him sit up. He goes back to the closet and finds the backpack. After putting in the baby care needs, he brings it to Jackson. The little one looks at it in awe. The entire thing is yellow with eyes and an orange beak. Little orange arms and feet pop out from the sides and bottom.

"Like it?" Mark asks. Jackson nods excitedly. Mark grins. "I'm glad. Why don't you fill it up with some things while I make you breakfast."

"Cer'al," Jackson requests. "P'ease."

"Of course." Mark squeezes his chin. "And some nice fruit. You want a sippy or baba?"

Jackson hesitates. "Baba?"

"Coming right up."

Much to Mark's happiness, Alex is attending daycare today. He hasn't been around Jackson when both have dropped. It'll be interesting to see how they interact.

Jackson grips tightly to Mark's hand as they make their way to the Little daycare. It's split up into a few rooms, giving Littles of all ages an opportunity to be looked after. Jackson will go in what's classified as the young toddler room, which just so happens to be where Alex is going too.

They walk into the front lobby where there's a short line to be checked in. Mark barely recognizes any of the doctors. Some of their Littles don't work there, but they still have spots just as the biological children do in the regular daycare downstairs.

A younger woman with a name badge reading "Erica" sits at the desk upon their arrival. She looks at the two of them, tilting her head.

"New?"

"Sort of," Mark says. "I enrolled him as a drop-in. Name's Jackson Avery. I'm Mark Sloan."

Erica types in something on her computer. "Ah yes, Dr. Sloan. Are you Dr. Avery's caregiver?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Legally?"

"Uh, well…" Mark glances at Jackson, who's buried his head in his shoulders. "I don't have official guardianship yet. But he signed off on me being his emergency contact for the daycare."

"I see."

"That won't be a problem, will it?"

"No, it's just not what we're used to. But it'll be fine."

Mark nods, shifting a bit. He wants to talk to Jackson about making it official. It'd allow Mark to be his guardian, giving him the same rights as a parent essentially. It's something that could be ended any time given Jackson's classification status, but it'd at least give some permanency.

Given Jackson's hesitation to everything, he hasn't brought it up. One, he doesn't want to pressure him. Two, he doesn't know how he'd feel if the answer was "no". Of course he'd respect Jackson's wishes. He should have complete autonomy.

Mark's not a robot, though. He's faced enough rejection as a parent.

So, he'll put it off. For now.

"Sign here," Erica says, handing him a tablet and stylus. "Just means you understand the daycare's rules and you're responsible for him, should he get sick or hurt."

Mark pauses. "Hurt?"

"Littles will be littles. They get scrapes and bumps."

"And you have a nurse on staff?"

Erica gives him a patient smile. "Yes, Dr. Sloan."

Mark signs on the line and squeezes Jackson closer. The little one sucks on his pacifier and cuddles Hank. Erica types some more things on the computer before nodding.

"Okay. Jackson's been assigned to Room 3. You can bring him back."

"Only I can sign him out?"

Erica nods. "Yes. We have your ID on file. You can add extra authorized personnel if you wish."

Mark debates if he'll add Meredith and Derek. He'll have to talk to them and Jackson about that later.

After thanking the receptionist, Mark leads Jackson to the room. It's bigger than he pictured, with bright yellow walls containing framed pictures of various children's books. There's an eating area by the front. Towards the back are the toys, art supplies and reading corner. Mark makes note of the changing area by the cubbies. There's a small handful of children, including Alex with his caregivers in the cubby area.

"Look, Ducky," Mark says. "There's Alex." Jackson nods. "Should we go say hello?"

Off another small nod, Mark walks him over. Meredith spots them first and smiles.

"Hey, Jackson," she says, her voice at an octave Mark only hears for kids. "It's good to see you."

Jackson sucks faster on his pacifier. "Hi," he mumbles.

Alex grins. "Hiya! Are you comin' to daycare?"

Jackson nods. Mark rubs his back. "He's a little nervous."

"Here, you can put your backpack next to mine." Jackson clings to Hank. Alex holds up his plush Eeyore. "I'm bringing him, you can keep your puppy."

