Chapter Text
There were many sides to "The Wolverine" that not everyone knew about.
Yes they did know him well enough that they were comfortable with him around and the children seemed to almost idolize him. Especially few of the older students who liked to think of him as a mentor figure of sorts.
He taught them how to fight and defend themselves and in return they pestered him without getting maimed. Logan grumbled and shooed them away when they became too jittery but you could see that he also had a soft spot for them, even if he liked to pretend otherwise.
But still even with all that, not many considered him to be a babysitter. Not that he would harm the child of course, but scaring the child rather than comforting them was the more likely option. He would never refuse to babysit a child if Charles asked him to simply because he respected the professor too much. But he would complain and make it very clear to everyone involved that he was less than happy with the situation.
So it was a surprise to most when Logan was the first to offer to take a child from Hank when he returned from a retrieval mission involving a small child that was screaming and looked like a small red tomato.
Hank looked at Logan with wonder for a few seconds before almost dropping the child when the small screaming miscreant decided to bite him in his outburst. Logan quickly then caught the child from Hanks blue paw-like hands.
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"Now Logan- be careful this little 'darling' of a child has been having the worst temper since we saved him from the so called orphanage."
Hank said while inspecting his now bruised arm, he looked tired from the trip. No doubt the child had been screaming the whole time.
Logan acted like he didn't even hear him just glanced at the bit arm while settling the child against his chest like many would with a toddler. He sniffed the child and held him out a bit so he could see his face. The child was small enough to be a toddler but the specific age of the child was yet to be discovered.
The child continued to scream and Ororo who was nearby was prepared to soothe the child if things go worse but Logan seemed to have this one under control. Logan looked at the child but didn't do anything yet, he seemed to be scenting the child as a wolf would scent a weird cub. Not that she had ever seen a wolf up close but it was what she imagined it would look like.
The boy stopped his screaming and instead was now looking at the new man, still distraught but clearly calmer. Hank seemed to breath out relieved now that the yelling wasn't causing further damage to his hearing.
"Where did ya find him?" Logan asked but didn't look away from the boy who was now studying the man who was holding him.
"Well he was living in this ghastly orphanage, if you can call it that, before Charles found him. His mutant gene was activated few days ago in a fight and he bit a boys ear off."
Hank said now somber while crossing his arms and walking closer to them.
"You can image how they reacted when a "freak of nature" was now living with them and harmed another child." He growled out the last sentence. Clearly angry at the people who were supposed to look after the child. It wasn't news that not everyone seemed to accept mutants even if they were all over the planet and couldn't help being a mutant. Still there were children being kicked out of their homes and forced to hide their mutation from the world.
"Luckily we got to him when we did, he has clearly not been treated well in there, it's no wonder his in such shape."
Logan agreed.
"Yeah, he seems to be a feisty one alright." He growled out. The boy was now grabbing his hair and pulling it as if to test the waters on how much he could annoy this new man.
Logan growled low and the boy backed away but was not deterred by it. Instead he now was trying to grab his face and his sideburns.
"What is he doing now?" Scott snorted out, amused by the scene in front of him. The great big and scary Wolverine was holding a squirming child who was acting as if the man wouldn't maim him in seconds.
Logan looked over to Scott and glared at him as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.
"He's figuring out who I am 'Cyke, you know. As you do." He growled but it was cut short when the boy was now inspecting his fangs and Logan was forced to clamp his mouth shut almost nipping the boys fingers.
Scott looked at him with a raised eyebrow and was still smirking.
"Yeah, as people do. I don't grab at faces Logan I don't know where you grew up, likely in a forest, but that is not a thing around here."
Logan rolled his eyes as if Scott was the densest student in one of his classes.
"Yeah you don't, but you're also not like him and me are you boy scout. He's a feral like me, so the fastest way to get to know the kid, is for the kid to get to know you first."
He explained slowly, acting like he was talking to a particularly dumb person.
"A feral? How do you know?" Ororo asked before Scot could say something stupid in front of the boy that was now calmly looking around him with a grimace on his face.
" I can smell 'im and he can smell me. That's why the pup was having a melt down when the doc' here was taking him out."
The boy was now looking more and more tired and his eyelids started to droop. All the excitement from the day tiring him out. Logan seemed to notice this as well as he growled softly at the boy who lowered his head on his shoulder near the neck, as if to seek warmth from him.
"So he trust you now?" Hank asked while coming around to look at the boy who now was snoring quietly.
The other feral seemed to think about it for a moment before shrugging.
"I don't know bub I can't really translate feral behavior for you doc'. He was just having a fit so the best thing I know is to make sure the pup knows he's safe, for now."
He explained while looking a little abashed. He was starting to get twitchy from having all the attention on him and he wasn't too fond of it. But he could feel the pup relax more and more in his arms by the minute so he could bear it out for now.
