Min-sik Kang ╰╮ Ittan-momen (momen) wrote in mythologs, @ 2012-10-15 22:06:00 |
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Entry tags: | ittan-momen, tenjin |
[completed/closed]
Characters: Tenjin (ghoulishly) & Ittan-momen (momen)
Date/Time: Late September
Location: Tenjin's place of work
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: The cute and Tenjin.
Summary: Spooking the former spooky cotton roll. Also, this is long because we are that amazing.
Ittan-momen had been very good at keeping his true identity to himself. Although he had revealed hints of not having been a person or deity, he knew that it would be still a damn tough guess. And he preferred it that way for now. It was hard enough coming to terms that he wasn't what he should be and he was having to grin-n-bear it through all this as a mortal. It felt out of place sometimes but at least he knew the reason why.
Somewhere under his shirt, his little cotton buddy was curled up, seeming to be asleep. He knew he could send it away but he liked having it near as something of a comfort. Besides, it wasn't like anyone would find it and question its existence. Recently, he had taught the small cotton roll to play 'dead'. They were still practicing the part where the little creature didn't go berserk at being picked up by unfamiliar hands.
That aside, he had decided to go poke his pal Toshio that day. The man had such an aura of harshness but Ittan-momen believed that was only toward some people. He liked the other well enough to the point where he wished he was his true self so he could wrap himself lovingly around Toshio's neck. The best he could do now was to rub himself like a cat against his arm (no one could accuse him of not having a friendly bone).
With delicious Korean food from his favourite restaurant packed and still hot, he peeked into the room he expected his friend to be in. "Hello, hello! Delivery for a hardworking man who won't let go of his red pen - even in his sleep!"
Tenjin was perhaps just a little harder than he needed to be at times. Years of his life had gone without any thought of the family that ruined his. Of course he'd gotten back what was taken and been given more, but he was still bitter. Had they just left him to die in his despair, exiled and alone maybe he wouldn't haven't been so upset, but they had ruined his sons, too. They had attacked his family. That was too much to bear. They'd gotten everything they deserved and Tenjin would regret nothing. Not a single moment of it.
Still, not everything about him was the hardness he chose to display. He could be happy. In fact, teaching made him happy despite the fact that his students could drive him insane with their ridiculous arguments and poor grammar. Still, when one of them thanked him for being tough on them or even made an improvement in their writing skills, he couldn't help but be pleased. It was important to him to make sure that people knew what they were doing and that they learned even if they complained about it every step of the way.
There were a few people who he kept around because he actually liked to have them around. Min-sik was a strange person, but there was something about him. Tenjin couldn't have told anyone what it was but it was there all the same. Perhaps it was better not to question.
As if on cue, Min-sik poked his head into the room. Tenjin eyed his red pen for a moment before turning to look at him, eyebrow arched. "What are you delivering? It better not be poorly written essays. I have enough of those here."
Tip-toeing in despite the fact that was not necessary at all, he chortled loudly like some cartoon villain. When close enough to where Toshio was, he dropped the bag of delicious food on top of those essays though not before seeing how those poor kids were being graded. Ah, the student life. It was a tough one and even more so under Toshio's strict judgment.
"It's called sustenance! Spicy, too. I asked for enough for two and she gave me a discount because I think she thought I was going on a date." He grinned openly while grabbing a chair to bring close. Once plopped down on it, he leaned toward Toshio in a familiar manner while his hands worked the knot on the bag. "I may not have helped when I waxed on about 'my darling's beautiful eyes' and long it had been since I'd seen you."
Tenjin made a face at the food dropped on his stack of essays, but he sat the pen down all the same. "On a date?" That was one thing Tenjin never worried over: dating. Romance was a fairly "whatever" thing for him. He didn't need it and it was never a priority. There were other, more important things...like teaching. Much like he probably had every time Min-sik was around, Tenjin eyed him when he leaned toward him. His expression changed to something more disapproving as Min-sik continued to speak.
