Chapter Text
Hey, where are you guys?
Stuck in traffic, sorry -_-. We'll be there soon.
You groaned aloud in annoyance as you read the text Aranea had just sent, knowing that traffic in Insomnia was an absolute nightmare. And while you did appreciate Ignis and Aranea picking you up for the concert, perhaps it would have been best to have taken the train. Add to the fact that you now had to pee, and your day was getting more worse by the minute.
You glanced at the portable toilet several feet from your left, shuddering at the brief thought before stomping off in the opposite direction. There had to be at least one clean public restroom nearby, the question was where...
After an extremely focused walk of about ten minutes, in which you almost barreled over a cyclist, you found a relatively small building nestled amongst the currently out of season cherry blossom trees of Lux Park. You read the nearby sign and nearly cried in relief at the words Central Insomnia Public Library. Rushing up the staircase, this time careful to avoid any other people, you hurried inside and straight to the bathroom. After finishing your business, you calmly walked out of the restroom and froze, brow furrowing in confusion as you finally noticed the sight before you.
The library you were in was, in one word; old. Not in a classic Victorian or Gothic style that would remind a person of Beauty and the Beast, but old in the sense that the classic 70's style died out years ago for a reason. The lobby you stood in consisted of the librarian's desk and another desk beside it hosting a Catalog Computer; the very appearance of such an old model making you cringe slightly. Several chairs laid sprinkled around the room with metal bookshelves lining the walls, holding what appeared to be new books and books currently on hold, before the lobby opened up into its main room. You wrinkled your nose slightly at the scent of old parchment, plastic, and air freshener; the aroma almost making you believe you've traveled back in time.
'Maybe I should go...' You thought nervously before turning right into what felt like a wall.
"Ooof!" you exclaimed, falling back on your ass, the sound of paper fluttering in the air briefly before a loud THUMP followed suit, echoing across the lobby.
"Are you alright? I'm sorry, I did not see you-"
"It's fine, don't worry." You said, moving to pick up the fallen books, "I wasn't paying attention."
"Lost in Wonderland, were you?" the distinctly male voice said, amusement evident in their voice.
"Yeah...I guess you could say that." You replied, confused at the man's words as you grabbed the last fallen book, "here you go, I hope they aren't-"
You paused mid-sentence and stared at the individual before you with a look of dumb infatuation, much like the time when you introduced Prompto to your friend Cindy. The man before you was tall, at least 6 feet, dressed in a fashion that reminded you of an old high school English teacher. Collared dress shirt with a grey, cable-knit sweater vest over a pair of faded dark green pinstriped trousers and a red-orange scarf wrapped around his neck; completing the odd ensemble. And despite the out-of-date fashion he was currently sporting, your eyes remained locked onto the man's face. Wild magenta hair, tossed messily into a man-bun framed strong features, with a hint of stubble scattered across his jaw. Amber eyes looked down at you through thick spectacles, giving you an expression of curiosity as your heart beat began to skyrocket.
"Thank you kindly, my dear." The man spoke, taking the books from your hands."I trust you are not injured?"
"No, not at all! I should have watched where I was going, I'm sorry." You apologized loudly, causing a few people to glare at you.
The man chuckled, the sound as smooth as melted chocolate. "I am glad, an accident would have certainly spoiled both our days."
You smiled, "it's no problem I was just-" You paused momentarily, thinking of an excuse that would be better than 'I had to pee really badly and this library had the closest clean restroom.' You bit your lip slightly, glancing at the bookshelf beside you before an idea appeared. "...going to borrow a book is all." Reaching out to the shelf, you snatched the closest book you could find. "Here it is, finally found it."
The man glanced down at the book you choose, an amused smirk coming across his lips. "You wish to check out a dictionary?"
You looked down at the book you were holding to find that it was indeed, a dictionary. A crimson blush spread across your cheeks before you gave the attractive stranger a innocent grin. "Of course, you can never know too many words..."
It was an obvious lie; and a bad one at that. But the handsome man simply smiled, a look that appeared more devious than friendly. "Then allow me to assist you," he replied, gesturing to the Check Out desk.
You looked to the desk before switching your gaze back to the stranger with wine colored hair. "You work here?"
He pulled up an ID badge that was pinned to his trousers' pocket. "Head Librarian, at your humble service."
You looked at the simple picture of him, those overly-large glasses still perched on his nose, before your eyes drifted to the name listed. Ardyn...Izunia, what a strange name.
"Now then," Ardyn spoke, puling you away from your thoughts. "If you will kindly follow me..."
You followed him to the front desk, with Ardyn walking around it to the computer, briefly allowing you a lovely view of his backside and making you curious as to what lay hidden underneath all those layers....You blinked in surprise, mentally slapping yourself for such thoughts about a complete stranger, no matter how ridiculously attractive said stranger was.
"Alright, now all I require is your library card."
"Erm....I'm afraid I don't...have one." You mumbled, your face flushing in embarrassment.
Ardyn laughed, "not to worry, my dear. Such problems are easily remedied." He typed onto the keyboard for a few minutes before turning to face you once more. "I will need your name, home address, and email address please."
You rattled off the requested information, with Ardyn typing it into the system. He glanced back at you briefly afterward, smiling, "(f/n), is it?...beautiful name."
"Thank you..." You replied, feeling oddly hot.
"And here is your book, due back in 2 weeks. Should the book become overdue, you will receive a warning notice via email before being charged any fines. This pamphlet here has all the necessary information for you." Ardyn spoke, placing said pamphlet in your hands, "Do have a lovely day, and try to avoid any other pedestrians." He teased, a playful smirk spread across his face.
You laughed sheepishly, "will do. And thank you for the help."
He waved farewell to you as you left before disappearing behind a pair of shelves. You watched him leave before walking out into the sun-drenched park, holding your newly borrowed dictionary limply in your hands as you processed what just happened. Looking back at the building you felt your heart jump at the thought of the magenta haired librarian and the mischievous smirk he tossed your way.
"Oh fuc-"