Peach Tree Manny: Gay Romance

by Trina Solet

  When Danny nodded, he took off the Count Chocula head and that made him giggle. Now Danny shifted his gaze over to Rob.

  "You want me to do it too?" Rob asked.

  There was another giggle when Rob pulled off his Franken Berry head.

  "You ready to go trick or treating?" Julian asked and offered Danny his hand.

  Arriving in Peach Tree, they found parking on the outskirts of town. As they stepped out of the car and got the little super strong bee and his sidekick out, Danny stopped and pointed at their heads.

  "I guess we have to put these back on now," Julian said with a wan smile.

  Putting on his pink head with antennae sticking up, Rob turned to Julian with a deadly serious expression on his face. "I'm here for you. Stay strong."

  Julian had to laugh. If Rob was right there with him, he knew he could get through this ordeal. So with their silly costumes on, they walked into town armed with candy. They joined the trick or treaters and their parents walking up and down Main Street.

  Adults were carrying candy to give out. Kids were carrying bags and buckets for the candy they would be getting. Uneasy in the crowd, Danny held onto their hands tightly as he walked between them and Rob carried Lenny. They made sure to shield Danny from the more gruesome costumes, but at least Main Street was closed to cars.

  "Just remember Julian is still under there and so am I," Rob told Danny.

  Danny looked up at Julian. "You're under there, Julian?"

  "Yes, I am," Julian assured him, though he wished he wasn't. He felt like an idiot in this costume. But the real crime was what Rico did to Rob.

  Someone like Rob deserved to be dressed in an outfit that showed off that beautiful body and the way he moved. Not that hideous thing with antennae and an oversized head. Looking at him, Julian knew without a doubt that Rico was a truly evil being.

  Danny was starting to get some candy and give some out too. Now he was a happy little guy, feeling more secure walking between them, holding Rob's and Julian's hands and smiling all around.

  It didn't take them long to run into a group they knew. Lara and Noreen were dressed as the Good Witch of the North and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Gloria was dressed as the Little Red Riding Hood. Their costumes looked really good. As they approached, Julian got ready to be a laughing stock and Rob groaned.

  "Hang in there," Julian told him.

  Right away, Gloria had a verdict. "You look funny." The little redheaded Red Riding Hood clapped and smiled as she said it, so she must have meant it in a good way. She liked Danny's and Lenny's costumes too.

  "Lenny's cape turned out really well, thank you," Julian told Lara.

  "It was no trouble," she said while shaking her head at what he and Rob looked like.

  "You two are a sight," Noreen said to them.

  Danny raised his hand and held up four fingers to correct her. He then pointed to the tiny dog in Rob's arms. Julian found himself staring at Rob cuddling Lenny, and wondering how he could still be so attracted to him when he was dressed like that.

  While Julian was wondering about his powers of attraction, Rob pointed to Noreen's Dorothy costume. "Where's Toto?"

  "He's right there dressed like a bee," Noreen said then she craned her neck and gestured behind them. "Or maybe he ran away to become a pirate."

  They all turned to watch the Hayes guys as they came closer. All of them were dressed like pirates, including the dogs. While the dogs only wore scull and crossbones bandanas, everyone else had eye patches, fake sabers, and all the rest. Sam looked good in a loose, white shirt and leather vest with a saber strapped to his narrow hips. Wyatt was the captain, complete with a tri cornered hat and a fake parrot on his shoulder.

  "There was some talk of superheroes, but the parrot cinched it," Wyatt explained as they all gaped at him.

  "You're not a bad pirate, but you know who would make the perfect pirate?" Rico asked as he sneaked up on them.

  "Let me guess. Mitch," Wyatt said with a sigh.

  "Yes," Rico said gleefully and hooked his arm through Mitch's. The two of them were dressed as prohibition era gangsters. Mitch was wearing a spiffy, pinstriped suit and a black fedora with a white band. Hanging all over his man, Rico wore a tweed newsboy cap and a collarless shirt with a vest over. They both looked really good and that made Julian and Rob glare at Rico.

