Chapter Text
To put it simply, Lance was terrified.
He had been into space, had stayed there for months, and had faced off against some of his worst fears along with giant metal enemies. All of that, and he hadn’t blinked. Yeah, it was scary, but he had never been rendered paralyzed from any prospect.
Yet, here he was, absolutely terrified about how his family was going to react when he brought a Galra home for Christmas.
He could already imagine the conversation as his mama just about had a heart attack while she stared up at Kolivan, someone who was part of an alien race that had enslaved almost all of Earth. He could already imagine his dad leveling the shotgun that they kept in the hallway closet at the purple man. He could already imagine his siblings and cousins running in fear from someone he was proud to say he loved.
But when Kolivan asked Lance why his arm was poised right before knocking, he couldn’t voice all of those fears. He couldn’t bring himself to tell the alien that his family might run screaming for the hills at the sight of him. So Lance just smiled and said it was an Earth thing before he knocked heavily on the door once, twice, thrice.
“Uncle Lance, it’s Uncle Lance!" Someone called behind the door. Little hands scrambled against the child proof door knob, and Lance could hear the excitement in Nadia and Sylvio’s voices. “I’m gonna be the first to see him!" They bickered back and forth behind it. As their volume raised, so did Lance’s anxieties.
Kolivan, always able to sense the minute changes in Lance’s mood, sensed this and put one massive hand on the smaller man's shoulder. “I’m sure there’s very little to worry about, Lance. If there are any problems, then I’ll leave, simple as that.”
Blue eyes stared at the ground, afraid to meet Kolivan’s. “I just... I don’t want them to be afraid of you." He worried his bottom lip between his teeth. “Even though I know- I know they trust me and that they trust my judgment on who I date. I’m just worried that they’re going to… not." He finished sadly. He scuffed the bottom of his shoe against the cement.
The lock clicked open in front of the pair, and Lance’s head snapped up. He stepped back further into Kolivan’s half-embrace and plastered a smile across his face.
The door in front of them swung open, and a small woman stood on the threshold. Two young children stood behind her legs and clung to them. Lance smiled down at his niece and nephew before staring his mother in the eye.
“Hola mamá." He said. He could feel his anxieties rising as the woman laid eyes on the Galra behind him. He hoped his smile was deterring any anger that she would have at the sight of the Galra standing with his hand possessively on Lance’s shoulder. “Es bueno verte de nuevo.”
“Yo también, mijo." She glared up at Kolivan, trying to glare a hole straight between his eyes despite being a little over half his height. “Quien es este hombre?” She asked. Her eyes didn’t drift for a second.
Behind her, Nadia and Sylvio whispered to each other. They were holding hands and conspicuously side-eying the Galra, making no secret of their fear. Sylvio took his little sister by the arm and forcefully pulled her away from the door and around the corner quickly.
Lance felt his smile falter for the slightest second as his worst fears were becoming a reality. The hand on his shoulder squeezed comfortingly, and the human reached his hand up to touch their hands together and squeeze back. Lance took a deep breath to steady his rising nerves. “Mi novio.”
The effect on her face was instant. Her eyebrows raised happily, and her lips tilted upward in a smile. “Well, why didn’t you say so, mijo?” She held her hand out to the two of them and ushered them both inside; she pulled her son aside and pulled him into a tight embrace. “You’re the first to come home. It might be best to introduce your novio to your siblings one at a time." She whispered into his ear before releasing him again.
His mother turned to Kolivan, not daunted in the slightest by him towering over her. She was a short woman even by Earth standards, and he was a tall man even by Galra standards. They weren’t exactly close in height. “My name is Rosa, and you will call me that or mamá." She said in heavily accented English. “I will not answer to ‘Mrs. McClain’ or ‘Lance’s mom.’ As long as you are my son’s, you are family and will be treated as such; I will make sure of it." She held her hand out at her chest level.
