"Peeta," Katniss spoke with nothing but a whisper in her voice. Peeta had gone on one of his rages but she couldn't do anything but help him come out of the horror. Even though there was no more Hunger Games or President Snow but Peeta still had moments were he would try and hurt her, his Katniss. All she could do was hold him and whisper in his ear. After a while Peeta came out from his horror trapped mind to see that he had marked her again, a bruise and a cut marked Katniss face from trying to protect him from himself.
"Katniss I'm so sorry … I didn't mean too, I'm s-sorry." He kissed the bruise and cut that ran over cheek lightly not wanting to her any more than he had done so far. Tears started too slowly and silently ran down his face, hating himself that he did this to the person he loved most and meant his whole world.
"Peeta its fine, you can't help it." Katniss placed both of her hands on both side of Peeta's face and wiping away the tears that marked his face and making him look her in the eyes. "You put up with me with my nightmares which means you don't sleep well most nights, so I think you having one of … moments is nothing and their getting better, aren't they?"
"Y-Yeah they are but it's still not fair on you, I shouldn't be hurting you." Peeta said with his voice thick with sorrow, regret and love.
"You didn't choose to be like this, Snow is the reason you're like this." Katniss hoped that Peeta would see the truth in the words that she spoke and that he didn't have control over when he would go on his moments. Then Katniss kissed him full on the lips trying to stop him from saying another word. She couldn't help but smile a little from when she first kissed him in the cave in the arena of the seventh-fourth Hunger Games, she had kissed him to stop him from talking then.
"Katniss you can't kiss me just to shut me up." Peeta spoke trying to keep a straight face but when they kissed he seemed to melt away and be who he really was.
"Oh don't you like it when I kiss you then." Katniss acted like she was hurt and sat down on one of the sofa's in their living room, crossing her arms and trying to look anywhere but at Peeta and also do the impossible task of not smiling. Peeta was the only person that would make her face seemingly light up, Gale was the only one for a while the only person that could make her smile, but when she finally felt the same for Peeta as he did for her did her face truly light up.
"You don't mean that," Peeta joked, playing along with her. He started tickling her making a laugh that made birds stop and listen just like her singing did (that she had inherited from her father).
"O-O-OK I D-D-DIDN'T M-MEA-MEAN IT! ST-STOP T-TICK-TICKLING M-ME PL-PLEASE!" Katniss laughed out wanting Peeta to stop tickling her but not really wanting to as she just loved these moments that they shared together.
"No, no I don't think I will." Peeta said with a smile simply plastered all over his face and written in his eyes. Katniss wanting him to have a taste of his own medicine. She did a move that ended with her straddling him and tickling him just like he was doing to her.
"H-HEY THA-THAT'S N-NO-NOT F-FAIR!" Peeta called out just like she had done just mere seconds ago. Katniss stopped tickling him and just looked down at Peeta with nothing but love and desire written and marked in her eyes, and as if they both read each other minds did they let their lips meet in a passionate kiss that was yet sweet and soft that just let each other know that they were never letting each other go for nothing. Peeta slowly rolled the pair of them over so that he was on top. "You love me? Real or not real?"
There was only one answer that she could say to that. "Real, Always real." Katniss replied to Peeta holding his gaze because "Real" would always be the answer for her love to him and his love to her.