Ivan presses the buttons forcefully, trying once more to get through Earth's systems. He's been trying and trying to get a visual on the planet. N.A.T. has upgraded the programs and cameras three times now. He lets out a whimper and stares at the screen. He doesn't want to give up hope just yet that he might be able to see Alfred.

He taps a few more buttons repeatedly then a small green light comes on. He inhales sharply and takes the chance. Using one of Earth's orbiting satellites, he taps into earth's technology. It takes a few tries to zero in on the right place but when he can see the small barn on his screen he knows he's close. With a few more tweaks he finds the view of Alfred's home. His breathing stills completely at seeing his human in the window of his room, looking through a small telescope, scanning the skies in the dark. He looks older, the time has made him grow, but his eyes have not lost their spark.

"What are you looking for?" A new person enters the screen and Alfred turns to look at them with an unimpressed glare. Ivan leans forward, just as curious to the question. The new person looks like Alfred, but their hair is longer and their eyes different.

"You wouldn't believe me," Alfred says just a little bitterly. The human goes back to looking through the telescope.

"Again with aliens?" The person asks. Alfred scoffs and sticks up one of his fingers at them. The camera barely picks up on soft beeping and the shape of R. appears in the background of Alfred's room.

"Go suck on syrup Mattie," Alfred says. Ivan finds himself smiling at the words shared between the two. His smile feels odd as the human starts to cry. The other human, Mattie sighs and comes closer.

"Alfred come on." Alfred shrugs off their hands and wraps his arms around himself. Ivan can feel his lesser heart breaking at the sight of Alfred looking positively miserable.

"I miss him," Alfred says suddenly, tears leaking out of his eyes. Ivan covers his mouth with his hands.

"I know you don't believe me but he was, I just.. I miss him so much," Alfred whimpers and cries, letting the other human comfort him finally. Ivan stumbles back and falls to his knees as N.A.T. comes in. The technician goes to Ivan and shuts down his screen before he can protest, not that he has much energy to do so. The robot puts a hand on his back, rubbing small circles in an attempt of comfort.

Ivan feels awful, guilt chipping away at his insides. He did that to Alfred, he's the one who put that look at his face. It's all his fault. He should have said a proper goodbye. Hands come up to wipe away tears from all his eyes. He whimpers painfully and N.A.T. stops her motions.

"Someone is coming," They whisper. Ivan tries to make himself presentable as K.A.T. comes in with the General in tow. Ivan tries his best to smile but it hurts inside to keep up the facade. The General raises an eyebrow at him and pulls out his screen.

"You have a new assignment," He says. Ivan twists up his face in confusion. He graduated from his programs, no longer needing to do field work missions. He's capable to do hands on laboratory work, working with the elements he just collected. He begins to protest when the General shows him a strand of DNA on his screen.

"This is a strand of Oxytocin DNA," The General tells him. Ivan steps forward to see the strand closer. It's a bundle of numbers and letters with a highlighted section of a brain next to it.

"We as a species lack the strand's full capacity. You're going to a planet where the strand is fully developed to study it further," The General turns on his heel and leaves, pausing in the doorway to look back at Ivan over his shoulder.

"Your ship will be upgraded for communication, you will not be coming back." Ivan flinches at the words, wondering if this is truly an exile over a mission. K.A.T. and N.A.T. look at him with odd expressions. Ivan sighs and turns to his own panel, finding the mission details already uploading to his systems. He looks over the DNA then makes his way to the hanger and his ship. He has very little to take with him. He doesn't feel the want to leave home anymore. Maybe that's why the General sent him.

Even though he has the ability to do more local work, Ivan has not left his house in the days since he got back. It hasn't been long, but long enough for his people to notice and become restless with his absence though they know he is home. He doesn't want the mission, he doesn't want to do anything.

"Where are we going?" He finally asks when the ship is out of the atmosphere and on it's destination. K.A.T. appears and hums to his question, looking through the files electronically to find the answer.

"Planet 54.4," She says. Ivan narrows his eyes at that. It sounds too familiar in his mind. He goes to his mission details and reads through them again, eyes widening when he finds the bit of information he's been skipping over with his apathy. Oxytocin, a mental chemical, is the prime component to the emotion love, found mainly in the minds of human from Earth.


It's far too long in his opinion when he sees the planet come into view. He's giddy when K.A.T. announces a safe time to land. He dives head first into the atmosphere, smiling to himself as the world gets closer. K.A.T. has to take over and land the ship in the right spot because Ivan is shaking too hard to do much else. He almost forgets to shut down one of his lungs so he can breathe properly. E. and T. are waving their robotic arms in the air, little beeps coming from them as they try to signal R. electronically. The ships lands and Ivan is out of it the second he can be.

He places his hands on the barn in front of him, missing it from the years he spent away from it. He turns to N.A.T. and K.A.T. preparing to move the ship into the barn, N.A.T. waving him away. He begins his walk through the trees towards where Alfred always ran off to without a second thought. His feet crunch over the leaves. His little robots chirp underneath him, nearly rolling into the opening if not for Ivan kneeling to hold them back. In front of them is a house, Alfred's. There's someone outside, talking to another person.

"He's not coming?" One of them asks sounding vaguely annoyed. The other, a blonde that Ivan vaguely remembers shrugs his shoulders.

"You know how it is Gil, ever since.." The human trails off, looking up. Ivan follows his gaze only to have his breathing catch at the sight of Alfred looking out of a window, his face planted to a small telescope.

"Who even is Ivan anyway?" The annoyed human asks as the two pile into one of the metal contraptions. They drive away but Ivan keeps his eyes on Alfred. His human looks to the retreating truck with a sigh, turning his head back to the stars. There are some wild beeps making his robots rattle in excitement. Alfred smiles down at his feet to where R. is then back to the sky.

"Hey Ivan," Alfred says softly, barely loud enough for Ivan to pick up on his words. He stands in the shadows, watching as Alfred tries his hardest to not cry.

"If you can hear me, please come back," Alfred voice cracks and he buries his face in his hands. His lesser heart snaps and he steps out into the clearing, letting his presence be known. It takes a few minutes of Alfred sniffling to finally drops his hands. Something feels like home when Alfred spies him on the ground. The human leans out the window then sprints away just as quick. Ivan waits. The door to the house slams open. Alfred is breathing heavily staring at him like he's not sure if he's actually there.

"Is it.. Is it you?" He asks quietly. Ivan stares for a moment longer, taking in the hope in his human's face. He nods gently and Alfred sprints into his arms.

"You're back," Alfred says to him. "You're back, you're back," The mantra hits his ears and Ivan wraps his human up tight in his arms. He clings tightly to him, not wanting to let him go again.

"How did you? I thought you had? Why did you?" Alfred asks too many incomplete questions. Ivan smiles at hearing him, dipping low to kiss the human quiet.

"New mission," He says by way of explanation. Alfred whimpers and kisses him again.

"You're not going to leave again are you?" He asks frantically. Ivan shakes his head. That's the last thing he wants, and he'll be damned if he has to leave Alfred behind one more time.

"I will stay," Ivan reassures, pulling Alfred in for another hug. The human sighs happily into his arms, laughter bubbling out of him.

"Mattie is never going to believe me," He says with happy tears in his eyes. Ivan laughs with him, brushing away those tears with gentle motions, and kisses him again, making plans to kiss the human for everyday after.


AN: Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it (: