Nico walked down the streets in an oddly good mood, thinking he shouldn't feel this great about going to see Percy after avoiding him for years but now that he'd told him everything he felt better. Like a huge weight off his chest, he ran up the steps of the apartment before pausing and knocking on the door and waiting.

"Just a minute!" he heard Ms. Jackson's voice, how long had it been since he'd seen her? At least 2 years? The door opened and her eyes went wide and suddenly he was encircled in a tight hug "oh Nico!" she said then pulled away to look him over again. "Look at you, you look wonderful, so handsome" she said pulling him in.

He shifted, a little flustered "thank you, Mrs. Jackson" he said politely.

"Percy should be here in a bit, he ran out real quick for some stuff for dinner tonight, you are staying for dinner?" she asked, Ms. Jackson must have the absolute cutest little girl in the world with those puppy dog eyes.

"Um well, my um b-boyfriend was expecting me to be at home tonight" he said.

She seemed a bit shocked then smiled even brighter "if you weren't planning on a date night, does he want to have dinner with us, I'd love to meet him?" she asked.

"Um, maybe I'd have to ask" he replied.

"Phones right behind you" she said and he nodded, once Sally Jackson made her mind or any Jackson really if Percy was anything to go by then there was no changing it. He dialed the salon number, blushing when he realized he'd already memorized it, he waited with shaking hands.

"Hello?" Auto answered.

"Um… Percy's mom wanted to know if you wanted to come over later for dinner?" he asked. Auto was silent for a moment and Nico was about to repeat the question before Auto spoke up "is this your version of meet the parents?" he asked,

Nico face burned "wha-!" he paused then realized that it kind of was if Sally look was anything to go by "uh… probably" he replied.

"Right, I'll be there" Auto agreed "love you" he said and Nico could practically feel Auto smirking, he was standing by the door as Percy came in.

"You're going to make me say it aren't you?" Nico asked.

"No hanging up until you do" Auto taunted, Nico blushed even more and Percy came him a curious look at his face.

He sighed "fine! Iloveyou" he muttered quietly.

"What did you say?" Auto asked.

Nico groaned "I love you" he growled.

"Sorry, I don't think I heard that?" Auto answered "one more time?"

Nico glanced at Percy who was staring in amusement "grrr I LOVE YOU" he shouted loud and clear then heard Auto's laughter and quick "love you too" before he slammed the phone down.

"Have I ever told you how ironic it is that you ended up with someone willing to push you way out of comfort zone and how unbelievably cute that is?" Percy asked, if Nico blush any more than he was, he probably would have.

"Piper may have let something slip about you and Auto and maybe a picture or two or maybe um… 10" Nico stared incredulously "you guys fell asleep on the couch, if Piper hadn't done it, Annabeth would have, she's got a picture of you guys in her room" he explained.

"By the way, you've got a couple name: Nito" he added "the camp is loving this; maybe you could try it out, for a while?" Percy asked, yup definitely had the puppy dog affect from his mother.

"Actually, I was planning to hang out at camp next week, Auto's so reluctant though but I think he's worrying about nothing. Plus I need to work on sword fighting, I can't let myself get rusty, you want to help me out?" Nico asked.

Percy smiled, looking much better than he had in months; he'd hoped that his talk with Percy had put some peace in his mind. He still looked slightly tired but better and less pale than when he'd told Percy everything. "Yeah, I will, that'll be great" he agreed.

"Hey Percy?..." Nico hesitated a moment.

"Yeah?" Percy asked.

"Are you- I mean, have you been sleeping better? I know it'll take a while to get over everything, I only got glimpses of Tartarus and I had nightmares for months… Anyway, what I mean is are you okay?" Nico asked.

"I'm getting better, finally, I have the occasional nightmare but I am sleeping better" he assured and Nico relaxed at Percy's truthfulness.

"Good" he said.

"What about you? I mean I assume you're much better than usual since all those bags under your eyes are pretty much gone but" Percy shrugged.

"Good, Auto… he… he's like a dream catcher, I don't know what it is but I almost never have nightmares when I'm with him" Nico responded and Percy smiled, leading Nico into the kitchen to set the stuff down for dinner.

Paul, Sally's husband and Percy's stepdad, who Nico had only met once was helping Ms. Jackson with the food by cookie some type of veggie. He looked up and smiled "Nico, hello, so a boyfriend huh?" Paul asked and Nico blushed and nodded.

"Must have to be someone extraordinary then" Paul mentioned.

"Auto's a miracle worker in my eyes, he managed to take skittish, angry, shy, tiny Nico and bring him back to us, into the world of the living" Percy replied.

