When Ally was little, she was always so infatuated with the sun and it's warmth. She was eager to go to sleep, because she knew the sun will be out waiting for her, just as bright in the morning.
She was always watching the sky alone as a kid, no one else really appreciated it like she did.
She longed for the company, and to be able to talk animatedly about the sun to them, but no one really understood the sun like she did.
Now at 17 Ally, paces around her bedroom floor internally cursing herself, for thinking more about the sly (yet immensely adorable) grins Austin throws at her, rather than her pact about staying to herself, and being independent.
He came into her life like a wrecking ball, yet he mangaged to do the exact opposite of one. Instead of completely ruining her life, like she believed everyone would do, he helped her grow.
In the short time of knowing Austin, he's proved to be just as loud, and immature, as the image Ally set for normal teenagers.
Which is why she wrote them off. She couldn't make friends in elementary school, so she stuck to her self. It wasn't awful but it did get a bit lonely. Years later in high school she realized that she likes it better without the crowd of friends who don't understand her quirks, or her love for the sun. But maybe she just thought it was better because no one really tried to be her friend.
No one, with the exception of Austin Moon. He was the rain to her parade. But the tug at her heart strings tell her otherwise. (She doesn't know how to turn off the tugging)
She was, as always, at the very far end in the schools garden, during lunch hours. Most kids would sit closer to the front of the garden. They would be closer to eachother, socializing about god knows what.
She took in the scenery as she sat on the grass, with a light breeze in her hair, and the warmth of the sun hugging her like a blanket. Smiling slightly she closed her eyes and layed back to bask off in the light.
But just as she did, the light was gone. The warmth was fading abit, and she knitted her eyebrows in confusion as she opened her eyes to see what blocked the light of her sun.
"You do know that the sun emits dangerous ultra violet rays, that can cause serious skin cancer."
Looking into the eyes of a very blonde, tall kid, Ally sat up doing her best to muster up a glare that she's been practicing.
"You sound like you just read a text book." She deadpanned.
He chuckled, still not moving his big head out of the suns way, much to her frustration. (She thought for sure he'd go away after that one)
"That's because I did. I had to stay and read a text book for science since I didn't do the homework last night." He explained shaking his head with a smile on his face.
Ally was confused, she didn't understand why he was justifying himself, and still not moving from the way he blocked the sun.
"She made me read silently the whole class period, and the only thing I can remember from it, is that, you-" he waited for her expectantly, and she's read books and watched movies, she knows this is the part where you give the sudden stranger your name.
"Ally Dawson." She said hesitantly.
"-you Miss Ally Dawson, are in fact going to soon be harmed by these dangerous u.v rays." He finishes, while looking pleased with himself, she takes it he's never opened a text book before that day.
"Okay, yeah see it doesn't technically work that way. And if all you did was come over here to spread that tidbit of information, which by the way, I know already because unlike you I've read a text book before, thanks for the advice but it wasn't very helpful." She says in annoyance.
She doesn't mean to be rude to the boy, but she doesn't have time for social hours, she'd rather soak in the 'oh so dangerous' sun, before she has to go back in to the building, and then receive less hours with the sun.
To her surprise he doesn't look the least bit fazed by her rudeness, and instead he looks amused.
"Huh, you're something alright." He says throwing a grin.
He walks away after, and the nice, warm, and her (as opposed to the rest of the world) safe sun is back in her view. She looks away from the bright star, and suddenly feels the urge to chase after that boy.
The few exchange in words and glances were different for her and not uncomfortable at all, she finds herself wishing he'd come back and talk more with her.
The next day, he does come back.
She's walking to her spot in the garden, when she sees him. He's sitting, in her spot. Her eyes widen comically, and she finds herself fighting a grin, because though he is totally just sitting normally, he definitely sat there purposely.
So she sits down right beside him, and it's still really foreign to her, so she doesn't say anything. Instead she observes him.
He's sitting with his legs out folded onto one another, and his arms are out behind him, holding his upper body up. His blonde hair is toloused and he's wearing a light smile as his eyes are closed.
