Work Text:
Clark got the call while he was at work, working on a rough draft edit. Given that Ma and Pa knew his work hours, he immediately answered and was already standing. “Hey.”
“Clark, there’s a… well I’m not so sure it’s harmful but it is a weird delivery for you.”
A delivery? Something sent to the farm ? He raised a hand to Lois even as he stepped out. She would probably cover for him, if anyone asked. Honestly at this point Clark Kent disappearing at the oddest of times was just something of a granted.
“I’ll be there, quick as I can.” If Ma and Pa were in danger…
The first thing Clark saw that was out of place was the flatbed semi next to the barn. The cargo was covered with tarps and strapped down. At a glance it… honestly it looked like tires, the considerably larger kind that went on tractors of perhaps even larger than that. A quick glance with his vision proved the covered cargo to be… exactly that. Frowning, Clark overshot the farm high enough up that he shouldn’t have been seen, darting down to land in the grove behind the house.
Pa was outside the barn with the truck driver when Clark came bounding up. An older gentleman, the driver looked a bit rough and tumble with salted hair just visible under his cap and a beard that stretched down over his chest. He didn’t seem much of any way about Clark arriving though, beyond a simple greeting.
“Clark, you’re eyes are better. You want to confirm that these are all the right sizes?”
The paperwork was exceedingly neat, detailing the delivery of well… tires. A full set of tires for the tractor that was currently sitting in the garage though it didn’t need new ones just yet and Pa certainly hadn’t ordered or paid for them. In addition to those, was also a delivery of plane tires, along with a crate of assorted other tires? Clark frowned at the sheet, flipping through it. Really the only other hint of what in the world was going on was the special delivery notes.
Must be signed for by Clark Kent
Hope this makes up for the inconvenience. Don’t fly these to B, make him figure it out.
Call XXX XXX XXXX when unloaded - RH
RH? The shortening didn’t spark any immediate connection. B though… he could think of one person who might be called B but surely that couldn’t be correct. “Do you mind if I inspect them before we unload anything?”
The driver shrugged, gesturing for Clark to follow. Even with the straps releasing however, and the tarps peeled away… it was tires. Nice tires at that. Well, a bit more than tires actually. It was the entire tire and wheel, ready to be changed out. The tractor ones were clearly new, still wrapped up in the original packaging and all while the plane tires… those were clearly used. More importantly… they were familiar.
It might have been the comment. It might have been Clark’s thoughts going in that direction already but surely… surely not…
He had his answer when he cracked open the crate of tires. The color and patterning might not be known to most but Clark had been around Red Bird often enough to know its rather unique paint scheme. Shifting to look at the thicker tire under just confirmed. These were bat grade tires and wheels. Used bat grade tires and wheels.
Was this… Clark closed his eyes as he thought through all of Bruce’s brood. He didn’t know of any of them that were going by the initials RH… maybe Robin was branching out like Nightwing had. How that could possibly involve this he had no idea. He knew how to find out though.
Clark scanned through everything, determining that it was indeed only what one would expect and that there weren't any sort of trip wires or traps. Then while Pa brought the tractor around to unload, Clark called a rather specific number.
“Wayne residence.”
Exactly who he wanted to get a hold of. “Alfred, this is Clark.”
“How may I assist you, Mr. Kent.”
“Well… I think I might have something that belongs to yours. A uh… a collection of tires sent by an RH?”
“I see.” If Clark didn’t know better, he would have sworn that Alfred sounded amused . “I shall inform Master Bruce of the whereabouts of his missing items. I do hope everything arrived safely?”
“Uh… yeah, it all looks fine, but Alfred… who is RH?”
“That would no doubt be Red Hood. A crime lord who has recently been amusing himself by absconding with the items Bruce so carelessly leaves around.”
Clark went still. “A crime lord?” He had thought this was a… maybe not a harmless prank just given the sheer cost but then the Wayne brood struggled with what counted as normal amounts of money… or pranking. If it wasn’t a prank though… or some sort of revenge plot against B for grounding them… if this was a rogue …
“Fear not, Mr. Kent. Red Hood is only interested in inconveniencing certain already involved parties.”
