Twisted Perfection ~ Everlark

Real.

Katniss' PoV:
1 week later.
I stare at his face a lot. Sometimes he doesn't notice and sometimes he does. But when he does, I allow myself to not look away or try to ignore the crimson red that paints across my cheek, but to just carry on instead. I look at him and smile. The strong curve of his jawline. The gentle slope of his nose. The deep blue that encircles his pupil. The muscles that gently outline his body. The blonde locks of hair that fall on his face as he concentrates. He is truly beautiful.

I rest in my bed with Peeta by my side. Dr Aurelius insists we rest a lot, even after all these months. I just close my eyes, but don't fall asleep. I don't fall asleep, but not because I'm scared of the nightmares to come, but because I want to be in this moment with Peeta. I want to inhale his calming scent. I want to be with Peeta. Suddenly he speaks up and I open my eyes slowly. "Do you want anything to eat, drink?" I slowly shake my head. "No," I say hushed. "I just want to be here with you." His body shifts slightly. "Can we play real or not real?" He asks gently. I nod my head.
"Your favourite colour is green?" He asks.
"Real." I respond.
"You shoved me against the wall after the interviews of our first games and nearly tried to kill me?" He asks. I laugh a little at the notion of me physically hurting Peeta. It's not even the last thing I'd do now.
"Real." I say. In the first games I attacked Peeta after the interviews with Caesar, because I believed he made me look weak. But now I've come to realise my love for Peeta did not make me weak though it was one of my weaknesses.
"You sang to me in the second games?" He asks.
"Not real." I respond. I've only ever sang to him once, and that was a few days ago, sitting on the sofa.
He snickers slightly before asking the next one. "You love Gale?" He asks.
"No, not even as a friend." I respond quickly. If anything is going to confuse Peeta, it won't be this. Mine and Gale's relationship grew from hunting for survival whereas mine and Peeta's relationship grew from surviving the hunt.
"You still care for me?"
It's all I ever do, Peeta. I think to myself.
"Real." I say. He sighs slightly as his voice cracks. "It's just that, when Snow had me, he always told me you never cared about me. Not one bit." The last bit is spoken in a bitter tone, as if he's trying to mimic the snake's voice himself.
"I care about you Peeta, in fact you might not know this, but I'd go out of my way to make sure you're okay." I say. He hesitantly nods.
"I'm so happy you're here." I say, breaking up the game. I say it because I feel as though before the end of the war, we were always separated. There is something to be said about two people who find each other time and time again. When I found him camouflaged. When his heart started to work again. And although it wasn't a nice reunion, when he arrived in 13. When he came home. No matter what situations, we end up in or how far apart we become- we come back to each other. We are the people who have a little thing called fate on our side. It's almost like the world is saying, "stop separating, you are meant to be together."
"Katniss," he says, raising his voice, sounding like a child asking for their pocket money. "Could I move back in?" He asks. My heart nearly leaps out of my chest. I can't even comprehend to think about it, before I look him in the eyes, sitting up, I spill out, "yes!"
The corner of his lips tug into a bright and satisfied smile. I lay my head back down on his chest and he starts to stroke my hair softly and daintily. A few minutes pass by until he says three words that change everything, "I love you."
I don't reply because I don't know what to say right at this moment, but I don't think he expects one. Instead I place my hand on his and instantly feel the warmth. I think to myself,
If grass can grow through concrete and flowers can still grow in the meadow, then I suppose I can start to fall in love with Peeta again.