#para:sati

[vlad-stringer-blog]

I'm Into You || Vladimir and Sati

There was a mixture of emotions inside him that he had never experienced in such an intense way before. Of course he had been excited before, and he had been nervous, and anxious, and happier beyond words. And he had even felt all of those feelings all at once at some stage or another. It was the particular mix of emotions which made him feel like he was going to throw up, but it was a good feeling at it's core. The nerves and anxiety part seemed to be winning at that particular moment, and normally if he felt like this he would have gone to Sati. Sati made everything better. But he couldn't go to her right now, he didn't want to ruin everything. He hadn't really thought too much about tradition in his life, but that was perhaps because he lost his parents before he was old enough to learn about any. He couldn't offer Sati a traditional wedding, not a real one. He couldn't afford it for a start, but another defining factor was that he wanted their wedding to be absolutely perfect. Sati deserved no less than perfection. But the Captiol was far from perfect, and he didn't want their wedding day to be spent in a place they both hated. It would be tainted forever that way. One tradition he could uphold was the one that said the groom couldn't see the bride the day before their wedding day. It wasn't like he wanted to not see her for a night, but he felt like he had to. It was the one thing that they could actually manage. He never thought he would be the kind of person to be so reliant on his cellphone, but on his walk home when he got the call from the court saying that they had a date for their marriage certificate to be officially signed, Vlad had never been happier for the little block of plastic and wires. And if he hadn't been in public, he probably would've done a little dance of happiness before calling Sati. As it was, he turned right on his heel, ideas in place as he walked back toward the training center, phone to his ear. "Sati?" He started, seeming to have forgotten how to say 'hello, it's Vlad'. Manners weren't even on his mind at that moment. "How quickly can you alter your dress?"

[vlad-stringer-blog]

Coal Diamonds || Sati and Vladimir

Even after the 4th time traveling back and fourth between their apartment and the lake, Vlad was still grinning from ear to ear. Tonight was the night he was going to make Sati his forever, and lying to her had been a necessary evil to keep her from knowing exactly what was going on. Walking through the Capitol streets with a pile of blankets and pillows proved to be somewhat of a spectacle for the locals, but Vlad didn’t even care about being starred at that day. Even when an actual Capitol peacekeeper asked him what he was doing, all he could do was grin, and shrug, and proclaim “I’m proposing to my girlfriend tonight.” Any residual anger that he would have had toward the random guy had no effect on him that day, and no one questioned him once he explained his intentions.They simply smiled. There was one thing in the world which would bring people together, and that was a guy going to extremes to make a perfect night for a perfect girl. On his last trip back home before heading out for the night, Vlad picked up a single white orchid which he decided to actually pay for. He knew he could have walked off with it and nothing would have been said, but he felt like being legit that day. He got home and wrapped the little note he had written around the stem, the note having taken him almost as long to get right as getting the supplies down to the lake. Sati, Meet me behind the Resistance center after work. I have a surprise for you. Love, Vlad. There was a spring in his step as he went down to the Resistance center, walking with purpose toward the infirmary where he knew she was. He saw her standing with her back to him, so he wrapped her up in his arms and peppered her neck with kisses. But he didn’t say a word. He softly ran his hand over her tiny bump and pressed the flower into her hand before walking right back out again, not giving her a second to question him. A wide and cheeky grin was a permanent fixture on his face as he handed Nero a note of his own. Nero, Can you let Sati go early today? I’ve got a night planned with her, and she can’t be tired for it. Please don’t tell her I asked. I’ll be forever grateful. Vlad. He knew that Nero’s mind wouldn’t go to the gutter with his note, even if he smirked as he wrote it. He wasn’t thinking about sex though. Sati had been complaining about being tired through her whole pregnancy, and for Vlad’s plan to work she would need to walk out into the woods a fair way. It was one of the reasons he had waited until she had got a little more pregnant. He heard Nero telling her that the second trimester came with a burst of energy. He hoped so, because he didn’t want Sati falling asleep when he was professing his love for her all over the place. It was also a milestone for them. Twelve weeks was when they had lost their first baby, and it had been an anxious wait to get this far. Neither of them said it, but they didn’t want to get their hopes up about things, even if everything was going perfect. They had been hurt before in the most brutal way, but the locks had been changed. They were safe from Sati’s mom and all the hurt that she had brought before. If not for everything else, this would just be a nice time for them to celebrate. Vlad sat up against a wall behind the Resistance center and rested his head back, smiling into the sunshine. He nervously pressed his hand to his pocket and felt the outline of Sati’s ring there, something he had been doing all day. It would be just his luck that it would fall out and be lost forever, just as soon as he had got it. He couldn’t wait to put it on Sati’s finger. He smiled as he heard a crunching of leaves and opened his eyes to see Sati coming toward him. “Hey.” He grinned standing up so that he could walk toward her and wrapped her in a tight hug. He kissed her softly, his lips cupping hers for just a moment. He was far too excited for her to be his forever. “I want to take you somewhere.” He whispered, before taking her hand with a cheeky grin and leading her down a little path. “Tell me if you’re too tired to walk, it’s a bit of a hike.” He said, biting his lip a little as he looked over her with concern. He should have done this on a day she wasn’t working, so that she had been nice and rested for the walk. But he wouldn’t have been able to keep coming and going from the apartment with pillows and blankets if Sati had been home. This was the only way that it was going to work, and if it came to it he would have happily carried her. He just wanted her to be awake for what he hoped would be a night to remember.

