#LadyBess Valentines Special

[lady-bess]

Just A Date - Jack Daniels/Agent Whiskey

Part of the LadyBess Valentine's special! 8 Characters; 8 Dates 💜

Jack Daniels/Agent Whiskey x GN!Reader Mature/18+ (Minors DNI Please✨) WC: 1.7k Notable Tags: Fluff, Jack being the biggest sap you've ever seen, References to Spouse/Partner Death, References to Sex, References to Trauma/Implied PTSD, Admission of Love, Kissing, Shameful Flirting.

Paying a homage to my dear friend @avastrasposts for Jack's Valentine's Day fic, using a subtle nod to their bakery created in 'A Baker's Dozen' as where these two lovebirds met ❤ Please check out their work if you haven't already!

Anyone who knows me knows that of course I had to kick off these character Valentine's head-canons with the one and only Jack Daniels. And, oh boy, have I overthought about how that man would treat you on Valentine’s day…

Ahem...

Now, let’s get something cleared up first. Jack, as we see him in Kingsman: The Golden Circle is, deep down, a broken shell of a man. It’s been twenty years since he lost his first sweetheart, “the love of my life”, and it’s still got him so messed up that I cannot imagine him even wanting to date.

But after his… injury (yeah, that’s what we’re calling it. I’m in charge of the script now, Vaughn), let’s say Jack goes through some much needed therapy. After such time, he’s finally open to letting someone into his life.

This is the Jack I’ll be describing.

It had been years since he had actually wanted to celebrate this holiday. For so long he’d not had any reason to, and for years after losing his sweetheart Valentines day became nothing other than a harsh reminder that he had lost the one he loved with all his being.

But, years after the events of The Golden Circle incident (as Champ so aptly named it…), life was different for Jack. He’d left Statesman, the therapist he worked with helping him to see that for as long as he remained in that line of work he was never going to improve. Every bump to the head that saw him needing Ginger to prompt his memories with a picture of his sweetheart sent him back months with any progress he made.

Now, gone from the organisation, Jack was truly living for the first time. Settled in nicely on a small patch of land in the Kentucky countryside, he kept himself to himself predominantly. He’d met you by complete chance on one of his trips into town, nestled in the corner of a bakery where you both waited for your collection orders to be finished up.

He’d struck up a conversation with you there, it being easy to make small talk when a subject was handed to you on a plate – quite literally. It turns out you’d both ordered the same item from the bakery in question to take away, but there had only been enough for one of you to take it.

Jack, being the perfect southern gentleman, let you be the one to take it.

“Please, sugar, you have it. I’ll go ahead and order something else,” he’d said, tipping his hat towards you as you gingerly took the box from the worker’s arms.

“Are you sure?” you’d asked him. Jack grinned as he sensed the golden opportunity.

“I tell you what, sugar, give me your number and let me take you out sometime, and all will be forgiven,” he chuckled.

To his surprise, you’d agreed, blushing at the cowboy’s request and letting him type out the digits of your number into his phone. He watched you walk away, a slight skip in your step, and he began that moment planning your date.

That was seven months ago now, and now you were fast approaching your first valentine’s day together as a couple. Jack couldn’t be more nervous if he tried. He suddenly had the same level of anxiety as he did the day he asked his first love to marry him, which was ridiculous, because he had nothing quite to that extent planned.

Not yet, anyway.

But it had been so long since he wanted to make an effort on Valentine’s day that suddenly today was filled with all these great expectations. He’d actually managed to terrify himself into wanting to call off the whole day’s plans off. But he persisted, and from the moment the sun rose on the 14th day of February, Jack had been working tirelessly on his plans.

His day had started early, heading to the same bakery where you’d both first met to pick up a selection of savoury and sweet treats. Jack had considered going all out and cooking you a steak dinner under candlelight, but the more he reminisced on your time together, the better this idea suited the two of you.

Once he had everything he wanted, he headed to a nearby florist, and picked out some flowers for you. Twenty-eight flowers, each one signifying a week that the two of you had been dating. He’d smiled to himself bashfully as he waited for the florist to string the bouquet together, allowing himself to briefly think back on his marriage to his first love. This was the sort of gesture she would have adored, and he hoped deep down that she would be able to find comfort in knowing her cowboy was happy once again.

Jack took the flowers carefully and headed back to his truck; next stop, you.

Jack had mentioned something about valentine’s day to you a couple of weeks back, but nothing more had ever been said. Truth be told, you weren’t all that bothered, as you viewed the day as nothing more than an excuse for big corporations to push cheap tat on people in a bid to create an illusion of happiness. But Jack had said to keep your day free, so you let your cowboy run with whatever idea he had brewing.

Just before lunch, there was a knock at your apartment door. You turned down the volume on the TV as you headed over to go answer it, expecting it would be Jack, but not knowing for sure. Sure enough, it was.

Stood in a freshly steamed suit, a basket in one hand, and a bouquet of flowers in another, the cowboy before you looked absolutely ravishing (well, he always did, but today it was certainly more so). You smiled at him, giggling at the toothy grin that he shot back at you, a smile that was somehow brighter than you’d ever seen it before.

“Well, look at you, all scrubbed up nice,” you teased, stepping back to let Jack in. He set foot in your apartment, chuckling under his breath and rolling his eyes.

“Alright, alright, less of the teasing,” he joked, leaning forward and kissing your cheek before allowing you to close the door behind him.

“Okay, sorry!” you giggled, “You look good, Jack. Is this my valentine’s gift?” you asked, motioning to his slim yet muscular body, perfectly contoured under the fabric of the denim suit. Jack smirked, then shook his head.

“Maybe later, sugar. But for now, I got you these,” he said, handing you the flowers. Your face softened as you lovingly took the bouquet, handling them delicately. You made note to count the amount of flowers, and realised the significance behind them.

“Jack,” you began, looking up at your cowboy, “These are lovely. Thank you,” you said. “Let me put them in water!”.

Jack chuckled as he watched you head to the kitchen sink, filling up a vase that was already in the windowsill, and then carefully setting the flowers in the glass. You arranged them so that they would catch the sun while in the kitchen window, and gently placed the vase to one side once you had done.

“There! Oh, they look so lovely,” you said, “Seriously, thank you.”

“I’m glad you like ‘em. Now, I hope you also like these,” Jack said, now handing you the basket in his other hand. You took it from him, furrowing your brow slightly.

“What have you got buried in here then?” you chuckled, setting the basket down on the table. Jack stood next to you, his hand settled on the small of your back as you peeled away a small cotton cloth which covered the top of the basket.

The smell of freshly baked pastry hit you the second the cover had been removed. A mix of aromas, sweet and savoury, flooded your senses and almost threatened to make your mouth water. But the scent was familiar, like it was something you’d smelt a thousand times before…

“Are these from-,” you began, turning to look back at Jack, but stopping speaking at the look he gave you. It told you everything you needed to know.

“The bakery where we first met, yes,” he said, confirming your suspicions. “Felt apt that I should go there, back to where this all began,” he said, chuckling slightly. You turned properly where you were stood, allowing Jack to snake his arm around your waist properly and to hold you in his arms. You rested your hands on the lapels of his jacket and looked deep into his eyes.

“Look at you, getting all nostalgic with me,” you giggled, “What gives, cowboy?”.

Jack sucked his bottom lip in and averted his gaze momentarily. The one thing he wanted to say was something he had been toying with admitting for a while, but he had been so scared to do so. Eventually he took a deep breath in and looked back at you. Cupping your cheek with one hand, he kissed you softly. You kissed him back, smiling against his lips, and in a small whisper he spoke.

“I love you, sugar. With all my heart. Happy Valentine’s day,” he said.

You smiled at Jack, your heart pounding in your chest at the confession. You knew the trauma that he’d been through in his life, Jack had always been very open about that. It was something his therapist had recommended he be, to involve you in these discussions, and you’d even attended a couple of therapy sessions with him to show your support for him. Long before he had the courage to say he loved you, you knew.

“I love you too, Jack,” you said, softly kissing him anew. He sighed in contentment into the kiss, relief passing over him as he heard those sweet words leave your lips – words he had hoped you would speak, but not ones he ever wanted to guarantee.

In each other’s arms, together on this day, Jack felt like for the first time he was truly starting his life over again. And to do it with the one he loved?

Well, what could be better?

For more from this series, check out the Just A Date Masterlist! For more works from me, here's my main Masterlist! ❤

LadyBess xox

[lady-bess]

Just A Date - Frankie Morales

Part of the LadyBess Valentine's special! 8 Characters; 8 Dates 💜

Frankie Morales x GN!Reader Mature/18+ (Minors DNI Please✨) WC: 1.8k Notable Tags: Valentine's Date, Picnic, Feeding Strawberries to each other, Can you see how this almost became NSFW?, Pet Names, Kissing, Cuddling, Jokes at Santiago's Expense, Canon that Frankie drives a beaten up truck, References to Delta Force.

