A Drink Too Many

Kenny took a seat at the kitchen table, setting a bottle of scotch down in front of him. Brook slid into a seat next to him and set a glass down in front of each of them. Kenny silently began to unscrew the cap and poured himself a shot before giving one to Brook as well. "Cheers," Kenny's rather gruff voice said as he lifted his glass and quickly downed it. Brook took a small sip of hers and let out a short cough; the girl didn't often drink the only reason she had the bottle was due to her company giving it to her as a gift for her sales a few years back. The redhead always thought she'd have saved it for a party or something more joyous than this...but Kenny needed it, she could see that.

"It didn't go well, did it?" Brook softly asked while Kenny poured himself another few fingers of scotch,

"Ellie took it alright, actually," Kenny's low voice replied as he lifted his glass, swirling it around slowly for a moment, "This...this is only because of me," He muttered before tilting his head back and swallowing his second glass as quickly as the first. He shook his head hard, grimacing from the burning sensation in his throat.

Brook nervously rolled her lip in as she saw Kenny begin to pour another glass without a second's hesitation, "Kenny, what are you doing? You said you needed a drink," The redhead asked while looking at the man who was seemingly starting to shut down,

Kenny hung his head, his mouth held up as he pressed his tongue up against the roof of his mouth and let out a breathy laugh, "I'm trying to get drunk enough, so I don't think, Brook," Kenny muttered back, "That's what I meant when I said I needed a drink," He explained,

"Kenny, I'm not...sure that's a good idea," Brook gently said while resting a hand on his forearm,

"Nope, it's probably not," Kenny grunted back while suddenly getting to his feet, grabbing his glass and bottle while heading to the living room. Brook's heart began to beat a bit hard, with a sense of fear overcoming her as she had never seen Kenny like this. She quickly got from her seat and followed the man who let himself fall down onto the couch with a grunt. "You know what Ellie wanted to know after I told her everything?"

"W-What?" Brook replied as Kenny swallowed another shot down,

"She wanted to know if the man who killed Zoey was okay," Kenny said with a small shake of his head, seemingly amused for a moment, "I mean, that's amazing, isn't it? How she could care so much, that even the man who murdered her mother gains her sympathy,"

Brook let out a small whine, "Kenny, you can't be angry with her for that,"

"Angry?" Kenny frowned back, "I'm not angry, Brook, I'm so proud of her for that," He firmly stated as he poured another glass, "Ellie...god," Kenny sniffed, "Do you know what I had to tell her though?" Brook carefully let herself sit down on the other end of the couch, "I had to look my six-year-old in the eye, and tell her that I, her father, the one person she has left, never even fucking thought about that guy until now." Kenny shook his head again, throwing his hands up for a moment, "What does that tell her, hmm? When she gets older, when she really understands what the means, what will she think of me?"

"Oh, Kenny, no...you can't think she'll be-" Brook began to argue while scooting closer to the man,

"Ashamed?" Kenny finished for her, "That's what I'd think, and you know what? She should be because I still don't care about that guy. I hope he's fucking dead," Kenny spat as he aggressively poured more liquor into his cup, "I can't, Brook, I can't be that guy, I can't tell my daughter that I care about that fucking piece of shit."

"You don't have to," Brook frowned, "I don't care about him, he killed my fucking sister, and I hope he burns in hell," Kenny began to swallow down his drink again, "Kenny, you are not a bad man. You are not a bad father! You can't base this off of that guy, you are-"

"Zoey would care," Kenny softly stated while looking at the bottom of his cup,

"What?" Brook replied, taken aback by that statement,

"If Ellie asked Zoey that question, she'd have an answer for her." Kenny said a bit bitterly, "Even if she hated him, even if she knew that I died because of him, she'd have asked about him. That's...that's the type of person she was...and that's the person that I should be for Ellie, but...but I'm not, Brook." The redhead let herself sit back on the couch, pressing her lips together and staying silent as she heard Kenny's glass fill again.

It didn't take long for Kenny to work through the bottle, by the time an hour passed, the man had slowed down, but half the bottle was already down his stomach. Brook stayed with him during the whole evening; the pair were done talking, now simply thinking about things. She wasn't sure if Kenny was right or wrong about Zoey, Brook wanted to think that he was wrong. She didn't want Kenny to feel so alone, like every decision he was making would be the opposite of what Zoey would choose. He was a good father; Brook wasn't more confident about anything else in her life. The way he spoke, took care of and comforted Ellie even when his world was collapsing around him proved it to her. And this moment, as upsetting as it was, proved something else to her entirely; Kenneth Clark was a good man.

Just around nine, Kenny finally succumbed to the alcohol, and Brook took it as a blessing. She noticed that his head finally fell back on the back of the couch and the bottle very nearly slipped out of his hand. The redhead finally got back to her feet, taking both Kenny's glass and the bottle of scotch away. She stepped back into the kitchen, pouring what remained in both their glasses down the sink before looking at the bottle and shaking her head. She poured what remained down the drain as well before tossing the bottle in the trash.

