glow of the mark (six of crows soulmate au)

chapter thirteen (matthias)

"Matthias, what the hell?" Nina sighed.

"Nina, I apologize." Matthias reached for her hand.

She jerked her hand away, "If you're really sorry, you would've told me earlier."

"I didn't mean for you to find out this way."

"You didn't mean for me to find out at all."

"I- you're right. I didn't want you to find out because you would lose trust in me."

"Well, I've lost more trust in you this way. Great job, jerk."

"Red bird, please, I really am sorry."

"When you called me a witch, I thought you were joking around, I didn't think that was what you actually thought of me."

"I don't think of you as a witch anymore. I think of you as..."

"As?"

"Nevermind."

"Matthias, why did you hunt down the Grisha? What did we do to hurt you?"

"Look, I really don't know why I involved myself with the witch-hunters. I guess I was just... taught by my family and the hunters that the Grisha are unnatural."

"Yeah, and y'all also think that women can't fight because it's unnatural. Misogynistic bastards."

"Well, you proved that wrong."

"How do I know that you don't still believe in that stuff and are just getting closer to me to plot my death?"

"Fine, Nina. Believe what you want, witch. Did I seem comfortable calling you that?"

Nina stood there, in the midst of their yelling, they were now so close that their chests were touching. Matthias looked away and stepped back.

"Matthias, I'm done with this conversation." Nina sighed, walking out of his room.

"Sounds like you really fucked that up." Kaz was suddenly leaning against the doorway, Inej was standing next to him.

"I don't mean to intrude on your business or anything, but we could hear you all from upstairs. Nina seems really upset, she usually doesn't walk away from an argument like that." Inej added.

"Well, what do I do? And, Kaz, I would prefer not to have your input on this one." Matthias glared at the demon in the doorway.

Kaz waved it off, half-smirking.

"Well, preferably when you've both cooled off from this, I'd suggest going to her and explaining how you've moved on, why you don't agree with those principles. Apologize again." Inej threw a pointed look at Kaz when it came to the apology part, he raised an eyebrow in response. "Put some love and care into it." 

"Love?" Matthias' eyes widened.

"We all know you're in love with her, yada yada yada. You stare at her and follow her around like a lovesick puppy." Kaz remarked.

"No, I don't!" Matthias said.

"Look Matthias, I mean that you need to put that love that you feel for her into this apology, you don't have to tell her that you feel that way," Inej explained.

"Okay..." Matthias was over the point of embarrassment, completely over that point.

~~~

"Nina?" Matthias knocked at her door the following day.

"I'm busy, Matthias," Nina said through the door.

"Doing?"

"Homework."

"You're not in school."

"Maybe I enrolled in college."

"Nina, can we just talk?"

The door creaked open, "Fine."

Nina let Matthias into her room, sitting on the floor against the bed. 

Matthias sat down, closing the door and sitting against it, across from Nina.

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Nina asked.

"I'm sorry, I really am. I completely and utterly disagree with the ways of the hunters, the Grisha are people, the only thing different about Grisha is that you guys have abilities. You do not deserve to be hunted down because of how you were born. I sincerely apologize." Matthias explained.

"You're very sweet, Matthias. I accept your apology." Nina smiled.

Matthias reached for Nina's hand and kissed it, "Red bird, we are going to be out at sea for the rest of today, any ideas on how to spend our time?"

"I was going to make an inappropriate joke, but I'll answer normally. Jesper brought a bunch of board games, we could do those the rest of the day, we could rally everyone up, that'd be interesting." Nina suggested.

Matthias agreed, and the two went to raid Jesper's room of the board games.