  While the pirates and gangsters argued about who had the sexier partner, Noreen squinted at Rob and Julian. They were not in the running. "Who did this to you?" she asked. "Neither of you is capable of this level of masochism."

  "How do you know?" Rico asked, and she knew right away he was the guilty party.

  Rob confronted him and looked him up and down, standing there in his dapper costume. "You cheated. You made us look like..." Rob gritted his teeth and skipped over some expletives. "...like this. And you made yourself look good."

  "So you're saying I look good. Come on, keep the compliments coming," Rico taunted him then he called the kids over. "What do you guys think of their costumes?"

  The kids all liked their costumes of course.

  "Your costumes are good," Sammy said, looking at Rob in particular. That might have been because she was wearing an outlandish pink costume of her own. Julian would swear she had on every pink item of clothing she owned all at the same time. Rico was probably responsible for that too.

  After praising their costumes, Sammy turned her eyes on her dad and Rico with a look of disappointment.

  "What's with that look? You told us we look nice," Rico reminded her.

  "You look nice, but you and Daddy are just wearing clothes," Sammy told them.

  "See?" Rico said to Rob. "Do you think our kind of costumes would make Danny smile? You heard Sammy. They're just clothes."

  "If you did it for Danny, I guess I can forgive you... some day. Maybe," Rob told him grudgingly. He then wondered about Sammy. "Who are you that you look so cute?"

  "I'm a superhero, the Pink Tornado," she said and then she spun around in her frilly dress, pink leggings, striped pink and purple knee-highs, a puffy, pink jacket, and a sparkly silver mask over her eyes. All of it topped with a huge, floppy purple hat with its brim pinned back so she could see.

  "This is not her regular Pink Tornado costume. This is amped up Super Pink Tornado," Rico announced and helped Sammy twirl around and around. Then all the kids started spinning around and the adults got ready to catch them before they fell down.

  "Just as long as spinning doesn't lead to puking," Sam said.

  "Let's go extort some candy," Wyatt said. "Candy ahoy!"

  They moved on with the kids in the lead and Rob and Julian close behind them so they could keep an eye on Danny. He was doing well. It was Julian and Rob who trudged along and exchanged looks of commiseration.

  Rob was so good to put himself through this. For Julian, it was almost fun to be dressed like this because Rob was right there, suffering alongside him. But Julian still didn't intend to forgive Rico for doing this.

  As the kids walked ahead of them in a jumble of various costumes, Rico pointed out Gloria and Sammy skipping arm in arm. "Look at them. Little Red Riding Hood and the Pink Tornado. It's perfect."

  "Sammy's costume looks exactly like Rico and a small child put it together," Noreen said pointedly.

  Rico didn't deny his own genius. "Awesome, isn't it?"

  "I was gonna make Gloria a Dorothy costume," Lara was saying. "But we came across this bright red velvet fabric, and she fell in love with it. So it was either the Little Red Riding Hood or a Santa outfit. Good thing the Dorothy costume fit Noreen too."

  "How you lie," Noreen said.

  Julian and Rob looked at each other and then couldn't help smiling. Once again, Julian was amazed that Rob somehow managed to be sexy despite how he was dressed.

  Trying not to stare at him, Julian looked around. Among the adults and kids in costumes, Julian had noticed people wearing orange vests with jack o'lantern faces on the back. "What are those vests?" h
e asked Lara.

  "Everyone who came without a costume has to put on one of those," Lara told him.

  "That's what I saved you guys from," Rico said, like an orange vest was somehow worse than the costumes he stuck them with.

  Rob told him as much. "You didn't save us from anything. I'm a pink Frankenstein."

  "Franken Berry. Get it right," Rico said to him.

  Julian noticed that the kids had stopped and gathered around Mrs. Del Rio, who had come from the other direction. She was wearing a hoop skirt and a powdered wig and holding a fan.

  "Grandma, you look so pretty," Sammy was telling her.

  "Thank you, you perfect, sweet angel," Mrs. Del Rio told her and hugged her as well as her dress would allow. She then admired all of the kids' costumes.

  "What a happy little bee you are," Mrs. Del Rio said to Danny.

