Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This was all really unnecessary. Ashley wasn't made of glass. She was a grown adult, almost twenty years old for crying out loud! It was just college, not a road trip around the world. She peeked out of her new room, watching her security detail, Agent Leon Kennedy, loom around the apartment, putting cameras and things in the living room and kitchen, pointing them at doors and windows. He had even installed some sort of device on her bedroom window, securing her room with some semblance of privacy. She made a face and went back to hanging up her clothes in her closet.

Nearly everyone had told her father that Agent Jill Valentine would be the ideal candidate as Ashley's bodyguard for her time at school, but her father refused. He wanted the best for her. And Leon Kennedy was apparently the best. So now the two of them were...roommates. She had never lived with a man before, especially not one like the aloof agent that was currently testing a sensor he had installed in the living room. He glared down at his laptop, absently waving his hand by the window, making adjustments. She wondered what he thought of this arrangement. Would it be weird for him, too? Or was this just another assignment for him?

Suddenly, he looked up, catching her staring. Ashley quickly turned away, tucking her hair behind her ear and shoving a bundle of socks in her dresser. These next few months of her life were going to be so awkward.

Eventually, Leon finished whatever he was doing and took his laptop into his own room, pulling the door most of the way closed. She deemed it safe to leave her room then. The apartment was small, but the average college student would consider it spacious. The front door opened into the living room with a small kitchen on the left. On the right were two bedrooms, the first belonging to Leon and the one towards the back being Ashley's, a tiny bathroom placed between them. Ashley tip-toed to the kitchen, looking for a snack. White House employees had come with them to help set up the apartment, filling the cabinets and fridge with food. But no snacks; everything had to be cooked. She settled for a peanut butter sandwich. She chewed contemplatively as she stood in the middle of the kitchen.

Was this adulthood?

“Miss Graham.” She cursed and jumped, nearly dropping her sandwich, and spun to find Leon standing there.

“Leon, you scared the crap out of me!” she said.

“Sorry,” he replied, looking entirely unrepentant. “Are the there any concerns you would like to address?”

“About what?

“The apartment. Any safety concerns or requests?”

“Uh...” she hadn't really thought about it. Securing the apartment was his job, right? “You're not going to put any cameras in the bathroom, are you?”

“No.” How did he say that such a straight face? If she were talking to any other college kid, anyone her age, they would've been laughing and teasing her. But Leon was so serious. It almost made her laugh.

“Then, no. I don't have any concerns.”

He nodded once. “Okay,” he said. “Let me know if you want any changes made.”

“Okay.” They stood there, staring at each other, Ashley rocking slightly on her heels. “So what do we do now?” He gave her a raised eyebrow.

“You're the boss,” he said. “You tell me.”

She nodded slowly. Ashley had never been the boss of anything or anyone, let alone a six-foot jacked guy whose literal job was to be a bullet shield for her. The thought of that made her uncomfortable, and she turned away from him, closing the jar of peanut butter and putting it in the cabinet.

“You wanna...go look around campus?” she asked.

“Lead the way.”

...

His presence made Ashley uncomfortable, of that Leon was certain. He had seen her in the past, interacting with members of the White House with a smile on her face, the picture of poise and confidence, but with him, she was distant and quiet. He didn't blame her; he was a pretty intimidating guy. But he was also of the opinion that she should suck it up and get over herself. Leon had worked with people he disliked in the past, everyone had to at one point or another. He had no reservations for his current charge but could only guess what she thought of him. Probably the same as the others he'd worked with: he was brusque, stubborn, and cold. And he was fine with that. Ashley would have to learn to be fine with that too. But unbeknownst to him, she was the furthest thing from fine.

She had only been at school for a week and she was already stressed. There were already assignments that needed to be turned in, professors that needed to be schmoozed, and study-buddies that needed to be sought out. This was nothing like high school, and even if it were, she hadn't been in a classroom in two years, putting her education on a brief hold while her father secured the election. Oh yeah, her dad was also the President of the United States. So there was always that underlying pressure of maintaining image. But image was the last thing she wanted to worry about right now, scribbling her notes before her professor had the chance to change to the next slide. On top of it all was her bodyguard.

He provided zero emotional support! Despite sitting next to her in every class and driving her around campus, he seemed unconcerned with her stress, silently gazing around the lecture hall. She had to hand it to him, he was pretty inconspicuous. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, he fit right in with this group of college kids, if not for the ever-present glare on his face. What was his problem?