"No wonder she thought you were going on a date," he said flatly, reaching over to flick his arm. "Let this be a note that we will never go on a date, no matter how beautiful you think my eyes are."
Ittan-momen didn't really think hard on romance or dating himself. He hadn't been adverse before he figured himself out or even after but he'd done it for fun and to get closer to others. Also, human females were soft and cute and he liked it when they let him rest his head in their laps. Priorities, he had them.
"But they remind me of-- ohh, gimbap!" Toshio's eyes, flicks and disapproval were forgotten for the moment as he went for the rolls, swiftly stuffing one into his mouth. And when it was successful chewed and swallowed, he returned to leaning toward his pal. "What if I were as stunning as my cousin and a lady?" His hands groped at his own flat chest. "A well-endowed lady, I should say. They make for great pillows."
For a moment, Tenjin was incredibly confused. Reminded him of what? It took him a moment to realize it was just him getting distracted in the middle of talking again. Rolling his eyes, he moved to grab some food for himself, nibbling at it as he tried to decide whether or not it would be likely that he'd get his papers out from under the food before they got something on them. It was probably best to move it sooner.
And then Min-sik was talking again. "Even if you were a lady...Well-endowed or not." He sighed, moving the papers gently out from under the bag of food and sticking them in his desk. "I don't have time for all this dating nonsense." Which wasn't entirely true, but he was being difficult on purpose. "So you'd be alone forever if I was the one you were trying to date."
Ittan-momen was at least being a little neat, having kept his food more in his lap than on the desk. But any other attention for the papers was probably not going to happen. That terrible red pen and what it did to them...no, he didn't want to think about that. It was dreadful (so thought the killer cotton roll).
"You're so difficult!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "Dating isn't nonsense! It's fun. Next you'll tell me sex is nonsense and then I'll just judge you so hard."
Sex. That had happened before he knew himself but he didn't regret it. It had been slightly awkward at first but then the girl he had been with made it a little easier by being so petite that he felt comfortable curling himself around her and so forth. But he'd found he hadn't really come across many that he trusted enough to indulge in the act.
"It's not important." Had he had sex? Yes. Just not often. It didn't matter. What mattered was exactly what he'd been doing before he was interrupted with food. Then again, it was good food, so he wouldn't complain too much. At least food was one of the three essential things you needed. "Teaching," he started. "Is what is fun. Even when your students make you want to stick things in your eyes out of frustration." He opened the drawer for a moment, glancing down at the paper.
"This assignment is making me rethink my alllowing them to choose certain topics for essays. About five girls chose to write on romance in literature. Apparently two of them decided to tell me about Twilight." He slammed the drawer shut harder than necessary before going back to his food. "I swear that book is the bane of my existence. I don't know how many children have gone on and on about it and the more they talk about it, the more ridiculous it sounds." He glanced over toward Min-sik. "Maybe I'll make a list of books that I won't accept being talked about in my classes. Even the quotations were grammatically incorrect. How did this book even make it past an editor?"
Teaching over sex? Hey, he was no sex addict and spent half his days wishing he was a roll of cotton again but he was pretty sure the human body tended to like being stimulated in areas a teacher wasn't allowed to touch.
Unless they were the naughty kind. Weren't the least suspecting the sort who turned out that way? The seemingly shy, geeky ones who tossed off their glasses and shook loose their hair (or was that librarians?). The ones who seem so strict and unforgiving but no one could bend you over a desk like they could. And, for a moment, he wore a look of pure mischief before Toshio's voice brought him back to reality.
"Twilight?" His lips twitched slightly. "Wait until they get bold enough to mention that smutty series based on Twilight fanfiction. Then you'll really be mad and also grossed out by the sex in it." Realizing that he was indicating he may know too much about the book, Ittan-momen busied himself with another roll of gimbap. "Not that I've been looking at anything. Or whatever. Nope."
