WillowHel

Stuff i currently like: Cult of the lamb, Lackadaisy, Little Misfortune, Myth of the machine, Studio Ghibli, Dispatch, Bully (rockstar games)

Likes and reblogs are greatly appreciated.

Do not use my art to feed ai

I don't do commissions. I draw for joy, whimsy and torturing myself.

I block freely.

˖ ݁♬⋆.˚𝄞.۫ ׅ༄࿐

You joined SDN a month ago. New hires come and go all the time, but, somehow, you caught her eye when you walked in. Shockingly, you seemed pleased to be there.

She watched with interest as you got settled at your desk, placing a small, pastel colored calendar on it with your left hand while the other rummaged through your bag. Though her observation didn't last long that day, as Robert's voice rang in her earpiece and she was sent elsewhere.

Janelle's interest in you hadn't faltered in the days that followed, her eyes kept wandering to you.

You're reserved, but friendly when spoken to. Despite your shy attitude, you know how to defend yourself when needed. You're funny, and at times she has to clear her throat in order to cover her laugh whenever she catches your conversations. You're just a kind, captivating person overall.

You are also quite cute too.

Yet, she couldn't bring herself to talk to you. She wanted to, of course she did. Yet, for a while, she couldn't.

Working for Shroud really stained Coupé's reputation.

The Z team seemed to welcome her back with open arms. Soon, it was like nothing happened. The rest of SDN, however, was a different story.

People already avoided her for her 'intimidating' appearance, now it's somehow worse.

They continued to whisper about the betrayal, gave her dirty looks whenever she past by and most people just straight up ignored her at all costs.

She didn't exactly care about what these people thought about her, but still... it hurts. So, she stayed quiet.

Luckily, you were the one that started talking to her. At first it was casual greeting, now it developed into small talk and some light flirting on her part. She quickly fell into a routine of chatting with you whenever you were both on a break. It was nice.

…

Since the last fight with the Red Ring, crime has calmed down. However, now it tends to spike randomly at any given time, SDN is currently in the process of trying to predict where and when these peaks will occur.

Today was a particularly hectic. Coupé couldn't even wave at you as she ran pass you. Unfortunately, she glanced back at you and saw sad glint in your eyes, like a dog being denied a treat.

She was sent out by herself to handle a minor outburst of crime at an abandoned building. The rest were sent in groups to take care of more difficult missions, but, evidently, they needed backup. She heard Robert ask for help around him and the muffled sound of your voice in the background.

The backup came fast, consisting of two or three members of your team, helping the others, and... you? When you suddenly arrived, through a fucking window, to say she was surprised would be an understatement. Before Coupé could question it, you stated you were there to help research criminal activity.

Whatever the excuse, you're here now and she's happy your here, even if she thinks you might be insane. Not that she would mind that.

˖ ݁♬⋆.˚𝄞.۫ ׅ༄࿐

As if sensing her staring, you turn to face her. Your eyes meet, and you finally drop the poor guy down.

"Sorry," you say, blushing presumably in embarrassment, "got too excited."

Alright, Janelle. Let's do this.

"Why did you choose to become a dispatcher?"

You cock your head to the side like a little curious animal.

Fuck, you're cute.

"You could've become a hero if you wanted," she added, "you easily beat that guy unconscious."

"Oh," your embarrassment appears to have dissipated at that, "uhh thanks! I've been trying to go to the gym more often." You bend down to drag the guy with the rest of the fallen criminals and tie his hands together.

"And it's paying off."

"Really?"

"Yup," you pop the p, "look at these bad boys!". You proceed to make a show of flexing for biceps, making exaggerated faces as you do so.

She chuckles a little and walks towards you. She softly runs a hand over your flexed arm, and lightly squeezes it. You stiffen under her touch, caught of guard. Even though your face doesn't show any signs of discomfort, she doesn't let her touch linger for too long.

"Hm," she hums, "it would seem so."

Coupé tosses you a wink before walking of to drag the other knocked out goons with the rest. You follow her diligently and do the same.

Once you gathered everyone, you do a quick head count and mumble a 'I think that's all of them' to yourself. You exhale sharply.

"Anyway," you crack your back, letting out another sigh, "I don't think I could do this everyday, so I think dispatching suits me best."

"Maybe, but you did seem to enjoy doing my job."

You crouch to examine some destroyed equipment, snapping some photos of it.

"I don't exactly like to hit people. I just like to take out my anger someway," you turn to look up at her "don't you?"

"Not much. It's just my job, I don't take enjoyment out of it."

"Hm, maybe you should make a playlist," you suggest, "That's what I do all the time. Makes things more fun."

Janelle sees you struggling to get up, and she offers her hand to help you. You happily take it.

"I don't have much knowledge in that department," she argues, "Would you mind advising me some day?"

"No, I wouldn't mind at all!" you reply excitedly, "Heck, we can talk about it tomorrow if you'd like."

Finally. Something is working out for once.

"You're a great hero, I'm sure your taste in music is great too."

A great hero.

The confidence she had washed away at that. A great hero. Could she even be considered a hero at all? No, she mustn't get derailed now. She needs to think of something else. Anything else! She doesn't want to you to see that side. Not now.

"Coupé?"

