just to be quiet with you

by pancakechi

Summary:

Leon had always been in control of his emotions. At least that was the truth until he had saved Ashley Graham.

or; ashley and leon stay in a safehouse upon escaping the island in resident evil 4, and they both put their feelings on display (even if leon is a bit resistant to the idea)

Notes:

i love ashley and leon hehe, i tried my best to keep them in character 🤍

i also wrote this fic for a special someone; they know who they are. i love you.

please enjoy the fic!

title is inspired by quiet by lights 💿

The only thing Leon felt as the sun began to set and kiss the oceanic horizon goodnight was not the spray of salt against his face, nor was it the stuttering of their jet ski as it rocked along the restless waves. It was not the way the wind blew into his eyes and fluttered his eyelashes, and it was definitely not the soreness of where his body ached from the battering of the past few days.

No, what Leon felt was the way in which from behind him, the president’s daughter had wrapped her arms around his torso with the tenderness of a dove; the touch of her skin melting through his shirt and cascading into the crevices between his ribs, further sinking into his lungs that were damaged from the cigarettes he used to smoke so long ago.

It was how Ashley had her cheek resting upon the back of his shoulder blade, her nose occasionally nuzzling into it, her soft sighing barely audible over the sound of the engine and seagulls crying.

Leon tightened his grip on the handlebars of the vehicle, rubbing his short nails against the ridges in the rubber and trying to distract himself with anything besides the warmth of her chest and arms pressing against him. A part of him felt dread for whenever the noises would dull and it would suddenly become just the two of them without the lull of their lives being threatened.

Perhaps he was delighted by the danger.

However now, it was just the two of them occupying the same space, the same air, the same feelings that Leon did not even dare to put a name to.

He simply needed to take Ashley back home, make sure she was safe and sound within the confines of the White House, and forget all about what they had experienced together. 

They would both move on with their lives. Ashley would finish university and most likely get a job in the government like her father, or perhaps the fashion industry, designing overpriced garments that Leon would scoff at whenever he walked past a storefront (as if his own jacket didn’t cost two grand.) 

As for Leon, well, he would saunter through whichever new mission he was assigned to, combatting against biohazards and not allowing himself to take a breath. 

Leon Kennedy was not the type of man who deserved rest.

As the sky had become crestfallen and the barely visible moon’s glow began reflecting off of the water, the engine of the jet ski began to sputter. Leon darted his tired eyes towards the fuel gauges and grit his teeth. The needle hovered perilously close to empty.

“Leon?” Ashley’s voice, soft and uncertain, echoed into his ear, dragging him out of his thoughts. 

He glanced down, almost as if to look over his shoulder and meet her gaze, but instead, his eyes caught onto the way her thighs pillowed out into sheened planes of skin, the paleness underneath her tights beaming through the stressed seams, pressed against the back of his own legs from how she composed herself on the vehicle.

“We’re out of gas. We’ll have to try to make it to that formation up ahead. Just hold on,” He muttered. His hands flexed over the handles, knuckles whitening, as if sheer force of will could coax the engine to life again.

But their luck could only run so far. The jet ski shuddered one last time before halting entirely.

The sudden silence was quite jarring, at least for Leon, as he became all too aware of Ashley’s faint breaths and the subtle shifting of her arms that entangled him. His heart thrummed in his chest in tandem with the gentle pounding of the water against their hull, a pulse that seemed to mirror Ashley’s presence, so warm and there, even as the ocean spray chilled his skin.

The man cleared his throat, trying to regain some semblance of composure to ensure they didn’t remain stranded in the middle of the Spanish sea. 

Thankfully, due to the wind, the waves were abundant, allowing them to leisurely coast along with each crescent that tapered closer to the shoreline of the nearing isle.

Leon steered toward the faint outline of land rising from the horizon, a jagged shadow against the dying light. It was small, rocky, and uninviting—but it was land, and land meant safety. Safety meant an opportunity to get Ashley home.

When the jet ski finally scraped harshly against sand, Leon pushed with all his weight, his biceps flexing, forcing it higher until it rested in shallow water. The waves lapped hungrily around his feet, soaking them through his weathered boots, but there was relief in standing and feeling the solid earth beneath him.

He outstretched his hand, giving the blonde a support for her to anchor herself onto the shore. Ashley’s palm met his own, a coy glimpse of something flashing across her eyes, before she stepped off with her usual careful yet youthful grace.

She immediately wrapped her arms around herself. Her orange turtleneck was sodden, the ochre color now clinging to her frame in such a manner that made Leon’s throat tighten; one that he attributed to the salty and bitter air. Her damp hair plastered to her face in wet strands, and smudges of her mascara prickled the tops of her cheekbones from where her lashes met her skin.

“You cold?” Leon asked, and Ashley nodded her head in return.

“Yes, but I’d rather that than have to deal with those crazy people again.”

Leon scoffed slightly, “You and me both.”

The agent’s gaze swept the strewn coastline, taking in the sparse trees that clung stubbornly to the jagged cliffs, the wind whipping their branches into sharp silhouettes. Then, tucked between two boulders farther inland, he spotted it: the remnants of a small house, conceivably a cottage, skeletal and abandoned, yet offering shelter from both the rising tide and the chill creeping into their soaked clothes as night dawned.

“Over there,” Leon nodded towards the dwelling, “We can rest inside for now until we’re in contact with Ingrid again. I’m sure she’s aware of our approximate location. Come on.”

Ashley faintly shivered, “Okay.”

A dilapidated staircase of limestone allowed them to traverse their way up the small hill into the front yard, tall blades of grass billowing in the breeze. Leon had led them forward, though made sure to peer over his shoulder every few seconds to ensure Ashley hadn’t tripped or been ripped from beneath his grasp once again.

Leon tried the knob on the front door, and much to his dismay, the wood had become so rotted that it had jammed the inner mechanisms. He supposed he would have to break it open by brute force. If he had been alone, he would have just fully smashed a window to slip inside, but he wanted to prevent the chill elements from tainting Ashley’s frail skin as much as he could. 

His shoulder collided into the door with a resounding heavy thud. Splinters hissed under the force, and the wood groaned in protest before giving way just enough for him to slip inside. Ashley followed quickly, her wet knee-high boots squeaking against the warped floorboards. The air inside was musty, thick with the scent of mildew, old wood and petrichor, and a faint tang of salt still lingered from the whispering ocean that had followed them in.

The walls, though still standing, were specked with holes where rain and sun had taken their toll. Fractured window panes rattled faintly in the wind, letting in narrow slits of moonlight that cut across the dust-laden floor. A fallen beam leaned against one side of the room, with shards of glass and decayed furniture scattered about. The remnants of a life long abandoned—barely more than silhouettes of the people who had once occupied it.

It reminded Leon a bit too much of his own life; never quite staying in one place for too long, always wanting to be occupied with something to keep his thoughts away from his parents, his drinking habits, Raccoon City, the faces who have died beneath his hands. Perhaps this house was a representation, whether of his past, his feelings, or rather, himself entirely, Leon couldn’t quite say.

“Seems like this place is empty, but I’ll go check upstairs,” Leon ran a hand through his damp blonde hair that trickled droplets down his skin, “You can look around down here. Try to find food or candles or something.”

Ashley perked up for what felt like the first time since they had escaped the island hours ago, “Really? You’re not going to keep a tight watch on me like you usually do?”

Leon furrowed his brows and shook his head, “You’ve proven to me that you’re more than capable of handling yourself. I’ll be right back.”

He missed the way Ashley’s floral lips parted, and the blemish of crimson that bloomed across her cheeks as he ascended the staircase.

The upstairs hallway creaked under his boots, each step a careful negotiation with the wilted floorboards. Pale rays spilled through gaping holes in the ceiling, painting muted, fractured lines across the walls. Dust drifted lazily in the air, disturbed only by his movements. He scanned the rooms, looking for supplies, as well as threats, that could ease them over till the rescue helicopter arrived.

One of the abandoned rooms had a bed with a rotted frame, plush pillows, and blankets. Rusted nightstands and toppled dressers also caught his eyes, yet he found nothing as he searched through the drawers for clean clothing they could change into.

Leon’s cerulean gaze fell back on the moth-eaten blanket. He hesitated, feeling the rough fibers between his fingers, then shook his head with a small, ironic sigh. It wasn’t much, but it would be enough to keep Ashley warm for the night. It was the least she deserved after being scared for her life the past few days.

He had to admit, Ashley was a lot stronger than he gave her credit for. When he was first assigned to rescue her from Saddler and his army of Las Plagas, he assumed she was going to be a spoiled brat, being only twenty years old and the daughter of the United State’s president. He was not looking forward to dealing with her whininess and unwillingness to cooperate, like most women that age he had helped tended to be. 

