Milo Ventimiglia & Hayden Panettiere: Really Dating!

The celeb gossip we accepted as fact for so long yet could not officially confirm has arrived: Milo Ventimiglia and Hayden Panettiere are totally a couple!

Having previously denied a relationship, the two Heroes stars are now being considered an item by various celebrity news sources.

"Hayden's mom adores Milo. She thinks he's so cute," a family friend tells People. "She tells her friends that he's her boyfriend. She's very proud."

On a December trip to N.Y. City, Milo Ventimiglia hung out with the entire Panettiere family.

"He's even met her grandparents. He fits in perfectly with the family. Milo jokes around with her little brother, Jansen," a source dishes. "They're buddies."

When the two hotties are together as a couple, "they're affectionate and they're very comfortable around each other. He really takes care of her, even down to the little things like giving her a back massage and going with her to work."

A rep for the smoking hot teen actress responded: "We do not respond to inquiries from the media regarding Ms. Panettiere's personal life."

Since grinding and cozying up at an Emmy Awards after-party in September, the two have dodged rumors that they were dating - even though, by November, they were clearly closer than ever, being together publicly at benefits and other events.

When asked just before Thanksgiving about the reports of a possible romance with Hayden Panettiere, Milo Ventimiglia laughed, then paused and said: "She and I are close friends. It's only natural that people are going to couple us together."

As for age gap between Milo and Hayden - he is 30, she is 18 - the friend adds, "At first it doesn't seem like there's a big age difference, but then you do see it... He's more proper and reserved, and she's still playful and very girly."