Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me!

Well, hello, dearest Valdangelites! I'm writing this from my sofa with one hand while eating a frankly disgustingly huge cake in celebration of my 18th birthday (and in mourning for the childhood I feel like I never had, but I won't drag you down with the gloomy details!) with the other. As you can probably tell I am an immensely attractive and photogenic person xD

So, as a birthday present to myself, I decided to spend a night doing solid writing so I could spend my day and my big weekend in London feeling like a weight has been lifted! So, finally, here it is- the incredibly disappointing third chapter of Comfort, Confessions and Resolutions! (Which I suppose was technically due three months ago... my bad :/ )

So, I hope you all enjoy what will probably be a massive let-down of the first two parts, and have fun with the fluff! :3

Disclaimer: All (well, all but one, but she's only around to provide a soundtrack) of these characters and places belong to Uncle Rick! The song is 'Completely' and the lyrics belong to Caro Emerald- listen to her, she's great!

Chapter 3: New Year's Eve

"Are you sure that's safe?"

Leo jumped, whipping his head round to the voice and nearly dropping the vial of Greek fire. Nico raised an eyebrow (along with a hastily fashioned coffee table shield) from where he perched on Leo's tool bench.

The mechanic sighed heavily, glaring at the younger boy with just a hint of weariness. "Swear to Hades, if you keep jumping out of the shadows like that I'm gonna tie a bell around your neck!"

Nico chuckled, watching in barely disguised admiration as the Latino's nimble fingers went back to work on the rocket. It was a monster of a firework- at least two feet long, painted a fierce shade of red and, knowing Leo, most likely packed with enough explosives to knock the tentacles off a kraken.

Leo stayed silent a moment as he carefully tipped the Greek fire into the mix. When he was done he screwed on the cap and grinned, holding up the finished product triumphantly.

Nico peeked warily over the edge of his makeshift barrier, glancing between Leo and the monstrous contraption. "Hey, Leo- you never answered my question…"

The son of Hephaestus just winked. "Don't worry, fraidy-cat, it's only dangerous in the wrong hands!" he said confidently, tossing the two-foot death machine into the air and catching it deftly, an action that all but sent the horrified Italian into cardiac arrest.

Nico glowered at the grinning idiot. The lunatic just grinned all the wider, swinging the intimidating device down into its crate, scooping up the whole lot and carrying it towards the heavy doors of Bunker Nine. Nico grabbed his sleeve as he passed, turning him round to face him. Leo cocked his head to the side, waiting for Nico to speak.

The son of Hades gulped and gave a nervous smile. "So, I guess this is… well…"

Leo smiled, shaking Nico's hand off his sleeve and taking it in his own. "First party where everyone knows we're together?"

Nico swallowed again and nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on their twined hands. "Yeah. I mean, I know we haven't officially told anyone, but-"

"To be fair, we did disappear for three hours together into the snowy streets of New York on Christmas day and return holding hands with swollen lips and soaking clothes," Leo pointed out matter-of-factly, making the younger boy wince and turn bright red. "I'd say that's universal body language for 'we've spent the last three hours making out in snowdrifts'."

Nico nodded in agreement, biting his lip anxiously. "Yeah, I guess the cat's more or less out of the bag now…"

Leo raised his eyebrow incredulously. "More or less? How about out of the bag, raiding the pantry and tap dancing on the coffee table?"

"Point taken," Nico acknowledged with a grimace.

Leo chuckled, planting a kiss on the Ghost King's forehead and leaning back to look at him. Nico was looking healthier these days- he'd filled out to a less worrying weight (at least Leo couldn't count his ribs by sight anymore) and his sallow skin was recovering a little of its original olive tones. It may never be as dark as it had been, considering the amount of trauma he'd been through and the hours he spent indoors or underground, but it was a definite improvement nonetheless. He was starting to look more like a boy and less like a phantom.

Nico regarded him with huge dark eyes, and Leo stared back into them, transfixed. Maybe it was because he spent so long in the shadows, but the son of Hades had the biggest pupils he'd ever seen. He'd seen them stretch so wide that his coffee brown irises all but disappeared, replaced by two infinite pools of black, drawing in light and reflecting none back.

Nico raised his eyebrow and cleared his throat, yanking Leo back to reality. He blinked several times and hopped back a step, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously and blushing furiously.

