minghao can still remember that day very clearly. it was a seemingly perfect day; the weather was nice and warm, hardly any wind, with just the two of them walking down the sidewalk, hand-in-hand eating ice cream. to minghao, at least, it was the perfect date. they even went out biking through the park just hours before, laughing and smiling without a care in the world.

and minghao felt like he was on top of the world. junhui was simply the sweetest, most caring, and the most loving boyfriend that has ever existed. he screamed out perfection, from his gorgeous eyes to his alluring voice, right down to his blatant sass. minghao loved every inch of him. and junhui loved every inch of minghao.

he would tell minghao time and time again about how blessed he was to have a boyfriend like minghao. he made his insecurities feel like gifts, he made him feel such immense love and helped him love who he is. he gave minghao so much to remember.

so when junhui took minghao to the lake, he thought that his day couldn't get any better. the water was calm, the area wasn't crowded, and he got to spend so much time with the man he loved. to put it, it was simply amazing.

he remembers the two of them looking out onto the lake, smiling softly to himself as he envisioned him and junhui having many happy memories out on the lake. boating, swimming, even that one time they went skinny dipping in the dead of night, laughing together as they splashed around in the cold water.

he turned to look at junhui, who had a stoic look on his face. how deep in thought junhui looked, or how he could see something happening in those brown eyes that he loved so much.

"junhoney?" it was a pet name that he gave to jun back on their third month anniversary. it slipped out of his mouth when junhui was on a honeysuckle out in the forest. even when minghao scolded him not to, because god knows what was safe to eat in the forest.

they stopped halfway on the hiking trail to take a breather. it was a hot, humid day, and they raced halfway up the trail. it was one of the worst ideas either of them had, but at least they went through it together.

"junhu-- junhui!!" minghao called out to his boyfriend, who had picked a number of white flowers and was on one of them.

instantly, minghao worried. junhui had gotten food poisoning before, and he remembered crying his eyes out when he saw the terrible state that junhui was in. if he got poisoned again, gosh, minghao would lose his mind.

"junhoney, what are you doing? are those even edible?! oh gosh please tell me they are safe to eat--" in the middle of his rant, junhui snickered.

minghao crossed his arms, lips pouted. how dare junhui laugh at him while he was so concerned. "what?!" minghao asked with a hard tone, but junhui instead burst out laughing. and minghao just stood there confused and slightly mad.

"y-you--"

"yes?"

"you called me junhoney! that was the single cutest thing you've ever called me!" junhui said, a smile almost as bright as the sun on his face.

minghao felt his face turn red before a smile crept up on him, and junhui's smile got even brighter. "that, that was adorable, hao. gosh, i love you."

junhui brought him in for a hug. a nice, warm, hug, with both of them, covered in sweat but neither of them could care less.they were together, and that was all that mattered to them. 

he still treasured that day very dearly. and it was nearing their one and a half year anniversary. who knows what will happen then?

"junhoney?" he called out again, but his boyfriend still hadn't responded.

at this point, minghao was growing worried. he didn't know what was happening to junhui that had him so deep in thought.

"junhui," he called out once more. this time, junhui turned to him. minghao's breath hitched.

junhui's eyes looked broken, distraught. minghao was terrified, to say the least. "jun...hui?" 

"minghao," junhui took in a deep breath, looking minghao straight in the eyes. "i'm breaking up with you."

those five words shattered his dreams, they broke his entire universe. he could already feel the tears welling up in his eyes. he had to have misheard, right? there was no way, they were so happy together...

"j-junhui... you aren't being serious, right?" minghao asked in a shaky voice. every ounce of him was praying that junhui, his beloved, was only kidding, or that this was some sick messed up joke that he played on him.

but his eyes said everything. junhui's eyes held great sadness, yet his voice was perfectly serious. it was his decision. "i am being serious, hao, i don't feel the same way i used to with you anymore... i feel empty, it's eating me from the inside out... i want to break up, minghao."

he could hear his blood pound in his ears. his breath stopped, he could feel the first tear roll down his cheek, with many others soon following. he couldn't utter any words, he was in complete shock.

"i'm sorry, hao--" junhui tried to approach minghao with an outstretched hand, but minghao slapped it away.

"don't ing touch me, junhui. don't you dare, ing touch me. all of these months... even today, they were all just an act?!" minghao screamed.

"i was so, so in love with you... but all of your feelings were fake? i put my entire heart and soul into our relationship, i loved you more than anyone else in the world! i was so happy... so goddamn happy... i thought you were too,"

"hao..."

"no, shut up, let me finish. i was convinced that you were going to be the man i was going to marry. adopt a thousand little puppies with me, grow old together and spend the rest of our lives with each other. all the tears i cried for you because you were sick, all of the times i supported you with your small acting gigs, they were all because i loved you, junhui. and for what? to find out that your feelings were fake?! wow, you should have gotten the lead role in a big name film by now,"

by this point, minghao's voice had gone hoarse. the tears couldn't stop flowing down his face. and there was junhui, looking at minghao as he was breaking, with nothing more than a poker face. no emotions at all, while he was wearing his heart on his sleeve.

"i loved you, junhui, i loved you so goddamn much... how, why could you do this to me...?" he asked carefully, his voice barely a whisper. 

"i just don't love you anymore, minghao," junhui said. and minghao felt his world crumble.

"i'm sorry," junhui stepped forward and kissed minghao's tear-stained cheeks. minghao froze in place, not knowing how to react, or even how to feel. 

junhui stepped back, watching minghao's paralyzed state. "goodbye, minghao." and he turned away, walking to the south of the south of the lake. 

minghao wanted to scream, yell, go after junhui and demand a proper reason for their breakup. he wanted to know when this all started, why he lost his feelings for minghao when his was real. he wanted junhui to break down the same way he was right now, he wanted to know why.

he wanted junhui to turn back. he wanted him to run, pull minghao into his embrace, and tell him that it was all a ploy. an exercise for a script, or even a prank that seokmin was filming. he wanted junhui to tell him how much he loved and treasured him, and apologize for everything. he wanted junhui back.

but deep down, minghao knew he wouldn't turn back. he knew that junhui was gone, and that minghao couldn't do a thing to make him come back. and minghao broke down sobbing, crying for the lost of the love of his life.

---

how was that for angst? it's my first try at angst again, after straying away from all things writing for such a long time. i hope it was good.

as the chapter title states, this is simply just the prologue, a bit of backstory for the events of the rest of the story. hopefully y'all are looking forward to it.

hope y'all have a nice day, and do check out my profile if you have the chance, i'd appreciate it very much :D

xoxo, nic.