A/N: This is set the September after The Way Things Are. The boys are in the second grade. I needed to write a little something different (read: happier) than The Way Things Seem.

Beaver Teeth

Curled up on a large blue couch was a father and son. A steaming cup of tea was forgotten on the side table. The puttering of Arthur's younger child danced to his ears. Alfred was doing something in the kitchen.

The manner the two boys arrived home from school was pretty typical. Alfred shouted hello en route to the kitchen and Matthew sought him out for a cuddle. The whole routine had the quaint glamour of a 60s telly programme. The small weight on his lap wrapped Arthur in a quilt warmth. Matthew head was right over Arthur's heart. His fingers tapped the beating out on Arthur's arm.

The two stayed like that for several minutes. The lad hadn't moved in the last few minutes and that usually meant something was wrong. Arthur gently broke the quiet.

"What's going on?" Arthur asked.

Matthew was silent for a moment before he looked up at Arthur. His face was red.

"I look like a beaver!" Matthew sniffed.

"Oh love, you do not," Arthur sighed petting his son's hair slowly. The little boy hid his face in the folds of Arthur's jumper. Matthew had lost both of his front teeth at the same time. It hadn't been too bad when there was just a gap but now that the teeth had grown in they were noticeably larger than the rest of his teeth. Arthur and Francis thought it looked absolutely precious.

"I do too!" was grumbled into his stomach.

The microwave beeped. Arthur shifted his boy into his lap and rocked him slowly.

"Daddy?"

Arthur looked up to see Alfred holding two mugs of hot chocolate. A trail of spilled hot chocolate and marshmallows led back to the kitchen.

"Hey baby," Arthur smiled at him and ignored the mess, "do you want to sit with your brother and I?"

The boy nodded, "and I brought extra marhmallow-y hot chocolate for Mattie."

Arthur nudged the boy in his arms, "what do you think about that?"

Matthew peeked out around the fabric and gave a closed lip smile. Alfred gave him a toothless smile too. Arthur thought his heart was going to melt out of his chest. God, he loved his boys.

Arthur reached out to hold the mugs while Alfred scrambled up on his left. His legs dangled several inches above the ground. He was still so little. His youngest sat Indian style next to Matthew.

Arthur handed Matthew his cocoa. Matthew wiggled closer to Arthur but didn't try to hide again. Small hands wrapped around the mugs. Arthur turned his attention back to his older baby's problem.

"What brought this on?"

The little boy didn't say anything. The weight against Arthur's left side moved.

Alfred piped up, "Johnny O'Connor is stupid."

Matthew nodded.

"Why is that?" Arthur asked.

Alfred leaned around him to look at Matthew. The two didn't say anything, but Arthur could tell they were talking. They didn't make any obvious gestures to each other, the most blatant thing was when Alfred tilted his head and Matthew wrinkled his nose. Other than that it just seemed like they were looking at each other. But a solution must have been reached because Alfred piped up again.

"Johnny O'Connor is in the fifth grade, but his class has recess at the same time as us."

"And he's not so nice," Mattie whispered from behind his marshmallows.

Alfred snorted, "He's really mean. But the teachers kept giving him isolated lunch but he didn't get any better so I think they've gave up."

The Brit nodded. He didn't like where this was going. Matthew didn't add anything so Alfred continued for both of them.

"He told Mattie that his teeth looked like a beaver's," Alfred admitted.

A hurricane roared through Arthur. The little snot had the audacity – the audacity! – to say such horrible things to his sweet Matthew? He blinked the storm away from his face though. He didn't want either boy to think they were the recipient.

"But Alfred told him that I didn't!" Matthew interrupted Arthur's thoughts, "he just laughed and said Alfred had to say that cause he was my brother."

Matthew wilted against him.

"And I told him he was a no good jerk and I didn't listen to stupid people!" Alfred exclaimed which earned a giggle from Matthew and a half smile from Arthur.

"Then we went to Ms. Cohn to tell her what happened," Matthew continued.

"And what did she do?" Arthur asked.

"She said she'd talk to his teacher," Matthew finished. His mug was empty. Only the crusty bits at the top were left which Matthew was picking at.

"I see," Arthur said. His thoughts racing a mile a minute everything from a formal, written apology to getting the little brat expelled. That wasn't the problem to address right now though. Arthur took a deep breath and cast his thoughts wide trying to think of a way to explain this. After only a moment it came to him.

"Do you remember when you lost your first tooth?" Arthur asked.

Matthew touched his bottom teeth and nodded. He'd been in first grade when he'd lost those. Alfred had started coming over. It seemed like so long ago, but in reality it was only last December.

"It was a little scary to have a new tooth, but eventually you got use to it. Right?"

Matthew nodded so Arthur continued on.

"Well this is just like that."

"Even though these teeth seem super big now, when all your adult teeth come in they'll all be the same and you won't even notice it any more."

"That's in a long time," Matthew whispered.

"Oh love, I know it seems that way," Arthur sighed, "but I promise the time will go quickly."

Mattie fiddled with his mug. Arthur was desperate to put a big smile back on his child's face so even though he normally wouldn't...

"And you know what?" Arthur whispered. Both his boys' perked up.

"What?" They whispered back at him and Arthur had to hold in his laughter.

"Johnny O'Connor is stupid!" He declared sweeping them both into his arms to gobble at them. They squawked and giggled like baby birds. Matthew's two front teeth pearly white in the afternoon light.

Arthur nibbled at their bellies and cheeks while fending off small hands. The incident was put aside as Alfred convinced Matthew to wage a counter attack. Arthur found himself pinned to the couch stunned while his boys sat on top of him tickling.

He laughed, "You little brats! This means war!"

Pillows were grabbed and decorum was thrown aside. Alfred couldn't reach a pillow before Arthur was on him. The father tickled the bottoms of a squealing Alfred's feet. Only to have Matthew come to his brother's by thumping Arthur's back solidly with a pillow. The air was painted with laughter and war cries.