Greenyellow eyes awoke to the pleasant shine of the morning sun. Slowly, but lovingly, they opened, looking around the foreign room. This wasn't his old apartment anymore. He was no longer in America. He was home. The home he grew up in, and the home he will live the rest of his life in. He belonged here.

Andy rolled over onto his back, staring up drowsily at the white ceiling, a bulb-shaped glass staring back at him. The lights weren't on, obviously. He looked at the shades on the window, only half closed to let some of the light in. Dust floated about contently in its warm rays. The room was silent. The only thing heard was the chirp of some native bird, probably not found anywhere else but here.

Then Andy turned his head the other way. And there he found what he would always find now. The person he would never give up. The person who he would now spend his life with. His husband, Jun, still sleeping peacefully on the other half of the bed. Andy felt a wave of warmth flow through his chest at the sight of him laying there. Just where he belonged. Right next to him. He carefully leaned over to kiss Jun on the cheek, which caused him to stir a bit, but not wake up.

The blond crawled out of bed and stretched, his bare chest shivering a little from the new morning cold outside his blanket. He wandered into the kitchen, which took him a few minutes to find in this new house, and started making some coffee. But as if on cue, as soon as he came close enough to the phone, it rung. Andy picked it up, examining the number, and pressed Talk.

"Hallo?... Ja, tale..." Andy spoke in his native Norwegian, as if he never knew English at all. The speaker on the other end told him something for several minutes. Andy's face grew more concerned as he went on. "Virkelig?..." Another pause. "... Ja... Takk... God bye..." He hung up, holding the phone to his heart and staring off into space.

"Who was it?"

Andy turned to see Jun in the doorway, looking at him curiously. The blond smirked, "Good morning, I didn't hear you get up."

Jun smiled, rubbing the back of his neck, "Kisses tend to wake people up." He let a pause go bye, as if this was a moment to enjoy, but Jun asked again, "Who was on the phone? You weren't speaking English..."

Andy's smile faded, "Oh uh.. It was um... A friend of mine..."

Jun's smile also turned to concern. "What was it about?"

Andy set the phone down, taking a deep breath. "Well... Apparently my home island is uh... Well, it pretty much caved in on itself. Their government went down the drain. And now... It's under Russian control."

Jun looked more concerned, "Yeah?"

Andy let out a sad chuckle, "My friend told me that... I can go home... Old laws don't apply there anymore, so... I uh... I'm not exiled anymore..."

Jun stepped away from the doorway, coming over to him and rubbing a hand on his shoulders. "... You okay?"

Andy took the hand that was on his shoulder in his own, "It's just kinda... weird to think about... I've been gone from home for so long, I mean... What'll they say if I do visit them? I'm not sure I even want to go..."

"No one said you had to..."

Andy nodded, but thought for a moment. "No... I will. I'm sure somebody's been missing me."

"You think?"

The blond smiled warmly, looking down at the floor, "Yeah... I'm positive there's one person there who'd be happy to see me."

Jun leaned against him, "When can you go?"

"I dunno... They have ships going there all the time during the day... I'm sure I could jump one at some point." Andy and Jun stood there for a long moment in thought. Andy took in a breath, and smiled. "Why don't I make you breakfast?"

Jun snorted, "And why can't I make breakfast?"

Andy laughed, "'Cause I'm the wife~"

This kitchen, though so foreign, definitely felt like home.

***

Though it was midsummer, the air was still cool and dry, even at the docks. The salty air mixed well with the smell of freshly caught fish and the smokey plumes coming from the occasional tugboat. Andy and Jun stood together on the old, swelled wooden dock, looking out at the freezing cold ocean waves. Their boat was in sight.

"You sure you don't wanna come?" Andy blinked at Jun.

Jun let out a chuckle, "I'm a little too scared to meet your parents."

"I don't blame you." He smiled, then watched as the boat came onto the dock.

