Also! If you'd like to send me fanart, please send it to: [email protected]

"Leon! Open up, I know you're in there." Grace rapped the door after ringing the doorbell three times.

No answer, but Grace definitely heard some shuffling in Leon's house. She adjusted the gun hidden in her coat.

A suspicious minute later, Leon appeared and opened the door, flustered and panting.

Grace's eyes narrowed for a split second before her expression changed back normal. "Took ya long enough."

Leon apologized. "S-Sorry, I had to put on some clothes. I didn't r-realize that anyone would come over today."

Guess she needed to apologize too. "You're right, sorry I didn't notify you before coming. I was passing through area, so I decided to visit on a whim."

"It's alright." Leon gave her a small smile.

Then, a short silence ensued.

Grace was the one to break it. "Er, are you going to let me in? I didn't come all this way for nothing, right?"

"Ah, right! P-Please come in." Leon glanced back for a short second, trying to be subtle but Grace caught it. "Welcome to my humble a-abode."

'Just what are you hiding here?' Grace scanned the room as she entered. Nothing seemed out of place. It looked like how it was last time; plain and normal. The furniture was the same as she remembered it and nothing seemed out of place.

"P-Please, sit down. This house may not be as f-fancy as yours but it's still home." Leon patted his small but comfy sofa. "W-Would you like some tea? Coffee?"

"I prefer tea, please." Grace smiled again at Leon. He nodded and went off to make some tea. The house was quite small, so Grace couldn't do anything but sit, especially because there wasn't an actual room for the kitchen. It was just a kitchen space so Leon could see whatever she was doing.

Still, she could observe her surroundings. Nothing weird, but...

'Hmmm, two coats on the coat rack? And one of them is a designer coat from the magazine I read a month ago...' Grace put two and two together. 'Is someone else here?'

The boy wasn't anywhere here at all so Grace concluded that he must be in the second floor or hiding very well on the first floor.

"H-Here!" Leon placed a smooth grey ceramic mug on the coffee table in front of her. "It's chamomile tea. T-The only tea I have at the moment."

Grace thanked him and took a sip. This tasted very similar to--no, exactly like--the chamomile tea from Alec's house. It was rich in flavour with the right hint of sweetness and left a floral aftertaste in the mouth. Grace has gone to Alec's house too many times to know this taste. The silky mouthfeel of the tea proved it to be expensive. Perhaps Alec gifted Leon with this for some reason.

Then... perhaps that coat is Alec's, just like she suspected. Who else that's associated with Leon would be able to afford to buy such a thing?

"So..." Grace leaned back on the sofa. Smelled a little like Alec's smell too. "Do you have any news on Y/N?"

Leon seemed to freeze for a short moment before shaking his head and mumbling before he drank his own tea, "No. I don't know anymore. I m-miss her so much I don't know what to do."

He looked down and his lips quivered as if he was about to cry.

Grace neared him and patted his back comfortingly. "It must be hard, since you and Alec were closest and Y/N. Although... Alec doesn't seem like he's trying to find her."

Leon swiftly responded. "A-Ah, no. I think he's been doing his own private investigation."

Grace tilted her head. She's never heard of that. "Private investigation?"

"Y-Yeah. I don't what he's doing, but he mentioned that there m-might be a clue to where Y/N has gone."

Grace was taken aback for a second before she cleared her throat and gathered herself together. "How come we were never notified?"

"I-I think it's because he doesn't want to raise y-your hopes. Alec told me that it might b-be a false lead."

"Oh. Let's change the subject then. Who do you think this person is? Do you think he is related to the murderer that killed Lizzy?"

Hm. Leon placed his cup down. So this was what Grace came for. "Looking at this from the outside. I-I think that they might be the same person."

"Why do you think so?"

"Y/N's body was never f-found, meaning there's a chance that she's alive and held c-captive somewhere. The past murders were related to her because the victims were her enemies. So it was either her who murdered the three girls or someone who is obsessed with her that did. And Y/N couldn't have murdered them; she had an alibi and there was proof of where she was at the time of the murder. That's what I have deduced and w-what the investigators think."

"Isn't it scary? If this murderer is obsessed with Y/N, then they might come for you next."

"T-That's why Alec sent b-bodyguards for me. They'll be here later on."

"Hmm... Okay." After a small pause Grace finally asked, "Hey, Leon. Could I take a tour around your room? I never got to look around because there were investigators here."

Leon scratched his head, "I-I don't know about that. I-It's very m-messy up there."

Grace pouted. "Oh, come onnnnn. We're friends. I don't care if your house is messed up. Let's go! I want to see your house."

Before Leon could say another word, Grace stood up and started walking towards the stairs. "Ah, wait!"

Leon hurried after her, anxiously scratching his arms.

Were you going to betray them? Or would you try to cry for help. There's been no sound so far... were you plotting something. He felt the smooth black edge of the knife inside his sleeve. Would he need to use it?

'I hope not, Y/N would never trust us again...' Leon almost let out a whimper.

Alec hiding upstairs in the master bedroom because he and Leon freaked out, and instead of making sure Y/N keeps quiet by staying with her, Alec got rid of all the evidence and hid in the master bedroom. It was too late to move.

