Papa and Daddy (and Milly too!)

Unexpected Guests...

Kongpob reacts first, dashing across the room from his place by the kitchen counter, eye going straight to the peephole to see who is knocking.

From the couch, the children are craning their necks to see who is at the door, Arthit keeping them on the sofa with him, arms wrapped around all of them so they can't wriggle away. In the flickering candlelight, Kongpob is shrouded in darkness, but as they watch, he reaches out for the door handle.

Before he opens it, Kongpob glances back at Arthit and for a second he can make out neat rows of shiny white teeth, and then Kong opens the door...

The emergency light floods into the apartment and the group on the couch all blink at the brightness of it and when they open them again, they see..

.. Kru Prae and Maprang, soaked to the skin, dripping little puddles of water on the floor of the corridor!

"Come in, come in!" Kongpob says, dragging them inside and slamming the door behind them.

The children start to chatter excitedly and try to get up, but Arthit keeps them in place as Kongpob gestures to the bathroom and brings them both fresh towels so they can dry off.

Once Prae and Maprang have freshened up and are wearing a pair of Kongpob's work sweaters, fingers hidden beneath long sleeves, they join the group in the living room, Arthit making space for them on the sofa as he flops down on the floor beside Kongpob, leaning slightly against each other.

"So, what happened? Why were you out in the storm?" Kongpob asks them and the women share a look.

"You invited us here?" Maprang asks, lifting an eyebrow at Kongpob as Milly and May snuggle against her side.

"We thought it would be rude not to come," Prae agrees from where Jamal and M have attached themselves to her, and it's Arthit's turn to raise his eyebrow at her, watching as her smile turns cheeky. "Okay, fine. We weren't planning to come and then the storm hit unexpectedly and your house is closer than mine!"

Kongpob returns her cheeky smile, "And where were the pair of you, to be needing to come to ours instead of being tucked up in your own homes?"

Maprang giggles and Milly looks up at her, "Were you doing something naughty?"

Prae ducks her head and starts to laugh too and Arthit raises an eyebrow at her, "Well?"

"No comment." They say in unison and then distract the children by asking what they have been doing at their sleepover.

X

"...and then the children all went to sleep in their castle, the boys staying on one side of the room and the girls on the other. And when they woke up in the morning, the daddy's and the teachers were so proud of them that they all had a wonderful exciting breakfast together!"

"With chocolate sauce on the pancakes?" Milly asks, voice hopeful.

"Yes, with chocolate sauce on their pancakes." Arthit agrees and then closes the book that was pretty useless since he just made up a story of his own as usual.

Kongpob, Maprang, Prae and Arthit all give the children goodnight kisses and hi-fives, and then they flop onto the couch in an undignified heap, Arthit's legs flopping over Kongpob's, Maprang practically in Prae's lap.

"Who would have four children!" Arthit says, sighing as his head rests on Kongpob's shoulder and his friends' fingers tickle his waist briefly.

"Not me!" Maprang says swiftly and then looks over at Prae, "Would you?"

"I'm a teacher! What do you think?" She giggles and prods Maprang in her stomach.

"Maybe just one?" And to Kongpob's ears it sounds hopeful.