Honestly meant to have this up earlier but I've been on and off sick as heck and just all over the place that I forgot I even finished this chapter lol.

Chapter Five: Noticed – Part Two

Chris' golden eyes drifted towards the window and he bit his lip, rolling over the pros and cons of the idea in his head. Surely with all the others running around getting ready, the two telepaths wouldn't be too worried about him, they definitely wouldn't be focusing on where he was or what he was doing. If anything, they were likely assuming that he was sneaking by everyone in the hallways to get out, ducking into various rooms or possibly trying to use the vents. (Not that he fit in the vents, but that hadn't stopped him from trying every now and then.)

There were far too many people around for that though, and while he could get by them possibly without being noticed, as almost every little's attention would be focused on two things–food and superheroes–he didn't want to have to push his way through the crowd or risk actually bumping someone. That had happened before and the girl started crying loudly, scaring him so badly that he refused to leave his room except at night once everyone was in bed. Those were some of those 'eating cookies on the balcony' nights with Rogue.

Granted, he didn't fancy the idea of having to wait until after all of the hero stuff was done and over with to be able to eat, but he'd gone much longer without food before and he knew it was his own fault for not getting food sooner. It was his own mind, his own fears, keeping him from getting breakfast like everyone else. No one was actually stopping him. Logically, he knew that no one at the school would fuss him or hurt him just for going down to eat breakfast like any other little…

But, he couldn't push past those fears, not yet. So he settled on just heading outside, and the balcony was his best bet to do so. Pushing himself back up, he hopped off the bed and over to the closet. First, he tossed a pair of socks and shoes into a small backpack, as he wouldn't be able to use his claws with them on, along with an extra pull-up. As he glanced around for anything else he might need, something caught his eye and he paused, frowning.

A soft, pastel blue onesie hung in the closet amongst his other clothes, a gift given to him not long after he was officially moved into a room at the school. Similar to the one he'd woken up in when he'd woken up in the school. He'd never worn it, unable to bring himself to do so, but there had been many a night where he'd hold it in his sleep, pretending it was a stuffed animal, a soft toy that a caregiver had lovingly given to him…

Shaking his head, he zipped up the backpack and made his way to the window. It was about a head and a half taller than he was, and opened up to a small balcony, where he stood, slipping the backpack on as he let out the rest of his mutant side. Typically only his ears and tail would pop out when he wasn't focusing, but now all of his features were on display. Now though, he looked well, what the more 'proud' mutants would call 'normal', but to him, it was monstrous, but as long as he didn't look at his reflection, he could ignore it and just pretend he didn't look the way he did.

Looking down from where he was, he could see that there were already a few people outside. Scott it seemed was walking around, and a small group of students, but they weren't looking in his direction and were headed off towards the field, so he was good to go, so long as he didn't make any noise and didn't mess up and er… fall.

Shutting the window, he jumped onto the ledge of the balcony before taking a deep breath and leaped for the closest set of vines. His claws allowed him to better grasp them, and hold onto ledges and other balconies as he carefully made his way down. It wasn't easy, even after all the times he'd done it, but still, he thought it a better option than fighting the crowd of students. It took some time, and he had to be sure to avoid any windows, but he made it. As he got the final few feet to the ground, he dropped, landing in the bushes.

"Ugh." Crawling out on all fours, he shook out the leaves and small twigs that stuck to him before plopping onto his butt and taking off his backpack. Forcing his more 'monstrous' features back into hiding, he slid on his socks and shoes, grabbed the little backpack, and stood, heading off in the direction he'd seen the others going. The field would be the most likely spot for the invited 'heroes' to arrive, as it was the largest open area, giving whoever it was plenty of landing space.

Turning the corner, he saw that more littles had gathered already and were separated into various groups. Some were eating the remainder of their breakfast, others were playing various games–running around with a ball or chasing each other in a game of tag or something, but they were all laughing and smiling.

With a soft sigh, he made his way to the side of the building, far away from everyone, and took a seat next to some blossoming flower bushes, pulling his hood up over his head. That usually kept others from bothering him.

It was rather nice out, peaceful, and with his schoolmates so far off, he could easily ignore them. The air smelled fresh and clear, the sun was warm, and he could feel himself starting to drift off, which wasn't surprising considering he'd gotten to sleep so late. If not for Bobby plopping down onto the ground right next to him with a loud, "Heya Chris!" that made him nearly jump out of his skin, he may have taken a nap right there.

His features nearly came back out on instinct and it took a lot of self control to not let out a defensive snarl at the other boy as his heart pounded in his chest. Rogue, thankfully, sat down a lot more quietly than her 'boyfriend' had, offering a happy, but more gentle, "G'morning." as a greeting.

In favour of ignoring Bobby, which made him pout, Chris turned his attention to her, tilting his head curiously as he saw that she was carrying a number of water bottles and snacks in her arms. "Figured you'd be avoidin' the kitchen, so I grabbed us some stuff to eat while we wait."

Apples and graham crackers, as well as a large bag of gummy bears, which he knew one of them had to have snagged from Scott's secret stash. Though it wasn't really a secret these days. All the littles knew about it, but it was heavily guarded, so attempting to get anything usually resulted in a spanking for the perpetrator, as well as a lengthy time out and writing lines.

Rogue handed each boy a bottle of water, an apple, and a pack of graham crackers, and he ate happily… when they weren't looking. Rogue knew he was paranoid when it came to eating, and had warned Bobby of this, so even though she had to reach over and smack the older little once in the back of the head to 'remind' him to be quiet and pay attention to his own snacks, Chris was able to eat at his own pace peacefully enough that he finished both snacks provided for him.