Tenjin eyed him for a moment. "I'm not grossed out by sex. It's just not important." He frowned for a moment before leaning back in his chair and eyeing the bag of food. "But the writing is enough to make a person want to cause physical harm." As Min-sik rambled on, Tenjin looked over at him again. "That's unconvincing." There was a long pause before he added, "And if you're going to read, you might as well read something that is worth reading."
He really had to hope his students wouldn't write about those books. Then again, which students felt comfortable writing about these things in essays their teachers would be reading? He'd have to make sure to make it an uncomfortable topic for them...but then there were those weird students who wanted to have relationships with their teachers. There were enough terrible movies about it. ....Not that he'd watched them.
"Sometimes, it's a really slow day with work and I go online to read things. Besides, I only read the things written by people who want to shriek over it. I'm a good boy!" he claimed in self-defense. A pout was tossed in as well though the effectiveness of it depends hard on Toshio - and that meant it would fail. He needed soft-hearted friends he could manipulate better, he really did.
As a piece of fish disappeared into his mouth, he considered something else. Like the lack of something drink, a matter he probably should have handled before coming in. "Where are the soda machines around here?"
It's true that pouts didn't work on him. When he'd done his student teaching, he'd been stuck with a group of third graders and they tried about everything in their power to get him to bend, but he didn't. He was difficult, but he liked to think that in the end, they learned more because he didn't yield. Maybe when he left them, their future teachers lucked out and they were better behaved. He reached over to tweak Min-sik's nose. "Even the children can't get away with it..."
He wrinkled his nose slightly. "Down the hall, turn left."
Poor third-graders. He could only feel for them and their tiny sad hearts.
"But I'm cuter than a child." The tweaking would earn Toshio a giddy little Ittan-momen, who adoringly made a kissie-face at him. Who knew what someone looking in at that precise moment would have thought but Ittan-momen knew he'd run with it.
Still, with the knowledge of a not-so-good-for-you beverage in mind, he pushed himself up. "I'm so weak, I need yummy Coke while I eat and not after. God help you if that machine doesn't offer me Coke. Do you want me to bring back something for you, sir?"
Tenjin rolled his eyes. He really hoped none of his students or anyone else got it into their minds to look into the room. He wasn't prone to having people in his office, much less ones who saw fit to make kissie-faces at him. The idea of people poking their noses into his personal life was entirely unpleasant.
"You poor baby," he said flatly. There was a moment when Tenjin tried to remember if he still had any water lingering around in the office. "I suppose." Min-sik was a strange person. He never quite understood him. All the same, he pulled out the necessary money for the drink and held it out to him. "Water if you can. I'll accept soda if I must."
"Monies~" he cheerfully hummed aloud, taking the offered money. With him, he never really kept count of money exchanged. What was bought, what wasn't. It didn't seem like the friend thing to do in his opinion but he figured he could always rob Toshio of a shoulder rub if they ever appeared uneven. "I'll get you a soda because you need a little sugar. You have so much to do!"
After a mock salute, the room was then exited and he followed the simple directions he'd been given. His hopes rose as he saw the Coke he desired and a number of varieties as well. A minor dilemma but one that required a bit of time on his part.
He opened his mouth to make some argument before deciding to let it go. It wasn't worth it. Instead he waved it off. "Fine fine." He'd get himself some water later. At least he could say he sometimes knew when to stop arguing. Then again, he only really got terribly difficult when it came to that damn Fujiwara man. Yes. He knew his real name, but he preferred to think of him by his current family name to remind him to stay grumpy with him. Forever.
After Min-sik left, Tenjin moved to get more of the food so that he could eat in peace before his friend did something strange again...like rubbing his cheek on his shoulder. Who knew where that man got some of his ideas of affection.
If Ryujin knew, he would be far too pleased about being thought about as it provided him a window to tease the man. But chances were that he would never know and that was for the best in the end.
His return was roughly a good five minutes later with a spring in his step. "Toshio!" he exclaimed even before he was in the room properly. "I was successful! I went with the classic for us because I don't think you'd appreciate the cherry or vanilla flavours. And I got you some water, too, so you can wash down the nom-nommy taste of Coke later." His seat found and dropped into, he scooted closer to his dear pal. "Aren't you glad to have me in your life? There is only one right answer!"
