Lupin Flowers

Who: Ransom and Charlotte
Where: A restaurant, then Charlotte's house
When: Evening

He'd not been entirely sure that Charlotte's mother would let her go out, but upon finding out that her grounding only kept her from her own car, Ransom made sure he had the truck for the night. The sun was just setting when he drove over to her house, and he parked the truck out front, before running up to knock on the door. He didn't know what they were going to do, but he wasn't sure it mattered. He was sure they'd have fun so long as they were together.

Charlotte was pleased her mom had finally figured out how this punishment thing was going to work out, and had since decided that losing her car for a little while was a small price to pay. She'd only had it for a few weeks anyway, so it wasn't like she was losing much. When she heard Ransom's truck out front, she smiled and ran through the house to the foyer. "Bye, Mom!" she called, before throwing open the door. "Hey."

"Hey," Ransom grinned, arms sliding around her for a quick kiss hello. It was small, just meant to last a second, and yet his heart sped up as if he was in store for so much more. "This grounding thing isn't so bad," he teased. "Got anything you'd like to do tonight? We can go to dinner, a movie, anything." It was pay day, so he actually had the cash to make it happen if she so desired.

Charlotte smiled brightly up at him after hugging him. "I don't care. This is my first time going anywhere other than school in a few days, remember? I'm easily amused." And the truth was, even if that hadn't been the case, she was still easily amused. She was happy to do anything, just so long as they could hang out together.

"Well, there are a couples movies we could see," Ransom said, leading the way to his car and opening the door. "Unfortunately, half of them are horror movies, since it was just Halloween. Have you eaten dinner? We could grab something to eat, then maybe just... hang out." Giving her a winning smile, Ransom shut the door, then hurried around to his own side of the truck. "Does being grounded come with a curfew?" he asked, climbing in and starting up the engine.

"That sounds like the better plan." Charlotte admitted, smirking faintly as she pulled her seatbelt on. Normally she was fine with horror movies, but it was a bit harder to enjoy them when the stupid things got closer and closer to reality. "I dunno. I don't think it's occurred to my mom that I would ever need one yet. I thought coming home at three AM would have ruined that, but she didn't mention it."

"Maybe it's cause you were with me," he said, doubting that was the case, but he never knew when it came to her mom. She seemed to like him, so Ransom didn't complain. "Do anything exciting today?" he asked as he headed out towards a restaurant. He was thinking something easy, that provided vegetarian fare. He didn't want Charlotte to be stuck eating french fries at a burger place or anything like that.

"Not really." Charlotte admitted, smiling at him. "I slept in." Which by Charlotte's standards was sleeping until just before nine. "Did all my homework so I could monopolize your time." she added, grinning at him. "How about you?"

"Ooo, big word," he teased lightly. "Sexy. I worked this morning. Talked to a girl named May about her father being a ghost psychologist, and then Jessalyn came by to tell me about her date with Madock. Do you know him?" It would be nice if he knew someone other than Jessalyn that did, just in case. He still needed to meet him.

"Ghost psychologist?" Charlotte asked, focusing on that rather than the S word that made her feel kind of shy and fluttery all at the same time. Even if he was teasing, he was cute when he teased! She thought about the name and ultimately shook her head. "I don't think so. How long has Jessalyn been dating him?"

"Well, her dad's a regular psychologist, but I said it would be interesting if he started seeing ghosts as well. Like, helping them with their unfinished business, or whatever," Ransom said, shooting her a quick smile, but otherwise keeping his eyes on the road. "Jessalyn's only been on one date with him. They're going on another tonight. When she told me about their first conversation, I thought I might pass out there was so much blood in my cheeks," he laughed. "I just hope he's a nice guy, cause she really likes him."

Charlotte grinned a bit again, raising an eyebrow as she looked over at him. "I don't want to know, do I?" she asked. But it was fun to think about. She liked that Ransom blushed as easily as she did, it made her feel less weird. "I could ask Gabe next time I talk to him. Gabe knows everybody."

Ransom was sure he was turning just a bit red from thinking about it. He couldn't imagine talking to Charlotte about her breasts! Let alone his... yeah, not going to go there. "No, you don't," he laughed. "It was much, much worse than the light saber discussion, let's just say that." Though that had been very cute and amusing as well. "Would you ask him? I just like to watch out for her. She wants to make everyone around her happy, so I just wanna make sure he won't take advantage of her or something."

Oh jeez, just thinking about the light saber discussion made her cheeks go a bit pink. She still couldn't believe she'd walked into that. "Of course," she answered, easily. "It makes sense. Of course you watch out for her. Gabe'll probably know of him." It wasn't a name you heard a lot, at least.

"Thanks," Ransom smiled, appreciating the gesture. Hopefully he was worrying over nothing. "How did you meet Gabe, anyways?" he asked. "Not that he doesn't seem like a nice guy or anything, but he kind of runs with a different crowd... sometimes." And sometimes not, from what Ransom had seen lately. It kind of confused him, but he didn't usually mix with that crowd, so he didn't know what was going on.

Charlotte wrinkled her nose up a bit at the memory. Not at the Gabe-meeting part, but the cause hadn't been particularly fun. "When I first met Chrissy we had a very public... disagreement. And for a couple of days it made people talk about me and stare at me for no good reason. Gabe decided to talk to me at lunch one day, and he started inviting me to eat at his table. I didn't really get why for a long time, I had to wonder if he was just trying to upset Chrissy. But we get along."

"Interesting," Ransom said, his smile amused. He really didn't know what was going through the heads of some of his classmates, but he supposed it didn't matter. "I was just curious. He seems to trust you a lot. Which is good, cause you're a trustworthy person. Just..." Ransom smiled. "I like knowing about you, and your friends are important, you know? Did Kaysen like her cookies from Halloween?"

Charlotte smiled warmly at Ransom, feeling like he was being particularly adorable. "Gabe's a good guy. I'm glad I got over my paranoia." she said. "I think so. Kaysen's been kind of out of it. I think I'll go hang out with her tomorrow." She'd been having a tough time with the 'break' with Chance. Charlotte felt bad that she didn't know how to help.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, trying to be the good boyfriend and show concern for Charlotte's friends. If he'd known Kaysen just a little better, it might have been easier, though he honestly didn't wish the girl any harm. He could tell that she was good for Chance, which he thought was great, even if they weren't as close as they used to be. Anyone that could drag his ass out of that funk needed to hang around.

"She's going through a tough time." Charlotte answered, making a bit of a face. "I don't think I'm supposed to talk about it, though. I dunno." She didn't think it was exactly a secret, but at the same time she didn't think Kaysen would appreciate it getting out much.

"Okay," Ransom said, giving Charlotte a reassuring little smile. He could appreciate that, since he had the feeling Kaysen was a rather private person. And Charlotte was a good friend, so he didn't pressure her to tell him. "If there's ever anything I can do, let me know. I know Isaac, kind of, and Chance and I used to hang out, so we're okay. But... you know," he said. "Does soup sound good to you? I hear this place has awesome vegetable soup-- I always get the chili though."

