Sign {A Pernico Story AU} ✔

Percy - Voice of an Angel

"You did WHAT!?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "For the third time, Percy. I signed you up for tutoring. And would you quiet down??" She hissed.

I looked up at our teacher, Ms. Dodds. Remember how I said Chiron was cool? Well she was just the opposite. She scanned the room looking for anyone to pick on. When she found nobody, she turned to attention back to the board, and I turned mine back to Annabeth.

"Why would you do that? Do you really not think I'm capable of passing a class on my own?"

"Percy, I never said that. Of course you're capable. But it doesn't hurt to get a little help sometimes."

I sighed. Like always, Annabeth was right. She passed me a post-it note from her desk that read:

Tutoring is after school in Chiron's room. Don't be late. And stop talking. You know how much Ms. Dodds loves giving out detentions.

I looked at her, nodded, and tried my best to concentrate. In just a few hours school will be over and I'll be getting help from someone else. Who knows? Maybe this'll really turn my grades around.

I was honestly kind of excited.

*Time skip brought to you by Hephaestus TV*

The final bell rang and we all left class. I walked Annabeth to the door since it was on the way to Chiron's classroom. I must've looked nervous or something because Annabeth tapped my shoulder. "Hey, you know you're gonna be fine, right?"

I smiled. "Yeah. Thanks Annie." I hugged her, just like I always do, but I couldn't help but notice that when I pulled away her face was a shade redder than it was before.

Weird.

We parted ways and I stood outside of Chiron's room. Deep breaths, Percy. It's gonna be okay.

I opened the door to find Chiron sitting behind his desk. He looked up when I entered and smiled. "So glad you could make it! I'm sure that after a few sessions you'll go from a D to an A!"

I laughed a bit. "Do you really believe that?"

He gave me a sheepish grin. "Okay, fine. Perhaps a solid B."

"So, you're going to be the one tutoring me?"

"Usually." He answered, rolling himself out from his desk. "But I have some other business to attend to which is why I asked one of my best students to fill in."

"Alright. Who is it then?"

Chiron was about to answer when someone knocked on the door. "Ah, here he is now!"

Chiron opened up the door to reveal two kids. Two kids I was hoping I wouldn't have to run into again today.

Nico Di Angelo and Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano

Reyna looked just as surprised to see me and I was to see her. Nico, not so much, though he looked like he was trying to hide his face for some reason.

"Well then," Chiron said, breaking the silence. He started making hand motions (ASL I guess) as he spoke. "since everyone is here, I'll be on my way. Happy studying." And on that note, he rolled himself out the room.

Reyna shot daggers at me, than turned on Nico. "You didn't tell me he was gonna be here!"

"Excuse me? He has a name."

Nico seemed to ignore both of us. He pushed three desks together and motioned for us both to sit. I sighed and sat down. Remember, you need these grades.

Reyna sat down as well. No matter how much she hated me, she seemed to have a soft spot for Nico. Speaking of him, Nico went through his bag and pulled out his supplies. I felt guilty. I've never noticed Nico before, but he was in most of my classes despite being a year younger. I never talked to him. Most of the time I never even knew he was there. 

And now here he was, tutoring me. Helping me out when I did nothing to deserve.

Nico made a sign at Reyna, which she grudgingly translated. "Nico wants you to take out your stuff. He's doing math first. He'd also like for you to stop staring at him."

I blinked. I hadn't even realized I was staring. It was kind of hard not to...

Why did I think that?!?

Nico blushed and wrote on a little notepad in swirly cursive handwriting: 𝐼 𝒹𝒾𝒹𝓃'𝓉 𝓈𝒶𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉

Reyna rolled her eyes at him but there was no malice behind it. I smiled to myself as I started my algebra problems. There friendship was cute. Reyna wasn't as intimidating around Nico. Nico wasn't as shy around Reyna. They balance each other out perfectly.

I wish I were that close to Nico my brain thought
Shut up I told my brain

I was halfway through my worksheet with assistance from Nico. Every time he noticed I was doing something wrong, he'd sign it out to Reyna. Then Reyna would translate it for me. That's how it was for the next 15 minutes or so. Nico was a really good teacher. He actually made the math make sense. For a second, I thought this whole tutoring thing would work out.

Then Reyna left.

She had just went to the bathroom. She promised it'd only be a minute, but it felt like an eternity. And so I was all alone in a quiet room.

With Nico Di Angelo.

I tried to concentrate. I had no idea what was going on with me. Why did this boy make me so nervous? Was it his dark, brooding eyes? Or the way his long shaggy hair covered half of his face? Or maybe it was because he was short enough to have to look up at me when I talked. There were so many things about Nico that nobody noticed.

So why was I noticing them?

TAP TAP

I jumped in my seat. Nico waved his hands in apology, then pointed at my worksheet. I had completely spaced out thinking about Nico. My face went red as I turned my attention back to the quadratic formula. For real this time.

I was on the final question when I ran into trouble. In other words, I couldn't figure out how to do the last stupid problem. I glanced at Nico. He was working on his own homework. Every time he reached a new problem, he scrunched up his nose to think.

Why the hell did I mention that?

I grabbed Nico's notepad and wrote under his cursive writing from earlier. Compared to his, my handwriting looked like chicken scratch. Nevertheless I passed the pad over to him. He looked at me, then the pad, then back at me. 

"You can just talk to me y'know. I'll just read your lips."

I froze. I've never heard Nico's voice before and now I was trying to figure out how I even lived without it. It was beautiful, quiet, and higher pitched than I thought it'd be. 

He looked at me strange.

"Percy?"

That was the last straw. That's what pushed me over the edge. Hearing him just say my name... it was too much.

I had to get out of there before my face overheated.

I started collecting my things. "I uh... I just remembered! I have to go... somewhere. So uh- yeah. Bye." I said picking up my bag. If I forgot something, I didn't care at the time. I just wanted to get away from Nico and his pretty voice.

"Can you slow down?? I don't know what you're saying-"

But I was already out the door. What the hell is wrong with me?? I rounded the corner and stopped to peek. Part of me, or really all of me, wanted Nico to come after me. But why would he. He took a chance by talking to me and I ran away.

Stupid, stupid Jackson.

Sure, when I left that classroom, I didn't know a bit of math. But I came to terms with two new things, one of which I've been ignoring for too long:

Nico Di Angelo has the voice of an angel.

And I'm madly in love with him.

...

I wrote this chapter while watching Weirdmageddon from Gravity Falls.
I lowkey hate Mabel

Feedback is always appreciated!

-Todoroni 🍝 🧀