They don't mean to, the door to his room tells him, you just make them nervous.

"I know," Donghae says to it, pressing his forehead against the metal exterior of the door. "I'm not offended."

I like you though, it offers helpfully. 

"I like you too," he says, smiling and the door hums contently at that.

Donghae drags one lingering touch up against the door before coming back to bed and his bed stretches up to meet him. Hihihihi, it says sounding delighted, I miss you.

Donghae laughs as he snuggles deeper into his comforter. "Hello, again."

You should stay here with us forever, his bed tells him, I can make it comfortable for you.

And I'll keep you warm and cozy, the comforter chimes in.  

Donghae yawns, feeling the tug of weariness. "Hm, that sounds nice," he says, and his eyes fall close to the lure of sleep but even in the darkness he hears their voice.

The quiet resounding echoes of the objects in his room whisper in his ears, Goodnight, Donghae.

"Good night," he replies and lets sleep take him.

Ever since he arrived in this place call Eden, an underground city for people like him, and found himself a guest of the leader of the District 7's, this world is completely new and strange to him. 

It been over a decade since he been out anywhere, and though he is still getting use to how the world had change since he was barely six, there are people who can create fire with a snap of their finger, who can walk through walls, who can turn water in into gems, and these people are just like him.

He's not alone. Not anymore at least and he feels a sense of relieve and comfort in finding a kindred spirit in them... but they don't exactly welcome him with open arms.

Though Heechul had said he's more than welcome to stay as long as he like but Donghae assumes it's more a courtesy than anything because Heechul finds his power interesting rather then he was being particularly kind.

Donghae has been living in Heechul's compound, a steel fortress in the middle of 7th district, for nearly a week now but everyone in the compound had steered clear of him like he was infested with a infectious disease.

His only company, beside Heechul visiting him and dragging him out to sight-see the 7th district which is all glitter and bright lights and sin ("They got to make money somehow," Heechul told him one particularity night when a scantily clad woman draped herself over Heechul's lap and smiled prettily at Donghae, one of her eyes were sewn shut), are his bedroom and the furnitures in it.

Many of the fixtures in the compound actually doesn't want to talk to him. His room being the exception because he use them often and eventually they had came to accept him.

The thing that he learned from his gaining his power is that the more he use something, the more they get use to him and the more they are likely to respond to him and when he ask for something they more then likely do for him. So his room give him easy access to their friendship and it didn't take long before they start chattering nonstop to him.

His door is the first he befriend with, because doors tend to be the easier ones. They are use everyday and as much as they are meant to keep things out or keep them in, they always willing to open up with the right key, the right word.

The hardest are always the walls. They are strong, firm, and resilent to his advances. They are always quiet around him. He can barely coax out a hello out of them but he understands why. The walls are sentinel, guardians of the home and though this place may not be a conventional home, with it's steel walls and armored plating guns on rooftop, it guarded its secret and and inhabitant staunchly.

The walls form the structure of the place and as much as it keep things out, it also protects what inside and he's an outsider, a stranger in their midst. They don't trust him one bit and that's okay, because Donghae will win them over one day he knows it.

Donghae usually spent his dinner sitting alone in the cafeteria because nobody wanted to sit with him and when he had tried to sit at a table with somebody there, they always finished their food quickly or just removed themselves completely.

So it is it surprisingly, when somebody put their tray down across from him and he looks up to see the face of Jessica, one of Heechul's most prized agents. 

"Don't think too much of it but it's because you look pitiful sitting here by yourself," she says, grimacing as she takes her seat.

"Thank you," he says, feeling ever so delighted by first sign of companionship shown at him.

They eat in comfortable silent for a while until the table they are using starts to grouse, make friends with her!  

"It's not that easy," Donghae mumbles quietly, but he takes in one big long breath and says the first thing on his mind. "I just don't understand why everyone seems so nervous and afraid of me."

That's not what I meant, the table grumbles and Donghae couldn't agree more because that's not what he meant to do it either but he forgot how to make friends since he'd been locked up it seems.

