【GaloLio】The way home

※<GaloLio: BetterMen> Series 5.

※About 2 years after this chapter, the story of Lio joining the Fire Fighting Team.

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"Leo—help—"

Gallo Timos finally decided to give up struggling.He reluctantly scratched at the mohawk hairstyle that had just been arranged in a particularly pompous manner, and turned to the teenager who was wearing a tie beside him, with an expression of "I'll leave it to you".

The young man glanced at the new vest on the young man's body. The close-fitting tailoring well outlined the broad shoulders and muscular lines of the young man, so he nodded in satisfaction, and then began his rescue operation - tidying up the bow tie that somehow got tangled up.

"Oh, it's still your dexterity. Is it because my fingers are too thick? I fail every time I tie a knot."

"Probably." Looking at the troubled young man, the young man smiled and patted the neatly tied bow.

Remy Puguna, the vice-captain of the Flame Fire Rescue Team, walked into the lounge of the headquarters early in the morning and saw this scene: a young man in a suit and leather shoes smiled at each other, and there seemed to be a warm relationship between them. The fantasy bubble—he didn’t rule out that it was a hallucination that he hadn’t fully woken up yet—he rubbed his eyebrows vigorously: "Dressed up like this early in the morning, are you two going to the wedding?"

"Oh—even the flowers are ready," Rukia, who was walking behind him, poked her head to look at the bouquet of flowers placed on the sofa—it seemed that it had just been delivered in the morning, and said with a smile, "You can go directly to the church Are you married?"

"Huh? It's really going to church." Gallo took the babble, seemingly not paying attention to the teasing tone of the seniors of the fire brigade, but Leo blushed a little, and quickly added: "We are going to a Baptism of a newborn baby."

"Huh?" Aina, who had just finished her morning exercise, came out of the tea room, "I also participated in one last week, at a church near Central Park."

"It's a typical baby boomer. In the process of going through the disaster together, it is easier for people to find true love, there will be more sex and marriage, and then there will be a peak of population reproduction in one to two years." Remy's tone Explaining calmly, he looked up at the clock again, "But there is a strict time limit for the christening ceremony, so don't be late."

"Don't worry, we have enough time reserved."

Both Gallo Timos and Leo Fortia, who had just finished the night shift, seemed to be in good spirits.

The two had only one mission last night. Someone was camping on a mountain near Central Park, but the bonfire accidentally got out of control. They dispatched a rescue robot to assist the fourth brigade, which was mainly in charge of the wildfire, and successfully extinguished the fire in a short time. , there were no casualties, and the economic loss was not large.

After returning, the two took turns sleeping for a few hours. In the morning, they washed off the oil and dust in the shower room of the headquarters, changed into the suits prepared in advance, and threw the fire brigade uniforms into the laundry room. Items are stored in lockers.

The lounge at the headquarters has always been the favorite space for firefighters. There are spacious and comfortable sofas, and a pantry stocked with sufficient food. They can rest, chat, and do simple exercises at will.

Right above the bulletin board is the conspicuous badge of the National Fire Service, and below it is the shift schedule, schedule, and announcements of various sizes. Next to it is the most conspicuous locker belonging to the firefighters. With a strong personal style, the team members put their favorite or objects that can inspire fighting spirit in it, which will increase or decrease with the extension of the years.

Gallo's locker has changed a lot this year. Apart from the decorations of the extreme east island country such as "Fire Extinguishing Soul" and "Strongest Current Instrument", there are also many photos posted: Snapshots of Reese during a one-on-one basketball game, the back view of two people with different figures when discussing new weapons with Lucia, a group photo with Remy and Ina having dinner together in the lounge, and Ignis who was recruited by Ignis when he first joined the job. The photo of the captain holding his neck with his palms to give a lecture—now recalling the scene that even he himself finds it quite amusing.

The other half of the photos are almost entirely of him and Leo: the fist bump when Leo puts on his fire brigade uniform for the first time; The boy’s lips were still covered with kiwi cake cream; there was also a photo of the fire brigade visiting the orphanage a while ago, in the background he was playing with a few children, while in the foreground Leo was gently hugging an original Orphaned by the Burner, the boy had a calm smile on his mouth, his eyelashes drooped slightly, and his eyes were a little sad.

Gallo had always thought that Leo was beautiful, the kind of beauty that broke away from the concept of gender, but this photo was extraordinarily beautiful, which only made his desire to be by his side stronger.So it was a matter of course to stick it on the inside of the locker.

In contrast, Leo's locker has also grown in size after a few months of employment. It will store recently read books, and on the side are pasted crayon drawings given to him by children in the orphanage. The fire brigade companions in the center A picture of a picnic in the park, an earlier photo of the three of them making dinner together at Canro and Mace’s apartment—even if the trio looked a little embarrassed with flour and cream on their aprons and cheeks; and Gallo and his A photo of surfing on the beach.All the people and time he cherishes most.

Leo Fortia straightened the collar of his shirt, put his work notebook into the locker, and gently closed the door.

As these items "belonging to him" gradually increased, he had regrets.

If, really only if—if the people he cherished now were injured or disappeared, he would feel sad and sad, and if these objects with important memories were destroyed, he would feel resentment and anger.

