A/N: Rated M for "Man, that's creepy."

******

Kitty was studying under a tree when he found her.

She had made herself easy to find, having seen him ride his bike past the park on his way home. Ronnie made a wide loop and circled back through the grass. She waved to him.

"Hey," he said, leaning on one foot. He removed his ball cap to swat a dive-bombing mosquito.

Kitty put a hand in front of her mouth to cover a smile.

"Don't do that," Ronnie begged quickly. He dismounted and laid his bike on its side. "Don't cover your smile."

She did not have to summon a blush; the color rose naturally to her face. She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs.

"What are you working on? Stuff for school?" He leaned over to peer at her books.

"Math," Kitty answered, groaning. "I hate it!"

Ronnie hooked his cap on one bike grip. "Really? I'm, uh, actually kinda good at math. Want some help?"

"Seriously?"

He settled cross-legged on the ground next to her. "Uh, yeah. I...used to work with computers. You know, programming."

Kitty ignored the 'used to' and dug into her pocket for her pot of lip balm. She massaged it onto her lips with her ring-finger. It had a strong, fake-cherry smell.

Ronnie watched, transfixed.

She picked up her notebook and turned the problem she was working on toward him. "Can you help with this one?" Kitty asked, leaning in. He smelled like sweat and cardboard and laundry detergent. His lips were parted, and she noticed he had a slight overbite. It was sweet.

"Uhm, yeah, here, I'll show you," Ronnie stuttered, seeming unsure whether to look at the paper or her. "Do you have a pencil?"

She handed him the pink sparkly pencil she had been using. "It's 'Hello Kitty'," she explained shyly. "Like me."

"Hello, Kitty," he joked. His eyes flicked up to see if she had gotten it.

She giggled, blushing again.

Ronnie dragged his gaze down to the notepaper and looked over her work. He frowned. "No, that's inverse, see? So it's one over sine theta." His voice was gentle as he guided her through the math problem.

Kitty looked up when he had finished explaining. "You're a really good teacher, you know that?" She rested her small hand on his knee. "I totally get it now. Thanks!"

He dropped the pencil. It bounced off her notebook and rolled into the grass. Grimacing at his clumsiness, Ronnie leaned over to retrieve the writing instrument. At the same time, Kitty straightened her leg and used her foot to nudge a book right into the path of his questing hand. It was her copy of Lolita. Ronnie froze when he saw it.

"Ronnie," she asked. "How old are you? I asked you the other day, but you didn't answer me."

He sat up again, clutching the pencil, but his eyes were on the novel. "I'm forty-seven," he sighed.

"Man, you're, like, old enough to be my dad."

His blue eyes swung toward her.

"But you're way cooler than my dad," she added, drawing circles on his knee with her thumb. "Hey, do you like Harry Potter?"

Ronnie blinked at the non sequitur.

Kitty fidgeted under his gaze. "I just got the new one on DVD, and I was gonna watch it tonight, and I thought maybe you'd like to come over and watch it with me. If you like Harry Potter, I mean."

"What about your dad?"

"What about him?" She shrugged. "He'll be upstairs watching sports and drinking. We can watch the movie in the basement rec room. He won't care."

Something about Ronnie's face went oddly slack. "And your mom?"

Kitty started to pack up her books. "My mom died a few years ago," she responded. Her voice quavered ever so slightly.

"That's...I'm sorry."

She smiled wistfully at him. "So you want to?"

*******

"Ooh, Lord Voldemort's face is so creepy!" she squealed, burrowing into his side. Ronnie chuckled and wrapped his arm around her. Kitty snuggled against him. He stroked her hair, toying with the colorful clips that restrained her reddish-blonde locks.

"Do you think Hermione's pretty?" she asked after a moment. "The actress, I mean."

Ronnie peered at the image of Emma Watson on the television. "Why do you ask?"

"Everybody thinks she's really pretty." Her voice was muffled by his shirt.

"Who's everybody?" he murmured into her hair.

Kitty shrugged, and every inch of the movement translated itself from her to Ronnie. "Boys, I guess."

"Do you care what boys think?"

"No," she giggled. Her breath was hot against his chest. "I'm asking what you think."

"I'm a boy," Ronnie teased.

She sighed with frustration. "You know what I mean!"

"Well, if you're asking me-"

"Which I am!"

"-which you are, I'd say that you're way too pretty to be worrying about what other girls look like."

Kitty raised her head and planted a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth, then ducked back against his chest. Ronnie slipped his tongue out to explore the spot where she had kissed him. It tasted like cherry lipgloss. He sat frozen for a moment.

"Oh!" Kitty exclaimed. "There's Voldemort again!"

Ronnie pulled her on top of him. "Here, sit on my lap. I can protect you better that way."

Kitty helped him scoot her into his lap.

"Face forward. There. Just watch the movie. I'm here."

Ronnie tugged her hips backward until she was sitting on something hard.

In the semi-darkness, Kitty bit the inside of her cheek to prevent a smile. "Ronnie, what's-"

"It's nothing, baby. Watch the movie."

****

A/N: Thanks to those who are sticking with as we venture into the heart of darkness...