Hoon woke up to a sharp slap on the back of the head. “Ouch,” he griped, rubbing the back of his head as he looked over his shoulder to glare at his older brother. “What was that for?”

“Dammit, Hoonmin,” Hoonbi complained, “you do the weirdest stuff when you’re sleeping. You keep waking me up.”

“Oh,” Hoon said apologetically. “Sorry.”

“I don’t know how Serin can share a bed with you. You’re so irritating.”

The thought had never crossed Hoon’s mind before. He was aware of the strange stuff he did while sleeping. The members had told him often enough. They had showed him plenty of video footage and pictures they’d taken of him sleeping. He wasn’t necessarily surprised that Hoonbi was aggravated sleeping in the same bed as him on their small family trip for the Lunar New Year. But he brought up a point Hoon had never considered. Did Serin actually mind his bed shenanigans?

Hoon shrugged in response after he’d sifted through his thoughts a bit. “I don’t know either,” he said noncommittally because he truly didn’t know.

“Well, whatever,” Hoonbi groaned. “Just stop snoring. And making weird noises. And don’t touch me either.” Hoonbi flopped over to face away from his little brother, while he tried to go back to sleep, leaving Hoon to think on his own.

He’d never asked Serin if he disturbed her from her sleep in the middle of the night. Though they’d been married for several months, it was only now that he was worried that she might be irritated with his sleeping habits. It wasn’t like he could ask her right now. She was away. The only reason she wasn’t on this trip with them was because she had gone on to New York City for a business trip. She’d be back before too long, but it was the only day he could get off to go on a mini vacation of sorts, and he’d chosen to spend it with his family in the hopes that they’d all be there. Unfortunately, his wife couldn’t make it, and he’d stuck with the original plan without her. And though it was the middle of the day in the states and he could easily call her, it wasn’t something he wanted to discuss over the phone. It would work out better in person.

But now he was worried, and the end result was that Hoonbi got his wish. Hoon couldn't sleep because his mind was too full, and without him sleeping, he couldn’t do anything subconsciously to disturb his brother. So Hoonbi slept soundly the rest of the night, while Hoon lie in bed hoping that Serin didn’t find the strange things he did while sleeping unbearable.

--

Cuddling in bed the evening Serin got back, Hoon asked the question that had been bugging him the last several days. “Serin… do you… are you bothered by the weird stuff I do in my sleep?”

She cocked her head at him, confused. “Huh?”

“Well, I snore, and do weird things with my hands. And mouth, too.”

“Oh, that,” Serin acknowledged. “I think it’s cute,” she admitted. “Though the snoring can get a little… troublesome sometimes. But if I just push you gently, you stop.”

“Really?” he asked, disbelieving. “You don’t find it irritating?”

She shook her head. “No. I told you. It’s cute. When you twitch your fingers, I just hold your hand. And it’s fun to watch you make funny faces. But they don’t wake me up. You honestly don’t wake me up with any of the things the members have mentioned. Only the snoring bothers me sometimes. Just when you get really loud.”

“You find it cute?”

She nodded, smiling at him. “It’s so precious to me. It’s like I’ve got this special privilege to enjoy your quirks. So no, nothing you do in your sleep irritates me. Even when you snore, it’s just a simple matter of making you reposition yourself so you stop. No big deal. Hyunsaeng snores louder than you do, anyway. I’d always hear him from across the hall. If I could learn to sleep through him, I can sleep through anything.”

Hoon laughed, relieved. “I’m glad. I was worried. I know I have these strange habits, and I was hoping they weren’t bothersome to you.”

She reached up and rested her fingertips on each side of his face. “You don’t need to worry,” she said with a smile. “I’ll be sure to tell you when something you do in your sleep troubles me. So just relax some. It’s cute. I like it.”

He smiled back at her then. She squirmed up in bed so that she could reach his lips, softly reassuring him with her kiss. “Thank you,” he sighed, when she pulled away from him. He allowed her to roll over to her other side in his grasp, shuffling closer to her back so that she was pressed against his chest. The air in the room was cool, and it felt nice to have her extra warmth against him. He wrapped an arm around her waist, contented.

“Do I do anything strange?” she asked him then.

“Hmm…” he considered. “You sometimes mumble while you sleep,” he admitted to her. “Not intelligible words. Just mumbling and .”

“Oh,” she said. “I didn’t know.”

“Don’t worry. It’s not very loud. I’ve only caught it when I come home late and you’re already in bed. You’ve never woken me up by doing it. Just I walk in sometimes, and you’re quietly mumbling something. It’s kind of adorable, actually.”

She arched her back against his abdomen. “As long as you like it,” she said, “then it’s fine with me.”

He smiled as he relaxed his head into his pillow, the scent of her shampoo wafting into his nostrils. With his worries finally resolved, he was able to drift off into a peaceful sleep, hoping he didn’t do any of his strange habits while sleeping, but relieved that even if he did, Serin wouldn’t mind.