The Italian smiled knowingly, slipping his hands in his jacket pockets. "Getting lost in my eyes again, Valdez?"

Leo grinned sheepishly, shouldering the firework crate and shuffling towards the doors before the look his boyfriend was giving him made him drop the thing and pounce. He mumbled something about being late for the flight, and he heard the son of Hades shoulder away from the wall and follow him, hanging back a step with his warm breath on Leo's neck as they made their way to the Argo II in yearning silence.

Nico perched on the railing, his leg swinging beneath him and his eyes on the rolling fields hundreds of metres below. He glanced up and smiled as he saw the rest of the ship's passengers clamouring for a similar view, clustering at the carved balustrades for a glimpse of the world passing beneath them like a slideshow.

He slid off the railing and strolled forward, pausing by the helm to watch Leo at work. The pilot's agile fingers leapt between the controls with ease, making minute adjustments to their course as they sailed, his bronze earpiece buzzing and crackling from time to time with updates from Festus the friendly figurehead.

Leo noticed Nico watching and grinned, twirling a section of the Archimedes sphere. "Come to watch the master at work?"

Nico did his best to give him a withering look, but the mock annoyance didn't quite make it to his eyes. Instead he decided to change the subject, leaning against the console and nodding to the horizon in the direction they were sailing. "So, any idea what the plan for tonight is?"

Leo shrugged, hammering a confusing combo into the Wii remote. "Not sure. Supposedly when we get to New Rome we're all meeting in the plaza, sightseeing a bit 'till the party gets underway. Fireworks show at midnight," he said, tapping the crate at his feet with his toe. "And I think a load of people are doing songs and stuff before that."

"Any idea who?" Nico asked absently, somewhat preoccupied with Leo's hair blowing in the wind.

"Well I don't know what the Romans are bringing to the table, but I think the Apollo cabin's got a set," he said, smiling. "Nat's got a song."

Nico frowned. "Really? Nat? As in Nat, Nat? She never told me that."

Leo chuckled. "Don't think she's told many people. I only found out today."

"What'd she say?"

Leo glanced at Nico and grimaced. "Probably shouldn't say. Wouldn't want to corrupt your innocent little nineteen-thirties mind with the language she used."

Nico glowered at him. "I'm not a child, you know. Censor it if you must."

Leo chewed his lip thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, in that case I guess it was something along the lines of; 'Holy fudge, Leo, I'm fudging singing in front of a massive tweeting crowd and I'm shooing fudging bricks what the crate am I doing, fudgity help me!'"

Nico nodded slowly. "Eloquent."

"She always did have a way with words," Leo agreed. "I had to get Piper to charmspeak her into calming down. She'll be fine, just needs a little courage."

Nico looked down at Leo's hands on the console with glum eyes, thinking back to that cold Christmas day not long ago. "I don't think we're qualified to talk about courage, are we?"

Leo glanced up, flipping a switch and moving his free hand to cover Nico's. "Nico, you've gotta stop beating yourself up about that."

The son of Hades rolled his eyes. "I did kind of run away screaming."

"Ah, come on, you're exaggerating," Leo said firmly, returning to the control board.

"Okay, not screaming," Nico conceded, trying not to pout when Leo withdrew his hand. "It was still pretty bad though, let's face it."

Leo shrugged. "Granted it wasn't your finest hour."

Nico snorted. "You think?"

Leo lifted his hands from the console, making a few clicking noises into a microphone and standing back as Festus took over control of the ship. He turned to Nico and took his hand, pulling him gently into a hug. Nico looped his arms around Leo's waist, glancing over his shoulder at the other campers. They were all too preoccupied with the view over the railings to pay the intimate scene at the helm any attention.

The son of Hephaestus rubbed his back reassuringly. "Hey," he said quietly, waiting for Nico to meet his eyes. "It's going to be fine."

Nico smiled and pulled away, glancing past Festus at the horizon. "Looks like we'll be arriving soon- I'd better go check on the people below deck."

Leo nodded, planting one last kiss on the younger boy's forehead before he disappeared down the stairs.

"…You okay?"

Nat glared up at him from the nest of blankets. "I'm sitting on the floor, biting my nails to bleeding point, rocking back and forth and muttering to myself, I think it's pretty safe to assume that I am not okay!"

Nico winced, retreating slightly behind the door. "Nervous?"

