Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lance wasn’t supposed to be here.

He wasn’t even supposed to be working this Case, let alone doing it alone.

But like any teenager, he chose to rebel against his dad, how original, right? Anyways, it all started when he was in the bunker with his dad, Uncle Sam, and Cas. They were looking into the disappearance of the crew of some space program. That’s what really piqued his interest, like, come on! It's space!

Sam had brought up that it could be too risky and that their usual fake IDs wouldn't fool the military, so they dropped it. But Lance couldn’t just forget it. He kept thinking about that Case and eventually decided to go. By the time he got accepted to the space program as a cargo pilot and established his cover as Lance McLain, a boy from Cuba, he was in too deep. It would have been suspicious to pull him out now.

It was late at night, but Lance was out on the roof of the garrison like every night before. He was humming along to Ramble On while he fiddled with his phone, pulling up the number he was looking for. “Hey, kid, how’s it going so far?” He hears his dad ask. At the sound of his voice, Lance feels a slight pang of homesickness but shakes it off to start his daily check-in. “It’s going pretty good so far, you know how I was paired with Hunk and Pidge, right? Well, it turns out Pidge might know something about the Kerberos disappearances.” Lance furrows his brows. “I know he's hiding something, I just can't figure out what.”

“Well, that’s some pretty good luck!” He can hear Sam say in the background. Great, he must be on speakerphone, so he responds, “Hey Uncle Sam!”

“Hey, Lance! You said the kid, Pidge, right? He might know something? Do you think he had something to do with their disappearance?”

“Have you tested him? is what Sammy is trying to say.’ His dad buts in impatiently.

“Yeah, yeah, salt, silver, iron, holy water, all of it. Nothing. I tested Hunk, too, by the way, and he’s clear. Not that I actually thought he’d be capable of being anything other than a sweetheart,” Lance joked.

“Anyway, I was thinking of borrowing a hover bike tomorrow night and checking out the local cave systems. Who knows what could be lurking down there! Maybe the crew never made it to space, and the missing ship is a cover for something else here.”

“You know the drill, bud, keep us on speed dial while you’re out there. Cas can have us there in seconds if you need us.” Dean says seriously.

“Yeah, Dad love you too. But I've got this! You trained me well, you don't call me sharpshooter for nothing,” he boasts, a smirk appearing on his face. “I do have to go now, the next patrol starts in ten minutes, and I need to be in my room by then.”

“Be safe,” he hears them both mutter, like all the past check-ins so far. And then the phone clicks off, and he makes his way back to his room.

He’s made it to the caves earlier than he planned, which is a good thing because he’d like to get this sweep done with as soon as possible. He’s gonna have to get some rest tonight because they’re running drills in the simulators tomorrow, and he’s still adjusting to being a fighter pilot now.

He’s making his way down one of the caves when he spots them. Carvings in the shape of, what is that? A lion?

When he tries to get a closer look, they start to glow an eerie blue, and he immediately reaches for his phone to call his dad, but then thinks better and calls his uncle. “Hey, uhh, weird question, but do you know what it means when weird cave carving suddenly glows on contact? It’s not just me being dumb and not remembering something from our lessons again like that time with the Rugaru, right?”

There was a beat of silence from the other end, and then he heard Sam mutter in confusion. “Oh, good, so it’s not just me. This is weird. Ok-wait! What the f-!” And the ground was crumbling underneath him, and gravity took over, and he fell.

While he reoriented himself and rubbed the shoulder he fell on, weird, he could hear Sam and was that his dad too? Yelling in concern from the phone that fell a couple of feet away from him. He was already reassuring them as he got up and picked up the phone. “Hey, I’m ok, guys, I just fell and oh… HOLY SHIT!”

“What! What is it, kid? Talk to me! Is it a vamp nest? Wendigo? We can come help, just talk to us!”

“Um, no, I don’t think I’m in danger?” He said questioningly. “Umm, to be honest, I’m actually not sure what I’m looking at right now. It’s a lion? But like metal?” He took a quick picture and sent it over to Sam to do some research.

“Okay, Sam’s gonna nerd out over this for a few days. You'd better get out of there before it decides to eat you or something. Lay low for now and try to just gather some more info within the garrison.”

“Okay,” he agreed with his dad reluctantly, hanging up. He didn’t know why, but he had a strange feeling he should stay. He shook it off and let his training take over as he found an exit to the cave about six meters up. He lets out a resigned groan. Guess I’m gonna be sore for the simulator tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Dean was freaking out.

His kid was working a case alone. With no backup. And apparently, dealing with something nobody has ever heard of before.

He was driving down the road with Sam and Cas. The car was silent for once, except for the sound of him nervously tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. “Ok, Sammy, tell me again what you found?” His anxiety was growing with each passing road sign; he needed something, anything to distract himself from the fact that Lance could be in danger.

“I wasn’t able to find much based on the picture he sent. All I can say is that it seems to be some type of robot or something, but I’m not even sure about that. There is nothing written online describing anything close to whatever this is. It’s strange. And there’s something about what it’s made out of that I can’t put my finger on. It seems too advanced, like way more sophisticated than anything the Galaxy Garrison is working on or any other military or private company.”

Dean thinks about what Sam said for a minute. “So if the tech is too advanced, could it be another time travel situation? Cas, is that possible?”

“No, I would have sensed if there were any temporal anomalies in that area. Time travel might be more common for you Winchesters than for most, but it is still usually exceptionally rare.”

The rest of the drive passed in more worried silence until finally they were nearing their destination. “Alright, we’ve got the coordinates to where this robot is supposed to be, so I say we go check it out,” Dean says. Sam nods in agreement before adding, “If we can avoid having to lie our way into the main base, then we should. Who knows if our FBI badges will hold up under their scrutiny? And if they don’t, I’m not too eager to find out what they’ll do.”

The three men climb out of the car to start their trek to the cave where Lance found this thing.

“You have got to be kidding me! We’re the coordinates wrong?”

They are currently standing in the middle of a massive cave. A massive, empty cave. “Dean, calm down. We’ll figure this out.” Sam reassures his brother. “I triple checked the coordinates; this should be the place. What do you think, Cas?”

The angel walks forward, assessing the area. He crouched down, dragging his fingers through the dirt. “I sense a presence here. Something old, and strange…”

“Well, that’s not ominous.” Turning to his brother, Dean can tell that his brother agrees with his statement. They both turn back to see that Castiel is now examining the walls. “This energy, I’ve never felt anything like it on earth in my long existence. But whatever being that left it is gone.”

“Gone?! What do you mean gone? Did it take Lance!? He was supposed to go back to the school!” Dean recognizes that he may be spiralling, but that’s his son, and his son might be missing for all they know. They tried calling him this morning to let him know they were coming, but he didn’t pick up. Which was both helping the trio not panic.

Sam pipes up with a suggestion, “Okay, I think we need to figure out a way into the garrison now. With Lance not answering our calls and the mysterious robot now gone, I think it’s our last lead. I still don’t think our usual tricks are gonna be the right play for this. Especially because it would be suspicious if we started asking around about one student.”

“Then we’ll go in as his concerned family. There, it works because it’s true.”

Sam gives a thoughtful look in his brother's direction before his gaze flicks to Cas. How are we gonna explain who Cas is to Lance? They probably won’t let anyone in who isn’t direct family.”

“Easy,” Dean says matter-of-factly, “he’s lances other dad,” Sam swears he can see Cas blush at that, but he won’t mention it. Lance was always close with the angel, so he guessed it probably wasn't far off from the truth either. “I guess that could work. Alright then, let’s get back to the car and head over.

Sam might be getting a headache from all the yelling his brother is doing. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN MISSING!? He’s you’re student, how can you lose a student?” They were told that Lance snuck out with two other cadets last night and never returned. “He’s lying. Or at least hiding key details from us. He knows what happened.” Cas whispers to Sam while Dean is busy ripping this Commander Iverson a new one.

“Can you find out what he’s not telling us?”

“I can try,” Sam sees him disappear from his spot next to him and reappear behind Iverson. He reaches his hands up to the commander's head, and his eyes begin to glow. Once the glow dies down, he looks over at Sam and nods. He’s got the info, and that means they need to retreat for now. They managed to de-escalate the argument that Dean was having and were soon escorted off the property, back towards Baby. Once inside, both brothers turn expectantly to to backseat where Cas is sitting.

“It’s a ship.”

“What?”

“The metal lion, it’s a spaceship. That’s why I couldn’t recognize its energy. It doesn’t belong on Earth.”

“So you’re saying ALIENS ABDUCTED MY SON?!” They could practically hear the panic creeping into Dean's voice, the utter helplessness.

“How are we supposed to get him back?”

Sam walks up beside his brother and places a reassuring hand on his shoulder, trying to stay calm for his sake. “I don’t know. But we’ll think of something.”

