"Mm, where are you doing?" Jackson mumbled, barely awake. He gripped me tighter, pulling me toward him. He was incredibly strong. "Sleep in."

"I was going to get us some water, darling. I'll be right back," I whispered, running my hands through his hair. He let out a soft breath, then pulled away to let me get up. I quickly went downstairs to get us some water. When I came back upstairs, Jackson was sitting up. He made grabby hands at the water bottle. He was always adorable after waking up. 

"Here," I said, handing him the bottle. He chugged half of it, then set it on my desk. I set my water next to his and climbed back into the bed. "Are you awake now and ready to talk, or do you want more sleep first?" I asked. Jackson lay his head on my lap, and my fingers found his hair. He let out a quiet hum. 

"More sleep," He mumbled, quickly falling asleep. We stayed like that for another hour before Jackson woke back up. He pulled me down so that we were both lying down again. He kissed me gently, then kissed my cheek, then lifted my hand up, kissing that too. 

"I'm ready to talk about us now," Jackson responded. "I know I want to stay with you. You make me feel warm," Jackson mumbled. I could tell he was still a little tired. He seemed oddly romantic in the mornings after waking up. Maybe it's because he was waking up next to me. 

"Would you like to be boyfriends?" I asked, gently drawing circles on Jackson's back. Jackson looked up at me. His face was a deep red. "We don't have to put a label on it if you don't want to."

"No! I like boyfriends. I'm okay with us being boyfriends," Jackson responded, intertwining his fingers with mine, then kissing my knuckles. "I like boyfriends."

"Okay. I would also like to tell Lara and my mom that we are together now, if that's alright? We don't have to tell anyone else, but I want them two to know," I continued. 

"I don't care who knows. Tell the whole town, for all I care. I want people to know that I'm yours, and you're mine. I don't want anyone else trying to flirt with you," Jackson responded. It was my turn to blush. I loved that he was willing to claim me as his partner. 

"And also, about what we did that one night. I know it was a lot, and it was intense, so I also understand if you don't want to do that just yet. We can take it slow," I continued. Jackson kissed my knuckles again. 

"I love that you're willing to wait for me, but we don't have to wait. I wouldn't mind doing that again sometime. I feel safe with you. I trust that you wouldn't hurt me. Plus, you were so gentle with me that night," Jackson responded. "Can we make out now?" He asked. I laughed, leaning in.

We kissed for a minute or two before a knock sounded on the door. Jackson buried his face in my chest, but did not pull away. "Uh, come in," I called. Jackson still did not move. He was serious about being okay with people knowing. 

My mom walked in and looked at Jackson cuddled up against me. "I made pancakes. Come on down if y'all are hungry," She responded, not commenting on us cuddling. She probably already knew. She slipped out of the room, gently closing my door. 

"Are you hungry, Sweetheart?" I asked. Jackson looked up and nodded. "Let's go eat then," I continued, standing up. 

"Give me a minute or two," Jackson responded, shyly looking away. His face was a deep red, and he couldn't meet my eyes. 

"Why? Oh, are you- Just from kissing?" I asked. Jackson sheepishly looked down. "Hey, we can take care of that tonight if you want," I winked. 

"Not helping!" Jackson hissed. I laughed, and he rolled his eyes. "But also, I wouldn't be opposed to that," Jackson blushed. 

After a minute, we went down to eat. My mom looked between us as we bit into our pancakes. "So, are you two finally together?" She asked. I nearly choked on my food. 

"Yes," Jackson responded, before I could say anything. "And I promise to treat him well. I, um, I really like him," Jackson continued. My mom smiled. 

"Well, I definitely approve. You're a sweet kid, Jackson," She responded, looking between the two of us. "You're staying here from now on, right? It would be nice to have someone else around," She added. It was a polite way of letting him know he could crash at our place. I wanted him to stay.

"If you'll allow it," He responded. 

"Oh, of course. You have a home here. Also, if you want to bring your things inside, don't hesitate to do so. We also have a spare room for you to keep things as well," She responded. He smiled. 

"You could always keep your things in my room as well," I added, smiling at Jackson. His hair was slightly messy from being asleep, and he was still wearing my clothes. He looked perfect. He hugged me, and I made sure to hug him tight. 

After eating, we ran up to my room to watch movies and play video games. We were having so much and enjoying each other's presence that I barely noticed the sun going down. "Hey, Marco?" Jackson asked. I gave a small hum to acknowledge I was listening. "Um, if we go all the way again tonight, it'll be our first time doing that since becoming official," He whispered.

I sat up, fully facing him. "Yeah, you're right. Was there a specific reason for bringing this up, or did you just think of it?" I asked.

"I want to do it again, but I want it to be special. I want it to be intimate and romantic. I want to do it tonight, but I want to make it a bit of a surprise. I have a few things in mind, but as I said, I want it to be a surprise," Jackson responded. 

"So you need me out of the house for a bit?" I asked. He gave a slight nod. His face was a deep red. "Okay, I can go hang out with Lara and tell her the news, then be back in an hour or two. Is that enough time?" I asked. He nodded. I leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "Also, don't worry about my mom or Carly being home tonight. Something is going on at Carly's school, so we'll be completely alone," I muttered.

"Perfect," Jackson responded, running his finger along my arm. "Oh, and can you dress nicely. Preferably in green. You look good in green," He added. I nodded, excited to see what his plans were. Before I left the house, I grabbed clothes and put them in a bag so Jackson wouldn't see what I planned on changing into. It was so sweet that he was putting so much thought and effort into this.