sword_chocobro | MHA #18; Wednesday Afternoon [11/09].

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MHA #18; Wednesday Afternoon [11/09].

Having so much spare time on his hands was still something Gladio was getting used to, and there were times when it felt downright surreal, really. But he'd be lying if he said it wasn't kind of nice, every once in a while, to have a quiet afternoon where he could just sit and read and not have to worry about anything else. He'd even picked up a few new books and was finally getting the chance to dive into one that was vaguely topical to a conversation he'd had recently. Ignis was out getting stuff for dinner later, Goose was probably off in Ignis' room doing whatever goose things he did when Ignis went on a particularly independent streak, he had some tea, the apartment had come with a good sturdy armchair...

....and it was nice. He could almost get used it. He didn't particularly want to, all things considered, but it was a moment that made him think that, if he was going to be stuck somewhere, at least it was somewhere that afforded him certain creature comforts he'd been mostly denied for the past ten years.

Even if surreal really only seemed the tip of the iceberg there...

[[ some goose-related shenanigans are expected, but the post is very open! ]]

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Goose was starting to get bored, he had tried to keep himself entertained while he was waiting for Ignis to come back but he was too impatient.

He waddled out to see what was happening elsewhere in the apartment and found Gladio, he let out a honk to announce his presence and waddled closer to his chair to see what he was doing.

And if you wanted to talk about surreal, the whole my roommate's sort-of boyfriend that he hasn't seen for ten years has been living with us as a goose this whole time subplot was definitely up there on the list. Gladio lowered his book for a moment as Goose waddled out and honked for attention.

"Hey, Goose," he said. "How's it going? You wanna watch some TV or something?"

It had definitely not been what Goose had been expecting when Ignis had come back that was for sure.

Goose ruffled his feathers, honking a couple of times as he turned his attention to the direction of the tv and then he looked sadly in the direction of the door.

He knew it hadn’t been that long since Ignis had gone to get groceries but Goose was still missing him.

He let out a sad honk.

Gladio's brows lifted a little, because world's saddest goose sounds had actually not been on his list of things to experience today, but there it was, and he followed Goose's sad little look toward the door for a moment before looking back.

"Yeah, I know, man," he said sympathetically, "but he's probably going to be a while. You're stuck with me 'til then. But, hey. I could make you some Cup Noodle^TM while he's out?"

Ignis would absolutely not approve of feeding Goose Cup Noodle^TM, now or ever, which was exactly why this was clearly the perfect opportunity to do so.

Goose also knew that Ignis would not approve of him eating Cup Noodle™ but he hadn’t tried Cup Noodle™ and he perked up at that idea.

Besides he had eaten a lot of questionable things while Ignis had been gone he figured Cup Noodle™ was probably the least concerning.

He nodded very enthusiastically at that idea and honked to show he wanted a cup.

Edited 2022-11-09 11:54 (UTC)

Gladio grinned a little at that, placed a marker in his book and set it aside for later, and then got up from his chair, cocking his head toward the kitchen for Goose to follow.

"Alright, then, come on," he said. "Just don't let it spoil your appetite for later, or else he might be onto us."

Goose nodded enthusiastically and ruffled his feathers to show he wouldn’t let it ruin his appetite and eagerly followed Gladio, letting out a few happy honks as he did.

"So, what do you think?" Gladio asked, a moment later, having opened up the glorious Cup Noodle^TM cupboard, leaning on the frame a little to appreciate its neatly organized and familiarly comforting packages awaiting him. "Shrimp? Vegetable? Beef?"

He thought about offering chicken, but that seemed a little insensitive in Goose's current state.

"Honk once, twice, or three times for which sounds good."

Goose looked appreciatively at how organised everything was in the cupboard and nodded his approval, he considered his options carefully and then decided that he would like the shrimp Cup Noodle™ and honked once for the shrimp option.

Edited 2022-11-09 12:40 (UTC)

"Good choice," Gladio said approvingly, grinning faintly and plucking out one of the shrimp ones for Goose, and a beef one for himself, then set them on the counter while going to put the kettle on. "You just hang tight. Shouldn't be too long."

Goose waited as patiently as he could, but being patient was not his strong suit even after being a goose for the past week s as bd a half.

He waddled a bit closer to the counter to try and see what was happening and if that would make it go by any quicker.

Gladio huffed out a small laugh at that restless energy while opening the Cup Noodles^TM to get them prepped.

"You know," he said, "I'm sure Ignis would say something right now about how a watched pot....or kettle, in this case...never boils."

