Kicks

A/N: ;________;!!!! I CAN’T BELIEVE PEOPLE ARE STILL INTO THIS STORY AFTER I ABANDONED IT FOR SO LONG OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOOOO *bows before the faithful followers, clings to everyone in turn* You all are so amazing ;_; *sniffles* I am not worthy ;___; *bawls* You guys seriously have no idea, I expected to post that last chapter and have it like, be ignored, or have people be like “… you ruined it!!!!” (cuz that’s kinda how I felt, I was worried I ruined the flow and the characters and asldkfjsldfjsldjfskldfj) So… yeah.



One person I wanna thank in particular is kordavamennemer . You were my first review on my story, ever, and you were the first review when I posted the last chapter. Augh. I could kiss you, you make me so happy. ;_______; *clings!*



And everyone else that is still reading and reviewing this story, thank you so much. The only reason I continued was because I looked through the reviews and grasped how much you guys loved it, loved Sae and Bam. So I was like “I can’t just let this story flop”. So I looked through my notes and fell in love with them all over again, and started writing. So here I am! It’s all thanks to you guys, and when an author says it’s reviewers like you that keeps us going, it’s the truth! Never take a review for granted, even when you think you’re retarded for just saying “I like it! Keep going!”, because that’s all we need to do just that, keep going. :]



MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH FTW.



AND BECAUSE I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH I COME BARING GIFTS AFTER MY EXTENSIVELY LONG AUTHOR’S NOTES THAT I AM FAMOUS FOR HURRHURRHURR.



http://warui-j.deviantart.com/art/Kicks-120587561



Again, thank you guys so much ;_______;



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Soo Mi had a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel of the armored truck, her jaw clenched tightly beneath the faded orange surgical mask she was wearing in an attempt to hide her identity and protect her health. She had poor lungs and rarely left the house, and whenever she did she took an inhaler along with her as well as the little mask. She was obviously irritated that she had gone along with Bam on this crazy escapade, but then again it was her that proposed she accompany the expert bomb-maker lest he accidentally blow himself up.



It happened once; it wasn’t pretty.



“I can’t believe this is actually working,” the beautiful girl said, her voice barely muffled by the material covering her nose and mouth. She had a slight accent that proved she was from the southern most regions of Korea, which gave her agitated tone a bit of a more of a pinch. “I don’t even want to know how you knew where the mansion was, let alone how you knew about this truck…”



Bam chuckled from his position in the passenger seat, where Sae was leaning against the older man comfortably. The elder Joo had his fingers tangled in burgundy locks, stroking the teen’s scalp gently while the boy slept peacefully on his shoulder.



Soo Mi continued to rant.



“I mean, sometimes you’re so crazy Bam! I can’t understand you. Putting this kid through Hell to save your own ass.”



Bam finally spoke, “It was a good experience. For all of us.”



Soo Mi growled in annoyance and rolled her eyes. “He’s gonna hate you when you find out.”



“He doesn’t hate me now,” the bluenette shrugged. “If anything, he might be relieved.”



A particularly violent pothole roused Sae from his nap, making the teen mumble in slight annoyance as he shifted and sat up, glancing around blearily. He blinked and glanced up at Bam in confusion, and then his expression melted into one of gratitude and relief.



“Bam, you came for me…” Sae said, almost as if he didn’t believe it himself.



“Of course I did,” the older man chuckled, using the hand that wasn’t wrapped around Sae’s shoulders to scratch at the stubble that had grown back on his chin. “Didn’t think I’d leave you with that guy, did you?”



Sae laughed lightly, “No…” He blinked lightly and then a look of panic flitted across his Princely features. “Penny! I took off my earring and she was in the drawer and then Park came in and-,”



“Someone called?” A blonde head poked out from the flap separated the cab from the trailer of the truck, Penny smiling brightly at the three – well, two, since Soo Mi couldn’t see the ghost and was looking on in confusion.



Sae breathed a sigh of relief and laughed lightly, placing a hand over his chest.



“I had Soo Mi go to your bedroom and grab the earring along with some clothes.” Bam provided, winking lightly.



The teen blushed; how could he have ever doubted Bam? The man had been there since day one, taking care of the Prince without question, whether Sae asked or not. It was more than Sae had ever asked for and he had never felt more grateful for anything in his life.



Then again, Park had done the same thing, albeit in a more invasive way…



“Bam,” Sae glanced down at his knees, picking at the faded denim adorning his lower half. “Is Park… you know, alive?”



