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senseless-writing · 1 year

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This Time Is Different

Pairing: Austin Butler x wife!reader

Summary: Priscilla had told Lisa Marie about the similarities between their own life and that of Austin and Y/n’s. She never thought that she would see it for herself.

Warnings: Talk of pregnancy, talk of death/loss of a parent (in a gentle way, nothing graphic)

A/N: This can be read as a part two of “All Over Again”, but can also stand alone! I would say this one is definitely less angsty, but that’s just how it came out. Hope you guys like it :)

If you would like to be added to any of my tag lists (I’ve got a general tag list, along with specific ones for each fandom I’ve written for thus far), plz leave me a comment or ask and let me know which one!

Masterlist

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Lisa Marie Presley had met Austin Butler hundreds of times by now, several of them being on her own accord. Once the excuse of promoting the movie about her father fell through, due to time passing as it always did, she couldn’t bear for him to disappear from her life entirely. He’d become too close to let go.

And yet, no matter how many times she met him, Lisa always had to prepare herself a little. The memory of her father was strong and forever in her mind, and to see someone who walked like him, talked like him, looked like him…it was something she knew for certain would never become normal.

She’d met his girlfriend - oops, wife now - too, once or twice. Y/n’s presence seemed to have the same effect on Priscilla as Austin did on Lisa.

“If you ever wanted to see for yourself what your father and I were like in our prime,” her mother told her once, before their very first meeting. “That’s it.”

Lisa didn’t wanted to see. She’d lived it, after all. That was enough for her. But Y/n was a nice girl, and she made Austin happy. That’s all that mattered to the woman. Sure, her mother was right, similarities were there deep down if you looked for them. Still, in the beginning, she honestly couldn’t see whatever it was that took Priscilla’s breath away.

It wasn’t until years later that she experienced the phenomenon for herself.

A week before Christmas, a sacred time for every Presley, and both Lisa and her mother wanted to host a dinner at Graceland. For family and friends alike, they wished for their home to be as full and lively as it used to be all those years ago. How it was meant to be.

How they knew Elvis would have wanted it.

And of course, Austin and Y/n made the invite list. After everything he’d done for their family with Baz’s movie, and everything they’d done for him in return, they were practically family by now. Still, Lisa had to take a moment for herself to prepare. Just a moment, only a breath. That’s all she needed.

When the door rang, Lisa ran to answer it, and couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

“Oh, come in, come in!” she welcomed both Austin and Y/n, immediately pulling the former into her arms with a sigh of relief. “It’s been too long.”

Austin melted into her grasp, a look of both shock and excitement on his face. He once told Y/n (in confidence, of course) that he was always waiting for the day where his relationship with the Presleys would dwindle. Gradually, but inevitable. She told him he’d be waiting for eternity.

From over Austin’s shoulder, Lisa caught Y/n’s eye, and energy sparked within her again.

“You too, give me a hug!”

Laughs echoed throughout the doorway as Austin was pushed aside, replaced by his own wife. Truth be told, he was happy to see it. It warmed his heart that the people who loved him loved her too.

Y/n’s voice was as sweet as ever, but muffled by Lisa’s shoulder. “Thank you so much for having us. I know I say it every time, but this house is just gorgeous.”

“You’re welcome over anytime, honey. I hope you guys are hungry,” she gave Y/n one last good squeeze, before stepping back to smile at them both. “Dinner was just about to start.”

Austin helped Y/n shrug her jacket off. “We’re not late, are we?”

“No, not at all. Please, come sit down, everyone will be so excited to see you both.”

And they were. The entire night went by peacefully. They ate, told stories, and made up for lost time that life had forced upon them. Sure, there were melancholy moments, but it was difficult to be anything but joyful in that house. Lisa was sure her father was there with them all, reveling in their happiness.

“I’d like to make a toast,” Priscilla stood towards the end of their meal, clinking her glass to grab everyone’s attention. All of the parents in the room scrambled to quiet their rambunctious children. “To everybody here. You’ve all been with us through thick and thin, and I can honestly say none of this would’ve been possible without you.”

