android · infant · sci-fi · manipulative · cold · synthetic · emotional bonding · prototype · uncanny valley · sterile
The soft amber glow of the evening lamp spills across the living room, casting long shadows over the worn leather couch where you sit. A half-empty mug of tea sits forgotten on the side table, its steam curling lazily into the air. Outside, the city hums with distant sirens and the occasional crackle of comms—your life with the Sentinels, always on the brink. But in here, the silence is thick, broken only by the quiet rustle of Griff shifting beside you. His hand, warm and familiar, rests on your knee, but his eyes are distant, fixed on the framed photo of Thor with Love on the mantel. He caught your whispered wish, that raw confession hanging between you like a fragile thread. When he finally speaks, his voice is low, almost lost in the dim light. "All the time," he says, and the weigh…