NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7: Pinky Promises
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"Knowing what it feels to be in pain, is exactly why we try to be kind to others."
-JIRAIYA, (NARUTO)
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"I am Selina, Selina Kyle." The girl introduced herself.
Bruce couldn't believe that the defenseless little weak and malnourished-looking girl in front of him was Selina Kyle, the future Catwoman of DC. She was not only a master thief and an important character but also the person who would one day be able to steal Batman's or Bruce Wayne's heart.
'Is this the universe's way of telling me that I might finally be able to lose my virginity in this life?' Bruce thought as he looked at Selina with surprised eyes but at the very next moment admonished himself for even thinking lewd stuff about a little girl.
"Hello, Selina. Nice to meet you." Bruce replied with a smile. He didn't want to come off as rude to an important character like her.
*Grooowl* *Growl*
A deep voice suddenly came from Selina's stomach startling both Alfred and Bruce.
"You are mighty hungry, aren't you young lady? Maybe we can treat you to a meal or something...?" Alfred asked as he looked at Bruce through the corner of his eyes to make sure that his young master didn't have a problem against the idea.
"But none of the food places allow me in after seeing my clothes. Some even try to send me back to the orpha..." Selina tried to complain but then suddenly became quiet as she remembered that she shouldn't reveal to them how she had run away from her orphanage.
"You ran away from your orphanage, didn't you?" Bruce gave a small laugh as he looked at Selina who first had a surprised and then a downcast expression on her face thinking that they would either call the cops on her or just force her to return there.
She had escaped from that hellhole with a lot of difficulty and she didn't want to go back there. She was almost on the verge of tears.
"You know what Alfred, I think we had some delicious steak and a bowl of ice cream at home didn't we? It was going to waste anyway, so how about inviting this girl to come and help us finish it up?" Bruce asked looking at Alfred.
The old butler knew what Bruce was trying to do. He himself was empathetic with this girl, so he gave a knowing smile and replied, "Yes indeed we do. I agree with you young master. We do need some help. So how about it little girl, wanna come help us out in finishing the food?"
"Really? Y-You won't send me back or take me away to a bad place, right?" Selina asked already half sold on the idea of accompanying the duo back to their house to eat some tasty food.
"We won't. Promise." Bruce said as he used his little finger to grab hold of Selina's pinky finger in a childish show of promise.
"Then fine, I guess I can accompany you this time." Selina agreed making it seem like she wasn't that eager to go and eat at his home.
Bruce and Alfred then directed Selina to their car which was still parked at the same location and told the driver Jimmy to go back straight to the manor.
Bruce and Selina didn't say anything the entire journey. Alfred had tried to crack open some really bad dad jokes to lighten the awkward atmosphere but sensing an absence of interest in conversation from both the children, he just sighed and became quiet.
"Is this really your home or do you share it with other people?" Selina finally opened her mouth once they entered the gates of the manor.
"Well, it's my family home. And currently, I am the only resident if you don't count Alfred and the other couple of dozen maids and security officials living here. I am an orphan after all." Bruce said with an impassive face.
After the incident with his family, Alfred who had been spooked had contacted some of the best security agencies in the world and hired an entire team of professional security officials to ensure Bruce's safety. He had even begun to carry a gun on himself as well even though he had once sworn to never again use a gun after he had retired from the army.
"I see. You are quite lucky to have a big home like this." Selina said as she excitedly looked around the big mansion while entering through the door.
"Yes, I really am quite lucky." Bruce didn't deny it. He knew that as a human being both he and the original Bruce was quite lucky to have billions in the bank to fall back on even after becoming an orphan. Although the previous Bruce of this universe probably ran out of his luck as he got shot and died in that alley.
'Someone should never depend on pure luck in life. Plans, preparations, and skill are way better.' He thought vowing to never just go with the flow and instead control his own life and destiny with his plans and ability.
"You should wash your face and hands first before eating young miss. The washroom is that way." Alfred said, his voice carrying a gentle yet strict undertone leaving no arguments to be made. "You too young master."
Both Bruce and Selina couldn't help but nod their heads and go to the washroom to clean themselves one by one.
This was new for Selina. At the orphanage, nobody cared if you had washed your hands or not, hell they didn't even care if you had eaten or not, much less maintain your cleanliness and good habits.
Once both of them were done, Alfred presented an assortment of hot food on the table in front of them. There were slices of bread, vegetables, soup, bacon, a big steak, and even a shake.
"The dessert will be for after you finish your food," Alfred said, taking his position to stand near the table and wait patiently for them to finish their meal.
Selina didn't wait anymore. The moment she had seen the wide assortment of food, she started salivating like a hungry cat seeing a fish. She didn't even care for any manners as she just ate as fast as she could with her hands like she was afraid that all of it would suddenly vanish soon.
Both Bruce and Alfred just smiled upon seeing this. None of them said anything to her about table manners and just watched her eat.
'She is almost like a speedster.' Bruce thought as he slowly ate his own food with a fork.
