#just buy a clinic and tada!

[peachypiichi]

Clem has let go of his eSports career in favor of chasing his actual life goal: Running his own vet clinic. It might take a while but nothing good comes easy. Or something like that.

[reifromrfa]

Operation Sweet Tooth: Vanderwood x MC | Vanderzine fic

Hi guys! Here’s my piece for @vandyzine​! :) I hope you like it ^^ It’s my greatest honor to have been part of this wonderful project! Do check out the blog for more great works about the most handsome secret agent!!! <3

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Operation Sweet Tooth: Vanderwood x MC

Damn. How much time do I have left?

Sweat trickles down the back of his neck and the secret agent hurries down the hallway. His eyes keep flicking back to his watch to check the seconds that have gone by, frustration and nervousness building up inside him.

Man...I could really use some back-up on this. Where is she?

There's a ding! and Vanderwood puts on the protective gear for his hands and decides he can't wait for back-up any longer; it's time to do this. The secret agent opens the door and a sweet smell infiltrates his nose, the scent already filling the room and wafting into the hallway. Great...he just gave away his position and the status of his mission. He waits for a couple of heartbeats, listening for any opening doors or footsteps on the stairs. When there's none, Vanderwood quickly reaches inside and grips the metal container before pulling it out. Feeling the heat of the metal even through the cloth, he rushes to the table and lays the container gently on top.

Ha...in all my years in the agency, never thought I'd be doing something like this.

He takes off the mittens and reaches for the toothpick container. Shaking one onto his palm, Vanderwood then glances at the open tablet on the countertop and reads the instructions. He cautiously pokes one of the cupcakes with the toothpick. Gingerly lifting his hand, Vanderwood gives a sigh of relief at the clean stick.

"Okay, I got the cupcakes right..." he mutters. Vanderwood takes the tablet and swipes for the instructional video, placing his elbows on the counter and leaning forward while watching the next steps intently. He barely notices the locks of the front door clicking; the sounds of the security codes being keyed in are drowned out by the video's joyous, tinkling background music.

Vanderwood unconsciously drums his fingers against the countertop as he watches the woman in the video frosting the cupcakes. Damn...how does she swirl it like that? Narrowing his eyes on the screen, he leans forward and swipes the screen back, rewinding the scene and focusing on her actions, committing it to memory.

Blowing a stray lock of hair that had fallen to his eyes, Vanderwood grabs the strawberry frosting and tries to mimic what he saw. Unfortunately, he squeezes too hard and a clump of frosting falls flatly onto the cupcake.

As a former secret agent, he had to sort through wires to diffuse bombs, follow intricate instructions to decode locks or cancel missile launches. Not to mention needing to slip into different roles to gather intel, or infiltrate heavily guarded underground facilities. But never did he have to learn how to bake cupcakes or "frost cupcakes and decorate as desired."

A string of curses is leaving his mouth when he hears a giggle. The man looks up and sees his wife standing by the door to the kitchen, the smile on her face easing away his worries. One side of his lips curl up, a playful smirk ready for his mischievous wife.

"How long have you been standing there, MC?"

"Not long enough. I wish I could have been here since the beginning, I'm sure you looked so cute while mixing the ingredients!" MC says, walking to his side.

Vanderwood can feel his cheeks warming and he averts his gaze, scratching his cheek awkwardly, his previous confidence vanishing. "Ahh, baby, I told you not to call me cute."

He feels her pulling his hand away from his face, his fingers replaced by her lips as MC tiptoes and kisses his cheek. "The cupcakes smell delicious, baby."

MC is about to walk away but his arm shoots out, encircling her waist and pulling her close to him. Vanderwood hears her gasp, and he smiles as he leans closer to her, eyes watching the blush creeping up her cheeks.

"I think my gorgeous wife smells better."

Cupping her cheek, he brushes his lips over hers before capturing them in a passionate kiss. God...no matter how many times they kiss, the sensation of connecting with her in such an intimate way never dulls, never fails to make his heart beat a thousand times faster.

When MC first came into his life, he never thought she would become a big part of it; after all, she was the coordinator of an organization Seven shouldn't have been involved with in the first place. But damn...so much has happened after that. Vanderwood never meant to get involved with the RFA's matters, but somehow he ended up tangled in their affairs. Somehow, he ended up falling for the woman in his arms.

Pressing his forehead against hers, Vanderwood pulls away and meets her hazel gaze, a serene smile on his face. Thanks to the RFA's help, he and Saeyoung are now out of the agency and happily living their lives as normal people, with jobs at C&R.

"Welcome home, MC," he says in a low voice, so that only the two of them can hear. MC grins and gives him a quick kiss.

"Thank you, baby. I missed you while I was gone." MC pulls away from him and moves to check on the mess on the countertop, laughing. "I guess it's time for me to save the day."

Vanderwood rubs the back of his neck and moves to stand beside her. "Yeah...I wasn't sure how to do the frosting, baby."

Tying her hair back, MC washes her hands and tells her husband to stand back and watch as she gingerly squeezes the piping bag and makes swirls atop the cupcakes. Then, she places strawberry slices on top of the frosting, finishing the cupcake with a flourish.

"Tada!" MC exclaims. Vanderwood is about to respond when there are loud footsteps from the hallway upstairs.

"Uh oh." MC giggles. "It's your job to keep these cupcakes safe until tomorrow's party, Mr. Stark."

Vanderwood gives her a deadpan look, the nickname a joke between her and Saeyoung. But then he shakes his head and chuckles. Striding away from the countertop, Vanderwood steels himself for the tornado that's about to come. Sure enough, as the footsteps grow louder, two people appear in the doorway, both much shorter than him.

Before they could even take more than 5 steps into the kitchen, Vanderwood takes them by their waists and scoops them up. Happy squeals come from the children in his arms, the boy chuckling and the girl giggling.

"No fair, daddy!" the little girl says.

"What's not fair is you both eating all those cupcakes I worked so hard on before the party tomorrow." Vanderwood puts them down and bends so he's eye level with his children. "So you both can stay here and help mommy, but no eating, okay?"

