#jackson soft

‘Etrusk’

[C64] [ITALY] [MAGAZINE] [1986]

“Enter the mysterious world of the Etruscans with a fabulous, entirely Italian adventure.

You will meet ghosts, glamorous queens, wolves and other strange creatures that populate the ancient walls of Veio, an authentic Etruscan city.

Discover the mysteries of this fascinating civilization is this irresistible game.” ~Ad Blurb

“Jackson!” You called your husband from your comfortable seat on the picnic table, a few meters away from the playground. “Bring her here, it’s lunch time already.”

You bookmarked the page that you were on and set your novel down, turning instead to observe the father-daughter pair playing in the distance. Your two-year-old daughter giggled as she slid to the bottom of slide, landing right into Jackson’s open arms. He swiftly picked her up, hugging her close to his chest as he walked over to your shady spot under a tree.

It was a surprisingly sunny Sunday afternoon. The rainy clouds finally retreated and gave way for the warm summer sun to take centre stage. It was a temporary reprieve from what was shaping up to be an especially wet monsoon season, and your family welcomed it gratefully by soaking in the sunshine at a nearby park. You woke up early this morning to prepare mayo chicken sandwiches and chicken congee for your little girl. Although you lacked a few more hours of beauty sleep preparing for this mini picnic, watching your daughter wave her small hands excitedly made you feel like it was all worth it.

“Is our baby hungry?” Jackson asked her rhetorically while settling down beside you with her bouncing happily on his lap. She busied herself by running her fingers over traces of Jackson’s stubble on the bottom of his chin, smiling widely. As you uncovered her pink Hello Kitty thermos, you couldn’t help but to think that her smile was a carbon copy of your husband’s, with a brightness that put the sun to shame. Anyone could tell that she was a daddy’s girl.

“Do you want to feed her?” You asked Jackson, handing him a matching pink teaspoon full of congee, which you blew on to cool it down.

He accepted it willingly and waved it in front of your daughter’s eyes, imitating an airplane in flight. “Baby, say ah~” Her mouth fell open obediently, allowing Jackson to feed her a small mouthful of the warm rice porridge, filled with small pieces of chicken and tiny sprinkles of spring onion. “Good girl,” Jackson praised as she swallowed. “Honey, can you pass me the green container? It’s in the bag, on top of the sandwiches.”

Your eyebrows raised in confusion, but nonetheless you followed his instructions and pulled out said container. You peeled off the lid and inspected its mysterious contents, which turned out to be tiny cubes of kimchi. All of a sudden, the pungent, sour smell invaded your senses, causing you to scrunch up your nose in shock. “Kimchi? Why did you bring this here?”

Jackson took the container from your hands and dug the spoon in, scooping up bite-sized pieces. “I thought it’s time that we let our baby princess try some kimchi. Here, baby, you might like this.” He placed the spoon in front of her lips. She looked at the spoon in disgust, sealing her lips shut after getting a whiff of the fermented cabbage. “Open up, princess. It’s really delicious and good for your body.”

“Jackson…” You started, unsure of how your daughter will react. The two of you raised her mainly on Western or Chinese dishes, hence she was not familiar with typical Korean tastes. “Giving her kimchi is like letting someone try truffle for the first time. She’s not used to the strong smell.”

“Come on, sweetie.” Jackson urged, undeterred.

Seeing how determined he was and remembering an article you read before that suggested fermented foods were beneficial for babies due to its high levels of nutrients and probiotics, you racked your brains to help him out. “Perhaps…” You brought the thermos of congee closer to the pair. “Try feeding her the kimchi with some congee, and make sure you get pork floss in there as well.” You knew how obsessed your little girl was with pork floss or rousong, a dried meat snack that tasted like savoury, fluffy candy floss.

Jackson heeded to your words, concealing the small bits of kimchi well with the rice porridge and pork floss in one baby-sized mouthful. Your daughter willingly opened her mouth and swallowed the food, much to Jackson’s joy. “That’s my clever girl, I’m super proud of you.” He turned to you with the most elated expression on his face. “Should we try feeding her durian next time? I can get my mum to bring over a few Musang Kings next year during the durian season. It’s soft and mushy so she’ll have no problem chewing it.”

You laughed at your husband’s enthusiasm. Ever since your daughter switched to solid foods, he had been trying to introduce different textures and flavours to her and improve her palette. However, he sometimes got a little bit carried away. “Not so fast, Jacks. She’s only two years old; most adults can’t even stand being in the same room with a durian.”