Oh, Frankie, Frankie, Frankie. A Pedro character with all the potential to be the Golden Child in the cinematic universe, if there weren’t a certain narcotic substance he was rather friendly with. Poor, silly, Frankie…

But! There is a world that exists where he’s on top of his shit, has a license, and has perhaps undergone some therapy to deal with the inevitable PTSD that man likely has from being with Delta Force (seriously, what is it with Pedro characters needing therapy? My god…).

Frankie is for sure an old romantic at heart – he had to bag “his lady” somehow, right? But let’s take her out the picture for a moment, and imagine what antics our pilot might get up with his sweetheart.

Also, this one very nearly got away from me and became NSFW...personally I'm going to blame Frankie, not me. He saw an opening and ran for it (pun not intended).

It was a rare day off for Frankie, and he’d spent most the morning meticulously planning what it was he had in mind for you tonight. You’d not been dating long, and you’d never really wanted to make a fuss about Valentine’s day, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do something.

All you knew was that Frankie was going to pick you up at lunch time, and that was all the information he’d given you. That, and you would need to wrap up warm (but given it was early February, that was a given anyway).

He was right on time, arriving in his truck outside your house at just turned one o’clock. If there was one thing Frankie was well known for, it was his punctuality. Years of being part of Delta Force helped with that, and it was one thing he was never going to give up it seemed. Smiling to yourself as you watched him pull up, you threw on your jacket and headed outside, waving over to Frankie to avoid him needing to get out the truck.

Frankie leaned over in the front of the truck’s cabin to open your door from the inside – since getting back from his last deployment, Frankie had been driving around the same beaten up truck that he’d first bought when he was eighteen, years before he first joined Delta. It was years passed being needed replacing, but for as long as the engine still kept running, Frankie kept driving it. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he’d so often say whenever Pope asked when he was replacing the truck.

You found it amusing, really, and played into the joke Frankie and Pope had with the truck by occasionally buying Frankie an air freshener called “New Car Smell”. It started as a laugh one day, but since then it had become a semi-regular gag the two of you kept up with. Today was no exception.

“Here,” you said as you hopped in the truck, “Got you a little something for valentine’s day,” you said, passing Frankie a thin pink envelope. He felt the size of the contents and chuckled to himself, immediately making out the familiar shape and size of the item in the envelope. He opened it and laughed out loud as he pulled out another air freshener for his car, this one in the shape of a heart, but with the same “New Car Smell” sprawled on the heart in pink writing. Frankie grinned and hung it on his mirror immediately, then turned to kiss your cheek.

“And this, cariño, is why I love you,” he said.

“And I love watching you make Pope squirm about the age of your truck,” you giggled, putting your seatbelt on. “Now, where are you taking me?” you asked.

Frankie chuckled, starting the engine up and pulling out from the space he had just pulled into. He looked over his shoulder for traffic coming the other way, tilting his head up slightly to see better under the rim of his cap.

“You’ll see, my love. We ain’t got far to go!” he said, and with that he pulled the truck out.

Frankie only drove for a couple of minutes before pulling into a parking lot close to the nearby park. He hopped out of the truck and walked around to your side, opening the door and holding you by the waist, lifting you out onto the tarmac below. You giggled as he did, resting your hands on his shoulders for stability.

“Frankie, I am quite capable of getting out your truck!” you said, and Frankie leant forward to plant a kiss on your forehead.

“I know, but I’d feel remiss if I didn’t put in a little effort! It is valentine’s day, after all,” he said, winking at you as he opened the back seat of the truck. Leaning forward into the cabin, he pulled out a small rucksack, and put it on over one of his shoulders.

“You know I never expected you to do anything today, right?” you said, and Frankie nodded as he locked up the truck.

“I know, cariño, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t do anything!” he said, rather smugly, and then he linked his hand in yours and began walking with you away from the truck.

You and Frankie walked for a little while, round the winding paths of the park and past the rows or winter flowers that were still in bloom. Patches of snowdrops had begun blooming alongside the pathway of the park, and in a way it did look like a small amount of snow had been scattered along the track. Fortunately, the cold snap had held off, and the weather was rather mild for this time of year.

“Alright, this way!” Frankie said, squeezing your hand and taking you off the path into a large expanse of open grassland. A few people nearby sat with their lunches, some choosing to sit closer to the pond to feed the ducks, others with children going closer to the adventure playpark in an attempt to wear out their little ones.

You let Frankie lead you to a small clearing where nobody was immediately nearby; you could still see and hear passerby’s, but you weren’t close enough to actually make out what anyone’s conversations were.

“This’ll do brilliantly!” Frankie said, dropping the bag from his shoulder and tearing into it, yanking the drawstring which kept it closed. You stood back and watched him pull out a few boxes, a couple of bottles, and then finally a red tartan blanket. He looked up at you as he placed everything on the ground, laying the blanket out flat, and then sat down. Patting the ground next to him, you chuckled and sat next to him.

“A picnic?” you asked, and Frankie nodded. He took his cap off and ran one hand through his curly brown hair, before fixing the cap back to his head again.

“Yes, cariño. It isn’t much, but I hope you like what I’ve brought?” he said.

“I’m sure I’ll love it,” you said, leaning into him and kissing his cheek tenderly. “But go on, show me the goods!” you giggled.

Frankie smiled and kissed the top of your head, then grabbed the boxes he’d brought with him. Opening them up, lay before you was an array of small sandwiches, a couple of salads each, vegetarian sausage rolls, and a little box of chocolate coated strawberries. For drinks Frankie had just packed some elderflower pressé and two bottles of ginger ale, with the park not allowing alcoholic beverages to be drunk in public.  

“Frankie, this all looks lovely!” you said, “Thank you,” you smiled, leaning into him a little more. Frankie wrapped his arm around you, keeping you close to his side.

“Oh that makes me so happy,” he sighed in relief, chuckling under his breath as he kissed the top of your head again. “I was so worried it wasn’t a very exciting spread. In my head it was great, but then I put it together and couldn’t help but feel like it was a bit inadequate!”.

“Not at all!” you said, turning to look up at Frankie. His eyes met yours, so full of love and adoration, and in that moment you felt like you would melt on the very spot if he looked at you like that much longer. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect,” you said.

Frankie grinned and then leant down to gently kiss you, the cold tip of his nose brushing against yours before his lips landed on you. Kissing him back, you sighed into his hold and relaxed, and for a fleeting moment it was like your first kiss all over again. That was some kind of magic that you and Frankie seemed to always retain; every kiss was like the beginning, where butterflies ran rife and you giggled after each time he dipped his tongue into your mouth.

“No, you’re perfect!” Frankie whispered as he broke your kiss. You rolled your eyes but laughed together, sitting comfortably in each other’s presence for a moment before turning your attention to the spread he’d provided.

Frankie went straight for the chocolate coated strawberries, which didn’t surprise you one iota. He was a big kid at heart, and you imagined as a child he probably defied his mother’s every wish for him to finish his dinner before moving onto sweet treats. Either that or he was now rebelling in adulthood and making up for lost time.

“Can I feed you one?” he asked, gingerly picking one strawberry up by the stalk. You giggled and shuffled in your seat to face him.

“Isn’t that a bit corny?” you teased, and Frankie rolled his eyes, laughing with you.

“Maybe, but perhaps I’m corny!” he said, “Come on, open wide!”. You smirked and winked at Frankie.

“Might be the first time you’ve said that without then presenting my with your cock to suck,” you whispered, sucking in your bottom lip to stifle a devilish grin as you watched Frankie’s mouth drop open in shock at what you just said.

“You’re pure filth, you know that?” he said, leaning forward and placing the tip of the strawberry on your lips. “Go on, cariño, open up,” he whispered.

You did as he asked, parting your lips gently and letting the warmth of your tongue begin to melt the chocolate on the tip of the strawberry. Frankie pushed it in slightly further until there was enough for you to warrant biting down on. His eyes never left your face as you did, watching intently as you slowly took the fruit from the tips of his fingers, smirking as you pulled back to chew on it.

“Nice?” he asked, and you nodded, smiling.

“Delicious, Frankie. Thank you, again. This is so lovely,” you said.

“Anything for you, my love,” he said, popping a strawberry into his own mouth now and smiling with you, his arm wrapped around your waist, keeping you close.

