Summary: "Maybe they're just not meant to be." Austin becomes determined to win Ally back when he fears their relationship is on the line when a new guy comes into the picture. One-shot (based off Hunks & Homecoming promo).

A/N: So the promo for Hunks & Homecoming aired and I started getting ideas for what could happen (not what I think will, but like my own interpretation of the whole ordeal, I guess) and normally I would've taken a little longer to work on it but it airs on Wednesday in Canada (where I live) so I somewhat rushed, but I think I managed to do alright. At least, I hope.

Oh, also, I have not seen anything of the episode other than the promo and the promotional clip being aired on Family Channel (it's literally like 10 seconds of what I assume is the very beginning so it's not even really relevant to this story whatsoever), so there's nothing intentionally spoilery in this. If so, it was completely coincidental.

Disclaimer: I don't own Austin & Ally, "Can't Do It Without You" by Ross Lynch, or "No Light, No Light" by Florence + The Machine, where I got this story's title from.

It's been a total of 5 minutes since he got here and he already hates him.

Okay, he doesn't really hate him; Gavin's too nice of a guy to hate. This makes Austin want to hate him even more, but of course that won't happen.

So, no, he doesn't hate him. But he's starting to envy him.

Ally was requested by her label to work with up and coming artists, maybe even write with a few. When she told Austin this, at the time she'd been practically mortified, hating the idea of sharing songwriting with anyone but Austin. He assured her that if her label wanted her to, it was fine. Besides, it's not like she'd be writing with any cute and talented guys with a slight country accent who could potentially steal her away from him, thus ending their partnership and friendship and then inevitably his life (because, let's face it, without Ally, Austin doubts he'd have much will left to live), right?

Oh, wait.

Ally met Gavin last week when Ronnie decided it was time to introduce the two. Austin didn't hear it from Ally personally, but Trish told him that Ally described the meet as "just two musicians chatting about music, nothing more," which, again, according to Trish, meant that obviously there was more to it, and that obviously meant Ally was completely head over heels for the guy.

Austin refused to believe this, not just because of his own feelings, but because it's Ally - she'd never date anyone she was working with.

For the time being, he silently hopes this is true.

He's pulled out of his thoughts when he hears Ally's laugh ringing through the store, and he lifts his head to see Ally shaking with laughter from something Gavin must've said. Figures. He's talented, good-looking, and funny, too? Why is he always forced to compete with such challenging competition?

He pulls out his phone to check the time. Him and Ally were scheduled to work on their music soon. And he's pretty sure Gavin was only here today to talk, not cut into their songwriting time and try to sweep Ally off her feet in the process. He decides it's time to intervene. Unfortunately, he doesn't think Ally's going to be the one to end the conversation any time soon.

He approaches them slowly, and Ally sees him out of the corner of her eye. She turns and gives him a small smile, before turning right back to Gavin, her grin practically reaching her eyes the minute he's in her view again.

"Uh, Ally?" Austin starts. She turns to look at him again.

"Yeah, Austin?" she asks.

"We're supposed to start writing, like, now. Remember?" he says, having a difficult time keeping his voice calm.

"Oh. Right," she mutters. She turns to Gavin and whispers something unintelligible to him before standing up and walking towards Austin. "Austin, can I talk to you for a second?" she asks quietly, pulling him aside. She doesn't meet him gaze.

She's still not looking at him properly when they stop, and he's a little concerned. "What is it?" he asks slowly.

She fumbles with her hands a little, not sure how to begin. "Um, the thing is, Austin," she starts, "I was going to...to start writing with Gavin today."

Suddenly, hating Gavin seems a little easier now. Working with Ally for some time because it was requested is one thing, but cutting into their songwriting time? That's not fair. "But I thought you didn't start that until tomorrow," he says in disbelief.

"I know, but we've already been discussing ideas and we think it'd be good to start while they're still fresh," she explains. "I'm sorry."

He sighs. He should've expected this. Ally's not the type of person to wait until last minute to start something, and given the opportunity to start early is also something she'd do. It's the cutting into their songwriting time that he's having trouble believing.

"Is...is that alright with you?" she asks.

