Disclaimer: Ross and Laura and R5 and Austin and Ally belong to Disney/Hollywood Records.
A/N: Aaaand as usual this got away from me. Inspired/requested by Loanie and Nada.
She doesn't know how to feel when she sees him because there's been a weird tension between them ever since they went to New York. It's not unfriendly or negative, really, but it's just not the same and she's not really sure why but she guesses it's some combination of the fact that he's been busy on tour and the fact they're not seeing each other every day.
Or maybe it's the fact that she thinks she might like him and it's terrifying because they're friends and they work together and she's pretty sure she's not supposed to do things like fall for her co-star because that would just be really cliché, wouldn't it?
But she's pretty sure her feelings aren't one sided because she's noticed him staring at her and she's heard that he's gone out of his way to mention the idea of them together while he's been on tour. She's not exactly sure what both of those things mean but they make her think that he might be facing a similar struggle.
Either way, it's a little surprising when he hugs her tightly the second he sees her on the morning of their meet and greet.
"Uh, hi, Ross," she says, hesitantly wrapping her arms around him. "How's tour going?"
"It's been awesome. Last night was sold out. It's unbelievable," he says, grinning as they separate, and she can't help but smile back. She's happy for him because he's still one of her best friends and she knows that while he likes acting, this is probably his bigger dream and it's finally happening.
"You've been busy too," he says before she can reply. "Award shows, interviews, photo shoots and recording a pilot?"
She nods. "And school on top of it. But it's nothing as exciting as going on tour."
He raises an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, I heard you're skipping the show tonight because you have a project?" he asks, and she rolls her eyes.
"It's not really skipping if you if you never really asked me to go," she says pointedly, and his face falls.
"I'm sorry I never asked you, Laura," he says. "But I'm asking now."
She takes a deep breath because he's looking at her in this way that she's only ever seen when he thinks she doesn't notice and it makes her heart start beating a little faster.
"I don't think I can," she says, trying to think about how much work she has to get done.
He frowns. "You haven't been to an actual show yet," he argues. "And they're giving me a private jet so I can make it to Atlanta in time, so it's not like it would be hard for you to get there."
"I have a huge project due," she says. "I've been so busy that I haven't had any time and I'm only going to have Sunday to get it done if I fly back tonight."
"Please," he says softly, and his voice is serious to the point that it almost makes her take a step back in surprise.
"But I've seen you perform before," she protests weakly. "And I'll see you guys in LA at the last show."
He frowns. "Laura, I just—I haven't seen you in weeks," he says. "And everyone we know is going to be there for the LA show. It's not…it won't be the same."
She feels her resolve crumbling because he's telling her without actually telling her that he wants her there because it'll be just her and he won't have to focus his attention on anyone else. She's not really sure how that makes her feel quite yet because her mind is still reeling from his quiet please but she knows she's about to give in.
She sighs. "Fine. But you're staying up with me after the show so I can finish it tonight. I doubt I'll be able to fly back until late tomorrow."
"Deal," he says, and the grin that spreads across his face makes her think it's worth it.
The day is long and she's pretty exhausted by the time they're done signing and taking pictures but meeting her fans is one of her favorite parts of the job. She knows he loves it too, despite the awkward you're so hot statements and the will you marry me? requests that he has to fend off all day.
They take pictures with a lot of small children and seeing him holding a toddler makes her feel things that she pushes deep within the recesses of her mind because she's pretty sure she's not supposed to be having thoughts like that at seventeen.
They're side by side all day long and it's like his arm is around her for hours as they take picture after picture but they have a few brief moments where they have a chance to catch up. He tells her hilarious stories about what they've experienced on tour and she teases him about the various undergarments she's heard were thrown at them and watches as his ears turn pink when she comments about the kind of dancing he's been doing on stage.
"I was just feeling the music," he protests, and she laughs.
