*I just realized that the previous two chapters might hold some confusion after the actual DLC carnival comes out. I don't know exactly where the carnival will be held in the game, so I'm sorry if someone reads this after the DLC is released and the carnival is in a completely different city. I probably should have done some research on that. My bad.

SHED SOME LIGHT ON THINGS

CHAPTER 12

Gladio awoke to the smell of coffee. Specifically Ignis' brand, Ebony. Prompto still slept in the bed next to him, head buried under the pillow to shield him from the early morning sun. He could see the blondes shoulder peeking out from the sheets. It was bruised, but the wound had healed up thanks to the elixir. Gladio slid out of bed so he wouldn't wake him, donned his boxers and pants, and slipped out of the room.

Ignis was sitting at the small table on the balcony sipping his coffee. He had an ear-bud in one ear, probably listening to the news. Gladio threw his coat and shoes on without tying them, poured himself a cup and joined Ignis on the balcony.

"Good morning," said Ignis. "Is Prompto still with us?"

Gladio smirked. "No preamble with you, is there?" He sat down in the other seat, looking out on the view of the early morning city. Not a soul was out this early. "Yes, he's alive… mostly."

"How is he?"

"Probably sore, but he held up better than I expected. How's Princess?"

"Sleeping. The news says we're supposed to have flurries later. Hopefully the roads won't be too slick."

"Don't change the subject," said Gladio. "How was he?"

Ignis' gave a sly smile. "You know I never kiss and tell."

"Killjoy."

"In all seriousness, we can't let them sleep too long. It's supposed to start snowing by lunch time and I'd rather be at our destination by the time it starts."

"Fine," said Gladio. "We'll let them sleep for another hour or so, then we can grab some breakfast downtown and take off. Sound like a plan?"

Ignis nodded.

Noctis stretched and yawned as he entered the kitchen. The unfortunate thing about having an internal clock is that you can't really turn it off on days you don't have to get up. He missed being able to sleep in. Since he became King it was an impossibility.

He rubbed his wrists lightly as he looked around for Ignis. Noctis found him with Gladio sitting quietly on the balcony. Looking around the empty room he figured Prompto must still be in bed.

He cracked the bedroom door quietly and found Prompto buried in blankets and pillows. Slowly he sat down next to the gunslinger and removed the pillow from his head. Prompto clenched his eyes shut and reached for another pillow to shield him from the daylight. "Noooooooo…" he groaned.

Noctis ran his fingers through the blonde hair, lightly scratching the scalp as he did. "Hey, how you holding up?"

Prompto opened one blue eye and rolled onto his back. "Do I still have legs? I can't feel them."

He laughed and ran a hand over a sheet covered thigh. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

The blonde slowly sat up. Noctis noticed the round bruise on Prompto's shoulder, but didn't say anything. "Both?" Prompto said before considering his own question. An exhausted smile graced his lips as he nodded. "Yeah. Both." He chuckled, "expert mode."

"What?"

Prompto shook his head, "Nothing, I'm rambling."

"Can I get you anything?"

Prompto shook his head again. "No thanks. I'm going to take a shower. When do we leave?"

"Before noon probably. It should only take about three hours to get to Ravatogh from here."

"About that," said Prompto, rubbing the crusts out of his eyes. "Why did you pick a volcano, of all places, for a vacation? Aren't there wyvern's all over the place? Why not Caem or Quay?"

"It's not in the volcano, just near the volcano. It's a surprise. You guys will like it."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

A few hours later the Regalia II pulled off the main road and onto a gravel one. Noctis drove slow to avoid kicking up too much volcanic rock as they drove under the shadow of Ravatogh. This time it was Gladio in the passenger seat, and Prompto and Ignis in the back. Prompto was snoring lightly against Ignis' shoulder while he ran his hands along the brail lines of a book.

Noctis rubbed his wrists lightly thinking about the previous night. He hadn't expected Ignis to have a kinky side. Then again a few months ago he wouldn't have expected many of the things he now knew about his three companions.

"Wake up Prom, we're almost there," he said as they passed Varina's Mart. The geyser next to the outpost erupted into the air as they turned off onto the new gravel road heading North.

Prompto marveled at the spectacle. "That is so cool." He pulled his camera out and took a few quick shots as they drove by. He reviewed them, "Aww, they're all blurry."

