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07. PIGGYBACK RIDES おんぶ
JUNGKOOK RETURNED IN a white the rolling stones t-shirt and a pair of black sweatpants to find lia sitting on the floor with the twins he'd seen running about earlier, the girl wrapped around her back like a koala. valeria, who sat across from her, slightly breathless, had the boy's arms around her neck, his body resting heavily on hers.
lia was breathing heavily, body heaving with the effort. "please, i was not built for strenuous physical activities. no more." despite her exhaustion, she managed a breathy laugh. "what does s-st-strenuous mean?" the boy, gabriel, questioned, mouth twisting with the effort to pronounce the word.
"it means something that takes too much energy and makes you tired easily." jungkook answered before lia could think up a reply. she twisted around to look at him. his now only slightly damp hair had taken on a wavy appearance. darryl's clothes hung loose on his frame, which was understandable considering her older brother's build and preference for loose clothing. if it was possible, he took on an even more innocent look. at least darryl had left him whole.
his gaze met hers shyly as though he could feel her taking him in. "who are you?" gillian asked, peeking over at him, still on her older sister's back. "jungkookie," he replied cutely, approaching them. lia caught herself smiling at the way he referred to himself.
"jungkookie," the little girl echoed out slowly, testing the name on her tongue. "what's your name?" he settled down on the plush rug next to lia, smiling widely at the girl. she instantly beamed back at him, revealing a missing tooth. "bunny." she whispered in her sister's ear who grinned in response. she'd thought the same thing the first time she saw him too.
"you don't want to tell me, hm?" he leaned in closer, smile widening. giggling, the little girl hid her face in her sister's shoulder. "gillian." she popped out cutely. "gillie," he cooed, smile bright, showing off bunny teeth. her smile only became bigger.
"and you, little man? what's your name?" he tilted his head to the side to be able to look at the boy's face clearly. "gabriel." he chimed, expression excited at the new face in their home. "gabe," jungkook murmured.
"now why are your big sisters breathing like they ran a thousand miles?" he glanced between the two youngest. "we want piggyback rides!" gabriel answered. "they've been working us like slaves and i can't take anymore." lia groaned.
jungkook regarded her when she spoke, smiling briefly at her before returning his attention to the little girl attached to her. "why don't i give you both piggyback rides while your sisters rest, instead?" he offered sweetly. "at the same time?" valeria's brows crinkled, confusion clear on her face. jungkook glanced at her and shrugged. "i can handle it."
he held out his arms in a gesture of invitation. gingerly, gillian pried her hands and legs off her sister and approached him. gabriel, less nervous, simply ran towards jungkook, nearly slamming into his side in the process. he chuckled at the little boy, ruffling his hair.
patting his back, jungkook beckoned gabriel to latch on to him which the boy eagerly did. jungkook lifted gillian up in his arms. "hold on tight." he grunted, getting on his feet. carefully, he placed gillian on his shoulders who giggled ecstatically.
laughing, gabriel's grip tightened around him. jungkook chuckled and lia let out a small sigh at the sound. she watched him move around the room with ease, as though he didn't have the weight of two seven-year-olds pulling him down. he spread his arms out wide, the funny airplane like sounds he made with his mouth had the twins giggling in delight.
valeria scooted closer to her older sister, catching her attention. "he's good with them. i like him." she leaned over, whispering into her ear. "well, he saved you from a broken back. of course, you like him." lia responded, leaning back on her arms. her gaze moved back to the boy, small smile on her lips. "but yeah, me too."