The two of them walked over to the boat, meeting the captain. A tough-looking man, with jagged features. It didn't complement his greying hair, which was partially hidden under a snowcap. He jumped off the boat, tugging his ratty, old jacket closer to him with a rough hand. He spoke with a Russian accent, "You must be Endy, da? Is he comink too?" He gestured to Jun.

Andy shook his head, "No, just me..."

"We leef in ten minnets."

"Okay..." He let the captain go off to do whatever was needed, then turned to Jun. "Not sure when I'll be back."

"S'alright, I'll be at home..." Jun looked into Andy's eyes, "I just hope you'll be okay..."

"I'll be fine... I hope." He pulled Jun close to him, kissing him on the cheek. They spoke their goodbyes a little longer before the captain came back, telling them they were about to leave. "Take care, okay?..."

Jun smiled, "Yeah..."

They were just parting for the day, yet it seemed like it would be years before they would see each other again. Their new position as newly weds seemed to strengthen their bond. Andy hopped onto the boat, waving a last goodbye before he was tugged away onto the open ocean.

It took hours before Andy caught even a glimpse of his home island. As soon as he saw it, that tiny speck on the horizon, he felt his throat choke. Either in sadness, regret, or nervousness. He had been gone for so long now. It almost seemed wrong to be coming back. He was afraid of how much had changed. Or didn't change.

The island grew closer and closer with each passing minute. The more detail came into view, the lower Andy's heart sank. They pulled into the dock. When Andy stood, he saw the captain come over. He did something rather unexpected.

"You're very pale. I thawt you were seasick et first, but now it mehks sense. I herd you were exiled for meny years. It must be herd comink beck here, da?"

Andy nodded, "It is..." He looked at the island, tugging his jacket closer to him, "But... I guess I knew it would happen sometime..."

The ship was now secure. The captain patted Andy on the shoulder, "God's speed, Endy."

"Thanks..." Andy jumped off the ship and onto the dock. He walked until the waterlogged wood turned to sand. He walked until the sand turned to grass. He walked until the grass turned to pavement. And then he stopped.

The town hadn't changed a bit. The buildings were all the same. The streets were still filled with people. The government may have collapsed, but life lived on.

***

The house still stood there. That grand old house. A house that belonged to an important family. The Solaris family. Andy's family. A house that he grew up in, that he learned in, that he loved in. He was almost brought to tears when he saw it. It stood as if time didn't exist here. It was all the same, every last detail he remembered was still there. All the cracks and stains. All the trees surrounding it. It was as if he went back in time.

Andy held a hand to his face for a moment, swallowing his tears before going up to the old oaken door and knocking. He stood there, held in one of the most suspenseful moments of his life. The door opened with a creak. An elderly woman stood there. Andy looked into her eyes and swallowed to speak his native tongue with her.

"Hi... Mom..."

There was a long pause, where the two of them stood, facing each other. The woman stood to the side. "Come in, Andromeda..."

It was the same. It was all the same. All the furniture was still there. All the little figures and pictures were in the exact same spot as they were when he last saw them. He truly felt like he stepped back in time. But the beautiful, strong woman that was once his mother now stood as a weak old woman. There was something missing.

"I suppose you exile is null and void now..." Said his mother, pouring some tea into two cups. She sat down, setting the teapot onto the table and taking her cup. "It's good to see you, Andromeda... I was starting to wonder how you were doing. And I see you've grown to be a handsome young man."

Andy smirked sadly, sipping his tea. "It's a little overwhelming... Being here after so long..." He paused, taking a breath. "How are Caelum and Orion?"

"Out of the nest..." She sipped her tea. "But Tucana is still here. She's out grocery shopping."

"And Dad?..."

Andy's mother looked at him, then sighed. "He passed a few years ago..."

Andy looked down at his tea, swirling it around a bit, "I see..." He took another pause before asking with a shrug, "And Betelgeuse?"

His mother stared at him for a moment, but then continued. "He took his father's place for a little while, but thanks to him, our government fell. He was never the same after you left."

"Broken hearts tend to change... I didn't know he would take it that hard."

"He was a wreck after seeing you leave."

"Where is he now?"

