it was a cold December evening. It was quiet on the snowy streets of Gotham, everyone was sitting in their homes and preparing for the holiday. everyone was doing the things they should do before the holidays; clean the apartment, cook food or decorate the Christmas tree..in general, they did everything that Bruce Wayne could not.

he had no days off or time to rest, so he thought. being confident that evil does not sleep even on such a day, he went on patrol again. protecting the city was his first priority, but to be honest, he was hoping to return to the estate earlier today, and empty-handed, without any homeless children.

but here he is. Batman was on his knees, looking at old boards under which the child was hiding. barefoot, in tattered clothes and as thin as a street puppy. Something tightened in his chest. he couldn't just turn a blind eye to it or send the poor thing to an orphanage.

"I won't hurt you, come on." he says again, holding out his hands to try and get you out of there, but it didn't work. this tiny creature only cowered further into its hiding place and he couldn't help but sigh in disappointment, his brows furrowing slightly. After thinking for a few seconds, he reached for his face, taking off his mask. Perhaps this is what scared the child? he wasn't sure.

"See? I'm not evil." he said, leaning slightly closer. "Come on, kid, come out. I'll take you to my estate. I'm sure you're hungry, right?" he reached out his hand again, but didn’t use it to grab you or tug at you. he hoped that you would take his hand yourself. he wouldn’t want to cause you discomfort and force you to come to him.