Flash fiction. I only have thirty minutes to write this.

Disclaimer: GSEED/Destiny is not mine.

Humpty Dumpty

By: rinaissance

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"Not more than two," Cagalli replies with a frown. She leans forward, arms extending to the sugar container residing next to his right elbow. "Ugh, stupid waitress. Why did she give you sugar when you ordered espresso?"

Athrun raises an eyebrow and casually drops his palm on the silverware. "You had five already," he chides softly.

"Athrun," Cagalli warns, "The sugar."

"Cagalli, the baby."

She scrunches her face at him, unsure of how to respond. "No wonder Lenore comes to me often asking for sweets. You're no fun."

Athrun presses his lips into a thin line, before tossing the neatly folded newspaper at the end of the table. He leans forward too, shoulders less stiffer than usual. "No wonder Lenore's been too hyperactive lately. You're the culprit."

"You're such an ass of a father, Zala," she says, good-naturedly.

"And you're a bad influence," he teases, too friendly, and halts, too abruptly. Cagalli dismisses the strange look he offers her way.

Athrun falls into complete silence soon after and so does she. But unlike him, who busies himself with a scone and a butter knife without as much as sparing her a glance, Cagalli retracts her stretched arms and settle them on her lap. Her fingers trace the seam of the table cloth, and she marvels at how much of the bump in the stitches she knows by heart.

"Is childbirth painful?" she asks out of the blue.

He eyes her for one frozen moment, his mouth hangs open, the scone hovers above it. Cagalli wonders, Athrun does not like scones, she thinks - he takes a bite and chews hurriedly - oh, he does.

"I don't know, you can tell me," he smiles with a wink, before laughing freely.

His laugh irritates her. How he has cajoled her into ordering warm milk, instead of hot chocolate, irritates her too.

"The hell would I know!" says Cagalli through gritted teeth. "Oh god, I think I've changed my mind, not two, one's probably… enough?"

Athrun shrugs his shoulders, but once he opens his eyes after a blink which lasted for seconds too longer, his face pales into a ghostly smile. "One sounds a little lonely."

"Do you think so?"

"Yeah."

"I'm going to name her Via."

"Beautiful."

Cagalli drops her head and she watches how the ends of her hair into drop a small waterfall on top of the bulge on her stomach. "Yeah," she agrees quietly.

"Daddy, daddy!"

Young Lenore sprints through the double doors of the coffee shop, with Kisaka dutifully behind her. Cagalli notes the exhaustion in her former bodyguard's face. Turning to Athrun, she snickers at how Lenore fumbles to sit on his lap, finally knocking the stupid, stupid scone out of his hand.

"Hi Aunt Cagalli!" she greets too giddily and waves her nimble fingers too friendly.

Lenore almost immediately looks back to Athrun. He kisses her forehead and the little girl holds out both her ink-smudged hands proudly.

"That's my girl," Athrun coos and he offers to buy her mango shake.

"But I want ice cream, daddy!"

Cagalli gives a sheepish grin. Athrun looks defeated. Lenore jumps in joy.

"Kisaka?" Cagalli finally says, her eyes never leaving the two figures now browsing through the menu by the cashier.

"Yes Cagalli?"

She brings her attention to the abandoned seat before her. She thinks of Athrun, mulls over the now cold espresso, and then scowls at her untouched plate and his almost empty ones. Lenore waves at her from afar, mouthing 'Aunt Cagalli' with a sparkle in her blue eyes.

With a sigh, It's okay, Cagalli thinks.

But on second thought - Athrun picks up Lenore and buries two teaspoons on the huge tub of ice cream sitting on the counter -

"I think I like scones better."

I hate scones.

500 words or so of pointless drabble to keep me from going insane. And I might turn this into a drabble series. Might.

Dissertation's finished. Finals next week. Blurgh.