“We have to”

Chapter Text

Lance is sitting on his bed in the castle of lions. It’s well past when he should be asleep, but he can’t help feeling homesick. He hasn’t seen his family in months. I mean, he’s been busy with Voltron and saving different planets and all that. But in the quiet of his room, he feels a longing for cramped car rides, cheap motel rooms, and working cases with his dad. He looks down at the journal in his lap. When he was younger, he’d remember how his dad always carried around his grandpa's journal. He used to say that the journal saved his life so many times. And when Lance turned 16, his dad surprised him with it. But even cooler was that his dad had started keeping his own hunting journal with info on all of the monsters and creatures he and Sam had discovered that his grandpa hadn’t. He combined both journals to give to Lance, and it was one of his most prized possessions.

He’d had a military style messenger bag on him when they left Earth. Hunk and Pidge teased him because he’d rarely be seen without the bag, but he had never told them what he kept in it. That’s because it was filled with his hunting gear. He had his angel blade, silver dagger, holy water, his handgun with silver bullets and witch-killing bullets, and the one he feels the most guilty for not sharing, especially with Hunk, he’s got salt. He doesn’t know when or if he’ll need to use it, so he’d rather not run out before he can find an alien equivalent, but even then, he doesn’t know if it will work the same.

He had thought he might need to use it when King Alfor’s ghost seemed to be haunting the castle, but before he had a chance to use it, they figured out it was his AI that had been corrupted. He didn't think it would have helped much with weird alien technology ghosts.

He missed how much fun he would have with his dad. Whether it be on a hunt or goofing around in the bunker. And as much as he wasn’t great at paying attention while he and Sam researched things, he did miss the cozy quiet of the library. And getting to mess around with all the cool magical artifacts in the storage room. He missed how bad Cas was at understanding his jokes, always thinking too literally.

He wondered what they were doing right now; were they still looking for him, or had they given up? It had been several months after all. Lance sniffled a bit but tried to shake it off. “No, they love you and wouldn’t stop looking,” he finds himself having to remind himself of this with each month that passes. Each month, there is no word from home. He doesn’t even know what he’s hoping for. It’s not like they’d be able to just pick up the phone and call him all the way out here.

Lance puts the journal away back in his bag and lies down. He has to at least try to get some sleep tonight. They have early morning training planned for tomorrow.

Lance woke up after a fitful rest. He went through his usual morning routine, complete with his skincare routine. He’s thankful that Alteans also seemed to have similar products that could be used safely for humans. He spent a whole afternoon with Coran trying to translate ingredients. That was about a month after they got to space, and Lance's skin just couldn’t take just soap and water anymore. He caught a glimpse of his anti-possession tattoo on his hip while getting dressed, and he’s never been more glad that he’d asked his dad if he could get it on his hip rather than his chest like the rest of the family. He had always loved swimming and didn’t want people to stare or ask about the tattoo, and now, as he feels a pang of homesickness at the sight of it, he’s glad it’s more hidden, and glad he doesn't have to try so hard to hide it.

On his way to the training deck, he runs into Pidge, and wasn’t that a surprise when she told them she was a girl and that her dad and brother were on the Kerberos crew. He felt some satisfaction for being right that she was hiding something back at the garison. But he also felt remorseful; out of all of them, he knew exactly how she felt. He had been left at home while his family went on dangerous hunts, not knowing if they’d come back to him in one piece. He hated that he couldn’t tell her he knew how she felt. It would involve telling her about everything, and his dad had told him that unless someone needed to know for their safety, it was better for everyone if nobody else knew what really went bump in the night.

They arrived at the training room, and it looked like they were the last ones to arrive. As soon as they got to the group, Shiro started explaining what they’d be doing today. “Alright, team, today we’re going to pair up and practice hand-to-hand combat.” We'll take turns so that everyone who isn’t sparing can observe and learn.”

Hunk Pidge and Lance all looked slightly nervous at the prospect of sparing without their weapons. Lance just hoped the rest of the team assumed his nerves were for the same reason as his two friends, and not because, without his gun saving him from having to fight up close, he’d have to intentionally hold back. There would be no reason he should know how to fight so well.

He was relieved when Shiro went first with Keith. Since both of them knew how to fight, they went a bit slower, while Shiro explained some of the moves they used.

Lance and Hunk we up next, so they went to the middle and started. Hunk wasn’t bad per se, but he just wasn’t that experienced. So Lance subtly slowed down his moves to give Hunk enough time to react, and he pulled his punches, letting Hunk get plenty of hits in.

Shiro looks on in assessment, intrigued but slightly confused, “Is he?”

“Holding back? Yeah. I just don’t know why.” Keith narrows his eyes in suspicion. “Hunks is a big guy and strong; he shouldn’t be worried about hurting him. So why is he holding back?”

Lance eventually lets one of Hunk’s jabs send him to the mat, and he taps out. Hunk helps him up, apologizing profusely as Lance tries to reassure his friend that he isn’t hurt. He hears Shiro call out to him from where he’s standing next to Keith. “Hey, Lance, can you come over here for a moment?”

“Sure thing, Shiro, what’s up?”

“Well, we noticed that during your spar, your punches weren’t landing as hard as they could have. And Hunk had a lot of openings in his stance where you could have easily taken. Him down, but you didn’t. I’m just wondering why you were holding back?”

Lance winced; he had thought he was doing okay at hiding it. “Well, I just didn’t get a ton of sleep last night!, You know how it is, space jet lag,” he tried to brush it off. He could tell that neither of them believed him, but it seemed like Shiro was going to let the topic drop for now. He walked off to go watch Hunk and Pidge’s fight. Which just left him with Keith.

“You know how to fight.”

The way he said it sounded like a statement, but Lance knew it as the accusation it was.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, man, I mean, I’ve picked up a few self-defence moves here and there. But it’s nothing close to what you or Shiro can do.” There, not a full lie, close enough to the truth, without revealing too much. Just like his dad taught him, the best lies aren't really lies at all.

“I don't know why you're trying to lie about not being able to fight, but you holding back could get the rest of us killed, so I suggest you at least show the team what you can do.” He was angry, but his tone softened slightly. “You don't have to tell everyone what you aren't ready to talk about, but trust us to at least know what you're capable of.”

With the sound of hunk hitting the mat, Keith turned and marched to the center of the room. “Lance and I are sparring,” he declares, his voice firm with no room to argue. With that, Lance begrudgingly decides Keith is right and this is war; he shouldn't be holding back, at least not physically.”

They start their match, and it's full of quick jabs and lunges. Keith tries to sweep Lance's legs out from under him, but he had noticed Keith’s eyes dart downward a second before he moved and managed to jump over his leg and get the upper hand. He grabs Keith around the waist and manages to flip him onto the ground. They scuffle for control, but Lance manages to get Keith in a headlock; they both know who won this fight. Lance eases up slightly but leans down to Keith's ear, “You wanted me to not hold back,” he's trying to hold back the smugness in his voice.

With a grumble from Keith, Lance lets him go, and they both get to their feet. Once they are situated, Lance can now see the shock and confusion on his teammates' faces. Pidge is looking at him with curiosity and a bit of awe. “Since when can you fight like that? I thought you were kinda clumsy and uncoordinated, no offence.” Lance just laughed. Here goes nothing. “My dad taught me how to fight, nothing too crazy, just self-defence. My biggest advantage is playing up my clumsiness so people underestimate me.”

He shot a glance towards Shiro, seeing an expression that Lance would almost say looked like pride. “I'm glad you trusted us enough to let your guard down and stop holding back. Now that we know what you can do, we can better strategize when training and even while going up against the Galra.

There, that wasn’t so bad. Lance thought to himself. Hopefully that’ll satisfy them enough for now. Lance wasn’t sure if he’d be able to keep the rest of his secret from the team forever; he just hoped they wouldn’t freak out too much when they found out monsters were real.

Chapter Text

Lance and Keith were sparring when they heard Allura’s voice over the speakers requesting everyone's presence in the control room. Ever since the team found out how capable Lance was at fighting, he and Keith had begun training together more. Now that Keith wasn't underestimating him, their skill levels actually lined up well. And at least they now had this they could bond over. Their friendship had improved a lot in the few weeks since that day.

With a smug grin, Keith reached a hand out to Lance, who was sprawled on the floor after their last match, panting. “All right, you beat me this time, samurai.” Lance returns his grin with a smile of his own. “You’re lucky we’re only doing hand-to-hand, I’d wipe the floor with you if we were using guns or knives,” he says, a teasing grin on his face. Keith looks surprised, and that’s when Lance realizes his slip-up. “You know how to fight with knives?” Crap. Nice job, Lance. He thinks to himself sarcastically. “Umm, yeah, just a skill I picked up.” Lance doesn’t think Keith is gonna just drop it, but he’s surprised when he seems to do just that. His eyes do narrow slightly, but then he just shrugs his shoulders and suggests they get going before Allura yells at them .

