Blood Ties (A Sick Shit Barnabas X OC Fanfiction)

II

Collinwood Manor, 1772

I was awakened by someone roughly shaking my shoulder. I opened one eye and was faced with my father. 

‘Goddamnit, Venus! I called for you like three times! When will you finally behave like a real lady?’

‘It was late last night, father! I was tired!’ I told him.

‘But you must get up when I tell you to,’ he told me. ‘Ugh, we didn’t raise you like this. I wish you were more like Barnabas.’

‘But I’m not Barnabas, father!’ I said, louder than I wanted to.

He roughly grabbed my arm. ‘Don’t use that tone with me!’

‘Stop comparing me to Barnabas! I am who I am!’

‘Not so cheeky,’ he snapped at me. ‘And get up. He’ll return this afternoon.’

I immediately sat up in bed. ‘Huh? I thought he’d be home next week!’

‘Yeah, I thought so too. But he was done way earlier, so… well, go get dressed and then get downstairs,’ father told me.

I let myself slip out of my four poster bed and headed to my wardrobe. One of those darn servants immediately ran to me to help me in my corset. She did it so fucking slowly.

‘Can you hurry up,’ I snapped at her. 

‘Yes, miss,’ she said.

‘Oh, for God's sake! Please just call me Venus,’ I told her.

‘Yes, miss… I mean, Venus.’ she stammered.

She did my hair and I rushed downstairs.

The time went by so fucking slowly. But then there finally was the well-known sound of the front door. Before my parents could say anything, I rushed to the front door. I opened it and saw my older brother, Barnabas.

He was ten years older than I was. I was fifteen and he was twenty-five. You would think that we wouldn’t get along well because of our age gap, but that’s why it worked so well. Barnabas was already a man and way more mature than other older brothers I heard some girls talking about. 

‘Venus! Where are your manners?’ my father asked. ‘Let us before you!’

‘Fuck you,’ I mumbled.

‘What did you just say? Shut your potty mouth, I hear everything you say! A lady does not curse!’

‘Yeah, right. Like you never curse,’ I mumbled.

‘That’s different. I’m a man.’

‘Ugh,’ I groaned. But I did not listen to him and I threw myself into Barnabas' arms.

‘Oh my god, you’re back! Finally! Oh, I missed you so much!’

Barnabas was the only member of our family whom I had a good relationship with. Father only criticized me and mother didn’t even talk to me most of the time. Barnabas let me be me and he never criticized me. 

He hugged me back. ‘I missed you too, my dear.’ He kissed my forehead. He wanted to step inside, but I did not let him go. I wanted to stay in his arms forever.

His arms felt so comforting. I was always emotional when he’d return from a business trip. Because it was so boring without him, his funny jokes and, well, his looks. Barnabas was one of the most handsome men I knew. He had dark brown hair, brown eyes and lovely full lips. I loved him more than I loved our mother and father. And way more than anything else in my life.