grishaverse oneshots

kids and growing up | helnik

a/n i apologize in advance

warnings: spoilers for crooked kingdom, mild spoilers for king of scars (like it's barely even there, you can 100% read this if you haven't read kos yet), mentions of being sick (no detail cause i can't handle that)

UNEDITED
***

Nina woke up sick, she ran to the washroom and emptied her stomach as Matthias grumbled from the bed.

"Nina," She heard him say, voice still thick with sleep.

"In here," She managed to say. Matthias walked into the washroom and immediately sat next to her, pulling her hair into a ponytail and rubbing her back.

"What happened? Did you eat something bad," He asked.

"No, but I think I know what's wrong."

"What?"

"I'm pregnant."

Matthias' eyes widened and his mouth turned up into a grin at her words. "I'm going to be a dad."

"So you're happy?"

"Nina," He said, cupping her cheek with his large hand. "I've always dreamt of having kids, ever since I was one myself, but there was no mother in those dreams. But ever since I met you, those dreams have always contained you with our child. I would love to be a family together, if that is what you want too."

Tears pulled down Nina's face, a smile etching itself into her face.

"Oh no," Matthias said. "Did I say something wrong? Why are you crying?"

A laugh escaped her, "You said noting wrong, these are happy tears."

"Happy tears?"

"Yeah."

***

The sickness only grew from there, but Matthias would always be by her side, holding her hair back and telling encouraging words. Sometimes she would cry, and he would hold her. Sometimes she would yell, and he would let her have some space. Sometimes she craved the most obscure foods, and he always found them some way or another.

Nina was grateful to a have suck a wonderful person at her side, and even though he worried about being a father, she knew he would be an amazing one. And he was.

He held their little one when she was born, he stared into her eyes and promised her all the wonderful things he would teach her. Nina felt her heart fill with joy when she looked at them, her two loves.

They named her Elina, meaning noble and kind. It was the perfect fit for their daughter.

As she grew older, they could always find her causing some sort of mischief. Knocking down the cookie jar, throwing snow at the neighbour's houses, making the biggest mess in the living room, and the kitchen, and her bedroom. Really, she made a mess wherever she went.

When she was 7, she started to show signs of being Grisha. Nina and Matthias were scared, they lived on the Fjerda and Ravkan border, but what would happen if someone found Elina using her powers? If a Fjerdan found her she would be taken away to who knows where. If a Ravkan found her she would be taken to the Little Palace. So they moved.

Elina liked it in Kerch, she got to met her Uncle Jesper, Uncle Wylan, Uncle Kaz, and Aunt Inej. Inej wasn't around all the time, off pirating, but when she was around all Elina talked about was Auntie Nej.

"I want to be a pirate like Auntie Nej."

"Can I please go with Aunti Nej in her boat?"

"Auntie Nej told me that being a pirate is dangerous, but Uncle Jesper told me I can handle danger cause I'm brave."

Nina would smile and laugh, telling her she could be a pirate when she was older. Matthias would do the same, but once their daughter was gone he would turn to Nina with the most frightened eyes and tell her he didn't want their daughter in harms way.

It was a struggle at first, Elina didn't know Kerch and she cried a lot when no one other than her parents understood her. But over time she learned to speak it, and some she was talking to everyone as fast as lightning.

Uncle Wylan taught her the flute, and she would sit for hours next to him as he explained the different notes. She begged Nina and Matthias for a flute of her own and they relented easily (really it only was Matthias who needed convincing, and he couldn't say no to those puppy eyes).

It turns out, Elina was a great musician. She picked everything up really quickly, and soon the house was filled with music every moment of every day, not that Nina or Matthias minded, it was beautiful.

But, as all things, Elina grew up and decided to leave Kerch. She was 15 when she told her parents that she wanted to go to the Little Palace.

"You've taught me a lot, Mom," She said. "But I think it's time I go to train in Ravka, like everyone else."

Nina understood, every Grisha deserved to be with others like them, deserved to train with others like them, but it didn't make the goodbyes hurt any less.

Elina came to visit every summer, but one time she didn't show up alone.

"Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Marina."

Marina was wonderful. She told them all about herself, she was from Novyi Zem, and she was an Inferni. Her and Elina had met when they were 16, apparently Marina had gotten injured in a training accident and Elina had been the one to patch her up.

"We love her," Nina whispered to her daughter one night when Marina was already gone to bed. "And we love you, no matter what."

"Thanks, Mom. I was worried you wouldn't accept me."

"Honey, I don't like just the men, surprised you didn't already know that."

"You're like me?"

Nina smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead, "Just like you."

***

Nina woke up in the darkness, she was cold and shivering beneath her blankets. She looked around the room, for Matthias, for anything, but there was nothing. She was alone. Matthias had been buried just days before. It had all been a dream. She closed her eyes, willing sleep to come, but all that came were tears.