Erik Campbell x Pastor's Daughter Reader
Summary: You finally stand up to your father with Erik by your side.
Warnings: angst, overbearing father, slight mentions of religious trauma, swearing, fluff at the end.
--------------------------------------------------------------
The morning sun leaked through the windows, bathing the room in its warm glow. Your eyes fluttered open when the beams found your face, a sleepy smile spreading across your lips. For the first time in two weeks, you had a restful night's sleep, and you were overjoyed to be waking up next to Erik. You couldn't wait to spend the day with him and just soak in his presence.
You stretched your arm out to feel for him only to find that his side of the bed was empty. You furrowed your eyebrows and looked over to see that your mind wasn't playing tricks on you. Erik wasn't there.
You then heard shouting coming from downstairs and you quickly sat up once you recognized the voices. One voice belonged to Erik, the other…belonged to your father.
You sprung out of bed and ran for the bedroom window. You looked out to the driveway to find your father's car in Howard's spot. Howard and Brenda weren't home and your parents came back from their mission trip early to retrieve you. This was your worst nightmare, but at the same time, you weren't surprised this was happening. You made your way to the bedroom door and cracked it open to listen in on the conversation.
“Give me back my daughter, Campbell!”
“She’s not going anywhere, fuck face!”
“How dare you speak to me that way!”
“If you weren't such an asshole I would be nicer!”
“I would be nicer too if you didn't take my little girl from me!”
“She went with me willingly, dip shit! And you were never fucking nice to me anyway, so what difference does it make?!”
You crept your way down the stairs where you saw Erik and your father at the front door arguing about you loudly. The last step creaked under your foot, causing your dad to glance over and spot you.
“There you are!,” your father blurted out, storming past Erik to grab your wrist and yank you towards the door. “You're in a heap of trouble young lady! You're coming home right now!”
Your bare feet were about to be dragged past the threshold of the front door, but Erik grabbed your other hand and pulled you back. With your resistance to your father's dragging and Erik's help, you were able to break free from your father's hold.
Erik pulled you close to him, your head resting over his heart. You shot daggers at your dad and he looked anything but pleased by your betrayal.
“I'm not going with you,” you retorted. Erik placed a kiss to the top of your head like he was silently encouraging you to stand up for yourself. Your dad looked like he wanted to burn the world to ash, and he probably would if he could. The wrath in his eyes would normally lead to you complying with your metaphorical tail tucked between your legs. But not this time, not anymore.
“I did not raise you to be a disobedient sinner! This boy has been influencing you, and you know it!” your father fumed, pointing a finger at Erik. You let go of Erik and stood before your dad, your defiance unrelenting.
“You knew I was always different from the other girls at church. You knew I never wanted to be controlled, so you used your reputation against me. You used the word of God against me! My whole life you made me feel ashamed to be myself! You made me feel weak and like I had no power!” Your hands began to tremble. Your bottom lip began to quiver as tears of frustration blurred your vision.
“Sweetheart, this boy has you brainwashed,” your father protested, looking up to glare at Erik for a moment.
“This isn't about Erik anymore. This is about me! I’m not the perfect Christian girl you wish I was, and I never will be! If you can't accept me for who I am, and if you can't accept that I am an adult woman who can make her own decisions, then that is a you problem!”
Your father stood in front of you fuming while Erik stood behind you with a proud smile. You felt the weight of your pent up rage and frustration finally leave your shoulders, leaving you feeling much lighter.
“Then I guess I no longer have a daughter,” your father replied coldly. Your shoulders sagged after hearing those words. The tears that were stinging your eyes before were now freely rolling down your cheeks. You couldn't believe what you just heard. You couldn't believe your own father wasn't willing to save your relationship. He was so stubborn, so set in his ways to the point where he would rather disown you then let you be your own person.
“You’re a fucking dick!” Erik shouted, “Get the fuck out of here and don’t come back!” Your father scoffed at Erik, then turned his attention back to you.
“You won't be getting your car back,” Your father muttered, his face a straight and cold statue. Your jaw dropped, your hands balling up into fists.
“I don't care about that stupid car! It was never mine anyway!” You raged, feeling your heart shatter at your dad’s lack of emotions. “I love you, dad, but your stubbornness is hurting me.” You choked out that last sentence through your tears. Erik came up behind you and placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, his presence bringing you some comfort.
“Now you know how I feel,” your dad said through a monotone expression. You turned around and buried your face in Erik’s chest, sobbing loudly and soaking his shirt with your tears.
“You’ve said enough, asshole. Now get out!” Erik demanded while pointing a finger to the open front door. Your father gave you both one final look of disapproval before turning and heading out the door. Erik went to shut it behind him, but he decided to leave your father with one final comment.
“Oh, and one more thing. If loving your daughter and wanting her to have a better life means I'm brainwashing her, then boy am I glad she won't be around you anymore.” Your father’s face turned up in disgust while Erik’s turned up into a grin.
“Go fuck yourself, Campbell!” Erik bursted out laughing at your dad’s insult. “Would you look at that! You do know how to say fuck! Well, see you never. Bye, dip shit!” Erik then slammed the door in your father’s face and locked it, feeling satisfied that he got the last word.
Erik’s smile faded when he turned around and saw you quivering, your eyes red and watery as you hugged yourself.
“He didn't even care,” you croaked. “He just threw me away like I was nothing.” Erik cradled your face like a delicate sand castle that was threatening to crumble. His soft gaze drank in your troubled state and his heart ached for you.
“He can’t hurt you anymore, angel. You’re better off without him anyway” Erik said softly, his blue eyes never leaving yours. “You are so strong, and I am so damn proud of you.”
