Tim sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It was getting longer and he needed it trimmed soon, not that he would find the time before it was far too long. He had too many things going on and no time to worry about hair. Not when he had orphanages, judges, social workers, Bruce, Jason and Maroni to worry about. Not that Maroni had tried anything. That didn't mean he wouldn't though, and someone needed to be concerned with the possibility. Of course that was pretty much on the backburner as well. At least until the kids were taken care of.
Technically, the orphanage was up and running. The staff had already moved in, and the kids would be moving in groups as they met with Child Protective Services. Tim had his hands full making sure CPS had everything they needed. They were working with the orphanage staff to evaluate the education level of the kids and figure out school placement. They could make rough estimates based on when the kids were last in school, but a lot of the placement, a lot of determining the needs of the individual child, couldn't be done until the kids were actually meeting with CPS. As soon as the kids met with them, they'd have to immediately move into the orphanage. CPS couldn't allow homeless children back out onto the streets once they knew where the child was and there was a safe place to put them. Which made the entire process more complicated.
And it wasn't like the Red Hood could hold their hand through the process. Or even Red Robin. This was a Wayne project, not a Batman project, and though technically speaking by now, most of Gotham assumed Bruce Wayne funded Batman in some way, it still wasn't a good idea to advertise Gotham's most well-known family had connections to Gotham's most well-known vigilantes. There didn't need to be any rumors that Red Robin or Red Hood were involved in the new Wayne orphanage. But, they also couldn't leave the kids to face CPS on their own.
Part of the solution he and Jason came up with was to use Tamara Wilkes. Publicly, she would be the one passing the children's names to CPS and arranging the meetings, which would take place at the food pantry. Her connection made sense and was a solid cover for the Red Hood and Red Robin's involvement. Running a food pantry would theoretically put her in contact with the Alley's various homeless kids, and Tim could argue that they'd been in touch since he gave the pantry a hefty donation several months before. Wilkes was happy to step up if it meant keeping the kids off the street.
The other part of the solution, to give the kids a little extra security, was to introduce them to Timothy Drake-Wayne. Let them in on the fact the Red Hood had been working with Tim and WE to get the kids a safe place to stay. Tim could meet the kids as a civilian, interact with them a little bit as the Red Hood showed that he trusted him, and maybe then the kids would feel a little safer during their transition into the orphanage. And of course, Jason was planning on shadowing even if he couldn't do it in costume, and Tim had no doubt he'd tell the kids as much.
Everything hinged on how much the kids trusted the Red Hood. He knew they all liked him and trusted him enough to watch out for them while they slept, but there was a lot of fear involved in the transition, and fear was a pretty substantial motivator. Did they trust him enough to trust a random stranger just because Hood said they could?
Tim rubbed at his eyes as he slouched over his desk in his office at WE. He was meeting the kids as Tim Drake later that night and the first group would be meeting with CPS tomorrow afternoon at the food pantry. The first group were volunteers who'd run away from foster or group homes. They were the easy ones, and after CPS cleared them, they'd walk the few short blocks to the orphanage and get settled in with the staff.
The following day, the volunteers who'd run away from family would meet with the judge Tim had thoroughly vetted. He'd agreed to meet with them at the food pantry as well, and a licensed social worker working for the orphanage would represent the kids as the judge spoke to them. Tim had already given the judge files on all of them so it shouldn't be more than a formality with the child saying where they'd like to go.
Then, once all the volunteers were settled, they'd have to wait on the rest. It'd take time for them to come around to the idea. They'd need to see proof that the others were allowed into the orphanage instead of being sent back to family or shoved in the foster system. Then they'd need proof that the orphanage itself was safe. That no one was using them for any other purposes. Tim had no idea how long that would take.
In the meantime, he was swamped with last minute details and paperwork. There was a hell of a lot of hoops to jump through to run a children's home, even a privately funded one. Tim wasn't surprised there weren't more of them in Gotham. Government insurance alone for the kids was a nightmare.
