* The Following Story Contains: Mature Situations - Violence / Smutt Scenes / Trigger Warnings: PSTD

* Resident Evil (c) CAPCOM

* Ant OC's within 'Help Me' (c) S3NPAIxATxNIGHT

* Disclaimer: Song Lyrics will be in some chapters as well *

Chapter Five: Conflict

After everything that has happened so far in Leon's life, he was pleasantly surprised that he found some peace. When he made the decision to become a police officer for the Raccoon Police Department back then, it was a massive turning point in his sense of reality. Mentally during Raccoon City Leon was going through the motions to just survive. He didn't have much time to reflect on all the questions and horrors that were happening. His mind was completely set on an escape and to find Claire to make sure she got out with Sherry. After Raccoon City he was rushed over for intense training to become a special agent, they wanted him at his best for missions involving the virus. It was a long intensive journey but eventually he got the hang of it. That's when the work was starting to take over his life entirely. When the president's daughter, Ashley Graham was kidnapped and taken to Europe by a cultist group it was a mission like no other. It wasn't like Raccoon City, killing mindless zombies, it was villagers that were manipulated by a crazy Cult Leader to take another virus to make them different.

Leon had met many people along the way in the mission, good and bad. That's when he saw a familiar face that he hadn't seen since Raccoon City. Ada Wong was someone who he thought he was in love with. He spent a lot of time obsessing over her whereabouts and learned she was working for the bad guys. That's when he knew that the feelings he felt for her was completely one sided. Ada used him for information as well as manipulated his feelings along the way. It was a complete eye opener when he realized what was happening. It was one blow after another and what broke him mentally was watching Luis die in front of him.

That death had shaken him to his core and how brutal it was. From that day on that death played in his head over and over again. Everything Leon closed his eyes all he could see was Luis's face when he was impaled. With his death and thinking back to Raccoon City it was starting to take over his life. His time as an agent has been put on hold until he could get a handle on his PTSD.

It's been a struggle these past few years.

He just went through his days mindlessly and didn't think much of anything. That's until Kevin introduced him to Rose and everything slowly started to change. She was something he knew experienced before and it was refreshing. That night where he had a taste of her, he knew it wasn't going to be the end of them meeting. His body craved everything about her, it was intoxicating. When she asked him if her body was the reason he was pulling back from her, he felt like a complete asshole. Leon never had that cross his mind but to her, she must have been a wreck having that thought in her mind. It still hurts his heart to think she thought that for a second. He bit his lip as the words repeated in his head. Everything that was said that night was from his heart and he hoped that she understood him. If he wanted their relationship to grow he had to face his demons and invite her in. He does not know of her past but she knows little of his. That made him a little uneasy. However, he needed to embrace what would happen instead of cowering in the shadows. He never used to be frail but he wanted to change for the future.

Today was a new day toward a better future.

Leon stepped out of the bathroom while drying off his hair with a towel. His other hand gripped onto the towel around his waist. He walked over toward his dresser to look at his phone. He pulled up Rose's messages before he started a new text.

Leon:

Hey, are you free tonight? I was thinking we could grab some dinner or a movie. That's if you want.

He frowned to himself for a moment, it's been a bit since the last time they saw one another. Almost immediately he got a message back from Rose.

Rose ❤:

I'm sorry. I'm booked again for the bar tonight. :(

Leon let out a sigh as he leaned his head back with a frown. All he wanted to do was spend some time with her but lately she's been busy. He was starting to think that she didn't want to see him as much as he wanted to see her. His jaw clenched as he shook the thought from his head.

Leon:

How long will you be at the bar tonight?

Rose ❤:

I'm thinking it will be past midnight again. They booked us for an all night gig again. I'm sorry, sweetheart.

"Sweetheart?" Leon said out loud as he flustered a bit.

Leon:

I was hoping to see you today. I've been really missing you, Rose.

Rose ❤:

I've been missing you too, Leon. I've been wanting to come see you but I keep getting called in for the band. It's been crazy these past few days.

Leon:

This may be forward of me but can you come over after your performance? I just really need to see you.

Rose ❤:

If I get out fast tonight I can come over. Does that sound okay? :)

Leon:

Of course. You are welcome at my house anytime. When does your band start tonight?

Rose ❤:

I could bring something over? I can bring some food or drinks. And we start in about 30 minutes.

Leon:

I only want you.

Rose ❤:

Smooth one, Leon. ;)

Leon:

Can I ask you a favor? Can I have a picture of you? I'm not being perverted or anything. I just want to see your face.

Rose ❤:

You're so cute.

