TENNESSEE WHISKEY -corpse husband-

PICKUP (4)

Although Weston had initially said she would be back around 6, she ended up having to work a shift at the restaurant after her receptionist job.

Killian had slept until four in the afternoon, leaving Corpse plenty of time to get work done before he had to make the kid dinner.

Corpse decided on simple grilled cheeses and grapes, knowing it would be easy to clean up, and Killian would actually eat it. They watched a movie together, Corpse took him on a long walk where he could let out some energy, and by the time he had made it home, Killian was ready to sleep again.

Corpse set him up in the living room, giving him a pillow and blanket on the couch. He was unsure when Weston would be home, but at least Killian was sleeping now.

He brought his laptop out to the dining table so he could hang out while also watching Killian. He worked on anything and everything, snacking occasionally, before Weston finally sent him a text announcing her departure from work.

"I'm so sorry," she said quietly, as Corpse opened the door.

"No worries. He's really not too bad," he commented with a smile.

He could visibly see how tired Weston was. It was nearly 12 and she had been up working since 6am. He had an insane amount of respect for her.

"You can come in, we can have some wine if you want," Corpse suggested, and right after he did so he wondered why he had. Usually he was so particular about what people could come into his apartment.

"Yeah... that's fine," Weston nodded slightly.

Weston packed all of Killian's toys and snacks while Corpse got out the wine and poured them each a glass. He sat at the dining room table, watching as she kissed Killian's forehead and made sure he was tucked in. He could tell, although she struggled, she was a good mother.

"Thank you," she mumbled, taking a long sip of alcohol.

"How was work?" Corpse asked, mostly to hear her voice. She still had a slight southern accent from wherever she came from. Even Killian had one a little bit, but not nearly as smooth as Weston's. It fascinated him more than he had expected it to. 11

"Fine, just lots of it. If I could afford to have one job, I would." She had finished nearly finished her glass.

"I understand that..." Corpse said, although he didn't really. He understood how lucky he truly was to be able to do what he does. He had struggles but not with finding money, at least not anymore.

"How was Killian?" her eyes held concern, like she was expecting the worst. Corpse wondered why.

"He was perfect, didn't have any issues," he replied sweetly, giving her a reassuring smile to ease some of the pressure.

"Oh, good..." Weston let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, here's all my tips from tonight. It should be about $120." She handed him a wad of cash.

Corpse counted it, seeing it was actually $150. He handed it all back to her, "I don't need it. He really didn't need me that much anyway. And rent is due tomorrow, so you probably need it more than me."

Weston gave him a sad smile, thanked him profusely, and pocketed the money. She knew she wouldn't get this lucky again.

"So, how did your parents come up with the name Weston for their baby girl?" Corpse laughed quietly, alcohol making him more outspoken than he had expected to be.

"How did yours come up with the name Corpse?" Weston replied sassily.

Corpse laughed at her, shaking his head. "Believe it or not, my name isn't actually Corpse. Let that sink in," he said confidently before finishing his glass. He poured them each another. "But seriously, how did they decide on Weston?"

"They were into that thing where you name your girl boy names. And I'm from Tennessee so I think they liked the gun brand too."

"That explains the accent," Weston's cheeks turned red, "If it's okay to ask, what brought you to California if you're from Tennessee?" Corpse asked curiously.

Seriously, the wine was doing something to his brain. He usually didn't care this much, not about some random neighbor.

"Uh..." Weston considered explaining it all. I mean, he had watched her kid for free. The least she could do was talk to him about completely normal things. She would have to get over it eventually anyway. "My boyfriend...well, ex-boyfriend? Baby daddy? I don't know what you would call it... Nathan. Nathan brought me here."

She left it at that, noticing she had sparked Corpse's interest, but honestly, she was too tired to go into the details of her fucked up life.

"How old are you?" Corpse asked.

Ahhh, this question. Anyone could do math. And anyone could tell she was a young single mom. God, she felt like shit.

"23, which yes, I had Killian at 18, and yes I was already in California by then."

Corpse just nodded at her, before finishing off his second glass of wine and taking it to the sink. If he had any more, they'd be up all night talking and Weston had work in the morning.

"You haven't given me a chance to ask any questions about you," Weston commented, handing over her glass to him, standing nearly too close. He hadn't realized how short she was, barely 5'2. It was cute.

"Yeah, I probably couldn't answer many anyway," his voice was mysterious, closing off any questions to be asked.

Weston nodded, and went to get Killian from the couch. He slept like a rock, but was getting so big, she could barely pick him up anymore. She carried him out of the apartment, Corpse grabbing his backpack and helping her with the doors. They walked silently to Killian's room where Weston tucked him in.

"Thank you, again, Corpse," Weston said, her exhaustion hitting her all at once. Corpse smiled at her softly.

"Anytime, it's no problem," he said, leaving to go to sleep in his own apartment.