Cadence of a Breath
By Spinny Roses

A full box of chocolate glazed donuts sat, innocently, on the counter. No one remembered who bought it, but it laid bare, silently beckoning the denizens of the office to take one, to sink his teeth into the sweet pastry.

Only one took the bait, taking a single donut after a moment of hesitation. He took only two bites before setting it aside and focusing on the mass of papers that accumulated during his involuntary break. With falsely sure hands, he started on the paperwork before him, ignoring the others that slowly filtered in.

At least one other would have slid out a treat, if only as a challenge to his young-acting rival. But all that entered turned from the box, faces in various degrees of pain and hiding. The single escaped donut caught the attention of many, as well as how the owner carefully ignored the pasty sitting innocently there, surrounded by flakes of chocolate. Something like that would normally have been swiped by now, violet eyes sparkling with mischief as his partner noticed the unwanted food suddenly is the hands of another.

It still laid there, taking up space.

The hands had started to betray his inner thoughts, shaking ever slightly. No one should have noticed the fine trembling but those close to him. It was a shock when he lifted his head and saw two girls, normally fawning over his features, looking at his hands with such pity. A cold mask, familiar and welcome, slammed onto his face as he went back to the papers, shadowing the swirl of scars from the prying eyes.

A pale hand brought him tea sometime during the day, only with a mass of girlish blond hair telling him of the identity of the kind benefactor. Next to the chocolate mass of dough, the tea slowly cooled as he focused solely on the dancing words before him, ignoring how the black flame left such a pattern on his hands.

Across the office, a chair scraped across the floor as its owner rose to his feet. "This is stupid," he declared bluntly, tucking a cigarette behind a pointed ear. "Tell the boss I'm going for a smoke break."

His gentle partner stood quickly, displeasure on her young face. "Hajime-chan!"

The only thing that crossed that feral body was a shrug as he left. In everyone's ears, they heard a silenced voice laughing and speaking, another sugary treat raised to his lips. The reality only held silence, broken by erratic scratchings of pen.

The box laid open, discarded flakes of glaze the only thing left on the wax paper.