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Sheets rustled as Taeyong flipped over, nuzzling into his pillow with a sigh. He was content in where he was now, wrapped in his soft comforter with the shades in his room blocking out the early morning light. The past few weeks had been so tiring that calm moments like these were rare and very much welcome. It was hard to catch a break, the leader thought has he let himself drift back to sleep; but now there was nothing to worry about, there were no schedules, no practices, and all his members were asleep and accounted for.
Or they should have been.
While their leader caught up on much needed sleep, members of all units alike were conspiring to show their appreciation to their very own “mother” on Mother's Day. When Johnny had told them about the many times he had made his mom pancakes and coffee in bed in celebration of the holiday, they had all agreed that it would be a good way to show their gratitude for all that he had done for them. When it came down to it, sometimes Taeyong was the only thing supporting them when times were tough. He always managed to be there for them, always prepared with a kind word and a hug. He was always there on late nights when one of the members lay awake in their bed, anxious and depressed thoughts weighing them down and making them feel so alone in a dorm of so many people. He knew how they felt, he had been there so many times himself; he told them the kind things that he had been told, soothing their minds and whispering encouraging words that despite their short length went a long way. He was always there for them, they saw the toll it took on him, and they wanted to take care of him for a change. Thus, they had all awoken discreetly and gathered in the kitchen, making sure to whisper and quietly close the door to the leader's room so as not to disturb him.
Once they were all sure he was still fast asleep and everyone was present, the plan began; with Johnny and Taeil delegating tasks:The Dreamies had been given the task of cleaning, because that seemed the only thing they could do that wouldn't end in destruction. Yuta and Doyoung were negotiating with their managers for another day off to treat their leader and catch up and their own rest and the rest of NCT U and NCT 127 were whipping up a tasty breakfast to serve their "mom". The two eldest set them up, equipping the Dreamies with all the cleaning supplies they would need, and fitting the rest of the members with aprons and stationing them at different parts of the kitchen.
Those put on kitchen duty were pleased, while those not were much less so. When Donghyuck heard his task he scowled, bow lips forming a pout as his face darkened.
“Why do I have to clean instead of you???”
His whines were quickly followed by a chorus of shushes from those around him as he had been too loud and they weren't willing to risk him foiling their plan.
“Because you would blow up the kitchen if we let you cook,” Yuta whispered, flicking the younger on the forehead.
Donghyuck said nothing, still glowering as he relented and pulled on the rubber gloves he had been handed. Jeno squeaked as he has let Jaemin tie on his apron that held a feather duster and window cleaner in the pockets, pulling the strings too tight. As the youngest unit was sent off to tidy the dorm, Mark felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Taeil. The eldest pulled him to the side and looked at him seriously, but smiled at him not unkindly.
“Don't let them get too out of hand, okay?”
The young rapper knew just how much was riding on staying quiet, so he grinned and nodded before heading off to join the rest of the Clean Team. Taeil watched them go and let his mind settle as he knew that they could trust the youngest rapper to take care of the Dreamies. Turning to Johnny, the eldest smiled as he watched everyone line up to wash their hands before handling any food, unwilling to let anyone repeat Ten’s behavior from previous cooking escapades. Said member ducked his head and avoided Johnny’s eyes with a sheepish smile as he lathered his hands with soap, aware of the elder’s scrutinous gaze upon him. Once his hands were squeaky clean and dried, Ten waited nervously for Johnny’s approval which came with a quiet chuckle and a pat on the shoulder as he was sent off to crack eggs with WinWin and Jaehyun. While they whisked yolks and tossed away the shells they chatted quietly, licking their lips at the anticipation of a great breakfast ahead. They would have to make quite a bit considering just how many people were in the dorm; Kun and Hansol were planning on dropping by later, hopefully in time to help with the food, to show their own appreciation to Taeyong, even if he wasn’t their leader. Taeyong had become quite close with them during their rookie days and they were still close now, it was just so hard to make time to see one another around his schedules.
“When do you think Kun-hyung and Hansol-hyung will be here?” Jaehyun asked quietly while he whisked the yellow yolks that swirled around in his bowl.
“Hopefully soon, my fingers are getting tired.” Ten whined, adding the contents of another egg to Jaehyun’s bowl.