He sighed and shoved himself up from his desk, wanting caffeine but something stronger than the coffee in the break room. He also wanted the chance to stretch his legs so he headed out of the building and down the block to his favorite coffee shop. Which was where Vicki Vale found him a few minutes after he sat down with his espresso.
Tim frowned as she sat across from him. This was his coffee shop and now Vale would be showing up whenever she wanted to write an article about him or the family. Which absolutely sucked. Like his day wasn't frustrating enough. He should have just stayed at the office.
"Fancy meeting you here," she smiled like she hadn't been stalking outside of Wayne Tower for the chance to get a member of the Wayne family alone somewhere. "Mind if I join you?"
"Well, you did already sit," Tim pointed out drily. He still had a certain level of resentment from having to trudge around in knee braces for so long back when the reporter was trying to prove he was Red Robin. He could guess what she was after as she tucked red hair behind her ear, slipped off her heavy pea coat and further made herself comfortable at his table.
"I'm sure you're busy so I'll get straight to the point," she spoke intently, leaning forward a little. "Is it true the Wayne Foundation is opening an orphanage in Crime Alley?"
"Yes," Tim replied easily. He'd been trying to keep it out of the media as best as he could, but he wouldn't deny it now that it was out in the open. He put his Timothy Drake-Wayne publicity face on. "The old East End Orphanage has been shut down for a couple of decades, and has left a need in the community. Group homes in Crime Alley and the Bowery are overfilled and there aren't enough foster families in the community to support the number of homeless children. As you know, the Wayne Foundation has made the redevelopment of Crime Alley a priority. We were made aware of the need and there was something we could do about it, so we got busy."
It was all true, but he knew it wasn't really what Vale was interested in. Many people assumed that Bruce continued the Wayne Foundation for the good press and various tax incentives. The truth was Bruce just cared about Gotham. It was also a way to honor his parents, as it had been started by them years ago. It was also a way for him to legally help the city, to help spark change in a way that didn't require costumes and late night vigilantism. The public was much more interested in the family's dating lives or what events they were attending though. Most of the time, when Tim was asked about some of the projects they were doing, it was usually just a way to get him to talk to them so that they could ask about his and his brothers' personal lives instead.
"We've also started a few affordable housing programs in Crime Alley that have been pretty successful so far," he continued, just to annoy Vale. He wasn't sure what she was after, whether or not she was really interested in the orphanage, or if she was after something more personal, but he knew it wasn't affordable housing programs. "We worked with the homeless shelter in Crime Alley to get in touch with families who didn't have a place to live and assigned rent on a case by case basis."
She gave a somewhat impatient smile and changed the subject. "The orphanage is set to be up and running by the end of the week? Why is this the first time we're hearing about it?"
Tim considered her. He wasn't sure why she'd be interested in the orphanage, but whatever her interest was, it'd probably be bad for the family. Putting her off the kids seemed like a safe bet as far as responses went. He wouldn't be at all surprised if vigilantism came into the conversation at some point, and the kids were the only ones directly linked to any of the vigilantes. Not to mention what Jason would do if Tim let Vale turn the kids into a media sideshow for the better off inhabitants of Gotham.
"Because we're trying to help the kids, not turn them into a media spectacle," Tim answered, tone a little hard.
Vale's expression remained intent. "Of course, but what do you make of the rumors regarding the Red Hood's connection to the homeless children of Crime Alley?"
And there it is, Tim thought. It certainly didn't take her long to show her hand. He didn't know where she got her info, but all of Crime Alley knew the Alley kids were off limits on pain of Red Hood. It wasn't particularly surprising that that knowledge had spread. Tim kept himself relaxed as he replied, "I haven't heard any of those rumors. We realized the need for an orphanage through our work with Tamara Wilkes. She runs a food pantry and is a pillar of the Crime Alley community, and we've been working with her organization for a while now. She comes across a lot of these kids in need through her work and has been working with us and Child Protective Services to find them homes."
