He had started watching them during training. He'd sit or lie down a few feet away from where they were, then watch as they worked. He was especially fascinated with Alex. He'd sit and watch him for hours when he was shooting at mannequins. Erik still didn't understand why Charles even had so many of them. The damned cat- no, he was a human too- always seemed to disappear when Charles and Erik were training, but that was it. He'd happily trail along after Charles and Hank when they were running. He'd sit and watch Raven lift weights. He even sat and watched Sean fall out of windows.

In the mornings, Erik had taken to running before joining everyone for breakfast. It helped him think about what to do during the rest of the day. He'd run for some time, jumping over the same hole in the back yard. It'd become routine; something he felt like he needed. Charles had offered to run to him, but Erik insisted he wanted to run alone.

The only person he saw during his morning runs was Dante. The cat would be sitting contently in the back garden, staring at him as he passed by. Erik had stumbled and almost fallen the first time he saw the cat watching him. But, he grew used to seeing the small creature every morning. It made him wonder if Charles, too, felt this odd familiarity of routine with him. He wondered if Charles would sit and tell all his worries and secrets to the cat. He wondered if Charles had ever cried in front of him, or laughed too hard. He wondered if he could ever feel that comfortable with the cat.

He wondered what would happen, when this was all over.

It was late at night; Erik hadn't expected for anyone to be awake. But, as he wandered down to the kitchen, he heard laughter from the common room and quiet music. He frowned, pausing just before the door. It had definitely sounded like Charles laughing, but with who? His best guess would be Raven. Or Dante. He wouldn't be surprised if Charles really did talk to the damn cat. Out of curiosity, he peeked into the room.

Charles was sitting on the couch, a drink in his hand. The radio was softly playing a song Erik didn't know, but it had a good, slow rhythm. Raven was standing in the middle of the room, the grey cat in her arms as she happily swayed to the music. She was in her pyjamas. Charles was as well. He couldn't help but smile, just slightly.

Suddenly, Charles looked over at him, a surprised smile on his face. "Erik!" He said happily. Raven immediately looked over at the man as well, grinning. "Come join us!" He beckoned for him to join him on the couch. He looked so innocent when he smiled at the older man.

Erik sighed and shrugged, walking further into the room. Raven smiled and let Dante leap from her arms. As soon as Erik had sat down beside Charles, Raven grabbed her brother's arm and pulled him up. "Dance with me!" She said playfully. Charles chuckled and very sloppily twirled his sister around. Erik watched in annoyance and amusement.

He watched them for a moment before the cat caught his attention once again. He jumped up onto the arm of the couch and lied down, his eyes drifting over to stare at Erik. He frowned and stare right back at him. He almost cracked a smile when the cat mewed, licking his paw indifferently. He huffed out a breath and looked back over at Charles and Raven. Raven stared at him intently for a second, then looked back to Charles with a smile.

Erik shrugged it off, grabbing Charles' drink and taking a sip.

There was a thunder storm, three days after they had been there. Erik didn't know what the others were doing. He knew Charles was in his room, he had heard the man's door shut from where he was in his own room. The rain had started late in the afternoon, just after they started making dinner. It had gone from a little bit to a complete downpour after about two hours of on and off rain. Around nine is when the thundering really had started. Erik didn't really care. It wasn't anything he wasn't already used to.

A door slamming across the hall caught his attention, bringing him out of his thoughts. He set the book he was reading down and looked at his door, his brows furrowing. It was definitely Dante's door that had slammed. But, why? He walked over and opened his door just a crack. He saw a figure standing in the hall, just in front of Dante's room. He didn't recognize them; was this Dante, as a human? As another crash of thunder sounded, the boy jumped and nearly fell over as he ran down the hall.

His eyes widened at the sight as he stepped out into the hallway. He saw the boy banging on a door- Charles' door. He looked utterly terrified as the rain continued to fall. He watched the door swing open, Charles stepping out into the hall to see Dante. He visibly relaxed as he rested a hand on the boy's shoulder. Another crash of lightning and he jumped once again, his hand gripping Charles' shirt. Erik hadn't realized he was walking towards them until he was a few feet away.

