Work Text:
Hubert walked as fast as he could down the corridor without raising alarmed glances in his direction. He intended to arrive not too late for his usual tea session with his fiancé.
Fortunately, the Minister of the Imperial Household did foresaw from the beginning that the meeting on reducing ridiculously high taxes would end later than necessary because of the nobles who still could not understand that their presence was a mere formality and their opinions were, therefore, unnecessary; so he had sent a messenger to let the Prime Minister know about his delay.
Still, it didn't feel right to make Ferdinand wait, especially when Hubert was the one who usually teased his lover for the same reason. Besides, he hoped the Ferdinand wouldn't be disappointed on not having his favorite tea on time, since it was Hubert's turn to brew their beverages.
When Hubert finally stepped into the garden assigned for their dates, the black-haired man was surprised by the pleasant aroma of two of cups of coffee and a plate filled with homemade cookies on the table.
"Hubert!" Ferdinand stood up from his chair upon noticing his arrival, walked to the other side of the table, pulled the chair and then motioned for his boyfriend to take a seat.
"Always a gentleman, uh." Hubert said with a sly half smile, which was erased as soon as the ginger man stole a small kiss from his mouth before returning to his own chair.
"Anything for my beloved." He chuckled at the mage's furrowed brows and flushed cheeks. "I got your message, by the way. I hope you don't mind that I decided to take your turn and make coffee today, I was in the mood for it. The opening event for the new hospital ended earlier than planned, which mean I was able to hurry back to the palace. Then I used the remaining time to bake cookies. They have cinnamon, just the way you like it."
Even though Ferdinand loved tea, he occasionally agreed to drink coffee to have a nice time with Hubert. After adding goat's milk and lots of sugar, of course.
"I see. I appreciate it, dear." Hubert brought the cup under his nose and breathed in the pleasantly bitter scent until he felt his shoulders relax. Ferdinand knew how to prepare the coffee beans just the way he liked it. "I'm sorry I couldn't make your tea today. I promise I'll make it up to you."
"Don't worry, dear. I know how busy you are." Ferdinand smiled as his gaze softened. "Also, I don't need compensation for taking care of my fiancé, you know?"
"Are you sure? Right now you're in a position to ask me whatever you want." Hubert said jokingly, trying not to blush again. Ferdinand's sincerity and corniness always disarmed him.
"Don't tempt me, Hubert. What I am going to ask of you is not something I can say freely to the wind, trust me. So I suggest you to wait until we return to our chambers." He answered, curiously, with a shy look, as if he hadn't just provoked hundreds of fantasies in his partner.
The spymaster chuckled slightly as he understood the implication. Ferdinand was usually the active one in bed, for he was the paladin with great stamina and powerful hips, but from time to time he would beg a tired Hubert to have him inside him, and Hubert was happy to oblige.
"Ah, I understand. I'll gladly wait until nightfall, then."
"Good." He laughed, then cleared his throat to change the subject. "So how's your day going, darling?"
"Mmh. Not very pleasant, unfortunately. You won't believe what that Lord from Ochs told me…" Hubert then proceeded to explain in detail how annoying his last meeting with nobles and other ministers had been.
Edelgard and Ferdinand were usually present during Council meetings, which lightened the mood quite a bit since no one dared to contradict the Empress and the Prime Minister was an excellent mediator. However, there were times when the two of them had other, more important business where their presence was essential. Which left Hubert dealing with complaints and whining from a horde of nobles who still hadn't gotten used to the idea that they had loss power.
Fortunately, Ferdinand's day was better and he didn't have much to report. Although Hubert knew from his spies that a handsome viscount tried to flirt with his fiancé. However, the redhead dismissed his advances cordially. Hubert, of course, was not spying on his boyfriend out of jealousy, it was simply his duty to protect the governors of Adrestia.
After a while they fell into a pleasant silence, each one enjoying their cups of coffee and the delicious cookies in measure, when Ferdinand decided to break it.
"Ferdinand von Vestra…" He murmured contemplatively. A satisfied smile spread across his face, surely fascinated by how that sounded in his head.
Hubert, thanks to all his years of spy training, managed not to spit his drink out, though he had to return his cup to the table before getting his thoughts in order.
"Excuse me?" Still, he didn't know what else to ask.
"Oh, I was just thinking out loud about what my name will sound like in the future."
"What makes you think you'll be a Vestra?" Hubert inquired with disgust, but not directed at Ferdinand.
"The ring on my finger." He responded with a raised eyebrow, as if it were an obvious answer, and showed said ring around the ring finger of his left hand, raised to the level of his amber eyes.
Hubert suddenly remembered that, in fact, their big day was not far away and they hadn’t yet discussed what they would do with their last names. But the idea of his fiancé taking his name sounded totally ridiculous.
"I was under the impression that we would take the Aegir name." He commented quietly, watching the steam from the kettle come out of the spout, though his green eyes snapped back when Ferdinand did spit out some coffee.
"Oh Goddess! I'm so sorry, that was so improper of me!" Ferdinand said as he erratically wiped up the liquid with a cloth napkin. Hubert was too taken aback by his reaction to help. "But, Hubert. My name? Really?" He scowled at him.
"I…I don't understand. I thought you'd be happy with that." He explained, truly confused.
"And what on earth makes you think that?" He inquired, more curious than annoyed, dropping the napkin on the table.
"Well…" He answered a little defensively. "You have always been proud of the Aegir name and its long line of Prime Ministers. You literally shouted 'I am Ferdinand von Aegir' during trainings at Garreg Mach monastery and on the battlefield, and sometimes you still do when introduce yourself. So I think it's pertinent to keep your name, even if our future children don't follow in our footsteps as ministers."
