summary: you’ve known Leon for a few years now. after developing a small crush on him you push it away by going out with a guy. Leon and you stay friends but he notices how you act differently and are in constant fighting with your boyfriend. Running to Leon after a bad night, he has successfully been able to restrain his desires for you until now.
warnings/tags: mentions of cheating, kissing
a/n: first time posting here!! I have no clue what I’m doing so feedback is welcome ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡
❤︎ᩙ.˳˳.⋅ॱ❤︎ᩙ.˳˳.⋅ॱ❤︎ᩙ.˳˳.⋅ॱ❤︎ᩙ.˳˳.⋅ॱ❤︎ᩙ .˳˳.⋅ॱ❤︎ᩙ.˳˳.⋅ॱ❤︎ᩙ .˳˳.⋅ॱ ❤︎ᩙ.˳˳.⋅ॱ
You’ve known Leon Kennedy for awhile now. He’s always annoyingly good at everything without trying, unfairly charming, and just funny enough to get away with it. For years you’ve hidden behind sarcasm and eye rolls, pretending the small crush you have on him is nothing.
It’s stupid, really. Falling for your best friend when you’re almost certain he’s never seen you that way. So you did what anyone would do.
That’s how you met Jacob.
Five months ago, on a random night out with friends, he felt like exactly what you needed. Easy. Safe. The kind of guy who held doors open, pulled out your chair, and actually listened when you spoke. With him, everything unfolded naturally. Dinners turned into quiet nights in, laughter turned into something softer, steadier. Before long, you were official. And for a while, you let yourself believe you’d gotten lucky. That maybe this was meant for you.
But things don’t stay soft forever.
The small changes crept in quietly. Sweet gestures turned into half-hearted habits, then disappeared altogether. Conversations became one-sided, your voice filling the space while Jacob scrolled through his phone, barely looking up. The warmth you once felt with him dulled into something heavier, harder to name. Still, you stayed. Maybe out of habit. Maybe out of fear. Maybe because leaving felt harder than pretending everything was fine.
Lately, though, you’ve been spending more and more time at Leon’s apartment.
It started as a one time escape after a bad argument. Then another. And another. Now, it’s become routine.
The tension at your own place had grown unbearable, thick with criticism and passive-aggressive comments that lingered long after the words were spoken. At Leon’s, everything felt lighter. Easier. Movie nights, late night conversations, comfortable silence, it all reminded you of what it felt like to just exist without being picked apart.
Leon never asked too many questions. Never pushed. He just understood.
Of course, Jacob noticed.
He didn’t like how often you were gone, how easily you slipped out the door after another fight. The jealousy had been building for weeks, simmering beneath the surface until it finally started spilling over, accusations, sharp and bitter, that you were choosing Leon over him. That you always had.
Normally, you’d argue back. Defend yourself. Try to smooth things over.
This time, everything shattered too much to fix.
You don’t even remember leaving your apartment, just the image burned into your mind: Jacob, tangled up with someone else, in your bed, in your space, like none of it had ever meant anything. Like you had never meant anything.
By the time you reach Leon’s apartment, you’re moving on autopilot.
Inside, it’s quiet except for the low sound of a game playing on the TV. Leon’s on the couch, headset on, controller in hand, completely focused. It’s normal, ordinary, untouched by the mess you just walked out of.
For a second, you just stand there.
Then the door clicks shut behind you.
And the moment he sees your face, the tear tracks you didn’t bother to wipe away.
Leon’s reaction is immediate.
The controller slips from his hands, clattering softly against the floor as he pulls his headset off. “Hey…” His voice is sharp with concern now, all focus snapped straight to you.
But the words get stuck somewhere between your chest and your throat. Your lips part, then press together again, and the only thing that comes out is a shaky breath with tear forming in your eyes again.
He crosses the room in a few quick steps, stopping just in front of you like he’s not sure if touching you will make things worse or better. His hands hover for half a second before settling gently on your arms.
“Hey, come on” he says again, softer this time.
The fragile control you’ve been holding onto since you left your apartment finally breaks. The words come out in pieces, uneven and rushed.
“I- I went home and he was- there was someone else” Your voice cracks, and you shake your head like that might somehow undo it.
For a moment, there’s nothing.
No joke, no sarcastic comment, no attempt to lighten the mood like he usually would.
Then his expression changes. Something darker flashing behind his eyes, quick and sharp before he reins it in. His grip on your arms tightens just slightly, grounding, not painful.
You let out a humorless laugh that sounds more like it hurts than anything else.