Her eyes glossed over, but not with tears. Priscilla’s face was perfectly content.

“To see this house full again, busy and loud with the people we love…it means the world to me. And I know it would mean the world to everyone who isn’t here with us right now. So,” her glass rose towards the ceiling as she motioned for others to do the same. “To us, and to them.”

Everyone followed, repeating her words and humming in agreement. From a few seats over, Y/n caught Lisa’s eye.

“Y/n,” she chastised, a teasing grin on her face. “You can’t make a toast with water, hun. Somebody get this girl some champagne.”

“Oh no, water is alright for me! I’m the driver tonight,” Y/n let out half a laugh.

“A small glass won’t hurt!”

Y/n shot Austin a worried glance, who shrugged with his own crooked grin. Now the whole table had quieted to watch the interaction, which just made everything more uncomfortable.

“Um,” Y/n struggled for a moment and giggled to herself. From beside her, Austin threw his arm over her shoulders in support. “It would, actually, because…I’m…well, we’re…expecting!”

There was silence for only a moment, and in that moment, Lisa watched Y/n’s whole body tense in anticipation. She couldn’t fathom why. Following quickly afterwards was an explosion of congratulations. And nobody was louder with their excitement than Priscilla.

“Oh my goodness!” she was out of her seat in an instant, running towards the now blushing couple. Y/n stood to properly welcome her onslaught of hugs and kisses. “That’s the best news I’ve ever heard, oh my goodness! I can’t believe it, you must be so excited!”

Lisa Marie stood too, walking over to give Austin a kiss on the cheek, which he happily accepted. “Congratulations, sweetheart.”

“Thank you,” his smile told her everything she needed to know. He was completely and utterly over the moon.

Next to them, Priscilla still had Y/n firmly locked in her arms.

“Okay, mom,” Lisa took pity on the girl. “You’re suffocating her.”

Priscilla laughed and let go, smoothing out both their clothes and running a hand over Y/n’s hair with motherly affection. “Sorry, dear, I’m just so happy for you!”

After the initial congratulations, conversation around the table settled again, allowing Austin and Y/n to have a more private moment with the Presley women.

“We haven’t told anyone yet, so you guys are actually the first,” Y/n explained, a breathless smile still on her face.

“Oh no, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that.”

“Not at all! I think it’s about time we start telling people, don’t you,” she looked up at her husband, whose eyes seemed only for her.

Austin simply pressed a kiss to her head. “Whenever you’re ready, baby, I am too.”

They’d always been a sweet couple, but everything about today made a little more sense now. Why he couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her, why her face glowed with happiness even in the most mundane of moments. They were standing on the precipice of a new future. One of their own creation, one born of the love between them. One that would last for generations after they were gone.

And it was then, for the first time, that Lisa Marie understood what her mother saw in Y/n.

Because Austin and Y/n were young, in love, and completely unprepared. They practically had the world at their feet with no idea what to do with it. And in nine months, everything they knew would eternally be turned upside down. The only thing that made it worth it, in their eyes, was the idea of doing it all together.

It’d been a long time since Lisa saw that. She was young, then, with naive eyes and childish ideals. But her parents loved each other; that much she knew, even at the end of it. So maybe her existence was an accident, but it was one born of affection nonetheless. At least, that’s what she always told herself when the past came back to bother her again.

Still, seeing people with her father’s eyes and mother’s smile, looking happy and relaxed and not at all worried about their present, but rather the new addition yet to come, was refreshing. Or maybe it was thrilling to see something she hadn’t been there to see before? Or, rather, completely and utterly terrifying?

“You guys are going to be great parents,” Lisa said to them both, though the words fell from her lips on their own accord. A numb feeling of shock had settled itself into her bones. “I just know it.”

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After that, Lisa distanced herself for her own well being. And theirs. She didn’t want her conflicted feelings of the past to dampen their excited ones for the future.

But honestly, that was easier said than done. Because no matter how much she wished to stay away, when her phone lit up with Austin’s name on the screen, she couldn’t help but answer.

“Hello?” she pressed the phone to her ear. “Austin?”

