"Raven," Charles said, when he could finally get a word in edgewise, dropping the brush in his lap and taking her by both shoulders. "You were not being stupid. Nothing about you is stupid. I wish you wouldn't say things like that about yourself."
"All I'm concerned about is--well, that, exactly. I worry about how much you look to other people to tell you that you are beautiful. Believe me, I'm a man, so when I tell you that the validation of a man for a pretty, charming girl like you who doesn't always have the best self-esteem isn't usually worth very much. I'm not saying it never is, but I think--before you get naked in anyone else's bed it might be a good idea to wait until you feel better about your looks. I don't want you to get hurt." Charles sighed, but not at Raven--his frustration was internal, and he tucked Raven's hair behind her ear as he thought of how to continue. "I'm not angry, and I'm not disappointed. What you did was perfectly natural. Erik is my best friend, and he's a good friend to you, I can't possibly fault you for looking for affirmation. But perhaps that just isn't the way to do it."
"And," he added, in a flash of relative inspiration, although he had to look away from her to the dresser across the room, biting his lip. "Before you think I'm being an overprotective idiot, I did exactly the same thing a few times. And I always ended up worse off for it. A kiss is one thing, but anything else and it--becomes more complicated. Meaningless kisses are important, actually, they can be quite fun, but...any time something means a great deal to you and nothing to someone else, it's going to hurt you."