For those of you who haven't hear Ao3 is down due to a massive hack and it's unknown when it will be back up. I'm mentioning it here since I post this fic over there as well so I might not be updating this until it's hopefully back up. I like to keep a weekly update but I also don't want one sight to be really far ahead and have to dump a bunch of chapters on the other to catch up. But I already uploaded my pic on to deviant art for this chapter and I don't really want to take them down so I'm posting this now.
Welcome back! We got a nice long chapter this week and Varian gets to meet the rest of Adrien's friends. I must have spent half my editing time checking to make sure everyone's name was spelled right and still kept finding mistakes. Sorry, I'm really bad with names but hopefully I got most of them.
Content warning: Lying, talk of past trauma and jealousy.
Chapter 10
Making Friends and Enemies
Ladybug and Chat Noir stared dumbfounded at the sight of Shadow Moth's latest Akuma attacking.
"I can't believe they reakumatized the Baby." Ladybug said with an annoyed sigh. "Thank God I figured out how to stop Shadow Moth from reakumatizing his victims."
"You said it Milady." Chat Noir agreed. "They must be getting desperate."
But Ladybug was not so sure. Ever since Tanuki teamed up with their arch enemy their attacks have seemed more…experimental. It was like they were trying to test their weaknesses. What was worse was she caught Tanuki trying to follow her when she was trying to give out the Akuma cure. They were going to have to be smart about this.
"Hey Kitty Cat, I've got an idea."
"I'm all ears Milady."
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Tanuki wanted to hide from embarrassment as Shadow Moth's new Akuma began to attack.
"I can't believe you akumatized the baby again." Ladybug and Chat Noir were going to think they were desperate.
"The experiment was your idea, besides I'm not losing anymore of my prized Akumas to Ladybug's interference." He had left a sentimonster in Tanuki's staff so they could communicate.
"If by prized you mean failed but in a more spectacular manner than yes I agree." Shadow Moth huffed irritated. Tanuki may be brilliant but he certainly loved pushing his buttons sometimes. Just then he heard Tanuki yelp as the Giant Baby mistook him for a cat and tried to cuddle him. He managed to escape but he was growing impatient.
"Can't you do something about him? I'm trying to keep an eye out for Ladybug and Chat Noir." Despite his irritation with Tanuki's attitude he really was trying to control the oversized baby.
"I usually persuade my victims while twisting their desires. Little children's desires are more…single minded. It's difficult to get them to focus on anything else." Tanuki was now trying to get out in the open to look for the heroes while avoiding the baby. "Adrien was much easier to deal with at his age. So eager to please even then."
Varian was once again reminded what a perfect son Adrien was but shook his head before he became distracted. He'd free his father first, then maybe he'd start hearing those words of praise from him.
"What's he so focused on? Besides me that is?"
"He wants a lollipop." Tanuki's eyes widen to an almost comical size.
"That's why he's tearing up the city?" He said incredulously.
"I told you, he was first akumatized by accident. He really wanted that lollipop." Varian face palmed but a moment later he finally spotted Ladybug. Suddenly he had an ideal.
"Bag of Tricks!" He called out revealing a bag of sugar. He combined it with the water element and now had a shiny pink orb. "So, baby want a loli?" Ladybug hadn't noticed him yet so he drew back his arm and aimed it right at her. "Hope you like Ladybug flavor."
But before he could release his surgery concoction a metal bo staff flew through the air and hit the orb in his hand shattering it all over himself. The orb did what it was supposed to do, just not to the right person. His head was now encased in a breathable candy ball.
"Hey Look Baby! A stripped loli!" Chat Noir called out. Tanuki had been so focused on Ladybug and trying to avoid the giant baby he had missed the other hero entirely.
"Lollipop!" The giant baby exclaimed seeing Tanuki now covered in candy.
"Nonono! Wait wait! NO STOP!" The Raccoon villain shrieked as he was caught and grabbed by the excited child. Shadow Moth tried to curb the child's sweet tooth but nothing could persuade him.
"I'm not a lollipop I'm a-" But his words were cut off as the child placed his head in it's mouth sucking on the candy. "MMMUM MMuum MNUM!" Varian was lucky the kid didn't have teeth yet. The treat was finished quickly. Then he tossed a traumatized Takuki onto a roof top where he wobbled to his feet.
