a/n: okay, I know, Peeta was EXTREMELY out of character last chapter. Truth is, I was very angry that night, and my words directed to the world kinda poured of Peeta. I'M SORRY PEETY!

but, no worries! Peety is back to caring and loving, and be prepared for fluff!

this chapter is based on something that actually happened in school. Basically, there was this douche who was saying really sexual and personal stuff about a senior's girlfriend, and the girl's boyfriend saw and he got EXTREMELY mad. They fought, and lemme tell you: IT WAS INTENSE. I spent the entire time having an internal conflict with myself as to whether or not I should be booking it out of the hallway or dying from feels. There was a whole crowd and guys were cheering left and right, and girls were comforting the senior's girlfriend because the douche was being a douche. The senior won and when teachers pulled him away he shouted "JUST STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY GIRLFRIEND!" the ENTIRE SCHOOL WAS SILENT. If you think this only happens in movies, YOU ARE SO WRONG MY FRIEND WALKED INTO A PUDDLE OF BLOOD TO PROVE IT.

so douches beware.

Horror starts to creep in the moment I wake from a fitful sleep. The dream was terrifying, the thought of a life where Katniss openly loathed me, her eyes hollow and unresponsive to anything I said.

I couldn't shake the look on her face.

Her gray eyes so hollow and uncaring, her lips set in a perpetual scowl, the blood draining from her face and retreating inside herself every time I came near.

I nearly vomited at the thought.

Cold and uncaring looks didn't suit Katniss.

I stumbled over to my always open window, still trying to rub away the sleep that settled in my heavy eyelids. I flung the window open wider, and I saw it.

It was Christmas morning.

And her window was closed.

I spent another week wallowing in self-pity. I could hear the faint cheers of her yelling "Happy New Year!". I didn't care at this point. I spent all of Christmas break drowning myself in nightmares and tears.

It was pathetic.

I was pathetic.

I spent another few days moping and yawning and taking showers, trying desperately to rid myself of the tthoughts of her.

But it didn't work.

The time away from her made me realize how much I actually needed her. Not just to see her there, but to do a lot of things in life.

She always coaxed me to do my homework, she always told me to fix my bed, clean my closet. She occupied most of my life, and now with her not around, the days go by much slower than I'd like them to.

School rolled around closer and quicker than I thought it would to. I headed to my locker numbly, turning the lock to the correct numbers. I couldn't really remember what I did after that, I think I slammed my books in and turned to my first class.

I didn't see Katniss that morning.

My heart would jump every time I saw a brown braid, but it was never her.

Since the eighth grade, there are more brunettes that populate the school now.

It was another two uneventful, regular, self-pitying days filled with screams and tears until Wednesday rolled around.

I was eating lunch, far away from where I usually would, when I saw Katniss in the hallway.

Next to Nate Walker.

My zombie mode instantly turned off, and the 'best friend' switch got flipped back on. I watched him saunter over to her, push his chest up against her tense back and whisper in her ear. Visible shudders went through her body, and she nudged his head off her shoulder, saying something I couldn't make out over the chit-chat of various students. He tried again, this time locking his hands locking around her waist. She looked terrified.

"Get off me," she said. A few eighth graders and other students watched the scene unfold, but didn't make any move to help. There were no teachers in sight, and it looked like no-one would come to her rescue. The wrestling team I recently joined knew of relationship with Katniss, and they kept stealing glances towards her and back to me.

When she yelled "stop" and he pressed his lips to hers in a sloppy kiss, I stood.

"Hey!" I shouted, pushing through the crowd of teenagers in my red-anger infused vision. Katniss tore away from Nate and I pushed her roughly behind me.

"C'mon man, what the hell is your problem, she said stop," I fumed. Katniss had made her way over to Madge and Drew, who were holding her in concern.

"Dude, chill," Nate laughed casually. "I was just looking for a kiss," he tried to push his way back to Katniss, but I shoved him with all my might back in front of me.

"Don't. Touch. Her." I managed to grit out between my ever clenching teeth. Nate laughed and advanced toward me. He walked until we were nearly nose to nose.

"Or what?" he prodded further.

"Or we are going to have a serious problem," I growled.

"Whatever man, she's the whore you're in love with." My vision went red, my knuckles clenched until they were rigid and my chest heaved up and down. For a fleeting heart-beat the world was silent.

I lunged towards Nate, my fists throwing themselves towards his nose. I heard a sickening crack and various shouts and cries. I stood over Nate where he lay, his nose bleeding and his face purpling into bruises.

"What the hell is she to you anyway?" Nate asked, looking exasperated and pained.

I yelled something back, but I don't quite remember what I said under my angered mind.

I vaguely felt a delicate hand touch my shoulder. Her voice, speaking to me for the first time in weeks infiltrated my mind.

