Until he was spotted he did look like a runt. At 173cm tall and with a toned but slim build, Gladio dwarfed Cloud. In those few, precious minutes in which he was anonymous he was quietly turning his phone over in his gloved hands, trying to make himself look busy enough not to be disturbed by strangers.

A voice pulled him away from his phone and he looked up, putting on a practised smile. The forced bravado of an old friend's persona masking the awkward (and often amusing) introvert underneath who occasionally peeked through from time to time.

"I don't just talk a big game," he pushed his hair back out of his face, trying hard to look smooth and cool. "And of course I'm alright, you don't need to worry about me."