"I- I don't mind." He didn't. There were four walls and a bed, so it already met his requirements for staying in for more than one night. "Whatever's more convenient for you. Just staying here is more than I ever expected for my time back out on my own."

Not on the run. On his own sounds less like a teenaged temper tantrum and more like a responsible choice, which it was.

He grabs his old toothbrush and heads back down into the basement. He scrubs up the connections (a wire brush might've been a better choice, but he can fix that if it becomes an issue) and closes the panel, pulling to start the generator again.

It takes a couple of goes, and then it whirrs up, humming to life and the indicator lights brightening.