Jackson's muscles relax a little. "'Kay," he whispers.

Derek ruffles Alex's hair. "Bud, why don't you go play? Jackson will come when he's ready." Alex nods. He hugs Derek tight. Mark smiles as he watches his best friend grow soft and give his son lots of kisses. "I love you, Alexander."

"Love you too, Daddy."

"Be my good big boy. Use your words."

"Uh huh."

Alex kisses his cheek before hugging Meredith. She's quicker with the hug, kissing his head and telling him she loves him. Derek manages to get one more in before Alex runs off to play. Mark sees the sadness in his eyes. Meredith pats her husband's shoulder.

"He'll be fine. You worry too much."

"I'm his dad. Of course I do."

Before Mark can tease him, a taller woman approaches them. Her name tag reads "Ms. Courtney". She smiles at the group, waving to Meredith and Derek before turning to the other two.

"You must be Jackson," she says. "I heard about you from Ms. Courtney." Jackson nods, leaning into Mark. "I'll be taking care of you today." She notices how puppy. "That's a very cute doggy. Does he have a name?"

"Hank," Jackson whispers.

"Well, Hank is more than welcome to stay with you all day. Or you can put him in your backpack." Jackson doesn't move to put it away. "Holding it, it is." She looks over at Mark. "And you're Dr. Sloan?"

He nods. "Yes, I'm this little guy's caregiver."

"Excellent. Jackson will be in great hands today. I took a brief glimpse at his paperwork, so I know all the particulars in terms of changing and feeding. We do offer naptime in that room back there." She points to a window that shows off cribs. "Has he slept in one before?"

"No, not yet."

"That's fine. If he struggles, we have cots too."

"I packed bottles and a sippy cup," Mark explains. "I don't know what he'll want later. His diapers are in there, plus his lotion and cream. I'm going to be in surgery but you can have someone notify me

"Of course."

"He doesn't have any allergies. Um, he may get tired around 12 or 1."

Courtney nods, giving him a patient smile. "Why don't you hang up his backpack and you can head out."

Mark frowns. "Already?"

"I know it's hard, but the best way is a quick hug and kiss goodbye."

Mark sighs. He read it in one of the studies that Meredith gave him about daycare, but he wanted to ignore it.

Mark hangs up the backpack next to Alex's. He gently pries Jackson away from him, forcing a smile. "You're going to have so much fun!" Jackson doesn't look convinced. "It's just going to be for a little bit. Then we're done, we'll go to the park, okay?"

Jackson throws his arms around him, clinging tightly. Mark cradles the back of his head. His shoulder slightly grows wet. He takes a deep breath.

"I know it's not easy. But you're going to be fine. I'll come back, I always come back." He pauses. "I love you."

It's the first time he's said it. Well, not really. Back when Jackson was his resident, he'd say it in a "I love you, man" kind of way. This is different.

Yet, it feels right.

Jackson doesn't say it in return, but clings tighter. Mark kisses his head.

"I'm gonna give you to Ms. Courtney now," he says. "I'll see you soon."

He gently pries Jackson off of him. The little one whines, going in for another hug. Mark backs. He knows if he allows that, he'll never leave. Fat tears fall down Jackson's face.

"I'll see you soon, Ducky, I promise. You're safe. I love you."

Derek puts a hand out of his shoulder and leads him to the door. Jackson begins wailing.

"Mark!"

Derek strengthens his grip. "Don't turn around," he mutters. "You won't be able to leave if you turn around."

Mark takes a deep breath and follows him out. Meredith trails behind him. Derek doesn't let go until they're back out in the hospital. Mark looks back at the daycare.

"He'll be fine," Meredith says.

Mark bites his lip. "He's crying."

"He'll stop. Alex cried his first five times."

His eyebrows shoot up. "Five times?!"

"It's all normal," Derek assures him. "There's an adjustment period."

"I don't know if I can put up with that five more times."

"Sometimes it's less, sometimes more." Mark's mouth drops open. "It depends on the Little."

"Jesus," Mark runs his fingers through his hair.

"He'll be fine. You have to work, he needs to be Little. This is the best for both of you."

Mark casts him a dubious look.