[vlad-stringer-blog]

Small Crime || Vladimir and Sati

Vlad had basically had to crawl up the stairs of their apartment building, and it wasn't the first time he had cursed the fact that they were three stories up, and the fact that there was no elevator. Although, it was the first time he had actually cursed out loud to absolutely no one about the fact. His night with Peeta had been a success, and success was measured in alcohol that night. He had finally been able to get his friend out of the training center and into the real world, where Vlad had been able to show him how to unwind and have fun for once in his life. It felt like old times, although when they were kids it wasn't exactly like they were allowed to drink. They didn't need alcohol when they were kids. Although by the way they had behaved, Vlad was pretty sure they had done a very good job at acting like children. He finally made it to their flat and fumbled loudly with his keys, swearing at them when they wouldn't get in the hole properly. It had been such a long time since he had been drunk, it really didn't take him much, and Peeta even less. He shoved the door open finally and stumbled inside, closing the door and hushing at it to be quiet. It was late, Sati was pregnant, and he really didn't want to wake her up. But the door was being so damned loud. "Stupid door... This is why I hate you..." He hissed in a loud whisper, narrowing his eyes as he finally clicked the locks shut. Even in his drunken state he knew how important that part was. Before Sati had managed to settle him down, Vlad had been pretty damn good at drinking. He knew how to avoid a hang over. He moved to the kitchen slowly, focusing on his feet so not to trip over them. Everything sounded so much louder in the dark, especially when he was trying to be quiet. He grabbed a glass out of the cupboard, intending to fill himself up entirely with water so not to be dehydrated. But as his hand went into the cupboard it seemed like more than one cup wanted to come out. The glass shattered to the floor, making Vlad jump and clutch at his chest. The unexpected noise had shocked him entirely. Vlad looked back at the bedroom where he heard Sati turn on the light and almost immediately appear at the doorway. "Sati it fuckin' attacked me!" He slurred, pointing dramatically at the shards of glass. "Don't come out here... It'll get your feet." Vlad frowned as he got the broom and leaned heavily on it for support as he swept the glass away. He forgot entirely about his water as he went over to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, leaning on her just a little too much. "I had some things to drink." He whispered, but his voice was loud. He proceeded to laugh against her neck and kiss her skin all over. He didn't know why he was laughing, but it probably had a lot to do with the fact that he had never come home to a sober girl after drinking, a girl that he adored with all his heart. It just seemed so normal.

[vlad-stringer-blog]

