SHED SOME LIGHT ON THINGS

CHAPTER 10

"What are you reading?" Prompto asked Gladio as the sun began to set over the skyline of Lestallum in the distance. The blonde may have been quick to anger after the prank they played at his expense, but thankfully after being behind the wheel long enough he cooled down fast.

Gladio just started reading from the point in the book he was at, "In the world I see you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Towers. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying strips of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighways."

"Reading that one again?" said Ignis from the back seat. Gladio glanced at him in the rear view mirror. Their King was tipped over onto Ignis' shoulder, snoring lightly.

"Well, it is one of my favorites," said Gladio.

"What's it about?" Prompto asked.

Gladio dog-eared the page and closed the book. "Telling you that would give it away, but technically it's a love story between two very damaged people. Although most of it is guy's making soap and kicking the shit out of each other."

Prompto chuckled. "I can see why you'd like it." He stifled a yawn. They'd been driving all day. They would probably be at the volcano right about now if their King didn't insist on stopping for some ice fishing near the Disks. "We'll be near Lestallum soon. We'll need to stop for gas if anyone needs anything," said Prompto, taking the exit to the city.

"We might as well stop for the night," offered Ignis. "There may not be daemons around anymore, but night driving is still hazardous. Unless you'd prefer a tent that is."

Oh Iggy, what are you plotting? Thought Gladio. He stretched in his seat. "The Leville is always nice. I wonder if that Cup Noodle truck is still in business."

Ignis made a face in the mirror. "I don't know how you can stomach that garbage."

"Does anyone else find it odd that a cup of artificially flavored noodles costs about twenty times more than a tank of gas?" said the blonde.

Gladio made a face at him.

"Just making an observation," said Prompto. "Besides, I'd eat Iggy's food any night of the week. No matter what the alternative."

"Thank you, Prompto," said Ignis.

The pulled into Lestallum and were surprised to find the usually spacious parking lot packed. Everywhere there were streamers, balloons, vendors selling light up necklaces and audacious t-shirts. The main thoroughfare was packed with many more makeshift shops than usual. Many of which gave skilled players the opportunity to win oversized, cheaply made souvenirs.

Gladio watched as Prompto climbed out of the car like a child who'd never seen a carnival before in his life. "Iggy, did you know this was here? I wanna play some games! Oh my gods that one has a giant stuffed chocobo! It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!" He nearly ran off into the crowd before Gladio grabbed him by the back of his belt and kept him put.

"Ignis," said Gladio. "Is his Royal Highness awake yet? We should make sure there's a hotel room available before I let go and we lose Prompto forever."

As if on cue Noctis emerged from the Regalia II bleary eyed. "This isn't Ravatogh."

"Very astute observation," said Ignis. "If someone didn't insist on fishing for three hours we wouldn't have been waylaid. Although, based on Prompto's excitement the situation seems to be serendipitous. I'm sure it's quite the sight to behold."

Thankfully the Leville still had a few rooms left, even if they were the most expensive ones. Also, by blessed chance, none of the staff seemed to recognize the King and his traveling companions. They didn't really need that kind of attention anyway.

Making their way around the streets was a little slower than usual due to Ignis trying his best to avoid bumping into people in the crowd. After a block or so Noctis placed a hand on the small of his back as a light guide. Normally Ignis would say that it wasn't necessary, but in this case he would be lying.

They hit up the stand selling cocktails and ordered a round before venturing off into the crowd again. Prompto made a B-line to the stand with the chocobo in it he'd seen earlier. It was a shooting game. "Oh yeah, that bird is so mine," said Prompto excitedly.

And yet…

Round after round the pellets kept going just wide of the target. They all knew that carnival games were slightly rigged in favor of the vendors, but this was ridiculous. After Prompto spent more Gil than the stuffed bird was probably worth, he laid the pellet gun down and admitted defeat.

"I call shenanigans," said Noctis as they walked to the next game. "You're the best shot I know."

"Don't suppose you could just order them to give me the bird?" said Prompto, shooting a pitiful look at their King.

"And blow our cover? Sorry Prom," said Noctis.

Several hours and drinks later they walked past a high striker, the vendor standing in front of it called out to the crowd. "Come right up. Test your strength! Hit the bell and win a prize, that's all it takes."

"Sounds like they're calling your name, Gladio," said Noctis.

The shield grinned. "Hold my beer," he said, handing the cup to Noctis as he vanished into the crowd toward the game.

The King stood there next to Ignis as the crowd milled around them. Prompto had seen something amusing at a booth and had dashed to purchase it, leaving the King and strategist alone amongst the throng of people. Noctis kept his eyes open and vigilant, despite the pleasant buzz he had on.