"That's fine." Charlotte said, smiling at him. She knew he was very careful about not limiting her with the vegetarian thing, which she appreciated. "Don't worry about me so much, I can find stuff anywhere." she reminded him. "So are you going to try and meet Madock soon?"

"It's cold outside, so it sounded good," he told her, unable to not think about what she might want. Eventually he'd probably give in and drag her out for a burger, but not on a date! "I'm hoping I can meet him sometime this week. I know I'm acting like an older brother or something, but I just wanna make sure he's a good guy. Jessalyn says he makes her all tingly, and so I immediately want to sniff him out and make sure he's up to par."

Charlotte grinned. "That's so cute." she told him, shaking her head. "It only makes sense. She is like your little sister, kind of. Although you have plenty of those already." she pointed out. "Has she had a lot of boyfriends before?" She never knew, these days. She'd never dated before, but it seemed like people at school were getting together and breaking up every week.

Ransom smiled, though he did agree with her. Jessalyn was like a little sister. She was family, almost, and more than that, she was quite possibly part of his pack, which meant she might as well have been family. "She's had a few," Ransom said, pulling into the parking lot. "Mostly boys she's gone out with on a few dates, kissed a few times, but nothing really lasting. No one that's made her toes curl, at least not that she mentioned to me. And Jessalyn's not shy about mentioning it, so when she says she really likes Madock, I know she means it."

"I can't see Jessalyn ever being shy about anything." Charlotte admitted, chuckling softly. But she liked her - it seemed pretty impossible not to. She was just so likable. "I hope things work out for her then." It'd be awful if the guy wasn't worth her time.

"She's not," Ransom grinned as he parked the car. "Usually it's me getting all shy and embarrassed, which just sounds kind of backwards. I think it's because I was brought up to believe there's just some things you don't talk about in front of a girl. But then I don't know where I learned that from," he laughed. "Not all my siblings have the same philosophy."

"Yeah?" Charlotte asked. "I don't know if there's a reason for why I'm shy, I was as a little kid. I still think it might have something to do with the animal telepathy. Humans were so much more intimidating." And still were.

Ransom got out of the truck, then came around to open her door and help her out before replying. "I think everyone's different. Everyone has different comfort levels based on their experiences. I can be shy, but I'm not shy with you," he smiled. "Just let me know if I ever make you uncomfortable, cause... cause I don't want that."

Charlotte grinned as she took his hand. "You don't." she promised. "And if you ever did - which, for the record, is hard to imagine - you'd probably be able to tell before I could say anything. You and your superior senses and all." she teased.

"They're not superior," Ransom laughed. "They're just sensitive. Trust me, there are some things it would be better not to hear or smell. It's not like I can turn it off and on." Most of the time it didn't bother him, since he'd never known anything different, but there were occasions when he wished he didn't have the knowledge it provided him with. He was sure Charlotte would blush a lot more if she could sense half the things he could.

"It's gotta be overwhelming." Charlotte said, shaking her head. "I know it's really messing with Gabe right now, his senses being stronger all of a sudden. I wonder how long it'll take for him to get used to it." He was bound to get used to it eventually, right? God, she hoped so.

"Sometimes it is," Ransom admitted as he opened the door to the restaurant for her, pausing just briefly to tell the waitress there was only two of them. "Girls that wear a lot of perfume, or really loud parties, both give me a headache. Things that might just annoy people a little seem like a whole lot more." He could understand how it would be especially hard for Gabe right now, since it was a change from what he was used to. "It'll take him a while, but he'll probably learn with it. Like, right now he probably smells everything and can't quite identify what is what. You learn to pick out certain notes. Certain sounds. You learn what a clock ticking sounds like and that that's not something you need to listen to. Just like, your house makes little noises at night, right? When you first move in, you hear them all, but over time they fade because you accept them as background."

"I think the problem is that right now, nothing's background to him. It's a full on assault on every sense. School's gotta be chaotic for him." Sometimes Charlotte wished she could have been a were, but she did not envy Gabe for this. Not at all. She'd stick with her telepathy and earthyness, thanks.

"It'll take a while," Ransom said, feeling sympathy for Gabe. "School can be hell. If people are gossiping about you? You hear it. They think they're whispering, but you can hear everything." That had been especially hard on Ransom when he was younger, when more people remembered him as the kid who'd been struck by lightning. It was still hard to deal with when it rained, when he had to put up with the guys on the basketball team calling him names.

"That part would drive me crazy." Charlotte said, shaking her head. "I hate being talked about." Luckily, no one that wasn't supposed to didn't seem to care about her anymore. A few giggles and points when she'd started dating Ransom, and that was it. Charlotte was happy for it to stay that way.

"Me too," Ransom said, reaching across to take her hand as they sat at the table. "But I like being able to hear your heart, and smell your shampoo. Little things like that. I know it's a bit creepy, but it makes me feel close to you."

Charlotte couldn't help but grin again as she squeezed his hand. "I don't think it's creepy." she said. Maybe she should have, but it made her feel fluttery. Even if her cheeks did go a bit pink, she was getting better. She had accepted the fact that he could hear her heart and from time to time it was going to embarrass her.

"I'm glad," he said, smiling as he heard her heart speed up and saw her blush. "I'm so glad for what we have. I didn't think someone could make me this happy," he admitted, squeezing her hand back. So much just seemed to perfectly line up, her abilities plus his own. He didn't know how he'd have told her what he was if it wasn't for how it had happened.

That didn't help with the fluttery at all, it just made it a lot worse. But it was a good worse. She kept beaming at him, grinning like an idiot really, but she didn't care if anyone saw. She was happy, darn it. "Me too." she said, quietly. She still couldn't get over the way it felt like she'd known him so much longer than she actually had.

Ransom wouldn't have been all that surprised if they spent the entire meal looking into each others eyes and taking turns blushing. He was sure that everyone around them noticed, and he really didn't care. It was the kind of thing he'd heard about, but never really thought would happen to him. Until he met Charlotte. "So would you like to rent a movie to watch after dinner?" he asked.

"That'd be great." Charlotte agreed. "Anything but horror movies." she added, grinning again. "What are you in the mood for?" One thing to be said about dating, she was certainly catching up on movie watching. Even if the whole watching with a boyfriend thing was terribly distracting.

"No horror movies," Ransom agreed with a grin. "I dunno, though. Maybe something older? I know there's a lot of good movies that I haven't seen. Or any of those that came out when we were younger and my mom wouldn't let me see," he added with a laugh. "What's your favorite movie? Or one of your favorites, cause I can never narrow something like that down?"

"Augh, I hate the favorites question." Charlotte giggled. "I'm so terrible at deciding. I like book movies. And animal movies. But not March of the Penguins, that movie made me cry." She and her mom had really embarrassed themselves in the movie theater by blubbering about a dead baby penguin. "I like Indiana Jones, those are fun. What about you?"

"Animal movies always confuse me. I don't know how I feel about them," Ransom admitted. "It sounds silly, but I tend to want to root for the dog. I can't stand movies where the cat is the main character. Yeah," he laughed at himself. "It's a little ridiculous. But the Indiana Jones movies are fun. So is the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Then there's movies like The Matrix, where you've just gotta pretend it was a single movie with no follow ups. Or The Terminator. Though the second one of those was good, too. But those are guy movies. I'm not all that great at picking favorites either."