“Hey, Lisa, long time no talk.”

She laughed as if that wasn’t at all on purpose. “I know! How have you been, sweetheart?”

“I, uh,” Austin stumbled on the line for a moment. “I hate to do this, but I was actually calling to ask for your help.”

Immediately, Lisa regretted staying away in the first place. “Of course, what is it? Is everything alright?”

“Yes! I didn’t mean to worry you or anything, it’s just…well, it’s Y/n.”

“Oh?”

Even over the phone, Lisa could hear the worry in his voice. “She hasn’t been feeling well lately. Sickness, migraines, body aches. Some days, moving from the bed to the couch is the most she can handle. I keep saying we should go see the doctor, but she’s adamant that it’s all normal pregnancy stuff, and I just…well, I don’t know, I feel helpless.”

“Oh, Austin…” her heart dropped from her chest.

“And I’d love to bother my mom with this stuff,” Austin’s words rushed from his lips. “But she isn’t here anymore, and you were the first person I could think of who knows what it’s like to be in Y/n’s position. I’m really sorry if this all comes at a bad time.”

“No, I’m so happy you called! I always want you to reach out if you need any help, Austin, I’ve told you that already,” she lightly scolded him for ever second guessing himself.

“I know, it’s just-”

“Honey, do you want my advice or not?”

Lisa heard his deep breath of relief, a tell tale sign of defeat, echo over the receiver. “Yes please.”

“Well, first things first, how is she eating?”

“Half the time, her cravings drive her wild. The other half, she can’t keep anything down.”

“That could be contributing to the migraines. When I was pregnant with the twins, they kept my stomach in knots constantly, but I never found any relief with my headaches on an empty stomach. Always try to get her to eat something if you can, even if it’s something small.”

“Okay,” Austin’s voice was so studious, Lisa wouldn’t have been shocked if he was taking notes.

“Also, do you have a pool?”

“Yes?”

“Then use it. She may fight you at first, but once she feels the weight off her back and hips, you may have a hard time getting her out of it.”

At that, he actually laughed, which Lisa considered a success. Two birds, one stone. “Alright then.”

“But most of all, Aus, just relax. Y/n may be stubborn, but she’s not reckless. If it reaches the point where doctors are needed, she’ll know, and she’ll tell you. All you have to do is be there for her.”

“Always,” he answered immediately, and a smile split Lisa’s face.

“Then you have nothing to worry about.”

They talked for a long time after that. About life, about parenting. About navigating this world that Austin knew nothing about. And when they finally hung up, Lisa hoped he felt satisfied with her answers.

Because she was only left with more questions.

Had her parents been this afraid before she was born? Did her father ever have questions with no mother to go to for answers? Had her mother been sick, but pretended not to be for the sake of her husband?

It was a different time then. Elvis was a different man. Priscilla was a different woman. But sometimes, when looking at Austin and Y/n, that was a little more difficult to remember.

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“Y/d/n, sweetie, stay away from the pool!”

“But Daddyyyyy!”

“Just until we’re done eating, hun, and then Daddy will come swim with you.”

Their toddler was a mirror image of Austin, much to Y/n’s annoyance. And it was clear to just about everyone, Lisa included, that she completely worshiped the ground he walked on. Again, to Y/n’s slight annoyance.

But god, were they happy together. Throughout all the hard moments, the sleep deprivation, the frustration, they still couldn’t help but enjoy the little love they’d made. The stress beforehand was nothing but a distant memory now. Austin couldn’t fathom not having these two girls in his life.

They were his life.

And he wanted nothing more than to share his life with the people he loved. So the Butler’s decided to invite some people, the Presley’s included, to their house for a little summertime pool party. It was no Graceland, that’s for sure, but nobody really cared as long as they were together.

Admittedly, Lisa took it as another excuse to observe. And maybe reminisce.

“She really does march to the beat of her own drum,” Y/n laughed at her daughter, who had since directed her attention from the pool to a patch of flowers in the grass. Completely oblivious to the rest of the children, who’d abandoned their sandwiches to play a rough and dirty game of football.

