Author's Notes: Finally, another unfinished project, finished! It took some serious editing, which was why I put it off for so long. Hopefully you like it. Let me know if you do, please and thank you!
Disclaimer: I don't own A&A, I just adore them.
It was basically the worst day ever.
Ever.
Their appointment with the biggest record label in town was a disaster. When the talent managers weren't listening to Austin Moon sing live, they were arguing on what to order for lunch. When they were listening, they were ripping everything apart – from Ally Dawson's musical compositions to both of their ragged appearances.
Excuse them, but striking out on their own wasn't easy. They were broke, traveling from city to city trying to get a record deal. When they couldn't afford a motel room, they slept in Austin's old pickup with the guitar locked in the truck bed, like they did last night.
Months of homelessness, perpetual hunger, and today's brutal rejection led to the nastiest argument she'd ever had with Austin. When it culminated in her spitting out a particularly vicious lie, she had to leave the confines of the truck. Ignoring the fact that they were stopped at a red light, she grabbed her purse, stepped out of the cabin, and slammed the door. Ally felt horrible the instant she began walking away, but she knew turning back so soon would have only made things worse. Instead, she walked towards the park they passed a few blocks back.
The walk itself was cathartic. By the time she reached a bench on the edge of the park, she was calm enough to send Austin a neutral text message. He was probably more upset now, anxious that they'd split up in the city, but she could take of herself, at least for a little bit, and especially during daylight hours. She told him sorry, don't worry, she was fine. She'd hang out in the park for a bit before meeting him at the bar tonight. Having sent the text, she turned her phone off and dropped it in her bag. Then she let herself sink into the bench and breathe.
Hours later, Ally quietly slipped into the bar for his last few songs. Guilt and regret had plagued her all afternoon, and judging by Austin's show tonight, he fared no better.
Her lips pursed as she made her way through the crowded building. She never looked forward to gigs in bars. They were dingy and kinda dark and, sometimes, filled with… unsavory people. Gingerly sitting down on a stool at the counter, she politely ordered a glass of water from the bartender, who glared mildly at her.
"Um, okay, never mind. I wasn't really thirsty." Sighing, she refocused her attention on Austin.
The slow-tempo acoustic set did nothing to disguise his half-hearted playing. The underwhelming performance either reflected in the crowd's response, or they were an unsympathetic crowd anyway. Ally looked around. It was a toss-up. She turned her dark brown eyes back to the stage where they connected with Austin's hazel eyes, which widened in recognition. Shyly, she mouthed, "Hi." He looked away, but she caught a smile on his face as he jumped into the next verse.
Two songs later, Austin wrapped his set up, thanking the crowd for tonight, with only a hint of insincerity in his voice. A dim smatter of applause rose as he dove downstage to pick up his guitar case, disappear behind the curtain, and out the back door. Ally slipped off the stool and set out after him.
"Pardon me, excuse me, oh! Sorry about that sir… mam?" She tilted her head in confusion at, yes, that was a lady, before deciding to just move on.
The air outside did not feel any fresher, but she waved her hand under her nose as she glanced around anyway, hoping to dispel the smell of alcohol trailing behind her.
The backyard sloped down to a rocky edge of a lake. Under the moonlight, she could just see the outline of Austin settling down on a boulder taller than him. Stepping lightly over the weather beaten rocks, she joined him at the top, using smaller nearby rocks as stairs. Austin's head didn't turn, but she could feel him eyeing her as she sat down to his left.
He said nothing, giving them a few minutes of companionable silence. Which then, she thought, were turning into minutes of awkward silence. Maybe she should comment on the lack of background noise. No, too trivial. Remark on this nightmare of a day? No, too obvious. She should just apologize-
"Ally," he said, watching as her mouth opened for the third time, snapping shut as the shock of his voice. She shrugged and blushed. Then he chuckled, and she giggled, so he laughed, and she laughed and snorted, and all of a sudden they were overcome with hysterics leaning against each other trying to steady their oxygen intake.
"Oh, what a mess," she breathed.
"Yeah."
More silence.
"Hey," he started, "I'm sorry for saying that stuff earlier."
She nodded, her cheek rubbing against his shoulder. "Yeah. I'm sorry for just storming off like that."
"S'cool," was the nod in response, but his stiff jaw suggested otherwise.
She grimaced. "I'll definitely wait until we're at least parked next time." Her nose scrunched up in discomfort, thinking about a 'next time'. "And I'm sorry I missed half your set," she whispered.