“We’ll just start her off on durian ice cream first, I’m sure she can do it. Just look how happy she is eating her porridge with kimchi! Our baby is going to have such a healthy gut, aren’t you, sweetie? Here comes the airplane, say ah for me so it can land in your mouth!” His eyes practically sparkled as he stroked her chubby cheeks, proud at her for making such an achievement.

꒰ ✉ ꒱ 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗮𝗲 … ᵖᵃʳᵏ ᵍᵃᵉᵎ ଯ( ॢᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ॢഒ

✎ 𝘸𝘫𝘴 ෆ 𝘱𝘫𝘺 ࿐ 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚

٩(๛ ˘ ³˘)۶ 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 ⋮ 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙜 ᵕ̈ 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙠 ༄

( note : please dont use this anymore, screenreaders cant read fonts. thank you :) )

➳ pairing: jackson x reader

➳ genre/warnings: a fluffy lil piece with daddy!jackson in a baymax costume

➳ word count: 755 words

➳ summary: 32. “It looks good on you!”

➳ author's note: this prompt is pretty common, so i wanted to try smth different! i hope it’s alright even tho it’s a little short~ i’m sorry!!! :c have a lovely day everyone!!!!!  ❤ ❤ ❤

//

“What?” You questioned your whining husband in a cheerful, sing-song voice. “Jackson, you look fine, I promise!”

He tilted his mask-covered head sideways (quite adorably, you might add) and poked at his inflated stomach with curiosity. “It's just, I never expected the costume to make me look this big…” Jackson's voice filtered out of the two mesh holes which were Baymax's eyes, sounding slightly muffled. The man waved his puffy arms around with mild difficulty to get his point across. “I mean, look at me, honey! Was Baymax this huge in the movie?”

“He was probably bigger,” You answered, walking over to your Baymax of a husband, all soft and cuddly and white. The inflatable hero was your son's favourite, and Jackson took it upon himself to dress up as the adorable, plus-sized robot for his birthday party. Unfortunately, it seemed like he was having second thoughts. “It looks good on you, sweetie. He’ll love it.”

“Baby?” Your husband’s voice sounded through the quiet house as he toed off his shoes, placing them neatly on the shoe rack with one hand while holding the precious cardboard box with his other. “Daddy’s home!”

“Go say hi to daddy, sweetie.”

He could hear faint rustling from the living room, then the soft pitter-patter of tiny feet that made its way towards him. Jackson melted at the sight of his six-year old daughter, dressed in her fluffiest pyjamas, dragging her soft teddy bear along with her. He noticed her puffy eyes and beckoned her to come closer. “Hey baby,” he cooed. “Come here, Daddy wants to give you a big hug.”

She sprinted towards Jackson’s open arms and he cradled her in a warm, comforting embrace. Tucking a lose strand of hair behind her ears, he pressed a reassuring kiss on her forehead. “Mummy told me earlier, I’m sorry for your loss.”

Your daughter had woken up this morning to find her pet goldfish of five weeks floating lifelessly at the top of the fish tank. It was the first ever pet she had taken care of, and needless to say, she was completely devastated. She fed it diligently every morning and night, even helping to hose down the fish tank every week. After the shocking revelation, you decided that it was best for her to stay at home since it was already Friday and she had already cried her eyes out. The two of you built a blanket fort in the living room, ordered pizza for lunch, and ate an entire pack of gummy bears while watching Disney Princess movies. By the end of the day, you had Disney songs replaying in your head like a broken record, but you were glad to see your daughter slowly return to her usual self. You watched fondly as she greeted her father with a peck on the cheek.

“Mummy told me Mr. Goldfish went up to heaven. I’m sad that he’s gone, but he’s in a better place now, right?” She asked her father innocently.

“Yes, baby, that’s right. He’s gonna be very happy up there, so don’t you worry your pretty little head.” Jackson pinched her cheeks adorably. Just like you, he was beyond relieved that she had significantly calmed down from earlier today. In an attempt to cheer her up, you had called Jackson to update him on the situation and asked him to pick up a little treat for your princess on the way home. “Now, why don’t you go pour yourself a big glass of milk and wait for Mummy and Daddy in the kitchen? We’ll be there in a sec.”