However, from the moment he met her in the church, Ashley had stood her own ground, not willing to give up easily or let herself be handled like a helpless doll. She was frightened, sure, but she still had a determination to get out of the situation. Leon also couldn’t help but think fondly on how considerate she was of Leon.

No one ever paid him mind in his field of work. The police force, government agencies, etc., they were all the same; something you put your life on the line for, and it didn’t matter whether you succeeded or not. You were just considered a small number amongst many; easily replaceable. 

Yet Ashley was different. She looked at Leon with her innocent gaze, one full of concern and self-hatred for putting Leon in harm’s way in the first place, because of her. She was thoughtful of the both of them, and didn’t view him as just a bodyguard to ensure her safety. 

To Ashley, Leon was her friend. No, he had become more than that at this point. They both knew it.

Leon would not give in to his childish feelings of craving affection. He was a man with too much baggage, too much burden for someone as pure as Ashley. He didn’t want to, no, he couldn’t taint her.

Emotions were something Leon kept hidden and buried at the bottom of his pathetic heart. He had locked them in a cell and thrown away the key so very long ago, he was surprised they hadn’t shriveled up and died completely yet. 

Carrying the blanket back down, he found Ashley seated on the edge of the warped sofa, her knees drawn up and arms wrapped tightly around herself. The turtleneck clung to her, soaked and heavy, and the damp strands of hair that fell across her forehead glimmered in the moonlight.

“Here,” He said softly, draping the blanket over her shoulders. She shivered, pressing the fabric closer to her body, and a light, almost imperceptible sigh escaped her lips. Leon couldn’t help but notice how small she looked beneath it, the way her form leaned into the warmth he had offered.

Ashley met his gaze, and her soft, pink lips formed into a small crescent, “Thanks.”

Leon nodded, setting the pillows down beside her, “Don’t mention it.”

He took notice of their surroundings on the first floor in more detail this time. A fireplace next to the couch, a broken crystal light fixture hanging above their heads, a soft rug that spanned across the entirety of the sitting area they occupied, and a small pile of random things Ashley had collected while he had been scouting upstairs.

“Find anything good?” He asked, nodding towards it.

Ashley turned towards the items, reaching a hand out to shuffle through them as Leon took off his boots and placed them close by.

“Well, I found two cans of expired gazpacho, a flashlight that’s missing a battery, a box of matches, a Christmas candle, and some towels. They’re kinda in a similar state as the blanket though so…”

“Go ahead and light the candle, I’ll try to put some of this broken furniture in the fireplace. Should give us light for a few hours at least,” Leon spoke, grabbing a wilted chair from the dining room and snapping the legs off one by one.

He could feel Ashley’s eyes staring into him. Normally, he would have ignored it, but he chose to act like the late-twenties man that he was and look up to meet her intimidating seafoam gaze.

“What?”

Ashley, caught off guard, tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, “Nothing. Well actually, like, I dunno. You’re just really strong. I always notice how easy it is for you to just… do things. Like that door earlier, or how carefree you were when you swung on the chandelier in the castle. Or how you’re breaking that chair right now. It’s just really cool.”

Leon raised a brow, “I mean, this chair is rotted, it’s not that hard to break it.”

He snapped another leg off, splinters from the wood flying into the air.

Ashley shook her head, “...Yeah, but I can’t do that.”

“Sure you can. You’ve operated a wrecking ball, and not to mention, saved me all by yourself, I know you can break a leg off of a chair.” Leon said, giving the blonde an encouraging look. “Come try.”

Ashley blinked at him, uncertain whether he was teasing her or serious. But the faint smirk tugging at the corner of Leon’s mouth told her he meant it—at least partly.

“Really?” She asked, standing and brushing her palms on her thighs, the blanket falling from her shoulders and pooling at her feet. The dim reflection from the broken lights caught the sheen of moisture still clinging to her clothes, outlining her shape in fleeting glimmers.

Leon gestured to the chair beside him. “Yeah. Show me what you’ve got, Ashley.”

The sound of her name falling from Leon’s lips in that gentle way, so unlike the urgency and harshness that he usually spoke it with, made her stomach twist into little knots.

She stepped closer, eyeing the cracked wood leg like it was a personal challenge. She crouched, placing both hands on the weakened joint and giving it an awkward tug. It barely budged. Her brows knitted in determination, and she shifted her stance, pressing one foot against the chair’s frame for leverage, and yanked again.

With a sharp crack, the leg splintered free, sending her stumbling backward into Leon’s chest.

Leon’s reflexes kicked in before his mind caught up, and his arms closed around her waist, steadying her. The sound of the broken wood falling to the floor was distant, drowned out by the thudding of his pulse in his ears.

He was grateful for the leather of his gloves that prevented his palms from feeling the curve of her body directly.

Ashley laughed breathlessly, her voice breaking through the tension. “Guess I should’ve believed you.”

Leon exhaled, a faint grin softening his features. His hands lingered at her sides for a fraction too long before he forced himself to let go, stepping back and clearing his throat. “Nice job.”

“Thanks,” She said, still smiling, brushing a few stray splinters off her palms. Leon noticed that despite the rough treatment Ashley had to endure the past few days, her manicured nails remained, for the most part, unblemished, save for the dirt that accumulated underneath.

Leon crouched beside the fireplace, stacking the chair pieces over the smeared ashes that had long gone cold. Ashley joined him, handing him the box of matches she’d found. Her fingers brushed his as she passed them over, the touch barely there; light, but enough to send a shiver crawling up his spine that he would just attribute to the still-drying clothes on his body.

He struck the match, the sulfur flaring bright in the gloom, briefly illuminating the hard lines of his jaw and the curve of his mouth. When he leaned forward to light the wood, the warm glow painted his face in hues of gold and amber.

It was the kind of light that softened him. The kind of light Ashley had never seen him in before.

The fire caught slowly at first, licking the edges of the splintered wood until it roared to life, filling the room with its flickering heat. The shadows on the walls wavered, dancing with the rhythm of the flames.

“Mmm, feels nice and warm,” Ashley sank down to the sofa, pulling the blanket over her shoulders once more, and then watched him quietly. “You’re really good at this whole survival thing, huh?”

Leon sat beside her, resting his forearms on his knees as he stared into the fire. “It’s my job.”

She offered him half of the blanket, and he shook his head. While to Ashley it was an innocent and considerate offer, a part of him knew that in sharing it, they would be crossing a line, at least in Leon’s perverted mind.

“Yeah, but… it’s more than that,” She said softly. “You always know what to do. You never panic. Even when it’s terrifying. It’s really admirable.”

Leon gave a low hum, eyes fixed on the crackling flames, “I’ve had practice. I hope you never have to experience all of the shit I’ve gone through.”

Ashley hesitated, then added, “Still… I feel safe when I’m with you.”

Her words hit him harder than he expected, cutting through the barrier he’d worked so hard to keep up. He didn’t dare to look at her, because if he did, he wasn’t sure what would happen next.

His restraint that he had built up over all these years—over the September 30th incident, over Ada’s betrayals, over everything since his life went to shit— was beginning to falter under the patronizing eyes of an angel.

The fire crackled, the only sound between them, and Leon finally said, almost under his breath, “You shouldn’t.”

Ashley tilted her head. “Why not?”

Leon’s jaw worked, but no words came out at first. He drew in a slow breath, the kind that rasped against the back of his throat, then let it out through his nose.

“Because,” He said at last, voice deep, “people who get close to me usually end up regretting it.”

Ashley frowned, pulling the blanket a little tighter around herself. The firelight caught the gold in her hair, flickering across her lashes when she blinked. Her eyes trailed along the outline of Leon’s knees, then up to his folded hands, then the sculpted curve of his jaw and the way his dried bangs framed his features.

“I don’t think I would,” She murmured.

He huffed a small, humorless laugh. “You’d be the first.”

Silence settled again. It was heavy, but not uncomfortable. The two of them had grown used to the quiet that would amass between them quite often. It was part of the deal when considering Ashley’s bubbly personality and Leon’s stoic one. 

The only movement came from the flames and the subtle brush of her shoulder as she shifted nearer to him, just enough that the edge of the blanket grazed his elbow.

Leon’s muscles went rigid. He didn’t pull away, though every part of him screamed that he should. The warmth was welcome after the sea and wind, but it was dangerous too. As much as he wanted to deny it, it wasn’t the fire that was making his pulse hasten and his skin feel hotter.

Ashley drew her eyes back to the flames. “You’ve done a lot for me, Leon. More than anyone ever has. You saved my life. You cared about me more than yourself.”