“She gets that from you,” Austin piped up.

Even Priscilla couldn’t pretend to agree with him. “Oh, suuuure, Austin…”

“Y/d/n, what did we just say?” Y/n called again.

The blonde, little pig-tailed girl was back near the pool again, gazing hopefully at the water a bit too close to the edge for her parents' liking. Her head spun around at the sound of her own name, and the most manipulative pout known to man fell on her face as she stepped back. Immediately, a laugh bubbled from deep within Austin’s chest.

Y/n glared at him, half joking and half deadly serious. “This is why she never listens, you know. ‘Cuz she knows that Dad will always get her out of trouble.”

“Can you blame me? Look at that face!”

“Yeah, well, I’d prefer if that face remained above water, thank you very much.”

“Mhm,” he relented, leaning in to give her a quick peck on the lips. “I know.”

“Keep an eye on her, please, while I run to the bathroom?”

Austin nodded as she stood, watching her leave with a small twinkle in his eye. He noticed Lisa, too, looking on in amusement.

“She thinks I make her the bad cop,” he explained. “While I play good cop.”

Priscilla snorted. “Sounds like someone I used to know.”

“Don’t go there,” Lisa laughed, though it was all good heartened in nature. She turned her attention back to Austin. “Every kid needs a fun parent.”

“Who says Y/n doesn’t want to be the fun parent every once in a while? But she can’t if Austin isn’t more strict,” Priscilla argued back.

“Well maybe he’s doing the best he can, he’s been under a lot of stress lately…”

“Y/D/N!”

Austin’s voice boomed throughout the whole backyard, effectively freezing everyone in their tracks. They all fell silent, careful, in case they were the one to upset him so grievously. All eyes quickly fell to his daughter, who had just barely caught her balance after once again leaning over the edge of the pool. Her face, pale as if she’d just seen a ghost, snapped to her father in shock.

In less than five strides, Austin had his daughter in his arms, shaking her with both anger and worry.

“How many times do I have to tell you to not stand by the edge of the pool?” his voice wavered slightly, his tone full of frustration. “Do you see why now? You could have fallen in and gotten hurt! I don’t want to see you running around there without your mother or I ever again, do you understand me?”

Before anyone could help de-escalate the situation, tears were already forming in his daughter’s eyes as she nodded feverishly. Her lip, trembling in a way that told Austin a meltdown was sure to come. He sighed and gently pulled her head to lay on his shoulder, his hands rubbing up and down her back in a soothing pattern, of which she immediately accepted.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Daddy didn’t mean to yell, I just want to keep you safe…”

Within seconds, Lisa watched as all the tension eased from Y/d/n’s body. Even with tears in her eyes, tears that her father had accidentally caused, she still found utter solace in his arms.

The older woman knew what that felt like.

She knew what it was to be loved by someone like that. To have a father who had the whole world begging for his attention, and to feel honored when he only ever wanted to give it to you. The realization nearly knocked the breath from her lungs, and a very recognizable feeling invaded her senses. Suddenly, and not for the first time, she longed to feel her dad’s arms around her.

Lisa noticed her mother’s stare, though she refused to it. They both knew what she was thinking.

“Do you remember when-”

“Yes.”

Priscilla laughed before she could stop herself, and Lisa cracked a smile of her own. “I’ll never forget the face you made when your father yelled at you that day,” her voice was quiet enough to not catch Austin’s attention. “It’s like you couldn’t possibly fathom why he’d done it. Pure shock!”

Lisa looked her mother in the eye’s, then, but only to defend herself. “Of course I was shocked! He never yelled at me about anything before then!”

“I’m aware,” Priscilla gave her a knowing look.

Perhaps it’s because Lisa knew what it was like to be a mother now. Maybe, despite her childlike admiration for her father that would never waiver with time, she could see her mother’s point of view. Whatever it was, one thing was for certain: Lisa had been too hard on her mom in those years. “He wasn’t very hands on, was he?” she admitted, though no true resentment could be found in either woman.