Bam seemed a bit taken aback at the question, and then laughed as he ruffled Sae’s hair. “Of course he’s alive, Kicks. That guy has to be the most evasive snake I’ve ever come across; we’ve been crossing bullets with each other for years. I’d say he’s the only one who can actually match wits with me.”



Soo Mi nodded, and Sae licked his lips. Maybe that was what attracted him to Park? The fact that he and Bam were so much alike, yet so completely different at the same time?



“Why, you worried about him?” Bam asked, a teasing smile on his lips as he nudged Sae with his elbow lightly.



“N-No!” Sae flushed lightly and shoved Bam none-too-gently into the door, making the older man grunt lightly. It was in that moment that Sae finally questioned just how old his cousin was; he never looked too young but then again he didn’t look old… but in that moment as he rubbed the spot where his bicep had connected with the metal door, a sheepish smile on his face, the young teen really took in Bam’s features.



Like in the warehouse where Bam had exchanged him for money, there were some shadows on the man’s face, and a few age lines near his brow line. Pursing his lips lightly, Sae decided it was a subject to be broached later, and instead decided to snuggle against Bam’s side once more, watching the bumpy scenery roll by as they headed towards the nearest motel.



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Later that night found Penny and Soo Mi in one room, Soo Mi not quite understanding the presence of Penny but going with it all the same, figuring that stranger things have happened. They were interacting like how a normal person would interact with a ghost; if you’re here me, let me know by moving something; I’ll ask a question, if yes move that, if no move this. It’s been taking some time, Soo Mi getting used to having a ‘presence’ in the room, but she’s been adapting and has even gotten used to Bam and Sae talking to an invisible third person.



The two boys had gotten a room to themselves, and currently Bam was taking a well-deserved shower (apparently he had spent the last few days staking out the mansion to figure out his plan) while Sae lay on the bed on his stomach flipping lazily through the channels. His chin was propped up with his left hand, his eyes slightly glazed over as he was once again reminded as to why he never spent time inside watching television. Maybe it really did rot people’s brains…



The door to the bathroom opened and Bam exited, followed by a burst of billowing steam. The man was wrapped only in a towel, the white material slung low on his trim hips as he used another towel to ruffle his turquoise mop in an attempt to get it dry. He sat down on the edge of the bed and raised a brow at the television, then turned to Sae, grinning lightly.



“Didn’t know you liked soap operas,” Bam said with a comical air.



Sae groaned and flopped face-first into the mattress, exhaling violently. “I don’t. I hate television.”



Bam laughed and slung the towel around his shoulders, leaning back a bit. “So. How’s it feel to be back?”



The younger of the two rolled onto his back, muting the television and folding his hands behind his head. “A bit surreal, to be honest.” He had been tossed all over South East Asia in less than two weeks and now it finally felt like he was going to be cemented somewhere. Where, he wasn’t sure. But now it finally felt like he wasn’t being lead by a string to some unknown destination. He glanced over at the half-naked Joo, rolling sapphire eyes and smacking the man’s arm lightly with the back of his palm.



“Get dressed, pervert.”



Bam chuckled and swayed with the hit as if it actually effected him, rubbing his arm idly and sighing a bit as he glanced down at the dark-haired teen. “Man, I was going crazy without you.” The teen’s blush spurred the older man on. “Not knowing what that jerk was doing to you.” He lifted a hand to gently stroke Sae’s cheek with the back of his slightly worn knuckles, and the teen sighed gently and leaned into the touch.



“It wasn’t so bad, you know. Park didn’t do anything to me. Just kinda kept me around for company. He’s a much milder version of you,” Sae stuck his tongue out and giggled lightly as Bam rolled his eyes and nudged the younger Joo.



“Anyway… I’m sorry I put you through all of this, got you into that situation-,”



“It’s over,” Sae silenced Bam by placing a hand on the man’s ribs, the most comfortable place the teen could reach without bending his arm in an awkward position. “You came back for me and that’s what counts.”



“So…” Bam bit his lip and looked at Sae almost coyly, looking much younger than his age. “You don’t hate me?"



Sae laughed outright and shook his head. “Of course not! Silly.”



Bam relaxed and chuckled, standing and moving to the side of the bed to rummage through his duffel bag, presumably to get dressed. Sae let his eyes roam up to the ceiling, offering his cousin some company, and when he felt the bed dip again he glanced over to see Bam working on getting under the covers. Sae sat up and shut off the television before following suit and clambering beneath the sheets and instantly snuggling up to his cousin’s side.



The older man shut off the lights and instantly wrapped his arms around his companion, letting the scent of the teen engulf him. A few moments of silence passed and Bam could have swore the boy was asleep until sapphire eyes glinted in the dim moonlight coming in from the window.



