Chapter Text
The shuttle shook as air started to really drag along the hull and wings, and Keith clutched at the armrests of his seat. “Lance, slow down!”
“Oh, do you want to be the one explaining to NASA what a short-range alien spacecraft is doing entering Earth’s atmosphere?” Lance huffed, glaring at Keith through his visor. “Because I sure as hell don’t.”
“At least-” the shuttle rocked violently, and Keith was tremendously grateful of his armour because being shaken about like this in normal clothing would’ve hurt like hell.
“Alright, there’s Cuba.” Lance grinned, finally slowing down and punching the cloaking button. Now they had fifteen minutes of complete undetectability to find Veradera and a place to land where they wouldn’t attract too much attention. It only took ten before Lance was cruising low over a town, the engines near-silent, maneuvering with the kind of surety only born of intimate familiarity.
“That’s my old school.” Lance said, pointing at a big blocky building with a flat gravel rooftop. “Looks like they’ve put more bike racks in.”
“Can you see your house yet?” Keith asked, leaning forward in his seat to watch the school building pass out of sight. There was a huge grass field next to it, where some kids were playing shirts and skins soccer.
“Not yet.” Lance frowned slightly. “What if they moved? Mamá always wanted to live closer to a big city, and Salome’s probably away at college so what if-”
Keith reached over and put a hand over Lance’s where it was tightening on the steering controls. “If they’ve moved, I say I’m a friend from school and ask for their new address.”
“What if...” Lance hesitated, and Keith knew exactly what his boyfriend was about to say but he waited anyways. “What if they’re scared of me?”
Keith sighed and laced his fingers with Lance’s as best he could around the joystick. “They won’t be. You’re still you.”
“Not the one they remember, though.” Lance said quietly, taking them lower over fenced-in backyards.
Keith tightened his grip, but said nothing. None of them were the same person they’d been when they left Earth four years ago, or five in Shiro’s case. Lance and Pidge, in particular, had hit impressive growth spurts. God, Lance had been insufferable for weeks after he realized he was taller than Shiro, until Pidge got fed up and started tazing him every time he made a height related wisecrack. But more than growth spurts or sheer brute strength, they’d changed as people. He didn’t think that he’d be able to go back to living in that desert shack if he was given the option, and he would’ve bet his bayard the others felt the same.
The shuttle stilled, then dropped the last few feet with a bone-jarring thud. Keith grunted as he was flung against the ceiling, and once again cursed the lack of seatbelts in every single altean spaceship. Seatbelts in the castle, where they only ever accelerated in two directions? Sure! Seatbelts in smaller space vehicles that could do fucking barrel rolls? Naah. It was stupid and he hated it.
“Bet you couldn’ta done that.” Lance grinned, smug as hell for no reason at all.
“There are these things called landing thrusters.” Keith groaned, pushing himself up into a sitting position. “And I would’ve flown, but you’re the one who knew where we were headed.”
“Oh quit your whining.” Lance was fucking beaming as he stooped to offer Keith a hand up. “You think I was gonna burn up Mami’s yard? First day back or no, she would’ve gutted me.”
Keith accepted the offered hand, and let Lance pull him to his feet. “You ready for this?” he asked quietly, meeting Lance’s golden eyes.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Lance’s hand tightened on his, and Keith turned to push the button that would open the back of the shuttle. A thought sprang to mind, and he chuckled as the hatch lowered.
“Cargo pilot.” he muttered, elbowing Lance and gesturing at the space meant to hold stacks of boxes.
Lance snorted, and gave Keith’s hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it. The door to the house opened, and Keith almost did a double take. The girl standing there bore a startling resemblance to Lance, before his transformation. Similar skin tone, same long and lanky build, the same sort of shape to the eyes. But her irises were brown where he was pretty sure Lance’s had been blue, and the few locks of her dark hair hair not pulled back in a braid had a distinct wave which Lance’s lacked. It was hard to believe they were adopted when they looked so similar.
