#levibarb

[leviathil]

COLLAB WITH A FRIEND !!

[ephie-om]

Balance

ok so technically this wasn't a drabble request but I wanted to do it anyways. drabble requests are still open! @cinnamon-bunni c'mere

Barbatos' long fingers hold a thin brush so delicately that it barely touches the parchment in front of him. He dips it into the inkwell at his side, tapping it against the rim with a barely audible clink. He breathes in deeply, looking over the work he's already completed, and breathes out, trying to feel out where the rest of this piece would take him. He places the tip of the brush on the parchment.

"FUCKING HELL!" Levi's voice nearly cracks. Oh, how grateful is Barbatos for his centuries-practiced composure. He moves the brush back to his inkwell before it drips. He glances up to see the back of Levi's head, purple hair dented by a massive pair of gaming headphones. Barbatos has tried his best to tune out the audio that leaks through, the cartoonish screams of agony, the clunking of machinery. His partner's rage tends to be much harder to tune out.

He leans to the side to catch a glimpse of the screen. Levi is losing. Badly. "Flashlights?" Barbatos asks sympathetically.

"FUCKING flashlight griefers." Levi confirms, grinding his teeth. If his microphone was any closer to his mouth, he probably would've bitten it off by now. He devolves into a stream of angry mutters, one which makes Barbatos grateful that this game doesn't have public voice chat. "If you can't play the game, just say that and then log off, don't use cheap fucking exploits just so you can run around people who are actually good at the game. Can't even bother to have a build that does anything besides the damn flashlight. Alt+F4 and get out of your mother's basement."

Barbatos nods sagely, even though Levi can't see him. Sometimes he thinks the intricacies of online survival games are even more extensive than inter-realm politics. He returns to his paper, tapping his brush on the inkwell again. Long, meditative strokes of ink sprawl out in front of him- the design for his latest piece. He finds it helps him to draft the image on paper before putting brush to pottery. He breathes slowly, deeply, regaining his sense of flow.

He couldn't imagine doing something like this before Levi. Being in a room with another person while trying to pursue a creative endeavor would be bad enough, but the noise and lights coming from his gaming setup would've sent the old Barbatos over the edge. But over the years, he's learned to appreciate the balance between his partner and himself.

Levi's explosiveness comes from his single-minded focus. Unchecked, it can lead to anywhere from a damaged headset to a building-wide flood. But a little moment of attention from Barbatos can set his rage meter right back to neutral.

In much the same way, Barbatos' focus is eternally divided between tens of tasks and duties calling for his attention. Peaceful moments are rare for him, especially ones where he can allow himself to indulge in a hobby. Levi is- to put it lightly- incessantly bothering him about this exact fact. So, as a compromise, they've started to schedule afternoons like this. Quiet affairs (mostly), shuttered away in Levi's room like a bomb shelter, where he can put brush to paper and clear his mind.

Levi's match ends, and he groans loudly, setting his headset onto its holder and running his hands frustratedly through his hair. "Incels," he mutters to the monitor, and gets up from his chair to wander over to Barbatos' desk. "How's it coming?"

"Alright," Barbatos replies quietly, focusing on a long, swirling stroke. Levi is silent until he lifts his brush, bangs almost tickling the top of Barbatos' head. "The composition feels… off," he admits, turning the paper to see it from a different angle.

Levi hums in thought. "It's your line weight." Barbatos frowns, and Levi continues. "See, here? You have the same amount of detail in both halves, but your lines here are thicker, so it's unbalanced. Shit-" His screen loads into a new match, and he darts back towards his monitor. Barbatos laughs softly. Levi was right, of course. He begins to work to balance his design, adding ink with the utmost precision while Levi places down magical traps like his life depends on it. What an odd pair they make, he thinks to himself with a smile.

[cinnamon-bunni]

[ewesless]

My humble answer is...

I LOVE IT.

(Romance-y stuff first then the section below that is…other activities)

Content Warning for any other readers: Canon x Canon, Crossdressing, BDSM Dynamics, tons and tons of personal interpretations and almost a fic outline

MY FRIEND, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE??

At first glance someone might think, "They're too unalike, they have no common interests. Barbatos is too cool for him and Levi hates him because he's successful, confident and widely respected." And one would be wrong!! The main things they have in common are Gaming, Sewing, Creating Artwork and Cooking (in that order only because Levi's still a hobbyist and Barbatos's love of baking and cooking is on par with Levi's fanatical love of Ruri-chan.)