Kolivan reached his own hand out to shake in the middle. His purple clawed hand dwarfed Rosa’s easily. Afraid to break the bones in her fingers, his grip was nothing more than a gentle pressure.
“Me estrechó la mano como un perro." She looked to Lance with a mischevious light in her eyes.
He snorted. “Sólo está siendo cortés." Kolivan cocked an eyebrow at Lance. “She said that you have great manners.”
“Somehow, I don’t believe that’s what you two said." Kolivan smiled down at Lance. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home Mrs- Rosa." He corrected himself at the last moment.
Lance’s mother tapped her chin with a finger. “Mrs. Rosa. I think that’s a new one. You took the only acceptable name and mixed it with one of the unacceptable names. You must like walking the line.”
The Galra shook his head, suddenly defensive. “It was never my intention to offend you if I have… Rosa. I forgot myself for a moment-”
“Kolivan, babe,” Lance said as he held back laughter. “She’s messing with you. You’re fine." He grabbed his boyfriend’s arm and pulled him into the house. “We’re going to meet the rest of my family now. You saw my little niece and nephew earlier. They’re really sweet, and they’ll use you as their personal jungle gym if you give them the chance.”
“What’s… A jungle gym?” Kolivan whispered in Lance’s ear when he ducked down so that his head didn’t bang into the doorframe as they moved from room to room.
Lance furrowed his brow and pursed his lips slightly. “It’s like a toy, thing that Earth children climb on for fun.”
“Why wouldn’t they just climb on trees or rocks? Why do you need a specific toy specifically for climbing?”
“A lot of Earth parents don’t want their kids getting hurt, so a Jungle Gym is a safer way to climb on things and make sure that they don’t fall and break themselves,” Lance said as he waved his niece and nephew over.
Kolivan nodded his head in understanding. “Earthlings are cowards." He looked down at Lance, and he blushed as he realized what he had just said. “Except for you, of course. Your mother also has the heart and conviction of a true Galra warrior.”
The younger McClains rushed to meet their Uncle as he bent down to intercept them. Their impacts were making him grunt, but he was smiling as he fell to the ground with them on top of him. “It’s been forever, Tío Lance! Tío Lance!" They clung to his sides like barnacles.
“Forever? I’m not sure about forever." Lance tickled the two of them until they were curling in on themselves in laughter. “How long has it really been?”
“Like…” Nadia counted on her fingers. “A lot of days. This many days!" She held up all ten of her fingers and stuck her feet out too.
Lance smiled. “Ten days?” He prompted.
“No! My feet, Tío Lance! You need to count my feet too!" She wiggled them for emphasis.
“I count two feet. Twelve days?”
“No! My toes!" Nadia giggled and kicked her feet closer to Lance’s face as if she were worried that he couldn’t see them.
Lance narrowly avoided being kicked in the face, intent on avoiding future close-calls he grabbed her ankles and held them in place. “But you have these pesky shoes!" He shook them. “How will I know how many toes you’re holding up?”
“You have to pretend." She said as if it should be obvious. “You have to pretend about how many toes are up.”
“Alright. I’m pretending that there are…” He trailed off and looked up as if to pluck a number from the air. “256 toes in this shoe." He shook the right one. “And 197 in this one." He shook the left one. “That means you have a total of 453 toes up.”
She was cackling madly now. Her childish grin ate up her entire face, and her unabashed innocence was spreading. “You forgot about my hands." She waved them again.
“Right, two hands. 455.”
“No! My fingers on my hands.”
“Well, why didn’t you say so? 465.”
Sylvio interrupted them then. His arms had been crossed almost the entire time as he watched his sister and uncle play around on the floor. “That’s not right, Tío Lance. It would be 463. 453 plus 10 is 463, not 465.”
Lance’s face lit up even more as he smiled at his nephew. “It looks like someone’s learning some math! And, you’re advanced enough to start correcting me! I’m so proud of you.”
