A/N: I apologize if I had not been more proactive in my main chaptered DM story, "Trial of Commitment". But I have been thinking about how the story will progress ahead of where it is uploaded now. This story is still within the main original storyline. But was written up in a different notebook. I'm positive that this saga takes place after a future chapter that I plan to finish writing up in my 2nd "Trial of Commitment" Rough Draft notebook. But I've gotten more attention with this fandom on than on this site. So, in a way, I got distracted in trying to impress a different community.

The Stolen Allergen & Quark's New DM Kryptonite

When DM and I heard the report from K Taisa that Baron von Greenback wasn't after me anymore, my boyfriend became thrilled. This meant that the peril loving rodent was discharged from protecting me 24/7 and return to his daily mission routine again.

My flat that was located across the street from Danger HQ needed a few more days of rebuilding before I was allowed to move back in. On the plus side, I was permitted to return to my normal employed life at King's College. Everyone there had been very worried when they learned that my flat was destroyed a week ago, and that I had been placed under protective custody by Britain's Secret Service Agency.

DM's villains tried to come after him through me while we were away from each other during our busy schedules. But thanks to his Mouse Fu training lessons and shuriken tools [that he'd been teaching me to learn], they were more scared of me than they were of him.

When we had free time away from work and missions, Danger Mouse wasn't afraid to take me out on public dates. Unlike the events when every villain would go after Scarlett Johamster during her dates with Penfold, Camembear, Burt Bad Boy, and others (who weren't worth naming) never went near me again.

One look into my cold, murderous, beautiful blue eyes; receiving a punch to the face that eventually sent them flying into solid concrete, which left cracks in its structure from their powerful impact; getting my signature ear wedgies...my will and strength scarred them for life.

DM and I went on three more public dates since our first one last week. We went out to the movies to see an Action and Romance genre film, compromising the difficulty between my likes from his own.

On our second date DM took me to a carnival game festival in London's Clowntown district. There, we visited a "Build a Clown Workshop", where I asked the doll maker to create a Mr. Mime stuffed doll for me (although technically, I had to draw a picture of the other worldly Pokémon's character design; plus a Mime Jr. doll that I planned on giving to Squawkencluck since she had gotten over her fear of clowns a few days ago).

Speaking of my past anime fandom lifetime, I admit: I do miss all of the media from the real world that DM's universe lacks. And so far, a few gifts that I've been discovering in my Guest bedroom from a mysterious secret admirer of mine hasn't been totally all bad.

In fact, my secret admirer left me a hinted note in my bedroom, saying that Danger Mouse will win me my old Kakashi Hatake doll, which had been cleverly stashed away in the mix of other prize items at a shooting practice booth during Clowntown's carnival game festival on my second date.

I believe it went down like this...

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

"Awww," DM cooed over my newly stitched Mr. Mime doll. "He looks more of a clown than a mime, it's a brilliant piece of craftsmanship, Shirakage! And the Mime Jr. doll is adorable too. I'm certain that Squawk will love it."

I giggled. "Thanks, Nezu-chan. She's really warmed up to clowns since her abduction by the Bozorian ambassador's identical twin brother and ex-leader, Pom-Pom. You, Penfold, and Agent Cupcake may have been a factor in curing her coulrophobia."

"Well, I do love gaining another friend who can share my love and laughter with clowns," he smirked dashingly.

I rubbed my nose against his own and smiled. "I'm not lying when I paraphrase this quote: 'Clowns are funnier to laugh at...when you share the bleachers with friends'."

His eye widened with joy, earning me a kiss from him. He kissed me on the lips so intensely that after five seconds, our chemistry for each other started to draw another public crowd. And it wasn't just the Bozorian clowns who were admiring us snogging in their district; local Brits were taking photos of us again and posting their comments of another "One True Pairing" on Spamchops.

"Danger Mouse," I hissed under his snout warily. "People are shipping us again."

DM huffed proudly. "I don't mind." Then he took my hand. "Come on. You said you wanted to go to this target practice prize booth here, right?" He flashed me a cocky grin. "I'll win any prize you fancy."

I briefly sighed off my embarrassment from the nosey spectators. Finally, I beamed happily at him while leaning my head against his broad, but skinny shoulder. "You da Mouse."

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My eyes sparkled as they locked onto the 12 inch Kakashi Hatake plush doll. It was hung on the prize rack, meshed in among the other cute items. My old Jonin Ninja doll was the only stuffed toy that stood out from the rest of the carnival themed goodies. And the only human figured one that remained unknown to DM's world.