He took a deep breath. "You were there. That's what matters." He gave her a fleeting smile. "Anyway, you didn't miss much. That was… not my best show." His eyes narrowed with self-criticism.
"Well, given the day we've had, I think you're off the hook. Plus, it might have been the 'unpolished lyrics that lack emotional depth'," she air quoted sourly.
With a deep frown, he turned to her and grabbed her shoulders, making sure their eyes met.
"Ally, no. Don't listen to those stuck-up, greasy idiots. You write the best songs in the history of ever, and we wouldn't have gotten this far without you."
Tears were threatening to fall, so she turned away and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah, sure, 'far'. So far, we've been rejected by every major label, we can't afford to eat, and we are stuck playing for crowds that don't even listen to us."
They sobered up a bit and looked out over the lake. The clouds were drifting past and the moon was coming out again.
"Do you ever- We've put so much- I mean, I know, I know we're talented," she struggled to get her words right. Lyrics came easier than this. "Just, doesn't it all seem hopeless? When will we get our chance?" She paused, frustrated. The words echoed something her dad told her eons ago. She scoffed, "A bazillion to one chance of making it."
Austin considered her words, remembering what his own parents told him. He shifted his arm and wrapped it around Ally. "We'll make it. And as long as it's you and me, we've got a bazillion to two chance of making it. I'll take those odds." He watched her eyes flicker with emotion, smiling softly.
Slowly, her smile grew, too. She nuzzled his warm chest, forgetting everything else when he pressed a light kiss to her temple. They sat together for a while, just wrapped up in each other.
Eventually, a chilly breeze rustled the leaves of nearby trees and ruffled Ally's skirt, reminding her of their late night surroundings. She sat a little straighter and extended her hand. "Come on, we should get going. Want to write a song about staying strong and living the dream one day?"
Austin smiled wryly. "No."
Ally tilted her head. "No?"
"Nope. I wanna eat. I'm starving, Ally!"
She laughed. "Well, I am too, but I'm afraid we have no money."
Austin's face super-grinned. "Wrong! I got $7 in tips. Wanna split a Big Mac?" He pulled out five dollar bills and a couple coins.
"Seven dollars? You got seven dollars for that set from those people? How?" Wasn't it depressing how impressed she was with that?
"Yup. I opened the night pleading for donations because I just found out my girlfriend was pregnant."
Ally's jaw dropped with shock and indignation. She slapped his arm as he returned his wallet to a back pocket crying, "AUSTIN!"
He chuckled and pushed himself off the boulder, landing on his feet before turning back to her, arms extended. "Just kidding. I'd have probably gotten more if I said that. Nah, I actually said my girlfriend and I were starving musicians and that we missed food," he smirked as she slid down the rock into his arms. She positioned herself to be let down, but he made no move to do so, keeping her bridal style and studying her. Just before she could quirk an eyebrow, he pulled her face to his and kissed her.
Their lips melded together perfectly, her hands reaching behind his neck to keep it that way. All of their emotions from the day fueled the kiss, bringing it deeper before the passion gave way to long and sweet pecks.
"We're going out tomorrow," he announced roughly, but grinning. "Somewhere nice for dinner. And somewhere really cool before that. We're going to take a day off and just have fun."
Flushed, she shook her head in exasperation and giggled, "Austin - that sounds great, but we only have seven dollars."
"Then we'll have to earn more. We can play on the street! I'll bring my guitar, and-" he wiggled his eyebrows, "we can sing together. You know people love it when we duet, we'll have enough money to… see a movie, and get pancakes!" Austin's eyes totally lit up on the last suggestion, and distracted, Ally finally got him to set her down.
"Oh, I don't know," Ally hesitated. Even years later, she wasn't that fond of performing in front of others.
Austin pulled her close by the waist so that they were forehead to forehead. "Please, Ally?" he whispered, his breath mingling with hers, his lips drawing closer… "We'll even splurge for a jar of pickles."
Ally laughed, pushing him away for teasing her like that and ruining the moment. But really, it had been months since she had a sweet dill pickle…
"All right!" she caved, throwing her hands in the air. "All right. Big Mac tonight, pickles tomorrow," she pointed sternly at Austin.
"Yes!" He pumped his fist in the air in triumph. Ally giggled as he then held out his hand and said, "So dinner!"
Ally took his hand and followed. Homeless, hungry, broke… but with Austin, it wasn't so bad. Bazillion to two. She smiled. They just might make it.