voidtreckerexpress | (closed) we're all gonna be alright

Entry tags:

(closed) we're all gonna be alright

Who: Madoka and Gladio
When: A day or two after the party-ish..
Where: The greenhouse car
What: Madoka teaches Gladio the wonders of gardening.
Warnings: Probably nothing, but will edit if that changes!

The greenhouse has been an excellent addition to the train. It's not as if Madoka can't appreciate the others that had been added over time, but this one feels extra special. Especially since it arrived right after they had started on the little plants project-- maybe the train was listening to what they wanted after all?

But ever since its addition after the most recent time the train stopped at a platform, Madoka has often been in there. Just admiring the carriage, looking at the bulbs and trying to figure out what might grow out of them, starting to plant some and helping out others who asked her for help on how to learn about gardening..

And so she's seen Gladio there before, just quietly spending time there as well. But the poor girl is so shy that despite how nice he seemed on the platform, she's just too nervous to approach him.

Until now, that is. Because the crate that contained seeds and bulbs has been entirely emptied. And there's definitely more left, but they're all closed. And there's only so much a fourteen year old small girl can do to try and get one of them open. And Gladio is right there, sitting in a corner and reading. Of course she worries that maybe she'd just disturb him if she asked for help.. and so she just stands there next to one of the closed crates for a moment, hesitating and changing her mind over and over.

But in the end she decides to go for it, no matter how nervously her heart is pounding in her chest. Madoka makes her way over to where the big guy is sitting, trying really hard to smile although the nervousness is so very evident in the edges of the smile.

"U.. Um. H-Hi, sir, I remember you from the platform.. I'm sorry, b.. but could I maybe ask you something? If you aren't too busy..!"

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His cabin, Prompto, the gym and the garden. Those were the places he'd spent the most time in the last few days. It had been a long time since he'd had any kind of choice in something, so he was taking his time in working out just what he wanted to do while trapped on the train with everyone else.

Where he found peace and quiet was the greenhouse car. When he'd spoken to Ignis that time, he's joked about maybe he'd take up gardening rather than fighting. He hadn't made any steps towards that end though, he instead enjoyed just sitting there and relaxing in the quiet peace of the car.

Sure there were people who came and went, few seemed to bother him and that was just fine with him. Sat in a corner, away from everyone else, he concentrated on reading his book and the rest of the world fell away. The people and goings on around him didn't much matter, it was one of the first times in his life where he was able to actually let his guard down and lose himself.

So, when a voice spoke up at his side, it was a bit of a surprise because he hadn't realised anyone was there with him. Gladio looked up from the page he had been reading and blinked his attention into focus. Pink haired girl. He blinked again and the name came to him. "Madoka, right?" He asked. "I remember you. What can I help with?"

There's a small nod in reply to her name. And while his positive response doesn't entirely take away the girl's nerves so easily, Madoka does seem a bit relieved. Apparently the way he acted so nice near the end of their conversation on the platform wasn't a fluke, since he seems so ready to help now as well. Even though she bothered him out of the blue.

"Um, I was trying to plant some more flowers here. But the crate with seeds everyone was using is all empty, and the others are still shut.. I.. I wanted to ask if maybe you could help me get them open."

After all, Gladio is such a huge guy. It's what intimidated her at first, and still slightly does even now, but at the same time it means she feels that if anyone would be able to open those things, it'd be him.

"B-But only if it's not a bother to you..! I can try to do it by myself."

Edited 2020-03-08 22:02 (UTC)

Gladio leaned forward a hair to look behind the girl at the crates in mention before he settled back. He dropped a hand to pluck a blade of grass from the side of him and placed it within his book as a marker. The book then went on the ground before he gathered himself up and rose to his feet. "I can help. Do you have a crowbar or something I can use?" Gladio asked as he dusted the backs of his cargo pants off. His hoodie was in a pile near his book and the polo shirt he wore... had been given the Prompto Treatment. The shirt had been turned into something of a vest, the sleeves removed and the neck artfully torn a few inches so he didn't feel like he was being choked by the damn thing.

