A/N: This chapter contains upsetting themes.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games.

Eleven

Peeta stood outside Marvel's house, the letter clutched his hands the same way he used to clutch Patrice at night when he was frightened. He climbed the steps nervously and waited for as long as possible before knocking. There was an instant answer, and Marvel stood in the threshold, beaming like a set of headlights.

"You came," he stated.

"I did?" Peeta asked sarcastically. "I thought this place was my house."

Marvel rolled his eyes, not appreciating the joke. "Come in," he said, stepping out of the way of the doorway to let him through. Peeta didn't miss the way his eyes did a swift inventory of his body as he entered the house. Urgh, did his libido ever get tired?

Marvel guided him into the sitting room, handing over a glass of wine that had already been poured. Peeta eyed the red fluid skeptically. "You didn't drug this, did you?" he asked.

"No, of course not," Marvel said. To prove it, he took the glass back and handed Peeta the one he had been holding. "I'm not that sad."

"Right," Peeta replied. He brought the glass hesitantly to his lips and took a sip out of it. Peeta was surprised that Marvel had remembered that he perfered white over red. It had been two years, after all. "I suppose this is where you're going to try and make me drunk?"

"Not at all." Marvel smiled and gestured for Peeta to follow him into the kitchen. A table was set up in the middle, with a sleek ivory table cloth and a candle lit ontop. "I drove to that Chinese Resturant you like and got that chicken and rice I know you love."

"You drove into town?" Peeta couldn't believe it. That was a twenty mile drive.

Marvel grinned. "I was hoping it would seem romantic," he said.

"I guess . . ." Peeta wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about it. He hadn't had food from that resturant ever since he went into hiding. He felt a little tempted to say that he wasn't hungry but his stomach then grumbled and gave him away. Marvel grinned and pulled a seat out for him, pushing it in once he sat down.

The food was as good as he remembered but it was hard to focus on it. Peeta was waiting for Marvel to do something terrifying. Because of this the food tasted like saw dust in his mouth. "Do you think you'll ever go back to being Maddy?" Marvel asked.

"No." It was an easy question. Something he could immediately answer. "No, I don't."

"How long have you felt like this?"

Peeta eyed him cautiously, wondering why he was suddenly so curious and ready to listen. "Since I was five years old," he replied.

"How does a five year old come to a conclusion like that?" Marvel seemed genuinely interested, which was odd, to say the least.

"When she's told to wear frilly dresses and all she sees is a boy wearing girl's clothes," Peeta shrugged. "And the interest in dolls and barbies and make-up begins to fade."

"But I don't understand," Marvel said. "You have a boyfriend, you're attracted to men. Surely that means that you're supposed to be a girl?"

"It's not a question of sexuality," Peeta replied. "It's my identity. Sure, I'm gay-"

"Some may argue, straight," Marvel added.

Peeta narrowed his eyes. "Sure, I'm gay," he repeated, "But that does not change the fact that I want to have a sex change."

Marvel nodded, silent for a moment as he tried to swallow what Peeta just said. Peeta was actually quite pleased that he was making an effort to understand. "If you haven't had this surgery yet, why is your chest so flat?" he asked.

"Compression bandages," Peeta explained. "They work quite well, especially since when you first saw me you thought I had already gotten rid of my breasts."

Marvel tsked. "I guess," he said.

After the dinner, Peeta was surprised when Marvel still didn't try anything. He couldn't understand what was happening. What was with his sudden change of heart? Something wasn't right. Could people really just change like that?

When they stood at the door, Marvel folded his arms and started to explain. "Look, I know you probably thought I was going to rape you or something while you were here," he said. "And I know you thought I was going to try it anyway, whether you came here or not, but I'm not a monster. I wouldn't force myself on someone who doesn't want me."

"You've been blackmailing me for weeks now," Peeta said slowly.

"Just because I thought I stood a chance with Maddy," Marvel answered. His eyebrows bowed up a little in discontent. "I thought I'd be able to get her back." He looked at Peeta hopefully. "Are you sure you can't be her?"

"It's not like DID Marvel, I can't switch between her and me, I'm sorry," said Peeta. He suddenly felt guilty. "I'm sure you will meet someone someday, who'll love you back."

Marvel nodded. He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled something out. It was a small box, with a medical cross on it. "I got you this."

"What is it?" asked Peeta.

"Estrogen injections, enough for a year," said Marvel. "They'll lower your voice, make some facial hair grow ectera. My gift to you."

Peeta stared at the box. "What?" he asked.

