Secrets Kept

Chosen family

Going back to school the next day, Kongpob pulled Knott and Tutah aside to let them know that Arthit had been super tired lately. He wanted them to know so they could keep an eye on him just in case something happened.

"Don't worry about Arthit or the babies, we will keep a close eye on them." Tutah asked him, patting him on the shoulder.

"And we will let you know the minute we think there is anything wrong. Now, go to class." Knot smiled, waving him away. Kong nodded and did as they said.

He found Oak, Tew, and M already in class frantically working on homework that was probably due today.

"Hey, Kong..." M began, but Kong interrupted knowing exactly what they wanted to ask for.

"No. You need to make school a priority and not gaming. I will not let you copy my work." Kongpob decided to sit down a few seats away from them, right next to Wad, whom Kong had seen as he walked into the room. Leaning over, Kong asked in a low voice, "How are you feeling today?"

Wad smirked, "I feel fine. A little tired, but that's not a surprise. How's P'Arthit feeling?"

"Unusually tired, recently. We think it has to be due to the fact that he is carrying more than one." Kongpob answered softly and Wad nodded just as the teacher walked through the door.

********

"Arthit, wake up"

Arthit stirred at the sound of his name. Lifting his head off the desk, he looked around confused for a minutes as to where he was. Tutah was standing next to his desk, clearly the one who had spoken. Then he remembered that he was supposed to be in his mechanical engineering class.

"Oh no! Have I been asleep the whole class? What did I miss? Was the teacher angry with me?" Arthit started to panic, realizing that this could mean that his teacher could fail him for not paying attention in class, but Tutah immediately started shaking his head.

"Don't worry, she wasn't mad. We all explained to her that you've been studying very hard and that you are exhausted. But, if I may suggest, you should probably let the school know in some way, what's going on so that they can accommodate you as needed as you get further and further along. I know you got through the last pregnancy without anyone knowing or without too much issue. But this time there's two of them, so you're going to be even more tired. You're going to be even slower and you may go into labor early." Tutah said, now looking worried.

"I know. But I'm not sure who to tell because the situation is so complicated. If you haven't already figured that out. Plus, I don't know if I can tell anyone else without, as bright calls it, combusting." Arthit confessed.

"Why not have your boyfriend take care of that? You know he could do it without any problem. And as to who to tell, maybe tell the dean about the situation? I mean, you even have proof if you need it." Knott said, standing from the desk behind Arthit.

Arthit nodded. That was a great idea. Kongpob would have no issue explaining this to the dean, or anyone to be fair. Arthit didn't think the man had ever been embarrassed about anything since they had met.

"Come on. We have one more class to get through, and then you can talk to N'Kongpob about talking to the dean." Tutah said, reaching out as if to help Arthit stand. He dropped his hand when he saw the look on Arthit's face.

"You know, you will eventually have to accept help from someone. Especially when you are further along."

"I don't need help. Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean anyone can treat me like a woman." Arthit said, finally standing up.

"Just because we help you, it doesn't mean we think of you as a woman. And I know N'Kongpob doesn't think of you that way. He seemed to be worried about you when he pulled us aside this morning." Tutah shook his head before turning and walking out the classroom door.

Arthit smiled. He knew that Tutah was right especially about Kong not thinking of him as a woman. The man had proven this on many different occasions, but sometimes he forgot this.

'Maybe I should let up on him about helping me.' Arthit thought as he followed his friends to the last class of the day. He knew he had a problem about letting his pride get in the way of his very dedicated boyfriend helping him. Most of the offered help was when he had been pregnant, which would have really made things a lot easier for him in the long run.

********

After their last class, Arthit and his friends went to sit outside to talk and hang out a little. Arthit realized that he hadn't done that since before the flag capturing event, just before he had found out about the babies.

"Oh, did you get the invitation for P'Tum and P'Fon's Wedding? It is in 2 weeks, and they said the color to wear is red. I don't know if I have anything that is red." Prem complained.

"Oh. I forgot about that! I seem to forget more and more as I get further along. I need to look for something red to wear for that. I don't know if I have anything either." Arthit commented. Tutah smiled.

"You should talk to your doctor about that. Or find some reading material to educate your self about pregnancy. What you are experiencing is called 'Pregnancy Brain'. It happens to most people who get pregnant. It was kind of funny when my cousin was expecting his baby. There was one incident where he ended up putting the TV remote into the freezer. My aunt found it in there several hours after he realized that it was missing. Luckily, it wasn't destroyed and still worked." Tutah informed Arthit with a laugh. Arthit couldn't help but laugh at that because it did seem like something that he could do right now without even thinking about it.

They talked and laughed for over 30 minutes before Kongpob arrived. Arthit usually hated the fact that he insisted on picking him up at his faculty now that they weren't a secret anymore, but today he didn't mind. Kongpob walked up and joined the group, laughing along with their conversation. He didn't seem to be in any hurry to leave. When they finally calmed down, Arthit turned to Kong.

"I am ready to go whenever you are."

"Alright." Kong turned to Arthit's friends. "That is my queue. We will see you all tomorrow." He stood up and waited for Arthit to get up in his own way. The older man glanced at Tutah before turning to his boyfriend.

"Would you help me up, please? I am too tired to figure out how to stand up right now. If I can't get up on my own now at only 13 weeks, I really don't know how I am going to accomplish the task later on." Arthit finally said, pushing his ego aside. Kongpob seemed genuinely surprised, but immediately moved to help him stand from the bench.

"Don't worry about that. I know you don't like asking for help, but if you struggle for too long, I will help you without you asking. If that mean you get angry with me for it, then so be it. It's not like I haven't done anything to make you mad before." Kongpob reminded him about events of hazing.

"I am well aware of that. Do you remember what you did the first day the other students on campus found out about our relationship after the beach?"

Kongpob laughed at the memory.

A/N: Yay!! I got this done so fast!! You get a flashback in the next chapter.