"Now there's a familiar face,"

Cloud's shoulders tensed as a pang of anxiety shot through him. That couldn't be the voice he thought it was, could it? Maybe if he didn't turn, didn't react, the moment would pass, maybe he would be wrong...

A man slid sideways onto the stool beside him, leaning against the bar on one elbow. "Clou-ud!" Reno's tone was too casual, in the way that it always was. Something about the way he spoke made him seem like he was always hinting at a threat, that he was never saying what he truly thought, that he was always attempting to stay one step ahead of you. "How long has it been?"

"What are you doing here?" Cloud deadpanned, still staring straight ahead at the bottles behind the counter.

"I'm here on official WRO business," Reno said airily but with a hint of pride, leaning back against the bar and crossing his legs. "Can't get into the details, but I'm sure you could ask Reeve if you're curious—"

"You're at a bar on official WRO business?" He didn't look up, but for a fraction of a second, the corner of Cloud's mouth twitched. He wasn't sure if Reno noticed, but either way, the redhead gave a huff.

"I'm on a break," he elaborated, though somehow didn't truly sound offended. "Been a long day, you know—"

"You're working for Reeve now?" Cloud asked, finally sparing him a glance. "I thought Rufus was still your boss,"

"Well if you'd stop interrupting me, I could explain," Reno's lips pursed, and Cloud, despite himself, felt a slight sense of amusement. "Technically, yes, we—me, Rude, a few other Turks—still work for Rufus. But lately he's taken a step back. He's supporting the WRO where he can, but he doesn't exactly call the shots any more," Reno said, gesturing with his hand as he spoke. "But don't you know that? I thought you were a part of the WRO, too. That's what I heard from Reeve,"

"I'm not very active, either," Cloud glanced away. Yes, he did what he could to help when he was asked, but as time wore on the requests made of him became more and more infrequent as the world gradually moved on without him. It was just as well. Sephiroth was gone, along with the fight that had remained in Cloud. He spent most of his days in his own company, becoming complacent in the rut of isolation he had unintentionally worn for himself. It was all he could manage: he was tired, and just wanted to be let alone.

Reno gave him a long look, and Cloud glanced to him, then quickly looked away; it felt as if the redhead was trying to see into his thoughts. It made Cloud uncomfortable. A moment later, as if he'd come to a conclusion, Reno said suddenly, "Hey, lemme buy you a drink,"

Cloud considered his offer. "Sure," he conceded after a beat, then immediately second guessed his decision. It was too late.

"Yo! Bartender..."

Cloud looked down at his glass. It was nearly empty. Though he rarely drank in an attempt to get seriously intoxicated, the appeal of going to a bar every once in a while was the fact that it was just something to do on his own. Either way, it wasn't as if he could feel the buzz of alcohol for more than five minutes at a time due to the mako in his blood.

A moment later the bartender served him something that was a strange magenta color. Cloud eyed Reno quizzically.

"Hey, I dunno what you drink," he shrugged without apology, raising his own glass of the same mixture. Realizing it was pointless to reply, Cloud took a sip himself, and fought back a cough. It tasted bad, and somehow he wasn't surprised.

"So you're drinking alone? Your girl back at home?" When he saw Cloud's jaw clench, he quickly changed the subject. "What have you been up to lately, anyway?"

"Deliveries," he said, and took a long drink—it was bad, but he'd had worse. When Reno only looked at him expectantly in response, he elaborated: "I run a delivery service. Carrying people's packages," He'd never outgrown his awkward manner of speech, though now he had the appearance of confidence and a deadpan tone that ensured that most never made fun of it.

"Yeah, guess with the planet in the state that it's in, there aren't as many options for people who need to send things long distance," Reno nodded, explaining the obvious and leaving Cloud little room to respond. There was a moment of silence between them... Suddenly, Reno laughed.

Cloud stared at him. "What is it?"

"It's just, you're as chatty as ever, aren't you?" he grinned, and Cloud was grateful for the dim evening light because he began to feel a few pricks of heat on his face.

"I'm exactly as chatty as I need to be," he said with slightly more conviction than his normal dull tone as he faced forward to again look at the wall, falling into an old habit of averting his eyes when teased—an old memory sent a pang through his heart before he could detach himself from it. He swallowed the familiar feeling.

"Yep, that's the Cloud I know," Reno, oblivious, shot him a smirk—no, a smile? It wasn't clear. "Anyway, what is it that you use to make these deliveries of yours? You got a nice set of wheels?"

Cloud looked at him surprised. Was Reno really asking about his bike? He never got to talk about his bike. "Yeah, actually—I've got a motorcycle,"

"Wait, wait, wait, you're telling me that that big black one out there is yours? No way. Are you delivering drugs?"

Before he could stop himself, Cloud laughed. Though it was only for a second he felt a small part of a weight seem to lift from his shoulders. "No, no... I racked up the gil by cashing in a few bounties. Monster hunting," he clarified, a few rays of pride shining through his words. "I gave it a few upgrades myself after that, too,"

"Impressive," Reno looked somewhat surprised, but only for a moment, and then there was something glinting in his eye that made Cloud rather uneasy. "Hey, I've got a bike too, you know," he started. "She's a beauty. Real sleek, and fast. If you're up for it... how about a race?"

