#nm29 fluff

“Fine, did you put Nutella and strawberries in here like I asked? Last time you were very skimpy on Nutella.” You raise an eyebrow. 

“I did, but you didn’t check the bowl when I gave it to you, did you?” He picks the bowl up off your bump and urges you to sit up. 

“No, I just let you set it on my bump, and I thought it would be fun to see how long it would stay.” You smile sheepishly and take the bowl back. Taking a peek inside, you see there is a generous amount of both strawberries and Nutella on the oatmeal. “I’ll eat it now.”

“Thank you.” Nathan watches you take a bite before kissing your forehead and getting up. “I’ll be back around noon, then we’ll finish up the nursery. Please don’t touch it while I’m gone. I can’t have you getting hurt.”

“I won’t, I’ll probably watch something.” You shrug. “There are some shows I want to start.”

“Whatever keeps you out of the nursery.” He agrees and walks to grab his gear. 

“This oatmeal is really good, babe.” You hum and take a few more bites. 

“All to your liking?” 

“Yeah, perfect amount of Nutella this time.” Nathan comes back with his backpack slung over his shoulder. 

“I’m glad, I’ll be back to make lunch.” You smile over at him, and he sits on the arm of the couch.

“Okay. I’m coming to the game tonight, though. I can’t keep staying in this fucking house, or else I’ll lose my goddamn mind.” You sigh and lean your head into your hand. 

“I don’t want you to lose your mind staying in this house.” He chuckles.

“Oof.” You put a hand on your bump as your baby girl kicks. “She’s active today.”

Nathan reaches down and places a hand on the curve of your stomach. “Very active, be nice to your momma, baby girl. I have to go now, or I’m gonna be late. I'll see you in a few hours.”

“Drive safe.” He nods and cups your cheek, pressing a soft kiss to your mouth. 

“I will.”

“Good. Now I can’t have my baby daddy being late to practice.” You peck his mouth again. 

“Baby daddy? I’m your husband.” Nathan scoffs, and you laugh. 

“My husband, who is going to be late. You have full permission to blame me, and tell Bednar to call me.” 

“You’re in a silly mood this morning. I love you, my beautiful wife, who is doing such a good job keeping our baby safe. I’ll be home later.” He kisses you one last time. 

“I love you too.”

Nathan leaves for practice, and you settle back into the couch with your oatmeal. You try to get comfortable watching a show, but the thought of the still unfinished nursery. You know Nathan would kill you for even setting foot in there. However, your mind keeps wandering, and the trash TV show you’re watching does nothing to distract you. Your eyes flick up the stairs, and you sigh. Pushing yourself off the couch, you waddle up the stairs. God, you hate fucking waddling. 

The nursery is almost finished, the crib is halfway built, the walls are painted to a pretty light blue, and all of the clothes, toys, and diapers need to be organized. It’s all so disorganized, and you need to do something about it. 

Your phone rings on the changing table, another thing that needs to be finished, you grab it and press it to your ear. 

“Hey Y/N, how are you doing today?” Melissa Landeskog says cheerfully over the line. 

“Nate’s gonna kill me.” You sigh and open the boxes of baby clothes and stuffed animals. 

“I'm sure whatever you're doing wouldn't warrant that.” 

“It’s been about twenty minutes since he left for practice, and I did the one thing he asked me not to do.” You want to turn around and walk away from the room, but you just can’t. “I’m in the nursery, and I just keep on thinking about all the things that need to be done in this house before the baby gets here. God, I think I’m going crazy, like I’ve been home for what? Three days? And I already have cabin fever.”

“Slow down, honey. Do you need me to come over and help you sort everything out? I would happily do that.” Melissa offers generously. 

“No, I can’t do that. Nate already said he would help me once he got back from practice. I just can’t seem to sit still.” You slump into the rocking chair placed in the corner of the room.

“You’re normally so busy, Y/N, it’s fine that you’re feeling this way. But you’re having a baby, honey.” 

“I know I am, I just feel so useless.” You rock slowly back and forth, hand resting on your belly.

