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Keith sat on the observation deck overlooking the Earth's atmoshpere, Lance's body leaning against his side a comforting presence that grounded Keith. The subtle shift of Lance's knee bouncing slightly in nervous anticipation cemented reality in his brain.
"I can't believe we did it." The tense silence barely broke, and Keith almost thought he'd imagined Lance's voice. He stole a glance at the blue paladin's face, disbelief and naked fear etched into the lines on his forehead. Slowly, so as not to startle the other, Keith grabbed Lance's hand and rubbed small circles with his thumb into tensed knuckles.
"Me neither." Their voices barely above a whisper, thick with the notion that if they talked too loud, the image would shatter and they'd be in bed, Zarkon still loose. "Im scared." Keith stared ahead, not wanting to see Lance's reaction. In his peripheral he saw the other turn to look at him.
"Me too." Keith laid his head on Lance's shoulder, who immediately wrapped his arms around the red paladin. There was a pause before he continued, "Im afraid of how much has changed since we left. What did our families think? Did the Garrison lie to them too? Tell them we died like Shiro? Will my Mama welcome me with open arms, or will she be angry? How long has it even been? weeks, months, decades? Did they forget about us?" Keith could feel wetness trickling onto his scalp, but he didn't look at the other, Lance hated when people saw him cry and it would only make him clam up and stop sharing. So Keith stayed where he was, even though every part of him was screaming to look at his boyfriend.
There was another silence, filled only with the sounds of sniffling. The Earth out the window a vibrant contrast to the dim light the two were sitting in. It felt like decades since that day when Keith unknowingly said goodbye to his rickety desert shack. Would it still be there, Keith wondered? How much time had passed? One thing he knew for sure was that right now Lance wasn't looking for reassurance against his fears, but a piece of familiarity to hold onto as tightly as Keith was holding onto him.
"Im afraid my Shack will be gone." Lance's chest rumbled and Keith heard a choked laugh at the attempt to cheer him up. Good, usually it was Lance joking with a falling apart Keith. It felt nice to finally be a comfort to the blue paladin.
"I didn't even think about that." Another laugh, Keith felt Lance shift his other arm to swipe at his face, blocking Keith's vision for a second. When they finally looked at each other, the blue paladin's face was a little splotchy and eyes faintly rimmed pink. Lance looked at their intertwined hands with a little smile. "It'll probably still be there, don't worry." He looked back at Keith, who looked skeptical, lips twitching in amusement, "And if it isn't, you can always stay with me and my family." A snort sounded from the red paladin and Lance blushed. "N-not like you wouldn't be staying with us for a bit! I mean, you have to meet the whole clan, especially Esmeralda. You'd love her, Keith!" Lance's hands gestured wildly as Keith listened to various stories of different family members. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't excited to meet Lance's family adn didnt doubt he'd fall in love with them all, but the niggling worry that they wouldn't like him stayed in the forefront of his brain.
They stayed there for a while until Hunk came to tell them the Lions were almost ready to take them back home. Keith could feel Lance fidgeting with their fingers as they walked to the dining room where everyone else was excitedly telling Allura and Coran about different Earth things they needed to see. Pidge was telling them about the grand canyon while Hunk interjected here and there about pyramids and Stone Henge.
"C'mon guys, they wont have anything to see if you keep up the descriptions." Shiro's tone held a fondness in it for the young paladins. Allura smiled at them and nodded a greeting to Lance and Keith as they entered. If anyone noticed Lance's tear stained face, they didn't mention it. Keith could practically feel the wave of gratitude rolling off him.
"What do you think these guys should see, Lance?" Everyone looked and the two expectantly at Pidge's question. Lance chewed on his lip and thought, Keith assumed he would say the ocean seeing as he never shut up about his lost love of surfing. But he was pleasantly surprised with the answer Lance eventually gave.
"My family," his eyes sparkled in a way they hadn't since they first discovered the Blue Lion and Keith's breath was punched out of his chest. "I want you guys to meet my family." Allura covered her mouth and her eyes shone with tears, choked up at the sentimental answer. Shiro patted Lance on the back and nodded and Pidge rolled her eyes. Hunk was too busy sobbing into his sleeve to see Lance smile at Keith softly.
Eventually everyone split off into different discussions and it was just Lance and Keith at their spot at the table. Lance elbowed Keith and they smiled at eachother.
"What about you, mullet?" Keith smiled at the nickname, that over the years had grown into an affectionate term. "What do you want everyone to see?" Keith thought for a bit. He didn't really have a special place on Earth he wanted everyone to see.
"Well, I'd probably want Allura and Coran to see the shack, just because i think Coran would like to see all those graphs I made about the Blue Lion." Lance smiled and Keith continued, with a slight tremble to his voice. "And, id probably want to go see the ocean with you." He blushed and Lance just stroked his hand with his thumb, fingers that used to be calloused from guitar use were now hardened for another reason.
Soon the lions were ready and Everyone sat in their pilot seats, waiting in their hangars.
"Ready everyone?" Shiro's voice wavered though the comm link.
"As I'll ever be." Pidge huffed. Hunk made a noise of agreement.
"Verederros beach here i come!" Keith laughed as Lance whooped into the comm and soon they were off.
Back to Earth, back to everyone's home.
But Keith figured, as long as they stayed together, He'd always be home.