Leon smiled to himself as he waited for the photo. There was a chime and he opened up the message with a racing heart. Rose took a photo in front of her bathroom mirror. She was in a black dress with a denim jacket and the empty sleeve folded over her shoulder. his heart raced looking at her. Fuck, she's so gorgeous. He walked over to the bathroom to snap a photo of himself before sending it off to her.

Rose ❤:

Oh, wow. You are so handsome. You didn't want me to send anything naughty but you sent me a photo in a towel? 3

Leon:

You are beautiful as hell. I can't wait to see you tonight.

He smiled down at his phone for a moment and looked forward to what she said. After their talk he didn't know if they were dating or not. They both understood each other's feelings toward one another but he didn't want to scare her off. He took a deep breath before slipping the phone into his pocket. Maybe he should go to her performance and surprise her? I guess I should dress up a little. It's been awhile since he saw her perform, she'd be happy to see him there. He walked back over toward the bathroom to spray some cologne on his body and slip on some deodorant. If he was going to go to the bar he should be getting ready about now. He didn't want to be too late and miss her singing. He looked at his closet for a moment before stepping into it to pull out an outfit. He grabbed a leather jacket with a plaid button up shirt. He walked over to his dresser to pull out a pair of jeans with boxers and some socks. His hand ran through his hair as he looked over the clothes on his bed.

This will be good enough.

{ * * * }

The drive wasn't too long to get to the bar from Leon's house. He sat in the parking lot, thinking to himself before taking the key out of the ignition. He slipped his keys into pocket as he stepped out of the car. With a deep breath he walked over to the bar, watching all the people walking inside the door. Today looked packed and Leon's gut tightened for a moment. He knew he would be alright if he paced himself inside. Leon stepped into the bar's entrance as his eyes adjusted to the lighting. Suddenly someone ran up to Leon and wrapped their arms around him. He stepped back with a gasp before his eyes could adjust. He squinted down to see Ashley wrapping her arms around him, he frowned before giving her shoulder a pat. Ashley looked at him with a bright smile before moving her arm to wrap it around his.

Damn it.

"I didn't know you were coming! I'm happy to see you, Leon." she giggled as she pulled him further into the bar.

Leon could see Kevin across the way, he gave him a look and Kevin started to make his way toward them. Ashley sat down with Leon in a booth in the back of the bar. Leon clenched his jaw for a moment, it was the same booth where he broke down with Rose. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Ashley sat down next to him. Kevin finally made his way to them with a smirk.

"You got out of the house?" Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Did you talk to her?"

"Her?" Ashley looked back at Leon.

"To Rose? Yeah, we talked a few days ago. I haven't been able to see her because she has been busy with the band. So I thought I'd come by the bar to see her perform." Leon rubbed the back of his neck.

Ashley frowned. "Talk to her about what?"

"Personal matters, Ash." Kevin gave Ashley a look.

"Personal matters but you know about it." Ashley remarked before rolling her eyes.

Leon looked past Kevin's shoulder to the stage, hoping to see Rose but no one was on yet. The stage was completely set up but the dance floor was bare for the moment. He looked back at Kevin with a smile.

"I think she is backstage. She was on stage about 20 minutes ago." Kevin scratched his scruff on his chin. "The band is on their intermission."

Ashley rolled her eyes again. "Well, in the meantime we can catch up."

"Hey, I'll be right back okay? I gotta use the bathroom." Leon stood up and left Kevin with Ashley.

He hated to lie to get away but he needed to see if he could get Rose's attention before it was too late. He snuck through the crowd to the door to the backstage. The security guard looked at Leon as he stepped forward and he gave him a nod. Without a word he let Leon pass through the doors. With a deep inhale, he walked down the dark hallway to the dressing rooms. He could hear Rose's voice, she was vocalizing from what he could make out. He walked over to the open door and there she was standing in the middle of the room faced away from him.

Leon gently tapped the door frame and Rose turned around quickly to look over at him. Her face lit up as soon as they made eye contact.

Leon cleared his throat. "You sound beautiful."

"Leon?" she gasped before wrapping her arm around him. "I didn't know you were going to be here tonight."

"I wanted to surprise you." Leon smirked as he returned her hug.

"I'm very surprised and happy to see you." Rose smiled.

Leon rested his head on her shoulder with a sigh. Rose placed her hand on the back of her head with a soft giggle. He just wanted to take the moment in, the scene of her floral perfume hit his nose. Rose continued to hold him as they stood there quietly.

"Are you going to stay for the rest of the set?" Rose asked as she ran her fingers through his hair. "I'm testing out a new song tonight."