  "I'm super strong little bee," Danny told her.

  "Are you sure you're not a sweet, little, honey bee?" Mrs. Del Rio asked him with a smile.

  "No," Danny said and shook his little bee head so that his antennae bounced.

  Leaving the kids so she could greet the rest of them, Mrs. Del Rio did a slow turn to show off her costume. In addition to the rest, she was wearing a white silk scarf around her neck.

  "Ask her to show you why she's wearing that scarf," Rico said.

  Everyone looked at her questioningly, and she answered by leaning forward and pulling down the scarf. She revealed an ugly red gash circling her neck. It was well applied and very convincing.

  Rico explained it. "Yeah, my sweet grandma is the zombie Marie Antoinette."

  "Your doing," Rob guessed.

  "Nope. One of her drunk, old lady friends told her about the costume and she ordered it herself," Rico told them. "She was supposed to put on zombie makeup too, but she was too vain."

  "It's inspired," Wyatt told her. "Puts my parrot to shame." He petted the fake parrot on his shoulder in consolation.

  "Severed head grandma, you got candy for us?" Rico asked her.

  "Ssh, the kids will hear," Sam told him.

  "Kids don't know what severed means," Rico said then he looked sternly at his grandmother. "Hide your guillotine scar. I don't want you scaring the children."

  She scoffed at him but made sure her scarf was in place. "Who did this to you, you poor darlings," she asked Julian and Rob sympathetically.

  Every eye turned accusingly to Rico.

  "I guess I should have known," she said.

  "I did a good thing," Rico claimed. "That reminds me, I need a pic of you two. Arms around each other." As Rico aimed his phone at them, Julian wasn't going to comply, but Rob stepped closer to him and put an arm around his shoulders.

  Rico ended up getting a picture of Julian smiling mindlessly just because he had Rob's arm around him. It did feel really good even if he did look like an idiot.

  "I never thought Franken Berry and Count Chocula had a thing going, but now I don't know," Lara said and Julian sputtered.

  "They still don't have a thing going," Julian told her firmly once he regained his composure, outwardly at least.

  Rico leaned on his shoulder and whispered to him, "You need to get on that."

  Julian glared at him for the hundredth time that day. He was the last person who should talk. As all this went on, Julian was afraid to meet Rob's eyes. What did he think about talk like that? Was it just a joke to him, or was there any chance he felt something for Julian? The way he looked right now, probably not. Julian just wished he could stop wanting him.

  Chapter 16

  If there was ever any chance of Julian developing a serious interest in Rob as a man, that probably evaporated today thanks to Rico. Like it wasn't already a long shot for Julian to take him seriously. Still, Rob wished Julian hadn't been so quick to deny that there could be anything going on between them.

  He was surprised that Julian actually put on that costume. He might seem stuffy, but that man was willing to do anything for his little brother.

  Main Street was still streaming with people, but their group was on the way to the Halloween dinner at Julian's. Driving up the hill, Rob watched the house as it came into view and pointed it out to Danny. With its windows lit up with orange lights as well as the pumpkin lights along the driveway, it actually didn't look all that spooky. It was more like the lights gave it a friendly, welcoming glow. There were goofy scarecrows on the front porch and friendly witches in the foyer.

  "We can get out of these now," Julian said as soon as they were through the front doors. "I know you said doing silly things is good for me, but..."

  "No. This is going too far. But at least Danny is happy," Rob told him. "He keeps looking up at us and smiling."

  Danny had another reason to smile. "I got a lot," he said, amazed with his haul of candy.

  "Keep it away from Lenny," Rob warned him.

  The others were pulling up in front already, so Julian and Rob went to put out the drinks and appetizers. As they got busy, their costumes stayed on, but not for much longer.

  Rob was hoping they would be out of them before the others arrived, but that didn't happen.

  "They're here!" Danny announced. He was so happy to see everyone especially the kids and the dogs. "We have more dogs."

  Now Rob and Julian were busy again helping set up the food the others brought. They missed their chance to get rid of their costumes.

