Kihyun feels positively tiny as he wanders the halls of his new boarding school, feels positively swallowed up by how grand and intimidating it is. It feels like he's stepped into another world.

He's just finished his first day of classes, the minutes going by slower than he ever even thought possible thanks to the constant stares and remarks he had to endure from the staff, the teachers, and the other students. Now, he's left feeling incredibly insecure, and all he wants is a quiet place to study for the afternoon, preferably private, as he doesn't know how much more gawking and passive-aggression he can take.

Kihyun is well aware of the fact that he doesn't fit in around here, not with his frumpy clothes and his messy hair, his large, thick glasses, and his petite, frail stature. Not with his distinct lack of money and distinct lack of lineage. He's just a commoner after all, and a commoner doesn't belong at the prestigious Starship Academy.

In fact, the only reason he's even here is because he had won a scholarship, and his parents had literally begged the headmaster to accept him as a student, thrilled at the idea of Kihyun having the opportunity to be educated at one of the best schools in the country. It was a chance for him to experience another way of living, and though Kihyun had been skeptical, admittedly a little reluctant to leave behind his familiar, if unremarkable life, he had been willing to give it chance.

Now, faced with more judgmental stares and whispering from the other students as he nervously shuffles down another crowded hallway, he's starting to think that maybe this was all a big mistake. He doesn't even have the school's expensive, blue uniform yet, causing him to stand out even more. It's like he has a neon sign over his head, or a giant target on his back. He can feel everyone's eyes on him everywhere he goes like daggers, their hushed voices like needles piercing his skin.

The kids here are almost like another species, all so rich and beautiful enough to be supermodels, with striking features and designer bags that cost more money than Kihyun's ever seen in his entire life, probably cost more than his parent's tiny house back in the countryside. Kihyun's positive that some of them are even royalty, like, actual royalty.

The Starship Academy campus is not exactly cozy and inviting either. The buildings are old, historic, and enormous like castles, all cold marble and sharp angles, priceless artworks and sweeping ceilings, grand staircases and doorways as tall as trees. And there's so many different rooms, hundreds and hundreds of them. Kihyun feels like it wouldn't be too difficult for a student to find himself trapped there forever, destined to eternally wander the endless labyrinth.

It's all just so overwhelming, too much to take in for a nobody like Kihyun.

After a few more minutes of wandering, Kihyun growing more anxious by the second, he finally finds a deserted hallway and breathes a sigh of relief. He slows down a bit, clutching his backpack full of textbooks, and starts searching for an empty room to get some much-needed peace and quiet. He spots a particularly fancy-looking door at the end of the hallway and makes his way towards it with cautious enthusiasm, his shoes squeaking and his footsteps echoing on the smooth floors.

A plaque over the door reads "Music Room," but it looks a little dusty so Kihyun figures it must be unused, maybe even abandoned. He reaches for the brass doorknob with a deep breath, his eyebrows furrowing. The door is ancient and heavy, and it takes a considerable amount of his strength to push it open, so much so that he's nearly out of breath by the time he enters the room and gets a look around.

To his dismay, the room is already occupied.

Sitting towards the back on a few ornate-looking couches and chairs and talking amongst themselves are what look to be six of the most beautiful boys Kihyun has ever seen.

There's a muscular boy with tan skin and an unreadable face, accompanied by a slim, feminine-looking blonde boy with a devilish grin and a mischievous gleam in his eyes who's leaning onto his shoulder. There are also two younger looking boys with matching red hair that makes them look like twins at first glance, and an extremely tall, extremely thin boy with model-like facial features and stylish glasses.

Finally, sitting at the center of it all on one of the couches, is a boy with mesmerizing eyes and a gorgeous smile, soft blonde hair and pale, milky-white skin, as well as what looks to be a beautiful body hidden beneath his uniform. Something about his face warms up Kihyun's heart in an instant, gives him this strange feeling of fondness he's never felt before that, at the same time, feels incredibly familiar.

Kihyun can't shake the feeling that he knows him, knows all of these boys, from somewhere else, perhaps from another lifetime.

A few beats of silence pass as the six boys, one by one, all notice Kihyun's presence as he enters the room. Suddenly, the beautiful blonde boy in the center is standing up and walking towards him, hand outstretched. He smiles and Kihyun's heart flutters a bit; he can't help it, this boy is truly breathtaking.