“That was the mission,” Leon bit, though Ashley knew he didn’t mean any ill-will by it. She had grown used to the edge he used to mask his words.

She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she turned to look at Leon, “Maybe at first.”

Leon glanced at her then. Her expression was soft but unwavering, a strange mix of innocence and resolve that reminded him why she’d survived this long. For all her youth, there was something steady in her gaze that made him feel both older and smaller at once. It was like her presence had an effect that caused him to feel comforted, one that allowed him to take a breath for once in his life.

“But it was, I don’t know, like the small things that you went out of your way for in order to make me feel safer. They solidified my beliefs that you weren’t just another person assigned to keep an eye on the ‘president’s daughter.’ You feel real. Real enough for me to trust, and to know that you’re a good person, whether you believe it or not.”

Leon remained quiet. 

Ashley stared into the fire for a long moment, her voice softer when she spoke again. “You know… I’ve met countless people who were supposed to protect me before. Men who worked for my father; Secret Service, advisors, politicians.”

She gave a small, humorless laugh. “They’d smile at me in public and talk about duty and service, but behind closed doors, I could see it in their eyes. They didn’t care if I was safe. They just cared about what I represented. How I looked. Any scandals that could happen. To them, I’m just the eye candy of the White House. Just the President’s daughter. I’m not Ashley.”

“There was one man in particular,” She continued, her fingers thumbing at the edge of the blanket. “He used to tell me that the world doesn’t work without people like him, that he did bad things so good people didn’t have to.” Her voice wavered a little, bordering on disgust. “But when I looked at him, I didn’t see someone protecting something. I saw someone who enjoyed the power and liked reminding people they were small.”

Leon clenched his jaw, shifting his leg slightly.

The blonde turned to him, her gentle eyes catching the light. “You’re not like that, Leon. You don’t hurt people just because you can. You don’t take pride in it.”

He gave a slow, bitter exhale. “You think that’s true because you haven’t seen me when I have to be one of those people.”

“I don’t need to,” Ashley shook her head, “Because I’ve already seen who you are when you don’t have to be.”

Leon finally caught her gaze, allowing himself to fully take in her presence for the first time since they’d met. Her features were soft in the firelight, unguarded and on display for Leon to witness as he pleased. There was no pity in her expression, no naïveté either.

The man only saw optimistic belief, the kind that hurt more than any wound could.

Leon’s throat tightened. He swallowed hard, but it didn’t do much to ease the roughness in his voice when he finally spoke once again.

“You’re giving me too much credit.”

Ashley’s brows drew together slightly, but she didn’t interrupt.

He stared into the hearth, the embers tracing the hard angles and contours of his face. “You haven’t seen what I’ve done to keep people alive…what it costs…”

Ashley shifted closer, her voice quiet but firm. “I don’t need to know every detail to understand what kind of person you are.”

Leon gave a short scoff, and Ashley hardened her gaze. For some reason, it made a chill creep up Leon’s spine. 

“You keep telling yourself you’re one of the bad ones, but I don’t buy it.”

Leon exhaled, the tension in his shoulders barely shifting. “You don’t know what it’s like to live with the choices and decisions I’ve made in my life.”

“Maybe not,” She said quietly. “But I know what it’s like to feel alone in a room full of people who pretend they care. You don’t do that. You don’t pretend.”

Something about that hit him deeper than he wanted it to; an arrow piercing into his barricaded heart. He rubbed a calloused hand over the back of his neck, trying to ease the tightness that had formed there. He didn’t know what to say, and Ashley didn’t seem to expect him to. Leon was grateful that she was comfortable when things went quiet between them.

The silence stretched again, and Ashley’s knee brushed his when she shifted slightly, the edge of the blanket falling between them. It was nothing, really, but it was enough for Leon to feel every nerve in his body react to it.

He took notice of how Ashley’s tights had ripped apart where her knees were, the skin underneath scuffed and raw from their escape. He was relieved that it seemed to be the extent of her injuries, while another part of him, for some reason, still felt a seething urge stream through his veins at even the slightest mark on her porcelain skin.

She caught him staring, and a small smile graced her features, “What?”

“Uh,” Leon cleared his throat, “Nothing.”

“It’s something,” She teased, tilting her head slightly.

“No, I’m just tired.” Leon sighed, subtly scooting closer to the armrest.

Leon ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair, pulling his lip between his teeth to distract himself from her searching gaze.

Thoughts began circulating through his mind, bitter and pungent and a representation of everything Leon Kennedy was. 

She doesn't understand. I can’t do this. I shouldn’t. She’s too innocent. Too young. Too pure for me to mess up like this.

He could feel her beryl irises on him, patient and unwavering, and that only made the weight in his chest heavier.

I’ve spent my life shutting people out. Keeping my distance. Protecting them from me… and now she’s here, trusting me and looking at me like I’m a fucking Michaengelo statue. How did this even happen?

Leon’s thoughts flickered to the last time he’d let someone get close. Ada. Memories of her were sharp, cold, and painful, and it left an acidic taste in his mouth. People like Leon and Ada were not meant for love; they were only meant to ruin.

I’ve noticed the way she’s interested in me. I’m pathetic, not dense. She will not find a happy ending with me. I don’t let things like this happen for a reason. It’s not just a mistake; it’s a disaster waiting to happen. I’ll taint her, break her, consume her. I can’t risk it.

And yet, her knee brushed his again, accidental and soft, but enough to explode every cell in his body in a way that Las Plagas never could. His jaw tightened, and he could feel the innocence from Ashley trying to pry its way in between Leon’s chassis, as well as the way his pulse seemed deafening enough to echo in the quiet room.

Every instinct screamed at him to pull back, to step away, to remind himself of the line he couldn’t dare cross. This is my job. I’m her protector, not… not this.

“So have you thought about my offer?” Ashley asked, and Leon reluctantly turned to face her. He had to take a moment to collect himself, after all.

“What offer?”

“Don’t tell me you already forgot about…you know, being assigned to my detail…” She spoke softly, a hint of something coy and sanguine laced in her tone.

Leon definitely hadn’t forgotten. He had already told her that she didn’t need him, and while a part of that was the truth, Leon also had come to realize that even if Ashley didn’t, perhaps he needed her. 

“Oh, right,” Leon said nonchalantly.

Ashley crossed her arms, “‘Oh, right’? That’s all you have to say? You know I was being serious, right, Leon?!”

Leon sighed, “I know.”

The words came out heavier than he meant them to; flat, guarded, and too calm for what was twisting inside him. Ashley frowned, waiting patiently for more like she always did, but he didn’t give her anything else. He couldn’t.

She shifted closer, her tone softening. “Then why are you so….opposed to it?”

Leon let out a breath, disbelief painting his features at how easily Ashley was able to see through him, “Because you don’t know what you’re asking for.”

Ashley’s brow furrowed, her voice dipping into something more intimate and steady. “I’m asking for you to stay. That’s all.”

He stared at her; at the way her hair clung to her face, at the faint scrapes on her skin, at how exhausted she looked and yet how certain she sounded. It would’ve been easier if she were naïve or fragile, but she wasn’t. She was looking him right in the eye, and that somehow made it worse.

Leon turned away, his hardened gaze landing on something distant outside the window. “It’s not that simple.”

The blonde’s voice became a whisper that nearly disappeared beneath the crackle of the fire. “But it is. You’re exactly who I think, no, who I know you are.”

Ashley’s words shouldn’t have skewered through Leon’s dwindling composure. They shouldn’t have made something in his chest ache, shouldn’t have made him want to close the distance between them until he forgot how dangerous and vile it was.

“Don’t do that,” Leon muttered, his voice low and rough.

“Do what?”

His eyes shadowed, burning with all that he was trying to conceal, “...I know you don’t want me to be in your life just as your bodyguard.”

Her lips parted, but she didn’t move away.

“What you’re asking of me…I don’t get to have things, nice things, like that. Like this.” His voice faltered, his hand flexing against his thigh as he forced himself to look away. “I’m here to protect you, Ashley. That’s it. That’s all this is supposed to be.”

Ashley hesitated, her breath catching in her throat, “You keep saying that like it’s supposed to convince me.”

Leon’s pulse thundered in his ears. He wanted to tell her she was wrong, that she didn’t know what she was doing, that she couldn’t possibly understand what kind of man he really was. But, it was Ashley they were talking about; a headstrong and stubborn young woman who knew what she wanted while carrying a warmth in her eyes that managed to make Leon nauseous. 

And that frightened him more than anything else.

He nursed on his lip and leaned back slightly, putting a fraction of distance between them even though it felt like tearing his fucking skin off, “You don’t want this. Trust me.”