“You’re pregnant, not useless.” Melissa chuckles. 

“Well, it doesn’t feel that way, I mean, my attending benched me from all surgeries, so I was doing scut work as if I’m not a goddamn doctor.” You feel tears burning at the back of your eyes, “I’ve just been doing so much since the moment I left home at 18, that being told to sit back and relax makes me want to say damn them all and do everything. Sorry, I’m just emotional right now.”

“Never apologize, you have every right to feel this way. But I have to ask, have you told Nathan any of this?” Melissa is a voice of reason, like an older sister who knows just what to say. “I’m taking your silence as a no.”

“I just don’t want to bother him with it, he’s stressed about making the playoffs, and I’m 36 weeks pregnant. He has enough on his plate.” You rub your temples.

“You are his top priority, like the utmost important thing in his life right now. Playoffs be damned, he wants you to be safe. So telling him how you’re feeling is something he deserves to know.” Everything Melissa says makes you realize how in the dark you’ve been keeping him. All for the so-called sake of protecting him, but have you really?

“Thanks for this, Mel. I should talk to him.” You come to the conclusion easily. 

“You should. If no one has told you yet, you’re doing great. You and Nate are going to be amazing parents.” The words catch up to you, and a tear rolls down your face. 

“Thank you, it really means a lot.”

“It’s really no problem,” Melissa guffaws, “Will I see you at the game later?”

“Yeah, you will.” You sniff and wipe at your eyes. 

“Good, I’ll see you then. Bye Y/N.” Melissa says. 

“Bye Mel.” 

The phone call ends, and you drop your phone into your lap with a sigh. You don’t really feel like getting up from the chair, and there’s a box of toys next to you. You pick up a dog plush that someone got you for the baby shower. You stroke its head and set it on the curve of your bump. Baby girl kicks, and you let out a watery laugh. 

“Like the dog baby girl?” You ask, and the flutters come back, “I guess so. It’s all yours, girly.”

You keep on rocking back and forth, cradling the plush against your chest. Your eyes begin to close, and sleep overtakes you. 

•••

“Y/N!” Nathan yells, and you’re awoken from your nap. “Baby, where are you?”

You clear your throat, “I’m up here.” 

You hear him walk up the stairs and peer into the doorway of the nursery, the worry is clear on his face. “I told you I would be back to help.”

“I didn’t touch anything. I just got anxious, but Mel and I talked for a bit, so that took my mind off things. Then I fell asleep.” You feel bad because Nathan looks extremely concerned. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” He crouches in front of you. “Do you want to get this done now or have lunch first?”

“Lunch.” You agree. 

“Alright.” He helps you up from the rocking chair and places a hand on your lower back. “What did Mel have to talk you down from?”

“I guess I should talk to you about it.” You look over your shoulder at him. “I’ve been feeling pretty useless lately, like yes, I went on maternity leave three days ago, but I was feeling useless at work for weeks too. But I didn’t want to bother you because you have games, road trips, and the playoffs to think about, so I didn’t tell you.”

“Y/N…”

“I know, I know. I should have told you.” Nate sits you down on the stools underneath the kitchen island. 

“Yeah, you should have. We’ve been together for 7 years now, baby, married and not. I want to know about everything that concerns you, tell me everything.” You nod and lean into the hand he has pressed to your cheek. 

“I will promise.” You agree, and Nathan smiles. 

“Good, now what do you want to eat?”

“Like a crispy sandwich, pesto, cheese, prosciutto, arugula, and focaccia. We should have everything for that. I bought some when I went to the store yesterday.” You pat his ass as he walks into the kitchen. 

“Yeah, it looks like we have everything. Do you want to drive with me to the game? I’d feel better if we could arrive and leave together, not that you can’t drive.” Nate pulls out all of the ingredients. 

“Three hours is a long time to wait at the arena. Maybe you could drop me off at Landy’s house, and I can go with Melissa.” You hop off the stool and round the island to the other side of the kitchen.

“Sounds good, then we can leave together, and we don’t have to worry about a second car.” He watches you waddle around prepping ingredients. “I can make you lunch, you don’t need to help.” 