She returned to the living room and walked over to Kenny, letting out a small sigh as she began to rock the drunk man, "Kenny, come on, let's get you to bed." Kenny weakly let out a grumble as he tried and failed to open his eyes, "Kenny, you can't stay on the couch, Ellie doesn't need to see that," Brook firmly stated as she shook the man a bit rougher. Finally, Kenny sucked in a sharp breath and sat up, looking around the room in a drunken haze before locking his eyes on Brook, "Yeah, you're really messed up," Brook weakly laughed, "Here take my hand,"

Kenny lazily blinked, and an easy smile spread across his face as he took Brook's hand. He heard the girl let out a grunt as she pulled him up off the couch which allowed him to stumble towards her. Brook helped Kenny gain balance but when she tried to step back and walk she found that his arms were now wrapped around her, "Zoey?" The man warmly asked, "Oh god, Zoey, I've missed you so much," Kenny softly murmured as he pulled Brook into a profound hug,

"W-What? Kenny, wait no, I'm not-" Brook began to say only to be silenced as the man passionately pressed his lips against hers. Brook let out a short hum of surprise as Kenny's hands moved from around her back to her face, cupping it gently as he continued to kiss her deeply. She could faintly taste the whiskey on his breath before getting a much stronger flavor once he pressed his tongue into her mouth. Brook's body very slowly began to relax, and eventually, she felt herself starting to bump against Kenny's.

The redhead's eyes blinked a few slow times before they drifted shut, her hands now taking a comfortable hold of Kenny's waist as she began to focus on the feeling of his soft lips; the gentle tickle of his stubble; the warmth of his breath. With nearly a moan Brook pushed against Kenny's breaks, returning the kiss with a little tongue of her own. However, just as quickly as she did it, Brook pulled her head away from Kenny. She swallowed hard as she felt Kenny lightly take hold of her hair, "I...I'm sorry," Kenny slurred, "I'm so sorry, Zoey...I love you," He whispered before trying to push in for another kiss.

Kenny's grip on Brook's hair tightened as he pushed in needfully, his lips nearly trembling as they collided against Brook's. The redhead's eyes went completely soft, and with a soft whine, she placed her hands at the center of Kenny's chest pushing him away. "Kenny...I'm not Zoey," She calmly told the drunk man, "It's Brook, remember?" Any feeling of want or desire Brook felt for Kenny at that moment where she kissed him back had already faded away. That kiss wasn't meant for her, and she already felt ashamed that she let it last for more than a second.

"Brook...right," Kenny whispered back before his eyes shut and he let out a shaky breath, "It's only you...only you...only you" The man whimpered as his head fell down, pressing into Brook's neck, his arms now wrapped around her. "Why..." He seemingly asked the world,

"Kenny," Brook breathed back while returning the hug, "It's gonna be okay, you just need to get some sleep,"

"H-How? Brook, every fucking day is a fight," Kenny babbled back, his body slightly swaying either way,

"You just need sleep," Brook soothingly replied to the drunk man, carefully sliding to his right, supporting his body as she began to walk him towards the stairs, "Everything will be better in the morning, Kenny, I promise,"

Kenny's head drooped to the side, and he let out a small groan while taking each step upstairs with Brook. The redhead could only keep her lips pursed while occasionally letting out a grunt as she pulled Kenny up, making sure he wouldn't fall back down the stairs. As they reached the second floor Brook quickly moved to Kenny's room, "I saw Nicole today," Kenny suddenly said,

"That's nice," Brook softly replied, "Just stay quiet, you don't want to wake up, Ellie,"

"She had a kid with Devin," Kenny continued, "She doesn't love him though...and he doesn't love his own son." Brook let out a small hum and nodded, "Mindy and Brian love each other though...they all have that option but me,"

"Kenny, come on, stop thinking like that," Brook weakly argued as she pushed open his door,

"My wife's gone, all I can do is love a memory," Kenny's sullen voice mumbled, "I'm alone,"

"No you're not," Brook firmly stated while shutting the door and moving towards the bed, which Kenny fell flat on his back on, "You have, Ellie," Brook began to say while kneeling down and pulling off Kenny's shoes, "You have Juliet, you have your friends who just gave you an amazing job,"

"I have you?" Kenny lazily asked while lifting his head up,

Brook looked up at Kenny, silently holding a gaze for a moment, "Y-Yeah, of course, Kenny," Brook nodded, "You've been my family since I was born since the second you and Zoey met," Kenny let out a small hum and let himself lay flat again, "See, you're not alone," Brook stood back up and leaned over Kenny's chest, trying to take off his button-up over shirt, "Now you just lay down, sleep this day off, and tomorrow you can-Kenny!" Brook exclaimed as the man suddenly grabbed her waist and pulled her on top of him,

"Why don't you have a husband, Brook?" Kenny's buttery voice asked while he caressed her waist, "I've never even seen you have a boyfriend,"

"Kenny...come on, stop," Brook nervously said while trying to push off him. Kenny tightened his hold and rolled over, so he was now on top of her, "K-Kenny... "

"What are you waiting for?" Kenny breathed out while staring deeply into her eyes. Brook kept her mouth closed, but Kenny didn't seem to mind, his eyes were continuing to inspect hers. Her emerald eyes were beautiful and the only telling difference of his late wife, the rest of her was so much like Zoey, "Can I ever move on?" Kenny softly asked as he let his forehead rest against hers, "Do you think that's fair?"

Brook's heart began to beat hard, she rolled in her bottom lip and nervously chewed for a minute, "Yes, Kenny, I think you can...when you're able,"

Kenny slowly blinked a few times, "What if...what if I am right now? I-I can move on; you're the closest person I have left now Brook, I can do it,"

"Kenny, you're drunk," Brook sighed in disappointment while rapidly shaking her head, "You don't mean any of this, y-you're just sad, and lonely,"

"But you can help me, can't you?" Kenny asked while inching his lips towards Brook's once again, "I can tell you want to...you want me,"

"Not like this," Brook finally stated with a firm tone while pushing Kenny off her body, letting the drunk man roll to the side, "Now go to bed,"

"Brook..." Kenny's drunk voice piped up as the redhead quickly attempted to flee the room, "I'm sorry," He mumbled out stopping her short,

"It's...it's okay, just go to bed," Brook quickly said before slipping out of the room, leaving Kenny to pass back out moments later.