"In his house... Somewhere... In some dark spot where no one can bother him... It would probably help if you visited him. He's been wanting to see his first love for a long time now. His wife doesn't know what to do with him."

"Ah, so he did settle down. Nice to know he found a nice young lady at some point."

"I wouldn't say so... It was an arranged marriage."

"Like mine." Andy shot a discontent look at his mother before shrugging. "Maybe it was a good thing for the government to fall. My generation didn't seem to thrive under it." He drank the rest of his tea.

"Bold words for someone who's been away from it for so long." She also finished her tea.

"Vega... Vega, how is she?" He seemed to panic at this question, like it was more important than the rest.

"She's doing well, don't worry. She never married since... You left. But she owns her father's shop now. She's quite successful."

Andy sighed, sitting back in his chair. "Good... good... I'm glad she's doing okay..."

"You seem worried."

"I just... Feel bad for what I did."

"I don't blame you."

"I didn't know she actually loved me, Mom... You know that..."

Andy's mother nodded, setting her cup onto the table next to the teapot. "Andromeda... Please tell me how you've been. I haven't seen you since you were thirteen. Believe it or not, it was hard to see you leave for such an awful reason."

An awful reason. Those words stung him. But he shook it off for the moment. "Well... I moved to the United States after spending some time with my foster family. I got into another 'mess' as you would call it. So I spent the rest of my adolescence there in America. I grew up. I got a job at a home for the disabled."

"Disabled... So you help people." A smile went across the old woman's face. "It's... nice to hear that you'd do such a thing..."

"I made a good friend there. His name's Bellsio. He's a bit of an oddball, since all the other residence there are elderly people, and he's only twenty."

"Twenty? What's wrong with him?"

"He was abused all through his childhood. It stunted his mental growth..." He took a breath, "They treated him like a dog... But you won't believe how happy he is... He's even found love."

"It's good to hear he's found a place for himself, after all that's happened to him..." She poured more tea into her cup, and offered more to him, but he declined. She picked up the cup and sipped at her tea. "Speaking of love..."

Andy blinked, "I'm married."

His mother nodded, "What's her name?"

Andy's calm face turned to a sort of glare. He took out his wallet and pulled out a picture, setting it on the table before her. "My husband's name is Jun."

His mother set down the cup abruptly, looking at him sternly. "So you haven't changed."

"Why would you expect me to? Just because I was forced out of my homeland?"

"Yes, it is a bit of a strange punishment. But we wouldn't have it here." She sighed, "Where did we go wrong with you..."

"It was nothing you or Dad did. I figured it out on my own, with no influence from anyone."

"Is this why you came back? To show me that you hadn't changed at all?"

"Of course not... Though I knew you would ask. No... I wanted to see my old friends. My family. I wanted to know how my brothers were doing, and my sister, and my past lover, and my best friend..." He took the picture and put it back into his wallet, "But seeing as how I'm a newly wed, I can't seem to help but brag."

His mother sighed again, sipping her tea. "I guess I can't argue anymore... We weren't there to guide you. It's far too late to change."

"I wouldn't have changed anyway." He looked at the old grandfather clock. "... I have to go."

"Already..." His mother stood. "Andromeda... You're still my son. I don't approve of what you're doing, but... I can't stop it. I'll just have to tolerate it for the rest of my life."

Andy shrugged, "I guess that's better than what I expected you to say..."

"Please promise me you'll still visit..."

"Of course. We live in Norway now... I'll come as often as I can."

"I'll tell your siblings you were here... And Betelguese... And Vega... Hopefully they can find out."

Andy hugged his mother before stepping out the door. "Tell them to look for Andromeda Myntt. Hopefully my new address will be there."

They waved their last goodbyes, and Andy left the house. He left the town. He left the island. Back to his home, to his husband, where he belonged. His mother stood in the doorway, watching him go back to the docks.

Andromeda Myntt.

It did have a ring to it.

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oh my GOD LONG STORY IS LONG but ive had this story in my head for a while... euuuugh e___e