Decha regretted his actions so much that he asked Rory to come back. He didn't know what to say afterward. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just exhausted. There's a lot on my mind right now." Decha admitted, ashamed. "So don't take it the wrong way."

"You're apologizing..." Rory gasped softly, before grinning at him. "You've never apologized to me before. I guess something very strenuous must've happened while you were at the Agency." She teased and walked back over to him.

"I just don't want you overthinking and coming to me with more bull about Astellians versus Bracketers," Decha grunted. He didn't want a repeat of the other night. Quite frankly, he wasn't in the mood to argue with Rory. "Just for once, let's put aside our nationalities."

"I only do that because sometimes I can never tell what you're thinking." Rory huffed. "You know, things would be a lot easier if you just communicated with me. Like telling me directly about your thoughts."

"That's... easier said than done." Decha scoffed. A vulnerability was his weakness. He never let his guard down that easily, unless he was doing it without realizing it.

"You can start by telling me about the woman in your sketches."

"Why do you want to know about her?" Decha raised a brow.

"I'm just curious. You two must've been pretty close if you took the time out to draw her."

Decha snorted. 'Pretty Close' was a huge understatement. Chai was the love of his life before she disappeared. "She's my ex."

"Oh." Rory's smile dropped. She didn't know how to respond. From the look he was giving, it seemed like Decha wasn't over her. All her thoughts about liking Decha quickly went away.

She wanted to know what happened between them. Why did they break up? Decha could tell Rory was fighting to ask him about Chai. The way her body tensed up amused him.

"Don't overload your brain. It's fine. It happened a while ago."

"Are you okay?"

"Fine." Decha shrugged, not wanting to focus on the past.

"Why did she break up with you?" Rory groaned, not understanding why anyone would want to break off their relationship with him. Yeah, he was reserved, but he was a deep thinker. You just had to give him a chance to open up.

The confused expression Decha sent her made Rory rephrase her question. "I mean, why did you break up with... her? I didn't mean to assume."

"Neither of us broke up with each other."

Rory didn't understand what he meant. That only told her that Decha was still with her. So technically, she wasn't his ex. But Decha and Rory kissed. Rory panicked. Did that mean Rory was intruding on their relationship? Decha was a cheater!

"She disappeared." Decha tossed the book aside, bringing Rory out of her imagination.

"She... disappeared?"

"When you're on the Outside, there's no guarantee anyone will complete an assignment and make it out alive. It's dangerous out there. There are tons of wild creatures, and the travelers from other countries aren't all friendly." Decha explained.

"When you are stationed to work Outside the Sectors, you're a representative. This means you constantly have to travel to other countries and meet with their leaders. Chai was stationed at my camp and received an order directly from the King of Hanahas."

"Hanahas?"

"It's a massive desert west of here. And it's not easy to travel through. It's very hot and there are constant sandstorms. The people in that country aren't at all friendly."

"Have you been there?"

"Of course," Decha rolled his eyes. "Plenty of times." Decha wanted to get back to the primary subject. Rory was focused on the wrong thing. "I had just come back from Portoland. And when Chai got the order, she didn't tell me that it was from Hanahas. She just up and left on her own."

"Why did she do that? You'd think if you're in a good relationship with someone you'd wanna communicate. I can't stand when people do things like that."

"I don't know. I guess women just have a habit of hiding their plans from me." Decha mumbled, throwing shade at Rory, who blushed in return. Chai and Rory were very similar in that aspect.

Rory picked up what he was referring to. But she didn't feel it was on the same level. Rory hid her disease because she didn't want to burden him.

"I came to find out later that there was a civil war in Hanahas. And I thought it was weird that the King wanted Chai of all Generals to come to help. He didn't like her. No one in their royal court did. But when the war ended, she never returned."

"Do you think that she...?" Rory assumed the worst, and Decha shrugged.

"I don't know."

"So what happened next? They just looked over it like it was nothing?" Rory scowled furiously. The Council was responsible for its Generals. Surely they wouldn't have glossed over Chai's disappearance like it never happened, right?