The clown in charge of the shooting target booth smiled wryly towards my lolling expression for the face masked ninja doll. "I'm glad someone's interested in it. The former store owner who ran the 'Human's Antiques' shop before joining the British Secret Service found this mystery doll in her shop.

"When it didn't match any historical records of the other human relics in her store's inventory, she gave it to me, prophetically saying that her favorite customer will own it one day while she's on a date at the fair."

I smiled to myself as I remembered Mandy and her fellow cat cult followers. Some of her most senior brethren still ran her antique shop, after she developed a change of heart towards Danger Mouse and Colonel K. Because of her desire to work for K's Danger Network, her business was relocated from the outskirts of Arkwright Asylum to a more retro shopping district of London.

So it was my secret admirer who set the doll in her shop, planting the seeds for Mandy to give said doll to this Bozorian clown fair employer.

Nezu-chan raised his eyebrow as he witnessed me drooling over the monocular ninja doll. "Do you happen to know that strange ninja human doll, Shirakage?"

I nodded, my anime fangirl habits accidentally kicking in and failing to keep my real world cover. "It's Kakashi Hatake, from the anime series, Naruto. He always reminded me of the Old You whenever I watched his mask covered mouth speak without moving."

DM looked completely lost. "Shirakage...I don't understand. I've never heard of the words: 'Kakashi Hatake', 'Naruto' or 'anime'. How can this suspicious doll make you think of the me who existed before my 23 year long holiday in suspended animation?"

Deciding to use a crazy illogical timeline fact of his universe to my advantage as an excuse, I replied with a smug smirk. "Says the mouse tolerating his boss in forgetting his best friend's name, when said boss's brain hadn't been that stupid 35 years ago since he debut of your first cartoon series. Honestly, you're more childish and less classy than how you used to be."

A pouted frown and miffed grunt was his only reply. It was only when I gave him my own puppy dog eyes that he finally gave in. "Fine. If you fancy it so badly, I'll win it for you."

"Yayz! You're da best, Nezu."

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I cuddled my long lost Kakashi doll to my cheek as we were leaving Clowntown's carnival event. DM hit every target perfectly to ensure my happiness.

Unfortunately, due to the Bozorian tradition of slapstick humor, the rifles were rigged to produce a slight backfire joke not the shooter. Every time Nezu-chan fired a shot, a nano sized cloud of sneezing powder would shoot into his face, which was released from a hidden compartment near the rifle's safety check switch.

Clown science. They are a weird bunch of face painted humans from a different planet, alright.

"Haahh-CHOO! Haaaahhh-CHoo!" DM sneezed loudly as we approached his car. "Snf. Huh. 'Scuse me. Snf."

I giggled cutely at him as he blushed and swiped at his nose. "I wonder if that Bozorian booth employer rigged the rifle especially for you, Nezu-kun."

"HAAHH-T'CHOO!" He sneezed again and turned to me with a watery eye. "Snf. What bmakes you believe that, Shira-sadn?"

"Well, you do carry a reputation for laughing very loud and hard at clowns in the Bozorian community since the three council members landed here a year ago before I met you. Maybe some of the immigrant Bozorians were curious to see if you sneeze just as loud and hard like your laughing style."

DM blew his nose before starting up the Mark IV. He smiled thoughtfully at my speculated theory. "'S a bit far fetched. But it may be a possibility. I'd say you have a 50/50 chance of being right on it."

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

Yep, that was Date 2. We wouldn't go on our third date until 3 days later which, by then, I moved back into my refurbished flat. But Date 3 had a few mishaps than romance.

I caught Danger Fan Ian recording a live video shot of us making out during a picnic date in Holland Park's Kyoto Gardens. He was behind DM's oblivious head and poorly hidden in the bushes. Forgetting that Nezu-Chan's lips were still locked onto mine, I leaned my entrapped face closer to Ian while pushing my surprised date's head with me.

My mortified impulsiveness then caused me to spray my hidden hairpin's pepper spray into Ian's face. The stinging sensation affected him immediately, and he fled from our private spot. However, the fuchsia mist had also hit DM in the face too. And the worst part was...I had forgotten to give the perfume sample in my hairpin to Squawkencluck.

Why was this important to narrate? Because the secret ingredient that makes my special unique perfume/pepper spray is the pollen of Arctic cotton grass. And unbeknownst to the Danger Network, DM was severely allergic to that grass' pollen. This sample in my hairpin hadn't been modified like my other samples yet. So that means...