“We just had a conversation about me feeling useless. I haven't had this much time off since our honeymoon, so sitting still is not appealing to me.” You slice open the bread and start to spread butter on it. 

“Right, sorry, umm…I’ll get started on the arugula topping.” Nathan backs down, honoring your need for autonomy. 

“Perfect.” You hum, and the two of you get to work. 

You both work in tandem perfectly, making lunch and eventually working your way upstairs to the nursery. Nathan finishes the crib, and you begin putting away the onesies, toys, and other accoutrements that are perfect for a newborn baby. 

“She kicked when I put this on my bump.” You show Nate the dog plush that causes the flutters from your baby. 

“Did she?” He takes the stuffed animal with a grin. “Just like her dad.”

“She better have some of me in there.”

“She should get your smarts, cause everyone knows that you’re leagues smarter than me.” He kisses your head and places the plush into the crib. 

“Very true, I can say I’ve never had a concussion.” You jab at him. 

“And I’ve had more than I can count.” He chuckles. 

“I know, your nose didn’t always look like that.”

“Hey, it has charm.” He touches his nose, and you smile. 

“It does.” You press your head to his shoulder. “We should start getting ready. This is the best we can do for now.”

“Yeah, we need to get going here soon. I have to be at the arena by 4, so I’ll need to drop you off soon.” He agrees, and you turn off the light in the nursery and make your way to the master bedroom. 

“What to wear, what to wear.” You hum and rummage through your closet. 

“Be comfortable.”

“Believe me, I will.” You pull out the only maternity jeans you own and try to pull them on. “Help.”

“Come here, sit on the bed.” He chuckles as you sit down on the bed and Nate helps you into the jeans, “and how about a sweatshirt?”

“Yes, please, I want the maroon one, the one the WAGs got for Christmas.” You watch him walk back into the closet, half-dressed in a suit.

“This one?” You nod, and he hands it to you. “What about a shirt underneath in case you start to get hot?”

“Alright.” You take off the baggy shirt you were wearing and grab a long tank top that fits over your bump. You put the sweatshirt on over top and fall back onto the bed, feeling slightly winded. “Why is it so hard to do that?”

“Because you’re pregnant?”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious.” You laugh and watch him get ready, eyes trailing up and down his body. “Fuck if I wasn’t pregnant already, I’d let you get me pregnant.”

“Jesus Christ, woman, you can’t just say things like that.” Nate blushes hard.

“What? That I think my husband is hot?” You sit up and flutter your eyes at him, making him blush again. “Can I not say that?”

“No, you can.”

“But you have to focus, be ‘Nathan MacKinnon’ right now to get into the mindset, and I’m distracting you.” You track him around the room with your eyes. 

“You are extremely distracting, sitting there pregnant with my kid and saying you’d let me get you pregnant again.” Nate stops fixing his collar and looks at you like you personally offended him. “Recipe for distraction.”

“Caveman.” You tease, and he does the final button on his shirt. 

“No, just completely devoted to you.”

“Don’t I know it.” You push off the bed and pad around looking for the perfect shoes to wear with your outfit. 

“Alright, I’m ready to go. I’ll meet you downstairs?” He peeks into the closet, and you give a nod. 

“I’ll be a second.” You grab a pair of white sneakers with maroon accents and take a few seconds to put them on. “Is my purse down there?”

“Yeah, it’s on the counter!” Nate yells up the stairs, and you begin your slow descent down them. Taking a step at a time, trying not to throw your balance.  

“Let’s go, you have pregame prep to do.” You take your purse from his hands, and both of you get into the car. 

•••

You and Melissa get to the arena around 6:30. Both of the Landeskog children are with a babysitter, so a child-free night was upon you both. Well, other than the nearly fully formed child inside of you. Security lets you in easily, and you both walk to the family suite. 

“You’re literally glowing.” Melissa holds the door open for you.

“Really? I just feel huge, like I’m actually waddling around and shit.” You sit down on the seats closest to the glass of the suite. 