"We got the reports from Hanahas but no one would tell me anything about what happened to her." Decha balled his fists. He remembered fighting with the camp head because he just assumed Chai was dead rather than actually going to look for her.

The Council prevented him from going to search for her. He had to remain on duty, despite his grieving. He didn't even get the chance to grieve properly. Which contributed to his hating vulnerability.

Although Decha was quiet, Rory could tell just how much it hurt him to lose someone he cared about in that way.

He was masking the pain as a way to cope with it. That was something he did often, Rory noticed. Decha would get stressed and try his best to fight through it without actually telling someone.

She hated that he was acting so strong when he needed to be helped. And she knew that Decha wasn't a sappy guy. She also didn't like being viewed as weak, understanding his feelings.

Rory hugged him. Decha was already tense, but the moment he felt Rory wrap her arms around him tightly, he relaxed a little. "I'm so sorry,"

"Why are you apologizing?" Decha asked, annoyed. "I didn't tell you because I wanted pity."

"Because The Council used you. No one should be treated that way. You deserve better." Rory fumed. "Screw them."

Decha chuckled softly in response. Her answer was so unexpected, as always.

His laughter made her smile. Rory felt it was a good sign. An idea popped into her head, but she wasn't sure if she should ask him. Maybe it was too soon?

"Hey, Decha?" Rory pulled away from him slightly, and Decha turned to face her.

"Yes?"

"Um... since you're here and all, could you draw a sketch of me?"

Decha pressed his lips thin and sighed. "It's getting late." He didn't really feel like drawing. It's been years since he picked up a pencil and paper and actually just drew something.

"Please? I just want to see what I look like from your perspective."

"Look in the mirror."

"You're no fun." Rory released him completely and pouted, very frustrated with his resistance. Decha groaned when he saw her puppy eyes and decided to give in.

"Fine," Decha opened the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out a pencil, and grabbed onto his notebook. Rory's eyes lit up and she repositioned herself on his bed.

"Do you want me to sit a certain way?"

"No," Decha turned the page and examined her. "I only need to look at you once."

"Really?" Rory hummed. "Don't you need me to sit still for reference?"

"I don't need it." Decha began sketching the outline of her face.

"Your mother was telling me how smart you are earlier. I'm still surprised that you graduated from Grandell 8 years ago. Do you have any tips for me? Like what do I need to know before taking my final exams?"

"Just keep doing what you're doing. You're smarter than a lot of those other students. You'll pass." Decha reassured her, his eyes still focused on the paper.

"I'm not as smart as you, though."

"You don't have to be." Decha rebuked. "I wouldn't even say I'm smart. I just don't forget anything I see. It's not exactly something I take pride in."

"You have a photographic memory?"

"Unfortunately."

"There's a cure to that, you know." Rory smiled at him. Decha stopped briefly to glance at her. Rory used her hand and balled it before pretending to smack herself in the head. Then she leaned and stuck her tongue out. "It works every time." Rory joked and even managed to get Decha to smile.

"Let's see. If I smack you on your head will you lose memory?" Decha teased her by leaning forward and Rory jerked away.

"Don't hit me! I'm not the one with Photographic memory!"

"You're so childish." Decha snickered. He went back to drawing and stayed doing that for about 30 minutes. The time was starting to take its toll on Rory.

It was around 2 in the morning, and Rory was struggling to keep herself up. Occasionally she'd slap her cheeks with both hands. But she eventually fell victim to her body's needs.

When Decha finished drawing, he held it up to get a better look. Then he noticed that Rory had fallen asleep. On his bed. Again.

"Rory," Decha tapped her shoulder. "I'm finished." He huffed. It seemed like every time the two shared a moment, Rory would always fall asleep. He was starting to wonder if she did that on purpose.

Decha placed the notebook and pencil on the nightstand.

He wondered if he should carry Rory back to her bedroom downstairs. But then he remembered that Jessica would hear him and ask why she and he were together in the middle of the night and make it a big deal.

That, or Theodore would spot them and scold him about still being up when he had to work in the morning. Either way, there was no winning. But Decha didn't want to sleep on the floor. He wanted to respect her space, but this was his room.