"We'll stop on the way back so you can get some good ones," said Noctis.

They drove for a few more minutes, twisting and turning around outcroppings of rock before their destination came into view. Noctis had never been here himself, but he'd done some serious research online before he made reservations.

"Whoa," said Gladio, leaning forward to get a better view.

At the end of the road, flanked by twin geysers, was a three story Wutai style bath house. Tasteful amber solstice lights hung from every balcony as steam from the hot springs wafted through the cool air.

On top of everything, it began to snow. Noct smiled. Thanks for the ambiance, Shiva, he thought.

When they parked the car Noctis said, "Gentlemen, welcome to Sakura's Onsen."

Prompto felt any lingering soreness melt away as he soaked neck deep in the hot spring water. The water was the color of dark tea and smelled faintly of sulfur, but apparently that's just what hot springs were like. After about two minutes of being in the water he didn't even notice the smell.

There was still some lingering snow on the rocks that flanked the pool, but most of it had melted. After sunset the clouds dissipated and they were graced with the view that was the cosmos while they soaked.

Prompto took a sip from the hot sake on the tray that floated by and let out a deep sigh. "Noctis."

"Yeah?"

"I take back any reservations I had with coming here. This is so much better than Galdin Quay," he said and sank lower in the water.

"Agreed," said Ignis from the other side of Prompto.

Ignis had left his glasses back in the room for safe keeping. That combined with the fact that they were all completely nude gave Prompto the opportunity to appreciate the royal advisors physique. Even with the scars he was gorgeous. Better than Prompto had pictured in his head.

Unlike Gladio, who was larger than life, Ignis was toned for agility and speed instead of raw strength. Prompto's eyes followed the trail of scars down until the dark water blocked his view further.

"Could I get you gentlemen another round?" asked a lovely redheaded waitress in a black kimono. Prompto noticed a slight blush to her face. Prompto was 95% submerged, but he guessed that she was enjoying the view of the others who were visible from the abs up.

"Yes, please," said Ignis. She bowed lightly and walked away.

Gladio finished his drink and put the cup down on the floating tray. "Wonder if the carpet matches the drapes," he said jokingly.

Ignis reached out, found Gladio's shoulder, traveled up until he touched his hair, then wound up and smacked the shield in the back of the head. "Don't be crass," he scolded.

Prompto and Noctis chuckled.

Gladio rubbed the back of his head. "You're no fun."

"Hey, Noct," asked Prompto.

"Yeah?"

"Where are all the other patrons? I feel like a place like this should be packed."

"You didn't reserve the whole place, did you, Noct?" asked Gladio.

"I considered it," he said, "But when I made the reservations I asked how many other people were booked too. There's apparently a bachelorette party floating around here somewhere, but other than that they're quiet. Most people are in Lestallum for the carnival this week."

"Fortunate for us," said Ignis. Prompto felt the slightest touch on his leg as a finger was traced from his knee to his hip before vanishing again. His eyes shot to Ignis, who was still laying back against the rocks. His face a mask of relaxation.

The waitress came with fresh drinks. "Can I get you anything else, gentlemen?"

"We're good, thank you," said Noctis. She bowed again and exited.

Prompto thought of something. "Why do you think that nobody's recognized you since we've left Insomnia? You've been on TV a lot in the past few years. You'd think someone would have had a fangasm by now."

Noctis shrugged, "Civilian attire does a lot. Same with seeing someone out of context. If you saw my father in a t-shirt and jeans back in the day you probably wouldn't recognize him either. People recognize the position more than the person."

That was an interesting though. "Did King Regis even own a pair of jeans?" asked Prompto.

Noctis held up a finger, "Only one. For days like this. He'd usually shave too if he was going to be incognito for a week or more."

"True," said Gladio. "I bumped into him once after he left training with my father. He was just in workout gear. It took me a half a minute to realize it was him, and I saw King Regis practically every day."

The conversation died down and eventually all four of them were silent again. Enjoying the relaxing moment.

Prompto looked up at the stars, it reminded him of the night they all spent on the roof of the Citadel as their faux camp site. It was only about a month ago, but had ended more enlightening than he would have imagined. A smirk crossed his lips as he picked up his sake and poured a fresh shot. "Never have I ever…"

"No." said Gladio and Ignis in unison.

Prompto pouted and leaned back into the rock. He tilted his head to his best buddy, "Noct, truth or dare.

