I love valdangelo okay? Sue me. No, seriously, sue me. I'd like to see you try.

Judge: Why are you here?

Accuser: She likes valdangelo.

Me: Valdangelo hater! Die, Die, Die!

Coach Hedge: You tell em kid!

Okay I'm gonna shut up now.

Nico Di Angelo didn't laugh. He didn't giggle, chuckle, or do one of those weird silent laughs, with some shoulder shaking. Gods, he didn't even smile. Everyone was used to it by now. No scratch that. Almost everyone.

Percy had stopped trying to tickle Nico. Actually he stopped when Nico had almost killed him.

Jason had stopped trying to be the honorable big guy. [ 'Everyone accepts you Nico. Now laugh!']

Piper didn't quote her mother in front of Nico anymore. [ That was a blessing. Nothing quite like a Cherokee girl coming up to you at the Pavilion and saying 'Aww, so cute!' while you're trying to gods damned eat.]

Frank stopped turning into a pig and saying, 'Pigs are my friends. I don't eat my friends.' [Piper had nodded approvingly when she heard that. Nico had rolled his eyes. Frank had pouted. Hazel had kissed his cheek. Frank had smiled.]

Hazel had stopped hugging him and saying 'My big brother!' He had almost smiled at that one. Almost. Hazel had a camera and everything until she realized that she had failed. Nico had smirked. Percy, who had also had a camera, also pouted. Nico had slapped him.

Annabeth had stopped coming up to him and saying, 'With great responsibility… comes great need to take a nap.' [ Percy had told her about they're ahem… trip to the Underworld.]

Reyna… well what Reyna did was hilarious. She had come up to Nico and said -well cursed- 'Pluto's pauldrons.' Jason had stared at her. 'What?' she has snapped. He couldn't find an answer. She had smiled.

Rachel, oh gods Rachel. She had walked up to Nico and gave him a blue plastic hairbrush. Percy, and Annabeth burst out laughing. Rachel had smiled. But Nico, still didn't laugh.

So mostly everyone gave up. Except one.

Leo Valdez.

A lot of demigods admired Leo for his determination. And a lot of people knew there was a reason. Piper knew especially well. Leo had worriedly called her.

Leo: I may or may not have a crush on Nico.

Piper: What the freaking Hades? Like Nico Di Angelo, Nico?

Leo: Yes, like freaking Nico Di Angelo

Piper: Oh gods, this is awesome!

Leo: Piper-

Piper: You guys are like my OTP and-

Leo: Piper-

Piper: Oh my gods when are you getting together!

Leo: Piper!

Piper: Yes Leo?

Leo: We're not together yet.

Piper: Oh.

No one really knew how Leo was going to. What they did know? It was going to be hilarious. Leo started early in the morning. He was dressed as the puffer fish from Finding Nemo.

Nico stared at him and huffed. 'Seriously Leo? Give it up already.' Leo only held up a hand in his face. With a look of intense concentration on his face he created a ring of fire around the two of them.

Realization dawned on Nico's face. 'Are you seriously-' He was cut of by Leo who looked at him and yelled, 'The ring… of FIRE!' The campers laughed. Nico facepalmed and turned as if to go away.

Only without the as if part. He really was going to walk away. But Leo ran to catch up to him loudly muttering, 'Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, and swimming, and swimming.'

The campers tried to stifle their laughs. Nico didn't react to it one way or another. Leo frowned as if thinking then grinned.

He put both hands on Nico's shoulders looked at him straight in the eye and said, 'You are my Squishy and you shall be mine, and you shall be my Squishy.'

The demigods lost it. They laughed there halfblood heads off. But Nico still didn't laugh. He slapped Leo's hands off himself and stomped away. But Leo still didn't seem discouraged. 'Huh,' was all he said when Nico had stomped away.

'Guess he doesn't like Finding Nemo.' All he got was a sarcastic 'Ya think?' from Percy. Said demigod was then slapped by Annabeth.

The second day, Leo had decided to go for a different approach. They were sparring hellhounds in the Amphitheater, unaware of the crowd gathering around them.

Well Leo was aware. He grinned to himself. The more the merrier. He had once said this to Nico. Said demigod had only scowled and replied with a dark 'The more the annoyinger.' Annabeth had scolded him for improper world usage.

Percy had laughed. So had Leo and Jason. Percy had gotten punched. So had the other two.

Leo put his plan into action. 'Watch out babe, I'll take care of this,' he throws his hammer at a hellhound and purposely misses. 'Leo!' Nico roars. He then kills the hellhound.

'The *sun* was in my eyes Astrid!' Leo cried. 'What do you want me to do, block out the sun? I can do that but I don't have the time!' Nico stopped and stared at Leo. Leo felt his heart beat pick up.

Nico looked like and angel with his obsidian eyes. And his silky hair brushed in front of his eyes. His skin glowed and he looked like a god. So- Focus Leo, he told himself. Make him laugh now. Kiss later.

'Did you just freaking call me Astrid!' Nico shouted his eyes shooting -thankfully fake- lasers at Leo. The arena went dead silent.

'Um… yes?' murmured Leo, inching away from the angry son of Hades. Then he stopped. Something was different in the Ghost King's eyes. They sparkled. Leo stopped, hypnotized.

Everyone stopped, hypnotized. Because right then was a moment that would be told as a legend. From the children of Hephaestus to the pegasi and from the Praetor Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano of Camp Jupiter to the naiads.

Because at that right moment, time stopped. Everyone gaped at Nico Di Angelo, Son of Hades, Ghost King, laughing.

It was a happy sound. A musical sound that filled the air with mirth. Naids, stopped they're gossiping, the freaking gods of Mount Olympus came down and stared. Because the Survivor of Tartarus was finally laughing.

And it was all because of Leo Valdez.

So it came as a surprise to no one when the two boys came to camp with an identical silver ring on both there fingers. Because the fire opal, and obsidian symbolized the clear, pure, and true, love of the two beings.

Fire and Death.

Oh my freaking gods, my first valdangelo fic! PLEASE REVIEW, PLEASE!

Yours in PJOness,

Iamawesome237