Goose let out a honk at that, as close to laughter as he could get in his current form.

He did remember all those times Ignis had told him to be patient when he first started teaching him to cook, he was sure that it was easier to not watch a kettle boil but then as he remembered all those cooking lessons he went a little sad again, sighing as those memories of Ignis came flooding back…

That shift in goose-tone had Gladio sending down faintly sympathetic smile. "Yeah," he said, in agreement with that sigh in general. "Don't worry. I'm sure things'll get back to normal again soon."

He did take a moment to consider that he was currently making Cup Noodle^TM for a goose....

"As normal as they can be, anyway," he amended.

Goose hoped so, he was enjoying spending this time with Ignis but he had definitely hoped that he would have been turned back into a human by now.

He nodded at that, ruffling his feathers and let out another sad honk and looked back in the direction of the door before turning back to the kitchen counter,

"I think," Gladio offered, tilting his head slightly, as the kettle started to whistle, and so he picked it up off the stove, turned the burner off, and went to pour the water into the cups, "the same about watched pots goes for watched doors, too, you know."

Plus, he was waiting on a blind man no doubt stubbornly fumbling his way through a grocery store refusing to ask for help, so....yeah. Definitely a much longer wait there than with the kettle.

Goose managed to look a little sheepish at that and tried to not stare at the door, his attention firmly back on the kettle and the promise of trying some Cup Noodle ™.

And as Gladio waited for the noodles to cook, he considered this Goose-turned-goose in the kitchen, trying his best to be patient on both accounts, and with a small sigh, gave a soft, sympathetic smile.

"This has got to be pretty hard for you, too, huh?" he asked. "All this time, not really knowing what was going on, especially once Prompto and me show up, and then when Ignis finally does show up, this happens, and you can't even talk to the guy. That's rough, man."

Goose nodded sadly, he knew based on his past experiences that turning into an animal was only matter of time. The timing could have been a bit better.

He let out another sad honk and ruffled his feathers again.

Edited 2022-11-09 21:27 (UTC)

Gladio was pretty sure he was never going to be able to listen to a goose honking again without recalling just how melancholy the sound could truly be. "Yeah, well," he offered, "a little advice? Man to man....err, well, man to goose, I guess, but from someone who knows that guy probably better than anyone?"

The noodles now cooked from the water, Gladio stirred in the flavoring and the little freeze-dried vegetable packets and crouched down to set the cup down for Goose. Taking a moment to just consider him thoughtfully.

"He's going to probably need some space. Don't take it personally, it's just the way he is. We've all had a really rough time of it, these last ten years, but he got it probably worse than any of us."

Well, except Noctis, but Gladio felt that went without saying.

"He's been through a lot. And it might not seem like it sometimes, but he's going to be grateful to have you there for him. Just remember that, okay?

"Careful with that," he added, nodding now toward thr Cup NoddleTM, while pulling himself up to get his own. "It's pretty hot."

Goose listened carefully to Gladio’s advice, giving a soft honk to show that he understood about Ignis needing space, he could give him space …he wanted to help as much he could…

Goose settled down to begin eating, waiting a few moments for it cool a bit and then he started to eat the Cup Noodle ™ and he’d only gotten a few mouthfuls in before he suddenly realised he was back to normal.

Well as normal as he got for Goose and he blinked a bit as he sat, fully naked on the floor, crouched over a cup of Cup Noodle ™.

“Huh,” he blinked, taking in the Cup Noodle ™ and then looking up at Gladio.

Edited 2022-11-09 22:13 (UTC)

And Gladio, for his part, just sort of looked at Goose, took maybe a second to use this opportunity to confirm a very specific suspicion he may have had about him, nodded with an expression of approval, and then sighed.

Took at least one bite of his own Cup Noodle^TM before setting it aside again on the counter. "I'll get you some clothes," he said, giving Goose a pat on the shoulder as he passed by. "And I don't get to say this....ever, but at least try not to stretch them out too much, okay?"

Goose looked a little sheepish as he stood up, which after being a goose for a week and a half took a bit of getting used to.

“Thank you,” he said a bit awkwardly, “I’ll um try not to stretch them too much,” he added.

"So, what do you think it was?" asked Gladio, when he came back and handed the clothes over. Hope you liked black pants and black tanktops, Goose, because that was sort of all he had. Well, that, and a Cup Noodle^TM tank top, but there was no way Gladio was forking that over, not even temporarily. "The heart-to-heart, or the Cup Noodle^TM? I'd definitely believe that the outstanding flavor and incomparable deliciousness of Cup Noodle^TM could bring anyone back any altered state."

