It had happened. It had finally happened.

Hiro couldn't remember a time where he had forced himself to run faster, his heart was beating faster than it had in any battle. All he cared about in that moment was getting as far away from the house as he possibly could. For the first time since he had met 02, Hiro was afraid.

It made sense when he thought about it. Hiro wasn't afraid to die anymore, not since he knew he would be able to die piloting. Hiro wasn't afraid of losing his ability to link with 02 anymore either, since he had already made it past the infamous 3rd ride. To be honest, Hiro didn't think there was much he was afraid at this point in his life. But he had proven himself wrong, and he knew he would have to fight to survive his mistake.

It was mid-day in the birdcage, and all the others were out training with their partners, leaving Hiro unable to run to Goro or Zorome for help. The only person left with him in the birdcage was his partner, code 002. Usually, an event like this would be a blessing for the pair, as a day to sit together and do nothing but cuddle was much desired but hard to come by for the parasites. However, Hiro wished that anybody else would replace his partner at the moment, as he had done what he had promised himself he would never never do: he woke 02 up from her nap.

Hiro realized long ago that such an act would seem trivial to anybody else, but the combination of klaxosaur blood and laziness had made 02 a force to be left alone when it came to sleep.

Hiro ducked behind a tree when he couldn't push his legs to go any further. His breathing was heavy and he desperately tried to quiet himself so he wouldn't be heard. He listened closely to the sounds of the birdcage, trying to hear where 02 might be coming from. If he could last another couple of hours the others would return, and he would be saved.

"Darrllliiinnng, whheeerrreee arrree youuuu?"

Hiro's heart sank as he heard his partner's voice from a couple meters away. He couldn't see 02 from his position ducked behind his cover, but he was certain she couldn't get a line of sight. Hiro held his breath and slammed his eyes shut, shivering in fear. He knew getting caught would would mean a fate worse than death.

Hiro opened his eyes slowly, drawing in a silent breath. He couldn't see or hear 02, and he hoped for a second that the girl had lost his trace.

"Boo!" Zero Two chirped from a tree branch above Hiro. "I found youuuuuu"

Hiro jumped up from his perch and gave a startled yelp before looking up to meet the eyes of his partner. Even in his terrified state he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked.

Before Hiro could process what happened however, 02 had leapt from her perch onto him, pinning the parasite to the ground.

"I caught you Darling" 02 was taking great pleasure in tormenting her partner as he struggled beneath her. "What do you think happens now?"

Hiro's heart was beating a mile a minute, he knew what 02 promised if he ever woke her up from a nap again, and he was not looking forward to it.

02 starddled Hiro at the hips, traping his legs. She used her left hand to hold down both of Hiro's hands, and with her free hand she placed a finger on the chin of the trapped boy, forcing him to look into her eyes.

"Darrrlliinng, don't make me feel bad about this. You knew what I promised would happen if you woke me up again… and besides" 02 leaned in close to Hiro's ear, placing her mouth right next the boy's neck. "I'm sure one of us will enjoy this"

And with a giggle from 02 the girl began her assault. Using her free hand to dig into Hiro's sides, 02 began to tickle him relentlessly. Hiro tried to keep his composure, wanting to give his partner no satisfaction for what she was doing to him. However, after mere seconds, any ounce of willpower Hiro possesed evaporated, and he descended into a giggling mess.

Hiro bucked to try to get Zero Two to soften her attack, but any defense he mounted was immediately destroyed. Hiro twisted and turned, but it seemed like his half-klax partner was always in the perfect position to keep him pinned regardless of what he did. Throughout all of this, Zero Two continued to tickle her partner. Her fingers dancing along Hiro's ribs in the perfect way to keep the poor boy laughing and gasping for air.

After a few minutes of this, Zero Two slowed her pace, allowing Hiro just enough of a break to recover. The boy breathed heavily, finally able to get in air between the giggles. He looked into 02's eyes with a pleading complexion on his face, trying to guilt her into letting up.

"Aww Darling, aren't we having fun? Don't give me that sad look" 02 quickly dug her fingers into Hiro to toy with him, making him squeal cutely. "Besides, you haven't even apologized for waking me up yet. How do I know you're sorry?"

02 shot her partner a devious smirk before resuming her full fledged attack.

"Just apologize and I'll let you go" Zero Two said, as if talking while being tickled like this was near impossible.

"I'mmm… ahahahahahahahaha… Sorrrrryy" Hiro managed to spit out between fits of laughter.

"And what are you sorry for, Darling?" Zero Two was enjoying teasing the defenseless parasite like this, and she was trying to prolong it for as long as she could.

"Foorrr…hahahahahah... wakinG YOU UP!" Hiro was desperately trying to stop his partner, and he knew he wouldn't be able to take much more.

Zero Two removed her hand from Hiro's ribs, and placed it on his cheek, cupping his face and bringing him close to her lips.

"Promise you're sorry?" Zero Two asked in a whisper.

"Yes… please… no more" Hiro closed his eyes, defeated and tired.

"Alright, I believe you." 02 quickly pulled Hiro into a loving kiss, and with one final squueze, 02 let Hiro go. "Let's go back!" Zero Two let go of Hiro's arms and picked herself up from the ground. "I have half a nap to finish, and you still owe me at least an hour of cuddling for making me chase you down." Zero Two talked like all of this was obvious information that Hiro should've already known.

Hiro laid in the dirt, still recovering from what had just taken place. When he finally stood up he saw 02 already yawning in preparation of her next nap. Yet, despite what the girl had just put him through, Hiro wanted nothing more than to be there for 02 to cuddle up next to when she next fell asleep.

I had loads of fun writing this one! I think this chapter might not suck tbh, but I'm probably bias since I wrote the thing lol. I read all your reviews so keep them coming! Also to the lads reading from Russia, hello!

See y'all next week!