A buzz pulled her out of her haze, and Leon took his cellphone from his pocket. He furrowed his brow and leaned into her (she gave a small jump in surprise) whispering, “I'll be out in the hall.” He took his phone and left the room. Ashley felt herself finally relax, letting out a breath. She finished class without another care.

After some schmoozing with her professor (what educator didn't want to impress the president's daughter?), she followed her classmates out into the hallway, finding Leon leaning against the wall, cell pressed against his ear and a frown on his face.

“Saddler doesn't have any leverage,” he said to whoever was on the other end. “There isn't a way for him—” But then he noticed Ashley and gave her a nod of his head. “Class is out; I'll have to call you back. Send me that dossier, okay? Bye.” He flipped his phone closed and tucked it in his pocket, looking at her expectantly.

“What was that about?” she asked, hitching her backpack further up her shoulder.

“Classified,” Leon said. “Nothing you need to worry about.” Of course not. Ashley led him to her next class, feeling his eyes everywhere and on her.

That night, she laid in bed feeling particularly sorry for herself. She had tried to cook, but all she made was a burnt mess and managed to start a small fire. Leon was there, dousing the flames with an extinguisher that was in the kitchen.

“Please don't ever cook again, Miss Graham,” he had asked her, voice dripping with professionalism.

She let out a sigh. She couldn't even cook. What kind of adult didn't know how to cook? Leon had ended up making tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for them both. That was such a comfy meal! She couldn't cook, she was already behind on homework, and she'd only been here for a week. How was she going to do this? She absently reached out to the small device Leon had put on her window. It was two circular cups, one stuck to the window pane and the other on the windowsill, connected by a wire. She gave the wire a little tug and it detached from its holder. She then heard a high pitched ringing sound coming from the other bedroom.

“Miss Graham?” Leon called.

“Sorry!” she called back, shoving the wire back in place. “My bad.” The alarm stopped and she let out another sigh.

What kind of adult had a babysitter?

Chapter Text

Living with a man was weird. Or maybe it was just Leon that was weird. He was deathly quiet, constantly on his laptop, and always drank all the milk in the fridge. But Ashley supposed he needed all that milk since he was working out in his room when not doing any of those other things. He also liked to keep the TV tuned to the local news station, which was impossibly boring. Most other guys would watch funny sitcoms, but not Leon. He watched the news. He took notes on the news. Who does that?

Well, he could watch the news all he wanted because Ashley was usually in her room studying and wondering for the fifth time that day if majoring in political science was worth it. She needed a study-buddy. Then maybe she wouldn't be so lost. She was so smart in high school. How did she feel so stupid now? Eventually she'd had enough of her textbook, closing it and storming out of the room.

“I gotta go to Walmart!” she announced. Walmart was safe. Walmart couldn't hurt her like the technical jargon in her books could.

“Okay,” Leon said, turning off the TV and closing his laptop. He pulled on a hoodie and followed her out the door.

The Walmart was not busy. Ashley shuffled through the aisles without rhyme or reason, prolonging the time she did not have to be at home studying, while Leon followed her around like a lost puppy. She picked up the cheapest items, tossing them into her cart and hoping she was under budget. Technically, she was rich enough to buy whatever she wanted (perks of being a politician's daughter), but she wanted to challenge herself, to see if she could make it as a normal, broke college kid. Ashley passed through the electronics aisle and looked at the CDs that were for sale. There was Kelly Clarkson, The Backstreet Boys, Shakira, and so many others. Her eyes slid from one album to the next before catching on one in particular.

“I didn't know The Click Five had a new album out,” she muttered, picking up the plastic case. “I like The Click Five.”

“You should get it,” Leon said. She had forgotten he was even there.

“I would, but I'm trying to save money.” If he thought the idea that a politician's daughter would want to save money was funny, he did not let on. She put the CD back on the shelf and continued shopping.

The next day, Ashley had a plan. Doing homework by herself was misery, but maybe with someone else it wouldn't be so bad. There were plenty of nice people that sat next to her in class, so she figured she could group up with some of them. There was a guy named Tom who was more than willing to be study-buddies with her, happily exchanging his phone number. (Ashley was happy, too; Tom was super cute!) They planned to get together that afternoon and work on their first class project together.

