HOW I LOVE YOU

Disclamer: I don't own Harry Potter or King of Fighters, or their characters. In some alternative universe, maybe, but not in this one.

Shout Out: So there. Another one bites the dust. Tired, but it paid off. Amarante96, yeah, the dorks are together – but the trouble follows them like little puppies. Or kittens. RavenWhiteMoi and Anon Mugumugu, thank you, happy to give you some fuzzies to share. Shi Kami the Traitorous Knight, your foresight is excellent as always, and hope you enjoy this chapter's little surprises too. Suzu no Miya, cookie fog dissipated, however that still doesn't mean Iori is in the clear yet. (If he will ever be...) Ishipit, thank you, happy to hear that, and enjoy!

Warning: AU-verse, SLASH, Iori being a mean little troll and how's that Harry's life, really?

His life.

Up until now was certainly not ordinary, but Harry never thought that it would be turned upside down and topside left after he had exited the wizarding world just like that.

He could've never have imagined that he would fold like a wet paper bag to a pair of multi-brown-colored puppy-dog eyes made by a male, and consequently agree to give the said male a chance to… what? Court him? Date him? Nah, both of those were wrong. But convince him… yeah, that sounded about right.

Harry would never say, but inside, he was scared as hell. In fact, he was completely terrified of the consequences of his spontaneous decision. Funny, he could go to his death with his head held high, but when it came to the itty bitty thing called love, he wanted to get the hell outta dodge faster than light. But now Iori depended on him, because Harry promised to give them a chance, and that meant he would have to keep his promise.

Scrunching his nose as he looked at his reflection of the mirror, Harry dragged his hand through his hair in a futile attempt to get it to behave at least a little. He was clothed in a dark blue pullover and black skinny jeans in preparation for their little outing. Despite his grumbles Harry had taken pity on Iori and helped him to clean the scene of the kitchen disaster, even if it took a better part of five hours to get it restored to its previous state. Harry could've used magic just as easily, but there was a certain kind of satisfaction in manual cleaning, and it didn't hurt being entertained by Iori's awkward little fights with the soot stains either. Not when there was such a nice contrast between the red of his hair and pale blue of his shirt with dark gray trousers pulled up on those long legs. Harry wasn't a fashionista by a long shoot, and he still preferred Dudley's old castoffs to relax in instead of his brand new, form-fitting clothes, but he could appreciate the fetching picture Iori made in that little getup of his nonetheless.

After a quick lunch, they agreed to take their little date-not-date outside, with Iori saying that the destination of their outing would be a secret, which was both irritating and exciting for the green-eyed wizard. And – Harry glanced at the wrist clock - it was almost time for them to go, Only, Harry was dithering still because he could.

"Suck it up, Potter, and get your arse in gear. You've faced worse before, so one little date should be a walk in the park for you," He growled at his reflection in the mirror, cringing at the picture he made. Wild, blown-up green eyes, pale skin, clammy hands and really, why was Iori even thinking Harry was a good dating material?

Jerking up and striding out of the room before he could change his mind, Harry abruptly opened the door and then bumped straight into the violet-clad chest of the devil himself.

Iori was about to call out to Harry to come out of the bedroom, only to be interrupted by the door opening and Harry bumping into him almost at the same time. Harry's hair, he noticed, was even messier than usual, which was kind of amazing, considering that Harry's hear could be probably found in the dictionary beside the definition of 'unruly'. Wide green eyes, three shades darker than usual, looked up to meet his brown ones.

"Hey. Ready to go?" 'Casual' Iori reminded himself. 'Just be casual, no need to make him think you are hunting him.' In some respects, Harry reminded him of a baby deer - all awkward and soft and innocent, about to be eaten by some unscrupulous predator, no matter how untrue the image was. If Harry was a baby deer… he was one with very sharp teeth. He saw Harry's throat swallow as his green eyes catalogued just what was Iori wearing.

For once, Iori forewent his iconic neck collar and instead hung around his neck two necklaces - one in the shape of a shield, and another, nestled in the hollow of his throat, was a sign of his clan. His torso was clad in skin-hugging tank top with unbuttoned white long-sleeved shirt framing his upper body. The off-white belt with silver buckle peeked teasingly from under the clothes and holding up the charcoal trousers with the double buckle belts on his lower legs. The ensemble was topped by white leather shoes and burgundy knee-length coat with the smoky gray fur edged collar closed on the front with two delicate looking steel chains. The outfit was one Iori had worn in one of the KoF tournaments, and he liked look of it, so he had kept it after the whole fiasco was over and done with. Judging by Harry's face, it had been a damn good choice.