Ashley’s expression softened, “No. This is something I want to decide for myself.”

Leon swallowed hard; years of discipline had taught him to hold the line and to never blur his own selfish desires into his work or let it become something that could obscure the mission. 

Ashley leaned forward slightly, placing a hand on Leon’s thigh, “You don’t have to protect me from you, Leon.”

And suddenly, the tattered blanket that enveloped Ashley was pooled at her elbows, her fingers gently cupping the curve of Leon’s jawline, and her soft lips pressing against his own.

Leon froze when he felt the foreign sensation. The contact was too soft for what it did to him, and it shattered every wall he’d built and reinforced since the day they’d met. Yet, he didn’t move, not even when Ashley deepened the kiss, her fingers sliding from his jaw to the back of his neck and tangling in the soft tufts of hair at the base of his nape.

He hadn’t kissed anyone since Ada, their short but intimate moment in the Raccoon City cable car but a mere memory in his fogged mind. A memory of hurried whispers and anxieties, rapid heartbeats and spilled crimson. It felt like nothing in comparison to this, to how tender Ashley was with him, cradling him like he was something precious and holy to be preserved and worshipped.

Leon’s fingers twitched at his sides, unsure whether to push her away or pull her closer. The urge to hold her—to finally let himself feel something other than the constant tension of threat—warred with the instinct that had kept him alive all these years.

Ashley seemed to sense his conflict, her lips gliding back to allow her forehead to rest lightly against his. 

“It’s just me…” Her thumb brushed across his cheek, slow and deliberate, grounding him.

A low groan escaped him, barely audible, as he thought fuck it, and let his hands move almost involuntarily, settling on her slim waist. She shivered at his touch, leaning into the contact, and Leon felt the simmering heat continuously rising in his chest. Every nerve ending screamed, each soft brush of her lips and light press of her body sending him further into unfamiliar territory.

“Ashley…” The agent’s voice was rough, strained with disbelief at how easily she had undone him. Though, he supposed it was inevitable. 

She smiled softly, coral lips brushing against his ear as she murmured, “I want this.”

That simple confession broke the last of Leon’s restraint. He lodged his thumb on top of her chin and tilted it, pressing his lips to hers again. This time it was with more intent, deeper, letting the kiss speak for what his words and awkward demeanor couldn’t.

His hands roamed, memorizing the curve of her back and the warmth of her skin in comparison to the chill material of her turtleneck, and lightly swept his tongue across her bottom lip. 

Ashley pliantly parted her lips to allow him to slip his tongue inside, and Leon groaned at the warmth that now surrounded his appendage, and the way in which Ashley’s own licked across his teeth and the hollows of his cheeks. Leon felt faint in the way she sucked around his tongue and let her teeth softly graze his tastebuds.

Of course, Leon had experience. He had girlfriends when he was younger, during the days before he became a rookie police officer. He wasn’t a virgin in the slightest.

Yet somehow, he was still caught off guard at the way Ashley bit down on his lip and tugged it tautly between her teeth, yanking his hair with a mischievous smile that she frequently gave Leon when she was feeling bold.

Leon’s lip melted back against his teeth, and he gave Ashley a look that displayed his confusion at her technique.

“What?” She asked, tucking strands of her damp platinum hair behind her ear. 

Leon shook his head, “Nothing, that was just…”

His sentence died in his throat as Ashley pressed her lips to his skin once more. The warmth of her mouth and the wetness of her saliva was already sending him over the edge. He must’ve looked fucking pathetic, cause he sure as hell felt like it. Here he was, getting handled by a woman who he was seven years older than. A woman who had a completely different upbringing and background from him; one rooted in poise and pretension as opposed to brute force and anger.

The damsel pressed herself closer, straddling him as the blanket completely slipped to the floor, knees brushing against either side of his thighs. Her hands gripped his broad shoulders, then slid down his toned chest, pinning him lightly as she leaned in.

Ashley’s lips traversed down to ghost against Leon’s jaw and neck, dragging her tongue along his skin and occasionally nipping.

His hands moved toward her waist, but she caught them, holding them in place. She giggled softly into the shell of his ear, causing a shiver to uprise along his spine. Her lips peppered along the underside of his earlobe, then his jaw, until she was biting at the pulse points underneath the fragile and sensitive skin of his neck.

Leon tilted his head back against the couch, closing his eyes as the fiery bliss of her mouth scorched into the posterior junction of his throat. Her teeth left imprints in their wake, as well as hickeys that began to bloom after her harsh sucking, almost as if she wanted to swallow Leon’s skin. Ashley then moved slightly, a new angle that pressed her closer into Leon, one that gave her access to siphon around his Adam's apple and lap at it with her tongue.

Her movements were deliberate and confident; every touch, every press of her body, demanding and claiming on the older man. Leon’s breaths came faster, chest rising and falling under her light weight that seemed to suffocate and imprison him, rooting him into the cushions. His control, so tightly wound for years, began to fracture into millions of crystalline pieces underneath her deceptive insistence.

Leon fully believed Ashley was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The gracefulness of her innocent and doe-like eyes held a dominance to them that one would not expect her to exude unless you were the prey that she had so carefully studied and dissected.

Ashley arched into him, pressing closer, letting him feel the warmth of her breasts and the desire she had carefully hidden behind the veneer of the honorable president’s daughter. Her hands roamed, squeezing around Leon’s biceps, tracing down the veins in his forearms and locking her nails around his wrists.

Her wispy lashes fluttered against his skin as she kissed it, while her other hand tugged incessantly to guide in between his shirt and the strands of his thick hair, making his body and voice respond to her rhythm.

Every gasp, every shiver, every little contortion of Leon’s face continuously spurred the woman on. She leaned up once more, lips brushing his, tongue teasing against his teeth before retreating, pulling him further into the barrage she had ignited.

Leon’s hands twitched at her sides, unsure whether to resist or surrender fully, and ultimately decided to slide his fingers up until they touched the bare skin of her abdomen. Ashley took in a sharp breath, pulling away to look into Leon’s weathered eyes with a dazed expression.

He swallowed harshly, the pads of his fingertips feeling the soft curve of her waist, the harder edges where her ribs protruded, and the nylon and silk material of the bra that hugged her skin. Leon could see the outline of his knuckles prodding from beneath the damp fabric of her turtleneck, and the miniscule sight was enough to make his pants feel tighter. 

Fuck.

“You can take it off,” Ashley coaxed, and Leon averted his gaze. He felt like a minute ant being analyzed, the only ending in sight being that he becomes crushed beneath the force of a thousand suns and his remains consumed by the predator before him.

Leon’s hands lingered on the hem of her turtleneck, trembling as he finally gripped the fabric and peeled it up, pulling it over her shoulders. The garment fell to the floor, and Ashley’s white bra with a small pink bow greeted his face.

Her hands tangled in the back of his hair again, guiding his lips to hers, pressing, claiming, and teasing all in equal measure. Leon could feel the heat of her skin against his clothed chest, akin to a saccharine candle’s flame teasing wickedly along his body.

His fingers hesitated, then brushed against the smooth plane of her stomach, tracing the soft curves that led up to the swell of her covered breasts. He swallowed hard, feeling the warmth of her skin under his rough, calloused hands, each contact reverent yet desperate. Ashley shivered at his touch, leaning into him, tilting her chest upward as if silently demanding more. 

He could feel her nuzzle her nose into his cheek, encouraging him to take what he wanted from her.

Leon’s throat bobbed visibly as his fingers slid higher, his touch careful, like he feared she’d vanish if he handled her too jarringly.

Ashley breathed out a soft hum, letting her forehead rest against his, her soft voice barely above a whisper, “Go on.”

Leon nodded, furrowing his brows in an apprehensive anticipation.

His hands traveled behind her, fingertips brushing over the delicate clasp of her bra. It took him a moment to undo it, his gloves long discarded but his hands still clumsy with hesitation. When the bra finally loosened, Ashley shrugged her shoulders and let it fall away like petals slipping from a blossom. 

The sight made Leon suck in a sharp breath between his teeth, one that pierced his lungs like frosted knives. She was beautiful in a way that a man like him had no right to witness.

Her nipples were hardened from the cool air and the heat of his own body, soft curves rising and falling with each anxious inhale. As much as Ashley wanted to appear collected yet sinful, he could still read her; he knew she was nervous, if not more so, than he was.

His gaze darkened, pupils blown wide across his hungry blue irises, but he didn’t dare act. He just stared. Revering. Wanting. Knowing he shouldn’t. Was it too lewd of him to stare at her chest, or would it be insulting if he looked anywhere but there? Would Ashley think he was opposed to the image of her vulnerable body? Or would she think he was perverted and deviant for not being able to control himself?