Charles stared down at the boy, letting out a deep sigh. His eyes drifted slowly to where Erik was now standing. He gave him an apologetic smile as he gestured for the man to follow, if he wanted. He turned to walk back into his room. Erik didn't know why, but he followed him inside. He didn't know if it was simple curiosity or actual concern for the younger mutant. As he closed the door, he saw Charles moving the boy over to his bed.

Charles sat down first, letting the boy climb half way onto his lap. He gently stroked his hair as the boy shook, letting out a shuddering breath. He looked at Erik and licked his lips in thought. Erik slowly sat down across from him, on an arm chair. They stayed silent for a long time, thunder and lightning fading into background noise. He couldn't know for sure, but Erik thought Charles was speaking to Dante through his mind. The small boy eventually began to relax, his grip loosening on Charles' shirt.

He hadn't noticed earlier, but even in human form, Dante was grey. His skin was a light grey, darker marks perfectly etched into his skin. It wasn't like a tattoo. It was his real skin; he had the same marks as he did as a cat. Were all his forms grey? He couldn't see his eyes, but he was sure they'd be blue. His hair was a much darker grey, almost black. Erik also hadn't noticed earlier, but the boy was completely naked.

"... Looks like he's finally asleep." He looked back up at his friend as he spoke. He let himself smile, just a bit before nodding. Charles moved slowly, lifting the boy up bridal style. He carefully set his head down on the pillows before pulling the covers over him. He took a deep breath and settled back down beside Dante, resting a hand in his hair.

Erik watched the boy sleep for a moment before looking at Charles. he had a content smile on his face, but... He also looked so sad. Like he was about to cry. He shifted in his seat, folding his hands. "... So, he's afraid of thunder?" He asked finally.

Charles almost looked surprised by the question as he turned to face his friend. He sighed and nodded, going back to watch Dante. "Yes... Since I've met him, he's always been terrified of the thunder. It's gotten better; he used to get aggressive when you approached him during a storm." He let out a half-hearted laugh. "His mother won't tell me why, though."

Erik raised an eyebrow at that, looking over at the small boy. "He has family?"

Charles hummed lightly, nodding his head. "He doesn't speak with them often... I know he visits his family during the holidays, but that's it." He huffed out a breath. "There are many things I do not know about him..." He mumbles, staring down at the sleeping figure.

Erik stares at Charles in slight surprise; He sounded so much older than he was. His face seemed tired, now that he really looked. Before he thought about what he was doing, he had stood up. Charles' eyes looked up at him with a quizzical stare before Erik was directly in front of him, leaning down to eye level.

It was just a small peck, nothing more. Lips pressed against each other for a matter of seconds. Charles' eyes stayed open as he stared at Erik in confusion. Erik simply gave him a small smile. "Good night, Charles." He practically whispered, turning and leaving the room. Charles didn't move. He continued to stare after Erik, even after the door had shut.

Erik paused in the hall, taking a deep breath. He didn't want to think about what he had just done. But Charles... He had looked so weary just then. Like his world was so fragile, and one wrong move could send it shattering. He quickly walked back to his room as another crash of thunder boomed through the house. He really hoped this storm would stop soon.

"Why isn't Dante fixed?"

It was lunch, with everyone sitting down at the table. Raven nearly choked on her glass of juice. Charles and Erik both stared at Alex in complete shock when he asked that question. For a split second, Erik had completely forgotten the others didn't know. Dante had been sitting in the window, just a few feet away when the question was asked. He visibly tensed, turning his head to stare at the blond. Sean and Hank both stared at Alex in amusement and confusion.

Charles cleared his throat, looking back down at his plate and absentmindedly playing with his eggs. "Dante doesn't... He isn't too fond of other cats." He said after a moment. Raven was trying to keep from laughing at that. Erik could see her smiling behind her cup. "I saw no need to have him.. Fixed." He was trying so hard to keep a straight face as he talked.

Alex looked surprise as he turned his head to look at Dante. "You aren't worried he'll knock up some stray cat?" He asked. Raven looked like she wanted to strangle the man, which just made Erik smile. Charles quickly shook his head, his face completely red. Dante meowed loudly as he jumped down from the window and stalked out of the room.