Priscilla nodded, looked over at Austin, down at her lap, then back to her daughter again. “He loved you,” was all the answer she needed to give.

And so the two Presley women watched the couple across the yard with gentle eyes. Watched as Y/n ran out, running her hands down Y/d/n’s back while she asked Austin about what happened. Watched as the man took both girls in his arms, holding them close and savoring the gift he’d been given. Watched as he pressed a kiss to his wife’s cheek, promising to take their daughter inside and explain why he’d yelled in such a way.

They watched because they knew where this road could lead if the Butler family made the same choices the Presley’s did. And they watched because they knew, deep down, that they wouldn’t.

“I see it now,” Lisa told her mother after a moment of silence, quickly before Y/n returned.

Priscilla didn’t need her to elaborate. “It’s uncanny at times, isn’t it?”

Uncanny. Uncomfortable. Unfathomable. Lisa wasn’t sure how to describe it.

“And yet, they’re so different.”

“For the better, I think,” Priscilla agreed.

For the better, because their child would never have to grow up without her father by her side. Because this time, love would be what kept them together, not what pushed them apart. Popularity would not make them all feel so alone, as long as they had each other.

If nothing else, Lisa would make sure of it.

#austin butler #austin butler fanfic #austin butler imagine #austin butler fic #austin butler fanfiction #elvis presley #Priscilla Presley #elvis and priscilla #lisa marie presley #Elvis Movie #Elvis biopic #elvis 2022 #austin butler fluff #austin butler angst #austin butler x wife!reader

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senseless-writing · 2 years

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WHY MUST YOU BREAK MY HEART WITH THIS MASTERPIECE?? 😭

lonesome tonight | austin!elvis x injured!reader

summary: after firing the colonel, elvis is headed back home to memphis. it isn't until he makes it to graceland that he learns about the tragedy of the previous night. sitting beside your hospital bed, elvis remembers a promise that you made to him back when you two were young. he's going to hold you to it.

pairing: austin!elvis x injured!reader

word count: 3,103

notes/warnings: angst!, mention of violence. this one is super sad, guys. the usual elvis angst mentions infidelity, which is a topic that i refuse to write- so this is what my brain came up with instead. in usual dolly fashion, this is a super detailed description of elvis going through the emotions of potentially losing you- the only thing that he truly has to live for.

masterlist | requests are currently back open for my 1k celebration!

He understood the words, but couldn’t grasp the meaning behind them. It echoed and echoed; reverberating there in his chest. It hollowed out the space right beside his heart, slowly spreading with each beat. This couldn’t be happening. Shouldn’t be happening. It felt like someone had punched a hole straight through stomach, knocking the breath from his lungs- the life from his body. He tried to speak. He tried to say something, but he couldn’t make a sound. “Elvis- Elvis, you’re going to make yourself faint. Breathe, brother. Breathe.” Joe Esposito was gripping his upper arms, but he couldn’t feel the pressure on his limbs. He couldn’t feel anything at all. He couldn’t hear, couldn’t see, couldn’t function. “God damn it, Vernon! Vernon!” Sonny and Red heard the commotion from the driveway, and were quick to scale the steps of the front porch, eyes wide as they took in the current state of their best friend.

“Son, the doctors said she might pull through. She’s in surgery right now, and we can go see her whenever she’s in recovery.” Vernon had pushed Joe to the side, his hands gripping at Elvis’s shoulders, then moving up to cup his face. It was almost like his father wasn’t standing there at all. He was looking through the older man. His eyes were glassy, his face pale. He couldn’t go through this again. He wouldn’t survive it. He thought that losing his mother was the worst thing that had ever happened to him. Part of his soul went right along with her.

You had always been off limits in his mind. Death wasn’t allowed to touch you. He was supposed to be the one to die first, because he couldn’t bear even the thought of losing you. It kept him awake most nights, his limbs tangled up with yours, his chest pressed tightly against your back. You were always so small in his arms. It only made him want to hold on tighter. You were too pure- too good for this world. “Elvis, breathe!” Vernon shouted, shaking the taller man. He felt like he was dying. He hoped that he was. “Joe, go get me some cold water from the tap.” There was movement all around him. Hands gripping, rubbing, shaking at him. He just kept staring. Never blinking. Never breathing.

