As the morning of the Halloween party rolled around, Tristan was busy messaging all of the guests to ensure they could still make it.

"They already said 'yes'" noted Caleb.

It was clear his husband had never endured the heartbreak of party plans falling through at the last minute. In fact, his husband had never bothered to throw a party for himself in the first place.

"When I turned twenty-two" Tristan explained, "I guess I felt pretty sure of myself. That if I invited my friends to meet me at a bar, they would come... If only because it was my birthday."

"And they didn't..?" asked Caleb, the words spat out through his clenching jaw. 

Tristan laughed sadly.

"I dressed myself up and caught the train forty minutes uptown. I was walking to the little wine bar I'd picked out when someone sent a message to cancel... and then another. I stopped in my tracks maybe twenty feet from the door; realizing most likely that no one was waiting for me..."

Caleb's labored breathing was calming his desire to seek out the absent guests and make them pay for having hurt his Baby.

"I sent a message to the group and lied that I was sick... on the subway home, a girl I'd worked with got in touch to ask where everyone was. I felt bad for her; there wasn't anyone else I knew there that could keep her company. She was the only one that bothered to show."

"At least she had some sense. What were the names of the others? First and last names."

"Oh it's so long ago now, I can hardly remember" said Tristan, "But if I'm going to be disappointed again I'd rather know ahead of time. So far everyone's confirmed but Michael. Tibur still isn't sure if he'll make it back tonight." 

"I'll get them here, don't worry" said Caleb, "No excuses."

"Husband..." cautioned Tristan, "No intimidation. I'm all grown up now, I can understand it when people cancel. Besides, it's different. If the party gets canceled then I can snuggle on the couch with my husband and the kitties, I don't need to go home and cry alone any more."

"You cried?"

"I was twenty-two, of course I cried. College had ended and everyone grew apart I guess... but now I have you."

Caleb pulled Tristan into his arms, stroked his head, and kissed him. Just that was reassurance enough.

"You get to work in the kitchen, I'm going to finish the decorations and steam my costume ready for tonight."

A little after sunset, the Warik-Black family were the first to arrive at the penthouse.

"Wow!" cried Tristan, "You look gorgeous!"

Fraser blushed and flapped his angel wings. He's spent an hour on his ethereal make-up and it appeared to have been worth it.

"And what about me, Uncle Tristan?" asked the rainbow snail.

"So..."

"Colorful, right?!" offered Fraser.

"Exactly" Tristan replied, "So colorful."

"Farang's mom is coming to pick her up in an hour" Fraser confided, "Then the girls are coming round to our place for a sleepover."

"And are they all dressing up as snails?" asked Tristan.

"Farang?"

"Er.. Hareki is a shoe. Enni is..."

"A tennis ball?"

Caleb's joke only threw off Farang's train of thought.

"Enni is a mermaid!" Terrana announced proudly.

Tristan eyed his husband in the stark white navy captain's uniform he wore. True, he was dashing, but it seemed such a waste of all those hours he'd spent working out to see him so covered up.

Caleb cleared his throat.

"Uncle Caleb was almost a mermaid too" sighed Tristan.

Terrana looked at him and nodded sagely. "That would have been better."

The cauldron shaped punchbowl had yet to be spiked for the adults, so Tristan led the snail to get a drink and stuff some candy into her shell to share with her friends.

"I'm just impressed you were willing to dress up at all" Fraser remarked to his brother, tipping his captain's hat to a jauntier angle, "Mom tried to put us in matching costumes when we were little but you'd always end up tearing your way out of them before it was even time to trick-or-treat."

"I've changed" said Caleb, adjusting his glasses and straightening his hat.

"Of course you have, little brother" Fraser replied with a smile, "Even if it's someone else you're dressing up with now, I'm happy to see you playing so nicely."

Tristan had gotten everything ready to make slime with the rainbow snail at the dining table; even remembering to tie aprons around their waists to keep the green dye and glitter from their costumes. Terrana made extra for Enni and Hareki to play with when she got home, and delighted in curling it up into the shape of her shell before Mrs Warik arrived to pick her up.

Caleb was waved away after offering to help his husband with the clean up, and so it was only Tristan's pants that were stained when the dye slipped out of his hands.

"Oh no!" cried Fraser, "Hurry and send them to the laundry! Have you got another pair?"

"Kind of" said Tristan, "They'll probably be okay if I just change my underwear too..."

When Tristan Scott stepped out of the bedroom he was largely unchanged from the waist up; sailor's hat, bibbed shirt and neckerchief, but in switching from the now stained long white pants to the cheap little shorts that had come with his costume, the entire look had been drastically altered. Caleb was doing all he could to keep himself together.

"Do they look bad?" Tristan asked his brother-in-law as he turned around.

Fraser had Farang face the other direction.

"Not bad at all!" he replied, "Whatever squat routine you've been doing, I expect you to share."

"Baby..."

Caleb couldn't quite figure out how nothing was showing through the almost sheer fabric when it seemed as though his husband wasn't wearing any underwear. It was just as well it was adults-only for the remainder of the evening.

When the doorbell rang, Caleb was quick to answer it.

"You just stay there" he said to Tristan on the couch, "No need to get up."

Millie the Witch was next to arrive, dressed in black with long, glossy nails and a DIY hat. She pulled out her phone, grabbed Mama the cat, and posed for photos with the punchbowl.

"If I don't do it now I'll forget later" she reasoned, pouring half a bottle of vodka into the apple punch and pouring herself a cup.

