Work Text:
— Why did you do that, Regulus? — Sirius stands at the Astronomy Tower, burning his brother with those eyes of his, the Dark Mark exposed on Regulus’s arm. He feels betrayed, lied to, guilty in a weird, obscure way. He can’t be held responsible for his younger brother's decisions, but there must’ve been something to prevent that, right?
Regulus inhales sharply, tearing his eyes away from Sirius. — Siri, we will not talk about this.
— Are you insane? I…You! You have got to be kidding me, Reggie, you are a fucking Death Eater, and we will not talk about it? The fuck we will!
Regulus frowns, bites his bottom lip and puts more distance between them. — I am serious. It is my decision and we won’t talk about it. Why do you pretend to care? What, you will disown me now?
— Yes, I will! I will not associate with you anymore if you won’t explain it right now! This is not Regulus that I know, you would never do that, you don’t believe in their bullshit! So why, care to explain, are you bearing his Mark?
— There is nothing to be explained, I chose my side. You can leave now if you would like. — He didn’t want to have that Mark, didn’t want to fight for something he doesn’t believe in. He’s only 16 for Salazar’s sake! But it was either him or Sirius, and Regulus knew how important it was for Sirius to get away from their family, to leave, escape, and find a better family in Potters. He couldn’t just let their parents ruin Sirius’s chance for a happy life. — Fuck off ot your happy family and new brother, Sirius. We can not be seen together in public anymore.
— How can you be so heartless? I don’t believe you! You are trying to be cruel to scare me off and pretend you don’t care, but that is not true!
— Sirius, leave . I don’t want to force you.
— It’s true then, huh? You are just like them. Just like your family. I bet Mother is fucking proud of you. — he spats the words angrily, turning around. — I guess there is no helping it. You were always going to end up like them, following fucking pureblood traditions and ideals. You are no brother of mine, Regulus.
— It’s your fault that you tried to make me be something I wasn't. I’m not responsible for your imagination. Leave me alone from now on, Blood Traitor .
They went their separate ways, not turning around. For a moment, Regulus thought that he’s drowning. There is no helping it. Sirius will never know about his sacrifice, they will never be brothers again. Nonetheless, it will always be his job to look after Sirius and ensure his safety. And if he survives this war, then maybe, one day, they will fix that.
But standing in the cave with hallucinations and delusions, with terrifying thirst, Regulus thinks about every choice he made, and regrets every single one. The goal always justifies the means, although not when you understand what you’re losing.
— I love you, Siri. — the only thought. On the bottom of the dark lake, in the middle of nowhere, Regulus thinks about the promise that he’s kept, and everything goes black.