Remus barely managed to contain the wounded look that crossed his face when Sirius so violently pulled away from him. He wanted to tell Sirius so much--that he did still love him, that he'd always love him, but he had died. Sirius had died and Remus was the one who was left. He had been left in the wake of it to pick up the pieces which was impossibly difficult. He wanted to tell him just how much he had mourned him, but his intention was not to make Sirius feel guilty for dying. He just wanted Sirius to understand and want him in his life. Sirius was difficult, Remus knew that--had known that since they were eleven years old. He knew that he felt betrayed and he had every right to feel as such, but Remus would never betray him. It wasn't like he chosen Dora over Sirius. He had fallen in love with her after Sirius was gone. She wasn't a replacement. She was someone else entirely. Someone he absolutely adored. Someone he loved entirely. He still loved Sirius. He did, with his whole heart, but he loved Dora as well.
Resisting the urge to correct him, to tell him it had been three long, drawn out, painful years, he let Sirius begin to move, let him speak and glare and let out his frustration. "Sirius-" he tried again, pursing his lips together as he looked up at him. "Please don't think that it was easy. Don't think that after you died I was fine because I wasn't." he hissed, trying to keep his emotions in line so he could get through this. That required a pause and a deep breath though. "I missed you every single God damned day." he said, voice level though somewhat shaky. "And the war--it got worse. You were gone and it got worse. Everything got worse." which the state of the world now testified for. "The years stretched on forever, with progressively awful things happening as each came to pass."
"I accept that you're angry--upset--and--you have every right to be." he replied, voice tinged with a sadness he was trying to suppress. "You've every right to be and I hope--Sirius I--I just--I want-No-need you in my life." he said insistently. He felt the urge to stand but refrained since that was Sirius's form of relief and he didn't want to impose on it. "I understand if--if you don't want that, but Ace-Dor-Tonks" he said, her nicknames tumbling out all mixed together, "-Tonks--she--she missed you too. We all missed you Sirius. All of us." again the urge to tell him he had slept in his bed after it had all happened, had tried to be close to him in any way he possibly could, came to mind but he bit it back. "-I do love you Sirius. Don't ever think that I don't. I do. I do." he insisted in a firm tone. "I'm sorry Sirius- I wish- I wish things had been different. I do- I wish the wars hadn't happened- wish you hadn't died--but--you did." he said, the last two words a harsh whisper as he looked down and spun his wedding band around on his finger. He died. He died and Remus fell in love with Nymphadora. He hadn't chosen to, he hadn't forgotten about Sirius, but he had fallen in love with her.