A.n. - Me no own Darren Shan. If I did own Darren Shan, I wouldn't have killed my favourite character, I wouldn't have introduced Merla, and Debbie would be dead (sorry Debbie groupies!). I would also be very very rich and busy so I wouldn't be posting on ffnet.


All there is to it

For Freaky - I just found out that you had turned a very special age in January, (god, that's two months ago!) I hope this makes up for not celebrating it for you! Happy (very) late Birthday! I luff you!



Knock, knock.

Hibernius peered over his reading-spectacles at the van door. Knock, knock, knock.

'Mr Taaall!'

Little Evra's voice. Hibernius smiled, put his bulky old book aside, and called out:

'Come in, Evra, the door is not locked.'

'Oh.'

A moment later the doorknob turned, and a boy stumbled in. Hibernius stood up and sighed reminiscently, watching the child run across the room towards him. Not 'child' so much now, as to say. He was growing out of the shorts that Truska had so many times mended to fit him, and his shoulders were growing broader, his face not so childish any more. Little Evra was not so 'little' any more. He had grown remarkably over the past few years. Evra was unmistakably growing into a teenager. Growing into a man.

'Mr Tall, how do I look? Is my hair okay? Do I smell alright? Truska made me this shirt - but it's a little too big and, and. . .'

'You look perfect, Evra.'

Hibernius smiled down at him, and extended his arms out, receiving the boy's hug. They didn't do this in public anymore like they used to - some people thought ill thoughts of them, and Hibernius didn't want Evra to be hurt by those sick-minded people. The boy's scales were ticklish on the man's neck as the boy jumped and pressed his cheek against it. Evra pulled himself away from the man, and looked up at him worriedly.

'I'm nervous, Mr Tall. I don't know why I asked her out! Cormac teased me into doing it, I swear! He dared me to ask her. And I did - and - and she went all pink and said yes!'

'You told me all this, already. Come, sit down.'

Hibernius beckoned Evra onto the sofa - but Evra came and sat on one of Hibernius's knees instead, holding onto his arm.

'What if she thinks I'm a styleless idiot? My shirt's all big and I smell like snake shampoo and. . . and. . . '

'Do you like her?'

'. . . Yes.'

Evra mumbled uncomfortably, swinging his legs and puffing out his slightly blushing cheeks.

'But I like you, too! I like everyone in the cirque. I don't like her especially or anything!'

Evra argued, his lime green hair falling onto his adorable face as he did so. Hibernius wiped the hair off his face, smiling affectionately, letting Evra spill out his worries.

'I should have never asked her! It was a terrible idea! I'm so stupid!'

'Evra, . . . . .'

'I just know I'm going to make a total, absolute fool of myself in front of her!

'Now, Evra. . . .'

'What if I embarass myself by eating wrong, or saying something at the wrong time, or, or. . . .'

'Relax. Nothing bad is going to happen. It's just a date. '

Evra let out a distressed sigh, frowning uneasily. He wiggled a little to sit astride Hibernius's lap, and took the weighty book that was in his hand.

'War. . . . and Peace. . . . . . Tol. . tol. . .'

'Tolstoy.'

'Is it interesting?'

'Yes - it is very interesting when you get into it.'

'Can you read me some? You used to read to me before bed - can you read to me again? It'll help me relax.'

'Though - I don't think you will find it very interesting, it's all about how war. . .'

'I don't care. Please? Read to me?'

'. . . Alright.'

Hibernius sighed with a slight smile, as Evra leaned into him and rested his little head on his chest to get comfortable. Hibernius cleared his throat, opened the book and started reading an excerpt:

'Love hinders death. Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand because I love. Everthing is united by it alone. Love is God, and to die means that I, a particle of love, shall return to the general and eternal source.'

'. . . . Me too? Do I return . . . to the eternal source too? Does that mean I can see my mom and dad - and, and my grandparents, and Darren, and Sam, and . . . '

'Yes. Everyone will someday return to the eternal source.'