Trick or Treat || Sati and Vlad

Out of all the places he had been, no place was weirder than the Capitol. It was an obvious thing to think, but he didn’t think it on a day-to-day basis. He really didn’t spend a lot of time in the actual Capitol that wasn’t spent either at the Resistance center or at home with Sati. So when he was walking through the streets that day, he found it odd that the thought had even passed through his mind at all. Halloween, of course. Vlad didn’t realise it because he didn’t care. Districts didn’t celebrate Halloween. Well, the ones closer to the Capitol made an effort he supposed, but Vlad had never been involved. It was a stupid little dress up day that Capitol citizens used as an excuse to look extra ridiculous for a day. Shop windows were decorated with ‘spooky’ ornaments, people were walking around with an extra spring in their step and smile on their face. There was probably no harm in it. Vlad wasn’t going to condemn people for having fun. He just didn’t understand it. Capitol people liked to make a fuss about everything though. He realised, walking through the streets in just normal jeans and a tshirt, that he looked like the strange one that day. Vlad almost ran up the three flights of stairs to their apartment. It had been yet another big day of training, and the weirdness of the streets that day freaked him out just a little bit. He couldn’t wait to be at home with the girl he loved and just unwind from it all. He hoped that she was home. “Sati?” Vlad called out as he unlocked the door. It was almost just a reflex now to call out her name as he came home. He wanted to know if she were there, but he also wanted her to know that he wasn’t someone she didn’t know. Sure, they were a little paranoid, but that was how they worked. He didn’t hear her calling out straight away, so he put his stuff down on the kitchen bench before walking over and collapsing all over the couch, sighing with the relief of being home. If it were up to him, he would honestly never leave.

[vlad-stringer-blog]

Hurricane || Vlad and Sati

Even though he knew no better, not being able to read frustrated Vlad beyond belief. Although it wasn’t actually that he couldn’t read, it was just that the words got jumbled up in his head. His eyes could see what his brain couldn’t process. The fact of the matter was that he knew he would be clever if only he had the means to get information from the textual print to his brain. There was a communication issue, and most of the time it didn’t effect him too badly. It was one of those rare days when Vlad didn’t have to go to training, but Sati still had work. She would have stayed if he had begged her, and he would have, except that he didn’t want to be that guy. He wasn’t so needy that he needed his fiancee around him at every second of the day, right? But Vlad had still walked Sati down to the Resistance center. It was just a ritual, a habit, and he saw no need to break it now. Nero must have thought he was doing the right thing when he gave Vlad a book on pregnancy. Maybe Sati had said something about how many questions he asked. Vlad just didn’t have it in him to tell the man that Sati could have 6 babies before he got through such a thick book. He took it with a smile, and didn’t let Sati see it when he kissed her on the cheek. Nero didn’t have to feel bad just because Vlad was an idiot. The book sat on the kitchen bench and tormented him for hours. There were so many things that Vlad wanted to know about Sati’s pregnancy, but he almost felt stupid to ask her most of them. A book would have been perfect if he didn’t already know the outcome of attempting to read it. He would only get frustrated and angry. Even though he tried to busy himself doing other things, he always came back to starring at the cover of the damned book. He wanted to know what was inside. He put on his glasses in attempt to make it even just a little bit easier for him, knowing that it wasn’t going to fix the cross over from his eyes to his brain. He sat down, the book in hand, and narrowed his eyes at it for a moment before cracking open the cover. He hadn’t even attempted a book so thick since he had been in school, and that book had died in a burning haze. He could read, it was just a slow process. He read over the first sentence several times before it started making contextual sense, spoke it out loud 3 times before realising it was probably actually what was written down. He was about to bask in the glory of having read a single sentence before he heard the door. He looked up in a panic before quickly stashing the book behind his back. “Hey,” He smiled, although his voice was off by a couple of octaves. He cleared his throat to try to get it back to normal. “You’re back early?” He was acting pretty damn suspicious, having not got up to hug her, but he kind of hoped she wouldn’t notice. He didn’t want her to think he was so pathetic.

[vlad-stringer-blog]