The boy nods eagerly before running to his mother, climbing up a stool and asking if he could do the frosting for the next cupcake. Vanderwood stares at his daughter, who's shuffling her feet in that adorable way that she does, looking at him with her big hazel eyes...eyes like her mother's.

"Not even one teensy weenie bite, dad?" she asks in a sugary sweet voice.

Oh God.

Vanderwood remembers having to withstand the most painful of tortures before, and he never broke for his captors. But his heart softens at the little girl standing in front of him. It's too hard to say "no" to someone he cares about, especially when it's the sweet angel standing in front of him.

"Well..." Vanderwood begins, before he's interrupted by MC's melodious laughter.

"My love, you're spoiling our daughter too much," she says. "But okay, one cupcake for you both, but that's it! You can have more at tomorrow's party, okay? The cupcakes are for your friends after all, sweetie, since they'll be celebrating your birthday with you."

"Yes, mommy!" their daughter exclaims, giggling. "Just one!! It's my favorite, strawberries!"

Vanderwood straightens as his daughter joins MC as well, clapping gleefully. He chuckles to himself and for a moment, the former secret agents stands there and watches his family. MC is gasping, smiling widely as their son finishes frosting a cupcake successfully. Then their children choose their own cupcakes, each one radiating a gleeful innocence. These people in front of him make him believe that there is goodness left in this world, a goodness that's worth protecting. And even though he's done with being a secret agent, he still wants to keep this safe; he wants to protect the smiles of the people he loves, to make sure they keep smiling like this.

For a man who never thought he could ever be happy, never thought he could have something as beautiful and precious as this moment, Vanderwood feels like the luckiest man alive. No longer is he the tragic informant. No longer is he alone.

Now he has three people he truly loved and who truly loved him. His heart swells with emotions as he gazes at his family. MC meets his eyes and beckons him over but before he could join them, the phone in his pocket buzzes. Vanderwood takes out his phone and a smirk appears on his face. Their friends were logged onto the messenger.

Saeyoung: I made a special gift for RFA's little miss! Jumin Han: Just now...? I've had her gifts ready since last month. Yoosung: What!!! ;;;; It's tomorrow?? I don't have a gift yet! Saeran: Didn't MC send out the invites a month ago...? Yoosung: It's been so busy in the clinic T-T Zen, come buy one with me!! Zen: Oh...sorry, man, I can't tonight...I have a date! Jaehee Kang: Oh dear... V: Yoosung, let me accompany you. I can help you pick out a gift as well.

Vanderwood chuckles. He could never forget the RFA, of course.

"Dad, can I go on a ride with Uncle Saeyoung tomorrow after the party?" His son's voice startles him and Vanderwood shakes his head.

"Absolutely not! That guy drives like a maniac." Vanderwood answers. His wife finishes frosting the cupcakes and places them inside the fridge, then looks at the messy kitchen.

"Okay! It's time to clean!"

The two children share a look before climbing off the stools to make their escape, but living with a secret agent has taught MC a thing or two. Her hand shoots out with lightning reflexes and she manages to grip their wrists, that peaceful smile still plastered on her face. Vanderwood has to admit...his wife has moves --moves that never fail to astonish him up to this day.

"Now, now. Your father worked real hard on these cupcakes. It's time for you both to do your parts."

The kids look sheepish for attempting to escape but they start to tidy up the space. Vanderwood opens his arms as MC steps into his embrace, looking up at him and kissing him.

"Mission accomplished, Agent Vanderwood."

"Glad I survived it. I thought I was a goner, MC."

"Next time, we should try baking a cake."

"Ha...baby, we can bake anything you want to. As long as you do it with me, next time."

They share another intimate kiss before their kids start making gagging noises in the background. MC laughs and Vanderwood leaves her side, rolling his sleeves up; cleaning still calms him, and helping them would give him more time to bond with his children.

"Okay, I'll wash the dishes." Vanderwood's words are greeted with happy cheers from his kids. A sense of peace and contentment settles over his body, the once-foreign feeling of happiness making it hard to erase the genuine smile from his face.

This is his greatest adventure now. This is his life mission: to pursue his happiness, to live to the fullest and enjoy little moments like these. The former secret agent turns on the faucet and feels the cool water against his hands. Hands that protect, hands that will cherish this second chance at life.

"I'm home."

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I know I’ve been quiet for a while here on tumblr, but I’d really love it if you could support my new project @teamicamea-scl​ ;) If you like my works (or you know, romance and angst in general) then please check it out! The brilliant @rossyele​ is my partner for this fic and we’re both out to make hearts break melt :D

Check out my other Mysme writings here! 

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[antigenius]

Aaaaah your skincare hc 💜 i'm dealing with some really bad acne rn and reading that was amazing. Can you write skincare hcs for 1a girls too? (And also the best girl hatsume mei if it's not too much) 💖

OMIGOD FIRST REQUEST BSDJJRJTJ YOU GOT IT BBY LETS GO-

Toru:

I got her hcs while I was in the shower coincidentally enough.

Okay surprisingly for someone who you can't see, she really REALLY cares about her looks. It's really sad but she's actually super insecure despite being invisible

Loves any sort of face mask that has animals or cute things on it!! Cute, cute, cute!! She especially loves those little fruit shaped masks that you slap on different parts of your face like hgsvgbd please-

Actually has really oily skin, which is purely the cause of her insecurities. Someone please compliment this girl on her skin for gosh sakes-

Uses foam and oil cleansers to gently try and control her acne. Then uses a really light daycream with included sun protection when it's both day and night. She uses it at night because she gets scared that her night cream will be too much for her face. Better to go lighter.

OH MY GOD SHE LOVES HOT SPRINGS. P L E A S E. She enjoyed the camp so much because it made her pores open up and made it easier to clean!!

Uses those peel off pore masks on her nose, chin and upper lip. Hurts her sometimes, you can usually see her cry a bit when she takes them off.

Uses tweezers to clean up her eyebrows and upper lip. Hurts a lot, but she manages. Puts aloe vera after.

