Their honesty with one another not only brings them closer, it causes Katniss to recognize that Peeta's feelings for her are genuine and not part of a strategy devised with Haymitch.
Although his feelings are genuine, he is hurt to discover that Katniss' were not entirely. He and Katniss become friends despite the fact that they are forced to use their fake romance to both placate and subvert the the Capitol during their Victory Tour and the 75th Hunger Games.
Did Peeta actually have a crush on Katniss before the reaping?
Often, he would stare at her in school. Sometimes Katniss would make eye contact with him, only for his eyes to quickly flit away. During an interview with Caesar Flickerman preceding the Games, Peeta admits on national television to having a long-standing crush on Katniss.
She asks Peeta about when his crush first started on her. He describes the first day of school, how his father had pointed her out to him as the daughter of the girl he once loved, and how Katniss had stolen his heart when she sang and the birds stopped to listen.
The Hunger Games (6/12) Movie CLIP - Star-Crossed Lovers (2012) HD
Was Katniss faking it in the first Hunger Games?
Katniss and Peeta had been faking their relationship since the first Hunger Games movie, and they had to continue the charade in Catching Fire, too, but the beach scene from the sequel proved they were inevitable.
From the start of the Hunger Games story, it was clear that Gale had feelings for his best friend, Katniss. However, Katniss was never able to explore the romantic side of her life as she was too busy providing for her family and then winning the 74th Hunger Games with Peeta.
Peeta's family connection and his ability to see the beauty in life made him the perfect partner for Katniss, ultimately leading to a happy and fulfilling life together.
Katniss loves Peeta, although it's perhaps not the traditional passionate romance of many Hollywood movies. Katniss not only ends up with Peeta, she even confirms that she loves him in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 epilogue.
In the end, it is Gale's conviction in the necessity of sacrifice pitted against Katniss' moral incoherence that truly severs any relationship they had or could ever have. Primrose, Katniss' sister, is killed by a firebomb that may have been designed by Gale.
It's a political move, not a romantic one, especially for Katniss, who takes a while to recognize her feelings for Peeta since she has more important things to worry about, like the safety of her beloved younger sister Prim.
Among the names that were considered for Peeta included Hunter Parrish, Lucas Till, and Evan Peters. Coincidentally enough, Till and Peters became co-stars of Jennifer Lawrence while working on the X-Men franchise but they missed the chance at a gig in the Hunger Games series.
Katniss sets out to find Peeta, reasoning that she would hate any tribute from her district who didn't try to find his or her partner. She decides, too, that she needs to maintain the facade of "star-crossed lovers" to keep the audience rooting for them.
He was bitten by a mutt, Katniss stopped the bleeding by using a tourniquet. After he and Katniss forced the Gamemakers to accept them both, as the Victors. He was treated by Captiol doctors, and his leg was amputated. In Catching Fire when they both go back to the arena, he does have a artificial leg.
He did, technically, at least have a hand in it. But it wasn't intentional. Throughout the last book, Katniss is bothered that Gale seems to be getting closer to Coin and the district 13 higher ups. He also helped engineer the bombs that ended up killing Prim during the final battle.
The relationship between Gale and Prim takes a morbid turn when the bomb that killed Prim resembles the ones Gale designed, raising suspicions of his involvement.
Even though the third part Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay, was split in two, one scene was omitted from the films - the infamous sex scene between Peeta and Katniss at the end of the novel. There were, of course, hundreds of fans who wanted to see the pair do the dirty on screen.
Katniss briefly mentioned that a previous stroke could have caused Mags's garbled speech. However, post-traumatic stress disorder could have also caused her speech incapacity. Both Annie and Katniss suffered from PTSD, as many other Hunger Games victors did.
Gale and Katniss' kiss is representative of the ongoing struggle between them, including their trying to reconcile their past with their present. Gale remembers that the last time Katniss kissed him was after he'd been lashed by a Peacekeeper.
Snow's knowledge of Katniss and Gale's kiss confirms what Katniss has felt since she returned home: She is a prisoner of the Capitol, unable to escape the terrifying realities of her victory in the Games.
Remembering Snow's words, Katniss puts on a happy face for the cameras. She and Peeta embrace and share a romantic but playful kiss — their first in many months.
Ultimately, in Mockingjay, it was undeniable that Katniss was completely in love with Peeta. Even though both Gale and Peeta are great men who wanted the best for Katniss, there's no doubt Peeta was kinder, and more loyal and understanding. These qualities made Peeta way better as a character and as a love interest.