 Together, they walked out of the training deck and towards the control room where they were supposed to meet.

They had to wait a couple of minutes for Hunk to arrive from wherever he was; Lance guessed the kitchen, but once he got there, they were able to get started. Turning to Allura, they all paid attention as she pulled up a hologram with information on a planet. “These are the Zandrolians of the planet Zandor.” On the screen, there were pictures of aliens of varying shades of greys and blues. They were vaguely humanoid, their limbs seemed longer, and they each had uniquely shaped horns on their heads. “We have received a distress signal from their queen. There have been several disappearances of her people. She has reported that at least two Zandrols have gone missing every quintant, but always one at a time.

“Wait, is a quintant a month or a year again? I keep forgetting,” Lance pipes up, confused. “Actually, number three, based on my calculations, a quintant most similarly resembles one of your Earth weeks.”

Lance is too busy trying to figure out why this pattern seems familiar to him to continue to listen to Coran go on about Altean/Earth time differences. What are the chances he'd run into a monster similar to the ones they had back on Earth? He's probably overreacting, but it couldn't hurt to bring his messenger bag along on this mission just in case. But first, they needed more information.

They decided they would start by going down to the planet and visiting the local market. On their way down, they marvelled at the interesting landscape. There were rolling hills between the small villages and what appeared to be the center of the city. The foliage seemed close to what they would see on Earth, but there were more yellows and pinks. And the sky is a dull green colour.

They decided that they would split up and talk to the locals to gather more information. Keith went with Shiro, Hunk with Pidge, and Lance offered to go by himself, knowing some of the questions he wanted to ask the locals would seem weird to his fellow paladins.

Pidge and Hunk had been talking to a lot of the local Zandrolians, but not many people seemed to know anything useful. Most of them just seemed scared and worried they would be the next ones to disappear. They did manage to narrow down how many people were taken, which wasn't much, but it gave them something at least.

Keith and Shiro had slightly better luck. They talked to one of the stall operators, who confirmed that one of the townspeople who disappeared appeared to be happy the last time they were seen, so that ruled out people running away. The next person they talked to was a bit strange. They told them a story about a local legend of a monster in a cave that was never seen, and if it got you, you were never heard from again. Keith wanted to brush it off as a ghost story, but Shiro reminded him that they had seen plenty of weird, monstrous things since coming to space. Which he agreed with. 

So far, Lance had figured out that each victim disappeared with no sign of a struggle. One Zandrolian even mentioned their friend seemed weirdly calm before they vanished. He was just finishing up talking to his last witness, getting ready to meet up with the others, when a young girl came running up to him and asked for his help. “It's my friend, blue paladin, I found her, but she won't wake up!” he followed her to one of the huts in the village, walking through the door, he immediately noticed the alien lying on a cot. They were still; on closer inspection, they appeared to be in some kind of coma. He took a closer look and spotted something faint on one of their wrists. Turning to the girl, he asked, “Is this type of mark common for your species? Did she have it before she went missing?” Her eyes widened, “No, I have never seen that mark before.” It was very faint, barely noticeable, and almost looked like a burn or scar of swirling shapes.

At the confirmation that this mark had something to do with whatever is going on here, Lance grabbed his dad's journal from his bag, frantically searching for something. He knew this all felt too familiar; he just needed to figure out what it was. This mark combined with the timeline of disappearances, and the fact that there wasn't a struggle any of the times? He stopped on a page of the book and quickly scanned it for information, then moved to the next page, before closing his book. 

“I know what this is.”

Chapter Text

They were all back at the meeting spot, well, most of them. He and Shiro had gotten here five minutes earlier than the agreed time, while Pidge and Hunk were only a couple of minutes late. It’s been twenty minutes and Lance isn’t anywhere to be found. Lance was really confusing Keith lately, one minute it seemed like he was more mature than he usually acted, like there’s something sharper about him, and the next minute, he’s doing things like this. Running off on his own and not checking in. Pidge joked that he probably got distracted by a pretty alien again, but Keith doesn’t think that’s it. At least he hopes it isn't.

It was weird that Lance, the most social, talkative person on the team, willingly chose to go on his own to talk to the townspeople. And now he’s not back yet? Something is definitely off with him; he’s hiding something, but what?

Keith must have missed Shiro talking on his communicator with Allura and Coran while he was lost in thought. Shiro turns to address the rest of them. “Alright, we’re going to need to continue with the plan without Lance for now. If he shows up at the meeting spot, Coran will be able to send him our coordinates. From the information we all compiled, it sounds like there might be some truth behind the ghost stories we were told, so we’ll head over to the caves to the east of the city, that’s where most of the locals agree the legends are from.” 

With everything going on with Lance and the weirdness of this mission, Keith can’t help but have a bad feeling about this. 

“Lamb's blood, lamb’s blood, how the heck am I gonna get lamb's blood all the way out in space?” Lance mutters to himself. Maybe something close to a lamb will work?. If it’s an alien monster, maybe an alien lamb will work? Lance groans, “Why did it have to be a Djinn?!. I’ve got everything I need in my bag for werewolves, vamps, wraiths, ghosts, hell, he could even deal with a wendigo! But noooo. It just had to be a monster that had to be killed with a silver knife covered in lamb’s blood… great.”

Lance started by asking around to figure out if there might be an animal on this planet that was close enough to get the job done. After about fifteen minutes of asking confused Zandrolians about their livestock, he managed to find out, while talking to a farmer, that they had an animal called a ka’nal that they use for food and utilize the fur for clothing. Lance figures this is the closest he’s gonna get. 

He managed to talk to a butcher at the market, and he gave him a container of ka’nal blood, so he figured he was as prepared as he’s going to be, facing off against a monster he’s only ever read about. His dad usually only brought him on hunts if they were straightforward, simple cases. Lance always argued that he should learn how to fight different monsters, but his dad always replied with, ‘You’re barely 16, Lance.’ Or ‘it’s not your job to deal with all the monsters’ or his favourite, ‘I don’t want you getting hurt, kid.’ Like hello! He was raised in a family of hunters; his dad’s ‘best friend’ is an angel for crying out loud! His dad didn’t even want him working the Garrison case alone, even though he was the only one who’d be able to pass as a student and get intel. Dean made it pretty clear, though, that as soon as he figured out what monster caused the disappearances, he was to call them for backup, and they’d help deal with it. It was just his luck that right after he called them, he ended up in outer space with a sentient robotic lion, one of the missing Kerberos crew, his two fellow cadets, a dropout, and two 10000-year-old aliens.

His dad was so gonna kill him. 

He put the container of blood in his bag and headed over to the meetup spot. He checked the time and… whoops, looks like I’m late. Shiro isn’t gonna be happy. 

Even in the darkness, Keith could tell these caves were huge. When they activated their flashlights, he could hear the others' exclamations of awe. What they originally thought were just caves seemed to be ruins of an old temple or something. It looks like it had been carved right out of the mountain. Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro started walking around in fascination while Keith stayed back to observe. 

He heard rustling of some rocks or something, but it was too late; before he could turn around and grab his bayard, he was launched halfway across the cave. 

Through the ringing in his ears, he could hear his team’s cries of worry, as well as grunts of pain. That thing must be attacking them .  It looked like one of the zandrolians, with its pale blue skin and darker blue horns. But unlike the other Zandrolians they had met today, this one had darker blue swirling markings all over its skin. There were moments where Keith could swear he saw its eyes glow the same deep blue as its markings. 

Whatever this thing was, it was powerful and it was fast. None of them could even manage to hit it, even with their bayards. They didn’t get many chances to attack either; it would lunge at one of them, and before they’d have the opportunity to retaliate, it would be on to someone else. It felt like they were outnumbered, but there was only one of them. They were incredibly overpowered. Keith didn’t know what to do, and by the looks of his friends, neither did they.

He had a cut on his right forearm, and his knee was killing him. Pidge seemed alright for now, except by the looks of how she just fell, she’s probably gonna have some nasty bruises tomorrow. Hunk seemed a bit unsteady on his feet. Keith remembered seeing the creature kick him in the head earlier, so maybe it’s a concussion. Shiro was trying to fight it off, but it was getting too many hits in; we won’t last much longer.

Where’s our sharpshooter when we need him?

Chapter Text

Lance can hear the fight before he can see it, and by the sounds of it, it's not going in their favour. He just hopes he isn't late and that this actually works. He stops just before the cave opens up on the inside. He needs to be quick about this. Taking the container of ka’nal blood out of his bag, he unscrews the lid and pours a good amount onto his silver knife. He isn't very squeamish anymore after years of hunting, but he does almost gag a bit at the smell; it smells a lot worse than regular blood back on Earth. Making sure the blade is properly coated, Lance closes the rest of the blood and puts it back in his bag. Now it's time to save his friends.

