"Percy planned the perfect date, with dinner on a fancy restaurant and all, but when they were ordering, Jason and Piper walked into the place and ruined Percy's plans." – Percico-feels
As requested. The first attempt: dinner date.
Today was the day. Percy just knew it. He had planned everything down to the smallest possible detail and had, in his opinion, booked the perfect place in the most picturesque location he could find, and by the gods he'd looked. The place he had booked was a quaint little restaurant near the waterfront. He had even tipped off the staff to keep the table closest to the window empty for him. They had been all too agreeable when he had mentioned the purpose. The whole arrangement had taken a few days to set up, what with the drastic need for organisation to ensure everything went as planned and Percy striving for nothing but perfection throughout.
Everything was ready. He had even gone back to the restaurant that very morning to check and double check everything. Now he just had to tell Nico.
He walked back in to the lounge of the apartment he and Nico owned, small and neat. Camp had witnessed a rise in the number of half-bloods being claimed by their godly parent (as they had sworn to do so) and had to make space for them. Some older campers voluntarily left the camp, returning often to perform certain duties. Nico and Percy themselves were prime examples of this: Percy returned to help Chiron instruct the younger campers in sword combat while visiting Camp Jupiter to uphold his position as Praetor, Nico returned to Camp Jupiter, usually with Percy, to represent Camp Half-Blood as the Ambassador of Pluto. He and Nico had decided to get an apartment after the slightly messy break-up with Annabeth and months later they had ended up involved with one another. He looked around and found Nico sitting on the couch, deeply engrossed on a book. Percy smiled and drew his attention.
"Get your coat on Nico, time to go." Nico looked over the back of the couch and raised an eyebrow.
"Where're we going?" He asked. He marked the page of his book carefully and set it on a table.
"It's a surprise. C'mon." Percy motioned, beckoning Nico towards the door. Nico, with suspicion in his eyes, grabbed his aviator jacket and shrugged it on his shoulders. They left the apartment, locking it behind them and Percy took the lead, Nico trailing behind him, still suspicious. "We're not shadow travelling. You won't enjoy it if you're half asleep." Percy said simply, striding ahead of Nico. Nico huffed and caught up with him.
"You're being awfully secretive." Nico glanced next to him, his hands falling into his aviator jacket pockets. "Mind telling me which of the Gods is controlling you?"
"Yeah," Percy replied, a smirk on his face. "It's Shush, the God of You'll-Find-Out."
"Lamest God ever." Nico countered.
They arrived at the quaint little restaurant near the sea after a small trek and a risky trip on the bus (Percy had to stop Nico from looking out of the window every few seconds, fearful of a monster attack) and a genuine look of surprise crossed Nico's face.
"An Italian restaurant? This is new, even for you Percy." He looked to the side at his companion and his face creased with further suspicion.
"It's been a while since we had the opportunity to actually relax, so I thought I'd treat us to a meal." They entered, Percy casting a sneaky wink towards the staff and a miniscule gesture towards Nico. A waiter intercepted them immediately and showed them to their table: tucked in a neat corner by the clearest window that granted them a perfect view of the sea and the setting sun. Percy pulled Nico's seat out and pushed him in when he sat down, sitting down himself after.
"You're being unusually gentlemanly." Nico said suspiciously, glancing down at the menu in front of him and the choices. He noticed, to his amusement, that each meal was in Italian. It'd be fun watching Percy order without knowing what the food was. He raised an eyebrow when Percy, in a fluent Italian accent, ordered his meal flawlessly. Nico ordered his and folded his arms, staring directly at Percy. "What's your game tonight, Jackson? A surprise meal in a lovely little restaurant, a perfect view of the sea, and you recited a meal in flawless Italian… I must admit, I am suspicious."
"You make me sound like such a bad boyfriend," Nico flinched at the name, still not used to the term. "Like I don't always go to this much effort usually."
"But you don't. Usually we just end up beating the crap out of each other and laughing about it afterwards." Percy laughed, leaning back in his chair.
"Touché. You got me on that one." Percy leaned forward, a smile coming to his lips and a gleam in his eyes. He folded his menu up and set it aside on the table, interlocking his fingers and looking keenly at Nico who shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "Anyway, you're right. I didn't just bring us here on a whim. This does have actual meaning." He separated his hands, one of them digging under the table in his pocket and gripping the small black box. "Will—"
"Percy? Nico? Hey guys!" Nico and Percy tore away, Percy cursing to the Gods for his bad luck, and looked over at the new arrivals. With an arm wrapped around her hips keeping her close, his blonde hair falling normally across his face and his grin conveying the usual level of arrogance, Percy couldn't help but curse Jason Grace for appearing there and then with Piper. He could have drawn his sword there and then in frustration, though he refrained from doing so.
"Jason, Piper! Hey!" Nico turned and called them over. They joined them, pulling two chairs up and sitting at the table. Percy half-smiled, half fighting a twitch setting in and restraining himself from punching Jason. "What're you guys doing here?"
"We came here to get something to eat; we've heard some good things about this place." Piper spoke up, adjusting her coat and looking between Percy and Nico with a raised eyebrow. "What were you two doing here?"
"Same reason, really. Percy thought it'd be nice to surprise me with a meal out so here we are." Percy nodded, still cursing his luck.
"Yeah… just to get something to eat." Piper looked at him, sensing something else but let it drop.
"Great. Mind if we join you?" Jason asked, leaning further in on the table. Nico shook his head and Percy just shrugged. "Great!"