“Speak for yourself!” Jaehyun pouted as he shook his aching arm, causing WinWin to giggle as he opened another carton of eggs. Johnny waltzed over to check the yolks before giving them an approving nod and taking them to the counter beside the stove and adding pancake mix, milk, and all the other ingredients. Once the batter was ready the bowl was handed to Taeil, who poured it into the sizzling pan and flipped the steaming cakes when they were ready. They circulated like this for a while, production slowing down when Johnny had to help Jaehyun clean up a cup of juice that had toppled off of the counter when he had knocked it over while teasing WinWin with a gooey eggshell. Sheepishly towelling up the sticky mess, the younger hurried to fix it before returning to his post. Once order was restored, the kitchen moved smoothly, and Taeil smiled to himself as he poured the batter into little shapes: A bear, a flower, a bunny, and what Taeil insisted was a dog but looked more like a blob to the rest of the kitchen.
While delicious smells drifted out of the kitchen, the Clean Team was a bit less successful. Renjun swept the hallway slowly, half-awake as he drifted about, nearly tripping over a side table he hadn’t realized was there until almost too late. Jaemin and Jeno were cleaning the windows, both enjoying watching the liquid run down the pane before transforming into squeaky sounds as they were cleaned off by the paper towel. The soft ‘whuubb whuubb whuubb” of the paper towel on the glass was amusing enough to keep the two pranksters at bay for a while, for which Mark was grateful. Donghyuck was dusting, annoyedly stabbing the shelves with the feather duster and nearly knocking a lamp off of the side table before realizing he was taking his attitude a bit too far, and toning down. He flopped down onto the couch and pretended to dust whenever Mark looked his way, and watched the others cleaning the windows with contentment.
Mark surveyed it all while folding a load of laundry; since only him and Renjun out of the Dreamies could fold properly (The others had adopted Chenle’s famous just-roll-it-into-a-ball-and-stuff-it-in-the-drawer method). Speaking of Chenle...where was he? And where was Jisung? Mark wondered as he paired two socks and placed them in a basket to his left. Normally he would have to keep the younger two entertained to ensure they didn’t get into trouble or break something, both of which were very possible options at the moment. Finishing up with the first load, Mark picked up the basket and carried it down the hall, narrowly avoiding running into Renjun as he swept past him with his eyes half shut. The youngest leader delivered the clothing to the room of each corresponding owner while softly humming a tune he’d heard the other day, all the while searching for the maknaes. His quest came to an end when he entered the laundry room, where he had originally sent the pair to fetch another load for him.
Jisung was slumped over on the floor, propped up against the washing machine as he snoozed, the gentle rocking of the appliance having lulled him back to sleep. Chenle had been pulling the clothes out of the dryer, but upon realizing how toasty they were and just how tired he was, had promptly fallen asleep in the basket, snugly wrapped in a warm sheet. Mark watched them for a minute, smiling at their antics, until the moment was interrupted by a loud beep from the washing machine, signaling that the load was done. Thank goodness the door was closed or else Taeyong would have been up in a flash to attend to the chore. The sudden burst of sound startled the younger two, it had Jisung’s eyelids fluttering open and Chenle shooting up out of the basket with a startled squeak which became a high pitched whine as he hit his head on the open dryer door with a bang. Hurrying to shush the youngers’ whines, which he hoped with all his heart wouldn’t become cries, Mark swept Chenle into his arms and pressed a light kiss to the aching spot before helping him to his feet.
“Finish emptying the dryer and then start another load, okay? Don’t forget to close the door and don’t fall asleep again!” Mark chided in a whisper as he led Chenle out of the laundry room.
Jisung nodded and yawned, clambering to his feet and swaying for a moment, before shaking himself and turning to the basket at his feet. While the youngest attended to the laundry at last, Mark guided the vocalist down the hall to the kitchen. All the cooks looked up when they entered, Taeil pausing mid pour of a dinosaur shaped pancake to frown at the sniffling second maknae in Mark’s arms.
“What happened?’ He whispered, concerned at the tears in Chenle’s eyes as he massaged the top of his head tenderly.
‘He bumped his head on the dryer door,” Mark whispered back, handing him over to Johnny for inspection.