Clark wasn’t sure why he expected anything else. None of the bats communicated well and he was most certainly going to count Alfred as one of the bats. Well, at the very least Alfred didn’t seem to think there was any kind of immediate issue, and pressing the man who had raised the tight lipped Batman wasn’t likely to prove fruitful. “Thanks.”
“Of course, Mr. Kent. I trust you will have a pleasant afternoon. Do say hello from the Wayne residence for us.”
He made sure to wait until the tires were fully unloaded and everyone well clear of them before he called the number. It rang three times before there was a click. “Yeah?”
Clark wasn’t sure entirely what he had been expecting, somehow though the thick Gotham accent still took him by surprise. “Hello, this is Clark Kent. We received a delivery with a note to call this number once it arrived.”
There was a shuffle of something in the background. Cloth? “Yeah, yeah. It all got there pretty then? Tires and wheels are the right size?”
“They are.”
“Cool, cool. Most of my work is on cars and bikes and planes so tractors was a little in question.”
“I take it that you’re RH then? It’s very generous of you to send them.”
“Yup, Red Hood. Figured it was going to be quite the time dealing with B to get them back but man is his face going to be funny when he finds out where they are. Plus the whole unannounced nature of it and all. Oh, the note mentioned it but it’s always nice to hear if you’ll promise not to fly them back to the old man.”
It… It did not feel like Clark was talking to a crime lord. Clark did have several questions though, starting with how Red Hood knew where the Kent farm was or why there was any significance. How he’d found out which tractor they had in order to get the tires. How exactly he planned to see Bruce’s face when Alfred told him. How he’d gotten the assorted tires in the first place. Who in the world got away with calling Batman ‘old man’. With Ma coming onto the porch though he couldn’t exactly ask without raising suspicion.
“It would take several trips for me to do it.”
“That’s a non-answer… but I’ll still take it.” The line clicked off, Clark blinking as he stared at the phone.
He did not tell Ma and Pa that it was a crime lord that had sent the tires. Instead he just said it was a bat situation and for the dinner that he stayed for he got to listen to his parents' handful of comments about Bruce’s brood in a sort of exacerbated manner. Pa wasn’t entirely thrilled that someone else had given them new tires, but he also saw it as a sort of payment which lessened the blow at least.
He spent the evening at home, just to make sure. Overall though, beyond a call from Bruce to confirm in the most done voice Clark had ever heard from him which tires were currently in Kent possession and for him to promise he’d work on it so as not to take up space or hassle, it was quiet. The tires stayed tires. No one snuck in. It was just a nice night away from the city.
In the morning, he flew back and went to work and under the cover of his journalism, delved into who Red Hood was.
The main stories were easy to find. Red Hood had made quite the splash and seemed to be walking an interesting tightrope act. He was a murderer, openly dropping off severed heads of other gang members to the GCPD. He was tied to a number of different trades and it was openly known that Red Hood and Black Mask were feuding and it was not going well for Black Mask. It was also openly known that Red Hood hated Batman and wasn’t shy about facing off against the legendary Dark Knight and apparently pretty commonly bragged about just how many tires he’d stolen from the man.
He was also linked with taking out multiple corrupt cops and under his care the worst part of Gotham, Park Row, had seen a steady decline in certain types of crime. Red Hood was also credited with chasing at least two different trafficking rings out of Gotham. The locals saw him as a darker version of Batman, but an effective one. Several people were quoted as being perfectly okay with the kind of people Red Hood removed from the world.
Clark couldn’t quite agree but… time would tell. Specifically, the afternoon would tell. Clark wasn’t the detective that Bruce was. He was still an investigative journalist however. Plus, he had Lois who had contacts in Gotham.
A few calls around to trusted sources got him what was apparently the headquarters of the Red Hood gang. Well, the ‘new’ headquarters as he had been informed. Clark had been semi sworn to secrecy about it… the source demanding that he promise not to tell any of the bats. The man hadn’t cared about the police apparently. They might already know.
Whatever the case, Clark didn’t intend to have any conversations with bats about why he was snooping around in Gotham.
Contrary to what Batman believed, Clark could sneak when he put his mind to it. He landed easily on the rooftop of the address given to him, and scanned through the building. Photos and comparisons to known figures had given him a pretty good idea of Red Hood’s build. Perhaps not as surprising as it should have been given that he was keeping an eye out for exactly that, he also found the helmet by its protections possibly against Superman but also possibly against Batman.