'Even you?'

'Even me. And someday we will all meet - your parents, your grandparents, you, Darren, Sam . . . The vampires like to call the place Paradise. The humans like to call it heaven - I believe there is such a place, whatever its name be.'

Evra frowned, deeply in thought. Hibernius laughed, tousling the boy's hair.

'That is enough reading for tonight. Alas - it is now half an hour to your date, Evra. How time flies.'

Hibernius smiled, taking his reading-spectacles off, and showing Evra his silver watch. Evra let out a little scream, as panic spread over his face again.

'I don't wanna go, Mr Tall! Can you go instead? Can you go instead of me, please?'

'No. I don't think Merla would be very happy if she had to go on a date with a middle-aged man with an unfasionable tophat and necktie. Now, you must get ready, and. . . '

'I like your tophat!'

Evra smiled sweetly, his childish eyes twinkling attractively as he swung his arms around Hibernius's neck and climbed up the man's torso to touch his tophat. He fiddled with the hat for a few seconds before sighing and dropping back into Hibernius's lap.

'Maybe we can turn off all the lights in the van, and keep quiet, and pretend we're not here - then maybe Merla will give up waiting or looking for me, and I won't have to go!'

'That would be termed as 'ditching', Evra, and I don't think she would like you very much if you did that to her.'

'But. . . . !'

'Believe me, Evra, she's going to love being with you tonight. Everyone in the cirque loves you. I love you. And I'm sure she will grow to love you, too.'

'Really?'

'Really. And I doubt that she has ever gone on a date before, either. So both of you are on the same page. There is nothing to worry about.'

'But. . .'

'. . . Yes?'

'What if she wants to. . . .dance with me or something? Or hold my hand, or. . . or. . . . kiss me? What do I do, then?'

Evra exclaimed, terrified at the thought - Hibernius laughed out loud - that was all Evra was worried about?

'Easy, Evra. You take her dancing, you hold her hand, and you kiss her.'

Hibernius said, trying to supress chuckles. Evra pouted, trying hard to hide a blush coming on.

'But. . . . but I don't know how to!'

'How to what?'

'. . . . . .kiss.'

'There, there. It is not that hard. You just put your lips on hers, and there you are. A kiss.'

'Cormac didn't say it was that easy.'

'Now, what on earth did Cormac tell you?'

Hibernius frowned and asked, worried with what his cirque staff has been educating Evra about. Evra stared at a piece of thread hanging from the "E" that Truska had sewn onto his shorts. Evra kept staring silently, cheeks flushing, as he heard Hibernius sigh a little. His mind suddenly went blank though, when he felt Hibernius's hand under his scaly chin, lifting and turning his head up to face him.

'Do you want me to show you how easy it is? Do you want. . . . a practice?'

Hibernius smiled, his voice rich and deep - Evra felt himself blush, and furiously tried to hide his embarassment:

'But - butbutbutbut, you're - not a girl - and we're both - guys - andandand - er - and - '

Anything else that Evra may have come up with was quickly stifled into nothingness, as Hibernius ever-so-lightly brushed his soft lips against Evra's. He then smiled his usual calm, grown-up smile, as if nothing had ever happened in the last few seconds. Evra just stared at him in utter shock, stunned beyond belief, even the slight blush frozen on his face.

'There. That is all there is to it, Evra Von.'

Hibernius said softly, bending down and pressing his forehead against Evra's. Evra just kept on staring into nothing, speechless. Mr Tall, his friend, the cirque master, a man, had just kissed him! Evra's dumbfounded expression was so adorable, that it made Hibernius chuckle.

'Evra, . . .'

'But. . . . . but. . .'

Evra croaked, finally getting his voice back:

'But you're. . . . why. . . . I . . .!'

'I'm sorry, Evra. I didn't mean to scare you so. Please forget about it.'

