Well, not too bad. I think it'll only be a few more chapters long. I want to hit some big points in their lives, so we're going to fast forward for the next few chapters. This one will be their first Christmas together. Don't worry, not the epilogue. That's still a bit away. So the next five chapters will happen over a five day span.

…

Nico's POV

…

~Two Months Later~

Percy was having a lot of fun decorating the apartment for Christmas. It was December twentieth, and I'd neglected to get any decorations up. So, at the start of our Christmas break, Percy dragged me into the innards of the city to get decorations and a tree, which he said was vital. Maybe it was his way of reminding me I was no longer alone in that awful apartment. Nonetheless, we had a ten foot tall White Spruce in my living room, and Percy was on a ladder wrapping gold and silver tinsel around the top. He had a gold star for the top, but he refused to put it on until he was done with the rest of it. I was crawling under the damn tree, laying purple velvet down around the pegs.

"Looks good," Percy commented from above me. He climbed down to finish wrapping the tinsel around our white abomination. "Don't forget Nico, after we decorate the tree, we have to do the rest of the apartment. It was so nice of mom to loan us some things."

"And my credit and debit cards for buying the rest," I joked, jabbing him in the side. I crawled out from under the tree and wiped invisible dirt off my knees. Percy gave me a pained look and proceeded to place a box of colorful balls in my arms. I huffed and got to work. I didn't fully understand why we had to put on the damn decorations. The tree looked fine with just the tinsel. But that was once again Percy's doing. Hey, I live to please. "There," I said, hanging up my last colorful ball, only to be handed fake icicles. "Seriously? I don't remember buying these," I protested as I climbed the ladder to hang some on the top branches.

"Remember when you got bored and you gave me your credit card to shop for what I liked?" Percy began innocently. "Well, I bought these and colorful lights." I looked around for the lights. "Oh, they aren't going on the tree," he said. "They're going in our bedroom."

"So basically we're going to have a nightlight," I summed up. Percy shrugged.

"I guess," he replied. "I like to think of it as romantic multi-colored candlelight myself. Whatever floats your yacht." I snorted and slid down the ladder. Percy stepped back and admired our work. "Not bad Neeks. Oh hey, the star." He picked it up and twirled it in his fingers, then held it out to me. "Here Nico. You do it."

"But…" I protested weakly as he thrust it into my hands. "This is your favorite part. You told my so yourself this morning. I can't take this away from you." Percy placed his hands on my hips and softly kissed me.

"That's better," he said with a grin. "Nico, it was my favorite thing to do at my own apartment when I was small and it was just me and mom. Now, I have another family. You do it. Please? It would mean a lot to me." Choking back tears, I once again climbed the ladder, star clutched tightly in my hand. I reached up and placed it at the top of the tree. I slid down and Percy wrapped an arm around my shoulders. We stood and admired our handiwork. You know, having a tree may not be such a bad thing. It certainly made the whole space seem closer and cozier. Percy nuzzled my neck, then moved off to string lights in our room. I shook my head, grabbed up the box of Christmas stuffed animals, and began lining some along the back of the couch. A pair of stuffed snowmen holding the handle of a broom together. A red bear with a little green scarf around his neck. A reindeer with a little red sweater vest with a Christmas tree on it. And of course, perched on the arm of the couch, a miniature Santa. I set the box aside and placed three green bowls on the coffee table. I filled each with a different color candy. Blue in one of course. Blue jelly beans. Then red and green Hershey's kisses. And finally, bite sized Snickers. God almighty above, Percy loved Snickers almost as much as me.

"How's it going in here Neeks?" Percy called through the open bedroom door. I was in the middle of laying a new holiday themed tablecloth on my kitchen table. He poked his head out. "Looks like Christmas." He shut the door behind him and gave me a wicked smile. "No peeking until bedtime," he informed me. He gazed around the room and frowned. "You don't have a fireplace down here," he said, then he brightened. "One in the loft." He climbed up, and I followed behind him, curious. He hung up matching stockings, and I stared at them for a moment, dumbfounded. They were red with little gold swirls all over, laced in intricate patterns. Each had a little silver tassel, and scrawled across the top in silver was Percy's name and my name.

"Well, if this doesn't put us in the holiday spirit, I don't know what will," I said, a laugh bubbling in my chest. "You know Perce, I've never been interested in decorating before. It always reminded me I was alone for the holidays." He pulled me close and kissed my temple.

"Never again Nico," he whispered. "You'll never be alone again. I'll always be here. Now," he added, releasing me. "Let's go bake Christmas goodies!" He skipped over to the ladder, and I shook my head. He was like a child. Endless energy.