“Yeah. So, I guess that answers a lot of questions.”
Leon exhales slowly, like he’s trying very hard to stay calm for your sake. One hand leaves your arm, running back through his hair as he looks away for a second, jaw tight.
His attention snaps back to you, softer again. “You can stay here. As long as you need, alright?”
You nod, because it’s the only thing you can manage right now.
There’s a pause, brief but heavy with everything unsaid. Then, more gently, Leon adds, “come here.”
He pulls you into a hug, solid and warm and familiar in a way that makes your chest ache. For a second, you stiffen, more out of surprise than anything but then you melt into it, hands gripping the back of his shirt like he’s the only thing keeping you upright.
“I’ve got you,” he murmurs, one hand coming up to rest against the back of your head. “You’re okay.”
But standing here, pressed against him, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing. It’s the first time since everything happened that the world feels even slightly less like it’s spinning out of control.
After a while, he pulls back just enough to look at you, his hands still resting lightly on your shoulders. His gaze softens as he studies your face, like he’s checking for something.
“You eat anything today?” he asks.
You blink, caught off guard. “What?”
“Food,” he repeats, a little more gently. “Have you eaten?”
He nods to himself, already turning slightly toward the kitchen. “Alright. Sit down. I’ll make something.”
“Leon, you don’t have to”
“I know I don’t have to,” he cuts in, not harsh, just firm. Then, softer, “I want to.”
You sink onto the couch, still feeling a little dazed, watching as he moves around the kitchen like he’s done this a hundred times before.
After a few minutes, he glances back at you.
“You look like you wanna say something.”
“I think I already know what you’re gonna say.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”
“That I should’ve left sooner,” you say, picking at a loose thread on the sleeve of your shirt. “That I ignored all the signs.”
Leon doesn’t answer right away.
Instead, he turns the stove down, wipes his hands on a towel, and leans back against the counter, arms crossed loosely.
“I was gonna say,” he starts slowly, “that I could be a better boyfriend than him.”
He shrugs one shoulder, like it’s the simplest thing in the world. You just go silent from how easy he makes it sound.
Leon pushes off the counter, finishing up the food and walks back over, setting a plate down on the coffee table in front of you.
Even though your appetite isn’t really there, you still pick up the fork.
For a while, neither of you says anything. The quiet stretches, soft but heavy, filled only by the low hum of the TV and the faint clink of your fork against the plate.
Leon’s sitting beside you, close enough that you can feel the warmth of him without actually touching. He’s leaning forward slightly, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. As if he’s holding himself back from saying more than he already has.
From the outside, it probably looks normal, but it doesn’t feel normal.
You glance over and he’s already looking at you.
Not in that casual, joking way you’re used to, but something quieter. Softer. Like he’s trying to read you without pushing too hard.
And before you can overthink it, before you can talk yourself out of it like you always do, you lean in.
It’s not planned. It’s not careful.
Your lips press against his and for half a second, everything freezes.
Leon goes completely still, like his brain hasn’t caught up to what just happened. You feel it immediately the surprise, the tension, and reality hits you just as fast.
You pull back quickly, heart racing, panic already creeping in. “I- I’m sorry, I don’t know why I- ”
But you don’t get to finish.
One hand comes up, catching your wrist gently but firmly, not to stop you, just to keep you from pulling too far away. His other hand finds your jaw, thumb brushing lightly against your cheek, grounding you.
And then he kisses you back.
Like he’s making sure you have time to pull away if you want to, but you don’t. You don’t even think about it.
Your hand grips his shirt as you lean into him, the kiss deepening just slightly, all the tension and confusion from the night tangling with something warmer, something you’ve been trying not to feel for years.
It’s different than you imagined.
When he finally pulls back, it’s not far. His forehead rests lightly against yours, his hand still cupping your face like he’s afraid you might disappear if he lets go.
For a second, neither of you speaks.
Then, quietly, almost disbelieving, he lets out a small breath. “You… have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”
You blink, pulling back just enough to look at him.
A faint, almost nervous smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, something you don’t see from him often.
❤︎ᩙ.˳˳.⋅ॱ❤︎ᩙ.˳˳.⋅ॱ❤︎ᩙ.˳˳.⋅ॱ❤︎ᩙ.˳˳.⋅ॱ❤︎ᩙ .˳˳.⋅ॱ❤︎ᩙ.˳˳.⋅ॱ❤︎ᩙ .˳˳.⋅ ❤︎ᩙ.˳˳.⋅ॱ