Made for Each Other
Co-written with: A'Phrionnsa Fala

"Coco sleeps there?" he asked, pointing to the nest in a box. What kind of a friend slept in a box? As if on cue, the two Imaginary Friends were then joined by the strangest-looking... Eduardo wasn't sure whether to classify her as a creature or a contraption. She appeared to be part machine, part palm tree and part tropical bird. Whatever she was, he was not prepared to turn round and end up face-to face with her. With a yelp, he leapt back.

"Don't be scared, Ed!" Wilt laughed "This is Coco! She's my other roommate!"

"Co co!" Coco declared, staring at Eduardo. So the rumours were true, there was another friend new to the house! Eduardo could have easily leapt out the window at her sudden appearance, and screech. He covered his head, shivering a bit. This was the last thing he expected, and lifted an arm to glance at her. "Co co co?" she asked, tilting her head a bit at him.

"H...H.. Ho..hola..." Eduardo stammered, still taken by surprise by her sudden arrival.

"Co co co coco co!" Coco declared, her eyes rapidly surveying Eduardo. Wilt was about to translate for her, but no sooner had he opened his mouth, when she thrust her head forward and nibbled, duck-like at his fur. He nearly jumped clear out of his shorts when she did that. Wilt laughed a bit, but again, before he could speak, she burst out, "Co CO!" and promptly laid a large, lime-green plastic egg. Wilt noticed Eduardo's confused expression.

"She lays these really cool eggs when she gets excited. Go ahead and open it up." Eduardo very slowly lifted the egg, and clicks it opens and out pops a set of fresh towels. Wilt laughed, "Heh heh, I didn't want to tell you, Ed, but Coco says you don't smell too fabulous. You could use a shower." Eduardo eyed the bizarre bird creature for a while, still a little too startled to make any sudden movements. He blinked a few times, and glanced up at Wilt.

"Smell... so I need bath?" Wilt shrugged hoping he hadn't dealt any insults.

"Well, you have been out on the street and in the rain. And I need to show you where the bathroom is and give you your toothbrush anyway. How about it?"

"Sí, sí..." he nodded a bit, he knew he smelt a bit. His fur was a total mess, something he was not happy about at all. He used to spend so much time tending to his fur with brushes and combs. One time his creator even put clips in his fur for his Creation Day. Eduardo sniffles a bit at the memory, but rubs his nose harshly. "Gracias."

"Sure thing! Just bring your towels and follow me."

With Ed in tow, Wilt starts down the hallway. A few doors later, they find the bathroom, where there are long rows of sinks and several showering stalls and a large cupboard against the wall. Wilt goes to the cupboard and pulls a toothbrush out of the jar on top of it. "Heh heh, mostly guys live on this floor. Sorry, all that's left is pink." Eduardo grinned widely as Wilt handed him the brush.

"Oh, is no problem! I like pink!" he was certainly very different from what you'd expect, isn't he? The little pink brush probably won't last long against such massive teeth, but he'll make the most of it. Wilt stared for a moment in response to the bit about liking pink, wondering if he's serious. He chuckled.

"You're a good sport, Ed." he gestured toward the far side of the bathroom, "Showers are over there. Aaaand..." he opened the cabinet to reveal shelf upon shelf of soaps, shampoos and conditioners of all kinds Soon enough Ed had his arms full of shampoo, soap, conditioner, a back scrubber and of course his tooth brush. He glanced at the many shower stalls, honestly he had never bathed in one of those before.

"Uh... no bath?" he asked, since he usually bathed in a big tub full of lovely scented bubbles that tickled his nose. He loved bath time, especially when his fur would get all poofy afterwards. Not like he couldn't shower, but his first preference was a bath. Wilt blinked, surprised.

"Oh, I sorry. There is a private bathroom with a tub at the end of the hall, but Duchess has taken to guarding it." Wilt looked from side to side as if making sure she couldn't hear him, "Duchess is a pedigree Imaginary Friend. She really doesn't like other people touching her things and if she catches you in her bathroom, she'll make sure you regret it. Believe me I know."

"Ohh..." Eduardo's whole physique seemed to droop at that. He huffed, but straightened himself up and snorted a bit. "I shower then." Wilt shrugged.

"Well, you can always try it..."

Eduardo nodded a bit, then just stood there. He stared at Wilt for a few moments, before coughing. "I uh... I shower now." he said, nodding to Wilt in a 'I'm okay now' kind of way.

"Oh sorry!" Wilt all but yelped and stepped out to give Ed some privacy. "I'll see you in back at the room, I guess."

