Red (Sequel to Blue)

Chapter 1

The cameras were literally everywhere. Like holy shit, tone it down, much? 

"Shirogane! Shirogane, over here!" one reporter called. Lance had to bite back a scoff at them as they overwhelmed poor Shiro with questions. "What is your arm made of?"

"Uh...I don't actually know," Shiro said, looking back at the pack for help. Pidge shrugged. "My arm was ripped off and replaced with this prosthetic at the hands of the galra." 

"What is the galra?" another reporter called.

"Allow me," Allura said as she walked forward. "Citizens of Earth. You need not fear the galra any longer. They were a tyrant race that had imprisoned the universe. However all of these people before you were paladins of Voltron and because of them, the Galra have been defeated."

"Aliens? They exist?"

"Indeed." Allura said. "And according to my paladins here, Coran and I are aliens. We are from the planet Altea." 

"Princess, you really shouldn't have said that," Lance whispered softly.

"Why?" Allura asked, turning away from the mic. 

"Because now they're going to like, experiment on you or something." Lance answered, cringing and hugging Clarissa closer to his chest. Allura made a disgusted face.

"But that's barbaric!" 

"Welcome to Earth," Lance said dryly. 

"Are you here to take over our world?" a reporter asked.

"What? Of course not! Alteans believe in peace above all else!" Allura cried, horrified that they would even accuse her of such a thing. She was nothing like galrans. 

"Okay, that's enough," Lance said, shoving past everyone. "No further questions, thank you." He then grabbed Keith's hand and dragged him back inside the castle, the rest of the pack following closely behind.

"Lance, why did you do that? Is everything okay?" Keith asked in concern. 

"I just...I have a bad feeling." Lance said, looking at Clarissa's sleeping face. "I don't like it. I think something bad is going to happen."

"Don't worry Lance, we'll protect you." Keith promised.

"It's not me I'm worried about." Lance said, his anxiety spiking. 

It was true, there was this feeling in his gut. It was telling him to get off planet and go as far away from where he was as possible. Lance only had that feeling right before something insane happened. 

Keith looked at Clarissa sadly before nodding. "I swear, nothing will happen to her." Keith said. Lance smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

"Thanks Keith," Lance said.

"Barf." 

"Pidge don't be an ass."

"Language."

"Shiro I'm fucking twenty."

"And there's a toddler on this ship."

"Who's asleep."

Lance laughed as his pack argued like kindergartners. They had all matured in the years they were in space. Pidge had finally hit her growth spurt when Clarissa was two, and now she was at Lance's shoulders. Her hair was cut close to her head in a cute pixie cut and she ditched the glasses.

Hunk was pretty much the same, save for a scar that ran down his face from his left eyebrow to his chin. Lance flinched at the memory of how he got it. A galran had managed to sneak onto the ship and Hunk stepped in front of the blow that would've hit Clarissa. 

Shiro was buffer, if that was even possible, and he had obtained a few more scars. His hair was slowly starting to return to his black hair, only a few strands at a time. He had a smile that said he was older than he looked. Taking care of four teenagers in space has aged him more than his actual age.

Allura had cut her hair into a bob on a dare a few years ago and liked the hairstyle, deciding to keep it. Right now they were in two side buns that Lance had insisted on making. 

Keith had finally grown out his mullet. Lance actually kind of missed it (not that he'd ever tell him that) Right now it was in a short ponytail and he now had two lines on his face. No one knows what they are, Pidge hypothesized that it was his galra side but that was just a theory. 

Coran looked exactly the same. 

Like how the fuck?

Lance still retained most of his style. He had started wearing turtle necks because those were fun. He also had a tattoo of a star on his ankle but that was it. 

Clarissa was still adorable, the four year old refusing to speak anything other than her baby drabble. Lance has been teaching her Spanish, speaking it to her as often as he could because he wants her to be fluent. Keith got the same idea and began teaching her Korean. 

She picked up quite fast. 

"Lance," Keith said, drawing Lance out of his head.

"Yes?"

"What do you want to do?" Keith asked, looking at Lance seriously. "You said you have a bad feeling. About what?"

"I don't know, exactly." Lance said, handing Clarissa to Hunk's outstretched arms. "I just feel like something's going to happen. I don't know what though."

"Well do you want to leave?" Keith asked. Lance internally cooed. Keith was so considerate. 

"No, we've traveled for so long to get here. It's not fair." Lance said firmly. "Let's just continue with the plan--"

Lance was cut off by a ring. The pack stared in shock as Lance pulled out his cellphone. Lance had it on him when they went into space and he took really good care of it, but he never actually used it considering there was no signal.

"Lance is that--"

"Yeah it is," Lance said, staring at the unknown number on his screen. "Should I answer?" Lance asked.

"I guess," Pidge shrugged. "What's the harm?"

Lance nodded and pressed talk and held the phone to his ear. The pack watched with sudden interest when Lance out a gasp. 

"Lance, who is it?" Pidge asked, pressing closer.

Lance looked at her, tears forming in his eyes.

"My old pack."