Shiro was struggling to get back up at this point, and Hunk and Pidge were almost down too. Keith wasn't doing much better either; he didn't know how they were going to survive this much longer. 

As if summoned, Lance burst into the cave holding what looked like a knife. Wait a minute, was that knife covered in blood? Had Lance stabbed someone? There were so many questions circling in his head, but one thought overshadowed the rest. 

Thank god he's here.

Lance didn't seem surprised or confused at seeing the creature; he just looked focused. He watched as Lance quickly approached the creature, dodging a swipe with quick reflexes. It was strange, as soon as the creature saw Lance’s knife, it became angrier, almost scared. It fought harder and more frantically, almost desperately, but Lance managed to hold his own in the fight. It was clear he was trying to stab the creature, but Keith was worried. No matter what they used, even their bayards, nothing seemed to hurt the thing. If his sword couldn't kill it, how was Lance going to stand a chance with a dagger?

To his surprise, with an impressive move, Keith is definitely asking him to teach him later, Lance finally lands a blow to it's chest. He can hear the slide of the knife, while the creature's eyes widen in shock. That's when he notices Lance has gone from confident to almost nervous. Lance mutters, “cmon, cmon, please work,” and suddenly the monster seizes up and lets out an eerie cry before crumpling to the ground, dead.

Lance is relieved. He guessed the ka’nal blood was close enough to have the intended effect, but he was scared there for a second when it didn't seem to be affected by it. Relieved, Lance straightens and begins cleaning his knife of the leftover blood with a rag from his bag. It's as he's cleaning the knife off that he turns around and spots his team. They all look to be in pretty bad shape, but even more noticeable is the identical look of shock and disbelief that they each have. 

“Uhhh… I can explain?”

Chapter Text

Dean slams the door to the bunker a title harder than probably necessary. He’s just finished a hunt solo, again, so that Sam and Cas can focus all their attention on finding a way to get Lance back. He’d trade everything just to hear Lance's voice again. 

He went to the kitchen to grab a beer, and by the time he’s back in the library, he’s popping the lid off and taking a swig. “So how are we coming along? Please tell me you’ve found something.” he looks pleadingly at his brother and his- well, they hadn’t really talked about what they are ever since playing married at the Garrison. He’s been too worried about Lance; they all have been. 

He could tell Sam hadn’t slept in at least 48 hours; the shadows under his eyes were brutal. When Sam looked up to reply to Dean's question, he could barely keep his eyes open. “Alright, answer my question, then you’re off to bed. I’ll keep helping Cas with the research while you catch some sorely needed Zs, you look like crap, man.” 

“Alright, so get this, we’ve been searching the web and pretty much every book we have, and most of the lore confirms what we’ve thought our whole lives, aliens aren’t real. But then, after some more digging, we found this one journal. According to the records, the journal was found in some shack in the middle of the desert near where those caves were. I think it’s written in code. It mentions a K landing not far from the shack a couple of times. That could be the robot, but there are also mentions of ‘protecting blue’. We were confused about that for a while, but then I remembered Lance said the lion was blue, right? So I’m thinking that K that landed must have been another alien, right?” 

“Wait, now you’re saying we’re potentially dealing with two different aliens?”

“No, the journal mentions K having to leave to keep blue and a ‘little k’ safe. But this just means this is the closest we’re gonna get to confirmation that aliens exist. It also proves the lion was there, and for at least twenty years, given the dates on the entries. Cas seems to think it’s been there for much longer based on the energy bleed off he felt back at the cave.”

Cas chose then to interject, “It’s strange that there was something here on earth with such a foreign energy signature with no angels being able to sense it. The only way that is possible is if god willed it so. He must have had a plan for it that he did not wish to be interfered with.”

“Great! So God wanted my son abducted by aliens, perfect!”

Dean was starting to feel a little hopeless. It's been a month and a half since his son went missing, and this was the first clue they were able to find. How long would it be until they were actually capable of bringing Lance home?

After Sam went to bed, it was just him and Castiel, both sitting in comfortable silence. That's when it hit him, he was riffling through some of their more recent records, ones they had entered from their time hunting, when he found it. “Cas! Check this out!” he beckoned the angel over, “it's the spell my grandfather used to cross time to get to family. Do you think it'd work with space, too?” 

Cas furrowed his brows in thought, “Hmm, it's possible… given that he never actually intended to time travel, his goal simply to find his son, I would say the spell is strong enough to bring you to Lance, wherever he might be. This is amazing, Dean!” They share a relieved hug, Dean practically slumping into Castillo's arms in pure relief and exhaustion. “Let's get some rest. We will need to gather ingredients for the spell, which will take time, and we can update Sam in the morning.”

They filled Sam in over breakfast and were all now sitting around one of the library tables, trying to figure out what ingredients they would need for the spell. Well, according to what Henry wrote in the report he gave us, he used his own blood to establish a familial link, it says as a power source for the spell he used feonix ash. Well, we've definitely run out of that and aren't gonna be able to get more.” 

“Angel grace can be substituted as a power source in most powerful spells; in this case, it might also stabilize and boost the accuracy of the spell.” Castiel supplies.

“Okay then, the next couple of ingredients are easy, we have them stocked here:mugwart, salt, iron filings, you good giving us an angel feather cas?” At the nod that he receives, Sam continues. “This is where it gets a bit more complicated. We need bone dust from an ancestor. We’ll have to find out where someone on Dad's side of the family is buried; Mom's side would have all had hunters' burials. It also says the spell is most effective during a blood moon. We're in luck because the next blood moon is happening in two weeks. That will give us time to gather the ingredients and get ready to leave.”

Dean sighs, “I don't love the idea of waiting two weeks, but you're right, some of those ingredients are harder to get. But I think you're forgetting something, if the spell links bloodlines, and we all go, there won't be anyone here for the spell to bring us back.” 

Dean is grateful when Sam agrees to stay behind. He needs to be the one to go get his kid. They also agreed it would be a good idea for Cas to go too; they might need His angel powers, who knows what they're gonna find out there. And Cas misses Lance, too, of course. 

As Sam and Cas start planning and divying up jobs, Dean just sits there for a moment. A new sense of hope filled him.  

I'm coming for you, kid, just hold on.

Chapter Text

They were back at the castle now, the Zandrolians reassured that the monster had been dealt with and that it was safe. The little girl Lance had found had also woken up.  They wanted to throw Voltron a celebration as thanks, but the team respectfully declined, stating some lie about being needed elsewhere. Through the discussions with the queen on the safety of her people, Lance could feel the stares of his fellow paladins, like a chill going up the back of his neck. 

He settled further into one of the lounge couches; he felt like he did when he was a kid and his dad caught him messing around with a gun for the first time. He could see the shared expressions of confusion and skepticism in the room. Surprisingly, it was Hunk who spoke up first

“Umm, so what happened with that thing? What even was it, and how did you know how to kill it!? Shiro could barely even do any damage.”

“Yeah! And why was that knife covered in blood?” Pidge piped up, warriness in her tone.

When Lance finally went to speak, he found that he didn't know where to start. “Umm, I-i can tell you what that was and everything, but-” he hesitated, then sighed,  “but first I have to tell you something about me that I haven't told any of you about.” He took a breath and continued before anyone else could interrupt.  

“Back on earth, and here too apparently, monsters are real, like vampires and ghosts and shit. And there are hunters who kill those monsters and protect people from threats. I was raised in that life; my dad and his brother learnt from their dad. That's how I know how to fight so well; my family made sure I would be able to hold my own against monsters with super strength. That monster on Zandor was called a Djinn. If they touch you, they have the power to create powerful hallucinations in your mind and trap you, while they feed on you. My family have encountered a few over the years, but I had never fought one before today. My dad wrote how to kill them in his hunter's journal, but I needed to find an alien equivalent to lamb's blood.” 

“And Lamb's blood is important, how exactly?” Lance can't blame Shiros' concern or the slightly disgusted looks that Pidge and Hunk were sporting. Keith was a mystery to him, though; he just looked pensive. 

The only way to kill a djinn is by stabbing it with a silver blade dipped in lamb's blood. Don't ask me why, I was never as good at the lore as my uncle is; he could probably tell you.” Lance was hesitant to tell them the next part, but decided it was time. No more secrets. 

“I already had the silver knife in my bag; it's where I keep all my supplies. Including my Journal that has information from both my dad and grandfather, from their hunts.” He was feeling a bit self-conscious, not wanting his friends to think he was crazy or anything. But they just looked intrigued, maybe a bit concerned, or in Hunks' case, probably freaking out at the thought of monsters existing. 

