Busted By My Displeased Secret Agent Boyfriend
As I started to awaken from a restful night's sleep, the chilly, dry air of winter seeped into the Guest bedroom. My eyes were still closed as I was not quite ready to wake up and face the day yet.
How can it be this cold in Nezu-Chan's Danger flat? Does the heater usually break down here? I find that hard to imagine...not that I don't hate the chill in HQ. If anything, I was completely digging it. And it gave me an excuse to keep snoozing away as a means to ignore the calling schedule of Nezu-Chan's rigorous Mouse Fu training today before breakfast.
As I snuggled under my blanket in contented satisfaction, a sudden shift of movement below my submerged head alerted my senses. I opened my eyes, alarmed at the alienating furry warmth—cuddling against my cozy and sexy pajama covered body, and I looked down. There, hugging my waist and curled up like a wolf pup huddled in a den during winter, was Danger Mouse himself.
I screamed bloody murder. "AAAAAAHHHHHH!"
My shrieking cry was loud enough to jostle DM out of the bed. He screamed comically to the noise I was wailing.
"WAAAHHH!" He looked to the left, right, and in any direction where there might be danger nearby. "Who!? What!? Where!?"
"YOU PERVY AGENT!" I yelled at him while blushing furiously. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, SLEEPING WITH ME IN MY BED SO INTIMATELY!?"
DM looked confused for a moment, then blushed as he realized my distress. "No, wait! I-"
"HENTAI! EROS MAWASHIMONO MAUSU!"
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Once I calmed down over a Deja Vu like episode between me and DM, Squawkencluck took over the awkward situation.
"Professor Shirakage," Penfold said nervously. "The Chief's no 'Pervy Secret Agent Mouse', I swear. The truth is...he had a rough time last night sleeping soundly. With this cold snap London's having of late, and a nightmare plaguing the Chief's sleep, I think he might be getting ill."
I pouted solemnly as mixed feelings coaxed me to turn back to the monocular white mouse. He was shivering melodramatically in my bed while Prof. Squawkencluck played nurse practitioner for him.
She took the thermometer from his mouth and frowned at the results. "Hmm. 38 Degrees C, Danger Mouse."
DM coughed under the thick blankets and sniffed wetly. "But I can't be sick, Professor," he argued weakly. "Shirakage Mouse's life is in danger from Sinister Mouse and his accomplices in the Twistyverse. I have to teach her to master Mouse Fu so that she won't rely on her magical powers anymore. I won't let her die using her Double Edged Magic!"
DM attempted to get out of my bed and walk. But a dizzy spell overcame him; his eye rolled back, and he nearly fell forward to the floor if I didn't move fast enough to catch him. He groaned faintly as he glanced up to meet my worried blue eyes.
"Shi...ra...kage..." he murmured with fever. His body felt heavy against my shoulder. I helped him back into my bed and cocooned him tightly in my blankets. But he continued to shiver.
"His body temperature is very low, Prof. Shirakage," Squawkencluck informed me seriously. "Danger Mouse will need more than bed covers to keep him warm. You must stay close to his side and watch over him. You're the reason why he's been training you so hard, Girl. Your life means more to him than his own health."
My eyes shimmered with half hearted guilt. Penfold then turned and stared at me with puppy dog eyes through his specks.
"Please, Prof." He pleaded sadly. "Please look after the Chief and help him recover. He's my best friend. And he loves you very much."
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I sneered wryly to myself as I lay in my bed again. Dammit. How come I always can't say "no" to Penfold whenever he stares at me so helplessly adorable? You know, I wonder how much I've gotten used to his animal species in over two life times so far.
Shuddered breathing next to my chest brought me back to the favor which I had promised the worried brown hamster in the first place. Nezu-chan was snuggling slightly against my body, his face contorting in an uncomfortable grimace.
I stroked my hand and fingers through his hair and fur on his head. My poor manly mouse. His forehead was burning up. But his shivering symptoms resembled to one who was suffering from hypothermia.
There had to be a faster way in helping him feel warmer. Maybe if I could-
"D-D-Don't...y-you dare, Sh-Sh-Shira-San...!" Nezu-chan stuttered sharply through his violent shivering. "Y-Y-You were...th-th-thinking of...u-using your powers...t-to heal my...f-f-foggy cold, w-w-weren't you...?"
