It was a Sunday and Wilbur sat on the carpet of the living room, little Tommy resting in his lap. He had managed to convince his mother that he was careful enough to keep his brother safe without being in the playpen or his bouncy walker. She'd been doubtful at first but had conceded to give him a chance. After all, he'd been doing really well with both Tommy and Techno recently when it came to being gentle with them.
With a small warning she'd allowed him to take Tommy from her arms as she went to answer her phone. Work something or other he guessed. Wilbur currently had Tommy wrapped in his arms as they watched cartoons together. A colorful mash of animal character flitting across the screen doing all sorts of shenanigans. Techno had been with them up until a moment ago, but Wilbur wasn't sure where he'd gone off to now. He was at least sure it wasn't far though.
Wilbur laughed at the screen, two characters having bonked each other at the same time and causing their faces to squish flat. Despite Wil's attention to the screen Tommy didn't seem all that interested. He watched and giggled on occasion, but he seemed far more preoccupied with shaking the set of plastic keys he had in one hand and tugging at Wil's arm with the other.
Without thinking Wil let his brother pull and move his arm wherever the smaller wanted, keeping his other one firmly on Tommy's torso to keep the tiny form leaned against his own chest. Wil had more or less gotten used to Tommy's pulling and thrashing when he anyone's limbs were in his grip. Their mother said it was Tommy's way of learning about gravity and that it was normal. Wilbur wasn't sure about that, but he didn't mind either way. He just kept his arm limp and loose like a rag-doll. Tommy wasn't all that strong so Wil didn't worry about any sort of injury or such occurring.
"Ouch" Wilbur yelped suddenly as he jerked his hand away from Tommy.
Tommy let out a noise of angry disapproval as Wilbur looked over his hand. There was no mark he could see, but it still hurt. Wil looked between his hand and his brother in shock.
Tommy had just bitten him.
"Everything alright, Wil?" Their father called from down the hall, entering the living room with a fair sized box in his arms.
"He bit me!" Wilbur stated incredulously, holding up his hand as if it would bare the evidence.
"He bites you all the time, Wil." His father replied with a chuckle, "I don't see why your surprised-"
"It hurt this time." Wilbur cut him off with a frown, tearing his eyes away from his father to look down at Tommy once more.
His little brother had distracted himself with trying to pluck Wil's other hand from his middle, his tongue hanging out of his mouth making his intentions clear. The little monster was hoping to do it again.
"Like, proper hurt?" His father asked, setting the box down on the sofa and crouching down with the two.
"Yes." Wilbur huffed out as he once more tried to shove his 'wounded' hand towards his father.
The man looked it over for about a second before he focused in on Tommy. Without hesitating he lifting the baby's head towards him and carefully stuck a finger into the child's mouth. He ran just his finger tip over Tommy's lower gums but felt nothing. However, with the appendage readily available Tommy was quick to move his head and bite down on the digit caught in his jaws. With a minor wince of his eye Phil let out a snort of a laugh before pulling his hand free, once more with angry protest from Tommy.
"Yeah, he's going to be more bity now I think." He stated as he lean back again, though he made to pull Tommy up with him.
Wilbur didn't protest this as hew as still rubbing at his hand.
"He's starting to teethe." His father informed him, making Wil tilt his head to the side with a frown.
"What's that?"
"Means his teeth are coming in. It can be uncomfortable for babies so they start to chew on things to make it easier." His father replied, giving Tommy a small bounce on his hip though Tommy didn't laugh this time round and instead gave another sound of displeasure, "Guess he thought you were the best looking chew toy around."
"I'm not a chew toy." Wilbur defended with a stronger frown himself now.
"Good luck telling your brother that." Phil laughed as he turned back to the hallway, "I'll let your mother know. We still have the toys from you and Techno's teething time. We can dig them out and make sure they're still safe."
"What if he doesn't like them. He'll start eating all of us." Wil huffed out as he followed close behind, forgetting about the cartoons still bashing each other on screen.
"Wil, he's a baby. He can't eat us. Even if he likes the toys he'll still try to chew on us too." His father turned enough to look at Wilbur, this time with a softer smile than before, "He'll chew on things that make him feel better. If he keeps trying to bite you then it means you make him feel better doesn't it?"
"But….it hurts." Wilbur complained, though with hesitance at the implication his father placed before him.
"I'm not saying let him. I'm just saying, he wont be doing it to make you hurt. He doesn't understand that part." Phil explained further, "You'll still need to be careful. But once most of his teeth are in he should be better about what to and not to bite."
"How long with that take?" Wil questioned earnestly.
He didn't want to miss out on his time to hold Tommy, but he also didn't want to be bitten.
"Dunno. It really depends per person. Maybe his will grow in quick, or take ages, like Techno's did." His father replied with a shrug, "Only thing we can do it wait and see."
Wil nodded his head with a heavy sigh. He crossed all his fingers that Tommy's teeth would be quick to grow in…either that or he'd need to start wearing more sweaters when he held his brother.