"Is it wise to be inviting strangers over, Miss Graham?" Leon asked on their drive home from class. She rolled her eyes.

"They're just my classmates, Leon," she said flippantly. "They're not gonna hurt me." He only tutted softly in response.

Tom arrived at five o'clock sharp with a bag of potato chips in his hand, which Ashley happily accepted. Free food!

“Come on in!” she said, opening the door wider. “Make yourself at home.” She led Tom into the living and it was then that he spotted her roommate sitting in the far chair.

“Hey, Leon right?” he raised a hand in greeting, smiling. “I'm Tom.” Leon only nodded in response, visibly not smiling. Tom paused. “Are you...Ashley's boyfriend?” he asked.

“Ew, no,” she said, flopping down on the couch. “He's my bodyguard. Just ignore him.” If Leon was offended by her words, he didn't show it.

“O-kay...”

Leon proved difficult to ignore, however. Not because of anything he did, but what he didn't do. He didn't do anything at all. As Ashley and Tom worked on their projects, Leon just stared. He wasn't on his laptop or his phone; he didn't watch the news or drink milk. He just sat there on the chair, staring. Tom did not take this in stride as Ashley did.

“Do you have to watch us the whole time?” he asked with an annoyed look. Leon shrugged.

“I wouldn't be a very good bodyguard if I didn't,” he said, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat.

“Yeah, but I'm not, like, a murderer,” Tom argued.

“How would I know?”

“Look,” Ashley cut in, “Can we just get back to the areas of government, please?” Tom scoffed.

“Can you tell you guard dog to back down?” he demanded.

“Leon, could you please...just...go in your room?” she begged. This was exactly why she had not wanted a bodyguard in the first place. He was scaring off a cute boy! Leon gave a short sigh.

“Fine.” He stood from his chair and walked to his room, pausing at the door. “But I will be watching on the cameras.” Leon closed the door.

“He has cameras?” Tom hissed. “Does he watch you sleep or something?”

“Wha-no!” At least she didn't think he did.

“Ashley,” Tom said. He made to grab her arm, but she pulled it into herself, unsure if the action would have Leon bursting back into the room. “This is weird. Don't you think it's a little weird that there's just some guy watching your every move?” She sighed heavily.

“Look, I think it's just as weird as you do,” she said. “But there's nothing I can do about it! He's here because my dad said so—you know, my dad, the President of the United States? I can't exactly escape from the Secret Service.”

Tom chewed his lip, taking his time before simply responding with, “'Kay. Whatever.” They continued studying until the bag of chips was gone, neither bringing up Leon again. As soon as she closed the front door behind Tom, Leon opened his, leaning on the doorframe.

“He's a charmer,” he said. Ashley huffed.

“Yeah, he's great,” she said flatly. She went into the kitchen, not wanting to look at her bodyguard, and scrounged for some real food. Finding nothing suitable after a quick scan of the fridge, she turned back to him. “Don't you think he's right?” she asked, brows furrowed. “Don't you think it's weird that you're here.” Leon shrugged again. She did not appreciate the gesture.

“Weird or not, I have a job to do, and I'm going to do it.”

“Right,” she sighed, abandoning her plans of real food, and instead grabbing her homework to study in her room, closing the door on Leon.

Chapter Text

“You don't have to come with me, Leon,” Ashley said with a huff. “I'll be fine.” She shoved her feet into her tennis shoes and slipped through the front door, attempting to close it behind her, but he caught it, pushing his way through after her.

“What if you get assaulted?” he asked. She whirled around with a scowl.

“No one's going to assault me!”

“Statistics say that 70 percent of females joggers get assaulted while out on a run,” he said. Ashley turned back around and stomped away.

“Whatever,” she said, sticking her earbuds in her ears, making her way out of the apartment complex. “Just don't bug me!” She pressed play on her MP3 player and began her jog, studiously ignoring the man just behind her.

What was his deal, anyway? She got that he had to guard her life or whatever, but did he have to be so overbearing about it? Ashley really was not that important in the grand scheme of things. Sure, her dad was the president, but that didn't mean she had any power. What would anyone want to do to her? Leon's presence was unnecessary.

