Strangely enough, it was Tilly who figured it out first.
Insanely talented Tilly.
The only way to really hurt one of them was to hurt the other.
Austin / Ally
Her grudge isn't much, and, after 10 years, she was starting to forget about it, but she keeps this secret just in case.
She'd seen Ally that week, sad and upset and angry. It'd made her smile just enough to keep going, but not enough to stop.
But Ally hadn't been so upset when she was the one getting hurt. Embarrassed and humiliated? Yes. Enraged and hurt? Not so much.
She'd been hurting Austin too, then, and she'd enthusiastically changed tactics to focus on Ally, while still threatening Austin.
(She may be labeled crazy but she knows what love looks like)
But then he'd been mad, and not because she could ruin his career. (That was a bluff though, she liked Austin too much to do that.)
And when he'd sung the Butterfly song for her, Tilly kind of exploded.
Ally had a way of getting everything she wanted.
x.
Next was Dallas.
Sweet, cell phone accessory cart worker Dallas.
He'd walked around with a smile on his face for a week after Ally had admitted she liked him to like, a thousand people.
He also flirted with a few girls on the side, but what did that matter? He was going to ask Ally on a date… eventually.
And then Trish's Quinceañera had come up, and he'd been nervous. What if Ally didn't like him anymore? She had been hanging around with that popular blond guy a lot.
So when he politely declined her request to dance, he isn't worried. He can't dance, and he just doesn't want to subject her to the horror that was his clumsy feet. (And also maybe because then she'd be close enough to smell another girl's perfume on him.)
He looks away when he sees her dancing with Austin, and thought that he'd made a mistake and apologized. But then, after the party, Austin had cornered him, saying something along the lines of, 'don't you dare hurt her' and 'my Ally' , but honestly, Dallas was too scared by the fiery look in his eyes to pay attention.
So he stays away. For a while. But then one of his buddies asks him why he hadn't tapped her yet, and since he didn't have an answer, he makes a plan.
It was another week until he approaches her again, fumbling and smiling his megawatt smile, and manages to get a job at her store.
Suddenly, he isn't cell phone accessory cart guy anymore. He likes it.
But then, he gets fired, and cornered by what he had thought was an oblivious Austin.
"I warned you." Was the only thing he said, before punching him swiftly.
Needless to say, Dallas goes home with a black eye that day.
And by next month, Dallas had mysteriously moved out of Miami.
He'd learnt his lesson. If you mess with Ally, you mess with Austin.
x.
Waitress Cassidy's next.
She's swept off her feet by sweet Austin Moon, and she doesn't want to turn him down but Austin&Ally are all Trish talks about, and she has a feeling they aren't just songwriting partners.
And then he becomes a waiter too and writes her a song and she's happy but she's also kind of sad, and not just because his song was kind of awful.
He isn't hers, and she can't pretend he is. And besides, he's a teensy bit young for her and his cockiness turns her off, just a little.
Sure, he's kind of famous, but that doesn't mean anything to her.
But he comes back in again and sings her the catchiest song, but, when he's facing her, it doesn't seem like the lyrics are meant for her. She'd never tell anyone, but it's almost like she wasn't his crush.
So she turns him down, using her band as an excuse, and it's not like it isn't true, it just… isn't that true.
She's in the middle of musing about this when his friend, Ally walks up to her.
"Why did you turn down Austin?" She demands. Ally looks kind of sad, but angry, too. "Don't say he isn't good enough for you, because he is. And I tracked down your band members and they say you aren't going on any tour and, if you are, it definitely wouldn't be tomorrow." And as strange as it is, Cassidy's kind of frightened by this short girl holding a ladle in her hand.
"We are going on tour… next month. I'm surprising the band, and did you really want me dating Austin anyway?" She asked, and Ally looks conflicted.
"Fine. But if you mess with Austin's heart, you mess with me. And I could get you fired in a minute." Ally threatens and Cassidy should have a response but she doesn't, so she turns to walk away.
"Wait!" Ally cries. "Here's your ladle. And, do you have any pickles?"
Cassidy just takes the ladle and walks away.
x.
Mimi Moon's bewildered.
Why would her irresponsible, silly, rebellious son sneak out, just so he could play at Ally Dawson's charity and help her raise money?
Okay, it isn't totally unlikely, but she raised her son right, and under normal circumstances, he'd never risk pancakes for someone else.
She had only one solution, and it was love.
(She can see it, even through Austin's vehement denial and embarrassment whenever he brings it up.)
She still doesn't quite get it, though.
She loved her husband, but she wouldn't do that for him! And Austin definitely wouldn't do it for anyone else.
And she's seen Ally. She's sweet, and a good influence, but nothing too special, and she especially doesn't deserve the kind of praise Austin heaps on her.
She shoves her opinion onto Mike, but he just says 'boys will be boys' and she shakes her head.
Finally, she asks Austin himself, when he's up in his room (still grounded) 'studying'. She can see the phone inside the book and can faintly make out 'Allygator' at the top.