Perfect || Vlad & Sati

Vlad was ridiculously happy with his life, and he knew from experience that being this happy came at a price. He just never thought it would hurt this much. He came home from training early that night, feeling absolutely exhausted but in a good way. He felt like he had worked a hard day, which always made coming home feel just that little bit better. Vlad knew Sati wouldn’t be home just yet, but that didn’t matter, because he knew she wouldn’t be too far behind him. Their schedules normally made it so that they worked at the same time and were home about the same time too. He liked it better that way. Vlad was needy for her attention and always wanted to be around her, but he didn’t feel so bad about it, because he knew Sati was exactly the same about him. They were utterly infatuated with eachother, and in the month that followed their decision to make a baby their love had only grown stronger. He was so happy. Too happy. Something just had to go wrong. He had only been sitting on the couch for about 40 seconds before he remembered some paper work that he needed to look for. He groaned heavily and slumped forward, weighing the outcomes of just ignoring it completely. But no, he knew that he needed to find his identification papers. He hated it, he had lived such a long time with no paper trail, and now as he was finally doing something highly illegal he actually needed to be on the grid. He got up with a sigh, the small rest already making his legs stiff, as he dragged his feet to the kitchen drawer where he kept all of his documents. The problem was, that was where Sati kept hers too. It wasn’t as easy as just shoving his hand in the drawer and pulling out exactly what he needed. He decided the best course of action would be to take the drawer completely out and empty it on the floor. He sat down next to the papers and started sorting them into piles of “Me” and “Her”, trying to make it easier on himself. He smiled when he came to a photograph of Sati as a little girl and hoped that their kids would take after her. She still had those big adorable brown eyes. At least that was pretty much set, as they both had dark eyes. He found a picture of Sander next, who basically just looked like Sati but with shorter hair. Vlad wished he had photos of him as a kid to show her. He was smiling so wide when he came to the photo which broke his heart in two. It just looked like any other photo. Sander and Sati stood on a beach, looking like twins for all intensive purposes. His heart first sank when he saw Sati’s mom standing behind them, and even through the fake smile he could see how sinister she looked. But that still wasn’t what broke him. The man next to the woman who killed their child starred back at him from the sepia toned photograph, a pair of eyes he had seen before. Many times in his nightmares he had seen those eyes as they bore into his own, and to him they were almost like the eyes of a monster. The scariest part about those eyes were that they were real eyes, human eyes, and they belonged to the man who had slit his father’s throat. Vlad dropped the photograph at once, his hands shaking too much to think about picking it back up. A wave of ice washed over his skin as he realised who that man was to himself, and who that man was to Sati. He could hardly bare to think about it. It took all his strength to not think about just how much her eyes looked like his. Vlad heard the key turn in the door, but he didn’t look up straight away. It was as if he were no longer in control of his body. He simply sat, still starring at the photograph on the floor, unable to close his eyes to hide from the terror inside himself. “Sati,” He started, using all his strength to keep his voice neutral. “Was your dad a Peacekeeper?”

[vlad-stringer-blog]

Delicate || Vlad and Sati

A bruise was beginning to rise on his cheek as he walked, his step becoming quicker and quicker as the cool night's air settled on his skin. He had just attacked and brutally beaten a peacekeeper. Vlad always knew that he wasn't a clever guy, but this just took the cake. There wasn't even any reason for it. How was he going to explain this to Sati? 'A peacekeeper looked at me funny'. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He had to get off the streets. His face was bloodied as well as his fists and it was obvious what he had just been doing. Not to mention he had a peacekeeper issue taser on his person. If he were caught, he would be arrested immediately and he would probably never see Sati again. The thought made him almost run home. As soon as he was inside the apartment building he shut the door behind him and rested against it, his breathing laboured. Not only from the cold, or walking quickly. It was the shock of how completely careless he had been. He knew it hadn't been because the peacekeeper had looked at him, or even because the dude had insulted him or anything. It was hard to insult Vlad when anything that could ever be thought to be insulting he had told himself on a daily basis. He took the steps slowly, evenly, trying to think of how to explain this to Sati. He could tell her. He could tell her everything. He didn't want to though. He opened up the door to their flat and almost hoped she wasn't home as he walked swiftly to the bathroom without announcing his arrival. He needed to get the blood off his hands, off his face, and try to pretend everything was okay when it clearly wasn't. He couldn't even look at himself in the mirror.

[vlad-stringer-blog]

Undercurrents || Vlad & Sati

Vlad didn't think it was as big of a deal as everyone was making out. Apparently everyone was thinking that it could have been an attack by the Capitol or something, but Vlad had a feeling it was just someone fucking up. They were in the training centre after all. This was where people got trained. In the end, it turned out that he was right. Some kid got hold of some explosives and did a fairly good job of blowing most of one of his arms off. It made for a fantastic lot of fucking around, and a disgusting amount of cleaning. And of course, it was up to everyone else to pick up the mops and brooms and clean this guys fingers up off the walls. By the time he got out of there he was 3 hours late already and pissed. He didn't want to be the one responsible for other people's mistakes. He wasn't the one who had fucked up after all. He picked up some food on the way home and hoped Sati wouldn't be too mad at him. Or worried. He didn't know what he would prefer out of mad or worried. He almost ran up the stairs of the building and pushed through the door of the flat. "Sati? I'm sorry. This idiot at the training center blew his arm off..." He sat the cartons of food down on the table and went to the bathroom to wash his hands. Hell if he was eating with his bleach covered ones.