Papa and Daddy (and Milly too!)

Comfort

Milly's announcement hangs in the air between them, neither Kongpob nor Arthit able to react at first.

On his knees at her feet, Arthit's mouth drops open and it's like all the air inside of him has rushed out and taken his words with it.

Meanwhile, Kongpob is gripping Milly against him so tightly that she starts to struggle in his hold, twisting to get away.

"Papa!" She says at last, startling both of them back into the room. Their eyes meet and lock and there's a silent conversation that kicks them both back into parent mode. Instead of their time as two young men in the past, staring at the tiny bundle who has become so important to them over the past six years.

"Okay, Princess Milly," Kongpob says, releasing her slightly, but keeping her in his arms as Arthit rises from the floor and sits on her other side, cuddling them both close.

"It's okay, my Milly." He says and kisses her head, even as tears stream down his cheeks.

She looks up at him, "Did I do something wrong, Daddy? You're crying. Are you hurt?"

Arthit's heart twists painfully in his chest and then he whispers, "No, no. I'm okay. Just.. I was scared when you went missing. I didn't know it was Nam."

"Mummy Nam." Milly insists, "She said I had to call her Mummy Nam. That's who she is, right?"

Kongpob nods sadly, eyes streaming with tears of his own, soaked up by his daughter's beautiful long, dark hair.

"Yes, she's your birth mother, Milly." Arthit says, voice cracking as Kongpob reaches out and grips his hand in his own trying to gift him the little strength he has left.

"She said.. something about.. an anoption?" Milly says, sounding like herself as she struggles with the difficulty of the word. "She said you anopted me? What does that mean? She gave me some sweets but she wouldn't tell me that."

Kongpob grimaces and it's Arthit's turn to squeeze his hand back.

"What else did she say, sweetheart?" Arthit manages to ask, pain in every word as he imagines her sugar coating her relationship to Milly out of their earshot.

"Well.." Milly pulls away and looks up at Kongpob who sniffs and tries to hide the fact he is still crying, "Papa?" Her eyes are wide as she takes in his appearance, "Don't be upset, please. I didn't eat the sweets, I told her that Papa would want to see them first, so here.."

She jumps out of their hold and vanishes over to her school bag then drags it back to them, rooting through it until she holds out a handful of colourfully wrapped sweets.

"I didn't want to make you mad Papa. Even though she said it would be okay, I thought.." her voice trails off and she looks from Kongpob to Arthit and back to the sweets, "Did I do something wrong, Daddy? Papa?"

Kongpob can't hold in his sobs of gratitude at their thoughtful little girl, his shoulders heaving up and down as he cries openly.

She flings herself into his arms, sweets forgotten, scattered across their floor.

"Daddy!" She wails and Arthit ends up wrapped back around the pair of them, Kongpob gripping onto him for dear life.

X

They only untangle themselves when Milly protests that she's hungry. Kongpob dragging himself to the bathroom to check out the mess that he's in.

His face has dark tear streaks, skin blotchy red. His hair is in disarray from where he's tugged at and his shirt is wrinkled where Milly had gripped him close to her.