You just made a huge deal out of want and need, so I'm going to keep telling you this as many times as you need to hear it.

[ He kneels down to start with Riku's boots, so that he's not looking at Riku's face - but likewise Riku will find it hard to ignore him as he uses a simple bit of the Fire spell and not dunamis to melt the ice there. ]

For my own sake and not yours, I need to figure out a way to be around you - without either of us suffering for it. So you can just deal with that.

[ After that he stands back up, leaving space between them and trying to decide how much more Riku is going to force that ice upon himself before Arden forces a hand on him again. ]

I just never expected it to also involve Squall.

[ There, he knows who your target is, Riku. ]