Disclaimer: Austin Moon is not mine. Ally Dawson is not mine. Austin and Ally is not mine.
A/N: Ridiculous piece of fluff that wouldn't get out of my brain after the spoiler clips from Couples and Careers were released. Sorry if it's too much.
They're sitting in the food court taking a break from writing a song, a nearly empty basket of fries between them, when Austin asks Ally what she likes about him.
She gives him a strange look. "Have you been reading Trish's magazines again? I thought the girl was supposed to make her boyfriend do that."
He shakes his head. "Come on, I will if you will. Tell me three things you like about me and I'll do the same. They don't have to be in order or anything."
She smirks. "What makes you think there are even three for me to list?"
He raises an eyebrow and she sighs. "Fine. But you go first. I need time to think."
"You're ridiculous," he says.
He pauses, thinking for a minute. "Okay," he says. "First, I like your—wait, can your boobs and ass count as one?"
She smacks him on the arm. "Austin Moon!"
He laughs. "Okay, okay, you're very pretty. Gorgeous. Is that better? And I like how small you are compared to me. How you have to stand on your tiptoes to kiss me, and how your hand fits in mine and how I can rest my chin on your head if you're not wearing heels."
"That's better," she answers, trying not to smile and failing miserably.
"Plus, I just really like your boobs. And your legs. And your lips. And your—"
"Okay, okay, I get it!" she says, cutting him off. "Boys," she sighs, rolling her eyes. "What's next?"
"Next? I like how dorky you are."
"I thought these were supposed to be compliments," she says dryly.
He grins. "You know what I mean. How you freak out about dumb stuff and how you're obsessed with clouds and school and pickles and making pros and cons lists and that your ideal summer vacation involves a calculator. I like how you talk a lot. I like how I'm the opposite of you in a lot of ways, but it's like we balance each other out." He pauses. "And let's not forget the dancing," he adds.
She laughs. "Oh, so my dancing is attractive?"
"I wouldn't exactly say that," he replies, and she narrows her eyes. "It's, uh, endearing?"
"You're not very good at this," she says.
"You'll like the last one," he assures, his eyes serious. "It's hard to explain, though. I like…how you're so into everything you do. Music, obviously, but other things, too. Like how you never want to stop working on a song until it's perfect or how you obsess over turning in papers or how hard you study for tests." He hesitates. "It makes me think you're, um…I don't know, into me that much, too," he mumbles, looking down at his hands on the table.
Her face softens as she looks at him and she wonders how she lucked out on landing a boy that actually wants to tell her why he likes her. His communication skills have really improved, she decides, thinking back to 'I'm feeling…feelings!' and she laughs out loud.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, that was kind of sappy," he says, avoiding her eyes.
"What? No, Austin, that was really sweet. And you know I'm more into you than an English essay, right?" she says, smiling.
"I laughed because I was thinking about when we were writing that song for Cassidy. And how you've definitely learned how to communicate your feelings since then."
"I do feel…feelings for you, though," he says, grinning, and she laughs again. "Hey, now it's your turn. Go."
"What is this, an interrogation?" she asks, raising an eyebrow, but he just looks at her expectantly. "Come on, Ally," he says. "Let's hear it."
"All right, all right, give me a second." She pauses. "Okay, first, I like how…nice you are."
"How nice I am?" he asks incredulously.
"Yeah! What's wrong with that?"
"It's so boring!" he exclaims. "Hi, this is my boyfriend, Austin Moon. He's nice."
"Let me explain," she says exasperatedly. "I meant that you're sweet. I never have to guess whether you care about me because you show me and you tell me all the time. A lot of guys aren't like that." She hesitates. "And I've never felt even a tiny bit of pressure from you to be anything other than my dorky, insane self. Even while you're getting more and more famous."
He nods and looks at her like he's trying to decide whether or not to tell her something.
"You know, there were a lot of things people said to me right when we released our second album. Mostly trying to convince me that you were too shy, that I would need someone flashier to work with or someone with more experience."
"Really?" she says. This is news to her, although she knows he had been offered songs written by major players in the business for his second album. "What did you do?"
He shrugs. "I obviously didn't take their advice," he says. "It was either both of us or nothing. I made that clear from the start."
She bites the inside of her cheek and smiles at him. "Okay, number two…number two isn't so much about you, but about you and me."
"What do you mean?" he asks, confused.
"I like how we fit together," she explains. "How you're 'chill,' or whatever, and I'm kind of maybe a little high strung and how we balance each other out. How you get me to do things I wouldn't ever do on my own, and how I bring you back to earth when you start dreaming about something a million miles away. How I'm good with words and you're maybe a little better at the music."