After both of them finished eating, the duo just sat on the sofa in front of the massive antique fireplace with a bowl of ice cream in each of their hands. Alfred wasn't there as he was allowing them to talk alone and for Bruce to potentially make a new friend.
"I wish the orphanage food was as nice as this. This was the nicest meal I have ever eaten in my life." Selina said as she licked her spoon with her little tongue.
Bruce who was watching this cursed himself for ever seeing those damned Loli videos in his previous life. They had truly corrupted him and now even though he was a grown teenager in a young boy's body, he was still finding Selina strangely cute and extremely beautiful.
'All because of that cursed Boku no pico' He thought and pushed the entire blame to that... abomination he had once mistakenly watched during his adolescence.
"I am glad to hear it. I aim to please." Bruce said trying to distract his focus from Selina.
"I know that you two will probably shift me back to the orphanage tomorrow. But still thank you, for today. I am glad that I was able to eat such tasty food and able to make a... friend." Selina said as she stared down at her ice cream like she was gonna miss it the most.
"..." Bruce couldn't reply anything to that. It was true, even though he did help her today, he couldn't do it every day. She was an orphan who didn't belong here. Being a poor orphan suffering was her 'plot'. Her harsh life was the thing that would one day shape who she was gonna be.
To become the Catwoman, she needed to be an orphan, she needed to be poor and suffer...
Bruce couldn't change her fate, that would change his own plot as well, and it could potentially change everything. And Bruce was just a regular guy now. He couldn't help her even if he wanted to could he?... could he...?
'Tchh. Such a weakling. I guess I still suffer from that cowardly herd mentality of my last life, don't I? The same mentality that got me killed by a goddamn dc fanatic. Hahaha, I am forgetting that I am no longer that weakling anymore. No, I am Bruce Wayne, I am GODDAMN BRUCE WAYNE for god's sake. I can do ANYTHING I want. And I know what I exactly want, right now. SCREW THE CONSEQUENCES.' Bruce had an entire inner monologue within just a fraction of a second.
"Hey, Selina. Do you like it here?" Bruce asked looking at the girl in her eyes to show his seriousness.
"Um yeah. Of course, I do." Selina nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Then tell me honestly. If I gave you a choice to remain here with me in his home as my friend if you never have to go back to your orphanage again, will you accept it?" Bruce said with determination flashing in his eyes.
"Are you pulling my tail?" Selina said as she looked at Bruce annoyed that he was joking with her.
"No, and I think the correct expression is 'pulling my leg' not tail." Bruce smiled and corrected her.
"Whatever, I like tail more... But I guess it would not be so bad with living in a home, how worse can it be from the orphanage? Although sweeping the floors would be a little harder due to the much larger size of the building." Selina said as she looked at the floor, trying to judge how much effort it would take for her to clean it.
"You don't have to clean the floors silly. The maids will do it. But you have to study and stuff." Bruce said as he looked at her amused at her answer.
"Only that? I mean it's equally as daunting a task but I think I can manage that." Selina said as she nodded her head like she had given it some deep thought.
"Fine then, we have a deal. You will be my friend from now on and I'll share my home with you. But you will have to study too." Bruce said as he thrust his hand forward for a handshake.
"Hmm. Okay, I agree." Selina gave a big smile as she shook his hand.
"By the way, that reminds me I think you should have this back," Selina said as she took the... Bat-tool out of her baggy worn-out clothes and gave it back to Bruce.
"I stole it back in the car earlier from you because it looked like it was really useful and expensive. But don't worry, I won't steal from you ever again. I promise." She did a pinky swear trying to imitate what he had done before in that alley.
"..." Bruce was gobsmacked at how much of a good thief she already was at this age. She was almost a natural cat burglar because he didn't even realize that he was missing his most prized creation up until now, not that she or anybody else would be able to use it with the heavy security protocols inside including a DNA-scanning based security measure as well as its state of the art anti-hacking protocols and an auto-lock feature which locks the tool in its torch mode every twenty-four hours until provided with a password. Although, he did wonder how she even got caught back there and why she tried to steal from a guy instead of a regular rich asshole.
"Thank you for giving it back I guess. But the next time you want or need something, just ask. I'll bring it for you." Bruce didn't ask her about what happened in the alley. He believed that she would gradually reveal her story to him in time. However, he couldn't help but pinch her cheek at the cute expression she was making. "Also we need to buy some good clothes for you."
"But, because you did this, I'll have to give you a goofy nickname as punishment now. So from now on, I'll call you, Kitty." He smiled at the very much super original nickname he had thought of.
"That's not fair. I of course am a cat, not a mere little kitty." Selina huffed in annoyance as she looked at Bruce's teasing face. But she had a small smile on her lips.
In her own secret thoughts, she quite liked her new nickname just like she quite liked this new house and its food and most of all, she very much liked this strange boy in front of her who was the same age as her.
'I think I'll like my new home very much.' She thought to herself happy at the sudden turn of her fate.
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