If The Suit Fits, Wear It!

"I'm sorry, Half-Pint, but if you think you I am going to let you leave your room wearing that…you are sadly mistaken!"

Kitty huffed and stamped her foot. "Lo-gan!" she whined. "It's a swimsuit. I'm going swimming. I kinda have to wear a swimsuit to go swimming, don't I?"

"Not one like that you don't," the mutant known as Wolverine declared hotly.

Pouting prettily – in that way that always got Kurt to agree to anything, such as going to the Institute's Halloween Party dressed and Belle and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast – Kitty said sulkily, "You think I look fat, don't you? That's why you don't want me to wear my new bikini." Tears brimmed in her eyes and she ducked her head to hide the fact that she wasn't really crying, but rather faking it extremely well.

Logan gulped. A teenage girl – and not just any teenage girl, but Kitty Pryde, for whom he'd always had a soft spot; Kitty Pryde who he'd almost given a concussion to last week – was crying. Because of him.

This…is bad. Really bad. "N-no," he stuttered. "I think you look fit, trim, slim – pretty much in perfect shape," he rushed to reassure the girl.

Got him, Kitty thought smugly. She sniffed for effect and looked up at Logan, milking her fake tears for all they were worth. "Then w-why won't you let me wear m-my new swimsuit?"

Be strong, Logan counseled himself. You are the Wolverine. You can hold up in the face of one young…cute…innocent…crying…teenage girl.

An underage girl wearing a pale pink string bikini that is almost see-through even dry, his conscience – the one part of him that seemed, perversely, not to be affected by displays of feminine emotion; most of it was focused on the kids under his charge, the younger girls in particular, at this moment, Kitty specifically – pointed out.With that thought, Logan firmed his resolve. "I just think you're showing too much flesh what with all those hormonal teenager boys running around out there," he said carefully. "They might get the wrong idea." Like that you're trying to seduce your boyfriend in public… he thought with a mental growl towards the Institute's resident 'blue fuzzy elf'.

"But all the other girls are wearing bikinis too," Kitty pointed out reasonably. "Why can't I?" The old 'everybody else is doing it' excuse wasn't really the best one, but she did have a point. Even Storm was wearing a modest white two-piece with a bandeau top. Kitty had caught Logan giving the weather witch more than one glance out of the corner of his eye.

Sensing that he wasn't about to win this argument, Logan capitulated. Actually, he gave in like one of Remy's houses of cards when Evan barreled into it on his skateboard by accident, but let's not go there, shall we? "All right, Half-Pint. You can wear that…suit," he said, for lack of a better descriptor. He rubbed his forehead with one hand, the other waving in the direction of the hall. "Go on out to the pool, all right?"

Smiling brightly, no trace of tears on her cheeks now that her deception was at an end, Kitty chirped, "Like, thanks so much, Mr. Logan!" and scampered off to the pool. It shouldn't be very hard to get Kurt to rub sunscreen on my back…

Logan leaned back against the wall and heaved a heavy sigh. "Teenagers…"