“Normal part of pregnancy, hon, the waddle gets to everyone eventually.” Melissa grins. 

“Ugh, I know, it still sucks.” You settle into the chair. “My street cred in the hospital is gone.”

“You’re funny.”

“No, seriously, all these new interns come in and the first impression they have of me as a senior resident is me pregnant.” You sigh and lean into your hand. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m so excited to have this baby, because I wanted kids eventually. But I wanted to have kids after I became an attending.”

“You and Nate got this, I promise. And we’re all here for you both. Let me know if you need anything.” Melissa touches your shoulder. 

“I will. Nate’ll take some coaxing, but I’ll reach out, don't worry.” You joke, and Melissa laughs with you

“Good. Now, do you need anything like water or food?” She asks, and you shake your head. 

“All good for now, but thank you.” 

“Alright, just let me know.” She touches your shoulder.

“I will.” You nod and feel your phone buzz in your purse. You pull it out, seeing Nathan’s contact on your screen. “It’s Nate, I'll be right back.”

“Yeah, yeah, go.” Melissa shoos you off, and you press the phone to your ear as you get up out of the seat. 

“Hey, baby.” You speak sweetly into the phone.

“Hey, yourself, did you get to the arena okay?” 

“All in one piece, both me and baby.” You tease, and Nate sighs at your bad joke. 

“Good, let’s keep it that way.” He lets out a soft chuckle.

“Sir, yes, sir.” You snicker and lean into the wall next to you. 

“You’re ridiculous.” 

“Yeah, but you married me.”

“That I did, and I don't regret it.” His tone is sincere and warms your heart.

“Better not, 'cause you’re stuck with me, MacKinnon. For the next 18 years, then we can reevaluate.”

“I think I’ll need more than the next 18 years with you.” Despite your many attempts at teasing, he always says something so heartfelt that your chest wants to burst. “How does forever sound?”

“Hmm…forever is a long time.” You try to keep up with your previous antics, but you’re melting by the second. 

“Yeah, maybe, but you’re worth it. Both you and the baby.” You’re going to cry, like burst out in tears. 

“Stop being sweet right now, Nathan Raymond MacKinnon. You have a game to play, and I cannot cry before puck drop.” You scold him, not doing a very good job at hiding your watery voice. 

“Government named? You’re being very serious, alright, I’ll stop.” 

“Thank you. Now, go play a good game. I love you.” You dab at the corner of your eye. 

“I love you too. See you after the game.”

“See you after the game.” You repeat, and the call ends quickly after. You sit back down next to Melissa, and a couple of other WAGs that joined you two in the suite. 

“Y/N! You look amazing.” Tracy Makar, places a soft hand on yours. 

“Oh, thank you, getting bigger and bigger by the day.” You settle back into your chair, trying to get comfortable. 

“All a part of the process is what I’m trying to tell her.” Melissa nudges your shoulder, and you roll your eyes. 

“You and everyone else. But my body was not prepared for this baby at all. She is really comfortable.”

“I bet you two have picked out names?” Kerry Toews, the other wife that joined you, asks. 

“We actually have her whole name picked out. My mom got stuff monogrammed for the baby shower, so you’ll have to see it then.” You and Nate had picked out the name months ago. A combination you both loved and has sentimental value to make it feel special. 

“Ooo, I’m excited. You have great taste, so I trust you picked out something that will suit your little girl perfectly.” Tracy clasps her hands together with a wide grin. 

“We love it.” You feel her kick and rub the spot gently. 

“Take these last weeks in, soon your life will be all baby and nothing else.” Mel pats your hand, knowing full well what’s coming for you and Nate. 

“Oh, I know, it's not ideal to have the baby right near the end of the regular season, but we’ll have to make do.”

“Oh, for sure, but like Mel said, we’re here for you.” Kerry reiterates, and you take a deep breath. 

“Thank you, guys. Wait, did you get the invites for the baby shower?” You look at the other three women, panic rising for a second.  

“Yes, they were adorable. I should have sent back the RSVP.” Tracy nods, and you calm down. 