Someone had hurt you. Someone had hurt you badly, and he hadn’t been there. You’d been alone, and it was all his fault. He should have postponed the show. He should have told the Colonel to go fuck himself. He should have, he should have, he should have. Because he never would have let this happen to you. He would have taken the bullet himself if he could. It should have been him. Vernon reached out for the cold glass of water, and without any warning he dumped all of the contents over Elvis’s head. The cold water made the man jump, gasping in a breath that rattled in his chest. His shirt was soaked, his hair hanging limply down in his eyes, but the shock had helped him remember how to breathe.

“Oh god, why?” Elvis screamed at the top of his lungs, his knees growing weak out from under him. Vernon tried to keep him upright, but he wasn’t strong enough to lift him. Elvis fell roughly to the carpeted floor on his knees, pain shooting up his legs. He didn’t care. He wanted to hurt. He wanted to bleed. He wanted to feel anything other than the crippling fear, guilt, and sadness. He hunched over, bracing his palms against the floor. The wedding band felt heavy on his finger as he threaded his fingers through the fibers of the carpet. “She’s just a girl! Why? Why? Why?” Vernon had never seen his son like this, not even when his own mother had died. He wasn’t quite sure what to do. Elvis didn’t care who was around him. Who could hear his screams or his moans of pure agony. His image didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered. A sob ripped through him so hard, and so loud that he felt as though he might tear right in half. “We don’t know why, baby. We don’t know why someone did this to her.” Vernon rubbed his son’s back up and down, his eyes nervously flickering around the room, wordlessly begging for some sort of help. Sonny got down on his knees next to Elvis, lowering his head to catch a glimpse of the singer’s face.

He almost burst into tears himself. Never had he ever seen a man so laden with sadness.

“I can’t live without her, daddy. I can’t.” Another sob wracked his body, shaking his entire form. He gagged, spit pooling in his mouth and dripping down his chin as he let out another loud cry. “We haven’t heard anything yet, Elvis. Don’t start thinkin’ the worst.” Elvis had worked his entire life to provide for his family. He had scraped his way up from the bottom to the very top, all so that he could have the means to look after those that needed to be cared for. Elvis had been good, so why would God forsake him like this? Why would he allow the one good thing in his life to be taken from him? What had he done to deserve this? What bad decision had led to all of this happening? He felt like he was cursed. Elvis leaned down, pressing his forehead against the carpet, sliding his hands and clasping them together tightly, squeezing his fingers so hard that he thought that they might break. “P-please,” He rubbed his nose against the carpet, closing his eyes tightly. “I-I’m sorry, lord. I’ll do anything.” Joe rubbed at his own teary eyes, and unable to see his friend in such a state he turned his back, respecting the man enough to give him his privacy. Sonny and Red turned their heads as well, their lips quivering as they tried not to lose their composure as well. Because Elvis wasn’t the only one that loved you. You were the golden girl. You were the breath to Elvis’s life.

“Son, I need you to try and get a hold of yourself. You’re going to make yourself sick.” Elvis sat up onto his knees, gripping at his hair and yanking as hard as he could. “I hope I do!” And he meant it. If you died, he wanted to go right along with you. He refused to live, even for a season, without you. Because he loved you, and will continue to love you- on his knees with his shoulders drawn back, showing his heels to the headsman, straining his neck- even then. Afterwards- no, even more so afterwards, he would continue to love you. Elvis always thought that you had been sent to him. You were a wish that had drifted down, landing right into his lap. You were a doe eyed angel, all wrapped up in pretty bows and tinsel. Far from being vapid, you contained the sort of depth that was known to sink ships and strand sailors. To make you happy had been reason enough to live, to continue breathing. . . but now what did he have? It felt as though the moon had completely deprived him, its glow so blinding that it blocked out even the smallest of stars that had once graced his sky; all that was left in its wake was a cold daunting darkness. Elvis had once believed that a world ending in fire would be more painful, but he had been wrong. Anything was better than the icy chill that surrounded him. Y/n L/n had completely eclipsed his heart, and without any source of warmth he was left to freeze. Self preservation be damned, Elvis couldn’t be bothered to even picture a life without you in it.

