Hollow || Gruvia

five;

"Damn it.", the boy muttered, the soles of his feet glued to the floor. He was still too frightened to lift them from the floor, blaming his inability to swing on his short stature.

The steel chains holding the contraption stood firm, his hands gripping onto the pair of them tightly. The frigid cold clung onto the metal, making it quite uncomfortable to hold. Yet, he stayed still, scared he would fall otherwise.

Bored, his feet began moving aimlessly, scraping against the floor, forming shapeless blobs. To his eyes, this invisible art form was a masterpiece. As soon as the swing began moving, he stopped. 

The morning was as cold as always, the freezing air brushing against his bare finger-tips - something he hated. Ur always warned him not to lose his gloves, but as usual, he did. It was unavoidable, he reckoned. He was convinced that they they would just sprout legs and run away. It was the only reasonable explanation for losing 7 pairs thus far. He sighed as he stood up, the metal chains releasing a distinct sonorous clang. The swing rebounded, tapping against his behind. The usual.

"Ow.", he winced, cursing some ungodly words under his breath. He ruffled the streaks of his raven hair, wondering what to do next.

It was another wasted morning. The sun glared intently behind the shroud of clouds, watching as he pitifully tried to overcome such a trivial fear. No one knew about it, yet he was so determined to beat it. He always made a point to commence training when no one was at the park. His cheeks puffed out slightly as he stared at the swing, internally promising he will be back to challenge it the next day.

"Hey Gray.", a voice suddenly entered the intense atmosphere. "What are you doing here?"

A shiver travelled up his spine. He peeked through the corner of his eye, trying to make out who it was. As soon as he saw the sliver of his platinum hair poking out, it was obvious. Lyon. He still couldn't turn to face him as he hadn't thought of an appropriate response.

"Hey.", the boy repeated, his eyebrows furrowing in discontent.

Gray was in trouble now. He had to improvise, or else. "Oh, Lyon! I didn't expect to see you here."

"I was just exploring.", he tried to explain.

Lyon's expression only became more concerned. "At 6 am? In the play ground?", he questioned, although it seemed more like a rhetorical one. Gray didn't respond, or rather, he couldn't.

"Anyway, come home. Ur has noticed you doing this for two weeks.", he chided the young boy, slyly enjoying the privileges of being the senior.

Gray thought that he had been discreet, that one would know. All this time, he thought those footsteps were soundless. He even learnt to adjust to the dimly lit rooms only illuminated by the half risen sun peeking through the closed curtains. Turning on a light would've been suicide. He learnt how to skilfully close the door, adjusting it to a specific angle to reduce noise.

So of course, such cataclysmic news would be eye-opening. His gaze darted around aimlessly, desperately trying to find something to fixate on. Anything but his face.

"Yeah.", Gray replied as cooly as possible, his voice cracking slightly from embarrassment. "I'll be home soon."

"Whatever.", the older boy sneered, leaving Gray behind who had a feverish redness rising in his cheeks.

Two weeks ago, Ur took Gray and Lyon to the playground nearby, but only Lyon was able to swing. Despite Lyon not noticing, or rather not caring, Gray had taken it upon himself to defeat the swing, and in turn, Lyon. This was a fierce conviction in his eyes, not a joke.

"Gray, I've been following what you've been doing the last two weeks."

"You're just too cute! Defeating a swing?", she forcefully pulled Gray into a tight hug, almost cracking his ribs - or so he said. His face had turned into a tomato by this point, wondering why he thought he would not be caught.

"Ur. Shouldn't you punish him?", Lyon coldly interrupted, curling his lips in a dissatisfied way and crossing his arms.

He was jealous, but as with every child, it was painfully obvious and Ur saw through that. She narrowed her eyes, her gleeful smile turning into a knowing smirk.

"Lyon, come here!", she cooed, grabbing him into the whirlwind before he could react.

"Let go!", the boys screamed in unison. Although they said this, they wanted this to last longer. Her touch was so warm, so comforting - like a mother's. 

"You two must always stay in my sight, okay!"

If only it would last.

"Hey, why aren't you wearing your gloves?"