Noctis was enjoying a nice day in the castle with his best friends, Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio. It was a nice spring morning. They were all doing homework together for a college project in Noctis' room inside the castle.
Prompto: UGGGGHHHHH!
Ignis looks up from his paper, a little annoyed.
Ignis: What is it?
Prompto: This is too HAARRDDD.
Ignis: This is college, Prompto. Get used to it.
Prompto: What if I don't wanna get used to it?
Ignis: With an attitude like that, you won't get used to it easily. So straighten up, and get back to work.
Gladio: You're lucky you're not doing this alone, after all. This group project is a great idea.
Prompto: But the professor didn't provide all the information! He just said-
Flashback
Professor: -So the project is about the history of the Oracles, just use what you already know and break an arm. Literally.
End of flashback
Noctis looks up from his paper and stops writing.
Noctis: Maybe he was implying that as highschool graduates, we would already be smart enough to know that we have to do research . Come on, Prompto, we did this in highschool.
Prompto whines as he throws his head on the table. Noctis pats him on the back.
Noctis: Tell you what, the library's not far from here. I can get some books to help us out.
Prompto looks up at Noctis hopefully.
Prompto: You'd really do that…?
Noctis: What wouldn't I do for my best friends?
Prompto: Oh, [hugs Noctis tight] THANK YOU!
Gladio chuckles in delight, and Ignis smiles. Noctis pulls out of the hug, and makes his way to the door.
Noctis: You guys just take a break, okay? I'll be back A-S-A-P.
Noctis leaves the room.
Prompto: Wait, what does A-S-A-P mean…?
Ignis rests his face into his hand.
Gladio: Come on, Prompto…
Later, Noctis arrives at the library. It was big, and there were a whole lot of books. The smell of new books always hung in the warm, cozy atmosphere of the library. Noctis breathes it in, feeling relaxed. There were a fair amount of people there, either reading books, or just looking at them. Noctis walks on the carpeting of the library to the history shelf, and runs his finger along the spines of the history books as he mumbles to himself.
Noctis: Oracle, oracle, oracle, oracle- Got it!
Noctis pulls out a couple books about the Oracles, and carries them to the checkout desk. Once he gets there, he doesn't really see anyone there. He rocks back and forth on his heels as he waits patiently for the librarian to show up and check out the books.
Finally, the librarian comes out, but it isn't at all who Noctis expected.
Noctis: The freaking heck…?!
Ardyn hears him, and smiles. He wasn't wearing his coat or his hat today. He walks to the desk, clearly amused by the sight.
Ardyn: Why, hello Prince Noctis!
Noctis: WHAT THE FREAKING HECK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!-
Ardyn shushes him, the echoes from Noctis' yelling lingering in the library..
Ardyn: You're supposed to be quiet in the library, remember?
Noctis grumbles when he realizes Ardyn is right.
Ardyn: Now, [rests his chin on his hand] what can I do for you?
Noctis: You will do NOTHING until you answer my question: What. Are. You. Doing. Here?!
Ardyn chuckles slightly and drums his fingers on the table. This was gonna be fun.
Ardyn: Well, I need to stay undercover somehow …
Noctis: For WHAT?!
Some of the people in the library look at him again, and Ardyn has to shush him.
Ardyn: Now Noctis, I don't think you'd really want to cause trouble now do you?
Noctis: I HAVE A WEAPON IN MY POCKET, I CAN JUST TAKE YOU OUT RIGHT NOW!
The people look at him again, including the police officer standing by the entrance giving him a skeptical look. Noctis quickly puts on a fake smile.
Noctis: …Uh, everything's fine! Just, a small misunderstanding with the human emotions, that's all.
The officer stares at him for a moment before turning his attention away. Noctis drops the smile and grumbled.
Ardyn: Noctis, if you hadn't caused so much trouble, you would have been out of here by now.
Noctis considers coming back another time when Ardyn isn't there. But then he remembers his friends. He sighs deeply, knowing what he has to do, but really doesn't want to do it.
Consider it a sacrifice.
With a loud " UGGGHHHH ", Noctis slams his books angrily on the desk, causing a loud boom to echo throughout the entire library. The people glared at him, annoyed by the noise he was causing. Ardyn chuckles to himself in amusement.
Ardyn: Wow, you really don't know how to behave in a library, do you?
Noctis: Just do your so-called job.
Ardyn takes the first book off the desk. As his eyes catch sight of the cover, he just stares at it, his smile fading slightly. Noctis taps his foot impatiently. Ardyn snaps out of his thoughts as he brings his smile back, and checks out the books. He stacks them, and pushes them in Noctis' direction.
