"Naru," Mai whimpered, burying her face into the thin fabric of his shirt (his suit jacket was draped over her shoulders), "I can't breathe."

Naru stroked her hair. The deranged ramblings of their possessed, gun collector client echoed around the dark basement as he paced, and paced.

It had been...four hours? Maybe.

"I know." Her boss folded back the sleeve of his button down shirt. "Smell my cologne. Familiar smells can ground you."

She pressed her nose to his inner wrist for a moment, then looked up at him with doe eyes. "Are we going to die, Naru?"

Her voice was very quiet.

Naru hushed her again. He braided and unbraided her hair, stroked her eyelids and rubbed her back. She was so afraid.

So am I. God - don't let me show it.

Mai hugged Naru tight for a few minutes, thinking of her mother, until she felt him shift and take her face in his hands. His cold hands.

"Mai," Naru murmured, so gentle, his eyes so kind - she loved his eyes. "close your eyes, and count to ten."

Mai found she couldn't move her face from his grip. His fingers were like a cage.

"Naru?" But Mai was tired. "Okay."

And then, Naru kissed her. Deeply. She could feel his rapid heartbeat through his lips.

Mai didn't feel afraid anymore as Naru tangled his hands in her hair.

She didn't see the gun.

After.

The doctor prescribed antidepressants. Lin didn't take them.

There had been three bodies (three bullets for three heads) by the time they had found the basement. No sign of a struggle - they hadn't suffered.

They hadn't suffered.

Everyone told him there wasn't anything he could have done. Really. But Lin still ripped the picture taped to his computer monitor until he couldn't see their faces.

And then he made himself watch the footage from their fallen camera (he should have gone with them). He watched every second again and again and again, sometimes (most times) pausing just as Naru saw the gun pointing at Mai. Nothing anyone could do.

Unpause.

"Close your eyes, Mai."

AN: Loosely inspired by reddit user bencameron's horrifically sad dinosaur doodle. Gah.