Set just after Parents & Punishments - The Moons may have grounded Austin, but at the end of the day, they both know Ally is what's best for him.
"Hey Austin?"
A gentle knock on his door and his mother's voice shook a dazed Austin Moon from his thoughts. After a beat of silence, Mimi Moon cracked open his door and entered the room to find Austin lying back on his bed, staring at the ceiling and aimlessly tossing a basketball up and down to occupy his restless hands.
"Penny for your thoughts?" She attempted again, trying to make conversation with her teenage son. She's always chastised him for being a little too talkative, a little too energetic, and it's only now that she realizes how much his silence unnerves her. Eventually, she sat down on the side of the bed and caught his basketball, forcing him to make eye contact with her. "Come on, Austin, I'm still your mother. Please talk to me."
He chuckled a little, but it's more lackluster than usual. "I sort of figured you were just here to tell me that I was grounded for the next century, for sneaking out and all. Is there really much else to say?"
"Well… the next century is a bit extreme," she said lightly, "but I more wanted to discuss why you snuck out. I mean, Austin Monica Moon, did you seriously think you could get away with that?"
"Yes?" Austin said, then paused to add, "well, no, not really - I was more concentrated on not letting Ally down than about the punishments. I should have thought it through, I know, but Mom, Ally looked so devastated that I couldn't make it and, well, I, I just-" he spluttered incoherently. "How could I let her down?"
Mimi glanced over at her son and stated bluntly, "You know, like this: Hey Ally, I'd love to make it to your fundraiser but I'm kind of grounded because I got a D on an exam! See you around!" She knew it was harsh, especially as she had a soft spot for Ally, but she was curious as to why Austin couldn't let her down. Maybe a blunt approach would force him to talk?
Austin sat up straighter on the bed to face his mother and retorted, "No, I couldn't! Ally and I specifically talked about that exam, we both knew I'd be grounded if I didn't do well but I ignored her advice and figured it would all work out! I couldn't let her down after letting her down already with the exam." He ran a hand through his hair, trying to let out some of his nervous tension. "I'd hate to let her down, not when she's done so much for me."
At last, she'd finally gotten him to speak. Skeptically, Mimi asked, "Are you sure you're afraid to let her down because she's your songwriter and your friend? Or is it because you like her?"
"Of course I like Ally, she's one of my best friends and a great songwriter," he said dryly. His tone shifted into something more affectionate as he continued, "She's smart, and patient, and really great with melodies, and her hair is really nice, and we both like Fruity Mint Swirl ice cream so we can always share, and she's a terrible dancer but still manages to make it look so cute…"
"So basically you don't just like her, you love her," his mother interjected, cutting off his ramblings about Ally. Mimi watched as her son's face begins to turn red, and she silently marveled at how many different shades of red her son's face could turn. She had no idea he could blush that red, but maybe it was just because she'd never seen him quite so embarrassed and unsure.
"N-no!" He finally said, once his blush has subsided and his mouth has decided to start forming words again. "It's Ally! Ally's… you know, like a puppy or something, with those big brown eyes. It'd be like a crime to disappoint a puppy, just like I couldn't let down Ally. And puppies make great best friends, and give the absolute best hugs, but… I mean, nobody dates their puppy."
Mimi laughed at her son's comparison. "You know, you might not want to compare your best friend to a puppy. I think she'd be slightly offended with being compared to a pet, no matter how adorable puppies are."
"Pshh, Ally loves puppies, I doubt she would mind." Austin replied, finally beginning to relax a bit, now that his mother's questioning had passed. "However, I more just wanted to show that nothing is going on between Ally and I, promise."
Mimi stood up and once she reached the door, she turned around to add, "No, not yet. However, I can't imagine anyone else you'd be willing to risk both pancakes and a century-long grounding for. I want to be furious with you for breaking out, but… frankly, I think she's been a good influence on you. You seem really happy around her." She paused, before adding on with a wink, "Tell me once you two start dating! I want her over for dinner sometime."
Defeatedly, Austin collapsed back onto his bedspread, the blush returning to his cheeks. "Moooooom." He grabbed a pillow with his right arm and dropped it onto his face, both to avoid his mother's knowing look and to hide his bright red cheeks.
With one last smile, Mimi closed Austin's door and wished him a good night. He merely groaned in response. Him and Ally? Impossible!
It doesn't feel so impossible when he finally falls asleep and the images behind his eyelids are all of her. Her unbreakable smile, the curls that spiral down her back in a waterfall of brown and blonde, the electricity that shoots through his fingertips when their hands touch over the piano keys...
He doesn't care to admit that it's the best night of sleep he's had in weeks.
"So? How'd it go?" Mike Moon asked his wife as she returned to their room.
"I'm amending my position on our bet," she stated firmly. "I can't believe I bet it would take six months for Austin and Ally to get together! I'm changing my bet to four months, and upping my wager to $500."
"Mmm, you sound awfully confident for someone who's going to lose. I'm sticking to my eight month prediction, though." Mike replied as he and his wife climbed into bed.
"Mother knows best," Mimi said with a confident smirk, unswayed by her husband's much longer prediction.
"Is it terrible of us to bet on our only son's love life?"
Mimi met his eyes in the darkness. "Hey, we've got to amuse ourselves somehow. And my god, you should hear the way he talks about her and her 'big brown eyes', and how she's 'so cute'... ah, young love." Mike laughed a little as he hugged his wife to him, silently praying that Austin would end up just as happy.
After all, bet or no bet, grounded or not, the Moons simply wanted what was best for their son - Ally.
A/N: ... and it's done! my first austin & ally fanfiction! i binge-watched like two and a half seasons in the past three days to avoid studying for my psat, therefore spawning this drabble. it's just a little one-shot because i was just like thinking about what if the moons had this austin/ally bet going on. then that branched off to them confronting austin about it, because his parents seem really suspiciously absent for most of the episodes, considering that when they're around they always seem pretty involved in his life. basically just a one-shot about the stuff i feel like we don't really see.
i own nothing. sadly. i mean, i own what i wrote, but pretty much everything else belongs to other people.