"Our future chi-" Ferdinand blushed and shook his head. They had recently discussed parenthood and agreed that they would wait a couple of years before seriously thinking about adoption, even though it was clear they were on the same page and wanted children. "Yes, you are right. I admit there was a time in my life when I took great pride in the name Aegir. But now…" He sighed, his eyes wandering over the table. "I don't know... I guess I don't feel so close to my ancestors' names anymore. My uncles don't reply to my letters. My cousins and half-siblings have only gotten close to me because I'm the new prime minister. My mother doesn't even introduces herself with the Aegir name anymore, she uses her maiden name.”
"The name Vestra is no better." Hubert reminded him after taking a sip of coffee. “You know what House Vestra has done in the shadows for generations and the public opinion of us. The Prime Minister's reputation should not be tarnished by a name that is destined to be erased from history books."
"I'm sorry to disagree with you, dear." He drank coffee, changing his posture to a haughtier one, like when mediate an argument against a headstrong lord. “You are not wrong to say that the Vestra name has a certain negative reputation, but also don't forget that you are now the Minister of the Imperial Household and you have contributed a lot to improving the quality of life of the citizens of Adrestia. And your name will hardly be forgotten, since the newspapers speaks wonders about Minister von Vestra, and as far as I know, we haven't paid them." He added humorously, though his demeanor fell once more. “Hubert, I… I would really like to carry your name, you know? Not only for you, but because I want to feel part of a family, your family.” He reached out a hand and took the one that Hubert had on the table. "Besides, the Aegir name doesn't have a better reputation either."
Hubert suddenly understood why Ferdinand decided to tell the truths about the Aegir family, the truths that he kept silent out of decorum; why he brought out the evident disinterest of his uncles, who lost power, and the sudden interest of his cousins and illegitimate siblings, who wanted power. House Aegir was thrown into chaos at the start of the war and still couldn't find peace at its end, since Ferdinand wasn’t a corrupt ruler who favored them as others Aegir once did.
Not to mention that Hubert had had to comfort his fiancé more than once because the Aegir family regularly did or said something to try to discredit the new Prime Minister, perhaps hoping to make Ferdinand felt guilty about something out of his control, while Ferdinand was too benevolent for his own good and always avoided confronting them, since he was raised to respect (fear) his family.
The House Vestra, for its part, didn't really take pride in their name. Their allegiance was limited to House Hresvelg. However, they were united not only to facilitate their espionage work and avoid betrayal, but because they truly believed in the goodwill of the emperors of Adrestia, just like Ferdinand and he had initially united to protect and guide the Empress…
In that sense, Ferdinand could easily be a Vestra.
"I think… I get your point, dear." He squeezed the redhead’s hand and a sincere soft smile came over his mouth. Ferdinand smiled back, relieved and excited at his response. "I bet my mother and siblings will be happy with the news. Sometimes I think they love you more than me."
"Oh, don't talk nonsense, dear." He laughed and released their hands to take another cookie. "If I wasn't your boyfriend, they wouldn't even have given me a chance. Don't think I don't know that you and your mother hate the idea that my father is your future father-in-law."
If Hubert hadn't stopped the cup against his lower lip in time, he sure as hell would have spit the contents on the table this time.
"Hubert?" Ferdinand inquired with concern as he saw his one visible eye widen.
"I feel like a fool. For some reason, I completely forgot that your father will be my father-in-law. Taking the name Aegir would be like honoring our future kinship."
"In that case, I'm glad you agreed to give me your last name." Ferdinand bite the cookie, chewed it carefully, and then added with a big smile. "Imagine my father's face after I visit him and tell him that the Prime Minister is now a Vestra. I bet he will be very surprised!" He said with an innocent face, too innocent.
"...Ah, you're right. Now that you mention it, it just dawned on me that I didn't properly introduce myself or ask for your father's blessing." Hubert commented, also feigning innocence.
Ludwig von Aegir knew perfectly well who Hubert von Vestra was. In fact, the man was the reason he and Ferdinand hated each other as children. Hubert didn't know if Ferdinand was aware of his father's machinations and the irreversible damage he had done to the Empress, so Hubert could only ignore or respond to Ferdinand with insults.
It wasn't until they attended the monastery that the mage realized that Ferdinand knew nothing about it and that his devotion to Edelgard was real. Although, it was the stubbornness of the both of them that needed to happen a war so they could finally forge a friendship and accept their feelings.
"Excellent idea, my dear! I'll make sure to schedule a visit in the dungeons for our next day off." Ferdinand finished his coffee and then got up from the table. "But now, I'm afraid I must cut our wonderful date short. I have to send our wedding invitations."
"Hmm?" Hubert looked at him in confusion. "I'm sure my assistants already sent out the invitations a few days ago."
"Oh no dear" He laughed and tucked a lock of long hair behind his ear. "I asked them to stop and rewrite the text to change my last name to Vestra. I was just waiting for you and me to sit down and talk calmly to let you know about that."
Ah.
Ferdinand had it planned. Which explained the perfectly brewed coffee and his favorite cookies. Hubert usually hated being surprised like that, but seeing his fiancé's beaming, confident smile stopped him from admonishing him.
"Ferdinand, what would have happened if I had refused?" He inquired with narrowed eyes, crossing his arms.
"I knew you were not going to deny me that, sweetheart." He answered easily, shrugging, but moved closer to his fiancé, leaning over his chair until they were face to face, their noses inches away, breathing over Hubert's mouth. "But in case you had refused…, I know many ways to convince you, love."
Hubert swallowed hard. He closed his eyelids slowly and prepared to join his lips with those of his beloved, but instead he received a playful kiss on the nose before reopening them and seeing Ferdinand triumphantly walk away.
"See you tonight, Hubie!"
The mage couldn't help but shake his head and chuckled. Definitely a Vestra.