She sighed, getting to her feet and pulling several sheets with her. "Of course I'm bloody nervous, I've never stood up in front of hundreds of sodding people before. I thought 'hey, I like music, I've got an okay voice, I should do a song!' then I realised I'd have to actually, you know, sing."

"Yes, I don't think performing a song without singing would be a practical use of time," Nico agreed, tentatively reaching out a hand to steady her when the rocking of the ship made her lurch forward.

She smiled at him gratefully, but frowned when she saw the worry in his eyes. "What's up with you?"

Nico just sighed heavily, not offering an answer.

Nat watched him carefully and hazarded a guess. "Leo?"

The son of Hades groaned, crossing the room and flopping down on the bed. "I don't know how to be a boyfriend!" he moaned into the duvet.

Nat grumbled sympathetically, shrugging off her blanket cape and running her fingers through her matted lilac hair to tease out the tangles. "I know the feeling. I was never a particularly pleasant girlfriend, myself."

Nico turned his face to her. "I love him, but I can't tell him I love him, and I can't even muster up the courage to tell other people we're together and now we're going to a party and we're going to be dancing in front of hundreds of people and it's too soon! I don't even know how to be romantic!"

She shook her head, scooping her bag off the floor and gathering the scattered sheets of paper around it. "Well, I wish I could help you, I really do. But I've said it before and I'll say it again- I don't give relationship advice."

Nico shrugged. He didn't really want her to. The main reason he opened up to Nat at all was because he knew she wouldn't start throwing her weight around in his personal life. She was just a sympathetic ear. He hopped up from the bed and slouched over, about to leave the room. One of the sheets of paper in her hands caught his eye.

"That your cabin's set list for tonight?" He asked, looking over her shoulder at the scribbled list.

She nodded, handing it to him for his inspection. One song was underlined several times. "What's that?"

She glanced over and saw what he was pointing at, smiling nervously. "That's the song I'm singing…" She rummaged around and came up with another sheet, the handwriting even messier than the last. She held it out to him.

He took it and skimmed over the words on the page, smiling as he realised she'd handed him the lyrics. His smile widened as he reached the end of the song, and he turned his face back to the daughter of Apollo. "Hey, Nat, can you do me a favour?"

Nat met his eyes and smiled pleasantly, although she seemed slightly bewildered.

Nico gave her back the sheets and pointed at the songs. "Do you think there's any chance you could do your song first?"

Her eyes widened and her face paled, and for a moment it looked like she was considering going right back to huddling on the floor with a blanket over her head.

But she met his pleading eyes and swallowed her fear, offering him an anxious smile and a nod. "I'll see what I can do."

Nico grinned, nodding his thanks and slipping out of the room.

Maybe he could be romantic from time to time.

By the time they reached New Rome, the plaza was already full to bursting- it seemed the whole city had turned out to welcome their Greek brothers and sisters, and another section was roped off while a makeshift stage was constructed. Leo brought the ship to rest at the edge of the grand plaza where he could moor it without getting in the way of the proceedings, and no sooner had he dropped anchor than the gangplank was up and the passengers were swarming the city. Leo barely had time to smile at Nico before the son of Hades was swept away with the tide of excitable Greeks. Leo waved at him as he was carried along towards the gangplank and disappeared behind the railing. He'd have to catch up with him later.

As the crowd thinned and the last of the Greek campers descended to the ground below, Leo set to work mooring the ship fully and talking Festus through his maintenance checks. He barely noticed when a familiar blonde head poked out from the other side of the console. He almost jumped out of his skin when the head was joined by a voice.

"How's things, Captain Valdez?" Jason asked cheerily, standing up from behind the dashboard and leaning against it with a grin.

Leo gathered himself and returned the smile. "All fine and dandy, as ever, my friend," he said, raising his fist and bumping his knuckles against Jason's across the console. "So, Clark Kent, how's civilian life treating you?"

Jason was interrupted before he could speak as Piper popped up beside him, causing Leo to once again jump three feet in the air. "Jeez, how many of you are hiding down there?" he exclaimed, bending over and peering under the table.

She laughed musically, leaning across the console and wrapping Leo in a warm hug. "Last one, I promise- and Jason's been handling his hiatus from heroics very well, he's a great guy to have around on dad's road trips!"

