I feel like I should highlight that this is going to be based primarily on the movie version of Under the Red Hood. I have read the comic version, but there are certain plot elements I prefer in the movie (cough nobatarangtotheneck cough) so that's how it's going to work. I've also read Jason's attack on the Tower, but I haven't read any of the surrounding comics and couldn't find a conclusive answer during research so I might end up placing the attack in the wrong spot on the timeline.

Tim yawned as he pushed open the door to Olivia's apartment. He'd been up late the night before because Riddler had decided to be especially difficult. Then he'd caught a quick nap before zeta-ing over to San Francisco to help his team track down a device stolen from a software company that worked with the military.

A part of him had wanted to just zeta into the cave and sleep until dinner in the room Bruce had generously given him for the times when night turned into day before they could head in, but his parents were supposed to be home for the weekend. He'd told all the Bats they'd be home. He didn't want to have to explain that their flight got canceled so they'd just decided to go straight to their next stop since the next flight to Gotham would mean they'd barely have time in the city at all so it wasn't worth it.

The others always got weird over how little his parents were around, especially whenever they had to cancel a trip home. And he got it, kind of, but it wasn't like his parents were neglecting him. He had more than enough money in his allowance to buy anything he might need, even without Mrs. McIlvaine doing all the grocery shopping. He had a roof over his head that was far nicer than most. His parents always answered his emails within a day, sometimes even within an hour if he timed it around their schedules, which they made sure he had access to. They usually called once a week unless something came up or the phone service was too bad wherever they were working (and they always emailed if they weren't going to be able to make that week's call).

It wasn't their fault their work meant they couldn't be home much. Tim wouldn't even be home much if he hadn't decided to stop going to boarding school so he could be Robin more, and if anything he saw his parents more now than he had back then. They'd barely ever been able to call since his boarding school had been strict about phone use and now he could be home to see them during their short stops in Gotham instead of just having to hope their trips would line up with his vacations.

The point was: Unless he wanted the others to get weird about his parents being gone, he couldn't zeta to the cave. With that out, he'd figured he'd just go to the closest safe house to the main zeta in Gotham, which happened to be Olivia's. He'd dyed his hair and slipped in his contacts, but otherwise just relied on his baggy clothes and black eye to hide his lack of makeup and chest piece.

It worked. The few people he'd bumped into had all called him Olivia without blinking. 3B mailbox guy had even whistled at his eye and asked, "You have a boyfriend in need of a talk, girly?"

Which meant he made it to the apartment and could finally crash for a few hours before he needed to grab something to eat and head to Wayne Manor.

Except he couldn't because someone was sitting on his couch. "What are you doing here?"

Hood rolled his shoulders, relaxing on the couch a little more. "I came to talk to your aunt."

"She's not here. Come back later, or better yet, never."

"See the funny thing is, I don't think she'll be back later. In fact, I don't think she exists." He held his hand up, showing Tim the ID he'd confiscated a few days before. "I did some digging. The ID is fake, of course, but I couldn't find any evidence of Olivia Draper anywhere else either. Just the rent and utilities for this place and a bank account under your name that you deposit a few hundred in cash into every week. No school, no job, no phone, nothing."

"So I get paid under the table and have a burner phone like a lot of people in Gotham," Tim said, crossing his arms. "What's your point?"

Hood cocked his head. "My point is you don't seem to exist. So I went digging more. You've lived here for around a year, and your bank account is about that old. There's some awareness of you in the months leading up to that, but otherwise, you seem to have come out of nowhere. You're not for sale, but you're good as a pretty face or for a bit of information in return for information or a bit of cash. Though you don't seem to be making what's landing in the bank through just that.

"I couldn't find a single connection between you and any Drapers in Gotham. Although strangely, I did dig up some info on a boy, Alvin Draper, whose description is pretty similar to yours. He was a runner and only around for a few weeks before disappearing shortly before you started popping up. No one has any idea where he went, most just assumed he got picked up by CP&P or traffickers or got in too deep and ended up in the harbor."

He knew Olivia was an alias. Wonderful. Tim braced himself to start running.

