"D- Da-, Come on Toms. Da-"
Tommy barely looked at Phil's face before blowing wet sounding bubbles at him and sticking his fist into his mouth.
"Ick, no." Phil huffed with amusement as he reached to remove said hand.
"Maybe he's getting hungry Phil." Kristin suggested, smirk on her face as she watched the pair beside her.
She was currently sorting through and folding a large pile of clothing on the bed. Phil was sitting on his side of the bed and taking his turn to hold Tommy while she did so.
"I don't think so. He usually screams when he's hungry." Wilbur pointed out bluntly as he placed one of his socks into his own pile.
He and Techno were seated at the end of the bed, each with a small pile of their own clothing as Kristin handed them off. She folded Techno's for him still, but Wilbur was now expected to at least fold his own. Though he never bothered to match his socks up, tossing them into his dresser drawer to later fuss over when he couldn't find the right ones.
"He isn't fussing, he's just distracted." Phil stated with a nod to Wilbur's words, "Aren't you Tommy? How can you possibly focus on dad with all these others here? Ah-"
He was cut off as a now partially unfolded shirt dropped down onto his arm after Kristin had thrown it at him. The startled noise had caused Tommy to look up at him with alert eyes before a smile burst over his face, a laugh gurgling out of his mouth.
"Oh, you like that? You like when things get thrown at me?" Phil asked, lifting Tommy up so they were at eye level and smiling at each other, "You are so you mother's child."
"And you are procrastinating." Kristin stated as she raised her arms up for a Tommy transfer, "Go put your stuff away, we need more room."
"You see how I'm treated Tommy? I think she's just jealous of our bond." Phil 'whispered' to Tommy before moving to hand him over.
Tommy found it hilarious and reached for Phil's face while they were close, wiggling his feet in the air when he was moved away.
"Jealous? Whose the jealous one here again?" Kristin asked with a raised brow as she tucked Tommy against her chest and looked down at him, "Your father's just mad because both your brothers said 'Mama' first."
She made sure to emphasize the word 'mama' of course, as she tickled Tommy's tummy earning a squeal of delight from the youngest.
"That, has nothing to do with it." Phil stated as he paused in his standing up to stare at her.
She looked over at him and offered nothing but a proud and innocent smile in return. God he loved this woman.
"Why does matter who's name he says first?" Wilbur asked as he tucked the sleeves of one of his sweaters between the crooked folds.
"Well, I wouldn't say it…'matters'-" Kristin started, considering her words carefully here, "Its more of an exciting thing for parents to go though. A baby's first words only come around once and are precious. Its, sort of a selfish thing that each parents wants to be that first word out."
Wilbur tilted his head as he thought on this, his brow furrowing. Techno though looked more confused than contemplative.
"Being selfish is bad." He stated with a frown at Kristin, waiting for an explanation without forming a question.
"Sometimes its okay to be selfish, Tech." Phil answered instead, coming back to sit in his place, "So long as its not hurting anyone else usually."
"How do you know its not hurting anyone?" Techno asked, hand fussing with his pile and slowly undoing the folding his mother had done.
This one had both parents pausing and looking at each other as if asking each other how best to explain this one. The older Wilbur and Techno got the harder it seemed to get to answer them. Explanations requiring more complex ideas to be filtered down to a learning level. Kristin at least had some idea of how to do it thanks to her job as a Children's Care Aid. Phil, however, was mostly flying by the seat of his pants.
"You can't always know for sure." Kristin started slowly as she looked back to Techno, "That's why its usually best to try to avoid being selfish. In this case, its fine, because your dad and I love you all so much that no matter who's name is said first, we still love you."
"Exactly." Phil agreed with a nod before reaching his arms out to take Tommy back from Kristin.
Tommy was chewing on his fist again, staring up at the sounds of speaking but for the moment remaining silent. Well, as silent as a drooling, babble body can be. He gave a wide open smile to Kristin as she looked down at him, his free hand reaching up to her at the eye contact.
"I think I want to hold him for a while." She stated with a grin as she took the offered tiny hand into her own, "I think Tommy wants to spend time with 'mama' too~"
Phil let out a mock whine as he leaned back.
" Kristiiin , he's never going to say my name if you keep taking my Tommy time from me." Phil complained loudly and making Wilbur laugh, "You keep stealing all the love!"
"Don't be sad. We love you, dad." Techno assured him, quickly shuffling his way around the bed to hug his father.
"Aw, thanks mate. I love you too Tech." Phil replied with a coo as he lifted Techno up to hug him tighter.
"Pft, suck up." Wilbur muttered with a snicker.
"This is why Techno doesn't need to fold his clothes and you do." Phil stated with a grin at Wil from over Techno's head.
"Phil, that is not true." Kristin laughed as Wilbur's face had fallen into an open mouth look of indignation.
"It is for me." Phil insisted, clearly teasing as he slowly lowered Techno back to the floor, "Don't know what your reason is but-"
"Mooom!" Wilbur whined, looking at her with a frown and a furrowed brow.
"Its not true, Wilbur. He's just messing with you." Kristin insisted.
"Prove it then. Prove it isn't true." Phil encouraged, nodding towards the pile.
Kristin looked to the pile, to her husband and then to her son. She knew he had her beat on this one. For now. She let out a sigh before lifting Tommy up and holding him out to Phil once more. Phil let out small noise of victory that almost had her pulling Tommy back, but she resisted.
