#ch 26

[frenchcarssince1946]

2014 Chatenet CH 26

My tumblr-blogs: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/germancarssince1946 & https://www.tumblr.com/blog/frenchcarssince1946 & https://www.tumblr.com/blog/englishcarssince1946 & https://www.tumblr.com/blog/italiancarssince1946 & https://www.tumblr.com/blog/japanesecarssince1947

[robbery-bankruptcy-fraud-plunder]

let it be known that Irene & Jaeha liked each other at the first sight

[every-sakura]

[onepieceanimals]

[ewebie]

The Hayloft - Chapter 26

Through all the pleasant meadow-side The grass grew shoulder-high, Till the shining scythes went far and wide And cut it down to dry. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Greg watched the sky change through the trees, the sun dropping closer to the horizon. It lit the clouds with dramatic streaks of vivid colour. The cool damp of the air carried a whiff of the germinating seeds, the spring creeping into the grounds. At any other time, it would be his favourite season. He dropped down on his haunches and picked up a handful of the topsoil. It was ready. Nearly twenty years of work, and this was the year.

~

The Hayloft - Ch 26 

Based on a twitter/tumblr prompt ( here  )

New chapter every Friday (probably first thing in the morning -- US time). This will take through June to complete! (it's a big one). I hope you all enjoy this labor of love.

[everyonehappy]

[everycanute]

[imberlae]

[shysheeperz]

[javistg]

Six Sentence Sunday. One Victor CH 26

I haven’t done this in ages!!! I’m sure no one expects this at this point but here I am again, with a lot more than six sentences from the upcoming chapter of One Victor. 

Let me know what you think 😊

As usual, unbetaed and subject to change.

You can find the full fic on AO3 and FF.net

Enjoy!

After all the hubbub died down, Peeta walked the Everdeens back to their compartment. 

 He was at their doorstep, already wishing them a good night, when Katniss slipped her hand in his and announced, "I'm going to go over to Peeta's for a little while."

 Without a word, Prim kissed her sister's cheek and disappeared into their living quarters. 

 Mrs. Everdeen took a moment to look at her eldest daughter. Her eyes were guarded, but her voice was gentle. "I'll see you later, then." Before closing the door, she added, "Good night, Peeta."

 Stunned, Peeta mumbled, "Good night, Mrs. Everdeen."

 With her family out of the way, Katniss turned to look at him, suddenly worried. "Is that OK? Maybe, you want to be on your own."

 "On my own?" Peeta tugged on her hand to bring her closer. "Nu-uh. I'd much rather be with you."

 "Good!" Beaming, Katniss lead him the rest of the way. 

 XXOXX

 "Katniss!" Peeta whispered. His voice, firm and urgent, was like a lifeline, cutting through a world of death and destruction and guiding her back into the real world. "Katniss, wake up!"

 Katniss woke with a start. Panting hard, she pressed a hand over her racing heart and took stock of her surroundings. 

 Dim light. White walls. No windows. An ugly coffee table. A leather-bound scrapbook. 

 Peeta's compartment. 

 We must have fallen asleep on the couch, Katniss realized.

 Peeta's hand on her shoulder was gentle but steady. Without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms and, without argument, she followed. 

 "You OK?" he asked. 

 Katniss pressed her ear to his chest. His heart was beating at the same quick pace as hers. 

 "It was just a nightmare,” she mumbled into his shirt.

 "Want to talk about it?"

 "Not really," safely nestled in the cocoon of his arms, she admitted, “it was about Twelve."

 Peeta nodded. 

 It had been a long day.  

 The visit to their district and all the excitement of the presentation at the public square had drained them. 

 Back in the privacy of his compartment, they had shared a few kisses, but mostly, they had just snuggled on the couch and talked. 

 Looking for memories of happier days, Peeta had pulled out the scrapbook he had salvaged from his visit to Victors' Village earlier in the day. Katniss had been delighted to see the pictures from his Victory Tour. 

 He still couldn't believe how much she remembered simply from watching the daily news reports.  

 "I wanted to know how you were doing," she admitted, blushing prettily when he asked her about it. 

 The conversation had been a welcome distraction for their weary souls. But it was getting late and, eventually, they had just fallen asleep. 

 Sitting up, Katniss stretched her arms over her head. "What time is it?"

 Peeta glanced at the kitchen clock. "It's almost midnight." 

 Pulling up her sleeve, Katniss revealed the schedule tattooed on her arm. The last item read 22:00 — Lights Out. Scrunching up her nose, she asked, "Is there a curfew here?"

 "I'm not sure. Want to sleep here? I can take the couch,” he quickly offered. 

 Looking past him, Katniss sneaked a peek into his room. His bed was bigger than hers. "You don't need to take the couch. There's plenty of room for the both of us over there."