Barbatos may not be into watching anime or reading manga, but he buys merch for Diavolo and is supportive of a substantial number of things Diavolo does (which extends to Levi hehehe) but he is a major gamer. In two different events (Cyber and Smash Devils) and in a variety of OM daily chats he games with Levi as well as plays his recommended games (and Levia-chan gets his little scaly ass handed to him when they play!)

One of my favorite scenarios for them developing into a couple is that Levi finds out what an awesome sewist he is (HDD 2021 card "An Amazing Outfit for You" and Belphie's Plushie card are two examples) and is awestruck. "PLEASE teach me your techniques! What is your secret?!?" But Barbatos doesn't just teach him, he makes him things too! Costumes, does his Makeup, Props, plushies and food replication!

I headcanon that Barbatos takes Diavolo and Leviathan to conventions too, they could absolutely group cosplay. Barbatos is a gamer so we know they already chat and hang out online, and Barbatos has been to his room multiple times now so it's not implausible that they'd like to hang out 1 on 1 too. (In Otaku Podcast Mini Barbatos scares the shit out of him by how familiar he mades himself with Levi's room and the secret box he has) If LEVI lets someone not just touch his things and explore them (oop lol that sounds….) but lets him rearrange his things and even advise him on what to do about them you know that is some deep, deep, trust and approval. He admires him a lot too, he experiences jealousy and idolizes him too so we know that Levi already has strong feelings about him!!

I think that whenever Barbatos would show him approval or acknowledgement it would direct hit something deep inside him that is painfully wounded and mend a little crack in his heart. I think Levi needs to impress others, but won't admit it. He's too caught up in the "normies can kick rocks! Get rekt! I don't care what those people think!" but he obviously felt the pressure of Barbatos's expectations to a degree near that of Lucifer's because he was almost in tears from the stress of working with them (he chose them!) during Luke's Birthday in 2022. So I think making him proud of him or surpassing his expectations (Shrodinger's High/Low expectations lol) would be important to him. I don't really read Levi's (or anyone else's) romantic options and don't go out of my way to read his cards, so this is mostly based off of my interpretations from events and storylines. I don't feel confident in my characterization either. Somebody is going to hate on me for that some day. I can feel it.

Oh, but back to the topic. So they start hanging out in order to do sewing and that leads to talking about all kinds of things and warming up more. Levi is like, "Wait what?? You mean…he's not as intimidating and far above us as I thought???" Barbatos cooks for him whenever he gets hungry or has already prepared bentos and other anime themed foods and teaches him how to recreate/copycat for him too. So as they bond Levi accepts that he really is a friend of his and not just his big brother's coworker/the Royal Butler/Popular Guy and humoring him. He subtly starts to tell him about his interest in crossplaying too (Legendary Dame, HELLO~) and while that's not really something Levi HIDES (he did) that Barbatos responds positively and supportively (Diavolo too, he cosplayed RURI and Barbatos cosplayed Azuki-tan in support and to show their appreciation for Levi and his interests in the S2 Anime!)

So Levi dresses up and is all blushy and nervous and feeling excited and happy because he's just so COOL about this!? AND GIVES MAKEUP ADVICE THAT EVEN ASMO HADN'T KNOW??? (Dame card) And the first thing Barbatos does is tells him he looks cute and wears it well, he compliments his dress and makeup! (Or beautiful, depends on whether he's in a magical girl outfit or if he's cosplaying someone elegant like the Kuudere Elf Queen Seraphina)

So after this, one thing leads to another and Barbatos crossplays with him (He self vowed that Legendary Dame was never again, but I am going to just say that that doesn't mean he's banned from other elegant femme attire) Levi doki-dokis like crazy! So now he's down bad for Lady!Barbatos, "B-but that's just because of the character he's portraying, right?? I don't have a crush on my big brother's co-worker/the Royal Butler/The Popular Guy????"

Barbatos got so excited about sewing for MC and dressing MC up that not once, but twice he gets carried away and starts taking measurements or holding clothes up to their figure (promptly apologizes and then we can't even acknowledge it) So maybe that happens with Levi too and now that Levi has doki-dokis when Barbatos gets that close to him HORMONAL EXPLOSION~. "Ooooookay, that definitely isn't just because of the character he was cosplaying" lols anxiously

Where this goes is going to be non-specific because I love endless possibilities, but definitely gets intimate. Possibly the first time they get frisky is while in cosplay (Levi is like a teenage boy in a 30 year old body, I swear. And then you have Barbatos who pops off with those romantic and suggestive dialogues to tease like WHAAAAAAAT??? So, he would totally egg (lol unintended) him on and turn him into a flustered sweaty mess without even taking his own clothes off.) 70% probability of while couple cosplaying a yuri or yaoi ship, but they go all the way as themselves and after a barrier is overcome (Levi's self-esteem and his doubts about whether the person he's into is ACTUALLY? FOR REAL??? SERIOUS??? You're not just messing with me and going to humiliate me and then gloat about it because I'm a socially awkward otaku loser and you're a hot demon butler whose effortlessly perfect?) So it would be a combination of shame/comfort and hurt/comfort…maybe?

