Laurel sighed and began rubbing Nic's feet, "But, I still love you," she murmured, "and I... appreciate that you're trying to understand how I feel."

Nic kept trying to think about what Laurel said, but she could tell he was starting to become frustrated. Not at her words, but at his lack of ability to concentrate as he feet started twitching again as Laurel rubbed them.

Laurel blinked, watching Nic's face for a moment and then glancing down at his twitching feet. "... No way..." she muttered, an amused and bewildered look crossing her face as her gaze found Nic's again.

Nic's nose twitched a little as he tried to weather through Laurel massaging his feet.

Laurel stopped rubbing Nic's feet for a moment. "...Dominic Duncan..." she whispered, still in disbelief, "You're ticklish!"

Nic relaxed a little more as Laurel stopped. "... I'm not ticklish," he argued.

Laurel paused and then suddenly tickled the sole of Nic's foot.

A shiver ran down Nic's spine and he jerked his foot away from Laurel.

Laurel let a light chuckle escape her as she shook her head. "Seriously?" she asked no one in particular as she looked at Nic with laughing, slightly pitying eyes. "I really can't stay mad at you," she told him as she patted his knee, "Not when you're this cute."

Nic was rather frustrated, glaring at his foot. Which of course made him look sillier.

Laurel slowly grinned as she reached out and yanked his foot back, "You're still weak," she recalled as she began to tickle his foot relentlessly, "It's payback time!" she declared.

Nic tried to yank his foot back. When he realized he was at Laurel's mercy, he started cussing breathlessly as his face started contorting. He was clearly ticklish, but it was almost like he didn't know how to laugh. So he just kept cussing instead.

Laurel started to laugh louder, "I've found your weakness~" she teased as she didn't let up. All her frustration at him started melting away as his face distorted.

Nic had to start getting creative with his cusses, struggling with not being overly foul as he started to run thin on mild curses and the tickling continued.

"Just laugh, boulder!" Laurel said, laughing herself.

It didn't look like he was going to laugh. And soon it had become too much. He needed to make the tickling stop - he needed to distract Laurel. So in one quick, fluid movement Nic sat up, hand reaching toward Laurel's chest.