The hunger games; growing together

12-This is not my Peeta

Peeta has been in his art room for the past few hours. Although he loves to paint, he never usually spends this much time here so I decided to check on him. I walk to the room but stop just outside. I can hear muttering.

"Mutt! She's a stinking mutt!" Oh no. He's having a flash back. I need him to snap out of this. I walk in his art room and see his paintings of me all torn up. "Peeta?" He immediately stops talking, his attention now turned to me.

"Ah, the mutt itself." He says. His words hurt. But I know it's not him. It's not the real Peeta.

"Peeta come on baby you know it's not real." I say through tears. I try to wrap my arms around him but he flinches away. I'm sobbing as I try to coax the real Peeta back. But I fear I'm helpless again the demons the capitol planted inside of him.

He screams and shouts hurtful things making me feel small. But I'm not giving up on him. I come closer and he's huddled in the corner. He slaps me round the face resulting in my nose bleeding but I don't care. I need to get him back. I continue to embrace him and choose to repeat the words "it's not real."

Eventually anger turns to sobs. "Katniss?" I look to him and see his cloudy grey eyes has changed back to the ocean blue ones they once were. "Oh peeta." I gasp and snuggle my head into his chest. "I'm so sorry." He cries over and over again. I say nothing, knowing he has nothing to be sorry for. It's okay now. The real Peeta is back.

I feel him shaking like a leaf in fear to what he's done, but he still gets out the words...

"You love me, real or not real?"

I tell him real.