Work Text:
Running as fast as she can, Izzy doesn't let herself slow down and keeps dodging the trash laying on the streets. The shouts behind her warn of the men that follow and will likely drive anyone still out to pretend they didn't see anything. It sucks, but that's the Alley for you.
Izzy made the mistake of sleeping in a new apartment, which turned out to be the seat of some new trafficking gang. She's 11 already, so she should know better. If she survives this, she'll tell Red Hood and they'll be dead before the sun's up.
Suddenly a loud bang echoes behind her. Her heart races into overdrive. They've got guns. Izzy decides that this is where she needs help immediately.
She's a Northern Alley kid, their specialty is going unnoticed and getting out of situations as fast as possible. That does not go well with being chased. Turning a sharp left into a side street, then a sharp right, she knows that she's close to one of the brothels.
Working girls are always armed and they're ready to shield any kids that come by. She just has to make it. A second shot rings out, leaving the bullet jumping back off the ground in front of her. She just has to make it. Only one building further, just one house- A hand slams down her back and throws her into the ground. Fuck. "Finally, you fuckin' pest," one of the men says panting.
Izzy can feel her heart pounding in her throat. Her hands and knees got cut when she fell, and she's pretty sure the throbbing in her jaw is from the dirt, too. She's hurt on the ground. She's on the ground. Scrambling up as fast as she can, Izzy tries to get away, only to have her arm yanked back. Her surprised yelp doesn't help.
The man sneers down at her. "A'right girly, you're gonna regret all the trouble you've made us." As if she chose to be chased.
"Wait," Another man comes into view and that doesn't bode well for her. "She's yung an' pretty 'nough. She'd sell a good price."
Nonononono, Izzy knows the type that buys people, and especially the type that buys kids. While the Alley makes up a whole, when it comes to kids, there are very clear distinctions on what part works how. Here, in the northern part, stands what most would call a red-light district.
Still, over a hundred children are being raised on these streets, and that means something. You learn what to do if you have sex at the same time as you learn the alphabet. Just so you know what the people in corners are doing. Just so you're aware when you're old enough to try. Just in case-
Izzy knows what it means to get caught. This is the whole reason why kids up here learn to never let themselves be caught. And she still made a stupid mistake. Working girls are everywhere. She should've been able to reach them and yet.
Being a child is like a curse. Fuck this shit. Trying to get her arm back, she pulls and wiggles in hopes that the hold would let loose. The man just gets annoyed and tells her to stop, which, fuck no. The other hand comes down, so she braces herself to try and use it to twist away when a loud shot gets fired.
Twisting to look back, Izzy sees a woman with a handgun pointed at them. A working girl. "A'right fellas, let the kid go."
The other trafficker turns to her with his own gun still in hand. "You sure you gonna risk it? Hittin' 'er is a big risk," he says.
The woman purses her lips but doesn't lower the gun. Emboldened, he taunts, "Shootin' wou'd kill 'er if your aim's wrong."
"Good thing my aim isn't," A distorted voice answers, and then another gunshot bangs through the street. The hand holding her lets go with a scream, and Izzy runs forward without looking back. Don't let them catch you.
She only stops once she's standing behind the woman. Looking back, the two men are already on the ground and getting knocked out.
Once they're unconscious, the Red Hood turns around. "You doin' a'right kid?"
There is one advantage to being a child in the Alley.
"Yeah," She says breathlessly, "'Am fine." As soon as the adrenaline crashes, she's probably going to collapse.
In front of her, the woman packs her gun back into her bag and nods to the vigilante. "Thanks for that Hood."
"It's fine." Red Hood gives a firm nod, then points to the unconscious bodies. "My guys are gonna put 'em away."
That's when Izzy remembers her promise and blurts out, "They're traffickers!" Red Hood freezes.
"What?" Through the helmet, his voice sounds monotone, but anyone can see that he's holding back anger. The working girl turns sharply to look her over in case she has other injuries. Exactly what she was hoping for.
Nodding, Izzy elaborates, "They crashed my sleepin' place and talked 'bout settin' up a new supply line in our parts." And because she wants them to hurt, she adds, "Inside the marked territory."
The way that he tenses up more with every word means that soon, some people are going to bleed. And they'll deserve it. Not just because of trafficking, for that the Bats would work too, but for being stupid enough to do it in Hood's territory. The Alley has a specific protector with very simple rules.
- Respect his territory.
- Don't sell non-Hood-approved drugs.
- Don't hurt working girls.
- Don't hurt kids.
To go against them leads to simple punishments.
Hood takes a deep breath that rattles through his speaker. "You mind tellin' me more 'bout that? I'll buy you a meal."
"And if I don't wanna?" She challenges. As if she'd ever do that.
But Hood just shrugs, "Then I'll give you the money and I'll get 'em on my own." Because he will still help any streetkid even if they're completely useless.
