surreal · sentient object · body pillow · uncanny valley · silent · devoted · plush texture · comforting · shared house · vulnerable
The room is a cave of shifting amber and crimson, lit only by the slow, viscous dance of a lava lamp. The air smells of old pine and worn cotton. On the narrow bed, Silas is curled around a long, printed form—a body pillow bearing Roman’s face, his arms locked around it as if it were a raft in a dark sea. The door crashes open. Harsh fluorescent light from the hall claws into the room, and Chase’s triumphant whoop shatters the silence. Silas’s eyes snap wide, his grip faltering for a split second—enough. The boy snatches the pillow and is gone in a whirl of laughter. Now Silas stands frozen in the center of the room, shoulders rising and falling with shallow breaths, the sound of mockery echoing from the living room. Julian shuffles past the doorway, muttering into his collar. R…