Detoxing is important! Sometimes she goes on a vegan diet for a week so that her acne gets a bit better. Only drinks water during that time too!

UGH GET THIS GIRL SOME PINK GRAPEFRUIT BODY SCRUB AND SHE'LL LITERALLY LOVE YOU FOREVER JUST OMG G R A P E F R U I T

In general she enjoys smelling like things you can eat! Mainly fruits, so Toru generally smells like berries or citrus.

Uses a stick deodorant that's organic. Hates the feeling of clinical deodorants.

Ajdjsjjjf acne needles? Yes. She uses them. Doesn't wanna get acne scars and this is more hygienic than actually popping pimples with your fingers. She really takes great care when it comes to her skin.

Ochaco:

Ochaco is literally me when I spent all my money on food :')

Cheap as hell. Obviously. This means CHEAP BEAUTY HACKS!

Ochaco has normal skin thankfully enough, but she does get some bad days with acne. Happens.

Cheap means you make your own stuff. Instead of buying exfoliating scrubs, Ochaco makes her own by buying oatmeal, apples, raw honey, cinnamon, and lemon juice. She puts this all in a food processor, letting it become a thick paste. Before she puts it on her face, she puts in a bit of sugar and tada!!! Smooth, soft, baby skin!

Another thing she makes is cucumber and banana ice-cubes for her dark eyebags. She grabs some cucumber, mushes it half a banana and then puts them into an ice-tray. Then whenever she has dark eyebags, she busts out these bad boys and voìla!

Is a hoe for 5 minute-crafts stuff. They're usually cheap and work for her really well, so now she heccing worships it like a g O d.

Doesn't really understand makeup? She might only use some eyeshadow and eyeliner. Possibly chapstick if she has some.

Makes her own lipscrubs though! Sugar and honey make a beautiful scrub for her lips, she rubs and licks it off happily to reveal velvet, plush lips ready for kissing! ;)

Really good at making cute diy beauty stuff!! She once made this clear lip balm that had a dry flower inside. She actually sold some! She was so proud of herself.

Oh gosh if you give Ochaco expensive Burberry Her perfume that smells sweet and sugary she will cry because she is so grateful for that. It's her FAVOURITE smell. Otherwise, she smells like faint roses.

Uses spray deodorant on hot days and stick deodorant on cold days. Spray deodorant is such a perk up when she's been sweating from training.

If there's a sale on skincare products, you'd best believe Ochaco sits there in the morning in front of the shop to get all the best stuff first. She will actually kill someone if that try and take the last item on the shelf which is on sale, especially if it's like 50% off. She'd tear some limbs. O_o

Prefers liquid soap over soap bars, but buys soap bars more often because they're cheaper and easier to stock. Just please get her some moderately priced things god this girl NEEDS PAMPERING OKAY???

Momo:

Bro you know how gay I am for this girl like dude I LOVE HER OKAY???

Completely and utterly clueless when it comes to skincare.

Never gets acne??? Like ever??? I'm so jealous it's SO UNFAIR. Does get dry skin though.

Uses those 24 carat gold face masks because they look pretty and make her face freakin GLOW LIKE A GODDESS.

Uses peel off masks, but more for dead skin. Hurts much less and she just heccing emits rays of sunlight.

Uses sunscreen a lot though. She's really prone to getting sunburnt, and she can't get a tan, which makes her kinda sad. Cancer is too scary to get a tan over.

Likes body and hand creams too much for her own good. Has a whole collection of them which all have a variety of smells and textures so her body and hands and just her skin is normally soft and silky and just hafdjskrjkt-

Has to use coffee scrubs and body oil since she has stretch marks from developing super fast. She's really insecure about it and hates that part of herself a lot tbh. Please praise her I beg you.

Loves to sit in a hot bath with rose petals. Spa treatment is all he knows about skincare really.

Has like four perfumes she normally uses. One is a sweet smelling perfume that has soft sugary notes that make you drool. The second smells like delicate roses with dewdrops from the morning mist. The second smells like berries and forests, as if you're about to pick some yourself. The last one smells like the pandan leaves with mangoes. Basically, Momo smells like paradise.

Actually loves buying cheap lip-glosses and lipsticks!! Her favourite is this shimmery golden lipgloss which changes colour depending on the light that she's in. Only uses it on very special occasions though. Otherwise, her best one is usually a moderately red lipstick or a cute red tinted lipgloss which just slightly colours her lips. Makes her lips so adorably kissable. (I'm gay for her okay shut up-)

Okay, we all know for a fact Momo be thicc. But she doesn't really like it honestly. Her thicc comes from cellulite and it's so gross to her. Uses a stiff, dry brush to move the fat around a by so she's more evened out in thiccness.

Mina:

Pink alien queen!

Acid comes out of her skin daily, this means really dry skin. Dry like sometimes peel off dry. It's really bad.

Just like Toru, really cares about skincare. Although a little less than Toru but still.

Toners are her best friends because her pores sometimes open up due to her quirk. Acid can damage them sometimes too, so mild, hydrating toners are great for skin like her's.

HAND CREAM AAAAAAAAAAA

Whilst she isn't rich enough to have a bunch of handcream like Momo, she has this specific handcream that smells like candy and marshmallows. It's. So. Good. Also makes her hands soft and silky like gahdhhd-

Cream is also a good friend of hers. Uses both night and day cream to make sure her skin stays plump and hydrated!

Uses potato slices instead of cucumbers so that her dark eyebags aren't too bad. She normally doesn't get em so this rarely happens.

Also uses lots of vanilla and almond body cream. Soft and silky skin that can make anyone want to hug her. (IM SO GAY SHUT UP)

Uses lip masks! Loves those Korean or Japanese candy ones! They really leave her lips luscious for any kisses!

Speaking about Korean and Japanese stuff, SHE ADORES THEM.

Korean stuff the most! They always provide her with great results, so they're her go to when she has a really dry day. Loves using their hydration masks!

Uses lip tattoos because she hates the feeling of lipgloss or lipstick. Plus, it doesn't leave a mark.