Perhaps it had been a bad idea to zone out. The loud exclamation from Min-sik made him jump. "Min-sik..." He turned to look at him, shaking his head slightly. He was too excited about everything. How did people get so excited about things? Of course, he'd been fairly excited about the tank...until it was obvious that it didn't work anymore. That was probably for the best, though. He was going to have to get rid of that thing sooner or later...even if he didn't really want to.
"Thank you." He took the drinks from Min-sik before snorting softly at his question. "I am content enough." Which was his way of giving affection. He always gave a little but never too much.
Once, long ago, he had heard his mother whisper to his father about his levels of excitement but then they both had dismissed it. And so he remained as he always had been, a ball of sunshine and joy. A bit more colour in everyone's dreary life and all those excuses. At least that was what he was told by his mother.
And upon hearing Toshio's answer, Ittan-momen's head found itself against his friend's shoulder. "I adore you, too, buddy!" He'd take what he could get and would give back more than twice what was offered since he could. Besides, he believed someone had to love poor Toshio. "I'll bring you lunch more often. And maybe my cousin one day." Voice dropping to a whisper, he added, "She's a beauty but a little crazy. A complete morning person. I don't get it."
Tenjin nearly patted the other man on the head before he decided it was too awkward. There was no reason to be awkward about things. "Mmm. So it would seem." The fact that he didn't push him off spoke more than his words anyway. If Min-sik had been someone he didn't like, he most certainly wouldn't be able to lean on him or sit as close as he was. "If you really want to." Not that he could really complain. The school didn't have much lunch and he couldn't get good food all the time. A professor's salary wasn't the most amazing.
"Mornings are...overrated." He liked sleep, but then he functioned well enough with caffeine. He preferred his morning classes because his students tended to be more quiet and less...obnoxious. "Why are you whispering?"
The strangest but happiest squeak was given. Someone else who finally understood! Ah, bless Toshio. Bless his grumpy, red ink-stained heart. "I hope I never have to work afternoons too often! I'll bring you Chinese next time. I know a place where the owner's grandmother thinks I'm too cute for words. I'll get a great discount." He could already taste the stir-fry. He really should have been focusing on the fish near by, though.
"Because maybe Su-Min might find out. Ah, she's such a little devil like that!" he said, pulling away with a laugh and reached out for more food. "But I love her as much as you can love someone without wanting in their pants."
Tenjin very nearly laughed at the sound from Min-sik. That sound had been exceptionally amusing. "Bring whatever you want," he said, shrugging slightly. He was pretty sure no one in the world thought he was too cute for words and it was for the best. Tenjin didn't really appreciate the word 'cute'. "What a..." He paused, trying to think up the right word. "Beneficial situation for you."
He was quiet for a long time as he stared at his friend out of the corner of his eye. "I highly doubt that." Unless she had ridiculous hearing. He still highly doubted that. "This is going to be a recurring topic, isn't it?" Getting in people's pants. What was it about people that made that a priority? "You don't have to love someone to want to get in their pants, you know."
"Maybe I was born under a good sign!" he chirped before nibbling on some fish. He liked to imagine that part of the fish was thinking 'ah, now I'm going into Ittan-momen's belly, what a great place for me!'. Everyone being at peace with the end results made the meal a little bit better. And if that part of the fish was not pleased, oh well.
"You doubt it and therefore it will happen. That is what I have learned about women. And maybe it might be. Love is a very big topic. Poets go nuts over it. But you can introduce another one if you want," he encouraged between mouthfuls of rice.
"Perhaps so." Tenjin was not thinking about how his food felt now that he was eating it. It would have made him stare at his friend for a while if he'd known that the other man was thinking such ridiculous things. He just ate it. There was no way he was dying because he worried if his food felt bad about being eaten anyway. "Or maybe she's planning to kidnap you any minute and lock you in her basement and make you pretend to be her dead child. Then feed you...but lock you in small spaces when you try to escape and cry about how you don't appreciate her and what she's doing for you."