“Bam…?”



Bam opened his lighter cerulean eyes and raised a brow. “Hn?”



“How old are you?”



Azure eyes opened a bit wider and a light blush dusted over Bam’s cheeks as the question sunk in. Sae blinked, not quite sure as to why Bam was blushing like that, so he moved up a bit more into the older man’s vision, expression curious.



“Bam?”



“Erm…” the older man said something else but it was quickly muffled by a cough and a scratch to a suddenly very itchy nose.



“What was that?” Sae said in a playful voice, leaning more over Bam, dangerous of straddling his cousin.



“You know, uhnnnfnghfnf.” Another cough, this one directly into his hand as Bam turned his face to the side, avoiding Sae’s questioning gaze.



“Come on Sae, you never told me how old you were. I wanna know~” Sae nearly whined, this time moving his body over Bam’s, his fingers moving to tickle the man’s side threateningly. Bam cringed at the threat and let out an anxious giggle, moving his hands to Sae’s to prevent them from moving anymore.



“I- ok- hold on a minute-,” Bam took a few calming breaths, closing his eyes. After a few short moments he opened one eye, looking even more sheepish than Sae had ever seen the man. “You promise you won’t think any different of me?”



Sae blinked. Was it really going to be that bad? What was he, like, fifty?



Bam let out a sigh. “Ok. I’m thirty-seven. My birthday is December second.”



The young teen blinked and let out a breath, hovering over the much, much older Joo with a look of mild bewilderment on his face. Bam was twenty years older than he was. Twenty.



Suddenly Sae felt like that had opened a whole bunch of new doors to his relationship with Bam.



“So Park… he’s also-,”



“Thirty-seven. Yup.”



“But you guys look so young!” Sae said, a bit more than befuddled. Bam chuckled lightly and reached up and ran his palm over Sae’s arm lightly, pulling the younger man to his chest and kissing the top of his head.



“There’s lots about our clans that you have let to learn, my Prince,” Bam said as Sae snuggled under his chin and started to get comfortable for bed.



“You gonna tell me all of those secrets, old man?” the Prince said with a grin, making Bam roll his eyes and shift to his side, keeping the teen pressed to his chest.



“One day. Maybe when you’re older.”



They both chuckled, easily falling into a silence as they prepared themselves for sleep. Tomorrow would be the start of official Joo business.



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The next day it was a short truck ride to the center of Inch’on, a city on the shore of the Yellow Sea, warm and tropical. It was here where Bam had apparently bought the Joo clan an official headquarters, with the money that he had scammed off of Park (and managed to keep, though Sae hadn’t asked of the details). Sae stepped out of the truck, crystal earring glinting in the sunlight as he smiled up at the beautiful beach house. It was definitely something Bam would pick; sunny and tropical, with lots of windows and palm trees, open space with white sands beneath the beautiful mansion.



“It’s absolutely wonderful!” Penny beamed as she stepped out of the armored truck, spinning around in her blue dress, her straw sunhat in tow as her blonde locks whipped about her. She was a sight to behold, and once again Sae found himself a bit disheartened at the fact that she had died so young. She could have made a man really happy…



“There’s another reason why I picked this place,” Bam whispered to Sae, smiling and nodding up at the beach house. In the window there was the wispy face of a boy about Penny’s age, looking out shyly at the newcomers. Penny followed their gaze and squealed in delight.



“Another ghost! Oh Bam you know how to treat a lady!” She hugged Bam, even though the man visibly cringed and nearly turned blue, and off she floated to phase through the glass to meet the timid boy, who looked like he was about to jump out of his own spectre.



Sae laughed and glanced out at the ocean, the waves caressing the beach gently as a few ships sailed out along the horizon. It was the middle of the day and Bam said that it was going to be a full one, though Sae wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that. He hadn’t seen any ‘official’ business be done yet, and had no idea what ‘busy’ meant, so he was left guessing.



He was ushered inside the house by Bam and Soo Mi, who guided him to his room and told him to get dressed for the day. All of the clothes in the closet were nice, borderline fancy; designer brands, although comfortable most definitely. He pulled on some dark denim jeans and a black shirt with silver embroidery, taking off his earring and placing it on the table. Penny seemed to be getting stronger the more places she visited, and he was wondering if she was simply bound to either himself or Bam. Shrugging, he checked his appearance in the mirror and decided he was ok as he toed into some plain slippers, shuffling down the hallway into the meeting room Bam had told him to come down to.



The teen poked his head into the room, glancing around. He recognized a few people from the barnhouse he stayed at just last week, plus about a dozen more faces he didn’t recognize, both young and old. Bam was seated at the long conference table, on the ride side of the table that was at the very, very end. The older man smiled and nodded his head, and Sae entered the room shyly, trying not to grab much attention. But Bam stood up and cleared his throat, looking at the door and causing everyone else to do the same. A hush fell over the room and Sae blushed violently with all of the attention resting on him as he moved toward the chair the Bam had presented towards him, the burgundy head lowered in embarrassment.



He sat down in the chair in an awkward flourish, the seat rolling back a bit, making the teen reach out in a spastic manner to grip the glass table and keep himself from rolling completely away from the table. He coughed to cover his embarrassment and cleared his throat, grabbing blindly at the papers in front of him, having no idea what they were or even if they were his. Straightening them distractedly he tried not to meet any of the eyes that were looking at him expectantly, but eventually he looked up to Bam for some guidance.



The older man took the cue and stood up.



“Everyone, we have searched many years to find the one that has been mentioned in ancient scriptures as the bringer of Love.”



Everyone smiled lightly and an excited murmur fell over the small crowd before Bam hushed them all with a wave of his hand, continuing.



“It was by luck that I happened upon Sae Rang.” Sae smiled lightly at the papers he had stacked neatly, not reading any of the words on them. “He nearly fell into my lap.” The crowd chuckled, and Sae blushed again. “It took quite a few chores and difficulties… some trial and error on my part, and surely a load of mental woes on Sae’s.”



Sae felt a hand on his shoulder, and felt some of his anxiousness melt away.



“He doesn’t look like much. In fact, when I first saw him I wondered if he had even hit puberty yet.”



The blush intensified and Sae felt himself bristle in irritability, wanting to hit Bam as hard as he possibly could, but these people were his – what were they? His subjects? His family? Oh jeez.



“But the truth is, is that this kid is way more capable of what I gave him credit for. He has proven that this clan can still fight for what we’ve always fought for; love, justice, and honor. We’ve lost our vision in the past decades, blinded by money and greed. But this boy – no, this young man, has made me see what we all have forgotten.”



Everyone seemed moved by Bam’s speech, though Sae merely ducked his head a bit lower. Did he really have that much impact on people he barely knew? He was just acting on what he felt was right; it was a mix of common sense and how his parents raised him, and of course a few recent developments in… more pressing matters.



His family clapped and Bam nodded and smiled, thanking them lightly before turning to Sae and urging the teen to stand up. It took a few moments, but Sae stood up a bit shakily and looked out at the people before him for the first time, taking in each one individually before he decided to speak. They were all attractive, and surely they were varied in range, but like Bam he was sure none of them looked as old as they were. And of course he knew he was in the presence of family, with different shades of blue staring back at him with mild affection. Penny and her new ghost friend were in a corner, trying not to give too many people shivers, and Sae felt a bit reboldened as he took a breath.



“Hi.” Wow. Awesome start. “I’m Sae Rang Joo.” He closed his eyes for a moment, not really knowing what to say, so he just decided to wing it. “Up until nine days ago I had no real idea as to where my name came from, or if it had any special meaning. Which is dumb, because most Asians have great lineage, right?” Most everyone chuckled, easing even more of Sae’s tension. “Bam is the most unorthodox guy I have ever met. He kidnapped me, took me to a foreign country, sold me to a Mafioso, and then kidnapped me again, and now I’m here to basically be his boss.” He shrugged. “I’m sure he could have picked a more roundabout way, or even a more direct one. But no matter what way he decided to take, I’m glad that it ends with me here, with you guys.



“I’ve finally learned the true meaning of family, and what it means to have friends. I didn’t really have any of that before Bam came into my life.” He glanced down at the older man, who was positively beaming and even had a slight blush on his cheeks.



“I’m not even sure what I’m supposed to be doing, as your Prince. But I trusted Bam with my life with the past nine days, and I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to trust him with a bit of paperwork too, right?” More chuckles. “I just hope that I can live up to your expectations, whatever they may be. I don’t wish to disappoint the family that has been waiting for me for so long.” However long that may be.



Not knowing quite what else to say, Bam started clapping lightly, and the rest of the family joined in. Sae blushed and nodded, saying a few thank-yous as he sat down and actually picked up the papers that were in front of him. Bam handed him a pen as the people around them started to talk about other family matters that weren’t directly related to them at the moment – mostly gossip – and the cousins scooted closer to each other.



“Did I do ok?” Sae asked quietly, glancing up at Bam, who flashed a smile back.



“You did great, Sae.” Bam said, discretely brushing his hand against Sae’s thigh, making the teen squirm slightly in his seat.



