A quick dedication: To my very own Debitto. :) Yes, I trust you, no matter what, cross my heart, hope to die, pinky-latch swear, till Earl-do-us-part, amen.

Enjoy!

The Earl bought us (and by us I mean him and me) alarm clocks. We (and by we I mean me and him) guessed that he was a teensy bit upset about our late starts in the morning but even Grampa Gremlin should know that giving us something is like asking us to do something: just cause you ask doesn't mean we'll do it and just cause you give doesn't mean we'll use it.

But now we kind of have to.

We guessed that his vibrating violently and all the other day meant it was time to wipe the dust off our clocks and give the little devils a try.

"How does it work, Debi? He?"

"I don't really know, Jasdero… We'll," (and by we I meant him and me), "ask Tyki. Tyki will know…"

"You want me to do what?"

"Set the alarm clocks, idiot!"

"Yeah, set them for us!"

"Fwoo…" he breathed cigarette smoke in our faces like he always does, stuffy bastard that he is, "Give them to me then… and watch closely! I'm not doing this every morning for you!"

So I watched him wind up something on the backs and Jasdero watched me so then I watched him back so we started to have a face-making contest which made both of us laugh and Tyki get mad like he always does, impatient bastard that he is.

"Dammit, twins!"

Jasdero watched me get hit in the head with one and if it had been the other way around I would have caught mine after what happened to Jasdero but he got hit in the head with the other instead. He's a real gentleman sometimes.

Tyki blew another puff of smoke at us, an angry one.

We guessed that this meant it was time to try Skin.

I stuck out my tongue.

"It's Jasdebi," (and by Jasdebi he meant him and me), "he!"

"Hm.

"Come on!"

"Yeah, come on! You can do a better job than Tyki for sure, right? We like you better anyways, he!"

"Hm."

"Well, will ya do it or not, sweettooth?"

"Yeah, will ya?"

"It's Skin. Skin Boric."

"We know your name, sweettoth! Just show us how to wind the clocks!"

"IT'S SKIN! SKIN BORIC!"

His roars smell like sugar and we've always found that ironic.

"He he he!!"

"Ha ha ha!"

"GRRAAAAAHHHH!!" Skin stood up and threw the table over cause he's just Skin. Skin Boric.

"Heee!"

"Is that a yes or a no, sweettooth?"

"GET OUT OF MY FACE BEFORE I CRUSH YOU, TWINS!!"

We guessed that meant it was time to try Road.

We jumped backwards and fired. I guess he was thinking of sweets too.

"It's Jasdebi," (and by Jasdebi I meant me and him), "Skin!"

"Well, how should I know? I always wake up on time so I've never used an alarm clock."

"Don't you learn anything useful at school?"

"Yeah, don't you?"

Road pouted at us upsidedown. She's always upside down and she's usually pouting.

Jasdero smiled at her. He's usually upside down too.

"Hmph! Yes, I do and I'm trying to use some of it right now so go bother someone else!" She sat up right again so she wasn't upside down and Jasdero frowned with her. She gave us about two seconds before giving us the evil eye and using her Earl-calling voice to holler, "Did you hear me? Go awaaaaay!"

"Awaaaaay, he!"

"Is that homework? We can do homework, right, Jasdero?"

"Awaaaaay, he! We sure can! Fix our clocks while we do your homework, Road!"

Her eyes flattened in her tired-bored way.

"Absolutely not, twins."

"Are you two bothering Road, twins?"

We guessed it was time to go figure it out alone (and by alone I mean him and me together-alone).

"Awaaaaay, he!"

We rushed to the door pretty quick cause when Millennium's glasses get all shiny like they did it's never cause he's happy. But we couldn't let them get away with it too.

"It's Jasdebi!"

"What do we do now, Debi?" I was thinking when he asked me. "Debi?"

"I dunno, Jasdero…"

"Debi?" I was looking down when I answered him. I looked up. He had his head all sideways in that funny way he can put it (a lot of people don't know that I can't twist it quite as far as he can) and he had his mouth open in a not smile-not frown in that vacant way he can put it.

I snorted. He looked pretty funny.

"Yeah, Jasdero?"

"Do you trust me?"

I sat back. He's a real philosophe sometimes.

"Waddya mean, Jas? Of course I do."

"What if we don't think of the same thing one day, he?"

He trained his big fish-eyes to the same spot in the dirt I was about to focus mine on.

"Well, I dunno, Jas…It's never happened before…"

"What if we don't think of the same thing one day when it counts, he?"

"Stop askin' me crazy questions, Jasdero!"

We looked up at the same time, his little frown-smile-not still in place and his eyes all big so I couldn't keep looking at him.

We never snap at each other.

"Debi?"

"Sorry, Jasdero. I shouldn'ta…"

"Debi, do you trust me?" He blinked when I cut my eyes over at him. I smiled to say sorry.

"Yeah, Jas… I do."