"And I'll also pay for your surgery," Marvel insisted. "An apology for how I've treated you for the past . . . well, ever. I know I can't just throw a money at a problem but-"

"Marvel, I can't expect you to pay for my surgery." In fact, Peeta was stunned that he had offered. "It's a lot of money. You don't have to. I'm earning enough at the shop. I can't just take such an amount off you for no reason, it's not feesible."

Marvel's eyes glittered. "You could do one thing for me," he said.

Peeta narrowed his eyes. "What is it?" he said wearily.

"Answer a question?"

"What's the question?"

"Did you ever love me?"

The question made Peeta pause. He had expected something like how often does your boyfriend and you fuck, how big are your tits, how long does it take you to cum etc. Not this. Had he ever loved Marvel? Maddy had certainly trusted him but it hadn't been to the point of love. Surely it hadn't. You can't just drop love and yet as soon as he left, Peeta hadn't thought that much of Marvel.

"No."

As the seconds passed, Peeta could see something change in the Marvel. His eyes darkened and he scowled, as if he had been expecting a yes. Next thing Peeta could register, he was seeing stars. He blinked rapidly, trying to get them away, but they refused to fade. A pain was slowly building up at the back of his head and he felt like he was going to be sick. Concussion? Something was under his throat, cutting off his breathing.

"If you never loved me, why did you let me take pictures of you practically naked?" Marvel demanded fiercely. Peeta's eyes cleared and he could make him out. He wished he hadn't. Marvel's eyes were wild and feral. "If you never loved me, why did you let me do all that stuff for you? You were my photographic muse! You did love me, you did."

"Marvel, I'm sorry, I don't think-" Peeta regretted telling the truth. He should have known that Marvel would still have been a little unstable. But he had been so nice up until now, Peeta had genuinely thought he would understand.

"You let everyone do that to you then? Were you really that desperate for money?" Marvel demanded. "Were you that much of a whore?"

"Shut up Marvel," Peeta snapped. "You know, I thought you were better, trying to understand me but I guess it's true that you're just an asswad!"

"Don't talk to me like that!" Marvel shouted. His arm pressed harder against Peeta's throat, cutting off his airways. "You did love me, even if you don't now."

Maybe he should just tell him that he did . . . To comfort him. To stop him from getting mad and doing something he regretted.

"Marvel," Peeta wheezed. "Marv, I c-c-can't breathe."

"No, Maddy, ssh, it's okay." Marvel looked completely feral by this point. The fact that he was calling him Maddy was evidence enough that he was getting past the point of sanity. "Don't look so panicked, I'm going to look after you like you deserve."

That's when Peeta became aware of the hand on his hip. He tried to inch away but Marvel still had an arm against his throat. "You don't have to do do anything," Peeta whispered. He tensed when a twisted grin appeared on Marvel's face.

"Sssh Maddy, it's alright," whispered Marvel. He kissed Peeta roughly to silence any other words. Even though he had known it was coming, now that it was happening, Peeta didn't want it to go any further. He tried to yell in protest but Marvel bit down on his lip so hard it started to bleed.

"My name is Peeta," he protested against his mouth, "not Maddy!"

Marvel shook his head and pressed his body against Peeta's, squashing him against the door. He shoved his hand, none too gently, under the waistband of his trousers. "Maddy, are you wearing boxers?"

"Maddy isn't, Peeta is," said Peeta. "Get off!"

"It's kind of sexy," Marvel replied, seeming to have ignored what he had just said.

"I swear Marvel, if you touch me I will kill you!" Peeta shouted. When Marvel ignored him, sticking his hand into his underwear and tried to touch him, he lashed out. "Don't touch me Marvel, I'm not fucking Maddy and I never will be!"

Marvel scowled and threw Peeta to the floor, not liking his protesting at all. On the way down, Peeta hit his temple on the corner of the coffee table, making his vision black out as he hit the floor. Something wet coated his face and he sub-consciously knew it was blood.

The last thing he saw before he passed out was Marvel approaching him.

~xXx~

His head hurt. Really badly.

Peeta groaned. He forced his eyes open and blinked away the sleep in them. When his vision cleared he took in that he was lying in a bed that wasn't his own and the room was blindingly white. His head rolled to the side. Cato was sitting by his bed, fast asleep.

When he tried to move, a sharp pain shot up his groin. Peeta let out a tiny scream and clutched the quilt covers tight until it passed. The sound alerted Cato and he woke up, his head shooting off the back of the chair and his eyes bolting open. "Peeta!" he exclaimed, "You're awake."