“¡Maaamiiiii, [Moooom,]” she called into the house, not taking her eyes off of them. “Hay unos tipos raros en el patio trasero! [there’s some weirdos in the backyard!]”
“That’s Salome.” Lance said quietly, a note of undisguised awe in his voice. “Xir hair’s gotten even longer.”
“¿Cómo que hay alguien en el pa-? [What do you mean there’s someone in the ya-]” a middle-aged woman appeared in the doorway, lacking Lance and Salome’s height and slightly darker in skin tone. Her eyes widened at the sight of them, standing in the mouth of their spaceship, and Lance made a quiet noise which was almost a mewl.
“Mami.” he breathed, and Keith realized that his stupid boyfriend wasn’t going to do anything even with his mother and not-sister right in front of him. Keith sighed, and lifted his hands to pull his helmet off. His visor had tinted at the first hint of sunlight, and he winced a little at the brightness.
“Mrs. McClain.” he grinned, tucking his helmet under his arm. “It’s nice to see you in person.”
“Corre, trae a tus hermanas. [Run, get your sisters.] Dile a Vivian que agarre su espada. [Tell Vivian to grab her sword.]” Mrs. McClain said to Salome before squaring her shoulders and stepping out of the house, shutting the door behind herself. “Who are you?” she asked, a steel in her tone that Keith had heard many times before when Lance was exceptionally pissed.
“My name is Keith Kogane.” he said with a carefully even tone, not moving from his spot on the ramp. This woman had raised Lance. There was no telling what she might do if she thought he was a threat. “I’m a friend of your son’s.”
She frowned harder, and Keith got the distinct impression that if she had a weapon she would be pointing it at him. “My son is four years dead, pendejo [motherfucker]. Now tell me why you are here, and be quick before my youngest arrives with her sword.”
“You let Viv get a sword?” Lance asked, sounding incredulous and more than a little indignant. “You barely let me have a pocket knife!”
“Hermano? [Bro?]” a curvy girl in the doorway asked, holding a wooden hammer loosely in one hand.
“Hi, Amalia.” Lance lifted a hand in a little wave and stepped forward onto the grass. “Sorry I missed, well, a whole lot of competitions.” he sounded like he was smiling awkwardly, ears down and back.
“¿Mi niño? [My boy?]” his mom said slowly, fists uncurling and eyes widening as anger and suspicion gave way to hope.
“Si [Yeah], Mami.” Lance nodded once, and Keith could practically see that stupid cute smile which the polarized visor hid so well. “Volví a casa. [I’m home.]”
“¡Después de cuatro años! [Four years late!]” she cried, rushing forward and pulling Lance down into a hug.
“Mami!” he yelped, but didn’t try to straighten up. Instead he bent his knees and hugged her tight, letting her tuck his head against her shoulder.
“Mi niño. [My boy.]” she half sobbed, pressing her cheek to the top of Lance’s helmet. “Mi hijo ha vuelto a casa. [My son has come home.]”
“Maamiii.” Lance whined, lifting his head but making no other move to pull away. “Not in front of my- friend!” he hesitated, and Keith wasn’t sure if he should be offended or grateful. Lance’s sisters and his not-sister were spilling out of the house, one of them holding an honest to god metal sword with a scabbard on her belt, and he kinda didn’t want to be the center of their attention like Lance currently was. Well, most of them were focused on Lance, mobbing him in a group hug, but the one with a sword, Vivian, was standing in front of the door and staring right at him. She lifted her sword, held it horizontally in front of her neck, and slowly drew it sideways before spinning it dexterously and sheathing it in one fluid movement. Keith made a mental note not to fuck with Lance’s youngest sister under any circumstance. Any high school student with that kind of skill was not a person to mess with.
“Creciste tanto. [You've grown so tall.]” Lance’s mami said softly, releasing Lance and cupping his cheeks. “Quítate este casco, déjame verle la cara a mi hijo. [Take off this helmet, let me see the face of my son.]”