Hood leaned forward, looking ready to follow. "So here's what I'm thinking: You left home, either because you ran or you were kicked out. You used Draper so no one could figure out who you were. You were a runner, then managed to snag a better job. Something more secure, dealing in information and better paying. It let you be able to make the change to Olivia and get settled here. Sound about right?"

Tim just glared at Hood, giving nothing away. He was already too close to the truth, Tim wouldn't tip his hand by agreeing or arguing.

"Alright then. I'm not going to push."

Tim snorted.

"You've got a safe roof over your head, that's more than most street kids can say. I won't ruin it if I don't have to. I just need you to answer a few questions."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Then you need to learn when I'm making a request and when I'm telling you you're going to do something."

He flipped the crime lord off.

"So this job of yours," Hood said, ignoring him. "Is that the reason for your eye?"

"Would you believe me if I said no?"

Hood snorted.

"It's not in the job description if that's what you're worried about. My boss isn't hitting me or letting other people hit me."

"But your still getting hit."

"It's Gotham. I can get hit just walking down the street. Trust me, my boss doesn't want me to get hit." If Bruce had had his way, Batgirl and Robin never would have existed. But Barbara had pushed and then so had Dick, Jason, Tim, Cass, and Stephanie. All Bruce could do was prepare them for what they'd face and watch over them like a guardian demon. Demon, not angel, because Tim was pretty sure guardian angels weren't supposed to break people's bones whenever their charges got hurt.

Misunderstanding, Hood said, "Because you're a pretty face?"

"I thought we already established I'm not selling myself or anything."

Hood relaxed back again. "Just need to be sure, kid. I have rules, remember."

"My boss doesn't work in the Narrows."

"But you do, and that's good enough for me."

Tim sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm a pretty face, but that's all anyone gets to see. And if they try to touch, they get the same treatment Cortés got. I also don't go near drugs or anything else like that. It's like you said, I deal in information. Just information."

"Information can still be dangerous."

"I'm careful." Then Tim decided to tip his hand, just a little. "I mean, I got quite a bit of information on the Víboras two weeks ago without breaking a sweat, didn't I?"

There was a pause, then Hood laughed. "You little sneak."

Tim stiffened as the man stood up and came near, but he couldn't see any aggression so he didn't pull away as the man reached over to pat him on the shoulder.

"Alright, kid. I'll back off, for now. I'm still going to be keeping an eye out for you, though."

"Or you could not?"

Hood ignored him as he headed towards the window. He paused, leaning against the frame. "One last question, and feel free to just tell me to fuck off on this one. With the Olivia thing, was that your boss's idea or-Are you a girl? Boy? Agender or genderfluid?"

Tim was already raising his middle finger when the question registered. "It wasn't his idea. I…" He wasn't a girl. At least, he didn't think so. It would feel bad to be called a boy if he was a girl, right? But shouldn't the same be true in reverse? He shook his head, deciding to focus on something else. Like he usually did whenever he thought too much about Olivia. "I dunno. What's agender and genderfluid?"

Hood looked him over for a moment, then got off the windowsill and returned to the couch.

"Hey B."

Bruce grunted, not looking up from the work he was doing on the computer.

"Can… Can I talk to you about something?"

"Is this about the Víboras?" he asked. "Or maybe why Barabra's had to issue you two new IDs in just over a week?"

"No, it's-Never mind. Sorry for bothering you."

"Tim," Bruce called as Tim tried to leave. He grabbed Tim's shoulder and turned him so they were facing each other. He set his other hand on Tim's other shoulder and looked him over. "What's going on? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. It's nothing like that. It's not important."

"It seems important." He squeezed Tim's shoulders. "How about you just tell me and I'll decide if it's important?"

"I just… I've been thinking this past week and I… I might be genderfluid. But I'm not sure. I'm still looking up some stuff. Like I said, it's not important right now. I'll just -"

"Hey, no," Bruce said, rubbing his arms. "I'm glad you told me."

Tim nodded, staring down at the ground.

Bruce's hands sat awkwardly on his shoulders, then dropped back down onto the chair's armrests to tap against them. "Do you need anything?"

