disclaimer: I own nothing, sadly.

prompt: performances (all kinds)

music: tenth avenue north – by your side / the afters – you lift me up

a/n: okay, so this is a happy, happy, happy one! oh look where have we seen this layout before? not sure how happy I am with this, after all the effort I put in. eh :-(

((I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR LIKE FIVE DAYS STRAIGHT SO HOPE YOU LIKE ANYWAY! ;D))

by your side

:::

prologue

Austin always noticed Ally's encouragement; welcomed it, embraced it, wanted it, even. Ally had the most unusual ways of showing her gratitude towards him, whether it be a scheme gone wrong (courtesy of Dez, well, most of the time anyway) or a random card. Maybe a surprise, because Ally knew very well that Austin loved surprises.

However, Austin's favourite display of Ally's gratitude and support was always after a performance. There was one time when she didn't give him this display, which left him awkward and the ending to his show didn't feel right. We don't speak of that time, though. (Stupid Dallas and his stupid flirting, Austin thinks petulantly.)

After a performance, he felt like he could fly. When he turned to Ally, and saw her watching with that adoration in her eyes, usually with a gesture to show just how proud she was of him, his heart beat that little bit faster and his stomach flipped in just that right way.

Oh the things Ally does to him.

Ally sits beside him, unaware as he looks back on their relationship, right from the very beginning. He takes her hand and squeezes it lightly, and she looks up to him, that same look sparkling in her eyes and it gives him the confidence he needs more than anything.

Then, he stands up to give his biggest performance yet.

i.

He's breathless, he remembers that. The adrenaline is fuelling him and he wonders if he could just live in this moment forever because it's the greatest he's ever felt. He's pretty sure he could just about feel his face spilt from the gigantic smile he's holding back, and his eyes scan the crowd quickly for a glimpse of his favourite brunette.

I mean, he loves Trish, but it was always going to be Ally, wasn't it?

When he sees her his heart drums so fast he thinks it may just leap out of his chest. She has a wide smile on her face that makes his palms sweat. He gives her what is most probably an exhausted smile, and points at her with both his fingers. If he was up to it, he would've made it a bit more suave and added a smirk, but he doesn't think Ally minds one bit.

She grins right back and gives him a thumbs up in response.

As the night wears on, he gets more praise than he's even had in his life. He says thank you more times than he can remember, and the words start to become foreign on his tongue, as if he's speaking a different language.

Sonic boom is more packed than it has even been, and Austin feels like he's swimming through the sea of people to get to the counter. He gets countless pats on the back and starts to sweat from all the extra body heat. Thinking of an escape route, he manages to make it up to the practice room and sits on the piano bench. The cold keys are a welcome, familiar pleasure as he runs his fingers smoothly over Ally's piano.

"Needed a break huh?" Ally asks from the doorway. He doesn't even need to turn around to know it's her.

She comes in and sits down next to him, laying her head on his shoulder. "You did great back there." She says quietly. He feels pride swelling in his chest and mumbles thank you, wrapping his arm loosely around her waist.

Austin thinks back to all the praise he'd gotten that night, when a thought occurs to him. It makes his toes curl slightly and the fuzzy feeling settles in his stomach once more.

Ally's mumbled congratulations and thumbs up means a whole lot more to him than anyone else's compliments combined.

the time of which we do not speak

He was on top of the world, exhilarated, feeling better than he ever had previously when he was performing. He could feel it in his veins; he was getting better at his music and people were appreciating him.

It was a good feeling.

Austin distinctly remembers turning to each of the band in turn, doing his own little hand shake with them to show that he thought their performance was great. As he spun round to face his favourite song writer, he noticed that she was wrapped up in someone else.

His eyes slid over to Dallas with poorly masked jealousy.

Just as soon, as the emotions showed, it disappeared and his smile was back, albeit a little less enthusiastic than before.

He watches as Ally awkwardly departs and curses himself for thinking about how cute she is. Just as she leaves Dallas, Austin scoops her up into his arms.

Austin would never tell, but he especially loves that he's so much taller than Ally. It makes him feel like her can protect her from the whole wide world.

"How'd I do?" He questions into her hair. He looks down in time to catch her smile.

"You did brilliantly." She says honestly. "Sorry about Dallas before. He started asking me about where I got the inspiration for the song and I went on a little tangent." Ally laughed heartily. "You know me."

Austin hmms in contentment, his arms still wrapped firmly around her waist.

They were the only ones left at the concert scene; no prying eyes to take them away from each other. Neither mentioned that their hugs probably went on longer than considered acceptable.

Honestly, neither cared.

Austin was glad that Ally had praised him. Even after the performance, she still made him feel light and happy. His thoughts turned smug, as he held her.

He was pretty sure Dallas would never hold her like this, and if Austin had any say in it, he never would.

ii.

The words live and television were all it took to make Austin excited. He had worked with Ally on the song for a whole day, and he was pretty sure it was his favourite yet, bar not a love song, of course.

He could feel the warmth surrounding him and he let the relaxing atmosphere of the everglades wash over him as Shiny Money called out for him.

The first thing he did was see Ally.

Even before the performance, she made him feel better. He immediately high-fived her and turned to talk to the crowd. He felt Ally turn against him and heard her whisper something to Trish. Just as he spoke directly to his three friends, he looked down at Ally's small frame with intensity that shocked her for a moment.

The moment was lost as he jumped wildly over the bars to get to his stage. (Or, the boat they'd accidently sunk earlier.)

He could feel himself getting lost in the music, and he turned around to see Ally dancing, laughing, and completely unaware of the camera that was following Austin's gaze towards her.

Good Austin thinks, that's the way it should be.

He launches into the lyrics, then, looking her directly in the eye he sings it's all I ever wanted. She leans towards him and he leans towards her, and Austin thought there was never a more perfect moment; almost as if it was plucked right out of a movie.

The song drew to a close and he was smiling widely, but the best part was he could feel Ally's gaze on him. He turned to look at her sharply as the cameras stopped rolling and she didn't look away. He smiles and she smiles back, running towards him with praise evident on her tongue.

It's an even better feeling than the success he can almost taste.

iii.

"Ally, do I have to?" He whines pathetically. Even with him acting as a dead weight, Ally manages to push him through the corridor doors and towards the children's room. They're headed towards the story time section of the library.

Somewhere in the back of Austin's mind, he notes that Ally's gotten stronger.

"You promised me you would!" Ally says, her tone exasperated. She stops shoving him long enough so he can turn to face her, the look of defeat in her eyes clear. "If you don't then no one else will and I'll feel so bad because I said I would and—"

"If you stop talking I'll do it." Austin says tiredly, knowing that he would've done it for her anyway.

She nods with a smile on her face and pretends to zip up her mouth, dramatically throwing away the key. It provokes a laugh from Austin as he admires just how adorable she is.

He takes his place on a rather comfortable stool and Ally hands him the book he's supposed to be reading.

You see, Ally volunteered to read to the children, but didn't incorporate her stage fright into the equation. Austin knows he let himself get roped into doing this in her place, but he doesn't mind really, as long as she's happy.

The children file in quietly and he gives them a big grin. Then the story begins.

He notices Ally sitting amongst the little kids and has to smother a laugh, but he does let the fond eye roll slip.

"Once upon a time..." Austin says. It occurs to him that Ally must really enjoy princess stories, as she gives him and the book her undivided attention. At the part where the dashing knight serenade's his former damsel in distress, he thinks the book really is a bit too close to home.

Finishing up, he ends with the obligated and they all live happily ever after and is met with applause. The weirdness of it all baffles him and he just shakes his head with a soft smile.

Austin gets up and motions for Ally to come with him. She does so immediately and they both put one arm around the other's waist. She only speaks when they reappear at the entrance to the library. "Thank for doing that for me, Austin. It means a lot."

"S'okay." He responds with a soft smile.

Just as she turns to leave and walk her way, she spins back around towards him. He stands completely still as she leans up on her tip-toes and gently plants a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you. Really." She says quietly into his ear.

They part ways and Austin touches his cheeks with a face eating grin.

"Hey! Austin!" He hears her shout and turns around to see her walking backwards gracefully. She must have been practicing his mind supplies for him. "I'll talk to you later okay?" He nods and walks on again, making his way home.

He still feels that reassuring kiss on his cheek hours afterward.

interval

They're working on a new song one day in the practice room. Austin knows their hearts aren't in it as the dizzying heat sweeps over the room.

"Ally, I give up, we'll finish the song tomorrow."

Austin feels her nod rather than hears it as her head drops lightly onto his shoulder. He knows this isn't really cuddling weather, but after six months of crushing on Ally he'll take what he can get.

"Mhmm, Austin." She says drowsily.

"Yeah Ally?"

"I think this might be the heat talking," She says and looks up at him with fond, half-lidded eyes. "But I've had a crush on you for ages."

He looks at her for a moment, stunned, before grinning and pulling her forehead gently against his. "I like you too, Ally."

"Good." She then rubs their noses together in what Austin knows is a butterfly kiss. He's never had one before and the intimacy of it all makes him blush. It's only Ally who would do such a caring gesture and he's thankful.

"At least we can write that love song now." Ally says with a laugh and he agrees with her whole heartedly. He takes her hand and squeezes it.

"I'm sure it will be my best performance yet."

iv.

It was a significant show for Austin that night. It was the first one he'd done since Ally and himself had officially become a couple.

Somehow, Austin believed their songs seemed even better, and they jelled even more than previously so. They were still bestfriends, of course, but Austin wasn't going to deny that being able to kiss Ally whenever he wanted wasn't the best thing in his whole life.

He stood, chest puffed out and crowd cheering, the roaring in his ears giving him the most exhilarating feeling. It's the song before last, and he can feel the climax of his show drawing near. He looks to the left wing and sees Ally looking straight at him.

He winks at her.

It makes him think back to his very first (non)performance ever when they were on the Helen show. She'd been all ready to play the piano, and something had possessed him to wink at her. He could never find it in himself to regret it.

What spurred him on through this last song once again, was Ally.

He glanced at the left wing again and she waved this time. He laughed and waved back, noticing the audience in the front row craning their necks to see who he was waving so enthusiastically at. Ally peeked out and noticed this too, then laughed.

He shrugged in a way that said what can you do? and she just shook her head.

Right before he began the last song he saw her step a little closer to the stage and the movement caught his eye.

He raised his eyebrows questioningly, but she merely ignored him and opted to slowly blow him a kiss instead.

The action made him beam.

Playing along, he caught the kiss and put his hand against his own lips, and then blew a kiss back. She caught and put it against her heart, her other hand going to her forehead to swoon spectacularly. The laughter bubbled up inside him and echoed through the sound of his microphone quietly.

Focusing back on the audience, the small gesture gave him the enthusiasm to perform his last song with renewed vigour.

Bidding goodnight to his fans, he jogs back to the edge of the stage and she immediately greets him with a tight hug. He whispers a hello into her hair and she murmurs one back. Pulling away she says, "You did great tonight."

"Don't I always?" He says cheekily, but he can't deny that her admiration makes him feel ten times better about what he just did.

"You do." She agrees wisely. "I especially like how you ended the show with our song."

"Only the best love song for you, Ally." He says, pulling her back to him in a firm hug once more.

v.

He sings their song once again as the closer of his show. However, he knows that the audience are in for a treat because the show isn't over just yet.

"Thanks for coming out!" He says to the deafening applause. "Quiet down, please." He says powerfully into the microphone and the peopl stop their chatter to listen to what he has to say. "I just want to say thanks in advance for sticking around." He winks and turns to Ally, who is, as always, in the wings watching him.

"Ally, wrote that last song for me, well, for us really." He starts. "I said I didn't want to do a love song, but really, how can you not when you're songwriter is the person you fall in love with?" The audience laughs and Ally gives him a confused look that he interprets as where are you going with this?

"We're both 24 now, and we've been together for a long time. Ally, she's got to be the one for me, hasn't she? And I thought that it'd be best that I did this back in our home town of Miami, just to make it that bit more special."

Then he gets down on one knee.

"Ally Dawson. You know I love you. I know I love you, with every fibre of my being. These people know I love you and always will."

The audience watch the bated breath as Ally walks out onto the very edge of the stage, barely visible. She prays to the Gods that she won't faint from stage fright. Tears glisten in her eyes and there's delicate smile etched onto her face.

"Will you marry me?" The microphone projects the words all over the stadium, which is now deathly quiet.

She runs towards him at an alarming speed, into his arms and he spins her around in the air whilst she chants yes yes yes like it's some kind of life mantra.

Her words are projected all over the arena and Austin's never felt more proud in his life yet.

epilogue

"Ally Dawson. Ally Moon. Ally." He begins, a smile playing at his lips. "My partner, my bestfriend, and now my wife." He feels the eyes of everyone in the room looking at him, standing alone, up at the head table. He's never really gotten nervous, so it doesn't faze him.

One look back at Ally gives him all the courage he needs.

"I love her more than anything in this whole world. When I see her, I think about how I'd walk to the ends of the earth and back for her, do anything. I know, in my heart of hearts that she isn't perfect, but hey, she's perfect in my eyes."

"She can do no wrong, and the most important thing I have to say right here, right now, is thank you." He looks down at her and she looks up at him expectantly. "You've... Well, you've got me through everything. Your support, gratitude, encouragement – I don't know where I'd be without it. Thank you for never giving up on me."

He turns to the room at large, and wills himself not to cry, because he's a guy and he's Austin Moon. Then he thinks who even cares because it's his wedding day and this is Ally so.

"A toast, to Ally, because she's honestly the greatest thing that ever happened to me."

To Ally is murmured, reverberating around the room and he looks to her, seeing the tears and happiness in her eyes. Just as he sits back down, Ally kisses him squarely on the lips and he smiles involuntarily into the kiss.

"How did you manage to say that so well?" She says when he pulls back, he just gives her a smile as easy as breathing.

"Well, it was simple." He said. "It was just another performance, and with your support, it was bound to be perfect, wasn't it?"