Chapter Text
It's been a little over seven years since Danny died, well half-died, a lot has changed since then. The first two years of highschool were pretty rough with all the ghost attacks until things let up enough for him to study.
After he graduated highschool, and the ghost attacks had dialed down, Danny wanted to tell his parents about his extracurriculars. They…didn’t take it well to say the least. He remembers the late night goodbyes while he packed up.
He remembers sneaking into the lab one last time, damaging the portal beyond repair and downloading blueprints to a thumb drive. Staring at his grave, the broken tunnel in the wall, Danny gave his old life one final goodbye before taking off.
For a couple of months, Danny bounced around the country. He discarded the Fenton name and looked for a place to begin his new life. Nowhere seemed to be a good fit for him that was, until Danny discovered Gotham.
Since moving to Gotham, Danny has grown accustomed to the constant noises and the eccentric nightlife. The ghost boy still remembers his first rogue attack when Freeze covered the streets with ice, not that Danny minded with his ice and all, but it made the coffee run a little annoying.
When he first moved to Gotham, job hunting was a bit difficult. He was planning on giving up when he met Joe who took him on as an apprentice. Joe ran a mechanic business out of Crime Alley (Danny remembers being scolded for calling it Park Row) that was known for being the only shop in Gotham open 24/7. When Danny’s apprenticeship was up, and Joe’s night mechanic retired, the half-ghost easily transitioned into the night mechanic role.
Danny liked being a night mechanic. For the most part, no one came by, especially in certain hours of the night, which gave Danny the time to tinker around with personal projects. When people did come by, the results varied. Some nights, he’d have couples whose cars broke down on their way to a destination, but other nights bore things Danny never would have expected.
Tonight was one of those nights.
Danny was working on an SUV when he heard the bell jingle, signaling the opened door.
“I’ll be right with you!” Danny called out before rolling out from underneath the car.
When he stood up, he didn’t know what he was expecting, but it definitely was not that.
Red Hood, an infamous figure in Crime Alley, was at the door wheeling in a beat-to-shit bike. The man was intimidatingly large and covered head-to-toe in kevlar. Danny’s nose scrunched. This man reeked of death. Maybe it was from all the people he’s killed? Or maybe he died and somehow found the shittiest ectoplasm to source from, but either way it was awful. All Danny could do was sit there and wonder what he got himself into.
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Jason was frustrated to say the least. He can’t believe what happened. Kite Man! Of all the people to break his bike, it was fucking Kite Man . Jason grumbled. He was going to break more than that guy's kneecaps if he’s not able to fix it. The vigilante let out another frustrated groan at the sight of smoke. That bastard must’ve broken the oil pump when he crash landed on the bike.
Jason cursed to himself as he thought about his options. He didn’t have the tools or parts to fix this at home, and he would be caught dead before visiting the manor. The man began rolling his bike with him on his way back to HQ. He can’t go to a mechanic. What mechanic in their right mind would be open at 2:30 am?
That was when Jason noticed the neon open sign of a shop down the street.
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Danny didn’t know if he should be scared or scold the guy for mistreating the bike. Either way, he did his best to disguise his flinch when the man spoke.
“I heard you guys take bikes,” the crime lord’s voice was heavily modulated.
“That we do! Right this way please.” The half ghost wiped the sweat off his palms.
Once Hood propped his bike, Danny began taking a look at it.
“Well, aside from the clear cosmetic damage it looks like you have a problem with your-”
“Oil pump? Yeah, I figured,” came a gruff interruption. Danny shot him a nervous smile.
“If you knew that, then why did ya need me?” Hood sighed.
“Can you fix it or not?”
“Of course I can! I’ll even do it for the low, low price of not shooting me!” Hood let out a modulated snort.
“That sounds like a deal, although, I don’t think I’d shoot you anyways.”
“Why’s that?”
“You’re the only mechanic crazy enough to be open at 3 am. Also, you seem to have a decent sense of humor.”
Danny could feel the crime lord watching him while he grabbed his tools. He tried his best to ignore the disgusting vibe coming from the man. Where the hell did Jeff put the bike sprocket tool?
“I could make puns if you want! Since you like my humor so much.” There it is.
“Oh god, no. You’d be just like my brother.” Danny chuckled at Hood’s exasperation. Danny began to disconnect the brake lever.
The two slipped into an uncomfortable silence as Danny continued working on the bike. It was after several agonizing minutes that Hood spoke up.
“So what made you decide to fix vehicles at ungodly hours of the morning?” Danny smiled.
“Well, I needed a job, and Joe, he’s the guy that owns the shop, offered me an apprenticeship. So I was like ‘Sure! Why not?’ and then when Greg retired, Joe needed a new night mechanic. So here I am! How ‘bout you? What's it like being a crime lord?” Danny did not just ask that. You can’t just ask a crime lord that! Was that offensive? Hood’s laugh startled the ghost.
Fuck, he said that out loud didn’t he.
“Don’t worry, I don’t take offense,” the amused tone could not be blocked by the modulator, “it keeps me busy, but I’d like to think I’m making the Alley at least a little better.”
Danny could almost feel the love for the dingiest part of Gotham coming off Hood in droves. Even if it came off more like a sickly cough than what Danny was used to. That dude should really get his death vibes checked.
By the time he replaced the old pump, Danny’s arms were covered in oil. Hood tossed him a rag which he gratefully accepted. The half-ghost walked over to the far corner of the shop to grab the dent puller.
“Do you want me to fix the dents on her? Free of charge!”
“If you do, I’m gonna pay you, assuming you won’t wreck my bike in the process.”
“I don’t know if it could be worse than the shape you brought it in.”
“True, that damn kite man,” Hood muttered along with something about kneecaps. Danny could not control the laugh that broke out of him.
“You mean to tell me… that…that the person who did this much damage was…was…KITEMAN!” The mechanic doubled over in a fit of giggles. Hood grunted.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up!”
“Sorry, it’s just not what I was expecting!” Danny wiped a nonexistent tear, leaving a streak of oil on his face, “anyways, I’m gonna get the dents out now.”
When Danny was finished, he was proud of his work. The smog of Gotham was getting lighter which means his shift was almost done! He could hear his bed calling to him. Danny watched as Hood inspected the bike, fully expecting the crime lord to just take off into the Gotham sunrise. The crime lord approached Danny, standing around the same height as the ghost. Danny resisted the urge to back away. Hood reached into a pocket and pulled out a roll of cash. The mechanic released a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
“This is…a lot more than what the repair costs?” The expressionless helmet faced towards him.
“You did good. Besides, you can consider it hush money. I can’t let Kite Man ruin my street cred now, can I?” Danny huffed and took the roll.
“I suppose not.”
Hood gave one final salute before driving off. Danny checked the time, and promptly went to bed. Hopefully, this was the first and last time he’ll ever see Hood in the shop.