One day you come back home from your daily activities. As is the norm for you, you have dinner and watch some videos on your laptop on the couch. Once sufficiently drowsy, you prepare for bed: A shower and a change of clothes. You lay down in your bed and get cozy. Pillows arranged how you like, your favourite plushie under your arm. It’s a bad habit, you know, but regardless, you reach for your phone to entertain yourself a little before bed. Just as you are about to grab the device, your arm is pulled back. Your duvet has started wrapping around you, autonomously.

“I missed you, my dear…”

You freeze up in shock. What the fuck?

The duvet’s squishy, fluffy mass feels nice, though. And it isn’t too terribly strong of an embrace, just enough to feel like a hug.

There’s an increase in pressure, and then the duvet lifts itself above you, still holding onto you with its edges.

The middle part of the front edge has formed into a sort of snout, and it feels like the blanket is taking a look at you. The “face” dives into your chest, gently, softly, and it ruffles your chest fur, perfoming motions like that of an animal taking in a scent.

“Ah, like always, you smell absolutely lovely, darling…”

The “head” lifts up again slightly.

“Though, I like your musk just as much, when you’re too tired to shower…”

One of its corners carresses your face, starting at the front of your snout, then gliding across your cheek, and finally taking gentle hold of your ear. It starts to put a bit more pressure there, massaging it in a circular motion. You find yourself purring in response to the sensation, and lean into the duvet’s touch.

“You like that, do you? Ohhh, I should’ve done this sooner.”

Suddenly, the duvet strongly wraps around you again, and rolls you both onto the other side of the bed.

“You have no idea how much love you’ve imbued me with…”

Love? What is it talking about?

“Really…? What do you mean?…”

“Don’t act like you don’t know. You’ve been dreaming of this for so long.”

It starts to stroke your face again.

“You’ve yearned so much. You’ve tried many things. Been with people. But none could give you what you want…”

Its “face” leans in closer..

“None are as soft, as understanding, as big, as overwhelmingly comfortable… as your own bed.”

You lean your head closer to its edge. Your nose touches its fabric. It wraps tighter around you.

Your lips meet its surface.

Fluff and softness surround you. You can’t help but sink in. You try your best to reciprocate, too. To hug the enormous entity back.

It is happy just to cuddle you, to cradle you, to touch your living flesh. But to see that you want to give it something too, to thank it, it is even more tremendously elated.

It would be boring to stay like this forever, of course. You kiss it goodnight, and since it does not sleep, it lays on you, promising to protect you as you sleep, and to ensure a peaceful night.

The next morning it is as hard to leave your bed as it has been even before your new companion had awoken. Your bed understands that you need to get up, though, and even encourages you in getting back on your feet.

During the day, you can’t help but think about your bed. How lovely it is to have your feelings reciprocated by something that isn’t even alive. Shouldn’t be alive. But so wondrously, miraculously is.

Then you get home. The blanket is happy to hang on your shoulders as you go about your daily chores. Once you’re done with them, you both cuddle up on the couch, entertainment on the TV screen before you both. Physical affection from a body that is composed of stuffing and is topologically pretty much a flat plane is unlike anything you’ve experienced previously. Not only that, who knew your duvet was such an interesting conversation partner.

Then it is time for bed once more. You whisper eachother goodnight, and fall asleep, it resting on you, as it always has been.

What has not been before, is right as you fall asleep, it gives you an approximation of a kiss.