"I wasn't skittish" Nico muttered and Percy raised an eyebrow "okay, fine, I was but I don't know; Auto has something different about him I can't explain" Nico replied "everything he ever does even the stuff I get mad about I can't help but think-" they all were quiet as they waited "-but think, wow, that's the boy I fell in love with and to think I could actually say with my heart that I really truly love him is…"

"Amazing, spectacular, beautiful, crazy, terrifying there's a lot of words for that, trust me, there isn't a word in the world that fits it perfectly but we get it" Percy assured him.

Nico smiled and they moved on to talk about different topics "so tell us about your boyfriend?" Ms. Jackson asked.

Nico nodded "well he uh he's part human, nature spirit and demi-god and works at his mom's salon, he cuts hair" he replied.

"Did he give you that haircut then?" she asked, Nico ran a hand through it and nodded shyly. He'd been so worried about what people would think of his sexuality for so long that he hadn't had the time be himself.

"Yeah, he's got really gentle hands" he winced "that didn't come out right" he added and they all laughed and he laughed along "anyway, he's a great hairdresser, got his degree at a beauty school really young. Everyone who comes in who's a regular will just tell him to do whatever because no matter what cut he gives them it looks great" he explained.

They all looked at the door when it rang and Sally stood smiling brightly "that must be him, then" she said and went to go get it. Nico waited at the table, soon Auto came in looking great and Sally holding flowers.

Auto bent for a quick kiss on the lips that made Nico blush as per usual "I'll just go put these in a vase real quick" Ms. Jackson mentioned than went to do just that. "Percy, plates, Paul, grab the food and Auto" Auto looked up "sit next to Nico, relax" she said and Auto sat.

"She's really nice, she hugged me right away" Auto whispered and Nico smiled.

"I almost flipped the first time I met her, I was so scared from running away and then I was forced for a couple days to get my strength back" he explained.

"I'll bet you were unbelievably cute as a kid" Auto replied.

"Try annoying" Nico answered.

"All kids are annoying in their own way" Auto replied "adults love kids anyway, though, at least most mom's do" he added.

"Dinner is served" Paul announced setting the big plate of spaghetti in the middle with the marinara set aside for it to be distributed however. Including vegetables, butter, and bread.

"Thanks, look great" Auto said.

"Nico, you first, skinniest is always first in this house" Sally announced and Nico sighed and managed to get a healthy amount of food before Sally nodded in satisfaction and Percy did too, then they all dug in quickly.

They got along fairly well as Sally seemed to take in Auto as she usually and Paul was casual and that was normal too. Eventually it got late and Percy's lack of sleep made Percy pass out on the couch by 8:00 and by then they were tired and eventually they all left.

"Hey... I don't… I don't want you to leave" Auto said slowly, more vulrable than Nico had ever seen him "I've had a lot of people leave me, because they died or they got up and left but I- I don't want you to leave, not ever you" Auto said as they got in the car.

"I won't… I've run away too much in my, this time I'm staying but… what are you telling me?" Nico asked.

"I mean… I want you by my side I… I can't think of you never being by my side, gods I'm not making sense. I know in the eyes of the stupid American laws I can't but in the eyes of Greece and Nature spirits… and believe me, I've talked with Aphrodite herself. Love doesn't have a gender, just a face, one face and that's…" Auto's face burned bright red "that face for me is you, you're the one I love, there's not one second I'm away from you that I don't want to be near you" Auto said, gently putting his hands on Nico's cheeks.

"Yes" Nico replied, translating Auto's babble and Auto stared astonished "yes" he said it again kissing Auto deeply and then pulling away "Auto… I'll stick by you as long you love me and I will love you too so yes. You can come to me in 2, 5, 10 years and I will say the same thing" Nico said.

Auto melted "I don't know if I can say it without failing" he admitted.

"You're talking to Klutz king himself" Nico responded, his eyes shining and Auto laughed.

"Marry me?" he asked, producing a beautiful black diamond made with only the metal workings of an underworld Cyclops and the makings of stygian iron, a powerfully beautiful ring.

Nico broke into a smile "I think you know the answer to that one" he said and kissed him yet again before Auto slipped on the ring. "This is stygian iron and true black crystal grown only after thousands of years in the underworld and purified only in the River Styx, excuse me but how the Hades did you?"

"I'm sorry I lied about where I went last month, remember about the whole trip I went on while you hung out with Frank and Leo?" Auto said and Nico prodded him to move on "yeah well, I went on a um quest of sorts on my own to go to the Underworld… with Percy, he held me out since well he's been in the Underworld more than his fair share of times so he took me there."

"I asked your dad out right for his permission to marry you. Hades though, your dad's a scary dude, said on one condition… I make that ring myself. I had a little of Percy help getting the diamond but after that I was in the forges with a Cyclopes. He did the parts I couldn't do but other than that… that ring's my handy work" he explained.

Nico admired the ring even more then "I love you" Nico said "by the way… I can't get married until quite a couple years later I hope you" he added.

"I know… heck you can come to when we're 40 and say 'hey let's get married' and I'll drop everything" he assured and Nico laughed.