Charlotte couldn't help but grin. "That's too funny." she told him, looking highly amused. "Okay, no animal movies. I'd hate to see you decide you have to terrorize my cats for revenge." she teased. "Guy movies are okay. I don't really like the girly romantic comedies. The Matrix is more believable."

"I would never chase after your cats!" Ransom laughed. "At least, not like this, and I'm pretty sure I could restrain myself in any other form. I'm positive I could. Just... don't ever get a rabbit for a pet, okay?" he said with a little cringe. "That might be a bit harder. I don't hunt cats. And I'm glad you're into some of the guy movies. I can handle a romantic comedy now and then, but it's gotta be a good one. Like The Princess Bride. That's worth watching."

"We had rabbits before, they always lived in the yard though." Charlotte admitted. They'd been through tons of animals over the years. "The Princess Bride is good. Again - book movie." she pointed out. "And one of the few that did it right."

"There are a lot of good book movies," Ransom said, thinking about that. "Did you ever see Fight Club? I don't know if that's your kind of thing. Again, more of a guy movie, but pretty well done." When the waitress came to the table, he realized he hadn't even looked at the menu, though he knew what he wanted. "Are you ready to order?" he asked Charlotte, even though he hadn't given her any time to look.

"I never did." she admitted. "I hear it's kind of brilliant. I never read the book, either. We could try that." she offered. Charlotte hadn't looked at her menu either, but she didn't really care about the food. She just went for the vegetable soup, since that had been Ransom's suggestion.

Ransom ordered the chili, since that's what had brought him there in the first place, and the waitress left as if she'd never really been there. "Why don't we watch that, then. It's kind of grungy, a little bit violent, but it's pretty awesome fun. And then you can be in on all the jokes that go along with it," he smiled, always liking movies that created that sort of thing.

"Oh boy. Sure, why not? Works for me." Charlotte agreed easily, even if she'd never been the sort of girl that fawned over Brad Pitt. Edward Norton was clearly the superior actor! "My house then? I dunno if my mom will be there or not. I think she's slowly getting back into her routine. She still spends a lot of time at church though."

"Your house is fine," Ransom agreed, preferring her house over the chaos of his own. They wouldn't have a second of privacy if they went there, and would likely end up watching the movie with several other people as well. "Does she still think the world is ending? I guess, if it is, I don't wanna focus on it. What's your step-dad think?"

"I don't know if she ever knew or was really bothered either way. My mom's kind of like that." Charlotte admitted. "But she likes being there for the people who are in panic mode." Which was something her mom was pretty good at, and Charlotte couldn't help but feel a little proud. "Valen's just annoyed." she said, shrugging. "He's always annoyed. He doesn't like not knowing what's going on. Your parents?"

"That's nice of her," Ransom smiled. "I'm sure most of her friends are freaking out, so being with them is nice and supportive. My mom's kind of doing something similar, just out on pack land. There's a lot of chaos going on, so she tries to do anything she can to help out." And he had the feeling their mothers would probably get along, just based on personality. Maybe. Maybe someday he'd find out, which was a little bit scary. He added the little comments said about her step-dad to those he'd already heard about the man, not especially liking him. Charlotte didn't seem to either, but he was reluctant to bring it up without reason to. "My dad's just doing his best to keep the business running and keep his kids from being scared. They're no more used to ghosts than anyone else, you know?"

"Yeah, few people are." Charlotte agreed. It still bothered her that she had never seen this coming, even if she knew, reasonably and logically, there had been no way to anticipate this sort of thing. She'd been completely blindsided, and she hated that. No one knew what they were doing here, and she certainly wasn't going to be the person to figure it out. Still, she could dream.

"I wonder if there's anyone out there who does know what's going on. Or could figure it out. I mean, I know there's psychics, but I guess they don't get explanations for what they see or anything. I just can't help but wonder what set something like this off," Ransom said thoughtfully. He was starting to wish he knew more about what was out there, not just about lycanthropes in general. It would certainly be useful right about now. "It could always be something from another dimension that we can't even see."

"I think if people understood what was going on, someone would have spoken up by now." Charlotte said. "Then again, every different religious group seems to have their own explanation for what's happening, it's possible if anyone did speak up they'd just get written off as another fanatic or loony."

"I kind of think the religious overtones would have overpowered what might be a very real explanation that no one would ever believe," Ransom said. "I mean, let's say... The fairy queen cast a magical spell that is bringing the different dimensions together. That sounds like the plot from some crazy fantasy story, but for all I know, it could happen, right? If that was the truth, I don't think it'd have a snowball's chance in hell at making the news."

Aw crap, now Charlotte was wondering if there were fairies. She didn't share this. "There are other dimensions." she said with a heavy sigh. "Kaysen, Thom, and Isaac were trapped in one for a few days. And I read a little about them when the shadows came out of the mirrors. Most of it was theory, and you couldn't tell what was real and what was just lunacy, but... yeah. Crap."

"So see? It could be something we know almost nothing about, that we have no control over. I just don't know what to make of it all, so I'm trying my best not to let it bother me," Ransom shrugged. "Do you think there's a need to panic yet?" He wasn't entirely sure what panicking would get him. He felt like he should be more fit to handle something like this, as part of the supernatural community, but he really didn't have any more answers than Charlotte did.

"They're not hurting anything." Charlotte said. "So maybe I'm wrong, but no. They're unsettling and shouldn't be there, but they can't hurt us, and I haven't seen any that really look like they want to. All that worries me is the thought of what could be coming next."

"We'll worry about it when it gets here," he said, reaching out and squeezing her hand. "There's nothing we can do right now, but try and adjust and just... wait." He knew that was difficult and he didn't like it any more than she did, but all other options really just made things worse.

Charlotte smiled and squeezed back. "I know." she agreed. "I can deal. Earth is patient." she said. And if she sat back and tried to figure out what came after ghosts, she'd drive herself crazy. Good thing she had a distracting boyfriend to fall back on.

"Is it?" he grinned. "I need to start reading up on Earth, since you've got this huge head start on me." Though he did love that she was into werewolves, because otherwise it might freak her out. All those crazy instincts he had might not be so cute to someone else.

"It takes the Earth thousands of years to make the smallest changes." Charlotte pointed out. "Luckily the human versions are a bit sped up." she added with a smirk. "But that explains why my mom took so long to figure out how to ground me. When we make a decision we commit to it."

"I'll have to keep that in mind," Ransom laughed. "So once major decision are made, they're made for good." He was glad she decided she liked him, then. Working to change Earth's mind, if she'd decided otherwise, would be a rather difficult task! "What was the official verdict on your grounding? Just not having the car for a while?"

"Yeah, she's not sure how long yet. I didn't have it that long anyway. And Marquette's small enough where I can walk just about anywhere." she answered. Except for Ransom's house, which was out in the middle of nowhere. Not a place she could walk to in the winter.

