She kissed him.

Edgar pulled away sharply, his hand flying to his mouth. His heart was pounding like a jackhammer and his face had gone red, and all he could think about was how, in the moment before their lips connected, he had inhaled and caught the barest hint of strawberry.

"You okay, bat boy?" Shelley asked, stroking his hand. Her fingers idly toyed with the webbing between his.

"I didn't know that was what that would feel like," Edgar mumbled.

She giggled, resting her head on his shoulder, and whispered against the pale skin of his neck, "what part of it?'

"Er, well," Edgar said, "all of it, I suppose - I wasn't ready, and I don't think -"

"Shit, did I take that too fast?" Suddenly Shelley was sitting straight up, looking into his face with concern. "I didn't mean to push you, hon, I'm sorry -"

"- it was really safe for you to, you know, be so close to -"

"Safe? What are you talking about?"

Edgar opened his mouth to respond, thought better of it, and closed his lips again. The silence drew out and thickened as he avoided Shelley's worried gaze.

"You've seen my teeth?" he asked finally.

"Uh, they're right there, and you never shut up. It's kinda hard not to see them."

Edgar continued, "and the way I eat -"

"You suck bunnies on the kitchen floor when we go to bed, yep, that isn't even news -"

"Shelley!" Edgar exclaimed, his blush returning in full force.

"If you wanna phrase it nicely, you go for it. I'm not gonna dance around the issue. I eat animals too," she added matter-of-factly. "So what?"

"But what if I hurt you?"

Shelley sighed, draping her legs across Edgar's lap. "Well, I'm not gonna deny you could probably leave some pretty nasty marks on me with those," she conceded. "But then you have to admit that you are like, five pounds soaking wet, and I could just pick you up and toss you."

"That isn't the same," Edgar said.

"Well, it kinda is. You have teeth, yeah, but you're tiny, and I could definitely take you in a fight."

Edgar had to laugh. Shelley mock-growled and tackled him, straddling his lap and pinning him underneath her.

"Not to mention," she murmured, brushing her lips against his, "I have teeth too. And I know how to use them."

She kissed him again, then, and he did not resist. Her hand cupped his cheek, stroked down the side of his neck, and came to rest just above his pounding heart. Edgar wasn't quite sure of how to react; for a moment he lay still, scarcely breathing, his hands clutching at the bedspread beneath him, seeking solidity. Then he raised his hands to her waist and held her against him, clinging to the flare of her hips as if he was drowning. His head swam as she shifted and parted her lips just enough to breathe his name.

"Yes, Shelley," he gasped back, feeling like she'd breathed life into him.

"You make it pretty easy for a girl to fall for you." Shelley kissed the tip of his nose with finality and settled by his side, laying her head on his shoulder. Her fingers traced lines across his chest.

He peppered her forehead with shy, chaste kisses, partially convinced that if he dared to close his eyes she would disappear. Every motion was hesitant; he was terrified that any wrong move would send her running from his arms, but each kiss made her hum with approval.

"Well, what a coincidence," Edgar said. "You make it very easy for a bat to fall for you."