Kiri turned around and looked at owner of the hand that had appeared on her shoulder.

He was tall, naked and he had a massive bruise running from his leg all the way up his chest. He looked angry.

“What kind of trick is this?” she said realising just who she was looking at.

“No trick.” Naskia said. “Another one of Niall’s projects. He was looking into genetic manipulation to make himself Titan sized. He created this holographic representation of himself to interact with me in the meantime.”

“So it’s just a hologram?” Kiri asked relieved.

“Yes and no. I lied actually. Niall isn’t at home asleep. He’s controlling the hologram. He has a tiny, little Kiri in his holosuite. He could do anything he likes with her and what happens to her….” Naskia grinned.

“Happens to me….” Kiri realised.

“And now I’ve locked the doors and turned off the safety controls…” Naskia said tapping her pad’s screen.

Kiri went to run at Naskia to get the controls but two strong hands grabbed her by the arms and held her.

“Let me go!” she shouted as she struggled and squirmed in Niall’s grip.

“It’s not very nice not to be in control of your own destiny is it?” Niall said to her squeezing her arms a bit and pulling her in towards him.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” she yelled “Please don’t hurt me. I never would have actually hurt you.”

“But completely terrifying someone is ok? Abusing them to benefit yourself is ok?” Niall asked rhetorically.

Kiri didn’t answer, she just cowered.

Niall was sorely tempted to take full advantage of having Kiri in his grasp; the opportunity would never come again. He was well over a head taller than Kiri and she was incredibly skinny. Niall easily weighed twice as much as she did and could have done a good bit of damage to her with just a few blows.

“Did you know that your height is genetic Kiri? Your parents are probably both quite short given how tiny you are. It’s the same with humans. Our height is genetic. The really interesting part is that with a correctly engineered retrovirus I could take the height, bone density and metabolism from a Titan and after a few weeks of treatment, a lot of pain and plenty of IV-nutrients I could be this size all the time.” Niall said quite pleased with one of the biggest piles of bullshit he’d ever spouted. Kiri seemed to be buying it.

Niall squeezed Kiri’s arms and brought her in closer. She squealed.

“I’m going to give you this program. You’ll have plenty to study. I may even let you email me questions and if I feel generous I’ll answer. But if you come near me or Naskia again the first thing I will do when I’m a Titan is come and find you and I will be nowhere near as pleasant as I’m being now. Do you understand?” He continued; his voice got lower and lower as he spoke.

Kiri nodded.

“What are you going to do when he lets you go?” Naskia asked.

“Go home….pack and move in with a friend. I won’t bother either of you again….” Kiri said only half supporting herself in Niall’s grip.

“Good girl.” Naskia said.

“I’m surprised. I thought you would want to give her a proper thrashing.” Naskia said to Niall.

Niall let Kiri go and she stumbled forward and rubbed her arms. He hadn’t gripped her with anywhere near the force she had used on him earlier but it was still very sore.

“I don’t hit people. I definitely don’t hit women.” Niall said.

Naskia handed Kiri her pad and then tapped her own pad.

“The program has been copied to your pad. You can go. We’ll be out for a few more hours to give you time to get packed.”

A metallic doorway appeared looking out of place in the picturesque Italian city.

“Kiri, one last thing…” Naskia said approaching her.

“What?” Kiri asked. She just wanted out of there.

Naskia’s hand was at her side and she swung it as fast and as hard as she could at Kiri’s cheek. There was a satisfying crack as the open palm made contact with Kiri’s soft cheek and Kiri’s head flinched as it absorbed the blow. Naskia stared coldly into Kiri’s eyes which were welling up from the pain of smack.

Kiri held her gaze for a few painful seconds before shrinking back. She realised this was the end of their friendship. She slowly backed away towards the door before bolting through it when it opened.

Naskia exhaled a sigh of relief and relaxed slightly now Kiri was gone. She looked up at Niall who was watching her waiting for a cue. Naskia gasped audibly and covered her mouth as she saw the extent of Niall’s injuries magnified up to her own scale. Her eyes welled up seeing just how much damage she had done to him.

The bruise was deep purple and ran from just below his knee all the way to his shoulders and covered half his chest on the side which had borne the brunt of the impact of her hand. There were two nearly black spots about the size of dinner plates, one on his upper chest and one on his hip, where her bony knuckles had hit him.

She was about to beg him for forgiveness when Niall started to sway a bit. Naskia ran over to him and propped him up under his good side. She helped him over to a bench and sat down with him. He weighed a ton and she could barely hold up him up.

“Are you ok?” she asked.

“Yeah, just exhausted. I think I’ve pushed myself a bit too far tonight.” Niall said slumping into the bench.

Naskia leaned into him to hold him. She ran her hand along his bruised side and he winced.

“Sorry…I can’t believe I did this to you.” She said backing off a bit.

“It’s alright. I deserved a slap for what I said to you. You have no idea how grateful I am that you saved me from Kiri. I actually thought that was it.” Niall said.

“It’s ok. I would have cut her open to get you out of her if I had to.” She smiled.