The apartment confirmed, Superman floated to the correct level and… as luck would have it one of the windows was already slightly ajar. It opened soundlessly, Superman slipping inside and only when he was halfway through realizing that… There was an alarm setup. A familiar alarm setup.
“In or out! Don’t keep the alarm ringing!” A voice called from further into the apartment, the accent not as thick but otherwise the same as had been on the phone.
More importantly, Hood wasn’t the only person in the apartment. Superman stared at the figure sitting cross legged between the couch and the coffee table, a slew of computer parts between them.
Tim Drake stared back, his hands possibly going through motions automatically as he turned off the soldering iron. “Hey uh… owner of the apartment! You uh… You might need to come in here. You have a uh… guest .”
Something in the kitchen clicked, the footsteps immediately approaching while Superman slid the rest of the way through the window and shut it behind him.
The figure that appeared was clearly called away from something else. He wore a workout shirt stretched tight across the muscles under a downright frilly apron, cargo shorts, thick socks… and the signature red helmet. The glowing lights that filled in for lenses met Superman’s gaze easily. “Oh…”
Red Hood was unarmed, so Superman flicked his gaze to Tim. “Tim…”
“I haven’t been kidnapped! I’m here willingly!”
Red Hood gave some sort of sound, turning away. “He’s not entirely unexpected. I’m finishing food.” The man disappeared while Tim snapping his gaze back and forth.
“Wait… wait what do you mean he isn’t entirely unexpected. I’m sorry, did I miss something? What happened to the plan?”
Clark stared at Tim… and Robin who had half risen like he’d forgotten that Clark was standing there and fully intended to go harass Red Hood directly. After a moment, he glanced back with narrowed eyes. It was a look Clark had seen before, and not one he or anyone else particularly enjoyed being on the receiving end of. “Why are you in Gotham tracking down Red Hood?”
Straight to the point then. Well… given the situation… “Red Hood sent a semi truck worth of tires to Ma and Pa’s house.”
Tim’s entire expression shifted to neutral which in and of itself was a bit of an accomplishment. Then he breathed out slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Of course he did.”
“Of course I did.” Red Hood returned, the staticy modulation gone and instead… instead his face was bare. Clark hid the startle, although he didn’t think he kept any of the surprise off his face as Red Hood set a dish of chicken in front of Tim and then held another out to Clark. The third which was balanced on his forearm he shifted to his knees as he sat down. “I even sent tractor tires to make it up to them.”
Tim groaned. “I knew it was suspicious that you wanted me to ask Kon about that!”
Red Hood had asked Robin to ask Superboy what size tractor tires his grandparents needed? More importantly, Robin had done it? Clark sat. “Alright, explain.” Alfred said that Red Hood wouldn’t harm Ma and Pa. Robin must fully believe Red Hood to… well he certainly wasn’t harmless, but trustworthy. He hadn’t hesitated at all at the food, the plate already partially gone.
Red Hood raised an eyebrow at him. “Explain what?” While Tim eyed him with one of those looks he didn’t like again. Then… Tim’s eyes widened.
“He doesn’t know.”
Hood’s eyes flicked to him, and then up, and then back to Tim. “Wait, what?”
Clark had to agree, though he did his best to not be as openly bothered by Tim dissolving into giggles. Hood reached over, Clark stiffening as a hand closed on the back of Tim’s neck. All Hood did though was shaking him back and forth. “Earth to Timbit, clue the rest of us in.”
“He doesn’t know , he doesn’t have any clue who you are!”
Hood blinked, and then looked to Clark, eyes narrowing in a look that Clark had previously thought was only something the bats could do. Unless… There was no way that this man was a bat. He hated Batman. Unfortunately before Clark could track down the nagging itch he sometimes got where there was obvious connections and he was just missing it, Hood grinned. “No shit. Oh… oh that’s great .”
Tim launched himself up and onto the couch in a movement that was every inch Robin . What wasn’t was Tim latching onto Hood and patting his head, even as he unsuccessfully hid his laughter in Hood’s shoulder. “There, there. We all knew who you were.”
“I’m not mad! Obviously he wouldn’t know!”