Instead of waking her, Decha pushed Rory aside gently. He decided to take his jacket off but keep his uniform on. He was just going to have to ask one of the maids to wash his sheets.

Decha lay on the bed next to Rory and turned off the lamp. As long as he stayed on his side of the bed, everything should be fine.

But everything was not fine.

Not fine according to Decha.

He tried to force himself to sleep, but he couldn't do that with Rory tucking herself so closely to him. Every 15 minutes she would nuzzle her way into his back like she was a burrowing animal. It was driving him crazy.

He'd pushed her back to the other side of the bed and try to go back to sleep. But the more it kept happening, the more infuriated he became.

He was tempted to wake her up and send her back downstairs, but he decided against it several times. He wondered why he was even catering to her, to begin with. It was his bedroom. It was his bed.

When 5 AM came rolling around, Decha gave up. Rory was shivering while asleep. He realized that she kept trying to get closer to him because she was cold. He flipped over and groaned.

He yanked Rory's body closer to him and wrapped his arms around her. Finally, Rory stopped shivering. And he was finally able to get some sleep.

Some hours later, the sunlight peered through the shades, and Rory began to stir. When she opened her eyes, she felt like she was dreaming. Decha was right in front of her, sleeping soundly.

She thought he looked handsome. He looked the best when he was asleep. His black hair was a slight mess, and his bangs were tossed and poked out in different directions. She wondered what she did to deserve this blessing, to watch a good-looking man while he slept.

She reached up and touched his hair. It was softer than she expected. With a smile, she brushed his bangs back and snuggled closer to him. Then she traced his sharp features with her finger.

It wasn't until Decha opened his eyes and stared back at her that Rory realized it wasn't a dream. She had been caught ogling him. He blinked a few times, confirming that he was very aware of what she was doing.

"Shite!" Rory exclaimed, now horrified at her actions. Decha yawned and stretched his back with her body still pressed against his front.

"Morning," He mumbled to her lazily. Rory's face went red and she began to hiccup. Her nerves were going crazy. Just hearing his voice sent a chill down her spine.

"Why am I here?" Rory hiccuped again.

"You fell asleep."

"And you let me sleep in your bed!?" Rory whined. Decha furrowed his eyebrows.

"You didn't seem to have a problem with it before."

"Oh no, what time is it?" Rory searched all over for the clock. In the process, she reached over his body and for the nightstand. Decha remained still, not bothering to get up since he knew he still had time left before he had to get out of bed.

"Decha! Let me go!" Rory nudged him by the shoulder.

"It's not even 8 AM yet." Decha retorted. "I didn't get much sleep because of you."

"What? What do you mean?" Rory frowned.

"You're very persistent, even in your sleep," Decha smirked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rory denied. "I sleep gracefully."

In a swift motion, Decha rolled on top of Rory. Her body froze, she didn't dare move. Decha placed his forehead against hers. "You have a habit of getting this close to someone, almost as if you don't have any regard for personal space."

Rory hiccuped and clenched the sheets with her fingers. She didn't know what to say or do under those dark eyes. The eye contact with him was making her queasy.

"You seemed pretty cold last night." Decha voiced. "Are you warm now?"

Rory felt more than warm. Her face was burning up. She was struggling to breathe because his face was so close to hers. "Shiiiite." Rory whined and turned away from him. Her hiccuping wouldn't stop.

Decha turned her chin back to face him, and she closed her eyes. He saw how red her face was, and hovered over her. The hiccuping confused him. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately, and he thought it was probably her stomach hurting again from her condition.

He was so close to her that if he wanted to, he could kiss her. And Rory really wanted to kiss him. "You don't have a fever, do you—" Decha pressed his hand to her cheek, but Rory acted on her own and interrupted him.

She pulled him down by his face and tried to kiss him. Decha lost his balance on top of her, shocked by Rory's action. He tried to pull away, but Rory had him locked in place by wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Rory!" Decha fumbled and slapped his hand over her mouth. The action wasn't intended to hurt her feelings, but to prevent something that could lead to something worse.

The action snapped Rory out of her trance and she released him.

