Platonic Yandere BatFamily x Child Reader

[I-V]

Act I-Scene V: "Earn that Dough, or Go Home."

   I managed to narrowly escape the two, but of course not without drawing their attention. Either way, they were out of sight and I couldn't be happier. I didn't look back at the shop growing in the distance even as I felt a slight unease. 'Just forget it, they're gone now and hopefully I won't have to see them anytime soon.' I tried to lamely convince myself, but hardly succeeded in doing so. The grip I had on the hard cover book was growing tighter and harsher as my eyes locked onto my feet padding along the sidewalk.

   As much as I would like to further psychoanalyze their actions, I have more pressing matters to consider—living costs. How was I gonna cover that? I'm currently living in an inhabitable environment in a dangerous city with no sustainable income and health coverage. I'll need to find a job. As easy as it might initially seem, it normally wouldn't be a problem. But this is an unordinary circumstance with unordinary solutions. I can't have a full-time job considering I'm a minor (it would just draw suspicion) and I need an employer that won't question my ulterior motives for working at such a young age. All in all, my best bet would be to start holding down multiple jobs that I can get done throughout the day. Babysitting is out of the picture though, since I'm sure most parents won't want to rely on an eight year old to watch kids who are probably the same age as them (if not younger). However, mowing the lawn, attending to pets, and cleaning are still on the table, so why not all three? I'm sure there's someone around here in need of some help attending their home...
But where do I start?

   It's been an hour since I last left the bookstore and started walking the streets of Gotham. I found quick and quiet solace on a bench in a nearby park with a jungle gym and fountain to rest my aching feet. The amount of energy consumption this body goes through at such a young age is astonishing—and I don't mean that as a good thing. My short legs give me a slow walking pace compared to the busy adults around me with their long legs and it takes almost everything I have in me to not just start wheezing. Is this even normal for an average kid? I don't remember being so out of breath when I was this young.
   I stared up at the levitating clouds hanging above my head as I adjusted my scarf and hoodie to cover my face when I noticed the slight heat wave starting to get to me. 'I won't be able to stay out much longer if this keeps up.' I decided I would leave after a few more minutes before grabbing my belongings and heading out one last time for sightseeing. But my attention was diverted when I noticed an older woman with curly white hair and a sturdy wooden cane turning to every person she met with a piece of paper and a worried look. She looked desperate, almost pleading with the couple she was currently talking with to help her. By now, I probably would've got up and left, but my feet were still sore and I didn't particularly have anything going on at the moment, so without hesitation I leaped up from the bench with my bag and book in tow and approached the old woman who was trying to usher the couple to come back and help her (which they didn't). "Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but is something wrong?" The lady looked relieved upon seeing me approach her offering her for any form of help, although I'm sure she would've looked that way towards anyone regardless. She unfolded a heavily creased piece of paper with the picture of an orange tabby named Hubert and the word MISSING in red bolded letters.
    "I'm so sorry to bother you young miss, but my baby, Hubert, has gone missing and I haven't seen him since this morning for breakfast—and normally I'd have no problem chasing him around Gotham, but my bones aren't like they used to be." Her voice was frail and shaky, as she started to reminisce about the missing cat she failed to feed that morning. "I haven't seen him all day," she cried, "he didn't even eat his Kitty Paw Paw Surprise meal for breakfast! He always loved waking up to it in the mornings." She looked sad, unbelievably so. Which honestly made me feel kinda bad, especially since no one seemed to want to help her. "Is there any particular place you think he'd gone?" I asked. "Well," she thought with a finger to her chin, "there might be one place..."

   The old woman and I searched high and low in every crevice of Gotham possible for this cat. No matter how many strangers we asked or how many pet stores we thought he'd visit, the cat was nowhere to be seen. We had stuck together throughout the day trying to call out his name a few times, even shaking a few treats to see if he'd come out. At one point we believed he might've gotten stuck in a tree somewhere, and the idea was met with a worried wail. Some point throughout the day, and above all in this mess, we found ourselves getting to know one another. Her name was Hattie Goodman and she's been on her own for quite some time. Apparently it's just been her and her four cats. I don't know much about her family though and she's managed to keep any information on them locked down tight, so I didn't really pry.
   At some point, it had gotten late and the sun was about to lay under the horizon and the sky had turned gilded and pink. Even having been left with hours to search, we still turned up empty handed with no cat in sight. I could tell Hattie was disappointed, but I also knew she wasn't going to force a little girl to stay up way past her bedtime to help search for a cat that didn't want to be found. So, she invited me over to her place to apologize for "wasting my time", or so she said. And although I wished I could've spent the rest of my day exploring Gotham, there was always tomorrow, so I didn't really regret helping her.

   We made it to her front porch before she asked me to come inside. "I'll make you some freshly squeezed lemonade for all your hard work." She spoke proudly, almost excited that she had someone to boast off to. "I'd be happy to try it." I commented back, giving her a genuine smile. Her hospitality was refreshing, but more than anything it reminded me of something...someone?
   "Don't be shy now!" Hattie called from the kitchen of her home as I closed the front door behind me. "Please, make yourself at home. There's a remote on the coffee table in the living room if you want something to watch."

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