“Know what ? Who are you?”
Hood grinned at him, showing an edge of feralness that Clark had also thought was a little unique to the assorted birds under Batman. Tim popped his head up though, still grinning. “He’s obviously my big brother.”
Clark’s thoughts halted, staring at the two and… it wasn’t impossible . Both shared the dark hair although Hood’s held a white streak. The eye colors were different but not startlingly so given one was brilliant blue and the other a sort of teal blue. The build was completely different though. Red Hood was massive, but also young. Clark hadn’t thought about that before but seeing his bare face… Red Hood was a young man.
Did Batman know about this? he… he couldn’t know about this right? Despite that being against everything Clark knew of the man and the image he cultivated himself. Bruce had confided in him quite a while ago that he feared that Tim’s parents were absent at best, leaving Tim with no support system but feared trying to force the issue when Tim seemed so ready to leave the manor at the slightest tip of the scale. Lately he’d been handed some kind of ammunition that had him working extensively with lawyers to get custody and also calling Lois to set her on digging into the adult Drakes. Clark had only caught something about them having everything stripped from them since they had decided their reputation mattered more than their child. If Tim had a living, breathing, apparently old enough to rent an apartment then Tim should have been placed with him over the neighbor.
Unless it wasn’t an on paper thing, or a by blood thing? It was common knowledge that Robin’s older brother was Nightwing and they would absolutely act like brothers despite having no blood relation and growing up for large sections of their life as only children.
“Your big brother who you are crawling all over. I’m not Dickie Bird, get off.”
“But you're so huggable! Plus, what was it that you sa- ai! No fair!” In a motion that betrayed just how strong Hood was, he stood and plucked Tim mostly off except the legs that scissored around his waist and Hood’s grip on Tim’s shirt.
“Quit that before you brain yourself on the coffee table. Last thing I need is B thinking Red Hood gave Robin a concussion.”
Tim half fell and was half dumped onto the couch while Hood shook his head. When he looked to Clark though he sighed. “Sorry I got everyone up and alarmed. I kind of forgot that not everyone just goes with it when one of us decides to mess with B. It wasn’t meant to be a threat or power play or anything, not against you or Mr and Mrs Kent.
Clark couldn’t read a lie in the man. Plus… the assorted birds were notoriously distrusting, nearly as much as their mentor. For Robin to have his guard completely down, to be playing around as brothers with Hood…
Superman couldn’t agree with Red Hood’s methods, but Gotham wasn’t his city. Batman had drilled it into him again and again, into the entire League that Gotham’s rules were different. Maybe the rules of Park Row were even more so. “I believe you.”
Hood smiled at him and Clark gave him a only stern for effect look. “Just don’t do it again alright?”
“Sure thing.” Liar, though listening to the faint but telltale signs of the lie reassured him that it really had been the truth earlier. Clark eyed him while Tim did his best to keep his expression neutral as he hauled himself back into a more normal position. “Hey, so… with the ‘didn’t mean to be threatening thing’ out of the way… are you going to eat and can I ask you a few questions about the article you wrote recently about…”
Clark… did actually answer the questions and he ate what turned out to be pretty decent cooking. It had a distinctive Gotham style seasoning but in doing so sharply reminded him of the food trucks he sometimes ate at while on assignment for Daily Planet. Red Hood, Jay as he introduced himself as after agonizing over it for far too long, was decent at conversation and must have extensively read his articles and in some cases even researched them further. Mostly it was those that included the differences between Metropolis and Gotham community projects, spending plans, the commute between the two cities, with plenty of references to how Bludhaven handled things as well.
Tim chimed in on occasion as well, though physically he had returned to working on the computer parts. All in all it was a pleasant enough evening, despite the strangeness of it and… it worked to reassure him. Red Hood didn’t mean it to be a threat, he had truly been trying to annoy only Bruce… and maybe poke a little at the rest of the brood. Clark had been forced to promise not to mention the evening to Bruce however, under a smile from Tim that he had learned long ago never to mess with. It was… interesting that Red Hood could mimic it as well, a thought forming in Superman’s mind. Still, he’d leave it alone until there was something official. Having one Robin smile like that was enough to send shivers down his spine, he pitied anyone who incurred the ire of two Robins…