Ashley cupped his jaw again, forcing him to look at her and not focus on the umpteenth amount of intrusive thoughts tearing through his head.

“You can touch me, Leon,” She murmured. “I want you to.”

The agent’s hands moved almost instantly, big calloused palms spanning the warmth of her breasts. Leon’s thumb circled a hardened nipple, eliciting a soft, breathy gasp from her lips that vibrated against his mouth when they kissed again.

He brushed softly at first, then firmer, shaping her, testing how she reacted beneath his weathered grip. Ashley gasped, arching beautifully into him as her pelvis pressed harder into his own, and the sound of her pleasured sighs alone nearly undid him.

Leon leaned forward, lips ghosting the delicate skin just above her sternum. He pressed a chaste kiss there, then another. It was slower, mouth gently trailing along the top of her breast. His tongue followed, tentatively yet ravenous, tracing the smooth curves he had memorized with his hands and ogled with his shameful gaze.

Ashley’s manicured fingers then slid down his chest, tugging insistently at his slate-toned shirt.

“Yours too,” She breathed.

Leon didn’t argue. He lifted his arms and let her strip the fabric off of him in one impatient sweep. The shirt hit the floor beside hers, forgotten. Her hands immediately explored the newly exposed skin; the defined chest and the scars no one was ever meant to see.

Leon flinched as she traced an old mark, then a healed slash along his ribs. Recent bruising had also bloomed across his skin, not just from her devilish mouth, but from their hardships in Spain. His body was a reminder of who he was, the things he had done, the trauma he had witnessed etched like thorns into his body forever. His sins were not a fleeting fragment to never be seen again.

A feeling of sudden humility arose in Leon’s throat, almost as if it had been twisted in his esophagus and taken the form of bile.

“Ashley—”

“Don’t hide from me,” The blonde whispered, nails raking lightly down his torso. “You’re allowed to be wanted.”

He let out a shaky breath, a surrender under the harrowing intensity of President Graham’s cunning daughter.

Leon’s mouth found her neck again, hot and needy, sucking a floral mark into her flesh that made her gasp. His canines bit down into the porcelain skin of her collarbone, a hand coming up to thumb at one of her nipples while the other maneuvered its way down. He rolled it between his fingertips, memorizing the softness beneath the delicate skin and the way her body yielded and arched under his rough touch.

Ashley gave a sultry, teasing laugh into the chill air, nails gently carding through his scalp as she ground into him, letting him feel her arousal through the thin layer of fabric still settled between them. 

He slid his deft fingers up her thigh, beneath her tartan viridian skirt; this time with purpose, tips gliding closer to her heat and softness. The barrier of her stockings was thinner than paper, allowing him the feel of her plush warmth while his tongue lolled around her breast with a provocative desire. He brushed the sensitive skin of her inner thigh while his lips claimed her neck, clavicles, and chest in a slow, consuming kiss that left both of them trembling with a want for more.

Ashley’s dominance was subtle but undeniable, and Leon, caught between restraint and desire, had given in to the intoxicating blend of wanton need, sanctioning his body to give in to her silent, vixen commands.

She then gripped a weft of his bangs and forced his head up until their glossy and bruised lips nearly brushed once more. Leon’s dazed eyes searched hers for a clarity he had yet to feel for the first time in his life as small pants elicited from deep within his chest.

“Is this okay?” Leon asked, bringing his free hand up to tuck Ashley’s silky hair behind her ear, while his other thumbed at the hem of her stockings.

The blonde nodded, giving the man a placated smile that spoke more than her words ever could, flooding Leon with a relief he hadn’t known he was yearning for.

“I would tell you if it wasn’t,” Ashley spoke in a hushed tone, her hands interlocked behind Leon’s neck, her chest pressed against his own. “You don’t have to treat me like a doll. You’ve seen what I’m capable of, right?”

Leon’s lip quirked at the corner in reminiscence of Ashley’s resolve during their time together, “Yeah, I guess I have.”

His hand stilled at her waistline, the woolen fabric gathered between his fingers. For a moment, neither of them uttered a word; the air between them was thick with everything unspoken, a silent acknowledgement of their urge to continue further and cross the line they knew they shouldn’t.

Ashley guided his hand lower, her own trembling slightly but steady with intent. He helped her shift, the tartan fabric slipping down her legs until it was discarded soundlessly on the floor beside them. The soft sound of her nylons followed soon after, Leon’s touch careful and reverent.

He lingered, gaze drawn downward to the shape of her hips outlined by the slim fabric of her panties, to the pale expanse of skin that caught the dim light of the hearth. As much as Leon felt lust in the moment, he felt an equal amount of endearment for the girl before him.

Ashley smiled faintly, her fingers moving to the buckle at his waist, working it loose with slow precision. “You think too much,” She murmured, teasingly yet still tender.

“You make it hard not to,” Leon breathed. He almost sounded winded.

Her laugh was soft against his neck, dissolving into a sigh as he drew her closer again. Their movements became slower, more deliberate; a wordless conversation between two people learning how to trust again, how to exist in a world where fear wasn’t the only language they knew. While Leon definitely had more baggage than Ashley did, he still knew she held reservations despite her demeanor, and he didn’t want to dismiss them just because she had an easier life than he had.

When his hand finally settled once more against her skin, it wasn’t forceful, nor hesitant either. It was grounding; a promise, more so to himself, that he was still here and capable of something gentler than violence.

Ashley’s fingers played with the button on Leon’s jeans before sliding the zipper of his fly down, exposing his erection that was straining against his dark briefs. Leon averted his gaze, shuffling out of his pants as her delicate hands lingered around his waist while she undressed him.

They sat across from each other on the couch, both fully bare save for their last remaining, scandalous garments. Leon awkwardly cleared his throat before looking at Ashley once more.

She smiled softly at him, pressing her palms against his pectorals and dragging her fingers down his forearms until they shifted to run across his toned abdomen.

Leon drew in a breath, eyes narrowed at the way Ashley’s chest pressed together from the way she touched him. How the edges of her tousled hair carefully billowed over her shoulder like a sweet caramel. How her neck, marred with bruises and bites from his wicked mouth, reflected hues of saffron and pearl in the dim light of the house.

Unhurriedly, he slipped his hands under her thighs, the tips of his fingers grappling onto the curve of her ass as he pulled her onto his lap. She could most definitely feel how hard he had become, but Leon was trying his best to abandon all semblance of embarrassment by this point. Hell, he was older and more experienced; he had no right to be such a mess in front of her.

Ashley hooked her arms around Leon’s neck, hugging her small body to his larger one as he stood up from the couch and carefully lowered them down onto the rug, splaying the weathered blanket out to provide somewhat of a cushion for their bodies.

The blonde’s back hit the ground gently, and her hair splayed out around her skull like a halo. Leon did not believe in a god, but Ashley represented all the sanctity that he had to worship.

Her legs were propped into the air and wrapped around his waist, while her back was slightly arching off of the floor. She already seemed breathless despite them having barely done anything yet. 

Worn cerulean stared down into seafoam irises, Leon’s chest rising with each dancing flicker of the fire that painted the shadows in the room. He gripped the underside of Ashley’s calf, raising her leg up to his lips to kiss along the inside of her thigh. He looked at her from beneath his bangs, and could see the faint contortions of her face from the sinful warmth of his mouth along her skin. 

“Leon…” Ashley sighed.

Her voice trembled with that one word, and Leon felt it like a physical pull, almost like she had reached inside him and wrapped her fingers around the part of him he’d tried so hard to keep restrained.

He dragged his mouth a little higher, lips ghosting over the tender skin where her thigh met her hip. Her breath hitched sharply, and Leon’s grip tightened around her leg; not enough to hurt, but firm enough to anchor both of them in the moment.

“You’re killing me,” He murmured against her skin, the words muffled by the heat of his mouth.

Ashley reached down, fingers threading into his hair, her nails scraping lightly against his scalp in a delicious way.

“Then come here and die properly,” She whispered, tugging him upward with a gentle insistence that made his breath stutter.

Leon let her guide him, crawling up her body with slow, deliberate movements until his broad chest hovered above hers. Her legs tightened around his waist, pulling him flush against the soft heat between her thighs. Even through the thin fabric of her panties and the barrier of his briefs, the pressure nearly undid him.

“Ashley…” His voice sounded wrecked and unsteady. “I don’t want to rush you.”

The blonde shook her head, her thumb brushing along his jaw as her lips ghosted over his. “You’re not rushing me,” She breathed, voice low with intent. “You’re stalling.”

