The Cataclysm {Stray Kids Chan}

The Calm Before the Storm

day nine of escaping (con.)

The orders of the names are as follows:

Chan
Chan
Rowan
Chan
Woojin
Chan
Rowan
Chan
Ro
Chan

I smile with the outcome and look up at the new leader, "Okay then! Let's congratulate our leader!"

Everyone begins cheering and clapping, some members patting Chan on the back... really hard. He covers his face in embarrassment and shakes his head, "Thanks guys. I'll try my best to be a great leader." I cheer and join everyone in huddling around him, hugging him tightly.

I feel his arms wrap around me in return, my heart rate increasing quickly. I hear some 'ooh's' from some of the members and I hurriedly back up and look down. I clear my throat and regain my posture, "Alright! Let's start unpacking here for now," I glance at everyone, noticing them all staring at me. "Err... I mean... Chan, make the call."

He chuckles, "Okay guys, we'll unpack here and this is where we'll stay until we figure out where we're going next. We have enough food and water to last us a couple of weeks, so when we're running short on anything, a group of three or so will make a trip to the store. Okay," he claps, "let's get to it, team!"

I rub the back of my neck in embarrassment and begin walking throughout the building once again to find a room I'll call mine. I ended up finding one towards the end of the hall on the second floor and let my backpack slide off my shoulder with a thump. I unzip the main pocket and start pulling things out of it, telling myself I'll organize later.

"Hey, Ro," I hear behind me as I'm unpacking.

I turn as I reply, "Oh, hey Chan. Sorry for kind of taking control back there," I chuckle ashamedly and turn back to my belongings.

"Nah, you're fine! I thought it was cute," he remarked as he sat down beside me, watching me basically throwing my stuff on the floor. I freeze for a second and feel my face heat up before continuing with my job. I see him smiling at me through my peripheral vision, making my heart drum against my rib cage.

I mentally slap myself and calm my heart, thinking of a sarcastic remark and when one comes to mind, I automatically blurt it out without thinking, "Not as cute as you." Immediately afterwards, my mouth hangs open and I stutter, at a loss for words.

He looks surprised for a second before smirking and leaning closer, "Oh really?" He slowly places his hands on my cheeks, staring into my eyes, "I definitely think you're cuter."

I remain in shock for a few seconds before snapping out of it and I smack his hands away, "I was trying to be a smart-aleck!" I practically screech as I finish unpacking and I throw my bag to the side, trying my best to focus on folding my clothes now. Which was quite difficult with a Chan next to you.

He chuckles, "I know, I was just joking around." And there he goes, smiling his precious smile that shows off his dimples. I nod and continue with what I was doing. He watches me for a little while then breaks the silence, "Do you need any help?"

"Ah, uh, no I'm fine. Thank you though," I sputter. "I'm almost done."

He hums. He suddenly gasps and sits up straight, "Do you want me to get you something to eat then? I'm sure you're hungry."

I look up from folding my clothes, my heart warming with his kindness, "Please? That would be great." He nods with an angelic smile as he stands up and quickly walks out the door.

A few minutes later, he comes back in with a peanut butter sandwich, a bag of chips, and a water bottle. He sits down once again next to me and hands me the items, "Here ya go." I thank him and finish folding my clothes before I start eating. I tear my sandwich in half, giving Chan one of the parts. "Oh, thank you," he says as he takes the food.

I grin at him, Chan doing the same as we look at each other. For once since escaping, my heart felt at peace. I truly felt safe and comfortable in this moment.

He sticks his tongue out which makes us erupt in a fit of laughter, his chuckles sounding like music to my ears. I abandon my work for a bit while we eat and chat, taking some time to relieve the constant stress and anxiety gnawing at us all. It was something I really appreciated at the time.