"Iiihehh-CHOO! Heh...erAH_CHOOO! UrAH-CHOO! Hhit'cHoo! CHOO!" Danger Mouse had immediately broken our lip lock to sneeze uncontrollably to the side. "Ahh-HAACHOOOO! Heh-heh-heh!"

"I'm sorry, Nezu," I said hastily as I rushed my allergic date back to his car. Due to his excessive sneezing fit, I placed him in the passenger seat and assumed position in front of the steering wheel. "Danger Nav," I spoke to the Mark IV's built in computer. "This is the girlfriend of Danger Mouse speaking. Code name: White Shadow."

"Shirakage Mouse, acknowledged," Danger Nav replied. "What is your emergency destination?"

"My flat in Baker Street across from Danger HQ." I planned to let Nezu-chan rest at my place before using his car again to drop off his kryptonite at King's College's chemistry lab.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I kept my watchful eyes on DM as he rinsed out the allergen from his face in my bathroom sink. Drained of energy and exhausted from sneezing his snout off, I guided him to my couch to let him take a long nap while I was gone again.

I arrived at the campus in less than a minute (you'd be amazed on how fast the Mark IV can go). I used my College Staff's key to enter the building which housed the school's chemistry lab. It was a Saturday, and there weren't a lot of weekend courses being signed up this month.

Inside the chemistry lab, I had another private desk where I kept a secret compartment case that housed my latest unique formulas. And there was a vacant slot for a spare glass vial that I could fit my hairpin into under lock and key. The label for my prototype perfume sample was still engraved under said vacant glass vial slot. That's where I'll hide the allergen.

I have to do this quickly. I'm feeling another sixth sense chill about a crowd of shipping fan women, who might be rushing to my location...especially some space alien fans. Their presence usually gives off an embodying intuition that the alien villain, Quark wasn't too far from this growing trend.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I left the school grounds successfully without any confrontation from fanshippers. However, as I was riding in the autopilot driven Mark IV, my wandering eyes glanced at an alarming sight in the car's rear view mirror (I begged Prof. Squawkencluck to install one in DM's car at one point).

I thought I saw Nezu-chan smirking at me from the backseat. My confusion over how he could have followed me so fast—knowing full well that he was in no shape to leave my flat after fainting on my couch earlier—was immediately obliterated from my thoughts as I scrutinized more closely at the white mouse's reflection.

In a mirror, DM's eyepatch on his left eye would view itself on my/the mirror's left side, while his right, yellow eye would be located on my/the mirror's right side as well. When I saw this familiar face's black eyepatch on my/the mirror's right side instead of my/its left, and a deep red eye being shown on my/the mirror's left side instead of my/its right, I froze as I dreadfully realized who that mouse was and wasn't.

I whipped my head to face the stealthy intruder, only to find the backseat vacant of any stowaway. I turned back to the rear view mirror to make sure I wasn't going mad. Surprisingly, the monocular red eyed white mouse's face vanished from the reflection as well.

I've heard about this "Sinister Mouse" from Penfold one time. He told me that this criminal alternate version of Danger Mouse came from a different universe, which a "Baron Silas von" version of Penfold had called it; "The Twistyverse".

Demo...how could I see his face in the mirror if he wasn't actually behind me? Why did I see the white mouse in red who shouldn't exist in DM's world? But another pit in my stomach affected my anxiety attack so badly that I rushed to my flat's loo and vomited in the porcelain inanimate God.

Was Sinister Mouse after me? Nothing made sense. What does he want with me...!? What if-

"Shirakage...!?" Nezu-chan snorted himself awake, his voice containing a mixture of grogginess and concern. I heaved another slimy substance of saliva into the toilet, panting heavily as DM rushed to my side and hovered over me. "Shirakage, Darling," he said more gently this time. "Are you alright?"

I didn't realize how frightened my expression still looked when I turned to him. Danger Mouse's eye clouded with a serious gaze. "Did something happen to you while you were at your office at the college!?" He tutted at me with worry. "Oh, Dear...Look at you, you're pale with fear again."

I felt him pull my trembling form into an embrace, comforting me against his chest. What should I say to assure him that no one attacked me?

"I'm alright, Nezu," I replied softly. "A stomach bug's going around the school's grounds this term. I must have picked it up from Brian two days after our date in Clowntown's carnival game festival. Perhaps my shock of catching this virus is due to the fact that I don't remember experiencing these symptoms very recently for a long time after Middle School. That's all."

I then looked up at his worried face, ignoring a heavy wave of fatigue warming my face and eyelids. "How are you feeling? I'm sorry if I woke you. Have your allergy symptoms abated?"