“So, you're saying there are monsters on earth? Where exactly are they? They aren't just lurking in the shadows everywhere, right?” and, yup, there it was. He desperately wanted to reassure his best friend, but the sad truth was he couldn't. 

“Umm, I'm not quite sure how to answer that without freaking you out, buddy, sorry.”

“Oh man, ok, ok, that's fine, it's not like they can blend in with people to the point you can't tell who's a monster and who's not, right?” 

“Uhhhhh”

“Oh, great! So anybody could be a monster, and we’d never even know! What if one of us is a monster? Would WE even know? AM I A MONSTER?!” 

“Calm down, Hunk, you aren't a monster,” I tell him, trying to soothe some of his rising panic.”

“How would you even know?” Pidge piped up curiously. He could tell she was getting interested in how it all worked.

“I mean, I tested all of you guys just in case when we first met, so everyone in this castle is clear. I mean, I didn't test Allura and Coran until today. I didn't think there could be overlap between aliens and the monsters I fight, so yeah.” 

Lance was startled when Keith spoke up, having been silent until now. “How did you test us? And with none of us noticing?” he couldn't tell if he was curious or mad; maybe both. “Well, some creatures like ghosts react to iron, so I've got an iron ring; all it takes is shaking someone's hand and watching how they react. Anything made of silver can test for monsters like werewolves, and I've got holy water for testing for demons, i just put a bit in any beverage and wait for someone to take a sip. It's flavourless just like regular water, but even in small amounts, it'll burn any demon. Or you could go my dad's approach and just splash random people in the face with the stuff, even if they aren't possessed, they usually get mad at him,” he says, chuckling fondly at the memory.

Pidge looked surprised near the end there. “So you're saying demons are real? So does that mean hell is real, too? God? Because I'm an atheist. I believe in evolution; there is scientific proof that the Big Bang and evolution exist.” Lance felt a bit bad for her; she was clearly struggling to wrap her head around all of this, especially the religion thing, her whole world revolved around science. “Yes, God exists and Hell does too, my Dad's been there. Actually, come to think of it, I'm the only one in my family who hasn't been to hell, huh. Anyway, evolution still happened, God just kinda kickstarted the whole thing, if that makes any sense, sorry my uncle is usually the one who gives people the whole ‘monsters and the bible is real’ talk.” 

“I'm sorry, are we just going to blow past the whole your family has gone to Hell bit?!” 

“Yeah, Lance, that's pretty concerning.”

He could tell Pidge and Hunk were just curious; they probably all were, but he desperately wanted to move on right now. “Look, guys, I know you're curious, but it’s a really tough topic for me, so can we just move on?” he didn't like thinking back to the time that his dad was dead, or the period afte,r where he would hear screaming from down the hall, hid dad understandably having nightmares of his time in Hell. Shiro must have noticed that Lance was starting to get lost in bad memories because he decided to change the subject. 

“Thank you for sharing that, Lance. Is there anything else you feel we should know so that we're better prepared in the event we run into anything else?”

“Not really, if I tried to teach you about every monster, we'd be here for days. How about if I do think it's something from my expertise, I'll let you guys know, and we can figure it out from there?”

“Alright, Lance, that sounds like a good plan.”

Chapter Text

Lance was in his room after getting back from dinner. The team spent most of the meal asking him about different monsters that he's seen. He even told them how he was only introduced to his dad when he was about seven, his mom had ‘known’ his dad when they were teenagers, and she ended up basically dropping Lace off with him. She was tracked down and killed by demons when Lance was eight, mostly to get back at the Winchesters for everything they had done. There were a few tears shared amongst his friends at the table that evening. 

Now he was sitting on his bed reading through his dad's journal again, anything to make him feel closer to the family he missed so much; the earlier conversations bringing up old wounds and longing for his family on Earth, not that he hadn't built another family right here with him in space. 

It was as he was reading over the entry about Rugarus that he heard a knock at his door. He called out an okay for whoever was at his door to come in, hearing the swoosh of the mechanical door. There stood Keith, dressed in his usual black jeans and black t-shirt; he wasn't wearing his jacket, though. “Hey Lance, can we talk?” It was cute; he almost sounded nervous. 

At his nod, Keith stepped into the room and came over to sit on the other end of his bed. 

He seemed to be working up the courage to say something, and as his posture straightened, a look of resolve crossing his features, he spoke. “I've been thinking, and I want to know more about hunting monsters.”

Lance was a bit shocked at that, given how quiet Keith was during both talks about the topic. But he could see it now, in the dim light of his room; the gleam of interest in Keith's eyes, the eagerness for answers. He wanted to laugh; he had never seen Keith, the stoic hot-headed loner of their group, like this. He was practically giddy. “So what? You want me to tell you more stories?”

“I want you to teach me.”

The sheer resolve and determination in his tone shook Lance. 

“You want to become a hunter? Actually, no, never mind, that checks out.” Of course Keith would be interested in hunting; Lance is surprised he didn't think about that sooner. 

“C'mere then, I'll show you my dad's journal.” He's watching Keith, so he notices the hesitation that lasts all but a few seconds, and then it's gone, but it still makes him nervous. Until he sees the faint blush spreading to the other boy's ears, then he's nervous for a whole other reason. They both readjust to sit against the headboard and get more comfortable. Lance starts at the beginning of the book, explaining that the first half of the book is all the experience his grandfather passed down. It was getting late by the time they got to where Dean took over after his dad died, but both boys were content to stay up together, enjoying each other's company. 

It's when they get to some entries about when his dad first started meeting Castiel, when Keith piped up. Up until now, he stayed mostly silent, asking some questions here and there. 

“So angels exist, and your dad met one?” 

Lance did snort at that, “pff, met one? He's practically in love with him.” 

“Wait, they stayed in touch? Have you met an angel lance?”

Lance found the look of utter awe really cute on Keith. He wanted to keep staring at him, but he answered his question with another chuckle. “Have I met him? The guy lives with us, he's practically my second dad, not that my actual dad will man up and do anything about the clearly requited pining.” He hadn't realized he had been ranting until he looked over at the amused look on Keith's face. Lance felt a blush creep up in embarrassment. 

“Your life is amazing.” The admiration in his tone just made his blush worse. 

After watching Keith freak out over the entries leading up to and during the apocalypse, Lance decided they'd had enough for one night. 

“What? You're just going to leave me on that? The world might end, and you're telling me let's pick it back up later!?” Lance chuckled a bit, knowing that the apocalypse wasn't even the worst or craziest thing his family had dealt with. “Relax, Mullet, clearly the world didn't actually end, you would have noticed that.” 

“Let's go to bed, Keith. The journal isn't going anywhere. I promise I'll show you more the next time we have some time off from saving the universe.” 

“Yeah, you're probably right, and plus,” Keith sent a grin his way. “Shiro will get mad if he finds out we stayed up so late.” Lance loved seeing this slightly playful side of Keith. He hopes he'll get to see more of it.

Chapter Text

Sam has just finished adding all of the ingredients to the spell they'll need, Cas is drawing the last part of the circle, and Dean is wrapping his palm with a piece of cloth, the familiar sting of the cut dulled by the determination he feels. They decided the blood should come from Dean because his blood would have a stronger link to Lance rather than Sam's, since him being his father and all. He and Cas entered the circle as Sam started the chant, and in the blink of an eye, they were somewhere dark, surrounded by windows showing nothing but stars. Huh.  

They had their weapons drawn, prepared for anything. Lance was here, and he was going to save his son. 

After a while of looking around the strange room, they heard a whoosh of a sliding door and quickly found a place to hide. What they saw was a strange-looking man with markings under his eyes and pointed ears. Well, that's something, I guess. To be honest, Dean was kinda underwhelmed, they've seen far more ‘alien’ looking things back on earth. This guy just looked like some guy he’d find at one of Charlie's LARPING events. 

They had to think about this strategically; even with Cas’s strength and powers, they had no idea what these aliens could do, or how many there were on this ship. No matter how much he admired Cas and trusted him, he doubted he could go up against hundreds of aliens with unknown abilities. 

He was thinking about how they should strategize, and hadn't realized how close the alien was getting until it was too late. With a very unintimidating scream from the alien, they were forced to go on the defensive. Cas lowered his angel blade from up his sleeve, or wherever he kept that thing, and he got his gun out. He had no idea what could hurt these aliens, but he was gonna try everything he had to get his son back home safe. 

He noticed the alien reach for what might be a console, and then he was speaking. 

“Uhhh, Paladins, we seem to have some intruders in the control room. They seem to be armed and are pointing their weapons at me, uh, I'd appreciate it if you could hurry!” 

Dean stalked closer, hoping that the call for help meant this alien was afraid, which meant he might be able to scare him enough to give him information. 

“Where’s my son!” he says darkly. “I know you abducted him. Do you have cells? A lab? Where do you keep the people you take?” Despite the gun in his face, the alien just looks confused and also… is that horror? Now he's confused. 