"A race?" Cloud echoed. He bit back the not interested that came to his lips reflexively to consider the offer.

"Yeah, come on. Between your enhancements and my stamina, I know neither of us are actually drunk. Unless... you're afraid of losing?"

Cloud's eyes met Reno's mischievous smirk, and without realizing it he felt the corners of his mouth tugging upwards, too. "...You're on."

-x-

They were side by side, engines rumbling beneath them as they looked out into the wild expanse that surrounded Edge. The land was mostly flat, at least compared to a place like Nibelheim, and not particularly lush, with a few distant hills that were never a real obstacle to Fenrir. Reno's bike was also black, but it was smaller and slimmer, sleeker, than Cloud's, though Cloud wasn't worried about its speed. He had confidence in his mount.

"So where's the finish line?" Reno asked over the sound of their engines.

"It's not too far. Just follow me,"

"Yeah, but when I pull ahead, how will I know where to go?"

Cloud looked to him and smirked—it wasn't an expression Reno had seen on him before. "You won't need to worry about that." Suddenly Fenrir roared, and in a single second Cloud had turned his attention to the unpaved road ahead—"Go."

"Oho, we'll see about that, Cloud—!" Reno called, immediately taking off after him, his voice lost to the wind. The two of them charged into the night, their motorcycles soon becoming the only things in sight, just two streaks of light with dust billowing in their wakes. This was what Cloud lived for. The cold wind whipping at his hair and skin made him feel, chills coursing through his entire body as the world rushed past him. He could feel Fenrir's pull and the thrum of its engine, its machinery coiled beneath him like powerful muscle. When he rode like this, there was no uncertainty, no obligation, no doubt or guilt. Nothing existed except himself and the country around him. Nothing except—

Cloud was almost startled to see Reno edging into the corner of his vision. It was too easy to get lost in his own thoughts. He spared the other man a glance to see him crouched low on his bike, brow furrowed in focus... his goggles pulled down over his eyes. Cloud huffed by way of laughter, and Reno seemed to feel his eyes on him, because he looked up and shot him a grin before revving his engine and starting to edge ahead. Cloud turned his full attention back to the road and did the same, not giving him a way in.

Reno's bike may have been streamlined for speed in a way Fenrir wasn't, but it was simply no match for Fenrir's powerful engine. Though he had ended up pulling ahead a few times, Cloud's skill that came from countless hours of experience secured his victory. Cloud was able to turn and skid to an easy stop a full few seconds before Reno did.

"You didn't count down," Reno accused, though his tone clearly held no malice. "If you'd given me a proper start, I definitely would've beatcha," he pointed a finger at Cloud's chest.

Cloud gave a half-suppressed smile and shook his head, looking to the ground. "It wouldn't have mattered. I was going easy on you,"

"Oh were you, now?" the former Turk crossed his arms in indignation. "I'll believe it when I see it. By the way, uh... where are we?"

Cloud had lead them to the top of a hill that was halved by a steep, rocky cliff. It wasn't particularly tall, but a dimly glowing Edge was visible in the distance. An old tree that leaned to one side was the only thing of note to be found in their vicinity.

Cloud shrugged. "I just like to come here sometimes. ...It's peaceful,"

"Hm..." Reno let his hands fall to his sides as he took in the scenery, now that he wasn't only focused on the road in front of him. "You really can see the stars out here, can't you?"

"Yeah," Cloud agreed with a nod, looking upwards. Edge was far enough away that the ever present lights of the city did nothing to dim the sky. Out here you could see all the stars you'd ever want to. The same stars you could see over Nibelheim.

For a time they stood side by side in silence, looking out into the view in the brisk night air. The moon was nearly full, and cast a pale light over each shallow hill and valley that surrounded them. Reno leaned back against his bike. Cloud stood at the edge of the dropoff, his arms folded at his waist, a distant look in his eyes that reflected the bright moon.

"You know, Cloud..." Reno spoke after a few minutes, breaking the silence between them. Cloud turned to him, curious. "You're not such a bad guy,"

Cloud fought the urge to rub the back of his neck. He forced himself to meet Reno's eyes evenly, even as his head cocked a few degrees in surprise. "Neither are you."

"We could use you over at the WRO," suddenly Reno tossed something to him, which Cloud caught easily. His PHS. When had Reno...? "Give a call sometime,"

"I already have Reeve's..." Cloud opened up his contacts. It wasn't the Organization's number that Reno had added.

"Even if it's just for a rematch," Reno shot him a cocky grin and a two-fingered wave as he straightened from his slouch. What might've annoyed Cloud at any other time felt... sincere, somehow.

"Yeah..." Cloud flipped the PHS closed. He gave Reno a small smile. "Maybe I will,"

"See you around, Strife," the former Turk gave him a nod as he mounted his bike, kicking the engine to life.

Cloud sat on the edge of the cliff and watched the distant light that was Reno make its way back toward Edge. Yeah. Maybe he would.

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