A.N.: This was written for the Ignis Scientia Appreciation Society's weekly prompt: Ignis loses something very important to him but finds it in an unexpected place.

Warnings: Spoilers for chapter 13, attempted suicide, suicidal character, blood

Disclaimer: Don't own Final Fantasy XV

He woke on a soft surface. Prompto groaned; he forced his eyes open and sat up. He was in Noctis' apartment, though he didn't remember having stayed over last night.

He ran a hand over his face. "Noct!"

There was no answer.

He looked towards the door to Noctis' room. "Noct?"

"He's not here."

Prompto yelped, twisting to face the coffee table. Sitting upon it was a blue vulpine creature.

"Carbuncle? But… you're a figurine."

Carbuncle let out a high-pitched noise, rather akin to a giggle. "I am as real as you are."

Prompto threw his legs off the side of the sofa. "Where's Noct?"

"He is in the Crystal."

Prompto paled. "That… That wasn't a dream?"

Carbuncle shook its head. "This is the dream, Prompto."

Prompto sat back on the sofa, wracking his brain for the last thing that he remembered.

"We were in Cape Caem. We came back to Lucis and Gladio wanted to see Iris."

"You are still in Cape Caem. You are asleep."

"Why am I here?"

Carbuncle adopted a regal pose. "Ignis needs your help."

Prompto furrowed his brow. "Iggy? What's wrong with Iggy?"

"He is in the bathroom."

Prompto stood and made for Noctis' bathroom, but Carbuncle called him back.

"The bathroom in Cape Caem."

Prompto turned to Carbuncle. "Then why am I here? Let me wake up and I can go to him."

Carbuncle shook its head. "You are more useful to him here."

Prompto growled. He knelt by the table and gripped its edges with white-knuckled hands. Carbuncle swivelled to face him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ignis is bleeding out."

Prompto sat back. His hands fell from the table onto his knees. "Did… did a daemon get him? I thought we were safe in the house." His voice was meek.

Carbuncle shook its head. "He slit his wrists."

Prompto gulped. "He… Oh…"

He curled in on himself, his hands going into his hair and his fingers pulling at his roots.

"I didn't realise… I should have noticed…" He looked up at Carbuncle. "Why didn't he say he was in so much pain?"

"That doesn't matter now. You need to bring him back."

"Let me go to him. I can stop the bleeding, I can…" He trailed off, shaking his head.

"Time works differently here. You have time to find him and bring him back before his wounds need tending. But unless you bring him back, healing him in Cape Caem will make no difference."

Prompto was trembling. "Where is he? Here, I mean."

Carbuncle shifted. "He is lost. He has sequestered himself away, I know not where. You need to find him, Prompto."

Prompto needed no other convincing. He leapt to his feet and wrenched the apartment door open. The building was eerily quiet as he ran through it, with the absence of neighbours and even the doorman in the lobby.

Insomnia was just as empty, though it was not the broken and ruined version of itself that Prompto had seen after the Empire had reneged on the peace treaty. The sun was beating down upon him, glinting off the metal buildings.

He ran, calling out Ignis' name until his throat was raw, though he never once received a reply.

He made it to the central circle of the city, outside the steps to the Citadel. There stood a Red Giant.

It turned to Prompto as soon as it sensed his presence. The ground shook with the force of its footsteps. It brought its sword up, ready to chop off Prompto's head.

Prompto dodged, throwing himself against the ground as the sword slammed into the concrete where he had just been standing.

He summoned his gun and aimed at the Red Giant. A few rounds in, he realised that there was no use in his actions: he was doing absolutely no damage.

He ran.

He headed for the Citadel, thundering up the steps and through to the lobby. The building itself was daemon-free, at least.

"Ignis!"

He expected no answer, and he was rewarded with none.

"He may be in his room."

Prompto turned to his right. Carbuncle was sitting on one of the desks.

"Where is that? I've only been here once, I only know the way to the throne room."

Carbuncle nodded. "Follow me."

Prompto did, as the creature took him up stairs and through corridors. The Citadel was as foreign to Prompto in this dream as it had been in reality; without the creature's help, he would never have been able to find his way around.

"This is his door."

Prompto mumbled his thanks and shoved the door open.

"Ignis!"

He searched the entire flat, but found no sign of Ignis.

He growled in frustration and left, slamming the door behind him. "He's not there."

Carbuncle huffed.

"Where's Noct's room?"

Carbuncle led the way. Noctis' room was on the other side of the Citadel and several floors higher. When they arrived, Prompto found that it was also considerably larger.

He searched it all the same, but he had the same amount of luck as he had had in Ignis' rooms.

The door banged against the doorframe as he left. Carbuncle was waiting outside for him.

"I don't know where else he could be! I don't know the city as well as Ignis does. He could be anywhere!"

