Leshley

Leshley is the het ship between Ashley Graham and Leon Kennedy from the Resident Evil fandom.

Resident Evil 4 (2005)
In 2004, Leon is assigned to guard the newly elected President of the United States’ family. When Ashley Graham, the President’s daughter, is kidnapped, it’s Leon’s mission to track her down. Information gathered pointed to the kidnappers being located in a remote area of Spain. Leon is sent there to investigate.

Leon discovers that the local villagers are members of Los Iluminados, converted to their beliefs through parasitic organisms known as Plaga. Leon fights his way through the village and discovers Ashley in a church on the outskirts of the village. As Leon enters the room where Ashley is being held, she immediately starts throwing things at him and telling him to go away. Ashley backs into a corner, clearly in fear and Leon comes forward, addressing himself and that he’s under orders of the President, Ashley’s father, to rescue her. Upon hearing this, Ashley’s fear fades and she willingly goes with him. Leon calls his only government contact, Ingrid Hunnigan, with the news and she sends a helicopter is way for the extraction.

As Leon and Ashley are leaving the church, they’re met by Lord Saddler who tells them they’ve been infected with the Plaga. Some villagers come through and attempt to shoot them with fire bows as they jump through a window, landing hard. Leon rushes for Ashley, asking if she’s okay, only to be met with concern, asking him what’s going to happen to them. Leon tells her not to worry, that they’ll “get out of this mess.” He reaches down and helps her to her feet before continuing their way for the rescue helicopter.

Across a bridge, Leon and Ashley realize they’re sandwiched in and make for a cabin not too far. As the villages swarm, Leon tells Ashley to run up stairs as he, along with Luis Sera, who was also in the cabin, take out the villagers. After the battle and upon leaving the cabin, they come up to a barn Leon senses something isn’t right, so he has Ashley stay outside and find a place to hind. Inside the barn Leon is met by the village elder, Father Bitores Mendez. Mendaz mutates and a fight ensues. With Mendaz dead, and Leon exits the barn, Ashley’s first question is if Leon is alright before continuing their trek for the new extraction point.

Leon and Ashley make for a castle when they’re being chased by more villagers; they work together to close the castle’s gate to stop from being followed across. Throughout the castle Leon protects Ashley from cultists. Ashley starts coughing up blood from the Plaga she’s infected with. She runs away as Leon gets close to check on her. They get separated and Ashley ends up bind to a revolving wall that takes her out of Leon’s sight. Leon tells her not to worry and that he’s coming for her.

Awhile later, Leon finds Ashley still binned to the wall. He shoots the binds, releasing her. Cultists begin to approach her and Leon screams for her to get out of there. Ashley crouches in a cornier as Leon shoots the attacking men from above. Ashley makes for a door only to discover it’s locked when more cultists begin to approach her. Leon takes them out; upon killing the red-clocked cultist Ashley takes their key allowing her to leave. Ashley is unable to reach Leon right away as she’s left in a different area where she must go around in order to meet back up with Leon. Once they do meet, Ashley sees Leon first, yelling his name with relive; in return so does Leon with her name. Ashley runs up and hugs Leon close. Leon proudly tells her, “You did good.” Ashley attempts to apologize for her actions earlier for getting separated, and Leon tells her not to worry about it.

As Leon and Ashley continue to make their way though the castle, Ashley is taken and flown away by massive insects that Leon had faced off prior. Soon after, Leon receives a transmission from Ramon Salazar, asking Leon if he can see him. Leon immediately tells him, “If you even scratch her, I’ll break your bones.” Salazar mocks him and ends their call when Leon takes out his binoculars to see Ashley handcuffed with Salazar leading her away from Leon. Knowing Leon has to get to her, he forces his way forward through more of Salazar’s traps.

Leon comes to find Ashley being held at blade point by two large cultists. At his end, Salazar drops Leon through the floor he stands on, waiting for the sound of Leon’s impalement. The sounds never come as Leon hooked a grapple to the wall. As Ashley is being led away for the “ritual,” she openly comments, “Leon, you’re alive.”

Sometime later, Salazar informs Leon that the ritual has been done and Ashley has since been moved to a nearby island. Once Salazar is defeated, Leon takes a boat with Ada Wong to the island. Once Ada leaves, Leon can hear Ashley screaming his name for help. When Leon hears her again he bursts into a security room where he finds Ashley banging on a jail cell door on a screen as two men come in and push her to the ground. The men take notice of the camera on them and shut down the feed. As Leon watches on, he says, ''“Just hang in there, Ashley. I’m comin’ for ya.”''

Leon searches the facility on the island and hears Ashley calling to him for help. Leon arrives to the room he saw on the screen; with a key card he had to go back for to enter the room, Leon and Ashley are reunited. He asks her if she’s okay and she nodes in reply before the two head off for the waste disposal vent as an escape. Ashley is having none of it, telling Leon “no way,” to which Leon grabs her by the hand, jumping down with her, saying, “Way!” The two land and Ashley is annoyed, but quickly instead worrying about the new threat after them.

