Softly | Shinmon Benimaru x Reader

The Watermelon

You hummed to yourself as you made your way toward the guardhouse. You cradled yet another watermelon while a bag hung from your arms. Inside the bag was some sake that paired well with watermelon. You hoped that Benimaru would like the two.

You saw a shortcut to the backyard of the guardhouse and decided to take it. Benimaru was probably outside anyway.

But once you rounded the corner, you immediately registered the sensation of spinning while being held in someone's arms. Shinra's and Arthur's grunts and shouts of frustration filled the air around you. You continued to twirl around like an endless spinning top, not fully aware of what was going on, and tried your best not to throw up from the sudden waves of dizziness. The person who carried you sat down on the patio and you clung onto the wooden pillar next to you in a desperate attempt to ground yourself.

"Are you alright?" Konro asked beside you.

You didn't dare to open your mouth in case an eruption of vomit appeared in the place of words.

"I'll go get you some water."

You took some deep breaths and focused on the ground. Slowly, you began to feel better and the urgency to puke faded.

Konro handed you a glass of water.

The glass felt cold to the touch and you placed it against your cheek. "What happened?"

"Waka tossed Shinra across the yard when you suddenly appeared. He picked you up to prevent you from getting injured. Shinra and Arthur took the opportunity to attack Waka then and he kept dodging until he was able to set you down over here."

"Interesting..." you replied. You kept your gaze on the ground and tried to process what happened. Benimaru apparently picked you up but you were too out of it to fully realize it. Benimaru. The aloof, forever blunt leader of Asakusa. Carried you in his arms.

Splat.

You felt the rain of chunks of fruit that pelted your body. You blinked in surprise and looked around you. Chunks of watermelon were scattered on the patio, sliding doors, and your upper half.

"I just cleaned this," Konro sighed. "I'll get you a change of clothes, Y/N."

You looked up at Benimaru who stood in front of you with his arm raised. It was evident that he was the one who chopped the fruit to pieces. Behind him stood Shinra who wore a panicked expression. Arthur stood beside Shinra like a partner in crime.

"I'm so sorry, Y/N!" Shinra exclaimed and broke the silence. "Are you alright?"

You laughed sheepishly, still shocked by the chain of events. "I suppose so."

Benimaru pointed at Shinra and Arthur. "You two are now on cleaning duty. Go get the supplies from the kitchen and start cleaning."

The two saluted him and started to head off.

"I, Knight King, cannot believe that I am subjected to cleaning duty because of a demon's antics." Arthur grumbled to himself.

Konro came back with a piece of clothing in hand. "Come with me, Y/N," he called out to you.

You followed him upstairs to a guest room where he handed you the clothing. You were grateful that you didn't have to shuttle back to Company 8 as a sticky mess. "Thank you for letting me borrow this."

"It's no problem," Konro replied, left the room, and shut the door behind him.

You unfolded the clothing and discovered that it was a white t-shirt. It was much larger than your frame, most likely belonging to a man. You pulled off your own shirt and donned the new one. It smelled of freshly washed linen and, for some reason, made you feel safe. You tucked away your shirt in an extra bag you brought and slid open the door.

Benimaru stood in the hallway as if he was waiting for you. He opened his mouth to speak then closed it.

"What is it, Captain Shinmon?" You asked as you approached him. You felt a bit self conscious under his stare.

"Sorry for not catching the watermelon instead. You can consider us even after borrowing my shirt." He replied. His gaze remained on you for a bit longer and he reached out to brush some hair away from your neck. His touch felt gentle and was the complete opposite of what he was known for. "Your hair was caught in the shirt."

"Thank you." You felt your cheeks begin to flush.

Before you could utter another word, he turned around and strode down the hallway.

You took a second to catch up to him. You felt yourself smile. "I brought some sake today. It was meant to go with the watermelon."

Although you couldn't see his expression, you sensed that he smiled as he responded. "I know. I'm headed to try some right now." 

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A/N: Thank you to those who starred, commented, and added this to their public reading lists :)