For more from this series, check out the Just A Date Masterlist! For more works from me, here's my main Masterlist! ❤

LadyBess xox

[lady-bess]

Just A Date - Joel Miller (Post-Outbreak)

Part of the LadyBess Valentine's special! 8 Characters; 8 Dates 💜

Joel Miller x GN!Reader Mature/18+ (Minors DNI Please✨) WC: 2.6k Notable Tags: Post-Outbreak Joel, Life in Jackson, First Dates, First Kiss, First Date Nerves, Joel being a bit of a wreck, Cinema Date, References to Death, References to Tess, References to Sarah, References to Ellie, Slight Age Gap (Joel late 50s, reader mid 40s), Fluff in the snow (you'll see what I mean).

I ran a poll on my Twitter (@/this15theway) to decide which version of Joel I should write for, and post-outbreak Joel won! It was very close to being a 50/50 split though, so perhaps that tells me y’all also wouldn’t mind more pre-outbreak Joel. Watch this space…

Next up, Joel! Now, like Jack, I feel we need a bit of clarification here. Joel goes through some shit in his life, which undoubtably would change how he’d view valentine’s day. The man who lived before the outbreak is a far cry from who we see in the events of TLOU, twenty years after the world ended. As such, any traditions he used to have before the outbreak would likely be vastly different to life after.

So, how does Valentine's day look like for Mr. Miller in Jackson? Let's see, shall we?

Joel had never imagined he’d celebrate another valentines again. When the world ended, and Sarah died with it, for so long there wasn’t a single bright day in his life. The first five years of the outbreak went by in a bit of a blur, the rage and anger towards the world taking over and clouding his vision.

When the smoke eventually started to clear, dating was still not something Joel had thought about. He’d had the occasional hook-up here and there within the QZ, but nothing substantial. Not until Tess, anyway.

But with Tess dead, left behind as a sacrifice to get Joel on the road with Ellie, that loneliness had seeped back in. Travelling cross-country with a girl you consider your own kin, fighting off raiders and infected, hardly gave him much time to dwell on this state of being, though. It wasn’t until the two of them found safety in Jackson that Joel relaxed enough to think about it.

A year after settling into town, he met you. Jackson grew with each passing month, and slowly but surely the town was becoming the size of a small city. The commune still worked well though, but the expanse did make it so that it was no longer a small community where everyone knew everybody.

You’d arrived with a small group a couple of months ago, and had quickly settled in across town from Joel. Maria and Tommy had put you in charge of working in the stables, your experience with animals coming in handy in an area that relied so heavily on going out hunting on horseback and handling livestock. It was one afternoon where Joel was to accompany Tommy on patrol outside the gate, and in need of a horse, that he met you.

He’d been enamoured with you immediately, and almost to the point where it surprised him just how quickly you had seeped into his mind. The way you smiled, your laugh, and how gentle your demeanour was. Joel had plenty of experience with horses by now, having used one to travel most the way to Jackson from Boston, so he knew the kind of approach one had to have with animals. The fact it came naturally to you set off butterflies in his stomach for the first time in years.

Tommy had, of course, teased his older brother about this crush relentlessly. But deep down, he was happy to see Joel starting to open up. His brother had never been one to be overly emotional, but since the two of them reunited last year, he could tell there had been a huge shift in Joel. No longer did he show much emotion, preferring to just remain a hard outer shell that nobody seemed to be able to penetrate. Nobody except you, that was.

“Why not ask them out?” Tommy asked, “They’re single!”.

“Oh, and do what? It’s the end of the world, Tommy. People don’t…date. Do they?” he’d asked, drawing laughter from his younger brother.

“Joel, how the hell do you think Maria and I got it on?” he said, laughing to himself as the two brothers rode around the perimeter of Jackson. “You gotta drop this whole ‘end of the world’ narrative, Joel. Sure, life ain’t what it was, but you’ve been here a year now. Surely you can see that there can be some kind of normality?”.

He had a point. Jackson had established schools, libraries, shops, and salons, as well as the more “practical” industries like farming and rearing livestock. The town had set itself apart from most post-outbreak settlements in that it did actually function like a proper city. Communism or not, it certainly worked well.

“Alright, you might have a point,” Joel admitted.

“I know I do, brother. Come on, just ask them! I’m fairly sure they’re as smitten with you as you are with them,” Tommy teased, and Joel’s face lit up.

“Really?” he asked, and Tommy nodded.

“So the word on the street says. ‘The word’ being that of Maria, so I’d say that’s pretty trustworthy,” he chuckled. “Promise you’ll ask them when we get back?”.

Joel sighed, but the more he thought about it the giddier he got. It was a feeling he was most unfamiliar with, but the fact he did feel it again was surely something he could take as being a promising sign. He always looked forward to your conversations, and each time he went he yearned for a reason to make them last longer.

“Alright, I promise,” he said. “But you gotta help me out. I haven’t dated in…fuck,” he laughed, “Twenty-five years!”.

The two brothers laughed with one another as they completed the last of their patrol, still chuckling as the gates opened for them both on their return.

“Brother, I think you need all the help you can get then! I tell you what, suggest this. The 14th is in two days – there were plans to show a film in the town hall that evening. Nothing too out there, and keeping it family friendly, but it would be a good ice breaker date?” he suggested.

Joel nodded as the two men headed towards the stables, trying his best to ignore the thudding feeling in his chest where his heart was almost trying to escape from nervousness. Any kind of date felt like a terrifying concept at the moment, but Tommy was right. It would be perfect.

“Alright, you got a deal,” he’d said, and the two of them dismounted the horses as they headed to the stables. Sucking in some air, Joel had prepared exactly what to say to you. Now he just had to do it…

Much to his surprise (and delight), you’d agreed to the date. But really, how could you have said no? You’d been carrying round your crush on the older of the Miller brother’s for a few weeks, but never had the chance to actually speak with him enough to broach the idea of a date. The day Tommy brought him over to the stable felt like all your Christmas’ came at once, and Joel was everything you hoped he would be. Quiet, and definitely reserved; but it was clear that under the hardened shell he built around himself was a kind, sweet man. You just hoped you’d see more of him.

Saying yes to this date was the easiest decision in the world. Now, on the night in question, you’d patiently waited outside the town hall for Joel to arrive. He’d been a little late, but with only so many films to continually have on show here in Jackson, it’s not like you were missing much.

You smiled wide as Joel headed over towards you, a slight skip in his step. He was bundled up in his signature thick brown jacket, the fastenings pulled across his broad chest to fight off the cold snap that had descended around Jackson lately. Snow lay on the ground, littering the streets and coating the tops of houses, and if you had to guess by the appearance of the clouds above there would surely be another downpour of it tonight.

“Hey,” Joel said, greeting you with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye that mirrored your own. It warmed you deep inside to see a man usually so stoic and closed off actually appear happy – and it was made even more sweet by the fact that it was because of you he felt such a way.

“Hi,” you said, “You made it!”.

Joel chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about bein’ a little late. Ellie needed my help with something before I headed out, and, well- I just can’t say no to that kid,” Joel said.

You chuckled, instinctively moving a little closer to Joel to link your arm around his. You’d seen how he was with Ellie, and had heard the stories of Joel with Sarah before the outbreak. Even though you never knew Sarah, and only really observed him acting parental towards Ellie from afar, it made you happy to see Joel settle into that role of being a parent again. The end of the world had taken so much from so many people – you found you didn’t have to know people intimately to still find comfort in others having some sense of normalcy back. You wished everyone had that chance.

“It’s alright, the film has only just started. Shall we?” you said, and Joel nodded. He reached over and covered your hand that sat on his arm with his, his woollen glove warming your bare fingers. Smiling back, you turned towards the door to the town hall and wandered inside.

The film was only about ten minutes in by the time you entered and sat down. The hall had filled up nicely for the evening, as it usually did on film nights. All the children who lived in Jackson sat up front, intently glued to the screen, and you chuckled to yourself as you remember being exactly the same way back when as a kid. Your parents always fussed about you getting ‘square eyes’ on account of sitting too close to the VCR TV in the lounge, which was always a strange concept to explain to the kids of Jackson. You often wondered what your parents would be most worried about in this modern world now. Often you were glad they didn’t live long enough to even experience the outbreak.

You and Joel snuck in towards the back where there were a few free seats. It was still a little chilly in the hall, in spite of how many people were present, so you opted to keep your coats on for the time being. You’d released your hold on Joel’s arm once you sat down, but the two of you kept your distance close to one another. The little taps of his knee against yours sent little butterflies through you and suddenly you felt like a teenager all over again, sneaking out at night to go watch a film with a guy your mother definitely didn’t approve of.

Throughout the whole time the two of you sat with one another you couldn’t fight the giddiness that surged through you – for so long you’d been alone, just as Joel had. Sure, you’d been surrounded by folk for years; there was always safety in numbers. But having someone to call your own, your partner, your lover…that was still an alien concept. Even if tonight came to nothing, it was nice that you’d taken a step towards living again.

