Send in prompts, and I will add them to my queue. Then after my break I will get in touch with @ask--grandpa-plisetsky and see if they want to collaborate some more.
[Amplify the angst by listening to this while reading the story.]
“Good God, Kolya,” Yakov cackled as he dangerously swayed the shot of vodka in the air. “She’s gorgeous! Just plain beautiful! Gracious and selfless…independent and bold…” He continues to gush over the new girl he found as I display a dry smile. Forgive me, but it’s not that I’m not as thrilled as he is. I am. I’m happy for him, it’s just…I had my own news, but it’s rather inappropriate to discuss now. Not when he’s a drunken mess and talking about the fifth girl he’s found this week. He really isn’t doing good…
“Yasha,” I say softly as I grabbed a hold of the wrist that held the shot glass, barely catching it in time before he almost nails a passing waiter in the eye. The man gives both of us a dirty look followed by a scowl, to which I responded with an apologetic smile. I turned back to my friend, a look of pure concern practically stapled to my face. “Yasha,” I repeated. “We really, really do need to take you home. Can you handle it?” He gives me a shaky grin as he threw an arm around my neck, ready to head out. “You’re such a good friend, Kolya,” he muttered in incoherent slurs, but enough for me to catch those particular words he seemed to say all too much. “Yasha,” I quietly whisper as I prepared myself for the reaction I was about to receive. “I love—”
My plans were interrupted when I heard a soft, gentle snoring from the slumped figure right next to me. I sighed quietly, an attempt at hiding my disappointment. A faint smile couldn’t help but form on my lips.
“Likewise,” I replied.
It’s been a year since then. An encounter with a girl that I could’ve sworn was temporary led to several dates, an actual relationship, and now an engagement. That is nothing short of shocking…on my part, at least. Seeing him walk through those doors with a different story of a different woman for weeks in a row was…well, it wasn’t entirely pleasant, I’ll tell you that much. But then again, I’m currently staring at his wife-to-be from across the table with a smile that couldn’t have been more fake carved onto my face. I’m not even sure which is worse.
“Kolya,” Yakov whispers as he gleams at me from across the table, snapping me from the thoughts of subtle jealousy coursing through my brain. He took her hand in his, and I could’ve sworn my stomach did a double flip. Why else would I feel so nauseous?
“This is Lilia,” he spoke slowly and surely as if he knew exactly how I was feeling and was teasing me, each second more agonizing than the last. “We’ve been seeing each other for a year now and we’ve decided to tie the knot.” Like I totally didn’t know that.
“Surely you remember the first time I told you about her,” he added, making that same cackle he did a little over a year ago on that very day.
“You mean when you were drunk out of your mind, nonstop talking about her until your lips bled?” I let out a hearty laugh as Yakov joined me. I couldn’t help but notice the look of disgust forming on her face from the corner of my eye. I wasn't sure whether to get mad or to celebrate, so I settled with pretending like I didn’t care or notice.
I observed my surroundings as those two engaged in a conversation that seemed all too friendly for a couple that’s about to get married. Well, it’s their lives. I have no right to interfere.
The place couldn’t possibly have felt any less ‘Yakov’. It was incredibly fancy, and everyone around us wore suits and elegant dresses. We only wore our casual clothes, with the exception of Lilia who was flaunting a gorgeous blue dress. It honestly seems like a miracle that these two even dated.
Our food arrived around thirty minutes later, and we began to eat in silence. Looking at the scarce amount of food on my plate, I felt dismayed. And to think one plate cost nearly ₽ 2,000…surely Yakov’s gone insane! I sighed quietly as I indulge myself in the dish. I initially wanted to excuse myself and just leave rather than eat something so costly, but that’d be an even greater waste of money. Besides, he’s my…best friend. I have to stay.
We parted ways after dinner.
…I honestly couldn’t help but feel a little bitter about how things turned out. First of all, this meeting included me because Yakov wished to talk to me, not her; yet throughout the whole thing, she would nonstop complain about so many different things that Yakov would’ve had to distract her to keep her from just rudely walking out. Secondly…I was really looking forward to leaving, and it wasn’t just so I could also leave the awkwardness behind. It was also because Yakov offered to stop by my home to have a couple glasses of beer, but no. That’s not exactly how things turned out, is it? And now, I’m standing here, waving at their slowly shrinking figures with a strained smile on my face.