He shrugs. "Yeah, it's alright," he says quietly.

She smiles. "Thank you," she replies, and with that, she walks back to the piano to start working with Gavin, Austin completely forgotten already.

If only he could say this was the only time something like this happened.

It's been a week and he's getting worried.

Ally has been working with Gavin non-stop since that first day, and her and Austin have exchanged few words since then, most of them consisting of yet another cancellation of rehearsal.

His phone rings in his pocket and he knows who it is and what it'll say before he even checks.

From: Ally
Sent: 3:47PM
To: Austin

I have to cancel again today. Gavin and I are still trying to figure out some of the lyrics for the song. Sorry.

He pockets the phone, not even bothering to reply. What's he supposed to say, 'it's fine'? His songwriting partner has drifted on to somebody else in a matter of a week and he's supposed to be fine with that? No. This is definitely not fine and he can't keep pretending other. He's determined to march into Sonic Boom and take back what's rightfully his (in a sense, of course, he knows Ally's not an object with a rightful owner, but he needs to make sure Gavin knows who Ally's official songwriting partner is. He's just hoping he doesn't have to remind Ally of this as well).

He heads over to Sonic Boom, prepared to tell Ally this. Walking inside he finds it's not busy, and so right away he spots Ally and Gavin over by the piano - hugging? Is that what they're doing? Yes, they're definitely hugging. Last Austin checked, hugging wasn't something you normally did with someone you were just 'working' with.

He takes a step closer to them - and stops himself. Ally's pulled away from Gavin and she's smiling up at him as he talks, and suddenly he can't get her smile out of his head. He also certainly doesn't want to be the one to make it fade. All he's ever wanted for Ally was for her to be happy, and that's what she is, even if it is cutting into their music. But aren't you supposed to make sacrifices for someone you care about?

Before she can notice he's there, he walks out and heads towards Shredder's. Maybe Dez and Trish can help him out.

"I just don't get it," Trish says.

"I know! Neither do I," Austin agrees. He's currently at Shredder's with Trish and Dez, and he just finished explaining his problem.

"What?" Trish asks. She shakes her head. "No, not about Ally. About you. Why are you freaking out so much?"

"I told you! She's spending all her time with Gavin and none with me. We need to work on some songs, but she's even been cancelling our writing time to work with him instead," he explains. Why was that such a difficult concept to understand?

Trish shoots Austin a questioning look, not sure she actually believes this story. "Are you sure this is just about work?"

"Yes. And if you help me split Ally and Gavin up, everything will go back to normal and we can put all of this in the past," he says.

Dez chimes in. "Split Gavin and Ally up? You make it sound like they're a couple."

"Well, they certainly don't try to hide the fact they're fond of each other, that's for sure," Austin replies bitterly.

Trish gasps. I knew it! You are jealous!"

"Jealous?" He thinks about this for a second. "I mean, I guess so, but that's not the point."

She shakes her head. "I don't think you get what I mean by that."

"Then what did you mean?"

"You still like Ally."

Austin is taken aback by this response, and he hopes it doesn't show on his face. He tries to mask his feelings, then laughs lightly and says, "What? You think I still like Ally? We agreed to be friends a long time ago, guys. Why would I still be hung over her?"

Trish shrugs. "It's not my place to answer that. It's also not your place to lie. Just admit it, Austin. You still have feelings for Ally, and you're afraid Gavin is ruining your chances of having an actual relationship with her."

He sighs, leaning back in his chair. "Okay. Fine. I realized I still like Ally. But what difference does that make? We need a plan to split them up either way."

Dez opens his mouth to respond. Sure he's going to pitch in a crazy idea, Trish holds her hand up to stop him. "Hold up. As much as I like to think Ally likes this guy, from the way I've seen them together, they seem pretty professional about the whole thing."

"But weren't you the one that told me -?" Austin starts.

"Whatever," she interrupts. "Like I was trying to say, I'm pretty sure we won't have to intervene. If Ally won't date you while working together, I highly doubt she'd agree to date Gavin while working with him. Just watch; this whole thing will blow over in a week."