“If you want I can end the program and take care of you. You’re a lot easier to look after when I can hold you in my hand.” Naskia said.

Niall shifted slightly and tried to sit up.

“I have a better idea. Can you hand me my pad?” He said.

Naskia handed him the pad.

Niall clumsily dragged himself to his feet and Naskia jumped up to support him. She couldn’t believe the effort required helping support him; she was used to his weight being barely noticeable. Niall tapped some buttons on his pad and the walls shimmered and transformed into Naskia’s room. The bench had transformed itself into her bed.

Niall lay down and continued tapping on the pad.

“The beginnings of the program you asked for. Fancy a nap?” he asked the surprised Naskia.

“We only have 40 minutes left…are you sure you wouldn’t rather me take care of you?” Naskia replied a bit concerned.

“After all that’s happened to me I want to stay in here for as long as I can. I’ve booked the holosuite for the next 4 hours.” Niall said lying down on his good side and pulling the covers over him.

“How can you afford it? You have no money!” Naskia said confused.

“No…but my student account gets free holosuite access….” Niall said waiting for her reaction. He didn’t know how happy she would be with him hacking into university systems.

Naskia smiled and crawled into bed. She felt a large arm wrap around her stomach and she was pulled towards Niall. She smiled feeling warm and safe with Niall wrapped around her. She felt the same feeling of warmth and love that she had felt yesterday spreading through her. She didn’t try to stop it. She had never felt happier in her whole life than when Niall held her. Niall was already asleep; she could feel his chin nuzzle into the top of her head as he unconsciously pulled her closer. She drifted off to sleep thinking about what Niall had said about genetics. Could it work?

“Naskia…Naskia….” A voice said. Niall was shaking her.

“Go back to sleep…some of us need more than a few hours sleep.” She groaned.

Niall felt bad. He knew how she felt. He hadn’t slept well at all in the night. Visions of Kiri’s maw haunted him as slept. He had gotten some rest but he knew that to Naskia 4 hours was barely a nap.

“Nas, we’re in the holosuite. The program is going to end in 5 minutes and then you’ll fall to the floor. Wake up!” Niall shook her more.

“Fine, fine…” Naskia said sitting up. Her thick dark hair was a mess. Tangled in knots and sticking up on top. Niall still thought she looked beautiful. She did her best to sort it out but there was very little she could do with 2 minutes and a holographic mirror. She caught sight of Niall standing behind her in the mirror and started feeling queasy with guilt as she looked at the bruise running up his side.

“Before we go…one last thing.” Naskia said.

“What’s that?” Niall asked.

“I want you to hit me….” Naskia said nervously. “I hurt you so badly; I need you to hurt me back.”

Niall stared at her in disbelief.

“Please.” She begged. “I can’t live with the guilt. I need punished.”

She closed her eyes and steadied herself waiting for the blow.

“Nas, I’m not hitting you. If you feel that bad then just make sure it never happens again. Keep me safe ok?” Niall said.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“I’m not hitting you.”

“Ok…ok. I’ll keep you safe. I promise.” Naskia said.

Naskia walked up to him and placed a hand on his good shoulder and pulled herself to her tiptoes and kissed him. Niall loved being able to kiss her. It was a simple act between two people who cared for each other. In that kiss there were no differences between them.

Naskia broke the kiss after a few seconds, gave him one last hug and then tapped her pad and ended the program. She dropped to her knees and bent down so she wasn’t looming over Niall. He slowly approached her. Both were still readjusting to the drastic change in perspective.

Niall was feeling a bit anxious approaching the massive Naskia. It had only been the day before that they’d been screaming at each other and she had nearly killed him with a simple bat of her hand. He felt a lot safer a few minutes ago when he was able to hold her in his arms.

“Don’t be afraid, nothing bad will happen to you. I promise.” Naskia said setting her hand down near him. She noticed he still seemed nervous. Niall wasn’t keen on approaching the hand that had struck him so hard and he had to consciously force himself forward.

Niall clambered on and sat down. Naskia stood up carefully and went to tuck Niall into her cleavage but Niall stopped her.

“I’m too sore. It’s ok when I’m healthy but it’s just too much pressure on my sides.

Naskia checked for alternatives. Her bag was definitely not suitable for him and there were no pockets for him to go in either.

“I’ll carry you then, lie down across my palm. I’ll need to keep it closed so I don’t lose you.” Naskia said slowly wrapping her fingers around the little man in her hand. Niall curled up and rolled himself into a nook as Naskia lowered her hand to her side so she it wasn’t obvious she was carrying a Human around. Niall tried to stay awake as Naskia left the holosuite and walked through the Stranner Building but he was still beyond exhausted and quickly fell back to sleep.

Naskia was sitting up in bed with her pad. It was now mid-morning and she had slept through most of her morning classes. Niall was still sound asleep in the nook of her collar bone. He was twitching occasionally. He hadn’t woken since he fell asleep in her hand leaving the holosuite. She had wrapped him up in his blanket and fallen asleep with him when they got home. Naskia was so happy to have him back safe and sound.