I felt bad for complaining. I had absolutely no right to. I should be happy. I should be happy for him…but no matter how many times I tell myself that, I just…can’t. How am I supposed to be happy for him when whenever he looks at her with those gentle eyes, my chest feels like it’s being sucked into oblivion? How am I supposed to feel happy for him when whenever he intertwines his fingers with hers, I have to hold in a choking breath just to keep myself from throwing up? How am I supposed to be happy for him when whenever he tells her he loves her, my heart breaks a little more at the thought that I never even got to tell him I loved him?
A few tears fell down my cheeks, but they felt more like icicles scraping my bare skin. “Yasha,” my voice quivered into a whisper. I wanted to scream. I wanted to scream for him, but my voice cracked and trembled every time I tried. “Yasha,” I whimpered. “Yasha…”
My knees buckled under me as I broke into sobs on the icy snow. Everything I’ve been holding back came flowing out of me as if a dam from within me was burst open. I stayed there, hugging my knees to shield myself from the cold wind. I thought about the possibly of freezing to death. I thought about not minding it if it does come. If it rids me of this pain, I’d gladly welcome it with open arms.
“You loved him, didn’t you?” asked a foreign voice that seemed to be looming over me. The voice was feminine, so it was easy to assume it was a woman. “Yeah,” I muttered, not even bothering to look at whoever’s talking to me. “It’s okay,” she says empathetically, making her presence known as she knelt down beside me. “I loved her too.”
Her statement made me turn around and face her. She had a kind smile and eyes that couldn’t have shown her heartbreak any better than it already did. This...woman...in love with Lilia? How? “Why?” I asked her. She giggled with nostalgia in her laughter. “She seemed terrible, didn’t she?” She looked off in the far distance, right where Yakov’s and Lilia’s figure would be if they were still there. “She always hides everything with that strict demeanor of hers.”
“But in reality, she’s kind,” she finished. “Possibly the kindest person I know, as shocking as that might sound.” I looked down at my freezing fingers, the guilt inside me growing stronger by the minute. “Hey, mind if I tell you a story?” the girl beside me asked. I nodded my head slowly and got comfortable. Seems like we’ll be here a while.
“Once, there was a girl. She was always sad and lonely...but then, there was another. This girl’s name was Lilia, and she saved that girl’s life,” she began. “They fell in love at a very young age. ‘No one could tear them apart,’ they thought. And it was true...until their feelings for each other became known.” At this point, her voice started cracking and her breaths got shaky, but she didn’t stop. “The sad and lonely girl’s father kicked her out and disowned her. Lilia’s moved her as far away from the other girl as possible. He put her through hours and hours of therapy, just to try and cure the ‘disease’ that could’ve possibly made his daughter fall for one of another. So, by the time the other girl found her again,” she paused as she let out a sad laugh. “It was too late.”
“Lilia pretended not to remember her, although her eyes spoke volumes, and she forgot to silence them. The girl knew she was lying, and she was about to tell Lilia something she should’ve told her before... that she loved her...but then, a man stepped out of the house behind her, planting a kiss on Lilia’s cheek as he ran over to her,” her smile was now directed at me. “It was Yakov.”
“And the sad and lonely girl...that was you, wasn’t it?” I asked carefully. She replied with a nod as her head hung over her intertwined hands. She was holding a black, velvet box...
“Please,” she whispered, looking at me with pleading eyes. “Even if it turns out bad, you have to tell him you love him...”
“Because I never got to tell mine I loved her, and now look at me,” she finished with tears in her eyes.
I stood up, brushing off the snow that stuck to my coat. I fished through my pocket and took out a handkerchief that had my initials in the corner. I tossed it to her and she caught it with a clumsy catch. I smiled down at her. “I will.”
I ran in the direction of Yasha’s home, my heart throbbing in my chest. My thoughts were a tangled mess, but I could see one clear goal. I have to tell him.
Otp: definitely yakpa This is probably the first Valentine's day they spent together since college, and Nikolai tries to recreate their first date, because he is such a sweetie...but memories end up getting the best of them and they end up just drinking and reminiscing at the bar.
This is actually a pretty new ship for me like I’ve only started shipping it recently but omg this is so cuteeee
Author’s Notes: Alright, my dudes! Here it is! And this one reveals who the female stranger is ;) So, for the sake of surprises, I’m not gonna mention the pairings. Dive on in, and see for yourself~ ;)
(Amplify the angst by listening to this while reading the story.)