He nodded. "I didn't nap for long, but I am breathing much better. Although the arm rest on your sofa may have a spot of drool and boogey on it while I was sleeping."

My fondness for his sloppy guy habits increased, yet also strengthened my fatigue. "Oh, Nezu-kun. You slept with your mouth open again and you sneezed in your sleep?! Sorry I missed that. It would have looked so cute."

He frowned at my comment. "Manly agents are anything but cute, Shira-San." Then his eye widened when I felt his hand touch my cheeks and forehead. "Good Grief! You've got a high fever, Love!"

I laughed weakly. "Must be from the stomach bug." I had to fool him to remain oblivious to my hormones heating up my face. The stomach bug going around King's College was true; it was my story of catching the virus that was the lie. "All I need is a cool bath and-"

But DM suddenly grabbed ahold of me, lifted me up into his arms while standing up again, and carried me bridal style. "Come on," he chirped suavely. "I know a good old recipe from my Mum that will cure that nasty stomach bug of yours." He winked at me. "Trust me. It's done wonders for me whenever I fell ill as a young mouse pup."

I didn't utter a sound of protest as he carried me to my bedroom and laid me down in my bed. Plus, I was feeling very sleepy cuz I mumbled lightly through my fuzzy vision.

"Don't fall asleep yet, my Dear," he coaxed me again. "You need to take some medicine and my Mum's broth to get your fever down. I know that if she were here, she'd say," DM then raised the pitch of his voice to sound more feminine. "'I've felt foreheads hotter than yours, Darling. Still, your moderate fever will get worse if I don't treat it right away.'"

I giggled at his silly impersonation of a woman's voice, making him grin with success. "Are you really confident that my fever isn't dangerously high, Nezu-kun?" I asked him tiredly.

DM kissed my forehead, pushed my head back gently against my pillow and tucked me in. "I can tell from your spunky spirit that your illness is certainly not that serious." His smirk widened. "By the by, are you secretly wishing for me to do something for you before you konk out for the night?"

A coy smile spread on my face. "Well, I was hoping you could lip sync the song 'One Step Away' by the rock band 'Ratt' for me as a lullaby. I find the lyrics quite symbolic whenever I think about us."

His grin returned. "Ha! I'll do more than lip sync that song to you," he gloated cheekily.

"I don't know," I replied doubtfully in a playful tone. "I'm not sure I can picture you singing one of their hoarse voiced songs with your deep baritone style."

His face twitched with a repressed grin, and he squeaked out a C Minor tuned whine. "Oh, Shirakage, please tell me that you are not implying a challenge to me...! You know I've been fighting that addiction lately."

My smugness returned. "Then prove that your voice is good enough to sing Ratt's song 'One Step Away' just like how you sang Owl City's song 'Deer in the Headlights' to me on our first date." I then went in for the kill. "I challenge you."

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How could I konk out before he finishes singing? Just look at him, Inner Me. When I first moved back into my flat, DM started leaving a bit of his fun stuff from Danger HQ at my place. This included an extra flat screen tv, speakers, and a karaoke video game disc for his favorite game console.

I had stopped expressing any surprise when he managed to move said karaoke stage equipment into my bedroom. This mouse would go all out just to make his girl happy. Of course, his CCD couldn't consume him completely until after he had me drink his mother's special broth. Perhaps I meant a lot more to him than his Compulsive Challenge Disorder while he believed I was ill.

To help get himself into the karaoke groove, DM dressed himself up in red sneakers, blue jeans, a black jacket and shirt, black spiky punk wristbands and sunglasses. The only thing that I forbade him to wear was a long brown haired wig, informing him that I'd refuse to take a photo of his boy band getup with my Pear phone.

We had to rule out the exploding smoke effect machine, because the cocky silly idiot coughed comically to the dust. I couldn't stop laughing towards his mishap until he turned the machine off and began to get my lullaby started.