…

Percy's POV

…

Nico appeared to be having fun making Christmas cookies and other goodies. I was making homemade peppermints like mom did every year. Nico was tackling peanut butter cookies with a chocolate stars in the middle. He was having fun making a mess with the mixer. He giggled and ate the raw cookie dough from the bowl when he thought I wasn't looking. I pressed the peppermints into the pan and laughed at him.

"I know you're eating more than you're mixing," I said. "But that's okay, because you're having fun." He blushed and went back to spooning balls of cookie dough onto a wax paper covered pan. I stuck the mints in the freezer and watched as Nico slid his cookies into the oven. It was things like this that I loved the best. The simple things. Like baking cookies with Nico in the kitchen. I flicked flour at him, then ducked out of the way when he tried to do the same. Soon, both us and the countertops were covered in flour, and I had Nico pinned to the table. I left a trail of kisses down his neck and shoulder, coughing when I got a mouthful of flour. Nico smiled.

"That's what you get for powdering me," he said with a smirk, moving to rid himself of the powdery clothes and scrub the flour from his face. I undid my pink apron and balled in my hands, tossing it into the laundry room. My shirt was completely uncovered in the space the apron had covered. I chuckled. I'd forgotten I'd worn a gray shirt today. I went into our room and found Nico rifling through his many clothes, looking for something older to put on. "Hey Perce," he said without looking up. He slipped his skull shirt over his head, and a little puff of flour erupted from his hair. "God, I don't think I'll ever get rid of this stuff," he said.

"I know what you mean," I said, shaking my head. Then I gazed around. "Hey, you weren't supposed to be in here." He looked around like he was noticing the lights for the first time.

"Oh, sorry mio Ragazzo Cervello, I forgot," he apologized, looking sheepish. "The lights look good." I grinned and changed into pajamas.

"You should see it when the lights are off," I replied lowly, turning off his light. The tiny Christmas lights bathed the room in a pink and orange glow, and Nico gazed around, his mouth open in wonderment. I smiled and stretched out on his bed. He got on top of me and showered me with kisses. "Do you like it?" I asked with a smile.

"Like it?" he asked like I'd personally insulted him. "I love it! Percy, this…this is amazing! I've never seen something more beautiful." Somehow, I didn't think he was talking about the lights. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, running his hands over my hips. "Ti amo mio Ragazzo Cervello. I love you so, so much. Thank you, for never giving up on me."

"Never," I vowed, snaking my arms around his waist. "I would never give up on you, even if I would have every reason. I love you Nico. You're not getting rid of me that easily." Suddenly, I was back at the Y, the night Nico and I went skinny dipping. Nico said to me that he didn't believe he'd get the fairytale ending he deserved, and therefor didn't believe in fairytales. I hoped that I was proving him that he could have a fairytale ending with the wedding he deserved. My princess was going to have his wildest dreams come true.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Nico asked, slipping off me and rested his head on my chest. "You have that thoughtful look again." I chuckled.

"I was thinking back to the night we went skinny dipping," I replied. "And about happily ever after." Nico grinned. He no longer grimaced at the thought of happily ever after.

"I'm looking forward to that," he said. "You know why?" He gently jabbed me in the side. "Because you're going to be there. You're my happily ever after." Something dinged from in the kitchen. "Oh, cookies are done," he said, bolting to the kitchen. I sat up in his bed and stared around. That made me feel all good inside. You're my happily ever after. Who would've thought?

"You're my happily ever after too," I whispered, barely audible, to the wall. A smile began to form on my face. "Forever and always. I promise you, my princess, I'll give you the best happily ever after I can."

…

"Mom, you have to take me shopping tomorrow. I have a large chunk of money saved up, and I need to get Nico Christmas presents… Well, he could come, but it wouldn't be much of a surprise… I don't want him to know! It's his first Christmas with me. I want it to be memorable… Thank you mom." I hung up the phone and grinned in triumph. I was going to go shopping tomorrow with mom, Travis and Connor, and Jason and Thalia. Nico would be busy doing something with his father, so it worked out perfectly. I didn't want to tell mom this, but I wanted to go to Zale's. I had something very special in mind.

"What was that?" Nico asked, and I whirled around. He was standing in the doorway with a tray of cookies and two glasses of milk. The chocolate star in the middle of each cookie was still melting, which meant they were fresh from the oven. "Going shopping without me huh?" he asked playfully, though I could tell he was a little hurt. It would the first time since October that we'd be away from each other for more than a few minutes. I strode over to him and kissed his temple.