Hibernius took his forehead off Evra's, straightened up, and looked at the speechless snakeboy apologetically. He expected Evra to jump off his lap, look disgusted and run off out of the door - or get angry at him, or cry, or something like that. But what happened instead, was quite different to the expectation.

Evra kissed him.

The snakeboy bent forward, reached up, and kissed Hibernius on the lips. And unlike the last time, they remained there, pressed hard against the other's. Hibernius's eyes opened wide in surprise - but he closed them as the boy's small hands pushed the tophat off his head, and raked through his dark hair lovingly. Hibernius wrapped his arms around the boy, letting him climb onto his chest without losing balance.

Evra took his lips off, his huge wet emerald eyes looking at Hibernius enquiringly.

'. . . . . That's all there is to it?'

'Yes. Nothing to it at all.'

'Unless. . . .Like Cormac told me. . . '

Evra breathed, blushing slightly as he traced along Hibernius's cheeks with a finger, stopping at his lips. Hibernius closed his eyes again, letting the boy touch his face, but had to supress a moan when something thin and warm flickered against his lips. Evra's inexperienced snake-like tongue flickered along the lower lip, unsure where to go next.

Hibernius smiled, and pulled the snakeboy deeper into his lap, making the boy straddle his hips, pressing up so close against him that he could feel the little heart beating fast inside the scaled chest. Hibernius opened his mouth slightly, moaning the boy's voice into his mouth, inviting him inside. Obligingly, the boy's tongue brushed over the parted lips, then against the man's teeth, finally reaching and interwining with the tongue. Evra moaned softly, wiggling closer, swinging his arms around the older man's neck.

It would be an understatement to say that the boy was a inexpert kisser - but considering it was his first time, he was learning quickly. It took the whole of Hibernius's conscience and quite a portion of his experienced brain to remind himself not to lose his moral - afterall, Evra was only a child who did not know what was happening, and going any further would be a crime.

Hibernius suddenly became aware of himself, untangled his fingers from the boy's long strands of silken bright-green hair, and broke the kiss by putitng his hand on the snakeboy's chest and pushing him away gently, putting a head's space between them. Evra groaned breathlessly, not hiding the obvious disappointment in his voice.

'Why. . . . did you stop?'

'Time for your date.'

Hibernius answered quite simply, trying to hide the coarseness of his voice, using the hem of his cloak to wipe the snakeboy's wet lips.

The snakeboy leaned over to look at Hibernius's watch, and gasped.

'I'm supposed to be there in 2 minutes!'

He slid off Hibernius's lap quickly but reluctantly, straightened his crumpled clothes and ran to the door, panic washing over him again.

'Good luck, Evra. Have fun.'

'Thankyou Mr Tall!'

'For. . .?'

'Um. . . . the practice.'

The boy said with a blush, then added:

'I'll come back later!'

'I will be waiting right here. Now, go.'

'Thankyou, again!'

Evra smiled with all his face, dimples forming at his scaled, flushed cheeks - Hibernius smiled back, waving.

'Go. Merla would be waiting for you.'

And with that, Hibernius watched Evra shut the door, listening to his running footsteps echoing farther away from the van. He sighed, sat down in a more comfortable position, and placed a finger on his own lips. They still tingled, a little moisture remaining from Evra's kiss. A smile spread over those lips, as he mouthed savouringly the word 'Evra'.

Hibernius then picked up "War and Peace" from the floor where it had dropped, put his reading-spectacles on again, and opened it up where he had ended half an hour or so ago, knowing only too well that he wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything that night. . .

Fin.


A.n. - Bash me up, burn me, eat me, do whatever you want, Freaky. I'm so sorry. That was very. . . non-canon. Weird. Awkward. Crap. I'm so sorry! And sorry also to Inyx if you happened to find this and read it because it's EvTall - this is purely expirimental and impulsive, I tell you! (runs away apologising to everyone)

Oh - and people who are sending me e-mails asking me where Taste of Love went: I updated it, and changed the rating to R, that's probably why you can't find it any more. Go to my bio to find it. :)