Cooking with Benito
Benito (Bad bunny) x reader
CW : fluff
AN: writing this actually make me wanna try the recreate the recipe but my rice turned out too sticky…
Your relationship with Benito was still quite fresh, you had only started dating four months ago but you already loved everything about him, from the way he smiled effortlessly to the way his tongue would glide over his lips when they were too dry. But one of the things that fascinated you the most was his ability to eat so much: if there was food left Benito was always ready to eat it, not wanting to waste even once he was full.
You then felt the urge to fulfill his appetite and decided to cook his favorite dish: arroz con salchichas, a meal he used to eat in Puerto Rico during his childhood. It was quite simple since it was rice with sausages but it was obviously the Caribbean spices that made it special.
You found yourself in the kitchen of your apartment while Benito was still sleeping in your bedroom. Since your relationship was still new, he often spent the night at your place before returning to his busy schedule the next day. The clock hanging above one of the shelves showed 11:04 am, which left you about an hour to cook.
You started by dicing the onions and green peppers into small cubes, then you did the same for the sausages, cutting them into rounds and browning them in a pan where you had previously added some oil. Once they were golden brown you added the spices, salt, and pepper, and then came the moment for the magic ingredient: sazon, a blend of dry spices intended to amplify the taste and color of the dish.
You reached into the small white grocery bag sitting on the counter, the one filled with the fresh supplies you had gathered earlier that morning specifically for this recipe. When you finally found the small foil packet of sazon, you tried to open it carefully, but your fingers were a bit clumsy from the excitement. Suddenly, the packet ripped wide open. A massive cloud of bright orange powder fell into the preparation, coating everything in an orange glow.
Your heart sank at the sight, the dish was going to be incredibly salty and the color was almost radioactive. To minimize the damage, you grabbed a small spoon and frantically tried to scoop out the excess powder before it dissolved. The stress of ruining his favorite meal took over as your mind raced for a fix.
That was when you felt a pair of warm arms wrap firmly around your waist, the heat of his bare chest pressing against your back, still smelling of sleep and comfort.
"You’re thinking of turning the kitchen into a sunset, Mami," he whispered near your ear, when he saw the orange disaster and your tiny spoon.
"Yeah, very funny Beni, but I was actually trying to make arroz con salchichas but I think... I kinda messed it up," you said as quickly as possible, feeling a wave of disappointment. You wanted everything to be perfect, but now the pan looked like a failed experiment.
But Benito didn't see it that way at all. The simple fact that you remembered it was his favorite meal, that you had gone out in the morning to find the right ingredients and had the intention of cooking it for him meant everything to him.
He gently took the spoon from your hand to set it aside and turned you around in the circle of his thick, tatted arms so you were facing him. He looked down at you with a sleepy smile, his thumb grazing your cheek to wipe away a stray speck of orange powder.
"Don’t be sad, amor," he said, his dark eyes full of affection. "Te levantaste temprano solo para cocinar para mí, es la mejor parte de la receta," He gave you a soft kiss on the forehead before reaching into his sweatpant pocket for his phone to play his playlist of old salsa songs.
"We can save the recipe by adding more water, or something acidic to cut the salt," he murmured, scanning your cabinets with the practiced eye of someone who had watched his mother cook this a thousand times.
While you let him search for a fix and busied yourself getting the rice ready, you caught Benito out of the corner of your eye. He was no longer looking for tomato sauce or lime, instead, he was leaning over the stove, his fingers snatching a couple of sausages directly from the pan. He popped them into his mouth, leaning against the counter with a satisfied hum.
"Babe, are you actually trying to help me or just here to eat all the food before it’s even finished?"
"It’s purely scientific,mami " he replied, his eyes twinkling as he made a show of clicking his tongue against his palate, savoring the spice. "I need to taste it to see if... it needs more seasoning."
"Yeah, but I think there’s clearly enough seasoning in there to flavor the whole neighborhood," you countered, your hands continuing to rinse the rice in a bowl of water to clean it.
"You know, in PR we say el más color, el más corazón," he said, watching as you poured the cloudy water out of the rice before returning to the stove to dump the grains into the pan.
"Didn't you just make that saying up, baby?" you questioned him with a playful, skeptical tone.
"Claro que no! And look, I found the tomato sauce!" he said, pulling you back into his embrace. He guided your hands to pour in a splash of the sauce and a squeeze of lime, the acidity cutting through the sharpness of the sazón. As you stirred, the neon orange mellowed into a much more appetizing reddish-gold.
"Now we need to let it simmer... and it's time to bailaaaaar," the bubbling pot and into the open space of your small kitchen.
"All in the hips, bebé," he whispered with a confident smirk, his large hands sliding down to your waist. He looked like he knew exactly what he was doing.
he whispered, his large hand sliding down to rest firmly on your waist, looking like he completely knew what he was doing. But it was a bit of a mess from the start. You were both laughing as you tried to find the sync of the salsa beat, your feet constantly bumping into his.
"Wait Beni , I’m not even that good at this one ," you admitted trying to focus and not step on him.
"Follow me," Benito said, trying to stand up straight and act like he actually knew how to lead
"Babe, you’re worse than me! You have two right feet," you teased, tripping over his feet for the third time in a row.
"Entonces ambos tendremos dos pies derechos,"he chuckled, stopping the movement to reset himself. "Okay, okay, déjame intentar de nuevo," He took a deep breath, focusing on the rhythm coming from his phone on the counter. He grabbed your hand, lifting it high and attempted a slow, careful spin.
You ended up tangled in his long arms, both of you stumbling toward the fridge with a loud thud. Benito didn't even try to stay serious he leaned his head back and roared with laughter, his grip on your waist tightening so you wouldn't fall.
The salsa was still playing but the dancing was officially over. Benito was still leaning against the fridge, catching his breath as he guided you back toward the stove.
"Enough dancing for today, let’s just eat," you chuckled, watching him as he reached for a fork on the counter.
He didn't need to be told twice. He stabbed a piece of sausage directly from the pan and held it up to your mouth, watching you with a grin. "Try it, we’re definitely better at eating!"
Request are open !