I looked down at my weak patient, sensei and boyfriend. His eye held a stern and scary gaze, despite the glassy moisture of sickness hindering his strength. "How did you know what I was-" I began, surprised that he coincidentally read me like a book.
"I...f-forbid you to...d-d-drain your lifespan...a-a-any further for my sake, L-L-Love," he ordered persistently. "S-S-Sinister Mouse...w-won't...u-undo the...s-s-spell's costly effects on you...u-u-unless you join him in the...p-p-path of evil..." Danger Mouse turned away to cough roughly, his throat sounding a bit scratchy and hoarse. "Snf."
"But Nezu-chan," I replied with concern. "What else can I do? You don't seem to be feeling any more comfortable with that chill."
"HAA-TSSCHSHN!" He sneezed and took a couple of congested breaths. "That would probably be bmy owdn fault idn getting sick. Snffle."
"You're not still talking about the time when I saved you from drowning and being tied up in the sinking Danger Sub, are you?" I asked with a furrowed brow.
"W-We're...m-mice, Shirakage," he replied as more shivers racked his frame next to my body. "W-We still carry the susceptible weakness in our genes to being very sensitive to the cold and catching illnesses. Because I'm the World's Greatest Secret Agent—and always keeping my health in top form everyday—I rarely get sick than normal mice of my species."
He paused to sniffle again, his nose twitching a bit on his snout. "Snf. Snf. DNow that I kdnow that using your bmagic bmight kill you, bmy Love, I can't leave you alone for a se-heh-heh...secohhn-Ah...huuhh-Er-CHOOO!"
"Bless you," I said as a bad sneeze jerked his head downwards towards the rim of our blankets. But DM's mouth was still open as he sucked in a shaky, sharp breath again.
"Gasp...! Hii-t'choo! Hahhh...heh-shhHUH! Heh-EHSHch! HrrSHH! CHOO!"
"Goodness, Danger Mouse," I said with sympathetic surprise. "You're sounding worse. When was the last time you've felt this sick?"
He blew his nose gently, but loudly and firm. After dabbing any remaining moisture at the tips of his wide nostrils, he answered. "Snffle. DNot counting the elephant flu epidemic a year ago since I returned frobm bmy 23 year lodng holiday, I'd say I bmust have had a code like this back idn the early 90's."
My blue eyes widened in disbelief. "Get outta here! Honto nii!? What are you, immortal?"
DM smirked cockily at me. "Heh. You underestimated me again, Shirakage, my Dear. The more astonished you become over my top secret holiday, the more ravishing you look to my fancy."
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By January 3rd of the New Year, I returned to work at the Floral Research facility in London. My holiday with my blood related grandmother and DM in Japan was the best Christmas time I've ever had so far.
That still didn't stop me from gathering data on average recorded winter temperatures in the country, before bringing my holiday homework back to my office at King's College. After uploading the data into the campus' computer system, I went on lunch break with my colleague girlfriends, Hannah Sweetworth and Anya Bitterpeak.
Hannah's animal species was a Shiba Inu dog, like Danger Fan Ian; Anya's animal species was a brown teddy bear, like Ivana the Invisible. To both of my friends' dismay, they were estranged family relatives to two of those said mentioned villains. Best that I don't get into those details now; they don't like to talk about them to others much anyway.
The three of us were at my favorite coffee shop. It was another cold snap and crappy work day. But the facility that we work at in the afternoon provides special discounts for their employees to purchase half priced drinks from this place.
Hannah and Anya adored my bomb shaped, blue colored diamond earrings that DM gave me for Christmas. But now they're admiring my New Year's Eve gift.
"Oh, Shirakage," Hannah's eyes sparkled as she gushed over me like her distant nephew, Ian. "That's a beautiful red oval stoned necklace you're wearing."
"Thanks," I mused kindly. "Every time I hear Danger Mouse's boss forget Penfold's name, or someone passes gas in a news report on the Telly, he buys me jewelry."
