A/N: This is a belated Christmas gift for Shiranai Atsune, the sweet author who asked me to write them a Hunelle fic two months ago. Thank you so much for your continued support and your patience with this fic ;)
Happy New Year's Eve and Happy 2019 to you all!
Disclaimer: I do not Voltron or the characters that appear in this story, they belong to Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Hunk rolled over in the hospital bed, doing his best to not make any sudden movement. Despite the medication the nurses had given him two hours ago, his head still hurt a bit whenever he tried to tilt it to one side or the other.
Ever since the boy had been hospitalized after the battle with the Robeast his family had refused to leave his room, insisting that he needed someone to look after him. It wasn't until Shay and her family came to Earth to visit him that Hunk managed to convince his parents, with a little help of the Balmeran girl, that they should give him some space and time alone to rest.
"Besides, it's not like I'm going to be discharged anytime soon." Hunk thought and sighed. "If only the food they have here was better... But no, it tastes even worse than the food goo the first time we ate it at the Castle of Lions."
Suddenly, the boy heard the door slid open and carefully turned his head, seeing it was Romelle.
"Hello Hunk." she greeted him and entered the room.
"Hi, Romelle. What are you doing here? I thought you would be with Allura and Coran." he asked her and sat up on the bed.
"Allura is now sleeping and Coran insisted on staying in her room to keep an eye on her, so I came here to bring you this." the Altean answered and pulled out a small white package that she had been hiding behind her back, handing it to him.
"Oh, what is this?" wondered Hunk and hesitantly took it in his hands, before looking back at Romelle.
"Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate your gift Romelle, but I cannot accept this, you didn't have to give me anything..." he tried to say but the blonde girl interrupted him with a shake of her head.
"Of course I know I didn't have to make you anything, Hunk, but the thing is that I wanted to give you this gift, even if you didn't ask for it. That's what friends are for, right? " she told him, and then added almost too offhandedly. "By the way, I spent almost three vargas to prepare you this, so it would be a shame if you didn't even open it, you know."
"Okay, okay, I will open it…" the boy complied and started to unwrap the box, while Romelle sat at the foot of the bed, satisfied with her small victory.
After removing the wrapping paper, Hunk slowly pulled off the lid and his hands stilled when he saw its content.
"You made me cookies?" his eyes filled with joyful tears and he had to blink several times to keep them back. "Thank you so much, Romelle!" he beamed at her and the girl nodded her head in acknowledgment.
"Pidge mentioned me two days ago when I visited her that you like baking when you are stressed or exhausted because it helps you clear your head, so I thought it would be a good idea if I baked you some cookies to cheer you up, since you aren't currently allowed to leave your room." the Altean casually explained, though Hunk could swear he saw the ghost of a smile flicker on her lips as she spoke.
"Yeah, it definitely was a good idea." Hunk agreed with her and held a cookie between his index and his thumb. "They sure look good..." he commented, staring at it longingly.
"Then what are you waiting for? Eat them when they still are warm!" she encouraged him and whispered in a conspiratorial tone. "Don't worry, I promise I won't tell the nurses." the girl assured him and he smiled gratefully.
"I never thought I would be so happy to hear those words in my entire life." the boy admitted and brought the cookie to his mouth, taking a bite.
And then another. And another.
"Well?" inquired Romelle, staring at him expectantly as he ate the cookie. "Does it taste good?"
"It's… It's…" Hunk swallowed the rest of the cookie. "Delicious! Just out of curiosity, are these some type of Altean cookies?" he asked her and grabbed another cookie. "They don't taste like anything I have eaten before."
"Yes, it's an old Altean recipe that according to Coran was invented by his grandmother. Although since there were some Altean ingredients that I couldn't obtain here, I had to substitute them for other similar that could be found on Earth, like butter, sugar or vanilla. It was an interesting experience, to say the least, and it made me realize that, despite the differences between humans and Alteans, we aren't that different when it comes to food." she commented, smiling a bit.
"Yeah, I know what you mean." said the boy, setting aside the box of cookies and shaking off the crumbs that had fallen on his hospital gown. "I think that's one of the things I love the most about food. How it can bring people from different countries, cultures or even planets together at the same table, and make them feel comfortable and enjoy each other's company."
"Just like you and the other Paladins, right?"
"Yeah, just like me and my friends."
They fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, until Hunk shyly spoke again.
"By the way, I was thinking that maybe after I get out of here we could have a 'cooking session', you know. I prepare you my best dessert and you prepare me yours, and then we exchange recipes and make constructive criticism about the other's dish."
"Hmm…" Romelle tapped thoughtfully a finger against her chin, considering his offer. "It's an interesting proposition, but I think I have a better one. How about I teach you how to make some Altean dessert, and in return, you teach me how to prepare some typical Earth dessert?"
The boy laughed and extended his right hand.
"That's exactly what I was suggesting but whatever, your offer sounds cool too. Do we have a deal?"
The girl nodded her head in agreement and took his hand, shaking it briefly.
"Yes, I think we have."
A/N: You can always leave a comment or send me any requests or suggestions for prompts via PM or review.
Constructive criticism is always welcome!