Work Text:
“Heya, Levi.”
Your voice greeted him, the usual calm tone but with the same hint of excitement reserved just for him. His irises latched onto the console in your hands, the faint sound of a familiar soundtrack and slashing swords reached his ears.
He heard you let out a small grunt as the character in your screen uttered their final words; a sigh leaving your lips as you gently placed the console down on a cushion. “Well, there goes my team… I knew I should’ve farmed a bit more…”
Your complaints about the game fell deaf on his ears. Instead, he mindlessly watched as your figure paced around his room—more like a den, perhaps—with numerous cardboard packages from Akuzon he forgot to get rid of, and stacks of manga volumes he had probably read over and over.
Didn’t you think he was gross? Levi felt like that he didn’t have a point in his life that he should keep going for, everyday was just the same. Wake up, have some food, play some games, watch some anime in a desperate attempt to fill that deep hole in his heart.
Every day was just the same until you arrived, opening the door to his room without knocking just because you were looking for a charger. Levi recalled hissing at the sudden beam of light from outside the hallway, and having a near heart attack when you almost knocked Henry 2.0’s bowl over.
You whispered an apology after, and he felt like his father from up above was giving him the world’s cruelest punishment for all his sins. A human normie, waltzing into his otaku den, poking around, and nearly murdering his only loyal friend?! He was probably about to put you into chokehold, until you pointed at something on wall. “That poster looks pretty cool, your room’s like otaku paradise!” Friendship level: +1.
After chatting for a while, he learnt that you were pretty much someone just like him. Feeling like you don’t fit in with everyone else, finding solace in another fictional universe, feeling like you don’t belong.
“Um, Levi?” His eyes snapped up to meet yours, a look of curiosity and concern shown. You squatted in front of him, placing a hand on the floor before sitting down in position. “Have you been feeling okay? You seem to be a bit out of it lately, I haven’t heard you call me a noob whenever I lost for a while and I’m kind of concerned.” You let out a chuckle as he felt blood rush to his face, covering the bottom half of his face with his hand.
“N-Nothing, just thinking about the old times…”
“Old times? Like before I arrived?”
“W-What? No, those times were hell—“
“You already live in hell.” He breathed out a small laugh at your remark, cheeks heating up even more when he caught sight of you grinning at his smiling face.
“MC, I really appreciate you.” Those words left his mouth without thinking, but he doesn’t think there’s a point in denying it. He really meant them.
Levi spluttered when you pulled him in for a hug, heartbeat speeding up as he felt you put your cheek on top of his head. He felt you smile, before he wrapped his arms around you to reciprocate the hug.
“Thanks, I appreciate you much more, Levi.” He just smiled, hugging you tighter.
Leviathan awoke with a sharp sigh, hugging something much smaller than your frame. Music was blaring in his headphones, in contrast to your calming voice. He stared at the stuffed animal between his arms, tugging down his headphones to clear his head.
He paused his music player, and makes eye contact with his computer screen. An unfinished digital art draft he made, with a cartoony looking character in a pose which suited their style. Their style which he created. He placed the stuffed animal down in his bathtub, before sitting at his gaming chair and picking up a notebook from his desk.
MC
(date of birth)
curious human exchange student, pact holder of seven demon brothers
likes: otaku related things
He cringed looking at his own handwriting, the page covered with smudges of graphite. He really had everything planned out.
Bang. Bang. BANG!
“Oi, Levi! Get yer sobbin’ ass out here and give us some extra hands! Lucifer and Satan are goin’ at it again!”
Leviathan felt your character’s eyes boring at him through the screen, almost in a mocking way. He could almost hear you taunting him in the voice he assigned to you. How delusional did he have to be to create someone, someone he would call a friend, in a lame attempt to save his life and family from falling apart?
There was no hope for him.
After all, the person who appreciated him back wasn’t even real.