“Okay, daddy!” Your daughter raced towards the kitchen. To her, a glass of milk could only mean that her father had brought home something delicious to eat.

“Hey, you.” You stepped forward, helping him with his bag while he rid himself of his blazer. “How was your day?”

Jackson wound his arm around your waist and pulled you closer, capturing your lips in a gentle kiss instead. “The usual. Not as eventful as yours, though. She seems to be holding up well.”

“Trust me, it wasn’t easy to get her to this level of Zen. It took us around five movies and by the time the ending credits of Frozen played for the third time, I was unconsciously humming Let It Go.” You loosened his tie for him while he gave you an apologetic look. You had taken time off work today due to this incident, rather than Jackson, because of the important client meeting he had to attend.

“I promise I’ll skip work next time. Besides, I’d pick listening to Princess Elsa over old farts in that stuffy boardroom any day.” He tugged you along in the direction of the kitchen, not wanting to keep your daughter waiting for too long.

“Daddy! What did you get?” She bounced up and down on her seat by the kitchen countertop.

“I’m not sure myself. I told the nice lady at the bakery to surprise me with her best treats for my lovely princess.” Jackson set the white cardboard box right in front of her. “Go ahead, see for yourself.”

“Dessert before dinner, Jacks? Are you sure this is a good idea?” You whispered to him as your daughter eagerly uncovered the lid, eliciting an audible gasp from her.

“Shh, this is a special case. Plus, I got you your favourite tiramisu.” Jackson winked at you, his palm on your side rubbing soothing circles over your skin in an attempt to appease you.

“Mummy, look!” Your daughter pointed at the tiramisu excitedly, before inspecting the rest of its contents. “Is that strawberry swiss roll? And a double choc-chip muffin? Oh! There are three heart-shaped macarons, I’ve never tried them before. And what’s that? It looks like a huge croissant. Daddy, you bought so many!”

You smacked Jackson’s forearm lightly, scolding him for his sweet tooth and his penchant for spoiling your daughter. “Just pick one to eat before dinner, sweetie.”

“It’s so hard to choose, I want to eat them all!” She gushed, eyes lighting up in excitement.

“I’d recommend the macarons.” Jackson offered. “We can have one each, then we can all help mummy to set the table for dinner. How does that sound?” He turned to you specifically, flashing him a charming smile he knew you couldn’t resist.

“Yes, they’re so cute! Thank you, Daddy!” She picked one up and turned towards Jackson, placing the red pastry in front of his lips. “Here, try it.”

You rested your head on your palm while peering out of the large windows of the convenience store, watching the rare car pass by. Your ears perked up at the familiar ding of your alarm, signalling the end of the four-minute wait. Taking a generous gulp from your green grape soju, you peeled the lid of the instant noodle cup open with anticipation. You gave the rabokki, your favourite combo of Samyang spicy chicken ramen and tteokbokki, a quick mix with your wooden chopsticks, basking in the hot puff of fragrance that invaded your senses. You sighed as you took the first bite, satisfied with your purchase.

Normally, you wouldn’t buy two bottles of soju, cup noodles and instant tteokbokki at nearly half past midnight. Your go-to midnight snack was usually honey butter chips and banana flavoured milk. However, desperate times called for desperate measures.

You winced internally at the thought of your group assignment results that were released a few hours earlier. You had slaved away for many nights and tried your best to get your team on the right track to deliver a professional, cohesive presentation about digital marketing strategies. Yet, your tutor clearly had no appreciation for your efforts and gave you a meagre grade, just above the passing mark. You took another swig from the green bottle, cursing the tutor and your useless teammates.

Just as you were about to set the bottle down, you felt a large hand prying it away from your fingertips and replacing it with the familiar, green-lidded, transparent bottle of banana milk. You looked to the owner of said hand in slight annoyance, only to be met with a disapproving scowl.

“Jackson, give it back.” You stared at your brother’s best friend with the same, fiery intensity. No one was going to stop you from drinking your sorrows away, not even the guy you harboured a tiny crush on ever since primary school.

“No way, Jaebeom will kill me if he finds out his baby sister was drinking the night away in my convenience store.” He crossed his arms, stubborn.

You cringed at the reminder that he had always and will only ever see you as Jaebeom’s little sister. “For your information, I’m no longer a baby. I’m a grown-ass woman who is legally allowed to drink. And stop acting like you own the place, you’re just a part-timer.”