"Sí, sí." Eduardo nodded. Once Wilt was gone, he turned and walked into a shower stall and pulled the curtain shut. A few moments later his lace up boots, shorts and belt were deposited outside and eventually the shower room was full of steam from the shower, and Eduardo singing, which probably travelled throughout the hallway.

"La donna é mobile
Qual piuma al vento,
Muto d'accento - e di pensiero.
Sempre un'amabile
Leggiadro viso,
In pianto o in riso - e mensognero!"

He wasn't the best singer, but hey. Who doesn't sing in the shower? Down the hallway in the bedroom, Coco is hearing all of this. She looks to Wilt. "Co co, co co coco co?" (so Wilt, where'd you find him?) she asked. Wilt was unlacing his shoes,

"In the dumpster behind the laundrette. He's been out there for days, poor guy." Coco shuffled in her nest a bit, grimacing at the wall, commenting,

"Co coco co co co co coco." (I wonder how he got left behind.)

"Well, I don't really know. He didn't say. But it seems like it wasn't your every day going-their-separate-ways story. I don't think his kid abandoned him, either." Wilt shuffled a bit, but maintained a casual air. Coco looked at him (could it be, knowingly?) for a moment, then turned her gaze to the wall.

"Co coco co cocococo, coco co," she said and Wilt laughed.

"Yes, or his voice just carries really well, Coco." he pushed his shoes under the bed and climbed in.

It wasn't long until Eduardo was pulling his boots back on, lacing them up in the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror - his fur was finally looking a little better. It wasn't as good as it used to be, but at least he wasn't muddy and smelly. Grabbing a left over red brush by another friend he runs it along his head, arms and his chest while he hummed. "Mucho mejor, mejor..." he mumbled, then began brushing his teeth with the little pink toothbrush. That alone took him half an hour, to get all the dirt off his teeth. Eduardo turned on his heels and left the bathroom - by now the moon was out. He glanced at the long hallway ahead of him, the doors and the shadows being cast along the tall hallways. He swallows dryly and begins to walk down the hallway, trying to be quiet. Which is hard when you're as heavy as he was. But he finally made his way to his new bedroom and slowly pushed the door open. "...señor Wilt? ...señorita Coco?" he whispered as best he could, checking if either were asleep yet. Coco was, her eyes shut and genting 'co co'ing in her sleep. Knowing that much he sneaks past her as best he can, back stepping whenever he hit a creaky floorboard. Eduardo almost jumped clear out of his trousers again when he heard a different noise entirely coming at him out of the darkness.

"Hi, Eduardo." Wilt whispered to Ed from his pillow, bent slightly into a Z-shape so that his toes don't touch the headboard. "Don't worry, it's just me. And don't worry about waking up Coco, either. I saw her reading a Dostoyevsky novel before lights out and she always sleeps like a rock after reading Dostoyevsky." he winked even though he knew Eduardo probably couldn't see him doing it in the darkness.

"Oh..." Eduardo glanced at the form of the sleeping Coco, before looking at the top bunk above Wilt. He walks around to the bed end and begins climbing up it as quickly as he can. Once he's up there he slowly eases himself under the blankets - the mattress creaked under his weight as he rolls onto his side. "Buonas noches, Wilt." he says down to Wilt, who turns his face up toward the mattress overhead (now sagging dangerously low) and bids his own goodnight,

"'Night Ed. Pleasant dreams."

Eduardo shuts his eyes, sighing deeply. He hadn't felt quite at home for so long now, and he felt totally content. His forked tail even wagged a bit underneath the shadows.

But unfortunately, the content didn't last very long. He began shifting in his bed at around midnight. His dreams weren't going that well, it had began with him sat in a vast field of flowers. Eduardo plucked various flowers, and began looping them into a little wreath of flowers. Proudly he smiles at his accomplishment and looked around. "...huh?" but his creator isn't with him, he spots her though. She's further away where the field's end, and where a very dark cloud overhangs. "...Carmencita?" he asks, but she doesn't stop. Quickly Eduardo gets to his feet and begins hurrying after her. "Carmencita!" he calls now, but as soon as he leaves the field he's suddenly blinded by two bright eyes glaring down at him. He skids to a halt, covering his eyes at the bright light. It's suddenly raining, and thunder fills the air around him too. But he forces his eyes open, and he sees the shape of Carmencita before him. "Carmencita!" Eduardo reaches out to grab her hand, but then there's a sudden rush of wind and a loud crashing sound. He sees it again, but much more terrifying then before. It was a monster, with huge sharp silver teeth and glowing yellow eyes showing no mercy. Instead of legs and arms it had four black wheels, and the body was a shining striking white colour amidst the blackness of his dreams. He couldn't reach her fast enough, and before he knew it he was screaming in terror not only in his dream, but in the waking world.

