Mr. No || NCT || Completed

27 - Where cleaning can be problematic

Author's note: I heard that some people had technical issues with the last week's chapter, and I'm not surprised since I've had some issues with Wattpad recently as well. Based on the number of views, I think that by now most of you have read it already but I wanted to give you a heads up in case you missed the last week's update! Enjoy the chapter! :)

***

Renjun was startled awake by the aggressive sound of synthesizer blasting from the speakers.
Why was Haechan listening to Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal so early in the morning?

He pulled duvet over his head. "Turn it off."

Instead of complying, Haechan turned the volume louder and threw a hoodie at him. "Rise and shine, darling!" he cooed loudly, "don't you have a morning shift today? Those cappuccinos don't make themselves, you know?"
Renjun groaned. "I will poison you."

If waking up hadn't been hard enough, Renjun was shocked when he saw the state of their room. Haechan had spread his stuff all over the floor and was currently sorting out papers while jamming to the music playing from the speakers. Renjun made his bed hastily and searched for his clothes while trying to avoid stepping on anything Haechan had discarded on the floor.

"Can I clean your side after I'm done with my own stuff?" Haechan inquired, childlike wonder in his eyes.
"No", Renjun answered immediately while searching for a shirt, "and aren't you supposed to work on that deadline of yours? Why are you cleaning instead?" He remembered Haechan complaining about some project he was supposed to finalize for his internship.

Haechan nodded absentmindedly while placing his papers in neat piles. "I have to clean first. I need a clean space to work."
"To me, that sounds like an excuse to avoid working."
Haechan turned the music louder. "I can't hear you."

In the kitchen, Jeno was making chicken porridge while Jaemin and Yujin were setting the table. Renjun noticed that all three of them kept glancing towards the living room, and peeked inside as well to see what was going on.
He saw a cat and sable sitting on top of the backrest of a couch, staring out the window. The cat's tail was sweeping from side to side anxiously.

"Is something wrong with Jisung?" Renjun asked from the others, nodding towards the cat. Jisung tended to spend more time in his animal form than many other doublers, and since Chenle was his closest friend in the pack, it was quite common to see his sable form next to the cat. But today it seemed like the cat was more agitated than normal, and the sable was petting the cat's brownish back with its chunky paw.

Jeno shrugged. "I suppose he's having a bad day."

"It most likely has something to do with his family", Jaemin said quietly. "I think that Chenle's family lawyer has been looking into them ever since summer. Maybe they received news about it and Jisung doesn't know how to react."

Jisung's past was pretty much a mystery to the rest of the pack. All they knew was that he had been held as a hostage by doubler poachers for who knows how long and forced to track down other doublers for them. He had mentioned his grandmother a couple of times but never anyone else.

Jeno was focusing on the porridge and frowned at it. "His restlessness makes me sad too. I wish there was more we could do for him."

"All we can do is be here for him and offer him consolation if he needs it", Jaemin sighed while placing spoons on the table, "and give him some time if he needs it before telling us what's going on."

***

"I'm driving today."
When she heard his words, Chaewon held the keys in the air for Renjun to grab them. "Why?"