His Secret Recipe - One Shots & Filler

"A Cannibal?" - Late Halloween Special!

The lights are low, candles lit up and lining the rooms in a dim, romantic guise.

Vincent descends the stairs, a confused look on his face. As he scans the living room, there's no one to be found. He stops upon a big bowl of candy on the coffee table, swiping a few miniature candy bars on his way to the kitchen in search of his chef.

As he peeks in through the doorway, something immediately catches his eye.

"Frances?" He raises a brow, entering the kitchen.

"Out!" Francesco hisses, instinctually.

Vincent retreats to the doorway. "Sorry! Uhm- what's going on? Did the lights burn out?"

Francesco lifts his gaze from the large tray in front of him and gives Vincent a judging look.

"No, stupido, why would they be burned out?" His gaze sank back to his work almost immediately.

Vincent cringed inside at the obvious scrutiny, embarrassed. "I- uh, well, I was just wondering...why're all the lights off? What're you making?" He cranes his head, trying his best to see the contents of the tray.

"Spooky treats. They're for la vigilia d'Ognissanti."
There's a pleased twinkle in his eyes, as he raises one of the goodies into view. A cake pop shaped and decorated to look like a small jack-o'-lantern.

"T-the what now?" Vincent spat, confused but intrigued.

"Halloween." The chef rolled his eyes, approaching with the small dessert. "Eat this."

Vincent had no time to react before he felt Francesco's hand grip his jaw, parting his lips slightly. He opened his mouth, fluttering his eyes shut and allowing Francesco to feed him the treat. Tasting every note, every flavor.

Sweet and earthy with a dash of cinnamon and other autumn spices. Pumpkin cake with a spiced cream cheese frosting mixed in to create the cake pop, covered in a thin layer of white chocolate mixed with a pumpkin puree to give it an orange color. Finished with an even thinner sheet of brulee'd sugar to give it a shiny appearance. The jack-o'-lantern face was scribbled on with an edible marker.

It was delicious. One bite was barely enough. He went in for another bite, and another, but it wasn't long before it was completely gone. His eyes flicked open, meeting Francesco's.

"They're so good!" Vincent smiled. It was warm, more radiant than any candle in the house. "Is there more?"

His chef couldn't help but blush - just a little. "Yes...but, they aren't for you." He huffed in response, averting his eyes. Though, he could hear the frown in Vincent's voice.

"Aweee, what? Why? Who's it for? Pleaseee?" The man practically begged.

"Oh stai zitto, cane. They're for the trick or treaters!" He picked up the tray, revealing what looked like a few hundred of the same little pumpkin cake pops, individually wrapped in a decorative plastic bag. Vincent's eyes widened.

"But there are so many!" He whined, giving his chef pleading eyes.

"And there are so many children to hand these out to." Francesco shot back, carrying the tray out of the kitchen, heading towards the garage.

That's when something else caught Vincent's eye. Francesco's outfit. He was wearing a long black cloak with a dark red, floral vest over a white button up shirt. It's sleeves flared at the wrist, it was rather elegant compared to what he normally wore. As Vincent followed, bargaining with Francesco to get more treats, he noticed more peculiar things regarding his appearance. His makeup. Of course, he always seemed to notice a hint of black eyeshadow or liner around Francesco's eyes, but tonight it was different. His face had a shimmery pale look, black liner on his waterline making him look more gothic. His lips were glossed over with a slight red tint between the two.