She pulled away and leaned against the console, crossing her arms and grinning expectantly. "But right now we want to hear about you," she prompted, nodding at him encouragingly.

He smiled knowingly. "Oh, really? Why so much interest in little old me?"

Jason's smirk matched Piper's as he raised his eyebrow. "Come on, man, you know what she wants to know…"

Leo chuckled, flicking the last switch and leaning casually on the dashboard. "Nico's fine."

Piper's eyes widened. "Just 'fine'? Is that all I get after a week of waiting? Come on, you have to give me more than that!"

Leo considered it a moment. "Well, last time you guys saw us we were holding hands over Christmas lunch, what more is there to say? Now, are you going to make yourselves useful and help me out with the Show-Stopper, or what?" he said, gesturing down at the colossal rocket in the crate at his feet.

Jason followed his gaze and paled. "That's a firework?!"

The son of Hephaestus grinned roguishly. "You bet your butt it is. Now grab a handle and let's get cracking."

Piper's eyes had gone wide as saucers and she took a few steps backwards. "Leo, you sure about this?"

Leo rolled his eyes and reached down to grab a side of the crate. "Calm down, Beauty Queen, I know what I'm doing."

Jason stepped forward quickly and pulled Leo's hands away, taking hold of the crate by himself. Leo raised an eyebrow and Jason shrugged.

"What? So, maybe I don't want the Human Torch to carry a crate full of explosives into my city with his bare hands, sue me," he reasoned, turning round and lugging the death box towards the gangplank. Leo laughed and offered his arm to Piper. She looped hers through it and they followed the slightly staggering son of Jupiter.

"You do realise you're not off the hook, right?" she said, sending him a sidelong glance.

He nodded. "I know. And believe me, I'll tell you everything, just… not right this second."

She smiled and nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder as they walked. Leo hugged her to his side so she couldn't see his face as his smile dropped.

He hoped Nico was okay.

The demigod in question was currently getting his ribs crushed by a petite girl with cinnamon-brown hair and surprisingly powerful arms. Hazel Levesque squeezed him tightly, grinning as her flustered half-brother stuttered out a greeting between gasps for breath. Percy hovered a few steps behind her, grinning away as per usual.

"Hazel… can't breathe…" Nico gasped, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her away to less suffocating proximity.

She smiled apologetically and took his hands instead, bouncing slightly on the spot in her excitement. "So?"

He frowned. "So what?"

She rolled her eyes. "So, how are you? How's everything? Come on, I want to know!"

He bit his lip and shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, good. Everything's good. You know, the usual."

Hazel looked disappointed. "Really? Is that all?"

"Yeah, man, is that all you're gonna tell us?" Percy asked, coming up to stand behind Hazel and sliding his hands into his pockets. His grin turned mischievous. "How's Leo?"

Nico blushed bright red and turned his eyes to the floor. "Fine. Yeah, he's fine."

"Really?" Percy asked sceptically, raising an eyebrow. "You don't sound so sure."

"He is being good to you, isn't he?" Hazel said, her voice taking on a dangerous edge.

Nico's head snapped up and his eyes widened. "Yes! Yes, he's not the problem- please don't punch him, I'm trying not to scare him off."

Hazel looked pacified, but her eyes turned worried in a heartbeat. "Problem? There's a problem?"

Nico sighed wearily. He was going to have to tell them. He kind of wished Percy wasn't around to hear this, but there wasn't much he could do about it now. Instead he let Hazel take hold of his hand and lead him through the crowded plaza as he talked, Percy at his other shoulder.

"I'm just… well, to be completely honest I'm kind of a shitty boyfriend," he said matter-of-factly, shrugging.

Hazel looked taken aback. "What makes you say that?"

Nico chewed his lip uncomfortably. "I don't know. I'm just… not very affectionate, I guess."

"Nico, no offense, but that's not exactly news," Percy said, slinging an arm across the shorter boy's shoulders.

Nico turned his head and glared up at him, his hair flopping over his eyes. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"I'm just saying," Percy countered, raising an eyebrow. "I think Leo probably knew what he was getting into, right?"

The Ghost King groaned loudly, dropping his head to the side to rest glumly on Hazel's shoulder. "This isn't exactly reassuring."

