It's Never Just Us - Matt Rempe
Request from @marspastries - could you immagine something when he's there with his kids, and maybe the older is just going on his own and the younger one is just attached to his mom's hip and won't let go and he tries EVERYTHING to make him move and have some "romantic skate with her like the old times" but kids keep interrupting them
Word count: 1.7k
Family skates aren't unusual for Matt and the kids, but y/n hasn't been on ice since early in her second pregnancy which was nearly 3 years ago.
Even Silas as a 2 year old knows how to skate, in fact he can probably skate better than he talks or walks, and with their dad being abnormally large, both him and his older sister Cara look a little tall for their age. Cara being 5 now and a fiercely independent young girl.
Y/n is attending for once but she'd been waiting on the sidelines just watching with skates on but thus far yet to hit the ice and Matt had left the kids to entertain each other in hopes of catching his wife for a moment.
"You cannot come to the family skate and not skate, baby."
"I haven't been on ice in years." Y/n mumbles while Matt softens.
"Then you're overdue for it. Come on, we can have a skate while the kids are distracted." Matt whispers then reaching over and lifting her with no fight from her as she is placed down on the ice. "I got you-"
"Mama!" Silas' squealing voice exclaims across the ice and his gangly legs skate him over to her with ease stealing her before Matt can even get a stride.
"Hey, buddy Cara wants to skate with you." Matt tries but he's only met with a giggling no as Silas wedges his way between Matt and y/n taking her hand and seeming thrilled to skate with the woman that he's never saw skate in his life.
She's been on ice with him in trainers to help steady him or play with him, but he was clearly excited to skate with the woman who in all honestly is his entire universe.
"Matt..." Y/n laughs noticing her giant husband look withered from the fact they'd been interrupted before he could really get into doing something which was interruption worthy. "Come to this side."
Silas means they have to move a little slower but eventually Cara seems to read her dad's mind and entices Silas into grabbing hold of her hockey stick and dragging him around.
"Finally." Matt smiles linking both their hands and skating so they're spinning slowly since y/n is still finding her bearings. "Next time I'm just bringing you, we haven't got to just skate in years."
"I have sort of missed it." Y/n smiles softly while Matt grins at her.
But the peace does last long and Silas has returned to y/n whining for her attention while y/n sighs softly, never annoyed by her kids but...sometimes she just wants all Matt's attention as much as he wants all hers.
"Remember when we first got Cara on the ice and you were so skate she'd get hurt you wouldn't let her drop either of our hands?" Y/n asks as she puts Silas between them and Matt takes the hint to take Silas hand while he babbles, what is in is head real words and thoughts but to them is very loud and vocal gibberish.
Matt looks over at where Cara is twirling, she plays up the hockey element of skating for when they're at the hockey rink. But in truth Cara has recently started figure skating classes and leaves her dad in awe already.
Though maybe some would say he's bias, he sees talent in her and the coach already seems to have a lot of faith that with the proper training, she'll go far.
If you told Matt 7 years ago this would be his life then he'd have laughed and told you to shut up and be real. He'd got set up with y/n by one of this teammates girlfriends and one their one year anniversary he proposed. They got married that summer and found out a month after returning from the honeymoon in time for pre-season training camp, that y/n was actually nearly 3 months pregnant and Cara arrived as their Christmas present that year. Literally. Born on Christmas day, which at least meant Matt was right there with y/n to experience the arrival of their first child.
Silas came just in time for post-season so Matt has never missed a moment in that regard.
Silas' birth came with more complications. Physically it hit y/n much hard and it was one of the reasons she'd been so hesitant to get back on ice. It was a slow journey and mainly a matter of confidence but she's slowly got back to herself.
"I was like that for Silas too, but it was just me and honestly he was scarier than Cara the first time on skates. I thought he'd knock out another kid that day." Matt states earning a grin before y/n swings her arm back and he follows beginning to swing Silas as they had with Cara years before.
"That I believe." Y/n laughs looking at Silas who will no doubt be much like his dad and find anyone to fight on ice, primarily targeting the veteran fighters or the heavy weights.
"Silas come on, the other kids are playing a game of hockey." Cara exclaims giving the three a dusting of snow as she skids to a stop in front of them, her hand held out for her little brother who ditches them more eagerly.
"Finally." Matt grins yanking her as far from the small set up of the ice hockey game for the kids that another player had taken to setting up for the kids. "Am I a bad dad that I want you to myself?"
"No. You're definitely not." Y/n laughs as Matt skates backwards and y/n holds his hands the two getting a moment together with each other. "I love seeing you skate, not just in games or practices. You always seem so relaxed."
"I just like having you here with me." Matt smiles stopping and pulling y/n closer into a kiss that y/n could swear melts the ice under her a little. "We should ask Ally to watch the kids tonight."
"One kiss on skates has you wanting me alone that bad?" Y/n jokes before she sighs hugging around his waist feeling him slowly slide backwards while she follows lazily.
"I'll call her once we're off the ice...I feel like we may have to buy some sort of fast food to keep them in a good mood if they lose that game though." Matt comments since Cara and Silas might be tall for their age groups but a lot of the other kids on ice are older and just more skilled in terms of the amateur hockey game. Meaning the Rempe kids might skate away a little butt hurt from a match loss.
"They're your kids."
"What does that mean?"
"Sore losers." Y/n grins making him scoff but he's wiser than to argue because y/n has comforted him after too many game losses for him to try that. "You'll even be sore about the fact they lose even when you know it's coming."
Matt grumbles a little knowing she's right but still not enjoying it.
"I love you for being a sore loser, a man who enjoys losing is not a man I would've dated, married or had kids with." Y/n states earning a grin before he leans own and kisses her again.
"That's fu-ricking right, baby." Matt laughs still not quite on top of the PG language. "I love you too. Next time we're skating without the kids."
"Fine by me." Y/n nods before she releases her arms from around his waist and begins to skate back from him, hand held out. "Come on, we're not just standing cuddling the whole time they're occupied. We'll get a couple laps in pretending we're young and just in the early days again."
"And forget the past 6 and a half years?" Matt gasps as if he's offended by the idea but he follows playing along as y/n asks him about his games recently and treats it genuinely like they're just getting to know each other.
The glimpses back into those memories, and even though he's never loved y/n as much as he does now since he honestly feels like his love grows for her every day.
But that initial fall, the initial realisation that he loved her and he couldn't think of loving anyone else strikes him again and he can't wipe the smile off his face as she talks about her plans for the next day which is actually her plans, she's going to her parents house (strategically missing out that she'll be taking the kids, likely after picking them up from Ally's house and dropping Matt off for his away game).
"What's that look for?" Y/n asks softly noticing the pure adoration in her husband's eyes.
"I just...forgot what it felt like to fall in love with you and...pretending to just be dating again reminded me how it felt." Matt shrugs not actually expecting for some tears to try and gather in his eyes.
"Matty." Y/n cooes with a small laugh. "You are so cute."
"Mamamama!" Silas exclaims in a sudden scream but this one is more pained and earns high alert from both parents as the moment is interrupted but y/n is gone like lightning, speed challenging that of even the fastest hockey players as she doesn't even manage to stop as she scoops Silas up from the ground.
"I'm here, baby. I've got you. I'm right here. Tell mommy where it hurts."
Matt gently guides them off the ice while Cara seems to make a point to finish the game in vengeance for her little brother who was at a disadvantage playing the game and was knocked down unfairly.
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