An AU where Yata joins a tv show cooking contest (elaborate ones with challenges and such) to get the prize money. One of the judges is Fushimi who is a very picky eater and would usually give really low points. At first, Yata is only trying to make food Fushimi might like cause he felt challenged but they somehow got close as time went on and he just makes healthy food cause he's worried and cares about Fushimi now. Fushimi is still a strict judge though cause it's food lol
Imagining in this AU they don’t know each other, maybe Yata is this up and coming chef and Fushimi is a food critic well known for being ridiculously picky about his food. One day Yata manages to get cast on this new cooking competition show, he’s super thrilled because this may be just the big break he needs to start getting attention for his food plus if he wins he gets a cash prize. Yata’s pretty confident too, like the first challenge is to just make your ‘signature’ dish and Yata makes this really flavorful dish full of spices and fresh vegetables. The other judges like it but then Fushimi barely eats it, taking one bite and looking dissatisfied. He immediately starts complaining about all that Yata did wrong, this is overspiced and undercooked and the vegetables completely ruin it. Before he went on the show Yata assured all his friends that don’t worry, I’ll keep my temper in check, and this goes out the window immediately as Yata starts getting angry, like my spices are perfect and you barely tasted it so how would you know. Fushimi immediately gets this twisted grin, all amused as he taunts Yata for his taste in food being as minimal as his height.
Yata is now determined to make Fushimi eat his food and call it good, he’s going to rub his skills in that asshole’s face. The TV crew are probably living for this too, an ongoing storyline about one of the contestants having a feud with a judge. The producers definitely push the angle, like sometimes during cooking the judges will walk around and talk with the contestants and of course Fushimi only gets to interact with Yata and it always turns into Yata getting mad while Fushimi taunts him. Yata can’t believe Fushimi got picked to be a judge on this show and how are you a food critic anyway, my baby sister eats more adventurous food than you do. Fushimi is unimpressed with Yata’s cooking techniques and thinks he’s all bark no bite, like if you’re so skilled Misaki make me some food I can actually eat. Yata keeps trying new ways to get Fushimi to like his food, like he’ll hide the vegetables in different ways or try new seasonings that he can slip in without Fushimi noticing. He’s still not getting any points from Fushimi and his points from the other judges are dropping too but Yata doesn’t care, he’s going to make Fushimi like his food if it kills him.
As this goes on though imagine the two of them inadvertently spending more time together backstage. Yata spots Fushimi after a filming one day and Fushimi is just eating a Caloriemate even though there’s all this catering and great food on set and Yata ends up whipping up a bland bento and drops it right into Fushimi’s lap. Fushimi glares at him and says Yata isn’t going to get any extra points by trying to make food outside the competition, Yata shrugs and says he isn’t trying to make points he just thinks Fushimi needs to eat more. Fushimi claims this is enough for him and Yata can’t believe that a guy who’s a good critic is eating Caloriemate for lunch. Fushimi clicks his tongue and says he doesn’t care about food, Yata can’t believe that there’s someone who doesn’t care about food. Imagine them talking and Fushimi basically admitting that he doesn't even like to eat while Yata can’t understand that viewpoint at all, food is so important to him. Yata talks about how he started to love food when his mom made him porridge when he was sick as a kid, Fushimi responds with confusion and questions about why she would make porridge and why Yata would hear her in the kitchen. He seems fully unable to comprehend the idea at all and Yata finds himself thinking that there’s more to this guy than just a picky eater.
The next day they’re getting ready to film and Fushimi is clearly not feeling well, he’s asked if he wants to film his parts separately but Fushimi shakes his head (it’s not like the food will taste any better if his taste buds were working after all). He’s obviously miserable though and keeps trying to find places to lie down and drink soda. The competition for that day is to make something that you think shows off your reason for being a chef and everyone around Yata is making the fanciest and most interesting dishes. Yata grabs a bunch of ingredients and starts to make something that will wow the judges but he keeps stopping and restarting, glancing over at the miserable Fushimi. Finally he changes course and when judging comes everyone is shocked by Yata’s dish: a very simple, warm porridge with pineapple. Yata says this is his reason for cooking, to make people he cares about happy, as he sets the dish right in front of Fushimi. Fushimi is staring at it like he’s never seen this type of food before and Yata just keeps looking at him until he slowly takes a bite. To everyone’s surprise Fushimi for the first time all competition eats his entire portion of a dish and gives Yata a perfect score (still grumbling at Yata not to get cocky about it, and Yata grins and tells him to lie down, Yata will make him some soup later too).
