V
valeen
March 20, 2026
but deeply moving and even heartfelt
The time has come for Alessio to finally reunite with his first, only, love, Father Rafael. He's been waiting literally years to be with his man, and most of those years he never thought he'd have him again. In the time since they've been apart, Alessio has become the the tech wizard of his found family, and has used that wizardry to watch over Rafael from the shadows, from a distance. But now? Now's the time he's coming for him in person, not from behind a monitor, and not separated by the confessional lattice.
When Rafael made the choice back then to walk away from Alessio and into his faith and his calling, it was what was right for him at the time. In the years since, he's shoved his love deep into the place he doesn't acknowledge, and has let his love for his God guide him. But now Alessio has come to him in person, away from the confessional where he's been sending his brothers, and he himself has come to silently sit. Seeing him, being around him, he's having a battle of his love for Alessio and his faith. Which will he choose?
I have been eagerly and impatiently waiting for Alessio and Rafael's story since Alessio was first introduced. I could feel Alessio's pain so deeply each time he talked about watching Rafael, dreaming of him, missing him, loving him. Although I knew they would eventually have their reunion, Ella and Brooke made them both work for it. Rafael, with a little guidance from his mentor, worked through what had driven him away from Alessio and to…