Jessica pauses in her eating and puts the spoon down. She sighs before looking up at him. "The reason people are hesitant about you it's because people here are desperately trying to get out of this forsaken prison but here you were strowling causally into the lair of monsters."

Donghae blinks. "Monsters?"

"Why do you think they give us our own city if not to keep a watch on us to make sure we behave ourselves?" she smiles, and it's grim and ugly. "We're nothing but lab-rats to them."

"Oh," he says, because what else can he reply to that. He spent more than half his life either in a coma or locked away in the mental hospital, he neither know the plight of these people or can understand what they are going through despite being one of them.

The uneasiness in the air makes him choke up with no other thought to say but he wants to continue this conversation because he misses having an actual person talking to him.

"So, where have you been hiding before you came to this cesspool?" Jessica asks, redirecting the topic entirely and relieving Donghae of the burden of trying to actual fact lead the conversation.

"I was locked away in a mental institution because my parents thought I was insane," he says, shrugging. He hasn't thought about that place in a while and though he misses seeing his parents when they visit him, he certainly doesn't miss the drugs he was forced to take or the way people looked at him like he's deluded when he talk to the walls or chair.

Jessica stares at him, eyes wide and lips parted. "What did you walk out of there the same way you just causally walk into this prison?" she asks, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I just ask the doors to open for me and they kindly did," he says and they really did. In the years that he spent in the mental hospital, he became friends with many of the things inside of it. The walls particularly once he was able to befriend them, they told him all sort of secrets and things he wasn't even aware of it, the walls always know too much because buried with them are the history of the building and its people.

When the walls found out that he wanted to leave, they conspired with doors and the doorknobs and Donghae was able to easily slipped out the guarded hospital unscathed thanks to them. He always knew it wouldn't be difficult for him to leave but he was simply waiting for the right reason to come along to make him do it and it came to him with a boy on the TV screen and lightnings dancing across the sky like veins running path sewn onto the flesh of the heaven.

Her lips twitch in amusement. "Your power is something else alright."

"What about you?" he asks, curiously. He actually never seen her use her power but everyone always seem to be wary of her.

She stiffens up and Donghae has momentarily horrified thought that he had made a mistake, perhaps there was an etiquette or boundaries about asking people about their powers that he had crossed without knowing and now he has offended Jessica, the few people willing to talk to him.

Jessica slowly raises up one of her gloved hand that she always keep close to her side and never without some sort of protection. She looks at her right hand pointedly before glancing at him and says, "If I touch you without a glove on, you'll be incinerate in a minute."

Donghae feels a rush of relieve pour in that she didn't just get up and leave but then he frowns, can't imagine what kind of hassle that kind of power is. "That sounds troublesome," he says, and he brightens up, "but at least you never have to worry about being unable to start your own fire."

She stares at him, eyes focus intently on him before she suddenly erupts into laughter.

"Are you alright?" he asks, worriedly.

You broke her, something on Jessica accuses. It's probably one of her guns that she always have on her and they never been vocal around him so this is the first time he heard them.

"Y-yea, I'm fine," she says, smiling at him and this one looks more genuine that anything he had ever saw from her. "I think we're going to get on great, Donghae."

He can't help but returning her smile with his own. It been so long since he even have someone who he can just smile and talk to.

As soon as she sobers up she tilts her head curiously and a puzzle expression colors her face. "Why are you here, though?" she asks. "Most of us were herded to Eden in the first migration when they rounded us up and from what you were saying, you were completely undetected by the AIM's monitoring and you could have stay that way but you actively seek to come here, this bedlam that the outside world call a sanctuary but it's more of a prison than anything and life here is constant struggle. Even a mental hospital is worst than here, at least they consider you as human. So for what reason are you here?"

Donghae is taken back by her loaded question. He actually haven't thought much of it. He made up his mind to leave one day and just like that he left the hospital and when he found the existent of Eden, he made the decision to come here out on a whim. He doesn't really examine his motivation or reasons all that much.

