Work Text:
Max was nervous. Very nervous. Who could blame him? It was his son's first birthday party, and it was a Sunday. His mom had offered to host the party and make the food at her place because she knew how exhausted both he and Charles were. Taking care of a baby was exhausting.
Max and Charles' relationship had always been a rollercoaster: from childhood rivals to actual rivals, to friends, to being head over heels for each other. They had mated three years ago, and today they were about to celebrate their son’s birthday. Who would have thought that the feisty omega from Monaco, who never let anyone look down on him because of his second gender, and the typical alpha of the paddock would have worked out? That's what all the papers said, but the truth is, Max wasn't the typical alpha. He had a temper, yes, but he was gentle and caring. He never thought that omegas were “lower class citizens” or “baby makers,” despite his father's opinions. He wasn't his father. He loved Charles, and he loved Nicholas, and he couldn't care less if little Nicky ended up being an omega. He only hoped that if he did, he would be just like Charles.
Charles never liked Jos much, and whenever it came to spending a Sunday with Max's family, Charles always had to bite his tongue not to curse the man out. All the stories that Max had told him about his childhood were enough to make him hate the man. Jos's outdated views on omega rights were just the icing on the cake. Charles just hoped that today would go smoothly, given that all the attention was supposed to be on Nicky rather than on him and Max.
They rang the bell of the house, hand in hand with Nicky in his carrier. Sophie opened the door with a big smile, gently grabbing her grandson by the ears and kissing both of his cheeks while telling him how much she had missed him. Then, she moved to Charles, hugging him tightly and kissing both of his cheeks as well before scooping Nicky out of the carrier.
“There’s the birthday boy! Look how handsome you look! Your dads dressed you so well for today!” she gushed, ushering all three of them inside while she continued to dote on her grandson. Victoria and her family were already there, and after more kisses, hugs, and gifts for Nicholas, they all helped set the table. The ambiance was warm and happy, full of chatter, until the bell rang again.
For a brief moment, there was silence; no one moved, as if they all knew that opening the door would somehow break the magic of this perfect moment. Finally, Victoria went to open it, and Jos came in. He shook his son's hand firmly, ignoring Charles entirely, and then took a seat at the table. Sophie emerged from the kitchen with plates in her hands, and everyone gathered around the table. Sophie sat at the head of the table, with Nicky on her left in his high chair, giggling and waving his little hands. Charles was next to Nicky, taking turns with Sophie to feed him, while Max sat on Charles's other side, his body already tense, like a coiled spring. On the opposite side sat Jos, his eyes fixated on Nicky while he talked to Max about the last race.
“You shouldn't have retired to take care of Nicky. You gave up your career for an omega’s job,” Jos said, his tone sharp and condescending. Max's jaw clenched, and he forced a smile.
“Papa, we talked about this. I was ready to retire. Charles wanted to continue racing, and we decided this together. I wanted to take care of Nicky,” Max replied softly.
Jos let out a dismissive grunt and then continued, “If you’re not racing, you should at least start taking Nicky to the tracks. I started with you when you were three years old, but I think next year will be good enough.”
Max froze, his leg twitching nervously under the table. Charles felt the tension in the air like a thunderstorm about to break.
“We are not putting a two-year-old boy in a kart,” Charles said firmly, not even sparing Jos a glance.
“Why not? You need to start early if you want him to be a champion like his father. Maybe that's why you’ve only won one championship while my son has five. Apart from the obvious,” Jos said with a sneer.
“He doesn’t need to be a champion,” Charles responded calmly.
“Then what’s he going to be?”
“A doctor. A teacher. A musician. Whatever he wants to be when he grows up. If he wants to be a driver, he’ll choose that himself,” Charles answered, his voice unwavering.
“That’s a loser’s mentality,” Jos shot back. “My boy—”
“Your boy was never a boy to you,” Charles interrupted, his voice now trembling with controlled anger. “He was an instrument for your ambition. You denied him a normal childhood just because you couldn’t win anything yourself. And if you think for one second that I’m going to let you do the same to our son, you’re gravely mistaken.”
“Be careful! Don’t you know that good omegas are seen, not heard?” Jos spat, leaning forward with a menacing look.
“Well, this omega is seen and heard. How’s that?” Charles snapped back, meeting Jos's gaze with defiance.
"You will learn to respect!" Jos shouted, standing up from the table, his face flushed with anger as he moved toward Charles. But Max was faster, standing between his father and his mate.
“I knew I shouldn’t have let you mate with this unruly omega! He’s going to make a loser out of my grandson!” Jos barked, his voice cracking with fury.
“He said everything I was always too scared to say,” Max said, his voice barely above a whisper, but steady.
“What?” Jos stammered, taken aback.
“Maybe it’s better if you leave, Papa,” Max said quietly.
Jos's eyes flared with rage. “If I leave this house now, you’ll never hear from me again!”
Silence fell over the room, heavy and suffocating. Jos stormed out of the house, cursing under his breath, slamming the door behind him. For a moment, no one moved. Max’s shoulders shook slightly, his eyes welling up with unshed tears. Charles quickly wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close.
“It’s okay, love,” Charles whispered, rubbing circles on Max’s back. “We’ll deal with this later. I want to celebrate Nicky now.”
Sophie was already by Nicky’s side, soothing him as he whimpered, clearly upset by the sudden outburst. She cooed gently to her grandson, stroking his little head until he calmed down, his tearful eyes still fixed on his dads.
Max took a deep breath, wiping his eyes before turning to Charles with a soft smile. “Yeah, let’s just focus on Nicky. Today is about him. Maybe this is for the best.”
Charles pressed a tender kiss to Max’s temple, nodding. “Maybe. But, yes, today is about our little champ.”
And with that, the warmth returned to the room, Max's expression shifted from sadness to something resolute, a look that Charles knew all too well—a decision had been made. Max straightened his back and took Charles’s hand in his, squeezing it with a firmness that told Charles he was ready to stand by his words.
“Charles, I’m done,” Max said quietly but firmly, his eyes never leaving his mate's. “I’m done trying to get his approval, done pretending he’ll ever see us—see me—for who I really am. He made his choice when he walked out that door, and I’m making mine.”
Charles looked at Max, searching his face for any doubt, but found none. He gave a small nod, his heart swelling with pride for the man who had finally let go of the last thread that had tied him to his father’s expectations.
“We’re going to be okay,” Charles said softly, lifting Max’s hand to his lips and kissing it gently. “You’re enough, Max. You’ve always been enough.”
Max’s eyes softened as he looked at his son, who was now reaching out for his dads, the earlier tears replaced by a curious smile. He felt a surge of love and protection flood his chest. This was his family—Charles and Nicky—and they were all he needed.
Sophie reached across the table, placing her hand over Max's with a supportive squeeze. “You know we’re here for you, Max. No matter what.”
Max gave her a grateful smile, nodding. “I know, Mom. And that’s more than enough.”
As they sat back down to continue their meal, a sense of finality settled in Max’s heart. Jos had made his choice, and so had Max. There would be no more chasing after his father’s approval, no more hoping for acceptance that would never come. Max knew now that his true legacy wasn’t in the trophies on a shelf or the approval of a bitter man—it was in the love he built with Charles and the bright future they were creating for Nicky.
And with that, they let the shadows of the past fade away, the future illuminated by the only thing that truly mattered—family