As Erik offered you the words that your father was always too prideful to say aloud, your heart soared with tremendous amounts of hope. You no longer had to walk on eggshells. You no longer had to worry about winning anyone's approval. This was the beginning of your new life, one that Erik would be joining you in.
“Thank you for loving me, Erik” you whispered, a soft smile pulling at your lips. Erik dropped his hands to your waist and pulled you in close.
“And thank you for being you, sweets” Erik mused. He leaned down and captured your lips in a long and slow kiss. You wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him back, your heartbeat synching with his. Every awful feeling in your body and every harsh comeback said by your father no longer mattered to you. All that mattered now was the love you and Erik shared and your undying devotion to one another.
—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The smell of bacon was heavy in the air of yours and Erik’s apartment, a regular occurrence for a Saturday morning. You sauntered into the kitchen to find Erik making pancakes for breakfast, with bacon of course. You smiled to yourself, taking in the sight of the man you loved flipping a pancake with expert precision.
Your completed moth creature took up a good amount of real estate on his back. Erik insisted on having it tattooed once you showed him the final product. It was a sight you would never take for granted. You still couldn't fathom just how much this man loved you.
You hugged him from behind, your hands tracing the bare skin of his torso. You lightly caressed your name that now adorned his ribcage, a permanent mark of his love for you. Your heart fluttered when you felt his hum of contentment vibrate through your chest.
“Good morning,” you cooed as you placed a kiss on his shoulder. Erik put down his spatula and turned around to face you, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled softly.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Erik rasped. He snaked his arms around your waist and gave your lips a soft peck. He looked you over and smirked mischievously. “Have I ever told you how sexy you look in my clothes?”
You rolled your eyes playfully, standing on your tip toes to place a kiss on his nose. This wasn't the first time you walked out of the bedroom wearing one of his band shirts, and it definitely wouldn't be the last.
“Only all the time,” you replied teasingly.
“Well, I will keep telling you till one of us dies. How does that sound?” You giggled at his silly remark, placing another kiss at the corner of his mouth. “Sounds perfect,” you agreed. Erik turned off the stove and fixed a plate with pancakes and bacon.
“This is for me. Your plate is already on the table,” Erik said while nodding towards the kitchen table that was just out of view. You gleefully made your way to the table, but you froze at what you found waiting for you there.
There was a plate at your usual spot, but there wasn't any food on it. Instead, there was a small velvet box sitting in the middle of the plate with the lid open. Nestled in the cushion of the box was a white gold ring adorned with a 1 carat princess cut diamond. It was the ring you pointed out to him at the jewelry store you went to a few months prior. You turned around to look at him, your mouth hanging open in shock.
“Erik? What is that?” you asked him, your voice on the verge of a tremble. Erik said nothing. He just smirked and walked over to retrieve the ring from the plate. He stood in front of you and held it in between your bodies like he was presenting it to you. He remained silent, but then he got down on one knee, his eye contact unwavering. You brought a shaky hand to your mouth, your heart pounding in your chest at a million miles a minute.
“I spent months saving up for this ring. I, uh, I picked it up a few weeks ago. I spent so long trying to come up with a good way to do this. A fancy candle lit dinner, a walk on the beach during sunset. I even thought about doing a fucking fireworks show at one point. But this just… this just feels right.” You weren't sure when you started crying. All you knew was that you couldn't stop. All those extra shifts he was picking up at the tattoo parlor made sense now. All the elaborate tattoos he complained about doing, but took them anyway because he “needed the extra money” all made sense.
“I have literally never felt this way about anyone before. My whole world changed when I first saw you in my parents kitchen that day. We went through hell to get to where we are now, but I would do it all again for you. I love you so much, angel.”
Erik gently took your left hand and your knees gave out under you, causing you to kneel on the floor with him. Erik smiled as tears started to brim his blue eyes. He lifted your chin, and you both met each other's teary gaze, both your emotions running incredibly high.
“Will you marry me?” Erik whispered, biting his lip hard to try and contain any sobs that might want to escape. You beamed at him, a shaky laugh emanating from you as you tried to speak through your tightening throat.
“Yes,” you finally managed to croak out. Erik lunged forward and engulfed you in the tightest hug you ever received. You both sat on the floor for a few minutes, crying in each other's arms and whispering “I love you” back and forth before Erik finally slipped the engagement ring on your finger. It was a perfect fit. Just like the two of you.
Breakfast was long forgotten after that. You and Erik both got dressed and headed to Howard and Brenda’s house to share the news with his family. Everyone was overjoyed that Erik finally popped the question. Apparently, everyone knew he was planning to propose. Brenda even had a stack of wedding magazines already prepared and ready for you and her to look at. It was all so overwhelming, but in the best way possible.
It was safe to say you and Erik had a lot of planning to do, and Erik had more money to save. You both had something so special to look forward to now. The day you would become Mrs. Campbell.
------------------------------------------------------------------
@starsplanet777 @princessbiteme0o0 @fangirl4mbct @vin-taege @your-daily-envy @unovasweetheart @0urlady0fs0rr0ws421 @adam-stanheight-lover @mochiwrld @shotgunhallelujah @dragubel @animalb0y @lizx13 @seraphims-sins @spookshollow @kingsmanperfecthartwin @heartbreak-girl @wnygirl2012 @jamonnie @cometeore @youngsweeyie @thewinterhunter @emmadellaposta-blog @faeriebunnii @scratch-and-sniff-ghost33 @seekerbear90 @mjbug101009 @the-lost-boy-lestat @justp3achy03 @delhiiii @beanzwritez @stepswithintentiontorunfree @ghostsarerad @ifyouknowmeirlnotfyoudont @zombiedixon89 @foreverchangingmind @pandaofsilentdeath @honestlyspookymoon-blog-blog @@mrsyixingunicorn10