Human AU
Ralph gently knocked on the bedroom door, opening it slightly to peek in.
"You alive in there?" he asked.
"Barely," Vanellope answered with a rasp, pausing the video she was watching on her phone as she curled up in bed. "You can come in."
Entering the girl's room, Ralph carried a small fold out tray, navigating through her toys like a minefield on his way over to her side. He set it down at her feet and reached out with the back of his large hand to feel her forehead.
"How're you feeling?" he sighed, her fever still hadn't gone down.
"Like crap," Vanellope grumbled. She looked exhausted.
"Yeah," Ralph empathized with a small nod. "It sucks."
"What's that?" the girl pointed at the steaming bowl on the tray table.
"Oh yeah, uhm— I called Felix and asked for his family's chicken soup recipe," Ralph shifted the tray to sit in front of her. "I just hope I can do it justice. You know I'm not the best cook…"
Vanellope marveled at the warm, inviting dish in front of her, inspecting it with her spoon. This wasn't the canned stuff, it was the real deal. Taking a bite, the girl's eyes went wide with the burst of flavor that held up against her lowered sense of taste.
"Mmm!" she swallowed. "It's good!"
"It is?" Ralph smiled, genuinely surprised and relieved.
"Yeah!" That one bite seemed to perk her right up. She took another spoonful, followed by a third. The warm broth soothed her aching throat, and the steam lightly cleared her stuffy nose. It was almost like magic.
Ralph's chest swelled as he watched Vanellope happily devour her meal, inwardly thanking Felix for coaching him and not losing his patience over the phone. Somehow through the chaos, he'd pulled it off; and there was no greater sense of accomplishment that he felt than when he could make that girl smile.