Sunset in Cuba

  *So I have this headcanon that the reason Lance has such a non-hispanic last name, despite being from Cuba, is because his dad is not Cuban. So enjoy my version of what I imagine Lance's family to be like.*

Home. It had been so long since any of the paladins had seen it. Earth. The moment they landed – discreetly, somewhere in the middle of the desert, of course – each of them just stopped, taking a moment to appreciate the world around them. Sure, this far out there wasn't much to see, but it was home, and that was enough.

Hunk and Lance even went so far as to get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground beneath them. A decision they regretted immediately as they spent the rest of the day coughing up sand.

First stop was the Holt residence. As teary-eyed reunions went, this one was sure to be at the top of anyone's list. Even Keith couldn't stop himself from tearing up at the sight of the entire Holt family being united again after so long.

There were other matters that needed to be dealt with, however. It was imperative that construction of the new Castle of Lions begin as soon as possible. There was still a war going on out there after all. Allura and Coran would take the plans for the new Castle to the Olkari. No other species was capable of completing such a massive undertaking in such a short amount of time. Two months. That's how long the Olkari had said it would take them to complete the ship – under Coran's watchful eye, of course. Allura would have to be there as well, as Altean energy was a key component in the construction of any Altean vessel.

It was an emotional farewell. They all knew it wasn't forever, but parting after having been together for so long was difficult. Lance was hard-pressed to leave Allura's side, insisting that he could be of some use to them, any use. The other paladins eventually managed to pry him from Allura, and the two Alteans were on their way.

Matt and Pidge stayed with their family. In two months they would all have to leave Earth once again to rejoin the war against the remaining Galra factions still threatening the Universe. They wanted to spend as much time with their loved ones as possible before then.

Hunk would spend his leisure time with his Grandmother, cooking up a storm, no doubt. Lance was going back to Cuba. He'd missed his family more than he could say while he was away. The mere thought of reuniting with them made him tear up.

That left Keith and Shiro. Neither of them had a proper home to go back to. Sure, Keith had his shack out in the desert, but that hadn't felt like home in a long time. Shiro could have gone back to the Garrison, but how would he explain his disappearance? That and his decidedly altered physical appearance made that option completely out of the question.

Lance, in a shocking display of compassion, took it upon himself to invite the two of them back to Cuba with him. Keith had sputtered at the offer, unsure of how to respond. Shiro gratefully accepted the invitation for the both of them. In a matter of hours, the trio had landed in Cuba.

Lance's family resided in a small coastal town a few hours outside of Havana. It was a modest little town. One of those places where everybody knows everybody else. One big happy extended family.

Extended family was right. Keith had to forcibly stop his jaw from dropping as they arrived at the address Lance had given their cab driver. The property was enormous. There were dozens of little houses scattered about, every one of them overlooking the ocean. Lance had called ahead so the family could make preparations for their arrival. The group that welcomed them must have been thirty people at least.

Lance couldn't have looked happier if he tried. He rushed from the cab, jumping straight into the middle of the group, dozens of arms enveloping his slender frame. Half the family was bawling, the other half chattering away at about a million miles per minute. Neither Keith nor Shiro had the slightest idea as to what anyone was saying. Keith had taken a Spanish course at the Garrison, but that felt like a lifetime ago, and anything he'd retained was useless at the speed they were talking.