My legs felt like frozen cogs as I ran against the wind. There were miles and miles ahead of me, but I wasn’t stopping now. I refused to. I made a promise, after all.
The whole time I was running, it felt like shards of glass were scratching at my face. I wasn’t even sure if I was choking on my own breaths or if there were two hands strangling me. It was nothing less than painful. I wanted to stop multiple times along the way, but I knew that the pain of regretting not telling him would be far more painful than any physical pain I’m feeling right now.
And that thought kept me going.
I was less than a block away, and his house was already showing up in my field of vision, but my strength was diminishing quickly. By the time I reached his front porch, I felt so weak that my legs were unable to support me, and I fell to the concrete floor. “Kolya?” asked a familiar voice ahead of me. I looked up to find Yakov, kneeling down to meet my eyes, a worried expression plastered on his face. “Kolya! You’re freezing!” I put on a shaky smile as he struggled to pick me up. “I made it,” I muttered in muddled whispers, right before my vision blurred and my body gave out.
The last thing I heard was Yakov screaming my name.
(Yakov)
His hefty body was hard to reposition, but not impossible. Well, not like it mattered. Impossible or not, I’m not about to let my best friend freeze to death. In terms of family, he might as well be the only one I had, aside from Lilia.
I gently laid him on my bed and pulled my warm covers over his icy body. He looked dangerously pale. Must be from the cold weather. But...my question is...how the hell did he get here just seconds after I did when I had twice the distance to cover? He couldn’t possibly have ran all the way from the restaurant...could he? But why? What was so important that it couldn’t have at least waited til tomorrow morning? I sighed away the questions piling up in my head. It’s not like I’ll get any answers until he’s conscious.
I quietly slip into the kitchen, the same questions still swirling in my mind. I couldn’t help but feel slightly...enraged. How could he have been so...reckless? This isn’t like him...he could’ve died! If he did, I...I wouldn’t know what to do...
“You know, that clanking is pretty loud,” says an unknown female in a hushed voice. “You don’t want to wake him up, right?” I turned around in a flash, yielding a pan as a weapon. She had long, platinum blonde hair and hazel doe eyes that shone under the moonlight seeping in through the uncurtained windows. She was smiling a kind smile, and it was hard to believe she was here for any malice...but still. She is inside my house unauthorized. “What are you doing here?” I demanded in a stern, quiet voice. “Did you break in?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t be standing out in the open, nor would I be talking to you,” she says matter-of-factly, her smile never fading. “So no, I didn’t. You left the front door open when you were dragging your little buddy in the other room.”
“His name’s Nikolai,” I nearly snarled. She returned with a grateful giggle. “Is that so? Well, thanks for telling me. The only clue I had of what his name could’ve been was this handkerchief.” She presented a neatly folded handkerchief in her dainty little hands, Nikolai’s initials printed in the corner. As my hand reached forward to grab it, she swung it away. I look up to find her smile gone. What’s left was a serious expression that silenced the thoughts in my brain. I cleared my throat and decided to be more understanding. “You want to return it yourself, don’t you?” She responded with a single nod and turned to leave.
“But first,” she began to speak once more, but without bothering to turn around and face me this time. I’m surprised she trusted me enough to not hit her right then and there. I’m surprised I didn’t. “But first, you two need to talk...so wake him up, okay? I’ll wait for him outside.” She leaves without saying anything else.
“That was weird,” I mutter to myself as I resume my search for a small pot to heat a can of soup up for Kolya. “But if she is right, that means Kolya has something to tell me.”
“Something important enough to risk his life for.” But what in the world could it be?
(Nikolai)
I wake up to find Yakov stirring a pot of steaming soup with a ladle on the other side of the room. He was holding a bowl. I wanted to make my existence known without startling him, but I didn’t know how. Any choice there was to make would startle him. Seems like I don’t have much of a choice here. I called out to him in a soft voice.
“Yasha,” this was when I noticed I could barely speak. I cursed myself for pushing it way too far just trying to get to him. It’s not like he would be gone if I just took it nice and slow. Well, it doesn’t matter. I can move my fingers and my arms. Those are all I need, along with a pen and paper, to tell him how I felt. Thankfully, I always bring some with me.
He jumped a little at the sound of my voice, which I’d have to admit was pretty adorable. His slicked back brown hair swayed as he turned to look at me. It seemed like he was going to cry for a split second until he returned to normal.
