#juniper does things

First of all THIS is the beautiful art I was talking about. Isn’t it gorgeous??

So!!

It would start off as a pretty professional relationship of course, but Coupé would start listening to Prism’s music outside of work, maybe even coming up with some routines to it. She thinks the blend of art forms is beautiful.

Prism gets some threatening messages from “fans” right around the time she’s planning to go on tour, so she decides she’ll need some security at all times. She chooses Coupé to be her shadow (hehehe) for the duration of her tour because she’s seen her listening to her music and she thinks it’s cute.

Coupé sleeps in the tour van with Prism and her band. Prism notices her reading some sort of “romantasy” book and they bond over their love of reading, starting a mini book club. They learn each other’s real names, and generally become acquainted in the intimate ways that come from living with someone.

The tour ends, with no actual threats. Thankfully whoever it was before was way more bark than bite. Alice and Janelle settle back into their previous routines. Alice works for the Z-team during the day and continues writing and performing music. Janelle works as a bouncer for the local hero bar when she’s not on bodyguard duty for a show.

While it’s a relief to not be crammed into that awful bus anymore, they both find themselves feeling a bit disappointed whenever it’s time to go home to their apartments. Coupé starts writing a story to distract herself, supposedly about a princess of light magic and her devoted knight. Prism is finding her music keeps coming out softer, almost yearning. It’s so different from her usual style, she’s embarrassed. She keeps her romantic songs to herself and tries to write more music like she normally would. She can’t stop thinking about waking up to the red glow of Coupé’s reading light and she doesn’t know why.

During a show that Coupé is working, she keeps finding herself getting distracted. Her eyes are wandering away from the crowd, instead studying the way sweat glistens on Alice’s skin, the way her eyes sparkle with her lights when she throws her shades down. She’s mesmerized.

So mesmerized, in fact, that she almost doesn’t see the kitchen knife hurtling straight for Prism’s throat. It glints in the corner of her eye and suddenly her years as an assassin are kicking in and her body is moving before her mind can react. She crashes into Alice just in time for the knife to sink into Alice’s shoulder instead of her neck. She’s alive, but she’s bleeding so much, there is so much blood. Janelle has never been squeamish but she’s nauseous at the sight. She doesn’t even notice as the stadium is cleared out and the EMTs on standby rush to secure the wound. All she can see is Alice’s eyes, glazed over and unresponsive.

The next thing Alice knows, she’s blinking awake in a hospital bed. Not too surprising, considering her other line of work, but what does shock her is the woman contorted in the chair beside her. It’s Janelle. She suddenly realizes there’s no one she’d rather have next to her.

She shifts in bed and Janelle wakes up with a start, looking all around before her eyes settle on Alice, awake and *alive*. Relief floods through her, but it is quickly killed by an overwhelming wave of guilt. Alice watches her face fall and tries to reach out for her hand, but Janelle gently places her hand back on the bed, eyes already looking toward the door.

“I’m going to resign. I cannot protect you in the way you deserve, Miss Prism. I am sorry.”

Coupé rushes out through the curtained doors. Alice watches her go. She only realizes she’s crying when she feels a tear roll down and tickle her ear.