@januarium replied to your post: OHHHhhhh…. is that why?? Fawkes the phoenix is...
… what’s the fic tho? (and honestly that moment where a ship has been SO BIG and SO UNINTERESTING TO YOU for SO LONG suddenly clicks with something is amazing and terrible)
Away Childish Things -- I think this fic in particular worked for me because:
post-canon (a time of repentance, forgiveness, change in alliances, plus the long mundane complication of adult life post-war -- the way this fic positions them, both Harry and Draco are in a place in their lives where they gain something from a relationship with the other that isn’t fulfilled elsewhere...)
age regression (they learn to understand each other not only as adults now, but can also put all their experiences as kids with each other in context -- reliving moments of hurt so they can address them)
slow burn (I need a lot of convincing, so like. gotta draw it out and build up the process of understanding)
basically: thoroughly and exhaustively deals with the emotional baggage w/o too much assumption that I’ve already bought into the ship
like I’ve always understood conceptually the appeal of Drarry (yes, they’re both obsessed with each other, yes there’s plenty of canon basis for Draco redemption), but...... I don’t like it when characters are mean to each other, mean with the intention of truly hurting the other even as dumb kids -- I think in general with fiction I have difficulty being convinced that characters with long complicated histories can actually truly forgive each other to the point where a romantic partnership (not just friendship/ allyship) makes sense, that those deep hurts won’t keep resurfacing or that if they do that it’s worth fighting for in spite of it