Six of Crows modern AU

Meeting again

Matthias had never realized how many people went to Ketterdam High until he tried to convince himself there wasn't a lot. He was wrong. People, people everywhere. And with so many people here, Thomnas and his gang could very easily slip into the system and no one would really notice. Hell, if he started school again, there might be a small announcement to the teachers over his classes, but that would be about it. Matthias then realized he wasn't the only one who seemed out of it. You could almost hear Inej's footsteps in the halls, Jesper kept checking his phone then looking guilty, and Nina was pale and in thought. Alarm bells rang in Matthias's head-what had happened? Was she okay? Was it about the gang being freed (she shouldn't worry about that). He maneuvered though the crowd to Nina's locker, where she was trying the grab her math notebook. Nina has history 1st period. Matthias walked up, and gently tapped her on her shoulder. She jumped, then turned, her face relaxing when she saw him.
"Hey Mattie (good nickname? Yes? No? Comment y/n please)!" Nina said.
"Are you okay? You seem a lit-" Nina interrupted him.
"Can I talk to you outside?" Matthias could see the pleading look in her eyes and nodded without asking his question again. Nina is almost never this serious.
They walked in silence till the reached the farthest end of the building away from doors. Nina stopped and looked at him, fidgeting. Matthias stood expectingly. They both tried to talk at the same time.
"Listen, if you don't want to-"
"It's my parents" they both gave nervous laughter, which more or less broke the ice. Nina started again.
"It's my parents. You know, my real ones. The ones who lost me," Nina took a deep breath.
"They're I back." Matthias felt his heart leap. Nina had said that almost emotionlessly, but he knew that deep down and during the moment, that she must have been thrilled.
"Well then...that's great!" Matthias said, but Nina was still quiet.
"They-they showed me pictures. Of my old house, my friends, my-my birthday parties, school, everything." Matthias didn't know what to say. Shouldn't she be happy? Overjoyed? She know had her real life back, the life that she deserved.
"My parents don't really look like me though, but still. They're-they're-"
"They're your birth parents?" Matthias suggested.
"Yes!" Nina said and her voice wavered. "They are-they were the people who were meant to raise me, but I...I...I don't feel any connection to them. Like I do to you. Or to say Anastasia, my sister. Or now would it be former sister? The point is the connection that they say kidnapped children feel when they find their family...I didn't feel that. They felt like-like strangers." Nina leaned against the wall and Matthias wrapped his arm around her. She leaned into the touch and said after a few beats.
"I have a brother." She sounded close to tears. "A 5 year old brother. And I should have been there for him. Should have been the best older sister he would have wanted. Like Anastasia is to me. But-but I wasn't-" Matthias, who had been rubbing circles on Nina's back rather awkwardly, cut in.
"Don't say things like that Nina. It's not like you asked to be kidnapped! You were not there because you didn't have a choice, not because you chose not to be. There's a big difference and you're seeing yourself in the wrong life. Besides, when you move into their house here in-"
"They don't live here though," Nina whispered. "They-they live almost 400 miles away! If I was to go live with my real family, I would have to leave. Leave Ketterdam. Leave the church and my old family. Leave Ketterdam High. Leave Wylan and Jesper, Inej and Kaz. Matty, if I was to reclaim my old life, I would have to leave you and this life behind."
     Matthias's mind was in overdrive. On one hand, he wanted Nina to meet and live her old life. It WAS her life, she deserved it after everything that she had been though; the leap-frogging foster care,  Thomnas's gang, being insecure about her slightly overweight body and religion. There would be nothing that means more to him than her karma coming back and giving Nina the happiness that is long overdue. But on the other hand, he didn't want to loose her. Nina was one of the only good things in his semi-depressing life and Matthias knew if she hadn't become friends with him, he might as well have been a part of Thomnas's gang and would have never met Jesper, Inej, Kaz, and now Wylan. Nina had shown him a completely new life of happy risks and well innocence that he hadn't had after his dad had been charged. Sure, they could have a long distance relationship, but do those really last? Especially at their age where they would have to wait a year or two to drive? Although this sounds like a flying situation which is a whole other picture. He zoned back in to see Nina looking up at him, her eyes watery. "Well?" She asked, sounding apprehensive. Matthias cleared his throat awkwardly and said
"Well....um..." Nina raised an eyebrow at him.
"Ar-are you able to talk?" Matthias playfully glared at her.
"Of course I am!"
"Oh, so it's just the whole process of thinking that has got your brain in a fix is it?"
"No!" Matthias exclaimed and Nina gave a weak laugh.
"How 'bout this?" Matthias asked. "I've never been one for the whole "meet the parents" but this is more serious than just religions clashing. How about we meet up at that place we went on one of our first dates, that coffeeshop?"
"Crappy coffee?" Nina said with a straight face.
"It's called Câpree (crap-ee) coffee Nina, not crappy!"
"Close enough-that muffin tasted like crap" Before Matthias could defend the coffeeshop's honor (HONOR! Help me, I just got into Avatar: The Last Airbender), the voice of the office assistant cut the air.
"Helver! Zenrik! Although I am glad that you two are just talking, instead of making out or...." she trailed off and Matthias felt his face turn bright red. Nina looked the same. "Anyway! As I was saying, get to your homerooms immediately! You are almost 10 minutes late!"