Johnny tilted him this way and that, gently rubbing the area and causing Chenle to cry out softly before being engulfed in a hug. Retrieving an ice pack from the freezer Johnny placed it on the younger's head, and the vocalist winced at the cold pressure, biting his lip. Giving him one last hug and handing him back to Mark, Johnny gave him a small nod to indicate that he was okay and that they could resume cleaning once more. While Mark and Chenle returned to clean, Yuta and Doyoung weren’t having much luck with their manager.
“What do you mean we can’t have tomorrow off?” Yuta massaged his temples as he whispered into his phone furiously.
“We have been working our tails off for months; can’t we just have one more day to ourselves?” Doyoung joined in, yelping when he was pushed away by Yuta. The pair were both thoroughly annoyed with their manager, who couldn’t seem to see things their way. Covering the receiver with his hand, Yuta whispered to his dongsaeng.
“I think I’ve finally found someone more annoying than you,”
“Hey! What is that supposed to mean?” Doyoung growled as he shoved the elder. They bickered back and forth, insulting Doyoung’s hair and Yuta’s attitude in their argument, until they finally turned back to their conversation with their manager. Doyoung flipped through their calendar, trying to move things around and reschedule events in order for their one measly day off.
Down the hall Donghyuck whined in boredom. They had run out of windows to clean, and he was hungry, not wanting to do anything other than lay on the couch.
“Come on Donghyuck-ah, we need to clean.” Mark murmured as he poked the younger in the side, hoping to rouse him into finishing dusting. Rolling his eyes, Donghyuck did no such thing and instead scooted further away from his leader, covering his head with a pillow. Mark was exasperated; no one was listening to him, except Renjun, who he was sure was asleep on his feet anyway. The maknaes were playing with the feather duster which they had stolen from Donghyuck, Jaemin was slumped against the wall scrolling through instagram, and he was pretty sure Jeno was lying on the floor, fast asleep. Squeezing his eyes shut in frustration Mark whispered as loudly and fiercely as he dared,
“Guys! This is the one time we get to make things up to hyung, don’t you care about that?”
Before anyone had any chance to make a guilty admittance that they did care and to get back to work, Renjun swayed a little too close to a potted plant that sat on the windowsill and it was sent crashing to the ground. Renjun’s eyes opened for the first time in a half hour as he stared at the dirt that looked as if it had exploded as his feet. Thankfully the pot didn’t break, it was very thick plastic, but it still emitted enough of a crash to send Taeil rushing into the room, face turning exasperated at the mess before him. He swept past Renjun who pleaded for his hyung to understand that he hadn’t meant to do it, twisting the broom nervously in his hands.
“I-I’m sorry! I wasn’t looking! I didn’t mean to knock it over!”
Taeil shushed him, nodding and murmuring that he did understand and sent Renjun off to clean himself up. The plant had been freshly watered and there was now muddy water rapidly staining the younger’s white shirt, and Renjun tossed one last guilty look over his shoulder before heading off. As he swept up the dirt into the dustpan and wiped up the muddy mess with a rag supplied by Jisung, Taeil paused. He smelled something odd, something like...smoke? Taeil’s eyes grew wide and he paled as he came to a sudden realization of just what leaving his post in the kitchen had meant. Dashing out of the room after hurriedly handing the dustpan and rag to Jaemin, he prayed to all that was holy that the fire alarm wouldn't go off. When he finally skidded to a halt in the doorway to the kitchen, he saw that Johnny must have been called away by Yuta and Doyoung for more help with their manager, because he was nowhere in sight. Without him, the three remaining chefs had forgotten about what was on the stove, more interested in the fruit they had been dicing. Taeil watched alarmed as the three hurried to correct their negligence, shamefaced. Jaehyun was scraping the charred remains of a hippo shaped pancake into the trash while Ten and WinWin threw open the windows and turned on the fan, hoping to clear the room of the smoke that was filling the air.
“I thought I told you three to watch the stove!” Taeil whispered angrily as he climbed up onto a chair, hoping to shut off the fire alarm before it went off.
‘We know! We’re sorry, we just forgot because Ten cut his finger while cutting up the strawberries and-”
“He did what?” Taeil turned to them alarmed, trying to see how deep the cut was from where he stood on the chair, when the fire alarm let out a single, piercing BEEP.