"Peeta," she whimpered. I immediately noticed the feeble and scared sound of her voice. She stood in front of me, shrinking under angered gaze. Her hands visibly trembled and her eyes flashed with fear. I softened at the look on her face.

"C'mon, let's go home." she led me away and out the school doors, past the whispers and mumbles of various students. I think I heard one girl say she got it on video.

Katniss led me to the truck and she rummaged around in my backpack that she carried and searched for the keys. Upon finding it, she jammed the key into the groove and turned. She gently pushed me into the driver's seat before making her way to sit in the passenger seat.

We sat there for a few minutes in silence. I was still breathing heavily, my mind still reeling from the fact I may have broken Nate Walker's nose.

Whatever, I thought.

He deserved it.

"I'm sorry." came her voice. I turned to look at her, fidgeting with her fingers and biting her lip.

"I'm really sorry." she mumbled. My eyebrows furrowed.

"Why are you sorry?" I asked confusedly. If anyone was supposed to be apologizing, it was me.

"If I hadn't provoked you that night, we'd still be okay. We would've spent Christmas and New Year's together." she mumbled, her eyes lowering in shame.

My breath ran out of my body in a whoosh.

She actually thought, the fight, the things I said, were her fault.

"Those extremely uncalled for and horrible things I said were not your fault Katniss." I said, my voice raspy and deep.

"I know, but they still hurt though." she sniffled. Tears shined in her eyes, and I couldn't bring myself to look at her face.

It was too painful.

"I didn't mean them," I said sincerely. "I was just angry that I couldn't spend that kind of experience with you." I grunted.

"I missed you," her voice shook with emotion and her eyes went up to lock with mine. Her eyes were spilling over with tears and I moved to wipe them away with my thumbs, cradling the sides of her delicate face.

"I missed you more." I whispered.

"Promise never to leave me like that again?" she asked. I nodded.

"I never want to leave you again." I said honestly. Katniss smiled a weak smile and her tears fell once more.

"I have something to tell you," she cried. "some anonymous man sent me a link to a website that was supposed to be his YouTube channel. I clicked on it and I just wanted to check it out." she took a gaping breath. "But it was a link to a website with a list of comments that were talking about me!" she cried. My grip clenched around the gear-stick of the car.

"What kind of comments?" I asked quietly.

"Hate comments. They called me a whore, a slut a lot of things." her voice shook with emotion. I instantly felt shame. I was wallowing in self-pity, half-alive when she read things about herself.

I wasn't there for her when she needed me the most.

I never hated myself more than I did in that moment.

"I just sat at the computer wondering why they hated me so much." she sniffled. Her thumbs twiddled nervously and her sobs overtook the depths of my mind.

"What do I do that makes everyone hate me?" she asked pitifully.

"You aren't any of those things." I said.

"Then what am I?" Katniss sniffled again, hiccuping and tears stained on her olive cheeks.

"You are," I said, grabbing her face and cradling either side. "the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. You are funny, you are pretty, you are not any of those things anyone called you. You're name is Katniss, you are eighteen years old, you love cheese buns, the colour green, the feeling of an arrow grazing your fingers. You're you. You're mine." I whispered, touching my forehead to hers.

Her tears ceased and warmth rushed back into her eyes as if a dam that blocked a river had just been broken.

Katniss laughed, a melodic sound that filled up my insides, and threatened to consume me with promises of sparks and flames.

"Is that what you say to all your girlfriends?" she asked, smiling. My heart stopped.

I don't have a girlfriend.

"You called me your girlfriend when Nate asked you who I was to you." she explained, a rosy blush splaying across her cheeks.

My fingers trembled.

I called her my girlfriend.

I called my best friend, my girlfriend.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! I cursed myself.

I felt like crawling into a dark hole and hibernating for the rest of my life.

"You know, if you wanted me to be your girlfriend, you could have just asked." Katniss laughed breathily. My eyes locked with hers. My hands shook with nerves and fear. I gulped and my eyes flicked down to her lips.

"Will you be my girlfriend then?" I shut my eyes and clapped my hands over my ears to drown out the noise of any laughter.

I didn't hear any.

Katniss pulled my hands away from my ears and entwined her fingers with mine.

"As long as you take me on a proper date, then we'll be good." she laughed.

I was dreaming.

I had to be dreaming.

There was no possible way I asked Katniss Everdeen to be my girlfriend and she said yes.

"This is a dream, real or not real?" I asked, waiting for the answer with bated breath.

"Not real."

I gulped.

"You're my girlfriend, real or not real?"

Katniss smiled.

"Real."

Our lips met in a slow and heavenly kiss. My eyelids floated shut as Katniss responded.

It must have been heaven.

The feeling was too good, and too perfect to be real. We reluctantly pulled away and the look in her eyes told me it wasn't a dream.