"What happened?" Peeta asked. His throat was dry as sandpaper and it hurt to speak.

"You were found in Marvel's house unconscious," Cato explained. "The doctors treated you for concussion but you're getting checked soon for signs of . . . rape." His voice cracked on the last word and Peeta could see tears in his eyes."Oh my god Peeta, what the hell were you doing there?"

"He t-t-threatened me," Peeta answered. He tried to move but it hurt like hell. "I had no choice."

Cato shook his head and rubbed his forehead in frustration. "You should have told me," he said. He pressed his head against the mattress a few inches from Peeta's leg. "You really fucking scared me. I thought you weren't going to wake up."

"Are you mad at me?" Peeta asked.

Cato lifted his head. "No, no of course not," he said. He leaned forward and brushed the hair back from Peeta's forehead. "You're going to be okay, the doctors just need to check you over."

"Check me . . . NO!" Peeta yelled. "They can't! I'm not even on record! The only name they have for me is . . ." He dropped his voice to a whisper, "Perry." Cato's face was grave. Peeta immediately knew something was wrong, something besides the concern over his attack. "Cato, what's wrong?"

"Peeta . . . they took bloods," Cato reluctantly explained. "Your DNA came up as Perry Lorana."

Peeta's heart dropped. "W-What?"

"And it got leaked out that you were here and they're having to keep those who are trying to find out where you've been for the t.v at bay at the hospital doors," Cato continued. "They all want the big story of where Perry has been for the past four years."

Peeta swallowed the lump in his throat. His life was crumbling away in his hands, just when things were beginning to be good again. He scrunched his face up to fight back tears but lost the battle. "That's not fair!" he wailed. "Why did they have to find out?!"

Cato looked in pain. He didn't know what to say or do since it was pointless to go on about how everything was going to be okay. In Peeta's eyes, it probably wasn't. He took Peeta's hand and kissed the top of it, holding it close to his chest while the younger boy cried himself dry.

When there were no tears left to cry, they sat in silence. Peeta was devastated. He responded to Cato's touches however, threading their fingers together and holding on tight. "My life is ruined," he whispered.

"No it's not," Cato said firecely. "It's only just beginning."

The doctor came five minutes later. "Hello Miss Lorana," he said, pulling the curtain around them and trying to sound upbeat. Fresh tears welled up in Peeta's eyes and Cato quickly thumbed them away before the doctor could see. He pressed a comforting kiss against his forehead. "I'm Doctor Bell. I need to check you over for signs of attack, is that alright?"

Peeta nodded mutely.

As Doctor Bell set up, he asked a couple of questions that didn't help the current emotional situation. "When was your last smear test?"

"Four years ago," Peeta mumbled.

"Before you ran away?"

"Yes."

"I'll give you a moment to organize yourself. Just call me in when you're ready." When he stepped outside of the curtain, more tears fled from Peeta's eyes.

"He called me Miss Lorana," he told Cato, "It's already starting again!"

"Sssh, it's okay," Cato said, stroking his cheek with his knuckles. "Try not to let it get to you. For now anyway. Let's get all this hospital stuff out of the way first so we can get Marvel's ass slung in jail and then you and me will sit down and figure out where to go from there, okay?"

Peeta nodded. "Okay," he whispered.

Cato helped him pull the covers back from the lower portion of his body and lift his legs onto the stirrups. Pain burned through Peeta's lower stomach and he bit down on his lip, re-opening the wound Marvel made. He had always hated the stirrups. He felt too exposed with his legs on them.

They called Doctor Bell back in. He took a DNA swab to see if the 'attacker' left anything behind to hint at their identity. After this, he said, "Now this might be a bit uncomfortable but it won't be for long." When the cold, gloved finger pushed into his vagina, Peeta bit his knuckles and clutched Cato's forearm. It hurt like a bitch, increasing the pain in his abdomen by a hundred. It went on for what felt like hours but in reality was half a minute.

Doctor Bell was in and out in a flash and before he knew it, Peeta was alone with Cato again.

"It hurts to move," Peeta mumbled.

"I know. Why don't you just stay like this for a while and we can keep the curtain closed?" suggested Cato. "Until you can move again, that is."

Since it was just Cato, he nodded. "Alright."

Cato went to where Doctor Bell left and shut the little slither of space that had been left in the curtain. He turned around and smiled. "I need to sort myself out," he randomly said. "I actually felt possessive when he was checking you over."

Peeta actually found himself smiling. "Really?" he asked. "You're kidding, right?"

"I know, it's horrible It's just he was hurting you and he wouldn't stop," Cato replied.

