New.

He slides his hand down every ridge of the chain, his ring making a soft 'clink' as it slips in and out of the tangible. Everything behind it is out of focus, a blurred reality as he simply stares at the striations in the chain from the makers, the flaws of the Creator.
William doesn't believe in God, anyway, but it's nice of his mind to attempt explaining things sometimes.
But everything has a flaw, nothing is perfect and even the love he'd put his life into hasn't quite turned out so well. He touches the split in his lip that's healing, fingers the bruise on his jaw from weeks ago and brushes against the day-old bruise under his eye. It's been a month-long breakup of alcohol, dirty words, rough sex, love, abuse, flippancy and cold shoulders.
There's a soft sob rolling up in his chest and before he can stop it, William lets out a cry. Everything is gone.
Everything.
His forehead is uncomfortable against the chain yet he does nothing, simply lets pain roll through his body, wracking the too-thin frame he's grown to understand. He wants to be new, he needs to be replaced from the inside out- a makeover, like after the chain breaks in years to come when the developers come to remodel the playground, they'll simply give a new chain. Newer, better.
Stronger.
He so desperately wants to be strong.
Scuffling footsteps on the mulch draws William to raise his gaze from the chain, the back of his hand wiping at the tears. Best friend senses tell Gabriel something's wrong with the way big brown eyes are watching him approach. His heart aches at the other's tendency to fall victim to the world. The boy hiccups slightly as the sob tries to rip out again but it's subdued; William tries to keep crying around the other to a minimum, but he's been failing these past few years. Each new bruise, each broken bone was soaked up in Gabe's chest. The boy would show up with a new injury- broken bones always had Gabe rushing him to the hospital- and cry himself to sleep against the man's chest.
Over time, William became accustomed to the pain and the neglect that he received- Gabe wasn't sure how to sleep alone anymore.

"Travis?" Gabe asks as he takes the swing next to William.

"Travis," the boy muses back, his words latching on to a tone of heartbroken so desperately it kills Gabriel just a bit. The other watches as William heaves a heavy sigh- too much of a burden on his shoulder for only seeing nineteen of the world's summers- and takes the ring off of his finger to merely slip it in his pocket. "But I suppose it was a long time c-c-coming."

"Oh," is all the offers and William tightens his hold on the chain. "You've still got me, even if you don't want me," Gabe then murmurs as he takes William's hand off of the chain and links their fingers. "Because I think you're fucking beautiful and I can't stay away."

At first, William wants his hand back to be grounded to the swing, for the chain to keep him there as he precariously hangs, his feet barely brushing the ground. It's not often his feet don't touch the floor, and the small thought of not being stable makes his heart race. He's just lost his mainstay, the body to cling to at night, the lips to caress his own. He's lost the fingers that brushed through his hair, the comforting words to end a nightmare's terror after too much to drink, the love wrapping around him when he needs it most.
His life is gone now, waved goodbye with a violent touch; his heart is now the rusted chain, flaws all over and barely holding up.
But Gabe's hand is so warm around his; lips are brushing the bruise high on his cheekbone to heal it.
And William smiles.