His response is simple. "Ally's problems are my problems."
And when $10,000 are withdrawn from his savings account which she's told him repeatedly not to touch, she can't bring herself to be mad.
x.
Lester sees it firsthand.
He walks into the practice room one day to tell Ally he's going to another convention when he hears her broken sobs.
He's ready to rush and and try to help her, but he sees she's already found another knight in shining armor.
They're huddled with their side to the door and Lester peeks in. (The door's open for once and he's not sure if it's supposed to mean something but it does to him.)
Ally's head is on his chest and she's molded to his side, and for the first time since her mom left, Lester sees the her crack.
Sometimes he forgets it's not all clouds and pickles with her.
Austin's facing the door, but his eyes are closed, whispering to Ally, and Lester knows he should look away, but he really wants to stay, so he does.
Nobody's ever accused him of doing something he didn't want to.
And after a few minutes of feeling like a creeper, he sees Austin push her away- gently but that doesn't stop him from almost running into the room and slapping that boy.
But then, he grabs his guitar and starts to sing, and Lester really should get out of there so he does.
That doesn't stop him from hearing Austin start singing 'Without You'.
Later, downstairs, Lester hears them again.
"Is there something wrong with me? Why am I so unlovable?" Ally asks. "And why do you look so sad Austin?"
"When you're sad, I'm sad." Austin said simply. "And nothing's wrong with you. You're perfect."
x.
Dez is happy when he sees Ally slumped on the counter of Sonic Boom.
"Why are you smiling?" She asks him, and that just makes him smile wider.
"Because you're sad." He says like it solves everything and Ally looks like she wants to hit him but that's more Trish's thing so he isn't worried. He rushes to explain. "You're sad, and Austin's sad, so now both of you can make up."
"That doesn't make sense. I'm mad because he's obnoxious enough to get mad at me for doubting our partnership the first day and he doesn't get why I'm mad at him for thinking about getting another songwriter just a little while ago." Ally rants, until she sees Dez smile again.
"I just talked with Austin and he's mad about the same thing. Well, not really, but his parents always crushed his dream of being a singer, and it's just kind of stuck with him that you believed in him since Day 1." Dez said, and he can tell that Ally's surprised he's being so serious so he adds something else. "And I don't think he really liked the soap drama idea, so…"
Ally laughs, and Dez thinks he's never heard something so wonderful. Well, except for sizzling bacon, and how that weather woman talks about the weather, and the sound of a kangaroo fighting… Okay, it's not the best thing he's heard but he thinks it makes the top 100. Maybe.
And then he realizes she's talking again and starts listening. "- I know he can't be mad at me forever, but I feel like he will be. What if we never fix it?"
"Well, you'll never know if you don't try." He says, and he's thinking about making spaghetti tacos but he knows it applies to Ally's situation too.
He never tells anyone, but he's pretty sure the whole fight they have after about professionalism is fake and when Ally runs out the door and Austin follows her, he just knows they're silently laughing, and when they get to wherever they're headed Ally will lean against Austin and Austin will pretend he isn't smelling her hair and they'll order food. Austin will insist on paying and Ally will protest a little bit but she'll give in and neither of them will realize they're on a date.
Maybe they aren't ready yet, he thinks. But they will be soon.
x.
Trish's not surprised, but she is concerned when she see's Ally storming into Sonic Boom. She's kind of happy that Ally gets angry these days, but she only does it when it's something about Austin.
She is surprised when she sees her 'Twinsie' Kira running after her.
"I said I was sorry!" Kira calls out. "But I still don't get why you're so mad."
"You don't get why I'm mad?" Ally shouts, shaking her head. "I'm mad because you just insulted Austin."
"I just said his attitude could use some adjusting. I know you're friends and all, but we talk about how crazy Dez is all the time!" Kira yells.
"It's different with Austin, okay! If you insult him, you're insulting me. We're partners."
"You have nothing to do with his attitude! I mean, aren't you tired of him-" Kira protests.
"Get out." Ally says, quietly at first. When Kira doesn't move, she stomps up to her. "GET OUT!"
Kira spins on her heel and leaves, as does the few remaining customers.
When she's gone, Ally just rests her head on the counter and Trish quietly walks up to her.
"Are you okay?" She asks.
"Yeah." Ally replies, still frowning. "After all, this isn't the first friend I've found out wasn't really a friend because of how they talked about Austin."
Neither of them hear the quiet gasp coming from the practice room.
And maybe it's a good thing, because then it's even more of a surprise when Austin kisses Ally under the mistletoe on Christmas a week later.
So I was sick today and saw part of Bloggers and Butterflies so I got inspired and this happened.
This is mainly canon, but skips a lot of season 2 episodes and pretty much ignores the fact that they got together once.
Also, the end alludes to the Christmas episode coming out soon, even though I'm pretty sure they won't actually kiss in the episode.
Please review, this is my first A&A oneshot and I would love your feedback!