"And you have a boyfriend that would pick you up any time you want," he said. "The truck might be full of screaming kids, but he'd swing by either way. Hopefully it won't last too long. I've had worse groundings." He certainly didn't mind helping her out, even if it kind of defeated her mother's form of punishment.

Charlotte had to grin. "It's hard to imagine you doing anything worth being grounded over." she admitted. "Or do you have some crazy past I don't know about?" she teased.

"Nothing too bad," he laughed, a hint of a blush rising to his cheeks. "I used to get into trouble with Chance a bit. And mom still makes me do the entire house's worth of laundry every time she finds my cigarettes." Which sucked, big time. He'd gotten far better at hiding them, though it was no secret to her nose that he was still smoking them.

Charlotte wrinkled her nose up and made a face at him. "Bad Ransom!" she said. "I didn't know you smoked." He'd never done it around her, which surprised her. But she was kind of glad he hadn't. Werewolves have a short enough life span as it is. God, I am not thinking about that.

"I don't around you!" he said, very aware that he'd altered his habits the same time they'd started dating. "It's a nerve thing. And I really haven't done it much since we started dating. But sometimes it calms me down in the spring and summer when the sky is dark. Maybe if you're with me, I won't need it then either." He'd tried to give up several times, and usually did a decent job while it was winter, but once the snow turned to rain, it got harder, and he'd never had a reason not to.

Charlotte smiled a bit. "I'll try to be your anti-drug." she agreed, again slightly teasingly. "I like that logic. I'll spare you the lecture I'm sure your mom gives you and just thank you for not doing it around me. I'd hate it if you tasted like smoke." She realized what she'd said after she'd said it and blushed a bit, but, well, it was true.

"I know," Ransom grinned, "that's why I don't. Can you blame me for always hoping for a kiss?" He knew he was a bit pink himself, but that just happened around her! Especially on subjects like this! He was still grinning as the waitress dropped off their soup, then disappeared again. It was nice that the waitress could tell where she wasn't really wanted.

Yeah, Charlotte was definitely red, but she was happy. "I guess not." she said, sighing dramatically. She so did not mind. I can kiss him with no problem, how come I can't talk about it? Jeez.

With them both moving towards tomato red, Ransom wondered how Jessalyn thought communication on this sort of thing was a good thing. Or maybe he didn't understand the timing. Maybe it wasn't the right conversation to have over dinner. Why hadn't he asked more questions?! "You know you're the first girl I've really... I've really dated, so... You'll tell me if I do something you don't like, right?"

Charlotte smiled at him. "I told you I would." she reminded him, gently. "Don't worry. I don't really have any more experience than you do. I don't know if a week dating Kavin counts." And she was half sure that they would both rather pretend it hadn't happened at all.

"I know, I just..." Ransom shrugged, unable to help worrying on this little point. It was always hard when he had to think about it. In the moment, though, it was much easier to just go with things, and he was afraid he was going to do something wrong when he was in one of those not-thinking moments. "A week can be a long time in high school," Ransom smiled, no longer bothered by the fact that she'd dated Kavin because he knew there was no chance of her going back to him. "But I know what you mean. Though, how long have we been dating? Two weeks?"

He looked like he was worrying, and Charlotte wasn't sure why she wasn't. She probably needed to. "Eleven days." she answered, smirking faintly. "So not quite. Almost." I know how many days we've been dating? God, I'm such a girl! "Practically forever in high school time." she added, jokingly.

"Only eleven?" Ransom asked with a grin. He'd written down the date at home, but it wasn't something he could remember off the top of his head. He just knew he didn't want to miss their one month anniversary. "See, it'd be easier to remember if it felt like eleven, but I keep wanting to think it's been months or years. At least being on high school time makes me slightly more accurate."

At least Charlotte wasn't alone in that, feeling like it'd been a lot longer. Maybe it was because they had been friends first. She'd ask someone if that was normal, but she knew she'd never get it out without going ten kinds of red. "We'll blame that, then." she said, still grinning. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"I guess that makes a one month anniversary a pretty big date then," Ransom said. "I'm gonna ask now and try and remember-- what's your favorite kind of flower?" He just hoped he hadn't already asked it once and forgotten. His hope was that he could get her some later that month, though he realized November wasn't the easiest time to get flowers.

"I think you're going to have a pretty hard time finding a lot of variety in late November in Michigan." she pointed out, smiling brightly anyway. "I'd have an easier time getting you flowers." she teased. Earth elementals were good for that!

Ransom squished up his nose, taking her comment as a bit of a challenge. He would find her flowers and, even if they weren't her favorites, they would be pretty! "Just cause I can't grow my own, doesn't mean you won't get any," he smirked. "Though Lily did suggest we get matching tattoos, if you're up for that."

Charlotte laughed loudly and put her hand over her mouth. "Oh, classy." she said. "My mom would just love that. You really are the bad influence." she teased. "What would we get?"

As silly as it was, he was glad he'd shared it with her just to hear her laugh like that. "I could get a little flower or a tree, or maybe a tiny earth, and you could get a moon, or a paw print or-- or something wolfy," Ransom grinned, laughing as he spoke. "Unless you prefer little matching hearts with our names in it. Cause that's really classy."

"Lupin flowers, let's be clever." Charlotte played along. "And where are we getting our matching tattoos? Right on our foreheads, so everyone else knows to bugger off?"

"There we go! I like that. Lupin flowers," Ransom grinned. "Foreheads would give the most visibility, but that might hurt like a bitch, cause there's a bone there, right? Plus, it'd be kind of hard to hide from your mom. Unless you start wearing a bandana over it, but then she'll think you've gone and joined a gang."

"Boyfriends are probably the next step to gangs." Charlotte pointed out, reasonably. "Okay, foreheads are out. Maybe ankles, right where the ball and chain would be. Wouldn't look as silly in your wolf form, either."

"Now that's much more reasonable," Ransom said with a sage nod. "Then if you can't identify me by the huge white stripe down my back, you'll be able to spot the tattoo beneath the fur! And, you know, you might as well be in a gang if you're part of a pack."

"You are kind of identifiable." Charlotte agreed. "But there could be two striped wolves running around. I could accidentally snuggle the wrong one and get my face chewed off. That wouldn't be good."

"Oh good God, we don't wanna risk that!" Ransom laughed. "I like your face! And it's for licking, not biting! I'd have to fight off any other wolf that tried to snuggle up with you. Obviously a tattoo is essential to making sure there's no mix-up. And you'd need one just because you're my-- you're part of my pack!" He'd almost said mate. Almost. But he didn't want to freak her out and they were just being silly... though the idea of permanently marking her as his appealed far too much.

"I'm your what?" Charlotte asked, naturally not missing that part. "Okay, no snuggling with other wolves. I think I can handle that. You're a better human snuggler though." Not that she'd tried to snuggle with his wolf form, but they were being silly. She was allowed.

"You're my term-I-don't-want-to-use-because-it-sounds-scary-and-permanent," Ransom rambled with an embarrassed little smile. Yeah, he'd thought it, but he couldn't use it because-- because she probably knew what it meant and it didn't come off as a joking term! At least, not to him. "I like being a good snuggler, though," he said, very proud of this complement. "You are too. We are good snuggling partners."

