Voltron OneShots

Home Sweet Home

TW: police brutality, death

"Mama!" Ten year old Lance called, holding his baby sister in his arms.
"Lance!" Mama looked back at him, her hands handcuffed behind her back. The officer was startled and shot. Lance and his siblings watched their mom bleed out on the concrete.

Lance shot up fast. He took deep breaths, and rubbed his eyes. He was on the Castle, of course.
That was a nightmare, or memory, that Lance would frequently live through in the night.

Lance had been in a Garrison feeder orphanage for the rest of his life. Lance's siblings, all ten of them, would all enroll in the Garrison, eventually going to serve the world and risk their lives. Lance had already lost a brother and a sister. His friends at the orphanage also were at risk. His very best friend, Natasha, had passed away a year before Lance found the Blue Lion.
His goal was to receive enough of a pay to get his baby sister, and the rest of his siblings, away from the Garrison.
His baby sister, Hannah, was only eleven now. He had two other younger siblings, Marco, who was sixteen, and Kayla, who was fourteen.

Lance knew he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, so he trudged into the lounge, with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. His socked feet quietly scuffed across the floor.
His life was okay. He was a intergalactic celebrity. He had a boyfriend. He had friends and everything he'd every wanted. Except, Marco was in the Garrison already and Kayla was going to be in the following autumn.
He took his journal with him, writing letters to each of his family members. His mom, Naomi and Andrew among them, despite the fact that they would never be able to read them.
He hoped one day he could go back to Earth, take back his siblings and lay the letters on the McClain family grave.
He sat in silence at 2am, writing letters to his family. The letters to his long-gone dad he folded into paper airplanes and shot out the airlock.
He didn't write a letter to him this night. He felt too distraught to do that.
"Lance?" A groggy voice called.
"Oh, hey, babe," Lance leaned back to look at Keith.
"Why are still up?" Keith groaned as he flopped next to Lance.
"I slept a little."
"Whatever. Why are you up?"
Lance shrugged, "Bad dream."
"About?"
Lance shrugged again, not wanting to talk.
"What's this?" Keith held up Lance's journal.
"No!" Lance shot up. He snatched it from Keith. "Sorry."
"It's-" Keith was taken aback. "Okay."
Lance sat in silence for a minute, watching Keith's face as he clutched the journal against his chest.
"I write letters to my family," Lance blurted.
Keith was surprised. Lance would talk about many things, but he avoided any conversation about his family. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"What are their names?"
Lance smiled nostalgically. "My Mama, of course. My dad died after my little sister was born. Rose is my oldest sister, she's twenty eight now. Then there's Andrew, who's twenty six. Naomi is twenty five. Harley's twenty four. Jackson's twenty three. Carly is twenty one. Marina is twenty. Then there's Marco, who's sixteen, Kayla who's fourteen and Hannah is eleven."
"What's your mom's name?"
"Maria."
"What was your dad's name?"
"Pablo."
"Where did you grow up?" Keith was trying to capitalize on this opportunity.
Lance shut up by a clam. "My Mama and dad are from Cuba and came to California before they got married."
"So you grew up in California?"
"I moved when I was ten."
"Where'd you go?"
"Arizona," Lance said quietly. Keith was confused.
"Why's that?"
Lance bit his lip, trying to retain tears. He swallowed, and opened his mouth, then shut it again. He pressed his lips together.
"Lance?" Keith frowned. Lance stood up.
"Sorry," he choked out before he ran from the room.
"Wait!" Keith called out. He shook his head, then ran after him. "Lance!"
Lance ran into his room, shut the door and locked it. He slumped against the door, put his face in his hands and sobbed.
"Lance?" Keith called through the door. "What did I do wrong?" He only heard Lance's cries. "Lance?" He knocked softly on the door.
Lance didn't respond. After about ten minutes, the door slid open and Keith slowly shuffled in. Lance as crammed in the space between his bed and the wall.
"Lance?" Keith kneeled beside them. He looked up tentatively looked up at Keith.
"Sorry," Lance choked.
"It's okay, Lance," Keith took his hand.
"Okay," Lance hiccuped.
"You don't have to tell me anything," Keith smiled gently and rubbed his thumb over Lance's hand.
"Thanks." Lance took a minute to get his breathing under control. "Okay, I'm ready."
"What?"
"I wanna tell you."
"Alright."
"My mom- hic- was shot outside our house when I was ten. She was accused of shoplifting. She looked back at me for a second and the policeman shot her. She bled out in our front yard. My siblings and I went into a Garrison feeder orphanage and my- hic- siblings are all destined to go there and die. I've already- hic- lost my best friend and Andrew and Naomi- hic." Lance was shaking.
"Lance," Keith frowned. This was the most vulnerable he'd seen Lance before. He stood up and took his hand. He hauled him up on his feet, the journal falling to the floor. Keith and Lance both acknowledged it, but chose to ignore it.
Keith managed to get Lance in his bed, bundled in every blanket in the room. Lance leaned against Keith, who rested his arm across Lance's shoulders. Lance fell asleep as Keith did, falling over onto the bed.
And everything seemed like it was gonna be okay.

A few months later, they went back to Earth, to consult Sam and Matt Holt, who'd been sent back several months before. Keith, Lance and Allura went to Arizona, then California, and Pidge and the rest went to see the Holts.
They'd gotten the proper papers to take Lance's eight surviving siblings out of the feeder program.
First was the orphanage to get Kayla and Hannah.
They jumped into Lance's arms and they cried. They held Lance's hand the entire way to the Garrison.
They picked up the other six, who had similar reactions. Crying, hugging, cheek kissing. Then they drove to California to visit the McClain cemetery.
They laid flowers and Lance's letters on the graves. Keith kneeled next to Mama and Papa's grave, with this remaining family hanging off of Lance and Allura.
"Mr. and Mrs. McClain, I'm Keith Kogane, and I'm dating your son, Lance. I want your blessing to date him, and hopefully one day marry him. Send me a sign, love you, thanks." He pressed his forehead to the grass, then stood up and walked back over to the group. Lance smiled at him and linked his arm in Keith's.
The next day, while Keith and Lance were walking on the beach, a flock of seagulls flew overhead in the shape of a heart. Keith smiled.
Then they encountered an arrangement of sand dollars, unusual in itself, which were in the shape of a heart, again, but this time there were seashells that made out a "2K."
Keith figured this was "Love you too, Keith."
And that he knew was a sign that everything would be alright.

WC: 1241
A/N: how's about it? i didn't think out this plot beforehand whoops.