"I'm going to set the clocks then, he!"

Now it's six afreakingm and the clocks are both ringing like crazy. We roll over and hit ours at the same time, rolling onto our stomachs.

I give him a few seconds.

"Oi! Jasdero! One of us has to get up first! Use the bathroom and everything while the other gets dressed, right?" I know he heard me even though I was speaking to the pillow so when he doesn't answer I sit up, "Oi, Jasdero!" and get hit with a pillow. He's rolling so his back's to me.

"You're older!"

"Says who!? And even if I am that just means that I'm the boss! And I say you have to get up first!"

"Then I'm older."

"Make up your mind!" I throw the pillow back but he doesn't even budge. "You set it so damn early it should be you!"

"I'm just following the rules."

"Well follow my rules and go first!" He doesn't answer. "Go on!" He curls into a tighter ball. I snarl and throw my blanket on him. He's a real pain in the ass sometimes.

The light in the bathroom is toofreakingbright so I snap it off while I brush my teeth and hurt my gums cause I'm brushing too hard so I cuss the damn toothbrush out while I rinse my mouth and it comes out pink just short of red. Red just short of blood.

I look up in the mirror real quick cause I thought I saw someone behind me but there's no one there. I turn around real quick cause some people don't have reflections, vampires and crap, but there's no one there. I listen real hard to hear Jasdero getting dressed, and I think I hear rustling but lots of things make rustling noises. I rip the shower curtain open just in case though I don't know what I'd do if something was in there.

What would I do if something was in there?

With him in the other room I'm alone (and by alone I mean me without him, alone- alone) and I'm nothing. The toothpaste foam is still ringing my lips I realize when I stare with big snake-eyes in the mirror and I look crazy.

I start to rinse it off for good but I hear footsteps, running footsteps coming from the other room and I throw open the door just in time (though I don't know what I'd do if something was on the other side) and we (and by we I mean him or I: one) shout to ourself,

"What if an exorcist broke in the room and killed you!?" We blink and we're we again, him and me, me and him.

He hasn't put his jacket on yet.

I'm still just in my shirt I sleep in.

"Or you drowned in the sink, he?"

"Or you strangled yourself in a blanket or something?"

"Or there were vampires and crap in the shower?"

"Or monsters under your bed?"

"Or a mad ax murderer broke in the window?"

"Or Earl-samma came in and hit you with lero?"

"Or someone poisoned the toothpaste?"

"Or the ceiling fell in on the bedroom? Skin's prettydamnfat, huh?"

The door opens all of a sudden and it's Tyki looking prettydamngrumpy.

"What the fuck are you two doing, you fucking idiots! It's six in the morning for crying out loud, why the hell are you even awake?" He manages to open one squinted eye and bitches, "Wake up call is at seven."

He came at a bad time like he always does, unlucky bastard that he is. He's got friends but they aren't real friends.

We jump back and fire. I guess he was thinking of Tyki's not friends-not enemies too.

Cause it came out just a bang, no bullet.

He gives us his best diva shriek anyways though and slams our door shut prettydamnhard for a sleepy person.

We sit on our beds at the same time and fall backwards, sighing.

"Guess we're in trouble now, Jasdero…"

"Hmmf! Hmmf-hmf!"

"What's wrong, Jas?" I look over cause he's sniffing. Now he's full-out crying.

"I-it's my fault, D-debitto! I s-set the cl-clo-clo-clo-clocks wrooooong!"

He's a real baby sometimes.

I look back up at the ceiling.

"S'all right, Jas… I don't care."

"N-now y-you-" I have to look over now cause those big fish eyes are callin mine, "you won't trust me anymooooore!"

"Jasdero!" I sit up and give him my hard look. He blinks big watery fish eyes at me, all-frown.

We never snap at each other. Unless we have to.

"Jasdero, I'll always trust you. More than anyone in the whole world, more than myself. I promise, Jasdero. No matter what, cross my heart, hope to die, pinky-latch swear, till Earl-do-us-part, amen, Jas."

He let's his mouth go upside-up, all-smile.

"R-really?"

"Really, truly."

"Twi-ins!" The door creaks open and all we need to see are the shiny glasses. But the rest of him invites itself in anyways. "Let's have a chat, Jasdebi…"

Now it's seven afreakingm and the clocks are both ringing like crazy. We roll over and hit ours at the same time, rolling on to our stomachs.

I give him a few seconds.

Then we both sit up, cussing the alarm and the Earl and the cold floor all to hell, and head for the bathroom.

We try to shove in as one, step back, slant, try again.

I watch us (me and him) brush our teeth together- back forth, back forth - together because alone we're each nothing and something beats nothing but together we're something and we stand a prettydamngood chance against another something.

Pretty damn good.

But we both thought of it yesterday and didn't say a word. Something might not be enough the day we cock, aim, fire- and one of us misses.

But I trust us. He's a real friend sometimes.