Luhan knows something is off with Minseok the moment he steps out onto the balcony. The older male is staring pensively at the night sky, and he doesn't stir when Luhan sits down beside him. He looks thoughtful, and Luhan knows that he's contemplating something important. Minseok often thinks about things that Luhan wouldn't even have thought about. If Luhan leans closer, he can see fragments of stars reflected in Minseok's eyes. It makes them seem like a mini galaxy of sorts, and Luhan thinks they are even more beautiful than the real one.

A light breeze tickles their faces, messing up Minseok's hair and before he knows it Luhan is already reaching out to smooth the errant tufts. Minseok blinks, but doesn't respond. Luhan leans closer until their cheeks are almost touching and he can feel the warmth radiating off Minseok's chest.

"What are you thinking about, hmm?" he whispers. "I was thinking about how puny and insignificant I am," Minseok sighs, still not looking at Luhan. Luhan quirks an eyebrow but doesn't reply, instead he waits for Minseok to go on.

"Look at the stars, Lu. They're each so much bigger than Earth, some even bigger than the Sun, and yet they appear as nothing more than bright dots so far away," Minseok exhales, "Make you wonder how big the universe really is. There are millions and millions of stars that are part of a different galaxy altogether―galaxies that are way bigger than the Milky Way. And then there are black holes, voids of collapsed stars that everything towards them, even light. In the middle of this immense universe is me. Compared to all those, I feel so tiny, like a speck of dust that's easily blown away and forgotten." In the middle of Minseok's monologue, Luhan's fingers have somehow found their way towards Minseok's and he threads them together.

"You're not insignificant, Minseok," Luhan begins gently. "You bring joy to so many people around you, and―"

"That's not what I meant, Luhan," Minseok cuts him off. "But to be honest, would it really matter if I disappeared off the face of the world right now? I read somewhere that 90 percent of the entire universe is made up of hydrogen, and the other 10 percent is helium," Minseok says, ignoring Luhan's cries of "geek!". "The rest of the 116 existing elements―including you and me―is merely a cosmic rounding error. We mean next to nothing in the universe. People are always so self-centred, thinking so highly of their own intelligence, but when you think about it like this, it strikes you, does it not? That the human race is not the most powerful. And it makes you question your place in the world." He pauses, and then goes much quieter. "How can the worries of one man compare to the entire universe?"

The wind blows some more, messing up Minseok's hair again. Luhan chuckles softly. He smooths Minseok's hair, and smiles easily. Minseok, however, frowns and remains contemplative.

"Really, the human race is so insignificant. We're so full of ourselves, but we forget that we only started existing a couple of million of years ago. What does it matter, anyway? All that we work to achieve now, it'll be gone in the end. The human race will go extinct, and then the Earth will cease to exist when the Sun burns out." He finally turns to look Luhan straight in the eyes.

"I know it sounds terribly clichéd, but what is the meaning of life? Why do we work so hard when it's all going to go to pieces anyway? The more I think about it, the more confused I become. When I die, it'll be just like nothing happened, right? I'll disintegrate and reunite with the earth. In a few hundred years, it'll be like I never even existed, anyway."

"Do you know how the universe came about?" Luhan interrupts. Minseok blinks, once, twice. Luhan goes on. "It started when in the beginning of time, a small, dense and extremely hot amount of mass expanded rapidly to form the universe we know today. That was the Big Bang. You see, even the boundless universe had to start from something tiny."

Minseok raises an eyebrow doubtfully, but Luhan continues. "Look, you chem geek, it's like electrons and protons and neutrons. One may say that an electron is practically nothing next to protons and neutrons, but it is nothing other than the tiny electrons that are responsible for the chemical properties of an atom. Without them, the entire atom would behave differently."

Luhan returns Minseok's steady gaze. The flecks of the Milky Way are mirrored in Luhan's dark brown orbs, and they twinkle. "You may be insignificant to the universe, but you're important to me." Minseok snorts a little at the cheesy reply. "Electrons and protons and neutrons form atoms and trillions of atoms form us. Gazillions of atoms make up the entire universe. So don't you dare tell me that you're not important, because you are." It's at this point where Luhan gazes earnestly at Minseok. "Small things are always part of something bigger," he tells him while clasping his hands tightly. Minseok stops breathing.

It's at this moment where Luhan's face enters Minseok's line of sight. He closes his eyes just in time before Luhan's lips touch his. It's not a deep kiss, there's no tongue or clashing of teeth like what they're used to, but Minseok is content. He is aware of the light press of Luhan's fingertips against his neck. When they pull apart, Minseok's gaze unconsciously flicker down to Luhan's slightly reddened lips.

Luhan whispers, "You may be inconsequential to the world, but you mean the world to me." And Minseok lets it go. He knows that they're insignificant, but at the same time, they're more than important to each other.

And Minseok thinks that maybe that's what matters the most.

A/N:

- Xiuhan have an existential crisis.

- At this point it is rather obvious that exams make me question the meaning of life. A really poor excuse for me to write Xiuhan, really.