YOUNGMIN'S POV

      My eyes felt like they had been sewn shut, and I imagined I could feel the skin tearing when I opened them. There was a deep ache in my muscles and I groaned, sitting up slowly. I shivered in my thin camisole, looking down at the red smears on the white fabric. 
    I walked out of the bedroom, finding Luhan sitting on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table. He looked up when I walked in, setting his laptop aside and smiling at me. 
    "How are you feeling?" Luhan asked, patting the couch. I sat down next to him, leaning into his shoulder and sighing. 
    "What are we doing today?" I asked. 
    "You, Kris, and Xiumin are going down to the pool. Yixing's strict orders to relax." Luhan said, tilting his head to look at me. 
    "I didn't bring my swim suit." I sighed. Luhan pointed to a shopping bag on the coffee table and I sat up, digging through it. 
    "Xiumin bought them, so I promise they'll be appropriate." Luhan said. I nodded, pulling out a modest black bikini. 
    "Where's Ravi?" I asked, standing up slowly. 
    "Back bedroom that way. Tao is in the one next to him." Luhan said, pointing behind him. I patted his head, walking past him. 
    "Thanks, Lulu." I said, opening the door Luhan pointed to. Yixing was sitting in a chair next to the bed, and Ravi was asleep on his stomach in bed. 
    "How's he doing?" I asked, checking the exposed stitches. 
    "Healing fine. I left the bandage off so we could see if the infection comes back." Yixing said quietly, taking care to not wake Ravi. 
    "And Tao?" I said, tucking the blankets higher around Ravi's waist. 
    "Still asleep. Chen's sitting with him. I'm going to try to get some pain medication for Ravi and Tao." Yixing said. I nodded, and Yixing looked up at me. 
    "Aren't you supposed to be at the pool?" Yixing said. I rolled my eyes, walking past him and messing up his hair. 
    "I'm going, I'm going." I said. 
    I locked myself in the bathroom, brushing my teeth and combing my hair before pulling on the bikini. It fit surprisingly well considering Xiumin bought it, and I struggled to reach behind myself and tie it. 
    "Kris! Can you come give me a hand?" I called, unlocking the door with one hand and using the other to keep the strings taut behind me. 
    "What do you need?" Kris asked, knocking on the door. 
    "Can you tie this? The door's open." I said. Kris opened the door slowly, and nodded. 
    "Here, turn around." Kris said softly, keeping his eyes respectfully towards the floor. I turned, backing up so he could reach me, and felt him grasp the strings. 
    "How do you feel?" Kris asked, tying off the back of my top quickly, taking care not to touch my skin. 
    "Sore." I admitted, turning to thank him. Kris nodded, backing up so I could follow him out of the bathroom.
    "The hot tub should help." Kris said. He looked up when Xiumin walked through the adjoining door and pulled a shirt down over his swim trunks.
    "Ready to go?" Xiumin asked, tucking the hem of the shirt over his trunks. Kris nodded, sliding on sunglasses and waiting while I tied the sarong I found in the bag around my waist. 
    "What exactly are we doing?" I asked, waving goodbye to Luhan and following Xiumin and Kris into the elevator. 
    "Just...relaxing. Yixing wants us to have a chance to recover from last night." Kris said. I frowned, wondering what exactly they had to recover from, and shrugged. 
    "I think I'm going to hit the gym before the pool. See you guys later." Xiumin said, exiting the elevator and leaving Kris and I alone.    
    "So...are you okay about Tao?" I asked hesitantly. A muscle jumped in Kris' cheek and he swung his head towards me, his glasses obscuring his eyes. 
    "Yeah." Kris murmured, crossing his arms and leaning against the railing behind him. I nodded, watching the doors slide open. 
    "I'm here if you need to talk." I said, walking out of the elevator and following the sign on the wall that read 'Pool'. 
    "Thanks." Kris' voice next to me—okay, above me—made me smile slightly, and I nodded. 
    There was a pair of glass doors in front of us, and Kris used his key card to unlock them. He held the door for me and I walked forward, my steps echoing in the glossy marble hallway. 
    I walked through a second door, finding myself in front of an indoor pool and hot tub. Kris walked after me with an armful of towels, stumbling a little on the wet tile. 
    "How about those chairs over there?" I asked, pointing to two empty lounge chairs. Kris nodded, spreading the towels out on them both. The pool was deserted except for a man doing laps, and I had a feeling he wouldn't bother us.
    "Thanks for carrying everything." I smiled, pulling off my sarong. Kris nodded, tugging his shirt off over his head and tossing it down on the chair. 
    I eased slowly into the hot tub, settling myself in front of a jet and tilting my head back when the warm water pounded into my sore muscles. Kris splashed into the pool and started swimming slow laps on the opposite side as the other man, stretching his muscles. 
    I closed my eyes, listening to someone splash quietly into the hot tub several minutes later. 
    "You didn't swim that much." I said, not opening my eyes. Instead of Kris' voice, a familiar purr made me open my eyes and look over at Luc.
    "I did too. You just got here late." Luc smiled, his amber eyes dancing with laughter. "Nice to see you again."
    "Luc!" I said, looking briefly over at Kris still swimming laps before shaking his hand. Luc's smoky spicy scent was amplified by the steam rising off the water and I inhaled slightly. 
    "Hey, neighbor. How was your first night in Paris?" Luc asked with a friendly smile, bracing his hands behind him on the seat opposite me and stretching his legs out to settle next to me. 
    "It was...very busy." I said, which was not entirely a lie. Luc nodded, a dimple showing in one of his cheeks when he flashed another shy smile. 
    "I like your bikini." Luc admitted, tilting his head back afterwards to display the underside of his chin. 
    "Thank you." I said, transfixed by the band of scar tissue around his throat. Luc's eyes opened and he looked down at me, snapping his head back down when he realized what I was looking at. 
    "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to st—" I started. 
    "I didn't do what you think I did." Luc cut me off, blushing furiously. I closed my mouth, raising one eyebrow. 
    "I don't know what you mean." I admitted, waiting patiently to see if Luc would explain himself. 
    "My scar. You mean, you didn't...assume anything?" Luc said, looking shyly up at me from under his eyelashes. His hand was splayed over his throat, hiding his scar, and I saw another rough mark around his wrist. 
    "No. Was I supposed to?" I asked honestly. Luc shrugged, straightening up and turning away briefly. The water bubbled just above his waist and I eyed the built muscles of his back, rolling smoothly under his skin as he flexed his shoulders. 
    There was a sudden, alarming lack of pressure on my back and my eyes widened, my hands coming around instinctively to hold my bikini strings closed. How on earth had it come undone? 
    "Are you alright?" Luc asked, and I realized he had turned back around. I nodded dumbly, trying to tie the strings myself and then looking desperately over at Kris in the pool. 
    "I'm okay. Kris!" I called. He didn't halt in swimming laps, unable to hear me underwater, and I sighed. 
    "Is it your top?" Luc asked quietly. I nodded, my cheeks flaming, and he motioned for me to turn around. 
    I obeyed hesitantly, flinching instinctively when his warm hands wrapped over mine. He grasped the strings and I dropped my hands, curling my fists by my sides when his fingertips skimmed between my shoulder blades. There was shifting press