“Somebody. . . Anybody, please take me to her.” Slowly the men turned to face Vernon, silently asking for permission. Slowly the older man shook his son. “She’s in surgery, Elvis. There’s no telling how long that will take-” “I’ve left her alone for long enough. I won’t make her wait for one second more, damn it!” He was always traveling, going from one city to the next. The thought of you, unconscious or not, being left in a hospital room made him want to curl up into a ball and disappear. A part of him was tempted to do that anyway. “Joe, go ahead and take him.”

Time doesn’t exist in a hospital. In that room, your small body hooked up to all sorts of machines, Elvis had lost track of how long he had been sitting there. When staring at your face became too much for him he would look up at the ceiling, his blue eyes searching for any sort of imperfections. He found a few cracks and a few spots that appeared to be a little discolored. When he found it within himself to finally turn his attention back to you- he found none. He never had been able to find something that he didn’t like about your face or body. Every imperfection was perfection. Every freckle or mole he always made sure to kiss twice. Your smile lines reminded him of just how many times he had made you laugh over the years. Every scar on your knees or elbows was a testament to how wild and free you had been as a child. He loved everything; every ounce, every inch, every nook and cranny. The sound of your heart monitor became the only thing that kept him sane. It was the only sound that filled the room for a long while after he had stopped crying his eyes out. Seeing you all bandaged up in that hospital room, your body looking oh-so small in that cot, had been enough to force him to stumble off into the attached bathroom, vomiting up the small lunch that he had eaten on the plane ride back to Memphis. Back to you.

A few nurses and doctors had peaked their head into the room, hearing that Elvis’s wife had been administered into the hospital. He sat silent in the chair beside your bed, his nails digging into the the cheap plastic chairs as he listened to the murmuring just outside the door. “Have you heard about it? The celebrity that was admitted here yesterday? The story has been posted on just about every single news station in the U.S by now. Elvis’s wife was shot. I heard someone tried to rob the poor girl, and she got shot a few times as a result.”

The wedding ring. This was all over your stupid fucking wedding ring. You had told him that something smaller would be fine. That a diamond that big would draw too much attention and make you look greedy. He had been the one to insist on getting you the biggest diamond he could find. Had it specially made for you and everything. That had been the part of the story that tore Elvis apart when he had finally calmed down enough for Joe to tell him the truth of what happened last night.

Because you wouldn’t give it up.

You refused to hand over your wedding ring, and as a result you had been wounded. Possibly even fatally. He would have bought you a hundred other rings, did you not know that? Did you not understand how unimportant something as trivial as that was to him? If it had been smaller, like you wanted, maybe you wouldn’t have been approached. It was his fault you had been alone that night. It was his fault you were wearing that gaudy thing in the first place. It was his fault that you got shot. “M-Mr Presley?” He didn’t look up from your face, but his eyebrows twitched up as he heard his name being called from the doorway. “It’s already six o’clock. We could get you some dinner. You should eat something.” He hadn’t had anything since lunch, and the contents of his stomach had been flushed right down the toilet earlier. The thought of eating something made him feel sick all over again though. If you didn’t eat, then he wouldn’t eat either. “Not hungry.” He mumbled simply, looking down at the needles tapped to your arms. “Is she in any pain?” He finally spoke up, his voice sounded foreign to his own ears. He didn’t sound like himself. The nurse froze in the doorway, looking down at your sleeping face. “No. She’s still sleeping from the anesthesia.” At least there was that. You had been in pain though. You had been awake during the entire ambulance ride to the hospital. Elvis’s lower lip began to quiver, so he took it between his teeth, biting down hard. “I-Is she. . .” He couldn’t say the words, but it was all he had been able to think about. The nurse understood what he was trying to say, and for a second she stayed silent. “The doctor was happy with the results, but she was hurt pretty badly sir. I have faith that she’ll be okay.” Faith and hope had left him.