"I waited for you baby on that hot summer night

I was so hot for ya, you were nowhere in sight

You thought I was foolin'

So your heart took a flight

I guess we're star crossed lovers

We just can't get it right

"Two years later I was out on the town

I saw you on the street and my heart hit the ground

I guess love is like a chain

And you're always bound

It's better late than never

Girl am I gettin' through

It's better late than never

Than livin' without you

"I'm one step away

We're ships in the night

But tonight you ain't gonna get away

I'm one step away

The timing is right this time

And I'm gonna make you stay

One step away, one step away

"I'm callin' on you baby

Like a blast from the past

I heard your heart was broken

I knew it wouldn't last

Some things are forever

And some things burn out fast

"It's better late than never

Girl am I gettin' through

It's better late than never

Than livin' without you

"I'm one step away

We're ships in the night

But tonight you ain't gonna get away

I'm one step away

The timing is right this time

And I'm gonna make you stay

One step away, one step away

"I waited for you baby on that hot summer night

I was so hot for ya, you were nowhere in sight

You thought I was foolin'

So your heart took a flight

I guess we're star crossed lovers

We just can't get it right

"I'm one step away

We're ships in the night

But tonight you ain't gonna get away

I'm one step away

The timing is right this time

And I'm gonna make you stay

One step away, one step away"

I listened to DM sing until the song's chorus started to repeat and fade out, its volume lowering into silence. He posed like a silly boy in an amateur startup band, clicked his grinning teeth at me with a cheeky wink.

I applauded at the conclusion of his performance, and laughed joyfully before drowsiness took control of my facial expression. A yawn escaped me, and I felt a pair of strong, gentle hands pushing my head down on the pillow. The soft fabric underneath my furred face dragged me deeper towards the path of Dreamland. But not before I felt DM's four fingered paw touching my forehead.

"Mum's special broth works every time," he mused gently to himself. "But then again, you're too strong willed a woman to need a lot of her remedy to get better for tomorrow morning. Sleep well, my Love. I have to get back to HQ. I'm expecting a late night mission soon."

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I woke up the next morning on Sunday, feeling a lot better and refreshed from a good night's sleep. Yawning with a long stretch, I looked out my window to see the view of London in clear and sunny skies.

My phone on the dresser near the window suddenly lit up and vibrated. I picked it up and saw a new text from Nezu-chan.

BondCharming: Good morning, my lovely White Shadow. Do you fancy a lunch date with me 3 days from now, shall we say Wednesday at Daphne's Coffee and Sweets Factory?

I beamed a compliant response, and then began to take one of my rare morning showers.

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Do you remember that scene in one of those "Dial M For Monkey" cartoon episodes (which coincided with Dexter's Laboratory) where Monkey has a flashback of when he was on his off duty dates with Agent HoneyQ, and they're sipping a milkshake together, sitting on opposite sides of the table while looking into each other's eyes?

Well, that's how my lunch date desert with DM resembled to when Wednesday came, after we finished our main meal. I loved vanilla milkshakes. DM decided to let us share a huge sundae glass of it, as a large amount of whipped cream with a shiny cherry covered the top of the delicious treat.

It was just another romantic afternoon...just two white mice in love...sipping a vanilla milkshake through our own straws...staring into each other's eye-

"Hhhh'UTCHhH!" A strong sneeze forced DM to flinch his face downwards into the giant sundae's whipped cream surface. His sudden sneeze startled me enough to jump slightly in my booth's seat. We both froze in place for a moment until DM slowly raised his head to look at me. Whipped cream had covered parts of his face, while the cherry balanced itself delicately on top of his snout.

"Snf. Do excuse me," he sniffed sheepishly. "I didn't mean to-"

I kissed him on the lips, interrupting his apology. He tensed up a bit for a second, but then eased into our brief special chemistry. I parted my lips from his to scoop up the cherry from off of his snout with my tongue. When I finished eating the sweet piece of fruit, I kissed his cream covered cheek, licked it off of my own lips, and giggled with a smile. "Bless you, Love."

He smiled as well, a blush coating his face as he wiped the cream off with a napkin. "Th-Thahh..." His voice faltered and he quickly buried his nose into the napkin while hunching over his booth's side. "Ah-hh'UKChh'oo! He'ETSH!" He sniffled wetly.

"Nezu-kun," I said while he tossed the mucus slimed napkin on the table and grabbed another one to clean up the rest of his face. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes, I'b fide," he replied evasively, but failed to hide the growing congestion in his voice. "Snf. Thank you. Come on, Shira-San. This scrumptious milkshake won't eat itself."

He smiled nonchalantly, as if he was assuring me that he was, indeed, ok. Despite a developing a concern that DM might be lying about something, I nodded at him and we resumed devouring our tasty treat.

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After lunch, we walked down Great Marlborough Street in London's West End. DM blushed with an embarrassed smile as I pointed to one of the black jackets, being worn on a displayed mannequin in the window of a clothing store titled "Cheap Monday".

