Alright, so as promised, their kind of date! On with the show!

Percy's POV

Nico wouldn't tell me where we were going, which was fine by me. I was content to lay back and let him take the reins on this one. After all, he'd know the best places to eat. We quickly found ourselves in the Bronx, which I thought was kind of strange, but then I shrugged. Nico knew what he was doing. He pulled up in front of a quaint little place called 900 Park. I climbed out and stood in front of it, mouth agape. A valet came and took the keys from Nico.

"Grazie," Nico replied to the valet, who smiled at him. "Come," Nico said, taking my hand in his and leading us inside. The inside was more impressive than the outside. The ceilings were more vaulted than Nico's apartment and everywhere I looked there were drapes and curtains, all red, all pretty. I see why this is casual dress up. Nico looked at ease here. "Welcome to one of my favorite restaurants in NYC," Nico said with a smile.

"Ah, Mister di Angelo," a waiter said, coming up to us. "Another date I see." Nico flared red and made the cut motion with his hand. "Il solito tavolo, signore?" the waiter asked.

"Si, per favore," Nico replied. "Grazie." The waiter grabbed a couple of menus and led us to a table in the middle of the room. Nico and I sat opposite sides of the table, and I gazed over the menu. "So Percy," he said. "What looks good?" I looked up at him.

"I didn't know you spoke Italian," I said, feeling a little betrayed. "That's the kind of thing you tell someone when they're getting to know you." Nico shrugged and frowned. "It's not something you keep from someone," I added softly.

"I guess I didn't feel it was all that important," Nico said, appearing flustered. "I'm part Italian, obviously, and I can be fluent, I just don't speak it often. I speak when I come here, and sometimes when I get super pissed off. I yelled at Jason with a couple sentences in Italian. So I don't feel it's necessary to bring up, as it doesn't rule my life."

"It's still nice to know all your little quirks," I said. "Especially if we date one day. I like the Italian though. It sounds sexy." I cocked and eyebrow and Nico snorted into his menu in a very un-ritzy way. I smiled slightly and looked back over my menu.

"So, Ragazzo Cervello," Nico purred. "What sounds good to you?" I suddenly couldn't concentrate on the tiny, colorful pictures of pasta, salad, and other foods.

"What does that mean?" I asked him. "The only part I understand is it's directed at me." Nico cocked his head to the side and closed his eyes in a thoughtful way.

"I believe the literal translation is Smart Boy," he said slowly, the way he would talk to a small child. "But in this case it means Brain Boy, your nickname. That's what it is in Italian, Ragazzo Cervello." I loved the way the Italian just rolled off his tongue. "Doesn't matter exactly what it means, because the only part that matters is it's your nickname. Since you like the Italian so much, I'll have to speak it more often." He winked at me from across the table and then buried his head on his menu, obviously embarrassed. And me, well, it was taking every ounce of my resolve to stay firmly in my seat. I wanted so bad to leap from the table, gather him in my arms, and kiss the breath right out of him. But I refrained using sheer will power, and perhaps a little mental scolding. I didn't want to cause a scene. Finally, after what felt like hours, our waiter came back.

"Cosa ti piacerebbe mangiare stasera?" he asked us, although I had a feeling he was mostly directing it at Nico. Nico glanced at me.

"He's asking what we want to eat," he translated. The waiter stared at me disdainfully and I felt embarrassed. I sunk down in my seat and gazed over my menu. Nothing looked all that appetizing to me right now. Then again, my stomach was twisting itself in knots. "Che cosa sarebbe raccomandi?" The way Nico said it made it seem like a question.

"Seafood," our waiter answered automatically. My stomach heaved. The very thought of eating sea animals made me want to vomit.

"No, grazie," Nico replied. "Seafood's not our thing." I noticed he'd switched to English, most likely for my benefit. "What about you Percy?" he asked, turning to face me head on. "What looks good to you?" I gazed over my menu again, feeling panic. Nico reached across the table and captured my hand in his, squeezing gently. "I'll order for you," he said softly. He took my menu from me and I smiled at him gratefully. "Two orders of Chicken Parmigiana," Nico said, handing the menus over. "I want water. Percy?"

"Water as well," I said, relieved that Nico had ordered something that sounded awesome. I'd read the description of that dish. It sounded heavenly right now. Then I realized he was still holding my hand, and I took it back from him, turning pink. I reached under my polo and stroked the necklace charm, jumping a little when the waiter arrived with our waters. Nico played with the straw in his, observing me in that unnerving way he had. I took a sip of water and then set the glass down. "Thanks for ordering," I said at last. Wow, that was lame. Nico chuckled a little.

"No problem," he said. "I know what it looks like when you panic, and you were pretty darn close to doing so." I bit my lower lip. He's the one who said it, not I. "I don't think you get out much. Or you feel left out enough to get flustered."

"Of course I'm flustered!" I hissed. "My boyfriend…" I froze mid-sentence. Nico eyed my coolly. "Not my boyfriend," I said in defeat, hanging my head in shame. "My friend speaks in another language and I'm sitting here like 'Okay, what's he saying now?'" Nico winced and I instantly felt bad. I took a long drink of water in an attempt to make me stop from rambling on. "Sorry," I mumbled.

"I should've told you," Nico said at last. "From now on, no surprises." Once again, he took my hand in his. "Promise." Just then, the waiter interrupted with our food. "Looks great Ketchum," Nico said, licking his lips. "Grazie."

"Grazie," I echoed, and our waiter, Ketchum, looked pleased that I'd learned something while I was here. Nico tucked in as Ketchum drifted off, and I watched him for a little bit, picking at my food with my fork. Nico sighed and commented on how good the food was here. I took a tiny bite and found it to be delicious. I polished off half the plate before I remembered to breathe again. "This is great!" I exclaimed, swallowing the mouthful of chicken, tomatoes, and cheese. "Thanks for bringing me here Rich Boy." I waved my cheese coated fork at him and he chuckled.

