as katniss explains to hijacked peeta what their relationship was, she chooses a word that is safe. no emotional baggage attached. so, she lands on "ally" to describe what he was to her (mj, 230).
but even the word ally throws peeta into confusion. listing off the different words that have been used to describe who katniss and peeta are to each other. but none of them really seem to sit right. including ally (mj, 231).
but it makes sense that he would be confused with katniss's choice. because they have never really been allies.
because in the hunger games, alliances are never meant to be permanent (thg, 158). they are supposed to be mutualistic (thg, 199). and they are supposed to end once tensions become too high. once the allies decide to turn on each other for their own survival (thg, 158).
even with an ally as sweet as rue or as friendly as finnick, katniss has difficulty accepting the reality of their situation (thg, 213; cf, 80). that they will eventually have to die to ensure her (or peeta's) survival (cf, 101).
but that was never the case for everlark. sure, they appear as one at some points. working better as a team (cf, 57). protecting each other (mj, 258).
but after the rule changed to allow two victors to live, it was very clear that it was not a mutualistic relationship in the first games. katniss had to make herself more vulnerable in order to care for peeta (thg, 263). sleeping in the cave (thg, 262). running into a deadly feast in order to get his medicine (thg, 273) partnering up with peeta, in quite a few ways, actually compromises her survival.
and, unlike the many alliances of before, it was never a part of their deal to turn on each other. or split up when tension got too high. in fact, when the capitol tried to force them to follow the traditional path of allies, they refused to participate (thg, 343).
because that is just not who they are. and the rest of mockingjay proves it even more.
because their "alliance" in the star squad is anything but one. if anything, peeta poses a direct threat to katniss's safety by being there. on the brink of losing himself to the voices that pollute his brain (mj, 247). ready to kill her if triggered (mj, 237).
tensions are running high. snow surely knows it (mj, 248). all he is waiting to see is at what point katniss will finally turn on her lover. for her to finally realize that if she wants to survive, she needs to kill him. she needs to break off the alliance. permanently.
but she never does. she can't.
because with no cameras watching (cf, 34). no capitol to defy (cf, 34). and no district to shun her betrayal (cf, 34). she makes her position clear. the one she has held since she pulled out those berries.
she would choose death rather than have him taken from her (mj, 267).
because they are not simply allies. or friends. or enemies. their relationship does not follow the rules of panem's game. and it never really has.
their relationship is woven with love. a love that leads mockingjays that flit around her forest in a melody (thg, 301),. a love that is baked into a softly burnt bread, filled with dried fruits and nuts (thg, 31).
a love as old as the mountains that surround their home. and the folk songs that are passed down generations.