The nurse had told her fair share of husbands and wives about the unfortunate fate of their spouses, but never had she seen anything like this before. It was as though all of the light had drained from his eyes. He was a shell, half dead himself. “Just keep talkin’ to her,” She offered up, trying to give him something to focus on. “Give her somethin’ to keep fightin’ for.” And with that the woman backed out of the room, eager to get out of the stifling environment. Elvis could tell that she had volunteered herself to offer up dinner, wanting to get a glance at him. She had been the one speaking out in the hallway earlier. Gossiping. Maybe she expected him to carry a conversation with her. To sign a damn autograph. Everybody always wanted something from Elvis. They took and took until there was nothing left of him to give. He wasn’t blind to the fact that even his family liked to bleed him dry, but he pretended not to see. He looked the other way in fear of being alone. In fear of losing the only people that truly loved him and needed him.

But then there was you.

High school sweethearts. His beautiful doe eyed girl with a wide smile that threatened to split her cheeks. You were a jasmine scented daydream. His baby. His love. His life. You never asked for anything. Not even during the holidays. He always spoiled you rotten anyway, but you were humble like that. You were perfectly content with just living with him. Whenever he would beg you for gift ideas you would simply turn to him and smile. “You’re the only gift I need, honey.”

On your one year anniversary you had tried to cook dinner for him. You had burnt just about everything aside from the buttered rolls, and even they had turned out rock solid. He had practically licked his plate clean, and asked for seconds when he saw that you were practically in tears over your mistake. Gladys had told him the night before he had proposed that you had called her five times, making sure that you had the recipe right for the mac and cheese. The sauce had been delicious; tasted just like his mamas. You had forgotten to boil the noodles. Elvis couldn’t help but crack a smile as he remembered how he had nearly broken a tooth when he had first bit into it, but he had savored the taste. Savored the thought and love you had put into it all. He could still remember how your eyes had gone wide the second he took that first bite, hearing how loudly it crunched. It was still the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted, because your anxious little highschool-girl hands had made it for him.

“I love you,” Elvis croaked, staring down at your face. “And I’m not goin’ anywhere. I-I did it. . . I fired the Colonel, just like you wanted. I don’t ever want to step foot in Las Vegas again.” The only reason he hadn’t taken you was because he knew he was only going to be gone for the day, and that things might get ugly. He had quit on the spot. You would have been proud of him for standing up for himself the way that he did. “I think we should fly far away. Wherever you want to go, baby.” He reached out his hand, his fingers gently brushing against your arm. You felt cold. He swallowed back the bile that was threatening to climb its way up his throat. “I think I might die if you leave me. So I need you to wake up and look at me with those great big eyes of yours, beautiful.” He wasn’t sure how he had any tears left to cry, but he tasted salt on his tongue as he spoke. “Remember that promise you made me in eleventh grade? You told me that you’d let me pass first. You’d stick around and follow me right after.” He lurched forward, placing his elbows against the bed as a sob wracked his body. He felt too weak to sit up straight anymore. He wasn’t sure he had much strength left in him. “Damn it, baby. You promised.” He hiccuped, clutching at your hand and pressing it against his chest. “You’ve never lied to me before, so don’t start doin’ it now. Please. Please don’t go.”

He wasn’t sure how long he stayed like that, hunched over you, his hand clutching at yours as though he could somehow tether you to him. ‘Take me’, he begged. Pleaded. Prayed. He felt like he hadn’t done anything lasting with his life. He didn’t do too much that he could be proud of with his career. But being with you was the one thing he could look back on and truly feel fulfilled with. You two had stayed true to each other, even through all your teenage angst. You two had never fallen out of love. Had never gone to bed angry. He couldn’t remember a single time that he hadn’t kissed you goodnight. You were his greatest achievement. His soaring victory.

“Wherever you go, I’ll follow,” He finally spoke up after what felt like hours. “I’ll be so close that if you hold out your hand, you’ll reach me.”

#everyone read this #austin butler #austin butler fanfic

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