"Welcome," he says, and Kihyun thinks the boy's eyes might actually be sparkling. "You must be new, because I've never seen you around before. And trust me, I would remember such an adorable face."

He takes Kihyun's hand in his and, without breaking eye contact, lifts it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on Kihyun's palm. The boy's lips are warm and soft on Kihyun's hot skin, and Kihyun's eyes flutter involuntarily. He can feel his face heating up, quickly turning bright red.

"He must be that new commoner student, right Hyunwoo? Just look at his clothes," shouts the other blonde boy, the feminine-looking one who's draped all over the tan, muscular student. The muscular student, Hyunwoo, shoots his companion a disapproving look at his outburst.

"Now, now, Minhyuk," the beautiful boy in front of Kihyun says, still holding onto Kihyun's hand, "we don't judge here." He turns back to Kihyun and gazes at him with those soft, stunning eyes of his.

"The Starship Academy Host Club is here to delight and to entertain any and all students," the boy says. "Rich, poor, male, female...we're here to make all of your fantasies a reality. Whatever your heart desires, we'll do it. Whatever wish you have, we'll grant it. We're here to care for you and help you to forget all of your troubles."

He smiles in silence for a moment and then turns away from Kihyun back towards the other boys, still holding onto Kihyun's hand even as Kihyun's heart races and his entire body starts to tremble. Kihyun's too stunned to move or to speak or to do much of anything other than focus on breathing.

"We have a host for every taste," the beautiful boy says matter-of-factly. "The rude one over there is Minhyuk. He's actually very sweet most of the time, if a little naughty, though he's also quite the chatterbox. And the strong, silent type over there next to him is Hyunwoo."

Next, the boy points to the two redheads who, now that Kihyun has gotten a good look at them, don't actually look anything alike, but must be best friends to have those matching hairstyles.

"Those two are Jooheon and Changkyun," the beautiful boy says. "They're our youngest. They can be a little wild sometimes, and could definitely use someone who could tame them." The boy turns back to Kihyun for a moment to wink at him before resuming his introductions.

"And Hyungwon over there," he says, pointing to the tall boy with the glasses, "is great if you like the cool, aloof type."

The tall boy, Hyungwon, regards Kihyun with a nod before pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He looks bored, lethargic, like he'd rather be at home sleeping than dealing with any of this.

"You must be the new student, Yoo Kihyun," Hyungwon says, glancing down at a notepad in his hands. "We've heard all about you."

"Kihyun..." the beautiful boy repeats, "what a lovely name for a lovely boy."

He takes a step closer to Kihyun until there is almost no space at all between them, and Kihyun can't help but hold his breath in anticipation. The boy finally lets go of Kihyun's hand only to bring his own hand up to cup Kihyun's face, Kihyun's blush growing deeper as the boy slides his hand down from cupping Kihyun's cheek to underneath his chin. With just two fingers, he lifts Kihyun's face up to look him right in the eyes and he smiles again, an angelic face with a devilish glimmer in his eyes.

"I normally go by Wonho," he says, his voice like velvet. "But you, cutie Kihyunnie, can call me Hoseok."

And then there's that oddly familiar warmth again that Kihyun can't quite place, blooming in his heart and filling him up from his fingertips to his toes as Hoseok looks right into his eyes. The stare is intense and filled with a soft kind of fondness much too intimate for strangers who've just met. And that nickname...it feels way too affectionate, sweet and gentle like a little kiss floating out from the boy's lips.

Wonho...Hoseok...looks at Kihyun like Kihyun is his entire world, the love of his life who he's just been reunited with after a long time apart.

Kihyun suddenly feels dizzy under Hoseok's loving eyes, his legs turning to jelly, and, flustered, he takes a few stumbling steps backwards. He doesn't realize where he's going until his back collides with something heavy and solid and at that moment, it's already too late.

Kihyun turns around just in time to see the pedestal he just bumped into, the one displaying what appears to be an extremely fragile, extremely embellished, extremely expensive vase, wobble for a few terrifying seconds.

Then, as Kihyun stands helplessly frozen in place, the vase tips over and onto the ground, shattering with a loud crash into what must be thousands and thousands of tiny little pieces.

Kihyun's stomach drops, all of the color draining from his face as Minhyuk gasps loudly at the back of the room.

There are a few moments of awkward silence broken by soft chuckles coming from Hyungwon. Kihyun really just wants the floor to swallow him up right now.