About half an hour through, Joel began to get restless. He was enjoying himself, yes, but he had a newfound urge to sit and get to know you. Not something which could be so easily done during a film, where silence was required. It was a desire he hadn’t had with anyone for so long that he didn’t want to risk chickening out of this, so he opted to take advantage of this.

“Do you wanna go for a walk?” he asked lowly, whispering into your ear. You smiled up at him, nodding. You felt a warmth in the palm of your hand as Joel’s fingers softly interlocked with yours, tightening their grip slightly, and then leading you out the door of the hall.

Once outside, you felt a wave of relief wash over you. As much as you loved the film nights put on in the hall, a huge part of you wanted nothing more than to spend time with just Joel, and to get to know him. As you walked away from the hall, and the first few flakes of snow began to fall across the town, the two of you did just that.

He didn’t think he’d ever asked, or been asked, so many questions in his entire life. But he wasn’t complaining for a second – he hung on every word you said, learning everything there was to about you and your life; where you were born, what you did before the outbreak, and how you came to be here. He found he was also just as receptive to telling you anything you wanted to know, and was spilling his guts about everything as the two of you walked round the town, still hand in hand.

“I was really nervous about asking you out, you know,” Joel eventually admitted. “But you’ve been an absolute treat tonight, darlin’.”

“Nervous? How come?” you asked.

“Well, truth be told, my last proper date was several years before the outbreak began,” he chuckled, “So I’m a bit rusty now, more than two decades later,” he said. You shrugged.

“You don’t seem it, if that’s any consolation. Must just ooze charm naturally,” you teased, squeezing his hand softly. Joel chuckled at your joke, smiling wide.

“Yeah, I ain’t sure about that at all,” he said.

“Well, how about we test it?” you asked, boldly.

“Test it? How?” he said, his brow furrowed.

“Kiss me, Joel,” you said, stopping in your tracks. Joel’s eyes widened, but quickly he softened his expression and smiled at you. Turning to face you, he slipped his other hand to settle on your waist, and kept you close to him.

“Sure?” he asked. You nodded in response, wetting your lips slightly with your tongue as you waited for him to make a move. “Alright,” he drawled, chuckling under his breath, as he leant down.

His lips caught yours and he planted the softest kiss on them you’d ever experienced – not in a way that you didn’t know it was even happening, but rather it was so tender that you could be mistaken for thinking the two of you had already been lovers in a past life. It was like he already knew exactly how to kiss you, his lip gently sucking yours just before he parted from you, your heads still resting together.

“See? Not rusty at all,” you chuckled, a blush spread out on your cheeks, a warmth rushing through you.

“Hey, I never said my kissing was rusty, just my ability to go on a proper date with someone I like,” he said, blushing slightly with you, brushing his nose against yours.

“So you like me then?” you teased.

“Yeah, I do. And I know I ain’t all that much, darlin’. This evening hasn’t been much and, Hell, I’m nearing sixty,” he laughed, “But I really do like you. Been a long time since I felt this way about anyone, too. I’m really hoping we could…we could date,” he said. You nodded, smiling wide up at him.

“I’d like that, Joel. And your age doesn’t bother me, by the way. I’m hardly a spring chicken either,” you chuckled. “My spine enjoys reminding me that I’m in my mid-forties!”.

“Let’s fall apart together, then, at the end of the world,” Joel joked, smiling so wide his eyes creased when he laughed. You smiled at him, joining in with a giggle.

“That sounds like a plan to me”.

For more from this series, check out the Just A Date Masterlist! For more works from me, here's my main Masterlist! ❤

LadyBess xox

[lady-bess]

Just A Date - Din Djarin

Part of the LadyBess Valentine's special! 8 Characters; 8 Dates 💜

Din Djarin x GN!Reader Mature/18+ (Minors DNI Please✨) WC: 1.7k Notable Tags: Fluff, Nervousness, Din being slightly clueless about feelings, Romantic Gesture, Friends to Lovers, Not all Valentines Celebrations need to be romantic, Agressively strong hugs, Kissing (but the helmet stays on).

Din…Din doesn’t fully understand what Valentine’s day is. In fact I’d put money on him not really having a grasp of what date it is, what with all the flying around in hyperspace he does, so the chances of him remembering the famed Hallmark Holiday are slim to non-existent. But, fortunately for Din, his sweetheart is more than understanding of this, and gives him a little wiggle room when it comes to remembering the date, and celebrating it.

He think it’s today. Or maybe it was yesterday? Or perhaps it’s tomorrow…

He hasn’t got a clue, basically. Din sighs to himself as he disembarks the Razor Crest, parked just out the way of all the hustle and bustle of your town. The journey to your house isn’t far for him to walk from here, and at least parking out here in the dust bowls would draw slightly less attention to him.

Well, as little attention as possible for a Mandalorian…

You’d come a long way to meet Din. Humanity had perfected space time travel, but at the expense of you getting lost in an entirely different galaxy. You’d found yourself landed on your ass in a galaxy far, far, away, and with no idea how to get home.

Eventually you’d given up on trying, accepting that the likelihood of you ever returning to Earth were slim to non-existent. It was only because of Din’s generosity, and limited sympathy, that you managed to find your feet out here. He’d dropped you off with friends of his (‘friends’ was a strong word. ‘Peli’ was a better one) and you’d picked up work and the way of life around here fairly quickly.

Din would come by regularly to check up on you, although he was never sure why. In his line of work he was no stranger to meeting people who had been caught on hard times, owed someone something, or just needed a bit of slack cutting. He never really cared about the majority of them, only occasionally finding sympathy if his puck had given him a job where there had definitely been an injustice or obvious rigging of the system. But there was never anything he could do about it – he just had to get on with it. For you, though? You were someone he could help.

Whatever reason he had for choosing to help you, he was glad he had. Months had gone by, and anytime he had been to visit you’d been an absolute delight to spend time with. You’d asked him once about the Mandalorian armour when you first met, but as soon as you understood his Creed, and why he’d never take it off, you never asked again. It never seemed to phase you either, and you treated Din just as you would anyone else whose face you could see.

He supposed that’s what made you so easy to get along with.

To help you settle in, Din had asked all about Earth traditions you followed, to try and give you some sense or normality. You were happy to assimilate, to experience the traditions of your new way of life, but that didn’t mean you perhaps would want to ever forget about where you’d come from. You’d mentioned about the “festive holidays” as a main one, but there was one other date that you kept mentioning.

Din had asked you about this date, and understood a little about what valentine’s day was now. Even if he thought it was a mighty waste of time, and credits, he felt for you yearning for the holiday. You’re so far from home, and life hasn’t treated you right – nobody deserved to be moved so far from home, especially not someone as kind-hearted as you.

He decided that while you might not be lovers, you may never see his face, but right now you were the closest thing Din had to a best friend. It was a lonely line of work he was in, and his visits to you made the time on foreign planets slightly more tolerable. The least he could do was show you a little thanks.  

If today even was that day, that is.

He did love you, in a way. In the same way you love your family, or a long time friend. Even if you’d only been part of each other’s lives for a short while, you’d had such an impact on him. So, just before landing, he’d headed to a market nearby and picked up some flowers you’d once seen Peli have in her kitchen window. They’d been the first thing he’d noticed you be enamoured with, fascinated to a point where he wasn’t sure he’d ever get you out of the kitchen that afternoon to go for a walk. The way the light caught the delicate blue petals, so you said, was “like looking into an ocean”.

Din headed down the steps into Peli’s courtyard, the bouquet of flowers in his beskar-clad hand. Under his suit he never normally felt warm, but right now he rather felt like he was running a fever. His heart was beating as fast as it normally did whenever he was working a particularly dangerous mission, and he could hear blood rushing through his ears.

Was he…was he nervous? he thought.

Trying his best to shrug it off, he headed towards the wooden door of the home you resided in. Peli had a large property, most of which she only used for storage of parts. There had been enough space for one of the larger rooms to be converted into a small studio home for you, and while Din insisted he could have probably helped you find somewhere larger, you’d been more than content with your living quarters.

Arriving at your door, he lifted one hand and knocked three times. Within seconds you answered it, muttering something under your breathe.

“Peli, I told you, I’m nearly- oh!” you said, squealing slightly as your eyes laid upon the shining beskar stood before you. “Din!” you exclaimed.

Din chuckled to himself, the modulator only just picking it up over the sound of your excited shriek at him being here.

“Hi, you. Happy valentine’s day!” he said, handing you the bouquet of flowers, “At least I think today is valentine’s day. I’ll be honest, I lose track of time,” he said with a shrug.

You took the flowers from him and smiled, tears springing to the corners of your eyes at the gesture. Your new life here was strange, and while a lot of people had been very welcoming, there was something about this gesture which made you feel like everything would truly be okay. For as small as it may seem to most, the fact you’d found a friend out here who clearly paid attention to you in the same way your friends and loved ones back on Earth had truly helped heal a part of you that you were scared had been lost.