“You think we kidnap people? We are nothing like the Galra! We protect people, well, the Paladins do at least.”

“If you protect people, then where were your so-called paladins when my son was taken from our planet by aliens flying a lion spaceship?!”

It was then that a group of younger-looking aliens came in-wait… they didn't look like the other aliens, they almost looked… human. They actually resembled the missing cadets and the pilot from the original case Lance was working. Did that mean Lance was here? It was then that he spotted another figure near the back of the group holding a futuristic type of rifle, and… that was his kid. Alive and okay and- ready to defend this alien?

 What the fuck?

Keith burst through the door right behind Shiro, ready with his bayard out. What he saw were two men, no, two humans? How were there other humans out here? He spared a glance at his team, and the look on Lance's face told him he probably knew who these people were. 

“wh-Dad?”

Yup, he had a feeling it was them. During one of their late-night hunting lessons, Lance had fondly told Keith how overprotective his dad could get with family, and after hearing some of the stories of things he had done to make sure his family was safe, Keith had no doubt that if anyone could figure out how to get to space to find his son, it would be Lance's dad. 

He heard the confused noises of his friends and felt a little smug at the knowledge that he knew something about Lance that he hadn't told anyone else.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, DAD?” he could hear variations of the sentiment around the room.

Lance wasn't paying attention to them, though. He was too busy hugging his dad. When he turned to the other man for a hug, Keith guessed it could be his uncle, though he didn't really match the description Lance had given him. When Lance exclaimed, “Cas!” while throwing himself in the man's embrace, Keith was officially stunned. THAT was an angel? What the fuck, Lance? He never mentioned angels looked so ordinary, human, he's been picturing at least some white robes, maybe some wings, but a dishevelled looking man wearing a trenchcoat and a tie that- is it tied backwards and crooked? Yeah, not what he expected.

“Uhh, so this is my dad and the angel he's secretly in love with.” and, really, Lance? That's how you're gonna introduce them? Heck, the team doesn't even know about angels yet. This is gonna be a disaster. 

Keith pretends he doesn't hear Lance’s Dad mutter, “not so secret anymore,” but Lance clearly doesn't care; his face splits in a massive grin from ear to ear. “Holy shit! No way! I'm so happy for you guys!” he tugs them into a three-way hug, laughing at the matching blushes both older men have.

He thinks Pidge has finally lost it. 

“Wait, hold on, back up, ANGEL? You didn't tell us angels existed, too!”

Lance pulls away from his dads and turns with a teasing smirk at the youngest. “Didn't I? I mean, I DID tell you God existed…”

“I-yeah, good point.”

It was then that Keith remembered why they originally came in here, and it seemed like Dean did too.

“So, are we not supposed to be saving you from the aliens that abducted you?”

Chapter Text

There was something different about Lance; he thinks he might be a little taller than the last time they saw each other. But that wasn't all, he seemed to hold himself with more confidence. Dean was worried. What has his son gone through these last three months that could have changed his demeanour so noticeably? 

Lance was excitedly showing them around this castle he’s apparently been living in, which is INSANE. This place was massive; it looked like it was built to hold hundreds of these ‘Alteans’ as Lance had told him. He still didn't trust them, but Lance insisted that they were to be trusted. Somehow, his friendly, sociable son was able to befriend the aliens who took him away from him. He knows Lance said they hadn't been abducted but left in the blue lion to protect Earth, but still, if anyone were going to be nice to aliens, it would be Lance. 

They ended up in the training room, which, like the whole castle, is huge. Lance has been describing some of the drills they run in here, and Dean is a little concerned. Invisible taser maze? Super advanced training robot? Training drones with lasers? 

The way Lance is explaining these things, like they're no big deal, is shocking. He seems comfortable with it, used to it. It always used to take Lance a long time to get used to changes. Why is he so comfortable here already?

Keith was standing next to Lance while he regaled some of their most impressive missions to his dads. Keith loved to see this excitable side of Lance. He's seen him be playful, cocky, serious, and so much more, but the glee at being able to tell his parents what cool things he's been up to in space? Yeah, that was wonderful to see. He was brought out of his musings when Castiel turned to him with his head tilted slightly. 

“You have a Luxite blade? How?” There's curiosity in his tone, but also suspicion. He has no idea how the angel knows about his blade, but he figures it has to do with some type of angel power. Lance leans over and confirms his suspicion about how Castiel knows, but he has his own questions. “Why do you want to know?” To his surprise, it was Dean who defended him from the angel's glare. 

“Calm down, Cas, why do you care if he has some knife anyway? The kid has a weird alien magic sword. What's up with his knife?” After sending a glance at Dean, Castiel turns his glare back on Keith. “Why I care, Dean, is because Luxite has similar components to Angel blades. Meaning it can. Kill. Angels.” He says, the last part pointedly staring in distrust at him.

Keith could tell that the angel wasnt going to back down, he sighed. “My mom left it for me when she left Earth when I was a baby. It turns out she's a part of a group of Galra who are fighting on our side against Zarkon. Each member of the Blade of Marmora has a Luxite blade that can only be awakened by their blood. By the time I met my mom, she had gotten a new one, and I had already learnt how to awaken mine. I swear I had no idea it could kill you. But in my defence, any of my blades could kill Dean. Why is it such a big deal if this one can kill you?” 

“Aaalllright, Samurai! Let's calm down and not threaten my dads, ok?” Lance says and turns towards them placatingly. “And guys, don't take that as a threat, Keith's just like that. No seriously! This one time, he threatened this little tiny arusian that was only yay high.” Lance gestured to a spot below his waist, smirking.

“He was their greatest warrior!” he defended halfheartedly. 

“So the thing about Keith's knife is cool and all, and might come in handy in the future. Don't worry, Keith promises not to kill you, Cas. Don't you, Keith?” By Lance's tone, Keith can tell it's less of a question and more of a command. Either way, he had no plans of hurting Castiel, so he agreed easily. 

Things between the four of them seemed to calm down after that. They continue on the tour of the castle, Lance telling his dad's stories along the way.

Lance was starting to realize something wasn't quite right. He couldn't quite place it, but there were things that struck him as odd. His dad was happy to see him, don't get him wrong, but he kinda expected more from him after being gone so long. He was always so overprotective with Lance, so why was he only acting like that one time he came home from summer camp? Not overly torn up or panicky, simply grateful he's back? It didn't make sense. 

The other problem he had to tackle was that his dad kept mentioning bringing him home.

He missed Earth and his family so much, but he couldn't go home yet. He had so much to do still, so many people needed saving, the universe still needed Voltron, needed him. He just had to figure out a way to tell his dad that without breaking his heart.

They were sitting around the lounge. Lance’s friend, Hunk, had served them some weird-looking space food, making some joke about food goo? He wasn't sure what that was, but whatever this stuff was, it wasn’t half bad. They all seemed really close; he was glad his son wasn't alone here. Glancing off to the side, he could see Pidge excitedly asking Cas some questions, while his angel sat there answering what he could.  

“So, how old did you start training Lance to be a hunter?”

He could tell his son's team leader was wary of him with the way he was asking that question, eyes suspicious. “I didn't have much of a choice, there were some demons that were after us, they had already killed his mom, I needed to protect him and making sure he knew how to protect himself was the best way I knew how to do that. I never put him in unnecessary danger, but the reality is our lives are dangerous, and I don't regret keeping my kid safe.”

Shiro seemed pleased at that response, leaning back to enjoy his snack. Dean can't help but feel a bit grateful that Lance has had somebody looking out for him like that, especially because he hasn't been here. His son seems to really like it here; he seems to belong, something Dean knows Lance struggled with back at home. 

Dean started tuning into the conversation Lance and Cas were in the middle of. It sounds like Cas was telling Lance how they got together. ‘In less detail, I hope.’

“And what about you, Lance? It seems like you have settled in nicely despite only being gone for three months.”

“Wait, wait, WAIT… WHAT??? Three MONTHS? It's been three YEARS!!!!”

And wait.

 What? 

Years?! 

… what the hell?

“Lance, what are you talking about? You've been missing for three months.”

“Oh crap, does time pass differently in space?!” The panicked look on his son's face ruins him. Just as much as the knowledge that his son has been fighting an alien war in space for three fucking years! He's missed out on three whole years of his son's life, and he didn't even know. Son of a bitch, he needed a drink. 

Chapter Text

Dean was sitting with Lance while his son caught him up on some of the adventures he’s been on in the last few years. He’s still reeling at the fact that time has passed so differently for them. There’s a confidence, a hardness that he can now place as years spent fighting to survive. He never wanted that for his son. He actively tried to protect Lance from that fate, as inevitable and all too common as violence was in their line of work. From the moment Lance came into his life, he swore that he wouldn't let Lance be brought up the way he and Sam had been by their dad. Now, though, it seems he failed in that, too. Lance has had to fight to defend himself and others, and he wasn't even around to support him. When they got home, he promised himself he would do better; he wouldn't let Lance leave his sight.