Their first anniversary gift from Barbatos would be a fully custom designed outfit for them to wear, there would be a necklace or other jewelry included in a hidden treasure way and it would have an engraved message on the back/inside along with a handwritten letter. Levi's would be a physical photo album with their cosplay adventures and outings/pilgrimages/foodie tours and one-day vacation photos with sweet notes and memories written on the backs of them. (I'm not very good at this type of romance tbh, but memories and keepsakes are important to them both)

On a side note they have SO MUCH KINK CHEMISTRY. Levi wants to be bullied, humiliated, called names and degraded? Barbatos is absolutely brutal with all of this, and probably has Dacryphilia to some extent (cough MAMMON) He would not be against-- on second thought this part got too explicit. [SNIP]

He would be creative at this in subtle ways, even during normal group conversations, that would leave Levi speechless and doki-doki'ing. On the flipside, Barbatos praises and shows his gratitude in significant ways so this would extend to intimate activities and he is a very attentive lover/dom who anticipates the needs of others so he would give Levi aftercare and approval tailored to each scene, "feed and water" him (Barbatos…why did you word it like that before?) and then tuck him into bed with a goodnight kiss. (Barbatos doesn't stay overnight of course. He has a Diavolo at home to think of after all and Diavolo is prone to mischief and misbehavior when he is away.) He would also discipline him and use a reward system that also subtly helps strengthen Levi's resilience and build his self-esteem.

Since I headcanon they both lay eggs (Barbatos is a salamander dragon Demon and Levi is a snake dragon) if Levi previously didn't go through that as an Angel (due to contrivances on my part) he would definitely be hiding that or in denial and Barbatos is observant as hell. That can lead to anywhere can't it ^^;

Well, now I'm embarrassed and idk how to sign off ;w; Oh wait, yes I do, Ballz! (inside joke)

[cinnamon-bunni]

normally I only make one per ship that haunts me but I plan on making like. at least three more I think for these guys

they make me sick 💖

[cinnamon-bunni]

okay sooooo i am starting a levibarb series because. i need to write about them right now. so if you wanna see more ficlets like this abt them, please send in some requests!!! i only have so many ideas that are ficlets lmaoo (i have like a 5k word idea....idk if i'll ever write it tho...)

idk. maybe i'll delete this. who knows lmaoo i'm also unsure if i'll list this in my masterlist; if i do make a lot of these, i imagine it'd be annoying for others to see. if i do it'l be later bc its very late for me lolol

Title: In a Figurative and Literal Sense Rating: G Word count: 1.4k

Read it on Ao3!

Summary:

Barbatos often wondered how he got in this position. Both in a figurative and literal way. Because figuratively, Barbatos wasn't the type to bare an open heart. He also had no idea how or when Leviathan had ended up sitting in his lap, talking a mile away about his favorite video game.

Full fic under the cut!

Barbatos often wondered how he got in this position. Both in a figurative and literal way.

Figuratively speaking, Barbatos wasn't the type to bare an open heart. Like everything else he had, it was kept locked away, key swallowed down and kept out of sight. His heart did not bleed, at least, not on its own accord. It bled when the young prince's bled, and it beat in time with the ruler of Devildom. It did speak out of turn, step out of line, nor react with permission; no, it did not do anything without permission, never taking actions for selfish reasons.

Barbatos lived and breathed to serve the royal family. Every action he has ever committed, in one way or another, was done because Barbatos believed it would serve or help Lord Diavolo. He would always come first—everything outside of that came second. Or third, depending on how much Barbatos truly didn't care. The famous demon brothers were firmly set into second place solely based on how much Diavolo cared for them. 

Lucifer was a 1.8, if he wanted to get into details. Diavolo was quite fond of him.

Barbatos' one and only goal was to make sure Diavolo grew into a perfect ruler for Devildom. He made sure the young prince's needs were met, he was happy, and that his projects to connect the three realms went smoothly. Everything he did was for Diavolo. Well, sometimes he would indulge himself in a few things here and there, for a job well done. And because Diavolo would say that Barbatos deserved a day off, and Barbatos would never go against the prince's words. His heart stayed in line, and would never, ever move without Diavolo's say so.

