Lance never really met his Dads side of the family, it was something his mother didn't mention a lot and Lance dare not to ask. It was as if they didn't really exist, only coming to life as pass away comments over dinner or in front of the TV. If Lance was honest with himself then he'd admit he was quite curious about the mystery surrounding his dads family. Even his dad wouldn't mention it. Sometimes it bothered Lance, Lance was a family guy, he loved big families, the warmth and closeness they brought, the bickering, the falling out and making up, the big birthday parties. He thought it to be unfair that a whole other side of his family were missing out. So one day he asked his mother about them. That was the last time he asked.
Lance's dad died a few years later, a car accident. Lance was only 10 at the time, too young to be dealing with the loss of someone so close so he did the only thing he could think of, he immersed himself in trinkets, pictures and old letters of his father that he found in their basement. He didn't really think much of the content within his dads stuff, that is until he found an old picture. The picture was of a boy, about 4 years old. He had a toothy grin that matched the mischievous glint in his warm brown eyes, his skin was an olive colour, like Lances, his hair was a couple shades darker and looked just as wild as his smile, if Lance squinted the boy in the picture looked a bit like his dad. Lance turned the photo over gently, on the back there was a name "Leo Valdez." Lance thought it was weird this boy had the same surname as his papa did.
By the time Lance was 13 he had forgot about the trinkets underneath his bed, the letters that were a mix of English and Spanish but he never forgot that one repeated name, the name that was laced into every letter. Leo. Lance deducted that Leo must be a cousin of his, he found out a while ago at the funeral of his papa's that he had two aunties, Rosa and Esperanza, he didn't like Rosa, and Esperanza passed away about 7 years ago so he never got to ask about this Leo person. He often wondered how Leo was doing, if he was happy with a big family like Lance was, if he had any siblings. Lance accepted the fact that he probably would never know.
Lance was 16 and fighting a intergalactic war. Lance couldn't complain though, he'd die to protect his friends and family. Finding the blue lion was overwhelming, it was clear no man could build these astonishing creatures, the way their metallic coat shined and their eyes held the most intensifying intelligence he'd ever seen, Lance knew man couldn't have made them. Lance later found out that King Alfor had created them. Lance thought that made sense, alien technology was pretty sweet but when he asked Coran about how Alfor was able to create the very beasts that gave Lance freedom, Coran looked at Lance like he grew two heads and mumbled something about Gods. Lance didn't think Coran was the religious type but then he didn't really know Coran that well despite living with him for what felt like deco- phoebs. But, Lance supposed, it would make sense if God like beings did create the lions, they were magnificent.
Lance was 18 and going home. Well not going home, more like, de-touring home. But heading home nonetheless. He was excited, anxious, scared. Lance was feeling every emotion at once but he knew deep down that he was finally going to see his mama, his sisters, his cousins, everyone he missed everyone he didn't say goodbye too.
They were so close. Lance could see earth in the distance, he could taste the warm cooking of his mama's famous Picadillo Empanadas already.
Lance knew something was going to go wrong. Of course it would, why wouldn't it? The universe seemed to hate Lance. The Galra seemed to hate Lance more. The team honestly weren't expecting Galra ships to be this close to Earth, but here they were. Lance hated the Galra Army with every fibre of his body. He hated them. They were the reason Shiro's head was all messed up. They were the reason he was forced into a war that he had no business being in. With an angry scream Lance tore through the enemy, no one was going to take away his chance to see his family again. No one.
Lance didn't know what happened. One minute he was fighting and now he was falling. Falling to Earth. The Galra messed up Reds system so she was unable to start up. Just his luck. Lance cursed as the ground beneath him was fast approaching. He was so close. He couldn't die now. He couldn't die.
"mama" whispered Lance.