Prompt: "Just stay at my place tonight."

Cohort: Three

Words: 1210

Written for the Camp Jupiter writing forum.

Notes: Human AU.

Flickering street lights illuminated his path, casting eerie shadows over the streets. Behind him, a wall of bright flames burned as they devoured houses. Heavy smoke wafted into the sky, spreading out over the horizon, the air aglow with red and black. The sky was thick and full of gloom while sirens wailed in the distance.

Leo Valdez was running again. His heart pounded in his ears as he swallowed, daring a glance behind him. The flames grew taller as he watched, red and orange and blinding white searing into his eyes. He felt lightheaded, whether it be from running or panic, he didn't know.

All he knew was that he had to get away from the fire.

The foster home he had been staying in was a few blocks away from a large house fire, which had quickly started to spread to neighboring houses. Leo didn't know how it had started, all he knew was that he had to run. He had impulsively slipped out of a window after catching a glimpse of the terrifying red, orange, and yellow flames.

Closing his eyes, Leo tried not to think about the fire in his memories. The all consuming, murderous flames that had taken over his house and trapped his mother in their embrace. He could never forgive himself for that - he was the one who caused the fire after all. It was all he could do to try and suppress his memories.

Leo wasn't going to lie - fire scared him more than anything. The mere thought of it sent him into a panic, made him freeze and stay stock still, and brought back the terrified little boy he had once been. He could barely stop himself from shaking, the only thing keeping him going was the fear and the mantra in his head: keep running.

He didn't know where he was going to go after this, Leo supposed he would run into the next town and the next. Become a boy on the run once again, it was all too familiar to him. As much as this town had made him feel welcome, Leo had always known he would have to run again. It was the same story, year after year after year, on repeat. He didn't know how to break free from the cycle, something always triggered the panicky feeling he got, and then he was gone.

"Leo?" A perplexed voice cut through the heavy night air, and Leo came to a screeching halt. His gaze darted around as he instinctively moved back to the shadows of the gloomy street. To his surprise, his eyes landed on Jason Grace, a student at the local high school where Leo went.

Jason was on the front steps of his house, uncertainty holding a trash bag. His glasses reflected the dim yellow lights around them as he stared at Leo, completely forgetting about taking out the trash. Scratching his blonde hair for a moment, he tilted his head, squinting.

"Yeah?" Leo said, attempting to seem nonchalant. Jason had been one of his friends at school, but Leo knew they weren't too close. Certainly not close enough for him to tell Jason about… what had happened. They had only known each other for a couple of months, and while Leo had called Jason his best friend, he knew it would all have to end. Jason had known about his track record of running away, after all, and they had both known it was only a matter of time before Leo ran away again.

"Are you leaving?" Jason asked, putting the trash bag on the ground. Walking closer to Leo, Jason struggled to think of what to say, opening and closing his mouth a few times.

"I think so," Leo answered, forcing a cheery smile.

"But why?" Jason asked, furrowing his brow. He cast a glance at the fire in the distance, before looking back at Leo. For a moment, Leo nearly panicked before remembering that no one, even Jason, had known about the fire in his childhood. So there was no way Jason could know that he was running because of the fire… right?

Leo opened his mouth, and then shut it again. What could he say to Jason? What excuse could he make? "I just thought it was time for me to go," Leo said awkwardly. A flash of hurt and disappointment came across Jason's face before disappearing. "I mean, I'll miss this place but… I have to go." He knew he couldn't mention his fear of fire - that would prompt Jason to ask questions. And as much as he wanted to stay, Leo knew he couldn't. Jason was a good friend, but Leo couldn't trust himself to stay in one place for too long. The fire had only served to remind him that nothing was ever permanent.

"Are you sure?" Jason stepped closer, putting his hand on Leo's shoulder.

Hesitating, Leo glanced at the fire. It had grown larger, creeping towards them. The sirens wailed louder as firefighters fought to keep the flames at bay. By the signs of more flashing sirens making their way to the fire, Leo guessed that more firefighters were coming to douse the flames. But whether their efforts would pay off or not, he didn't know. Looking back at Jason, he knew he should say yes right then and there, but the words were stuck in his throat. All he could concentrate on were the swirling fumes of smoke and monstrous flames. Perhaps his decision to run had been impulsive, but Leo had to follow through now that he had taken the leap.

"Just stay at my place tonight," Jason blurted out, biting his lip.

"What?" Leo asked in disbelief. What was a person like Jason - successful, perfect, Jason - doing inviting him in? The boy with a track record of running and getting expelled?

"Stay at my place tonight," Jason repeated. "You have no food, supplies, or anything. Please. And if you want to leave… you can leave in the morning." Jason looked like he wanted anything but Leo to leave, but he had said it anyway. Leo respected that. Jason knew it was Leo's choice, and he couldn't really stop him.

"What about - what about your parents?" Leo said, fumbling for an excuse.

"I live with my older sister," Jason said, rolling his eyes. "You already knew that. And I'm sure Thalia won't mind."

Speechless, Leo looked between the flames and Jason. At last, he opened his mouth. "Okay," he said. Strangely, he felt relieved. He hadn't really wanted to leave, now that he had thought about it. Leo's foster parents didn't really care much for him, but he didn't want to lose his best friend.

Jason smiled, looking pleased that Leo had chosen to stay. Walking back over to his discarded trash bag, he picked it back up and dropped it in the trash bin. "Come on then," he said, looking impatiently at Leo.

Moving out of the shadows, Leo nervously followed, slipping into the house after Jason. He didn't know what was going to happen the next morning, but right now, that didn't matter. All he knew was that he had a best friend he could count on, and that made everything better. And for the first time, Leo Valdez felt at home at last.