And then he fell in love with Leviathan.

Honestly, it took him by surprise. Barbatos would never use the word "embarrassed" to describe himself, but that's certainly what he chalked up his reaction towards the realization of how his heart would beat faster than it ever did when he of all demons was around.

It just happened one day, it felt like. One day, Barbatos found himself....infatuated with the Avatar of Envy. Barbatos had been aware of Leviathan's own feelings for him—how he'd always go red in the face when Barbatos would get too close, would tease him, and how Leviathan would float towards his presence when he had the chance—and he thought it was cute. Maybe that that had been the first sign, one that he should've noticed sooner.

The final nail in the coffin, however, was on the first unofficial date Barbatos had with Leviathan. Unofficial as in the pair had no idea what was even happening before it was too late; five out of the six of Leviathan's brothers had dragged the pair out into the town, before abruptly abandoning them, together. Barbatos had quickly caught on, as did Leviathan, based on how red he got and blubbered on and on with apologies. The other brothers didn't truly leave, as they trailed them wherever they went to watch in the most clamorous way possible, and Lucifer had a meeting scheduled with Diavolo, clearly so the two wouldn't get in the way.

Yes, it was very, very obvious what was happening. Barbatos was extremely disappointed in himself that it worked. Leviathan had a certain charm to him; his sad, anxious demeanor made Barbatos want to smile and assure him safety and comfort, like one would do with a nervous animal. It was charming, in an odd way, and it made Barbatos' heart...not swoon, but something close to it.

So, when Barbatos asked Leviathan if he would like to go on a proper date, he ignored Mammon's loud, distant whoops of celebration and instead focused on Leviathan's stuttering answer that yes, he'd like that.

Barbatos never thought he would be in this position. Having someone that he cared for in an intimate way was foreign to him. It was for Leviathan, too—the demon made that very, very clear. He never would have guessed that he would act on his own, that his heart would falter and start beating to a new tempo, but it did. And maybe it wasn't such a bad thing.

Finding this position in a literal sense made Barbatos ponder as well. In a literal sense, based on how Leviathan was currently sitting in his lap, talking a mile a minute about the current game he was playing. Barbatos, with his head over Leviathan's shoulder, watched as the third-born played the game on his handheld device. He had long since switched from his live commentary to giving a top twenty of reasons on why it should be titled Game of the Year.

Honestly, how did this happen? Leviathan had been sitting with him on the couch, yes, as Barbatos was enjoying his break before he had to start preparing for dinner. In a blink of an eye, Leviathan had suddenly gained the courage to invade Barbatos' personal space, and inevitably sit in his lap while raving about the game.

Perhaps it wasn't courage, but instead an obliviousness that always enveloped the Avatar of Envy when he got caught up with his rants of his personal favorite things.

"Reason fifteen," Leviathan continued, leaving Barbatos perturbed to find that he listened to the previous fourteen reasons with intrigue, "is the fun value that the game has. OMG, wait, I've never talked about the fun value, have I?"

"No, I don't believe so."

"Oh! Okay, so basically, each time you start a new run, the game will randomly generate a fun value; it's a number between one and one-hundred, and connected to that number is a special event that could happen. It ranges from extra dialogue to extra NPCs showing up. When I first played the game, I got a call that only shows up on values forty through forty-five. And there's so many mysteries that come from it. See, through it we find a hidden NPC who's name we don't learn, but it's heavily implied to be-"

Barbatos wasn't sure what made Leviathan pause. Maybe it was because he had attempted to shift into a more comfortable position. Maybe Leviathan had just realized how long he had been going for. Either way, Leviathan had stopped dead in his verbal tracks, frozen as his face started to be colored pink.

"Oh my god. I've been talking this whole time. Ohhhh my god." Leviathan covered his face with his free hand. "Just—just ignore everything I said! This is so embarrassing. I've been talking for the past half-hour."

A grin slipped onto Barbatos' face. Leviathan was three-seconds away from running away, he could tell, so he delicately wrapped an arm around the demon's waist. The pink quickly turned a shade darker.

"I-"

"It's alright, Leviathan," Barbatos assured. "I enjoy listening to you."

Leviathan turned his head, not quite facing Barbatos. "R-really? You're not just lying to me just to make me feel better?"

Barbatos pressed a kiss onto Leviathan's cheek. Somehow, the latter demon's face got a shade darker. "Of course not. Although I must warn you that I do have to leave in a few minutes to continue my duties, I don't mind you continuing the discussion of your game."

Uncertainty clouded Levi's face. "I-I mean. If you want me to."