He flashed a wide grin and stepped around Madoka and gestured for her to follow. "You can get these things open by yourself?" He asked as he approached one of the unopened crates and gave the lid an experimental tug. He didn't think she could, it was nailed down. A crowbar would be nice. He could, if he needed to, use one of his swords. But that seemed overkill. Without a tool it would take a bit of work to get the lid off, but he could do it. "I'll be tough alone. So let me help you."

She easily follows when he gestures for her to do so. She's already plenty grateful that he's willing to help her out, after all. Maybe it's a combination of both that fact and the grin on his face that puts Madoka at least a bit more at ease - enough to be the tiniest bit more bold by Madoka standards by answering:

"I.. I mean, I could try..!"

She even moves her arms up, flexing them as if to demonstrate she's totally strong enough for it. (More like to demonstrate that she can't, considering her arms are so tiny and thin, but it's the thought that counts, right?)

"Let me look though.. They must have used something to get the first one open, right?" With those words the girl starts wandering around the area surrounding the crates, her head turning as she looks, but after a few moments of that she looks back at Gladio. ".. I don't think it's here anymore though."

Edited 2020-03-09 16:17 (UTC)

The big guy chuckled at the pink haired teens display of strength and have a low, impressed whistle. "Remind me not to get on your bad side." He commented in some amusement.

While Madoka went around looking for something to jimmie the crates open with, Gladio tested the lids with his fingertips, trying to get purchase under it so that he could work it just tear the damn thing off. He hoped the kid would be able to find something to help, but sadly that wasn't the case.

"No worries, kiddo. We'll just have to brute strength it." Gladio was fine with that he supposed, he just worried about breaking the lid when they might have wanted to use it again. At the edge he was standing in front of he'd managed to get his fingers under and tugged a few times to loosen it up. The wooden crate creaked in protest but the lid lifted a good inch, enough he could now move his hands to grab onto the lip of the lid and push upwards. "Might want to step back, don't want you getting hit by splinters." If, of course, the crate lid decided to be dramatic and disintegrate under his hands. Something he hoped to avoide if at all possible.

It's really for the best that he gives her that warning. Because Madoka was just standing next to the crate, looking absolutely amazed already by this display. She's pretty sure she couldn't even get a single part of that crate to budge even slightly, and yet he can already get the lid to lift with just that! That goes beyond strong in Madoka's mind, he looks like a total superhero to such a young impressionable mind.

But her staring in amazement is stopped by the warning, and she quickly seems to realise he's right. With a quick nod and a few steps back she's safely out of the way.

(But still watching, because this is clearly amazing. She can't miss it.)

"Okay, I think I'm good now.. Please be careful too though, sir, don't get a splinter yourself..!"

Gladio turned and tilted his head a touch, watching and waiting for Madoka to be far enough away that he didn't think even a speck of dust would reach her. When she was, he grinned and lifted a hand to give her a thumbs up. "Good job. And the names Gladio." he said with a laugh and then he pushed. The muscles along his shoulders and back bunched and tensed, his arms strained and he gave a low, growling grunt as the nails were pulled up one by one and the lid lifted. Wood did splinter, and a crack formed down the center of the crate lid. But he didn't care, he just pushed it down the back of the crate and then stepped back dust off his hands.

"And there you go." He chuckled. "I'm good at opening jars as well." He joked, happy to actually make himself useful. So far Gladio hadn't felt very useful. Sure he'd been enjoying his time spent with Prompto, but in terms of actually doing something with himself, he hadn't really.

There's definitely more amazement as Gladio just rips the lid right off like that. This feels like the sort of thing Madoka would usually only be able to see on TV back home, but now it's happening right in front of her eyes. It's so amazing that once he pushes the lid off and steps back, she just instinctively starts clapping her hands in applause.

"W.. Wow, that's so amazing..! I can't believe it!"

Gladio has to be superhuman, right. That's the only conclusion her young mind can come to.

Madoka steps forward to look into the crate, smiling happily at the sight of the bulbs and seeds inside, but then she seems to realise something and looks back at the man.

