Good day~ May I please request “i–i have a day off tomorrow, do you want go somewhere?” “i just want to be in your arms, no matter where.” (from “i wanna be closer to you" prompts) with Ardyn (FFXV) and reader? Thank you kindly~
I guess I should also add “thylacine”, right?
Ardyn had all but tuned out the world except for Y/N. At this point, hearing them ramble about menial palace tasks was a godsend compared to the drudgery of Aldercapt's war room, surrounded by old men so eager to send their youth off to die. Then again, Ardyn wasn't so different from them, except for being 2,000 years their senior, minus the sagging skin and wrinkles. That, in itself, was amusing.
Still, the war between Niflheim and Lucis had dragged on long enough. He was growing impatient. He needed to hasten its end to achieve what he had long planned against his kin, but so far, opportunities were limited.
And, of course, he had been distracted.
That distraction took the form of the meandering fool at his side, who nearly walked straight into an imperial statue had Ardyn not intervened at the last second. He responded to their bashful thanks with a hum and a snort before letting the one-sided conversation continue.
To be perfectly honest, he'd found them annoying at first—much like a young chocobo: eager to follow the lead bird, a little rebellious, cute in their own way, and an unspeakable pain to break in.
He landed on that word again, as he had so many times before. He growled under his breath.
His eyes widened slightly before returning to neutral. He sighed at being caught.
"Did I say something to offend you?" Y/N asked, cautious now.
He hated it when they gave him that look—that spark of innocence behind their eyes. It reminded him of her, his Aera, once upon a time.
"I have the day off tomorrow," Ardyn said abruptly, turning to face them. "Do you want to go somewhere?"
"Tomorrow," he repeated more firmly. "Do you want to go somewhere with me?"
"I mean, sure! That sounds nice, but…"
"Is that allowed?" they asked with a nervous chuckle, gesturing between themself and Ardyn. "I mean, you're you, and I'm—"
"The help," he teased, lips twitching.
"I was going to say imperial counsel, but since you seem to be having an off day, I'll let you have that one."
He noticed the way they swallowed, and the gleam in his eye sharpened.
"You needn't worry," Ardyn said, indulging himself by resting a hand on their shoulder. "If anyone has anything to say about it, I can always have their tongues snipped."
When their eyes widened, he chortled darkly and shook his head.
“I merely jest.” He withdrew his hand, offered a sincere if mischievous smile, and walked ahead of them. "I'll expect to see you an hour after dawn, then!"
He didn't give them the chance to protest, let alone ask questions—already long gone from the corridor before their voice could reach him.
He furrowed his brows as he exited the grand hall, scowling at himself. He couldn't believe he'd given in to the impulse to connect with another human. Still, strangely as it were, the daemons inside him, constantly scratching, always hungering, seemed calm at the idea as much as his contempt tried to argue otherwise. Even if he wanted to walk away from it, Ardyn knew it was too late. He didn't need to see Y/N's face to know they were smiling from ear to ear.
The next day passed in the blink of an eye. Needless to say, he found himself enjoying Y/N's company far more than he had expected.
They began at the imperial library, where he retrieved a weathered tome from his own era while learning about Y/N's fondness for several genres. He pretended not to care at first, keeping his nose buried in the pages, content with the quiet halls and lack of patrons this early. But soon enough, Y/N's controversial takes got under his skin in a good way. The book stayed closed at his side as he gave them his full attention, bantering back and forth until the two were practically arguing, followed by laughter echoing off the shelves and earning a few hushes.
Ridiculous. Immature. Stupid, really.
But he'd be lying if he said he didn't love it.
The library gave way to the market district. Their banter continued, culminating in a visit to the theater. Ardyn had seen The Goddess's Fall: The Tale of Shiva—hundreds of times. He knew the lines by heart and had never cared for them. Even as a young man, the story hadn't impressed him, but this time, he didn't watch the play; he watched Y/N, observing the way awe danced in their eyes during sincere moments, the grimace they made during the fights, the way they seemed to lean forward, trying to guess the ending. It reminded him of when Y/N was first assigned to his counsel, Verstael's idea of a joke to "take the edge off" Ardyn by pairing him with some green imperial with a welcoming face and a gentle way with words, someone who could tamper down his anger. He'd loathed Verstael for it, but when Y/N's smile widened at the play's bittersweet end, Ardyn might've silently thanked him.