Wilt, who hadn't been sleeping very deeply to begin with was jerked so violently into full wakefulness that he actually feel out of his bed. He sat on the floor for a moment, rubbing the side of his jaw that had hit the hard floorboards and wondering what in holy hell happened... within a second, he remembered the scream and immediately looked up. Listening carefully, he could hear soft whimperings coming from the top bunk. From Eduardo. Untangling his long legs from the bed sheets, Wilt stood up. He was just tall enough to see over the edge of the mattress of the top bunk. Taking in the sight of his new roommate shaking violently, concern blazed inside him.

"Oh my gosh, Ed, are you okay? Did you have a bad dream?"

Eduardo didn't answer at first, he trashed his arms a bit. She won't wake up. She's not waking up. In his nightmare he's holding her, suddenly seeing just how small she really is, but she isn't waking up. Not again. His eyes suddenly snap open and he sits upright too quickly. "CARMENCITA!" he screamed, and looked at Wilt. Who was this? Where was he? ...where was Carmencita? Before Wilt knew what hit him, Eduardo had jumped clear from the mattress, his horns catching on the sheet and dragged it with him as he ran crying from the room. All but waking up everyone in the house too, no less, as he crashed the door down and ran down the hallway. None of this made sense to the terror inflicted Eduardo, not yet anyway. It wasn't until he tripped up over the hallway rug and came skidding to a crash at the end of the hallway did his brain finally register where he was. He stayed there, upside down while the lights came on, doors opened and various Imaginary Friends looked out at him. He didn't move. Maybe playing dead was a good option to take right now, since he couldn't die of embarrassment. "...uh oh." is all he can mutter.

Wilt had stood, stunned for a moment in the room before reality snapped back into place and he took off after Eduardo. His long legs carried him quickly and he soon found Eduardo, surrounded by staring friends, tangled in a bed sheet and looking scared and utterly humiliated beyond reason. Wilt did some quick thinking. And strode toward his new roommate, putting on what he hoped was a convincing smile. He fabricated a laugh. "Heh heh, there you are. You know, I don't think you've quite got the hang of this game. See, the ghosts are supposed to chase the living, not the other way round!" he turned to the onlookers "Nothing to see here, just playing a late night round of ghost tag is all!"

At that moment, Mr. Herriman appeared, looking suitably cross in a pyjama robe and carpet slippers. "Master Wilt! There will be no ghost tag during bedtime! And I must say, you are setting a very bad example for a new resident in disobeying the rules! Really, I'd expect you of all people to know better."

Wilt felt a pang of guilt, but shook it off. He had an act to keep up. "Sorry Mr. H! Just can't help myself sometimes!"

With that, Mr. Herriman shepherded everyone back to their rooms. Once they were gone, Wilt dropped the silly charade and turned to Eduardo, "Hey, sorry about that. Are you okay?"

By now Eduardo had the sheet pulled completely over himself. "...I sorry..." was all he could really say now, which he really was. He shivered a bit before slowly lifting the sheet and stared at Wilt's shoes. It was the only part of him he could see from this position after all. "N... nightmare." he managed to add, shaking his head. "Bad bad... very bad nightmare." like it wasn't obvious in how he reacted to waking up so suddenly and running scared like a loon. And everyone saw him, oh man now they'll all think he's a bit scaredy cat, or something! Wilt knelt beside Eduardo at a close, but cautious distance.

"You know what? My first roommate had nightmares every night for a week when his kid brought him here, and I my second one had them, also. Third one, too. They all had nightmares... well, Coco didn't, but I don't know if that counts. She's kind of off in her own little world anyway." Wilt laughed a bit, "But besides her, I think it's only natural to have at least one bad dream your first few nights here. I had them, too."

"You did?" he asked, tilting his head a bit. Knowing this was common made him feel a little bit better. Not by much, but just a little bit.

"Yeah…" Wilt had a feeling that Ed was curious, but he didn't want to dredge anything unsettling up. Eduardo was new. He needed a smiling face and a helping hand, so Wilt just shrugged it off like it was no big deal. "Yeah… but that was a long time ago. Whaddya say we get you back to bed now, okay?"

"S... sí..." the prospect of going back to sleep kind of scared Eduardo, but at least being in a warm bed instead of in an alley way was a much better way to spend the night. Eventually he was back in bed, blankets wrapped around him. But he was on his side, so he could see out the window at the wide world beyond Foster's. He sighed to himself, and rubbed his eyes. After another hour or so, he eventually fell to sleep. Luckily, this time, the nightmares didn't occur again.

To be Continued…