Papa and Daddy (and Milly too!)

Meet the teacher

"Swing me please!" Milly calls as they are walking her to school, so they lift her with their arms, enjoying the way she cries out in pleasure. "I'm so lucky to have my Daddy and my Papa!"

"Why's that?" Kong asks as they gently set her back down between them, holding one hand each.

"Because you are both strong and can swing me in the air so well! Not like May's parents, they are not strong and can't really swing her!" Milly says in her matter-of-fact, six year old way.

Kongpob finds it endearing, Arthit finds it funny, so they let her speak as she pleases usually, unless she's accidentally insulting someone, then they gently reprimand and teach her. Kong thinks that they've both grown up a lot since the day they were presented with a tiny, wrinkled Milly, wrapped in a blanket and screaming her head off.

And as he looks at Arthit and sees him grinning back, he thinks the other man knows that too.

Arriving at school, they quickly check themselves in and hold Milly's hands all the way to her first grade class. It's a busy school, the corridors bustling with children and parents and staff, and they nod to those people that they know.

Kongpob is more familiar with the parents, whom he makes an effort to spend time getting to know to arrange playdates and gatherings, whereas Arthit is more likely to know the teachers from the times when they've butted heads over teaching styles and what he'd like them to teach his precious little girl.

Kongpob has sat through a number of teacher meetings where Arthit has busted out the lawyerly legalese and confused the staff. He always tries to smooth the water, of course, but often the damage is already done. However, as the owner of a florist shop, he has learned to apologise with bouquets of pretty flowers, and the staff tend to recognise that calling him first, over Arthit, is usually the best idea if they want a more rational conversation about Milly.

"This is my classroom, Papa," Milly calls out and interrupts his thoughts, "And there's May and, oh look, it's Em!"

Arthit is immediately on the war path, glaring at Milly's friend Em with whom he has a love-hate relationship. As the only seven year old in the class, and being rather rich, he is popular with the other students, but he's latched on to Milly and Arthit imagines he can see 'first love' in his eyes whenever he looks at her.

Of course, Kongpob has told him he's being stupid, but Arthit is adamant that he keeps a close eye on the boy at all times when he joins Milly and May to complete his homework at Kong's shop after classes. The trio call themselves "The M Gang' and they even have their own chant and cheering routine which Arthit always pretends he doesn't know (although Kongpob has caught him dancing to the tune around the flat when Arthit thinks that he's already gone to bed and it's incredibly cute - and also kind of hot that he wants to know it for their child!)

Usually, Kongpob fuels his paranoia by telling him that Em pays Milly more attention than May because it's fun to see Arthit turn slowly red and try to think of ways to 'break them up' or separate them. But in actual fact, Kongpob thinks the boy likes May the most. He loves having the trio at his shop anyway, helping them with homework and feeding them noodles and the occasional cake. It's always a pleasure to be around his daughter and he finds her friends sweet (and so do most of his customers which makes them pretty good for business!).

Just as Kongpob steps between Arthit and Em, anticipating an altercation (since Em, though only seven, can give back as good as he gets), a young woman bustles into the room, her hair coiled up in a bun, glasses perched on her nose with a flowing skirt in rainbow colours that reaches her ankles.