Unspoken Bonds

Part 15: A Shift in the Air

It had been a couple of weeks since AJ had brought Laila over to Kion's spot. The dynamic between them had started to shift-not in any loud, obvious way, but in the small things. Kion wasn't as quick to shut AJ down when he joked around or got touchy, and AJ wasn't as heavy-handed about trying to get Kion to open up. It was just... easier now.

They'd both fallen into this natural rhythm without either of them really acknowledging it.

Kion was sitting on the floor in his living room, leaning back against the couch while AJ sprawled out across it, phone in hand. The TV was on, but neither of them was really watching. AJ had just finished sending some texts when he glanced down at Kion, his lips twitching into a grin.

"Yo, Pa, you posted on the 'Gram today?" AJ asked casually.

Kion cut his eyes up at him. "Why you worried?"

AJ shrugged, trying to play it cool but clearly plotting something. "I'm just sayin'. You never post, but when you do, you be actin' like you don't know everybody tryna see you."

Kion rolled his eyes. "Man, shut up."

AJ laughed and pulled up Kion's Instagram story, tilting his phone so Kion could see it. "Look at this. Who you tryna look cute for, huh?"

It was just a picture Kion had posted earlier-nothing flashy, just him sitting outside in the sun, looking off to the side with a blunt in his hand. But AJ wasn't lying; the comments and DMs Kion had gotten were proof enough that people had noticed.

"Man, get that shit out my face," Kion said, though he didn't sound as annoyed as he pretended to be.

AJ grinned wider. "Nah, for real. You don't even be tryin', and they on you heavy. You better chill before somebody think they got a chance."

Kion didn't respond right away, just shook his head and looked back at the TV. But AJ wasn't done.

"Don't act like you ain't see me slide up on it earlier," AJ said, still smirking.

"I seen it," Kion admitted, his tone flat.

"And?"

"And nothin'. You stay doin' too much."

AJ chuckled, leaning forward so he could nudge Kion's shoulder with his foot. "Yeah, but you don't mind it, though."

Kion didn't answer, but the way his jaw flexed gave him away. AJ saw it and leaned back on the couch, satisfied.

The night went on, the two of them settling into an easy silence. AJ eventually put his phone down and joined Kion on the floor, sitting close enough that their arms brushed. Neither of them said anything about it.

"You hungry?" AJ asked after a while, breaking the silence.

Kion shrugged. "I could eat."

AJ grinned. "Bet. I'm about to chef up real quick. Watch and learn, Pa."

Kion raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. He followed AJ into the kitchen, leaning against the counter as AJ rummaged through the fridge and cabinets, pulling out random ingredients.

"You even know what you doin'?" Kion asked, crossing his arms.

"Hell yeah. I ain't new to this," AJ said, cracking an egg into a bowl with one hand like it was nothing.

Kion watched him for a minute, then grabbed his phone and started scrolling, letting AJ take over. But even while he wasn't paying attention, there was something comfortable about the whole scene.

By the time they were back on the couch with plates of food, it was like something had shifted again, just a little. Kion let AJ take up more space, leaning into his side slightly as they ate and talked about random shit. AJ kept the jokes coming, and Kion found himself laughing more than he expected to.

At some point, AJ glanced over at Kion, his tone dropping just slightly. "You know you cool as hell, right?"

Kion looked at him, his expression unreadable. "What you talkin' about now?"

"I'm just sayin'. You don't give yourself enough credit, Pa. People fuck with you for a reason. I mean... I fuck with you for a reason."

Kion didn't say anything right away, but he didn't brush it off either. Instead, he held AJ's gaze for a moment before looking away, a quiet "Yeah, aight" slipping out under his breath.

It wasn't much, but AJ could feel the shift, the small crack in the wall Kion always kept up. And for now, that was enough.