Jackson was failing at giving Mark space. While he hadn't promised to do so, he felt that he should. That didn't mean he would, however. No, he felt as if it was impossible to stay away from the pretty boy. 

He had a good excuse, for now, as Mark was showing everyone around town. If questioned, he could say that he didn't want to get lost, and anyone could believe him. After all, it was true, even if it wasn't the only reason Jackson kept standing so close to Mark. 

Mark was probably uncomfortable, but he was nice enough to not mention it, and Jackson allowed his mind to wander, wondering what it would be like to grab Mark's hand and walk beside him. What would Mark do, how would he respond? Jackson liked to think he would smile, but he seriously doubted that would be the case. 

Mark seemed happy enough, until a certain lanky teenager bumped into them. He immediately started speaking to Mark, as if they were old friends.

Jackson suddenly remembered what Mark had said about how his american friends weren't very good to him, and his curiosity peaked.

"Mark! Man, you never told me you were coming back home! How's Korea town? Ha ha! Are you bored without us? Hey, I'll tell the others you're home, and we can all come over for a pool party tonight! Sounds great, right? I'll bring the drinks, it'll be great!"

While Mark was not a pushover, he was taught to always be kind, so he struggled to say no outright. Jackson looked closely at him, noticing the hesitation in his eyes, and the way his lips pulled up in uncertainty. He was obviously trying to figure out what to say, and Jackson wanted to help.

Jackson never saw himself as a knight in shining armor, but he would readily admit that he wouldn't mind if Mark saw him as one. Thinking this, he quickly stepped forward, smiling brightly at the guy. 

He started speaking really fast in mandarin, hoping to confuse the boy, before turning to Mark, "Mark, you don't like him, right? Use us as an excuse to tell him no."

"What's this? You brought friends back to America? Korean friends? That's.... awesome! We can teach them all the best phrases, like -"

Mark gave him a tight smile, "sorry, but they're here to help me with review, so I don't think you guys should come around. It might be a little overwhelming for them."

The boy frowned, looking at the others for the first time, "it's not like they can understand me anyways, so why would they care? Like, look at this," the boy turned to Jackson, who was the closest to him. "You look like a total idiot, do you understand what I'm saying? You're in America, speak American. Are you a faggot?" The boy turned back to Mark, sneering. "See, he doesn't know a thing."

Mark sighed, wondering how he could possibly choose the one who actually spoke a fair amount of english. It was no use trying to stop Jackson, so Mark simply waited to see how he'd react.

Jackson's face was pulled up in confusion, as if he was playing dumb. It didn't last long, though. He quickly shifted into English, "wait, call me stupid, but I swear it's called english. But you're right, let me speak american. We're really busy, so don't come around. Excuse us," Jackson grabbed Mark's arm, dragging him down the street. 

He didn't let go until Mark pulled on his arm, and he finally turned to look at him. "Sorry? Did you actually want him to come over?"

Mark shook his head violently, biting his lip and looking away. 

Jackson sighed, moving back to stand with the others, before he could make another mistake.

If only Mark would stop biting his lips, maybe then, Jackson could keep his promise to stay away.