"Nico, it's fine," Hazel said, squeezing his hand. "I mean, you are who you are. If it works out, it works out, and if it doesn't, well…"

Nico tuned out the rest of that sentence and gulped. He didn't even want to consider the idea that Leo might get sick of him and leave. He definitely couldn't handle that right now. He sighed, straightening his neck.

"I owe him more than this," he said quietly. He straightened up and looked ahead to where everyone was converging. "Where are Frank and Annabeth?" he asked before they could keep chasing up the Leo issue.

"Annabeth's pretty much planning everything, with some help from Reyna, of course," Percy said. "And Frank's helping out with the heavy lifting- I don't know how, but someone's managed to hook us up with a pretty colossal sound system for tonight," he grinned, his eyes lighting up. "Looks like we're in for one heck of a night."

Nico nodded, swallowing the nervous bile rising up in his throat. He couldn't agree more.

Almost seven hours later, Leo found himself- along with several hundred other demigods- in front of the most immense speakers he'd ever seen. He had flashbacks to that one scene at the start of Back to the Future and found himself offering a prayer up to his godly father that he wouldn't be thrown back against the burly Mars kid standing a few steps behind him. That was one awkward and potentially deadly situation he'd rather avoid.

Fortunately, the speakers were apparently turned down to what must have been their lowest setting, because they filled the thriving plaza with a dull roar that fell just short of launching anyone off their feet. He felt himself jostled on all sides by demigods all having the time of their lives, taking the rare opportunity to dance and laugh with their Roman and Greek half-siblings while the barriers were down. Nothing brought people together like New Year's Eve and 80s music.

At this second Leo felt like the only person in a five mile radius who wasn't having the time of his life. He didn't mean to be a drag, but there was someone so obviously missing from the crowd. The one person he wanted to see more than anyone.

He caught Piper's eye and she smiled at him, but her attention was on Jason. The two of them had been dancing since the first song of the night and they showed no signs of stopping. Leo didn't blame them, it looked like fun. Sadly, the person he wanted to dance with appeared to be a no-show.

Sighing, he started picking his way through the dancing couples, cursing himself for his unfortunate lack of tall genes. Being a scrawny 5"6 kid on a dance floor full of girls in stilettos and tall, buff guys was a definite drawback in terms of visibility. Right about now his line of sight barely extended past the tip of his nose. It didn't exactly help that he was searching for another scrawny 5"6 kid who wore black all the time and had a habit of collapsing in on himself when he was around too many people.

He wasn't really looking anymore, just wondering through the crowd morosely as he considered the more than likely possibility that Nico just hadn't shown up. He was already nervous about them being together in front of their friends, so doing it in front of a crowd like this was probably giving him a panic attack. Leo was scared too, of course, but he'd decided the best thing to do would just be to get it over with. Rip off the band-aid, as it were. Apparently Nico begged to differ.

Leo felt his shoulders slump and another drawn-out sigh escape his lips. Feeling suddenly exhausted, he turned around to head back the way he came with every intention of curling up in the Argo II's engine room with some machine parts and a screwdriver to while away the hours.

"Leo."

He whipped around, coming face to face with the owner of the quiet voice.

Nico smiled shyly at him, raising a hand and waving timidly.

Leo felt his heart stutter. He smiled slowly, tucking his hands in his pockets. "Hey, there, stranger."

Nico glanced down at his feet for a moment before looking up and meeting Leo's eyes. "You have the time?"

Leo nodded, glancing down at the old watch on his wrist. "Nearly ten to midnight.

The son of Hades' shy smile returned and he nodded towards the makeshift stage flanked by the monster speakers. "Shall we?"

Leo didn't even have time to nod yes before Nico was cutting through the crowd, and it was all he could do to follow.

Before too long they found themselves standing barely five feet from the stage, side by side. The clock was ticking ever closer to midnight, and the first musicians were starting to clamber onto the stage. It was seven minutes to twelve, and the whole orchestra was ready and waiting.

The music on the speakers quieted, and everyone's attention turned to the stage. Reyna was walking confidently to the centre, her purple cape sweeping behind her as she reached the central microphone. She turned to face the crowd, and Leo was taken aback to see that she actually looked happy (not that her face looked much different than usual, but there was definitely a life in her eyes that he hadn't seen before).

"Brothers, sisters, friends," she began, looking out across the hundreds of faces raised in anticipation. "Welcome, all, to the celebration of a new year and fresh start. A fresh start which, for the first time in hundreds of years, Greeks and Romans will celebrate together."