"Cheater." She huffed out to Phil as sh tried to keep her grin off her face.
"Takes one to know one." Phil replied sweetly as he happily bounced the returned infant on his knee with a coo to the happy babbling face.
Kristin picked up one of Wilbur's nearby sweaters and began to fold it for him, with him watching her somewhat impatiently. He was fidgeting in place with his pout still firmly set, hands fussing with an unmatched sock before him. It was only when she handed the item over to Wil that his frown broke and his smile returned.
Even if she knew his mood right now wasn't entirely real, she just couldn't resist that face. His little pout with his wide eyes making him look close to crying. It was always the eyes that got her. He was so much like his father in that respect.
"See? Mom still loves you. Even if dad doesn't." Kristin stated, a pointedly teasing look at her husband as he faltered at her words.
"Oi! I never said that!" Phil denied quickly, stopping in his bouncing of Tommy as he looked to Kristin and then to Wilbur who looked just as surprised, "Don't believe her lies son!"
Kristin laughed at the panic in his voice, leaning over as she hugged her middle. Wilbur wasn't far behind her, bursting into high pitched hysterics as his body swung forward onto the bed. As he laughed he rolled around half on the bed and half off, tossing his pile to the floor and almost following it himself. Techno looked between his laughing family members, a smiled wide on his face as he started to giggle and laugh even if he didn't understand why.
He wasn't the only one catching the contagious laughter. Tommy was thrilled at the merriment around him and was swinging his arms around as he bubbled out delighted squeals of his own. Phil himself was now well into the fits with his family and for a next few minutes the room was a chaotic din of cackling and wheezing.
When the hysterics finally started to subside, the family panting and puffing as they recovered, the only one still making noise was Tommy. He was looking around as best he could at his family, eyes wide and excited as he babbled on waiting for the next person to make a noise. However, with everyone still regaining their breath the relative silence in the room stretched on.
Not if Tommy had anything to say about it.
"Mmm-" He started to hum-mumble.
"Ah! No-no-no!" Phil rushed out, almost choking on his own breath as he looked down to Tommy with wide eyes, "No, Tommy. Da! Da for 'Da-da'. For 'Dad'. Please Tommy!"
And with that Kristin was laughing all over again, wheezing into the clean laundry as she fell over onto it. Techno and Wilbur joined her return to hysterics, this time Wilbur falling onto the floor fully as his legs gave out on him.
Phil could only focus on Tommy, trying to convince him that 'Da' was far more fun to practice than any 'M' sounds he 'might' be thinking of.
xx-xx-xx-xx-xx
"Hey, hey, listen to me okay? You can do it. Wuh-wuh-Wiiilbur."
The eight year old had his face pressed against the bars of Tommy's playpen, where the smaller child had been placed just earlier. Once Wil had been sure both parents were sufficiently busy he had abandoned his chore in the room and had started talking to him. Or, talking at him. Really just repeating his name at the other with various tones and emphasis.
If his parents said being selfish in this act was 'harmless' and 'okay', then he wanted in on it. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be Tommy's first word, but he was excited to find out. If he could manage it. The look of surprise on his parents faces would also be worth it he thought.
Except Tommy wasn't being very cooperative. Right now he seemed far more interested in soaking the stuffed toy beside him in his spit as he tried to fit as much of it into his mouth as he could. He offered Wil barely a look aside from when he changed pitch. It was small, but it was something. Which is why Wilbur had been speaking his name in progressively strange ways. Surely something would stick.
Wilbur let out a sigh of defeat as he stared at his baby brother. The blond child wriggled in place, blue eyes drifting around the ceiling as he gummed at his toy. He kicked his feet once in a while, his eyes lowering to the non-working mobile just overhead. He reached a fist up towards it and let out an amused giggle before once more being distracted by the plush in his mouth.
"Wilbur, stop staring at your brother like that. He needs to nap." Phil directed as he walked through towards the kitchen, "Did you finish your chores yet?"
"Yes." Wilbur lied easily as he peeled his face from the pen.
"Good. Your mother is doing a walk round to check." Phil stated which made Wil's eyes widen.
Phil fought to keep a straight face when he looked in Wil's direction, the 'deer in headlights' look all to clear for him to see. Phil was quick to turn into the kitchen fully after that, allowing himself to grin openly when he heard his sons' now hurried feet shuffling around the living room.
Wilbur had been tasked with picking up his and Techno's toys from said living room and putting them away so it shouldn't take him too long. Wilbur would most likely finish before he even realized his mother wasn't, in fact, making rounds in the small house. Something proven as Phil listened to Wilbur's just shy of running stride head down the hall and towards the kids' room.
It wasn't two minutes later that Phil stopped gathering the ingredients for dinner as he heard something in the living room. It wasn't Tommy babbling and Wilbur had yet to return from down the hall. But…that was clearly a voice.
Peeking his head out of the kitchen Phil had to over his mouth to keep his laugh contained. There, sitting before Tommy's playpen where Wilbur had been just minutes before, was Techno. He had a hand reached inside but Phil couldn't see what he was reaching for. He could, however, hear Techno repeating his name slowly to Tommy in a not entirely quiet voice. From what Phil could hear Tommy was opting to blow bubbles in response.
With an internal sigh Phil turned back to the kitchen, a grin spread wide on his face. Apparently he had more than just his wife to contend with for Tommy's first word. Phil didn't mind the competition though, and if Tommy's giggle from the other room was anything to go by the youngest was hardly unhappy with the attention.