Your voice, calm yet firm, puts a stop to her thoughts. You are still holding Coupé's hand, only now you're delicately brushing her knuckles with your thumb.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me."

You look up at her so... lovingly. It hurts. What will happen to that caring face of yours when you see the blood soaked in the hand that you hold? She doesn't want to risk what she has now.

But is it better to lie? No, you don't deserve to be lied to.

Begrudgingly, she tells you.

Not in detail, she's not ready for that, only the basics. A step towards redemption, a decision, a betrayal, a defeat, and another chance.

She doesn't look at you in the eyes the entire time, just enough to let you know she's telling the truth. You don't comment on it, thankfully.

Once she finishes, she waits. Waits for the rejection.

But instead of that–

"You didn't need to be kicked out in the first place! Ugh, that's some bullshit!"

Oh, that was unexpected.

"Somebody needed to be cut."

"No! You were all there to redeem yourself, like a rehab. You don't kick someone out of rehab." You let out a frustrated sigh, letting go of her hand to send the photos you took to someone at SDN, still cursing under your breath.

Janelle subconsciously paced around, trying to make it seem like she's just checking her surrounding.

"Look," you say, "it isn't your fault you got cut. You're good."

She doesn't turn to you, she doesn't want to yet. You stand at her side regardless of her avoiding gaze.

"...You deserve better than what you think you do."

Before she could react, a scream came from behind you.

"That's the bitch!"

You both whip around to see about five villains running towards you. One, most likely the one who yelled, was cupping their face, hiding a fresh black eye. Janelle tucks you behind her, even though she knows you could do some real damage.

"You mind if I borrow one?!" You point at her knifes, then take one when she nods.

With a small thanks, you launch into the fight just behind her.

…

The police came and hour later. By that time, Coupé's shift had already ended and you both decided to grab some food. You stopped at a nearby bakery and sat on a bench near a park while you waited for your Uber.

"Can you tell me more about your playlists?" she asks, taking another bite out of her brownie.

"Yeah, just- hold on...," you pull out your phone and show her a wide selection of songs.

Your entire mood changes, rambling about every song like you didn't beat the shit out of a group of villains like wild beast.

You're a bit sheepish, looking away when you hold eye contact for too long, hiding your blushing face from her. This must be something personal to you, you're letting her into your world.

Janelle does her best to listens to you, but there's still a feeling of anxiousness in her gut. After a while, you pause.

"I knew you were an assassin."

The feeling grows stronger, it makes it difficult to breathe consistently.

You're no longer looking at her, your face is calm as you gaze off into space, lost in thought. She takes in your profile, how the light catches your hair and paints shadows on your face.

"I talked to... to the Z team."

Her heart beats faster. The thought about you wanting to know more about her is nice, but, right now, it makes her dizzy.

What did they say about her? Did they mention any particular incidents with her? Who did you ask? Was it Punch Up? Was it Prism? Was it Sonar? Was it Robert?

"I'll– let me just tell you this..."

No! She doesn't want to hear it!

Those fuckers... What the hell did they tell you?!

Her hands clench into fists on her lap. Her throat closes painfully and familiarly. She can't look at you anymore.

"They care about you."

What?

Janelle freezes.

"I know they do," you fidget with your phone on your hands, "They worry about you, and they told me that they're happy that you're more social than before."

There is a sense of relief in her chest, a weight being lifted off.

"I– I know that it's hard, especially now. But we all care about you."

A drop falls on her hand. Oh, she didn't realise she was crying. She wipes her eyes, hopefully, before you can notice it.

"So," you gaze up at her, "don't dwell on whatever happened."

You both stay there for a moment, looking into each others eyes without shame. There's a layer of depth to your voice, a history she hasn't yet discovered.

"You may not believe it, but you can do good. I know you can do better than you might think you can."

You both don't say anything for a while.

"Thank you" That's all she can utter.

She sees you smile, and then sigh.

"Anyway," you change the subject casually, "I really like this one, it's got some good lyrics, puts me in a good mood."

You then place your phone on your lap and proceed to devour the rest of your cinnamon roll. Your cheeks puff out with the food inside like a small animal as you chew. It makes Janelle smile. Fuck you, always making her smile.

Lively music began to play from your phone. The singer narrating the betrayal of her boyfriend, the impact of it and how she now takes joy in his suffering.

The crude lyrics made her chuckle. In the corner of her eye, she saw you smile too.

When the chorus showed up again, you swayed to the beat and mouthed the lyrics, nudging Janelle with your elbow to do the same.

Reluctantly, she did move with it, only not as much as you. If anyone saw her like this, they would be dead. But since it's you, she's willing to spare your life.

A notification popped up on your phone, which broke you out of your tired dancing.

"Oh, Uber's here. Well," you stood up, gathering your stuff, "see you at work."

"See you there."

You walk off to where the car is parked while waving goodbye to her.

Coupé stays at the bench for a while. She's has a lot to process.

She reaches to grab one of her knives, twirling it usually calms her mind.

One is missing.

The one you took.

You left with a piece of her and you don't even know it. Or maybe you do. Maybe you're not so innocent after all.

Either way, now she has reason to look forward to going to work tomorrow.

Thanks for reading!! I've only seen clips from Dispatch so sorry for any ooc. I wanted to make something about Coupé because she's a queen and she deserved it. <33