“-and next week we have a mission planned with the blade of marmora.”

“Well, it sounds like your friends are gonna have their hands full with that mission,” Dean replies absent-mindedly. “What do you mean, my friends? I'll be with them too.” The look of confusion on Lance's face makes Dean think they might not be on the same page. 

“Well, once we get you home, they'll have to figure out how to go on without you.”

“I can't leave, Dad. They need me, the universe needs me.”

“But why does the universe need you? Why do you need to put your life on the line? You're just a kid- MY kid!”

“My lion chose me, my team relies on me to be their sharpshooter, to have their backs. Paladins can't just be replaced; there's a sacred bond that connects us to our lions. I have a responsibility to protect people.”

The defiance and resolve in his son's tone took him by surprise. He needs his son to understand that he can't stay here, where Dean won't be able to protect him.

The tension between them was broken when an alarm suddenly blared over the speakers. They both jerked up, but upon further inspection, Dean realized that while his response stemmed from being startled and confused, his son's reaction only spoke of alertness and determination. He's used to this, Dean realized achingly. “What is it, Lance?” He asks, recognizing the severity of the situation and accepting that here, in space, his son knew more than he did for once. 

“Those are the castle's alarms. We need to get to the bridge. Allura will debrief us when we get there.”  

He watches his son grab his gun- what did he call it again? A bayard? And ran out of the room. It was hard keeping up with Lance through the halls of the castle. It looks like his physical endurance has significantly improved since he last saw his son. He's out of breath by the time they reach the same room he and Cas arrived in yesterday, while Lance shows no sign of being tired after that sprint. He's changed into his armour by the time Dean’s caught his breath. The rest of Lance's team is also here, and by the looks of it, they’re all as ready as his son. 

“Paladins, we have received a distress signal from the planet Andaon. The Galra have invaded, we must help them!” 

In what seemed like moments, the five paladins were out of the control room and heading towards their ships through separate doors, and were those ziplines? He barely had time to think before his son was running towards danger. He didn't know what to do with the panic growing in his chest. Didn't know what to do with himself while his son was out there putting his life on the line.

He and Cas listen anxiously to the coms. It turns out that instead of going down to the planet, they will be infiltrating the Galra ship. 

“Is there a way to see what's happening?” 

“I can turn on the visual feeds from the paladins' helmets,” Coran explains while pushing a button; five separate screens pop up on the hologram display, each showing one of the paladins' points of view. 

They watch as the paladins progress through the hallways of the ship. Lance's feed shows him staying at the rear of the group with his rifle drawn protectively. Every time they narrowly avoid being caught by guards, Dean feels panic like he's never felt before. It was during one such situation that they were spotted by a patrol of robots, but before any of the others could react, they were all shot down by his son, his reflexes lightning fast. Some of the shots he took were unlike anything he's ever seen from Lance. It's impressive.

After making it to the ship's bridge, they ambush the guards and attack the Galran general leading the attack on the planet. It turns out that his son is equally as competent at hand-to-hand fighting as he is at long-range sniping. 

They managed to take down the general, but there were still smaller ships around the planet. Dean watched as the paladins got to their Lions and took off. The fluidity in the way the lions moved was nothing like any of the ships hes seen in the two days they'd been in space. Through the audio still linked to the castle, he could hear the glee in Lance's voice while soaring through combat and attacking ships. He hates to admit it to himself, but Lance has taken to piloting and being a paladin better than he ever did at researching for cases or spending hours on the road for hunts. He always felt like Lance was meant for bigger things, but he had thought that was him just being a proud dad; now, he can see it. His son was always meant for more, for this. 

Cas walks up beside him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. “He has grown up, he's dependable, fierce.” 

“He's amazing.”

Chapter Text

They came back to the castle after forming Voltron, finishing off the fight and liberating the planet. Lance still feels the rush of adrenaline that he always gets when piloting Blue. Coming back to the castle only to have his dad fret over him and check him for injuries is not familiar, however. He loves his dad to death, but the guy can be such a mother hen. 

“I'm fine, Dad, no injuries this time, see?” he gives his dad a dramatic twirl to demonstrate his health. His dad begrudgingly accepted it as proof but continues to look at him, deep in thought. He knows that they need to talk, but he can't help but want to avoid it a little longer. He mentions needing a shower and scampered out of the control room. 

When he made it to his room, Keith was waiting for him at his door. He nodded to inside his room, “Need to talk? You've been even more in your head than usual, especially since right before the mission.” And at Keith's offer to talk, Lance deflates. He needed someone to talk through everything with; he's glad his samurai knows him so well. 

Once in his room, they take up their usual spots on his bed, having gotten into a good routine from their semi-regular hunting lessons/story times. Lance curls up on the side closest to the wall and glances at Keith, who, in turn, gives him an encouraging smile and nudges him to start talking. 

It's just- earlier today, before the mission, my dad and I had a bit of a disagreement. He assumed that I was gonna go home with them. I guess that's why they came here in the first place, but that's when he thought I had been kidnapped by aliens. I-I just thought that once he heard about how much I'm doing to help people, he would understand why I have to stay. I mean, I know he loves me, which is kinda the problem? Like he loves me so much that he doesn’t want me in danger. We used to have the same argument over and over back on Earth. I would want to go with him on more interesting hunts, but he always said it was too dangerous. After all those fights, he never backed down, and knowing how protective he gets, how in the world am I supposed to change his mind now that there's a crazy, dangerous, alien war involved?” he lets out a deep sigh. He didn't know he was holding all that in until he started talking. He feels a bit better already, having voiced it out loud. 

“That sounds really tough, Lance. You know, I've never been very good when it comes to people. I can't really give you advice other than to talk to your dad, tell him how you feel, and how important it is to you to have his support.”

“Wow. Who knew Mr. Loner could get so sappy? A teasing grin spreads on Lance's face as he watches the flush grow on Keith's cheeks. “Would you rather I offer to punch him for you?” Keith deadpans, and they both burst into laughter. “But seriously, Keith. Thank you.” He leans over and rests his head on Keith's shoulder, and Keith wraps an arm around him in a hug. They stay like that for a little while, just content with being together.

Sighing again, Lance reluctantly extricates himself from the bed and Keith's warm embrace. “As much as I'd like to stay here all evening, I should probably go talk to my dad.” 

Lance found his dad in one of the observatory rooms. It's a small, cozy room with a couch facing a massive glass wall, so you can see the wide expanse of space. “Hey, Dad, can we talk?”

“Yeah, sure thing, kiddo, c'mere.” 

Lance sits down next to his dad, where he had gestured to on the couch. He was unsure how to start, but he pushed himself to say something; he needed to get it out before his dad started trying to convince him to leave. “Dad, I need you to know how important this is. I've fought in this war for three years, I know what I'm doing, and more importantly, I'm saving lives, entire planets. I know you don't like it, but I'm saving people, hunting things, the family business… technically, just in space.” his dad looks torn, the crease between his brow prominent. 

“I know that, Lance. I saw you fight for that planet today. You were incredible. I was so proud of you, of the man you've become. But just as much as I was proud, I was also terrified. You're in so much danger every day, more danger than you ever could be on earth. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you. Deep down, I know that you belong here, doing what you clearly are meant to be doing. I just wish you could be safe back home.” His dad pulls him into a crushing hug, and they're quiet for a beat before Lance speaks up again. 

“That's the thing, though, Dad, the bunker, with you and Cas, and Uncle Sam on Earth, that's home. But so is the Castle of Lions. My team is like family to me, family doesnt end in blood, Bobby taught us that. And just like you would never leave us behind, I can never abandon my family, my team.” There was a tense silence where Lance was nervously awaiting another argument about his safety. He was proven wrong when Dean spoke again.

“Son of a bitch, what am I gonna say to Sam when we show up without you?”

Realization dawns on him, and he grins. “Really? You'll let me stay?!”

“What else am I supposed to do? Deprive the universe of one of its defenders?”

“And besides, if it's what you want and it makes you happy, how could I ever say no? No matter how hard it is for me”

Chapter Text

When Lance and Dean entered the lounge, Keith could tell their conversation went as well as it could have. The father and son duo entered the room chatting quietly, a new ease between them. When they made their way over, he could tell his friends were waiting apprehensively to find out how it went. Who was he kidding? Keith was just as anxious as his team. He had told them vaguely what Dean and Lance had been arguing about, and they were justifiably upset at the mere thought of Lance leaving. Not that Lance would ever leave them of his own volition, they knew that. But they didn't know how Lance's dad would take it. 

