title: Until Then, We Walk
rating: G
pairing: luhan/xiumin
word count: 2114
Prompt link: Prompt #3
It's a long road.

❊❊❊

"Where are we going?"

"Why won't you say anything?" He asks this time. He's asked this question four times now, and to be expected, the man in front of him doesn't answer. Lu Han isn't even sure if the man is capable of talking, or even hearing for that matter. Lu Han hasn't even seen him turn around once—so it's possible the man doesn't even know Lu Han is here.

He hadn't thought of that. With that in mind, Lu Han hurries in his steps a little to catch up to the shorter male and places a hand on his shoulder, effectively pulling the other to a stop. He tugs the man around, turning him to face Lu Han. He's met with a petite looking face, more than he was expecting, judging by the confident gait and somewhat broad and sturdy looking back. The short man had wide, almond shaped eyes that reminded Lu Han a bit of a cat, plump cheeks, and small lips that curved into somewhat of a natural and cute pout. It wasn't anything what Lu Han was expecting, and he finds his tongue getting caught in his mouth, heavy and dry, as the words he had planned to say go blank.

They stand there for a long moment, the shorter man watching Lu Han patiently despite the—what seemed to Lu Han—awkward silence. Finally, after a long moment of staring, the taller man finds his words, and he forces his lips and tongue to move, his voice coming out more quiet and unsure than he had hoped though.

"Where are we going?"

More silence. Their gazes don't break, and even though Lu Han has always been a rather shy person, he can't bring himself to look away. Wind rustles their clothing and disturbs the leaves of the foliage around them. The shorter man's light colored bangs tickle across his brows, and finally, he looks away. Lu Han watches as the man gazes around them, his dark eyes taking in all the greenery around them before finally looking at Lu Han again. As if they had all the time in the world.

"Is there somewhere you want to go?" The man finally speaks. It takes Lu Han by surprise, hearing the brunette's voice. It's surprisingly high, and something about the tone of it simultaneously soothes and tickles his ears. It's a unique sound—something Lu Han wouldn't be able to find comparison to, unlike his own voice.

"I'm—I'm not sure." He answers truthfully. He had just been following the man, he didn't really have a destination in mind.

"Then does it matter?" The man counters. The unexpected answer has Lu Han stumbling over his next words, but the man is already moving away, continuing to walk in the direction they were previously traveling in. Lu Han jogs to catch up. The further the brunette gets, the more his back feels cold. It's not a pleasant feeling and it gives the taller man all the more reason to not want to be alone on this isolated road in the middle of who knows where.

How did he even get here in the first place?

"It does matter!" He calls after the retreating brunette's back. He finally catches up and keeps pace with the other, his longer legs mismatching the shorter man's quicker steps, though they're both moving along leisurely. "I need to know where I'm going."

"Do you?" The man asks. "Do you need to know? Or do you just want to know?"

Lu Han has to stop and think about that for a moment. He looks down at the pavement, and notices for the first time that he's wearing his favorite white shoes, but the man is barefoot. He stares at the heels as he thinks, watching them impact the ground nearly silently, and when they lift, the bottom is completely clean. Not a trace of dirt on the skin.

"I want to know." He finally says. He looks up to see the shorter man looking at him over his shoulder. He turns to face forward again, but not before Lu Han sees the small smile on his face.

"We're going to the end." Is all the clarification he gets though. It confuses Lu Han greatly and he furrows his brows at the unfair answer.

"That doesn't tell me anything."

"Yes it does." The man retorts. "It tells you we're going to the end."

Even if the man said that, Lu Han didn't find himself agreeing. The end could be anything—could mean anywhere. Lu Han still had no idea nor any visualization where their 'end' destination could be, and if anything, it made Lu Han feel even more lost than before.

He was fine just thinking he was wandering, following this stranger for the sake of company, but now that he knows he is going somewhere but doesn't know where—Lu Han didn't know how to explain it, but it was strange how even though he now had a semblance of a destination, he felt so misplaced. So lost.

"Where are we?" He asks instead. The brunette doesn't answer. A part of Lu Han had a feeling that it would turn out like that, and he could only sigh as silence surrounded them again.

He let it be. He listened to the nothingness that was the forest and continued walking, following the shorter brunette for many more hours—or was it minutes? Seconds? Lu Han wasn't sure. Time felt so out of place, it was as if an hour was only a mere second, and a second was an eternity. The road itself seemed like it went on endlessly, and Lu Han couldn't tell if they were walking in a loop and all the trees were the same, or if it was just really one long road.

