They play niece and uncle on "Heroes," but are Hayden Panettiere and Milo Ventimiglia acting more like kissing cousins? The rumor mill has been churning in recent days with chatter that the age-mismatched but chemistry-laden co-stars may be getting cozy.

But in what's sure to be a crushing blow to many a fanfic forum, the easy-on-the-eyes pair adamantly deny there's anything untoward going on.

The talk grew louder on Emmy night, when Hayden, 18, and Milo, 30, appeared joined at the hip (or at least as close as their hips could get, given her gargantuan gown).

Not only were they seated side-by-side during the snoozer of a ceremony, but they also posed together at the Governor's Ball afterparty, where the lately ab-tastic actor put his muscles to good use by -- infantilization alert -- cutting Panettiere's meat, according to the New York Daily News.

Later, TMZ.com spotted them strolling "arm-in-arm" outside another post-awards bash and boldly asked the burning hookup question, prompting Panettiere to shoot back, "I'm holding onto him because I'm about to fall over in these heels!"

[msn]