~ROAC~ (incomplete)

"I am he as you are he as you are me
And we are all together."

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"I have a surprise for you."

Sirius looked up from his History of Magic paper, both glad for the distraction and also to see Bell, and raised a teasingly-suspicious eyebrow at how she was holding both hands behind her back.

"And what might this surprise be?"

Remus, seated beside him, nudged his arm with an elbow just as James, on his other side, did the same with his foot. The former was sitting cross-legged, his knee poking Sirius', and the latter was half-draped over the arm of the sofa, most of his torso hanging upside down while his lanky legs laid across Sirius and Remus' laps.

"It's not a surprise if you know what it is," chorused the pair together and Sirius grinned. Ah, the little joys of true friendship, moments like these that they'd never remember but were sweet in the seconds they occurred.

"She's about to show me anyway-"

"Doesn't matter." With a huff, James used the ab muscles he'd developed in the last five years while the Gryffindor Quidditch team's Seeker- one needed good core strength and balance to zip about in the air as Seekers had to, and so James' near-six-pack was simply a 'reward of the trade' as he said -to flip his torso back upright, drawing in his legs and almost knocking Sirius in the mouth with his knee as he did so. "You've got to wait until the very second she shows you, then it's a surprise."

Bell smirked and ruffled James' already-messy hair as she agreed, "That's exactly how a surprise should be- taking notes, Hot Stuff?" Sirius had scribbled something on a corner of his essay's parchment which he now tore off and tucked in his pocket as he winked at Bell.

"Of course, Angel, I always strive to be better- even if it's impossible to improve perfection." He tossed his hair and they shared a laugh, but Sirius' mirth faded as Remus looked up from his own HoM essay with a wide smirk and James gave a loud wolf-whistle. Bell gave a sudden cough, her surprise still hidden behind her back, and Sirius shot a questioning look at his friends.

"'Hot Stuff'!" quoted James, clearly delighted at the nickname, and Bell glanced away, obviously pretending not to care as he repeated it again, "'Hot Stuff'! Out of all the nicknames-"

"It took you six years to give Sirius a flirty nickname?" Sirius could tell a blush was creeping up Bell's neck and he grinned at her, glad to hear her use the nickname in front of their friends for the first time since she'd first offered it to him in the library two weeks ago.

"I suppose it was overdue." Bell nudged aside James and plopped down on the couch, half-sitting in Sirius' lap because of the lack of space (ah, the long-gone days when all four Marauders and Bell could fit comfortably on this couch with room to spare), and dropped something on his head as she sat. Trying to ignore the quickening tempo of his heartbeat caused by how close to him she was and how her leg was on top of his and how her hair smelled as lovely as always, Sirius plucked the item off his head and held it out before him with one hand as he smoothly draped his other arm along the back of the couch and around Bell's shoulders.

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"A beanie?" Sirius paused, then a smile grew on his face. "A beanie!"