Jackson watched Areum as she laughed along to a story Mark and BamBam was telling her. However he could see the vacant look in her eyes.

Something was distracting her.

He surveyed the group who were splayed around the living room, talking until his eyes landed on Yang. He narrowed his eyes at the boy and waited until he made eye contact before nodding in the direction of the kitchen.

Yang made a face and cowered near Yoomi. Jackson's eye twitched and he lifted his fist threateningly until Yang rolled his eyes with a sigh and stood up, following Jackson into the kitchen. Yoomi and Areum watched the two boys with their eye brows raised, but Jackson just winked at her and disappeared through the door.

"Alright. Spill." Jackson ordered.

Yang feigned confusion, "Spill what?"

"I want to know what happened at school. Why is she upset?"

"Ask Yoomi." Yang deflected defensively.

Jackson was not deterred. "I choose you, because you're weaker."

Yang stood, conflicted, for a long time, before giving in, "Someone posted pictures of you two kissing all over the school and then some freshmen cornered her in the bathroom."

"By cornered, you mean what?" Jackson's teeth clenched, his eyes sharpening.

Yang gulped at Jackson's murderous glare. He wasn't even the culprit, but he still felt nervous.

"They…um…they hit her."

Silence.

"What did you just say?" Jackson's voice was so deep that it almost sounded like a growl.

"It was once, I think, but I wasn't there to see it."

Jackson closed his eyes to quell his building anger, "So you're telling me, they slapped her? That's why her cheek looks different?"

Yang nodded cautiously and watched as Jackson's body tensed and his jaw clenched. He stormed towards the back door when Yang grabbed his arm.

"There's no point in going to those girls. We don’t even know where they live."

Jackson scoffed, "So you want me to not do anything?"

Yang shrugged and put his hands in his pockets, "No, but it's not like you can take things into your own hands."

Jackson wanted to laugh. He could get as involved as he wanted to. He could rip those girls' head off for laying a finger on her.

"Then at least let me blow off some ing steam." Jackson liked Yang and all, but he wasn't fond of this human boy not only telling what to do, but was telling him how to handle this issue with his mate.

"And just leave her in there?" Mark asked as he strode in.

 Yang took the distraction to slip out of the room when he felt the tension rose.

"Mark, ju--"

"You need to start adapting to the fact that you can't just think about yourself and what you want to do. Think about what she wants."

Jackson felt his brow twitch, "I always think about what she wants."

"Then why are you still thinking about running outside when she's sitting out there, staring at the door wondering why you haven't come back to her."

Jackson froze and his face softened, "She is?"

Mark leaned against the counter, "She stopped listening to all our stories a while ago."

Jackson stared at the door. He stared at the entrance leading to the place where he found his heart always wanting to be.

Next to her.

He glanced at Mark briefly before walking straight past him and into the living room. Mark made a face at his friend's back and shook his head.

"Sure, ignore me for  your mate."

Areum's head snapped up and let out a breath when Jackson walked towards her and took a seat next to her. As much fun as she was having with everyone, she felt on edge when Jackson left. Of all days, she needed him next to her the most that evening.

She suddenly felt comforted when she felt his breath on the back of her neck. She brought her knees up to her chest and leaned against Jackson.

When he felt her head against his chest, he let out a purr. It wasn't for him, it was because he knew that it calmed her.

Areum chuckled under her breath, when she felt a comforting buzz, "Thanks. I thought only cats could do that."

Jackson couldn't help but snort as his fingers played with the hem of her shirt. "Well, just know that I'm better."

"You are." Areum whispered quietly. Jackson glanced down at her and smiled gently when she cuddled closer to him.

"I still don't know how you managed to land her." Yugyeom said innocently when he saw the two of them snuggled on the couch.

Mark laughed, "Yeah, he was against dating and girlfriends. He didn't want one ever, he was ready to die single. But then he met Areum and went insane."

"And not in a good way." Jackson added, blocking her elbow when she tried to hit him with it.

"Hey!" Everyone chuckled when Areum shot Jackson a dirty look.

"But it's true. You were so mean." Jackson said dramatically.

Areum balked at him, "Are you kidding me? You kept calling me Booster Seat and you said I wasn't pretty enough to be a Queenka!"

Yoomi started chocking on her drink before bursting out laughing. Areum threw her pillow at the girl who just caught it swiftly while continuing to laugh.

"How are you the first one of us to get a mat--girlfriend, when you use lines like that." Jinyoung said, shaking his head.

Jackson snorted, "Well it clearly worked." He pulled her closer to her side.

"So you guys are Jackson's friends?" Yang asked, tilting his head at the rest of the pack.

Jaebum nodded, "We've known each other since we were kids."

Areum watched as the pack actively spoke and joked around with Yang and Yoomi and smiled at the sight of them getting along so well. They said something, she didn't catch, that had Yang and Yoomi rolling with laughter.

It warmed it heart in a strange way.

"What wrong?" Jackson whispered as he tucked his face into her neck, pillowed by her hair.

Areum reached back and ran her fingers through his hair, making him keen in delight, "Nothing. I just like this. I've never had these many friends before. And they all came to cheer me up. It's nice."

Jackson blinked up and stared at the side of her face as her fingers worked through his hair. Her gaze was pointed towards the group.

He felt himself soften at the way she look at them, like she was shy. It must've all been so new to her, to have friends that treated her like family.

He let his lips brush up her neck and kissed the tattoo behind her ear, "My friends are your family."

She turned to him with a smile, his words warming her heart. She eyes traced over his sharp eyes, narrow nose and plump lips. He was handsome, as much as she's rather die than give him that satisfaction, it was true.

She was the luckiest girl.

He blinked at her, his face blank until she leaned forward and kissed him quickly. But just as she pulled away, Jackson pulled her back to him and moulded their lips together, until both of them were breathless.  She clenched his shirt in her fists and hummed when he at her lips.

"Hey, guys? There's like 8 other people in this room. Keep it in your pants until the two of you are alone, okay?" BamBam called out.

Youngjae snorted but the second Areum pulled away she stood up, walked into the kitchen and came back a second later with her hands cupped in front of her.

She strode up to Youngjae and sat down with her legs crossed in front of him as everyone watched. She held her hands out and opened her palm.

Youngjae's eyes fell to her hands and saw the small spider crawling in his direction. He screamed and jumped up, scrambling behind Yugyeom as she laughed.

She tossed the spider out the window and washed her hands before sitting back down.  The rest of the pack was on the ground laughing as Youngjae pouted.

"This isn't funny! What if it flew into my mouth?"

Mark wiped the tears off his face, "It's a spider. It can't fly."

Youngjae looked away with his arms crossed and grumbled under his breath.

"Oh don't be such a baby. Let's call it even, now." Areum said good naturedly.

"Even? I'm the reason you two admitted your feelings to each other."

"You're also the reason they fought." Jinyoung said with a snort.

The night was filled with laughter, teasing and idiotic jokes until everyone started dozing off one by one. Areum fought drowsiness and watched everyone with a warm heart.

Jinyoung and BamBam were curled up together, Jaebum's arm was flung over his eyes as he and Yugyeom took up the couch. Youngjae was on the floor, spooning a pillow while Mark was splayed out beside him, propping his head up with his arm.

And then there was Yang and Yoomi, straight out of a drama, the two of them were curled up, faced towards each other with Yang's arm protectively around his girlfriend.

"Hey." A deep voice mumbled in her ear. She looked up and saw Jackson