April reassures Jackson that he's doing a good job with the foundation.
She can tell when he makes his way home from work that evening, that he's not in the best of moods. It's written all over the frown on his face. April wonders if she should ask what's wrong - she knows that things with the foundation have been particularly stressful lately, but he seems to beat her to the punch.
"So that interview I did? It came out today," Jackson explains, glossy magazine in hand before he tosses it onto the coffee table, clearly not thrilled about it.
"Is that...not a good thing?" She questions, eyebrows knitting together in confusion, before making her way over to the other side of the couch from the kitchen area.
"Not if you read it," He deadpans, watching as she picks it up off the table and flips to the page it's on. She takes a few moments to read it over in her head, brows furrowing slightly when she gets to the parts that she can tell he's annoyed about - the hyper-focus on his looks (and the idea that they'd be better put to use elsewhere) and the fact that he has nepotism on his side, as the son of the Fox foundation head, as well as the current issues with Grey Sloan's residency program. When she's finished reading, she looks back up at him, giving him a sympathetic look before placing the magazine back down.
"I'm sorry," April states, unsure of what exactly to say.
"I just...it's not what I thought it was going to be. I didn't think I'd still be fighting to be taken seriously at this point in my career, you know?"
"I know," April nods, "If it makes you feel better, she's not a very good journalist, if you can even call it that."
"I don't want people to just look at me and assume I can't do this job, or that I should be doing something else. It's insulting." He sighs for a moment, running his hand down his face, "but, you know, what if they end up being right? What if I don't do a good job at this? Maybe I got in over my head."
"Hey, for what it's worth, I think you're doing a great job, and I'm not just saying that. I really mean it," She tries, taking one of his hands in hers, "The way you look and your last name? Those are the least interesting things about you. They're so far down on the list of reasons I fell in love with you, that I'm sure people would probably say that I'm lying."
"Yeah?" He knew that she was telling the truth - she'd literally never cared about the fact that he was an Avery. If anything, she'd been far more interested in Catherine's career as a urologist when they'd first met, before she knew that she was his mother, than the foundation or how much money he had. She'd humbled him once they got married, that was for sure - trying to get him to see her frugal way of living. She'd also been one of the few people who didn't seem to care about his appearance or treat him like the 'pretty' one, which had been a nice contrast to some of the other women at Mercy West and Seattle Grace, when the merger happened.
"Yes, and I feel like you know this, so now you're just fishing for compliments," She replies jokingly with a chuckle, "But seriously, I love you because you're you. Because you're a great doctor and always trust your instincts. Because you've always protected me and are probably one of the only people who can get me to calm down, even when I don't want to. Because you're an amazing dad and would do literally anything to make Harriet happy, even if it means letting her put make up all over your face or sit and watch her model her new outfits, without complaining. These people just have magazines to sell - they're more interested in drama and glamour than heart."
Jackson smiles, a warm look in his eyes before he looks down at her hand for a moment, fingers dancing along the soft skin, "So you really don't think this face would be better suited to a career on the big screen?"
She can't help but snort, "Can you imagine? Do you remember when we had to make that promo clip for the hospital and they ousted me as the spokesperson because they thought you were better looking? You kept getting freaked out by the camera and flubbing your lines."
"Ugh, don't remind me." He groans at the memory that felt like a whole lifetime ago, "At least they got something salvageable out of it in the end."
April pauses for a moment, staring at their intertwined hands, before leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. As much as she wanted to stay in their comfortable little bubble forever, she knew that he was probably hungry and that she was, too. "I should get started on dinner. You sure you're okay?"
Jackson nods, allowing his partner the chance to get up and make her way over to the kitchen. "April? I love you too, by the way."
She can't help but smile.