Goose actually didn’t mind, especially since he he lived in his black cowboy outfit so it was actually rather comforting to be wearing something similar until he could get back to his apartment.

Goose grinned as he began to put the clothes on, “I’m starting to think it was the Cup Noodle ™, maybe next time I should start eating that first?”

"Hopefully," said Gladio, drawn like a magnet back to his own delicious container of Cup Noodle^TM awaiting him in the kitchen, "it'll be a while before we need to test that theory out again, but, hey. Welcome back. Be sure to stretch out a little; I'm sure it's a little better when you actually turn into something that moves, but I always had the worst back problems right after I turned back from being a plant."

It also hadn't helped that, the last time, Ignis had tripped over him and broken his pot, which resulted in what he'd been told was a small but pretty distinct scar on his back, presumably from where the vase had cracked.

Edited 2022-11-09 22:57 (UTC)

“Thank you,” Goose grinned by and then paused, “i didn’t happen to eat any furniture while I was a goose did I?”

He didn’t remember doing that but maybe it was a thing when he turned into an animal, he ate furniture?

Then there was another pause, a head tilt and then, “you were a plant?”

Gladio lifted his eyebrows at Goose for a moment.

"I can't verify that you didn't eat any furniture," he admitted, "but I'm pretty sure I'd have heard about that from Specs if you did. And, yeah, twice now. Once for about a weekend when we were still here on the island, and once for a whole month back on Eos. Which, considering how time was moving for us compared to here, would have probably have been about a Fandom weekend."

Goose’s eyes widened at that, “a whole month? A week and a half doesn’t seem so bad now,” he paused, “oh man I’m going to get the riot act read to me again for not checking in at home,” he realised.

"Even if you were a goose?" Gladio asked, a little surprised by that, because, man, people thought he was a hardass, but even he'd gladly make exceptions for being turned into an animal. "Iggy and I can definitely vouch for you, too, if you need it."

Goose sighed, “last time I missed check in I was asleep for like a week, after I’d been a child for the weekend, my dad was not happy about that,” he admitted, “I may need to take you up on that, I don’t think he’d believe me that I was a goose for a week and a half,”

Gladio and his deeply furrowed brow regarded Goose for a good, long time.

"He...does know about this place, right?" he checked. "About the weird things that happens here?"

How long have you been here, Goose? But if his dad still didn't believe that a person...called Goose....would be a goose for...any amount of time...that....kind of put a lot of things about Goose into perspective for Gladio in that moment.

“He’s starting to get a good idea now,” Goose admitted, “I think the turning into a goose thing might still be a bit hard for him to believe,”

He paused, “I’m still technically an active Galaxy Ranger, there would be a lot of people back home who would be happy to drag me in front of a court martial, for not following protocol, even if I was a goose for over a week,”

True to Gladio's predictions, it had taken Ignis a while to work his way around the store and pick out ingredients for their dinner that evening, but it was important that he started figuring this all out. Bag tucked under his arm, he unlocked the door, and, immediately upon entering, frowned at the distinct aroma of Cup Noodles^TM in the air.

To be fair, though, it wasn't like Gladio was likely to spoil his appetite.

Goose had been finishing off his Cup Noodles™ because it had seemed a shame to let it go to waste when he heard the door unlocking and turned around to see Ignis there.

“Ignis, you’re back,” he said cautiously, hanging slightly back , remembering Gladio’s advice about giving Ignis space.

Gladio (who had retreated to his room once it had been established that Goose was going to stick around until Ignis got back) hadn't meant that quite so literally, but he'd be pleased to know Goose had taken it to heart.

Ignis, meanwhile, stopped after closing the door behind him, a little too surprised to not be greeted with honks or Gladio to track exactly where Shane's voice had come from.

"And so are you," he noted, "it would seem."

It took Goose a moment to remember that words were actually a thing and he was in fact capable of speech, after he stared at Ignis for a few moments, “I am …um I’m not a goose anymore,” he offered helpfully, which Ignis could tell based on the fact that he was talking normally band everything.

Yes, Ignis had, in fact, shockingly, managed to deduce as much, and, in that moment, he couldn't help a faint grin for how...abundantly helpful that was.

"Good," he said, moving forward toward the kitchen so that he could set down his bags. "I have to admit, I was not exactly a fan. No offense," another faint smile, in the direction of where he was fairly sure his voice had been, "of course."

