A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Carefully, she shifted her arms so that they would be over her midsection. (F/n) intertwined her fingers a little to distract herself from the creature's gaze. He was completely facing her again, and his nails tapped against his pant leg lightly. A shiver ran up her body, not just from the cold. "I would think that you would know what it is. I've made that obvious enough."

"Then, tell me directly. I want to hear it."

"You're right." He raised an eyebrow, motioning for her to continue. She released a sigh. Her breath danced visibly in the air before it faded. (F/n) met his gaze. "I'll never have any romantic feelings for you. You explained why perfectly to Haley. Even if you're going to be taking care of me, my feelings won't change. Once I'm better, I'm starting up my plan against you again."

His hands traveled to his pockets. The creature's expression was unreadable before a smirk touched his lips. "I understand. I would be an idiot otherwise, but what about being my partner? Are you still going to resist that? I have saved your life. Surely, that holds some weight." Despite his smile, his left fingers twitched.

Her eyes broke their stare with him. She looked up to the ceiling. More of her breath decorated the air. "I think that I understand now." (E/c) orbs diverted back to him. "I know why you're so obsessed with me being your partner. Anyone who's smart can comprehend that you're not an idiot, but you're desperate. You're attempting to cling to something."

Silence left the creature. His smirk fell, and his heart rate picked up a little in speed. Both of his hands shifted. They desired to cover his ears, but he was frozen. He tried to move his lips, but words refused to come.

"You know that I won't ever attain romantic feelings for you, and you pretend that you're fine with that, but you're not. Maybe, you haven't realized that yourself, but it's clear. Haley saw it, and I'm seeing it now. Instead of forcing me to feel something for you, you wish me to be your partner so that there's a stronger attachment between us. Our relationship becomes something more than just a deal.

"Even though you told me that I can use one of your nicknames, you want me to call you by something else. You wish for me to address you as my partner. Maybe, you even desire me to create my own nickname for you. Another thing that partners might do. And, you never specified the type of partner. In your mind, you could easily replace business partner with romantic partner. You could create your own little illusion that would satisfy you."

The creature's hands clenched. His eyes narrowed, and he finally took a step towards the bed. Her heartbeat increased, but she figured that she could say a few more words. "You don't want to accept it because you know my answer. You understand that I won't change my reply, but we both know it to be true. You wouldn't have saved my life, you wouldn't have reacted so strongly to Haley's insults and you wouldn't have brushed aside Haley's comment about your heart being crushed if you didn't have romantic feelings for me."

Finally, his lips parted. His hands withdrew from his pockets before his nails rested under her chin. He could hear her heart pounding, but his was too. Examining her eyes, he spotted terror but also confidence. She was certain that she had gotten everything right, and he didn't know if she had. The creature frankly was ... bewildered. "Then ... are we partners?"

She gulped, but her eyes maintained the flame in them. "I'm not your partner. I'm going to be your murderer."

"... I see." A light giggle left him, and he retracted his nails. He stood up to his full height and inspected her weakened form. "My murderer? Hmm ... I suppose that'll work. I like it."

Confusion now laced (f/n)'s orbs. She had been expecting him to become enraged, yet he was grinning. It was as though she had told him that they were partners. If anything, she didn't think that he could be happier. Her heartbeat didn't let up. Rather, her assertive answer was beginning to sound foreign to her ears. (F/n) wasn't sure if she had said the right thing. From the looks of it, she had only made things worse.

Another giggle escaped him. "Now, it's your turn not to admit to something, (f/n)." Her name rolled off his tongue like poison, but she could tell that he enjoyed every second of it. "You're my murderer. That's your title, your relation to me. You can't deny it since you've already declared it." His left index nail touched his bottom lip. A horrifying fondness enveloped his eyes. "But that is a partnership in its own right."

"I should've realized it beforehand. You had told me that you were going to kill me so many times before, but I had been so fixated on my own idea of a partnership. It had been vague, but I figured it out." His grin grew. "You aided me in that. You're such a good little helper." Almost, he could've been a demented bird chirping a merry, yet deathly song at the rise of morning. It amplified her fear.

"You're my murderer, and I'm your victim." His hand lowered to his heart. "That's quite an intimate relationship. It's even more so since we've known each other for awhile now. I don't know how you plan to kill me, but whatever the wound, it'll pierce my flesh. It'll bury itself deep inside of me, and I'll feel my nerves react to the strike.

"I've been shot at, stabbed, sliced and so much more. I've felt all of that pain, but your attack will be different. You're right; you mean something to me, and that'll make your blow all the more powerful. It's like when you bite me. It gives me a certain form of pleasure that's near indescribable. I can only imagine your killing move.

"My death will always be on your hands, and that gives me an incredible sense of satisfaction. It makes my heart ache. I'll truly be connected to you always that way. We'll be tied together by the strand of death, and that, my partner, is unbreakable."

Words almost evaporated from her. She was baffled. He had formed a new idea of a partnership between them, and it was excessively alarming. Nearly, it made her not want to kill him, but he was right. They would be bonded by death. Once she killed him, she would never be able to undo her action. (F/n) would never desire to bring him back, but their connection would be permanent; he would never leave her, and it would be her fault.

"I ..." He would be dead, though, and that counted for something. She would be alive and would live her life as normally as she would be able to. That was what mattered. They would be tied together, but he wouldn't be with her physically. With time, she would be able to reduce his impact mentally. A shot to return to a somewhat normal life was better than nothing. (F/n) swallowed a breath and pushed some of the fear away. "Then, let me kill you now. You can have that bond now."

Dropping his hand from his chest, the creature gripped his sides. A string of giggles left him. His long arms began to curl around his midsection. (F/n) wished that she could sit up and create distance between them. Her immobility, though, hindered her.

When he calmed down, he leaned over to her some. His nearly white locks hung around his face. They looked like small spikes ready to inflict the final blows. "I may be your victim, but I won't go down without a fight. I wish to prolong this relationship for as long as possible. Besides, you only have one shot, so you better make it count. And, you forgot something. There can be more than one layer to a partnership. There's your layer, which I like and agree to, but there can always be another."

Once again, he rested his nails under her chin. If they pressed any harder, her skin would be pierced. "First, though, I need to clarify something. If it's not accurate, the situation will be different." His eyes stayed focused on hers. The creature's right hand pressed into the space beside her neck.

Moving his lips to her right ear, he drew them along the helix. A chill ran up her body, and her heart hammered in her chest. Alarm tapped along her skin and penetrated her bloodstream with rough pricks. "You're the one who brought this to my attention more after all." His giggle played in her ear like an ominous omen. The creature's lips ghosted from her earlobe to her jaw.

Shutting her eyes, she tried to ignore the dreadful sensation. Another giggle greeted her. Her fingers clenched. She desired horribly to move, but her body protested. It was far too weak. (F/n)'s lips trembled, and his were at the right corner of hers. Since she couldn't run, she desired to fall asleep. Then, she wouldn't have the memory of it. The full feeling of it wouldn't be there.

Breath caught in her throat, her eyes shot open. Force was applied to her lips, but she didn't dare shift her head. His nails remained under her chin. They would pierce her if she attempted to break the kiss. His eyes were closed, and his hair tickled her face a little. She never closed her eyes, however, but she was surprised. The kiss was ... It was ... gentle. There wasn't one ounce of roughness in it. How the creature could administer such a kiss was beyond her, but she didn't enjoy it one bit. If anything, it caused the future to appear grim.