Soulmate production [Chan x Reader]

[10] - Letting go

You wake up to see Chris seated at the edge of his bed, putting on his socks. You stretch yourself and yawn, loud enough for him to notice and turn around with a smile on his face.

"Good morning, y/n. I didn't want to wake you up. I'm sorry if I was too loud", he says.

You shake your head reassuringly,
"No worries. I always wake up around this time."

You ruffle through your hair to fix it up a bit and then scooch over to sit next to him. You pick up your socks from yesterday and pull them over your feet. Chris reminds you of the list you need to write for Jisung. You're about to look for your phone to open your notes app, when you remember you left it inside your apartment, or rather, Max' apartment. You're not sure if you'd still be welcome there, and even if, would you ever even want to go back? Suddenly Chris walks over to open a drawer and takes out an old phone.

"Here", he says while handing it to you.

"It's got a couple scratches and the battery isn't as new, but it still works. You can use it for now."

You turn it on carefully and notice an old picture of him with his friends on the lockscreen, which brings a smile to your face. Chris still looks the same, but he's gotten a lot more fit and has dyed hair, though you have to admit, you really like the way he looks with brown hair, too. He always looks beautiful. You quickly exchange numbers and make sure to send the other two a message as well, so that you could text them too, if anything ever happened. Chris also made sure to add you to their group chat right away, which makes you feel included and welcomed.

"Prepare the list, I have quite a bit of work left to do today. Would you like to help me?", Chris asks you while pulling a hoodie over his shirt to be extra warm, considering it's a rainy September day today.

You tell him yes and quickly send a list over to Jisung, and thank him for taking care of it for you. The morning passes quickly, as you're busy getting out of bed and eating breakfast, and soon you're sat in their studio downstairs. Chris is typing away at his computer and managing a few things for their upcoming stage. This makes you feel weirdly nostalgic and fills you with a sudden anxiety. He looks at you and notices you fidgeting with your fingers.

"Have you ever been anybody else's producer? Or has it always been Max?", he asks suddenly.

You hesitate for a bit. It's hard for you to talk about anything that happened because it always brings up unnerving sentiments for you. But it's Chris. You owe him big time, and you know he wants you to feel safe. You shouldn't feel uncomfortable, right?

"It's always been Max. I've known him since I was 18. Or rather, I've known Mingi since then."

Chris turns to look at you with an expression of surprise. You know this is the first time you've mentioned his real name to anybody, and it's been a while since this name has left your lips in general. As soon as he debuted and gained popularity, he didn't like hearing you say his real name. Or at least, it seemed as if it made him uncomfortable, and so you stopped, and refused to let it ever leave your mouth again.

"Max- I mean... Mingi and I went to the same school, and during senior year we found out both of us were into music and applied for the same company. Because we knew each other, they ended up making us work together", you explain.

Chris has stopped typing on his computer to give you all of his attention.

"Everything was fine. We were a great team, until people started acknowledging him as Max more than Mingi. He turned into a completely different person. I promised him everlasting loyalty, but.. it doesn't feel as if he's still the same guy I made this promise to years ago."