Within the facility, they steal a mining truck, taking out on-coming enemies as they do. Outside, an enemy plows their own truck in theirs, causing them to swerve and crash into a building. Leon and Ashley are met by Lord Saddler, who comments how he can feel the Plaga growing strongly inside of them; they can resist, but they cannot disobey. Leon runs for Sadder in a failed attempt of an attack and brought down by Saddler’s power. As Leon clutches his body in pain, Sadder switches his attention to Ashley who quickly succumbs to Saddler’s control, walking straight to him. In Leon’s pained state, he manages to throw a small taker onto Ashley’s shirt as she is lead away by Saddler.

Leon finds Ashley in a chamber, unconscious. With help from Ada by holding off Saddler, he frees Ashley, holding her tight as Saddler mutates. Leon escapes with Ashley to an operating room where they attempt to rid the Las Plaga from their bodies. Leon goes first with Ashley operating the machine. Ashley looks on with worry as Leon groans in pain, though the operation proving to be a success, with the Plaga out of Leon. Ashley is next and endues the same treatment. With the operation competed, Leon asks Ashley if she’s okay and Ashley’s answer is to simply hug Leon close.

Leon and Ashley run outside where Leon realizes something isn’t right. He tells Ashley to stay put while he goes up to investigate. Leon’s senses prove correct as up top the elevator is Saddler, who mutates again. With more help from Ada, Leon is able to defeat Saddler with a rocket launcher she gives him. Not before leaving, Ada alarms a bomb intending to destroy the island. She tosses Leon keys to a jet-ski located beneath the island. Reaching the jet-ski, Leon yells for Ashley to hang on as Ashley wraps her arms Leon’s waist. Leon successfully gets them out of the cave and into open water as the island explodes. Though following some rough waves, Ashley falls off the jet-ski and Leon panics and screams for her when she emerges above the surface. Leon smiles and helps her up back on the jet-ski. They begin the journey home when Ashley flirts with him about once he gets her home they should do some “overtime”. Leon politely declines the offer.

Resident Evil 4 (2023)
In 2004, following the abduction of U.S. President Graham’s daughter, Ashley Graham, code named “Baby Eagle,” Leon is sent to Valdelobos, a remote mountainous village located in Spain after the Secret Service intercepts reliable intel about that abduction, which suggested that the First Daughter was last sighted in the region. As Leon is being driven to the village by two Spanish officers assigned to help, he looks down at a photo of Ashley in his hands.

A short time later, Leon finds evidence that the intel was correct about Ashley’s location being in the village. He later learns of her location being at a church. He soon finds a photo of her bound and unconscious, with writing on the back explaining to keep Ashley in the church until the “appointed time”.

As evening rises, Leon finally enters the church having found the key needed. Inside, he calls out Ashley’s full name, claiming he’s there to help. He finds a few of Ashley’s personal items around the area and eventually comes up to her confinement room. Ashley attempts to subdue Leon with a candle stick, however Leon disarms her and announces his intentions of rescuing her, though Ashley rushes out instead. Leon follows after her, saying she needs to listen as he comes up to see her standing in front of a window, watching a horde of infected villagers with Las Plagas come up the path to the church after Leon and Ashley have a vision of Osmund Saddler commanding the villagers to “deliver them to salvation”.

With the threat approaching, Ashley questions what they should do. Leon tells her that her father trusts him, so he’s asking that she trust him too, before telling her he’s going to get her home safe. Ashley says she does and the two officially begin their partnership. They move to the attic where Leon realizes their escape is jumping out of multilevel window. He jumps first, with Ashley hesitating. He tells her to trust him and after a few moments, Ashley jumps too, landing in his arms. With Ashley in tow, Leon radios his agency’s support operative, Ingrid Hunnigan, who’s been operating the entire rescue mission. Hunnigan sends him coordinates for the extraction point and reminds him to not let anything happen to Baby Eagle.

As Leon is fending off their pursuers, they’re spotted by Luis Serra, a man Leon encountered earlier in the evening. Luis calls them over to the building he’s taking refuge in. Once inside, Leon storms up to Luis and pushes him up against a wall as Luis attempts to explain himself for his actions earlier. Leon begins to question who he is, however with the threat of the villagers approaching, he and Luis become allies for their and Ashley’s survival.

The battle seems never ending, until Ashley yells for Leon to hurry and to follow her. As she runs away, Luis follows, with Leon behind them. Together all three cross a draw bridge and are able to catch their breath. Ashley coughs up blood, and that’s when Luis begins to explain. He informs Leon and Ashley that they’re infected with the Las Plagas, however “lucky” for them, they’re still in the early stages. Luis opens his shirt, revealing a long scar across his chest, with them learning he was once infected himself. They’ll need the right surgical equipment when Luis proclaims he has a plan, though they’ll need to trust him. Leon and Ashley exchange a look and Leon nods. As Luis begins to walk way, Leon questions why he’s helping them, with Luis responding “it makes him feel better.”