"Of course I do." Barbatos' eyes focused back on Levi's game. It was a charming little thing. "Now, what's reason number sixteen?"

Slowly, Leviathan shifted his hand down from his face and back to his handheld. "If you say so. I mean, I guess if you want me to. The game has a lot of replay-ability, in my opinion. I mean, yeah, it's sorta just a linear story and stuff, but there's so many different endings and small tidbits that makes you wanna just keep replaying just to see new stuff, y'know? And that led me to sorta speedrunning the game since I've played it so many times, and I started watching world records for it and stuff, and I figured, 'hey, maybe I should give this a try,' and while it isn't my favorite thing to speedrun, it certainly-"

Barbatos listened, captivated by how Leviathan started to get back into an easy flow, words rapidly spilling out faster from his mouth.

"-and no, it isn't that I dislike the glitch percent because I can't get them right, it's just that I think the glitchless run is much more-"

Leviathan kept on going, on and on, and Barbatos stayed silent.

How in the world did he end up in this position?

He didn't know the answer to that. But he wasn't exactly complaining, either.

[cinnamon-bunni]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

HIIIII here is my other piece for @lvlup-levizine! you can find the full zine right here, which you should totally check out!!! all the artists did such an amazing job with this 🧡 also, just wanted to say thank you to all of the mods who put this together!! this was my first ever zine i got to work on, and this was just so much fun!!! everyone apart of this were just so kind, this was just a whole lotta fun to do!!! (the zine also gave me a chance to write more levibarb which!! yippee!!!! i love writing them so fucking much!!!!!!)

Rating: T Pairing: Barbatos/Leviathan Word count: 3.1k Summary:

Levi could do this. He knew, when push came to shove, he could do whatever he wanted. Which was what he was going to do at this very moment–put his plan into action, ignore the swirling anxiety in his stomach, and just do it.

Levi had been staring at Barbatos this past minute, who eventually looked up from his candy making and made eye contact with Levi. He gave a smile before shifting his attention back down to his work. Levi felt his face flush just from the look.

Never mind. Levi couldn't do this.

[cinnamon-bunni]

hallo i request to know how you got into levibarb >:) my official request. which i am requesting.

YAAAAAAY OKAY THANK YOU STARR 💖💖💖💖💖

i cant remember when i first started; my first post related to them was late 2022, and. to be honest with you. i dont remember how i got into them ;;;

often when it comes to ships, my main drive when it comes to ships (other than if they're compatible or not, but sometimes even that takes second) is the aesthetics of the relationship. miridami is the first ship that comes to mind with that idea specifically, so maybe it's more often when it comes to my rarepairs? but as i said, compatibility is also a must for me (most of the time, anyway), with lornatz being a ship that is based on the fact that those two were meant for each other and i'll never understand why no one else can see it lmao

but i digress. point is, i'm pretty sure levibarb started as a "i think these two look great together". i think i just like the trope of "awkward nerd x cool guy", because idk if i'd necessarily say they're great aesthetically, but i adore the dynamic the two would have

along with that, i think the chat in obey me about barbatos having luck and levi sticking around him to have good gacha pulls—i believe that's what the chat was about? i'd have to find it again—was something that solidified levibarb in my brain. it made me go "wait a second. i might be onto something here" lmao and the rest was history

i just really love and adore the idea of having these two opposite characters together; again, it comes down to the dynamic they'd have, along with how they grapple their own personal feelings towards the matter. i like the idea of levi—someone who is nervous, talks a lot, is emotional, and powerful while giving the vibes that he kinda forgets about that—with barbatos—timeless demon who devotes his life to diavolo and is the textbook definition of mysterious—because i think the two opposite characteristics they have would be fun to highlight through them being in a relationship.

the trope of an anxious guy like levi being with a calming presence like barb is very pleasing to my soul, a very top 10 asethetic to me when it comes to ships i think lol

i think levibarb also stemmed from me headcanoning both of them as aroace? idk i hc a lot of obey me characters as a-spec so i could be wrong on that, but those two being specifically aroace (and i don't think i hc anyone else as aroace?) was one of my stronger headcanons i have, so it's quite possible that had something to do with it lmao

anyway. yeah. sorry i did not answer your question lmao because i have no idea how i got into it. my brain one day went "wouldn't it be silly and really cute if these two were together" and then i remembered a chat about them which led me to go "wait. they could be cute together. i am Seeing it" and then i would not shut up about it lol also they win in both the aesthetics AND compatibility departments, so really whats not to love 💖 (even tho i very much recognize that. not everyone sees my vision lmaoo)