Tenjin highly doubted this girl was going to know about what they'd said, but if she did, he'd...pretend otherwise. "Yes. I am well aware. People these days make a big deal out of it." They didn't when he was alive. He didn't ignore love poems or stories so much as he didn't go out of his way to find them. If he was assigned to read something in school and it came up in the book, he read it and examined it as a whole. "Just talk about something that doesn't involve love or sex."
Then he would have to do quite a bit of staring as many ridiculous thoughts came and went in Ittan-momen's brain. But the moment the kidnapping situation came up, the former cotton roll shuddered. "I hope not! Min-siks are supposed to be free creatures. I'll perish so sadly in her basement."
A perfected look of anguish came over his face and he inched a bit closer to his pal. "Would you miss me? Would you write a poem about your lost buddy? Maybe bring it to my empty grave in a year's time and tell it to me?"
How was that for a new topic?
Despite the fact that he was ignoring the look on Min-sik's face, Tenjin did take that moment to consider what would happen. It would definitely be noticed because whenever people he knew suddenly disappeared, he noticed. But would he miss him? Maybe. Possibly. Not that he'd say so. "If I wrote you a poem, I imagine it would go like this:
My good, old friend Min-sik,
I told you not to trust old grandmothers.
I told you the dangers of their basements.
So I guess it's sort of your fault,
That you are now trapped in one forever."
He nodded. "Yeah. That's pretty much how that would go."
There were few words to describe the look of surprise on his face. He had not expected Toshio to actually compose a little poem or even respond the way he had. And once that surprise wore off, he was back to grinning widely and happily.
"Ah, you're such a good friend! Who else can say they would do this for me? No one but Toshio!" he enthusiastically chirped. "I feel so loved, I could almost hug you!" And if I were my true self, I'd let you wear me like a scarf, ha ha!
He laughed at the look on Min-sik's expression for a little while before he calmed down. "You make the most hilarious faces sometimes." Alright, so he was amused and maybe having a better time than he really expected at the beginning.
"I hardly know." Still, even if anyone did do it, they wouldn't have done it first, so clearly it wouldn't be as special. Hopefully they'd realize that. "But hopefully you'll refrain." He paused for a moment. "Unless you promise to make it quick. No squeezing either." That shit was fucking weird. He never understood that.
It was even more strange (but delightful) to hear his friend laugh. He knew his face was special like that but it was more rewarding when he didn't have to try to earn moments like this.
"I know!" he insisted before moving on muse on what else Toshio had stated. A quick hug with no squeezing. A difficult order. Could he do it? Could a squeeze accidentally occur? What if it did? What if he went over the time limit? There was so much to consider! Fanning himself with his free hand, he feigned exasperation. "You're challenging me and I need to figure out a way I can do it to make us both happy with the result!"
Tenjin gave him a look. He would have said he wasn't prone to dramatics, but then there was evidence to the contrary. Still...strangling a man who stupidly got pissy over spilled tea and threw him in a lake was totally a normal response. Obviously. He'd just pretend otherwise and not bring up his lack of dramatics as a topic because then it couldn't be disputed. "I'm sure it doesn't take that much thinking, you're just pretending it does." He turned his attention back to the food. "But if you take too long to get it over with, I'm not going to leave the offer on the table."
This way it would get done. At least, he hoped so. He didn't feel like sitting there and waiting for it to happen when he could be eating...or grading papers even...if he was careful. "Which makes it sort of a get it while it's available situation."
Where were they left without drama? Ittan-momen thought life would be dull without those special moments. But just for pointing out how false his theatrics were, he began to squirm about in his chair comically, butt going this and that way. "You're such a difficult man, Toshio!"
And then he sprung from his seat with no warning, knowing that the other wasn't facing him and nearly landing on the other man's lap. His arms would wrap around Toshio in the fiercest of hugs (no squeezing, no squeezing-- was that a squeeze - no, it wasn't!). "Count the seconds because I'm not!"
"So I've heard." And he was. Not that he thought it was a bad thing. Of course, then he was being hugged and nearly had Min-sik in his lap which would certainly have only raised more questions if any of his students or the other staff had picked that time to peek in through the door. He really was going to have to rethink the choices he made sometimes.
"I don't think I..." remembered to start. "There have been a lot." He'd stop it in a little bit. He was getting soft in his old age. Clearly. He let a little bit of time pass before saying, "Okay. Okay. Enough hugging."
Old age. Ittan-momen was into his thirties now, though his behaviour did rival that number. Maybe Tenjin was really the older one, in spirit.
"One more second!" Ittan-momen pleaded and just nearly squeezed out that last second from Toshio. But then he released him, opting to slump on the man like he'd been drained from the hug (like it has been something more exerting than it should have been). "That was a good hug. I should be allowed one every two months. You'll note how fair I am. I could have said once a month!"
Nope, still not getting off of Toshio yet.
One more second was allowed, which he felt was generous enough. However, when Min-sik slumped over on him, Tenjin stared at him quietly. "You're lucky to be allowed one a year," he commented. Which wasn't really the case. He had a feeling he'd been hugged before. Maybe. He couldn't remember what with all the things he'd been doing. Lightly he poked at his friend.
Somehow, he'd get him off...even if that meant spooking him. Only that would probably only lead to him doing something ridiculous like latching onto him and acting strangely. He hummed thoughtfully to himself. "Sit up. I have to go get something." Okay...so this was just a set up. He needed some amusement and his papers were safe in the drawer.
Spooking a creature like Ittan-momen had consequences. Sadly, he couldn't tell his friend that because he refused to even discuss what he was with anyone (outside of his cousin).
Shifting back over to his own chair, Ittan-momen picked up his drink. "But one every two months would keep me happier. Aren't you interested in your buddy's happiness?" he asked. But his heart wasn't into the business of hugs. Just what did Toshio want to go get? What was he thinking?
Tenjin couldn't have known about his friend's history. He knew that he was like them but nothing about the who (or in Min-sik's case what). It was unlikely that he'd have cared about the bad things because he had also been something of a bad sort...after his death. What led to that part of his life was nothing worth talking about to anyone because it was a weakness he was unwilling to show should someone else reveal it to the wrong person...or any person.
"Don't you have other people to keep you happy?" He stood slowly, lightly ruffling Min-sik's hair before stepping out into the hallway, just outside the door. Checking to make sure no one was around, he toed off his shoes. The idea was to wait for Min-sik to become distracted by the food and drink before slipping back in and scaring him. However, if he heard his friend coming toward the door, that was just as good an opportunity.
"Yes but you're special." In a way Toshio was but not so much that Ittan-momen needed him to make him happy. He was just in a mood to needle the other because there weren't any foreseeable ill consequences.
Ittan-momen seemed happy to sit and wait for his pal to come back. And the longer Toshio seemed to take, the more likely he would become distracted, especially when stealing portions of his friend's food. There was no mercy when it came to good food. He who abandoned his without any guard or warning was to expect less when he came back.
Oh delicious unprotected food. It was the perfect distraction.
Tenjin waved off the words because it was easier than trying to respond with any words. He would worry about the way he behaved...later. One day. Maybe. Eventually.
After a little while, he peeked into the room, amused to find Min-sik seemingly distracted with his food. Well, some of that might have been his but...he'd worry about that later. Min-sik had paid for the food. He waited just a little bit longer before picking up his shoes and creeping into the room as silently as he could. At least he hadn't tripped. Then again, the still might have gotten the response he wanted. In a show of kindness (at least, he thought so) he waited until Min-sik didn't have food in his mouth to shout, "BOO!"
