[center][img=http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_md2e3jPtsG1riaeblo4_500.gif][/center]
[center]Earth - Manhattan[/center]

He felt warm. Much warmer than what the usual temperature within his studio apartment on a rainy morning in Manhattan was. Finding difficulty in opening one eye, Baeden squinted as the morning light streamed down onto his face, forcing his eye back shut immediately as a pressing headache formed it's way between his eyes. Peeling open his eye in a second attempt, Baeden let out a tired groan wanting at least a few more minutes to sleep in, but his work schedule wouldn't allow it.

Taking stock of his limbs, Baeden opened his second eye to find his cheek pressed intimately to the bare backside of a woman and an arm wrapped around her waist, hand resting on her abdomen. The events of the night before slowly filtered through his sleep-induced mind and Baeden couldn't help but to smirk at his good fortune.

Taking great care to untangle himself from the still sleeping woman, Baeden placed a gentle kiss on the backside of her shoulder before he managed to sit upright on the bed and fish around for his clothes, finding his wife-beater first and slipped it on. Standing up, he pulled his worn blue jeans back on, working on the belt as he made his way over to the front door of her apartment and wiggled his shoes on, not even stopping to bother with the laces.

Taking a minute to run his fingers through his hair, Baeden slipped out the front door quietly, so as not to wake the waitress he had met at the bar just last night. The last thing he needed was for her to get the wrong idea that last night had meant something. She didn't seem like the type that would, but then again, anything was possible when you were drunk.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Baeden began the walk to the main street where he could hail a cab and make it back to his apartment for a quick shower and change of clothes before heading to work. Taking a quick look at the clock on his old flip-phone, he found that if he hurried, he would have just enough time. It took fifteen minutes; even at the crack of dawn Manhattan was traffic-busy, pressing the matter that he might want to think about saving up for a motor bike to get around quicker even harder.

With a quick shower and a change of clothes that was better suited for the slight downpour of the morning, Baeden headed back out to the busy streets, stopping at a corn-dog stand on his way to get something into his stomach, grateful for the break in rain underneath the kiosk's umbrella.

"Heeey! Baeden! Lookin' a bit tired this morning. Rough weekend?"

Baeden smirked, reaching to his back pocket to pull out a couple one's from his wallet.

"Eventful." He replied, slapping the money onto the kiosk, putting his wallet away before grabbing the two corn dogs handed over to him.

"Ah, well, could be worse I suppose. You take care ya?"

Baeden gave a half-assed salute with one of the corn dogs, chuckling a bit to himself as he then bit off the end and headed on his way down the street. He was nearly finished with the first one when he felt a pair of eyes on him from behind. Stopping, Baeden turned to find a young boy, no older than eight, staring hungrily at the second corn dog in his opposite hand.

Baeden didn't have to guess where the boy came from, or what he wanted. It was clear in his ragged clothes and unwashed hair that he was living on the streets, and had been for a few months now. But it wasn't the clothes and the unwashed hair that let Baeden know this, it was the look in his eyes, the same look he himself held for a number of years before landing a job with the construction company he still worked for. It could have been days since the boy had found something to eat, and his heart went out to the kid.

Adjusting his weight a bit, and popping what was left of the first corn dog into his mouth, Baeden headed over to the boy, handing him the remainder of his breakfast.

Wide eyed and full of awe, the boy graciously took the corn dog from Baeden and turned to leave.

"Hey kid!" Baeden called out, reahing back to his wallet in his back pocket. The boy turned, fearful at first that it was all just a trick and Baeden would take the corn dog back as some cruel joke he had been subjected to over his experiences of begging for food. Instead, Baeden pulled out a ten-dollar bill and placed it into the boys hand. "Dinner on me yeah?"

Grinning madly, the boy bobbed his head up and down, the worn woolen cap on his head threatening to topple off his large brown curls. Baeden just smiled and patted him on the back, sending the boy on his way. That ten dollars was supposed to buy him food for the next two days, as his fridge made the usual teenage bachelor look well stocked, but the look on the kid's face was well worth the trade for a couple bowls of cereal.

Feeling a bit lighter in his step, Baeden turned back around and called for the cab that would then take him to work, whistling a merry tune to himself as he waited.