The agent’s breath caught. She was right, and the small, knowing smile she gave him made his pulse hammer in his throat.

Her fingers slid from his jaw to his hair, threading through the sandy strands at the base of his neck. She tugged, not hard, but just enough to ground him, to remind him she wanted him exactly as he was.

“Leon,” Ashley’s typically faultless eyes were ruinous and sure as she guided his face lower again, “I want your mouth.”

The last of his composure dissolved.

He kissed down her sternum, then the pale expanse of her thin stomach, the muscles fluttering beneath his lips as she inhaled sharply. Ashley kept her legs tight around his waist until he shifted back, gently prying them apart so he could settle between her thighs. The fire’s amber glow washed over her skin once more, illuminating each quiver of anticipation.

Ashley’s breath seized in her throat, her chest rising and falling too quickly as Leon kissed along her waist and hip bone. Her tangled fingers coaxed him, urging him downward to her core without words. The moonlight kissed over his cheekbones as he looked up at the trembling girl beneath him, palms smoothing along the insides of her thighs as if committing every inch of her to memory.

Her panties clung to her, damp and delicate. Leon tugged them down slowly, the fabric brushing along her skin until it was gone; forgotten somewhere beside the blanket. For a second, he just gazed at her, breath uneven, pupils blown wide. He could see the faint moles that scattered her body in all the right places, and the way her ribs slightly protruded from the angle she had herself set in.

Beautiful.

Leon lowered his head.

The first touch of his tongue made Ashley’s whole body jolt. Her fingers tightened instantly in his hair, her hips lifting toward his mouth in a helpless, instinctive plea. Simultaneously, Leon slid two fingers inside her, curling them slowly, teasing her entrance while his tongue traced the wet, tender folds above. He kept her open as she attempted to squeeze her thighs together, pressing the pads of his fingers against her walls with careful precision while his tongue moved in slow, deliberate strokes up her center.

He kept her exactly where he wanted her.

Ashley’s head fell back, a soft sound escaping her lips. Heat blossomed low in her stomach as he continued, tongue moving with a devastating precision he normally reserved for his gun—patient, thorough, slowly unraveling her.

Leon exhaled against her, the warm breath contrasting her wetness making her waver. His mouth then enclosed around her clit, sucking gently, and she gasped, thighs quivering around his head. He held her firmer in response, guiding her hips closer, sliding his fingers in and out with slow, teasing twists, until she could feel every movement circling her nerve endings.

He flicked and pressed and coaxed with his tongue, relishing in the taste of her heat and the symphony of sounds from her throat.

“Leon…” Her breath stuttered, hips rocking despite how tightly he held her.

Each lap of his tongue sent a shiver clawing up her spine, each subtle shift in pressure making her thighs clamp tighter around his shoulders. She tried to muffle a broken moan against the back of her hand, but another rolled through her when he slipped lower, tongue dipping into her opening with slow, deliberate thrusts. His fingers continued to explore, curling inside her, stretching and pressing gently while her body writhed wantonly beneath him.

Her fingers curled rigidly into his hair, and in turn, Leon groaned into her. The vibration forced her hips off the blanket as tension coiled in her abdomen, hot and unbearable.

Oh, Leon definitely wouldn’t let up now.

He kept her open beneath him, mouth and fingers moving in an unyielding rhythm, his thumb brushing slow circles at the apex of her thighs while his other hand alternated between pressing inside her and brushing the sensitive skin around her entrance, driving her closer to the edge with every touch.

Ashley’s breath hitched, her plush and milky thighs shaking uncontrollably. Leon lifted her hips slightly, angling her deeper against his mouth. His tongue pressed harder, rapidly spurred on by every shiver and twitch of her body.

Suddenly, Ashley snapped. Whether it was because she maybe was a virgin, or because Leon was simply that good, he couldn’t say.

Her back arched sharply, a choked cry tearing from her rose lips as pleasure crashed over her. Her thighs squeezed around his head with minute jolts, her fingers pulling at his wild tufts of hair while the orgasm tore through her in waves. Leon held her through it, mouth and fingers never leaving her, drawing out every last tremor until she finally melted back onto the blanket—breathless, weakened, and fucking undone.

Leon kissed her thigh and nipped at it once before lifting his head, his lips wet, breath hoarse, eyes heavy with the kind of hunger he could no longer hide. His eyes took notice of the numerous amethyst-toned hickeys that painted her muted skin, alongside angry vermillion bite indentations from his teeth. 

Leon cleared his throat.

He simply wanted to devour Ashley and everything she represented.

Ashley’s chest rose and fell in unsteady rhythms, lashes filtered with unshed crystalline tears, her skin glimmering with heat and sweat and the remnants of pleasure he’d torn from her. Leon hovered above her for a moment, the taste of her still warm on his tastebuds. 

Before he could consume her, Ashley moved first.

Still trembling, she pushed herself upright. Her hands slid along the boning in his arms, then down his chest, fingertips tracing the faint ridges of muscle beneath his skin. Leon’s breath shuddered at the simple contact, almost like the soft, deliberate way she touched him was its own command.

The president’s daughter sat up fully, her knees folding beneath her as she crawled toward him. She pushed at his shoulder until he eased back, raising a brow and sitting against the couch behind him. His legs fell open instinctively, breath stalling as she settled between them.

Then her fingers hooked into the waistband of his black briefs.

Leon’s jaw tensed. Realization creeped into his pulse.

Ashley pulled them down slowly—agonizingly so—letting the fabric drag along his thick thighs until his cock sprang free, thick and aching and flushed deep crimson at the tip. Her lips parted just slightly, eyes darkened with something that made Leon’s heart thunder in his ears.

“You don’t have to Ashley,” Leon offered, though his straining erection betrayed his kind words.

She smiled like a minx, then leaned forward and kissed the inside of his thigh. Then another. And another. Each press of her lips was feather-light, almost teasing, but the heat and softness of them burned him straight through like he had been scalded by an iron rod.

Leon exhaled sharply, eyes fluttering closed as Ashley’s breath ghosted over his length. She wrapped one hand around the base of him, her grip gentle at first, then firmer when she felt him throb in reaction within her palm. Her thumb brushed over the head, smearing the warm slickness that had gathered there.

Leon groaned, embarrassed as the involuntary noise slipped from behind his wall.

Ashley’s flaxen lashes lifted, her gaze meeting his as she leaned in and gave a slow, wanton lick from the underside of his length all the way to the tip. His hips jerked despite himself, breath catching mid-exhale. Her mouth closed around the head, tongue circling with quiet, focused intent.

Leon’s hands flew to her hair, holding on for dear life as the angel before him demolished what remained of his pathetic soul.

Ashley took him deeper like the good girl she was, inch by inch, hollowing her cheeks as she slid down around him. Her mouth was warm, impossibly soft, her breath humming in small vibrations that shot straight up his spine. Leon’s head knocked back against the couch, eyes squeezing shut as she found a languid, devastating rhythm.

Her tongue licked the underside of his shaft, then traced around his tip and occasionally dipped within his slit to lap up his pre-cum. The ministrations made Leon see vast amounts of stars and supernovas and anything else their universe had to offer him.

Her hand stroked the part of him her mouth couldn’t reach, movements perfectly synced to the pace of her lips gliding along his length. Every time she bobbed down, her nose brushed the base of his abdomen; every time she pulled back, saliva glistened along him in the firelight. She moaned around his warm cock, a voracious sensation milking itself around Leon.

He bit back a curse, but it still slipped out, rough and strangled. His thighs tensed under her, muscles jumping with each slide of her knowing tongue. Ashley hummed, almost a taunt, the vibration making him grip her hair harder, his chest expanding and deflating with uneven, ragged breaths.

She pulled back once—only to drag her tongue slowly along the thrumming vein running up the underside of him before taking him into her mouth again, deeper this time. Leon let out a breathless, guttural sound. It was debauched, perhaps a warning at her cruel fervor and the obscene feelings she elicited from the man. 

His head dropped forward to watch her, and the sight alone nearly undid him—Ashley on her knees, haloed by the stark complementary hues of amber and pale light. Her lips were stretched around him, eyes half-lidded in concentration and insatiable lust.

Leon’s breathing fractured. His fingers tightened in her hair, his body trembling with the effort not to thrust into her mouth with a reckless abandon.

Ashley, sensing that Leon was close, only went slower, her pace deliberate and controlled like she was savoring every inch of him.

He was delirious with the need to come.

Suddenly, Leon’s voice broke into a depraved groan as his head tipped back against the couch again, hips twitching helplessly.

