Flaming wings don't fly(Jason Todd x OC)

Chapter 6: Fire and Steel

The next few weeks passed in a flurry of activity for Jason and Flare. Their partnership, once tentative, solidified into an efficient operation that few in Gotham could withstand. Gangs fell, hideouts were dismantled, and criminal operations that had thrived in the city's shadows were systematically torn apart. The duo worked in perfect sync—Jason's calculated, brutal efficiency matched with Flare's fiery, destructive control.

There was no time for personal matters. Jason had expected their uneasy alliance to reveal more of Flare's secrets, but she kept her distance. Every night they worked together, Flare remained professional and focused, her fire power unleashed with precision. Jason admired that about her—she didn't waste time, didn't hesitate. She was a force of nature. And yet, there was a coolness between them, a mutual respect that neither tried to push beyond.

They hit operation after operation, crippling the local gangs' efforts to regain any foothold. Jason could see the change in Gotham—there were fewer bodies in the streets, fewer whispered threats among the people. He began to feel like they were making a real difference, but he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Flare's involvement was more than just a temporary alliance.

It wasn't until they took down a major weapons ring that Jason started digging deeper into Flare's past. During one of their operations, he overheard some of the gang leaders mentioning overseas contacts. Curious, Jason began looking into their sources. He quickly uncovered something he hadn't expected: Flare wasn't just a new player in Gotham—she was running her own empire.

Late one night, Jason found himself pouring over the data he had collected in his small apartment. It wasn't much, but it was enough to confirm his suspicions. Flare had connections overseas, extensive ones. She wasn't just adept at running things in Gotham's underworld—she was expanding her reach far beyond the city, with ties to powerful syndicates and criminal enterprises in Europe and Asia.

Jason stared at the screen, his thoughts spinning. Why had she come to Gotham, then? Was this part of some bigger plan? And more importantly, how did he fit into it?

The next night, as they met on the rooftop of a warehouse they'd just finished clearing out, Jason couldn't hold back any longer.

"You've been holding out on me," he said, his voice edged with accusation.

Flare glanced at him, her eyes hidden behind the mask but clearly focused. "What are you talking about?"

"I know about your connections. Overseas. The syndicates. You're not just some vigilante playing hero in Gotham."

Flare didn't flinch. Instead, she crossed her arms, her tone calm but cold. "You've been digging into my past, Red Hood? Not sure how I feel about that."

Jason narrowed his eyes. "You've got an empire, Flare. One that stretches far beyond Gotham. What's your real agenda here? Why bother with this city if you've already got everything you need?"

Flare's flames flickered briefly around her, but she didn't lose her composure. "I don't need to explain myself to you, Jason. We have a deal. We work together to clean up Gotham. That's all that matters."

"That's not gonna cut it," Jason said, his voice hardening. "If you're planning something bigger, I need to know."

Jason stared at her, his suspicion growing with every second of silence between them. Finally, Flare sighed, letting the flames around her flicker and die down. Her shoulders relaxed slightly, as though she had decided there was no point in hiding the truth any longer.

"You're right," she said quietly. "I do have connections—powerful ones. But the empire I've built... it wasn't handed to me. It's not something I took from innocent people. I raised it on the bodies of corrupt and cruel gangs, mafias, and syndicates. The same kinds of scum you and I are taking down in Gotham."

Jason remained silent, watching her closely as she continued.

"I came to Gotham looking for allies," Flare admitted, her voice steady but carrying a weight of something deeper. "I thought maybe, just maybe, I could find people here who were different. People who understood what I was trying to do. But instead, I found a city that's drowning in its own corruption. The same kind of rot that I've already burned through before. Gotham's criminals are no better than the ones I took down overseas."

She paused, glancing out over the city skyline as if seeing the ghosts of her past conquests in the darkness.

"I've done this before, Jason. I've torn apart criminal empires from the inside, just like we're doing here. I know how these operations work—the power plays, the alliances, the betrayals. It's how I've built what I have now. And I'm not ashamed of it. I'm not proud, either. I did what I had to, because no one else would."

Jason's eyes narrowed, his tone sharp. "So you're saying this is just another stop for you? Another city to take over?"

"No," Flare replied quickly, her eyes locking onto his. "Gotham isn't like the others. I didn't come here to take over. I came here hoping to build something different. But this city... It's dragging me back into the same old fight. And maybe that's all I'm good at—burning down the corruption, just to watch something else rise from the ashes."

There was a long pause as Jason absorbed her words. He could see the truth in what she said, the hardened edge in her voice that only came from experience. She wasn't playing him. She wasn't here for power. She was here to wage war on the same filth that had polluted every other city she'd been to.

Jason's voice softened, though his distrust lingered. "So what happens when you're done here, Flare? Do you move on to the next city and do it all over again?" Something about that didn't sit right with him.

Flare's gaze dropped to the ground, her voice quieter now. "I don't know. Maybe. Or maybe I'll find something worth staying for. Someone to fight alongside, instead of fighting alone."

Jason studied her carefully, searching for any hint of deception. But all he saw was someone who had fought the same battles as he had, someone who understood the darkness Gotham could pull you into.

"Alright," he said at last. "We'll keep working together. But if I find out you're lying to me—if this is all just another power grab—I'll stop you. No matter what."

Flare's eyes flickered with a quiet fire, a small smile forming beneath her mask. "I wouldn't expect anything less, Red Hood."

With that, they turned away from each other, vanishing into the night. The uneasy alliance between them had deepened, but Jason knew better than to fully trust anyone. Still, for now, they had a common goal—and that was enough to keep them fighting side by side.

But in the back of his mind, Jason couldn't help but wonder how long that uneasy truce would last—and what might happen if Flare's ambitions finally caught up with her.

Would she disappear without a trace just like how she arrived?