Shotgun Love (Shelby & Minamoto Thunder)

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Blood Lightning

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Fantasy, Realistic, Romance, Horror, Modern, Scifi, Zombies, Action, Adventure, Fandom, Drama
For the past two years, Newcomer Game Designer Matthew Williams has been together with Cosmetologist Nicole Tang. Both Matt and Nicole love each other dearly. However, their little love story gets rushed; when Nicole finds out that she's pregnant, Matt proposes to her. While planning out their wedding, both Nicole and Matt struggle as they prepare for their impending parenthood. To be engaged is one thing. But to be engaged to a pregnant woman is another. As for Nicole, being in a relationship, being engaged and starting a Family were all totally different things. But to be expecting and get married at the same time...Could be a blessing.
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Grabbing the keys from out of his pocket, Matt unlocked the door to the home he and his fiance owned, a small smile graced upon his lips as he walked in, closing the door behind him. It had been a long day; and interesting one, but a long one nevertheless, but he was just happy to finally be home, despite the impending thought that Nicole might be in one of her moods at the moment. He shook the thought off though; it wasn't her fault. What with her hormones out of whack, with her getting a little bigger with the baby, he figured she had a right to be a little... Crazy at the moment. Dealing with her like that was a bit tiresome, he had to admit, though he would never do so to her. With him trying to watch what he said to her, with him trying to keep her happy so that she wouldn't lash out at him and make him sleep on the couch... It could definitely be a lot, especially when trying to plan a wedding all at the same time, though he could admit that he wasn't too into the whole planning of the wedding. But he had helped; he helped pick out the cake, what kind of food they wanted to have there, and a few other little things.

"Nicole?" He spoke out, raising his brows as he looked around. It was a nice house, not too big and not to small, it being three bedroom two bathroom house. A good starter home, he had called it, once they had bought it, figuring that it would be a good place for them to start, especially with the baby on the way. They had a decent size kitchen, a nursery for the baby which had been all set up with the baby coming in about two months, and guest room (which currently was acting as a substitute office for his computer and other work related things) along with their master bedroom which had its own bathroom attached to it. He liked it; it was their own little place, and one of the only places they could actually afford at the moment. He was just getting into his career, however, so while the pay was decent he hoped to get higher positions later on as he continued to work there and started working on bigger projects.

When he heard nothing from his fiance he figure that she was probably taking a nap, and with not really wanting to disturb her he headed into the kitchen and grabbed himself a bottle of water from the fridge, running a hand through his hair after he took a sip from the bottle. There was still a lot to do before the wedding, a lot to do before the baby came, and though he wanted to put so much attention into his work he found himself thinking about other things. Would he be a good father, would he be a good husband? He loved Nicole dearly, as well as the baby even though she wasn't there yet, but he knew getting married to her and having a child were completely different than just being a boyfriend to her and the thought of having a baby. But... He figured he could handle it, that they could handle everything that was thrown at them. After all, they had made it this far.

With that thought in mind, he leaned his head back against the fridge a bit, sighing as he rolled his shoulders.
 
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A few short minutes later, Nicole did wake up from taking a half-hour long nap. Of course, she still felt tired. After yawning, she looked down at her belly. "God I don't think I can get much bigger..." She sighed. When she said that, she felt her baby kicking. She then cradled her belly to calm her baby down. "It's okay, Mommy still loves you, even though she cannot even fit into her pants." She smiled, holding her belly. Wondering if her Fiancée was home, Nicole slowly got up and went into the bathroom to wash her face. After straightening out her dress, she exited the bedroom to find her Fiancée in the kitchen. "Oh, hey sweetie, did you just get home?" She grabbed his arm and pulled herself closer to him before resting her free hand over her swollen belly.

For most of her pregnancy, next to her maternity clothes, all she could really wear were loose dresses or ones that could accomedate with her growing belly, which she did not mind. But she still hated not being able to fit into her pants.
 
