Three months of bliss pass by for the four friends. Kihyun and Hyunwoo’s relationship is as strong as ever, permanently having put their troubled weeks behind them. Kihyun has brought his grades back up, and a sense of normalcy returns to him as everything in his life reverts to how he feels it should be. The voice has been silent all the while, and his nightmares only come about once a week now instead of every night. Hoseok has even managed to subdue his crush on the younger for good, or so he thinks.

Everything is working out for them, their lives going as great as they could be… until Kihyun loses the one thing that’s helped him keep it all together.

“Kihyun-ah,” Hyunwoo calls, hovering at the door. “Come on, we’re going to be late meeting the others if we don’t leave now.” Kihyun glances up, a frantic light painting his eyes. He had been looking now for about ten minutes, tearing the dorm apart for it but unable to find it. He hadn’t tried going out without it yet, worried that if he were to the voice would return in an instant.

“Go on without me, hyung,” he tells the older. “I’ll be fine walking there on my own. I’ve got to find something before I go.” Hyunwoo watches his boyfriend wearily, unsure if he should stay and help or not.

“What’re you looking for?” he asks, deciding that helping the younger is more important to being late to a friendly get-together. Kihyun hesitates, feeling embarrassed about it. He hadn’t told Hyunwoo yet about his calming rock, because that would require an explanation about why he needs it in the first place. He had never gotten around to telling Hyunwoo about the voice that had disappeared, mainly because it wasn’t an issue anymore. Needless to say, the answer to his question would require a lengthy conversation neither had the time for right now.

“It’s okay,” Kihyun decides, swallowing thickly. “I… I’ll be fine without it for now. I can just find it when we get back.” He tries for a smile, but feels it comes out more as a grimace. He absentmindedly begins to tap his thigh nervously, telling himself that he’ll be okay. It’ll only be for a few hours. He can manage until he gets back. Hyunwoo watches him curiously, wondering why he didn’t answer the question, but decides not to ask.

“Alright,” he says slowly. Kihyun slips his hand into the older’s, hoping his calm presence to be a substitute for the night.

They leave the dorm, Kihyun unconsciously taking a deep breath as his foot crosses the threshold. He expects for the voice to immediately bombard him, for the force of such negativity to hit him so hard he scurries back into the dorm and doesn’t leave until that stupid little rock is found. However, it doesn’t come.

Kihyun smiles over at Hyunwoo relievedly, the reaction to stepping outside a bit odd to the older. However, he doesn’t want to break whatever good mood seems to have overtaken his boyfriend, so he leaves it be.

“Kihyun-ah,” Minhyuk says, turning to glance at the younger sitting beside him. Kihyun looks over, his gaze slightly glazed over by the numerous beers he’s consumed throughout the night. “Do you think that bartender is hot? I may try my hand at him.” Minhyuk waggles his eyebrow suggestively, causing Kihyun to chuckle. He moves his gaze to the other side of the bar, his eyes landing on Hoseok immediately.

“Of course he’s hot,” Kihyun replies easily, silently grateful that his words aren’t coming out slurred. Or, at least, he doesn’t think so. It’s hard to hear himself over the karaoke corner in the back of the bar. “It’s Hoseok-hyung, after all. He’s always been super attractive.” Okay, now he’s sure he slurred that. He leans over in his chair, laughing at how his own lisp sounds when paired with an intoxicated slur.

“Not hyung!” Minhyuk shouts, laughing as he claps the younger on the back. “I meant the new guy!” Kihyun squints to focus on the other bartender working that night. He doesn’t recognize him from any of his classes, so he can’t say anything about his personality. As far as Kihyun knows, it’s the other bartender’s first night working at the bar as well. He shrugs, assessing the stranger’s appearance.

“I don’t know,” Kihyun answers. “I mean, he’s cute and all, but I don’t think he’s hot.” Minhyuk rolls his eyes.

“He just isn’t your type,” Minhyuk tells him. “You like guys that are more muscular, but I like ‘em chubby and cuddly.” He then glances over at Hoseok, calling him over with a wave of his hand. Hoseok has to hold back a laugh at the sight of his two friends wobbling on their stools. They’d been there for hours, taking full advantage of Hoseok’s employee discount, so it’s understandable.