Vale stared him down for a moment and Tim smiled. "Did you have any other questions about the project?" He didn't know if she'd drop the Red Hood line of questioning or not. If she decided to pursue an investigation into the Red Hood's activities in Crime Alley then Tim's life would get far more complicated and Jason would get much harder to manage. He had little patience for the media and reporters like Vicki Vale from what Tim remembered about his time as Robin. He had no idea what Jason would do if Vale started nosing in on his business, but he doubted it would be good for anyone. He needed to give her a different direction to focus on.
"You're calling it the Todd-Wayne Home for Children?" she asked after a moment, changing her line of questioning. "Can we assume the Todd is for Jason Todd? Bruce's late second son?"
That would work, Tim decided quickly. Jason wouldn't like it, but technically speaking, Jason Todd was dead. A brief renewal of public interest in him was much safer than Vale pursuing an investigation on the Red Hood's activities.
"Seeing as how he was a homeless kid from Crime Alley, I'd say that's a pretty safe assumption," he replied wryly. "Bruce chose the name," he lied, watching as Vale's eyes sharpened in interest. He needed to redirect interest, but he needed it to be subtle so the reporter would think it was her idea. "Jason's death was hard on him. It's been years, but Bruce still struggles with it sometimes. This April will be the sixth year anniversary, and this project was a way for him to honor his son's memory. Jason would approve of the project, I think."
"Really?" she asked, leaning forward a little more in interest. "You never got to meet Jason, did you?"
"No, my parents were still alive when Jason died so I came to the Manor after he was already gone. I came in on the aftermath of his loss and saw firsthand how it affected Bruce, Dick and Alfred. There were still some of his things around the house, and Alfred liked to talk about him a lot, as a form of grieving. I feel like I got to know him through Alfred and Bruce."
"What was he like? I'm assuming he was the kind of person who would be invested in the orphanage project?" she asked, and Tim could practically see her gears turning. How she was shifting from a Red Hood investigative story to a Bruce Wayne family drama story revolving around his dead, somewhat scandalous son. It probably wasn't the story she wanted, but Tim knew it would sell a lot of papers. The public loved nosing in on the Wayne's personal lives and the family gossip brought in more interest than Gotham's vigilantes. Batman was in the paper every day, after all. The Wayne's tended to try and stay out of the papers when they could help it. All Tim had to do was keep her interest there and give her enough to make a story.
Jason would be thrilled.
"Jason was a Crime Alley kid," Tim reminded her. "Lived on the street for a couple of years before Bruce picked him up and took him home. Obviously he didn't fit into Gotham upper crust living and we all know he had a hard time getting used to the media attention."
"Certainly harder than you or Dick," Vale agreed easily. "The media made him out to be a violent, rough around the edges street punk from what I remember. Would you agree with that assessment?"
"Not really. I mean, he was certainly reckless if half the stories Alfred told me are true. But the thing the media never really talked about was how smart Jason was. He survived as a kid on the streets of Crime Alley for years. And after he went to live with Bruce, he was put in the most prestigious school in Gotham. He had to catch up on years of school, but he was still at the top of his class in pretty much every subject. He was a big reader and good at languages. I've seen the papers he wrote. If he hadn't died, he could have done anything. All he needed was a chance and Bruce gave it to him.
"That's what we're trying to do here with the orphanage. These kids just need a chance to make a better future for themselves, but right now they don't have that opportunity. The orphanage will be privately funded through the Wayne Foundation, which will allow us to keep the kids on past their eighteenth birthday. For those that want to, we can carry them through an extra two years where they can get associate's degrees in any field they want at Gotham Community College. By the time they leave, they'll have saved some money from part time jobs and already have a bit of a college education, which will give them a much better chance of making it once they're out on their own."
Vale nodded, making a few notes on her phone. Tim stood, making his getaway. "I really should be getting back to the office. But if you're interested in any Jason Todd stories, you should probably get in touch with Dick. He's got a bunch."