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Pushing himself from off the fridge, he headed over to the counter and set down his works things, which consisted of his tablet and a notepad that had his own little notes written over the paper, different projects and his role in the placed on different pages. He actually just got assigned to a new game that they were beginning to create, and though he only played a small part in it, him and a few other people being put on the character design team, he figured it was still important. Then again, he figured every person working on it were important. Nevertheless, his job, for the time being, was to sketch out a few characters that would be the main focal points of the game, just to get a rough idea of what they could look like and other things of the nature. He wasn't sure whether or not he'd be the one to flesh them out as well, to animate them or at least make their figures more 3d like, but he knew if he wasn't the one to do that as well he'd have to work closely with the person who took on that aspect. Not a problem.

Matt flipped through a few of his notes, the basic concept of the game being sprawled out across the paper, giving him a rough idea of how they wanted the characters to be. Now he just had to figure out a way to make the characters look as if they fit into the world... Furrowing his brows a bit, he tapped his fingers on the counter before flinching lightly at the touch on his arm, the voice of his fiance permitting into his ears at that moment. He turned to look at her, smiling as he wrapped one of his arms around her, his fingers resting against her side though not touching her stomach. "Hey," he spoke, nodding his head to her question. He bent his head down to kiss her forehead before pulling back. "How was your day? The little one been giving you anymore trouble?" He chuckled at the comment, his eyes trailing down to look at her stomach.
 
"Only every single day...She's very active. Especially whenever I'm trying to sleep." Seeing how her future daughter reacts to some of her musings and comments, undoubtedly she recognizes her Mother's voice. With the exception of her fiancée, some of her future in-laws and her own family, Nicole especially hates it whenever people try to touch her belly, especially without asking.

She then noticed Matt looking down at her belly. "If you'd like, you can listen to the baby."
 
"Well then, we might just have our hands full with her when she's finally born." That was still a scary though, when the baby was finally going to be born and out into the world, with them having to take care of her, make sure she's healthy and safe and everything... But despite all that, he almost found it kind of exciting. The fact that they were bringing a child into a world, there was just something about it that undeniably made him happy, no matter how scared or nervous he was. "But I think it just means that she loves you."

At the mention of him being able to listen to the baby, he grinned. This was definitely a privilege he didn't take lightly, especially since he knew she didn't really like her stomach being touch. He often found himself having to resist against the urge to do so at random moments so that she wouldn't stress her out or anything, least he trigger a mood swing and it be directed towards him. Getting down on his knees, the grin still across his lips, he leaned his right ear into her stomach, listening, trying to see if he could feel anything from the being inside her. "Hey baby," he spoke softly, raising his hands to rest against Nicole's hips. "Giving mommy a hard time again, aren't you?" He chuckled again.
 
Nicole smiled, seeing that her fiancée was happy. Because she was around him the most, their daughter more then likely recognizes his voice as well. "She'a always giving me a hard time. Not letting me sleep." Normally she's be unhappy whenever people touch her stomach, but she didn't at all if it was her fiancée, because it's his baby that she's carrying, although sometimes he can go overboard, which does sometimes upsets her.
 
"I think she just likes the sound of your voice, isn't that right?" He rose his brows, speaking to the baby as if she really could understand him, as if she really could speak back to him. "She just wants to keep you up so that she can continue to hear you." Again he chuckled, but when Matt thought he felt the baby kicking a little he closed his eyes a bit, taking a deep breath as he relaxed himself. Braving himself a bit, though he wasn't sure if Nicole was going to tell him to stop or not, he ran one of his hands across her hips until it rested against her swollen stomach, his thumb running small circles around the material of the dress that she wore. "I love you, you know that right? Both of you, so much."