“Oh, Din, you remembered!” you said, glancing down at the flowers and then up at the black T of his visor. “Thank you.”

Din nodded, happy he could do something for you today. And the look on your face, he realised, was worth every credit he’d spent at the florist’s. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen you quite as happy as you looked right now, and for that he’d buy you these flowers every time he saw you if it meant you would never have a frown on your face again.

“Anytime,” he said, and he watched as you scurried to the sink to set the flowers in a vase of water. You smiled as you looked at them neatly displayed together, happy with how they looked, then turned to Din.

Giggling slightly, and a bit overwhelmed at the kind gesture, you took a bold step. You and Din had not really been physically affectionate, aside from occasional arms around each other when in fits of laughter, but that’s where it had ended. But today, you didn’t care. You’d had shit luck recently, and this had been the kindest thing Din had done for you just because he felt like it.

Skipping over to Din, you threw yourself up into his arms, laughing as you landed against the solid beskar. Din instinctively caught you, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you in tight to himself. It was the first really affectionate hug he’d had from anyone, and he relished in the moment, however short it might be. The one thing he knew for certain is that he wouldn’t be the first one to pull away.

With your arms wrapped around his neck, you relaxed into Din’s strong hold. Even though your body was pressed against a hard metal, there was something comforting about it in a way. The fact he was so solid and stoic helped you feel more at ease around him, and subliminally understand that he really wasn’t going anywhere. Not without you noticing, anyway.

“You’re so kind,” you whispered to Din, loosening your grip slightly so you could slide back down and your feet touch the ground. He smiled behind the mask, hoping his body somehow gave off enough of a ‘tell’ that you’d somehow know he was stood looking into your eyes, so happy to see you content.

Almost like an answer to his question, you got up on your tiptoes and planted a kiss onto the middle of his visor. His breathing hitched under the mask, so loud that he knew you heard. The little giggle you did gave it away as you sank back down to your level, then finally pulling away.

“Come on then, you sap. Let’s go out for a bit now you’re here!” you said, grabbing your jacket and heading out the door of the studio, a noticeable spring in your step.

Din stood rooted to the spot for a moment, in slight disbelief at what just happened. It had been a long time since he felt this way about anyone, and even longer since anyone had returned any kind of feelings. He peered round the doorway and watched you head off into the courtyard, blissfully unaware that he was on the verge of crying happy tears.

Because, just maybe, perhaps the love he felt towards you wasn’t all as platonic as Din first imagined…

For more from this series, check out the Just A Date Masterlist! For more works from me, here's my main Masterlist! ❤

LadyBess xox

[lady-bess]

Just A Date - Tim Rockford

Part of the LadyBess Valentine's special! 8 Characters; 8 Dates 💜

Detective Tim Rockford x GN!Reader Mature/18+ (Minors DNI Please✨) WC: 1.2k Notable Tags: References to gun-holsters being used in the bedroom, Yeah we're starting off strong, Valentine's Date Ruined, Backup Date, Chinese Takeout, References to Alcohol, References to Sex, Kissing, Swearing, Fluff, SFW (nearly).

To say this detective only got a mere 48-seconds of screen time, he’s very quickly become a favourite in the Pedro-verse! And man, with gun holsters like that, I can see why…

Anyway!

We don’t know much about Tim, so I’ve taken a fair few creative liberties with this one! I hope that I still do the man justice!

“Rockford, I’m sorry, but this case needs working tonight. A lead has opened up, and if we don’t act now we might not get a chance again,” his boss said. Tim sighed, knowing this would definitely derail his plans with you tonight, but he understood the need.

“No worries, sir. Let me just call my partner though, alright? I’m sure you can appreciate we did have plans tonight,” he said.

“I thought you might, and I’m so sorry. I’ll tell you what, I’ll throw in an extra day of paid leave in for you for making you miss your plans tonight,” he offered.

“Sounds like a deal to me,” he said, smiling faintly before pulling his phone out to call you.

It had been a bummer for sure when Tim cancelled, but you were understanding. His job was demanding, and you knew from day one that his rank within the force meant he often had to prioritise work over his personal life. Tim had never minded so much, and outwardly he never complained. But you knew, deep down, that it irritated him.

At the end of the day though, he loved his work, and what he did kept the streets a much safer place. You’d sacrifice all your nights with him if it meant that he got to continue his good work. At least he now got to come home to you.

Moving in together had been the best decision you’d made, and it had made a lot of sense in the end. Both your jobs kept you tied to your desks for longer than you’d both ever like to admit, so at least now you got to spend some more time together by sharing the same bed every night. Your relationship had only gone from strength to strength ever since that day you were given a set of keys to his place.

The front door to your apartment opened several hours later. You were lay on the couch, idly scrolling through the TV channels, seeing if there were any films being showed that you fancied watching. Sure, you had streaming services, but something about watching a film ‘live’ hit different.

“Sweetheart?” Tim shouted from the door.

“In here!” you called out.

Tim smiled at the sound of your voice, the sound instantly making him feel like he was well and truly home. This had been where he lived for many years, but until you came along it hadn’t felt like somewhere he wanted to put roots down.

He slipped his coat off and hung it on the back of the kitchen chair, then headed through to you in the lounge. In his hand he held a white plastic bag, filled with his vague attempt at making up for tonight.

You smiled wide as he appeared in the doorway, his tie already loosened around his neck, brown curls ruffled and dishevelled. Tim smiled over at you, his eyes creasing behind his thick framed glasses. You could tell just by looking at him that he was exhausted, but behind the fatigue was a happiness to see you.

“Hey, you,” he said, “Sorry I had to stay late. I’m hoping this might make it up to you?” he asked, raising the white plastic bag. You furrowed your brow, sitting up on the couch and squinting at the logo on the bag.

“What is it?” you asked, and Tim slowly headed over to you. He set down the plastic bag on the coffee table, then sank down onto the couch next to you.

“Chinese takeout. It ain’t much, but I felt it was the least I could do after ruining our plans for tonight,” he said, a slight sigh coming from his lips as he relaxed into the couch. You smiled and leaned forward, kissing him softly on the cheek, just above the scruff of his beard. Tim smiled as he felt the warmth of your kiss seep into his skin, and turned to look at you.

“You haven’t ruined anything, Tim. You’re a great detective, and I’ll never hold it against you that sometimes work needs you more than I do,” you said, “I love you”.

“I love you too,” he said, reaching forward to caress your cheek, then softly kissed you. Closing your eyes, you allowed yourself to relax into his hold, all the pressures of your jobs disappearing at the contact of your skin on one another. “Come on, let’s eat before this gets cold!” he said.

You smiled and nodded, moving away from Tim to begin your assault on the plastic bag of takeout. It was always a bit of a wild card whenever Tim collected food, but there was always one guarantee: Chow Mein. Sure enough, you found a box of it tucked into the bottom, and giggled to yourself.

“You’re so predictable sometimes,” you said, getting the boxes out and spreading them out onto the table. Tim stood to his feet.

“Oh, shush!” he chuckled. “Now, fancy some wine with it too?” he said, heading over to the wine rack at the other side of the room.

“Only if you’re having some. Aren’t you working tomorrow?” you asked.

“I was, but not anymore! Boss gave me tomorrow off for fucking up tonight’s plans,” he said, pulling a bottle of red wine out the rack and then heading to get some glasses.

“Oh, brilliant! Shall we watch a film then, if we can be up a bit later?” you asked, opening up the takeout boxes and beginning to separate the chopsticks provided. Tim came back into the room a few moments later, a generous glass of wine in either hand, and he came to sit next to you.

“We sure can! Although, I’ll be frank, once we’ve eaten all of this there’s only one thing I wanna do tonight,” he chuckled, kissing your jaw once he was settled back into the couch as his hands worked away at his tie. You giggled, blushing bright red, and had to hide the wide grin across your face. Even after all this time of knowing each other, he still managed to reduce you to a complete puddle.

“Stop it, you!” you teased, jokingly slapping his thigh. “Get those gun holsters off and have your dinner with me!”.

Tim sat up, grabbing you around the waist, and buried his head in the crook of your neck. His lips danced along your ears delicately, his hot breath making your hairs stand on end. Large hands spread out across your torso, keeping you pinned to his chest as he continued to tease you.

“I thought you liked it when I kept the holsters on?” he whispered, chuckling under his breath when you whimpered in pleasure at the thought that ran across the forefront of your mind.

Safe to say, it was the fastest either of you had ever eaten dinner in your entire life.