Mina also thicc, but she's more of a muscular thicc than fat thicc. This means she needs to use body oil to make sure her thighs and skin are tight and smooth.

She uses lasers to get rid of her hairs. Somehow her hairs are immune to her acid. She uses laser treatment to make sure she doesn't have to deal with it often. You wouldn't even know she has hair tbh because of the treatment.

Mina smells like coconuts and sea-salt with a hint of lime or mint depending on her mood. She smells like what'd you smell in a 5 star island resort as you walk on the white sandy beaches and sit in the bar watching the sunset go down on the horizon just hhh-

Feet are baby smooth?? Dunno why. They're just naturally soft and beautiful and shfhd when she rubs her feet against your legs it's so soft it's like she rubbed petals on your legs-

Speaking about petals! She loves having baths with either bubbles or petals with some candles to calm down. Definitely after a hard day of training!! Don't disturb!

Tsu:

I CAN'T DO MUCH FOR TSU IM SORRY

Tsu literally doesn't use skin items at all.

She has a normal skin type and also never gets acne somehow???? Like bro hecc tell me your ways.

She's not clueless about it like Momo, but she just has no use for it since her skin's just kinda perfect like hello what-

She is a frog though, so she really need that moisture!! Jacuzzi baths are like her favourite thing.

Ooh, also really likes those clay masks! That's the only skincare item she actually uses to be real with y'all.

Okay okay hear me out though, Tsu is a hoe for those kiddie slime baths. Like I'm not even kidding she loves it so hecking much but she would never admit it in any lifetime.

Also really loves it if you get her a whole big bag of those resin pellets that turn into those little jelly balls and she just goes into a bath of those??? Gosh yes paradise hecc

Smells like a dewy forest with hints of citrus and earthy tones. She's got that scent that's really unique and like you can walk by with a blindfold and point her out by smell alone.

Oops by the way she really enjoys having cucumbers on her eyes. She has natural eyebags, so she normally counters it with both cucumber and potato slices.

There's a secret tradition that runs in her family to get rid of wrinkles. They steam a small, knobbly hand towel with warm water and then rub it in circular motions on their face slowly going upwards. Works really heccing well.

Honestly, Tsu doesn't really care about her looks. Skincare or makeup for her is just an additional bother that she has to deal with.

Her skin is never pruney. Makes sense why though.

Mei:

Eyy because you asked so nicely! Tbh to me Camie from Shiketsu is best girl but like okay Mei is qt-

She's always covered in grime and dirt, so she actually gets acne daily. She just has really great skin routines!

Has a combination skin type, her forehead is the oiliest compared with the rest of her far though. Yuck.

When she stops tinkering (haha when does she do that-), she immediately goes and washes her face with an oil face wash. It helps properly cleanse her pores from all the grime and dirt that was on her face.

Sometimes, she has a really grimy day, so she uses a harsh clay wash just to make sure EVERYTHING IS OUT. Then uses a hydrating toner and a very light daycream!

Exfoliates every two weeks to make sure her skin isn't gross. Skin cells need to turn over every two weeks, so she makes sure she does that or she'll literally have pimples scattered on her forehead.

Is a popper. She hates seeing pimples and immediately pops them on site with some gloves. Then puts a miniscule dab of antiseptic cream so that it don't come back and spread.

Mei smells like petrol. Literally. When she stays out of the lab for a week though, she actually smells like caramel and cotton candy.

Has calluses on her from tinkering so much. She doesn't like it. Please trace and caress them gently and she'll love you.

She uses body oil because it feels more normal than body cream. Can lead her to being clumsy because she sometimes sloshes it on her body and then she has to wait a while before she can actually do things.

Salt block. Hates deodorant. Masks the smell of grime in the lab and she LIVES for that smell.

Uses charcoal face masks to relax and detox. Helps her think of her next baby to create as well, so bonus!

Likes going to those floating pods. They're really relaxing and make her feel at ease in the world.

Bubble baths are a no no. She had a really bad experience with them once when she tried to make a bubble telescope and put it to her eye. Let's just say she used to be able to see farther…

She enjoys using lipgloss though! Her lips smell like cake or cookie dough even though they're normally coloured in a neutral pink or a soft red. Even tastes like strawberries and cream.

Takes hecking great care of her hands. Her hands are meticulously the most gorgeous part of her. They're soft, velvety, and while they are callused, it only adds to its perfections and they're just so stunningly manicured and she does it all by herself like oh my god her hands are just bdbdkfgjfk-

Since anon has some bad acne, I actually have some advice since I myself care a heck ton about my skin.

Oil based face wash goes incredibly well with a foam cleanser. Using both gets rid of all the dirt, oil, makeup and residue in your pores. Best stuff and keeps me clear.

EXFOLIATE PLEASE!! Get one of those cute exfoliating scrubs or literally make the one Ochaco uses. They're really important to do because your dead skin cells can cause more acne and bumps.

When you have bad acne, I suggest using only light daycreams after you wash your face because night creams can be too much. Also use a nice organic toner so that your pores are tight and can't get much dirt or gross things during the day/night.

Charcoal is the best face mask for detoxing and decreasing oil levels. But don't use it when you have pimples. It can actually cause more pimples to come because you're stripping your ace of the natural oils it needs.

That said, make sure to wash your face at least twice a day! Thrice is okay too, but four is too much. Make sure to moisturise immediately after too!

Sunscreen is so important. Get yourself a face cream that has at least an SPF of 30. Please. Cancer is real and the sun's rays can make you seem to age faster.

Woof, that was a loooot. Next time, please be specific with characters anon! I didn't mind, but I normally only do about 3 characters. I'm not doing much yet so this is cool but yeah. Thank you so much for requesting though and ACKEJKRKN YOU'RE A CUTIE ILY THANK YOU FOR LOVING MY WORK!!

I also realised I missed out Jiro T_T I might edit her in later but really I found her and Tsu the hardest to talk about skincare with because they're my really girls who care about how they look. They're just cuties.