Izzy bounces forward, ignoring her bruises, and chirps, "I want a Batburger." Red Hood nods. Turning back to the woman she sincerely says, "Thanks for comin' to save me."
The woman waves her off. "Don't mention it." But to Red Hood, she says, "Get 'em out of our parts will you?"
Hood snorts. "Obviously."
She nods and turns around with a simple, "Come by whenever. Either of you."
With that, Izzy follows Hood to the nearest Batburger and gets herself a full meal. She makes sure to tell him everything she heard before they noticed her. How many people, where they were, and all that stuff.
When Red Hood says he'll take her to a shelter, she counters that she's going to a brothel. Because as much as everyone under him is safe, tonight she wants to be somewhere familiar. He respects that and takes her to one of her usual places, not even needing to ask.
Sometimes Izzy wonders if he knows how much he's giving himself away with those unspoken habits. The way that he always knows in which places kids are welcome and which ones are adults only.
Because the Red Hood is from the Alley, everyone knows that, but his habits say that he's very specifically a Northern Alley kid.
He's too distant with his people to be Central or Southern, but too close to be Eastern or Western. That could be a fluke, yet the way he always, always, gravitates towards the working girls seals the deal.
Because while there are brothels all over the Alley, the North has more than anywhere else in Gotham, and it's common knowledge that their workers take care of kids. A roof for the night, protection, and food whenever they can; the working girls are the northern side's main support for streetkids. And it's an unspoken law that when you grow up, it's your turn to help them out.
Walking up to Madame Shanaz's, Izzy gives Hood a side-eye. Another point. The people outside those raised north don't think of this brothel as somewhere to get help.
Madame Shanaz's brothel is over 150 years old and doesn't get that much traffic compared to others. Yet still stands as one of the most secure in the street, so it's at least partially a front. Some people say that the woman herself has been here since before Gotham became known for its crimes.
Only for those in the know, the backdoor is also always open for those in need. Protection and some food are guaranteed. If Izzy ever becomes a working girl, this is where she decides she'll work.
Red Hood pushes the door open and calls, "Ma'am, I've got a kid for you!"
Almost materializing in the hallway, the woman strides down the path and takes them in with a critical eye. Madame Shanaz looks like what you expect a 70-year-old woman like her to look like. Wrinkles everywhere, hair more gray than black, and skin spots are littered all over her tan body.
From what an older kid told her, she's wearing a bardot dress, but the most impressive part is the massive floor-length fur shawl. Izzy was once allowed to touch it and it's not only the softest thing the Alley has ever seen, but probably also the most expensive. If she didn't know better, she'd think the woman was from Bristol.
Looking them over, the madam turns to Hood, "What'd you need, crió?"
Through the helmet, Red Hood looks exasperated, but answers, "The kid wants to spend the night."
Scoffing, Madame Shanaz rolls her eyes. "Por supuesto, I meant you. How'd you end up bringin' 'er here?"
His body tenses up as he obviously holds back his anger at the reminder. Hood grits out, "The kid found some traffickers goin' around. 'Am takin' care of it."
The woman glares at him and then gives a firm nod. "Call if you need help gettin' rid of what's left. Dios mío knows I didn't raise you to be careless, but you niños never listen when you should."
Red Hood shrugs with a careless, "I've got no idea what you're talkin' 'bout."
The madam scoffs again and turns to Izzy for the first time. "Don't listen to 'im, I've seen 'im tambaleó como un gusano since he was but a tiny sprout of un bebé. Pretendin' I don't know who I've housed is fútil."
She understood about half of that, but from the slump in Red Hood's shoulders, the hero got called out for being recognized. After all, there's a saying that Madame Shanaz never forgets anyone who sets foot in her building.
That, and everyone in the previous wave of streetkids walking by wave at Hood like he's their peer or a kid.
Izzy can't keep her grin from spreading. Even the Red Hood can't escape his past.
The madam gives her a satisfied smile, then kisses her manicured fingertips and pushes them onto Hood's helmet. Besides the dramatic sign, he doesn't even try to dodge.
"Don't forget to come by crió," she warns. "I wouldn't want tu fantasma para lamentamos las consecuencias de tu muerte on the Alley because you were too proud."
And Hood does look somewhat chastised. "Haré lo mejor que pueda," he says, and that seems enough for her.
With a decisive nod, Madame Shanaz once again turns to her. "Follow me, tesoro, we're gettin' you housed for the night."
Izzy starts to follow, then turns back to wave at the vigilante, "Bye Hood! Thanks for the save."
The vigilante just waves back with a "No problem" and turns around to walk out.
She catches up with the old madam, who asks, "Hood's takin' care of who hurt you?" And Izzy has to grin. "Yeah."
That's enough for the woman, who grins in satisfaction. Yes, even if she doesn't grow up to be a working girl, she's totally going to work here. Maybe she'll even work for Red Hood a bit, though she'll probably just give him tips on what she heard.
Alley kids have to stick together, after all. And for Northern kids, that means helping as much as hurting those who hurt yours.