Nic looked her over, satisfied that the dress fit. Then he blinked, wondering why she wasn't saying anything. He glanced at himself like something was out of place. He straightened his already straight tie before waiting for her to say something.

Laurel remained frozen for a long, awkward moment before slowly closing her mouth and blinking. She opened her mouth to say something but shut it again.

So Nic waited a little longer before awkwardly holding out his arm.

Laurel continued to awkwardly stare, "... N..." she shook her head a little, closing her eyes before staring back at Nic. "... Nic?" she asked, sounding like she didn't quite believe he was real.

"... Yeah?" he asked in his normal tone, still awkwardly holding out his arm.

Laurel still didn't move, "... Y-You're... wearing a tux..." she stated quietly, "You... have a tux?"

Nic glanced at his tux again before looking back at Laurel. "... I rented it," he explained.

Laurel continued to openly stare, "You look..." she seemed at a loss of words again.

Nic continued to stand with his arm held out. He blinked, not sure what Laurel was getting at.

"Amazing," Laurel finally breathed. After another moment she stepped forward but didn't take his arm, instead she went in for a hug. She seemed to be favoring her left arm but managed to hug him tightly, "Is this what you've been up too? I missed you," she murmured into his chest.

Nic paused a moment before hugging Laurel back. He didn't say anything.

Laurel pulled away for a moment, pulling his jacket straight again before looking him over. Slowly she looked up at his face, "Wow, you even cleaned up for me," she told him, impressed, as she rested her hands on his chest.

Nic blinked, still a little confused. After an awkward moment of silence he asked, "... Do you like the dress?"

"Love it," Laurel replied, "But you forgot shoes," she teased before kissing his cheek.

Nic glanced down at Laurel's feet before looking back at her, a little displeased with himself.

Laurel laughed and kissed his lips sweetly, "It's okay," she told him, "Heels hurt."

With Laurel's help, he let go of it fairly quickly. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

Laurel gasped a little, "Wait, so you really planned a date?"

Nic blinked, confused once more.

"Tulip told me but I didn't really believe it until I saw you in a tux,"Laurel chuckled.

That seemed to confuse him even more.

"I didn't think you'd plan a date without me asking," Laurel explained, "So I'm really happy." She linked arms with him and rested her head on his shoulder.

After awhile, Nic shook off the confusion and let it be for now. He waited a few moments before leading Laurel inside the double doors. Inside was what looked like a decent sized dining room. with all the chairs and tables pushed off to the side.

But he lead her straight through that room out the other side which had glass for the wall to a small patio area. There was a table set up with countless fresh fruits and vegetables and fresh bread. There were also some little pastry-like fruit cups that had been baked.

Laurel blinked, staring at the all the food. She was again speechless for a little before shaking her head, "Where'd you find all this stuff?"

"... A nearby island," Nic replied as he pulled out a chair for Laurel.

"You bought it all? Who cooked it?" Laurel asked as she sank into the chair and started checking out the food.

"... I did," he replied as he took a seat.

Laurel choked on a bit of the pastry she was eating. She then gaped at Nic again. "You?!" she demanded, "Whoawhoawhoawhoa...whoa!" she stated as she pushed her chair back a little, "You buy me a dress, rent a tux, get off your computer, clean yourself up and cook all this?! Who the terra are you and what have you done with Nic?" she demanded, getting suspicious.

"... Uh..." Nic muttered, not sure how to respond to Laurel's question.

"What's really going on? Is this a prank of James'? Are you like... a... a fake image or something? Did someone put something in my water?" she demanded as she stood.

Nic frowned, remaining seated. "... You don't like this?" he asked, trying to figure out what was going on.

Laurel eyed Nic, "It's just so unlike you that it's hard to believe," she replied.

Nic was still confused, but he didn't ask for clarification.

Laurel stood and walked over to Nic, "Prove you're Nic!" she demanded, leaning down to get a closer look at him.

Nic stared at Laurel blankly, not sure how to fulfill her request.

Laurel waited.

So Nic thought about it awhile before standing, taking his jacket off, and lifting up the back of his shirt so she could see the scars on the bottom of his back.

Laurel paused and then picked up his jacket, handing it back to him, "Alright, you're Nic," she agreed with a half-smile.

Nic tucked his shirt back in before taking the jacket and straightening his clothes.

Laurel helped him out before grabbing his tie and pulling him closer, "Seriously, what's gotten into you?" she asked quietly, face very close to his.