"I'm s-so sorry, I..." Kihyun stammers, "really, I'm so—"

"That vase was supposed to go to auction tomorrow," Hyungwon says, but he sounds more amused than upset. "It's a rare antique worth millions."

"M-millions?" Kihyun squeaks, eyes wide and voice shaking. He feels impossibly small again, shrinking under the weight of so many eyes staring at him. "I can...I can try to pay you back."

"Can you?" Minhyuk pipes up, and Hyunwoo gives him another stern look.

"Nonsense," Hoseok says, and Kihyun is surprised to see that he's still smiling that soft, gentle smile despite what had just happened. "He obviously can't afford it. He can't even afford the school uniform, bless his sweet little heart."

Hoseok approaches him again, and this time, he removes Kihyun's glasses, tucking them into his own pocket. Kihyun is too scared to move, and can't look away even if he wanted to.

"He can work for us to pay it off," Hoseok says, holding Kihyun's gaze with those hypnotizing eyes of his and those long, dark eyelashes. "Maybe even as a host. With such a cute face and his unique, commoner charm, he'll be a hit."

He pauses for a moment, reaching up again to cup Kihyun's face between both of his hands.

"Or..." he starts, rubbing his thumbs over Kihyun's cheeks.

Kihyun's heart is pounding so hard and fast now he thinks it might burst from his chest, Hoseok's fingertips so gentle and caring, delicate, like Kihyun could shatter just like that vase.

Hoseok moves even closer, angling his face so that his lips are hovering over Kihyun's. Kihyun's mouth quivers, his lips parting on instinct as he's transfixed under Hoseok's soft breath. Kihyun's eyes slip closed as he feels the light touch of Hoseok's mouth on his.

"He can pay us with his body," Hoseok whispers against Kihyun's lips.

Hoseok kisses him with passion, the feeling of Hoseok's soft lips against his own making Kihyun's head spin and his heart race. Kihyun feels a strange sense of release, like this is something that he's been waiting for, longing for. Kissing Hoseok feels like he can finally breathe for the first time and he has no clue why.

All he knows is that he wants this and he needs this. Badly.

And so, without caring about the others in the room, without caring what anyone else around him thinks, Kihyun kisses back. He brings his hands up to thread through Hoseok's hair as he whines softly into Hoseok's mouth. It's as if they're the only two in the room, as if they're the only two in the whole world.

They kiss over and over again for what feels like forever, and it's wet and hot and Hoseok holds onto Kihyun so tightly, gently caressing his face and sliding his tongue into Kihyun's mouth. It's lovely and wonderful and euphoric and then—

----------

Kihyun awakens with a start.

His body is sore from how he fell asleep at an awkward angle, curled up on the dorm couch, Minhyuk passed out on the other side. Minhyuk's mouth is hanging open and Kihyun can see drool on his chin as he snores softly.

The TV is still on, an episode of the anime that Minhyuk had been forcing Kihyun to watch still playing on the screen.

Minhyuk had been talking for weeks about wanting to marathon this old show and the other members had refused, all of them escaping to their rooms to sleep after a long day of schedules. Kihyun had only agreed to keep Minhyuk company because he had wanted to tidy up the living room anyway (it had started to resemble a disaster site) and Minhyuk just wouldn't stop whining. And so, when he was finished cleaning, Kihyun had reluctantly ended up watching a few episodes on the couch with Minhyuk until, evidently, they had both fallen asleep.

Kihyun peels himself off from the couch cushion, sore all over, and blinks away the haze of sleep as he glances at the clock; it reads 3:22 a.m. He tries to process the crazy dream he had just had, nearly identical to the first episode of Minhyuk's beloved show. Kihyun has no idea how his brain had memorized so much of the episode when he had barely been paying attention at all. Who knew that an anime could seep so vividly into the subconscious?

As Kihyun's sleep-muddled mind slowly puts together the details, he remembers the ending and, with a soft gasp, brings his hands up to touch his lips, the ghost of Hoseok's kiss ("Dream" Hoseok's kiss) still lingering there. Kihyun feels like his lips are tingling, and his whole body feels pleasantly warm.

What a kiss that had been! It had been so incredible, like everything he had ever fantasized about, in the many, many fantasies he'd dreamt up about his bandmate, whom he'd been nursing a massive crush on since the day they met.

Maybe Kihyun wouldn't mind watching more anime with Minhyuk if it meant he could kiss Hoseok, if only in the world of dreams.