Mama was the only one of the cats that had escaped Tristan's plan to put them all in costumes. She retained her independent spirit from her years on the street, and wasn't as easy to coax into clothing in the way her babies had grown accustomed to. While Duck and Goose sported the bright one-piece fish costumes that Tristan had assigned them; only Turkey's portly frame had resigned him to the rainbow fish hat he currently wore.

Millie took pictures from the comfort of her spot on the ottoman.

"So we're still waiting for Tibur, and then it's Angela and her husband, right?" she asked her host.

"Oh" said Tristan, "And the couple on the ninth floor."

"You invited the guests?" asked Caleb.

"They didn't seem to have plans otherwise. It seemed rude not to ask them when they helped me into the elevator with the supplies."

Caleb wasn't sure how he felt about strangers seeing his husband dressed so provocatively. At least another couple shouldn't prove too threatening.

They were next to arrive, having ridden the elevator up with Tibur.

"This is the right place, isn't it?" asked Amy, "We followed your friend here."

Tibur's costume was a little underwhelming; a black cut-out face was taped to a white T-shirt.

"I'm a ghost" he said in response to Tristan's bewildered expression, "Boo."

The couple staying in the ninth floor apartment had fared somewhat better in their attempts. Amy had painted her face like a porcelain doll and tied a bow in her hair, while Fletcher sported a red beard and devil horns.

"We looked but we couldn't find a halloween store anywhere" she explained in regard to their makeshift costumes.

"Ah, we had to order things weeks ago" said Tristan, "It's not that much of a thing here. But I have to say you did an excellent job considering!"

Fletcher smiled.

"Thank you" he said, "I don't think we've dressed up together for Halloween since we were kids. It's been kind of fun."

"You knew each other when you were small?" asked Millie.

Amy laughed. "I should think so! We're twins. Why? Don't we look alike? I guess it's hard to tell under all this make-up and face paint."

Caleb suddenly had the urge to throw a blanket over his husband.

"Let me get you both a drink" said Tristan.

"No!" cried Caleb, "I mean... let me. You just stay there, Baby."

"You should have just come as my broomstick if this was the alternative" Millie whispered to Tibur as he took a seat beside her.

"I know... I just wasn't feeling it I guess. It was this or nothing, but I promised Tristan I'd dress up."

Millie threw an arm around her dejected friend.

"He'll come home eventually" she said.

Tibur shook her off. "I'm not even thinking about!" he lied, "I'm just worried for the state of the world right now."

"I'll drink to that" said Millie, raising her glass.

The last to arrive were Stephen and Angela; the doctor wore her scrubs, while her husband was dressed as a dog.

"Is that technically a costume?" asked Caleb as he greeted them.

"Of course it is" said Angela, "I've come as a veterinarian. Besides, these are far comfier than any of those store-bought costumes. It means I can eat all the candy I want."

The guests assembled, drinks were poured, games were devised, and Caleb was left running around after Tristan in an attempt to hide his ass from view.

"Just sit down and drink" Angela told him at last, "Some things were meant to be admired."

When Goose settled down on Tristan's lap and prevented quite so much movement, Caleb finally felt like he could relax his vigil.

"Here" said Angela, "Have another glass..."

Not since college had she seen Caleb drunk. She was determined to see it again.

"Honestly" said Amy, "I have nothing but good things to say about our stay here. The apartment is beautiful, and Fletcher's been excited about seeing the temples."

"Will you be the guide for our tour, Tristan?" asked her brother.

"That'll be the witch" he replied.

"Ah" said Fletcher, "But maybe if you have time you could join us?"

"My husband has no time for devils!" Caleb answered on Tristan's behalf, "His husband is way too sexy..."

"What's going on?" asked Fraser.

"It's starting..." said Angela.

Tristan had seen Caleb do all manner of things to make him happy. He still remembered the words he sang on the night of the proposal. But never before had he seen his husband dance. Caleb bit his lip as he rolled his body, his hips swaying in time to the playlist of halloween hits that Tristan had put together.

"With a husband this sexy... my Baby doesn't need anyone else..."

Millie got out her phone and Tibur lowered her arm before she could hit record.

"Having evidence of this would only invite trouble" he warned, "Just close your eyes and pretend it isn't happening."

Dr Terice had no such fear, a grin affixed to her face as she watched her friend gyrating for his husband.

"Was it this bad in college?" asked Stephen.

"He didn't have anyone to dance at then" said Angela, "Now it's all for Tristan..."

The lucky recipient of Caleb's attentions wasn't sure if he should laugh or allow himself to enjoy the show. It was rare that his husband was the one performing. Before he could decide, Caleb took hold of his hand and pulled him up to join him, his hands locked around Tristan's waist as he rocked him back and forth.

"Now this..." said Millie, "this is some dirty dancing..."

Tristan succumbed to the apple punch and his husband's coaxing, wrapping his arms around Caleb's shoulders and letting him lead as he happily laughed across their living room floor. Only when his husband's hands slipped down onto his ass did Tristan decide it was better to stop.

"Shall we sit down Husband?" he asked, sweetening the idea with a gentle kiss, "Let me bring you something to eat."

"Can it be you?" asked Caleb.

Tristan blushed, his gleeful expression buried in the crook of Caleb's neck as he led him to the couch.

"Boo!" said Angela, "If you let him continue he might even take his shirt off!"

"Like this?" said Stephen, unzipping his dog costume down to his bellybutton.

"Okay okay" Angela replied as she zipped it back up, "No topless men. I don't want my own husband getting ideas."

It was at that moment a topless man appeared through the elevator doors.

"Tibur!" cried Michael, "What the fuck is your costume supposed to be..?"