It was a kindness. Ittan-momen did not want to choke even on his most favourite of snacks. He'd been humming in approval of something he'd stolen from Toshio's side of things, eyes closed as he imagined the morsel happily being dissolved in gastric juice when he heard something most unexpected. It didn't help it was from the last person he might expect something like this from.
A shriek not befitting a man in his thirties was emitted as he leapt up out of his chair twisting around to face the 'threat'. Later, he'd view it as somewhat of an overreaction all things considered but his heart was racing too hard and his instinct to murder was threatening to come out.
No, scratch that, it had come out and his little cotton buddy was writhing beneath his clothes, attempting to escape to kill the target. In his hand he was already grasping a pen to drive into someone's (something's?) throat.
Laughing, Tenjin took a few steps back, keeping an eye on the pen in Min-sik's hand. He covered his mouth, so the laughter would be muffled a little. "You...really...haha oh god. That was so..." Oh, but he was too busy laughing to really say anything. It was hard enough to breathe.
"I couldn't help myself..." More laughter. "You scream like a girl. That's the best thing I've heard...ever." Maybe. He was too distracted by how amused he was to really focus on things that he'd found amusing before. Was it childish? Yes. Yes, it was. Just a little bit. He didn't really care, though. "Try not to stab me, though. That's one of my good red pens."
Something red flashed through his brain before the human side of him pleaded and begged for him to not react, to not give his conjured-up pal the go for Toshio's throat. This was his friend and he needed friends. It was too lonely without them. Slowly, his fingers loosened one by one from around the pen as he struggled to smile, to think of a way to wave it off like it wasn't anything.
Tell that to my thudding heart that wants to eat his face. "Toshio," he said with a laugh that was trembling opposed to convincing. "I'm taking this pen because you don't deserve it."
The fact that Min-sik seemed a little overly startled made Tenjin sober. He was not a convincing person in this moment and Tenjin, despite all evidence contrary, was not unable to understand emotions and people. He stepped a little closer, letting his hand move to lightly ruffle Min-sik's hair. "You say that like I don't have a whole stash of pens..." Which he did. You never knew when you'd need to have a new pen ready. Especially red ones. He used a lot of red ink.
He leaned down to whisper, "Don't let it get to you." Ruffling his hair and giving him a wink before sitting down. That was about as close to 'I'm sorry' as he was getting at this moment. He'd see how he felt as things went.
His breathing slowed as he felt his hair ruffled and the assurances (the very Toshio apology) sink in. The pen didn't leave his hand but waggled between his finger as he tried not to think of sticking it between his friend's (friendfriendfriend) ribs. "You're a bad man. I'm telling my cousin. She'll come after you, you know. She loves that that much, so you just wait and--"
Right then, something reached out from his sleeve and smacked Toshio on the knee. Ittan-momen froze as it squirreled its way back up his arm to hide. Have momentary blindness. Be numb in that knee. Don't ask me what that was. How far is the door from here?
"That's not the first time I've heard that," he replied, with an amused expression on his face. "And it's not untrue either." He gave him a side glance at the comment about his cousin. "I'd say she'd have to find me first but...I'm sure you'd tell her where to find me. You're just that--"
He paused looking down at his knee, making sure not to be in a position where he could shock his friend as he'd already been trouble enough. "Are we feeling particularly violent today. See if you get any hugs in the future..." He could have asked what it was, but he'd thought Min-sik had just decided to smack his knee. It was a strange action and he couldn't remember the other man's arm moving...but he could have missed something.
Ittan-momen was sure that Su-Min could find Toshio if she really wanted. But no questions about the sneak attack on his knee? Then there was only one solution.
"I have to go!" he blurted out, reached for almost blindly for this and that that he was going to take with him. "Keep the food! You look skinny! Seriously, doesn't anyone feed you? Ahhh, I'll bring lunch again, you know later when you're not being a bad man! And another day. You can't have lunch twice!" The red pen was shoved into his pocket (yes, he'd heard how many others Toshio had but still). "Be nice to you students. They probably cry when they are out of earshot!"