@ofthetvrks said -- you're still young. when you're my age, you'll understand.
squinting at the turk far longer than intended (or socially acceptable, really), cloud tilted his head to one side. normally, being talked down to like that would try his temper - something he was already close to losing, having to interact with reno of all people - but his words had sparked a realisation in him.
cloud had no idea how old reno was.
certainly he was older than when they'd first met. obviously. on account of the passage of time. but he hadn't really aged at all, at least not that cloud could see, although he'd never exactly sat down and studied the turk's face. usually, reno's presence meant cloud's number one mission was to get as far away from that freak as possible.
scanning reno's smug face briefly, as inconspicuously as he could manage, he searched for signs of age. the man's pale skin was incredibly smooth, save for laughter lines framing the red slits on his cheeks - though with the amount of things reno found funny, cloud supposed he'd be more shocked if there were none. there was a permanently youthful glint in his eyes and a hollow emptiness in the way he stared. he had a teenager's sense of humour, but the body count of a seasoned veteran. he chain-smoked like a pensioner, or perhaps a kid with his first pack, overeager and desperate to see what the hype was about. the turk could be 16 or 36, for all cloud knew. this wasn't his forte.
normally, reno was constantly on the move, an electric ball of energy, never slowing long enough for anyone to get a good look - almost too slippery even for cloud, who'd bested him several times now. if reno wasn't so... well, reno, it would almost feel like a privilege to see him static like this. even if he had perched himself on seventh heaven's bar when there were perfectly good stools right there.
"and, uh... that is... ?" he watched reno's heels colliding rhythmically with the side of the bar. if they wore away the varnish tifa would go ballistic. then again, tifa would probably go ballistic if she even knew reno was in here. cloud wasn't entirely sure why he let him in in the first place. he shook his head. "doesn't matter how old i get, you and i will never be on the same page. whisky will always taste like shit. it's like liquid tree bark and fire. even the top shelf stuff."
the next words escaped from cloud before he even had a chance to catch them. "y'know, i don't feel young. sometimes i feel like i skipped all that and i'm like... forty now."