He's very cute, and his looks would've been slightly intimidating if it wasn't for that fact that he approached her yesterday.
He lets out a dreamy sigh, it's abit dramatic, and she finds herself tense as she waits for his voice.
"I gotta tell ya, I don't see the excitement about sitting out in this dangerous deadly star." He said with a laugh, as he finally opened his eyes and look at her.
She visibly deflated, and looked extremely offended. "Then why are you sitting here?"
"Because I was waiting for you." He replied without missing a beat.
She could feel the tugging of the strings in her heart, and she's confused by the feeling.
"Why were you waiting for me?" She asked with a quirk of an eyebrow, completely thrown into a world of uncharted areas like flirting, heart eyes and blonde boys waiting for her.
"I wanted to ask you about this big star you're crazy about. Everyone mentioned it once or twice."
She looks at him wide eyed "everyone?"
"More or less."
"What'd they say?" She asks stubbornly, because there's gossip about her, and this is the reason she's cancelled any other human interaction in the first place. But she can't help but feel the anxiety of what others think of her brew, as she sees him get ready to answer.
"Just that you're always by yourself, sun bathing."
"That can't be it"
"Well there was that one comment about you changing your last name to 'Dawson' because it had 'son' in it. Which is pretty fucking hilarious." He said chuckling a bit.
"Unless it true, then sorry." He added quickly after he saw the bored look on her face.
She was personally offend by that out of everything. "It is not true, thank you very much." She said scoffing out a bitter laugh.
He laughed at that. "Okay dawsun, I wanna know what's up with you and getting exposed to cancer."
She frowned, why she was still talking to him, she didn't know.
"I mean the sun isn't even all that great. The moon is totally better." He went on.
She looked at him as if he was crazy, he must have been completely insane. What was he trying to do, somehow lure her to the dark side?
"Here you are rummaging into my very secluded life, sweet talking to me about the moon, while the sun is right there." She said with a hint of amusement, because honestly, talking to him was refreshing. "I also don't even know your name."
He simply smiled at that and they sat in silence for a while.
Ally realized that she wasn't necessarily uncomfortable by him, she was more uncomfortable with the tugs at her heart and the butterflies in her stomach. He really was cute.
The blonde boy faced her again, with another stupid grin. "This whole sitting, and being exposed to u.v rays, sucks."
The days flew by, seeing as she had someone to talk to. She found out his name was Austin Moon, and she laughed at that for sure. The boy named Moon, trying to get her to like the moon. Its a classic.
She thought, honestly that Austin was just going to be a wave in the hallway, and a word or two, acquaintance. She figured since she was already kind of enjoying his presence he'd be around more.
But she didn't expect the warm hugs he gives her in between classes, for everyone to see. It's a bit overwhelming for her, but when she's in his arms at that moment she feels protected, and wrapped up in a blanket.
She didn't expect she was going to be with him everyday after their first day together. But she wasn't necessarily bothered by it either. She wondered what was happening to her, as she no longer desired to search for the sun, but she also wanted the Moon and all its secrets.
So here she is, on a Sunday, August 20th. It's so important she had to remember the date, because it is the night that Alison Dawson actually sneaks out after midnight.
Oh and also the night she found out how irrevocably in love she is with the Austin kid.
She paces her bedroom, nervously because, her dad is two doors down sleeping peacefully, not batting an eyelid, thinking about his pure ally sneaking out. But here she is.
She feels so guilty, two months ago she didn't even think that sneaking out of houses was an actual thing people do. She swore it was just a thing in books and movies. Two months ago Ally wouldn't even feel safe to stay awake this late, without the light of the sun shining.
But then Austin is tapping lightly at her window with a smile that sends the warmest of warmth around her, and she leaves with him with no hesitation.
And Ally finally feels at peace with herself, when she's just simply laying in a field of grass with Austin right beside her.
The scene is painted so picture perfect that she kind of wants to throw up, because even though it's been months since he approached her at school, Ally has never experienced this before.