Austin feels worried about listening to Trish. The whole ordeal is making him worried. But Trish is Ally's best friend; maybe she really does know what she's saying. Maybe Ally really does only think of Gavin as just another singer, and once they're done working together, he'll be out of her life for good.

Why Austin decided it was alright to agree instead of listening to his intuition, he really doesn't know.

Three days after talking to Trish and Dez, Austin walks into the practice room to grab something from the fridge to find Ally and Gavin deep in conversation. They don't even say anything to Austin when he walks in, so he assumes his presence will continue to go unnoticed if he decides to stay another minute or two.

He's starting to think those extra minutes weren't worth it.

Ally gets up from the piano to go check on the store when Gavin stops her, stepping up and walking to stand in front of her, blocking her path to the door.

"Wait, Ally," he says. "I need to ask you something." The hesitation and slight stutter in his voice makes Austin both curious and nervous. He feels like he's invading on a really private moment. This makes him want to stay even more.

Ally doesn't take any notice of his sudden change in tone and says, "Sure, what is it?"

He takes a second to respond before finally saying, "Will you go on a date with me?"

Ally's eyes widen in shock, and Austin makes his presence known when he drops the water bottle he was holding (thankfully closed). He quickly picks it up and stands to find the pair looking back at him.

"Austin, how long have you been here?" Ally asks.

He takes a second to respond. "Um, a couple minutes, maybe?" he says hesitatingly. By the look he receives from both Ally and Gavin, he knows he was right when he thought this moment was supposed to happen without an audience.

"So, you just heard that?" she asks, quietly, almost as if she couldn't bear to get the words out.

He thinks of what the best answer to give would be, and decides on the truth. "Yeah."

"Oh." She turns back around to Gavin, who's no longer looking at Austin but at the girl in front of him. "Um, to answer your question, Gavin...is it alright if I think about it for a bit? I haven't exactly been on a date in some time, so..."

"No worries," he replies casually, a smile on his face as if she'd said yes. "Just get back to me when you can."

She nods. "Okay."

"Awesome," he replies. "Listen, I'm gonna head out for a bit, but I'll see you later."

She smiles. "Later."

Once Gavin is gone, Ally turns around to Austin, who still hasn't moved from his spot since dropping the bottle. He can tell from her expression that the next thing she's about to say isn't going to be good from him.

"What was that?" she asks, anger in her tone.

He just shrugs. "Gavin just asked you out," he says. "Or did you forget already?" He doesn't even bother trying to hide his sardonic feelings.

She's taken aback by his harsh tone, not something she's used to hearing, especially towards her. "What are talking about? Of course I remember." She pauses. "I was talking about you, Austin. Why did you even come in here?"

He holds up the water bottle. "I was thirsty," he says. "Besides, last time I checked, this was our practice room, not your's and Gavin's. Or did you forget that, too?" he says.

She's starting to think his hostility isn't something she should just ignore, as he doesn't seem to be dropping the attitude anytime soon. "What? Austin, of course I know this is our practice room -"

"Really. Then how come we haven't done any writing since he got here?" he says, pointing in the direction Gavin went as he says 'he' for emphasis.

Instead of answering his question she decides to ask one of her own, crossing her arms in the process. "Austin, what are you trying to say?"

He takes a minute to respond. "You've been spending an awful lot of time with him. With... Gavin," he says.

"So? We're just working together."

"Yeah? Well, what about us working together? You seem to be having trouble remembering who your songwriting partner is."

"I thought you were okay with all of this!" she shouts.

"Well, I'm not!" he shouts back. "We've barely talked in the past couple weeks and written a total of nothing, Ally! I know that I shouldn't depend on you to be there for me 24/7, but this is getting out of hand." He can tell by the shocked expression on her face that she was not expecting such an outburst from him at all, but he continues anyway. He needs to know where her feelings lie. "So what's it gonna be? Austin and Ally? Or Gavin and Ally?"

She manages to find her voice and says, "You're not seriously asking me to choose between you and Gavin. Are you?"

He shrugs. "Guess I am." And with that, he walks past her and out of the room.

He's pretty sure he just set himself up for major disappointment, and is prepared to lose Ally forever, so he doesn't even bother getting out of bed the next day until he receives a text.