Raven cleared her throat, setting the fork down on her plate. "Well, I'm gonna... Go put my plate away." She pushed out her chair and walked to the sink. Hank mumbled "me too" and followed after Raven. The two quickly left the room after that, but Erik could hear their snickering. Sean was holding back laughter as well.

Erik shook his head and sighed, glancing over at Charles for a moment. He looked away as soon as Charles' eyes met his in a split moment. He went back to eating his breakfast. They still hadn't talked about last night. He didn't even know what he would say if they ever finally talked about it.

It was later in the day, after training had finished. Erik wandered to a room with a T.V., only to find Alex lying on the couch. His eyes were closed. Erik didn't know what was on the T.V.. It looked like some kind of commercial. He was paying more attention to what Alex was doing. Dante was lying happily on his chest, staring at the T.V. intently. When Erik walked in, his eyes shifted to stare at the man. Erik stared back.

His ear flicked as someone walked over, standing beside the man. Dante turned and looked back at the T.V. as Erik glanced over at the person beside him. It was Raven. "Did Charles tell you? About Dante." She whispered, staring at Alex and the cat with a small smile. He hummed in response, nodding his head. "Hank figured it out the second day here." She said casually, "He asked me why Dante preferred staying like this."

"And what did you tell him?" He asked slowly.

"The truth." She paused, taking a deep breath. "I don't know why he likes being a cat; I know he's perfectly fine with being grey. He's very comfortable with his own skin. He just... Likes being a cat. Charles might know why." She shrugged, crossing her arms.

He hums softly, staring at the cat as he watched the T.V.. That was a curious thing. If Dante is fine with his true form, why continue to be a cat? A small, weak, animal. He'd have to deal with fleas and people picking him up and having to be pet- wait.

He let out a breathy chuckle, turning and walking towards the stairs. He got it. Acting like a cat also meant no responsibility of being human. He could lounge about and spend his days relaxing instead of having to do the many things humans had to do. No taxes, no working. Free to do what you want. He'd never chose to be a cat, but he could see why someone who could would.

He thinks Raven mumbled something after him, but he didn't hear it.

The first time Erik saw Dante as something other than a cat, it nearly scared him. Nearly. It had definitely taken him off guard.

He was doing his morning run around the mansion. He had just barely heard a hiss before he stopped dead in his tracks. A snake was staring directly up at him, hissing. It's tail rattled rapidly as Erik stared down at it. He moved to go around it, but a figure running directly towards them made him pause. Suddenly, there was a small grey creature standing in front of him, growling. It was more lanky than a cat. After a moment, he realized what it was. A mongoose.

The creature lets out a noise that almost sounds like a bark before striking at the snake. The snake hisses and tries to bite his paw, but he moves and bites down just bellow it's head. The snake struggled, trying to move to bite but to no avail. After a few seconds, it goes limp. The mongoose turns and looked straight up at Erik with dark blue eyes.

He frowned, staring at Dante with annoyance. It was almost grotesque, seeing him stand there with a snake dangling from his mouth. "That was unnecessary, but thank you... I guess." He mumbled, huffing out a breath. he started running once again.

When he took a glance behind him, Dante was wandering towards the fence. He spit the snake out beside it, then jumped up to lie on the fence. Her shook his head and sighed, continuing to run.

When he passed the backyard again, Dante was back to being a cat. He was staring off in the direction of a Satellite.

A/N: Yay, another chapter! :D! I decided I'm gonna try doing weekly updates. Fallen is helping to keep me on the schedule, instead of posting 3 chapters in a row then disappearing for 3 months.

Dante's fear of thunder completely has to do with him almost constantly being in the state of mind of an animal. Even when he's a human, his mentality still mirrors an animal. The longer he stays as a human, the more human his mind is. This is also why Charles has problems with reading his mind, because majority of the time it's practically an animal's mind. It's most human after he wakes up, because he sleeps as a human.

The little dance scene was something my sister asked for, so I just did a small tidbit with it.