It made Iori want to preen - he knew he was attractive, he would have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to, and Iori wasn't any of those three things. He never had to rely on the 'sex appeal' other guys were talking about when they had their debates how to catch this or that hot chick's attention. Briefly, he thought what would Kusanagi thought of his attire, but just as soon as the thought appeared, he dismissed it, even if it prickled a little. Instead, he smirked. "So you didn't squeeze your tail between your legs yet, good to know." He teased his roommate, making those wide eyes flash with irritation at him. Almost as soon as he spoke those words, Iori wanted to take them back. 'What a great way to make a good impression, Yagami. Not!' His mind snarked at him.

Harry's shoulders straightened out and his spine stiffened, as if just by effort alone, he could somehow grow to match Iori's ridiculous height in a mere instant. "We'll just have to see who exactly will be coming home with their tail tucked between their legs, Yagami. " The green-eyed wizard growled out, his hands clenching in fists at his sides momentarily, before he dared to slap a palm on the middle of Iori's chest and push him back to get out of the bathroom. "And I promise it to you, it wouldn't be me." One last glare from those enchantingly green orbs and then Harry vanished around the corner into his room, leaving Iori staring after him, a small, amused smirk on his face.

'So he hasn't lost his fire yet… good to know.' Iori thought to himself, relieved. The smirk gentled into a small wistful smile when Iori remembered their kiss.

It had been a gamble, when Iori had kissed Harry – but it was just something he had to do, to touch those snarling lips that denied the attraction between the two of them, if only for a little while. Harry could've decked him one, Iori knew that, but at the moment, it was only one thing Iori could think of to prove Harry that he was serious as a heart attack. Harry's lips underneath his own were warm and chapped with the taste of his strangely made tea dried on their surface, making Iori wish for a more in-depth taste of them, hiding behind Harry's teeth. But he kept the touch respectful and soft, fleeting like a butterfly's wing. And Harry broke, then and there, those green eyes vulnerable and scared and despite Iori having similar feelings, it also made him feel empowered that he was trusted so much, and he vowed that no matter what, he would try and repair the chasm that was left in those eyes by Harry's unrequited love.

Maybe, if everything went well, there would be some more of those kisses tonight. Chuckling softly, he fished out a pair of mocha brown leather gloves to put on his hands.

Harry felt like everyone knew what they were about to do. It didn't help that Iori not-so-secretly held both his hands and leading him onward, as if Harry were too curious preschooler, used to wandering away from his schoolmate to whenever his fancy would take him. He just knew his face was burning and his knees were shaking as he wobbled another step forward.

"Come on, Harry, it's not that bad." Iori coaxed him to move, causing Harry to send him another scathing look as he wobbled, barely suppressing a yelp and hanging on Iori's hands for his dear life. And Iori had the gall to just stand here to take it, not even a wibble in his equilibrium. That was a sheer injustice, Harry thought darkly, it seriously was.

It was completely undignified. Even more so when he had been forced to go to that disaster of a Yule Ball. In fact, he would've loved to bait Hungarian Horntail – without a broom to fly on - instead of being forced to endure this - this torture!

"You know I hate you right now, do you?" He managed to get out from the back of his clenched teeth, but that only made Iori to bark out amused laughter as he smiled at Harry like he was cute little bunny to pet and cuddle, that sorry son of a bitch.

"Of course, Harry." Iori teased him. "Now slow and easy, and straighten up your back, will you?" He gave another gentle tug while he effortlessly skated backwards on the ice rink acting as Harry's support and bait at the same time, grinning all the while at Harry's ruffled appearance.

Harry was bundled in a dark brown jacket with a green and yellow woolen scarf tucked around his neck. His hair was unfortunately hidden under similarly colored woolen cap and he looked like a ruffled little bunny…. with fangs. Admittedly, Iori was a little bit unfair in having choosing ice skating rink as their first date spot, especially when Harry admitted that he had never skated before. It didn't matter that Iori stacked the odds further in his favor what with his natural ability to do sports. Contrarily, Harry was wobbling on the skates, and probably cursing the day he had met Iori quite vehemently in his head. Not that it mattered - what mattered, really, was that Iori had an excuse to hold Harry in a public place.

"You're mean, evil and I don't know why I am doing this with you." Grimacing, Harry half-grumbled, half-snapped back, huffing as he slid forward cautiously and grimacing at the feeling of the scrunching ice underneath the blades of the ice skates. It was just shy of the feeling of clawing with fingernails across the board, only without the screech and with the uncomfortable feeling in his feet to boot. Where was a pissed-off Hungarian Horntail mama when he needed it? Nevertheless, he made another slide/step, and Iori hummed with approval. "That's it, just keep going like that."

