"Hidden Beneath the Surface" (TanFang)

TanFang 13

The gang, still in full swing, was now debating who marc loved the most. The noise level was steadily rising as everyone tried to prove their point.

Peem: "I told you, marc loves me the most! I make him laugh every time I hold him."

Toey: "Please, Peem. marc clearly prefers my soothing voice over your loud nonsense."

Q: "If anything, he loves me because I’m the coolest one here."

Pun (rolling his eyes): "Cool? More like the loudest. No wonder he cries every time you hold him."

The back-and-forth continued, escalating with exaggerated gestures and raised voices, while Marc sat in his crib watching the chaos unfold. Then, suddenly, Marc’s face scrunched up, and he let out a loud wail.

Everyone froze, their eyes darting to the crying baby.

Chain (whispering): "Uh oh... we did it now."

Phum (panicking): "Why is he crying? What did you guys do?"

Peem (offended): "What *we* did? You’ve been hogging him half the time!"

Toey: "It’s P'Q’s fault. He was waving his arms around like a maniac!"

Q (defensive): "Oh, sure. Blame me when it’s obviously Peem's loud voice that scared him."

The bickering resumed, now with everyone trying to pin the blame on each other. Meanwhile, Fang and Tan emerged from their brief rest in the bedroom, their faces a mix of exhaustion and concern.

Tan (sternly): "What’s going on here?"

The gang froze mid-argument, all pointing at each other like guilty children caught in the act.

Fang (walking over to marc): "Oh, my poor baby. Did these idiots scare you?"

Fang gently picked up Marc, rocking him while he glared at the group. Marc’s cries softened as Fang soothed him.

Pun (sheepishly): "We didn’t mean to... he was fine a minute ago."

Fang (sarcastically): "Fine? With all this noise? You guys are lucky he didn’t wake up earlier."

Tan (crossing his arms): "I told you guys to keep it down. Now look what happened."

The gang exchanged guilty looks, mumbling half-hearted apologies. Marc finally calmed down in Fang’s arms, hiccupping softly as he nuzzled against his papa.

Phum (trying to lighten the mood): "Well, at least he stopped crying... thanks to me."

Fang (deadpan): "Phum, stop talking before you start another fight."

The gang collectively sighed and flopped onto the couch, subdued for the moment. Fang handed Marc to Tan, who cradled him with a tired smile.

Tan: "You know, you guys might just be the loudest babysitters in history."

Toey (grinning): "But at least we’re entertaining!"

Fang: "Yeah, so entertaining you gave my baby his first tantrum."

The group laughed awkwardly, trying to redeem themselves. As the evening wore on, they managed to tone it down just a little. Tan and Fang exchanged weary glances but couldn’t help smiling at the chaos their friends always brought. Even with the noise and arguments, it was moments like these that made their little family feel complete.

The apartment was supposed to be quiet Marc had just fallen asleep after an hour of gentle rocking by Tan. But that peace was short-lived. From the living room came the unmistakable sounds of chaos: laughter, shouting, and what sounded like something crashing to the floor.