Part 14: Meeting Laila

It was about 7 PM when AJ and Kion were kicking back at Kion's crib. AJ had his phone in hand, texting someone while Kion flipped through the TV channels, settling on a random action movie that was already halfway done. AJ's phone buzzed again, and he sighed, shaking his head.

"What's up?" Kion asked, barely glancing at him.

"Nothin'. Just Lay's mom saying she needs me to grab her tonight instead of tomorrow," AJ replied, running his hand over his locs. He stood up, sliding his phone in his pocket. "Gotta go pick her up. I'll be back in a minute, though."

Kion nodded, not putting too much thought into it. AJ had mentioned his daughter a few times already, so it wasn't anything surprising. Still, it felt... different. The thought of AJ having a kid-it wasn't bad or anything, just something Kion hadn't really considered before.

About an hour later, AJ was back at Kion's door, this time with his three-year-old daughter, Laila, in tow. The little girl had curly pigtails and big, curious eyes that scanned the apartment as soon as AJ walked her in. She held onto AJ's hand tightly but peeked out from behind him as Kion stood up from the couch.

"Laila, this Kion. Say hi," AJ said, looking down at her.

"Hi," she said softly, barely above a whisper, but her eyes stayed glued to Kion, studying him.

Kion gave her a small nod, his voice calm. "What's up, little one?"

She didn't answer, just squeezed AJ's hand tighter. AJ chuckled and scooped her up onto his hip, walking further inside. "She shy sometimes, but she'll warm up. You mind if we kick it here for a bit? Her mama had somethin' to handle."

"It's cool," Kion said, sitting back down on the couch. He wasn't really sure how to act around kids, but he wasn't gonna make it weird either. He stayed quiet, letting AJ and Laila do their thing.

AJ plopped down on the couch, keeping Laila on his lap. She played with the string on his hoodie while AJ grabbed the remote and scrolled through the movie options. "What you tryna watch, Pa?" AJ asked casually, already flipping through the kids' section.

Kion glanced at him, his lips twitching at the nickname, but he didn't say anything about it. "Man, it don't matter. Just pick somethin'."

AJ landed on a kids' movie with bright colors and goofy characters. Laila's face lit up as the movie started, and she leaned back into AJ's chest, totally locked in. AJ grinned, smoothing down her hair as she got comfortable.

Kion stayed quiet, watching the interaction out of the corner of his eye. He wasn't used to this side of AJ-the playful, soft side. It wasn't bad, though. Kinda... fit him.

"You good over there?" AJ asked, catching Kion staring.

"Yeah, I'm straight," Kion replied, leaning back into the couch.

The movie played on, and the room settled into a chill vibe. Laila giggled at the funny parts, and AJ leaned down, whispering little comments to her that made her laugh even harder. Kion found himself relaxing, the usual tension he carried easing up as the night went on.

By the time the credits rolled, Laila was half-asleep in AJ's lap, her tiny head resting on his chest. AJ carefully adjusted her, keeping his voice low as he spoke to Kion.

"She knocked out," AJ said with a small smile, brushing one of her curls away from her face. "Ain't nothin' like bedtime after she runs me ragged all day."

Kion smirked, shaking his head. "She cool, though. Got a lil' personality on her."

AJ grinned. "Yeah, she do. Just like her pops, huh?"

"Don't gas yourself up too much," Kion shot back, but his tone was light, almost playful.

AJ leaned back, still holding Laila close. "You ain't bad with her, though. I see you tryna act like you don't care, but I peep the soft spot."

Kion gave him a look, but there wasn't any heat behind it. "You talk too much."

AJ laughed, keeping his voice low to avoid waking Laila. "Yeah, yeah. But for real, thanks for lettin' us hang out here tonight."

Kion just shrugged, glancing at the sleeping kid one last time before turning his attention back to the TV. "It's whatever."

But deep down, he didn't mind it. Not one bit.