Ardyn: These are all due in 2 weeks.
Noctis stares at the books. Ardyn raises an eyebrow, a little confused.
Ardyn: …Aren't you going to take them?
Noctis stares at the books some more. He turns his head to the glove box and hand sanitizer nearby on the desk. Very suddenly, he pumps pretty much all the sanitizer on his hands, and rubs them vigorously as a lot of the sanitizer drops to the ground. Ardyn watches him, his mouth slightly open, wide eyed and stunned. He wasn't expecting that. Noctis then takes out the gloves from the glove box and stretches them hard on his hands. He stops, before taking out a second pair and putting it over his other pair. Ardyn blinks twice at him. Noctis snatches the books and storms away.
Ardyn: Uh, Noctis, you're forgetting something.
Noctis stops, resisting the urge to grab him by the neck and choke him to death.
Ardyn: Our bet. Remember?
Noctis was just frozen in place. Then, remembering the bet they made about a week ago (which Ardyn had won, considering the fact it was a chess round) loudly grumbling about his reasons for hating Ardyn, he takes five dollars from his pocket and gives them to Ardyn. Ardyn takes them kindly and puts them in his pocket.
Ardyn: Thank you.
Noctis: Oh, you're SO not welcome!
Noctis storms off. Ardyn watches him leave.
Ardyn: Have a nice day!
Noctis: (sarcastically) Oh, THANK YOU, I CERTAINLY will!
Noctis looks down at the ground as he walks out, sanitizer leaking from the wrist openings of the gloves.
Noctis: I hate you.
Ardyn: Awww….
Ardyn lowers his head dejectedly. But he just decides to put some books back on the shelving cart. He takes some novels that haven't been shelved yet and puts them down on the top shelf of the cart in a stack…
Ardyn: Ba da dum da dum da dum da da da dum-
But when turning around to go get more, Ardyn accidentally swipes a book off the stack with his hand, and watches as it crashes down to the ground.
Ardyn: Dang it…
Noctis kicks the door to his room open, he almost breaks it in fury. His friends, who were waiting patiently, look at him, startled.
Prompto: Hey Noct! You okay-
Noctis throws the books on the table and puts his head down as he sits on his chair. Gladio looks from the books, and then to Noctis in confusion.
Ignis: Noct, that's not how you treat literature.
Noctis: I don't care.
Prompto: Hey, did something happen buddy?
Noctis is silent. He didn't really feel like talking about the fact he just saw the one person he hates most.
Gladio: You can tell us. We're your friends after all.
Noctis lifts his head up slightly.
Noctis: …At the library…
Ignis: Yes…?
Noctis: …UGGHHHH! Ardyn was the librarian , and I had to get the books checked out by HIM!
Ignis's jaw drops. Prompto lets out a mix between a gasp and a shriek. Gladio just stares at Noctis, dumbfounded.
Gladio: Wait, is this for real?
Ignis: ARDYN was the LIBRARIAN?!
Noctis: YES! I mean, I HAD TO WEAR GLOVES! TWO FREAKIN' PAIRS OF THEM!
Prompto: Ohhh, that's why you're wearing gloves…
Noctis takes off the gloves to reveal his over sanitized hands. Sanitizer was still dripping from his hands.
Noctis: And just LOOK at the amount of SANITIZER I HAD TO PUT ON!
Ignis: Well, maybe that's a bit extreme…?
Prompto: Yeah, there's like, stuff dripping everywhere.
Noctis: WHO CARES?! I WASN'T GOING TO TOUCH THOSE BOOKS IF-
Gladio: Noct, let's calm down, okay? We got what we need, and now we don't need to worry about Ardyn anymore.
Noctis: …I guess you're right.
Prompto: Wait, does this mean we still have to work on the project?
Noctis: PROMPTO!
Ignis: What do you think Noct went to the library for?
Prompto: I know, but this project is going to kill me…
Ignis rolls his eyes playfully.
Gladio: It won't be so bad anymore now we have some resources-[picks up book, and drops it] Noct, how much sanitizer did you put? This book is covered in it!
Prompto: So is this one!
Noctis: Well, I may have emptied the whole bottle…
Ignis: Oh, Noct…
Gladio: Well, nevermind that. We have a project to finish.
Noctis: Gladio's right, let's get to work.
And so they work peacefully together on the project as friends, and Noctis soon forgets all about that whole ordeal with Ardyn.
For now, at least.
The End.