Intro to Arlo Avery: 21, Pureblood, Photographer, Slytherin. The child of Alaric Avery and Elizabeth Avery née Fawley. Submissive, anxious, over sensitive, dependant, reserved, compassionate, observant, patient, encouraging, pacifistic. Reluctantly aligned with the Death Eaters.

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Nate sighed into Arlo’s shoulder and tried to get his body to wake up the rest of the way. He really didn’t want to, but he wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep with the light in his eyes anyway. “Merlin doesn’t need to know why, only I do,” Nate mumbled before poking Arlo gently in the chest, “Say it back you coward.” He was teasing, he didn’t care if Arlo didn’t say it back. After all, his boyfriend had a tendency to show Nate that he loved him, even when he wasn’t trying to. When they knew each other as well as they did, it was hard not to see love in almost every little action. “One day we will. It’s not optimism, it’s fact.” It was both, but Nate refused to look at it as such. They’d get out from under their families thumbs, run away together, and it would be fine. Or so he continued to tell himself. “Probably, but if I do, it’s likely at the request of my parents and there isn’t much less I could care for than their opinion.” They were growing increasingly annoyed with him as he refused more and more to meet their standards, but that made Nate feel better about himself. He didn’t want them to like him. He didn’t want to be like them.

“I suppose that’s true.” Arlo mused, a lazy grin lighting up his expression. Part of him wanted to go back to sleep, shamelessly enjoy the comfort of being unaware. Part of him didn’t want to waste a second of the time he was lucky enough to spend with his boyfriend. Sleep could wait. Even sleep next to Nate. “Okay, okay...” He laughed, the sound quiet, and breathless. “I love you too. I didn’t realise you were so insecure.” He teased, his eyes shining as he made eye contact with Nate. Moving so to rest his forehead against Nate’s, he sank further down beneath the blankets of his bed. “Nate...” He couldn’t deny the spark of happiness he felt at the thought of the Carrow shirking his responsibilities. Especially considering the motivation behind doing so. But he also knew it wasn’t smart. He wasn’t defiant, he wasn’t good at being headstrong, and sure. He longed to tell Nate to be careful, to stay safe. But that wasn’t his place, and Nate wasn’t capable of keeping his head down. It went against his nature, the very thing he admired. “You should probably go...” He murmured, though his tone was incredibly noncommittal. At least he could claim he had made an effort to convince him. “They might miss you...”

When Nate decided he was staying the night with Arlo, he didn’t bother warning his parents. They weren’t going to look for him anyway and probably assumed he was off doing whatever the fuck he wanted. In some ways, he was. This was one of the only things he wanted, aside from the circumstances and secrecy surrounding it all. It was hard to be so deeply in love with your best friend for so long and know that you couldn’t tell a soul. Nate didn’t know what the consequences would be if he did, but he knew they weren’t worth it despite all the yearning in his body to tell anybody that would listen. Right now though, Nate wasn’t thinking much about anything. His body and mind were finally resting in a peace that only came to him when he was with Arlo. Sleeping in his parents house left him fearful that they were planning something or he’d wake up to them giving him an ultimatum he refused to consider. With Arlo, there was only them, even if only for a few hours.

It was Arlo’s slight jostling from the other side of the bed that ultimately forced Nate from his slumber, but he had already been starting to wake up. He’d been doing his best to force himself back to sleep despite the sun starting to stream into his eyes because waking up meant facing reality. Reality meant toying with the idea that all of this was only temporary, and with that came the realization that there might be very little Nathaniel could do about it. “Always,” he muttered, shivering against the light touch on his hand, “Especially when you’re not here, but the dreams are more interesting when you’re here.” With his eyes still closed, Nate shoved his face into where he approximated Arlo’s chest might be. When he was half asleep, his walls were completely down and he sought out contact with absolutely no hesitation. It helped that there was nobody around to stop them. “I love you.”

Arlo grinned, unable to help himself. Sometimes it was too easy to get lost in the fantasy of waking up next to Nate every morning. “I think you’re supposed to say reality is better than any dream when you’re with me.” He murmured, lifting his arm so that Nate could curl up in his embrace. Waiting until his boyfriend was settled against his chest, he lowered his arm again, holding him close, running a hand through his tousled hair. Feeling a swell of affection upon the proclamation of love, it wasn’t often they were able to be so open with each other. For various reasons, many of them shared, they were forced to suppress their emotions. Wear a mask for the sake of their families, and friends. It made it difficult to be open, difficult to be so vulnerable, even with each other. He appreciated the times they were able to relax into each other’s company. Be less vigilant, and unapologetically themselves. “Merlin knows why.” He teased, twisting a lock of golden hair around one of his fingers. “But the feeling is mutual... I don’t know where I would be without mornings like these. I wish we could stay here forever...” He hesitated before speaking again, unsure he was ready to hear the answer to his question. “Do you have anywhere you’re expected to be today?”

It was impossible not to marvel at the way Nate looked when nothing was troubling him, when he wasn’t forced to put on a mask, and face their terrifying world. He liked to think they had many more ‘sleepovers’ ahead of them. But the truth was, they couldn’t predict the future. They took each day as it came, because they were forced to, and tried desperately not to look too far ahead. It was the only way to stay sane in their particular situation, something they had come to begrudgingly accept over the years. Pulling the heavy bedsheets higher in an attempt to get more comfortable, he smiled as the movement jostled Nate, coaxing him back into consciousness. “Hmm,” he hummed, reaching to take his boyfriend's hand. Unable to help himself, he let his fingertips brush against his ring finger, imagining the harsh cold metal of a wedding band. Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, he focused on the present. “Took you long enough... were you dreaming about me?” 

@natexcarrow​