"Don't be a stupid prick," Regulus says, brow furrowing. "Why the fuck would I hate you? I told you to leave if you could." He finally shakes his head, one hand grasping at Sirius' sleeve. "I was upset, sure. Not angry. I thought you hated me, you always avoided me--"

But he's not trying to guilt Sirius. He stops himself. "I've been working up toward leaving for months now. I was using the pretense of being a spy so I wouldn't get killed, so really you were helping me. I just feel awful."