Dinner was a quiet affair that both parties graciously welcomed. At least it seemed that way to Ardyn, given how Y/N matched his energy, something he didn't take for granted then. Contrary to popular belief, Ardyn wasn't always the extroverted, charismatic figurehead his public image portrayed. Or as he put it to Y/N over wine and dessert, "a chocobo in a clown suit.", making them laugh, forgetting for the moment how he wished he could still taste food—enjoy the tartness of lemon cake without the scourge dulling his senses. For a moment, he almost swore he could when Y/N said it felt good to be around him. To be around someone who wasn't always trying to play to the cameras.
He wanted to reach across the table and take their hand, but he shook the thought away. He was going off script, and it spooked him.
By the time they wandered into the imperial gardens, night had fallen. A waterfall glowed in the distance, its artificial cascade catching moonlight and the lanterns nearby. Ardyn stared into the rushing water and tried to forget the day, to forget how good it had felt to let his guard down, but the more he tried, the louder the daemons became.
"A gil for your thoughts?" Y/N asked gently.
"Haven't you heard enough of those today?" he teased, not hiding the weariness in his tone. A slight smirk tugged at his lips when Y/N laughed.
"Listening's part of my job," they said. "Even off the clock, I don't mind. You're a lot more fascinating than I expected."
"Is that an insult or a compliment?" Ardyn raised a brow.
"Er—" Y/N grimaced, their blush deepening as Ardyn chuckled darkly.
"However you want to take it?"
"Well, since you've kept me thoroughly entertained, I'll take it as a compliment and spare you the consequences."
They both laughed, but as the sound faded, the silence that followed felt heavier. Ardyn drifted somewhere far away, back to memories of Aera, of long nights filled with hope. Of a time before the gods abandoned him. Before the daemons crawled beneath his skin like bugs.
"Chanc—Ardyn," Y/N corrected, remembering his request to skip formalities today. "What happens after tonight?"
"Pardon?" he blinked, pulled from the haze.
"What happens when we go back to being chancellor and counsel?"
"Well," he said slowly, realizing he hadn't given it much thought. His eyes glowed faintly beneath the stars. "We go back to being chancellor and counsel. With a few perks."
"I want to be closer to you," he interrupted, the words tumbling out before he could stop them. He cursed himself silently. Too direct. Too real. He bit the inside of his cheek and made a fist.
"I'm...not used to this." He gestured between them. "This relationship we seem to be in the midst of developing—friends or otherwise."
A sigh escaped him. "And to be transparent...I don't think it'll last."
He rubbed the back of his neck, sighing again. "But I'd like to see what happens. If only for research purposes."
Y/N laughed. Ardyn smiled solemnly.
Then it grew quiet again, and in the stillness, Ardyn felt something stir in his chest, something foreign and familiar. He couldn't place it until Y/N stepped forward and wrapped their arms around him.
Ardyn froze, wide-eyed, and then, after a moment, he allowed his old instincts to guide him as his arms came around Y/N's waist, pulling them close. So close, he could capture their scent; feel their warmth seep through his clothes and touch his cold skin. He remembered distantly what it was like to hold someone without blood on his hands. Gods be damned, he had a thousand thoughts, a million questions, but none of them mattered. Not when Y/N whispered against him:
"I just want to be in your arms, no matter where. Colleagues, friends...whatever this is."
And just like that, the scourge had shut up. For the first time in centuries, the darkness went quiet.
Ardyn knew how this story would end, knew his fate — the blinding rage and fire that would one day consume Eos, with him as its harbinger, how he'd force gods and kings to their knees before getting the last laugh. Even the damned gods ordained it so. But for now?
For now, he'd allow himself to feel this, let himself remember what it was like to be a mortal, an ordinary man who wanted to be seen, to be explored, to be needed, long before gods and kin abandoned him.
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