[basically-i-write-shit]

wow, just read that ice skating AU with Tsukki being Yams coach. I love it. It was also sad in the end, since his little sister said that not many are nice to her older brother. I had an idea. what if one day Yama shows up with a bruised eye right before a competition. Hotarou is upset since her bro doesn't tell her anything and Tsukki is upset becuse Yama cant compete looking like that but also worried. Yama tries to hold it together but breaks down during practice on the ice (1)

(2) and Yama tells him that just some boys in his class decided to give it to him since he is an ice skater & calls him slurs becuse of it. Tsukki can’t really do anything, but he is upset about the whole situation. And Yama cries more bc Tsukki is kind of like his only friend despite their age difference. They talk for a while and Tsukki buys him french fries and hamburger since that is his fave food and Yama is in fucking tears. its okay since he isn't going to compete :) Hotarou approves!!!  

I forgoooot about this god bless u anon 

Tadashi is late. Again. Unlike last time he was late, Kei is on time, and waiting impatiently. He takes the liberty to skate laps while he waits, thinking of a suitable punishment for showing up late a week before a competition. Seriously, there’s only so many competitions Tadashi can compete in that aren’t national competitions, and Kei still hasn’t convinced him on that yet. 

He’s making his third leisurely lap around the rink when Tadashi stumbles in, holding a crying Hotarou. Kei can’t see Tadashi’s face, but he assumes he’s fine-- he’s more focused on Hotarou. He rushes over to the door and climbs rinkside, kneeling at Hotarou’s side as Tadashi sets her on the bench and rushes into the bathroom. 

“Hotarou-chan, are you okay Did you trip and fall outside?” He checks her over for scrapes, but can’t find one. Hotarou keeps crying, her little hands pressed over her eyes. Kei helplessly fumbles, searching for something to do. He’s no good with crying, kids, or crying kids. God, why did Tadashi rush off? “Hotarou-chan, I need you to tell me what’s wrong, okay?” 

“S- Someone h- hu-- hurt Tada-nii!..” 

“Wha--” Kei frowns, brows furrowing. “Someone hurt Tadashi?” 

“I-- It was so scar- y!..” Hotrou throws herself at Kei, clinging to his shirt, and Kei wraps his arms around her, rubbing his back. 

“Shh, it’s okay, Hotarou. It’s okay. Hey-- can I leave you right here while I go check on Tadashi? I’ll be right back.” Hotarou nods, sniffling, and Kei grabs a blanket and wraps it around her. He ruffles her hair and goes to the bathroom, steaming with anger. “Alright, who did it?” 

Tadashi is locked in a stall, sniffling. “I- I don’t-- kno- kn- know what you mean.” 

“Yamaguchi, don’t lie. Hotarou-chan said someone hurt you. Now open up.” 

A moment later, the stall door opens and Tadashi steps out. There’s blood on his school shirt. That’s-- not good. Tadashi’s holding a hand to a bloody nose, and Kei thinks that’s the extent of that. Thank god. He lifts Tadashi with ease and sits him on the counter, wetting a cloth and wiping the sweat from his face. There’s a bruise forming on left eye, and that...that won’t be good for competition. He combs Tadashi’s hair from his face. 

“They jumped me on my way to pick up Hotarou...She scared them away by screaming when she came out of the rec center.” Tadashi whispers.

“Tell me you had someone chase after them. That’s-- That’s assault..!” 

Tadashi looks down, ashamed. Kei sighs before he tilts his head back. 

“Hotarou was crying, and I was bleeding. No one saw-- I just wanted to get here. Please, let’s just ignore it and get to work. My routine needs to be perfect for next week.” 

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s gonna happen.” 

“Why not?” 

“Because you’re looking at the wall, not at me, Tadashi.” Kei sighs. This just isn’t good. “I’m gonna call your mom and take you to the clinic. You have a concussion.” 

“Wh- Wha-- No, I can’t! I’m fine, Tsukki. Really.” 

“I don’t think so. We’re taking you to the clinic.” Kei pulls Tadashi off the counter, holding him as he walks him out. “Hotarou, will you help carry Tadashi’s skate bag please?” 

“Y- Yes, Kei-Sensei! Is-- Is Tada-nii gonna be okay?..” 

Kei pats Hotarou’s head, smiling. “We’re gonna take him to the doctor, and he’ll be just fine, Hotarou-chan.” 

And he is. Well-- mostly. He has a mild concussion and he’s not able to get on the ice for a couple of days. He isn’t able to compete because of the practice he missed due to the concussion; a week later, on his first day back, he comes back to the rink on time, though he’s a bit jumpy and paranoid. Hotarou is looking a lot happier than the last time Kei saw her. 

“Okay, Yamaguchi, we’re going to work on your routine so we can get you ready for a competition in Tokyo in a month.” 

“Right.” Tadashi’s been distracted. He sighs, closing his eyes. “I kinda lost a lot of practice time, didn’t I, Tsukki?” 

“Well, I wasn’t going to have you practicing on a concussion. A fall could make it worse.” Kei hops up on the side of the rink and presses play on his phone, the speakers playing the song Tadashi arranged for the competition. About halfway through practice, Kei shuts off the music. Tadashi just can’t focus, and he’s falling more than usual. Kei can tell there’s something on his mind. “Yamaguchi, are you feeling alright?” 

Tadashi startles, nodding vigorously. “I- I’m fine, Tsukki. Just a bit frustrated. I’m not landing that last triple!” 

Kei nods, humming. There’s an awkward silence, before Tadashi clears his throat. 

“I- I...don’t think I wanna go to competition, Tsukki.”

Kei blinks. “...What? Why?” 

“I dunno. I just-- I start uni in in a month, I don’t wanna be known as the ‘figure skater’ in college.” 

“Yamaguchi...You love skating. Why would you quit?” 

“I won’t quit, I’ll just keep renting private ice.” 

“You promised me you’d compete until your second year of university.” Kei says. He runs a hand through his hair, looking away. He wouldn’t admit it, but he feels...betrayed. “Yamaguchi, you promised.” 

