“I haven’t had ramen in ages!” Chanyeol said with his mouth full. He had to use a fork instead of chopsticks, but it seemed that he didn’t mind as long as the food made its way into his mouth. And he made sure that it did, despite the amount he countlessly spilt all over the table.

          Jade watched him and shook her head. “My parents don’t eat and I have to go to banquets by myself. I don’t like going…but it isn’t like I need to eat or anything, but I like to.” Chanyeol kept rambling on as Jade looked at him in disbelief. What person couldn’t eat? Or wouldn’t? How could they survive? They couldn’t. Chanyeol noticed Jade’s weird expression and stopped eating, mouth still full. “What?”

          Jade pursed her lips before speaking. “You’re just really weird.” Truthfully, she liked weird people, but Chanyeol was beyond the type of weird she liked. Although, she figured he’d probably make a good friend if she could understand him better.

          “So are you,” he replied, taking another bite of the ramen. “I thought humans were smarter and more...” he paused as he tried thinking of a word. Jade gave him a look when he said ‘humans’, not even noticing the comment about her intelligence. He was a human, too; what was this? Is she being punked? She looked around. Were there secret cameras in her apartment?

          “Humans?” she questioned as she looked back at him. She laughed. He was crazy! “What is that supposed to mean exactly? That you aren’t human?” She was joking about it, really. She knew he was a human, but the way he talked-

          “I’m not.” Jade’s face went blank. She thought she heard wrong. Chanyeol’s eyes widened a bit. “Is that too weird? I’m sorry!” Jade furrowed her eyebrows. “I’ll clean up!” He tried smiling, but when he saw Jade wasn’t paying attention to him, he just pouted and tried thinking of something he could do. He didn’t want to weird her out and get kicked out. She already tried to once. “I’ll…make Jisook live forever!” Jade looked at him. “I will,” he said as a smile appeared on his face once again. “Really.”

          “You’re crazy!” she shouted, pushing her seat back and standing up. “Did you escape from a mental ward or something? Is that why you are hiding out?”

          “N-No! I’m here because-“

          “You are running away from your parents. That’s too cliché!”

          “I don’t want to-“

          Jade held up her hand, signaling him to shut up. She was more confused than ever and just wanted him to shut up. “Who- What are you?” she asked in a calm tone, eyes closed as she tried to breathe normally.

          “I’m going to be a God-“

          “You’re crazy!” Jade yelled as soon as the words left his mouth. Her eyes were open again. She watched Chanyeol as he fiddled with his fingers.

          “I was going to be one, but I don’t want to be,” he said after a few moments of silence. “One of the Gods or Goddesses has to turn me into a full God and when that happens-“

          “Crazy.”

          “I’m not,” he told her, looking at her. She almost wanted to believe him, but mythology like this was absurd. “When I get turned fully-“

          “I’m going to bed. Enjoy the rest of your ramen,” she said abruptly. She her heel and walked to her room, slamming the door behind her. Chanyeol stared after her and then grabbed his bowl and walked into her kitchen, putting it into the sink.

          “I’m not crazy,” he told himself, nodding afterwards. He wasn’t. But something like this was hard for anyone to believe, especially humans; especially people like Jade. Chanyeol leaned against the refrigerator and sighed as he ran his hand through his red-tinted locks. He was upset that he couldn’t get it through her head that he was going to be a God.

          That night, as Chanyeol lay on the couch, Jisook slept on his stomach, purring. He smiled subconsciously as he her fur. He didn’t miss his home at all. Being here was nice and peaceful and he didn’t have the constant pressure of his parents. Or his friends. He was free – temporarily. He didn’t really know what he would do after his week here was up. He couldn’t go home. He couldn’t become a God and suffer the consequences. Not that there were many at that. Being a God in his world came with luxuries, an entertaining group of friends and other Gods and Goddesses, you can marry a rather good-looking God/Goddess. You had to rule people, watch over things, and use your powers, and to a lot of people, that seemed so amazing and fascinating. So why didn’t he want that luxury of a life?

          “You upset her,” Jisook thought. Chanyeol poked the cat’s forehead.

          “Not my fault she won’t believe me. I will be a God- I mean…I won’t. I was- Ugh.”

          “Jade Umma-“

          “You call her ‘Umma’?”

          “She calls herself ‘Umma’ around me. She is a nice Umma.”

          Chanyeol smiled and kept petting the cat. “Is that what you consider ‘nice’, Jisookie?” The cat’s thoughts became silent.

          Jade lay in her bed a majority of the night thinking and listening for any movement from the living room where the boy was at. She needed to study.. and do other college-related things, but sadly, being stuck in her room just made her not be able to. This frustrated her.

Around 3 AM, when she had a bad urge to use the restroom after waiting what seemed like an eternity; she slipped out of her room. Chanyeol was asleep with the cat lying on his chest, its head nuzzled under his chin. Jade frowned slightly. Jisook didn’t sleep with her anymore like she used to. It was a bit heart wrenching seeing the cat so close to this stranger- this crazy stranger.

          After Jade was finished in the bathroom, she crept back down the hall and towards the kitchen. She was hungry, after all, from being cooped up in her room without dinner or anything to snack on the entire night and evening before. She opened the fridge, grabbed a small pack of carrots and dip and stood straight.

          “When did you-“

          “OH MY GOD!” Jade yelled, falling backwards and against the cabinet behind her. She hit her lower back hard and winced in pain as she realized who it was. Chanyeol’s eyes were wide and he looked just as frightened as her. “You don’t just sneak up on people!” she scolded him, reaching for the refrigerator door and closing it.

          “Sorry,” he apologized, giving a small smile. “But I heard you and-“

          “Then decided to scare me half to death?”

          “No…”

          “Right,” she commented, looking at him for a moment before walking past him. Chanyeol followed after her, like a puppy does with its owner. Jade sensed him following her and stopped dead in her tracks, which coincidentally ended in him running straight into her and almost knocking the small girl over. He grabbed her and steadied her. She puffed her cheeks and turned to him. “You,” she began and pushed him back a few feet, “stay at least this far away from me at all times. Got it?” He nodded.

          “What time do you usually wake up? It’s dark outside,” he told her after she turned to walk back to her room.

          “Not at this time,” she commented.

          “Where are you going?” he called when she disappeared from his sight. He walked around the corner and nearly bumped into her again. She held a hand out and stopped him.

          “Are you sure you aren’t my stalker?”

➥ author's notes; ♡
 sooo.. yeah. nothing from me. dueces. B|v