Lance was chopping and stirring and cooking as he was mumbling in Spanish, he was so focused on the food he didn't notice when lotor left and came back throughout the day. Lotor tried to say something to the Paladin but Lance didn't hear a word he said.

Lotor pursed his lips concerned and let lance to his mind as he was speeding around but it was strangely organized, on time, where it all needed to be.

"Lotor my man just who I needed!" Pidge waved him down as he closed to the door.

"Hello small Paladin," Lotor huffed relaxing his shoulders standing in front of the door.

"We heard yelling in the morning, everything okay?" She raised a brow with her smile dropping. "If lance says leave then you fuckin' leave,"

"It was his family, his mother," Lotor looked around curiously with his arms crossed.

Pidges heart sank. She knew. They both knew lances family was harsh on him in the past. Her face heated up in rage remembering his little sister and how he was treated.

"Where are they?" She growled.

"Gone, Lance is allowing his father and twin back later, Hes... he's in his own mind now," Lotor understood her own irritation with them.

"I couldn't help but hear his father was of value when he was with his older sister, any chance you could find out if that's true?" He mumbled to Pidge.

"You want me to find dirt on lances dad?" She asked surprised as the tallest and shortest of the garrisons walked together back to pidges room.

"Not completely, make sure he's telling his own truth, he spoke of sending money to Veronica to support his two children, that's it," Lotor followed her into the dark cabin. He didn't realize lance put in a lot of time and design in his cabin seeing Pidge lived in a hole.

"So it was when lance was sixteen, earth years its been five years since we found the blue lion, six since kurberos mission, which should be around when lance got in the accident," Pidge calculated as she pulled up to her desk with multiple computers and Monitors, as well as a radar for outside the earths atmosphere.

"If that's how earth years work then yes, John mcclain is his name if that helps," Lotor offered standing behind her.

"Solid, and I think lance grew up around here so that narrows down the John mcclains here," Pidge grinned and typed rapidly across the keys.

"Easy done, receipts, transactions," she shoved back with hands up and Lotor smiled seeing the computer.

"Looks like John Mcclain isn't telling the whole truth, he didn't just send a twenty once a week, dude paid for getting his kid in the garrisons, gave up some of his retirement it looks like," she explained scrolling through the screen of the money Veronica was sent, she knew people that spent less on child support compared to this.

"It was his dream to be a fighter pilot," Lotor breathed shaking his head.

"His dad doesn't blame him for chloe?" Pidge looked up.

"Doesn't seem like it... it's his mother and brothers, she seems manipulative to get lance to forgive her, are human families normally like that?" Lotor gulped a little unsure.

"Some, not all, every family is different," she shrugged.

"Hey so like are you taking drugs and shit to not go crazy again or what's with that? How you gonna know you'll stay sane?" Pidge spun in her chair with her legs to her chest.

Lotor paused, a little startled. He didn't have an answer, he was terrified to turn into that again.

"I'm not taking drugs, I won't either, but if I do then I'm sure many won't hesitate to take me out," he mumbled.

"It's weird, Youre weird," Pidge huffed a little curiously.

"You seem like how you were before, maybe even more awkward, like a gentle giant," she tilted her head to the side.

"I feel out of place on earth, strange planet," he kept his arms crossed with his eyes down.

"It's the planet of the mentally ill, you fit in fine, just purple," Pidge laughed.

"I'm not changing my skin," Lotor stuck out his tongue walking away.

"You can do that on command?!" She gasped as Lotor went back to lances cabin.

He opened the door and saw Lance getting louder with his mumbling in Spanish as he wiped his hands off on his jeans frustrated.

"Lance," Lotor called. Nothing.

"My love?" He offered walking over.

"estúpidos pedazos de mierda rotos," lance spat dropping the veggies in the pan to sauté.

"Your gonna hurt yourself," Lotor touched lances waist and kissed the back of his head making lance gasped.

"I'm busy," lance groaned a little rolling his sleeves higher.

"What can I do to help?" Lotor pulled him back more.

"Getting off me will help, I'm busy amor I can't fuck this up," lance wiggled out of his grasp.

"What's bothering you love?" Lotor spun him around to face him.

"Oh I don't know maybe it's my family that i haven't seen in years is coming for dinner and could royally break me if someone starts yelling, my dad, like are you kidding me? I become homeless because of him and maria then he just- it's driving me nuts," lance ran a hand through his hair stressfully. Lotor grabbed his hands and caressed him gently to get his lover to stop stressing.

"They're lucky to even get a second chance from you, a wise man once told me to take a break," Lotor rubbed his knuckles gently.

"Sounds like a little know it all," Lance pouted holding his hands.

"Ironically he does know it all, a tad bit," Lotor rolled his eyes and lance laughed a little. He pulled Lotor down to press a slow kiss against his lips.

"My head hurts," lance whispered against his lips. Lotor kissed his lips, his cheek and pressed another kiss to his forehead.

"Take a break then, there's a timer I see for whatever is inside the cooking device and will take it out when it's done," Lotor said quietly as lance allowed him to be held.