He knew that some people thought that they were rushing this, or at least a lot of his family did. Rushing the marriage, rushing to spend the rest of their lives with each other despite the fact that they were still pretty young with a baby on the way. He didn't care though; he loved her, and he figured that that was all that matter. Sure, he wasn't one of the most romantic guys in the world, but he had his moments when he tried to be, like with his proposal, despite how he had goofed even with that. But she had said yes, that was all that mattered right?
 
"Of course. Because I love you too and our daughter very much." Nicole smiled. She then started feeling a dull pain in her back, but it wasn't bad enough to seriously bother her. Instead she just put her hand on where it hurt to relieve the pressure, which did help. After a few minutes, she asked him to let go before she starts feeling uncomfortable. "Alright, sweetheart, I think it's time to get back to work. You can join me in bed when you're done." She then ran her fingers through his hair.
 
He continued to rest his head lightly against Nicole's stomach, enjoying the feeling for the time being while she was allowing him to, or at least while he wasn't making her uncomfortable. When she told him to let go he did so, giving a little sigh before giving her stomach a quick kiss and pulled back, tilting his head up to look at the woman. "Hmm, but I just got back from work; I want to relax for a little bit." Pouting a bit after he spoke, he quickly dropped the expression before looking down, shrugging his shoulders a bit. No, he probably should start working on the sketches, if only for a little bit. He wanted to have a basic idea for them before he went back to work tomorrow so that he could show them and see if he was heading in the right direction, and he knew that if he didn't start on it now, he more than likely wouldn't feel like doing it later on.

"But I probably should start working on it. Got assigned to a new game today." He grinned when he looked back at her, him standing now before he reached over to grab his things on the counter. "So I don't really want to disappoint anyone, but I won't work on it for too long. Just a little bit." Then again, that all depended on how much he would allow his mind to delve into the work. With that thought in mind, he kiss her forehead again before he headed towards his makeshift office.
 
After a couple of more minutes, Nicole left the room so Matt can get back to work. Because she felt grimy, she just went back into the bedroom and went to take a shower. Afterwards, she got into her nightdress, even though the sun hasn't set. She just wanted to be comfortable, which was a must-have if she is resting. Hopefully she hasn't been putting too much on Matt's shoulders, especially now that she's having a baby -- His baby. Feeling hungry, she decided to grab something to eat so her consistent hunger. While looking in the pantry, she just grabbed a granola bar before making herself some herbal tea for herself before relaxing herself on the couch in the Living Room. As she set the tea down on the Coffee Table, she stretched out her legs before cradling her belly. Normally when she does so, it calms her baby down from all the excessive kicking.
 
Giving a deep sigh, Matt grumbled something under his breath as he crossed out another idea and threw it into the trash bin under his desk. This was not going as he would have liked it, or rather his ideas were coming as quickly to him as they normally would have. Too many things on his mind, so many things he wanted to think about, had to think about. But he tried to clear his mind, and after about another hour or two of trying to get his ideas straight, looking back at his notes before he would try and work back on a sketch, he eventually got the workings of an idea in his mind and on the paper. He even liked it a bit, though if he had to admit anything it was that this still wan't necessarily to his liking. Nevertheless, he figured once he got more opinions on it tomorrow he'd be able to get a more solid idea.

So, figuring that he had done enough for the time being, he closed his notepad up and stood up from the chair, stretching his arms above his head before he headed out the room, peeking his head into his and Nicole's bedroom first. When he didn't see her in there he figured that she must be in the living room or something, and when he walked in there to see her relaxing on the couch, the sight making her smile. Despite what she probably though about herself, he still thought that she was beautiful. Smiling to himself at the sight, he leaned against the back of the couch and looked down at her. "So, get anything else done for the wedding today? Or has today just been one of your relaxing days?" He tilted his head.
 