"Like what, exactly? I have a feeling I am about to fall apart right fucking now and you are saying to keep going?" His little balking tirade made Iori laugh - not chuckle, but outright laugh, and Harry stared, his cheeks flushing at the enchanting sight of Iori's happy face. "Yeah. Keep going." Iori grinned at him. Making a small half turn, he slid on Harry's left side and sneaked his right arm around Harry's waist. "It's kind of like flying, when you get the hang of it." He explained, a small smile still on his lips.

'Kind of like flying, huh…' Harry paused for a moment, wishing he could fly - not this pale imitation of flying but fly, becoming one with the sky, wind and clouds. His heart gave a sharp pang of pain at the loss of that particular pastime, but maybe… this could be something new.

"Breathe, Harry. Slide. Remember Hermes?" Iori's voice murmured into his left ear, shaking Harry out of his reverie. "What does Hermes have to do with skating?" Harry asked, confused, as he tried to follow Iori's steps. Iori skated on, deftly maneuvering them into avoiding another pair that skated past them in a flurry of movements. "He was a Greek god of messengers, I get that. But I don't think he had anything to do with skating."

Nodding, Iori glanced at Harry, his arm squeezing the smaller youth's waist a little bit tighter before relaxing again. "He didn't, but he is often depicted wearing sandals with winged sandals on his feet." His voice had a calming effect on the young wizard, who relaxed and let his body being guided by Iori across the expanse of iced water in a comfortable rhythm. "Imagine your ice skates like that. Like they have little wings on them, propelling you forward, and helping you fly."

'Like little brooms, attached to your feet.' Alright. He could do that. Taking a deep breath, Harry concentrated and then pushed off, just like Iori taught him.

His foothold was still a bit wobbly and he still felt like he could fall at any given moment, but underneath all that uncertainty and discomfort, there was a gleam of something very familiar, making Harry's heart skip and causing green eyes widen behind the glasses. Another step. And then another, to catch that elusive glint of freedom teasing him beneath the skates.

Iori watched, proudly, how with each step/skate, Harry gained a little bit more of the confidence on ice. Sure, he was still awkward, and he still sometimes wobbled on the skates, but Iori steadied him then, distancing himself more and more, until they were connected only by their hands holding to each other.

"Ready?" He called out, making Harry hastily look at him before he once again concentrated on moving. "Ready for what?" Harry replied back distractedly.

"For me to let go of you." Iori's voice was almost conversational in its tone. "Sure." Harry nodded, not even listening to Iori, too engrossed in his newfound freedom, making his redheaded skating companion smirk and suddenly, Iori's hand released his own, and Harry sped forward, alone….

… and about to collide with a group of teenagers with all the speed he had amassed when he was getting the sense of how to move and balance himself.

'Oh shit!' Harry's eyes widened as he comprehended the situation he suddenly found himself in. And what was worse… He didn't know how to stop!

Arms flailing, he did the only thing he could. "Hey! Outta the way, can't stop!" He hollered to the group, while his feet were still working, seemingly independent of his panicked lizard brain screaming to just stop already!

The little group he had addressed just turned to him, two boys and a girl and in five seconds, the collision would be imminent. Belatedly, he heard Iori calling him, telling him how to brake, but there was no time and –

Somehow, he managed to shift his weight just so, barely enough to avoid the collision, but not enough to avoid slamming painfully into the fence of the rink, which was going to happen just about no–

-only to be caught by a strong hand wrapping itself around his waist and then, they screeched to a half, and Harry could breathe again.

"Little One. While I admire your persistence in learning how to skate…" The familiar sibilant voice hissed into Harry's neck. "… I would recommend practicing how to stop first."

Harry's shoulders slumped as he exhaled a defeated sigh. He knew that it was too good to last.

Turning around, he looked up and lo and behold, there was a pair of ruby red eyes with slitted irises looking at him from Iori's face once again.

"YAGAMI!" An incensed voice called out, causing Harry to jerk with surprise.

Turning around, Harry saw one of the skaters he had just avoided to collide with, hurriedly approach them. He was clad in black jacket paired with faded blue jeans trousers. The brown ear-length straight hair fluttered around his head, his deep brown eyes flashing dangerously when screeched to a halt a mere step away from Harry and his savior.

'Yagami' straightened his body out as he tilted his head toward the incensed stranger, ruby red eyes calculating as he pushed Harry behind his back, causing the green-eyed wizard to clutch at his shoulder to maintain balance after the abrupt shift of their positions.

"What are you –!? " Harry's peeved question was interrupted by snake's venomous address of Harry's almost-victim.

"Kusanagi."

/To Be Continued/