[Kaliko]

Nic didn't say anything more, but he slowly put an arm around Laurel loosely.

[Rinrou]

"I love you." Laurel told him, pressing her cheek against his. "It's not fair." she added bitterly, fighting back her sadness once more.

--

Raven learned that there were many, many rumors about Wolfe. He was this most mysterious of the Neonates so everyone was naturally curious. According the them, they could hear his violin play into the wee hours of the morning but could never find him when the looked. They concluded his violin must be haunted. The reason his hair was pink was because he liked strawberries so much. They claimed he ate them all whenever they were in the house. Either that or he was really... really gay. As to why he rarely talked: Some thought he had a superiority complex, others thought he was mentally unstable, there were even others who claimed his voice enchanted the listener. They claimed he had always smoked, even as child. There was one of the youngest girls who claimed he was a dragon who needed smoke like he needed air, but she was shushed by the others for being silly. Apparently he always wore black because he hated color, some thought he was a vain gay who simply thought he looked best in black, others were sure he was in mourning, the littlest girl pipped up again that it was because he had to cover up his pink scales. She was shushed again.

[Kaliko]

Nic didn't seem to have anything more to say, resting his head against hers.

--

Raven continued to have lots of fun with his 'research.'

[Rinrou]

Laurel closed her eyes and relaxed her grip on him ever so slightly, "You know... that I won't ever leave you. I'll stay with you to whatever end. So for both our sakes, don't lose hope yet." she whispered near his ear.

--

The rumors took a very nasty turn at some point. Frei was not very well liked, there was speculation that Wolfe slept with her, that she was using him, that she was mean-spirited and thought she was above everyone else. Wolfe's overprotection of Frei didn't help the rumors at all, some thought she must be blackmailing him. Only a few seemed to really get along with her but those few were absent when the other girls bashed Frei in front of Raven.

[Kaliko]

"... The curse won't let us be happy," he whispered back. "I try, but it's never enough."

Raven was very surprised by this, trying to figure out what was behind it. He knew Frei wasn't very social, but there had to be something more to it.

[Rinrou]

"Screw the curse." Laurel whispered back venomously, "I won't let it. I am going to be happy with you, Nic. Whatever time we have left, I'm going to be happy." and she suddenly pulled away and kissed him right on the nose, "I'm going to be happy, because I found you." she kissed his forehead, "I'm happy because I found you in that field. I found you and you freed me." she said, taking his face in her hands, "I found the man who is my other half. And we may not fit together perfectly now, because both of us have been broken, but crust it if I'm going to let something at weak as a curse break us apart completely." her eyes still showed the sadness, but there was an deep anger and determination growing.

[Kaliko]

Nic didn't notice it himself, but his eyes started to well up and a tear or two rolled down his face onto Laurel's hands. "... I'm never going to let you go," he whispered with awe in his voice. There was pain in his eyes, but a good kind of pain that motivates you to become stronger. "I'll get better," he continued as more tears started falling. "I don't want to hurt you anymore. I want to be a better man for you. I'll do anything for you. Just say it."

[Rinrou]

Laurel smiled at Nic, pain in her own eyes but the sadness seemed to be receding. "That's the spirit." she nodded, using her thumbs to wipe away some of his tears before she leaned forwards and kissed his forehead again. "Hmm... anything, huh?" she repeated as she kissed his temple, "How about you take me on a date?" she asked with a smile, pulling away to look at his face.

[Kaliko]

Nic nodded, tears still falling.

[Rinrou]

Laurel seemed fairly happy as she continued to smile tiredly. "Good." she replied before pausing, "Can I kiss you?" she asked quietly after a moment.

[Kaliko]

Nic nodded again.

[Rinrou]

So Laurel leaned in, hands still cradling Nic's face. This kiss was not overly passionate like before, but sweet and tender with a little touch of sadness. She could finally love all of Nic from the bottom of her heart.

--

From what Raven could gather, Frei had done something really offensive to the girls. Or maybe it had been Wolfe... or both of them, but the girls just took it out against Frei. They wouldn't tell him what it was, changing the subject suddenly if asked.

[Kaliko]

Nic reached out, gently touching the side of Laurel's face. He was trembling a little. His kiss wasn't like before either. It was a little shy, like he didn't know how to express the way he felt. There was sadness and pain, but also something more. Like he could finally open his entire heart to her; a part of him that appeared to be untouched.

--

Raven eventually let it be.

[Rinrou]

Laurel seemed to enjoy this much more than before. One of her hands left his cheek and settled on top of Nic's in a reassuring way as her other hand wrapped around his neck once more.

--

The girls then informed Raven with smirks that there were rumors about him as well.

[Kaliko]

Nic stayed like he was, letting the moment stretch out.

--

Raven glanced around before pointing to himself.

[Rinrou]

After a little while Laurel pulled away slightly, shifting until she was snuggled in Nic's lap. She wrapped her arms around his chest now, kissing his neck briefly before sighing a little, "Sorry... I haven't been sleeping well." she said regretfully with a yawn.

--

The girls giggled and nodded. They told him they knew it was Wolfe who had saved him. He must have for sure slept with Wolfe since they were both gay and Raven was the only person Wolfe had ever brought back himself.