Before Promea disappeared, because of the uncontrollable flames of the "Burner" and the deliberate destruction caused by the "Crazy Burner", how many people lost those objects that carried precious memories for no reason.

Can Leo Phthia atone for the mistakes of other Burners, and can he restore justice for countless victims of Burners by himself.

The answer is: no.

Even if he can't when he has the powerful ability to manipulate Promea, he still can't after losing that ability.

Like lives and years lost to the Burning One, what is lost is hard to get back.

As an ordinary person, only by thinking about how to repair, only by personally participating in planned actions to try to make up for it, only by not wasting time complaining about ourselves and trying our best to use our "soul" can we continue to move forward little by little.

——This is the realization of Leo Phthia, and he also learned it from the man Gallo Timos.

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"?? Leo?" Gallo tilted his head back and touched the boy who hadn't gotten out of the car with his helmet.

"Ah? Sorry." The boy came back to his senses in an instant, took off his helmet and jumped off the motorcycle, smoothed the wrinkled jacket on the road, and helped the young man who had parked the motorcycle rearrange his shirt collar and bow tie, and the two went side by side Go to the chapel where the ceremony was held.

A tall and muscular young man with dazzling blue cockscomb hair, and a beautiful boy with a good face and a slender body. When two people walk into the venue together, they are bound to attract the attention of other guests.

Probably because one of the parents of the newborn baby was the original Burner, the invited guests were more or less related to this identity, and soon someone called out their names in a low voice, and most of them smiled and nodded at them, with a look in their eyes There are more complex emotions, grateful, emotional, and sentimental.

After discussing in low voices with the young man, they chose a less conspicuous seat at the back of the chapel to sit down.Because the area is not large, the ritual steps in front of the altar can still be seen clearly from this distance.

First, the priest walked to the front of the altar, followed by the original Burner woman who had invited Gallo and Leo to the wedding, and her husband. The couple hugged their newborn baby together.

The woman who burst into tears at the wedding ceremony had a slightly plump face that was originally too thin, and the sadness that had condensed on her face had dissipated.She stared at the baby in her arms so intently, with happiness shining from the corners of her brows and eyes.

The priest nodded to the couple, and they moved the baby closer to the golden basin in front of the altar.The priest put his hand on the Bible, talked to them in a low voice, then dipped his hand into the golden basin, dipped some water, and lightly touched the baby's forehead, which wet the sparse and soft hair.Then they all smiled and turned to the church guests, and the priest made a "stand up" gesture to the audience.

Gallo and Leo stood up with the others.

The priest's voice sounded in the church:

"Our Father in heaven, who counts you as a masterpiece;

He expects you to do good, and you perceive him through good deeds.

There are times when our faith is darkened;

Be faithful, and he will make solid ground under our feet - Amen. "

"—Amen." There was a response from the seats, and the people sat down again.

The boy lowered his head quietly.

Leo Phthia does not believe in God.

He used to believe in "destiny" - the fate called "burner".He once thought that Promea's desire to burn was the guidance, the sound from the soul, and that after burning, turning into ashes was their final habitat.

However, such "fate" is not real and can be rewritten.

Promea's will belongs to another world, not from the soul.The will of those who were once the Burners should belong to themselves, whether it is light or heavy, optimistic or pessimistic, it should come from their hearts.

The original Burner woman who stood smiling in front of the altar with her cherished husband and baby probably found her faith and comfort in this belief and ceremony, and she will be able to move forward even better in the future.

Thinking of this, the boy smiled slightly.

Leo had already agreed with Gallo that after the ceremony, the two would leave the bouquet with the card and leave quietly, but the plan did not succeed.

The mother of the newborn baby stood by the booth where the bouquets were stored and looked at them, the smile on her face was the most obvious expression of "I'm waiting for you".

Gallo spread his hands to Leo: "I said it was impossible to slip away quietly."

The boy blinked, walked up to the woman steadily, and said in a low voice, "Excuse me...I just don't want to keep you too busy."

There was a loving smile on the woman's face: "How could it be? It's just that I want the leader no matter what..." She paused, and quickly changed her words, "I hope Leo can hug him with my own hands." She put The baby who was sleeping soundly in his arms was passed to the boy's hand.

Leo hesitated for a moment, lightly clenched his fist and then released it, concentrating on it, then stretched out his hands that had been reduced to ashes, gently held the baby's swaddle, and slowly put it into his arms.

It was a little sleeping face with soothing eyebrows and mouth, and it also carried the baby's unique, faint milk fragrance.

Soft, with a certain weight of life.

"?? It's so warm." Leo said softly, only feeling that the temperature seemed to soften his hands and heart.

Gallo, who was standing beside him, bent down, stretched out a finger to touch the baby's little hand, and was grasped reflexively by the little life.

The young man laughed and responded with a volume that would not wake up the baby: "Well, it's really warm."

"...Because it's human."

The young man's hair trembled slightly, and his violet eyes were filled with endless tenderness.

-Fin-

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Remarks:

1. The title is "Circular" (adj. Circular) / Circular, which symbolizes the elimination of crisis and the re-gathering of power, and also represents the cycle of life, which is endless.

2. I want to describe GaloLio in the eyes of different people, and the growth of the two together.I just hope that Gallo and Leo can always be with each other and keep moving forward without stopping. ToBeBetterMen is the theme of this series.