When Matt entered the room, Nicole felt flustered. "Well, we finalized on the cake like a week ago. Today, I just finished picking out my wedding dress. I think you'll love it. Then this coming weekend, after my doctor's appointment, I plan to send out invitations." She let out a deep breath before cradling her belly. "But tomorrow, I am just going to relax. Aside from the all nausea, heartburn, backache, insomnia, I can only do so much." Nicole couldn't even run anymore and could barely walk. Who knew Childbearing would be so hard? But she really hated her moodiness and jumpy hormones. She would be sad one minute, angry the next. That has happened a few times, but Matt did pretty well in terms of being patient with it, because he knows well enough that its not her fault that she's all moody. But while planning for the wedding, she was 'nesting' as well, which she'd hope would stop because it was starting to creep her out. The Kitchen was spotless, the Nursery was finished, the Garage was much more organized then it used to be, the rooms were clean, the bathroom was spotless. Even her car was clean and spotless, both from the inside and out.
 
He frowned as he listened to her, grimacing a bit when she started mentioning the symptoms that she was feeling. He knew this hadn't been easy on her; any of this. The fact that she was pregnant and planning a wedding. There was just so much going on, and there were definitely times when Matt felt as if he wasn't doing everything he could to help, or at least enough despite how much he was trying. But he figured one of the best things he could do was just be there for her and try to comfort her throughout all this, as well as try to alleviate any stress that might be coming towards her.

Walking around the couch, he sat down on the floor beside her, giving her a sympathetic gaze as he sat cross legged. "I'm sorry... But just think! In a week, after we're married, you won't have to think about planning a wedding anymore." Trying to look at the more positive side of things, he gave her a small smile. "You'll just be able to relax, just take care of yourself, and then in two months at least you won't have to be carrying the baby in you anymore." Then again, once the child was born, wasn't that when all the hard work really comes in, for the both of them? He rubbed the back of his neck.
 
Nicole smiled at the thought of her fiancée looking at the Positive Side of things. Because she was starting to feel uncomfortable laying on her back, she turned over to rest on her side, particularly her left. Why the left side is best is because it increases the amount of blood and nutrients flowing to the placenta and the baby. One thing that Nicole really loved about Matt was he has been very helpful during the pregnancy. When it comes to most unplanned pregnancies, guys tend to act very different, sometimes even leave and disappear. She then started remembering all the labor horror stories she got to hear, particularly from other Family Members as most of her cousins had married young and had two or three kids by now. "A Wedding and having a baby all at the same time is quite the blessing." she responded. Because of her changing body, her Self-Esteem has been jumping up and down as well. She looked down at her swollen belly before resting her hand on it. "Everyday, when I think I possibly couldn't get any bigger and then I do." she mused.
 
"Uh, huh," Matt sounded as he nodded his head, agreeing with her about the wedding and a baby being a blessing. She was right; maybe this was good for them, the best thing maybe. Sure, this was a huge step in their relationship, getting married in a matter of a week and then having a baby two months later, but it just seemed right. Either that, or maybe it was just fate; as if this was supposed to happen to them because it tested them a bit, seeing how well they could deal with all of this. He figured they were dealing with it well enough. Most definitely there were times when he felt pressured, when he wondered what the hell he was doing with his life with getting married and being the father of a child so quickly to his girlfriend of two years, but he stuck with it. Besides, he wasn't the type of guy to run away from his commitments. He wound't abandon Nicole or the baby; he wasn't going to run out on them. But, ultimately, that was because he loved them.

Some of his family didn't agree with what he was doing, namely his parents who he had no doubt were not going to attend the wedding, which as sad of a thought as that as he had already accepted it. They were the ones who were against this, telling him that she had purposefully gotten herself pregnant so that he would propose to her. They made it seem like she was after something of his, but what could that possibly be? He had nothing, hardly, and they sure as hell weren't doing anything to help with it. But, what ever. It was their lose. He was happy, he had made the conscious thought to propose because he wanted to, because he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this woman and his child, and nothing they said was going to change his mind about it.