Charlotte grinned brightly, still looking deeply as amused as she tried to figure out if she should bug him or not. She kind of wanted to know what he was talking about, but at the same time, she didn't want to embarrass him anymore. "That sounds interesting." she chose instead, leaving it up to him. "I think we're pretty good at it too."

Ransom bit his lip, trying to decide if he should tell her or not. He knew she knew a lot about werewolves, but he never quite knew how much. He also knew that most boys his age didn't think in terms of permanence; they were just dating to date, not to find someone to spend the rest of their life with. It was the kind of thing that could freak a girl out, and he really didn't want that. But he didn't like keeping it from her either. "It's kind of-- it's kind of complicated," he said, feeling the heat begin to crawl up his cheeks. "And I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, or pressured, or... or anything like that. So let's just say that, if you think I'm getting too serious, too fast, just let me know?"

Charlotte's smile softened a bit as he started turning red, and she tilted her head to the side as she reached over to squeeze his hand again. "I'm teasing you." she said. "But I will, don't worry. And the same goes for you and all of this, you know."

"I know," Ransom smiled back, threading his fingers through hers. Even if his instincts pulled him towards finding a mate, he knew that couldn't force him to click with someone the way he did with Charlotte. "Sometimes I just get flustered. It's all your fault, making my heart beat so hard I can't think straight," he teased her lightly. "Are you about ready to go? We can pick up the movie, then head back to your place." It amazed him how he'd eaten dinner and not even noticed it. Then again, he had a much better focus than chili.

Charlotte was grinning brightly again, glad she could do that to his heart, even if she didn't know and wasn't able to hear it. "Yeah, let's go." she agreed. Though she was still waiting to see if they could stop talking long enough to actually watch a movie. They weren't very good at shutting up around each other.

Ransom paid for their dinner, leaving cash on the table for the waitress to pick up. Before he'd started dating Charlotte, he'd needed a job just to have cash on hand. Now he really appreciated having a job and being able to take her out to dinner. "Now that Halloween is over, we've got Thanksgiving coming up," Ransom said as he climbed into the truck with her. "Does your family do anything big? Or do you travel and visit grandparents?"

"None of my grandparents are still alive." Charlotte answered as she pulled her seatbelt on. "And Valen was never close with his family, I think they died when he was younger. No one from his family was even at the wedding. I don't know what we're doing this year, my mom might want to go to the shelters. How about you?"

"Just the opposite," he laughed, starting up the car and heading towards the video store. "Huge family gathering. Everyone within a one hour radius will be in Marquette. Luckily, my parent's siblings didn't have quite as many kids as my own parent's did, but it still adds up. Would you like to join us for part of the fun?" He knew it would be a full-force meeting of his family, but he also knew they'd adore her. How could anyone not?

Charlotte smiled brightly at him. Okay, meeting the family like that would be absolutely terrifying, but it felt good that he would want her to. "Sure," she said easily. "I've yet to meet any of your family outside of wolf-form." she pointed out. "Thanks."

"Oh God, you're right," Ransom said, eyes widening. "We'll change that before Thanksgiving, I promise. Then you'll at least know the ones I live with." He hadn't been purposefully keeping her from meeting them, but it was just so much easier to hang out at her house, rather than deal with his huge family.

"Okay," Charlotte laughed, not really minding. She'd liked meeting them in wolf form! There had been puppies! And she was probably a lot better with puppies than children, but she supposed she would soon find out. "Good plan then."

"There's nothing scary about them," Ransom promised. "They can just be a little overwhelming. There's lots of them, and you're my girlfriend, so they'll want to know everything about you too." Reaching over he took her hand, keeping the other one on the wheel.

Okay, that was intimidating. But in a good way. Charlotte smiled and squeezed his hand. "I don't know why my mom hasn't tried to grill you." she said, shaking her head. "That is so unfair. She didn't even bat an eye at you showing up on our door as a wolf."

"That was pretty awesome," Ransom smiled. "I completely expected to be grilled, but I guess I didn't get it then due to me not being able to answer. I've seen her other times, though, and managed to by-pass the questions. Should I take this as easy acceptance, or that they're just building up to one huge interrogation?"

"God knows." Charlotte answered, smirking. Kavin never really got it bad, aside from one night of embarrassing the crap out of her. "I told her to be on her best behavior when you're around so she doesn't embarrass me, I guess she actually listened. I never thought that would actually work."

"Parents at least have a memory," Ransom pointed out. "If I tell my little brothers not to mention something, there's a seventy-five percent chance that will make them bring it up. If I don't tell them, they'll either forget entirely or it will be the first thing out of their mouth." And Lord knew what they'd decide to say at a time like that.

"And what don't you want your brothers saying?" Charlotte asked, smirking. "You never told me what you got grounded for, either." Not that she was really going to make him tell her, but it was so fun to tease the boy.

"Who said it might be something I got grounded for?" Ransom laughed through his blushing. Some day, maybe, he'd get past blushing around her. Or probably not. "They just know things. They figure out things. And they're boys. Embarrassing their brothers is what they do best!"

Charlotte had an expression on her face as if she just realized something. She had. "You know, I'm pretty much used to you knowing when my heart picks up and stuff, but I don't think I properly realized that your family can do that too. That's... kind of terrifying." she said, having to laugh a bit. And Ransom could make her heart pound just by looking at her. Crap.

"Yes," Ransom said, laughing a little as he glanced over at her. "Not just yours, though. We can hear each other's. So, think about this: I share a room with my fifteen year old brother, Locke. He asks me how my date went. Then he presses on to the point where I can either put on my headphones and start playing the drums, or leave the room, or bury my head beneath the pillow. Mom won't let me play the drums after nine, so options are limited. Do you know hard it is to lie to a werewolf?"

Charlotte grinned brightly and looked kind of amused. Only less kind of and more extremely. "Well I know he's the one to avoid then." she said, giggling. "I guess the only option is to keep you out late so he's asleep when you get back." She was completely joking, but darn if it wasn't tempting sometimes.

"I like that idea," Ransom grinned as he pulled into the movie store parking lot. "You wanna wait here while I run in and grab the movie? I'll only be a minute." Plus, if they both went in, then they'd probably be in there for an hour, looking at all the movies and talking about them. While he didn't mind that at all, it sounded fun for another night when they didn't already have a movie picked out.

"I somehow thought you might. Being the bad influence and all." Charlotte agreed, still smirking. "Sure, I'll wait here." She hated letting him pay for everything, but she'd just have to make it up to him another time. She was learning better to argue it on dates.

"Be right back," he said, leaning across the seat to steal a kiss before jumping out of the truck. He was only gone a few minutes before returning, movie in hand. He liked the idea of renting much better than going to the theater, since it was not only cheaper, but it meant he could more easily snuggle with her. "See, quick," he said, climbing back in the truck. "And I should argue that if you're the one keeping me out late, that it might be you influencing me... unless that idea came from my already bad influence," he snickered, having confused himself in the process.

