Title: Responsibility
Pairing(s): none; implied Athrun/Cagalli
Genre: Humor
Rating: K
Spoilers: none
Summary: Sometimes taking the blame isn't always bad.
Author's Notes: Chapter 3 for my once long forgotten fic 'Through the Years.' I needed to cheer myself up, 'nuff said.
Disclaimer: The characters used in this fic aren't mine. They belong to Sunrise, Bandai, and whatever other company has a say in their fate.

While Athrun had never seen a kicked puppy in his life per say, he always saw what he would guess a close enough expression when the twins did something bad, especially something they weren't supposed to do in the first place.

They were both fidgeting in their feet, Adam rotating on his heels with restless, twitchy motion while Lenore played with the hem of her t-shirt, nails coated in god knows what. Their eyes looked oversized and teary, like a harsh word, reprimand, or look was going to make them cry. Either that, or the stuff they made from the kitchen fell into their eyes making them water. Athrun made a mental note to tell them to wash out their eyes later.

Athrun started to say something, cleared his throat, and fell silent again. He surveyed both of them from top to bottom. Dirty clothes. He looked behind them. Kitchen a mess. He looked back at them. Both with big, almost doe-like, eyes brimming over with tears.

Remember, Athrun said to himself, they're both only five-years old. They're still just children.

Hell, to him they were still the little babies whose diapers he changed day after day. Whatever they had in mind to make in the kitchen obviously didn't go as according to plan. Their clothes for a lack of a better word were beyond being rescued. Once pristine t-shirts now had stains he imagined Cagalli wouldn't want to clean out, shorts having different colors in them, some not so healthy looking. And if they looked bad then the kitchen looked worse. Who-knows-what were laying on the floor, with the counter smothered what looked like chocolate but Athrun wasn't sure.

Despite all this they were good kids. They ate their vegetables during dinner, brushed their teeth, cleaned after themselves, and were generally polite, and for all that they deserved some kind of sympathy. There was, at the very least, a sense of kindness to be considered despite the situation. Keeping his temper in check, he was aware it wouldn't be easy to forgive himself if his self-control slipped when they both looked one step away from an emotional breakdown.

Athrun took all of this in and said, "What did the both of you do to the kitchen? And for that matter yourselves?"

Lenonre just looked down at her feet while Adam's lip fluttered. "We…uhh…well…uhh..."

"Start at the beginning," he said in a perfectly calm and pleasant tone.

"We... wanted to make something to surprise mommy."

He almost laughed at the innocence in which that was said but remembered the situation and controlled himself just in time. "Is that all?"

"Umm, no?"

"Adam. Lenore. Getting both of you to talk isn't usually a problem." And it was true. They both had an inquisitive nature that made them ask questions. One more cautious check of their appearance, and another reminder to his brain to be calm and not just berate them needlessly. Take it one question at a time. "What happened to both of your clothes?"

This time Lenore spoke up, thinking using her sweet charm would win over him her being 'daddy's girl' and all. "Umm, they got dirty?"

When Athrun's mother was angry with him, he remembered her spelling out his name. Not even the short abbreviation of it, but the whole name, Athrun Zala, constructed manually, letter by letter, as slowly as she could do it without being ridiculous. Then, as the name built up in her fingers, he started to squirm, and by the time she was done with just his name, he was already regretting whatever disobedience had started it.

"Adam Zala. Lenore Zala." The words slid out from between his teeth slowly, like thick molasses.

Amazing. Different speaker, established vocals, and even ten years later after it being done to him, and it still had the same effect. If they both had been pitiful looking before, they now both looked like the poster children for robbing the bank and getting away with it with just that look. He was even sure people would help them carry the money out if they asked.

"Yes sir?" Even after all this time both of them responding at the same time still spooked him.

"Are both of you saying that to make mommy happy that the both of you decided to make us something in the kitchen? And unsupervised at that?"

Quiet. "Yes sir."

"And in doing so you both of you know you both might have gotten seriously hurt?"

Quieter. "Yes sir."

Athrun sighed. "Both of you get over here. Let me make sure you didn't hurt yourselves during…this."

Seeing as how they both knew they needed to please their father in any way possible they both complied. He checked them over. Ugh, these were the new clothes Lacus had brought them when they went shopping last week. Looking at it now he knew the stains were never going to come out. After checking over them for any noticeable injuries inquiring on their well-being, Athrun silently gestured to the mess they were both in and Adam recognized that a simple, innocent answer wasn't going to do it this time.

"We used the book over there to make something. Some of the stuff we tried to get fell but we were in a hurry so we left it. Then when we finished the bowl was heavy," Adam said miserably. "I tried to take it off the counter by myself but..." he shrugged in a helpless manner.

"Go upstairs and take shower and shower good. Adam, take the main one. Lenore, go to mommy's room to take one. When you take your clothes off set them outside the door so that I can pick them up. And next time, tell me if you want to make something in the kitchen. You know I would help."

Both of them looked up and blinked their eyes. "Next time?"

"With you two I have learned early on to always be prepared for the unexpected," he said with a fond smile that immediately relaxed them. "Now, both of you go get yourselves cleaned, and, if you'll excuse me, I have a mess to clean up. Don't worry," when he saw the expressions on their faces, "you're not punished and I won't tell mommy it was the both of you that did this. I'll take the blame."

Both of them looked like condemned prisoners who had suddenly seen sunlight again. They were both grinning from ear to ear. They both unexpectedly hugged him, dirty clothes and all. Athrun knelt down and hugged them with equal enthusiasm all while making a mental note to get his clothes cleaned when he was done. Before long he got up and with another pat on their shoulders, Athrun turned the twins towards the bathroom. The twins, grabbing each others hands, started skipping towards the door to clean themselves up.

"Adam? Lenore?"

They both turned back towards him, and Athrun was relieved to see that the kicked puppy looks that were on their faces earlier had been replaced by an adorable 'everything's-going-to-be-okay-you're-the-best-daddy-in-the-world' expression.

…and for a moment he almost cried at the sight.

"Yes, daddy?" they said in unison.

"Don't make mommy mad anytime soon." Athrun sighed silently to himself. Damn, whipped by five-years olds. "I have a feeling she going to be plenty mad when she gets back home."

end