For more from this series, check out the Just A Date Masterlist! For more works from me, here's my main Masterlist! ❤

LadyBess xox

[lady-bess]

💜Just A Date💜

A LadyBess Valentine's Special 🤍

8 Pedro Characters - 8 Valentine's Dates! 🤍

All character pairings will be with gender neutral readers! All stories will have 18+/Mature themes, but content will remain fluffy and SFW! 💕

💕 Valentine's Masterlist 💕

Jack Daniels/ Agent Whiskey Joel Miller Tim Rockford Frankie Morales Marcus Pike Din Djarin Javier Peña Agent Ortega

💕 For more works by me, see my masterlist! 💕

Happy Valentine's to you all! - LadyBess xox

[lady-bess]

Just A Date - Javier Peña

Part of the LadyBess Valentine's special! 8 Characters; 8 Dates 💜

Javier Peña x GN!Reader Mature/18+ (Minors DNI Please✨) WC: 1k Notable Tags: Derailed Plans, Change of Plans, Quiet Night in with Javier, Kissing, Office Romance, Co-workers to Lovers, Work Stress, Soft Javier, Use of Pet Names.

I’m sure Javier wouldn’t mind me saying this, but as the renowned slut of the Pedro Pascal Cinematic Universe, one does wonder how he might want to celebrate valentine’s day? I’ve got my own head canons with Javi, specifically with how he might have spent the 14th before meeting his sweetheart, but now that he’s got you, his plans are a little more savoury (well, for the most part…).

Of course, work still consumes most of Javi’s life (the cartel hardly consider having a day off just so he can take you out somewhere nice!), but he still manages to find a way to celebrate with you.

Javier had barely stopped recently, so much so that it had almost completely passed him by that tomorrow was the 14th of February.

He had loathed the concept of Valentines Day for so long, seeing absolutely no point to the holiday other than an excuse for businesses to make money preying off people’s insecurities. While most his coworkers got shacked up with their other halves for the night, he’d normally have found himself buried deep in whatever whore he could find for the night.

But that was his life no more.

Since you’d been around, even when you were just his friend, he knew he didn’t want that kind of lifestyle now. You made him want to be a better man for you, and since coupling up he’d done everything in his power to show you he had changed.

You knew he had, although it had never really bothered you the kind of life he lead before the two of you got together. At the end of the day it was all in the past, and none of that mattered anymore.

It was late in the day when Javier came over to your desk, perching on the end of it and smiling down at you. Setting down your pen to one side, you looked up and grinned at him, properly admiring him for the first time today. Both your jobs got so busy, and working in separate offices made it rather difficult to catch each other passing by during the day. Whenever he could, Javier would always stop by your desk.

“Hi there, cariño,” he said, winking down at you, reducing you to a blushing mess. Even though you were an established couple, Javier flirting with you never failed to make it feel like you were playing a game of cat and mouse all over again.

“Hi, Javi. What can I do for you then?” you asked. He always wanted something if he’d come over to your desk. You suspected today would be the same.

“A kiss would be nice?” he said, leaning down slightly to get close enough to whisper, “Agreeing to going out with me tonight would be even better,” he chuckled.

You looked into Javier’s eyes and chuckled at the bashful expression on his face – for someone so confident in every walk of life, you were someone who seemed to be able to get under his skin enough to actually make him nervous. In a way you did quite like that power, though.

Leaning up, your lips met Javier’s, and the two of you shared a brief kiss. The office was quiet, for now, but you’d learnt from previous attempts not to let things linger too long at work. Getting caught in a supply closet was quite enough of an adrenaline rush to last you a lifetime…

“Where are you taking me then?” you asked, and Javi broke into a smile.

“Nothing major, cariño. I was just thinking some drinks tonight, and you can spend the night at my place?” he proposed.

You nodded, thanking whatever Gods that may exist he hadn’t planned much more. You weren’t the biggest fan of valentine’s yourself, seeing very little point to it all, and knew that Javier felt the same. It was nice that he wanted to make the effort, but you would hate for him to have gone all out over something that you weren’t all to keen on making a fuss about. Drinks and a night in his arms sounded perfect.

“Go on then, twist my arm,” you smirked, toying with the agent a little. He opened his mouth to pretend to act shocked, but laughter came over him before he could give out a fake protest.

“Minx!” he said, hopping off the desk and starting to walk back to his office. “I’ll see you tonight!” he shouted, then skipping away.

The rest of the afternoon couldn’t have gone by any slower if it tried. It seemed like at every turn there was another case file to rifle through, or another meeting to attend. You wondered if you would ever truly see the back of the office today. Eventually you caught a break, but by which time it was getting much later than when you’d like to be out. Sighing, you shrugged your jacket on and grabbed your bag, flicking the switch off your desk lamp and heading towards the office door.

The stress of this job was a lot for anyone to handle, and Javi understood that more than most. He’d been waiting outside the front of the station for over an hour before you eventually came down the steps towards him, looking downtrodden and exhausted.

“Rough day?” he asked, pulling you in for a hug, which you gladly allowed your body to deflate into. Strong arms wrapped around you, the warmth of Javier’s body seeping into your joints, bringing a comfort you’d been yearning for all afternoon.

“Yeah, I’m sorry I’m so late,” you sighed, hugging Javier back. He kissed your temple and then shifted to look into your eyes.

“Hey now, none of that. Nobody understands more than I do, cariño,” he said. “How about this? Let’s take a raincheck on drinks tonight, but on the way back to my place we can pick up some tamales or arepas?” he offered.

You smiled up at Javier and nodded, moving to walk towards his car with his arm slung around you. Right now, there was nothing that sounded better than eating your bodyweight in arepas and falling to sleep in Javier’s arms.

“That sounds simply wonderful, Javier. Thank you,” you said.

“Anything for you, cariño. Come on, let’s get going,” he said, opening the car door for you to get inside, before joining you in the driver’s seat.

Next stop? A quiet night in.

For more from this series, check out the Just A Date Masterlist! For more works from me, here's my main Masterlist! ❤

LadyBess xox

[lady-bess]

Just A Date - Marcus Pike

Part of the LadyBess Valentine's special! 8 Characters; 8 Dates 💜

Marcus Pike x GN!Reader Mature/18+ (Minors DNI Please✨) WC: 1.8k Notable Tags: Museum Date, Marcus being a lil' sweetheart, Kissing, Fluff, I let Marcus be an art expert for once, Grand Gesture, Surprise for Reader, Admission of Feelings, SFW, This might be the most sfw thing I've ever written.

Ah, everybody’s favourite sweetheart. The Golden Child of Pedro characters! And rightfully so. He didn’t deserve the treatment he got in The Mentalist, and I’ll never shut up about that. It turns out I have many ‘Roman Empires’ in the PPCU, and his heartache is one of them.

Sure, he might move fast by some people’s standards, but he’s a well meaning guy and has learnt to trust his gut! He is an FBI agent, after all. You don’t do well in a career with the FBI if you don’t have some extent of a trustworthy instinct, so quite frankly if Marcus asked me to jump I would only ask him, “how high?”.

So, in light of his abhorrent treatment, I’m giving Marcus the Valentine’s day he deserves!

He had everything planned out perfectly. Now all he had to do was hope you’d like it as much as he prayed you would.

Marcus had learnt from his mistakes in previous relationships, and had been sure to make sure the pacing of yours was much steadier than what he’d gone for in the past. He was very much a “when you know, you know” type of guy, but even though that feeling was present with you, the last thing he wanted was to scare you off.

You’d been together for a couple of years now, having met by chance in a café one afternoon not long after he’d moved for his new job. He took dating you in his stride, needing to turn over a new leaf since moving away, and you’d been the breathe of fresh air he so desperately was looking for. You’d changed his life, and he’d never been happier than he was now.

You knew everything about his previous relationships; Marcus had wanted there to be no secrets about his previous marriage, or even the reason why he was so solemn when he first arrived in the city. But you’d been understanding, having had your fair share of heartache in your time too, and not a single part of his previous relationships had put you off. Besides, everyone had a little baggage, right?

Marcus picked you up just after five o’clock in the evening, arriving to your door in a smart suit and with a bouquet of roses in his arms. You opened the door and chuckled at him, letting him in for a few moments before setting off.

“You really shouldn’t have, Marcus,” you said, placing the roses in a vase before grabbing your jacket for going out. He shrugged, hands in his pockets as he tried to nonchalantly brush off the (obviously expensive) bouquet he’d just bestowed upon you.

“Well, I did, because I wanted to. Besides, you love roses, so don’t act like you don’t want them,” he teased, chuckling to himself. You rolled your eyes, not able to deny a thing, then kissed Marcus softly as you shrugged your jacket on.

“I do love them, and I love you. Thank you,” you said, and he smiled.

“Anytime, love. Now, shall we?” he said, holding his arm out for you to take. You giggled and took it, hooking your hand around his bicep.