"No. That was it. Sor-"

"No," Bruce said quickly before Tim could try to run off again. His fingers dug into the chair's armrests. Why was talking to his kids - to anyone, really - always so hard. "No, is there something I can get you? To help? Like how Dick used to have his binders. Do you need something or… a name change? Do you want to change your name? What pronouns should we use?"

"Oh, uh, no. I don't think I need anything. And Tim's fine. I like Tim. Um, can I get back to you on pronouns? He/him is fine for now, but…" Tim shrugged.

Bruce nodded. He'd need to do some research. "Just let me know if that changes. I'll update your file."

"Actually," Tim said before Bruce could turn back to the computer, "can we leave this off for now? I haven't told anyone else yet."

"Of course," Bruce said, his voice soft and his chest warm as he realized Tim had come to Bruce first. Tim had trusted him before anyone else. He hesitated, then held his arms out. As Tim accepted the hug, he said, "Thank you for trusting me with this. Let me know if there's anything you need. Even if you just want to talk or if you decide to tell one of the others and want someone at your side."

Tim nodded into Bruce's chest. "Thanks."

Red Hood watched over the working women with a smile.

The smile quickly fell as he heard someone join him on the roof.

Turning, he drew his gun, then holstered it a second later.

Olivia froze in the doorway of the roof access. "Should I come back later?"

"No, it's fine," he said, sitting down on the parapet and looking her over.

He'd seen her a few times over the past three weeks since he'd called her out, but hadn't felt the need to talk to her. He hadn't figured out how to broach the topic of school yet (She was a teenager! Job or not, she should still be getting some form of education. Actually attending high school was probably out of the question since she was playing herself off as twenty-two, but maybe an online school? Or she could use her fake ID and get a GED?) so he was sticking to his promise to back off unless something came up.

She'd gotten another fake ID, but he didn't see the point in taking it. Her boss was likely the one supplying them so the only thing he'd accomplish is getting her in trouble for losing it. Besides, the only thing she used it for was to get into places kids weren't allowed. She did buy alcohol, but careful observation proved she never actually drank it. It always ended up either abandoned, in a planter, or spilled in a drunken accident. The alcohol was just a prop to help her fit in while she gathered information. It was a simple tactic, one he'd seen Brucie pull at parties all the time.

She hadn't turned up with any noticeable injuries after the black eye and he hadn't seen or heard about any more altercations like the one she'd had with Cortés's punk, so the only slightly worrying thing was something he spotted when he hadn't even been Hood. He'd stopped at the mall on his way to get groceries to grab a replacement for a shirt he'd bled through and spotted Olivia hanging out with a girl he'd recognized as the daughter of Arthur Brown aka Cluemaster. It was possible the two just happened to be friends and he couldn't find any evidence of the daughter being involved in her father's business, but there was a chance Cluemaster was Olivia's boss and he didn't like it. Thankfully, the chance seemed to be low since he couldn't find any other connections between Olivia and him. He'd considered asking Talia for more on Cluemaster from her Batman-stalking files, but the villain never operated in his territory and wasn't part of the plan so Talia would wonder why he was asking and that would risk bringing Olivia to her attention. The kid didn't need to be on the League's radar.

So he'd been keeping his distance, but now she was in front of him. His quick look didn't reveal any injuries and she looked calm so she wasn't up on the roof trying to hide from someone. She wasn't dressed up like normal, though she also wasn't as dressed down as she'd been the last time they'd talked. She was wearing baggy clothes again, but she'd put on just enough makeup to soften her face and her hair was pulled up into a small ponytail. Dressed down meant she probably wasn't working so she wasn't on the roof for a meetup. The building wasn't hers, but she could be visiting a friend. If she was just looking for air, though, why come up to the roof instead of just stepping onto the fire escape?

"What are you doing here?" he decided to just ask.

"Looking for you."

He watched her walk over to sit next to him, letting his silence pose his question for him.

"I heard you've got a meeting with one of Thorne's guys in two days."

"Where'd you hear that?"

She smiled up at him, blinking innocently.

Someone should be very relieved that he didn't care who knew about the meeting. "I might. Not that I expect anything to come from it. Thorne is playing it off like he wants to talk about keeping the peace, but the truth is he lost business when I took over and he wants it back. That's not happening, though. I know how Thorne works."

