Summary: Although a tear may be ever so near, that's the time you must keep on trying; Smile, what's the use of crying? You'll find that life is still worthwhile; If you just smile.
Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally or anything that you may recognize.
A/N: AU. Slight OOC. Reviews are very much appreciated.
Smile
He loved her Smile
Her full red plump lips would break out into a beautiful and inviting grin. Sometimes her cheeks would even go a light shade of pink. Her straight pearly white teeth would be showing, making her look like a 5th grader... And that's what made her so adorable. She smiled at anyone really. Even if it was a stranger she didn't know, she'd look at them right in the eye, and give them a big, cheesy, open-mouthed smile. It would be such an amazing smile, that they'd even smile back. Her smile was so incredibly contagious. He loved it when she Smiled.
He loved her Laugh.
He found it kinda amusing to watch... Her eyes would shut sometimes, and she'd start laughing so hard, it was silent. Or she'd bang a nearby surface whilst pursing her lips and trying to stop the laughter. And in extreme cases, she'd snort, and suddenly stop laughing, thinking she'd just embarrassed herself. But he just found it cute. She laughed at anything and everything - Lame jokes, cliche comedy movies, boring puns. But that didn't matter, because hearing her laugh just made his day. Sometimes it was a loud laugh, sometimes it was just a little chuckle; either way, he loved her Laugh.
He loved her Voice.
When she spoke; when she sang. It was so sweet and soft and melodious. She always said she hated the sound of her voice on tape, how it always cracked un-necessarily when she sang, and how it sounded awkward when she laughed. But he thought her voice sounded undeniably sexy on tape. She would never believe him, of course. Sometimes he'd catch her talking in her sleep; some random conversations about needing to run to Alabama to capture the Gorilla's... he always wondered what she was going on about, but of course, he found it adorable. Her voice was angelic. He loved her Voice.
He loved her Eyes.
They always sparkled when she Smiled. They were a rich color of brown. In the sun, they would glow; in the night, they would shine. Whenever he looked into them, it seemed like they were a thousand different colors. Like the rainbow, with a sparkling brown atmosphere. Sometimes they'd be behind her big black dorky glasses when she was studying; that didn't change his views on how much he loved her Eyes. He really loved her Eyes.
He loved her Lips.
How the corners would be lifted up when she grinned wide. How they'd be twisted into an adorable pout when she wanted something. How they pursed when she was hiding something from him. How hungry they made him when they were covered in red lipstick. He loved the feeling of her lips on his. He loved her lips.
He loved her hair.
He loved how incredibly soft and long it was. He just couldn't help but stroke it and nuzzle up against it when they hugged. She didn't even need to comb it or straighten it or curl it - It was perfect all on its own. It fell perfectly without her even having to try. He loved the smell of it, too. Strawberries & Cinnamon. He'll never forget that smell. Never. He loved her hair.
He loved her Height.
She was short, she was tiny, she was petite; and he loved that. It meant that her body would always fit into his perfectly. He loved it when she tried to wear these killer 10 inch shoes to try and catch up to his height, but it never worked. No matter how hard she tried. He loved her Height.
He loved her Body.
He loved how beautiful and curvy it was. Her legs, her waist, her hips, her face. Everything. She looked pretty in everything she wore... almost nothing looked too tight or too loose or too weird on her. She looked gorgeous in every piece of clothing. He loved her Body... Who wouldn't?
But, most of all; He loved her.
Her Smile; her Laugh; her Eyes; her Lips; her Hair; her Height; her Body. He loved every single feature on her. Nothing could ever change the fact that he adored every single inch of her. She was absolutely Perfect to him. Perfect. Flawless. Amazing.
He was positive that he would ever stop loving her.
But, then, one day, Everything changed. All of a sudden, everything just started falling apart and drifting away...
She stopped smiling.
She stopped laughing.
She stopped speaking.
She stopped being happy.
She stopped caring.
She stopped noticing.
She stopped eating.
She stopped trying.
She almost tried to stop living once or twice.
Nobody knew why. No one really cared except for him. It was like all of the sunshine and happiness had been sucked right out of her; She stopped talking to people, she didn't even try anymore in school, and, Homework was forgotten by her because soon enough, her only priority was putting herself down.
He wished he knew why. So he could fix it. So he could fix her.
It's a nightmare; knowing that the person you love most is hurting inside.
He badly wanted to make her feel happy again; he wanted to make her smile again... He really missed her smile. In all fairness and honesty, she had the most beautiful and true smile of all. His smile was dull in comparison to hers.
He was so incredibly determined in that moment, it hurt. He was determined to make Ally herself again; he was determined to get that gorgeous smile back onto her gorgeous face; he was so determined, it hurt. He was determined to get Ally back. He was so freaking kick-ass determined to get his Ally back.
And he would.
Somehow.
... ... ... ...
He watched as she walked slowly and miserably to her locker, her head facing the cold, hard floor, and a blank, meaningless look plastered on her face. His heart shattered at the sight of her. What could have possibly happened to make her feel so upset? But even though she looked like the most glum person on earth, she still looked unbelievably beautiful to him. He just wanted - needed - to see her smile.
He kept his eyes glued on her as she punched in her locker combination slowly, like a zombie.