"But.. if that's your name, you really have to be one of papa's friends, right?" He did say Iggy back on the platform, but the idea of Ignis being called by a nickname felt so weird that she wasn't sure if Gladio had really been talking about him.. But now she knows this guy's name, she can place him more easily. Ignis had mentioned that name to her before, after all. "I already thought you all sounded like superheroes when he talked about you.. But you really are like one! You just went like--"

Madoka mimes ripping the lid off like he did a moment ago.

"Graaah..!" Sorry, she can't do manly grunts. This is her best effort. "It's so cool..!"

He was just checking to make sure he hadn't damaged the contents when Madoka finally seemed to realise who he was. He had to wonder about that. Ignis had made it seem like a big deal that he know that Madoka was his daughter. He wondered how much, or how little, the daughter knew about him.

Gladio opened his mouth to reply but the girl was going on and for a flash of a moment reminded him of Prompto in her strange jumps of logic. So much so that he'd burst out laughing before he'd even realised he was going to do it.

"Superheroes?" He laughed and went ahead and just sat himself down beside the crate with his back up against it. Beginning to realise that his height seemed to put others on edge, he figured sitting down was the safest bet. Plus it put him more on an eye-level with the girl so he could talk with her. "All... No, the only one of us who could fly was Noct. We're not superheros, kid. And I'm strong because I worked hard. I was a runt as a kid. But..." He chuckled and looked down at his hands, checking them for splinters and happy to find there weren't any. The hands dropped into his laugh and the laughter was toned down to a warm smile. "You keep thinking that of your dad, alright? That he's a superhero. He won't believe you for a second, but maybe you can get through to him where we couldn't."

It really helps whenever he gets down to her level. Sure, he's still a pretty big guy even while sitting down, but at least Madoka doesn't have to crane her neck to try and look up at him. And it's not like that's the only thing to decrease his intimidation factor here.. the laugh also helps. A lot. Madoka can't help but think she really likes his laugh - it's so warm and genuine. It makes her smile at him without even realising it, it's just purely instinctive.

Not to mention that last part of what he says. There's no way he would say anything like that if he didn't care about Ignis a whole lot. Now Madoka feels a tiny bit guilty for having been so afraid of him back on the platform when he seems like such a warm and caring guy now..

"But mister Gladio, aren't you doing the same thing?" It makes it a little easier to talk to him too, since this isn't the sort of thing she'd say to someone she was afraid of. Her tone isn't as excited as a moment ago, but it's very genuine - she doesn't hold herself back out of shyness. "You're doing the same thing as papa where you won't accept the compliment."

At least she doesn't sound sassy. Her tone makes it sound more like an observation.

"Does that mean I have to keep telling you it too?"

"Is that what I'm doing?" Gladio replied with that same grin. "I think you're wrong." If she didn't mind being honest with him then he was going to be honest right back. Though he had a lot of respect for her to actually come out and say something like that, given their previous interactions and the fact she'd barely been able to look in his eyes then. Maybe she was warming up to him? Or maybe he'd just ruffled her feathers by seemingly dismissing her compliment. "Compliment my hard work and I'll thank you over and over again." He continued with a chuckle. "But a superhero's pushing it. I'm not interested in the limelight, kiddo. I'm the guy who does his best to keep the superheroes safe. When I can." Though being stuck in a trice damn train kind of ruined that some, so he was stuck at a disadvantage with nothing to do and no one to protect.

She's definitely warming up to him. Which is why she doesn't immediately start to panic when he says she's wrong. Instead Madoka just seems to listen to what he says, and then slowly nods as if she understands.

Granted, she still kind of thinks someone who keeps superheroes safe is probably a superhero themselves, but.. still. She's willing to just chalk that up to personal opinion. Maybe.

"Keeping people safe is really cool too though.. It's very admirable." And she can't help but think Gladio must be great at it. He just opened that crate with his bare hands, he's so strong!

Madoka pauses, and then does look a bit more shy again. Although it has nothing to do with Gladio as much as it has to do with her own embarrassment, bordering on guilt.

"I wish I could be someone like that too."