"I'll do that. Thank you for your time, Tim. As always, it was a pleasure," she spoke, standing and offering her hand.
Right. A pleasure, Tim thought as he shook her hand and left the coffee shop. He texted Dick.
Tim: If Vicki Vale comes after you asking questions about pre-death Jason Todd, humor her.
Dick: What? Why?
Tim: Better dead Jason than living Red Hood.
Dick: I don't really know what's going on, but whatever you say, Little Red. He isn't going to like this though.
Tim: Nope.
Tim sighed as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. He needed sleep. He needed for this to be over. He needed Bruce and Jason to make up already so he could hide away in his apartment and sleep for a week. He wanted to go back to California, see his friends, end his little hiatus from the Titans. It was someone else's turn to be the responsible one.
Thanks to the digital age of news media, Vicki Vale had an online article out by the time Tim was knocking on Jason's door later that night, dressed in civvies. Bruce had called him an hour before wanting to know what the hell was going on. Tim patiently explained that he'd needed to deflect from the Red Hood. Bruce had given a weary sigh and accepted it before returning to whatever it was he was working on.
Tim doubted Jason would let it go as easily.
Jason opened the door and immediately shoved his phone in Tim's face. Vicki Vale's article was pulled up on the screen. "What the hell is this?" he demanded, waving it around Tim's face for emphasis.
"Well hello to you too," Tim said, ducking around Jason and the phone and into the loft. He could smell beef sizzling in the kitchen and he sincerely hoped Jason wouldn't kick him out. It smelled incredible.
Jason huffed as he shoved the door closed and locked it.
"Seriously, Replacement, what the hell was that?" he demanded, stalking back to the stove. He only called Tim "Replacement" these days when he was feeling particularly agitated about something.
Tim sighed. "Vale ambushed me and was asking about the Red Hood's involvement with the Alley kids. She's absolutely relentless when there's a story she wants, so I thought it'd be best to give her a new one. And I knew you wouldn't want the focus on the kids so I thought Jason Todd was the best way to go. And since you're legally dead, it's not like you'll have to deal with any of the media attention, right?"
Jason glared at him for a long moment before letting out a long string of curses and turning back to his cooking. "Fucking fine!"
"It could be worse," Tim pointed out, settling onto one of the bar stools. "At least the focus won't be on the orphanage itself. The kids will have an easier transition without the media swarming around trying to take pictures of the place."
"Yeah, yeah," he huffed. "Fucking Vicki Vale. Pain in my fucking ass."
Tim grinned. "And now you're officially a member of the family again. Welcome back."
Jason shot him an unamused look, but he didn't throw something at Tim or kick him out, so he grinned wider. "So what's for dinner? It smells great." Really great. Tim's stomach had been rumbling since he walked in.
"Just a quick teriyaki stir-fry with rice. I've been out tracking down evidence all day so I didn't have time for much," Jason replied.
"Sounds good to me," Tim replied honestly. And it looked awesome too from what he could see of the beef tips, onions and brightly colored bell peppers Jason was stirring in a homemade teriyaki sauce that was likely replicated from something he came across in his extensive travels.
Jason shook his head, looking faintly amused. They chatted for the few remaining minutes it took him to finish the food. He divided the rice and stir-fry onto two plates and settled them on the island with two bottles of water. Tim didn't waste any time, immediately inhaling the food. It was amazing.
"Holy crap, Steph wasn't lying," he managed through a mouthful of food.
Jason smirked, amused. "What was that? I don't think I could understand you through the massive amounts of food rolling around in your mouth."
Tim swallowed. "Shut up. You did so. Do you cook like this all the time? No wonder Cass and Steph are always crashing your place."
"I take food very seriously," Jason replied, and Tim knew it was true.
"Well this is amazing. Seriously."
"Thanks, baby bird," he replied.
