[CLOSED] the ghost of what we used to be.

[ryan leonardo matson]

Ryan chuckled, following after them and sliding into the passengers side. He shifted his weight, realizing he had left his keys in his office at the school. He cleared his throat, scratching at his jaw for a moment before looking quietly out the window, feeling somewhat out of place with the duo.

[thomas 'clae' claeton booker]

"Daddy." She whined and he looked up at her in the mirror.

"Yeah?" He asked, then pulled out of the driveway.

"I love you, daddy." She said, and he smiled.

"I love you too, baby." He mumbled. She had always felt more like his daughter; the late nights he stayed up feeding her, the weeks at the hospital when they said she wouldn't survive, she wasn't even thirty weeks old, that there wasn't a chance.

He pulled up at the park, looking over at Ryan. "Take care of my baby, okay?" He bit his lip, looking back at her in the mirror.

[ryan leonardo matson]

Ryan smiled sadly at the exchange, studying one of his tattoos as an excuse to keep quiet. When they pulled up, he looked over at Clae, reached.to gently pat his knee before pulling his hand back. "Of course..what's a stray mutt for?" Eyes flashed, briefly canine, and he smiled with the promise before getting out and rounding the car. He drew her.bag over his shoulder, unbuckling her before hefting her up above him playfully with a grunt. After a moment he hugged her close. "Say bye to daddy yeah?"

[thomas 'clae' claeton booker]

She giggled, wrapping her arms tightly around Ryan's neck. She leaned her head in the window, giving Clae a kiss.

"Bye, buttercup." He told her, and she smiled, wrapping her arms around Ryan's neck again. "I'll come get you guys after I get done with drills. She shouldn't be bad." He said, looking over at them. Something about it seemed both right and wrong. "Be good, okay?"

"I good. I love you." She said, laying her head on Ryan's shoulder.

"I love you too, baby."

[ryan leonardo matson]

Ryan smiled. "Okay." He slid a card with his number on it into Clae's hand. "I'll keep her safe, promise." It felt sort of odd, they didn't even know each other outside of teaching, killer brother not included. Hefting her up further on his hip, he smiled at her. "So watcha want to do first?" He questioned as he walked towards the playgroud, limping faintly. His reasons went unspoke though.

[thomas 'clae' claeton booker]

"I wanna play on the swings." She said, looking up at him. She waved at someone who passed, smiling over at them. She kept her arms tight around his neck, obviously not wanting to be let down. "I can sit in your lap? I don't like going alone." She said, reaching up to play with one of her curls. She looked up at him, her bright blue eyes watching him intently.

"Why you can't stay with us?" She asked.

[ryan leonardo matson]

Ryan smiled. "Sure." He walked towards the swing, sitting down in one and holding her close in his lap as he began to pump his legs. "You have pretty hair you know?" He smiled gently down at her, her being his only reason to think about other things than dying right now. "Hm, I don't know. I don't know you're daddy that well, but I'm sure he doesn't want me staying. I'm okay living alone." He held onto the swing chain loosely with one hand. "But maybe if I'm around when he's busy I could watch you yeah?" 'If I'm still alive...'

[thomas 'clae' claeton booker]

"Thank you." She smiled up at him, her hands clinging to his free one. She didn't like the idea of a swing alone. She thought she might fall off.

"Yeah." She smiled again, playing with his fingers. She pulled on them gently, then reached up to fix her bow. But she only made it more crooked. "Daddy busy a whole bunch. I like you. Maybe daddy like you too." She said, pulling on another of his fingers. She sighed as if she were deeply troubled, tilting her head to the side.

"Kids are making fun of me. They say I talk funny. But Daddy says it's only a'cause me and him is Irish. But they still make fun of me." She traced her fingers up his arm.

[ryan leonardo matson]

"Yeah? I don't know, he deals with me enough already." He reached to fix her bow gently. "But you're accent is cute, they don't have any reason to make fun of you unless they're jealous," He teased gently, smiling down at her. "Right? You just can't let them get the best of you."

[thomas 'clae' claeton booker]

She smiled up at him, then leaned back against him, reaching up to tub at an eye. "Im gonna be three." She said, and counted her fingers before she held them out for him. She looked up at him before she started playing with his fingers again.