"Sure is!" Gladio laughed, no small amount of pride in his voice. It was a 'cool' thing to do and something he had actually loved. It was something he'd been good at. Something to be proud of, something that would make his family proud. To be able to protect the people he cared about was one thing. To protect the King? To be right there at his side throughout all his hardships and keeping him safe? How could you not be proud about something like that? How could it be anything less than cool?

Gladio leaned forward then and made a little gesture for Madoka to come closer, his smile had gentled as he patted the grass beside him. "Can I let you in on a secret?" He asked her, then waited for her answer. He supposed what he was going to say wouldn't be much of a secret, but maybe he thought it would help. If she wanted to be someone who could keep others safe, of course.

"A secret?"

Consider her interested. She looks surprised though - mostly since she might be taking this a little more seriously than he intended, with how gullible Madoka is. The girl can't help but think it's amazing that he wants to share a secret with her already, even though they don't know each other very well yet!

So of course she does come closer when he makes that gesture, even sitting down next to him on the grass when he indicates for her to do so. Madoka stares at him with big eyes before giving a determined nod.

"Of course, I promise I won't tell anyone..!"

Maybe secret had been too strong a word, since Madoka seemed to be taking it very seriously. Though, if Gladio was honest, it was probably a good thing she was taking it seriously. He hoped it meant she would listen.

"You don't have to be strong to protect people." Gladio whispered after he'd leaned in toward the teen to deliver his secret. It was actually something he'd told his sister after she'd expressed a desire to keep him safe a few years prior. She'd been watching him practice and had demanded he show her as well, so that she could protect him while he protected the prince. He'd laughed and sat her down to explain that she'd had a more important job. Sort of like what he was doing with Madoka. "I bet you think you're someone who needs protecting and not the other way around, huh? Maybe you are. Maybe you can't beat up the bad guys, but what you protect is something much more valuable."

Gladio pulled back then and leaned against the crate behind him. The smile hadn't left his lips, though now it held a touch of nostalgia. Almost word-for-word what he'd had to tell Iris. It had seemed to help his sister, he hoped it would help reassure Madoka.

"See, people like you, Madoka... You give us something to fight for. But more importantly, something to come back to. Without that, what's stopping us from running out and fighting until we can't stand? Until we drop? Until something stops us? Without something to come back to, we can't stop. You protect us from ourselves. People like you protect that good part of us we have to keep hidden to be able to do the things we do. You shine a light on the shadows and chase away the bad things, the bad memories." The bad thoughts and the nightmares. You didn't do the things they did without earning a few of those. "Call it heart or call it the soul, whatever it is, you're the one who protects that. And that's a he...ck more impressive than poking someone with a sword!"

She is definitely listening. Especially since - despite not being sure of what to expect - this whole story isn't what she expected to be told. But that's exactly what makes Madoka listen so attentively to the whole thing, thinking along as she does. She's really not sure if that's more impressive than actually being able to fight.. it feels a lot less impressive. If everyone got into trouble, there wouldn't be a thing she could do about it, and nothing makes her feel worse than that thought.

But on the other hand, at least knowing she's useful in some way, even if it's just through existing does make her feel a bit better. And.. really, she can't help but think it's so kind of him to go out of his way to tell her all of that.

So after he finishes, she does just stare for a moment.. but then she smiles. It's not super wide or excited, but it's still genuine.

"I see.. I guess that makes sense.." Even though it's hard for someone with such little selfconfidence to internalize it. But she's trying. There's another slight pause, but then she shakes her head and continues. "I'm sorry that I was so scared of you at first, mister Gladio.. It was very rude of me to judge just based on the way you look. Even though you're really strong, you're also very kind."

If anything proves that, it's all he said just now.

He knew it probably wasn't what she was expecting or wanting to hear, but it was very true. The only way he was able to go and fight and come back mostly whole, was knowing there was someone at home waiting for him. That he couldn't leave his family behind. If he went off and died, who would protect Iris? Who would protect Noct and the others? He had to survive no matter what.