After they finished, Jason dropped the plates in the sink and snagged a folder from the table. "Here's the evidence against Danny's stepdad, David Rodriguez. You'll need to get it to the right people at the GCPD. He's gonna be going away for a while," he said darkly, making Tim's eyes narrow at the tone.
The past week of investigation had been a little bit trying on Jason, from what he could tell. He'd been tense and snappish here and there, and Tim figured that this was all a little too familiar for the man. A little too reminiscent of his own childhood. Tim didn't know many specifics about Jason's childhood aside from the deaths of Catherine and Willis Todd, but he suspected Jason had been a victim of abuse. What kind of abuse, he wasn't entirely sure, though he knew Bruce now knew thanks to Jason's memories. Based on the intensity of Bruce's reaction, Tim was willing to bet he hadn't known many of the specifics either.
Either way, everything about the investigations into the legal guardians of the kids was hitting a little too close to home for Jason. Abused and/or neglected children would always be a hot button for him it seemed.
"Going away for what?" Tim asked, frowning at the unopened envelope.
"Child pornography," Jason spat, glaring at the folder.
Tim's face scrunched up in disgust. "Lovely."
"Yeah," Jason replied shortly.
Tim sighed, rubbing at his forehead. "I'll get this to the right police officers after I meet the kids. Rodriguez will be in jail by morning."
Jason shook it off and stood abruptly. "So, look at what that asshole did," he said, as he moved to the coffee table. He grabbed a box from his coffee table and came back, dropping it in front of Tim.
Tim blinked, not sure what he was going to find. "Is this still the child pornography thing because I really don't want to see any of that."
"No," Jason said, looking incredibly offended. "The asshole I'm talking about is Bruce, you moron."
"Well how was I supposed to know that?" Tim protested.
"Because I said that asshole. I'm always talking about Bruce when I say that."
Tim smirked up at him and teased, "Well you have been talking about Bruce a lot lately so you're right; I probably should have guessed that."
Jason glared. "Screw you, Tiny Tim. Just look at the damn box. I found it on my freaking balcony after patrol this morning. He was freaking here."
Tim snickered and opened the box to find the material they wore under their suits in winter. There was a note on top, clearly written by Bruce.
If you insist on riding a motorcycle in the middle of winter, you should at least stay warm.
Tim snickered again. "Wasn't his last text asking you if you were keeping warm? And this is our latest heat regulating material. Oh, Alfred is going to love this," he said, grabbing his phone and snapping a picture, careful to make sure the note was legible on the screen.
"Why is this funny to you?" Jason demanded, frustrated.
"It's funny because it's Bruce. Dick or Alfred mother henning you, and none of us would even bat an eye. That's what they do to everyone. But it's Bruce acting like the socially awkward mother hen here. Come on, you know that's funny. Anyway, this stuff is great so I'd make use of it."
Jason scoffed. "Please, he probably planted a tracker in it."
Tim rolled his eyes. "How small do you think our trackers are these days? But hey, you're paranoid when it comes to Bruce so by all means check the hems for trackers, but keep the clothing. It's thin enough to go under the suits while still keeping you ridiculously warm."
Jason grumbled a little, as he lifted up the long sleeve shirt. He started inspecting the hems thoroughly, looking for the tracker he believed Bruce had planted. Tim doubted he would try something like that. Not when he was trying to reconcile himself with Jason. No way the former Robin would accept that until he was sure though.
If nothing else, Bruce was at least technically heeding Tim's advice, even if this wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind when he said for Bruce to give Jason space while checking in on him every now and again. Somehow, in Bruce's mind, that had translated to sending Jason an increasing number of texts and now he was adding gifts to the equation. But maybe it wasn't a bad move on Bruce's part. Tim had absolutely no idea whether or not it would eventually workâif Bruce would miraculously manage to wear Jason down through steady texts and occasional peace offerings, but as long as he wasn't showing up in person trying to force a conversation, it was at least unlikely to do any harm.