Children, our guests will be arriving shortly. I ask that you all vacate the field at this time to allow for their landing. Please remain together near the school and in clear view of one of our caregivers until each of our guests has exited the aircraft. Professor Xavier's voice rang clear in everyone's head, firm, but polite as always. Stay with the caregivers at all times and further instruction will be given upon their arrival. I ask that you do not allow your excitement to get the better of you and that you do not overwhelm our guests. Anyone who does not follow the rules set in place will be taken inside, promptly disciplined, and put down to nap until they have gone. Scott, Ororo, Jean, and Logan are all outdoors now. Hank and I will be joining you momentarily.

The trio watched as the mass of students quickly made their way towards the mansion and it was moments before the entire area was crowded. Chris backed up as far as he could, pressing himself almost into the bushes, and Rogue moved to sit in front of him, motioning for Bobby to do the same, effectively guarding him from being trampled.

While Chris couldn't see anything beyond his schoolmates, he could hear the sound of Hank's footsteps and the Professor's wheelchair as they emerged from the school. Remember, everyone to control yourselves. Each of you will get the chance to say hello to our guests, and they will happily answer many of the questions that I'm sure you will have. Once again, if you disobey the rules, you will be taken back inside and disciplined.

The sound of the aircraft hit Chris' ears before it was seen, and when he looked over in it's direction, Rogue and Bobby followed his gaze. It was less than a minute before a sleek, "STARK" branded aircraft came into view, hovering over the field. Stark…? That meant that their 'heroic' guests were the Avengers. Even he would admit, that was kind of cool, as he heard many stories of things they had done, but as a whole, his view on superheroes remained the same.

As the aircraft landed and activity picked up, Chris' ears stood high, causing his hood to slide off as they twitched, trying to pick up on what all was going on. There was so much noise though, that he couldn't pick out anything distinct. The students were all chattering and giggling, the adults were doing their best to keep them under control, and Bobby, being the excited 'teen' he was, jumped up and ran into the crowd the moment he thought he could get close.

Rogue sighed and shook her head, then smiled at Chris, standing up, not only to avoid a possible trampling, but to see if they'd be able to actually see anything from where they were. While he would have much preferred staying right where he was, he stood up as well, staying just behind her.

Though muffled by everyone else's voices, he could somewhat hear people from the Avengers talking, as well as the Professor–introductions, maybe?

Then, clear as day in his head, Alright everyone, if you wish to say hello, please come up in groups of five. You will be polite, you will not touch anyone without their permission, and you will use your inside voices. Remember that these are our guests and meeting them is a privilege. If you misbehave–

That was enough. Chris had to get out. There were too many students, too much noise, and he knew if he stayed put, he'd be pulled along to meet the group. That wasn't a risk he was going to take–being surrounded by people with those skills, that strength, with a high likelihood of him freaking out and having a panic attack right in front of them.

No he needed to leave, to be alone where no one wouldn't notice him, where no one would go looking for him for a while. Just…. Just until he calmed down.

The problem with that was there was no visible escape. There were students on all sides and caregivers watching everyone up front. If he shoved by the ones in the back, he might be able to scoot around the building, but the very idea of that sent a cold shiver down his spine.

Which meant that his only way out was up. "R-Rogue–!" Her head snapped towards him, hearing the panic in his voice, "I-I g-gotta–" She looked at him, watched as he started to shake, his eyes darting from her to the crowd to the wall. Knowing what was going on, she nodded in understanding.

"It's alright. I'll cover for ya as best I can. Just be extra quiet and head up the vines. Everyone's super focused on the Avengers, so no one should notice." With a thankful nod, Chris sniffled, tears beginning to build. He let out his wolf features once again, kicking his socks and shoes into the bushes, along with his bag (figuring he could retrieve them later).

It took a bit of effort, in his panic, to get started, but once he had a firm grasp of the vines, he shot up the wall like a bullet, taking hold of whatever was in reach in order to propel himself upwards. He almost slipped a couple of times, scraping his arm on the brick wall, but he ignored that, and the tears that followed–he couldn't stop, couldn't go back down.

While none of the mutants looked his way, aside from Rogue, who was watching to make sure he made it safely, there was a pair of curious, amazed blue eyes watching him move, sadness in the owner's heart that whoever that boy was felt the need to flee in such a hurry from what was supposed to be a fun day for all of the littles. He said nothing of what he saw, knowing that if the boy was fleeing from the activities in such a way, that drawing mass attention to him would likely only make things worse, and kept on with what he was doing. He continued to speak with the littles that approached him, smiling, shaking hands and patting heads, but did nudge the teammate closest to him, making the slightest movement towards the building. Said teammate did the same to the one beside him and it kept on until all of them noticed and they all glanced over just in time to see the frightened mutant disappear the final few feet up the wall and onto the roof.

With all of their thoughts on exactly the same thing, it was all too easy for Professor Xavier to pick up on what was going on. Sighing softly, he sent a mental message to the other caregivers of what took place, so they'd know not to worry when they couldn't find him once they started directing everyone back inside.

Chris, though, got a personal message from the older mutant, who was less than pleased about what he had done.

When things have settled, I believe you and I need to have a talk, little one.

Not that Chris didn't see that coming, but he had hoped that maybe just this once, he just might get away with what he'd done.

As the events continued, the blue-eyed Avenger in particular made a mental note to talk to the Professor about this little escape artist once things were finished, a flurry of questions swirling in his mind.