Sighing, he rested his chin on the couch, looking at her as she shifted to get herself more comfortable. He couldn't help but give a little chuckle to her as he turned his head to look at her stomach. "You're still beautiful though. Besides, you're not that big."
 
"Thanks..." Nicole smiled, even though what he had said was semi-insulting. Although it hurt to know that her in-laws weren't going to attend her wedding, at least her own family was happy for her. Both of her parents knew that she wanted to have a Family at some point in her life, but didn't know it'd come so soon. Her Father disagreed at first, but accepted the relationship and even gave Matt his blessing before he proposed to her. Her Mother had always wanted grandchildren, despite already having five other kids besides Nicole herself, so it was okay that Nicole got pregnant, it was just a bit too early. Nicole's two Older Brothers, Jin and Yuichi were okay with it, because they married young as well, with Jin already having two kids. Nicole's Older Sister Nina was happy for her, because she wanted to be an Aunt and like Jin, was also married, but had three kids. Nicole's younger sister Mei was in a relationship, but still thought Nicole herself was still a little too young to have kids, either way she is still happy that Nicole has finally found "The One", while she herself has yet to become engaged. Finally, Nicole's Youngest Brother Yuan wasn't as quick to accept Matt as his Brother-in-Law like the rest of the Family, which did make her unhappy. So Matt was not the only one who had upset Family Members, whereas she had less. Strangely enough, Nicole's Family on both sides did have a History of marrying young, even having kids at a young age, even younger then her as well, so she didn't get why some of her Family Members were being hard on her for marrying and starting a family at a young age because they were pretty much being hypocrites.

Roughly an hour ago, her Baby was kicking quite a bit. The tea didn't calm her down, neither did the night snack. "One strange thing, honey...The second you came into the room, she calmed down on the kicking. I think she missed you because she doesn't get to hear you as often." She looked down at her belly. "You missed Daddy, didn't you sweetie?" She mused.
 
The thought that the baby had calmed down after he had come into the room made him smile, or grin rather. To think that, maybe, before she was even born he had an effect on her. And here he thought that babies were only connected to their mothers when in the womb. "I just have a calming effect on everyone," he joked, laughing at the statement before he rested his cheek against the couch then, giving out a little sigh. "Or maybe she'll just be a daddy's girl." That thought brought a warm smile to his lips. He knew he was going to be protective of her; after all she was his daughter, and Matt always figured that it was the father's job to protect his family, especially his daughter. Now, he couldn't say for sure whether or not he would be one of those crazy dads who just wanted to make sure their daughter never dated until they were older, however he figured that he'd have to wait and figure it out. Besides, he really didn't know what kind of father he was going to be. He hoped a good one though.
 
While it was true that most unborn babies prefer their mother, Matt must have had that calming effect. It also could be that their daughter might become a Daddy's girl. However, she didn't want her Daughter to be an only child. After all, they weren't living in China...Later down the road, Nicole did want to have a second child. Preferably a son, but no more then three kids. But its not like she can pick the gender of her baby, so she could only pray. After the way she was raised, she knew how she was going to be parenting; although her parents were fairly laid back, they were very picky when it came to her dating, which carries into the present day. It still saddened her that her younger brother has yet to accept Matt. After the sad thought passed, she started rubbing her belly. "Well, I have a few names picked out for our little girl."
 
He perked up at the mention of her having maybe thought of a name for the baby, his chin once again resting on the couch as he turned his eyes from Nicole's stomach to her face. "Yeah? What are they?" He himself had never been good with names, even now. Sure, he had tried to think of some, some names that would be feminine and nice, not too boyish and something that would just overall fit... But that was a lot harder than he had originally thought. After all, that would be the name she would be known by, a name that, unless she really hated it when she got older, she could change it, which he hoped wouldn't happen. To be honest, he found it kind of funny. Here he was, supposed to be a creative type of person because of what he did, and generally he was with every other aspect of a game, but when it just came to names, he generally drew blanks.
 
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