Jackson ignored your sassy comment. “Y/N, you just turned twenty like two months ago. At this rate you’ll be so drunk that you won’t even be able to walk in a straight line. Why are you here at this hour anyway?”

You took a giant slurp of your noodles, hoping that he would stop questioning you and leave you to sulk in peace. You didn’t need a midnight heart-to-heart with him right now. You wanted to be alone. “Go away, Jackson. It’s none of your business.”

“Yes, it is, missy. Jaebeom said-”

“It’s always Jaebeom this, Jaebeom that with you. When will you ever stop talking about my big brother? He’s literally halfway across the country and yet I keep hearing his name on a daily basis.” It was true, of course. You specifically chose your current university because it was the furthest university away from your brother that offered your course of choice. Not because the two of you had a bad relationship, but mostly due to the fact that he acted like your third parent, constantly checking up on you and breathing down your neck. Unfortunately, your brother made his best friend, who also moved to the same city years ago, swear to protect you at all costs.

Jackson could sense that you were more hostile and tense than usual. Clearly you were going through a rough patch, so he decided to take a softer approach. “Okay, I’m sorry, Y/N. I just want to make sure you’re alright.”

“I’m not.” You admitted between noisy sips of banana milk. “I’m not alright.”

“You wanna talk about it?” He asked gently, taking the seat beside yours and resting his head on his palm to get a good look at you. You, dressed in your grey pullover and matching sweatpants, mid-length hair kept away from your face in a low ponytail and your wire-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of your nose. Jackson knew you were a grown woman, but he just couldn’t shake away the inexplicable urge to protect your innocent self from the evils of the world.

“Not really. Uni stuff, nothing much.”

“Been there, done that. Let me guess, shitty group assignments? Or incapable lecturers who can’t teach?”

You nodded your head to both, still somewhat reluctant to pour your feelings out to him. You were just too tired and too emotional, and burying your worries seemed like the easiest way out right now. Thankfully, Jackson didn’t question you further and allowed you to finish your midnight supper in peaceful silence. You did, however, narrow your eyes at him when he downed the remainder of the soju.

“You done? I’ll walk you home.”

“You don’t have to, Jacks.”

“I want to and I will, that’s final.”

You rolled your eyes at his insistence, opening your mouth again to argue that you were perfectly capable of walking yourself back home, thank you very much, when he suddenly leaned in closer to you, his face mere inches away from yours. You held your breath and stayed completely still as he swiped his thumb across the edge of your mouth to get rid of a stain. “Such a messy eater,” he commented, shaking his head.

You stared at him dumbly. “I…” Your mind was working on overdrive as it replayed the past few moments – his warm touch, his lopsided grin. “Only if… I get another one of these.” You pointed towards the empty bottle of banana milk.

“Sure. Give me a sec, I’ll tap out to finish my shift.” You watched his retreating back for a while before snapping out of it. Focus, you thought as you cleaned up, he doesn’t see you like that. Once you were done, you waited for Jackson while mindlessly scrolling through your social feeds.

“Here.” He thrusted a plastic bag filled with several bottles of banana milk, strawberry milk, vanilla milk, candy bar flavoured milk and a multipack of almond flavoured Pepero. “I know the banana flavour is your favourite, but the candy bar is the latest release. You can be one of the first ones to try it!”

Jackson was oddly enthusiastic about convenience store snacks, just like you. “Goodness, thank you, Jacks! I’ve been wanting to try this since it came out. How much is this? Let me pay you back.”

“It’s nothing, Y/N. Staff privileges. I work here, remember? Consider it my apology to you for overstepping my boundaries earlier.” He trailed off, looking at you with his puppy eyes. “Listen, I know you’ve always seen me as your big brother’s best friend, but I can be your friend too, you know? This time of your life isn’t easy, and being alone in a big city, away from family, it can get tough sometimes. I’ve been through it as well. I just want you to know that I’m here for you if you need me, as your friend.”

It was the first time Jackson had spoken to you in such a manner, and you were touched. “Thank you, Jackson, really.” You flashed him your bright eye-smile, which was a carbon copy of Jaebeom’s. “Now that we’ve established that we’re friends, let’s share a box of Pepero with a bottle of milk on the way home. Which one’s your favourite?” You asked him with interest, walking out of the convenience store feeling ten times lighter than you did earlier that night.

“Nothing beats the OG, banana flavour is the best!”