His wrecked body shuddered violently, heat and tension finally spilling over from the effects of her seraphic hands. His stiff cock pulsed in Ashley’s mouth, every heartbeat sending a fresh wave of blood through his erection. 

Her lips and tongue worked with unrelenting precision, sucking and licking him through the first explosive moments of his release. She didn’t stop—not until his muscles trembled, legs quivering, and his hips stilled against her. Only then did she lift her head, a bead of his orgasm glistening on her lip as she looked up at him, eyes dark and triumphant at having won her claim over the man.

Leon groaned. His chest was heaving and sweat dotting his brow as he caught his breath. 

Who would have expected that from the president’s daughter.

Ashley’s hands stayed on his thighs as a way to steady him, drawing him closer with every subtle motion of her mischievous fingers. The flames danced over their skin, painting every curve and ridge in ochre and shadow.

He exhaled shakily and cupped her face, leaning down to press his forehead against hers. It was a gesture so intimate, and a part of Leon was frightened by it, however, he knew with Ashley, he had nothing to fear.

The taste of him lingered on her lips, and his own need flared yet again; not from want, but from possession, the hunger that only she could ignite within his shallow shell of a heart.

Without a word, he shifted, pressing her gently back onto the blanket, knees on either side of her hips. 

Ashley’s breath hitched as his hands traced her thighs. His calloused fingers slid upward to part her legs once more, revealing her slick that glistened in the moonlight. She arched instinctively, hips pressing toward him as if already anticipating him.

Leon bit his lip. Oh, so they were really doing this now, huh. He shook his head, clearing any hesitant thoughts that had begun to emerge once more.

Well, he couldn’t leave a lady waiting.

The agent positioned himself at her readied entrance, the head of him teasing her slick folds, brushing against her tight heat. He had one hand propped up beside her head, his arm tense with his weight, while the other held his length in his hands.

“Tell me if you need me to stop,” Leon spoke, and Ashley nodded in response.

Her fingers threaded into his shoulder blades, anchoring herself to him and pressing closer with a subtle insistence. He groaned, letting his weight settle just enough before he slowly pushed inside her.

Ashley cried out softly, hips tilting to accommodate his bigger length, and he froze for a fraction, savoring the sensation of finally filling her. The warmth, the tightness, the soft tremble of her muscles against him; was more intoxicating than he had imagined.

Shamefully enough, Leon’s head had been so clouded over in the moment, that if Ashley had said anything, he wouldn’t have heard her anyways.

He began to move, slow and deliberate at first, letting her adjust to him. He could feel every small contraction of her walls, every shiver of her body, every gasp of her angelic voice. It was divine.

Ashley’s breath hitched as Leon’s hips ignited their labored rhythm. Her eyes locked onto his, a sheepish blush coating her pale cheeks, “I want you to be… rough with me,” She murmured, her voice teasing yet laced with that rare, earnest intensity.

Leon froze, a sharp, incredulous breath escaping him. “What…?”

Without breaking eye contact, Ashley reached for his hand, guiding it gently yet insistently to the curve of her throat. “Please,” She whispered, voice trembling with a mix of anticipation and desire.

Leon’s chest tightened, a rush of adrenaline and heat flooding him. He understood what she was asking of him.

Carefully, he let his hand rest there, fingers brushing lightly at first, feeling her pulse under his palm. The simple, controlled act made her arch instinctively into him, hips pressing closer as he began to add a firmer, more commanding edge to his thrusts.

Her soft gasp spurred him on, and he held her in place, maintaining eye contact as he drove  leisurely into her, his other hand gripping her hip, grounding them both. The delicate tension of her throat beneath his fingers, combined with the slick, tight embrace of her walls, sent sparks of pleasure that were almost unbearable.

Leon’s hips rolled relentlessly, digging deeper inside her as he pressed her tighter against his pelvis.

Without breaking rhythm, he guided her head slightly back. His fingers around the slim column of her neck were firm, possessive, and commanding—but not enough to hurt. Ashley’s gasp hitched in response, and Leon caught the faintest nod of reassurance in her eyes.

“Fuck…” He growled in disbelief at the situation he was in. Every thrust was becoming harsher now, a rougher cadence, and her nails raked down his shoulders, leaving tiny crescents of pain that thrilled him in tandem with the pleasure.

Ashley’s back arched violently as he leaned into her neck, brushing teeth against skin in a mix of nips and kisses. The subtle choke, the sharpness of his grip, sent tremors through her in waves she hadn’t expected, nor that she wanted to end.

Leon held her flush against him, his eyes dusky with need, watching every flicker of expression, every gasp, every shiver as his venomous hand further tightened around her throat. She looked so fragile beneath him, and the vile part of him that he tried his best to hide, wanted to squeeze her until she became nothing but a hollow shell.

“You’re mine,” He muttered, his voice rolling from his chest as his hips continued their unrelenting rhythm. Each word and touch carried the weight of possession, yet were threaded with the care he had for her, the way he cradled her as he pounded into her.

Ashley choked out a sob, biting her lip at the lack of oxygen in her lungs as Leon’s wicked fingers worked their magic. Her hands traveled from his shoulders to his pectorals, nails grazing his skin as she pulled him flush against her breasts, urging him to go deeper.

Having seen enough, Leon let go of her throat, and Ashley suddenly gasped for air. The act had made both of them a lot more turned on than they cared to admit.

Leon’s movements grew steadier with more insistence, each thrust becoming animalistic and keeping them tethered together. Shapes and colors of orange glinted across their sweat-slick skin, shadows dancing across Leon’s taut muscles that hovered over the blonde’s smaller frame. 

Ashley’s back arched, lips panting Leon’s name in quiet, copious moans. She was not the type to have her eyes squeezed shut, no, instead, her eyes were locked on his, pupils dilated with need and surrender to the man who had saved her life.

Ashley devoted herself to Leon, and he gladly accepted her cruel submission.

He grinded sharply into her pelvis, with every thrust and subtle roll of their hips building an invisible thread between them. It was electric. It was suffocating. It binded them tighter than words ever could.

Was this what that so-called red string was all about?

Leon’s hands slid down her sides, gripping her hips and holding her in place with his nails as he continued to move in a rhythm that matched her mounting gasps. Oh, how he wanted to elicit her soft and pleading whimpers forever. For if Leon were a dying man, Ashley’s voice would be the long cure that could save him.

His hips moved with deliberate precision, a steady, torturous rhythm that dragged every nerve ending in Ashley’s body into fire. 

“Fuck…” Leon muttered, emitting a low growl that vibrated against her lips as he pressed himself deeper into her. The word slipped out before he could stop it, carrying all the hunger and desire that had been coiled inside him since they began.

Ashley’s nails raked roughly along his shoulders in response, urging him to keep fucking her. The pain from her sharp nails felt satisfying against his skin, and he could already imagine the reddened lines that would leave their mark upon his flesh. 

She tilted her hips instinctively with each piston from his hips. She followed his movements, adjusting her body in perfect sync as if their muscles were acting purely on instinct, a language older than words.

The stretch of her walls around him and the heat that enveloped his throbbing cock from all sides was dizzying. Leon could feel it in his chest, his thighs, his balls, and the core of his abdomen as he pressed into her. He slowly built the girl up, each careful roll of his hips against hers sending new sparks of sensation coursing through her bones and causing her to unravel into a pathetic mess of pleasure and submission.

Ashley’s blue eyes were heavy-lidded and locked on his, her pupils like saucers and dilated with need. Her lips parted in small gasps, soft whimpers spilling out between each shuddering breath.

“Leon…Hah…” She murmured against his lips as they kissed, voice trembling and raw. The sound alone was enough to set fire to every fiber of his being. His chest felt like it was composed of guitar strings that were tuned too tightly and plucked with hazardous winds.

Leon pepped his lips against her nose, then lowered his forehead against hers. His hair had become matted to his forehead as sweat dripped down the sides of his face. His hands gripped her hips tighter, nails pressing just enough to anchor them both as he began to thrust at an unrelenting and debauched pace, though every pull out lingered, worshipful in its own way.

He felt the tremble of her muscles clenching and loosening around him, felt how desperately she needed him, and it only made him harder, only made him take his time with the doll coming undone before him.

Leon leaned down, brushing a thumb across her hipbone, circling the tender skin there as if memorizing the shape of her. Ashley shivered, pressing herself harder against him. She rolled her hips in tandem to meet with his thrusts, the soft slaps of their skin colliding with the crash of waves outside. The slick embrace of her walls was addictive and almost unbearable.

Yet Leon prevailed.

“God Ashley…” He growled, voice strained as he pressed into her again. The tip of him brushed against her cervix in the perfect angle, sending a fresh wave of tremors throughout her fragile and used body. 