Peeta squirmed and let his head fall back against the pillows. "Where's Marvel?" he asked. Cato sat down beside him again and rubbed a tired hand over his face. He shifted on the bed, completely uncomfortable.

"In custody," Cato answered.

Well, at least that was something. "Who found me?"

Cato's eyes fell on the floor. His fingers twiddled together nervously and he seemed almost sheepish. "I did."

Peeta's heart sank. "You did? How? What did you . . . Why were you there?" he asked in a rush. "You didn't even know I was there, I told you I was working late with Clove."

"Clove came to the house and when I asked she had no idea where you were," Cato explained. He reached out and cupped Peeta's face. Peeta closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. "The first thing I thought of was Marvel so I asked Clove where the new guy moved and she told me. When Marvel wouldn't answer the door I kicked it in and saw you lying on the floor."

"Oh Cato, I'm sorry-"

Cato pressed his thumb against Peeta's lips. "You don't have anything to apologize for. It's not your fault."

"I shouldn't have went. It's just he told me that he had my pictures on a mass email he was going to send to everyone," Peeta said. "He was so nice until he asked if I ever loved him and I told him no. He even gave me a box of estrogen syringes and offered to pay for my surgery. I think he thought if he offered to give me my surgery I might fall head over heels for him and decide that I did love him and didn't have to change who I am."

"He's an idiot," Cato said firmly. "A big idiot."

"He could offer me all the estrogen in the world and I still wouldn't be interested in him. You're the only guy for me and I'd never sell myself out for surgery money ever again," Peeta said. He reached out and clutched Cato's arm as he lowered his legs down off the stirrups. "Ow, ow, ow."

Cato brushed the thumb across his cheekbone. "I would've killed the mother fucker myself but I knew that wouldn't have helped the situation. That would just land me in it when it's wiser to report Marvel and give him what he deserves."

"I wouldn't have wanted you to," Peeta replied. "You're all I have right now." He frowned. "Do my family know where I am?"

Cato brushed his hand back into Peeta's hair. "They're not here any more," he said. "After you ran away, they moved away to try and find you. You didn't realize because you were in the next town over at the time."

Peeta nodded. "Surely they'll find out about me," he said. "They'll hear it on the news or something . . . I don't know if I'd be able to face them . . ."

"I won't leave you," Cato pointed out, "you will always have me."

"I know I just don't want them to think I'm going to fall back into normality and be Perry. This experience has just made me all the more keen to continue earning for my surgery," Peeta said. "You know what Marvel said to me when I met him before?"

"What?" asked Cato.

"He said that he thought that I am the way I am because I hadn't been fucked by real man," Peeta said. He grinned. "Which I definitely know isn't true now. I've been fucked by a real man, and it hasn't changed my views at all."

Cato laughed. "At least you're well enough to make jokes," he said, sounding genuinely relieved.

"The only other option is to cry," Peeta admitted. "Sure, being knocked out and raped is shitty but I have been treated badly for who I am all my life. You get used to it after a while."

"But you've been attacked," Cato said. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Peeta nodded. "Soon, Marvel will be in jail and I'll have enough money so I won't have to look at the carnage below my waist anymore," he said. "Trust me Cato, I'm fine. Maltreatmet is something I'm used to." For the first time since he woke up, he realized his bandages were off. "Who took these off?"

"When they found out you were Perry they took the bandages off," Cato explained. "They told me to tell you that it's not wise to bind because it will shorten your breathing and-"

"Warp my ribcage, I know."

Cato smiled. "I love you," he said. He leaned forward and kissed Peeta's lips.

Peeta blinked. "Wh-what?" he whispered.

"I love you." Cato repeated. He pressed his forehead against Peeta's. "There, I said it. I love you, I love you, I love you."

Peeta touched his face with trembling hands and kissed him. "I love you too."

Later, Doctor Bell returned with the test results. "So the DNA of Marvel has been identified," he explained. "It's obvious from the state of your vaginal area that you were entered roughly and with force so all you have to do is make a statement."

"But I was unconscious," Peeta said.

"I know, but the police will be enquiring about the events leading up to your falling unconscious," Doctor Bell explained. "I'm sure everything will be okay, in the end. The evidence is solid, I'd say that Marvel guy is going to get everything he deserves."

A/N: Marvel gonna get everything he deserves! Hooray-ish. Poor Peeta though :/

By the way guys, over the summer I'm going to be taking requests and prompts for Peetato one-shots. If you have a request, just PM me! :D

Please R&R!