"Of course I will be staying." he smiled against her shoulder.

"Do you want to stay backstage again? Or are you going to be out there?" she asked before they broke the embrace.

"I want to see you up on stage." Leon smirked at her and twirled her around. "I gotta see this beautiful dress in the lights."

"Oh, you flatter me." she giggled. "But you know if you need to step away I won't be offended."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "No, I'll be fine this time. I promise you."

"Can I give you a kiss? You were nice enough to surprise me." Rose giggled as she looked at him.

Rose pulled Leon closer toward her, his face flustered as she kissed his lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he kissed her back deeply. Leon cupped her face with his hand as he gave into her kiss. It was a slow but passionate kiss that made his heart melt. Rose pulled away from his lips with a giggle as she wiped his lips with her thumb to get off the lipstick.

"God, I missed that." he whispered with a shaky breath.

"My lips? You are so sweet." Rose walked over to the mirror to fix her lipstick and gave him a smirk as she did it.

"I meant it when I said I missed you." Leon wrapped his arms around her from behind.

She placed the lipstick down on the table. "I'm sorry that I've been so busy. After what we talked about I've been thinking about you a lot. It's almost distracting."

"Oh is it now?" Leon chuckled.

"Your photo didn't help either." she teased with a giggle. "So I'm glad you came tonight."

Leon rested his chin on her shoulder. "I am too."

Leon stayed backstage with Rose until it was time for her to get ready for the next set with the band. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before he left her in the dressing room. He slipped out of the backstage door and moved toward the crowd. He wanted to be up front or close to it at the most. He rubbed the back of his neck as he watched the stage and the band started to make their way out. His eyes stayed on Rose as she made an appearance before the lighting changed in the bar. He squinted his eyes for a moment to adjust and the music started to play. Rose stepped forward in front of the microphone and with a huge smile on her face she started to sing.

"The situations are irrelevant now."

Rose walked forward with a smile that was contagious, Leon felt his heart racing as he watched her. "He loves the way that I tease. I love the way that he breathes."

Rose looked over at her drummer and guitarist as she sang. "I touched him ooh, he touched my ah. It was the craziest thing."

Leon watched Rose's face light up as she sang, "I love the guys who hate to love because they're just like me."

"A certain guy took my hand and ran it up his thigh." She was so happy up there on stage, her eyes caught his and she gave him a playful wink. Leon's cheeks flustered as she stared at him while singing.

"He licked his lips and pulled my hair, I fall in love for a night."

Leon's heart raced as she sang such vulgar lyrics and he knew she was directing it at him. He watched the way her body moved with the music, making his heart beat faster.

"Darling, what is going on? Honestly that never happened." Rose held out her hand as she sang. "Lying is your favorite passion."

"Higher heels and lipstick napkins. Dying is your latest fashion."

Leon felt a hand grab onto his and tug him from behind. He looked behind him to see Ashley tugging on him with a smile.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

"He can't behave and I'm just a slave. Don't worry I'll be gone when the morning comes." he could barely hear Rose over Ashley.

"Is everything alright?" Leon asked as he turned around to look at Ashley.

Ashley bit her lip. "I just wanted to have a moment alone with you. I wanted to talk to you but I never really got the chance."

"We can talk after. Rose wanted me to hear this song-"

"It's always about Rose now." Ashley rolled her eyes and snapped. "Why can't you ever see me as a woman?"

"Leave me, go where you belong."

Leon looked at Ashley confused. "Ashley, I've been over this with you already. I don't see you in that way."

"Leon, I've been in love with you since Europe." Ashley confessed and she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck.

Leon's heart felt like it had stopped as her lips touched his. All sound around him faded in his panic, he quickly shoved her off and she looked back at him defeated.

"What the fuck, Ashley?!" Leon snapped. "What are you doing?!"

"I said I love you!" Ashley began to sob.

Leon looked back at the stage and Rose was still singing her song but her eyes were like daggers, not toward Leon but at Ashley. His entire body froze as if he was having an out of body experience. He could feel his mind dissociate as his heart began to pound in his eardrums. His eyes looked up at the stage as Rose continued her performance, he could not hear anything but his heartbeat. Ashley stood in front of him and tried to grab his hands but he moved away. She tried to take a step forward but he took a few steps back, not wanting to be touched by her. Leon turned around to find his way out of the crowd. He needed to get out of this area because there was too much going on. The feeling in his chest was starting to tighten and he grabbed onto his shirt. He caught a glance of Kevin before Leon opened the front door of the bar to get some fresh air.

