This is my take on how Leo and Piper's friendship started. Enjoy!

Note: This story is probably not accurate to how their friendship actually started.

The streets of San Francisco were a dangerous place. There were always thugs, gangs, and robbers lurking in the back alleys. Most just stayed away, but they were the fastest way to get around, and Piper McLean was hungry.

When she was hungry, Piper took whatever streets or alleys she needed to to get where she was going as fast as possible. But, no one can go through the back alleys unscathed. Hence, the incident she had on her way to McDonald's.

The robber stepped out from behind a pile of crates and aimed a gun at her face.

"If you don't give me your wallet, I'll shoot," the guy was dressed in dark clothing and a ski mask, perfect for robbing people in alleyways.

"No," Piper said. Her eyes widened; she hadn't meant to say that. The word slipped from her lips.

"What do you mean no? I'm serious, I will shoot you," he was puzzled, confusion was written all over his face.

He was waving the gun around, seemingly trying to convince her that he was actually going to shoot her. He sounded young, so she hoped he wasn't actually going to shoot her. She tried her best to keep up an air of nonchalance and hoped he was bluffing.

"Are you hearing me? I said no," she responded, letting out a sigh when she her stomach grumbling. It looked like she was going to die on an empty stomach. Yippee.

"Um... okay, I guess?" This time, the young man removed the gun from her face, letting the gun drop to the ground.

At the sound of the thud, Piper let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't going to kill her.

"You aren't going to shoot me?" Piper asked, raising an eyebrow. Please don't pick up the gun.

"Honestly, I don't know what to do. This never happens." he shook his head, wrapped up in his confusion.

He seemed really confused, shown by how he was grabbing his head. She couldn't see much of his face through the mask, but from the little she could see, he didn't look like a bad guy. He just looked like a teenager who needed money.

While she had screamed at her to get a grip and run while she could, her heart told her something different.

Deciding that she was mentally insane, she followed her heart and told her brain to stuff a sock in it.

"Well, until you decide, do you want to grab a bite to eat? I'm starving." she shrugged, trying not to seem bothered with the idea of going out to eat with a criminal.

The unnamed robber, however, was more than a little shocked.

"I just tried to rob you! Now you're inviting me out to eat? Who does that?"

"I do. I can tell you're not a bad guy. I can tell that just by the fact that you didn't shoot me. And maybe we can talk about why you're robbing people at gunpoint for money over lunch. Plus, I'm starving. At this point, I don't care who I will be eating with as long as I get food." Piper left it at that, and walked past him, out of the alley.

Would he follow her? Can I really help him?

Without turning around she called back at him,

"Well? Aren't you coming?"

More confused than he's ever been, the guy ran after her, wanting to know more about the strange girl he'd encountered.

"I never asked what your name was," Piper remarked offhandedly, biting into her cheeseburger.

Her taste buds sang, and her stomach shouted joyously.

Food, sweet food. Her mind murmured.

"Leo," Leo answered, also digging into his food.

She nodded. "Cool name."

"Thanks. What's yours?"

"Piper."

"That's a pretty name."

"Thanks."

Now that he had taken off his ski mask, she could see he had curly brown hair and brown eyes. He seemed awkward, not very sure of himself.

He was trying to act tough. He was doing what he needed to.

After a lapse of silence, Piper broke it, speaking what was on her mind.

It's now or never.

"Why are you robbing people?"

Following the question, a heavy silence blanketed them.

It was a few moments before Leo spoke again.

"Well, I don't have a choice. I hate my foster homes, so I always run away. I can't stay in one place, so I can't get a job. What other choice do I have? I don't like robbing people at gunpoint, but I'll do what I have to do to survive."

After his rant, Leo stared down at his food. He meant to lie, but the truth spilled from his lips. He wasn't sure why he had told Piper the truth, and he wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do.

Leo snuck a glance up at Piper and found her gaping.

Piper couldn't believe what she heard. A boy is no older than she was living on the streets, robbing people to survive. It made her feel extremely guilty. Even though she didn't like to use her father's money, she still hadn't thought about what it was like for others with less.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, setting a hand on his shoulder. Leo looked at her, and his gaze broke her heart. He was so vulnerable, yet so guarded, and here he was, taking solace in a stranger.

It hit Piper like a ton of bricks, and she was surprised it hadn't hit her sooner. He needed a friend. He needed someone to support him where he couldn't support himself.

And as fast as lightning, she got up from her side of the table and wrapped Leo in a hug, tears spilling down her cheeks. His arms wrapped around her, and a soft smile spread across her face.

Breaking the hug, but still keeping her hands on his shoulders, Piper said, "Why don't you come to my house, and I can help you out a little bit."

Leo looked puzzled, "Why would you do that?"

"Because I'm your friend, and that's what friends do." Piper declared, picking up their food and walking to the door.

As she turned to look at him, her heart soared when Leo let out the brightest smile she had ever seen. It was so bright, she couldn't help but smile in return.

The two grew closer as time went on. Piper found out that Leo loved to make people laugh, and he could always make her laugh when she was upset.

Piper always tried to make Leo feel better when he was down and was there for him through every foster home.

After a while, the two could even laugh about how they first met. Piper eventually confessed to Leo how scared she was. She was equally stunned when she found out that Leo was freaked out by her calmness.

Through all the laughs and tears, one thought occasionally surfaced:

I really did help him.

Months later, when Leo was sent to Wilderness School, Piper started stealing more cars just to get sent there as well.

She couldn't let her best friend be alone, now could she?

What did you think? I hope I put more feeling into this one. I didn't want to rush it, but at some points, I wasn't sure how to get the story to be where I wanted it to.

I was looking at prompts on Pinterest, and one caught my eye. I had to make a story about it, and I wanted to explore how Leo and Piper's friendship started.

Don't forget to leave a review on how I could get better!