 Peeta's questioning eyebrow shot up. "You sure?"

 "Yeah." Taking his hand to show she meant business, Katniss stood up and led them to the bedroom. "Come on."

 "Would you like to change?" he asked once they were in his bedroom, "I don't have much, but you could borrow my sleep shirt. That would probably work."

 Katniss looked down at her crumpled jumper. Changing into something clean and soft sounded like a good idea.  

 They took turns using his bathroom to change and clean up for the night. 

 As she waited for him to join her in bed, Katniss buried her nose in Peeta's sleep shirt and took a long, deep breath. 

 Even through the strong smell of Thirteen's detergent, she could identify the spicy notes of cinnamon and musk she identified as Peeta's. 

 A smile turned her lips. Being there --wrapped up in his shirt, surrounded by his scent-- made her deliriously happy. Especially when she remembered that just a couple days before, she had thought she had lost him for good. 

 Before her mind could go down that dark rabbit hole, Peeta came out of the bathroom wearing his pajama bottoms with his uniform's undershirt. 

 The sudden realization that she was about to share a bed with Peeta --handsome, charming, adorable Peeta-- sent a rush of heat to her cheeks. 

 Flustered, Katniss looked down at her lap and tried not to ogle him as he climbed into bed with her. 

 The mattress sagged under his weight and, as soon as she felt him still, Katniss settled in next to him. 

 After dimming the lights, Peeta slid closer to press a kiss to the crown of her head. "Thanks for being here."

 "You're welcome," Katniss said around a yawn. "That's what friends are for."

 "Is it?"

 Confused, she turned a sleepy eye in his direction, "What?"

 "Is that what we are, Katniss? Friends?"

 "Well… We are friends," she repeated stubbornly. Even as the word left her mouth, she knew it was wrong. 

 A soft hum rumbled deep inside Peeta's chest. The mattress shook with his laughter. “Do you normally spend the night at your friends' houses?"

 The idea of spending a night in Gale's —or even Madge's— bed seemed so ludicrous to her that she immediately burst out laughing. "No, I don't!"

 "I don't either."

 The clarification washed over her, warming her whole body with an inexplicable kind of joy. Emboldened by it, she asked, "So, what are we then?"

 Propping himself up on one arm to lie on his side, Peeta reached for her braid. His gentle fingers slid down in a slow, familiar gesture that soothed them both. "I don't know. I don't really care about labels, but I need you to know one thing." His heart pounded against his ribcage. She was so close to him that he was sure she could hear it, beating right next to her as he finally admitted, "I'm yours."

 Yours. The word enveloped her like a warm embrace.

 Somewhere in the back of her mind, a scared little voice began screaming, reminding her that this was exactly what she had vowed to run away from. 

 What Peeta was offering was the type of bond her parents had shared. The kind of connection that had the power to make someone deliriously happy, but that could, just as easily, destroy them. 

 Just a few months before, Katniss would have listened to the voice, she would have closed her heart and run away, but it was too late for that now.  

 Despite her best efforts, Peeta had worked his way inside her heart and had rooted there. 

 After everything they'd gone through, she wasn't strong —or foolish enough— to try to pull him out. 

 Unable to deny her feelings any longer, Katniss ran her trembling fingers through his hair. The stubborn wave that insisted on flopping down to his forehead eased her nerves. 

 "I'm yours too,” she whispered.

 Peeta's eyes were wide with wonder. "You are?"

 "I am," she confirmed, cupping his cheek and pulling him down for a soft kiss.

 XXOXX

 The following morning, Katniss woke up with her head resting on Peeta's arm. She didn't know what time it was, but it had to be early. The alarm hadn't gone off yet. 

 She turned slowly, being careful not to disturb him, but Peeta was already awake. 

 The sight of his sleepy smile and tousled hair filled her with a kind of joy she’d never experienced before. Warm and delicious, it spread and reached every part of her being. 

 "No more nightmares?" he asked.

 "No, I slept like a log." Stretching out with a lazy yawn, she said, "I should get changed, get back to my compartment before the alarm goes off." 

 With a soft kiss goodbye, Katniss dragged herself out of bed and began her day. 

[robbery-bankruptcy-fraud-plunder]

btw, Yoo Jaeha is a name of a real-life Korean musician who died in the car crash at the age of 25; even though he died with only one album, his music apparently has a great legacy in South Korea, and it is credited with exerting tremendous influence in Korean popular music

[every-sakura]

[airpodrat]

"Hey hey wait we're on your side!"

"If you're on my side then whyd you kill all my soldiers?"

"Because you threw us in here to be killed by them?"

"I didn't throw any of you in! You all jumped in! I even tried to stop you from jumping in but you just dragged me down with you!"

"Yes, yes, let's call it a truce"

🤣🤣🤣

[everyonehappy]

[everycanute]