He didn't talk about his feral side often. People thought it just meant his more violent side and that it made him unpredictable and irritated. There was clearly more depth to it than anyone had previously imagined. Maybe that is part of the reason he feels uncomfortable talking about it since he would be doing most of the talking. And from everyone's experience he wasn't the most talkative person.
Logan was now swaying slowly and he had his head covering the boys head slightly. There was also a deep rumble that could be hard only if you were standing close enough. Scott thought it was off-putting to see his normally angry teammate almost calm while holding a toddler. Not a sight that he thought he would see in a million years for sure.
"So you have seen other feral mutants before I presume?"
Logan switched his gaze from the boy to Hank who looked like he was making notes in his head for something probably behavioral science related. He wasn't too keen on finding out what it was though.
"I- well no, it's-" Logan struggled for a few minutes, he couldn't remember his past that clearly but he had some experience if his body knew what do do. Or it was all just instincts. He wasn't sure at this point.
"It's just instincts, I think." He finally replied avoiding his eyes making Hank raise his eyebrows.
Logan wasn't usually unsure of anything. If he was he rarely said it or let it show. So to get a 'not so straight forward answer' was an anomaly in it self.
"So you don't know?" Scott snapped now confused by this behavior. He wasn't as ignorant as Logan liked to believe, but this new side was out of his expertise.
Logan huffed out getting irritated but he didn't want to wake up the pup so he quietly replied in a gruff voice getting more and more uncomfortable with the situation.
"Look, Bub. I don't know. It's instincts. I just know that the pup was unwell, so I felt like I had to make it better got it." He glared now openly and was showing his sharp teeth threateningly. Intentionally or subconsciously. He was also turning his body so the boy was less visible to Scott than before as if to shield him from him.
Scott didn't say anything at first but seemed to understand that now wasn't the best time to aggravate an angry Wolverine with a child in his arms who he seems to be protecting.
He did however feel the need to poke at him a little bit. Just a little.
"So you're now taking in stray wolf cubs? That's sweet, our resident babysitter? Alpha wolf of the pack"
Scott said trying to make a joke out of it to ease the mood but only got a confused look back.
Logan tilted his head kind of like a confused canine.
-Scott decided to keep a joke about that to himself.
Logan seemed to actually ponder the question which got Scott off guard, it was supposed to be just a joke to get this weird mood changed. Not an actual question that needed to be answered.
"Well the way I'm seeing is is that I'm the only feral around here who can take care of a pup right now," Logan then glanced at Hank.
"Sorry Hank but you're not quite there bub, you're a good teacher and all- " Hank just waved him away. He was aware that despite his appearance he was a low class feral-like mutant, but not actually a feral. So certain things he would never get, like apparently this instinct. He had no right to get offended over something like that.
He would like to study it more of course, when the time is more suitable.
"-So it's the only option I see unless you wanna have a handful of a wild pup to take care of." Logan said with a smirk and acted like he was about to hand the kid to Scott who in turn raised his hands to turn the kid away.
"No you're.. correct. You keep holding him. You can heal.." Scott said and looked at Hanks hand that now had a remarkable bruise on it.
Logan smirked at Scott and adjusted the kid back on his shoulder where the boy continued to sleep unaware of his surroundings.
"And don't be saying stupid shit like that Summers, 'Alpha of the pack'." Logan said now looking more serious and like he was slightly offended that Scott would even say a thing like that.
"..what?"
Scott asked bewildered. It was a joke. Not a statement. Right?
"what do you mean?" Hank immediately caught on and was again looking like he just found a fascinating scientific study to read about.
Logan looked around uncomfortably once again being the center of attention. He should have know it was a joke but having all these instincts wreaking havoc up in his brain had got him heated. He wasn't too proud of it but he could save his reputation later, he had more pressing issues right now. One being the boy.
"Charles is the top dog 'right. Don't say stupid shit like that it's disrespecting."
He clarified as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. It was not appropriate in his opinion to say things like that. He respected the other man tremendously and he was proud that he had someone like that around him.
Scott closed his mouth with a click and seemed to take that as an answer. Logan knew that they didn't consider Charles the boss the same way he did, being 'normal' so to say. They respected him of course but with him it was different. It was instincts. Everything seemed to be about them in his confusing life.
"Can we now please, go inside or something 'm getting sick of standing 'round here." Logan mumbled low and started to walk past the group heading for the doors. Eager to get the pup to sleep somewhere he deemed safe and to get some 'alone time' to deal with everything.
"Ah yes, of course." Hank broke free from his thoughts and darted after him.
"We have the med bay already prepared for his arrival so if you could take him there for me." Hank said as he was preparing to go down there to examine the child himself.
Scott looked at Jean as they were left behind to stand there on the grass. Jean just smiled and shrugged at him as she took his hand and started to lead him inside.
What else would they discover about their teammate that appeared not to be so hostile as they had thought?
Scott dreaded to think about it.
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