A/N (12/11/2020): Before you read this fic, I'd like to provide some context.

I started writing and publishing this fic in 2012, when I was 14, knowing only that this story would contain "Drarry, long, romance, drama." I didn't have much of a plan for the fic, which made it difficult to keep up with the fic when life started getting in the way. Eventually, between being banned from writing by my parents in high school (long story) and taking 20 credits a semester in college, ACOMI fell by the wayside, and I only managed to publish 11 of the 15 chapters I'd originally planned before going on unannounced hiatus in 2016.

Well, you may notice this fic currently has 12 chapters, and it's 2020 (soon to be 2021). That's because I swore to myself I would finish this fic, even if it took me a decade to do so. I felt like I owed it to my idealistic 14-year-old self who started writing this with no more than an AU premise and a vague idea of the climactic scene to see this story to the end. So I've spent the last 4 years writing, rewriting, editing, and polishing the rest of the fic. Over the years, this fic has become more of a personal project than anything. I don't expect many people will read this, and that's okay; I'm publishing this for myself at this point.

I say all this to ask you to be gentle with me, and to make it explicitly clear that your expectations for the first few chapters should be low. I know parts of this will read like they were written by a child, because they were. I know parts of this will feel like they were written by a totally different author, because they were - I am not the same writer at 22 that I was at 20, much less 14. I wish I didn't have to beg you to be kind, but I've already received some unkind reviews, so I want readers to be fully informed about what they're heading into. If you don't enjoy this fic, it costs you absolutely nothing to back out of it without leaving a hateful review.

All of that said, this fic will have 16 chapters, and I plan to update once every 5 days or so, as I'd like to mark this complete before 2021. As always, reviews are loved, favs/alerts are adored, and I hope this doesn't suck as much as I sometimes think it does. Happy reading! :)

DISCLAIMER: (do people still use these?) Clearly these characters aren't mine.

Chapter 1

Draco briefly glanced away from his work in irritation as a shrill scream resounded through the library, but when the commotion seemed to have no outcome, he paid it no mind and continued with his research. It was going well enough until a rugged brunette careened around the corner where Draco's worktable was located, glancing around frantically while he tried to catch his breath. Finally, his gaze settled on Draco, who had been staring rather unashamedly at the man, and he heaved a sigh of relief.

"Hide me, please," the man all but begged, a wild look in his eyes.

"Why?" Draco asked petulantly, just to be contrary. He wanted nothing more to return to his work, and this stranger was quite effectively putting paid to that plan.

"Because I'm begging you to," the man said rather unnecessarily. He glanced over his shoulder, and Draco heard the sound of nearing footsteps. "Look, I'll owe you one, I'll buy you a meal or something. Please."

Well, Draco wasn't one to pass over an opportunity to have someone in his debt. He sighed. "Get under the table," he said, resigned.

"Thanks," the brunette gasped as he dove under the table. Draco rearranged his legs to hide the other man in their shadow before returning to the heavy tome before him.

Seconds later, two girls came sprinting around the corner as well. They peered around the quiet library, obviously looking for something, and walked to Draco when they saw him.

"Excuse me, have you seen Harry Potter come through here?" the shorter one asked.

Draco raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Who?"

The taller one puffed her chest in indignance and angrily opened her mouth to say something, but her friend stopped her before she could by placing a hand on her arm.

"Tall, brown hair, glasses, wearing a gray shirt?" she listed, eyeing Draco hopefully. The taller one stared at him with rapt attention as well. He suppressed a shudder at the gleam in her eyes.

"Oh, him," Draco said, feigning remembrance. He pointed in the direction of a random bookshelf. "I think he was headed that way." The girls thanked him hastily and sped off. Draco kept his eyes on them, waiting for them to realize the man they were looking or was nowhere to be found.

The man under the desk-Potter, Draco presumed-attempted to rise, but Draco pushed him down. "Not yet," he murmured, able to see from his vantage point that the girls were headed back their way.

"Slipped back around the corner the moment you two left," he said breezily as the two girls neared his desk. They nodded wordlessly and left the way they'd came, hopefully for good.

Still, better safe than sorry. Draco forced Potter to remain still for another minute before signalling to him that the coast was clear. Potter slowly crawled out and stood. He stretched to relieve his cramped muscles and brushed off the dust his legs had collected. Draco took advantage of his obvious distraction to assess him.

The man was not sore on the eyes, that much was true. His eyes were a piercing green, his nose straight and narrow, his muscles clearly defined. His bronze skin only completed the tantalizing image. Still, his hair was an absolute mess, and his round, wire frame spectacles looked constantly on the verge of slipping down his nose.

Still, Draco felt oddly attracted to the man, drawn to him as though by a magnetic force. His mouth seemed suddenly dry, and he had some difficulty thinking of something to say.

"Quite the celebrity, aren't you?" Draco said drily, hoping his voice didn't sound as hoarse as he imagined it did.

Potter laughed nervously, shifting his weight from side to side, and said, "Harry Potter." He held out his hand to Draco.

"Draco Malfoy," Draco responded warily, still unsettled by how much the man had affected him. He took Harry's hand and shook it firmly, pleasantly surprised to receive a firm grip in reply.

Harry laughed and shoved both his hands into his pockets. "I seem to owe you a favor," he said. "How about lunch? It's about that time, anyway."

Draco's stomach chose that moment to gurgle loudly, reminding him that he hadn't eaten breakfast that morning. "Lunch sounds wonderful," he admitted, before setting about clearing his workspace and replacing all his papers in his bookbag.

"Great," Potter said in response, grinning. For some unfathomable reason, Draco found himself smiling back.