  "Looks good. You guys outdid yourselves," Rob said seeing all the food laid out on the big dining table, though they were eating it buffet style.

  It was nothing like the potluck dinners from Rob's college days. There was a lot of real food there including mini corn muffins in different flavors that Noreen made and pork loin sliced and served cold with a lemon mustard sauce.

  "It's a feast," Rico said loading up his plate. "And what's this?" He had discovered some kind of dip topped with bacon inside a big, round, crusty loaf of bread. He dipped a pretzel in it and tasted it before he got an answer.

  While he handed out corn muffins to the kids, Sam told him what it was. "It's beer, cheese and bacon dip."

  "You are a genius," Rico praised him.

  "Wyatt made it," Sam said and gestured toward him among those who had gone to the bar before the buffet table.

  "I didn't hear that. I heard cheese. I heard beer. I heard bacon. That was it. Game over." Rico then wheeled on Julian. "Too lowbrow for you, Jules?"

  Julian got a pretzel, dipped it and ate it while glaring at Rico.

  Watching Julian trying the different foods everyone made, Rob wished he could cook. The kids were too hyper to eat anything they couldn't run around with, but everyone else had plenty.

  While everyone was focused on stuffing their faces, Rob saw their chance. First he got an OK from Danny though. With his approval, Rob snagged Julian.

  "Let's go," Rob hissed in Julian's ear urgently.

  "What?" Julian asked, confused.

  "Let's go change before they try to stop us," Rob said and dragged him upstairs.

  They made it and Julian couldn't help laughing when they safely reached the top of the stairs.

  "Ssh. They'll hear us and then we'll spend all night in these things," Rob was dead serious, but Julian just kept smiling at him.

  "You need help getting out of that?" Julian asked then realized what he said. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

  "It's tempting," Rob told him, but they split up, going off to their own bedrooms to change. They had their own clothes underneath, but they both wanted fresh ones.

  After skulking upstairs, they came back down as themselves. "It's a relief to look like a human being again," Julian said.

  "It's an improvement," Rob said after checking him out. "You don't make a half bad vampire though."

  Rico wasn't happy to see what they had done. "You sneaky..." Rico gritted his teeth and stopped himself from saying the rest. "It's a Halloween party. Costumes are mandatory."

  Sam took their side though. "Don't y
ou think you tortured them enough?"

  Rico flat out said, "No. They're in big trouble." He then called on the kids to pile on. "Hey kids, look what these guys did. Tell them how much trouble they're in."

  "Oh, no," the kids yelled. They were all disappointed, pouting at Rob and Julian, but Danny stuck up for them.

  "They're not in trouble. I told them it's OK," Danny said and Julian kissed his cheek to say thank you.

  At that point the other kids reluctantly let them off the hook.

  "Danny said it was OK?" Julian asked Rob when they went to get drinks.

  "Yeah, I asked his permission," Rob told him and Julian smiled at him. "You seem to be in a good mood."

  "I'm free of that costume, why wouldn't I be?" Julian said, but Rob was thinking that this was the little boy, who had missed out on so much because his grandfather was an ogre, finally getting to have some silly, childish fun.

  "Thanks for hosting this thing," Lara told them when they went over to the bar. She had taken charge of the drinks.

  "This place really is perfect for a Halloween party," Rico said while getting two beers and handing one to Mitch.

  "Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Julian asked him.

  "Of course it is. I'm all about the horror vibe," Rico said and Mitch nodded knowingly.

  "I'm hoping you two will change that," Julian told them.

  "Your little bee seems right at home here," Mitch said.

  "I hope so," Julian was looking over at Danny with the rest of the kids and smiling.

  While Rob was gazing at Julian, admiring his smile, he noticed Rico and Lara giving him significant looks. He needed to watch himself around these guys.

  Hearing Julian mention some of his plans for the house, Lara and Noreen wanted a tour. Julian started showing them around, and then the kids and the dogs went along and it turned into a whole procession. Rob stayed behind with the rest of the guys.

  "We still need to have you over and let the dogs run around the back yard together," Wyatt said to Rob as he watched the others disappear down the hall.