Dreamlike [II AU]

Chapter One

He was still there.
Balloon was, at least. His mental state, heart, and many other things weren't though.
Not in this dream world, or whatever it was. It wasn't an actual dream; it was real life, a former escape from hellish reality.

Now it was Balloon's entire life.
Thank goodness for that.

Balloon slowly sat up, aching terribly. He hadn't slept well.. not that he was sleeping to begin with. Who would sleep if they were constantly plagued by nightmares?

The dystopia hadn't changed one bit. That star-like creature was still hovering near the starry waters, as if it was anticipating something. 

A cute little round ball of sunshine and demonic terror had been eating a cake slice or two since a some hours ago.
Yet now it was eating an ice cream cone with caramel syrup on top.

Its hunger knew little to no bounds.

As pinkish clouds raced across the low sun, Balloon noticed the little star flying towards him.
He smiled faintly as the star shimmered and shined brightly.

At least someone didn't have little to no darkness in their life.

Balloon hugged the little star close to his chest, the baby star squealing and giggling happily. His heartbeat jumped around, waiting for any tinge of hope left.

At one point, that was Balloon.
..But not anymore.

A small floaty character with a soft serve swirl on its head continued endlessly strolling around the colorful candy-looking world.
It was chubby and cute with a fierce look on its face, but Balloon wasn't frightened of the creature at all.
After being bloodied due to self harm and his countless suicide attempts, nothing fazed Balloon anymore.

Speaking of which, how could someone who looked aggressive at almost all times compare to former death threats, having an "eating" disorder and nearly dying due to strangulation via noose?

Well, it no longer mattered, since Balloon was alone now; that was a really good thing. He exhaled darkly and dejectedly let go of the  baby star.

It squealed and sat down beside Balloon, rubbing its tummy.

He fed the little star some star-shaped candies and starry confectionery. His frown shifted into a smile even while his heart sank. 

The pain was finally gone, but reality wasn't. Though it wasn't like Balloon cared.
In this world, this dystopia, this dreamlike world, as much as his pain was deep, so were the memories of everyone..