“None taken, I must admit it, I much prefer being a human than a goose,” Goose smiled softly at that, moving a bit closer in Ignis’ direction, he was trying to not hover but he wanted to be able to help if Ignis needed it, “it wasn’t quite how I imagined you coming back was going to go,” he admitted.

Ignis set the bags on the counter, carefully, quietly, so most of his attention could focus on Shane's presence, his movements, sensing where he was in the now familiar space of the kitchen, with an additional appreciation for how his size made him much easier to track than he was as a goose, although that, too, had its easily discernable qualities. And he hesitated a moment before he responded, weighing whether or not his first compulsion was the best one, especially since, even though he'd been afforded some time to think about things due to the timing of Shane's transformation, he was not quite solid on any actual conclusions yet...

But still, the only thing he could think to say, with an intrigued quirk of his eyebrow, a turn of his head Shane's way, and a particular tug of something in his chest, was to ask, "And how did you imagine it would go?"

He could imagine there were quite a few elements, besides just his being a goose, that didn't exactly fit his predictions...

“Well I was going to make you dinner,” Goose admitted, feeling his cheeks start to redden, “I’ve been practicing all summer so that I could make you a nice dinner when you got back,”

He hesitated, “and then whatever after dinner,” he was bright red now, not that Ignis could see that.

No, Ignis couldn't see that blush, but he could certainly assume, especially since Shane had never exactly been one to moderate tone. Something that Ignis had always paid attention to, even more so now when he no longer had facial expressions and body language to lean in for interpreting meaning.

"Talking," he said with a faint breath that might have been a laugh, a poor attempt to brush aside a stirring of things he had not felt for a very long time, "no doubt. Gods know we're well overdue for some of that."

There was his own pause, filled after a moment with sorting through some of the things in the bags, so he could ensure that what needed to be refrigerated would not go too much longer without it.

"Dinner," he then added, softly, "would be nice. It will be interesting to see if you've maintained your skills, or perhaps even improved on them, even in my absence."

“Talking, yes …” Goose let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck, “talking wound be nice,”

He paused, hesitating slightly, “well I haven’t set anything on fire and there’s no new stains in the ceiling …” his voice trailed off awkwardly when he realised that Ignis wouldn’t be able to see that stain, “and Summer was very specific on not making maggot cheese, so I won’t make that,” he assured Ignis, in case Ignis was worried that he’d try and make the dish.

Ignis opened his mouth to say something in regards to maggot cheese, knowing full well that he hadn't misheard, but a realization far more ddisturbing had just hit him, and that was the fact that this man had been left with that woman, completely unattended, for months now.

But far better months than years.

"So it would seem she has certainly not changed her ways, then," he noted, but now a new worry had arisen, with regards to the fact that apparently, Summer had to convince Shane not to go with maggot cheese.

"Should I suggest a menu?" he wondered.

For his own sake.

Goose debated on adding that he had taken Summer’s food classes over the summer but figured Ignis would probably not want to hear about that, at least not before he’d made the food first.

“I mean, if there’s a specific dish you’d like me to make for you, I can do that,” he offered instead.

"Well, I have always been a bit partial toward paella," Ignis noted, "but I understand that can be quite a bit...intimidating, and, I assure you, there has been no shortage of seafood in my life lately."

Fish were brilliantly resilient against an apocalypse, it turned out.

"So perhaps....something that makes good use of fresh produce, especially something in season. That is something that has been sorely missed."

The poor man hadn't even been human again for more than a day, and, already, Ignis was doling out an assignment. They may all wax poetical on how the last decade had left them fundamentally changed, but some things, apparently, were forever.

Goose was making careful notes of what Ignis was after, he did file away the paella to be see if it was something he could attempt at a later date but the rest of Ignis’ list sounded like something he could manage.

“I’m sure I can find something that will fit that,” he assured him with a smile, “and did you have anything in mind for wine or dessert?”

He thought it was best to cover everything, he wanted to make it as nice a meal as he could for Ignis.

"Well, it would be difficult to know which wine would suit it best without knowing what the dish will be," Ignis pointed out.

So there was more homework for him!

"But I'd be happy to handle...dessert."

Intentional, meaningful pause?

....Perhaps.

“Oh yes, I’d forget about that, I suppose I’ll leave the wine until I know what dish I’m making ,” Goose considered.

He then grinned at the next part, “then I’m …looking forward to seeing you handle dessert,” he went a little red.

Edited 2022-11-10 18:03 (UTC)

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MHA #18; Wednesday Afternoon [11/09].

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