At the sound of Leon’s voice, her back arched sharply, hands gripping his shoulders, as she pleaded softly for more. 

Every motion from then on became a dialogue without words. A dance between two broken people who sought solace within each other. 

Leon’s hips tapered sharply, then lingered, pressing into her sensitive core. Ashley’s body complied effortlessly, molding herself to him and teasing the man as she squeezed herself around his aching cock. He buried his nose into her neck at the sensation, and despite the hell they had been through together, lingering nodes of fresh rose body wash tinged with black cherry had lingered on Ashley’s skin. It drove him over the edge.

He bit down lightly on his lower lip, eyes flicking up to hers and watching her pupils flutter as he rolled his hips slowly. He savored the way her body reacted, from the way she bared her throat for him, to the way her ankles were locked behind his hips, preventing him from pulling away. He could feel the coil of tension that had built between them after the past few days, tight and all encompassing, the delicious ache of the anticipation reaching its climax almost too much to bear.

Ashley’s faint whimpers and gasps were relentless, her body arching instinctively into Leon, every inch of her desperate for the feel of him filling her up. Leon’s movements became more insistent, rolling his hips with a controlled cruelty that drew guttural sounds from his throat.

Ashley had been the first to hear him like this, and Leon couldn’t find it in himself to feel anxious about it. It was Ashley, after all. 

Any words the two of them tried to utter had become lost within the sound of their bodies colliding.

Her hands gripped him tightly, her body meeting his with each voracious thrust. She tugged him closer, guiding him deeper, having him touch her breast with his weathered hand just the way she liked it. The friction was overwhelming but exquisite.

He leaned down to press a sloppy, heated kiss to her collarbone, teeth grazing the soft skin there, while his hands slid to cup her ass, holding her close and driving himself deeper with each slow penetration of his erection inside her. 

Ashley was the type of person, perhaps the only person, who could make Leon forget about everything else in existence besides the two of them; tangled together in sweat and heat and the sweltering desire of two people who had no business loving each other.

“Nngh..” Leon’s voice broke as his chest heaved, his grunts vibrating against her body as he felt the coil inside him tightening, winding higher and higher. He reached a hand down to rub against Ashley’s clit, overstimulating her as his experienced fingers coaxed her in all the deadly and sinful ways.

“Yes! I-I… I like that…” Ashley cried out and lifted her hips involuntarily, body trembling as her pleasure built in impossible waves; the ones outside ranging nowhere in comparison. Her walls contracted around him tighter, a relentless, pulsing rhythm that drove him to the brink as he ruthlessly fucked her.

Leon’s teeth grazed her shoulder, leaving faint impressions as pace sped up. He could feel himself teetering on the edge at her innocent pleas, every thrust pushing him closer to release, every gasping, pleading cry from her tightening the tension that scalded deeply within his abdomen.

She arched violently into him, and her shoulders pressed against the blanket as a series of sharp, shuddering gasps escaped from her lips. Leon could feel the flood of heat beginning to spill inside him at the sound. 

Leon wanted every second with her to last longer, because a small part of him felt like it was all too good to be true, and that he would never have this intimacy with Ashley again. He had been so used to things being forcefully taken from his life, with no say in the matter at all. Was it so bad if, perhaps for once, he could simply be?

His hands roamed her body in feverish reverence, cupping her breasts, pressing her closer, holding her still just enough as his thrusts became more erratic and desperate. Each movement was worshipful, each roll of his hips deliberate yet frantic as he sought the perfect angle, the perfect depth, the perfect way to claim her completely.

Ashley’s head fell back, Leon’s ministrations eliciting ecstatic moans from her seductive siren voice while she closed her eyes. She urged Leon to drive her forward more and more until they both would become utterly helpless.

And then finally, impossibly, Leon’s control shattered. His muscles tensed, his breath catching in his throat, and he let out a long, guttural groan as he came and filled her, every scorching pulse of release firing through his body deep into her core. Her walls clamped around him, squeezing him through every shuddering motion as her own climax tore through her. Her body convulsed, her hips rocking violently in tandem against his with a desperate abandon.

The world narrowed to the two of them—the tremors of their combined release, their low, ragged moans, the violent beat of their hearts in unison. He stayed inside her, letting the aftershocks of their orgasms wash over them together. He held her close as her body quivered beneath him, trembling in the wake of their entwined need and the wake of being thoroughly used.

Leon exhaled shakily, pressing his forehead to hers, lips brushing over the curve of her soft jawline. His hands lingered on her hips, cautious to not break the porcelain doll that caught her breath beneath him. Ashley’s breathing came in ragged gasps, tired arms wrapped around him and holding him just as tightly as he held her.

Leon felt the need to protect her, even now, no, especially now, more so than they had ever been when they were in danger. Perhaps it was because of how vulnerable she was in this moment, or maybe because a deeper part of Leon had subconsciously planted himself into Ashley’s lungs like a stubborn root. 

For a long moment, they stayed there, wrapped together in the warmth and the heat from the dying fireplace, the echo of their pleasure still vibrating through every inch of them as their breaths fell in sync.

Leon’s chest rose and fell heavily against hers, and though words failed him like they usually did, the quiet intimacy that Ashley’s irises gave him when she looked into his eyes, said more than anything else ever could.

The tired man pulled himself out of Ashley, breathing catching when he noticed the way his seed spilled out of her entrance, and leaned back against the soft rug and blanket, body still weakened from the aftermath of the evening.

Ashley shifted gently on top of him, her chest pressed to his stomach as her cheek rested against his sternum, warmth radiating through every inch of skin. The faltering embers flickered across them, casting their shadows into one another, and for the first time in a long while, Leon felt a dangerous sort of stillness settle over him.

Her weight was light, but grounding, and the docile closeness coerced Leon into himself—into the parts of him he usually kept concealed. He could feel the steady rhythm of her heartbeat against his clavicle, hear her hushed, uneven breaths mingling with his own, and it all became a mirror of how he’d always felt; caged, restrained, needing something he had never allowed himself to admit.

Ashley’s fingers trailed lightly over his chest, manicured nails barely grazing, gentle enough to anchor him in the moment yet demanding enough to pull him fully into her gravity, just like she always managed to do.

He could see every curve of her body, coupled by a faint sheen of sweat that painted her to be an impressionist work by Monet or some Baroque oil piece. It was then he realized how desperately he wanted this—for once, to take something for himself, to claim it without fear.

A quiet voice broke the silence, soft and almost an idyllic whisper.

“I love you, Leon,” Ashley breathed, a simple confession that carried a weight Leon hadn’t dared to imagine.

The words lodged in his chest, and he felt every instinct in his body screaming caution. Her father. His position. The government. His past. Constant biohazard threats. The rules he had always lived by. Yet, even as his mind raced through all the reasons why this was reckless, why it could ruin everything he had, everything he wanted with her seemed more vital than the consequences.

Fuck, he was scared, so fucking scared, but perhaps it was worth being scared for a blink in time, if it meant he could swim in Ashley forever.

He traced her delicate spine with one hand, thumb brushing over the slim warmth of her shoulder. His mind wandered through every memory of her—the way she had stood firm when the world expected her to falter, the laughter he’d caught in rare moments alone within the castle, the tears that had fled from her eyes when she hurt him, the way she had looked at him in that abandoned house, like she could see straight through the parts of him he’d managed to go so many years resisting to let in the light.

And now, here she was. Here he was. And those parts of him were hers, entirely, as much as she was his. She had masked herself as the apple in the Garden of Eden, and Leon, such a foolish Adam, had taken the bite.

A tight knot of dread twisted in his stomach, but he exhaled slowly, grounding himself in the pulse of her gentleness, the certainty of her endearing gaze, the fragile honesty of their shared vulnerability.

For once, he allowed himself the luxury of being selfish. He allowed himself to want. To keep. To love without hesitation. 

He wasn’t a burden, nor was he a bad person. Not to Ashley. The whole world could be against him, and she would still be there on his side. 

A deep fragment inside Leon wanted to watch the world burn while the two of them were left to their own devices. That was simply but a part of his selfishness. 

Ashley’s sweet lips that eased Leon’s worries with such a saccharine effortlessness brushed against his collarbone, a tiny, fleeting kiss, and he tilted his head slightly, pressing his own lips lightly against hers in turn. He swallowed the restlessness in his chest and met her eyes.

“Yeah,” Leon rasped, voice sure despite the tremor and fragility of his nerves, “I love you, too, Ashley.”

 

Notes:

please leave kudos and comments if you enjoyed! thank you for reading 🤍🤍

feel free to submit any requests for fics or private comments here!