"No, it's always you're fault." Charlotte decided. "Besides, you were the one asking about curfew. I'll just say you influenced it. And if we're at my house, I'm home on time. You're the one breaking rules, not me."

"Ohhh, okay," Ransom grinned. "I'm good with that. Maybe if I break the rules enough around you, then you'll start to break them too, and then we'll be like Bonnie and Clide-- just without the killing and robbing banks. How's that?" he asked, heading towards her house.

"Perfect. I'm sure it'll go great with our tattoos." Charlotte agreed without missing a beat. "Seems like good logic to me. And it'll still be your fault. Works for me."

"You're right!" Ransom said, laughing at the imagery that put in his head. "You know, once you go bad, you can never go back, especially if you've tattooed it on yourself. At some point, people will start to forget it's all my fault. You're the good girl that decided to hang out with me."

"I didn't know you were a bad boy when I started dating you." Charlotte replied. "You sucked me in. Still not my fault. Your argument is invalid." she added, grinning widely.

"I didn't know I was a bad boy, so I think we're even," Ransom said, returning her grin. "Can you blame me? I couldn't help myself."

"I'm doing a pretty good job of blaming you, thanks." Charlotte replied. "You smoke, you get in trouble with Chance, you influence me to do things I wouldn't normally! All you."

"Okay, I give!" Ransom laughed. Out of the bad boys that their school, Ransom knew he was pretty low on the list, but when she put it like that it didn't sound like it. Course, he knew she was teasing... "But you like me anyways. You can blame me all you want, so long as you keep me around."

"See? It all works out." Charlotte answered, giggling brightly again. "I have every intention of keeping you around. I guess you'll have to deal with being my whipping boy." ...Crap, that sounded wrong. "Scapegoat. Whatever."

"Ooo, kinky," Ransom snickered, knowing that wasn't all what she meant, but it did sound like it could be. "Does that mean I get spankings?" Even if he was teasing, he found himself turning red in the process. He just couldn't help it! Though he did like that he could tease with her, when he was willing to say what was on his mind rather than shut himself up.

Charlotte smacked her hand to her face as it went red. "I knew you weren't going to let me get away with that." she said, shaking her head. "Brat." But it didn't bother her as much as it would have a couple of weeks ago. She was even smirking a bit. There was progress.

"It was just too easy," he smirked as he pulled into her driveway. "Plus, I knew it'd get you to blush, and sometimes that's fun. You're cute when you blush." Which he thought would probably make her blush more, though he wasn't trying that time. He was just being honest!

It worked, of course. Her face was successfully crimson as they reached her house. "I'm gonna have one of my cats terrorize you." she threatened. False threat. Trying to get her cats to do anything never worked, telepathy or not.

"Does that work?" Ransom asked as he parked the car. "I one heard of this guy who'd trained his cats to do circus tricks and I still don't believe it. If that actually worked, they must be getting some crazy kind of treat, cause I've never heard of cats actually doing what they're told. Unlike dogs, who can learn tricks."

"I never ask the cats to do anything unless I've got a lot of time to coax them into it and make it seem worth their while." Charlotte answered, shaking her head. "Or unless I know of a way to make it sound like it was their idea. Cats have very distinct personalities. They cannot be reasoned with."

"I've never met a werecat, but I've heard they're the same," Ransom said before hopping out of the truck and circling around to her side to open the door. "You know what I find facinating about them, though? They can be any kind of cat. You can meet one werecat that's a panther, and the next one can be a siamese house cat."

"Really?" Charlotte asked, obviously completely fascinated. "I didn't know that. Everything I read just refers to them as werecats. I never really knew how that worked. I bet being a siamese cat is an easier thing to deal with on the full moon than, say, a lion."

"Well, full moon they'd be in their battle form, in which case they're all big and scary," Ransom said, though he was basing this all on what he'd heard and not seen. "But in everyday transformation, a siamese or a tabby would be a lot more useful than a lion or a tiger. Big cats can't just wander around Marquette unnoticed."

"Oh. That's true." Charlotte said, unlocking the front door and letting them in. In theory, you didn't have to lock your doors in Marquette, but Valen threw a fit if they didn't. "Downstairs or living room for the movie?"

"Um. Downstairs?" Ransom suggested. He didn't care either way, but the downstairs seemed to offer a bit more privacy. Not that that was necessary, since he'd hear someone coming before they even made it through the door, but it was still nice to have.

Charlotte nodded and lead the way downstairs. She liked it better down there, anyway, and it was better for movies. She didn't bother turning any lights on, since there was still a lot of light from the plant lights on the other side of the basement. One of the cats had been sleeping on the couch, and he promptly turned his nose up and scampered up the stairs. Charlotte grinned. "Apparently you smell like a dog."

Ransom snickered, watching the cat run off. "I don't mind him saying so, as long as you don't agree," he said, taking a seat on the couch. The only time he was sure he smelled like a dog was right after he'd been one, especially if he'd been wet. Seeing as how he'd been human for the past few days, there was no reason he'd smell anything less than human to a human nose, at least as far as he could tell.

Charlotte laughed as she put the movie in, then joined him on the couch. "You don't." she promised. "And even when you kind of did, I didn't mind." she reminded him, smiling. She'd just been so happy to see him that she hadn't cared.

"It's a rare occasion when I'll come see you like that, but I'm glad you didn't care. I just really needed to be with you," he said, sliding his arm around her. That night had been hard for him, hard for the both of them, but he didn't want to think about it right now. "Sometime I'll have to come over when I'm a clean, fluffy wolf instead."

Pushing her shoes off with her toes, she brought her legs up on the couch as she snuggled up to his side. She grinned at him again, and it was no wonder her face usually started to hurt if she'd been around him too long. "Fluffy wolf?" she giggled. "That sounds so cute."

"Maybe," he snickered, kicking off his shoes and making himself comfortable as well. "I'll never be little like the pups you saw, but I can still be soft, and I'd be clean if I hadn't spent the night running round the forest." His fingers trailed down her arm, then back up. "When it gets warm again, you'll have to run with me."

He gave her chills when he did that. God, it was so easy for him. "I could go running with you now, the snow would just slow me down some." she pointed out, smiling softly. "You're probably faster than me anyway."

He wasn't trying to give her chills, but would've been thrilled to know he had. Ransom just liked touching her, and he'd spent a good part of the evening wishing he could do more. "Just as long as you're bundled up, then," he smiled. "You know I wouldn't run off without you."

"I know." Charlotte said, starting the movie and tossing the remote aside. "I'm happy outside though, even when it's cold. So don't worry about me." She kissed his cheek, since it seem like it had been a while for that, even if it never really was.

"I can't help it," Ransom said, smiling when she kissed his cheek. Even if the movie was starting, he figured he had a few minutes to steal something more substantial before the credits finished rolling. His lips caught hers as his eyes closed and it was like he'd never left her, like he should always be right there, kissing her. As much as he loved talking to her, it didn't compare to a kiss.

Extremely distracting boyfriend. Charlotte closed her eyes and sighed happily before kissing him back. Catching the opening of the movie was suddenly a lot less important. At least they'd been good most of the date.