"Really, Shirakage," he insisted halfheartedly. "The jacket that I wore during the Undercover Boy Band mission is not one of Cheap Monday's Nightshade products." (A/N: I love doing research through Google Earth)

"Yeah yeah. Keep denying it, Modest Mausu," I teased platonically at him. My chuckling died down suddenly when my wandering gaze fell on a pair of displayed wedding dresses in a Bride and Groom clothing store past Cheap Monday. (A/N: I take it that this detail in my fanfiction is false to the locals...?)

DM happened to catch my distracted stare towards the shop. Then he chuckled with a smug like smirk. "My my. This is our 4th date together, and already you're thinking of marriage, Love? Why, Shirakage Darling. I never imagined you'd wish to take our relationship this fast so soon yet."

My face flushed a furious bright red and I spun around to glare at him. "N-No way! Like Hell I want to daydream about marriage at this stable point in my life. I'm fine with the way things are between us now!"

DM laughed merrily towards my spluttering unconvincing defense. "You're adorable when you're embarrassed. But you shouldn't get your knickers in a twist. I was only joking."

My pouty expression softened slightly until he added cheekily. "Then again...you seemed a bit mesmerized by that beautiful white gown in the shop's window..."

"DANGER MOUSE!" I yelled in a girlish fluster, then started pounding his arm repeatedly in a sissy like manner. "Idiot! Moron! Baka!"

He chuckled again at my childish efforts to punish him.

As for the other random people who were walking by us down the street, they'd been used to the way we behaved on our public dates. And today in particular, a lot of women were out taking strolls around where we were standing.

Suddenly, Nezu-Chan's laughter died down, and his breathing hitched rapidly. "Looh...Love," he said, as his hitching breath interrupted the single syllable. "I...I..." He quickly brought out a handkerchief and pressed his large snout into it. "Hhh'IKChhH! Itch'oo! H-H-H-Hehh'IshhHOO!"

"God bless you, Nezu-Kun," I said, a blush coated my cheeks more lightly as I wasn't sure if he was fine.

My poor idiot agent caught his breath for a moment with a few quick sniffs...before another round of sneezes overcame him enough to throw his head and entire upper body forward. "hhh'UTChh'ew! Hit'cheww! Hishh'ooo! Hhh...ISHH!"

"DM, your face is a bit red," I said, sounding concerned. "Have you got a fever?" I reached out to feel his head, but he didn't let me, and I spotted tears forming in the corner of his fluttering eye.

"D-Don't cobme adny..." he couldn't finish his warning to me. And with one last apologetic look, he hunched his stuffed up nose into the soaked handkerchief. "Hhhn'ISHH! ItchH'ew!"

"Bless you!" I repeated, more urgently this time. Something was definitely wrong with him. The more his sneezing fits increased in length, the few moments he had in catching his breath was reduced as well. By mere seconds in between intervals of each fit, DM was starting to hack and clear his throat for air.

He gasped out a cough and sniffled. "Oh no...Huhh'UShhH! Shirakage, the civilian women...they're-Hhh'iShh!"

And that's when the thick potent scent from the passing women hit me. I stopped a short beaked bird women and asked her what kind of perfume she was wearing.

"Oh, it's the latest popular scent that you've sold to the new cosmetics store which just opened up across this street," she replied cheerfully, gesturing her feathered thumb over to a store that was on the other side of the road. "All of the women here wished to buy your special perfume, since it represents your relationship with Mr. Danger Mouse. And it really does smell lovely."

I froze in confusion and shock as I saw a lot of female animal species coming in and out of the suspicious department store. But my mind could barely focus on the titled letters above its doorway and painted windows.

Danger Mouse was gasping heavily now. "Shira...hhh'IshH! Oh God. Snff!" Suddenly, his knees buckled beneath him. And I swiftly dove towards his left side to steady him to his feet.

"Nezu...!" He looked really bad. The way he was coughing and wheezing had me fearing that he might be having an asthma attack from my stolen perfume sample, that was still wafting in the air around us.

More sneezes shook his upper body while he bobbed his head down forward towards the ground. When he finally caught a moment to lift his head and give a terribly congested groan, I saw his miserable face. His right amber eye was now red rimmed and shiny with tears, and his large red nose was streaming.

"Hang in there, DM-Kun," I told him as I positioned the nearly choking mouse to ride on my back. "I'm taking you to your agency's head doctor at the Danger Flat."

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As the Rhinoceros doctor at HQ's infirmary clinic examined DM's tongue, eye and nose with his medical tools, K Taisa, Penfold and I watched the diagnosis process from a few feet away.

