Allergic Reactions: A Squad A Short

Matsuda’s Apartment
Tokyo, Japan
December 2014

Touta didn’t quite know how he had landed himself in this kind of situation.

See, it had all started when Squad A (minus Mack since he had forensic duties) had decided to gather over at Touta’s apartment for a night of light drinking and take out. A had explained that Matt would be out with Kenichi for late-night shifts; Peters told him that J would be elsewhere.

So fast forward to that evening, two out of three members of Squad A had their pets with them. The other member was trying not to stumble as he sneezed all over his pristine furniture.

In the living room, A was gently holding Mari in her arms while Peters rubbed Asher’s belly enthusiastically, the six-footer cooing over his pet. “Come on, T,” Peters called as he looked up to see Touta veer away from the two of them. “It’s not that bad. Asher loves people.”

“I’m aware of that,” he managed. Asher had nearly knocked A down, smelling her all over and then proceeding to cuddle itself into her. A was momentarily shocked until she could hug back, while Mari and Peters stared (rather enviously) from the other side of the room.

Mari was a beautiful Japanese Bobtail who was predominantly white with small streaks of color here and there. Her bright blue eyes were the feline’s most striking characteristic, just as A’s own green eyes were her own. At the moment, the cat was curled up in A’s lap, A rubbing it behind the ears this time, humming quietly. Mari seemed to appreciate this, stretching out and mewling faintly to the tune of her owner’s song.

On another hand, Asher was large. He was able to fit through the door, but the canine’s size made Touta fear for his life. Asher was golden, just as his breed stated him to be – a Golden Retriever. The energetic dog rolled around on the wooden floor of the apartment, panting happily and playfully nipping at Peters’ hand as his owner fooled around.

Before the two pets came to know each other, A had expressed her worry that Mari and Asher wouldn’t get along with each other. Peters refuted this; Touta, however, felt the same way A did.

Owners of pets tended to ‘inherit’ the characteristics of their respective owners, maybe even feeling the tension between one owner and the other. With this, it was nearly obvious that Mari and Asher’s relationship would be one like A and Peters’ – literally a cat and dog one.

However, another surprise came when Mari moved forward, giving Asher a delicate sniff. Asher stood there, waiting patiently. All three held their breath as Mari circled the canine, nearly falling over in relief as the cat shrugged and let the dog interact with her. Before they knew it, the two pets were chasing each other in a playful, friendly manner.

A’s phone buzzed. The woman blinked and sat up slowly, Mari letting out a whiny mewl. “Hold on, darling. I have to take this,” she told her pet. Mari gave another whine and A’s eyes met Touta’s. “Can you hold her for a moment, T? I don’t want her scratching your couch,” the lady explained.

Touta would rather have the couch scratched than his allergies blow up.

But he nodded anyway, uneasily walking to the couch and sitting down. Instantly, Mari hopped from A’s lap to Touta’s, Mari curling in the man’s lap and closing her eyes. Touta let a small gulp of apprehension.

A took her phone out with ease, answering it and giving an immediate smile. “Matt! I’m at Touta’s apartment; I have Mari with me…” Asher gave a yawn and rolled over, sauntering to the couch where Touta and Mari were. Peters held in a snicker.

“You may want to watch for Asher, T.”

“Asher–?” Touta gave a yell as Asher bounced onto the coffee-brown couch, laying his head on Touta’s knee while Mari gave a hiss from within her sleep. “Peters! Get your dog off me,” he hissed, but the American merely laughed and took out his own phone from his pocket.

“Fuck no. I’m documenting this.”

Touta gave a panicked yelp as Asher and Mari lay all over his lap, trying not to let his overwhelming desire to sneeze take over him. Peters was snapping pictures and A was still talking on the phone, and Touta really had the desire to sneeze his entire system out –

He felt his throat tighten and eyes water.

Peters gave a confused look upon seeing the look on his face change, setting his phone onto the glass coffee table and getting up, tapping A on the shoulder. The Englishwoman blinked and turned to Peters, who pointed at Touta and muttered something too quick for Touta to catch.

A’s eyes widened and she gave Matt a rushed goodbye, ending the call quickly and rushing towards the (dying) older Japanese. “Mari, let’s give Touta some space,” she told the Bobtail, Mari grumbling and settling into A’s arms. Peters looked at Asher sternly.

“Asher, off.”

With the Golden Retriever bouncing off the man’s lap, Touta bounded off the couch and into the bathroom, where much sneezing and hacking could be heard.

A and Peters exchanged worried glances while the two pets merely blinked in mere confusion.

Twenty minutes of sneezing and attempting to calm down panicky animals later, Touta sat in bed while A fussed over him and Peters gave him his own version of the Bronx Stink Eye.

“Why didn’t you tell us that you were allergic to animals?” the woman demanded, the two having opted to leave Mari and Asher in the living room to rest. “Jesus, Touta, you could have said something before we came over in the first place.”

“It’s not that bad,” he tried, but A shushed him.

“The last time I encountered allergies that bad was during my time in England during the spring. Actually – they were half as bad as yours.”

Peters interrupted before A could fully go ‘Mama Bear’ on him. “You could have declined, T. Simple as that. We would have crashed Mack’s place instead since we have a spare key,” he explained. Touta folded his arms over his chest stubbornly.

“It doesn’t matter now – look, just as long as Asher and Mari are okay, that’s totally fine with me.” Touta grabbed a tissue to wipe his watery eyes, “And I’ll be fine. I’ve got medicines stored in the bathroom just in case I’d get allergies.” A had left the room to grab the pets, and Peters hung back.

“We’ll let the office know that you had a sudden attack of the sniffles tomorrow,” the American told Touta smoothly. “A’s been dying to let you have a break. Grasp this chance.”

“She’s worse than I am,” he complained. Peters smirked.

“She’s been like that for the past couple of years, buddy. I’d say get used to it.” A bark made him turn and Peters bent down to rub Asher’s head, spotting Mari in A’s arms. “Alrighty, then. We’ll be letting you have your own beauty rest and recovery. Asher, say bye.”

Asher gave his own version of a farewell, which was basically a normal bark. A gestured for Mari to do the same, the Bobtail mewling quietly in Touta’s direction.

The eldest in the room managed a small laugh, bidding the owners (and those damned pets) goodbye before sinking into his bed and falling asleep.