Was this being bad? It didn't really matter, since he'd already been declaired the bad influence of the two of them. With his hand moving to her waist, Ransom deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping into her mouth as that tingling feeling began to hit. That probably meant he needed to stop or they'd miss the movie, but they could always rewind.

It was hard to remember the movie when he did that. The air was heavy and warm and she was in her element and nice and comfortable... and oh yeah, Ransom, completely enslaving all of her senses. That would do it. It felt easier to lose herself every time they did this.

Maybe he should stop and let them watch the movie... or maybe they should just screw the movie and keep on kissing. Yes, that sounded much more appealing now that they'd started. Ransom pulled her closer as his lips moved against his, enjoying the taste of her, the scent of her, every bit Charlotte. She really was addictive.

Charlotte realized she should have known that talking through the movie was never going to be the problem. Okay, she was naive, she admitted it. This was almost better. Besides, they talked all the time. They didn't get to do this as much.

The only bad thing about kissing was that sometimes they had to stop for air. Ransom kissed her until he was sure his lips were swollen, till he was positive the credits were over, before he broke the kiss, taking a breath as his kisses moved to jaw. How was it her skin always smelled so good? For the second time, he found he wanted to taste it, but held off for the time being.

Charlotte tilted her head back and groaned faintly. He was trying to kill her. "That feels so nice." she murmured. He was not at all helping. Her arms tightened around his waist as she inched closer, not that there was a whole lot of space left between them on the couch anymore.

Fuck it. If she got close enough to tell how much he was enjoying this, then he'd live through the embarrassment. Surely she could guess anyways. Ransom shifted so he could be closer to her, his mouth moving down to her neck where he did have a taste of her skin. The little hickey he'd left the day before was there and he smiled, nuzzling her collar bone. "You taste good," he whispered, then planted another kiss, just along the edge of her shirt.

That time she did shiver, helplessly. The way his voice sounded alone would have been enough to do that to her, even without what he was actually doing. It vaguely occurred to her that they needed to stop getting into this position on the couch, because all she wanted to do was find a way to get closer to him and she couldn't actually figure out how. At least without embarrassing the heck out of herself.

That shiver? Ransom could feel it. And it pretty much earned a response of it's own. His lips started to wander lower, or just about as low as the collar of her shirt would allow, while his hands seemed determined to find whatever little bit of skin was available, eventually slipping just under her shirt and onto her back. She was warm, and oh so soft, though he was sure that he was warmer at the moment. His skin felt overheated and over-sensitized, and every little touch seemed to shoot straight through him, encouraging the moment.

Charlotte was feeling the same way, and this time she actually decided to do something about it. Kind of. She put her hand at the back of his neck as she started kissing down the side of his neck, stopping near the collar of his shirt to nip and suck at his skin like he had done to her last time. He had marked her, it seemed only right to do the same.

"Oh shit," Ransom muttered as her mouth moved down his neck. While it meant he couldn't quite keep on at hers as he'd like, it also gave him a taste of just what he'd been doing to her. And damn was that nice. He found himself short of breath, his hands sliding higher up her back till he finally just gave in and began to urge her into his lap. This whole couch thing? It was nice, but it could be a whole lot nicer if she was a whole lot closer.

Earning curse words had to be a good thing, right? She probably would have cursed by now, if she was the cursing type. She kept up her work on his neck, focusing on tasting his skin and leaving a mark, and when he urged her over she went willingly. And immediately wondered if she shouldn't. Because it made something she'd been extremely oblivious to very clear for the first time. She was almost overwhelmed by the noises in her head and everything that did to her. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God... Her heart was pounding now, but she kept kissing him.

She was still kissing him, which Ransom took to be a sign that she wasn't freaking out too bad. In his mind, that would have signified her jumping off him like he was diseased. Instead, her heart was pounding in his ears, her breath against his lips as he moved back to kiss her there, though no matter how he tried he couldn't ignore how good it felt to have her in his lap. He just had to keep reminding himself that this was normal, and shouldn't be all that much a shock-- it wasn't like she didn't know, though he wondered if she realized just how much power she had over him, just through kisses. If she hadn't before, she surely did now.

She was getting the idea. It seemed fair to her. If he could hear her heart and always know when he was getting a reaction out of her, at least she had that. She couldn't help but press close against him, even if she still wasn't completely sure whether she should or not. She wanted to, and it felt nice, and he felt nice, and it was so easy not to think when he was kissing her.

Ransom groaned softly when she pressed against him, his fingers spreading across her back, hips lifting just slightly. There was nothing in the world that could take his attention away from her at that point, where all he wanted to do was be as close as he could be to her. All the worrying he'd done felt silly now, especially when he could tell that she was just as turned on as he was. That wasn't something she'd know, unless she realized that hormones were something he could smell, but it wasn't really the time to point it out either.

Sounds shouldn't have been allowed. Crap. They just shot straight through her and made the idea of stopping seem that much further away. She didn't want to rush into anything, or do anything too soon, but at the same time the last thing she wanted to do was stop. She kissed him until she was completely breathless again, and wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed along his jawline to his ear, breathing heavy.

This was why kissing was dangerous. It was so very hard to keep it from getting out of hand, especially when they were alone in a dark room in an empty house. Ransom had a hard time thinking there was a problem though, when they were both obviously enjoying themselves and still completely dressed. His breathing began to match hers, deep and heavy, as she kissed along his jaw, and his hands were no longer concealing the fact that he enjoyed touching her. One moved up along her spine, stopping when they got to her bra clasp them moving along the side, tracing the line along her bare back beneath her shirt. The other dropped lower, half on her hip and curling to the back. His wildest fantasies never included this much clothing, but somehow this was hotter than them all. He just couldn't get enough of her.

Earlier jokes about influences aside, Charlotte did have to remind herself that they weren't doing anything wrong. They were just kissing, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that. Half the time she felt like she could kiss Ransom all day and not get tired of it, so this was nothing in the grand scheme of things. And she absolutely adored feeling his hands on her skin, and marveled at the way she could feel burning hot and he could still send chills up and down her spine. One of her hands went in his hair as her kisses moved down, just beneath his ear.

Her fingers in his hair was something Ransom would have never thought to be erotic, but experience was quick to prove him wrong. He trembled beneath her as her lips moved against his skin, her name a whisper as he gasped for breath. Just kissing could be a whole lot hotter than he'd ever thought, and this wasn't even getting into the territory that he was sure Jessalyn had been implying. Ransom's head tilted to the side, giving her better access to his neck, as his fingers slid around her side to brush just over her rib cage. It felt awfully bold of him, but he risked brushing his thumb over the front of her bra, a tiny touch that made him ache far more than he'd ever thought it could.

Her hand in his hair momentarily gripped in a fist when he did that, and she gasped and trembled herself. But she didn't stop him. It felt good, and even if she couldn't really feel much through the fabric, she was a lot more sensitive to it than she'd realized she would be. Even his fingers brushing over her ribs was amazing. She groaned quietly and kissed his pulse point, gently running her fingers through his hair as she held tighter to him.