"Think, Prompto. Where else could he be?"

Prompto wracked his brains. "The kitchens?"

He wasn't in the kitchens.

"The training rooms?"

He wasn't in the training rooms.

"Does he have an apartment outside of the Citadel?"

Carbuncle took him there next. When they came out of the Citadel, the Red Giant was still there. It attacked as soon as it saw Prompto, but he ran as fast as he could and managed to miss its swings.

Ignis lived in a flat on the third floor of an apartment block, but the living room was as big as the entire ground floor of Prompto's house.

"Ignis!"

He was met with silence.

He checked every single room, calling out Ignis' name with every door he passed through.

Ignis wasn't there.

Prompto yelled and threw himself down on Ignis' sofa. It wasn't as comfortable as Noctis', but Prompto didn't much care. He pulled at his hair and squeezed his eyes shut.

Carbuncle leapt onto the coffee table.

"Prompto."

He shoved himself up. His hands balled into fists atop the sofa cushions, and he leaned his red face closer to Carbuncle.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know."

Prompto growled, and punched the sofa. "You brought me here! You knew he was here somewhere! Where is he?"

Carbuncle shook its head. "I don't know."

Prompto flopped down onto the sofa and stared at the ceiling.

He was breathing heavily.

Carbuncle jumped down from the coffee table and leapt up onto Prompto's stomach. It walked across his chest until it was staring down into his face.

"Prompto."

"Why did you bring me here?" Prompto demanded. "Gladio would have been better. Hell, Iris would have been better! I can't do this."

Carbuncle sat on Prompto's chest.

"You are the only one who can bring Ignis back from this."

Prompto scoffed. "Like Noctis is the only one who can rid our star of its Scourge?"

"Exactly like that."

Prompto tilted his head so that his chin was resting on his chest. "What, like, this was prophesied?"

Carbuncle chuckled and shook its head. "No. Nothing like that. Noctis is the Crystal's chosen. And you, whether either of you know it, are Ignis' chosen."

Prompto gulped. "What do you mean?"

Carbuncle leapt from Prompto's chest back onto the coffee table. Prompto sat up.

"Find him. You still have plenty of time. Help him overcome his daemons."

Prompto bit his lip. He nodded.

He pushed himself up from the sofa and left Ignis' flat. Carbuncle followed close to his heels.

When he reached the arcade, Prompto turned to Carbuncle.

"Where's Gladio's place?"

Unlike Ignis, Gladiolus had a house. It had two bedrooms: one for him and one for Iris. It even had two floors.

But what it didn't have, was an Ignis.

Prompto gulped. The entire city was so empty. So lonely.

"Where is he?" he whispered.

"I believe there is one place you haven't checked yet."

Prompto nodded. He turned his back on Gladiolus' house, ventured out into the streets of Insomnia, and headed for his own house.

He walked passed the front wall, and there, he found Ignis.

Ignis was crouched next to the wall, his head in his hands and his scarred face covered with tears. He was trembling and wailing.

Prompto knelt before him.

"Ignis."

Ignis started at the sound. He lifted his hands away from his head and stared in Prompto's direction. His gaze was a little to the left of Prompto's face.

"Ignis, it's okay." Prompto reached a hand out to Ignis' knee.

"Prompto?" Ignis' voice was cracked.

"I'm here."

Ignis' expression crumpled. "How? What's going on? Where are we?"

Prompto shifted closer. He took Ignis' hands in his own.

"We're dreaming. Noct's Carbuncle brought me here to find you."

Ignis gulped. "Why?"

Prompto tightened his grip. "To bring you back."

Ignis lowered his head.

"I don't want to come back."

Prompto's eyes stung. "Please tell me you don't mean that."

Ignis shook his head. "I can't… I'm blind, Prompto! Noctis is gone! I can't drive, I can't cook, I can't fight… I just can't."

Ignis sobbed.

Prompto waited for him to finish.

"There must be something you have to live for."

Ignis gulped. "I…" He trembled. "I don't want to die. I just want it to end."

"You need to get out of your head. You need to wake up."

"Into a dark world?"

Prompto shook his head. "Let us be your light. Please, Ignis. We love you. We… I don't know what I'd do without you. This isn't the only option."

Ignis took in a shaking breath. "How?"

"By fighting back. Life is a war. It's not over just because you lost one battle."

Ignis let out a small chuckle. "When did you become so profound?"

"Me? I've always been profound. I've just been too busy taking pictures to let it show."

Ignis laughed at that: a deep and desperate sound. His grip on Prompto's hands was tight, tight enough to hurt, but Prompto didn't dare let go.

When Ignis had calmed, Prompto spoke.

"Come on. We've got a daemon to fight."