At least Leon managed to make up some story about the guards. If she ever visits unexpectedly when the guards are here, he could just say that it was to protect him. But that's only if they got through this.

Leon followed after Grace. She was opening the door to the bathroom. Obviously, there was no one there but there were only two rooms left in his house. The master bedroom and his bedroom. And both rooms contained a person who shouldn't be there. Leon's heart beat so fast he thought he was going to have a heart attack. Maybe he could fake one right? No, no, he doesn't know how to fake one properly. His acting wasn't that good.

His hands trembled and his mouth ran dry as Grace thoroughly inspected the bathroom. Looking at Grace's calculative eyes, he was sure that she knew. Or at least she suspected. There's a high chance that things are going to get messy...

~~~

You could hear Leon and Grace conversing downstairs. You breathed heavily. What do you do? This was your way out! You should scream for help.

'Think rational thoughts, Y/N.' You shook your head. What is likely going to happen if you do scream for help?

Okay. If you screamed for help, Grace would rush up here to help you immediately. Maybe she brought some backup, right? And she could get rid of Leon and Alec.

No.

Grace is alone. You couldn't hear anyone and Leon would never let a stranger inside his house, especially if you were here. Right now, you didn't know where Alec is but since you couldn't hear him, you guessed that he was hiding as well. This meant he could rush up and attack Grace any time. But... you've never seen them attack anyone. So why did they look so experienced when they held the knife? Like it was so natural to them...

Realization hit you. No way...

'No, stop! Think about that later! What do I do now?'

So it's probably going to be two versus one if Grace comes up to your rescue, meaning she'll probably be murdered right in front of your eyes.

If you stay quiet, Grace might find you if she comes upstairs. But that's unlikely right? Maybe she's just here to talk to Leon.

'Agh! Thinking about that's useless! Let's just say that she did come here to find me.' If Grace reaches the bedroom, she's probably as good as dead, meaning you have to hide so that she wouldn't die.

'I thought this would be my chance to escape but it's too risky...' You felt a little like crying. You were so close yet so far from freedom. You're sure that just seeing Grace's face would leave you in tears because it's been so long since you've talked to someone else.

You needed to find somewhere to hide. The closet? No, if Grace opened it, then it would be game over immediately. Same with the bathroom and bathtub as well. Maybe if you covered yourself with clothes in the closet.... No, that would be too obvious.

An idea popped into your mind. 'How about under the bed?'

Hm.... It would be very painful to squeeze in there, but worth Grace's life. You could also put some clutter around you, like clothes and boxes. That would kind of make sense, right? Many people have things under their bed. You took some boxes and clothes and placed them on the floor next to the bed. You would pull them in after you slid in.

"Okay, okay, Y/N. J-Just slip in there." You laid down on your back next to the bed and tried to shift sideways into the narrow-ish gap of the bed. Immediately, you felt a pain from your shins. You almost cried out but you needed to keep quiet in case Grace hears you.

You slowly squeezed into the cramped space while dragging some clothes along with you to form some kind of barrier to cover the outsider's view. The pain in your legs began to grow as you got half of your body under the bed. At one time, you accidentally moved your legs too much and you swore you felt your bones grinding a bit as excruciating pain hit your legs. You let out a little noise of pain.

After a few minutes, you finally got your whole body in. You still needed to squeeze to the most inner part of the bed where it's the safest, so that your arms would be right against the wall. You didn't know how you were going to get out but you're sure you'll find a way.

You shifted more. In order to shift, you had to lift your abdomen up and move sideways, meaning you'd need to use your legs or arms to push your body up. As time passed, your arms were starting to get tired. You couldn't move anymore.

'No, there's still a little more.' You tried to use a little bit of strength from your thighs to move but it was simply too painful. It hurt too much. Guess you could only stay where you are and hope for the best.

The space was cramped and being in an area full of dust really made you uncomfortable, not to mention the pain in your legs that wasn't really helping.

You wondered if you could do anything else to hide better. Perhaps there was but it was already too late. You heard Leon and Grace coming up. Your hands trembled and your heart pounded.

'Please, please, please... Don't let Grace find me.'

~~~

"Is this your bedroom?" Grace pointed at the closest door to her. She stared suspiciously at the peculiar door knob. "Why're there eight locks on your door?"

"I-It came w-w-with the house when we first b-bought it. It d-didn't bother anyone and I-I guess I thought i-it looked cool?" Leon lied as he scratched his arms. Was he too obvious? "I-I know that sounds p-pretty lame..."

"Don't worry, we all have our interests. May I?" She touched the door knob.

Leon was silent. 'I'm sorry, Grace. Since you're my friend, I'll let you look at her one last time.'

"...Sure."

Leon's heart beating erratically. His mind was very alert, like the time he killed Lizzy and Annalise. It's truly a shame that Grace had to go down like them. Just because she was a little too curious.

Grace opened the door, revealing Leon's bedroom. It was quite normal, although different from her own, albeit a little messy. There was clothes on the floor, textbooks and books laying around, but other than that, nothing.