Lance went tense, and Keith cleared his throat loudly. “Hi.” he said, drawing the attention of all Lance’s siblings. “I, uh, introduced myself to your mom but not you guys yet.” he offered a smile, though it felt brittle on his face. “My name’s Keith. Lance and I are... teammates.” he half stumbled over the last word, something they’d stopped using to describe themselves years ago, and the youngest of Lance’s sisters gripped her sword with as much determination as any alien soldier Keith had ever met.
“Are you the one who took him away?” Vivian asked harshly. Keith had to consciously keep his free hand clear of his bayard, lest it energize at his touch.
“Viv!” Lance scolded, pulling free of his mother’s embrace and turning to undoubtedly glare at his younger sister. “¡No es tuyo como para que lo estés molestando, así que ya párale! [He’s not yours to mess with, so cut it out!]”
“¿Oh, entonces quién sí tiene permiso para molestarlo? ¿Tú? [Oh, and who does get to mess with him, you?]” she snapped, bristling not unlike Lance did when he was angry. The resemblance really was uncanny. How the hell was Lance not actually blood related to any of these people?
“Somos compañeros, así que sí. [We’re teammates, so yes.]” Lance said forcefully, the last word or two coming out at a near snarl. He pulled back immediately after, and Keith guessed he’d been baring his teeth behind the visor.
“You are a friend of my son’s?” Lance’s mom asked, one hand resting on Lance’s elbow like she was afraid he might disappear. Keith nodded, and Mrs. McClain’s face split with a smile. “Then come in, come in, both of you.” she pulled Lance down again and pressed a kiss just above the top of his visor. “Dejame verte la cara. [Let me see your face.]” she murmured, and Keith stepped forward to put a hand on Lance’s other elbow.
“Actually, could we talk for a minute?” he gave his best persuasion smile, which Lance still mocked on a regular basis but seemed to work well enough now. Mrs. McClain looked between them, then nodded slowly.
“I will get limonada [lemonade] for you both.” she grinned. “Salomé, niñas, ayúdenme a sacar las botanas. [Salome, girls, come help me get snacks out.]”
Mrs. McClain turned and bustled into the house, and the young woman with the wooden hammer, Amalia if he was guessing right, stepped forward quickly to give Lance a hug tight enough to make his armour creak. “Siempre supe que volverías. [I always knew you’d come back.]” she whispered, and Keith looked away as Lance hugged her back.
“Dije Salomé y niñas! [I said Salome and girls!]” Lance’s mom yelled from inside, and Amalia pulled away with a grin.
“Go, tell Mami I’ll be right in.” Lance said, giving her a little shove on the shoulder. Vivian glared at Keith for a moment before following her older sister into the building, and once they were alone Keith tugged Lance’s arm so his boyfriend was facing him.
“Your visor won’t stay tinted inside.” he said softly, hand trailing down Lance’s forearm until Lance reached up to lace their fingers together.
“I know, I just-”
“They’re your family, Lance.” Keith gave his boyfriend’s hand a gentle squeeze. “If they’re anything like you, they won’t give a shit what you look like.”
“Excuse you.” Lance huffed. “I care very much what I look like.”
Keith rolled his eyes. “I know, you spend an ungodly amount of time in the bathroom every morning. But that’s not what I meant and you know it.”
Lance sighed, and slumped forward enough to press his the front of his helmet against Keith’s forehead. “I know, but I’m still... I'm scared.” he admitted in a small voice. “Viv’s got a sword, Amalia’s got the meat tenderizer...”
He trailed off, but Keith got the point. “Don’t worry.” he smiled, catching Lance’s other hand in his own. “No matter what happens in there, I’ve got your back.”
“Thanks.” Lance was almost definitely grinning, and Keith pressed a quick kiss to the side of his helmet.
“Now let’s get inside. I think I heard your mom mention lemonade?”
“Oh, yeah.” Lance straightened up, beaming grin perfectly audible. “Mami makes the best lemonade.” he started towards the house, and Keith smiled as he followed.