#i know Talk To You by Ricky Montgomery is abt his grief for the loss of his father

[kenmaiid]

Talk to you | Barbatos + gn!reader

Prompt: based on the lyrics from ‘Talk to You’ by Ricky Montgomery

I wish I could talk to you pull my chair right up there next to you and talk to you you’re in my head more often than I want more often than I wanna tell you

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When I think about how he already interacts with you in canon, it’s obvious that he wants your attention decently often, but he’s quite relaxed in his need for this attention. He can put it to the side and tend to other things

He’s not desperate for it on the surface in comparison to say, like, Mammon or Levi would, but that itch is still there lingering under the surface. It’s just not something that needs to be scratched immediately

not to mention he’s always swamped with work: whether it be constantly attending to the Young Prince, handling any extra work Solomon might give him with his pact, or just keeping the demon brothers out of trouble in general (hell he practically runs the Devildom, it’d all collapse without him so he really just has other things to keep his attention)

but for a long time when it came to getting closer to MC he felt like he was looking from the outside in (and to an extent with his time powers he really is)

Whenever Diavolo would invite you to the castle for tea and a nice meal, Barbatos would be nearby to attend if need be, but for the most part he’s off to the side in the background

Of course he catches glimpses of you smiling here and there throughout your idle chatter

Or he happens to pass by at the right time as you give his cooking a very pleased look

Even in the way you seem to make Diavolo much more at ease for the day, he finds himself stealing glances

He was never all that interested in you at first, but the more you come over the more he looks forward to your presence. He hadn’t really understood up until that point why the demon brothers and the others were so invested in you

but he starts to get it the more you start to notice his lingering distance

He’s always polite and kind to you of course, the odd helpful bit of advice here and there and a greeting of “hello MC, how are you faring today?” Sometimes he joins in when you and Diavolo are chatting away. Other times he’s simply passing on a message to your D.D.D

but that was it. he would never really seek any attention from you any further. It was as intriguing as it was passable, the pace of your relationship continuing to trudge on slowly

Coincidence would have it that fate is somehow much more perceptive than he is when it comes to him putting off his interest in you. Honestly he should see it coming when Diavolo suddenly asks you to accompany him on a trip to the store because its “very urgent and it would do you good to take a break Barbatos”, and the smile The Prince gives him is a little too unwavering. But no matter.

Barbatos is overly conscious the whole walk there. In his head at least. He’s calm and cool on the surface, cheerful even, but having another person next to him while he does the usual errands is an interesting feeling. A first.

It’s quite peaceful sure: quiet conversation here and there, the odd shared smile as MC hands him items, Barbatos carefully guiding them out of the way of the crow.... why, for a moment it all feels domestic. But you aren’t that close to him yet. (Yet?) So he chooses to push away his momentary delusions for another day

And ah, of course. What a coincidence it is that he would find you studying in the gardens when it’s time for him to tend to the schools prized hedges. He’s delightfully surprised for the briefest of seconds, the wall that is his natural calm smile quickly returning. “What brings you here today, MC?” The weather seemed good? Very well then, he will let you study in silence as the two of you quietly share the space.

And oh will you look at that. Today you're in charge of helping out in the kitchen? Just the two of you huh. My, my he’s been running into you a lot more lately. Is it really alright for you to be by his side like this? 

Hm, it would seem he really is being handed more and more opportunity

It’s somewhat hard for him to become flustered on the surface, but he really can’t deny at this point that your presence brings him a sense of comfort (and perhaps the slight fluttering of his chest). And the lack of said presence brings him sudden bouts of feeling unfocused. How terribly conflicting.

He often finds himself wanting to talk to you in these moments when youre not around. But of course work comes first. So he relishes the moments he can actually call or text you. He’s the type to technically message you for no reason or nothing important, but 90% he will still try to make it seem important enough

he’d been vaguely chatting to Mammon in the halls while he was cleaning one day and the conversation happened to turn over to you. Barbatos had innocently inquired upon how the other always started conversations with you. The way he talked about it and how often made it seem so... easy.

Once Mammon had mentioned spamming your DDD with emoticons he’d merely raised a brow. The method seemed to lean a little more on the annoying side but he’d try anything once.

And oh how delightfully happy he’d felt once it seemed to work.

Its distracting how much you distract him from his job. At first (very early on) he considered this to be a very bad thing. It’s unlike himself to be so enraptured with someone else in this way. He shouldn’t want to sit down and talk with you about this and that or get the urge to hear your voice

For awhile it makes him work harder actually. It’s like when a Pokémon hits themselves with confusion. Like no silly, what are you doing. 

The only way he can satiate these desires is to be more attentive when next you visit the Castle. Did you want more tea? Water perhaps? He prepared an extra batch of deserts on accident and would be delighted if you could take them home with you. Please don’t deny his efforts, MC

Eventually MC would pick up on his bouts of wanting their attention and start to take a bit more initiative. They send him a good morning message or something throughout the day. They start complimenting his food more and saying exactly what they liked. They pull him aside in the corridors to ask how his day is going. etc

He might not say it directly to you, at least not for awhile but seeing messages from you really make his day

It is quite the curious predicament to have all the time in the world but never enough to experience the wonder that is you though. And it will take a little more time before he finally decides to pursue your attention seriously. After all it would be really silly for him to deny his attraction to you

He really likes you. And it’s as exciting as it is harrowing