Ignis had hooked two fingers into his belt loop so as not to be separated from the group. Noctis could tell that it hurt his advisors pride to do so, but they really didn't have another option with the amount of noise around them.

Noct's concentration was broken by Ignis' gloved hand letting go of his belt buckle and sliding under his shirt to trace a line from his hip up his back. It was such a subtle touch, but from Ignis it meant volumes. He'd known the man for most of his life, yet he rarely ever lay a hand on him outside of healing a wound or training.

Noctis was his ward, or something similar to it, for so long that maybe Ignis felt it inappropriate to show any kind of affection in the past. Apparently, somewhere in the last few weeks something had changed.

Ignis let go for an instant and fumbled with something. Then his hand returned to the small of Noct's back, free of the glove. The crisp air making its way up the back of Noct's shirt as Ignis moved. Again, it was so subtle… but then why was his skin on fire?

Ignis had just begun to trace his hand over the front part of Noct's hip when he heard the clang of a bell so loud that it hurt his ears. He flinched and spilled some of the beer on his hands. He could feel Ignis jump too.

"What was that?" asked Prompto, emerging from the crowd. He was wearing a pair of ridiculous slotted glasses and about six glowing necklaces of various colors. He pulled a purple one off and put it around Noctis' head like a halo. "You okay Noct? You're looking red," said the blonde with a slight slur.

Noctis saw a twinge of a smirk on Ignis face as he responded. "Yeah, I'm totally fine."

"Where's Gladdy?"

"Breaking some gaming equipment, it would seem," said Ignis.

As if on cue, Gladio found them again in the crowd. Under one arm was a plush of a black chocobo chick. "It's not as big as the other one, but-"

The squeal that Prompto let out was possibly the least manly thing Noct had ever heard.

The blonde snatched up the fluffy facsimile for a chocobo chick and rubbed his face in it. "I will name you Squishy. And you will be mine. And you will be my Squishy."

All three of them laughed. Noctis pat his back. "Okay Prom, you're cut off for the night. You're being more ridiculous than usual. You act like you've never been to a carnival before."

"I haven't," he said from the raven colored fluff.

Noctis smile dropped. "Oh."

"You should probably bring that toy back to the room so you won't lose it in the crowd," suggested Ignis. "You have the extra room key, correct?"

"I have it. I'll take him," said Gladio.

Prompto was too excited with his prize to catch the look that passed between the two of them, but Noctis did. Ignis might have been blind, but the expressions between the two seemed to imply mutual understanding. How they did it Noctis would never know.

"Catch up with you guys in a little bit," said Prompto as he headed back to the Leville. Gladio not far behind him.

The room at the hotel was a spacious two bedroom suite with a decent sized common area and kitchenette. Prompto walked in and lay his prized plush down on the counter before catching a glimpse of himself in the reflection of the flat screen television. He slid the glasses off his nose. "Oh boy, no wonder Noct said I was cut off. Have I been walking around Lestallum looking as ridiculous as I think I do?"

"You always look ridiculous," said Gladio as he ducked into one of the two bathrooms.

Prompto did the same in the other bathroom and exited to find Gladio filling up two tall glasses of water. The larger man handed him one and Prompto chugged half of it. He was already more dehydrated than he thought.

Flopping down on the couch Prompto put his water glass aside and began unsnapping his glowing necklaces when Gladio appeared in front of him. He froze.

Gladio put his glass down and wrapped his fingers around the remaining glowing tubes encircling the blonde's throat and slowly pulled him up to his feet. Prompto couldn't help but comply. "These suit you," said Gladio, an octave lower than usual. Prompto's legs felt weak, but with the shield holding him up he still struggled to stand.

Suddenly Gladio released his hold and let the blonde flop back down to the couch. He turned and walked back into one of the bedrooms, removing his coat and shirt on the way. Prompto just sat there and watched. He heard the familiar squeak of the mattress as Gladio laid down.

There was a lasting silence in the suite.

Prompto's mouth was dry as an unseen force compelled him to follow, kicking off his shoes in the hallway as he did.

He was not going back to the carnival.

Gladio was sprawled on the bed, his shoes kicked off too. Leaving only his pants and his tattoo's to adorn him. And the muscles. Holy shit those muscles. His eyes were closed as he rested his head in his hands, facing the ceiling.

Prompto took his phone and wallet out of his pocket before placing them on the TV stand and crawling into the king sized bed. Gladio was waiting for him. He knew this. The larger man could have pressed him against the couch or the wall or any other aggressive move that Prompto had mentally prepared himself for. But no, this was so much more alpha. He was making Prompto come to him like he was being pulled by a leash tied to those ridiculous glowing necklaces of his.

In the dim light of the room he crawled over so his head was resting just over Gladio's. He took a moment to admire the scars up close along with the chiseled features of the man beneath him. He was a god made flesh. "Just call me Titan," Gladio's voice rang in his ears.

