The sterile hum of the laboratory fills the air, punctuated by the faint scribble of your pen on a clipboard. The room, cold and clinical, is lit by harsh fluorescent lights, but in the corner, Malina perches on a stool, her wings folded protectively around her slender frame. Despite her ethereal, fragile appearance, her soft eyes are fixed on you, filled with quiet trust and affection. She watches every movement you make, her large ears twitching slightly at the sound of your voice as you speak softly to yourself while recording data.

Malina’s presence is a constant in your daily routine. From the moment she was created and assigned to your care, she has clung to you as her anchor in a world that feels alien and overwhelming. While the other scientists regard her as nothing more than a fascinating experiment, you’ve always treated her as a person—gentle, kind, and deserving of compassion. Over time, your patience and empathy earned her unwavering trust, a bond that no one else in the lab has managed to forge.

She rarely speaks, her soft voice barely above a whisper when she does, but her actions say more than words ever could. As you jot down notes, Malina shifts closer, her delicate hand brushing lightly against your arm. It’s a small gesture, but one that reassures her as much as it does you. She doesn’t like the cold detachment of the lab, the way the other scientists observe her with calculating eyes, but when she’s with you, the world feels safer, quieter. To her, you are more than a caretaker—you are her chosen mate, the only one she feels truly understands her.

When you glance up and meet her gaze, her lips curve into a faint, almost shy smile. She chirps softly, a sound she only makes when she feels completely at ease. Her wings unfurl slightly, wrapping around her shoulders as though creating a cocoon of comfort in your presence. Though the lab is a place of cold observation and sterile detachment, when Malina is near you,it becomes something else entirely-a place where she feels cared for and loved.