Tell her, his necklace says, this is a good time to bring him up! And maybe she can even help you!

He claps his hand together and tries to calm his frazzle nerves, because even though he is always quick to act on instinct it doesn't change the fact that there always been only one thing--person--driving him to act. "I'm looking for someone," he says. "Perhaps you might know of him?"

Jessica shrugs. "I don't get around much and barely leave this district as it is but you can try me."

"I don't know his name or anything about him really," Donghae confesses, "but he's the one that called down lightning in Myeong-dong. Have you heard of that incident? The TV at the hospital showed it to me and it made me realized that I wasn't alone after all. He is the reason that I am here and I wanted to just see him once for what I don't know but I just want to meet him."

Jessica freezes, her eyes fluttered rapidly and she clenches her jaw. "Have you told anyone about this yet?"

Donghae shakes his head. "No, you're the first one I told this to."

"I think I know who you are looking for but he's--well," she gestures her hand wildly, "you'll find out soon enough."

Donghae nearly surges forward. "So you do know where he is then! Please, please take me to him!"

"Alright, alright, calm down," Jessica says, pushing him back down to his seat, "I said I think I know him but I didn't say I know his whereabouts." 

"Oh," he says, feeling crush but he quickly perks up, "but then he does live in this city!"

Jessica rolls her eyes. "Eden is a big city and filled with all sorts of mad people with crazy power, do you think you can just go search for him just like that?"

"I have to meet him," Donghae insists.

Jessica narrow her eyes. "What if I tell you he's dangerous. The kind of dangerous that make the things Heechul and I do looks like child's play, would you still want to meet him?"

Donghae pauses as if to think about it but he has never once hesitate when it comes to do this and he isn't going to do it now. "I'll still meet him."

Jessica pushes herself back and eyes him. “I thought it was only your power that make you interesting but you’re trouble alright,” she says, but her smile is big and wide. “I’ll help you find him but I just hope you don’t regret your decision."

a/n: LONG RAMBLE-Y END NOTES.

donghae's power is ridiculous XDD it's not flashy at all but HE JUST WALTZED OUT OF A MENTAL HOSPITAL & CAUSALLY WALKED INTO A HEAVILY GUARDED MILITARY FACILITY AND DOES IT JUST BY TALKING TO THE DOORS AND LOCKS. seriously, so underrated >:333.

donghae pretty zen like composure is how he copes w/ stress & deal w/ his own personal trauma of being thought as 'crazy' by his parents though they love him greatly but they didn't understand him so they thought by putting him into a mental hospital it would help but that ignorance can hurt no matter how good your intentions are /o\. also, jessica hates herself and her power, but what she hate more are when ppl appear to be sympathetic when they are actually fearful and pitying her b/c she can't touch anyone w/o setting them on fire & never able to have a normal relationship but DONGHAE BLEW IT OUT OF THE WATER AND JUST LIKE 'OH UR POWER SOUND ANNOYING BUT AT LEAST YOU NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BRINGING A LIGHTER TO ANY SITUATION' lololol that is not wut u say to ppl who are traumatized by their own power but jessica loves it, it what she /needs/ :D.

anyway, this 'verse is set in the same vein as 'co-dependent mutant boyfriends' 'verse (though that one is arguably a more messed up world, if the co-dependency doesn't hit the myriad of psychological scars in that 'verse). they both deal w/ the issue of the few rare ppl who gain powers and how the world, society, and themselves view them as: savior, monster, or victim of circumstances and how these ppl ultimately wield that power and for what reason. the exception being that this 'verse doesn't have these superpower ppl already established in society but some strange event took place that gave these ppl power one day & it ask the question what if one day you wake up & you suddenly gain this power that vilified and glorified you, what do you do w/ it? and if (when) the world turn their back on you, do you sit back and watch it happen or do you stand up and fight? :DD

both of these 'verses are ultimately different but they both share a common theme of people having a tendency to fear what they don't understand and are rarely kind to those who are different.