She hesitates. "Even our bodies fit," she says, blushing a little bit. "I love it when I can get completely wrapped up in you, like…like we're the only two people on the planet."
They just look at each other for a long moment before she remembers herself. "Number three?"
"Let's hear it," he says, clearing his throat.
"Okay. I um…I like your hair. I really, really like your hair."
He gives her an incredulous look. "Are you serious? You could choose three things that you love about me and my hair made it on the list?"
"You have really great hair," she says defensively. "It's so…blond. And flops in just the right way?" she asks, her voice getting higher at the end of the sentence.
He just raises an eyebrow at her and she sighs. "Fine, I'll elaborate."
She plays with a loose thread around the hem of her shirt, avoiding his eyes. "I like how you look, too, okay?" she mumbles. "I think you're…you know, hot."
He opens his mouth to say something but she rushes on, "I didn't even want to tell you because you're just going to smirk at me and I know it shouldn't be in the top three because how you look shouldn't be that important but you just have these eyes and this way you look at me and your stupid hair and your smile and—"
She's cut off when he leans over the table and kisses her softly. Neither of them is the PDA type but she can't help but cup his face with her hands to keep him close when he tries to pull back.
She blushes when they finally separate and she feels a shiver run down her spine because he's looking at her in that way that she's still not used to even after all of these months.
"You just do that to shut me up, don't you?" she asks, trying to calm her pounding heart.
"Of course not," he says, grinning. "I like that you talk a lot, remember?"
She rolls her eyes.
"Anyway, you should probably continue," he says, his voice teasing. "I think you were on my…smile? Or eyes?"
She purses her lips, trying to keep a straight face. "Sure, I'll keep going."
She pauses. "Did I mention your…arms?" she asks, stretching her hand out to rest it on his bicep, squeezing lightly.
He swallows. "Um, nope, don't think you covered that yet."
She tilts her head. "How could I have forgotten those? How about your abs?"
He shakes his head, his expression slightly nervous. "Uh, no," he says.
"Huh," she says, tapping her finger against her chin. "What about your huge…um…"
He leans toward her in anticipation, his eyes widening. "My huge what?"
She leans forward too. "Your huge…ego," she whispers, and then bursts into laughter at the shocked look on his face.
He glares at her before leaning back in the chair, crossing his arms, and she loses it even more when he starts pouting a little.
"You're evil," he says, shaking his head. "Pure evil."
"Oh come on," she says grinning, as she tries to catch her breath. "You so had it coming."
She can tell he's trying not to smile and manages to last for a few seconds before he breaks down. "You're the worst."
She lets out another laugh and then stands up, extending her hand for him to take. "Come on, let's go. I feel a sudden burst of inspiration."
He takes her hand in his and rises to join her and they slowly walk back to Sonic Boom together, trading new ideas for lyrics and melodies.
They finish the song right before they head out to grab dinner. She's about to walk out the door but he suddenly grasps her wrist and gently tugs her around to face him.
"That really was pretty mean earlier," he says. "I think you should make it up to me."
She raises an eyebrow. "Oh, really? And what do you think I should do?"
He grins. "I think I could come up with something."
Her eyes light up. "I have an idea," she says.
"You do?"
"Yup. Come here," she whispers, gesturing for him to lower his head to hers.
"We can lock ourselves in your bedroom all night and—"
"All night?" he practically squeaks.
She nods. "All night. And—"
She pauses for dramatic effect.
"And?" he asks impatiently.
"And I'll help you study for our history exam next week because I heard that you're almost failing," she says flatly.
"A-Ally!" he sputters.
"What?" she asks innocently. "Did you expect something else?"
He gapes at her. "Are you serious?"
She shrugs. "Hey, I'm offering you my valuable time. For free. That should make up for earlier, right?"
He groans. "I hate you."
She bites her lip and nudges him so he'll look at her. "That's awkward," she says, wrinkling her nose at him. "Because I love you."
It's the first time either of them has said it and his eyes widen almost comically. "Y-you do?" he stutters. "Really?"
She smiles shyly at him. "Of course I do, Austin," she says.
He kisses her before she can even finish the last syllable of his name and wraps his arms tightly around her waist, and she can feel the sheer emotion behind his embrace. She's a little overwhelmed when he pulls away and he rests his forehead on hers, both of them breathing heavily.
"I love you, too," he whispers. "So, so much."
They both smile into the next kiss as she lifts her arms to circle his neck, her body fitting perfectly into his, and she thinks that maybe, or maybe definitely, that he is made for her and that she is made for him.
Thank you for reading and thank you for reviewing! It means a lot!