When the small-door opened, a red piece of decorated card fell out.
His eyes lit up - she had found it. He continued hiding, to look out for her reaction. He watched as she frowned in confusion, bending down to pick it up.
She silently sighed as she read through it, perplexed, looking down at the gleaming words that were staring up at her.
I know times are tough. I know you're hurting. I know that it's just too hard sometimes. But please, just smile; Let everyone know that you're still here. Smile; Let the whole world know exactly what they're missing. Smile; I love it when you do. Smile. Please just smile.
- Austin. M
He pursed his lips in hope that she'll do as the note says... But she didn't. She just sighed, tucked the card away into her jeans pocket, and walked off as if she didn't even know that message that she had just then read existed.
He bit his lip and shut his eyes, just thinking.
This was gonna be harder than he thought
... ... ... ...
She was buying her lunch.
Except; she didn't actually buy any lunch. All she got was a can of pepsi, and she wasn't planning on drinking much of that either.
She had gotten unbelievably skinny, all of her cloths were baggy on her now; but she still refused to eat anything.
He was sat down with his friends, ready to try to make her smile again. This time, it was bound to work.
He got up from where he was sitting, ignoring his friends' questions and protests. He walked over to her table, where she was sat alone; she hadn't even touched her pepsi - all she was doing was staring into the distance in deep thought.
"Hey," he said softly, as if not to startle her. There was no point, she jumped in fear and started breathing heavily, only calming down a tiny bit when she saw who it was. "Are you OK?" he asked her quietly.
She looked at him blankly, not answering him. He sighed, then decided to quit the small talk, and just getting to the point.
"I have a joke for you." he grinned, remembering how much she loved stupid jokes and silly puns.
She didn't flinch, she just sat there and nodded.
He continued. "I think you'll like it." he took a deep breath. "Why did the baby cross the road?"he said, pausing, and when she shrugged, he continued. "It was stapled to the chicken!"
He sat there, hopeful.
She didn't laugh. She didn't burst into an endless fit of loud giggles like she would have done if she was herself. She didn't smile. She just sat there, breathing in and out, blankly staring at him.
He frowned.
He was right. He was absolutely right.
This was not going to be easy.
... ... ... ...
He's hoping that the saying is true: Third time's a Charm... because this was his third attempt at trying to make her smile, and figuring out why in the world she had been going so long without smiling.
He sighs when he spots her in the hallways, looking down at the ground as always.
Taking a deep breath, he starts to advance towards her.
"Hi." he says, the nerves wracking inside him. "OK. I'm just gonna come out and say it." he gulped and took a deep breath, before continuing. "What's up with you these days?" he tries to make himself sound as soft and sympathetic as possible.
She frowns, not knowing at all what he meant, so he adds more to it.
"You never smile these days. You're hardly ever happy. You're always feeling beaten-down and upset and... Whenever I wanna hang out with you, you're always busy... Why is that?" he sounds as if he's in pain. "Why don't you ever smile?" he does the first thing that pops into his mind. He reaches out and gently grabs her hand, softly squeezing it.
She gulped, and didn't look up at him.
She sighed shakily, and did nothing but shake her head, before she pulled her hands away from him, and continued walking down the school halls.
He winced.
This probably isn't even worth trying.
... ... ... ...
This time, he's sure it will work.
This time, he's sure he'll be able to make her crack a smile.
He's absolutely freaking sure this time.
He suddenly spots her, sitting alone in a lonely corner in the fields at the back of the school. Nobody was surrounding her. She looked as if she were in deep thought. She looked so alone.
He took a deep breath, and started walking towards her slowly, guitar strapped around his shoulder, ready to sing his song.
She doesn't look up until he starts strumming, and all of a sudden, he's the center of attention.
Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky
you'll get by
People start gathering around the two, as he sings to her with a smile on his face, and she watches him intently.
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through
For you
He watches her eyes as they start to sparkle, like they do when she's about to smile, and suddenly, he feels hopeful again.
If you just
Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile
Everyone around them is curious now, but they don't care.
That's the time you keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile
He finishes the song and swallows, pursing his lips.
Everyone suddenly erupts into a fit of applause and whistling and screaming even though that was probably the shortest and most cheesy song known to man.
He keeps his eyes focused on Ally.
He feels his heart flutter when he notices that she's smiling.
She's actually smiling because of him and he just felt like he was about to turn to mush because she was smiling. After all those months of keeping a straight and miserable face, she actually smiles and he's the reason. He's the freaking reason.
He never found out why she had been so miserable before, but at least she was smiling now. That's all that mattered. All that mattered was that she was smiling right now; just like she used to.
Suddenly, she's walking over to him, closer, closer, closer, and then she's hugging him. She's actually giving him a big, tight and long hug. His insides turned to goo, and for a second he's frozen; but then he relaxes into her warm embrace, and hugs her right back.
He felt miraculous; he felt successful; he felt absolutely amazing and he simply could not deny it.
But nothing could compare to the way he felt when she pulled away from the hug, looked him in the eyes, and told him what he'd always wanted to hear...
"I love you, Austin."
He just can't help but beam at her.
"I love you, too, Ally."
And then all of a sudden they're kissing.
... ... ... ...
FIN.