"You were scared of me?" Gladio raised both brows in surprise. "I'm scary?" Of course he knew his size could be somewhat intimidating, he didn't always like it, but it was a fact he had to accept.

Gladio grinned and leaned forward again, this time he held out his hand. "How about we make a deal? I won't be afraid of you, so you can't be afraid of me. And if you really want to get tougher..." He grinned. "You can always come work out with me. If you can get yourself up early in the morning."

Her face starts to grow red with a blush fairly quickly after he seems so surprised at being called scary. And Madoka is honestly about to stammer out some apology about how it's most likely not him being intimidating as much as she's just scared easily--

But then he's already holding out his hand, stopping her in her tracks before she even gets started. And the fact there's only a slight moment of hesitance makes it obvious Madoka is at least not scared of him anymore now.

"Okay, but.. let's make it a pinky promise." Instead of shaking hands. "No one can break a pinky promise, after all..! A--And then I'll come train with you too! I'm always up early for breakfast and to do chores anyway. I promise I'll do my best..!"

It was a simple thing to change his held hand into a half fist, with his pinky finger held out. Once again he was reminded of his little sister, and wondered if he would ever see her again... He hoped he would.

"I'm always here before breakfast." Gladio said with a grin. "You're welcome to join me." Part of him didn't expect her to though. It wasn't fun or exciting, he could see her getting bored very easily. But it was nice to make the offer at least, he thought.

Madoka hooks her pinky finger around his own.

"Alright! Then it's a pinky promise!" Gladio might not have a clue yet what he's in for.. She is most definitely going to show up every morning. Even if there's no way she can keep up with him. The least she can do is try! She's a determined little thing! "I promise I'll show up."

After a few moments she untangles their fingers, Madoka's expression turning a bit thoughtful. He's being so nice to her here, maybe she should do something in return too..? After looking around them, her gaze returns to the man in front of her.

".. um, mister Gladio, have you ever tried gardening before?"

He definitely wasn't going to hold her to that promise, but if she turned up while he was working out he would be happy and he would just as happily show her some routines she would be able to do herself.

"Can't say I have." Gladio paused, reconsidered his words and then grinned. "Maybe a small amount. I've pulled things out of the ground but never put them in." Plants, at least.

"It's fun!" Madoka smiles, seemingly pretty happy with that answer. Mostly since she can offer him something in return now.

"Um.. Of course I don't know for sure if you'd like to try, but.. you're often around here, right? Maybe if you get bored of reading or doing other stuff sometime, you could try gardening. It always makes me feel calmer and happy."

She points towards a nearby patch of soil. There's no plants visible yet, but there's definitely a small 'please don't step on the soil, the plants are sleeping!!' sign with cutesy flower drawings on it that could only have been made by one person...

"I planted some flowers there already!"

Gladio looked where the girl pointed and smiled when he saw the little sign. He couldn't quite read it from where he sat but he could see enough to understand Madoka had personalised it herself.

"I'm willing to learn. If you're willing to teach me." Gladio offered her. Sitting around in the greenhouse and reading was all well and fine, but actually doing something... And hadn't he mentioned to Ignis that he was considering taking up gardening? Maybe this was fate telling him to go ahead and take on a new hobby?

Her eyes widen slightly at the very mention of the word 'teach'.

But even so it doesn't take her very long to answer. "Of course I am..!" If there's anything that's true about Madoka, after all, it's that she loves any chance to be helpful. And it feels like it makes up for him having been so nice to her in return.

Even though the idea of teaching Gladio anything is kind of mindblowing. He seems so awesome! How could he possibly learn anything from a tiny girl like her!

"Don't worry, it's really easy. And since the train gave us so many different seeds, you can pick what you want to grow!"

"I've no idea what seeds are which." Gladio said as he started to pull himself up to his feet and turned to check out the crate of seeds. He reached in and moved a few around, picking up this and that to check out what was what. But really he had no idea so he would have to rely on Madoka for this part as well.

"Any advice?" He asked with a nod to the crate. "Something easy that I can't accidentally kill." Because there was a high chance that is exactly what he'll end up doing if he wasn't careful.

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