With the threatening mansion covered in shadows behind him Regulus made his way to the gate. He needed to get out of there. No longer could he handle the looks of the hooded men at the large dining table, the sissing of the gigantic green snake or the inhuman appearance of its owner. The Dark Lord had gone to far this time and Regulus no longer wanted to take part in his plans.
The gate came into view, safety from the darkness that clung to the house and its residents was almost reached. Until someone grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away from the path, into the shadows of the garden.
"Get off of me!" his voice was silent, but sharp, not wanting to alarm anyone. "Hey, it's just me" the man removed his hood so his face became visible. "Barty?" The young man frowned at Regulus' tone, the shadows from the night on his face darkened. "What's wrong Reg?" Barty took a step back, creating some distance between them, wondering if he shouldn't have gotten closer instead.
Regulus wanted to tell him nothing was wrong, but he couldn't. He'd discovered to much and he had to do something, or nothing could stop that snake-person-thing from taking over the whole world, magical and non-magical, and killing everyone in it until the last evidence of intelligent life was destroyed.
"I'm going" He stated simply, hoping Barty would assume Reg had to go on a new mission. The man across from him looked baffled and wasn't able to say anything for a few seconds that seemed to pass as slow as days. His mouth opening and closing, trying to form a question.
"Why?" Barty's eyes had grown bigger and he looked vulnerable, more than Regulus had ever seen him, even in the moments the two had truly opened up to each other. Barty knew him too good, never would Regulus be able to mislead him. "Wha… Why would you go away? Where would you go?" Barty spoke barely above a whisper and focused his intense brown eyes on Regulus, who felt small and sad seeing those eyes seek reassurance, because he'd have to hurt the man he'd thought he would never be able to hurt.
"I can't do this anymore Barty. It's wrong what he wants from us. It's crazy", his voice became stiller at the last sentence and he looked away, unable to look at the man he'd spent the last seven years with.
"Where would you go?" Regulus was confronted with a view of total helplessness when he finally looked at the in black clothed man. Tears formed in his eyes, making the man in front of him look blurry. He stepped closer to Barty, almost touching him. Disappointment and hurt came together when Barty stepped away from him. Looking as if Regulus had hit him.
His heart cracked at the sight of Barty hurting. He wanted to softly wipe away the tears in his love's eyes. Wanted to take him into his arms and pretend this had never happened and never would, but it was happening. He needed to get away from this life even if the consequences broke Barty's heart and his own while doing so. Barty was everything to him, but Regulus simply couldn't continue like this. Every night he woke up screaming, still seeing the bodies of muggle women and children lying before him, arms and legs sprawled out in unnatural angles. He hadn't slept properly for weeks in fear of seeing those dead eyes staring at him again.
"I have to do something. The Dark Lord is more rotten than you, or anyone for that matter, could ever have imagined, Barty. He's not a mortal anymore and immortality comes at a high price. No one should be able to live forever and no innocents should have to die anymore. I… I can't kill more innocent people, Barty," he was surprised by how pleading his voice sounded, begging for Barty to understand, "I keep seeing them. Everywhere. I can't live like this"
Barty swallowed his hurt down. He'd known this day would come, known as soon as he'd seen Reg's expression when he had to kill someone for the first time. He had to face it: Reg didn't have his motivation, his determination. But still, he couldn't stop loving the man. The tears Barty so desperately tried to keep away were coming to the surface. But instead of running away, hiding, he took a shuddering breath and stepped forward.
Regulus' eyes grew big in surprise as Barty suddenly came closer. The man wrapped him in his arms and pressed his head in the crook of his neck. The need to comfort him apparently greater than the fear of losing him. "He'll kill you if he finds out," Barty paused for a second, moving his head back slightly so he could look Regulus in the eyes, "and I can't say he won't have my support"
"I know," Barty had always been awfully loyal - it was surprising he hadn't been sorted into Hufflepuff - and Regulus knew he was creating quit an internal turmoil in Barty by doing this. But it was time to say goodbye.
One last kiss, one last hug, one last look at each other and Regulus was making his way down the stone path, towards a new life. A life wherein he was most certainly going to die and there was no one to prevent that from happening.