“What is it, Minhyukkie?” he asks upon nearing them, casually sliding a bowl of peanuts towards them. Kihyun immediately sets upon the bowl, devouring the snack in an instant. Hoseok chuckles at this, giving the pair two more bowls.

“I wanna know about that guy,” Minhyuk murmurs quietly to Hoseok, pointing at the bartender in question. Or, at least, he thinks it’s quietly. In reality he’s yelling much louder than necessary to be heard over the terrible singing going on behind them. Hoseok follows the younger’s finger, pushing it down at seeing who it’s pointing to.

“I don’t know much about him,” Hoseok shrugs. “It’s his first night working here. All I know is that he’s a student.” Minhyuk pouts at the lack of information, dropping his head in his hands despondently. “Sorry, Minhyukkie,” the older tells him, ruffling his hair instinctively.

“You should go talk to him,” Kihyun encourages, nodding with a determined frown. Minhyuk begins to nod as well, the words taking a moment to sink in.

“Yeah,” he says, “I will.” He makes as if to stand, but Hoseok reaches over to push him back down by the shoulders.

“You better sober up before doing that,” he warns. He nods towards the peanuts with a pointed glance as he continues, “Eat those, and I’ll bring you some water. Then you can think about going to talk to him.”

“But I wanna talk to him now,” Minhyuk whines, pouting again. Hoseok sighs, knowing how tiresome the younger can be when drunk.

“Fine,” Hoseok says, “make a fool of yourself and ruin any chance you may have with him.” Minhyuk humphs in surrender, plopping back down on the seat and shoving the peanuts into his mouth. Hoseok nods, an approving smile coming to him. “I’ll go get you that water.”

“You go get you that water,” Minhyuk mumbles. Kihyun laughs at the comment, and sighs as he lies his head down on the bar. He wishes Hyunwoo were still with them, but the older has an early morning class the next day. Or, is it today now? What time is it? Kihyun lifts his head and glances down at his phone. He sees that it’s well past midnight by now.

“Do you two mind if I crash at your place tonight?” Kihyun asks Minhyuk, earning a curious glance from the older. “I don’t want to wake up Hyunwoo when I get back in.”

“Sure,” Minhyuk nods understandingly. Kihyun smiles gratefully, and sets his head back down.

“You’re such a nuisance,” a familiar voice whispers to him. Kihyun’s head snaps up, glancing around wildly to figure out who just spoke. His inebriated state slows his ability to recognize immediately where he knows it from. Minhyuk is sullenly eating peanuts as he stares at the bar, showing no signs of having heard anything, and Hoseok hasn’t yet returned with the water. “You make trouble for others doing the simplest of things.”

Kihyun realizes where he’s heard this voice before. He squeezes his eyes shut as he shakes his head, pressing it against the bar.

“You thought you had gotten rid of me,” the voice continues. “Of course you thought that. Only you’d be stupid enough to think so. But, you can’t keep me out, Kihyunnie,” it sneers, somehow erting the cute nickname. “You can’t keep out the truth.”

“No,” Kihyun whines under his breath.

“You know what that truth is?” it asks as if he had said nothing. “It’s that you’re a worthless, spineless, talentless, waste of a space. You’re worth less than a chewed-up piece of gum on the bottom of someone’s shoe. We both know that everyone would be better off without you around. They’d just have one less problem in their lives.”

“No, no, no,” Kihyun murmurs, regretting leaving the dorm at all without his rock.

“Kihyunnie?” Hoseok’s voice suddenly asks. Kihyun glances up, the concerned look on the older’s face pulling at his heart guiltily. “Are you okay?”

“I’m going home,” Kihyun mumbles, the sudden return of the voice terrifying him. He has to go find that rock, and fast. He slams down some money on the bar, and puts on his coat as he stumbles away from the stool. Hoseok watches him worriedly, already moving to tell the new guy that he’s going to take a break. He grabs his own coat and throws it on, having to run to catch up with the younger. For a drunk young man, Kihyun sure can wobble fast.