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Ryan stood in front of his mama, face pressed into the glass as he waited for warm-ups to start. Normally, he didn’t get to go to out-of-town games, not since his mama retired a few years ago. However, today was a big game because his papa was set to break some huge goal-scoring record, and he was so excited. UBS Arena was so unfamiliar to him, so much different from Capital One Arena back home in DC. He gasped as he saw his papa take the ice, immediately turning around to face his mama, enthusiastically pointing out his papa on the ice.
“Mama! Mama! Do you see him!” Ryan exclaimed, practically vibrating with glee. The sight was so sweet that Nicklas couldn’t help but smile. Whenever he saw Ryan excited, he couldn’t help but reciprocate the boy’s feelings. In honesty, when he got pregnant four years ago, he hadn’t wanted to keep the baby. He was an omega, and he hated the fact that it would always be what was brought up first in any conversation. He was an omega before he was a hockey player, before he was human, and it pained him so much. He thought giving birth meant feeding into those stereotypes, proving that he’d always be just an omega.
However, after a long conversation with Sidney Crosby of all people, he realized giving birth didn’t mean giving up the sport he loved. He could have his cake and eat it too, and that’s what he did. He told Alex he wanted to keep the baby, and the look on his mate’s face was ecstatic. Now, here with her three-year-old son in front of him about to share Alex’s huge accomplishment with him, he couldn’t imagine his life without Ryan. “I do, sötnos,” Nicklas told the boy as he stood up. He picked his son up, placing him on his hip so that Alex would be able to see the both of them easier.
“Papa! Papa!” Ryan shouted in Nicklas’ ears, causing him to wince a little. He watched as Alex skated over to them, a puck already in his hand and a huge smile on his face. Nick raised Ryan in the air so he could grab the puck when Alex flipped it over the glass. Once the puck was secured in his hands, Ryan held it close to his chest, using his free hand to wave erratically at his papa, which caused Alex’s smile to only grow.
The alpha adored their son just as much as Nicklas did. He watched as his mate blew a kiss to both of them before skating away to go do his warm-up ritual. “Mama? Do you think Papa will break the record tonight?” Ryan asked as his mama placed him back on the floor.
“Of course he will, your papa is one of the best,” Nicklas replied, ruffling the boy’s hair, causing him to giggle. Alex did end up breaking the record. Nick and Ryan watched the goal from the Capitals family room erupting into cheers when the puck slid past Ilya Sorokin. Nicklas couldn’t be more proud of his mate; this was a long time coming. Alex was incredible, and he deserved all the cheers and applause that came from his accomplishment. When the game ended, Nicklas and Ryan were invited onto the ice to celebrate Alex’s accomplishment in a little ceremony. When they got down onto the ice, and Ryan saw his papa, he squirmed, going limp in Nick’s arms, trying to get the alpha as soon as possible.
Nick just shook his head, letting Ryan drop to the ice and race over to his papa. The omega followed at a slower pace, “Papa! Papa! I saw you score! I saw you score!” Ryan shouted for the whole arena to hear.
“You did? You watch with Mama?” his papa asked, lifting him up into his arms. Ryan nodded his head; of course, he watched with his mama. His papa saw them together on the ice before the game; he knew that. Nick smiled at the sight of his son and their mate together, leaning forward to press a kiss on Alex’s cheek. It was nice for them to share this moment together as a family.