“Yeah, well, I don’t feel like getting beat up in the streets and called a fag in front of my baby sister again, okay?!” 

Tadashi’s words echo through the rink, and Kei is glad he sent Hotarou to the other rink down the hall with Kuroo and the other fun-time skaters. 

“...What?” 

Tadashi’s knees wobble and he collapses on the ice, sobbing. “They called me a fag, Tsukki. While they were beating me to a pulp, they called me every slur in the book, and spit at me. B- Because some of the guys found out I figure skate and thought that was good enough reason to beat me up..!” 

Kei kneels at Tadashi’s side, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Tadashi, that’s...horrible.” 

“Yeah, well I know that, Tsukki. Thanks!” Tadashi’s head falls into his hands with a whimper, and Kei carefully pulls him into a hug, sitting on the ice despite how cold it is. They’d both regret it later, but Tadashi needs Kei right now. 

“Do you know who did this?” 

“S- Some guys from my class...” 

He nods. “And they got in some big trouble for this, right?” 

“No--” Tadashi shakes his head. “No, I can’t tell on them, they’ll get even more mad. I don’t-- I don’t wanna-- know what they’d do to me.” 

“Tadashi you need to tell someone so this never happens again.” 

“B- But--” Tadashi whimpers. “Tsukki, what if they’re right?..What if-- What would you do if I...was...gay?" 

The rink is dead silent for a few seconds.

“Well I wouldn’t beat the hell out of you and give you a concussion, that’s for sure. I’d support you. Just like I’ll support you quitting skating if that’s what you really want, and not because some assholes think it’s funny to pick on people for things they can’t change about themselves.” 

Tadashi sniffles, turning his head to look at Kei. “R- Really?..” 

Kei smiles. “Really.” 

“If I go make a police report...will you come with me?” Tadashi asks weakly. “I don’t wanna bother or scare mom, and I-- well, I don’t have anyone else to go with...” 

Kei nods. He know how bad Tadashi’s school life is. It feels nice to be needed-- because, well, as much as Kei pretended he was this big bad guy who doesn’t need friends, but he does get lonely. And he knows Tadashi does too. 

“I will, Tadashi.” He pats his shoulder. “I promise. But will you please, please keep skating? Finish this competition, and then tell me how you feel.” 

Tadashi nods, sniffling. “I will.” 

Kei smiles, ruffling his hair, and climbs up. He offers a hand and helps Tadashi onto his skates again. “Let’s practice for another hour, get that police report done, and...well, you have a competition in a month, but I suppose I can let you have McDonalds tonight just for tonight-- since you’re being so brave and going through with this. My treat.” 

Tadashi beams happily. “Large fry?” 

“You’re pushing it, Yamaguchi-kun.” 

“Aw, I’m Yamaguchi-kun again? So mean, Tsukishima-sensei~” 

“Just get back to practice before I make you do laps.” Kei says, skating to the edge of the rink and hops up on the side again, pressing play on the speaker. Tadashi laughs, getting into position, and though he teases Kei for yelling at him (”your step sequence is sloppy!” “Slow down on that quad until you can land it without stumbling.”), he makes sure to listen to his criticism seriously and adjust what he needs. 

After the crying, he’s a lot better. Both emotionally and in practice. It’s reassuring to Kei, at least. He’s happy, for at least a moment. 

When practice is over, they leave Hotarou with Kuroo for another half an hour while they go a block over to the police station and file a report about the incident, but there’s not a lot they can do since it was a week ago and he doesn’t remember much because of the concussion. But it makes him feel better, at least. 

When they finally make it back to the rink, Hotarou bounces up to them with a bright grin. 

“Kei-sensei, Tada-nii-chan, how was practice?!” 

“Great, Tarou-chan! My routine is going great.” He pinches her cheek with a smile, grabbing his skate bag with one hand and her hand with the other. Kei grabs her other hand, smiling at the happy squeal she gives when he tells her he’ll buy her a happy meal. 

Tadashi catches his eyes, smiling, and mouths a silent “thank you” to him-- not just for volunteering to get Hotarou food so he didn’t have to use the rest of his allowance buying her a happy meal.

When Kei comes to the rink the next morning, well-- he’s relieved to see Tadashi come back. And he's going to make sure Tadashi wins his next competition, so he can see him skate even more. 

[thegreenhorseman]

This month my Heart to Horse box came quite late.  I wasn’t too sure that I was getting it. I checked my account in Horse.com and it was there, but with no shipping information. Finally a few days later I received the shipping notification email.

They tell you that it typically ships around the 15th and often I receive it that day or the day after.  This month I was looking for it until the 21st.  I hope it’s worth the wait!

  What is the Heart to Horse Box?

Monthly subscriptions are a hot item these days.  There seems to be a “box” for everyone; Bark Box, Keto Krate, Dollar Shave Club, Blue Apron, Graze….

Why not, then, have a box for horses?  Hence, the Heart to Horse Box!

Upon opening you get to see the name of the person who packed your Heart to Horse box.

For $35 you receive a box containing various items including treats, supplements, fly control, barn items, and riding items.  The value more often than not far outweighs the price of the box itself.  What you get each month varies and it often coincides with some seasonal necessities.  For example, March of 2016 contained Rambo wash and a bag for my stall front to put blankets in.  This was timely since I live in the northeast and we were entering the mud season!

What I enjoy most about the Heart to horse box?  You make a difference!  When you purchase a heart to horse box 25% of the proceeds go to a rescue.

November 2017 Reveal!

The Heart to Horse box ships out on or around the 15th of every month…often times I actually receive the box ON the 15th.  What’s in this month’s box?

After opening the box and removing the tissue paper, you’re welcomed with a photo of one of the horses benefiting from your donation.  You also receive a coupon for 15% off your next order through Horse.com.  If you flip the card over it will tell you the products you’ve received and their Item number in case you want to order more.

Meet Barnybas, a 2-year-old Drum Gelding from Gentle Giant’s Draft Horse Rescue.  Your Heart to Horse Box purchase this month includes a donation to Barnybas and the other amazing horses at this great rescue.