The little noises she made made it that much better, the tug on his hair an obvious reaction that he took as a positive when accompanied by a gasp. She didn't stop him, and Ransom suspected that was probably a bad thing, since it only left him wanting to try for something more. What was the stopping point and did there really have to be one? He knew the lines he shouldn't cross, but everything else felt like a fuzzy chance that might be worth taking, so long as they both enjoyed it. The tighter she held to him, the more he wanted to press his hips against her, to add a little friction to an already dangerous mix. He couldn't resist getting a better feel of her form, and his hand moved over her breast, squeezing gently as he pressed his hips to hers.

Now it occurred to Charlotte that they should slow down... but again with the not wanting to. He was sending sparks through her system, and she never knew something like that could feel so good. She whimpered lightly and nipped faintly at his neck, and took a moment to try and catch her breath. That didn't seem very probable right now.

As good as he could tell that made her feel, Ransom sensed something different, something in the way she was breathing or trying to breathe. His hand moved back to her rib cage and he licked his lips, gasping softly at the light scrape of teeth along his neck. He really... really didn't want to stop, regardless of the fact that he doubted this would go anywhere that would make it easy to wind down. "You're thinking," he whispered, turning his head to catch her lips in a lazy kiss. "What're you thinking?"

Still pretty breathless, Charlotte smiled at him, still amazed at how easy that was for him. How did he always know? That couldn't be a were-thing. She brought her hand up to cup his face, tracing lines in his features with her thumb. "You're amazing." she murmured, kissing him again. "I'm thinking that we need to slow down." she whispered. "And that I don't want to. You're bad for my brain."

Ransom didn't know for sure, but he could always tell when there were little alterations in her body language, especially when it came to her breathing and her heartbeat. It was a guess, but maybe he was just better at guessing with her because it was her. "We probably should," Ransom agreed, his eyes half open, smiling as she traced her fingers over his face. "I don't want to either. You're like a drug... I just... can't get enough." He kissed her again, body not quite willing to accept what his brain had yet to commit to. "I like touching you," he said with a little smile as his thumb brushed over her breast once more, able to feel her nipple beneath the thin fabric. He was sure he could do that all night and get the same little thrill every time.

It gave her a little jolt too, and for a moment her eyes fluttered behind closed lids. She smiled back and kissed him again, something that was sweeter and softer than it had been earlier. "I like that too." she admitted softly. And had absolutely no idea that I would. It made her wonder what other stuff was like, all the while yelling at herself that she absolutely did not need to be thinking about that. "I didn't know I could feel like this."

Seeing her reaction made Ransom realize just how good this could be in just watching her. That little moment, the release of hormones, and the kiss he received afterwards was plenty proof that he should do that at every chance he got. "Really?" he asked, a tiny bit surprised. "You've never... thought about it?" Ransom had done a lot more than 'thought' about it, but that seemed completely inappropriate, regardless of the fact that Charlotte was currently sitting on his lap.

She let her forehead rest on his shoulder a moment, before turning slightly to look up at him and shake her head. She didn't feel as shy about talking about it as she had earlier, but she supposed it would have been harder to pull off shy right about now. "I never felt anything... like... that before you."

Realizing that Charlotte had never been turned on like that before meeting him made the experience all that more intense. And special. Like nothing Ransom could have ever imagined. Even though he wasn't exactly experienced himself, he found himself wanting to show her just how good it could be, though that was probably way beyond stopping point. But God, how awesome would that be? "I like that I can do that to you," Ransom said, brushing another kiss across her lips. "That you let me."

"Let you? All you have to do is kiss me. Or look at me sometimes." Charlotte replied, smirking faintly. "You don't really have to try." She wasn't quite sure why she was being so vocally honest, but it was true. And if she was talking, her mouth was busy, and that part was important right about now.

For all the blushing that he normally did, Ransom wasn't embarrassed right now, far more comfortable with this sort of conversation when they were already in a rather personal situation. "You let me be close to you," he smiled, emphasizing his point as one of his hands brushed down her thigh, then back to her hip. "And when you feel good, I do too. It's just hard to stop when it keeps getting better."

"I want you to be close to me." she replied, running her fingers through his hair again. And all the time, and a lot more than I should. She smiled a bit again and gave him another light kiss. "It's very hard to stop. Another problem I didn't see blindsiding me." Just as much, if not more, than the world's current events. He was bigger news.

He might not be a cat, but he was close to purring when she did that, his eyes closing for just a second, a pleased smile on his face. He returned the kiss lazily, drawing it out as much as he could, since he really didn't want to stop. "Is it really a problem you mind having?" he asked with a little smirk. "I always think I should stop. I shouldn't go too far, but then... a little farther won't hurt."

Charlotte bit her bottom lip as she thought about it, knowing that they both had good reasons to take things slow. But again, that got in the way of the whole not wanting to thing. "It's a good problem." she agreed. He'd seemed to like her fingers in his hair, so she kept it up. The look on his face had just been too nice.

Lip biting was sexy. Ransom hadn't really realized it till now, but watching Charlotte do it at that moment? Definitely sexy. He hummed softly as he rested his head against hers, eyes shutting for just a moment. "I love it when you do that," he admitted softly as his arms wrapped casually around her. He was finally starting to calm down, which he figured was good, though he really didn't mind being wound up in the first place.

She smiled brightly and wrapped her other arm around his neck. "I'll do it more often, then." she said. That was definitely good to know. Heck, it was just good to know she was doing things right, even if she'd sort of figured that out when he pulled her into his lap. Just thinking about that made her feel fluttery.

Ransom smiled and nuzzled her neck, kissing her there as he inhaled her scent. It wasn't helping his body calm, but he couldn't get enough of it either. "Think we should try and watch the movie?" he asked, placing another kiss along her jaw. "I promise I'll try and be good." 'Try' being the operative word, since being good was difficult when she was involved.

The movie really didn't seem interesting right now, but Charlotte was probably heavily biased. "Well if you're gonna try I guess that means I have to, too." she replied, sighing dramatically. And probably get off of him. Oops. She kissed him once more before carefully removing herself from his lap. Being good. Right.

"You don't have to," Ransom grinned, attempting to discreetly adjust himself as she climbed off his lap. He didn't think there was really such a way to do so, but he tried his best. "But stopping and staying where you were were two different things." When she sat back down next to him, Ransom made himself comfortable in a more appropriate snuggling position-- one that was less likely to result in him wanting to grope her, hopefully.

"If I stayed we were just going to dig ourselves in deeper." Charlotte said, giggling lightly. Or at least she probably would have. Concentration on anything but him would have been impossible. She tried not to watch him adjust himself, but it was kind of fascinating. She busied herself with restarting the movie, and then resnuggling him.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Ransom grinned, teasing. There was a point when he'd have to stop. Plus, he didn't want to push her. He liked how comfortable they both were and didn't want to do anything that would push them past that. He was fine with taking things slow; he just didn't realize how hard that would be.

Charlotte giggled again and squeezed him. "Not bad." she said. "Definitely not bad." But she didn't want to rush into anything either, and certainly not things she would have never even thought about a week ago. He'd pretty successfully turned her life upside down, but it was not at all a bad thing.