“I should check that. Should’ve probably been the first thing I did.” You shake your head. 

“You’re all good, Y/N.” Mel pats your arm. “Oh, the game is starting.”

All of you move to the edge of your seats and watch the Avs skate out onto the ice. You see #29 move around on the ice, Nathan looks up in your direction, and you give a small wave. Your baby girl kicks at the same time, and you laugh in awe that she’s able to understand. 

The game starts, and you settle back into your seat. 

•••

“That was a bullshit call!” You yell, knowing full well the refs can’t hear you. You plop back into your seat. There are 45.2 seconds left in the third, and the Avs are only up by one. Baby girl is rolling around from excitement, and every so often, one of her limbs catches on a rib or your bladder. “This is ridiculous.”

“The refs are on something tonight.” Mel shakes her head. “If this game goes to overtime, I think I’m gonna head out. Beat the traffic and say good night to the kids.”

“Yeah, I’m so tired.” You agree. “But Nate has the car keys and would be left stranded if I took them.”

“I can take you home if you need. It’s no big deal.” Mel offers. 

Normally, you would decline, but being pregnant has you yearning for your cozy bed. “That would be amazing, thank you so much.”

“No problem.”

You continue to watch the ice, waiting for the confirmation that this game wouldn’t go to overtime and the Avs would get the win. Your eye is starting to twitch a little from being so tired, and the need to rest your eyes is becoming more prevalent. 

The goal horn goes off, and you’re immediately more alert. The Avs score a goal and win the game, you sigh in relief. You won’t have to stay at Ball Arena for longer than necessary, and you get to go home with your husband. Falling asleep in his arms sounds like literal heaven right now. 

“It was a good game, but I’m not staying here longer than I have to. I’ll see you, ladies soon?” Melissa says as all four of you stand up.

“Yes.” You give her a quick hug, and she does the same with Tracy and Kerry. 

“Do you still want a ride back?” Mel asks as she circles back around to you. 

“No, I’m good, no overtime, so I’m going home with Nate.” You shake your head.

“Alright, rest up, honey.” 

“I will.” Melissa heads out, leaving the rest of you to walk to the family room. 

There are a few other families that probably sat in the stands, waiting to see their respective players. You settle on a chair, your hips and back aching from the length of the day, and your eyes drooping with the heaviness of sleep. If Nate doesn’t get out of media soon, you’re probably gonna fall asleep in the room. 

You luckily don’t have to wait too long. Nate walks through the door back in his game day suit. His eyes search around before landing on you, a smile spreading across his face. 

“Hi darling.”’ Nate can see the need for sleep written across your face. “Ready to go home?”

“Please, I’m gonna fall asleep on my feet here soon.” He pulls you up out of the chair, and you step closer into his side. Pregnancy and tiredness make you clingier.

Nate lets his arm fall over your shoulder, and the two of you walk out of the room. Comfortable silence makes its way between the two of you. Nate played a good game, and you’re too tired to talk about anything other than getting in bed. He’s practically guiding you to the car at this point, places are fading out of view as you possibly fall asleep on the walk there.

Nate helps you into the car and buckles your seatbelt. “Wait, I didn’t say goodbye to Tracy and Kerry.”

“I said goodbye for you, they know you are tired.” He eases your worries. 

“Okay, good.” You nod slowly, and he shuts the door. 

Nate starts the car, and the hum of the engine has your eyes fluttering closed for a second. A short moment. Or what you think is only a moment, but when you open your eyes again, the car is pulling into the garage. 

“Oh my god, I fell asleep.” You run a hand through your hair, blinking the sleep out of your eyes. 

“You needed it.” Nate chuckles and turns off the engine, “Head inside I’m gonna grab a package I saw on the front porch.”

“Okay. It might be the stuff my mom got for baby girl.” You tell him and get out of the car. 

“We can take a look.” 

“Okay. Wait for me to open the package.” You toe off your shoes and wait in the kitchen for Nate to come back.

You hear the garage door close, and Nate walks in with a box underneath his arm. He places the box on the counter, letting you read the label.