"It's called and oven and I think it'll be my final straw if my garlic knots burn, and my beef still needs to roast," lance buried his face against lotors chest.

"I'm on it, go shower or change your clothes, freshen up love," Lotor rubbed his back gently and kissed his forehead again.

"Ugh I liked it better when I got to boss you to take care of yourself instead," lance patted his chest and went to his bathroom.

"I do listen to you ya know, it's karma," Lotor smiled back at him as lance pulled off his shirt to throw back at the galra.

"Amor piensa que sabe mejor que yo, galra tiene chistes ahora," lance flipped him off.

"I don't understand Spanish but I know my kind was in that sentence," Lotor called catching the shirt while lance closed the bathroom door.

—

"You definitely didn't lose the touch in space man, this is so good! I miss your cooking," Rachel squealed as she sat next to her twin brother, Veronica and John sat across from them. It was strange, Rachel and lance were the same age but lance was missing years from the time in space so they no longer were the same age in a way.

"I didn't cook in space so I'm sorry if it's not as good, hunk always cooked and aliens don't have much to work with," lance smiled awkwardly.

"It's great lance, no one else seems to cook as close as Abuela than you," Veronica grinned.

"Your lucky my mother is dead because it's better," john winked. Lance stuck his tongue out at his father.

"So where did your boyfriend run off too?" John smiled interested in hearing more about his boys life.

"He and Pidge spend a freakishly large amount of time together so I'm guessing with them," lance mumbled with blush on his cheeks. "And he's not my boyfriend,"

"Youre gay?!" Veronicas jaw dropped.

"You have a boyfriend!?" Rachel squealed.

"Bi, and not my boyfriend, just an ex," lance corrected his sisters.

"Who?" Veronica blinked shocked. "Is it keith? Shiro is with Adam, hunk is straight? Who else could it be?"

"I might've been in a serious relationship with the prince of the galra..." lance whistled innocently.

"Lotor?! Fucking Lotor?!" She cried out as Rachel clapped happily.

"He's very handsome, good eyes son," John nodded approvingly.

"Dad!" Veronica gasped. "He's a criminal!"

"So am I? And I met him when he was in charge of the empire," lance rolled his eyes.

"He is cute isnt he papa?" Rachel pointed at her father smiling. "Very nice face,"

Lance whispered in her ear and his twin gasped with a bright smile. She punched his shoulder laughing as lance cackled.

"I knew it!" She hollered.

"So your just okay with lance having a galra emperor ex or boyfriend?" Veronica asked bewildered.

"Veronica mija, enjoy dinner, we celebrate our lives with the meal, a love is a love in this life, and I'm sure alien relationships are gonna be apart of our future soon, I'm an alien myself,"
John joked as he tore a Garlic knot apart to eat.

"Papa, I hate to ask... why... why?" Lance set his fork down looking down.

"Why what?" John sipped his water.

Lance swallowed a lump in his throat looking down at his plate, hands kept in his lap.

"Chloe,"

Rachel and Veronica looked at each other sadly and concerned.

"I-I had a lot of time to think and accept my fault in it, but when did you?" Lance gulped.

"The night we kicked you out, your mother lied to me, she made it seem like you weren't as in pain and grief, and when Veronica took you in... she screamed, cried, threw things at me, she told me the truth, and I haven't forgiven myself since, and when you went missing..." John set his glass down pursing his lips, his hands shook a little.

"I already lost one child, and after that night I grieved as if I lost both of you, I failed as a father to you,"

"What was the worst thing that happened up there mijo? Tell me so I don't have to think about the possibilities," he whispered looking at lance with teary eyes.

"I don't know, physically or mentally? A lot happened," Lance gulped, Rachel touched his hand and gripped his fingers for support.

"Uh I guess the battle of marmora, Lotor killed zarkon but all our lives were on the line, it was real scary," lance lied. He would spare them his trauma. Being tortured, Hunted, shot, almost dying multiple times, dying once, being abandoned and thrown out. More probably.

"But I had voltron and the galra to back me up so it wasn't horrible, I made friends and I'm real strong now," he smiled brightly. Rachel's hand tightened around his, lances stomach dropped. She could tell he was lying. Shit.

"I'm so thankful for your safety Mijo, truly made the best of any situation," John let out a breath of relief.

"I'm sorry to make dinner negative, but I owe you so much more than an apology Lance, I hope one day you'll trust me again, I can be your father again," he gulped a smile as lance had tears in his eyes.

"Papa, thank you," lance covered his eyes a little as Rachel wrapped her arms around him to comfort.

"It's been really hard these last few years," he whispered.

"You're home now, and we can see you thrive again," Veronica smiled sadly.

Lance smiled but he couldn't help but feel guilty, a knot in his chest at the thought of his family being proud. Of what? He didn't feel like he's accomplished anything, he felt like a fraud because he never even wanted to join voltron again, that he preferred working under the galra instead of being this big hero of voltron. He knew he had the least amount of respect from everyone but...

He smiled because he was with his family again. He was grateful to smile with them.