Naskia was reading Niall’s blog. She realised she had reacted to it without actually reading it. There was no real way to track her down from any of the entries. The only person besides herself and Kiri who could have had any clue to her identity was Dorok.

Most of the comments Niall had replied to were either supportive or just inquisitive. There were a few dissenting voices, some of them she knew. One was president of the University’s Human Owners Society. Naskia read her comment with interest.

“Humans are pets. They have always been and will always be pets. Anyone who claims otherwise is clearly insane. Some humans do show aptitude for learning but the vast majority are incredibly simple, naïve beings who could never be citizens of The Empire. As free citizens humans would be abused, victimised and kidnapped in their millions. Your owner is clearly an idiot and needs to be prosecuted for mistreatment for filling your head with such fanciful notions. The Human Society will ensure she is prosecuted to the full extent of the law when her identity is revealed.”

Naskia found it interesting that the people who claimed to care for Humans the most seemed to be the ones most irked by Niall’s claims of equality. She wasn’t worried. She had broken no laws except when she had hit Niall and he would never have her prosecuted for the assault. She hoped.

Niall also seemed incredibly affectionate when he referred to her. One question Niall had answered made her beam from ear to ear.

“Q- Can you describe the relationship you have with you companion? I’m interested to know how a Titan and Human equal relationship works. – Ilmar, Veterinary Medicine.

A- Thank you for your question Ilmar. My companion and I are very close. I am totally dependent on her for a lot of day to day tasks such as bathing, eating and entertainment as you would expect in a normal Human/Titan relationship though there are a lot of differences. We eat meals together with utensils she has provided for me, we chat over dinner about pretty much anything. She will often cook food specifically for me as she doesn’t eat as often as I do. We make each other laugh, smile and comfort each other when we are upset. She gives me privacy when I want it and has also spent a considerable amount of time making me comfortable clothing. When she has difficulties with her degree I help her through it and she says there has been a noted improvement in her performance thanks to my help. This is by no means a “quid pro quo” relationship (this is Latin for a give and take relationship). We do these things for each other because we care for each other. If I were a Titan I would be just as close to her.”

Naskia felt incredibly bad. She really should have read this before she confronted Niall. She wouldn’t have been anywhere near as mad if she had read the blog and then confronted Niall.

She checked the time. She would have to meet her father in a couple of hours and she knew that Niall would want to meet him as well.

He looked amazingly cute curled up on his good side, nuzzling into her but she had to wake him. He’d been asleep for nearly a full Earth day.

“Wakey wakey…” she said gently stroking his back.

Niall stirred and rolled on to his back. He stretched and opened his eyes. He was immensely comfortable and didn’t want to leave his bed given all he’d been through in the last day.

Niall looked up at the smiling Naskia; she was craning her neck down to see him. He was curled up in her collar bone nook. The last thing he remembered was leaving the holosuite. He wondered if he was here because she felt bad for her actions or if she had accepted his offer of being her pet.

Niall winced as he stood up. His side still ached.

“How are you feeling?” Naskia asked him.

“Sore still, I don’t suppose you could get me any painkillers?” He asked.

“I’m sorry sweetie, I don’t know how much to give you and what I can give you. I don’t want to risk hurting you anymore.” Naskia said.

“Ok.” He said. “Sweetie?”

He didn’t know if Naskia had heard or accepted his offer of being her pet.

“I was just being affectionate don’t worry.” Naskia said realising why he had gotten concerned at “sweetie”.

“Nothing has changed with us. You’re not my pet so you don’t have to worry about pleasing me or anything.” Naskia said.

“What about the other stuff you said about us; the not sleeping together stuff and that?” Niall asked.

“Heh, yeah that…” Naskia trailed off for a few seconds. “I don’t know. I hated being so cold with you and then nearly losing terrified me. What happens if you stay with me for years and I maybe meet someone and they’re jealous of you? I can’t do that to you. If I couldn’t trust Kiri I can’t trust anyone. Can we just see how it goes?”

“Yeah sure.” Niall said trying not to show how happy that made him.

Despite Naskia saying they were equals he didn’t feel it. He was standing on the chest of a massive creature who had nearly killed him with a miniscule amount of effort. He could never feel equal to her again.

“Did you mean it?” Naskia said shyly.

“Mean what?”

“In the message you left for me…you said you loved me…” Naskia said her hopes fading.

Niall looked down at his feet. He had been quite emotional when he said that. He thought he was going to die but judging by how happy he was when Naskia said she hated being cold to him he knew there were feelings there.

“Yeah I meant it…” Niall said looking up from his feet.

Naskia smiled and looked at him with her massive eyes. She set her hand down beside Niall and he stepped on. She raised him to her lips and puckered them. She knew Niall may not want to be this close to a mouth and wanted him to choose if he wanted to kiss her. She smiled as she felt him kiss her.

Naskia brought him back in to view. She didn’t say anything but Niall could tell from the warmth in her eyes that she loved him too.

“We have to meet my dad in a few hours, fancy joining me for a bath? The water might help your side.” She asked.

“Sure, as long as you don’t expect me to clean anything for you.” Niall said feeling some of his confidence return.