The sound filled the whole house, booming into each room, and shocked them for a moment, before Taeil shook himself out of his daze and yanked out its batteries. The four sagged in relief at having handled the situation without too much trouble. The smoke was already beginning to clear, but in the shocked silence everyone heard the sound of their leader beginning to stir in his room. Johnny appeared in the doorway, nervous as he glanced from Taeyong’s room to those in the kitchen.
“Do something!” Taeil gestured at the room down the hall from where he still perched on the kitchen chair. Following his hyungs’ orders and dashing down the hall, Johnny yanked open Taeyong’s door just as the leader was sitting up, eyes still half closed. With a yawn, Taeyong began to open his eyes and Johnny quickly shut the door and made a split second decision, diving into bed next to him. Pulling the younger into his arms, he hoped the leader couldn’t hear his racing heartbeat. Taeyong was startled by Johnny suddenly materializing next to him, much more so by being tucked into his arms.
Taeyong had never been one much for skinship. He enjoyed hugging his dongsaengs and could tell them how cute they were until the sent went down, but when it came to himself, it was a completely different story. He was only really comfortable with Johnny, something about the man made Taeyong feel as if he could be smaller, that he could let someone take care of him for a change and that he didn't have to be strong all the time to be a leader. He was the perfect older brother, and that Taeyong appreciated. He shifted in the elder's arms, sucking in a drowsy breath before asking,
“Mm...What’s going on? What time is it?”
Tucking Taeyong further into his arms, Johnny made sure the clock was shielded from view as he allowed himself to relax slightly.
“It’s uh... 4:40,” Johnny quickly lied, the clock clearly displaying 8:34.
He made a face at the glowing numbers as Taeyong stilled for a moment before trying to push himself up onto his elbows; eyes still glued shut by sleep.
“But,” his words were cut off by a yawn which he tried to muffle with his hand.
“I heard a noise. It was really loud, it sounded like the dryer or something...I can't think of what it is right now.”
He tried to sit up again only to be pulled back down by the giant that lay beside him. Letting out a huff of annoyance, he pushed against Johnny’s chest, finally opening his eyes wide enough to see the other. Johnny was petrified. As Donghyuck had said, Taeyong did look angry while he slept, but an annoyed, tired Taeyong was even worse. He felt himself wither under the youngers’ glare.
“Johnny, this might be important. Let me go.”
As tempting as it was to take up his offer, Johnny stood his ground and tightened his grip, holding his dongsaeng close. When Taeyong stopped struggling enough to look at Johnny again he was surprised by the determination in his eyes. Pausing, confused, he raised an eyebrow and blinked groggily.
“You need to sleep, Taeyong-ah, I know how tired you are, and everything is fine.”
Taeyong bit his lip, knowing what Johnny said was probably true, but the worry still nagged at the back of his mind. He twisted in Johnny’s grip, making one last effort to get up and truly check that everything was fine.
“Taeyong.”
The firmness in Johnny’s words shocked him as he turned back to meet the elder’s eyes. They were calm and sure, instantly beginning to soothe his worries.
“Everything is fine. Believe me, it is.”
With those words and the look Johnny was giving him, Taeyong couldn’t find a reason not to believe him. Beginning to go slack, the pink haired boy slumped back against his hyung’s chest.
“Maybe you’re right...” He mumbled sleepily, drowsiness over taking him once more.
At those words, Johnny finally relaxed, knowing that the leader was going nowhere and that he had succeeded. A few minutes later Taeil crept into the room from the kitchen after having waited with baited breath to see if their plan had been ruined. When he peeked in the doorway, Taeil smiled to himself at the sight of Taeyong fast asleep, head pillowed against Johnny’s chest. Johnny waved him away with a smile of his own, and pancake production began once more.