There were a couple of times when I had to intervene and suppress an impending sneeze from Nezu-Chan. When the doctor shone his small flashlight to look up DM's stuffed nose, one twitch with a sharp gasp from my inflicted boyfriend was quickly stabilized by my finger, pressing itself against his runny appendage.

"Snff. Thag you, Love," he croaked gratefully at me. The rhino doctor had now finished examining Danger Mouse, which allowed me to approach him again and give him a comforting back rubbing hug.

"You made a wise decision in bringing Danger Mouse here as soon as he was showing serious allergy symptoms, Prof. Shirakage Mouse," Dr. Johnson stated sternly. "According to the results from his new blood test, I discovered that our top agent here has been hiding a fact about his health to the entire medical section of this agency."

Colonel K's brow narrowed with clouded suspicion. "Go on, Doctor."

DM cringed with guilt as the Rhino Dr. continued to explain his secret.

...

"The Chief's allergic to the pollen spores of Arctic Cotton Plants...!?" Penfold exclaimed in disbelief.

Dr. Johnson nodded his horned grey head. "And that plant's herbal genome sequences is also part of the new popular perfume product's main ingredients. Whoever stole Prof. Shirakage's stored and unmodified sample from her College's office and lab...must have replicated its fragrant properties, and is selling it to the women in Britain here illegally."

The three of them turned to us. "Prof. Shirakage," K Taisa started firmly. "Did you know DM had this concealed secret of possessing an allergy weakness, and promised him that you wouldn't inform the rest of the British Secret Service about it?!

"And DM," he continued while staring coldly at his best agent. "How could you lie on a medical assessment report about your personal health to us for so long!? Bad show, my boy!"

DM lowered his gaze, ashamed of committing such a disclosed matter from his Boss and Penfold, now that it was out in the open. "Forgive me, Colonel. Penfold. You weren't supposed to ever find out about it like this. I could have told Shirakage not to bring bme back to HQ whedn I..." He broke off suddenly, his large nose flaring again. "H-hit'CHEW! Oh Gosh, sorry!"

"Bless you," said the four of us to him as he rubbed his runny nose with the back of his hand. When he started to sniffle miserably, my pity for him urged me to pull him into a tighter hug.

Penfold seemed equally cross as the Colonel towards his best friend. "So, what made you decide to confess your secret allergy to us now, Chief?"

I felt him tighten his grip slightly around my white mouse paw.

"Hmm. Perhaps I finally got tired of keeping it frobm everyodne here, Pednfold. Shirakage was the one who found out about it during our first date a while back. But she never told a soul for my sake. Snf. I've dnever encountered a lovely woman before who has given bme this bmuch devotion to honoring bmy secret agent pride. So, this current incident that has now exposed me to the world only widens bmy trust in my friends a bit more."

Once again, a light blush coated my cheeks in a faint pink hue. 'Nezu-Chan's telling his reasons for admitting his allergy now...because of me...?' This was so making me self conscious and proud in his growing maturity.

Colonel K gave DM a hard look, but then sighed. "Well, I suppose we owe Prof. Shirakage a jolly Thank You, DM. If it hadn't been for her becoming your girlfriend, we may have never known about your hidden medical problem."

"He's right, Chief," Penfold agreed with a softened stare in his specks. "You've never even shared this history of yourself with me, your best friend. Does it really take a girl in your life to help you be more honest with us?"

Danger Mouse stared at him, guilt heavy in his eye. "I'm really sorry, Penfold. You, of all of my friends and colleagues here at HQ, deserved the right to know from the start."

DM's sweetness was beginning to seduce me into a lovey-dovey snuggle moment. And his allergy induced sniffling was still luring my mind away from any anger I once may have felt when my perfume sample had been stolen.

Seeing me affectionately rub the side of my head against DM's shoulder, K Taisa smirked in amusement. "Right then. Danger Mouse, we'll discuss about a suitable and minor penalty for your deceitful act in withholding medical information to the agency in a moment. What's most urgent now is to deal with the thief who's broken into King's College and replicated Shirakage Mouse's stolen perfume sample for marketing purposes."

Nezu-Chan's sinuses had completely clogged up his nose that he had to breathe out of his open mouth. "I believe it's Quark, sir," he replied with a liquid sniff. "Snf. I caught wind of what he was up to earlier today, minutes before bmy lunch date with Shira-San at Daphne's Coffee and Sweets Factory.

"I do wish that I'd be willing to apprehend his illegal dnew business scheme. But I won't be able to in this state." DM's breath started hitching slightly as he continued. "BMy dnose is rudding like a faucet, and I..." He shook his head to the opposite side from me, putting up an apologetic hand in the process. "Hahaha...hhh'ISHH! And I'b dnot able to fidish every other sentence I bmake without...Hhh'IK'choo! Dabmn! Sorry."