And she tells him more about what she's been doing and she can't help but grin at him because he's so genuinely happy for her rising success. He tries out new jokes that he's made up for her in between pictures and she starts laughing so hard at one she snorts and she's mortified for a second but then he loses it too, resulting in a picture featuring three incredibly confused little girls.
Any tension that she felt before is completely gone now as the day comes to an end and they wave to the audience as they're escorted away to a car that's waiting to take them to the airport.
They both sigh in relief when they're in the car and she rubs her cheeks because they hurt a little from smiling so much.
"That was fun," he says tiredly. "But I'm glad it's over."
"Yeah, it was." She looks at him and frowns. "Hey, you look exhausted."
He nods and gives her a half smile. "I've kind of been stuck on that mode for the past two months."
It makes her feel bad about what she said about making him stay up with her but he can apparently read her mind because he continues, "But I'm staying up with you tonight. I'll sleep on the plane."
She shakes her head. "I was kidding."
She pauses because she kind of wasn't at the time. "Well, mostly."
He grins. "I know. But you're doing this for me. So I'm doing that for you."
She doesn't say anything for a minute. "It's not just for you," she says quietly and his grin slowly fades.
"It's not?" he asks, just as quietly, and she nods, not really sure what else to say because she doesn't think she's ready to admit to him that she's going not just because he's her friend and he asked her, but because she really, really wants to and because she knows it'll make him happy.
He stares at her for a second and his eyes drop to her lips and she has this insane thought that he might kiss her but then he clears his throat and sits back. "So I kind of have a crazy request. And I'm hoping you'll at least think about it before you say no."
She looks at him suspiciously. "What is it?"
He looks at her like he's debating whether or not to say anything. "Will you sing a song with me tonight?"
She raises an eyebrow. "What?"
He furrows his brow. "Um, will you sing a song with me tonight at the concert?"
"Are you serious?"
He tilts his head and looks at her in confusion. "Uh, yes?"
"But what would we even sing?"
"I don't know, Don't Look Down? You Can Come To Me?"
"You want to sing Don't Look Down.With me. Tonight. At the R5 concert. Why?"
"Because we can? Because you're here? Because I love singing with you?" he says, his eyebrow raised. "I mean, I get it if you don't want to, we haven't rehearsed or even performed them in months—"
"I'll do it," she interrupts, before she fully realizes what she's saying but it's music and it's the thing that brings them together both on and off camera. "But I want to do You Can Come To Me."
He nods in agreement and then grins. "The fans are going to go crazy."
"Or they'll be mad that you're doing another song from the show instead of your own stuff," she says because she knows that's a point of contention.
"Come on, everyone that's a fan of me is a fan of you and of the show," he says, and she raises a skeptical eyebrow at him.
His face falters. "Well, almost everyone. Except the Rossians, or whatever they call themselves."
She scoffs. "Oh, please, like you don't know exactly what they're called," she says because cocky is a word she'd use to describe him if he wasn't so nice and he knows it.
He grins sheepishly and puts his hands up in defense. "Yeah, yeah, give me a break."
She shakes her head but smiles. "We should probably practice," she says, and then pauses. "You really don't want me to pass Spanish, do you?"
He laughs. "Hey, we're going to have to practice on the plane, which means I can't sleep now, so don't say a word."
"And whose fault is that?" she asks, grinning. "And you're the one who always says you can sleep when you're dead."
"I'd still say it. It's just that dead sounds kind of really good right about now," he says and his voice is so weary that all she wants to do is wrap her arms around him and tell him to close his eyes. But she doesn't. Because she doesn't know what that would mean to either of them.
"You should sleep," she says instead. "We can just wing it."
He raises an eyebrow. "Really? You want to wing it?"
She shrugs. "I've already spontaneously changed all my plans for you. Might as well keep going with it."
"You're awesome," he says and she smiles because she knows in Ross-speak (and Austin-speak, which is kind of funny now that she thinks about it), that's pretty much the highest praise she can receive.
He sleeps for the entire flight and the entire car ride to the venue and she feels bad when she leans over to wake him up. He blinks sleepily at her for a second and it makes her stomach do a couple of flips but then he's fully awake and he seems refreshed.
