Chapter Text
Jimmy and Lister avoided checking the public reactions to their relationship for as long as they could, but with their jobs, they couldn’t ignore it forever, especially not while on tour. Eventually, they had to take the plunge and see what was being said. Otherwise, the build up they created in their heads would be worse. Especially for Jimmy, who had a knack for always assuming the worst.
One night, while on the tour bus, he decided to check the entertainment news headlines first. He wasn’t sure why he felt more comfortable with those. Sometimes they could be more scathing than the tweets fans sent him, but it could also provide a quick overview of the sentiments of the fandom.
He didn’t expect the phrase “power couple” to be staring back up at him when he loaded the site.
Lister laid his head against Jimmy’s shoulder, staring at the headline in surprise as well. His amusement made Jimmy bite back a laugh as well.
Who’d have thought? Lister mused.
Jimmy understood why the phrase might describe them. Considering the whirlwind of a few years they’d had with The Ark, he felt like they deserved the title, but it was still invigorating to see someone else describing them that way. He’d never looked to others for validation when it came to his and Lister’s relationship, so he continued to be stunned by how touched he felt by any positive response they got.
“What are you two giggling about?”
Jimmy looked up to find Rowan watching them from a nearby sofa. It was strange now to see him without Jenna at his side, but she hadn’t been able to take any more days off. Jimmy angled the phone around, and Rowan leaned forward, squinting to read the article headline himself. He scoffed as he leaned back, shaking his head.
“Jealous?” Lister asked, his voice teasing. “Did anyone call you and Jenna a power couple?”
Rowan laughed, still shaking his head. “Believe me, I’m not jealous. You two can take as much attention as you want. Please, take all of it.”
Jimmy wasn’t sure he’d like that, but it still felt good to be joking about that sort of thing with LIster and Rowan after so many years of keeping their relationships under wraps.
“It’s not as scary as I thought it would be,” Jimmy admitted.
Somewhere out there, there were undoubtedly upset Jowan shippers, but Jimmy had yet to open Tumblr since he and Lister posted their announcement. He wasn’t sure he would ever open it again. He knew Lister had glanced at it a little and had come out of it unscathed, but Jimmy couldn’t even find it in himself to care anymore. The world knew, and it was still turning. He and Lister were as happy as they’d always been, if not more so.
Lister linked their fingers together, and Jimmy cuddled into his side. It wasn’t beyond the same sort of affection they’d always felt comfortable sharing while on the bus, yet it felt more significant now. Everything did. That shine would inevitably wear off, but Jimmy was enjoying it while it lasted.
The bus doors opened, and Cecily hurried up the steps, her phone clutched in her hand. Her eyes lit up when she found the three of them sitting together.
“I just got off the phone with the label,” she said. “We have a virtual meeting with them tomorrow about your next album. They want to establish a general timeline for the release.”
Jimmy took a deep breath. Of course they would be back in the studio recording as soon as the tour was over. Jimmy did love the musical aspects of their job, but sometimes it was all a bit much, especially with everything else that had been happening recently.
Lister squeezed his fingers. “Cecily, do you think they’d agree to a bit of a gap between the tour and heading to the studio, even if it means pushing the album back?”
Rowan raised an eyebrow but didn’t voice any resistance to the idea. Cecily looked shocked, but Jimmy didn’t think she disapproved either. She just hadn’t expected one of them to make the suggestion. After a few seconds, her expression shifted to one of resolve.
“I’ll see what I can do in tomorrow’s meeting,” she promised them with a smile. “Sometimes relaxation is when you get your best ideas.”
She winked at them before disappearing out the door again, and Jimmy bit his lip to contain a giggle. He felt good about their chances of getting a vacation if Cecily had set her mind to making it happen.
Jimmy gave it a few days before he opened the Tumblr app again. It was bittersweet, but he didn’t hesitate as he navigated to his settings and deleted his blog. He thought back to some of the blogs he’d scrolled almost religiously for a short while, especially Angel’s. He was still struck by how drawn he’d been to her blog, but he resisted the urge to check it again and see how she’d reacted to the reveal of Jimmy and Lister’s relationship. If it was negative, he didn’t want to put himself through that.
There had been something surprisingly nice about seeing that side of their fandom. He didn’t regret making the blog when Lister suggested it, but he knew it wasn’t something he could keep up with. The temptation to post had been too much at times, and he could only do that so many times before someone connected the dots. It wasn't worth the risk, and for all the nice parts about seeing some of the things fans said, he was willing to sacrifice that to not see all of the negatives.
He knew Lister hadn’t deleted his own blog, though he wasn’t looking at it that frequently as far as Jimmy could tell. Whatever urge had driven him to Tumblr in the first place seemed to have lessened now, and Jimmy could guess why. He felt settled himself now.
It wasn’t unlike coming out. Coming out as trans, in particular, had been horrifying because it hadn’t been what he’d chosen, but after the initial panic, he’d been surprised at what a relief it was to not be concealing it from other people. He’d hadn’t expected just how much revealing his relationship with Lister would lead to the same overwhelming sense of relief.
No matter what other people thought, he didn’t have to worry about tiptoeing around things or carefully considering his words lest he say the wrong thing. Ultimately, it didn’t matter what the fans were saying, on Tumblr or elsewhere.
Lister slid into the seat beside him just as Jimmy deleted the app from his phone.
“What do you think about going to Argentina?” he asked, slipping his arm around Jimmy’s shoulders.
He’d been on a high brainstorming plans for how to spend their newly acquired vacation. They’d travelled extensively since signing with their record label, yet they’d rarely had a chance to actually be a tourist in any of the places they visited.
“Argentina would be fun,” Jimmy said with a smile, “but it’s winter there now, isn’t it? Do we want to go somewhere cold?”
Lister swore. “I forgot about that. Damn. How cold does Argentina get?”
Jimmy shrugged. They’d been to Argentina before for a tour, but that had been in the Argentinian summer. He knew next to nothing about the climate.
“I’ll look into it,” Lister promised.
Jimmy kissed his cheek. “Sure.”
Even if they wound up spending their long overdue vacation at home doing nothing, he’d never complain.