Prompto stood, his left hand never leaving Ignis' right, and took Ignis through the streets of Insomnia until they were at the circle outside the Citadel again.

The Red Giant was still there, but it had its back to them.

Ignis froze next to Prompto.

"What's that noise?"

"A Red Giant."

Ignis' brow furrowed. "But there's sunlight. I can feel it." He held out his hand, palm upwards.

Prompto shrugged. "It's a dream. Anything's possible, right?"

Ignis pursed his lips. "I suppose." He lowered his hand. "Tell me, Prompto, do you suggest that we fight that thing?"

"I think it's the only way we can leave here."

Ignis took in a sharp breath. Prompto put his free hand on Ignis' shoulder.

"It'll be okay. We can do this."

Ignis locked his jaw, then nodded.

They entered the circle, hand in hand, and the Red Giant turned to them.

It raised its sword and brought it down, aiming for their entwined hands.

Prompto pushed Ignis away and threw himself in the other direction. They both landed on the ground, either side of the Red Giant's sword as it slammed into the concrete.

"Prompto!"

"I'm here! Throw some daggers at it!"

Prompto summoned his gun and began shooting. His bullets were accompanied by daggers soaring through the air and embedding themselves in the Red Giant's form before dematerialising and returning to Ignis.

"Are we doing any damage?" Ignis called.

"A bit. You're doing more than I am."

Ignis growled. He sent his daggers away and summoned a lance. In a move Prompto had marvelled at in his pictures, Ignis slammed the tip of the lance into the ground and used the momentum to propel himself into the air. He backflipped, wrenching the lance out of the ground as he did so, and brought it down hard on the Red Giant's arm.

The Red Giant roared in anger and sent a plume of flame in Ignis' direction. Ignis cried out as the flames engulfed him. The Red Giant pulled his hand away, and left Ignis lying on the ground.

Prompto rushed over. He clapped Ignis on the shoulder. For a moment, Ignis' form glowed blue, and then he was getting to his feet.

"Much obliged," Ignis nodded. He pushed his glasses back up onto his nose.

"Anytime, dude."

Prompto switched to the Bio-Blaster, hitting the Red Giant with more firepower than ever. Ignis darted through the air, slashing and stabbing at it with his lance.

Eventually, a shot from Prompto caught the Red Giant in just the right place on its leg to send it to its knees.

"Ignis! Your three o' clock!"

Ignis nodded in Prompto's direction, and soared towards the Red Giant. His lance embedded itself deep into the Red Giant's forehead. The Red Giant gave an almighty roar, and its body dematerialised.

Prompto laughed, banishing his weapon. "We did it! We did it!"

The world was whiting out, though, and Insomnia disappeared around him.

Prompto gasped as he opened his eyes. He was in bed, in Cape Caem, a smile on his face.

Until he remembered what Carbuncle had told him.

He raced to the bathroom.

"Iggy!"

Ignis was sitting on the toilet seat, his head resting on the wall behind the cistern, and his hands hanging limply by his sides. His wrists were bleeding, but he had cut them the wrong way.

Prompto grabbed the First Aid Kit and got to work cleaning and bandaging Ignis' wounds. The bandages were red by the time he had finished, and Ignis was deathly pale, but he washed the blood off his hands all the same then turned back to Ignis.

"Iggy?" He patted Ignis' cheek.

Ignis groaned. He lifted his head off the wall and winced. "Prompto?"

Prompto kept his hand on Ignis' cheek. "I'm here. You're safe." He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to Ignis'.

Ignis gulped. "I… That dream?"

Prompto nodded. "It was real. You did it. You took down a Red Giant."

"We took down a Red Giant."

"Well, none of us have ever done it alone."

Ignis let out a breath, a smile on his lips.

Prompto ran his thumb over Ignis' cheek.

"Ignis, please. Talk to us."

The smile melted away. Ignis gulped. "Yes. Of course. I'm sorry."

Prompto shook his head. "Don't apologise. I'm sorry I didn't notice that things were this bad."

"That's not your job."

"Iggy, you're my friend. Of course it's my job."

Ignis said nothing. He closed his eyes.

"What time is it?"

Prompto checked his phone. "About two in the morning."

Ignis nodded. "I… I am rather tired."

"Let's get you back to bed." Prompto stood up and offered Ignis a hand.

He made to walk to the bedrooms, but Ignis tightened his grip around Prompto's fingers.

Prompto turned back to him.

"I…" Ignis sighed. He lifted his free hand and scratched at his scalp. "Would you mind… I would rather not be alone. If it's not too much trouble."

"Of course I wouldn't mind, Iggy."

Ignis inclined his head. "Thank you, Prompto."

Prompto wrapped an arm around Ignis' shoulders. "Like I said, dude. Anytime."