From: Ally
Sent: 12:36PM
To: Austin

Hey, can we talk about yesterday? It's just me at the store right now and I just really want to talk about what happened.

So for the first time since they met, she's not with Gavin. Austin actually breathes out a sigh of relief, he's that surprised. And she wants to talk, too! He was sure she was just going to run to Gavin after what he said to her. He's glad she finally wants to talk to him for once, but with what she wants to talk about, he's not going to let his hope get the better of him. As optimistic as he'd like to be about the whole thing, he highly doubts she kicked Gavin out of her life and wants to tell Austin she's sorry about everything and wants him back.

So he gets up. He needs to make things right between them, no matter what. He only hopes everything will be okay in the end.

Heading to the store, he tries not to think too much about everything. Ally wants to talk, this is a good thing. It's not like she wants to tell him she's picking Gavin and is kicking Austin out of her life. Is she?

He shakes his head. He's getting way ahead of himself. It's Ally; everything will be fine.

He spots Trish once he steps inside Sonic Boom. She must've arrived not too long ago, since Ally told him she was supposedly alone. But better he finds Trish here than Gavin.

"Where's Ally?" he asks Trish, who turns around, having heard him before seeing him.

"Practice room," Trish starts, "but I don't think you wanna -"

He doesn't stay to hear the rest of her words as he rushes up the stairs to their practice room. Opening the door, he expects to see what he had become accustomed to seeing for the past few years when he came up here - Ally sitting at the piano, either playing the melody of a new song or jotting something down in her songbook. Instead, he's faced with the one thing he'd been hoping to avoid yet again.

Both Gavin and Ally look towards Austin as he stands in the middle of the doorway, Gavin in surprise and Ally in shock, as if she forgot she wanted to talk to him.

He takes a step back. "Never mind, then. Can see you're busy."

Gavin stands from the piano bench. "Actually, I was just heading out," he says, and walks towards the doorway Austin is currently occupying. He moves awkwardly around Austin, closing the door behind him. Austin doesn't look up when he hears the door closed shut, knowing he's alone in the room with Ally for the first time in almost two weeks. It's not uncomfortable, but there's tension, and he hates knowing he helped put it there. He didn't give himself much time to think through the conversation they're about to have before coming, but the one thing that kept occurring to him was that maybe he should just give her a chance. He was the one who suggested they attempt to move on and here she is, trying, and he won't allow it. And maybe...

Maybe they're just not meant to be.

Of course, this thought drives him insane and he hates thinking that he may never get the chance to try again with Ally, and this makes him not want to look at her even more. He knows he can't not look at her - it's rude to avoid looking at someone you're talking to, even if you are slightly frustrated with them.

"Austin?" Ally says quietly, snapping him out of his reverie. He finally looks up to see her also standing, but father from him than he's used to. "Can we talk now? Please?"

He sighs. "Why was he here, Ally? I thought you wanted to talk to me, not him."

"He came here on his own," she replies calmly. "He just wanted to see how I was. So..." She shrugs lightly. "I talked to him. I needed someone to talk to, and you weren't here yet." She pauses, and a small smile appears on her face, as if the next thing she wants to say is amusing. "Besides, I don't think I can really talk to you about...well, you."

"What do you mean?" he asks.

She shrugs, then crosses her arms after. "I was trying to figure out what to do. About you and him."

"You told him what I said?"

"I didn't tell him you told me to choose between the two of you, no," she answers. "But I did tell him you were feeling a little..."

"Jealous?"

She allows herself a small laugh. "Yeah, that." She sighs. "He understands, you know. He gets why you'd be jealous." She pauses. "But...he also doesn't think that gives you the right to control my decisions. And whether this is about our professional or personal relationship, Austin, you don't tell me what I decide. I make my own decisions."

He hesitates when asking his next question, as he just knows she isn't going to like it, but he can't get some of her word choices out of his head. "Our personal relationship?"

"It doesn't take a genius to guess, Austin. It also doesn't help that you got mad right after he asked me out."

"I - Ally, you have to understand that -"

"That what? That you can't keep promises?" she suddenly snaps. "That you tell me we should try to move on and then the minute the opportunity comes along for me you try to get rid of it? That's not fair."