"It's a gigantic outing," I said. "Besides, you're dad has your attention tomorrow." Nico nodded unhappily. I could tell he still felt left out. "It's going to be boring anyway," I told him. "Just some clothes shopping and watching Trav and Con fight over who gets what."

"Sounds better than what I'll be doing tomorrow," Nico mumbled, setting the tray aside. I snatched up a cookie and bit into it, closing my eyes and practically purring with pleasure. "And I thought I was the kitten," he joked half-heartedly.

"Aw Nico, I'd take you if I could," I said to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. I kissed his forehead, then ran my fingers through his hair. I coughed when more flour flew out. He sighed. "How about you go shower up," I said. "The cookies will still be here when you return. Probably." He chuckled as he slipped into his personal bathroom. I wandered out to the living room and sat down next to our tree. I punched in a number I'd come to memorize since our German trip and held the phone to my ear.

"What do you want Percy?" Nico's dad asked. "I've got a lot to do tonight."

"Look sir," I began hesitantly. "You know I love your son. I want to marry him some day. Would I have your blessing if I did?" Hades made a noise like I'd insulted him.

"Of course!" he practically growled. "Nico's my son. I just want him to be happy. But what brought this up Jackson? You're not proposing to him this year, are you?"

"No!" I squeaked, then, decided that sounded bad, I amended it. "I mean, I do want to propose to him. But not while we're still freshmen. I want to get him a promise ring from Zale's though. That's going to be his big present from me. I just didn't want you to kill me when he told you about it." Hades laughed, and I smiled. "I take that as a yes?"

"Percy, you are welcome to get him whatever you desire," he replied. "Just make sure you never hurt him, or I will cut off the very thing that makes you a man." I winced. "Take care now." He ended the call before I could say anything. My future father-in-law in a nutshell. Now my night was complete.

"Percy?" Nico asked, coming out of his room in nothing but a towel. Scratch that. Now my night was complete. I rose and snuck up behind him, covering his eyes with my hands. He jumped, but then leaned against me. I kissed his neck.

"Hey there, Ragazzo Ricco," I said, smiling. "All done un-powdering yourself?" He glared at me, and I laughed. "Go get dressed Neeks. Then we can cuddle." I released him, and he ran back into our room, most likely to get dressed for bed. I wandered into the kitchen and grabbed a mint from the freezer and an apple juice from the fridge. We kept it fully stocked with juices and flavored waters now. We still had soda, for those days that both of us wanted to cheat on the healthy diet we kept up. I went into the room and found Nico lying on the bed, scribbling in his journal. "Whatcha writing?" I asked, peering over his shoulder. But he closed the book before I could read much.

"It's a secret," he said, putting it in his nightstand. "But it hardly matters now." I set my juice aside and laid down, letting Nico cuddle up against me. I wrapped one arm around his waist and pulled him in even tighter. "Oh Percy," he said softly, and he sounded a little wistful. That set off warning bells in my brain.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. "You'd tell me if there's something wrong, right?" He chuckled and laid his hand on my chest, fingers splayed.

"Of course Percy," he said. "Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all. I'm as happy as could be. I just wish we had something that made our relationship seem more… I don't even know anymore." I captured his chin in my hands and softly kissed him.

"I don't care Nico," I said. "We could live in a cardboard box for all I care, as long as I'm with you. That's all I need. Just you." Nico dropped his gaze and refused to look at me. "Are you sure you're okay?" I asked again.

"Yeah, yeah," Nico said hoarsely. "No one's ever said something like that to me Percy, that's all." I pulled him in close and kissed him again, running my hands down his hips. He moaned, and I smiled. "Alright, stop, stop," he said around a laugh, grabbing my wrists. "Hey, I wanna listen to music as we fall asleep tonight. Is that okay?"

"Fine by me," I said. He used a little remote to turn on a stereo across the room above his dresser. He snuggled up against me and closed his eyes. But I wasn't tired, and I was soon listening intently to the song. I somehow knew what it was. God Gave Me You by Blake Shelton. I'm surprised he even listened to country music. Then again, Nico was a mysterious creature. I loved the song so much, I closed my eyes and let the lyrics wash over me. "'God gave me you for the ups and downs,'" I sang quietly. "'God gave me you for the days of doubt. And just when I think I've lost my way, there are no words here left to say, it's true. God gave me you.'" I smiled as I sang. Someday, I'd play this song at our wedding. I'd remember this night, the first night I heard it and thought of Nico. December 20th.

…

Picking a song for this story was a bitch. The song I wanted to use didn't really fit with the rest of the story, and God Gave Me You popped into my head. Sorry for the country, but it's my favorite, and Blake Shelton is one of my favorite artists. It's corny and cute and something that Percy would pick out himself.