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i hope that's only pizza sauceKyungsoo honked his car horn and cursed under his breath. Trust traffic to be crazy on a Friday night.
The smell of pizza wafted from the trunk, and his stomach growled. This delivery was the last of the night and after the shift he'd had, the faster he finished, the better.
Kyungsoo's hair still had sauce in it from the crazy man who'd thrown his pizza back at him only ten minutes prior. That along with Ms. Lee, the old lady who always ordered a small cheese pizza, slowly looking over his body from head to toe, definitely made an after work shower a must. Maybe he'd change that from one shower to three - with the water at the hottest temperature he could stand.
The line of cars in front of him moved forward and Kyungsoo sighed in relief.
Time to deliver more pizzas.
He parked in front of the customer's house and shut off the car engine. Kyungsoo leaned back and looked through the car window at the house. The lights were off. Actually, the lights were off in all the houses in the neighborhood. Weird.
Kyungsoo looked over the order receipt to make sure he had the right address. After he confirmed that the house was the one he was supposed to go to, he unlocked the door and walked to the trunk. He pulled out the two extra large pineapple and barbecue chicken pizzas and headed to the front door.
He knocked.
No answer.
Kyungsoo knocked again, putting more force into it.
"Pizza delivery for Zhang Yixing."
He heard footsteps from the other side of the door and stepped back. The door flew open and he felt a grip on his wrist. The hand pulled him into the house and slammed the door shut.
"My hat fell," Kyungsoo said.
He ran his fingers through his hair and looked up at the man who'd brought him into the house. He gazed at Kyungsoo, wide eyed, with his hair sticking out at odd angles.
"Are you Zhang Yixing?"
A nod.
"Okay ... you didn't have to bring me inside your house. Um, I only need the nineteen dollars for the pizzas and I'll be on my way."
"You can't leave," Yixing said.
Kyungsoo blinked.
"And why is that?"
"Because he's out there."
"Who?" Kyungsoo asked, scratching his cheek in irritation.
"The masked man, it's all over the news," Yixing explained.
He grabbed Kyungsoo's wrist again and dragged him to the living room. Yixing pointed to the television and Kyungsoo squinted his eyes to read the text.
"So ... you ordered pizza, knowing that there's some deranged weirdo running around your neighborhood?" Kyungsoo questioned.
"Well, I got hungry and it wasn't like I'd leave you out on the streets when you came. I brought you inside at least."
Kyungsoo frowned and walked to the coffee table. He placed the two pizzas on it and flopped down on the couch.
"I'm stuck here then," Kyungsoo said.
"Sorry."
Yixing sat down next to him and opened one of the boxes.
"Want a slice?" he asked.
Kyungsoo took the offered pizza without hesitation.
Kyungsoo slouched back and patted his stomach.
"You know, when I saw your order, I thought pineapple and barbecue chicken was the weirdest combination to put on a pizza but it tastes amazing. Or maybe it's because I was so hungry earlier."
"If you think that's a weird combination, you haven't tried-"
Yixing was cut off by a loud crash that came from upstairs. Kyungsoo's eyes widened.
"What was that?"
They both looked up at the ceiling as it shook from heavy thumps.
"The masked man?" Yixing wondered.
Kyungsoo slapped his shoulder and hurriedly stood up.
"I'm out of here," he said.
"No! Don't leave me alone."
Kyungsoo turned and studied Yixing. He stared up at him with teary eyes and Kyungsoo frowned. They couldn't stay here and risk the chance that they'd be dismembered or whatever gruesome thing that masked man had up his sleeve, or under his mask?
"You can come with me," Kyungsoo said.
"Really?"
"Yeah. But just a warning, my car reeks of pizza. No matter how many times I've cleaned it, the smell never quite goes away."
"That's a dream come true," Yixing said.
Kyungsoo snorted and motioned his head to the front door.
"Let's go."
They shuffled to the door, careful to remain as quiet as possible. Kyungsoo walked ahead of Yixing, who clinged onto the back of his shirt.
"Almost there," Kyungsoo whispered.
He turned the corner and peered across the dark hallway. Kyungsoo didn't see anything strange, so he moved forward. He stopped once they stood in the entrance way and pointed to the shoe rack. Yixing stayed behind him.
Kyungsoo grumbled as he reached his arm around and touched Yixing's hand, gently separating it from his shirt.
Yixing let go with a whispered apology and moved to put on his shoes.
Kyungsoo looked up at the staircase and froze when he saw a silhouette in the darkness.
He grabbed Yixing's hand and yanked him forward as they both stumbled to the door.
The person rushed down the staircase, but tripped over their feet and rolled down the last few steps.
"Are you okay?" Yixing asked.
He freed his hand from Kyungsoo's grip and walked towards the intruder.
"Yixing! Don't help him, he's the masked man. We have to get away."
The masked man lay at the foot of the staircase, his long limbs stretched out in odd angles. He attempted to speak, but his mask muffled his voice. Kyungsoo noticed that his sweater and jeans were covered in red and he worried that it was the blood of his victims.
Yixing bent down and pulled the string from around the man's ear so the mask slipped off and hung by the string on his other ear.
"Thank you," the masked man said.
Kyungsoo gawked, surprised that he hadn't tried to hurt Yixing. He saw a toolbelt resting on the man's waist and swallowed.
"Are those the weapons you use to kill people?" he asked.
"What," the man said, gaze falling the where Kyungsoo's eyes were transfixed. "Oh! Those are my tools."
"Tools for torture?"
"No! Tools for building and fixing stuff," he said with a chuckle.
"What's your name?" Yixing asked.
"Chanyeol."
"Chanyeol, why are you covered in blood?"
He scratched his head.
"I've been trying to renovate my house on my own to save money but ... I'm not exactly handy man material it seems."
Chanyeol held up his arm to show a deep gash that started from his wrist and stopped at his elbow. Kyungsoo covered his eyes.
"You need to get that looked at and we need to inform the police that the masked man isn't some crazy killer," he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
"Sorry I broke into your house by the way. I tried to get help but everyone's doors were locked and I lost so much blood that when I saw your window open I climbed the tree in your backyard and climbed in," Chanyeol explained.
"It's fine," Yixing said before he ran off to the living room.
He came back soon after with a box of pizza and a smile.
"Anyone want a slice?"
Kyungsoo rolled down his window and closed his eyes as the wind ruffled his hair. Another Friday, another delivery. Sadly, he still had a bunch more to finish after this one. He'd be working all night.
He looked at the receipt and chewed on his lip. This delivery was for Zhang Yixing, the man he'd delivered pizza to last week and survived possible masked murder with. After the police came and Chanyeol cleared his name, Kyungsoo headed back home, tired, sweaty and covered in pizza sauce. He hadn't talked to Yixing after because he felt that there was nothing that needed to be said.
Kyungsoo parked in front of Yixing's house and got out of the car. He took the two large ranch pizzas out of the trunk and headed to the front door. Before he even got the chance to knock, however, the door flew open. Yixing stood there with a wide smile. He appeared far more put together than the last time Kyungsoo had seen him.
"Let me get the money."
Kyungsoo waited as he went into the house and returned.
Yixing handed Kyungsoo a few bills and took the two pizzas. He smiled one last time before he shut the door. Kyungsoo shrugged and began to walk back to his car but stopped once he noticed a piece of paper hidden in the money. He slipped it out and unfolded it, his lips curling up as he read it.
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