He’s lying down-

-on someone’s lap-

-in a car that’s moving.

Panicked, Taemin gasps.

A hand settles on his shoulder. “We’re not there yet, you can sleep.”

And all of Taemin’s fear ebbs away, because that voice and that hand and that lap he’s lying on belongs to Jongin. He pushes himself up anyway, wanting to see, and finds himself looking upon the concerned face of his best friend. Jongin’s not wearing any make-up – not that he ever has acne to cover up, unlike Taemin – and his hair is dyed honey-gold. It must be comeback season for EXO, which, as far as Taemin knows, hasn’t overlapped with SHINee’s in ages. He has no idea how to gauge how much time has passed since his last memory.

“Where are we?”

Jongin glances out of the window. “Back in Gangnam. But we haven’t passed the company.”

“Hmmm.” In his reply, Taemin recognises the treacle-like daze of tipsiness. He must have been drinking.

“You’re staying over tonight?” If they’re headed past the company, they must be headed towards his flat.

“You’ve asked me that a million times already,” Jongin replies. “Yes, I am, even though I have a schedule in the morning and my members will make fun of me all day when manager-hyung picks me up from your place. And don’t say sorry,” Jongin quickly adds. “You’ve said that a million times too. You shouldn’t have drunk so much.”

After all of the turmoil with Kibum, it feels good to be so easily known. “My heart hurts, Jongin-ah,” Taemin says, using his apparent drunkenness as an excuse to unburden himself.

“I know,” Jongin replies, ever so gently.

So this universe’s Taemin is suffering too, Taemin thinks. He leans against Jongin’s shoulder and closes his eyes, breathing in the scent of Jongin’s cologne. Jongin shifts, easing an arm around him, and Taemin sinks further into his embrace.

“The taxi ahjussi is looking at us weirdly,” Jongin murmurs into his ear.

It’s funny, but Taemin can’t find it in him to laugh.