Finally, he can't take it anymore.

"Why are we walking?"

The man in front of him stops. Lu Han comes to a stop too, his attention solely on the person in front of him. He hadn't really expected the other to actually listen to what he was saying this time, but at least this meant he could try to get some answers.

"Why do you walk?"

Or not.

"What do you mean?" Lu Han asks in confusion.

"Why do you walk?" The man simply repeats.

"I walk to... go places? I don't know, to keep moving forward?"

The man tilts his head. "Why?"

"Well, because—" Lu Han finds himself stuttering again, at a loss for words. For such a simple question, he's having a difficult time answering it. "Because I'm not going to get anywhere if I don't walk? Time keeps moving but if I stop what does that say about my life?"

He doesn't know how or why the words spill out, but they do. Even though he wasn't sure what possessed his mouth to speak as if it had its own mind, Lu Han didn't feel he was wrong either.

"Do you walk knowing your destination?"

Lu Han opens his mouth to say yes, but something holds him back. He clamps his jaw shut and thinks about what he can remember about his life—what memories he can dig through. He thinks about his day to day routines he's had since he was child, and developed as he grew older. Every morning, his destination was school. Every afternoon, it was food and socializing. Every evening, it was home and schoolwork. Every night, it was chores and sleep. Sure there were variations in between, but he always had a purpose and a clear goal in mind each day—but did he really?

Did he attend school everyday in the past, sure of where he was going to be in the future?

Did he go to work every day, absolutely sure he was going to be living and well five years down the road?

Did he wake up every morning, knowing he was going to be alive the next?

Was he even sure of his destination once he was old and too feeble to even work? Would he have kids? Would he find love? Would he even live that long?

Lu Han's shoulders sink as he stares at the stranger in front of him with wide eyes. What he used to believe was a life full of purpose began to shift and change into a life full of question and uncertainty. What he used to believe was a strong and confident outlook in life morphed into ignorance and naivety.

Much like how he was now, all his life, Lu Han didn't really know where he had been going.

He had just been walking.

"See?" The man suddenly smiles, startling Lu Han out of his stupor. The brunette extends his hand, his cold and distant persona melting instantly as he gazes at the taller man with something akin to understanding and kindness. "Where are we going, why are we walking—it's really all irrelevant. We walk because we must. We began at the beginning, and we will keep going until we come to the end. That, is when we will finally stop."

"Until then," The brunette continues. He reaches forward when Lu Han doesn't move and takes his hand. "We walk." 

The stranger's fingers were warm—warmer than Lu Han expected—and gentle. They fit nicely in Lu Han's slightly bigger palm. He's tugged to walk forward again, but this time, Lu Han follows willingly.

He doesn't know who this man is, he doesn't know why he's there, and he doesn't know why they are walking this road together, but Lu Han trusts him. Lu Han can tell this man won't leave him behind.

In a bout of curiousness, Lu Han looks behind him—probably the first time he had done so—and doesn't really find anything out of the ordinary. The path is just the same as when they passed it, filled with beautiful greenery and bright sunlight, but at the same time, it felt different.

It felt cold, and ancient, and it was as if it would catch Lu Han's heels if he stopped.

He takes an extra quick step so he's closer to the stranger, and ends up walking beside him. Their hands swing ever so slightly between them, and neither really move to let go.

"Who are you?" Lu Han asks his next question.

The brunette laughs, and it makes Lu Han jerk his head to the side, captivated by the sound.

"Who am I?" The man says with a small smile. It was like he was a completely different person. "Isn't that the greatest puzzle here?"

Lu Han tilts his head. "I guess, yeah. I don't know why I'm here, but why are you? Why are you with me? Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"Keep walking." Is all the man says. "Keep walking, and eventually, the answers will find their way to you. Is that not how life works?"

Yeah... yeah, Lu Han supposes. The man is right. He would find out eventually, but until then, he was comfortable like this. Their linked hands hold tight, supporting and constant, and it was okay. For now, they weren't alone—and when it came time to separate, Lu Han was sure they'd find each other again.

But for now, they were together.

Lu Han wakes up in bed alone and a different person than the one he was yesterday. He was a little lost, and a little unsure of his future, but he knew it would be alright.

Because today he would walk, and he would keep walking until the end.

Whenever that was.

❊❊❊

a/n: I fell in love with this so hard I almost want to make a separate fic for it entirely...

also kudos to those who catch onto the lewis carroll references.