"No problem, mio Cervello Ragazzo," Nico responded cheekily, taking another bite of his food so he wouldn't have to say anything else. Cervello Ragazzo, that was Brain Boy. So mio must be…oh. My Brain Boy. He called me his Brain Boy! I felt a small thrill of pleasure at being called his, despite the fact I wasn't really his yet. But that was a start.

"Hmmm," I said thoughtfully, taking another bite of food. I contemplated on what to ask him next. Nico studied me critically, scooping up his water glass and draining the rest of the water. Nico ate like a starving man, yet he managed to keep his thin physique. This was splurging for me. After this, in all honestly, I should go work off the calories. I needed to keep my swimmers body nice and toned. I noticed Nico's eyes roaming over my body, and I couldn't help but smile. "Hey," I piped up suddenly. "What's Rich Boy in Italian?"

"Ragazzo Ricco," Nico said slowly, most likely so I could catch every syllable.

"Ragazzo Ricco," I repeated just as slowly. Nico's grin widened and he nodded. "Ragazzo Ricco," I said again, smiling. "Mio Ragazzo Ricco." If at all possible, Nico's grin widened further and he nodded vigorously. I felt very pleased with myself. For some reason, speaking to Nico in his native tongue had appeal and made the nickname even more special. My appetite was gone for the day, but not because I wasn't hungry. I was so giddy right now I don't think I could eat another bite if I tried. I think Nico sensed that before he rose from the table.

"Come, Ragazzo Cervello," he said. "Let's go back to my place for the night. I need cuddle time." I grinned as I followed him out of the restaurant. "Put it on my tab Ketchum," he called to our waiter, who waved as we left. "Black Jaguar f-type," Nico said to the valet, handing him the ticket. The valet scurried off the get the car while Nico and I stood side by side. Nico twined his fingers with mine and we stayed that way the whole way back to his house.

Nico's POV

"That really was fun," Percy said when we got back to my apartment. Before we were fully inside the doors, I was shedding my shirt and shoes. Dressing up was fun and all, but now that I was home, I was determined to get into something more comfortable. "Silly Rich Boy," Percy said, flopping into my arm chair. He kicked off his own shoes and dropped his tie over them. I chuckled as I disappeared into my room. Percy making himself at home was a good sign. It meant he was getting used to being here. Which was really good news, because I was seriously thinking about asking him to move in with me. The emptiness of the apartment only intensified when he left, so I wanted to keep him here so it wouldn't ever feel lonely again. I kicked my slacks away and put on black pajama bottoms and my white skull shirt, which was so loose it was almost like a mini dress, but I adored the shirt, and often wore it to bed as well as to school. I came out to find Percy in pajama pants of his own, but I did a double take. They were the pants I loaned him the last time he spent the night. I must have forgotten to take them back. But blue was so his color. I was content to let him keep them. I wandered over and curled up on his lap. He rested his head on top of mine and we sat there for awhile, just enjoying each other's company.

"Hey," I said suddenly. "Let's go up." I gestured to the loft. Reluctantly, he let go of me, and I rose. I quickly scaled the ladder to my loft, and he followed quickly behind me. I turned the TV around and threw myself into my chair, dangling my legs over the side. Percy stretched out on my love seat and twined his fingers behind his head, gazing at the blank TV. I flipped it on and scrolled through channels. "What do you want to watch, mio Ragazzo Cervello?" I asked him.

"Not a clue," Percy responded sleepily. I could tell he was close to falling asleep. A night up in the loft sounded like a wonderful idea, so I went over and spread myself out on top of him. His arms instantly wrapped around my waist and squeezed, holding me tightly. I smiled down at him and he smiled sleepily back. He was fighting to stay awake, I could tell.

"Say Perce," I said softly. "Why don't I just put something random on and we try to go to sleep?" I could sense his silent relief. As much as he wanted to stay up with me, he was dead tired. I couldn't blame him. It had been an eventful day. Not only that, I'm sure over the last few days he'd gotten so little sleep, same as me. I flipped to adult swim (mostly because I liked Family Guy). I twisted in Percy's arms so I was laying on my side, so I could see his face better. He was already asleep. I smiled and gently brushed his hair out his face, showing off his lovely face.

I lay with Percy and thought about how quickly we became friends again. I didn't trust him after this summer, but he'd quickly become my best friend and the person I trusted most. Which reminded me, strangely, of his accidental slip-up earlier. About us being boyfriends. We weren't, no matter how much he (or I) wanted that to be so. I sighed. I could tell him three little words and all of this would be behind us, and we could be happy together. My eyelids grew heavy, but I wasn't ready for sleep yet.

"Goodnight, mio Ragazzo Cervello," I whispered. I gently brushed my lips across his, and he stirred, mumbling something in his sleep. I smiled and marveled at the soft feel of his lips. Good thing he wasn't awake. I kissed him again, and in his sleep, he smiled. "You like that huh? Sorry, Ragazzo Cervello, we still aren't dating. But, kissing you is the best thing ever." I halted when I realized the truth behind those words. Kissing him truly was the best thing ever. Maybe… No, I couldn't kiss him when he was awake. I refused! I nestled up against him and covered us with the blanket I kept up here for late nights. "Ti amo," I whispered. I was just about to fall asleep when Percy pressed his lips to my ear.

"Ti amo, mio Ragazzo Ricco," he whispered. "Thanks for the kiss. I'll treasure it forever."

Awwwwwww! So much cuteness in such a short time!