“Come on then, Pike. Show me what you’ve got,” you said, and with that you left your home towards his car.

Marcus got you into his car before driving across town, choosing to take the scenic route to avoid some of the after-work traffic that he knew would be around at the moment. The soft melody of the radio played in the background as you looked out across the sprawling landscape, watching the sun set over the horizon and people go about their nights after a long day of working. You smiled over at Marcus, reaching over and placing your hand on his thigh as he drove.

Twenty minutes since setting off, Marcus pulled his car into a parking lot around the back of an art museum you’d had your eye on visiting for a while. You felt excitement brew in the pit of your stomach as you got out the car, Marcus coming round to you to link his arm around you again.

“We’re finally visiting this place then?” you said, poking Marcus’ nose softly to taunt him. He chuckled, leaning forward and kissing your cheek softly.

“We sure are! I hope this is alright?” he said.

“It’s wonderful, Marcus. You know I love when you go all art-expert on me,” you giggled.

“You’ll regret saying that one day,” he chuckled, “Come on, let’s get inside. I have a surprise for you once we’re in,” he said.

It wasn’t long before you were in the door of the museum, but the entire time your brain had been running a million miles an hour wondering what the surprise could be. Marcus usually had a surprise lurking up his sleeve on dates, but today of all days you were drawing a blank at what it could be given where you were. Perhaps a private tour? Or maybe he’d got you passes for access to the museum beyond tonight?

Your answer was soon given.

As you approached the entrance, Marcus left your side for a moment to speak to someone on the door. You couldn’t make out their conversation, but saw Marcus shake their hand before laughing with them, and then calling you over. He held out his hand for you to take as you got closer, and the man he’d spoken with nodded towards you.

“Good evening,” he said, “And welcome! As we discussed, Mr. Pike, once the two of you set foot inside you’ll have three hours, and then I’ll need you back out here. Is that all good?” he asked. Marcus nodded, squeezing your hand.

“Understood!”.

“Alright, I’ll let you both in! Have fun, and see you in a couple of hours!” the man said, then turning towards the entrance and unlocking the door.

“Marcus, what’s going on?” you whispered.

“You’ll see, my love,” he said, smiling wide like a child in a sweet shop. His hold on your hand tightened as the doors opened fully and you were allowed inside.

This museum had been one you’d wanted to visit for a long time, but the prices always were enough to put you off. For so long you’d only dreamt of being able to set foot inside the doors of this building, and sure enough it did not disappoint once you were past the entrance. Marble flooring spread out across the entranceway, the dazzling pearlescent white shining bright, the surface almost mirrored from how well it was cared for. The walls were an elaborate design of travertine, small fossils littered throughout, and labradorite was used sparingly as intricate decoration. Light bounced around the room from several hung chandeliers and candelabras, creating a warm glow.

“Oh my gosh,” you breathed, standing on the spot and craning your neck to admire the grandeur of the foyer. Marcus watched you, smiling to himself, already feeling proud.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he said.

“Yes,” you agreed, “simply wonderful”.

“For the next few hours, it’s all ours,” Marcus said.

You turned to look at Marcus and smiled wide, laughing in slight disbelief under your breath. All ours? you thought. Was there anything this man wouldn’t do?

“Are you serious?” you asked. Marcus nodded, grinning.

“Yes, sweetheart. Three hours; no staff, no customers. Just us,” he said, “Do you like it?”.

“Marcus, this must have set you back a fortune!” you said, slightly pissed at him for spending what would be undoubtedly a lot of money on tonight, but at the same time you were so enamoured with what he’d done that it was hard to be mad at him. Smiling softly, tears prickling your eyes, you nodded over at him. “I love it”.

“I’m so glad,” he said, sighing in relief as his hands darted up to catch your cheeks in his hold. Pulling you close, he kissed you tenderly, and for a brief moment it felt like it was not just the museum that was deserted; the whole world disappeared around you.

“Thank you,” you whispered against his lips, “For everything, Marcus. You’re wonderful, and I love you,” you said.

“I love you too,” he said, thumbs softly caressing your cheeks. “Now, come along. We have a whole museum to explore, and just three hours to do it,” he chuckled.

“Well then, we best get started!” you said, and with that Marcus grabbed your hand and pulled you off towards the first exhibition.

For more from this series, check out the Just A Date Masterlist! For more works from me, here's my main Masterlist! ❤

LadyBess xox

[lady-bess]

Just A Date - Agent Ortega

Part of the LadyBess Valentine's special! 8 Characters; 8 Dates 💜

Agent Ortega x GN!Reader Mature/18+ (Minors DNI Please✨) WC: 2.8k Notable Tags: Running Away, New Lives, SFW, Reader is a Whore, Sorry, Soft Ortega, Caring Ortega, Obscene Levels of Fluff, Forbidden Romance, Established Relationship, Implied Sexual Relationships, Reference to Drinking, References to Prostitution.

And last, but certainly not least, is our Pinkerton! Unlike Jack, Agent Ortega is a genuine cowboy (sorry, honey, but he’s a freaking Pinkerton!). And while his appearance in the Pedro Pascal Cinematic Universe was brief (i.e. a single pilot episode of The Sixth Gun), you best believe this author still managed to take a liking to him (and who is shocked?).

I’ve made it my own head canon that there is a link between Ortega and Jack before, but for now let’s go back to the basics! This one-shot will be based on the limited information we know, plus a bit of fan-canon!

Happy valentine’s, my lovelies, however it is you choose to spend it!

A/N: I was unsure about Ortega’s timeline and Valentine’s Day being something to mention, but I found in my research that by the 1850’s it was popular to send what we now know as Valentine’s cards! In 1856, the following was published to the New York Times;

"Our beaux and belles are satisfied with a few miserable lines, neatly written upon fine paper, or else they purchase a printed Valentine with verses ready-made, some of which are costly, and many of which are cheap and indecent.

"In any case, whether decent or indecent, they only please the silly and give the vicious an opportunity to develop their propensities, and place them, anonymously, before the comparatively virtuous. The custom with us has no useful feature, and the sooner it is abolished the better."

I just found it rather amusing, so thought I’d share with y’all!

Now, where were we? Ah, yes; off to Brimstone!

February 14th, 1889

Ortega opened the doors to The Silver Palace, Brimstone, hoping to find you here before it was too late. He didn’t approve of you working in a place like this, but times were tough out here in the West, and he could hardly fault you for doing what you had to in order to survive. That still didn’t mean he liked the thought of others having their way with you in exchange for a few measly cents. His job meant that he knew, intimately, the lives of the people in this town. And what he did know about the men and women who came your way was that they were often more of the unsavoury nature.

He wanted to protect you so badly, even though you were fiercely independent and insisted you didn’t need his help. That had always been your dynamic, though. He would pay you for your time, not your body, and somewhere along the way you’d gone and fallen in love. Your boss would forbid you from ever seeing Ortega again if they knew that the two of you were involved with each other beyond an exchange of services, so you kept things quiet.

But tonight, of all nights, he wanted to get to you first.

And, if this went to plan, you’d never have to work at The Silver Palace again.

He scanned the sea of faces that met him as he entered the establishment, eyes desperately searching for yours to meet his. A panic began to rise in his chest, a tightness, a despair, as for a moment he was met with nothing but vacant expressions from other patrons. People who were probably waiting around for someone like you to become available, so for ten minutes they could forget about their woeful existence and treat you like an object just so that they could feel like that had an ounce of power in this world.

But Ortega did have power. And tonight, he was using it.

“Fuck,” he hissed, sucking in his lip and biting down a little too hard as he searched for you, pushing past others who were drunk out of their own minds on moonshine, and other alcohol likely not made legally. Prohibition can get them later, he thought as he traversed through the crowd.

And then, cowering in the corner, there you sat. Surrounded by men and women, various hands trying to take off some of your clothing. One man pulled at the collar of your shirt while another undid your belt buckle. A woman sat on one of the men’s laps kept pouring you drinks, clearly hoping you’d sip enough that you’d lose all inhibitions and just let them have their way.

You looked terrified.

Ortega knew that it wouldn’t work simply asking you to go to a private room with him right now; he would have to either force these people off you or pull out the big guns to assert some form of authority. Fortunately, he came prepared.

“Excuse me?” he said, approaching the table entirely. Behind the fright in your eyes was a slight twinkle, like a glimmer of hope had found its way to the front of your mind, allowing you for a second to believe you were going to be okay.

“Yes, sir?” you spoke, timid as anything, even though you knew you were safe now with Ortega around.