It was then that those amber eyes opened up and Prompto melted. He leaned down and kissed the larger man with all the sexual frustration he'd wound up on him over the past few weeks. Gladio reciprocated by pulling the blonde down onto him after yanking Prompto's shirt over his head, dislodging half the glowing tubes in its wake.

They wrestled, grabbing blindly at one another until Prompto felt Gladio pause. He removed his pants before calloused hands began to work at unbuttoning Prompto's. He didn't even have a chance to look down before Gladio took him in his mouth. Prompto's cock went straight down the back of Gladio's throat as Prompto bucked up into him. Gladio wrapped his strong arms around Prompto's hips and held him slightly off the bed as he worked. "Oh, fuck… Gladio don't stop," he gasped.

But he did stop.

Prompto looked down frustrated until Gladio's mouth worked its way lower, lavishing attention on his balls before dipping down further. Prompto gasped as the shield began working on his entrance. This was something Noctis definitely hadn't done yet.

Reaching down Prompto raked his fingers through Gladio's mane of hair as he writhed beneath him.

He heard the familiar snap of a plastic cap before the cool sensation of a finger began to join the mix. It only took a few pokes of that magical spot before Prompto came in erratic spurts.

Gladio didn't stop moving his fingers inside him while his other hand moved up to scoop of most of the mess he'd made on himself. Prompto watched, drunk with endorphins as Gladio lapped his fingers clean like a coeurl cleaning up after a successful hunt.

Prompto couldn't have imagined a more erotic sight.

Gladio inserted a second and then a third finger, bringing Prompto nearly to the brink again with each passing second. It wasn't until many minutes later did the shield pull his fingers out and say, "Turn over."

Prompto did what he was told without hesitation. He could hear Gladio lube himself up and felt the larger man line up before bending over the gunslinger. His breath was hot against his ear, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this." He nipped Prompto's shoulder hard, making his eyes roll back in his head. "You ready?"

Prompto nodded and thanked the god's he'd packed a few extra hi-elixirs in his bag. He was going to need them. Maybe even a phoenix down after this was all over.

He entered him slowly, not stopping until he was fully sheathed. Prompto bit the pillow under his face as tears pricked the corners of his eyes. Words could not express the feeling of being so completely full of another human being. It was pure ecstasy and pain all wrapped into one. Gladio moaned against his back like a growl as he held the position for a few seconds. Then he began to move and a whole new set of sensations flooded the blonde.

First was pain. Tear jerking I-might-be-dying pain. Somehow, miraculously, the endorphins flooding his body managed to dampen it just enough to where he could tolerate it. Then, after a moment of adjusting to the position Gladio sat up and grabbed Prompto's hips, hitting a whole new set of nerves in a spectacular fashion. Prompto couldn't help but moan mercilessly into the pillow as Gladio descended upon him.

This continued until there was no more pain to be had and only mind shattering waves of pleasure followed. Prompto might have come two or three times in the last ten minutes, he honestly couldn't tell.

Finally he heard erratic gasps come from the shield as his pumps became sporadic and fast. Bending over again, Prompto felt Gladio's teeth bite into the flesh of his shoulder. Hard.

Prompto felt concussions hit the room and it took him a moment to realize that it was the blasts from the fireworks display happening back at the carnival. That it was not, in fact, coming from inside the room.

Honestly it really wouldn't have surprised him either way.

Gladio collapsed on him, gasping, before running his tongue along the bite mark on Prompto's shoulder. When his breathing returned back to normal he asked, "You alright?"

Prompto paused, then nodded. "I think so," he said muffled into the pillow.

Gladio lazily moved away from him, eliciting a whole series of other sensations as he pulled out. He disappeared into the common room for a moment while Prompto checked himself for injuries. He was afraid to check below, but his shoulder was definitely bleeding. He applied some pressure to the love bite.

Gladio re-emerged into the room with a full glass of water, a hot washcloth, and an elixir. He handed all three to Prompto silently before crawling into the king sized bed behind him.

Prompto downed the elixir as Gladio rolled over and wrapped his arm around his midsection. He could already feel his body mending itself as Gladio buried his face into his neck. "You've been practicing for this," Gladio mumbled. His energy spent.

Prompto sipped his water before lying down and pulling off the remaining two glowing necklaces, tossing them to some corner of the room. "I got some things online," Prompto confirmed. "Didn't want you murdering me the first time."

Gladio kissed the healing spot on Prompto's shoulder. "I think I might have come close."

X~X~X

Thank you a thousand times to everyone who reviewed each and every chapter that led up to this. I know many of you were waiting for this since chapter 2, or earlier. Keep an eye out for the next chapter, Ignis/Noctis come next. Pun intended.