A Light In The Dark » Chanyeol x Reader Zombie Apocalypse

Chapter 10

"What you did was crazy." Kai shakes his head with a small smirk on his face.

"But we're all alive, so I guess that makes up for it." You balance your phone in front of you, turning the navigation app on. 

"I guess it does." Once your phone is set up, you turn to look at the tired group of boys in the back.

"You guys okay back there?" You call. 7 faces turn to you, nodding and muttering 'yeah'. However, Chanyeol still refuses to look at you. Sighing, you slump back into your seat. "Why is Chanyeol so annoyed? I helped him." Kai glances at you for a moment and then back at the road.

"He thought he could do it on his own. He's not the type who wants to be rescued, he wants to be the hero."

"But he didn't even say thank you."

"Look, Chanyeol's a good person. He only wants to protect the group and you put yourself in danger trying to help him. If you'd been injured or worse doing that, he would only blame himself." That makes sense, but you didn't get injured. Shouldn't he at least be happy about that? "He doesn't stay mad at people for long. Except when someone makes fun of his ears. You should just go talk to him." 

"Fine." You mumble and get out of your seat. You check that Kai's okay with the navigation one more time before heading into the back. Baekhyun catches your gaze and seems to pick up on what you're doing. He quickly gets up and finds another seat next to Suho. Trying to act casual, you sit down next to Chanyeol who's eyes flicker to you for a second before they return to staring at the floor. "Hey." No reply. Is he really that annoyed? "Look, I'm not entirely sure why you're so annoyed but for whatever I did wrong, I'm sorry." Still no reply. You notice the other members trying not to look interested in the conversation, they're not very good actors. "I don't get it. We were getting on so well and suddenly you stop talking to me. I saved your life!"

"You were stupid." That's the first thing that he has to say?

"Excuse me?" 

"You could have died." Chanyeol still doesn't look at you.

"Yeah, but I didn't. You could have died leading those walkers away." You've made a good point, and he knows it.

"But I was doing it for the group." He mutters.

"And I was doing it for you." Slowly, he lifts his gaze to meet yours. You finally seem to have gotten through to him.

"Why?" Chanyeol's voice has softened now, and his expression seems more relaxed.

"Well, you said that you can't protect everyone by leaving someone behind. And neither can I." As you finish, you hear a sigh escape his lips.

"Thank you." He doesn't need to explain what for, you already know. "You can get back to Kai if you want."

"I think I'll stay here for a while..." You see a flash of white poking out of Chanyeol's pocket as you look down. "How many goddamn lollipops do you have?" He looks at you in surprise before glancing down at his pocket.

"Oh, just the one. I was saving it. You can have it if you want." He pulls out the green lollipop from his pocket and holds it out to you. You take it and examine it for a moment before giving it back to him.

"Here, I think you need it more than I do." Chanyeol can't help but smile that classic, goofy smile at your offer. 

"How about we save it until an absolute emergency?" He suggests.

"Okay. So, what would we classify as an absolute emergency?"

"Hmm, I don't know. But, I'm sure we'll know if the time comes." You nod in agreement before the two of you burst out laughing. The group also seems to be much happier, chatting among themselves. You glance over to Kai, who's looking particularly happy as he continues to drive. You make a mental reminder to thank him for the advice.

"Guys," Sehun speaks up. "When we get to (y/n)'s place, what are we going to do? I mean, we can't stay there forever."

"I don't know. We'll need to find somewhere safe, but first I need to make sure that Mum is okay."

"Why don't you call her and tell her we're on our way? I'm sure she'll be relieved to hear your voice."  Chanyeol suggests.

"Alright, I'll try." You stand up and head over to Kai. "Mind if I use my phone for a minute?" 

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Kai, you're supposed to say no."

"Hm?"

"No, you don't mind me using it- Nevermind, it's a stupid English thing." You giggle at Kai's confused expression before picking up your phone. Mum is the first person to appear in your contacts list so you can quickly dial her. You excitedly hold the phone to your ear and wait. It rings. And rings. And rings. After a few more rings, you hear her voice. "Mum! Are you-"

"Sorry, I can't come to the phone right now. Please call back later or leave a message, thank you!" Your heart sinks as you listen. There is a quiet beep, signalling for you to leave a message.

"Uh, hey mum. I just wanted to let you know that I'm safe and I'm on my way home. I'm bringing the boys too." You sigh, images of worst-case scenarios filling your head. "Please call me back when you can. I love you." Then you hang up. Bringing the navigation app back up, you replace your phone in front of Kai.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she's fine." Kai gives you a small smile.

"You're my mum's favourite by the way." Kai glances at you in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yeah, she loves EXO almost as much as I do. And you're her favourite." You can't help but grin, remembering you and your mum swooning over their pictures. 

"So (y/n), who's your favourite?" You hear Lay ask from behind you. You turn around to see 8 faces staring curiously at you.

"Uh... Well..." Your eyes flicker to Chanyeol and you feel your cheeks heating up. The boys follow your gaze and soon you're all looking at Chanyeol. He gives an embarrassed smile as he combs his fingers through his pink hair. You're glad he kept the pink hair for the tour, it suits him. To get away from the awkwardness, you turn back around to look at the road ahead. It's starting to look slightly familiar now. Looking at your phone, it says that it's going to be about 30 minutes till you get to your home. You just hope that your mum is okay.