"S-sorry!" Rory felt beyond embarrassed at the rejection she received and turned over to hide.

When they heard Jessica's voice screaming on the other side of the door that Decha pulled away.

"Decha, are you awake? Rory's not in her room. I called for her, but I can't find her anywhere."

Rory panicked and tried to untangle her legs that were caught in his bedsheets. "Get off!" She tried nudging Decha away, but he didn't budge. "Decha, what are you doing?!"

"You're the one who decided to sleep in here." Decha rolled on his side, his arm still wrapped around her waist.

"Decha?" Jessica called again, and Rory fixed her shirt and pants as quickly as possible.

"She'll catch us!" Rory whined, and before she could even get the chance to think of hiding, Jessica opened the bedroom door. Rory fought Decha off, falling off the edge while doing so.

Before her back could hit the hard floor, Decha grabbed her and yanked her back onto the bed. When Jessica stepped inside, she was shocked to find Rory sprawled across Decha.

"Oh heavens! Rory!" Jessica covered her eyes. "Decha!"

"Mrs. Chen, I—"

"Don't start." Jessica scolded her. "I want both of you properly dressed and downstairs for breakfast."

"But we are dressed—" Rory tried to ease the tension as much as she could but it clearly wasn't working. Jessica had already thought they did the worst.

"Not a word! Honestly, is it that hard to abstain from your urges?"

"Stop assuming," Decha rolled his eyes. "Rory fell asleep in here, so I let her stay because I didn't want to disturb her rest."

Jessica uncovered her eyes and saw that the two were dressed, and Decha was still in his work uniform from the night before. "Nothing happened between you guys?"

"Not a thing." Decha shook his head. "It shouldn't matter to you, though. My business isn't your concern."

"You're old enough to understand the consequences of your actions, but this is still my house. My house, my rules." Jessica glared at him. "Rory, you are still a lady. Don't put yourself in a position where a man can take advantage. Not that my son would, but he's still a man."

"You can go now." Decha grimaced at her.

"Both of you, be downstairs and ready for breakfast in 15 minutes."

"Y-yes." Rory bit her lip nervously. Jessica closed the door, but not all the way. She left it open to make sure nothing would happen behind it being completely shut.

The moment she was out of sight, Rory let out the breath he was holding in. Her heart was pounding so hard. She was also a little disturbed about Decha.

She knew she had to say something to stop Jessica's rage, but it still hurt to hear him say there was nothing between them. He had taken her first kiss, after all.

The sound of Decha's groan brought Rory out of her thoughts. "I wanted more sleep," He mumbled and stood up. He stretched, and his shirt rode up slightly, showing off his abdomen. Rory looked away the moment she saw his muscle poking out.

"I... I should leave..." Rory pushed herself off his bed and walked by him, but Decha stopped her.

"Wait, you forgot something."

"I did?"

"The sketch." Decha picked up the book and showed her the finished drawing. Rory smiled wide when she saw it, her reaction to it made a faint grin appear on Decha's face.

"Wow! This is... wait. There's a flower in my hair... I don't remember having one," Rory brought the paper closer to study the extra detail.

"It's the Klovoc Flower." Decha pointed at it from behind her.

"Why did you put it there?" Rory tilted her head to get a better look.

Decha leaned over her shoulder. "Because it's beautiful."

"The flower or me?" Rory chortled, messing with him.

"Both," Decha stated without hesitation. He was not ashamed to compliment her. But Rory was definitely embarrassed to hear such kind words come from him.

"I was joking." Rory laughed nervously.

"I wasn't." Decha shrugged.

"I... um..." Rory handed the notebook back to him and forced herself not to hiccup. "I'll head downstairs now. Your art is very nice." Rory smiled. "Thank you."

Decha nodded as Rory closed the door behind her. On the other side, Rory placed her hand over her mouth and screeched. But she kept it as quiet as possible so he wouldn't hear her. She was overwhelmed with feelings of joy and embarrassment.

She felt giddy. She didn't know what her relationship was with Decha, but it was obvious. He wasn't against her feelings for him. She didn't care if she was being selfish. She wanted Decha to be hers.

~~~