Title: Food Fight
Fandom: Fire Emblem: Three Hopes
Characters/Pairing: Yuri Leclerc/Ashe Ubert
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine
Warnings: Spoilers for Golden Wildfire. There is nothing explicit in this fic, but things are definitely implied. Yuri is challenged by gentle dom Ashe Ubert. ;P
Notes: This was going to be just about the boys being romantic, but I guess I really wanted to write about Ashe’s life with the Golden Deer as well. Whoops.

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Ashe wasn’t a professional chef, but he knew his way around a kitchen. When you were raised by restaurateurs and you attended school (albeit briefly) with Dedue and Mercedes, some things were going to rub off you. He hated bragging, but King Claude’s Federation troops, once initially wary of the former knight, warmed up to him the day he was on kitchen duty. Lysithea praised his pastries. Raphael kept offering him a job at his inn once the war was over. Even shy Marianne would tell him that she loved his vegetarian meals. So, this wasn’t bragging. This was an objective assessment of his skills. He could make good meals and arrange them artfully.

Table manners, however… well, Ashe never chewed with his mouth open. He always asked for people to pass the seasoning and side dishes rather than reaching over like certain Raphaels that would remain nameless. But he did have a habit of gulping down his meals, even if he wanted to savor them. That habit was also influenced by his past. When you stole buy food to keep from starving, you had to eat it before it went bad—or someone realized what you had done and took the food back to ‘make it right’ or whatever. Eat your fill before it’s taken from you. That was something he and his siblings had learned from bitter experience.

He had thought Lonato would scold them that first night he and his siblings gobbled down the decadent meal his servants had spent all day preparing to celebrate their adoption. But Lonato had laughed, commended them on their hearty appetites, and wolfed down his own serving. Christophe had noted that if Ashe was going to be a knight when he grew up, he would have to eat fast before the next battle.

Now Christophe was dead and Ashe was no longer a knight but a general in King Claude’s Federation army, seeking to stop the Kingdom and the Central Church he had once served even with his own misgivings (Ashe truly believed Dimitri was a good king, and Flayn reminded him of his sister, but he would never fully trust the Central Church after what happened with Christophe). He hated having to betray his old classmates, but… Claude had been correct. If he had died, Lonato and his siblings would have had to suffer another loss. And King Dimitri, despite his role and abilities, took every death so badly… Ashe wasn’t sure if he could have survived it. Maybe this way, Ashe could at least end the war soon.

… It wasn’t something he was going to admit out loud just yet since he was still processing it, but there were many good things about joining the Federation. He was still on the fence about King Claude’s tactics, but he could support stopping the Central Church. King Claude himself seemed like someone that genuinely wanted to make the world better, even if his methods were, well, sneaky. His new comrades were friendly, especially Raphael, someone Ashe had sort of taken under his wing when it came to cooking. Raphael had returned the favor by taking Ashe under his wing when it came to learning how to fight in close combat or not shut himself away because of his guilt. Leonie and Ignatz liked to talk about archery and travel journals. Hilda and Lorenz were eccentric but kind. Holst was a hero straight out of knightly tales. Also, Ashe’s old friend Hapi was now serving in the army—along with Balthus and Constance. Lonato, who Ashe had been terrified was going to try to take down Rhea personally after his searing speeches and letters to King Dimitri, seemed satisfied with ‘only’ defecting to the Empire after some discussions with the Archbishop of the Eastern Church. That was another thing Ashe liked about the Federation. Their Church was more about forgiveness and living a good life rather than the Western or even Central Church. Lonato had mentioned inviting some Eastern bishops to fill the void left while the Western Church and Central Church fought over what little power they had left. Ashe had breathed a sigh of relief after reading that letter. He wasn’t fond of the Western Church’s focus on power and holy revenge, either.

Also, Yuri was part of the Federation army.

Seeing someone who looked like his childhood friend had distracted Ashe enough for Yuri to land a decisive hit. When Yuri had apologized snarkily while healing him right after that attack, even before Ashe formally defected, he knew it really was Yuri. Yuri, who was always tossing himself in danger and was melodramatic and frustrating… but also noble and tender and funny. Ashe wasn’t a knight anymore, but he had sworn to protect Yuri regardless. This meant he saw Yuri provide food and gold to all the people the war forgot, such as little kids that were about Ashe’s age when he started to steal. He protected farmers and merchants. He sent money and letters to his mother who Yuri mentioned still gave him grief for betraying ‘that nice Lady Rhea,’ but respected his decision. He wept over those he could not save, but only around Ashe. Before Ashe knew what had happened, he had fallen in love with Yuri.

Yuri, who despite having a past like Ashe’s, was a very delicate eater.

Ashe knew it was rude to stare, but gosh. Yuri’s slender fingers scooped up the frozen peach slices with his spoon, nibbling daintily for what felt like forever before having another bite. He wanted to scold Yuri for eating so slowly that his dessert would melt, but… he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Yuri’s mouth.

“You know,” Yuri said, putting the spoon down on his napkin, “the first few times I just assumed you were dazzled by my beauty like everyone else. But now that we’ve gotten so close, I know it’s not like you to stare unless you have a good reason to.” Yuri leaned forward, that delicate hand of his cupping his chin, purple eyes dark with wicked glee. “You, my sweet former knight, have a food fetish.”

“What.”

Yuri picked up his spoon again, slowly taking another bite, exaggerating a moan. (It still made Ashe’s toes curl.) “Oh, this is so good. All this sugar and sweetness around my lips and on my tongue, dribbling down my chin. If only someone would help clean me up in his own way. Or even teach me not to let my dessert melt by punishing me.”

Ashe gave Yuri a look. At this point, he was used to being teased. “Well, it is going to melt if you don’t dig in.”

Yuri gave him a look right back, putting the spoon down again. “I should’ve known that you’re just too innocent to pick up on my innuendos.”

Okay, that stung. Ashe was quite aware everyone saw him as this starry-eyed kid because he loved knight stories, screamed the last time King Claude suggested the latrine was haunted, and shunned the arena fights Yuri and Balthus were obsessed with. However, he was also an adult with a boyfriend and they were both generals in a war. Maybe it was time to remind Yuri of that.

Ashe grabbed the spoon, loading it with what remained of the fucking peaches. “Open your mouth,” he ordered Yuri. When Yuri simply blinked at him, Ashe leaned over and opened Yuri’s mouth for him with ungentle fingers. “Honestly. Good thing for you I like caring for others. Now stay still while I feed you or you will get punished.” He shoved the spoon in Yuri’s mouth, noting with satisfaction as Yuri’s sugar-sticky lips promptly closed around the utensil. “Chew.” After Ashe was satisfied Yuri wouldn’t choke, he barked, “Swallow.” It was a little mean, but he let his free hand drift to Yuri’s neck, feeling it as his throat bobbed obediently.

Ashe smiled as Yuri collected himself. “Good boy. Now that you’ve learned not to play with your food, I suspect the late-night snack session I have planned for us will go much more smoothly.”

Yuri let out a low whistle. “Sometimes I forget that you’re—”

“An adult with a healthy love life?”

Yuri laughed. “Yeah. That. So, tell me about these snacks of yours.”