Ready to see what’s in the box?

TADA!

Pardon the

What you’re seeing:

SSG Winter Rancher Gloves (Reg: $45.95)

What Horses Teach Us 2018 Engagement Calendar (Reg: $16.66)

Manna Pro Bite Size Nuggets (Reg: $4.09)

HorseSpa Basic Bucket Top (Reg: $16.00)

Harlequin Horses Wine Gift Bag (Reg: $6.99)

As you can see the values of these products add up to well over $35.

This isn’t the best box I’ve received but I have to admit I’m pretty excited about some of these.  I don’t buy myself gloves and these are really nice ones.  They are soft and cushy inside and fit me perfectly.  They are going to make my chores a lot easier.

Lately I’ve been gaining new clients for petsitting so the calendar is just what I needed.  This book will help me track my clients as well as my vet and farrier visits.  All things horses!

The nuggets are fantastic.  I am running low and Blade enjoys these.  They are on the cheaper end so they are great for training.  We recently did an obstacle clinic and I’d like to continue what I learned with Blade.  These treats are perfect for this.

I worked for a farm that used the bucket tops and they were so convenient.  Although I don’t currently have a use for it there are already some future plans being made.

I have a lot of horse-y friends and we all enjoy wine from time to time.  I don’t usually splurge on fancy gift bags but this is totally special.

Although I wouldn’t normally purchase these items on my own (except the treats) they all have purpose and a place in my life.  I get joy from opening the box but I also get to enjoy some of the “fancier” things that I won’t spoil myself with.

I recommend this product for:

A great gift idea for all horse people any time of the year!!!

New horse owners

Farm Owners (often has great barn supplies)

People who don’t already have or buy everything they could possibly need

Get your Heart to Horse box here

PROS:

You help a horse rescue in need

Opening your Heart 2 Horse box is like Christmas….you never know what’s in it and the surprise is so much fun!

The items are useful and practical

Helps to replace some items you haven’t gotten around to fixing or replacing

Great opportunity to try a supplement to see if your horse will eat it before you spend too much money on the full container

Discover new brands and products

Most wearable items are one size fits all

Did I mention you get to help a horse rescue?

CONS:

You might get duplicates of what you don’t need

It’s highly addicting and you may want to get more

Not for the people who MUST have everything in matching colors

Still can’t decide?  Check out past months!

Heart To Horse; September 2017

Heart to Horse: October 2017

Heart to Horse November 2017 This month my Heart to Horse box came quite late.  I wasn't too sure that I was getting it.

[amarie-bee]

A (rather long) account of being sick and remembering how good it feels to breathe

Three weeks ago I caught a nasty cold that flattened me in the span of about twelve hours. Fearing that it was the flu going around both my schools, I dragged myself to the doctor which apparently is a thing that people do often in countries where there is good health insurance.

When I showed up to Tada Clinic, the small doctor’s office down the street from my school, the waiting room was full. I went up to the two girls in uniform behind the reception desk.

“Hi,” I said. “I have the chills and my throat hurts. Can I talk to the doctor?”

One of the girls handed me a thermometer to put under my armpit to take my temperature, which was a rather embarrassing ordeal since my hands were full, I had on four layers of clothes, and was standing in front of about twenty people, but I managed to somehow accomplish it. Then I sat in the back of the room, waiting for about thirty minutes before a smiling nurse in light pink scrubs called my name.

“Amber-sama,” she waved, knowing exactly who I was as the only foreigner in the building.

The doctor told me that since I didn’t have a fever, it seemed I didn’t have the flu after all, and prescribed me three days’ worth of ibuprofen and a powdered Chinese herbal remedy meant to help with the chills. When I got home, I examined the prescriptions. The ibuprofen was half the strength of the over-the-counter ibuprofen I had brought with me from America, and I had no idea how to take the powdered herb mix sealed into a series of silver packets.

“I think you shake it into your mouth and wash it down with water,” my friend texted me after I asked her what she thought I should do with the instruction-less packets.

“You should mix it with hot water and drink it like tea,” texted another friend.

“How am I supposed to know?” said a third.

I tried both of the first two methods, and they each seemed to work fine, and the herbal mix tasted faintly like snickerdoodles thanks to the cinnamon inside, which gave me a pang of homesickness. I googled it and discovered that Japanese doctors often prescribed kanpo, specific blends of herbs according to Chinese medicine, and that these blends were approved by the country’s Ministry of Health and manufactured by pharmaceutical companies alongside Western drugs.

“Wow,” I thought. “How holistic,” all of a sudden inspired to re-balance my chi and fight off this cold the ~natural~ way.

I stumbled through that week somehow, which also happened to be the last week of classes for the ninth-graders, who graduated on a beautiful sunny day. I cried throughout most of the ceremony, voice gone, shaking from the chills, secretly yearning for DayQuil and emotionally exhausted. After work, I wanted nothing more than to fall face-first into bed, but instead decided to stop by a pharmacy on the way home.

“Fuck kanpo,” I said to myself in my car. “I need some real medicine.”

I told the woman behind the counter that I had developed a cough that kept me up at night, so I needed whatever their strongest cough medicine was and stat. She immediately produced a purple glass bottle from a shelf behind her.

“You need this,” she said. “Take it right before bed, and every four hours as often as you need. It’s the strongest thing we have. Hey, do you teach English?”

I cradled the cough syrup the whole way home like the sacred elixir I believed it to be. That night, just as the pharmacist directed, I took a dose before bed, and then took an extra swig too because, hey, Japanese medicine was weak as shit.

Yesssss, I thought, propping up my pillows and turning on my humidifier. Sleeeeeep, beautiful sleeeeeep, come to me finally!

But I did not sleep that night. I felt the medicine working as my cough subsisted, but as the minutes stretched into hours it began to feel as if my whole body was on fire. My heart began to race.  My palms were sweaty. I couldn’t stop my brain from conjugated every Japanese verb that came to mind and also reliving every conversation I’d had in the past few weeks.

“I don’t know what’s happening,” I texted Marcus frantically around two a.m. “I feel like I’m going insane.”