I did my best to act cheerful with my friends. However, I didn't inform anyone that I went to work today with a fever. This had nothing to do with me overworking myself at my job. I just went behind DM's back again and used my double edged magic powers to stop Dudley Poison from gathering the pollen of the South American Mind Control flower, "Devil's Breath", on behalf of Sinister Mouse's and Crumhorn's evil orders.
When I overextend the use of my powers, the process in which it shortens my lifespan is a high fever and nose bleeding. And a blast of cold air from the coffee shop's front door every time customers enter and exit the place only made my nose bleeds tear open faster.
Dammit, I knew I should have asked for caffeinated tea instead of hot chocolate. I barely had time to register the concerned voices of Hannah and Anya as my consciousness blacked out.
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I don't remember how long I've been resting off my fever. But by the time I came to, I found myself in my old guest bedroom in the Danger HQ flat. I wonder who could have told DM to drive me back here in the middle of my work day...
"Lie still and quietly, Prof. Shirakage," a familiar female voice spoke next to my right. "You'll wake Danger Mouse."
My eyes sharpened their visual senses, and I saw Squawkencluck checking my vital signs through her medical devices near the bed. To my left farther down the bed laid DM, sleeping soundly by my lower leg area.
My heart softened as I saw him breathing normally in his peaceful state, his back expanding upwards and then descending again with life. But then I froze when I saw bloodied bandages around his hands. They looked like they had been bruised over from a burn, or repeated blows in a fight. What happened to him?
"Scarlett and Penfold entered your favorite coffee shop right at the time where your coworker friends witnessed you fainting at their table," Squawkencluck told me, a dark look clouding in her specks. "Penfold contacted Danger Mouse when he recognized your side effect symptoms taking place.
"Shirakage Mouse," she narrowed her gaze at me. "You've used those fatal magical powers again recently, haven't you!?"
I stared down at my blanket guiltily. "Yes. I have."
"You're as reckless as that idiot..." she pointed to Nezu-chan while hissing angrily at me. "...going berserk in the training room earlier after he brought you here! Why did you overuse your lifespan again!?"
My eyes turned to the mouse who fell for me. "I had to stop Crumhorn and Sinister Mouse's lackey from fetching the South American flower, 'Devil's Breath'. They might transmute its pollen and create an even powerful mind control technique on DM again." I grimaced as tears welled up in my eyes. "They might manipulate him to commit suicide."
Squawkencluck's expression froze in horror. "I see," she replied sadly. "You were worried about him. So you did all of that to protect him." Then her gaze hardened at me again.
"Shirakage Mouse, I understand the level of peril that that illegal plant can have on anyone who smells its pollen. But Danger Mouse will be heartbroken if you sacrificed your life so foolishly. He needs to know ahead of time before you decide to go forward with your intentions.
"He was very angry this afternoon when I discovered you lost another year of life. He punched hologram after hologram of wooden dummies in the HoloDeck until he came back with bruised and bloodied knuckles.
"Apologize to Danger Mouse as soon as he wakes up," she concluded somberly, sadness also evident in her specks. "He needs to know that you worried him to death because you wish for him to still live."
She turned and exited the guest room without another word. But her speech echoed in my thoughts as I closed my eyes to assess my next move. When I opened them again, I nearly jumped in fright as if I was watching a horror movie in a theater...
Danger Mouse was glaring straight at me, his face a foot or two away from my own. I'm betting he heard the entire conversation between Squawk and I, while pretending to be asleep. I could tell when he's really angry with me out of fear of nearly losing me...because his scowl forms into a grieving grimace, and his glare would be laced in a watery glaze of suppressed tears, not to mention his ears would rear back behind his head.
"Eek," I muttered mockingly at my busted predicament. Needless to say, that didn't faze him one bit.
"Um," I tried again lamely like Michelangelo. "So~, uh...a bit chilly outside today, huh. 'S no wonder people are coming down with fevers during this cold snap." I laughed sheepishly.
"Shirakage..."
DM's voice wavered at the borderline of seriousness and despair. I opened my blue eyes and suddenly cut the crap when I saw a more alarming emotion on his face.
He wanted me.
There was no denying the passion and lust behind his eye. He was so rigid in place that if he even moved an inch, he might not stop himself from snogging me.
"Aw, Hell..."