Her statement was met with cheers and whoops, and she waited a moment for the noise to subside before she continued.

"On behalf of myself, along with my fellow praetors and camp councillors, teachers, instructors, family and friends, I would like to thank you for coming, and wish you the best of fortune in the New Year. May our partnership endure and our union bring us new strength, and may this year be our best yet!"

She nodded solemnly to the crowd, but even she couldn't disguise the sparkle in her eyes as the assembled mob burst into rapturous applause. A smile tugging at the corner of her lips, she again turned to the microphone.

"And now, to usher us into the New Year, I would like to welcome the children of Apollo to the stage!"

She turned and strode away as the musicians stood up and bowed, their faces cracked into excited grins. Grins that faded after a few moments as the air fell silent. The crowd started muttering as one of the cellists stood up, offered an apologetic smile and walked quickly off the stage. The angry whispers backstage were eerily audible across the silence of the stunned crowd. Leo and Nico glanced at each other knowingly.

A few moments later, Nat was propelled onto the stage by several pairs of hands, and the cellist returned moodily to her seat, once again taking up her instrument.

Nat stood in front of the mic, her eyes wide and her mouth open, the exact picture of a rabbit in the headlights. Her hastily painted nails clutched at the deep purple taffeta of her dress, the skirt bunching beneath her fingertips. She stood completely frozen, blinking in the hot glare of the spotlight.

"She's freaking out…" Leo whispered, silently willing her to say something. Anything.

She swallowed hard and offered a queasy smile.

"Hi, everyone! Well, this is fun, isn't it? Everyone having a good night? Dancing the night away? I never could dance, well, not well. I mean, I dance, but in kind of a dad-ish way," she prattled, her eyes still widened to far beyond their natural breaking point.

Leo groaned. "And now she's babbling, terrific…."

Her nervous stream of menial chit-chat continued. Nico felt his heart sink.

"Get on with it!" someone far back in the crowd shouted.

Several other similar cries joined it, and the sax player sidled up to Nat and whispered something in her ear. Nat somehow managed to look both terrified and annoyed at the same time. "Yes, thank you, I am quite aware that time is marching on, can you not see that I'm trying to stall for time before my inevitable embarrassment, here?! Thank you!"

She sighed and turned back to the crowd, terror still evident in her expression. She glanced down at the front line of the gathering and locked eyes with Nico. He nodded encouragingly.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened them slowly and disentangled her hands from her dress, wrapping them round the mic stand and clinging on for dear life. She breathed in slowly, took one last look and Nico and Leo, and nodded.

The band started playing, and Nat tapped her fingers on the mic stand in time with the beat, counting off the bars under her breath.

"This one goes out to two very special guys," she said hoarsely, closing her eyes again. "You two douchebags better dance."

Finally, she started to sing.

"I recall the days that I was single,

Used to flirt, fool around and mingle,

Then you came along,

And suddenly it changed completely!"

The crowd started cheering, and Leo grinned up at his friend proudly.

"Well, look at that, she did it," he said, joining in the applause. "She sounds pretty good considering she's probably having multiple heart attacks. Who'd have thought it, eh?"

He turned to Nico and frowned. Nico had turned to face him, and was standing a few steps back looking at his feet. Chewing his lip, he raised his hand and held it out to Leo.

Suddenly, everything disappeared. Nat's voice faded into the background, as did the cheers of the crowd and the hum of the speakers. Leo stared at Nico's outstretched hand, and felt his worries disappearing. Nico raised his head and smiled nervously.

"May I have this dance?" He asked gently, peering up at Leo from the shadows cast by the dark waves of hair framing his face.

Leo felt like his grin would vibrate off his face.

"Do you even need to ask?" he said, reaching out and clasping Nico's hand eagerly.

He was barely aware of Nat's voice- sounding more confident by the minute- launching into the chorus as he pulled Nico closer to him, looping his arms around his waist. Nico raised his arms and rested them gingerly on Leo's shoulders, his fingers twining behind his neck.

For a moment, neither of them cared that they were surrounded by hundreds of other people. They didn't care about the glances they were given by other campers or the smiles from their friends. They didn't care that they had somehow found themselves slow-dancing to what was actually a very upbeat, vintage-sounding tune that probably would have been better suited to some kind of Charleston.