"Bless you," the three male animals said to him. I, however, hummed adorably and pulled my sniffling secret agent boyfriend into another hug.

Penfold narrowed his specks before rolling the dots to the side. "You went undercover on an unassigned incident in London before heading out to your date with Prof. Shirakage," the unsurprised hamster mused out loud at his senpai in disappointment. "A shock that she's not cross with you, Chief."

I peeked out a blue eye at Pen-Chan's sour frown and giggled. "Jealous much, Penfold-San?"

He pouted with an averted gaze. "Not quite as much as you'd think, Shirakage."

Colonel K cleared his throat to help reroute our conversation to the original topic at hand. "DM, I'm assigning Danger Moth to arrest Quark," he ordered professionally. "Once we've confiscated all of those manufactured perfume products, Squawkencluck will decide whether we should dispose of them by exploding destruction, or modify their potency in the same way which she had done for Shirakage 10 days ago.

"Until Danger Moth's mission is a success, you are to remain here in Dr. Johnson's office."

"But sir, I'm fine now," Nezu-chan argued lightly. "I don't have to stay here while I recuperate from these wretched symptoms."

K Taisa smiled slyly and turned to the rhino in the white coat. "Doctor, didn't you talk about your new nurse practitioner going cosmetic shopping earlier today?"

Dr. Johnson's expression then matched with the Colonel's. "Yes, Colonel K. I do believe I did." He faced to a closed door on the side of the room, which connected to another examining room. "Oh, Nurse Peril Hippo," he called out nicely. "If you're still wearing that new perfume which you bought down in Great Marlborough Street, could you pop in here for a moment with your purchased item?"

I opened up a sedated eye to see a female grey hippo walk into the room. She was holding a shopping bag that read, "White Mice Romance Perfume" on the front.

"What is it, Dr. Peril Johnson?" She asked innocently. "Why did you ask me to bring my shopping item into this exam room?"

As if on cue, Danger Mouse's body stiffened under my touch. "Hheheh!" He pitched forward with a trio of breathy sneezes. "Hhh! H'ksssh! Tssh'u! Hih'ksshu!" He then sniffled out a jaw slacking groan. "Ugh. Oh, God! Colodel, Doctor, wh-what are you...yuhh-hhh'Ishh'ew! Ugh. Snf, Doing to bme!? Iiehh-CHOO! CHOO! CHOO!"

"Consider your misery to this contraband perfume as punishment for breaking a code of shared confidence from us for years, DM," Colonel K beamed mockingly as he took the bag from the nurse licensed hippo; the confused Peril medical agent was then briefed on the situation by her higher ranking senpai.

"Ms. Peril Hippo's presence here clearly proves to what the Doctor had uncovered about you," K Taisa continued promptly at the desperately sneezing mouse in my arms. "You shall be exposed to her scent until Dr. Johnson can create a special allergy shot for your ailment.

"Shirakage Mouse," he then addressed me suddenly. "Please be a sweet Dear and make sure the good Chap doesn't escape." He stared at us in amusement. "You do seem like you're enjoying his punishment yourself. Am I wrong?"

I nuzzled my happy face against Nezu-Chan's trembling shoulders. "As long as it keeps me away from pummeling that NY accent talking alien hustler to a bloody pulp, I'll leave my worries to you and the other agents, K Taisa, sir."

The chinchilla in the blue blazer nodded, feeling satisfied. "Very good, then. That is all for now. I'm popping back into my office. Nurse Peril Hippo, don't forget to wash that perfume off from your neck."

"I won't, Colonel K, sir," she nodded affirmatively at him. "And Dr. Johnson won't let Danger Mouse leave this room until his new allergy shot affects him to be 100% sneeze free."

"-hd'ISSHuh! Hh-huhhh... HETSCHHIEWW!" Said secret agent mouse couldn't utter a protest as his harsh, masculine sneezing grew intense again. "Snrrk. Uhhh... HUTCCHHIEWW! Snnff uhhh..."

Penfold looked unsure of his best friend's condition. "Cor! This seems a bit much for the Chief, everyone. Don't you all think he's suffered enough? His sneezing is already sounding a lot more painful to me ears."

After handing my nose twitching, gasping boyfriend a fresh new tissue, I gave the cute hamster a weak smile. "You're welcome to stay and keep us company, Pen-chan. I don't mind an extra friend to help support Nezu-chan with me."