After The Credits

Chapter 9 Ally Judit's POV

Judit walked up the stairs towards the unit her brothers were staying in. It was a calm night with a gentle breeze, characteristic of early November in the Philippines. On her way up, she encountered a familiar face heading down the stairs.

"Karl! Bonjour!" She smiled.

"Hi po, Ate." Karl replied, waving at her.

"Going out? At this hour? Gabi na, Karl. Mag-ingat ka, ha." She said with concern.

"Don't worry about me po, Ate. Diyan lang ako pupunta sa 7-Eleven. Bibili lang ako ng chichirya kasi may gagawing project kami ni Vlad mamaya para sa org. Mukhang gagabihin kami, eh." Karl explained.

"Oh, is he not with Rob? I was hoping to see him." She replied, her accent as strong as ever.

"Ah mamaya pa siya pupunta sa unit ko, Ate, pero 'di ko alam kung nandiyan siya sa unit niyo. Check niyo na lang po, Ate." Karl said.

"Sige, salamat Karl! I won't keep you any longer, I'll head to the unit na. Ingat!"

She waved goodbye cheerfully before going up the remaining steps and knocking on the door of the unit her brothers have been occupying these past few months. Her knocks were answered quickly by the sounds of the door being unlocked. The door opened, revealing her brother Rob.

Rob was tall and fair-skinned with straight hair unlike his younger brother. He was wearing a loose white shirt and blue pajama pants with his signature round glasses, which Judit thought made him look smart, which she knew he was, not that most people would be able to tell since he'd often spend his time joking around.

"Hi, Ate!" He greeted her with a smile.

"Hellooo!" Ate Judit smiled, hugging her brother.

She walked into the unit, putting down her handbag on a nearby table and taking a seat on their couch by the door.

The room she entered was spacious, the area in the middle mostly empty. The aforementioned couch and table were to the left of the door. Paintings and picture frames lined the walls along with a TV on the wall opposite the door. Not too far from the TV was a hallway leading to their dining room.

"Oh, asan si Vlad?" She asked.

As if on cue, Vlad walked in from the next room to greet his Ate. Judit opened her arms, gesturing for Vlad to give her a hug, to which he obliged.

"Hi, Ate."

"Konnichiwa, bunso!"

"Mag-oorder pa lang kami ng dinner, Ate. May gusto ka ba sa McDo?" Kuya Rob asked.

"Fast food? Nako, di yan healthy." Ate Judit objected.

"Gusto ko lang naman ng twister fries, Ate..." Vlad said in reply.

"Bukas ka na lang mag-twister fries, Vlad. Let's order Japanese. My treat." She smiled.

My brothers deserve a treat every now and then, ano'ng klaseng Ate ako kung 'di ko sila sinuspoil?

Their food arrived after less than an hour of waiting and the siblings sat together at the dining table.

"Oh, Vlad, I saw Karl earlier on the way here. Sabi niya may gagawin daw kayo tonight?" Ate Judit asked.

"Ah, yeah. It's an org thing. Alumnus mentor niya ako sa ASF." Vlad explained.

"¡Dios mío! So palagi na kayong nag-uusap, no? Kinikilg ako!" Ate Judit asked with a smile.

"It's not like that, Ate." Vlad insisted.

"Well you never know, maybe it will be like that. After all, ang cute niyong dalawa dati. Bagay na bagay kayo sa isa't isa hanggang ngayon!" She teased.

Rob shot her a look as if to say stop pushing Vlad, but Judit rolled her eyes.

Ang kj naman nito, I'm not doing anything wrong, am I? I'm being supportive here!

Vlad exhaled aggressively.

"Ano? Did I say something wrong, Vlad?" Judit said, dropping her accent.

"Ate, you know why we can't be together. At least not now." Vlad said. Judit could notice the annoyance in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Vlad. Sinusuportahan ko lang naman ang love life mo. After all, I'm an ally!" She replied.

"There you go again, Ate. Stop making this about you! It's always 'I'm an ally!' 'I'm so supportive!' Please, Ate, 'wag kang epal. For once, stop and think that maybe your support isn't always helping?" Vlad said passive-aggressively.

"Ba't ka galit, bunso? I told you, I'm just trying to support you!" Judit argued.

Rob sighed as if he were lamenting how the middle child was once again getting caught in the middle of the panganay and the bunso.

"Heto na naman tayo... Kumalma kayo." Rob started speaking, his voice clear and attention-grabbing. It's no wonder he was a skilled mediator whenever his siblings argued. Judit knew it was also this skill that made him such an effective teacher.

"Vlad, Ate didn't mean any harm, there's no need to speak to her like that. At ikaw naman, Ate... tama si Vlad. You can't just force the kind of support you want to give onto someone. Paano kung 'di yan ang kailangan nila?"

Judit sighed and looked at Vlad.

"Lo siento, Vladimir. I told you before I'm not a perfect ally, but I'm still your sister. I'm trying my best, ok?"

Vlad just sat in his seat, arms crossed with a frown on his face. Judit stood from her seat and put her hands on Vlad's shoulders.

"Bunso... I messed up last time, okay. And honestly, I've always partially blamed myself for why it didn't work out between you two last time. I pressured Karl out for you. I thought if I were more supportive this time, it would make up for that, but I was wrong." She explained, tears beginning to fall from her eyes.

"I'm sorry din, Ate... I should have chosen my words more carefully." Vlad said apologetically.

Rob looked at the two and let out what sounded like a sigh of relief, probably because he was able to calm the two down before things got too messy.

"Ate, may mga bagay na 'di mo talaga maiintindihan bilang ally, but I promise you Vlad appreciates your support. Nasosobrahan lang siya minsan. And rightfully so, ang pushy mo minsan, Ate." Rob explained.

Vlad smiled at his Kuya as if to say "See? He gets it."

"Bunso, alam kong parang palagi na lang akong nagkakamali. Sa totoo lang, ano'ng klaseng Ate ako kung 'di ko man lang kayang suportahan ang mga kapatid ko?" Judit said with a sigh.

"'Di naman palagi, Ate. Remember how happy Vlad was when I came out? Noong nalaman niyang katulad niya ang Kuya niya? I was only able to do that because I saw how supportive you became towards him. Sure, you weren't immediately supportive, but you've done more for us than you realize. But please, tone it down sometimes. Oo, hindi ka perfect, Ate, pero Ate ka pa rin namin and we wouldn't have it any other way." Rob said smiling.

"He's right, Ate." Vlad began to add.

"Oo, mahirap noong una kasi let's be honest, homophobic ka noon and even now, nakakainis ka minsan. But you took me to my first pride march, Ate, and Kuya Rob to his own. How can we forget that?" Vlad smiled and put his hand on his sister's

Judit smiled and hugged her brothers.

"Wow ang galing, bati na tayo! Alam mo, Rob, sana nandiyan ka noong nag-away kami sa kainan dati. My God! Sabi ni Vlad noon nag-paparrot lang ako ng fake ally speeches tapos umiyak pa ako habang nag-sosorry." Judit laughed.

"Ate... can you not?" Vlad said with a chuckle.

"Pero seryoso... salamat, Rob, Vlad. I needed to hear that. And I promise... I'll be better as an ally and as your Ate. For both of you."