Everlark

Everlark is the het ship between Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games fandom.

History
Peeta has had a crush on Katniss since the age of 5 years old, when his father pointed her out and mentioned that he had wanted to marry her mother, but her mother ran off with a coal miner. At school, as Peeta describes, during the music assembly, the teacher asked who knew the valley song, and Katniss shot her hand up and sang it for the rest of the class. Right when the song ended, Peeta knew at that moment — he was a goner. Peeta tried to reach out to Katniss for 11 years, without success.

One time, Peeta purposefully burned bread in order to give it to Katniss to save her and her family from starvation.

The Hunger Games
Katniss and Peeta were the tributes of District 12. They were both mentored by Haymitch Abernathy, as he was the only living past victor of their District. Haymitch instructed the two to stay together during all of the training process, which the two protested due to their tendency to argue. Peeta managed to keep up the appearance that the two were friends. In the interviews, Peeta revealed that he had feelings for Katniss. Katniss was angered by this at first, but changed her mind after Haymitch pointed out this would increase both of their chances of getting sponsors. The night before the Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta talked on the rooftop.

During the Cornucopia bloodbath, Peeta distracted Katniss from running to get a bow and arrows. He later teamed up with the Careers, although this was to protect Katniss, which is something he kept secret from everyone.

After the announcement that there could be two victors from the same district, Katniss searched for Peeta and attempted to nurse him to full health. The two started to fake a romance, although unbeknownst to Katniss, Peeta's feelings were actually genuine. This helped the two get sponsors.

During the feast, Katniss wanted to go in order to get the medicine that would save Peeta from blood poisoning, but Peeta refused to let her leave, as he didn't want her to die for him. Katniss used sleep syrup sent as a sponsor gift by Haymitch to make Peeta fall asleep. She went to the feast and successfully got the medicine.

They continued to work together for the rest of the Hunger Games.

After they were the last tributes left, the rules were changed back to there only being one winner. However, Katniss and Peeta refused to kill each other, and instead decided to both eat nightlock berries, knowing the Capitol would rather have two victors than none. The two were both made victors of the 74th Hunger Games.

They kept up their act as lovers during the interviews following the games.

Catching Fire
President Snow was secretly watching Katniss and Peeta, although their part in The Hunger Games was over. When Snow caught Katniss kissing Gale, he was not convinced the two were in love. He threatens to kill her loved ones, so Katniss tried to put down the rebellion beginning to stir, and tried to convince everyone in Panem she and Peeta were still in love. The girl on fire soon tells Peeta what is at stake. She has the idea that they could both be married, and Peeta agrees. But he seems upset and Katniss asks why. Haymitch replies: “He wanted it to be real”. During the victory tour at the Capitol, Peeta proposes to Katniss and she accepts. Once she returns home, the third Quarter Quell is announced, saying the tributes will be reaped from the existing victors. Katniss and Peeta are soon put back into the games, and the two ally with Finnick Odair from District 4. Katniss was able to sort out her feelings during the Quarter Quell, and decided she did love Peeta, after he died for a brief moment and she wept and tried to protect him.

After joining forces with Beetee, Johanna and Wiress, they have a moment on the beach where Peeta says she has to stay alive at any cost as she has a family to get back to but nobody will care if he gets back home as he believes no one needs him. After a brief pause, Katniss replies by saying that she needs him and that they kiss not for the show but for themselves. While Katniss was being tortured by the Jabberjays, Peeta had tried so hard to comfort her, screaming through the forcefield. A few of the tributes escaped to District 13 (Finnick, Katniss, and Beetee), while others didn’t (Johanna Mason and Peeta). When Katniss is on a ship taking her to District 13 she sees Haymitch, Finnick and Plutarch but not Peeta. When she asks him where he is, Haymitch replies by saying he is being kept at the Capitol. Hearing this, Katniss gets angry and starts shouting at Haymitch about betraying her since he promised her that he would keep Peeta safe at all costs.

Mockingjay
In the beginning of Mockingjay, Katniss refuses to do anything, even beginning to slowly hate Peeta, for his plan of her making it out of the arena alive has worked. Soon, Katniss spots Peeta on the television in District 13, knowing that he is being tortured and pressed for answers he doesn’t have about the rebellion. She shows genuine care, worry and hurt for him.

When Katniss is asked to become the Mockingjay, she grants Johanna, Peeta and Enobaria immunity if they win. Once they rescue Peeta and Johanna from the Capitol, she finds out Peeta has been hijacked and thinks Katniss caused the destruction and bombings of District 12, leaving Katniss more mentally damaged than before. Soon after, Johanna and Katniss hear about a mission headed to the Capital, and trains hard to go. The training is harder than ever due to Johanna‘s new addiction to Morphling and being recently rescued from her torture time in the Capital and Katniss was still weak after being knocked unconscious. Yet, only Katniss is allowed to go.

When the group is running from a black substance released by the Capital, Peeta attempts to attack Katniss. The group travels farther into the Capitol, losing Finnick and Boggs along the way. Katniss talks to a broken Peeta, not knowing whether Katniss is good or bad. They make up a “game” called real or not real to help Peeta decide what is truth and what is not. He refuses to take off the chains binding him, because he’s afraid of hurting anyone else due to his damaged mindset.

Once they reach the Capital and Katniss watches her little sister, Primrose, die; instead of killing President Snow as expected, she changes her mind and shoots President Alma Coin. She tries to commit suicide by eating a nightlock pill, but Peeta stops her.

Soon after, Katniss is jailed, released, then exiled out of Panem with Peeta by her side. In the end, it is revealed that Katniss and Peeta are married. Katniss refuses to have children until 15 years after the events of Mockingjay, in fear of what might happen to them. Katniss and her family rehabilitate and they live peacefully.

Children
Unnamed daughter

Katniss and Peeta's first child is born 15 years following the events of Mockingjay. At first, Katniss did not want children at all, but Peeta pined for them and she finally gave in. Katniss describes fear at the feeling of her daughter moving inside her during her pregnancy, only for that fear to fade once she's able to hold her baby in her arms. Their daughter has long dark hair like Katniss, and blue eyes like Peeta.

Unnamed son

Katniss describes her second pregnancy with her son being easier than with her daughter. Her and Peeta's son has Peeta's blonde hair, and Katniss' grey eyes. During the book, he is a toddler during the epilogue, and seems to be at least a few years younger than his sister. The epilogue also states that he has chubby legs.

Fanon
Everlark is the most popular ship in The Hunger Games fandom. Its biggest rival ship is Everthorne (Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne). Some prefer Everlark over Everthorne since Everlark is canon in the end. Sometimes the Everlark shippers are called Team Peeta. There are also people who dislike the idea of Team Peeta and Team Gale because the love triangle is not the main point in The Hunger Games and also because it is too similar to the idea of Team Edward and Team Jacob of Twilight.

On AO3, Everlark is the most written ship for both characters. It is also the most written ship within the various The Hunger Games tags.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Everlark tag on Wattpad
 * Katniss E./Peeta M. on FanFiction.net
 * Katniss E./Peeta M. on FanFiction.net

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