It seems like Hunk ended up being the first to crack, breaking the silence that had fallen across the lounge. “Sooo… howd it go…? Are you leaving us? Because I think I speak for the rest of us when I say we do not want you to go, Lance.”

He guessed he's gotten pretty good at reading Lance over the years because, unlike the rest, Keith could tell that dork was just playing it cool in order to reveal the good news dramatically. He chuckles fondly to himself. “Come on, Lance, put them out of their misery and get on with it.”

The soft chuckle turns into snickering when Lance replies by sticking his tongue at him. “Yeah, ok fine. I'm staying right here, where I belong. Although I never actually considered leaving, I just had to get my stubborn old man on board.” 

“Yeah, well, I'm gonna have to be the one to explain to your uncle why we left you in space.” Keith couldn't tell if it was sad or completely hilarious to see a grown man grumbling and basically pouting. Given the context, though, he's leaning towards sad; the guy has to say goodbye to his son again after all. 

“Speaking of which, Sam’s gotta be going crazy by now. We thought it was gonna be a quick get in, save Lance and get out type of thing. He’s gotta be climbing the walls with worry.”

“Dean is right, this has been really nice, but we'd better be getting back to earth,” Castiel adds. Keith has liked getting to know the angel. They had a chance to talk for a bit while Lance and Dean were off having their talk. Pidge had a million questions for the guy, too. 

“Hey, come to think of it, how did you guys get here? I'm assuming Cas didn't teleport you here, or you would have shown up like immediately after we left Earth.” Oh yeah, Lance had a point; Keith hadn't thought of that. Lance had told him how angels could fly/teleport, so he had just assumed that's what they had done. 

As Dean was explaining how the spell worked and what ingredients they needed, Keith was paying close attention, intrigued by the concept of magic being real. He knows that Allura and Haggar can do magic, but this was magic on earth being done by humans; it was cool. He could tell Hunk wished Dean had been a bit less graphic when describing how they got some of the ingredients, especially when it came to the topic of using your own blood in the spell. That had most of them a bit concerned, but Lance assured them that it was fine and they did it all the time. He'll have to explain to him later how his comment probably wasnt as reassuring to their friends as he thought it was. 

“We brought enough ingredients to perform the spell in reverse to get us home; however, being here, I can sense that due to my knowing where Earth is located in the universe, I will be able to transport Dean and me back myself.”  

“Wait, Dad. Do you have the instructions for the spell with you, too? Maybe I could do it sometime when we have some extra free time in between missions.” They all perked up in interest at that. Pidge was the first to speak.

“Wait, Lance, you know how to do magic?”

“I mean, it's probably not like the magic you're thinking of with sparkles and a magic wand. This type of magic is more realistic. It's like cooking; if you have the right ingredients and the right instructions and incantations, anyone can do it.”

“Lance is right, and I don't see why we can't leave the ingredients here with you guys. I'm sure it would be good for all of you to visit home and get a bit of a break from all this war. You can even pick up some more supplies when you do visit, to recreate the spell again.  Now the spell will have to connect Lance’s blood to mine, so you’ll all pop up in Lebanon, Kansas, most likely, assuming I'm not on a hunt at the time. And I'm sure Cas won't mind zapping you guys over to see your families, won't you, Cas?”

“Of course, I'd be happy to.”

Huh, so they'll be able to visit Earth? Keith's happy for his friends, he really is, but part of him also feels a bit indignant. Unlike the other paladins, he doesnt have anything tying him to Earth; his mom is still with the Blade of Marmora, and everyone else he considers family is on this ship. All he'd be going back to would be that old shack in the desert, and wasnt that a depressing thought? 

He walked over to one of the walls of the room, wanting to get some distance from his friends, who were excitedly making plans for visiting home. He was surprised when Castiel walked over to join him, leaning against the wall. The angel started to speak.

“You know, when we were doing research about Lance's disappearance, the biggest lead we got was from a journal describing the blue lion. It took me a while to make the connection, but the story you told us about how your mom ended up on Earth seemed familiar to me. It sounds almost exactly like the events recorded in the journal we found. If you wouldn't mind, could you tell me your last name? I'd like to see if there is any truth to my hypothesis.” 

It took Keith a minute to recover from the shock of what Castiel was saying. His dad kept a journal? And wrote about his mom? He's kinda pissed he never found it, it would have saved him from so much confusion and curiosity. “Uh, yeah, I guess, it’s Kogane.” 

Castiel made an affirming hum. “Lance told me he's been going through his hunting journal with you. Did he ever mention the Demon Abaddon?” That question confused him. How would that have anything to do with what they were just talking about? Regardless, he answered anyway. “Yeah, she was a prince of Hell, right? She killed all of the men of letters back in the day. What does that have to do with my dad?” 

“The Journal we found belonged to a man of letters, a member of the name Elias Kogane. I believe he went into hiding after Abaddon's first attack on the Men of Letters; she must have tracked him down eventually.” Before Keith could even begin to process that, Castiel continued. “I assume Lance told you about his great-grandfather? How, because Henry Winchester was a Man of Letters, Sam and Dean became legacies, and by extension, so did Lance. This would mean you are also a legacy Keith. Which means the Men of Letters bunker is always open to you. Maybe you should come by for a visit when you all use that spell.” The angel gave him a pointed look, like he knew why he wasn’t as excited about the idea of going back as his friends were. He got the sense that the angel got what it was like to not feel like you belonged anywhere. But maybe now he could have a place to go back to if they ever won this war.

After Cas leaves him to process this huge new revelation, Lance makes his way over to him. “Hey, how ya doing, man? I know it must be tough hearing all of us making plans for going back. I can ask my dad if you can stay with us next time we visit Earth. I'm sure he won't mind.” The care and worry in Lance's voice is touching; he feels incredibly grateful for Lance in that moment. 

“Umm, actually, I think your other dad just invited me to live with you guys? Seeing as I'm apparently also a legacy.” He's sure his tone doesn’t do a great job at hiding how stunned he feels, but he finds that in this moment, with Lance by his side, he doesnt really care. 

Lance knew deep down that this was the right thing, that he needed to stay and fight for the universe, for every planet and civilization that couldn't defend themselves against the Galra. But now that he needs to say goodbye to his dads? He's having a hard time keeping himself together. His friends have given him some space so he can say goodbye to them, and he's glad for it, his voice quavering when he says what he needs to say to them. “I'm gonna miss you guys so much. I love you both.” 

“Kid, we are so incredibly proud of you, you have no idea. I hate leaving you out here to fight in this crazy war, but I know you can handle it, and you're not alone.” “Yes, I am comforted by the knowledge that you fight beside a strong, courageous and loyal group of individuals.” 

“Cas is right, your friends are great, and I'm confident that together you guys are gonna kick the Galras' buts. You will make it back home, you hear me? And you will not die, cause you know I'll go to the ends of the earth- the universe to get you back if you do. Now c’mere, Lance.” His dad pulled him into a bruising hug, and he felt another set of arms join their embrace. He savours this moment, wrapped in his parents' arms, as if nothing else in the universe mattered. 

By the time they all pulled apart, they were all crying messes, and with one final goodbye, they were gone. He glanced over to his right, and Keith had come over to him. Opening his arms in a silent offer, one which Lance gladly accepted, falling into Keith's arms. Keith held him like that for a while, running a hand through his hair soothingly. He was glad he had Keith, glad he had his whole team here with him.

 And they were going to end this war.

Sam was losing his mind. They had planned for Dean and Cas to get Lance back in a couple of hours. It had been two days! This was space, too, and they were dealing with aliens, so really, anything was possible. There were endless possibilities for things to go wrong. And he had no way of contacting them to find out whether or not they were okay. He didn't have anything left to do but wait; he had already reorganized the library twice in his restlessness. When he was contemplating going back to organize the books again, he was startled when Dean and Cas appeared. It looks like they didn't need the spell to get back after all.

Wait.

Was Deas crying? No, that was more than crying; he was falling apart, and Cas was practically holding him upright despite the angel's tears as well. And where was Lance?

Oh

Oh.

No no no, he can't be… they couldn't have been too late. Lance can't be gone. They can't lose him, too. They can't!

“W-wheres m-my nephew, Cas? P-please don't tell me he's-”

His plea seemed to snap both Cas and Dean out of their anguish. “No, Sam, he's fine, he's alive, he's safe-uh well, safe-ish. I'll explain everything to you later, I promise, but Lance isn't coming home for a while; he's where he needs to be, where he belongs.”

Sam is definitely gonna hold Dean to that, because what the heck? How could Dean, of all people, leave his kid in space willingly? He didn't understand, but by the fortitude in his brother’s eyes, he guessed Dean had a pretty good reason. After extricating himself from Cas’s arms, Dean stood tall and assuredly declared,

“We’ll see him again.”