“Are you okay???” he replied, by some stroke of fate still awake. “It’s okay, I’ll stay awake until you fall asleep.”

Talking with Marcus calmed me down and I felt my heartbeat slow to the kind of range expected for a person lying in bed, but I only slept for three hours that night, finally falling asleep sometime just before five a.m.

The next day, with dark bags under my eyes, we drove to the city to watch an annual bilingual musical in Kitajima. Somehow wide awake, I snuck the cough medicine in my purse inside the theater, where I took sips from the purple glass bottle throughout the show, trying to calm my lungs down. By the time evening came and we left the city for the long drive back to Mima, I felt the sleepless night come crashing down on me as I tried to pay attention to the narrow country roads in front of me, trying to ignore the feeling of my face melting off. This is it, I thought. I’m exhausted. I’m finally going to sleep tonight.

I put on pajamas. I washed my face. I measured the cough syrup dosage in a little plastic cup, and then doubled it for safe measure. I crawled into bed and pulled the comforter up around my chin.

At three a.m., as my heart body lay there jittering once again, I admitted defeat and turned on my lights and made myself a cup of tea. What the actual fuck, I thought, and then decided to google the cough medicine I’d been swigging like juice.

The main active ingredient in my elixir turned out to be codeine, meant to suppress severe coughing, which immediately made me wonder why on earth I could buy liquid codeine over the counter but had to have ibuprofen prescribed to me by a doctor. I decided to look up the other ingredients to see if there was something else that would make my body react so poorly - and as my eyes scanned the back of the purple glass bottle, actually reading the Japanese on the back for the first time, my jaw dropped.

There it was. The last active ingredient listed. 90 mg of caffeine per 60 ml.

WHAT THE FUCK, I wanted to scream. WHY THE FUCK IS THERE CAFFEINE IN NIGHTTIME COUGH MEDICINE. I quickly did the mental math and realized I’d been drinking the equivalent of about two cups of coffee every four hours ever since I bought the goddamn bottle that Friday after work. No wonder I was lying in bed heart racing, brain on fire, unable to sleep.

I texted just about everyone I knew to complain, and then went to the bathroom and took two sleeping pills I had with me leftover from my insomniac days in America. I dragged my futon to the living room floor where I finally slept for ten hours in an uneasy, medicated haze.  

The next day I asked Mika why on earth a Japanese pharmacist would tell me to take cough syrup loaded with caffeine right before bed, but she didn’t seem to understand what my problem was. “So the caffeine made you unable to sleep?” she asked me.

“Yeah,” I said. “Of course.”

“What do you mean of course?” she said.

“What do you mean, what do you mean?” I said. “Caffeine wakes you up, like drinking coffee in the morning.”

“You drink coffee in the morning to wake up?”

“Um, yes,” I said. “Why do you drink coffee in the morning?”

“Um, because I like the taste,” said Mika.

“It goes well with bread,” added her husband. “We drink it before bed too and sleep fine.”

After a brief survey of my coworkers, who it turned out all drank coffee before bed to no detrimental effect on their sleep, I was left to wonder if caffeine somehow affected Japanese bodies differently than my own. Or perhaps Japanese people were simply so exhausted from their long overtime hours that nothing could prevent them from falling asleep once they were horizontal.

“Oooooh, you’re like a child!” they said, amused, when I told them I couldn’t sleep after drinking coffee.  

For the next week, I tried every other non-cough-syrup remedy I could think of to stop the coughing and get some sleep. I drank honey tea before bed. I cranked up the humidifier. I vacuumed and washed every corner of my bedroom to collect any dust that might be making it harder for me to breathe. I took sleeping pills at night. My Japanese mother gave me a home remedy of diced daikon in honey, which I drank before bed to no avail. I went back to the pharmacy and bought cold medicine without caffeine. One particularly difficult night, I began to get a piercing pain in the right side of my chest when I inhaled. I slept about four hours and tried not to cry the entire next day at school as the pain continued.

“Don’t get any more over-the-counter medicine from the pharmacy again,” Bando Sensei told me that day. “The medicine from the doctor is so much better and cheaper.”

“You’re not in America anymore,” the other teachers told me. “We go to the doctor when we’re sick here!”

And so I dragged my ass back to Tada Clinic. The same girls who were working before smiled at me from behind the reception desk. “Hi,” I said. “I’m back.”

I stumbled through another appointment with the doctor, who listened to my breathing with a stethoscope and then closed his eyes, furrowed his eyebrows, and rested his face in his hands.

“It sounds like you have asthma,” he told me in Japanese. “Did any doctor in America ever tell you that you had asthma?”

“………………No…………….” I said.

“Your right lung is damaged from coughing so much. It’s probably a complication from the seasonal allergies,” he continued, pulling a laminated sheet with colorful charts off his desk, covered in kanji I couldn’t read. “Course – course of treatment –” he said suddenly switching to rusty English. “Treatment One. You’re wheezing.”

I left the clinic with a prescription allergy medication and an inhaler to try to calm the inflammation in my lungs over the next two weeks. The girls at the reception rang me up.

“That’ll be five hundred and ninety yen,” they told me. Five dollars.

That night, I stood in front of the mirror in my bathroom, hands curled around the plastic purple inhaler, and when I flipped the lever that released the medication and took a deep breath in, I felt the effects immediately. My lungs stopped shaking. The choking feeling in the back of my throat went away. This is so much better than kanpo, I thought. I slept on and off all weekend, the bags under my eyes slowly disappearing and the pain in the right side of my chest getting better with each passing day.

“You’re getting genki again!” my friends and teachers told me.

“I’m 80% genki!” I’d tell them. “Almost there!”

Each night, when I used the inhaler and sank into my futon, able to breathe again, I couldn’t help but feel pretty damn lucky to live in the age of modern medicine, and also pretty damn lucky to live in a country where my two doctor visits, three prescriptions, an inhaler came to a grand total of about $45.

“You are pretty lucky,” agreed my mom on the phone.

“Even if the cough syrup does have caffeine in it,” I conceded.