After The Credits

Chapter 21 New Year's Day Vlad's POV

Dinner was over. Vlad took the opportunity to get some alone time with Karl and led him to the roof. The Austria household's roof was wide and flat, lined with iron fences to prevent people from falling off. One of the corners had a couple of chairs and a table. The couple looked out at the view of the night sky and the bright city lights. A perfect view with the perfect companion.

"Ang ganda ng view, ah." Karl said, gazing out at the city, Christmas lights still lining the trees and buildings.

Vlad, on the other hand, shifted his gaze to Karl. He marveled at his beauty, as if he were a statue of a Greek god carefully carved out of marble by expert craftsmen.

Yeah, quite the view for sure.

"Alam mo, Karl, rollercoaster talaga ang 2019 para sa'tin, no? Can you believe we shared our first kiss then broke each other's hearts after our second all in the first month of the year?" Vlad reminisced.

"Tapos biglang nagkita ulit tayo sa ASF. Nagulat talaga ako noon. Sumali lang talaga ako sa ASF kasi akala ko 'di kita makikita diyan kasi nag-graduate ka na. Buti na lang naging alumnus mentor ka." Karl replied with a chuckle.

"Actually, I delayed a trip to Germany for that. Mag-aaral dapat ako diyan for a year." Vlad explained.

"Huh, ba't mo dinelay?" Karl asked.

"Kailangan mo pa ba talagang magtanong? Siyempre para sa'yo." Vlad answered.

"Pero 'di naman tayo nag-uusap noon? At 'di ba hindi naman pwedeng piliin ang ASF mentee mo? Parang andami naman butas sa plano mo." Karl replied.

"Swerte lang siguro ako. But hey, some things are worth taking a gamble for. Buti na lang si Sue ang head ng mentorship program. She kind of rigged the results." Vlad said with a chuckle.

"Anyway, my trip was moved to this year. Sigurado naman ako na kakayanin natin ang LDR." Vlad added.

"Sa lahat ng pinagdaanan natin, kayang kaya natin ang LDR. Pero 'di ba may bagong balita tungkol sa, uh... coronavirus ba 'yun? Baka maapektuhan plano mo." Karl said with concern.

"I'm sure that's nothing." Vlad said with a shrug.

"By the way, Karl... you were amazing yesterday. I've never seen you so brave." He added.

"Sinabi ko naman dati na ginagawa mo akong mas matapang. Totoo pa rin 'yan hanggang ngayon. I couldn't have done that without you, Pancake." Karl smiled.

Vlad looked his boyfriend in the eyes. The sky might not have had any stars that night, but the sparkle in Karl's eyes was more than enough for Vlad. He took out his phone and played Ikaw Lamang by Silent Sanctuary.

"Dance with me?" Vlad invited, taking Karl's hand.

'Di ko maintindihan ang nilalaman ng puso tuwing magkahawak ang ating kamay.

As the song played, Vlad pulled Karl in close. Their faces were mere inches apart as they moved in sync across the building's roof. Just like their last dance, they moved effortlessly in time with each other, only this time the unease and awkwardness of the situation was gone. The two smiled at each other as they swayed to the music. Their hearts beat like drums to the same beat as they slow danced. Vlad allowed himself to get lost in Karl's eyes once more.

"Ikaw lamang ang nasa isip ko, sinta." Vlad sang along.

The song's ending drew nearer and their movements slowed. They smiled at each other before Karl spoke.

"Vlad... mahal kita." He said with a slight grin.

"Mahal din kita, Karl." Vlad replied.

Vlad put his hand on Karl's chin and slowly pulled him closer. Their foreheads collided as their eyes met. Vlad then let his lips meet Karl's. He felt Karl's lips push themselves into his in response. His hands slowly descended from Karl's arms, making their way to his hands. As their fingers met, Vlad moved his head back to look at Karl, who gazed back at him. They stood there without saying anything as the song finally ended.

"Ikaw lamang, sinta. Wala na 'kong hihingin pa, wala na."

Vlad led Karl to the circular table in the corner and took a seat, urging Karl to take the other one. He had left a cooler under the table earlier that day, before Karl had arrived. He grabbed two bottles of beer from the cooler and handed one to Karl.

"Oy, pogi. Beer?" He said, offering Karl the bottle.

"Ikaw talaga, binibigyan mo lang ako ng beer, may kasama pang landi?" Karl laughed, taking the bottle.

"Ayaw mo?" Vlad teased.

"'Di ko sinabi 'yan." Karl replied with a smirk.

"Cheers, Karl. Here's to a 2020 filled with happy memories for the both of us." Vlad said as they bumped their bottles together.

"Nakagawa na sana tayo ng mas maraming memories kung 'di lang ako takot last year." Karl sighed as he took a drink from his bottle and looked at the ground.

"Oh, Karl... don't you know by now?" Vlad asked.

Vlad grabbed Karl by the chin again and raised his chin so that their eyes could meet.

"...I do." Karl replied.