As I am not going to a Halloween party this year I have decided to get into the spirit of season anyway with this short ficlet! It just hit me one night and - word of warning to all writers - always make sure you have a pen and paper handy otherwise you will wake up in the morning with all available body parts covered in unintelligible scrawl! Ooops!

Anyway, this is a Dustin/Hunter fic, so all slash haters press the 'back' button now - or read on. Who knows? You might like it! I felt all Halloween-y writing this so enjoy! And don't forget to leave a lil' message at the end to tell me what you thought!

the real vampire

Trick or Treat?

"For the thousandth time, wear the one with the eagle on it Hunter."

"You sure?" The crimson ranger looked at his reflection in the mirror with an unsure expression on his face.

A shirt came flying from out of nowhere, hitting him around the side of his head. He turned to an exasperated Blake. "What?"

His brother sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, "You look fine Hunter, honestly. What's the big deal anyway? You've gone out on dates before."

"Yeah, but this time it's special. I mean, it's Dustin and I'm actually nervous. First dates are always nerve-wracking but I want this one to be perfect…"

"Dustin doesn't care what you wear," Blake said, silently laughing at his brother's behavior. Hunter was usually so sure of himself so to see him like this… A thought struck him and Blake smirked as he added, "Actually, Dustin would probably prefer it if you didn't wear anything…"

He was cut off as the shirt he had thrown at Hunter was returned to him – smack in the center of his face!

xxx

"Wear this, this and this," Tori said, going through Dustin's wardrobe and chucking some clothes at him.

Dustin smiled in relief as he pulled on the outfit she had chosen, "Thanks Tor, you're the best. I've just spent three hours trying to decide on what to wear."

Tori grinned; it had taken her just three minutes to find the perfect outfit for him. "No worries," she said with a smile at the yellow ranger's antics. She watched him carefully for a minute before saying lightly, "You're looking forward to this aren't you?"

A massive goofy smile found its way onto Dustin's face, "Dude, I've been wanting Hunter to ask me out for like, forever and now he has and I can't wait. It's going to be so much fun."

"You're scared aren't you?"

Dustin shook his head vehemently, "No, of course not. I mean, it's just Hunter…" He caught the look on her face. "Yeah, I'm absolutely petrified!" he admitted.

Tori laughed, "It'll be fine. What movie are you going to see?"

"Ummmm Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Dustin replied, eyes firmly on his reflection in the mirror.

"Isn't that a horror movie?" Dustin nodded. "But you hate horror." Tori exclaimed, "You got scared by The Land Before Time!"

"Dude, dinosaurs are scary." (1)

Tori gave him a look, "Still…"

Dustin sighed, "I know, but I said Hunter could chose the film and the dude likes horror so I had no choice."

"And not so that you could bury yourself in him when you get scared," Tori muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing," Tori said quickly. The doorbell rang, thankfully sparing her from further questions as Dustin went white. "That'll be Romeo, right on time." She saw the look on Dustin's face. "You look great. Have fun!"

xxx

"Hey there," Hunter's grin instantly put Dustin at ease. "All ready to go?"

Dustin nodded, "Sure, how are we getting there? Last I checked you don't have a car."

Hunter shrugged and then tossed him a helmet; "I put indicators on my bike. Instant roadworthiness."

Dustin raised his eyebrows skeptically but said nothing. The next thing he knew he was clinging on for his life on the back of Hunter's bike, his hands firmly around the thunder ninjas waist. He had never been on the back of a bike with Hunter before and it wasn't that he was scared, it was just that the crimson racer treated the normal roads as a speedway, taking corners so sharply that Dustin thought he would fly off if he didn't hang on tight – plus it also gave him an excuse to put his arms around Hunter!

They arrived at the cinema in one piece and were greeted by a swarm of kids dressed up being chased by a couple of tired-looking grown-ups.

"Don't you just love Halloween?" Hunter remarked as he sidestepped to avoid a little witch.

"Scaring yourself and everyone senseless…sure." Dustin didn't sound too convinced.

"Blake and me used to go trick and treating – always ended making ourselves sick…" Hunter was oblivious as he pulled the unenthusiastic earth ninja into the cinema, which had been decorated to resemble a haunted house. "Two tickets to see the 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre please," he said to the lady at the desk. Hunter grabbed Dustin's arm as he reached for his wallet, "My treat." Seeing the look of indecision on the younger man's face he added, "You can buy the popcorn."

He handed Dustin his ticket and the two of them headed for the candy counter. They ordered a large popcorn to share and, arm in arm, made their way into the cinema. It was almost empty so Hunter found them seats at the back and they settled down to watch the film.

As it progressed, Dustin began to wish he hadn't come. It was… scary, horrible, all similar words. He edged closer to Hunter.

"Popcorn?" Hunter asked, offering him the box, his eyes fixed on the screen. In the darkness, Dustin didn't notice the mischievous smile tugging at the corners of Hunter's mouth.

Dustin distractedly reached in to grab a handful, but the popcorn grabbed him. Hunter had made a hole in the bottom of the box and put his hand there and, as the yellow ranger had reached in, he had caught a hold of his hand. At that moment a particularly gruesome scene flashed onto the screen. That, coupled with the shock of being attacked by the popcorn, proved too much for Dustin and he screamed loudly, startling everyone. He jumped up, sending popcorn flying everywhere and ran out of the cinema. (2)

Hunter, shocked by his reaction, ran out after him. "Dustin," he called as he made his way over to the shaken yellow figure standing in the glow of a lamppost. "Bro, I'm sorry, it was just a trick."

"I hate horror movies," Dustin blurted out.

"Wha…what?" Hunter stared at him.

"I hate horror movies," Dustin repeated, turning to look at him. "I scare easily and horror movies really don't help."

"You never said anything." Hunter said.

Dustin shrugged, "I know how much you like them and Tori was right; I just wanted an excuse to snuggle up to you." He smiled shakily, "I guess I messed up."

Hunter shook his head and smiled, "Of course not. I had no idea Dustin. I'm sorry, if I'd known I'd have taken you to see something else." He ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair, "I guess my popcorn trick freaked you out."

Dustin shuddered, "Just a little." He glanced up at the night sky – there was a full moon. "Some date this has turned out to be. More like a Halloween nightmare."

Hunter moved closer to the earth ninja, "I don't know," he said, lowering his voice. "I've played my trick, what about a treat?"

Dustin smirked, "What sort of treat?"

Hunter didn't answer, just pulled him in close for a passionate kiss. "That sort of treat good enough?"

Dustin grinned as he stared into his boyfriend's eyes and then shrugged, "You have a lot of making up to do…"

Hunter lips against his cut off any further speech, "I have a lot of treats…"

The End

(1) This may sound silly but it's exactly like me - I blame my parents for showing me that when I was a kid. I hate dinosaurs 'shudders'

(2) The popcorn trick is a real trick. I have tried it. I had the box of popcorn bashed over my head afterwards but it was worth it for the look on the guy's face!