[He’s not letting go yet. That hate crosses the bridge initiated between them, filling up any space Prompto might try to hide away from it. Years and years and years of the stuff, it feels like a well that one would never reach the bottom of, no matter how deeply they plumbed.]

Will you? How? Look at you now, Prompto! Is this the look of someone strong enough to protect their friends? Do something, show me — prove to me that you can even survive my touch for moments longer than this!

[The empathy bond glows a stringent blue, but Ardyn doesn't care if they're in the public eye. Angled away from the vendor for now, he revels in these callous moments between them.]