Once the cold air hit his skin, he let out a loud shaky sigh and he ran his fingers through his hair. He heard the door open behind him and Kevin grabbed his shoulder gently.

"Leon, are you alright?"

Leon's hands trembled. "Ashley kissed me."

"What?" Kevin clenched his jaw.

"She confessed to me that she loved me and kissed me in the crowd. Rose saw while she was singing." Leon held onto his stomach. "I think I'm going to be sick..."

"Why the fuck would she do that? Like, we all knew she liked you and you've told her no before." Kevin crossed his arms and let out a sigh.

"I don't fucking know..."

The bar door opened again and they both turned to see Ashley stepping out. She rushed over to Leon and grabbed his hands. He yanked them away with a scowl and Kevin stepped in front of Ashley.

"I need to talk to him. Get out of my way, Kevin." Ashley growled.

"No, I think you did enough for one night. Don't you think? Let Leon have some air." Kevin shook his head with a frown.

"Look, Kevin, I don't really give a damn what you have to say. What's important right now is me talking to Leon. Nothing is going to stop me."

"Oh, yes there it." Kevin raised an eyebrow and pointed behind Ashley.

Rose stepped out of the bar, her eyes were cold toward Ashley as she stepped forward.

"How dare you!" Ashley growled.

"That is for doing what you did. It's inappropriate to throw yourself on a man that doesn't reciprocate your feelings. It's pathetic." Rose looked down on Ashley, cold as ice.

"You know what I find funny?" Ashley laughed before looking back at Rose.

"And that is?"

"That you think you can just come in and take him from me." she scoffed at Rose.

Leon stepped forward with his jaw clenched but Rose held up her hand toward him. He stopped in his tracks to look at her but her attention was on Ashley. She rolled her eyes at Ashley before opening her mouth.

"I think I've done well enough without your input. Just take the fact that you were rejected with a grain of salt."

Ashley asked with a frown. "Did you sleep with him?"

"Whether I did or not is not your business." Rose let out a sigh.

Ashley brought her hand down on Rose's cheek and Leon stood up from the bench he was sitting on. Rose stumbled back from the impact of the slap and glared back at Ashley. She went to open her mouth but Rose raised her hand to slap Ashley across the face. The slap echoed throughout the parking lot and Ashley looked up at Rose in a fit of rage. Kevin grabbed Ashley's shoulder to push her away from Rose, his eyes bored a glare into Ashley.

"I understand you are upset but that gives you no right to act like a complete child." Kevin snapped as he stayed between both women.

"You will never understand how much I love him. He risked his life to save me. I owe Leon everything because I am still standing. I've loved him for a long time." Ashley began to break down. "What gives you the right to try to ruin that?"

"Ashley..." Leon shook his head. "I told you so many times that I don't want a relationship with you. I don't see you that way..."

"But you want one with a woman with a fucked up body?" Ashley scoffed.

"I beg your pardon?" Rose scoffed.

"Do you actually think Leon is into you? Your body is so disformed. I can't understand how any man would want you. I mean, how can you please a man with that."

She pointed at Rose's prosthetic leg with a scoff. Rose looked away completely defeated, Leon gritted his teeth before standing up.

"Ashley!" Kevin snapped. "Shut up."

"I bet men use you and throw you away in the morning because they can't stand the look of you!" Ashley screamed.

"ENOUGH!" Leon snapped. "You leave Rose alone."

"Why? I am only stating the facts!" Ashley looks at Leon with a frown before glaring back at Rose.

"If you have any respect for me then will will fucking stop. I don't need you to be putting Rose down to make yourself feel better." Leon growled at Ashley. "Just because I don't want to be with you doesn't mean you can go for Rose's throat. She did NOTHING to you."

"She STOLE you from ME!"

"Leon is a grown man and he's not property. He has the right to choose who he decides to spend his time with." Rose shrugged her shoulders. "You need to accept that."

"Like hell I will!" Ashley charged forward but Kevin grabbed onto her arm to stop her.

Kevin shook his head. "I think it's time for you to go, Ashley."

"I talk to you later, Leon." Rose gave Leon a smile before turning back to open the door.

His heart dropped. "Rose, wait!"

Leon quickly grabbed onto her arm to pull her back and she looked back at him with a weary smile.

"Please, I didn't mean for all this to happen." Leon pleaded.

"I'm not upset with you, okay? I have to finish up with the band." Rose gave him a smile. "I just need to calm myself down."

Leon looked down. "I will see you later tonight, right?"

"Of course, Leon."

"Do you promise?"

Rose turned back to him with a smile. "I promise."