_“Desperate times can call for desperate measures.”_

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**~~~**

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A man on the side of a road leans up, his eyes hurting from the sudden light. He murmurs something incomprehensible under his breath as he looks around. The chatter filling the urban city was as nonstop as ever, and there was the occasional murmur of him being mentioned, along with the glares of pity he got.

He wasn’t entirely sure what the glares had behind them. Sometimes they seemed like emotions of pity, and others seemed to have emotions of anger. Some were neutral, and yet others seemed almost happy and masochistically enjoying the pain that the man had gone through.

_“Hey. You.” _A voice all of a sudden brings him out of his thoughts. The man blinks, snapping out of the slight trance he was in and looks over to see someone else sitting besides him, another man, yet with less torn clothes, and didn’t look as disheveled as he did.

The man stays quiet, then murmurs a quiet _“hey”_ to the other man. He notices the quiet spoken word, and chuckles, deciding to introduce himself. _“So, uh, what’s your name, bucko? I’m Flint.” _The man, now known as Flint asks.

Another quiet moment, then the other man speaks up, now looking over to Flint to take in his appearance. _“Mallory. I have to ask, what are you doing talking to someone like me?” _He replies, a slight frown coming onto his face.

Flint simply smiles in response and leans against the wall of the building they were sitting at — a quiet yet large library that was open to everyone. Everyone except **_them_**, that is. _“Well, I came to tell you something.” _He would speak in a friendly tone, allowing the other man to relax and let his guard down a bit.

Mallory’s eyebrow raises at that, a slight suspicion in his tone of voice as he speaks up, a bit confused, yet interested. _“And what might that be? A place where I could actually lay down and die?” _He jokes slightly, which would emit a chuckle from Flint, although it seemed a bit strained. Why did someone he barely knew seemed worried for him?

_“Aha, no, it’s a food source. There’s a small extra part of the building, behind the bakery just down the street. From what I’ve heard, I believe it has different pastries and drinks there, so maybe it’ll help us both get through such desperate times.”_

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Mallory blinks, clearly shocked for a moment, then replies again, his head tilting slightly._ “You’re pulling my leg. Aren’t you?” _He asks, a bit wary. He wasn’t entirely sure how long he had gone without eating, but he was sure it was more than a week.

_“I’m not, don’t worry. Here- let me help you up. I can take you there right now, if you wish.”_ Flint stands up as he dusts his himself off, yet most of the dust doesn’t actually fall off, it just clings to the other man.

_“Alright, I’ll come, but why exactly are you helping me?” _Mallory asks in response, taking Flint’s hand as to boost him up, then stretching some, acting as if he hadn’t stood up in a couple hours. Flint chuckles quietly again, making a soft blush dust on Mallory’s face, the chuckle sounding nice on his ears.

_“Listen, I’m just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. You don’t have to come if ya’ want, but its the least I could do for someone like you.” _Flint smiles softly in reply, emitting a nod from Mallory, as he continues.

_“Now come on, we need to get the fresh ones. They’ll come out in about ten minutes, so it’ll give is enough time to get there quickly and get out before anyone else gets there.” _Flint replies as he starts to walk with Mallory following closely behind.

Mallory would nod again in response, still noticing Flint holding his hand. His hand was rough and a bit calloused, yet it felt odd to the touch; warm as well, which made Mallory smile slightly. He had decided something as he continued to follow behind him.

Maybe change _was_ okay for this time around.