𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐖𝐍 . the young girl is valid in how she feels , the ache in her heart mirroring the tears that now stream down her cheeks . tifa hates seeing her like this , in these moments where she misses her daddy to the point where she feels overwhelmed by the loss of his company . immediately tifa levels herself to meet with her , arms gathering around marlene and pulling her against her in a hug . she holds her close as she rests her chin on the top of her head , fingers resting over the back of her head while she soothes her as she cries . she can feel her shaking , the small of her shuddering against her and it practically breaks her heart .
❛ i know you miss him , marlene . he'll be home tonight . ❜ her voice is soft , almost motherly . she pulls away just enough to move a finger to swipe at the tears on her cheek . ❛ hey , you know your daddy always comes back to read you a bedtime story . he wouldn't dare miss it tonight . ❜ a finger gently taps her pink nose , a smile on her lips as she tries to assure the young girl that barret missed her so much that words couldn't fathom it . ❛ he's a busy man , your daddy , but he's never too busy for you , ❜ she says sweetly before leaning in to give her another hug . with the deadline approaching for the mako reactors barret had become incredibly busy , and while tifa didn't mind watching over marlene she could see the strain it was putting on her . perhaps after marlene went to sleep she'd bring the issue up to barret and see if he can take a day or two off to spend some time with her . ❛ how about we go out together until he comes back ? you can show me where all the cats are and we can play with them . does that sound fun ? ❜