"Look at Alex," Derek continues. "He goes often. He likes it."

"And Derek only calls twice a shift to check up on him," Meredith teases.

Derek rolls his eyes. "But there is that. You can call or visit during a regular shift. But you're going to be in and out. Ben is checking on your patient tonight, right?"

"Right," Mark mutters.

"There you go."

Once again, Derek's hand is put on his shoulder and he's guided away from the daycare. Mark fiddles with his fingers, feeling more unsure than ever.

Surgery is enough to distract him. He remains sharp as he tends to Nancy. There are no calls or pages. Mark debates having a nurse go check on Jackson at one point, but that will take his mind off the task at hand. It ends up taking a little longer than expected as they have to get a blood clot under control, but all in all, they're out of the OR in 2 hours. Everything in post-op is well. There's some swelling and Nancy is in a bit of pain, but it's nothing that won't pass.

Once he's certain she'll be fine until Ben comes on in a couple of hours, Mark heads back up to the daycare. He's a little relieved when they ask for ID before letting him in. At least no one could just come and grab Jackson. Not that he's sure anyone actually would.

His panic returns when he walks into the room and finds only a handful of Littles. None of them are Jackson. His eyes dart around the room as his heart rate picks up. Did he somehow disappear? Maybe snap out of his younger state and leave? There's no way they'd just let him walk out, right?

Courtney appears in front of him. He speaks before she can. "Where's Jackson?"

"He's napping."

Mark relaxes a little. "Napping?"

She nods. "Yes, he ate lunch around 12 and was exhausted after." She glances at the clock. "It's been almost 2 hours."

Courtney leads him over to the window that overlooks the nap room. In the crib closest to it, he sees Jackson. He's fast asleep. Jackson'a curled up under a blanket, hugging Hank and sucking on his pacifier. Mark's body completely softens. He looks so sweet in the crib, natural. There's no way for one to fit in either of their rooms back at the apartment. Maybe if this becomes permanent, they could get one with 3 bedrooms. A lot of Littles have a separate nursery. That's if Jackson would even want it.

Jackson shifts, rubbing at his eyes. His pacifier falls out of his mouth, causing him to whine a bit. Mark starts for the door then stops.

"Can I?"

Courtney nods. "Of course. He's yours after all."

Yours.

Mark walks into the room. He's quiet with each movement. There's 4 other Littles fast asleep in surrounding cribs, including Alex. Meredith would kill him if she interrupted his nap.

He walks over to Jackson's crib. There's a mobile hanging above. It has the little one's attention for the moment.

"Hey, Ducky," Mark whispers.

Jackson's eyes flutter away from the mobile. His entire face lights up. "Mark," he squeals.

Mark holds a finger to his lips. "Shhh, your friends are sleeping." Jackson holds a finger to his own lips. Mark strokes his cheek. "I believe I promised you the park."

"Uh huh."

Jackson holds up his arms. Mark bends down and picks him up. He's so grateful for the physical differences between Littles and caregivers. It makes life so much easier. Mark settles Jackson on his hip. He makes sure he has both Hank and his pacifier. Jackson wraps his arms around his neck and kisses his cheek.

"Missed you," he whispers.

"I missed you more," Mark says softly. He nuzzles his cheek against his. "Did you have fun?"

"Uh huh. Played trucks with Alex. He's funny."

Mark chuckles. "I'm sure."

He carries Jackson back out to the playroom. Courtney walks over and hands him the backpack. Mark thanks her and hikes it up over his shoulder. She also hands him a paper plate heart, painted in pink with sequins on top. Mark tilts his head.

"The kids made Valentine's Day projects," Courtney explains.

His first daycare artwork. Jackson likes to color at home, but this is his first, proper craft.

"This is great, bud," Mark praises. "You did a great job." Jackson beams. "Can you say thank you?"

Jackson nods. "Thank you, Ms. Courtney."

"Of course, sweetheart. You can come back any time."

Mark thanks Courtney one more time before carrying Jackson to the lobby to check him out. Jackson rests his head on his shoulder. Mark snuggles him closer, ready for a fun afternoon with his favorite little man.