His nephew’s face lit up at the praise, and he moved back to the floor to join his sister on top of Lance.
“I want you guys to meet someone,” Lance said. He was smiling uncontrollably as he gestured to Kolivan who had so far been standing off to the side, admiring his boyfriend’s demeanor with children. Kolivan, who had been harboring a small smile up until then, resumed his normally stoic facade and leaned down on one knee. His large, hulk-like form dwarfed the children and made them seem smaller than they actually were.
“Es un tipo malo?” Nadia whispered into Lance’s ear. She was trying to be as quiet as possible in fear of the Galra’s wrath.
Lance shook his head vehemently. “No, no! Es un tipo bueno!" He turned to Kolivan and ushered him to sit down fully. “Sit down, babe. When you stand over them, they’re more likely to be scared of you." Kolivan obliged and sat down in the empty space. Lance leaned over and whispered mockingly to the two of them. “Él es mi novio.”
The effect was instant on Nadia. Her face lit up, and she threw her arms around Lance’s neck. “You have a novio; you have a novio." She sang in a mocking voice.
Sylvio stood off to the side. His brow furrowed slightly as he looked between Lance and Kolivan. “Tío Lance?” He asked meekly. “Do boys have cooties?”
---
Meeting most of Lance’s family went much the same way. There was the initial fear that someone who’s race had enslaved Earth was inside their house and cuddling up to their little brother. Then there was anger and a fierce protectiveness that left no doubt in Kolivan’s mind where Lance had gotten his heart; he clearly wasn’t adopted.
The biggest problem arose after Lance had briefly left the room, and Luis arrived home with Lisa. As soon as he walked into the house and his eyes settled on the Galra with his children sprawled out around his feet smiling and laughing he exploded. “Nadia! Sylvio!" He shouted. Everyone in the room turned to look at him. “What are you doing?”
Nadia smiled gladly and held up a messy lock of Kolivan’s hair. “I’m braiding Tío Koli’s hair. Isn’t it pretty?” The hair in question poorly resembled a braid, but she was happy and smiling. That very smile was what made her father falter for a moment before he resumed his advance.
“You are not doing anything." He spat. “You and your brother are going to get away from this-this monster." Kolivan might have towered above everyone in the room, but at this moment, he was smaller than Nadia. His ears were flattened against his head, and his shoulders slumped slightly forward.
Gently, he took the half-finished braid from her small hands and tied it off. “You should listen to your father, small one." He whispered with a tight, forced smile. “I will take my leave if that is what you wish.”
There was a fire in Luis’ eyes he glared the alien down. “I don’t want to see any of your kind by any of my family especially my children.”
“Luis Ventura Barrios McClain!" Rosa’s voice roared from the kitchen. “Tratarás a ese hombre con el respeto que se merece!" Her voice demanded complete silence in the room. The children didn’t even breathe. They were just staring at their father, wanting to know exactly how he would respond.
He took a deep calming breath, consuming all the oxygen in the room for two simple words. “Ya se.”
“Qué pasa?” Lance asked as he poked his head through the open doorway. “Qué está pasando aquí? Luis?” He approached his older brother cautiously. “Is something wrong?”
“Is. Something. Wrong." Luis hissed through his clenched teeth. “You’re asking if something is wrong as there is a pinche monsturo in our home with my kids. Didn’t you go into space to eradicate things like him?”
Instantly, Lance’s eyes darkened. “’Things’?” His voice was deadly calm; Kolivan had never heard it so devoid of emotion, so devoid of Lance. “Kolivan is not a thing. He is the leader of the Blade of Marmora, a Galra organization dead-set on bringing down the rule of the Empire. He has saved the lives of countless innocents, and he has saved the lives of everyone on Voltron more times than I can count.
“And you dare to come in and call him a thing as soon as you lay eyes on him. You are judging him before you even get to talk to him, and I’m sorry but that sounds an awful lot like what we’ve been on the receiving end of for hundreds of years, so you can’t even pretend that you don’t know what it’s like.”
