wraithvault

Rating: T
Categories: M/M, Gen
Fandom: DCU
Relationship: Ra's al Ghul/Jason Todd
Characters: Ra's al Ghul, Jason Todd
Additional Tags: Ficlet, Fake Dating, Age Difference, Fluff
Status: Complete
Wordcount: 1082
Series: Part 1 of Flufftober 2021
Published on AO3: 2021-10-08

Notes: Flufftober 2021: Day 1 - Winning a Teddy for the Other

Disclaimer: I do not own the DCU franchise or any associated characters, trademarks etc.

"Here you go," Jason says and tosses the teddy bear he just won to Ra's al Ghul. He's pretty sure the (much) older man wants to murder him for it, but as it's not currently an option, the man just smiles at him and accepts.

Jason should probably go underground for a few months when this mission is over, huh.

But that's a problem for future Jason. Right now, he's got another game to win. There's a booth not far off offering even bigger teddy bears and hell, he's already dug his grave, might as well go all out. So Jason sidles up to Ra's and curls his hand around the older man's arm, hanging his weight onto him and steering him in the direction of the next booth.

Ra's eyes narrow on Jason's hand but he doesn't say anything, so Jason cheerfully pretends that he doesn't notice. When they get to the new booth, he parks Ra's in the corner next to it and picks up the toy gun. He weighs it in his hands, takes aim, and fires.

It's a hit.

Grinning, Jason hits again and again, racking up points. Or maybe not. He doesn't really know how amusement parks works, but it sounds logical enough.

The man in the booth gives him the biggest bear on the shelf. Jason, already doomed and thus having nothing to lose, walks over to Ra's and holds it out. "For you, my love," he says, trying to sound smooth and suave and in love. It must work, because he can see more than a few people nearby smiling indulgently at him. Then looking more uncertain when they see Ra's properly and realize how big the age difference is. It's kind of funny.

"Thank you, beloved," Ra's al Ghul, the arrogant fucker, says easily. There's not a hint of deception on him, not so much as a smidgen of deceit.

Jason narrows his eyes. He throws his arm around Ra's' waist and hugs him, feeling their body's align. It's unfair that he's shorter than Ra's, but he can still throw his bulk around. Though Ra's is pretty bulky too, but—anyway, Jason isn't going to let his one chance to enjoy life slip away from him. He's sure that when the mission is over, he's going to be murdered very violently, so he'd like to take this opportunity.

During the course of trying out all the booths, they've successfully gotten much closer to the employee only area of the amusement park. Where the mission details account for some pretty nasty stuff going down. And Jason is ready.

He brought some fucking fabulous guns.

"Come on, I'll win you," Jason squints, trying to read the tiny text on the last booth they need to hit. He's left cameras and bugs on every booth so far, but he doesn't think there was anything useful from them. Or this charade would have ended already; probably with his decapitation. Finally, he gives up and just says, "I'll win whatever they've got there, I'm sure it's super romantic."

Ra's chuckles and damn if that doesn't make Jason shiver. He keeps the reaction contained but Ra's probably already noticed since he's, well, Ra's. And a super ninja-slash-assassin. "I'm sure it will be worth it," Ra's says, and Jason tries to edge away from him.

Unfortunately, he's still got a grip on the other man's waist and Ra's hand clamp down on his, squeezing tightly. Jason is pretty sure it cuts off his blood for a bit before the grip eases just enough that it's not painful. Ra's smile at him, so perfectly loving that it's just creepy, and says, "Careful dear, wouldn't want you to get lost."

How many trackers has Ra's already placed on Jason? Ah, it doesn't matter, he should burn everything just to be safe. And maybe get a full-body scan to check for trackers planted inside his body...

Pulling up his most flirtatious smile, Jason grins at Ra's and says, "Not to worry, love, I would find you no matter how far we part."

Ra's leans toward him, slowing their pace even further, thus allowing the goons of the amusement park's boss to better surround them. Jason pretends not to notice, and instead keeps his eyes locked on Ra's face. This far on the amusement park's edge, the lighting is much less obtrusive. It flickers in Ra's eyes, and—Jason is not going to go there. Nope. He'd like to think he has some survival instincts, thanks.

Ra's is looking at him, too, though. Which is—fine. It's fine. The goons are getting closer, which means Jason is soon gonna be able to (work out some frustration) shoot people.

"You look beautiful tonight, beloved," Ra's says.

Jason grins, "Thank you, love," and surreptitiously palms one of his tiny knives. He rolls it between his fingers, waiting until he senses someone approaching from behind him and, when Ra's doesn't react, flings the knife over his shoulder.

"Fuck!" somebody screams.

Jason grins wider, delighted that it worked. Then he frowns, "Wait, what happened to the stuff I won you?"

"Ubu retrieved it," Ra's answers. And Jason didn't even notice.

He frowns harder. Luckily, there's a band of goons surrounding them so Jason can put it out of his mind in favor of kicking their ass. Thankfully, Ra's lets him go for this part. It would have been pretty difficult to fight otherwise.

The fight makes his adrenaline surge, the goons actually being very good at fighting. It's invigorating and takes his mind off certain other things he's been trying not to think about. He loses himself in the battle, throws his whole body in it, and lets it take over. It's been a while, after all. He's been too busy with investigations to really let loose. And these guys certainly deserve it.

When the fight's over, Jason stands still. He breathes, his head tilted back to take in the stars. It's nice night falls so early here, it leaves fewer people here. Doubtless, they heard the sounds of gunfire, but it should have just driven them off. But it's silent now, the stars twinkling, the night heavy, the air colder still. It's quiet, and still, and calm.

Jason breathes, and turns to Ra's al Ghul, and stares. Ra's is quiet too, his gaze calm on Jason. The silence would be worrying, if the mission wasn't still ongoing.

Jason wonders idly how quickly he'll get murdered once it's over.