“Yeah, this is the baby bag, blanket, and onesies that she got monogrammed.” You tap your fingers on the box, “She thinks it would be cute to have it set up on a table at the baby shower and have people try to guess her name from the initials.”

“Let’s take a look at them.” Nate grabs a pair of scissors to cut the box open. 

You take out the tissue paper and pick up the diaper bag with your soon to be daughters initials on it. NRM is written in pretty white cursive, standing out from the black fabric of the bag. Nate takes it from your hands and runs his fingers over the letters, the same ones derived from his own name.

“People won’t think I’m conceited for giving my daughter my own initials, right?”

“If they do, I don’t care, because I love the name we picked out for our child.” You place a hand on his bicep. 

“You’re right.” He nods and moves to look at the other things in the box. “This blanket is cute.”

He pulls out a pink floral blanket with your baby’s first name written on it. “Oh, it’s just darling.” You smile and take it into your own hands. 

“I can’t wait till we have her actually in our arms, holding her in this blanket. Being able to use these onesies and this bag.” He places a hand on your bump, and your baby girl kicks softly. You know Nate feels it from the smile that spreads across his face. 

“I know, we’re so close. 6 or so weeks, then we get to hold her, and she’ll be real and all ours.” You place your hand over his. Nate leans down and kisses your mouth softly. 

“I can’t wait. Until then, you should get into your pajamas and go straight to bed.” He rests his forehead against yours. 

“Yes, please, my back and hips are killing me.”

“Anything I can do for you, baby?” His hand drifts to your lower back, rubbing up and down your spine. 

“Not right now, I just need to go to sleep.” You shake your head and slowly climb the stairs. 

“I agree. You were out in the car, like there was some traffic and people were honking, but you stayed asleep through all of it.” Nate says, following behind you. 

“I’m really tired right now. Growing a baby takes it out of me.” You make eye contact with the bed, and all of a sudden, there’s a gravitational pull. It has you making a beeline for the plush blankets and soft mattress. 

“Not yet, if you get in bed now, I won’t be able to get you out. Wash your face and brush your teeth, and I’ll get your clothes set out for bed.” He steers you in the direction of the bathroom, and you grumble, even though you know Nate is right. 

“Fine.” You huff, the tiredness in your bones makes everything feel slower and heavier.

You pull your hair away from your face and grab your skincare. Washing your face and freeing it of the makeup you had on makes you feel fresher. You catch a glimpse of Nate folding a pair of shorts and a large shirt for you to wear onto the bed, as you grab your toothbrush. You smile at his meticulous preparation of your sleep clothes before squeezing a generous amount of toothpaste and beginning to brush your teeth. 

“Your sleep clothes are on the bed. I’m gonna shower quickly, and then I’ll join you in bed.” Nate joins you in the bathroom, and you give a nod while continuing to brush your teeth. 

You rinse off your toothbrush and wipe your mouth as steam starts to fill the bathroom. You let Nate shower in peace while you free yourself from the maternity jeans and sweatshirt you’d been wearing. Slipping into bed, you prop yourself up with the pillows. Normally, you’d be able to fall asleep just fine without Nathan in the bed, but right now you need him to be near you.

He’s true to his words, and the shower turns off minutes later while you're burrowing into the covers. He emerges from the bathroom hair damp and wearing sleep shorts. 

“I thought you’d be asleep by now.” He says quietly, climbing into bed.

“Just waiting for you.” You move closer to him, and Nate pulls you into his side. 

“Well, I’m here now, and you can go to sleep.” You nod, eyes drooping, heavy with weariness. 

“Okay, g’night, Nate. I love you.” You mumble. 

“Goodnight, baby, I love you too.” He kisses your forehead and wraps his arms around you. A hand lands on the curve of your stomach and says so softly you almost don’t hear. “Goodnight, baby girl, we can't wait to meet you.”

You smile softly, eyes too heavy to open, but in your heart, you know your baby girl will be so loved. You can’t wait to bring her into the world. 

Soon. Really soon.