Hello everybody. Guess what? Im sick. It sucks ass I slept all day instead of writing this chapter. Thankfully I woke up enough to type this. Ive been putting this chapter off for a few days for a good reason. I didn't like what I had originially planned. It was sooo boring. Hopefully this chapter will be much better.

"thinking"

"talking"

I do not own Harry potter or buffy the vampire slayer

Chapter 28

Xander and Harry ran into trouble on the way back to Harry's house. Apparently Dracula did have a few minions working for him. He had been promising them the world and as many happy meals on legs as they wanted. To say they were pissed at the two for killing him would be an understatement.

Xander ducked as a vampire took a wild swing at him. He pulled his trusty stake from his pocket and was thankful that he had still seen the need to remain armed even while under Dracula's control. He quickly stabbed the vamp in the back and dodged another swing from another vamp.

Harry was doing rather well a few feet away from him. His movement seemed to be sure and quicker. Even his strength had a noticeable increase which he proved by throwing a vamp over his shoulder and staking it. His leg lashed out behind him and caught another vampire in the stomach making it hunch over clutching it in pain. Harry shot his arm forward and staked that vamp as well.

This strength and speed was new and different, but Harry wasn't complaining. It made killing vampires easier and he would be prone to less injuries. Xander seemed to be stronger than usual as well. He took a punch from a vamp and stumbled back before shaking it off. He lunged forward with his stake and was pleased to see the dust floating to the ground.

"Hey, Harry are you alright?" Xander yelled from where he was at fighting against his own set of vampires.

"I'm fine." He yelled back dodging another swing, "this new strength is bloody awesome!"

Xander grinned as he threw a vamp away from him.

"It is isn't it? I haven't felt this great since I was first possessed. But I'm not sure why we got a sudden upgrade."

Harry frowned as he tripped a vamp and then rode him down to the ground staking him. He rolled to the side as another tried to take advantage of his turned back.

"I don't know either. I-I like this thing though. It's kind of nice. I can feel the hyena. I can feel you." Harry shot a glance at Xander.

"Me too," Xander dodged a swing, "I can feel you too. Before…before this whole thing. I knew you were pack. I knew from the day I met you, but now. Wow. I've never really felt you before not like this. It's like having a pack again. No, I do have a pack again. I have you." Xander chanced a look at Harry who seemed to be in deep thought.

"I've never…I've never felt this way before. Does it always feel this way to belong to something?" Harry asked Xander. He cursed as a vamp grabbed him from behind holding his arms. He jammed his elbows back into his attacker's stomach and they grunted and let him go. He turned swiftly and staked them.

"No, this is what having pack feels like. I shit Harry I'm sorry. It's not that I don't want to have you as pack. It's great. I love it. I just never thought you were my mate." And here we are treated with another Xander specialty. Foot in mouth a la idiot.

"You-you don't want me." Harry swallowed hard and punched a vamp in the face.

"No! It's not that. I want you I really do. Shit this isn't coming out right." Xander staked his last vamp and moved toward Harry.

"Under Dracula's control I realized something. I like you and I'm not going to let anything hold me back anymore. I just didn't realize that you were my mate." Xander blushed and Harry paused before staking his last vamp. The demon looked confused and decided to take a chance and run. He only made it a few feet before Xander threw his stake and turned the vamp into dust.

Harry bit his lip and looked at Xander, searching his face to see if he was telling the truth. Even now he could feel Xander it wasn't as strong as before when they were dealing with Dracula, but he could still feel him in the back of his mind. Xander's emotions were hidden from him though and he wasn't sure what the other male was really feeling. If he was being truthful with him.

"Xander. You are more than aware of my feeling, I have made them known time and time again, but now I'm not sure. I like you, but…what happened with Dracula. I'm afraid. Do you…do you really care about me that way?"

Xander's face darkened and Harry took a step back. Xander looked at him startled before his very being began emitting shame.

"I wasn't in control then Harry. If I had been I would have staked the bastard for touching you. No one will ever touch you again against your will. I swear it." Xander took a breath before continuing, "I really do care about you Harry. A lot. It's me that feels this way, not the hyena. Actually, the hyena likes you too, but what I'm trying to say is that my feelings aren't being controlled or fabricated. I like you. I want to date you and eventually I want to fall in love with you."

Tears poured down Harry's cheeks this time not in shame, sadness or anger, but in happiness. Xander wanted him. He really did. Not Dracula. Not the hyena. Xander. His Xander.