It seemed Johnny had been successful in convincing their manager; no one knew how, but now Doyoung and Yuta were free to help cook. Before anything, Taeil cleaned and wrapped Ten’s finger in a band aid with a few admonishing words, and then set everything in motion once more. The extra pairs of hands helped speed up production and soon enough pancakes were made and it was on to sausages and eggs next. Taeil was now supervising the kitchen and occasionally going back to make sure the Clean Team were doing as they had been told. He had only had to scold them once so far, because even Mark had given up and they had tried to sneakily watch cartoons with the volume on as low as possible. Their looks of horror when he had caught them almost made Taeil laugh, but he stood his ground made sure they all knew that it wasn't acceptable. Mark seemed to be taking it worst of all, not looking at Taeil in the eye as he folded another load of laundry; he’d have to make a point to let the boy know that he wasn’t disappointed in him, but there would be time for that later. Who knew how long Taeyong would sleep for? Johnny couldn’t move, because if he did, Taeyong would wake up, but he didn’t really mind. He got to laze around and Taeil and Ten weren’t bossing him around, so what wasn't there to enjoy? The only thing was the smells drifting in from the kitchen were becoming increasingly more delectable, making his stomach growl.
Chenle had caught notice of the delicious scents too, and had followed his nose into the kitchen after getting curious. He been so excited by the sight of the eggs that he had begged to be allowed to cook, and when his whines had gotten too loud, Taeil relented, never having been a very stern hyung. They let him cook the eggs for a while, and for a short while all was well, until they realized just how messy their dongsaeng was. The egg shells ended up littering the floor and counter, and when WinWin stepped on one with his bare feet and barely muffled a yell, they decided it was time their youngest chef took his leave. With a pout Chenle stormed out of the kitchen, leading the more professionally trained chefs to roll their eyes and begin cleaning up the sticky mess.
Eventually Kun and Hansol arrived with Lucas and Jungwoo in tow. Kun explained in a hushed whisper as he set out the muffins and juice he had brought that they weren’t going to bring Lucas at first, but then Jungwoo had a schedule so they couldn’t leave him home alone, but then Jungwoo met them half way...; it was all very confusing, but no one questioned it. They sent the pair of stowaways off to help the Clean Team as the kitchen was getting crowded. Lucas proved to be quite useful, his height being an advantage in dusting high spaces and was excellent at giving piggyback rides. Jungwoo unofficially became the supervisor of the group (seeing as Chenle was still in a bad mood, which only led to trouble in the case of Jeno getting smacked in the face with the feather duster).
Soon enough, the dorm was sparkling clean, smelled delicious, and everyone was ready to wake their "mom". Ten helped Taeil prepare the plate with cat shaped pancakes, strawberries, and coffee and they all crept down the hall to file into their leader's room. The pink haired boy was still fast asleep in Johnny’s arms, breathing steadily and completely at peace. As everyone gathered around, Johnny grinned and nudged Taeyong lightly. Always having been a light sleeper, he shook himself slightly before cracking open his eyes, then closing them. They shot open finally when he came to the realisation that everyone had gathered around him, grinning down at him as he pushed himself up onto his elbows.
“What is-”
Before he had a chance to finish, the plate of delicious looking pancakes was shoved under his nose, and the room chorused:
“Happy Mother’s Day!”
Taeyong’s mouth fell open in shock at the statement, and then he turned to Johnny (who still held him in his arms) with cheeks tinged red in embarrassment and a raised fist. He remembered Johnny sharing with him how he had spent his Mother’s Days, but he had no idea he would go and do such a thing for him.
‘Hyung I swear to god-”
Before he was able to achieve his goal of pummeling his cowering bandmate for such an embarrassing surprise celebration, Ten was nudging his arm with the warm plate. Taking the yummy breakfast into his own hands, a smile grew on his face. Looking up and around the room at the others who all beamed back at him, his heart felt very full. It was truly a very kind thing to do and he couldn’t have been more grateful. He voiced such thoughts to those around him, grinning at the cats on his plate, and tried his best not to sound choked up. Johnny pulled him back into a warm hug and everyone else joined in, dispersing when Taeyong declared it was time to eat! With cheers from Chenle and WinWin, they all filed into the kitchen and dished out plate after plate of delicious food, each person exclaiming over what shape their breakfast was. Once everyone was settled and began to dig in, laughing and warming the atmosphere, Taeyong took a look around. He took in the scene before him; all the people that had gathered just to tell him how much they appreciated him, made his heart swell. He smiled to himself as he looked down at his plate and began to dig in. He couldn’t have ever asked for better members.