“I hate to impose on such a…beautiful moment between y’all, but you, flower, owe me,” he said, voice dropping slightly so he appeared like a disgruntled customer. It was something the two of you had agreed he could do, especially if he ever found you in a situation that was difficult to get out of. There was nothing that would ruin the party quite like a patron who didn’t think they’d had their fill, and Ortega would use the act whenever he needed you out of a situation as quickly as possible.

“I-I’m so sorry sir, but as you can see I’m a little busy right now,” you said, playing your part as always.

“I thought you might say that,” Ortega began, before reaching into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a small brown leather bag, dropping it to the table. The sound of clattering metal could be heard from inside the bag, indicating it was clearly filled to the brim with money. The eyes of everyone at the table widened, your own included.

“Brought you a little something so you might…prioritise me?” he said, then turned to the men and women sat around you, “I’m sure y’all can understand?”.

The people surrounding you scoffed, shaking their heads before finally getting their hands off you. Ortega smiled at you, reaching his hand out for you to take. Grasping it softly, you allowed him to tug you out from the booth, maintaining the act he had to put on.

“Take your coins, whore, and let’s be having you,” he sneered, and you had to fight back a slight chuckle. Ortega was never anything other than a gentleman with you, and even though your relationship had become physical recently, it was oh so more special in that you actually cared for one another. You grabbed the brown bag with your free hand and nodded at him, then let him tug you along by the hand to one of the private rooms in the back of the building.

He shoved open the door with his hand and dragged you inside. Him letting go of your hand sent you spinning slightly, and as you stabilised yourself he closed the door behind him, bolting it shut. You both breathed out a sigh of relief once the door was closed, and now it was just the two of you together within these four walls.

“I’m sorry, flower, I really do hate doin’ that,” he said, dashing over to you and grabbing you by the waist. “But I hate others being on ya’ even more,” he whispered, before planting a tender kiss on your lips.

You kissed him back fiercely, your hands grasping at his jacket and bunching the material in your fists as your whole body relaxed into his arms. It had only been a couple of weeks since you’d last been able to see each other, but every moment without him by your side was agonisingly painful. There was nobody you wanted in this world except for him – your very own Pinkerton.

“I missed you,” you said softly against his lips, there barely being any space between the two of you to talk. The rim of his bowler hat brushed against your forehead, and you could feel every metal buckle and button that was on his clothing. But after being apart, you couldn’t get closer if you tried.

“I missed you too, my flower,” he said, kissing your cheek as he slipped his arms around you for a tight embrace. “But you don’t gotta miss me no more. I’m taking you out of here,” he said.

You pulled back slightly from your hug to look deep into his coffee coloured eyes. He had a look of sincerity that you’d never before seen, so stern and serious that it borderline scared you. You whispered his name, his real name, while caressing his cheek.

“What are you tryna say?” you asked, speaking quietly so not to alert others in nearby rooms of whatever he was about to say. He smiled at you lovingly, his face softening under the hold of your delicate hands.

“I’m bein’ transferred, flower. I’ll be outta here by morning. And I’m taking you with me,” he said. He slid his hand to cover yours, grasping your fingers softly, and moving to kiss the palm of your hand. His eyes never left yours as he did, wanting to gauge your reaction.

“I- I can’t just leave. Honey, they’ll kill me if they catch me sneaking off. You know they got me bound under that damn contract,” you said, that familiar feeling of being trapped rising. There was nothing more that you wanted to do than to run away and leave Brimstone behind, but you’d heard horrors of other men and women before you trying just that, and paying the price.

“I know, I know,” he sighed, resting his forehead against yours. “But we gotta try, doll. If we don’t then I-,” he sniffled, “then I’ll never see you again,”.

“Ortega…you’d be risking everything. And all for me? A prost-,” you began, but he cut you off.

“No, stop!” he said, eyes watery and pleading, “Don’t call yourself that. You’re so much more, flower. I don’t wanna ever hear you call yourself that again, you understand? I’m freeing you from this Hell,” he said.

You nodded slowly, allowing your lips to gently slip across his, planting a soft kiss there. You breathed the same air as him for a moment, just standing in silence.

“Alright. I won’t say it. But tell me this, love, how are we getting out of here?” you asked. Ortega smiled, a slight grin even, and that mischevious glint in his eye returned.

“I got Agent Mercer outside waiting with a wagon filled with everything we’ll ever need, sweet thing. I hope ya don’t mind, but I also had him pick the lock on your place earlier, and anything valuable he’s packed up for us,” he said. “Darlin’, he’s outside this building now. All we gotta do is slip outta this window and run like Hell.”

Ortega explained every plan like he had a handle on everything, but in a way that was comforting. Right now you wanted to feel like someone did know what they were doing, even if the plan was just to run for your fucking lives. But Ortega trusted Mercer, and if he’d got him on board with the plan then you at least hoped that enough preparations had been made to make this a clean getaway.

Without realising it, you were already nodding along with his plan. Ortega grinned and scooped you up into his arms, lifting you into a hug and spinning you round for a second. You laughed, clinging to his body, and then let him put you down.

“Okay, well, if Mercer already has my valuables then there ain’t nothing in that dump of an apartment I care an iota about. I just need a cloak, and we’re out of here,” you said, heading over to the closet of the room he’d chosen. Normally the two of you went upstairs to a room you often frequented with other patrons, and as such had more clothes of your own in there, but today he’d chosen a ground floor room. Now it made sense why…

“You find something, flower, and I’ll get this window cracked open!” he said, dashing over to the weakest looking frame. The windows weren’t huge, but if he could pop the glass out the frame then you’d both be well on your way.

While he worked away, fiddling with the wooden frame with a couple of tools he’d stashed in his jacket pocket, you opened up the closet. A man’s black woollen shawl was hung up; not yours, you noticed, but it would certainly do you well in the cold weather you’d be travelling in. Ortega hadn’t said where you were going, truthfully you didn’t care, so long as it wasn’t here. But you felt it better safe than sorry, and threw the shawl on for some extra warmth.

With the shawl on, you quickly went through the other drawers. You knew you were basically helping yourself to other people’s possessions, but as you had no plans to ever return, you figured one act of selfishness to get away from a life of selling yourself for next to nothing was the least you were owed. Grabbing a small satchel, you filled it with extra supplies; underwear, predominantly, but also a small handgun that was tucked away in the bottom drawer (something that was stashed in each of the private rooms – just in case).

“How’s that window coming on?” you asked, turning round to see Ortega skilfully just about to set down the glass panel inside the building so not to create noise.

“She’s come along a treat, flower,” he said, setting the glass down and then looking up at you, “Now come on! Grab that money, and let’s go!” he said.

You did as he asked, throwing the satchel over your body and stashing the brown bag of coins he’d given you on the belt of your clothing, securing it in place. You took Ortega’s hand and let him pull you through the window once he’d dropped outside, and then you made a break for it. It would surely not be long before your boss noticed your prolonged absence, given that Ortega didn’t pay them for use of that room all night like he usually did. So, you booked it.

Hand in hand, the two of you barrelled away from The Silver Palace, heading out towards the edge of town where Mercer would be waiting for you. The night was beginning to set in, and with not many gas lamps erected yet there was very limited light. A few homes gave a slight glow out onto the street, but aside from that you both ran together in the dark. Darkness that, eventually, gave way to a few lamps aside a carriage.

It felt like all your birthdays came at once as soon as your eyes lay upon the wagon, two horses at the head of it, readily strung up. Mercer was waiting next to it, fastening down the last of a white sheet which covered all the belongings he’d packed in for you both.

Blood rushed around your body as your heart struggled to keep up with the adrenaline that was coursing through your veins. Ortega kept on dragging you with him, not wanting to risk anything going wrong.

“Ortega! You made it!” Mercer said once you were finally packed up. He tipped his hat towards you as the two of you stood and collected your breath.

“Is it all ready to go?” Ortega asked, and Mercer nodded.

“Yes, sir. All packed up and ready to go. Here, take this,” he said, pulling out a sheet of paper from the inside pocket of his jacket, “It’s a map to where your new place is. Your new lives,” he said, smiling over at you.

“Mercer, we can’t ever thank you enough,” Ortega said, “I wish you well, my friend”.

“Take care of yourself, agent. You too,” Mercer said, tipping his hat towards you.

“Come on, flower, let’s go,” he said, hopping onto one of the horses before reaching down to give you a hand up onto the other. You took his hand and let him help pull you up, before swinging your leg over onto the saddle.

“Alright, you settled?” he asked, and you nodded as you grabbed the reigns.

“Yes, my love. Shall we?” you said.

“Yes,” Ortega grinned, then chuckled, “Oh, flower?” he asked.

“What is it, honey?”.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said, and you couldn’t help but laugh as you and Ortega set off, carriage in tow, and rode into the night towards your new lives.

For more from this series, check out the Just A Date Masterlist! For more works from me, here's my main Masterlist! ❤

LadyBess xox