“I am with Lance." Rosa’s voice called from behind Luis’ body, causing the much larger man to tense in surprise. “Lance brought Kolivan here as a guest. He will be treated like family by everyone here, including yourself, and if you can’t handle that, then all of us have a problem." Luis wasn’t backing down in the slightest. He stared daggers through Kolivan’s eyes, and Rosa had to physically pull him into the other room.
The rest of the room seemed to breathe easily for a few moments before Rosa’s voice permeated throughout the room, angry Spanish reverberating off the walls. Lance walked over to his boyfriend and gave him a tight smile. “Sorry about him. How about we go outside, alright?”
Kolivan nodded his head. His ears had perked back up, and he rose to his feet. Nadia came up to Lance and raised her arms above her head in the universal sign for ‘pick me up!’ Lance obliged with a faux grunt that only made her laugh.
“Por qué a papá no le gusta Tío Kolivan?” She whispered in his ear, but it was still loud enough for Kolivan to hear.
“Your papá is just afraid,” Lance said back. “Don’t worry though. He’s more afraid of your abuela than he is of Kolivan." They walked through the back door and into the humid air of Cuba.
Nadia cocked her head. “Tío Lance? Why is papá afraid of Tío Koli?”
Ahead of them, Kolivan froze in place giving away any hope of pretending that he wasn’t listening in on their conversation.
“Kolivan looks like someone who did something bad," Lance spoke quietly. “He didn’t, but when your papá looked at him, that was all he could see." Kolivan looked back to the two humans, both watching him curiously. Nadia was staring at him with some minor fascination and Lance… Lance was looking at him with something that he couldn’t quite place. He had seen the look before, but he could never come up with what it might have been called.
His blue eyes were softly watching him; it was as if he was the only thing that Lance could see in the entire universe. His skin reflected the light of the setting sun in a perfect amber color, which only made his eyes stand out all the more. He wore a small smile on his face, and his lips were slightly parted. He looked amazing. He looked ethereal. He looked…
Perfect.
The little girl in his arms squirmed away from her Uncle. “I’m going to go play now, Tío Lance, Tío Koli!" The moment was broken, and Kolivan could breathe again. Lance set her down gently in the grass and watched as she ran away to play some sort of make-believe game.
Lance walked over to Kolivan and wrapped his arms around the Galra. He shoved his face into the large chest in front of him, and he breathed deeply. “I’m sorry my family is shitty.”
Kolivan placed a massive hand on Lance’s head. His claws played with the brown hair, and he could physically feel Lance’s muscles relaxing into him. “It is alright. I expect it won’t be the last time that I am shunned here on Earth. The Galra… we have hurt more than many of us would like to admit.”
“Hey." Lance raised his head. “Don’t say that.”
Kolivan cocked an eyebrow upwards. “Do not say what? We have hurt more than we would like to admit. We have hurt more than we want to accept that we have hurt.”
“No." Lance unwrapped an arm from around his boyfriend’s waist and jabbed a finger into his chest. “You have not hurt anyone. You are not the cold-blooded Galra that everyone thinks you are. You are an amazing and awesome person, and I am so glad that you are here, with me.”
Kolivan smiled softly down at him. He brought his hand down to cup Lance’s chin. “I am glad I’m here with you too, Starlight." Slowly, he brought their lips together in a slow, chaste kiss. Their lips rested against each other’s for a few heartbeats, and then they pulled away, resting their foreheads together.
“I love you," Kolivan whispered into their shared air.
“Yo también, mi cielo, mi vida, y mi amor."
“You know, those translators don’t work for different Earthen languages." Kolivan smiled. “You’re going to have to start manually translating if you want me to keep up with the conversation.”
Lance smiled back and kissed Kolivan’s cheek. “I love you too, my sky." He kissed the other cheek. “My life." He leaned forward and pressed their lips together once more. “And my love.”