He sighs. "I know," he says. "I know, and I'm sorry. It's just that...I didn't realize what I was saying at the time I said it. I didn't realize that it would be this...hard to see you with someone else."

"But what about before?" she asks. "I don't want to risk that happening again."

He nods. "I know what you mean. It's like...part of me wants to be with you, but at the same time, I'm afraid to. You know?"

She shakes her head. "No. No, I can't say I do know. Not anymore."

His heart feels heavy in his chest and he's so afraid of what she might say next. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't honestly expect me to have waited for you to decide when we were ready to be together, did you? And now that you have, I...I just don't think we are."

"Wha-what are you trying to say, Ally?"

She shrugs. "I've moved on. I'm sorry."

And there's the sound of his heart shattering into a million pieces as it hits the floor. "But...what about us?" he whispers. He knows this is dangerous territory he's treading on, but he really thought they might have had a second chance. Is she really just going to throw it all away?

"What about us, Austin? Maybe there is no us. Not like that."

"What do you mean by that?"

She shrugs. "Maybe we're just not meant to be," she says, voicing his own thoughts from what seems like ages ago.

"You're still my partner, Austin." she continues. "You're still my friend. You're just not my... boyfriend." She's hesitant on saying the last word, and he wonders if this is hurting her more than she's letting on. And hurting Ally is something Austin would never even think of doing.

Maybe it's time to move on, after all.

"So...you really like him?" he asks.

She nods, smiling. "I really do. And he really likes me, too." She pauses. "Do you like him?"

"Well, I don't know if I really like him -"

She laughs, cutting him off. "You know what I mean."

He nods, laughing as well. "Yeah, he's alright. He's a nice guy and...I think you're good for each other."

She's practically beaming now, happy this conversation is finally taking a positive turn. "Really?" she asks.

He nods. "Really," he replies, and suddenly he finds her arms around him in a hug. He smiles and wraps him own arms around her, pulling her close.

"Remember when you said you felt that you couldn't depend on me 24/7?" she asks.

He nods a little. "Not one of the nicest things I've said..."

She giggles. "Maybe not. But you know you can depend on me to be there for you, Austin. Maybe not 24/7, but...I'm still here for you. I always will be."

"Thank you," he says.

She pulls back. "Alright, well, I guess I should go find Gavin and give him an answer. See you later?"

"You won't cancel on me, will you?" he asks, and she knows he's only playing.

"Hey, I can't exactly date someone I'm working with, can I?" she replies. "I'll be here." She walks out, closing the door behind her.

Once she's gone, he lets out a huge breath of air, his smile falling in the process. He knows he should be happy for her, and he is, but he can't help but feel like the idea of him and her together is a missed opportunity they didn't give enough time to figure out. And now that she's moved on, he can't help but wonder how it'll affect them. They've always had a bit of a flirty friendship, and even Dez described their relationship as a 'weird thing'. Maybe not the best choice of words, but it wasn't as if they'd ever really talked about it, not until the party. And even then, it didn't change anything. Until now.

He sits down at the piano, playing the keys at random. He's not really thinking about what he's playing until he hears the familiar tune of Can't Do It Without You, a song he put together from the time she was planning to go to MUNY. He starts playing with a little more passion, singing along quietly at the chorus.

There's no way I could make it without ya
Do it without ya, be here without ya
It's no fun when you're doin' it solo
With you it's like whoa
Yeah and I know
I-I-I-I-I own this dream
Cuz I-I-I-I-I you with me
There's no way I could make it without ya
Do it without ya, be here without ya

"I don't wanna do anything without you, Ally."

So, um, I hope you liked it. Sorry if the characters seem a little OOC. I tried my best to write them as close as possible in this situation, and I feel that Austin may be a little bit different than I'd hoped, but. I hope I did alright.

And to those of you who went ahead and watched the episode already or have Disney On Demand, please don't spoil anything in the reviews, like saying if something in this is wrong or just so happens to be right. Like I said before, I haven't seen it yet, and I'd like to be surprised when I see it.

But yeah. Sorry about all the babbling in the authors note. Thank you for reading, and reviews are appreciated. :)