She could try to avoid him, as childish and petty as that may be. She didn't really think she could evade a government agent with specialized training, but it was worth a shot. Ashley made a sudden turn down a side street. Leon followed right behind her. She made a few more unexpected turns, zig-zagging and weaving across campus, but could not lose him, not that she really expected to. They returned home, Ashley huffing and sweating, and Leon looking like he had just come out of a skincare commercial, dewy and fresh. The nerve of that man.

Before they stepped inside, she noticed a sticky note on their front door, a reminder for their weekly clean-check. She groaned softly, and pushed her way inside. Ashley hated clean-checks. Not that she or even Leon were particularly messy people, she just wasn't used to cleaning. She'd had maids her whole life. On the first round of clean-checks, she secretly looked up on the computer how to use a vacuum cleaner and really hoped the Secret Service wasn't monitoring her browser because if Leon found out, she would be mortified.

“I'm going to shower,” she said, still out of breath from the run. She handed him the sticky note before continuing, “And then die, and then get started on dishes.”

“Okay.” He tossed the sticky note in the trash can. “I'll work on my room and then get started on the bathroom once you're finished.”

Ashley grabbed some clothes out of her room and took them into the bathroom—there was no way she was letting Leon see her in a towel—hopping into the shower. She quickly soaped up, rinsing the sweat away along with the stitch in her side, and toweling off. After reapplying her face cream, gotta stay moisturized, she got dressed and left the bathroom.

“I just remembered,” she called out to him, grabbing her water bottle off the couch, “I put the bathroom cleaner under the sink yesterday.” Ashley took a long pull from her water, thirsty after her run.

“Okay,” Leon said from the kitchen. She could hear the soft clunk of him tipping his laundry basket into the washing machine.

I should do my laundry next, she thought to herself, still sipping on her water as she rounded the corner. Do I have enough detergent—?

But her thoughts ground to a halt, the sight before her causing her to choke and cough on her drink. Leon stood in front of washing machine, entirely shirtless, as if there wasn't a young lady in the room with him, and he was a specimen. Broad shoulders, muscular arms, that perfect Dorito shape—he was a freaking Greek god. He turned to look at her—oh goodness, his pecs!—and Ashley tried to get her coughing under control.

“You okay?” he asked with concern.

“Yeah,” she wheezed. “Just,” cough, “choked on my water.” She turned and fled, escaping to her bedroom. She pressed her back to the door, taking a breath.

That little slut. He was not allowed to look that good when she was mad him. It wasn't fair. Meanwhile she looked like absolute trash. Her skin was breaking out, she had dark circles under her eyes, and she had even put on a few pounds. She raked a hand through her wet hair, eyes prickling with annoying, random tears. This semester was going so horribly.

At least there was that cute boy, Tom. He was so gorgeous and funny and smart and literally the only thing she looked forward to in her classes. Ashley wasn't sure she even really liked him; he was just a distraction from all the horrors of adulthood.

“Hi, Tom,” she said sitting next to him in their State and Local Government 101 class the next day.

“What's up, Ashley,” he said suavely, grinning. He entirely ignored Leon behind her, but that was okay because she was ignoring Leon too.

“Oh, ya know, just trying to survive,” she said with a forced chuckle. He nodded.

“For real.”

They pulled out their laptops and opened them up, chatting idly.

“So,” Ashley said, “What are your weekend plans?” Tom grinned.

“You haven't heard?”

“Heard what?” she said, hands freezing on the keyboard.

He looked around, dropping his voice, and said, “There's gonna be a sick party at Cody's parents house Saturday night.”

“Wait, really?” Ashley said with interest. She had no idea who Cody was, but that didn't matter. She hadn't been to a single party yet, an absolute travesty for a college kid, and was not going to let this opportunity go to waste.

“Yeah.” Tom's smile turned crooked in a very hot way. “You should come. It's going to be crazy.”

“I'd love to!” Then she looked over to Leon who was watching this conversation with interest. “You don't mind if I go to a little party, do you?” she asked with derision. But he only gave a small smile.

“Not at all, Miss Graham.”

She ground her teeth and spat, “Because you'll be there, too?”

“Mmhmm.” He nodded like the absolute jerk he was. She would've bristled had Tom not been sitting right next to her, instead turning daintily back to her laptop.

“Well,” she said in a clipped tone, “maybe a bit of fun will do you some good.”

“Yeah, definitely,” Leon replied dryly.