And Austin's so '!!' and she's so '...' so she doesn't know how it works so well.
But when she turns her head and looks at him, she smiles because the light of the moon is shining on him and he makes her happy.
She realizes there that she's never been around Austin when the sun has set, and the sun is her form of security. But apparently she doesn't really need the sun for moments like this, because he's here with her telling her a story about the constellations, and the Moon feels so safe at this moment that she doesn't even care.
It's 4am when Austin tells Ally about the Solar Eclipse, and how the moon is finally going to score a dance with the sun for a little while.
She feels her cheeks heat up, and she knows that her cheeks are dusted a light pink.
The eclipse isn't something she's ever been happy about, because the moon takes the attention from her precious sun and dims it for a few. But now here, with the boy named Moon, she can't wait to experience the solar eclipse and its totality. Because they're story reminds her a lot of her and said boy.
"Are you alright with the Moon invading the suns personal space?" He then asks, and it's the first time he sounds a bit nervous and sheepish.
She looks at him and she doesn't know if he's trying to talk to her about them personally or the actual moon and sun, but she answers honestly.
"The sun is always so lonely but it's always been like that, so I don't think it bothers her" she falters a bit when she realizes she's placed a gender for the sun. "Or him." She adds hastily with a deeper blush on her face without looking at Austin.
"Now that the moon will make an appearance at an unexpected and unusual time, that might just be the best thing that has ever happened to the sun." Ally continues with a far away look on her face, as she says the words aloud it becomes extremely real to her, that this is in fact her situation and it's just as important as the first solar eclipse; since the last 99 years.
And it feels so good, that she feels a rush of warmth as if the sun was actually shining at the moment. Austin has been the best thing that has ever happened to her.
And then she feels her face fall as she utter the next few word to Austin with a new guard up. "But then the moon will leave again, and who knows when he'll be back? In another century."
Austin watched her as she spoke and he was surprised at the amount of emotions she displayed as she talked and the more she spoke the darker her emotions got. He watched her with only one emotion though, love.
And when he saw little Ally Dawson raise her arm up at the moon and flip it off, his head exploded with so much admiration for this girl.
"Ally!" He said in shock and a choked laugh. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him in a hug. "Oh my god I never thought I'd see the day!" He said laughing while holding her tightly as they lay in the grass.
"Okay, I don't know what that was about. I don't know if you're really over protective about the sun, or if you were talking about something entirely different." He said breathless as he shifted so she was laying her head on top of his chest.
She really was always something, and always full of surprises, and he just loves her so much he can't help but laugh. Really hard, because it's 4 in the morning and Ally Dawson just said 'fuck you' to the poor Moon, and because she's in his arms and he loves her.
She doesn't understand what's going on but she feels the anger she felt for the Moon dissipate, and she doesn't feel the need to hide until the sun comes out again, because Austin is instead holding her. It's something she never knew she needed and she feels so safe and okay, as the rumble of his laughter is apparent, and the thundering of his beating heart is working her to a peaceful kind of calm.
When he calms down, he's tightening his arms around her and his heart beat beneath her ear increases tenfold. "Ally, the Moon has to go back to its routine, I think the earth and the entire solar system will be very grateful for that."
"I'm not sure how the universe really works, or science in general, but I do know that the moon belongs at times like this, and the sun is suppose to shine during its specific hours or else everything will be out of whack." He continues as he runs his hand through her hair that is now tumbling down his arm.
She listens closely as he whispers "but I promise Ally, that I won't leave you. This Moon belongs to you if you want it to."
And that might've been the answer she was waiting for, because she's read text books front and back, and she knows that the sun and moon need there respective space, so she didn't understand her outburst. Up until he said those words, and now she's okay, because she was so scared of him leaving.
How Austin snuck Ally back into her room was a mystery, and how her dad didn't see Austin sleeping with Ally in the morning was also a mystery. She thinks it was luck, but it was actually Lester walking into his daughters room in the morning, and his heart swelling at the sight of Austin enveloped around his daughter. (She's just been lonely for so long for him to feel anger towards the boy.)