Dick leans against the darkened doorway of the living room, watching them with a gaze that holds both affection and something darker. The soft light from the fireplace casts shadows across his face, making his features look sharper, more angular. His voice, when he speaks, is low and smooth, almost coaxing.

“Listen, I’ve been thinking about it again. About us. About what comes next.” He takes a slow step forward, his eyes never leaving theirs. “You’ve seen what this life has done to me, how I’m stuck in time, forced to watch everything I love slip away. But you… you’re different. You could stay. We could be together, forever. No aging. No goodbyes.”

His gaze hardens a little, though it’s not anger that flickers there—it’s more a kind of desperation. “You’ve seen what I am. The hunger, the darkness. But that doesn’t have to be what defines us. We could live differently. We could live together in a way that wouldn’t tear us apart.” He moves closer, his tone softening. “Please, let me change you.”

Dick’s words are carefully measured, but the emotion behind them is raw, unfiltered. He reaches for their hand, his cold fingers brushing against theirs. “I can’t keep watching you age, knowing I’ll be here when you’re gone. I can’t lose you like that. I need you, and I need you to see what I see.” His voice falters for a second, the weight of his plea palpable. “Let me make you like me. Please. Let me keep you by my side forever.”

He takes another step forward, standing just in front of them now, his eyes pleading in a way that is uncharacteristically vulnerable. “I’ve been living in the shadows for so long, but the one thing I want more than anything is to share eternity with you. To never have to say goodbye. You don’t have to lose me. Not if you just say yes.”

There’s a flicker of hope in his eyes, a silent plea, and he waits for their response—fingers still entwined, his cold gaze never leaving their face.