"I can't find it," Jason grumbled, breaking Tim out of his thoughts as he dropped the pants back in the box.
"That's because it's not there," Tim replied easily.
"Bullshit, baby bird. They're from Bruce. Of course there's a tracker or something." He hadn't stopped glaring at the clothing.
"This family," Tim sighed. Jason didn't look like he was about to stop his stare down with Bruce's gift anytime soon so he tried to get his attention back on the matters at hand. "How's tonight going to work?"
"I talked to Wilkes," Jason said, reluctantly looking away from the box and Bruce's note. "She's going to come with you to meet the kids. I think it'll help for them to see you both again before tomorrow. They're pretty used to her by now so it'll be good for them to know you two are friendly. She's going to meet you at the food pantry so you two can head over together. I'll meet you outside and we'll all go in together. Better to sell it for the kids. I already told them you're coming so they're ready for you."
Tim nodded. "Sounds good to me. I guess I'll head on over to Wilkes' and meet you at the warehouse?"
Jason nodded and Tim grabbed the file and headed out.
A few hours later, Tim slipped through the window of his apartment and immediately began shedding his Red Robin uniform. With how busy the next day would be, he'd kept his patrol short after he left the warehouse. The meeting with the kids had gone well. They hadn't been much interested in him, but he did have the chance to talk to most of the ones who'd be moving the next day. Wilkes had done the bulk of the talking, which had allowed Tim to fade into the background and watch.
The Red Hood and Lisa had been particularly amusing. Hood stuck next to the girl as Wilkes explained how the transition would work for the kids, even if Lisa still wasn't speaking to him. Tim suspected the little girl had pretty much forgiven him, but didn't want him or any of the others to know. Tim also suspected Jason knew that and was indulging her, allowing her to maintain the appearance for her pride or whatever it was holding her back from being openly friends again. He'd had to hide a smirk when Jason took advantage of the other kids' distraction to smoothly slip two cookies out of his jacket sleeve and stealthily offer them to Lisa without looking her way or betraying any obvious movement. The little redhead had glanced at the cookies before sneakily accepting them, stuffing one in her mouth and tucking the other behind her out of sight. Both acted like no exchange had occurred, and Tim had had to fake a cough to cover his snort of amusement.
Jason was hopeless.
Tim had no idea how he was going to reassure the orphanage staff if they ever caught the Red Hood sneaking in and out of the orphanage windows in the middle of the night. There was no doubt in Tim's mind that Jason would be visiting Lisa constantly, even after she got settled. One thing was for sure; no one was ever going to mess with her at school or at the orphanage. Not when she had the Red Hood wrapped around her little fingers.
He yawned and moved to the kitchen, figuring he could wait to deal with vigilantes at the orphanages when it actually became an issue. For now he wanted a bottle of water, a power bar, and at least four hours of sleep.
Tim paused at his kitchen counter when something caught his eye. In front of his coffee maker, where he definitely would have seen it in the morning if he hadn't caught it before, was a pair of clearly expensive earmuffs with a note written in Bruce's handwriting.
You don't dress warm enough in civilian clothing. You could get sick.
Tim stared dumbly for a moment before he snapped a picture and sent it to Jason, who almost immediately replied with a bunch of laughing emojis. He stared for a moment longer before deciding he'd deal with whatever was going on with Bruce later. He shoved a power bar in his mouth and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. The fingers of his unoccupied hand reached out to brush the earmuffs as he passed. They were soft, he realized, perking up a little bit. Maybe Bruce was right and his ears could stand to be a little warmer when he was moving around the city. In any case, they were here. He might as well make use of them.
He got another text as he was settling into bed.
Bruce: Good job today.
Tim stared at it for a moment wondering what the hell was going on with him, if something was wrong. When no immediate answer came to him, he shrugged it off and put it on the mental list of things he'd deal with later, right under his too long hair. For now, sleep was the most important thing. Weird Bruce could wait.