He buried his head in Xander's chest as the other male wrapped his arms around him, hugging him. He sniffled and wrapped his arms around Xander hugging him back.

They sat together in the night of Sunnydale for a few minutes hugging each other before realizing that it was a bad idea. They smiled at each other sheepishly as they separated.

As they walked back to Harry's house Xander linked his fingers with Harry's. They smaller boy looked up at him in surprise before he smiled his eyes twinkling happily as he squeezed Xander's hand lightly.

Both Xander and Harry had the feeling that things between them were going to be okay.

Harry POV

The next morning was peaceful right until Harry rolled out of the bed. He groaned from his place on the floor and glared at the floor as he heard Xander laughing from above. He sat up and scowled at Xander who was leaning on his elbow looking over the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, yeah laugh it up hyena boy."

Xander let out a peel of hyena-like laughter at that and Harry shivered and resisted the urge to echo Xander's laugh. He got up off the floor and walked into the bathroom slamming the door behind him.

"Git." Harry muttered as he turned on the shower. He climbed in and moaned softly as the hot almost too hot water washed over him.

He ignored the knock on the door.

"Harry."

-knock knock-

"Oh Harry." Harry ignored the sing-song voice.

"Haaarrrrryyyyy."

Ignoring.

Silence.

Harry could almost see Xander's pout and puppy dog eyes in his mind. He shamelessly used occulmency to push away the urge to give in and answer the door.

"Fine have it your way." He smiled as he heard Xander's disgruntled voice. He listened to Xander's footsteps as he walked away from the door. He rolled his eyes in amusement at the other male. He knew Xander did it just to be annoying.

Harry paused and wondered how he could hear Xander's footsteps. He knew the other boy was barefoot and he should not have heard anything at all.

"It seems like I have been given more than speed and strength." He frowned. "I need to see what else has changed about me. It could probably affect my magic as well."

He paled at the thought.

"I definitely need to find out what's going on."

After his shower he met Xander in the kitchen. The other boy was still barefoot and was eating a bowl of cereal. In fact, the only thing he was wearing was a pair of pajama pants. Harry paused in the doorway and shamelessly eyed Xander's muscular form. With effort he pulled his eyes away from the very yummy sight and headed toward the fridge; cereal was not a good breakfast especially with their nightly activities.

Harry flushed at the double meaning of the thought and coughed softly. Xander eyed him curiously, but Harry ignored it.

Not that they have done anything like that. Nope, not at all. Just sleeping. Yup. Sleeping. He kept his head in the fridge until his blush calmed. He grabbed bacon, the container of eggs and milk for the pancakes.

He began cooking and lost himself in thoughts.

Xander POV

Xander watched Harry as he began cooking much better breakfast than the one he was currently eating. He munched on cereal as he watched the dark haired boy move around the kitchen. Last night had been both hell and heaven. They tortured Dracula, killed vamps, had a heart to heart while killing said vamps and then headed back to Harry's for rest and to call the gang and tell them they were fine.

They had yet to talk about the new turn their relationship had taken. The next logical step seemed to be dating and maybe the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing. Wait. Wouldn't that be boyfriend/boyfriend thing? Xander mentally shrugged.

They also needed to talk about the whole pack thing. Harry seemed to accept it last night and Xander already had. The whole mate thing may or may not be inevitable, but what weirded Xander out was the Harry primal thing. Okay, it wasn't weird as in hellmouthy weird, just different. Primal hyena Harry shouldn't have been possible. Yeah Xander had first connected to Harry through they hyena and the pack thing, but the green eyed boy should not have felt or even been remotely hyenaized. Great he was making up words again.

"Harry?"

Harry POV

Harry set their plates at the table and took a seat. Xander had said his name in a questioning yet perplexed tone. He had the feeling he knew what the other boy was about to ask.

"I haven't a bloody clue."

He smirked at the look on Xander's face when he realized that he was doomed. Xander had always hated researching.

This chapter comes to you from my brand new laptop. Woo! It's a good thing I got one for Christmas because my little cousin got a virus on my old one. Hope you guys like this chapter. Read read read and just maybe review.

Poll will be closing in three days people. be sure to put your vote in now. the two tops winners will be added to my oneshot list while the others will be recycled for the next poll.

yusuke/harry and vegeta/harry have been having issues. they may be added to the next poll.