What was their relationship? Yes they were cousins, yes there were sparks between them… but what else was there? There were lines that they needed to establish, but Sae found himself faltering every time he went to make the move. Now that he knew Bam’s age, it seemed a bit ridiculous. Bam must be single for a reason; not that there was anything wrong with the man. He must want to be single. Plus, Sae was to be head of the clan, and now that he was getting into the swing of things and learning the ropes he had to focus on just that.



Bam started explaining the papers, the legal papers that documented Sae as being legally adopted as Bam’s son. It would have to be as such so the law didn’t bother Sae’s parents, or even Sae, plus it would make it easier for them all to live as a family. Change of address, as well as a few family documentations signifying that he was the next head of clan. According to the papers, the last head of clan died in 1932. So who had been ruling since then? He voiced his question out loud, and Bam bit his lip.



“That’s how long we’ve been waiting for you. We just didn’t know we’d have to wait that long…”



Sae blinked his large eyes and suppressed a gasp. “So… how come you guys didn’t appoint a new leader?”



“Because it was nearing the millennia of the leader of Love,” Bam supplied, as if it were the simplest answer in the world.



“And that’s me?” Sae asked, trying hard to keep his voice down as the others continued conversing, the teen signing wherever Bam pointed on the papers.



“Yeah. You said yourself you didn’t know the meaning of your name. Have you ever said it fast enough to hear the double entendre?”



Sae thought for a moment, piecing the puzzle together. Sae Rang. Sarang. Sarangh. Saranghae. The Korean word for love. He felt really stupid to not have caught on to it by now, and nearly planted his face on the table, if it weren’t for Bam’s warm palm on his thigh and the warm chuckle in his ear. “It’s ok, it took me a while to figure it out, too. Obviously, since I’ve gotten this old.”



The teen chuckled lightly and nodded. “Yeah I guess so…”



After about an hour all of the papers were signed and the family had dispersed, the mansion big enough to spread them out enough so that they could run into each other if they wanted to, but still had privacy. Sae felt a bit bad that he had the biggest room with the best view, but he had given Penny and her new friend – Chung – their own rooms. So that made him feel a bit better. No one questioned him when he asked to leave two rooms alone. And no one questioned a thing when Sae demanded Bam have the room adjoining his.



It was well into the evening when Sae flopped down on the beautiful four-poster bed, the curtains to his large window overlooking the sea opened so he could look at the calm night. He let out a breath and sighed, closing his eyes, rolling onto his side as he felt all of the energy seep out of his body. He flailed his feet for a few moments to fling the slippers off of them and then burrowed them in the messed up blankets before relaxing in the warmth of the room, his mind finding easy rest in the solitude of his room.



He didn’t even wake up as a familiar warmth slid into the bed next to him, warm and powerful arms wrapping around his body and unbuttoning the shirt to pull it off of his shoulders to be discarded. Next came the jeans which were a bit of a task, but once the clothing was off Sae was coaxed under the blankets and a soft smile played on his lips. Bam chuckled and Sae opened his eyes sleepily, looking up at the older man with adoration as he reached up a hand to run his fingers over the stubble on his cousin’s chin.



“Hey…” Sae said softly, leaning forward to press his forehead against Bam’s.



Before either Joo knew it, their lips were pressed together in a tender kiss. Sae was still a bit sleepy, but feeling Bam’s stubble against his own chin made him wake up a bit more, and he gasped in surprise. Instead of pulling away, however, a hand on the back of his head kept him close, Bam taking the opportunity to gently lick at the teen’s bottom lip and draw it into his own mouth to suckle on it lightly. Sae shivered with the sensation, a soft moan coming from the back of his throat.



As soon as it happened the kiss ended, Bam pulled away and tucked Sae’s head under his chin, the shaky breath that the older man took not going unnoticed. The teen wanted to question why Bam had stopped when it felt so good, when the man had initiated it, but once again sleep started to overtake the young Prince, and he figured that if he remembered in the morning, he would most likely corner Bam.



For now, he was just a regular, tired, hormonal teenager. When he started his day tomorrow he had to return to the task of being a Prince.



But oh, the duties ahead of him were much more than he could even imagine.



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A/N: A bit of a short chapter, but it’s a filler as we start getting ready to crack down to the actual business of running the Joo clan. Updates will not be as frequent as my usual update speed, as I gotta introduce more minor characters and then actually figure out what one would do as head of a clan… lol that’s right, I have no idea. XD Anyway. Thanks again, everyone! I love you all so much, and I mean it from the bottom of my heart.



Sae and Bam love you, too!

♥