PART 5
by DUSTIN RILEY
(c) 2000 Fourty One Seventy Three Productions.
DISCLAIMERS: Original characters and storyline (c) 2001 Fourty One Seventy Three Productions. Voltron characters are property of World Events Productions, Ltd., I think. Please recycle. Store in a cool place. I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, diddely dee, all of them standing in a row. Big ones, small ones, some the size of your head...
There was a soft knock on Hunk's door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see Dusty standing in the doorway. Usually it was Pidge asking him about a technical question with the lions, or one of the Castle maids bringing him room service for those long nights poring over blueprints. "Well, if it isn't the prince himself! Come on in, Dusty. Dusty had a worried look on his face. Although the flu had come and gone, something else prevented him from feeling his best. He sat down on Hunk's weight bench while Hunk made himself comfortable on his plush sofa. "What did you want?" Hunk asked.
Dusty sighed. "It's this whole 'heir to the throne' thing. I know I should take it, but I'm scared that I'll be horrible at it. I've only been on Planet Arus for three months, and I'm still just learning the lay of the land. I don't feel like I'm 'tuned in' to what the people want in a ruler. And Keith & Allura have been doing so well, why should I come in and mess up everything they've done?!"
Hunk thought for a moment, and popped a potato chip in his mouth. He turned the bag to Dusty. "Want one?" he asked.
Dusty shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not?" He took the chip and munched on it.
Hunk took into account the whole situation, and formulated an answer. "Let me tell you, Dusty. Before I went into the Academy, I was big, but I was big in a bad way. I was way overweight and out of shape. It was a challenge just to walk across the campus. All my life, I had endured ridicule just because I had a bigger appetite than most people. And my mother came from Italian descent, so it's no wonder I had the appetite." Hunk chuckled. "Even after finishing off a whole dinner plate, my mother would insist I eat seconds, sometimes thirds!"
Hunk's smile quickly faded to a frown with a sigh. "I was tired of being the butt of everyone's joke. So one night, I sat down and made a promise to myself that by the time I finished my sophomore year, I would be in the best shape I had ever been. I was determined to reach my goal by any means necessary. It was tough in the beginning. I felt frustrated and defeated. But that which does not kill me only makes me stronger. So I had even more drive and ambition. My life was school, studying, sleep, and working out. Each night I'd be asleep before my head would hit the pillow from exhaustion. But my sacrifice paid off. The fat had given way to lean muscle. I had become the co-captain of the intramural flag football team by my junior year. I had never felt better in my life."
"I guess what I'm trying to say is, tough it out. Besides, if things start out rotten, they can only get better, right?"
Dusty couldn't help but smile. Hunk was somewhat like Sven. He was quiet a lot of the time, but when he said something, you couldn't help but listen. And he was right. Hunk had put the whole ruler thing into perspective. "Yeah, you're right, Hunk," Dusty said. "And thanks. I feel a little better." Dusty grabbed another potato chip as he left Hunk's room. Before leaving, he turned around and said, "You know Hunk, you were right about something else. You can never eat just one of these things!" Dusty walked down the hallway, with an echo of a potato chip crunching inside his mouth.
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