Mutually Assured Destruction || Yandere!Soulmates X F!Reader

A Place To Lie Low

"Tried and failed, I'm guessing." You resisted the urge to snort, but your tone was still not very nice.

"Mija," Garcia warned in a low voice.

He let out a little laugh, too high to be natural. "Turns out the ruling gangs are expanding their territories, pressing south. We must have accidentally crossed into their domain, because we got jumped. We put up a good fight, but there were so many of them. My partner... My soulmate..."

Here, he quickly dissolved into sobs. Garcia gently shushed him, rubbed comforting circles into his back.

You watched with barely concealed annoyance. Years of raiding made you largely unsympathetic to the suffering of others. If someone wasn't one of your people, then you couldn't care less about them.

Once his crying had quieted, you continued your line of questioning. "If they got your goods, why are they still after you?"

"I took out a few raiders before I ran," he explained between sniffles.

"Revenge, then."

"That would be my guess," Garcia murmured.

"We want to help you, but you need to answer our questions to the best of your abilities, okay?" He nodded hesitantly. "Okay... What do you remember about the people that attacked you?"

"They pulled up to us in big augmented vehicles, blasting loud music."

That could be any gang, really.

"What did they look like?"

"I didn't get a look at any of their faces. They were wearing animal masks --like tigers, elephants, and the like-- and dressed in neon colors."

Your body broke out into a cold sweat.

A lot of raiders tended to favor neutral colors: army greens, sand beiges, and a variable sea of browns. It made it easier to camouflage the dirt and blood on their clothes.

Only a handful purposely tried to stand out from the pack.

You shuddered.

"Did they wear any symbols on their armor?"

"Yes, a chibi skull, spray-painted in white."

"What the hell is a chibi? Is that some sort of animal I'm not familiar with?" Garcia asked.

"No," Takahashi answered. "It's a big-headed character with exaggerated features. For a skull, it was very rounded and... Cutesy."

You could scarcely hear the two banter over the roar of blood in your ears and the frantic beating of your heart.

You couldn't be positive it was them, though. It could be a copycat gang. That happened sometimes. Smaller groups take on the markings of more established ones until they can get off the ground.

"Did they mention the name of the gang?" You demanded.

"Yeah... They said we were in Final Ghouls territory."

And there it was. The last nail in the coffin.

You never thought this day would come, the one where you needed to face your demons. You'd run so long and so far away. Despite their advantages and past conquests, you honestly didn't think they'd ever expand all the way out from Illinois to Texas.

It took all your willpower to keep your tone strong and steady when you said, "Garcia, can I talk to you for a second? Alone?"

She must have sensed something was off, because she gave you a concerned look. "Yeah, sure."

You led her out of earshot of Takahashi, into the backoffices, the area between the lobby and the actual jail cells.

Even then, you didn't take any risks, speaking in a voice a decibel louder than a whisper. "You're not gonna like what I have to say," you told her, "but I need you to promise me you'll listen. Okay?"

She looked uncertain. "Okay..."

"When the Final Ghouls arrive at Fort Valiant --and I mean when, not if-- we need to give Takahashi up and--"

"No."

That was to be expected. Fort Valiant had a reputation of not negotiating with raiders. But they'd never had a run-in with a gang like the Final Ghouls before.

You latched onto the lapels of her jacket, hauled her close so she could see the fear in your eyes.

"Garcia, listen to me! The Final Ghouls aren't like any other raider gang. They're not only expansive, they're organized. The leaders have their own agenda, and they expect results. Members who don't make their expectations get the chop. And the gang is like a hydra. Cut off one head and two more grow back. We can't win!"

Her mouth twisted into something ugly. "So what? We roll over and play dead?"

"You didn't let me finish! We make a show of power and tell our allied towns to do the same. We need to convince them that we're on equal footing, that ending us would lead to their end as well."

"Mutually assured destruction?"

"Mutually assured destruction," you answered before releasing her. The places where you'd held onto her were crumpled and damp.

"I'll consider what you said."

At the end of the day, she founded this community, so the final decision on what to do was hers. Still...

"I pray you do."