Leon almost fainted. Where was Y/N? Did she escape? Or was she in the bathroom? She couldn't have gone far, right? Her legs were broken. Did he need to chain you up too?

He was too deep into his thoughts he didn't hear Grace calling for him. "Leon!"

"H-Huh?"

"Why's there a wheelchair in your room?"

Quick, think of an excuse! Any excuse! "S-Someone pushed me down a high place when I was young and I-I broke both my legs. I j-just left it there since t-there's no place to put it.

"Alright..." Grace was still suspicious but there was no proof that he didn't break his legs. Grace changed the conversation to a more pleasant one. "But who would do that to you? I'll go beat them up for you!"

"A-Ah, they moved a-a long time ago so i-it's okay."

"Okay. Do you mind if I use your bathroom for a second? I think I drank too much tea."

Leon gritted his teeth. Grace was really getting to him. He knew he couldn't say no because she's his guest. "S-Sure."

The window was too tiny for you to leave, so if you're hiding in the bath tub, Grace would probably find you behind the shower curtain.

"Oh! B-But make sure you don't lock the door. T-The lock i-is a little faulty and I don't have the k-key." This was to make sure he could come in at any moment.

"Alright." Grace entered Len's small bathroom. It was kind of cramped and small compared to Grace's home but that's what she expected.

The shower curtains were closed though which made Grace doubt Leon. After she did her business, she peaked behind the curtains to check if there was something there.

Fortunately for her, there was nothing. It was a regular bath tub with a variety of shampoo and shower gel bottles. Perhaps if she looked closely enough, she would've seen the conditioner too, but to Leon's luck, she missed it.

Grace quickly came out of the bathroom which made Leon let out small breath of relief. That meant that Grace was either hiding you in there or you weren't actually in there. During the time Grace was in the bathroom, Leon concluded that you were probably under the bed since Grace you weren't in the closet when he checked. Hopefully you were there.

'Y/N... Thank you so much.' Leon was definitely going to spoil you after all this. His love for you was overflowing and he didn't know how to stop it. Leon patted his cheeks happily.

"Leon, Leon! I want to see your clothes!" Grace opened the closet without asking for Leon's permission. It annoyed Leon, but he knew you weren't in there so he didn't worry. Your clothes were someplace else as well.

His closet was just full of his own clothes, which wasn't much. There were many sweaters and some white shirts. On the left was his school uniform and on the very right was a brown jacket that was a little bit oversized. His pants consisted mainly of jeans and a few other pants.

"Hmm... Leon, your clothing choice is not the most stylish. We should go out shopping one day! I'll buy you some clothes that would look good on you. I know just the right stores that would fit your slender-ish figure."

"T-Thank you..." Although Leon didn't need new clothes, he appreciated his friend's generosity.

"Alright, now let's continue the house tour. There's one room left, right?"

Ah, right. Alec. How was he going to explain Alec?

How about he just came over and heard Grace coming so he wanted to surprise you? That kinda seemed plausible?

"Er... so this is my parents' room..." Leon opened the door. The room was a little larger than Leon's but the furniture was basically the same. A desk, closet, and a bed. His family probably seemed to live quite simplistically compared to Grace's lifestyle. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary yet.

Where was Alec? There was no space under the bed since there's a big drawer underneath his parents' bed that filled its gap. Then there were only two hiding spots left. In the closet or in the bathroom.

"May I take a look at the closet? I think I'll buy your parents some clothes too as a gift." Grace cringed at her own excuse. She sounded like she wanted to show off her wealth.

"U-Um, sure."

Grace opened the closet door and immediately screamed. "AHHHHHHHHH!"

Leon sighed. Yep, that's Alec alright. Whelp, at least it wasn't you.

Alec looked shock when he was found out; eyes widened, trying covering his shirtless body with his knees pulled up and arms covering his chest. After the moment of surprise, he gave Leon a sheepish smile.

After Grace calmed down, she asked, "Alec? What are you doing here?"

"Surprise?"

Grace's previous type of suspicion disappeared and a newfound suspicion appeared. "Why are you shirtless?"

"I-I can explain!"

Grace crossed her arms. "Then please, do so."

"..."

"..."

"Are you serious? Is this what you've been doing after Y/N's disappearance? It's only been a month or so! Don't tell me you guys have already moved on!"

"N-No! I-It's not w-what it seems," Leon cried, his arms flailing around, "I-I'd never-"

"Y/N really loved you, you know?! And Alec, you should be ashamed of doing that to your best friend!" Grace shouted at the two boys, her face heating up with anger. "You guys are fucking despicable!"

Grace had so much more to say to her ex-friends but she needed the calm down and process all of this. All this time, she's been suspecting Leon and Alec for the kidnapping of her best friend due to their suspiciously close relationship but to think that their relationship was much closer than that...!

Grace stormed out of the house.

She sighed. At least she crossed one thing off of her list. Y/N isn't there. This also incident showed Grace that Leon and Alec probably aren't the murderers. They're just...

Grace rubbed her temples. What is their relationship? Was Alec and Leon in a romantic relationship even before Y/N's kidnapping? Even if they weren't, aren't they moving on too fast? Wasn't Leon straight?