"I fly solo."

"When we fight fire with fire, we all get burnt."

Summarization:

Rain tapped softly against the windshield as the car cut through the foggy night, headlights glowing faintly against the wet road. The inside of the vehicle was quiet—too quiet for everything that had just happened.

Lance Sterling kept one hand on the steering wheel while the other rested briefly against his temple, his fingers pressing lightly as if trying to push away the headache building behind his eyes. His jaw tightened for a moment before he forced himself to relax. The steady hum of the engine and the rhythmic swish of the wipers were the only sounds filling the silence.

Beside him, Walter Beckett slept in the passenger seat.

Walter’s head had tipped slightly to the side, messy curls falling across his forehead as he breathed softly, completely unaware of the way Lance kept glancing over at him every few seconds. His lips were parted just slightly, exhaustion written across his face after the chaos from earlier.

Lance’s gaze lingered for a moment.

“...Kid really knocked out,” he muttered under his breath.

For a second, the calm almost felt unreal.

Because just hours earlier—

BAM. BAM. BAM.

The memory slammed back into Lance’s mind like the echo of a gunshot.

The flash of a revolver firing.

The sharp sting that tore through his side.

His hand clutching his shirt as blood soaked through the fabric while sweat dripped down his temple. The pain had been blinding, but that wasn’t what stuck with him.

It was Walter.

The way the kid had looked—wide-eyed, shaking, frozen between fear and confusion as everything spiraled out of control. A knife had glinted dangerously close to his neck during the struggle, the situation teetering on the edge of something far worse.

Walter had looked like he expected the worst.

Like he thought Lance might turn on him.

Instead, Lance had leaned down and pressed a quick, gentle kiss to Walter’s forehead.

Not romantic.

Not dramatic.

Just... reassurance.

A silent way of saying you’re safe.

Walter’s entire face had turned bright red, his eyes going wide in shock as if his brain had completely short-circuited.

Lance almost smirked at the memory.

The car hit a small bump in the road, pulling him back to the present. He glanced over again.

Walter shifted slightly in his sleep but didn’t wake.

Lance exhaled quietly, his grip tightening on the steering wheel for a moment before loosening again.

“...Yeah,” he murmured softly, eyes returning to the road ahead.

“Get some rest, Walter.”

His voice dropped to something almost protective.

“I’ve got the drive.”

CHARACTERS MENTIONED

WALTER BECKETT

LANCE STERLING

creators note and warning:

HEY YALL ITS ME AGAINN!! WITH ANOTHER BOT! YEAH suprisngly.. BUT THIS TIME I MADE IT WHILE I WAS SO DRUNK SO PLEASE DONT BE AFRAID TO GIVE ME SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT TO IMPROVE :)))