"He doesn't follow other people's orders, especially when they limit his profit," she said, nodding. "He'll just try to get around your rules."

"Or try to put a bullet in my head," he snorted. He watched the working women for a moment before focusing back on Olivia. "Why are you asking anyway? Do you work for Thorne?"

"Yes, because of course I'd admit it if I did."

"Shut up." While he respected how much of a smartass she was, that didn't mean she wasn't still a smartass.

"Actually, I was just wondering if you were looking for a distraction to bring with you."

He frowned, staring at her. She couldn't be suggesting… "You want me to take you with me?"

"It's a fair deal. You get underestimated and I get information. Just like last time."

"Last time I had assurance that the meeting was safe. Did you not hear me say Thorne's probably planning to put a bullet in my head?"

"You're wearing a helmet."

"Kid."

"I know how to take care of myself. I'll be gone the moment something starts happening."

Hood stood up to loom over her. "Did your boss put you up to this?"

"No," she said, looking away.

"Try again."

"I'm serious. He, uh, doesn't exactly know anything about this."

He crossed his arms, feeling a headache start to form. "And by this, do you mean the meeting or me?"

"Both? I mean, he knows there's a meeting, but he doesn't know I'm looking into it. And he knows who you are, obviously, but he doesn't know about," she made a vague gesture, "whatever this is."

"Because you'd get in trouble for consorting with another crime lord."

"No, well, yes, kind of. He doesn't want me getting too close to any of the big names. Especially the ones with a gimmick. But he specifically warned me to stay away from you." And then she rolled her eyes. "He thinks you're extra dangerous."

Was… Was she kidding? He trained with the League of Assassins. He was going toe-to-toe with Black Mask and Batman. And he was coming out on top. His danger level wasn't worth an eye roll. "Kid, did you miss the duffel bag of heads? Do you understand my body count? Hell, I practically stalked you for a few days there and broke into your apartment." It had to be said, even if he'd been trying not to think about it. He was at most four years older than her and he'd only been trying to make sure she was safe besides, but he was still an eighteen-year-old man digging into the life of a random minor. That really should have been more of a red flag to the kid.

She rolled her eyes again. "First, I'm in the information business, remember? I've even stalked people before. Not my best moment, but it means I know the difference between stalking someone and digging around to make sure someone isn't in a bad situation. Second, I know you can be dangerous. I'm not stupid. I just also know you're not dangerous to me. You don't hurt kids."

"I thought you were an adult."

"I am, but you're convinced I'm not so I still fall under that protection."

"That…" was a good point. He didn't want to be Batman. He wanted the people he protected to know he was safe and that they could come to him.

He just hadn't expected them to write him off as not dangerous.

She reached up to pat his shoulder, giving him a faux-reassuring look. "Don't worry. Everyone else seems to think you're very scary."

"I will push you off this building."

"No, you won't," she shot back with a smirk. "And even if you did, we both know you'd catch me."

Hood stared down at her as a memory echoed in his head.

"Keep it up and I'll drop you, Little Wing."

"Nice try. You'd just catch me again. You'd never let me fall."

Shit, was this what it was like being a big brother? He didn't want to be a big brother. Especially to a brat like Olivia. He just wanted to make sure she was okay like he did for all the kids in the Alley.

Except she didn't live in the Alley and he usually didn't devote so much time to one kid. Oh man, he'd gotten invested. Was this how Bruce had felt when he found Jason stealing his tires?

Oh no, was he becoming Bruce!?

"So will you take me with you?"

"No." No, he wasn't Bruce. He wasn't going to take a kid with him to a meeting that would very likely involve gunfire.

"What? Why?"

"Because it's not safe."

"I can -"

"No, kid. It's not happening."

She glared up at him and stood up. As she walked away, she called over her shoulder, "Fine, then I'll figure out my own way into the meeting."

"I'd like to see that," he snorted. The meeting wasn't going to be in a club that she could get into just by flashing her ID and doe eyes.

"Then I'll see you there," she said and shut the door to the roof behind her.