Love Me Tender an Austin x Elvis story

Chapter ELEVEN: Anyplace Is Paradise (rewrite)

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"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to meet my mother this early or until you were ready to, I thought we had more time."

Austin sighed, his body feeling drained from the brief but anxious moment they'd just been through.

"Shh, I'm here darlin', I'm not going anywhere," he says as he rubs Austin's back in circles.

Austin looked up into Elvis's eyes and he felt himself melt. "Thanks, I needed that."

Elvis was more concerned with comforting the man who had become important to him, regardless of whether his mother was watching from the kitchen window. He pulled him in for a hug.

"Dinner's ready boys, you coming in now?", she shouts from inside the house.

"Yes, mama, we'll be right there," Elvis called back.

With a warm smile, Elvis reached out and took hold of Austin's hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze, conveying that everything would be okay. Austin smiled back at Elvis, feeling reassured by the gesture. The soft light from the sunshine outside illuminated their path as they made their way across the poolside to the house. Together, they walked through the elegant French doors that led to the kitchen. Elvis's hand still holding Austin's, they moved with a sense of ease and comfort, enjoying each other's company.

They drop their connected hands once they enter the kitchen, Elvis's mother is busy pouring different sides into serving dishes and organising as she goes.

She looks up at them standing by the entrance, "Ah good, your father's here too," before she disappears into the dining room with a dish.

Elvis took the moment to look at Austin and fix his hair slightly, Austin looked up at him with a smirk, then a subtle lip bite.

"Don't look at me like that darlin' "  he whispers firmly to Austin.

"Huh? Like what" he replies with furrowed brows and a smile, knowing full well what his eyes were saying to Aaron at that moment, he just wanted to tease him a little bit. Elvis squeezed Austin's hip gently and leaned in to steal a quick peck from his boyfriend but they were brought back to reality when they heard the sounds of his mother's heels heading back to the kitchen.

Gladys came back through the doors empty-handed with just a kitchen towel on her shoulder.

"Uh, Mrs Presley do you need any help in here or with taking stuff to the table?" Austin asked trying to be as helpful as he could to the woman he just met.

"No hon it's ok I'll be with you boys soon in there. Elvis why don't you take him in, and introduce him to your father?".

Elvis nodded and led Austin towards the door. She smiles at the two men innocently, watching them make their way through to the main dining room where Elvis's dad, Vernon sat reading a newspaper waiting for the rest of dinner to be brought out.

Elvis clears his throat, "Uh, Daddy, this is Austin. He's a good friend."

Vernon looks up in surprise at Austin and extends his hand. "Pleased to meet you, I'm Vernon. Have a seat son Gladys is bringing dinner out now."

Austin turned to Elvis who gave him a reassuring nod. He takes his seat and the two men begin talking and catching up while a few more dishes are brought out by Glady's. The dinner went as smoothly as it could, with the conversations about Elvis as a child, and his love for music, and aside from a few questions from Glady about Austin's childhood and family, it flowed seamlessly. It pleased Elvis that Austin had met his parents, despite the few awkward questions his mother was asking but overall he seemed to get on with them well and they looked like they liked Austin or thought he was nice at least.