"No!" said Gladio and Ignis, again in unison.

"Truth," said Noctis. His eyes were closed as he leaned back on the smooth rock. "Can we make this game Truth or Truth? I don't feel like moving at the moment."

"That's fair," said Prompto. He thought for a moment. Honestly he wasn't expecting Noct to play along. "What was King Regis like, as a regular guy I mean? I only knew him as King and honestly he scared the crap out of me."

"Busy," Noct said, eyes still closed. "Very busy. But when it was just the two of us he was a really good dad. He once make fun of the food with me when the cook utterly failed at a green soup she made. When I was twelve he took me to a Blitzball game over in Zanarkand. It was awesome. He even let loose and had a few beers."

Prompto pictured King Regis sipping overpriced cheap beer out of a plastic cup with a Zanarkand Abes cap on. The image itself made him chuckle.

"I miss him," Noct said, suddenly sullen.

"We all do," said Ignis.

There was an awkward silence for a moment before Prompto said, "Your turn, Noct."

He didn't even look up. "Gladio, you said 'you should see the other guy' when you came back with those new scars during our road trip. Who was 'the other guy'?"

"Gilgamesh," said Gladio.

Noctis' head shot up from the rock. "The demi-god?"

Gladio nodded.

"You took out a demi-god?" asked Noctis again.

"That's what I just said."

Noctis splashed some water at him. "Bullshit. Drink. There's no way you walked away from that with just a few scars. He has eight arms!"

"Six," said Gladio, but drank anyway.

"Whatever. I get to ask again since you didn't answer the question," said Noctis.

Prompto grinned. It was always fun watching these two bicker. Not like they were on the train after Ignis was injured, but bicker like and old couple. It was entertaining to say the least.

"Ignis," said Noctis, "What's something you know about Gladio that nobody else does?"

Prompto could hear Gladio growl through the water. Prompto sank a little lower.

"That's a difficult one. Normally I'm not keen on divulging the secrets of others," he said. But he seemed like he thought about it. Prompto loved the way he put his fingers on his chin when he was thinking. It was subtle, but completely Ignis. Eventually he leaned over and whispered something in Gladio's ear.

Gladio gave a devious smirk, "Sure."

Ignis felt his way through the water until he was right next to Noctis. Prompto watched as Ignis leaned in and whispered something to him. Prompto couldn't make out what it was, but the expression on Noct's face slowly changed as his eyes grew wide and his face got about four shades redder. Gladio held up his cup, "that good enough for you?"

Prompto thought Noctis looked like a deer in headlights. "Yeah… that'll do."

Now it was Ignis' turn as he returned to his spot in between the gunslinger and shield. "Prompto, in the past month or so have you decided if you prefer to give or take in the bedroom?"

Prompto moved his view on the water in front of him, even though he could feel Gladio and Noctis' eyes on him. "Ummm… so far it depends on my mood and the person. It's pretty equal but…" he suspected Ignis was prying for a reason. His minds-eye flashed back to the fantasy he had in the Iggy's office a few weeks ago; Pining the strategist down over his pristine desk and knocking all of his organization away as he fucked him. On top of all that he was still quite sore from his endeavor with Gladio. "Giving, I guess."

Ignis must have sensed the reservation in Prompto's voice. "You must stop initiating these games if you don't want to answer questions."

"Don't dish it out if you can't take it, Prom," said Gladio. He finished his sake. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting hungry."

"Me too," said Noctis, chewing on his own lip.

Ignis sunk a little lower in the water. This time Prompto was sure there was a hand on his thigh. It was too deep in the water for anyone to see. "I think I'll remain here for a little while longer. We could meet in the dining hall in an hour if you like?" said Ignis.

Prompto tried his best not to show any expression on his face. He was sure that Gladio and Noctis would have noticed if they weren't already giving looks to each other. "I'll hang back too," he said.

"See you later then," said Gladio as he got out of the water. Noctis wasn't far behind as they headed toward the showers.

There was a lasting silence for a few minutes as Prompto and Ignis soaked in the spring alone. Ignis' hand hadn't moved since the others left. He felt like Ignis was waiting for something, but he wasn't sure what.

"There's no need to be so tense, Prompto," said Ignis. "I'm not the one who bites."