“Kolya,” his voice was softer than usual. He placed the bowl gently on the table and made his way towards me. He sat on the bed. “How are you feeling?”
I took out my pen and notepad, and scribbled a messy, “Better” on an empty page. Yakov gave me a worried look. I can tell that he just now realized it was hard for me to talk. I returned his worried look with an optimistic smile. He tried to mirror it but failed miserably.
“There was a girl,” he mumbles, seemingly in an attempt to distract himself and stray from the topic. “She claimed to have followed you...and said you had something to tell me.” I nodded nervously. I slowly sat up and stretched my weakened muscles. I picked up my pen and got ready to write a mile a minute.
“There’s something I have to tell you,” I jotted down the obvious. “Something I should’ve told you five years earlier.” He looked just as nervous as I was. “What is it?” he asked in a whisper.
“I love you,” I wrote out with shaking hands. “I love you so much, and I should’ve told you sooner, but then you found her so I just gave up, thinking it would go away...but it didn’t. I love you, I still love you, and I can’t stop. I’m sorry...”
Yakov looked at me in awe. “You’re...lying,” he claimed, his words trembling. “You have to be! You must be!” His eyes had a glint of fear in them...but what was he afraid of?
“I’m not,” I croaked out, using the remaining strength I had. “I truly love you, Yakov. With all my heart...”
He turned away from me and for the first time in years, I saw tears form in the corners of his eyes. “This isn’t right,” he says reluctantly, raising his voice. “This is wrong!”
“What if,” I nearly shouted back as a lump in my throat began to form. “What if...the definition of right started with us? It could! It could if you just give us a chance!”
“This isn’t wrong, Yasha,” I begged. “My feelings for you are anything but wrong! You can’t just--”
“I love Lilia,” he interrupted. “And your feelings aren’t going to change that.” My eyes go dark as his rejection rings through my ears. I feel like I could break at any moment...yet I still put on the same smile I put on everyday. The very smile that only existed because I had him with me...but that’s gonna change, isn’t it?
“Is that all you have to say?” he asked me in a whisper, his face still turned away from me. I spit out a reluctant yes, as I got off the bed and started putting on my coat. I could feel his longing eyes grazing my back, begging me to tell him everything’s going to be okay, just like I did the night he lost his father...but I couldn’t bring myself to face him anymore. “Kolya,” he calls out. And for a second, I felt like turning back and holding him in my arms, but what he said next stopped me.
“You’ll still be my right-hand man at the wedding...right?” I felt like he was mocking me...’right’ could’ve been us, but now it’s just me.
I closed my eyes when I turned to give him a smile. “Yes. You’re my best friend, after all.”
“How’d it go?” asked the girl as I glided past the front door, slamming it behind me. She was sitting on the steps. “Bad,” I replied, sniffling back the tears to keep them from flowing. I started making my way home, and she hurried after me.
“He loved you too,” she says softly and carefully.
“How would you know?”
“Because of the look in his eyes.”
“What?” I asked her rather harshly. “What does that even mean?”
“Lilia,” she replies, a smile tugging at her lips. “She had the same look.”
I sigh softly, only now realizing my abrupt behavior. “Sorry,” I mutter, my voice still a little hoarse. “I’m just...”
“It’s okay,” she says kindly. “I get it. Rejection isn’t easy.”
“But this is better than never getting to voice your feelings,” she added. “Trust me. I know.” I looked down to find her smiling kindly at me. This girl...stuck with me all throughout that mess. “Why?” I ask her, and from the glint in her hazel eyes, I knew I didn’t have to explain. “Because,” she starts. “Love is beautiful. Everyone deserves it, or at least a shot at it. Romantic or platonic, lover or not...it’s all love.” And I couldn’t help but think she was right.
“Say,” I spoke suddenly, almost startling her. “I never caught your name.” She giggles in response. “That's because I never gave it to you,” she sings cheekily.
She lets out one more loud laugh before she gave me her answer.
May D Ft. Davido – Yakpa
Nigerian singer and now DMW signed artist, May D has finally released his long overdue song titled “Yakpa”.
The record features assistance from his label boss, Davido and marks his release after a long silence.
DOWNLOAD: Sarkodie Ft. Zlatan & Rexxie – VIP
May D – Yakpa mp3 download song below and make sure to share this masterpiece with your friends and loved…