The ocean waves pulled back then washed over the white sand of the shores, over and over. In a distance, a flock of seagulls chattered amongst themselves before taking flight. Towards the corner of your eyes, you could make out the sun sinking towards the horizon, its light dimming to a low intensity glow of deep oranges, burning pinks and faint purples as it blended seamlessly with the clear blue of the summer sky. You basked in the ethereal atmosphere that was sunset, turning the page of your novel with one hand while popping a strawberry into your mouth with the other.

You sighed, utterly content, as the sugary, mildly acidic taste entered your tastebuds. As much as you loved Jackson, your wonderful boyfriend, alone time was something you also enjoyed. Your body and soul relaxed in the peaceful symphonies of the ocean, grateful that he decided to catch a wave or two on his surfboard before night fell.

Sipping on your champagne flute, your eyes wandered towards shallow waters, where you could just make out your boyfriend’s figure standing proudly on his surfboard. While his new apartment was only a mere five-minute drive from the beach, Jackson rarely found time to visit the pristine waters due to his busy schedule. Today was one of those rare days where he managed to get off work early, and he decided to take you on an impromptu date. It was the first time he took a break after getting a promotion at work, and along with the recent move-in, he hadn’t been able to catch a breath. You were grateful, not only because you were spending more than a rushed lunch break with him, but also because you got to witness him in his element – in the water, relaxed; carefree.

You stifled a giggle as you witnessed Jackson fall off the board. Silently, you wondered how he could look so graceful even when he was messing up. A part of your mind said a matter-of-factly, it’s because you love him, you love him and even if you can see his flaws and imperfections, you accept and appreciate him for who he truly is. That was the truth. You started dating Jackson after a mutual friend introduced you to each other at after-work drinks, and instantly hit it off despite having such different personalities. One thing led to another, and you have been joined at the hip ever since, first as best friends, then as lovers. The people around you always wondered how such a calm, quiet girl ended up with the most energetic kid on the block. Your answer was always the same – opposites attract.

Which led you to another thought that has settled in the back of your mind for the past few weeks. A few Saturdays ago, as you and Jackson devoured Chinese takeout amongst countless boxes in his old apartment, he let it slip that he was saving a room at his new place for you as a study area while you completed your professional exams. You went silent for a moment, before clarifying with a “You want me to move in with you?”, to which he responded with an “Of course”, quickly followed by a “You don’t have to answer me now, but the offer still stands”. With the upcoming project deadlines and the impending exams looming over your head, you had momentarily forgot all about taking the next step of your relationship. But now, most of your deadlines were over and after helping Jackson fix the bedframe (he had been sleeping on a mattress on the floor), it reminded you that you too could be sleeping on that bed, waking up to his loud snoring and spectacular seaview every morning.

You watched your boyfriend of nine months walk towards you, surfboard in tow, with the watercolour painting of a sky as the backdrop. It was a picture-perfect moment, like something out of a lifestyle magazine, until he tripped on the way up to where you were seated on the picnic blanket. This triggered fits of uncontrollable laughter from the two of you. Yes, you thought. This is the man I want to spend forever with.

“I tripped on a seashell!” Jackson yelled, offering an explanation, which was really just an excuse. He was too eager to be reunited with you.

Yes, you thought as he took the last few steps towards you. You admired him in all his half-naked glory, tanned skin on display, a towel hanging around his shoulders, his hair dripping with seawater and a goofy smile plastered on his face.

Jackson waved cutely as he towered over you, a hand eagerly reaching towards yours as he bent down to your level and handed you a tiny seashell. Your heart nearly combusted at his childlike excitement.

“Yes,” you muttered the words suddenly, placing the pretty seashell on top of your novel and devoting all your attention to your boyfriend.

“Yes what?” Jackson asked, confused. He quickly did a double take, however, when he saw that most of the strawberries gone. “You ate all the strawberries!”

“I saved a piece for you, here, say ‘Ah’.” You fed him the biggest strawberry of the lot and he hummed in appreciation, taking a seat beside you. “Yes, I’ll move in with you.”

“Really?” Jackson’s words were muffled by his chewing. His eyes sparkled as he looked at you as if you were his entire world.

‘Jackson Soft - ‘Compilations’‘

[C16 / C64 / MSX / SPEC / TI-99 / VIC-20] [ITALY] [MAGAZINE, SPREAD] [1985]

Jackson Soft Gold C64, May 1985 (#04)