This seemed to break the ice a little. Prompto let out a chuckle and put a hand over the bruise on his shoulder. "I don't know how you do it, Iggy," he said. "It was amazing, and intense, but… Gods, I'm sore."

"I told you it took some time to get used to." Ignis released his hand from Prompto's thigh and scooted closer to him, placing his hand over the bite mark.

"How'd you know where he bit me- ohhhh, that's nice," he moaned in relief as a tingle of magic emanated from Ignis' hand. He massaged it in for a moment as the magic seeped into the skin and soon there was little left except the faint scar where the skin had been broken.

"Educated guess. Better?"

Prompto moved his shoulder experimentally. The pain was gone. "Much better. You're getting really good at wielding magic without flasks."

"You have no idea," said Ignis snapping his fingers. Flames coated his palm and burned as if his hand was coated in lighter fluid. He held it there for a few seconds until he let his hand fall back in the water, extinguishing it. "It's only gotten better since Noctis returned from the crystal, although I don't really get many chances to use it anymore."

Prompto refilled two glasses of sake and handed one to Ignis. "I always was really envious of you guys and your ability to fight. I got good at using range weapons, but in close quarters I'm pretty useless. Even when I try to use magic flasks half of us ended up scorched before the fight was over."

Ignis made a dismissive noise and took the sake. "I'll admit, when Noct asked to have you added to the Crownsguard I had my concerns." Prompto looked at him, he hadn't know that. "But, I've been proven wrong before. I don't think we would have made it back to Insomnia without you."

Warmth bloomed in Prompto's chest. "What do you mean? I just joked around and took photos most of the time."

"While that is true, you also helped Noct through a very difficult time in his life. After his father was killed you were there for him as a friend while Gladio and I were too worried about his responsibilities… and ours. Gladio was a wreck too under his tough façade. He lost a father that day as well."

Prompto had almost forgotten about that. He'd only met Crailas a few times. "His dad was an intense guy."

"Indeed he was," said Ignis. "But in addition to being there for Noctis, you were there for me. After Altissia Noct had his own daemons to deal with and Gladio felt helpless because I felt helpless. You were the only one who said that it was my right to choose to stay or bow out. You were the one trying to get in between Gladio and Noctis on the train when they were fighting. A foolish move but admirable. You… you believed in me." His voice cracked the slightest bit on the last few words, but he cleared his throat to cover it. "Even after that, Noctis found the strength to use the ring to save you from Ardyn. He cared for you deeply. Much more than he cared about himself."

"Ignis…" Prompto was touched. He really had no clue what to say. They sat there in silence for a long while. "I really didn't expect this conversation when the guys left."

"What did you expect?"

"You to jump my bones, honestly." Prompto gave a nervous laugh.

"That remains an option."

Prompto finished his serving of sake. He expected the waitress would be along shortly. She'd been very attentive so far. "This probably isn't a good place for it. Even if there aren't many patrons."

"True," said Ignis. He put his sake cup down on the rock before leaning over and kissing Prompto's shoulder. "But that doesn't mean I can't have some fun with you."

Prompto leaned into the kisses as they traveled up his neck to his mouth. If Gladio was an inferno, then Ignis was a smolder. Each kiss was slow and intentional, their tongues mingling together like melted chocolate as Prompto shifted so that he was practically in Ignis' lap. Prompto was getting hard already as was Ignis. The hot springs water lent an interesting added sensation as they slowly ground into one another.

There was no urgency to what they were doing so Prompto took the rare moment to just enjoy it. Though he tensed up slightly when he felt Ignis' hand travel down his spine and lower. "Relax," Ignis whispered in between kisses. Prompto tried as Ignis hand traveled lower. He was still very tender down there.

Ignis touched his entrance and Prompto gasped as the cool tingle of healing magic flowed through him. He let out a surprised yelp at the sensation. Ignis smiled at his reaction as Prompto let out a sigh of relief. "Now I can see how you can handle him," said Prompto.

"Little secret of mine," said Ignis as he kissed Prompto's neck. "I would imagine Noct will need some healing soon too."

"What makes you say that?"

"I can hear them. They're in the showers in the building behind us."

Prompto twitched against Ignis' toned abs. "Really?"

"Really."

Prompto leaned in close and seductively whispered into Ignis' ear, "Tell me about it."

X~X~X

Next chapter is Gladio/Noct. Strap in!