For a moment, the world faded from view, and all Leo could see was Nico's eyes. Dark, infinite, and currently shining like stars in the light from the stage.

He remained transfixed as Nico returned his grin, his shyness evaporating as he felt Leo's warm gaze drink him in.

"Guess what?" he said, snapping Leo out of his trance.

"What?" Leo asked, arms tightening around the pale boy's waist.

Nico cocked his head to the side, trying not to let on how pleased he was that Leo was holding him closer. "For once, I actually have a New Year's resolution."

Leo raised his eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Do tell."

Nico smiled teasingly, keeping his mouth shut. He wanted to drag the moment out a little longer. He pretended he hadn't heard Leo's question, instead pulling him closer so their foreheads touched as he listened to the music, silently congratulating himself for seizing a one-of-a-kind romantic opportunity.

"I look at you, and I sure see a genius,

It's kinda crazy, but you don't think I mean this,

You filled up my heart,

And I know that I changed completely!"

A rumble shook the ground, knocking over the music stands on stage and snapping Leo and Nico out of their stupor as the music ground to a halt. Leo's head whipped to the side and Nico followed his gaze. He was looking out past the buildings in the direction of the park, his face breaking into a grin as he checked his watch.

"Brace yourself," he said, turning so he stood beside Nico and they faced the park, his arm still wrapped snugly around his waist.

Silence hung heavy in the air for a few tense seconds.

Then, with a monstrous roar, a blazing light soared into the sky above the city skyline, blazing like the sun.

Nico matched Leo's grin with one of his own. "The Show-Stopper…"

Leo nodded, shading his eyes with one hand. "I sure as Hades hope you're ready for this- most insurance policies don't cover blown minds!"

And with that one line (which Nico was about ninety percent sure was ripped off from one of those obscure British sitcoms the Latino couldn't get enough of), the clock tower chimed midnight, and the sky exploded.

The crowd collectively gasped as a fiery corona erupted above them, a tornado of heat and colour that set the heavens ablaze. A searing red core fanned out into swirls of orange and yellow, spiralling away into tendrils of electric blue. The tendrils grew longer, spreading like a vast canopy before twisting off into coils of green, pink sparks flying from the ends like glittering cherry blossoms. The dazzling aura hung over them, for a moment making the night sky seem as bright as day. As the explosion subsided and the colours began to fizzle out and float downwards like blazing snow, the crowd cheered and the band roared back to life, the speakers catapulting the sound to the sky and beyond.

"Darling, do you know,

The sky performs a show,

Each and every night before I sleep!

When I look up at the stars,

In the galaxy near or far,

I'm always with you, baby, wherever you are!"

"It's about you," Nico blurted.

Leo turned his head to look at him, looking confused. "What is?"

"My New Year's resolution," Nico said, smiling.

Leo grinned. "And what is it?"

Nico looked at his feet, his hands tucked back in his pockets. "Well, if you must know… my resolution this year is to be what you need. Give you the things you deserve."

He felt a hand under his chin, tilting his face back up.

Then he felt lips, warm and soft, gentle but firm, press against his own.

"If I'm alone, I still feel protected,"

Leo pulled away, cheeks flushed and eyes dark. He smiled his impish smile.

"Do you really think I need anything else?"

"By your love, it's never misdirected,"

Nico felt his heart flutter and his lips tingle.

"Maybe not- but you deserve it, and I'm going to do whatever I can to give it to you."

"You came along,"

Leo smiled, and leaned in once more.

"I'm happy my life changed completely!"

"Happy New Year, Nico…"

"I'm talkin' to you!

You filled up my heart,

And I know that I changed completely!"

That's all, folks!

I hope you enjoyed it, sorry for the wait and for the immense let-down that was this chapter- let's pretend this never happened, shall we? No good can come of writing a story while suffering from crippling writer's block about characters you feel disconnected from (I think it's been too long, frankly, so I think I'm going to have to give the Leico fiction a rest for a while *dodges rotten fruit* Don't kill me!)

On the bright side, it's been one hell of a productive day and the next chapter of my Sherlolly fic is up! So, y'know, give that a read if that's the kind of thing you like!

Thank you all for being so patient with me, and I'm sorry I couldn't give you a better reward for your patience and understanding :(

Until next time!