Just Trying To Survive (A BFDI/BFB/TPOT and II au)

What Used To Be.

NOTE: Parts of this story may and will be out of order. It's your job to figure out the timeline. NOTE 2: This takes place when I started writing, so immediately after III 13 and TPOT 5.

Balloon sat alone, watching the water move so gracefully, so free. He sighed to himself. After standing up to Nickel, he spent more and more time out here, away from everyone else. He knew no one wanted to see him, not anymore. He had spent so long trying to make everyone like him, to fix the past he was ashamed of. But they would never truly let go. He sighed again. There was no reason to be anywhere else. He was used to being excluded at this point. It barely even affected him.

"Are you still sulking?"

Balloon immediately shot around. Silver Spoon. Balloon internally rolled his eyes, not wanting to cause a scene when everyone was sleeping. Well, mostly everyone.

"Because I want in," explained Silver, before sitting next to Balloon.

The ocean in front of the two of them continued to move on, undisturbed by the awkwardness going on just mere feet away from its reach. The two secretly blamed themselves for their problems, motivating each of them to stay apart. Yet, they were almost similar in a different way. Two people who continually get misunderstood and are trying to making amends, with next to no one realizing their efforts. Silver Spoon sighed.

"Not much of a talker anymore, are you?" he said, causing Balloon to turn around.

"Why talk when no one will listen to you?" replied Balloon, with a slight tinge of sarcasm. Silver looked over.

"You're lucky that I even came out here, I am risking my status to talk to you" Silver said while turning away from Balloon.

"So, why did you come out here then?" asked a curious and annoyed Balloon.

"I couldn't handle you shunning yourself anymore. I can tell it's hurting you."

"You don't know anything," Balloon quietly mumbled to himself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Silver started to get annoyed at Balloon. He stayed up over an hour after he was supposed to go to sleep, and Balloon wouldn't even talk to him with honesty.

"Stop lying to yourself. I can tell you from experience that it does nothing good for you." Silver looked back at Balloon.

"Experience?"

"I- it's-... nothing," Silver said hesitantly.

"If you want me to talk about my feelings, then you're going to have to tell me about yours." Silver curled his fists, before taking a deep breath and trying to keep his posture.

"Fine then. Have fun having no friends," said Silver while getting up and starting to walk away.

"It's what you're good at."

Silver Spoon promptly left leaving Balloon to continue his sulking. Balloon snarled at him, why does he think that he is some special snowflake that doesn't have to talk about his feelings? Who doesn't have to accept his flaws? Balloon sighed for one final time.

Maybe if they knew the horrors that would befall them only minutes later, they would've acted differently. Maybe if Silver realized that almost everyone else on the island had already fallen to the corruption, he would've acted differently. Maybe if Balloon realized that this would be the last normal interaction he would have for a long time, he would've acted differently. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.