The concert is incredible although he seems to be reigning in his "dancing" and she knows she's not imagining it when he stares at her the entire time they're singing Here Comes Forever because she's standing off stage and his head keeps turning awkwardly to look at her.
She tries to gesture to the audience so he'll stop and he tries but his eyes end up landing on hers every time he sings the chorus and she blushes when he gets to let's go home together/play our roles forever/let's grow old together because it doesn't even seem like he's trying to hide what he's feeling.
Finally it's time for her to go on stage to sing and she's nervous and hopes she doesn't mess up the lyrics as she waits for him to announce her. As he predicted, the crowd goes insane when she walks out. She waves to the audience and then takes a seat next to him and the performance is perfect. He falls into the harmony effortlessly and their voices sound incredible together and it's her turn to try to avoid staring at him.
She thinks they'd get a standing ovation if the crowd wasn't already on their feet and he grabs her hand as they bow and doesn't let go as they walk off stage together. She hugs him as soon as they're out of sight of the audience and he immediately wraps his arms around her waist, squeezing tightly. "That was amazing," he mumbles.
She knows they still have their encore so she steps back after only a few seconds and smiles at him. "It really was," she says and he grins.
"I'll be done soon and then we can go work on your project," he says and then presses his lips to her cheek before he rushes back on stage and she can't do anything but stare after him in shock because he just kissed her.
Her heart is pounding as she dazedly watches their last performance and then he's back and telling her that he'll join her at the hotel in a couple of hours because they still have to sign and take pictures.
When she gets to the hotel she mindlessly starts her project and it turns not to be that huge of an assignment because she actually ends up finishing it before he's back although she has no idea what she even wrote because he kissed her.
When she hears knocking she stands up so fast her head spins a little and she blinks it away before she walks to the door. She takes a deep breath before she opens it and when she does he's standing in front of her changed and freshly showered and smiling and she just stares at him for a second before he steps forward. "Can I come in?" he asks, and he holds up a paper bag. "I brought food."
She nods, his voice breaking her out of her thoughts, and she steps back to let him in. "How was the VIP thing?"
He shrugs. "Fun. Same old stuff. How's your project going?"
She smiles sheepishly. "I actually finished it already."
He snorts. "Of course you did. You still want to hang out?"
"Sure," she says and they sit on the bed cross-legged next to each other.
She's suddenly a lot more hungry than she realized and apparently he is too because they're silent as they eat quickly but then they're done and she doesn't know what to say.
"I didn't mean to freak you out by kissing you," he suddenly says. "After the song."
Her eyes widen. "Um," she says and for once in her life she's at a complete loss for words.
His face falls at her lack of response. "I'm really, really sorry. Look, we can just pretend it never happened, and I'll just leave, okay? I'm sorry I dragged you here and—"
She shakes her head. "No, I'm not freaked out." She pauses. "Well, that's not true because I am. But I guess I'm freaked out…in a good way?"
She takes a deep breath and summons her courage. "And I kind of don't want to pretend it never happened."
"Really?"
"Really," she says, and she finally makes eye contact with him and she wonders why she was so nervous because he's looking at her in a way that makes her pretty certain that he's feeling exactly what she's feeling. That she likes him and he likes her and maybe it could be a little bit more than just like.
He leans forward ever so slightly but it's her that crosses the distance between them. They've kissed before but it's been while they were Austin and Ally and it didn't feel like this because this is him and this is her and it counts, it counts so much, more than she could have ever thought.
His fingers are in her hair and he's kissing her like he can't believe he is and she can tell because she feels exactly the same way.
But she is, she is, and it's new and a little scary but amazing and she's incredibly happy right now.
He's a little breathless when he finally pulls back. "You know, I did promise I'd stay up all night with you," he says, grinning.
She grins back. "You should keep your promises."
Finishing this while simultaneously being bombarded with pictures of Raura being parents was not easy. But I kinda like it.
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