Leon is soon radioed by Hunnigan, informing them that with the weather being awful their extraction helicopter cannot land. Leon tells her he and Ashley will find a safe space to hide out until it clears. In the meantime, Leon and Ashley work on evading villagers, until they’re met by the infected chief of the village, Bitores Méndez. Méndez knocks Leon down, with Ashley running to him. Leon picks himself up as Méndez and other villagers begin to pursue them. They cross a fragile wooden bridge where Ashley has her leg stuck into wooden planks. Covering her, Leon shoots the pursuing attackers, causing their collapsed body weight to entirely crumble the bridge. The two manage to make it to the other side.

Leon and Ashley go through a decrepit slaughterhouse where they’re jumped by Méndez again. Leon yells for Ashley to run as he knows she’s the one Méndez wants. He rolls a fuel tank towards Méndez and blows it up. With Ashley gone, Méndez mutates and a battle begins. Leon is victorious, though the slaughterhouse is engulfed in flames. Outside, Ashley breaks a window and yells for Leon to escape. Leon jumps through the window, with a few embers clinging to his clothes. Ashley pats him down, putting them out. Knowing the massive fire will draw the wrong attention, they quickly leave the area and head for a castle. As they cross, the draw bridge closes, locking them in.

Leon and Ashley head into the castle where they’re met by the castellan of the castle, Ramón Salazar. Salazar already knows of Leon and demands he hand Ashley over to him. They refuse and Salazar commands his zealots to attack them. Leon and Ashley are able to escape into the dungeon where they’re separated when Leon falls through a weak point in the floor, forcing him to fight the Garrador. The two reunite and continue forward where they’re met by Salazar again who says he has “entertainment” for Leon via a loud speaker. Leon and Ashley are soon met by more zealots who try to pick up Ashley and run away with her. Working together, the two manage to make it outside to the courtyard.

Ashley’s Las Plagas symptoms worsen and she becomes a puppeteered version of herself. She grabs Leon’s knife and attempts to attack him with it, though fails. She then holds the knife to her own throat and steps back away from Leon. A gate separates the two as Ashley regains control. In horror, she realizes she had unintentionally hurt Leon. Fearing she will hurt him again, she runs away.

Leon navigates through the castle where he finds Ashley in a secluded room. As he attempts to approach her, she’s tearful and recoils away, fearing that she might be taken control of once again. Leon tries to reassure her when Ashley notices his symptoms and is surprised to find out that he has been implanted with the Las Plagas as well. Leon consoles her, telling her it’s okay to be afraid, but also how she can’t stop moving forward. He assures her that they will make it out alive, although Ashley is uncertain, she does appreciate his encouraging words.

Together again, Leon and Ashley navigate their way through the castle. They come to a locked door where they need to obtain the necessary pieces to pass through it. Upon inputting the pieces, Ashley notices a group of zealots heading towards them and Leon prepares to defend them until one of them traps Leon in a cage. The others begin to pursue Ashley when Leon urges her to run. Ashley successfully runs away and locks herself in a room where she determines that she will not run away again and goes to free Leon from the cage.

Ashley arrives back from maneuvering herself around dilapidated rooms and evading Armaduras. She tosses Leon a key from the corpse of the zealot that had trapped Leon. From the bottom level, Leon asks if she can jump down and that he’ll catch her. Ashley believes she can, and tells him. Just as Leon is about to open the cage, he hears the sound of Ashley being taken away by Salazar’s servant, Verdugo, and tries to stop it with bullets, though to no avail. Leon watches helplessly as she’s carried away.

Leon gets a call from Ada Wong who had just witnessed Ashley being carried away by Verdugo. She informs him that Ashley is being taken to the throne room. Leon receives the tip, but before he can ask for more information, she abruptly disconnects the call. When Leon reaches the throne room, he hears Ashley scream “no” and then sees her being held down by zealots, her face marked with blood. Before he can take further action, Leon is jumped by Verdugo. He watches as Ashley is forced to drink a black liquid which Salazar claims will make her suffering much worse. Ashley writhes as her symptoms begin to worsen and Leon is thrown into a deep pit, managing to grab hold of a chain, saving himself from plummeting to his death.

Resident Evil 4

 * Ashley runs up and hugs Leon close once meeting back up.
 * Leon affectingly pats Ashley’s head.
 * Ashley runs her hands down Leon’s chest.
 * Ashley offers Leon some “overtime”.
 * When Ashley jumps down from higher places, Leon catches her in his arms, bridal style.

Fanon
is a small ship within the Resident Evil fandom. During Resident Evil 4 (2005), the ship had a very small following, which lasted until 2023, the release of the Resident Evil 4 remake. With the remake, has regained some interest from mainly newer fans of the series.

On AO3, has 55+ works in its romantic/het tag, and 25+ in its platonic/general tag.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Leon/Ashley (Gameverse) tag on FanFiction.net
 * Leon/Ashley (Gameverse) tag on FanFiction.net
 * Leon/Ashley (Gameverse) tag on FanFiction.net

ART

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Trivia

 * Sometimes when Leon shoots an enemy with Ashley in tow, Ashley will do a small cheer from behind him.