"SUCKER!" Chat Noir called out as Ladybug freed the Akuma and unleashed the lucky charm. He had missed it when he became the baby's breakfast. He was able to slip away while the lucky charm repaired everything from the battle and transformed back. His true goal of this fiasco was to try and see how Ladybug was administering her Akuma Vaccine. Unfortunately she had gotten wise to his attempts and whatever she did was in seclusion away from prying eyes. Varian was forced to head back after a humiliating defeat.
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Shadow Moth was waiting for the boy to arrive when he got a call on his cell phone informing him he would be late to attend the project meeting.
"Shower first, rant later!" the boy exclaimed, the sound of running water in the background.
"Wouldn't the Lucky Charm cleans you of any…negative effects?"
"I CAN STILL FEEL IT!" He shouted before jumping into the most scalding water he could stand.
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After his shower Varian entered the lair to discuss today's findings.
"That's it! No more Akumatizing kids!" He exclaimed, still towel drying his hair. Gabriel looked amused but chose not to laugh at his partner.
"A little over dramatic now aren't we?" Varian shot him an annoyed look.
"You're not the one in the field dealing with them. Let's have someone try to lick off your face and see how you like it." Shadow Moth conceded.
"Very well, I don't suppose you were able to discover how Ladybug is blocking me." Varian huffed.
"Unfortunately she's on to me and whatever she's doing she's doing it in secret." He went over to the computer and updated the data they had collected. For a week they had been sending out test Akumas to try to see how Ladybug was blocking the Akumas and how they could get around it.
"I think we can safely conclude that whatever she's doing it's allowing her to apply her Akuma vaccine after an attack. You haven't been able to reakumatize any of the ones we sent out this week right?" Shadow Moth nodded.
"I didn't have any trouble reakumatizing old victims but once they were defeated that's when I found out I was blocked." Varian looked back at the data.
"I think she's using a variation of the lucky charm just after she defeats the Akumas. It's like it's now part of the post battle clean up."
"You think she needs the Akuma's energy to make the block."
"Exactly, she's using Akuma antibodies to make her vaccine." Gabriel sighed.
"I wish you'd stop calling it that, it makes me sound like a disease." Varian was thinking it kind of was but decided not to voice it.
"Anyway, this is good news for us. It means she can't vaccinate-I mean block all of your past victims. Just the ones you're currently making now."
"This still limits us though."
"Sometimes limits are good. It forces you to think outside of the box." Varian said with a smile. Gabriel was still not pleased but at least they knew what their limits were now. And while he hated to admit it Varian was right, Ladybug was adapting. They would need to think up better plans before she came after them someday.
"I don't know about you but after today I need a break. I'm almost done with my side project but it needs to sit for a while." Gabriel was still in the dark as to what this new side project was but trusted that he would find out soon enough.
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The next morning while Varian and Adrien were eating breakfast Adrien mentioned he had been given permission to go on a picnic with his friends and invited Varian to come along. He was hesitant at first but after seeing the pleading look on Adrien's face he gave in. He needed a break anyway.
So with their favorite foods packed they made their way to the park to meet the other. Varian was a bit nervous, it wasn't so bad when it was just a few people at a time but it looked like his entire class was here.
Nino spotted them and waved so two boys waved back.
"Adrien! Glad you could make it! I see you brought the Basement Dweller with you." Varian rolled his eyes. Yep that was who he was now, not getting rid of that nickname anytime soon.
"Oh leave him alone Nino." Marinette scolded coming up to them as Nino led Adrien away to discuss something. He recognized her as the girl how crashed into him in the bakery and apologized with some tasty treats. He now also recognized her as the former holder of the Mouse Miraculous. She had let her identity slip and Ladybug had to take it back. There was a new holder for the mouse now but their identity was unknown.
"So I heard you aced some college tests by mistake? How'd that happen?" He sighed, he knew it would come up and he knew he should be proud of the fact he had done so well but Gabriel made such a big deal about it.
"Yeah I've always been homeschooled and always gone at my own pace. This was the first time I've ever taken a test like this so I didn't notice that it was tougher than it was supposed to be." Marinette nodded.
"Kagami seemed really impressed when she told me." Hearing the other girl had been impressed by his achievement made him feel lighter.
"Oh, is she here today?"
"No, her mother wouldn't let her come."
"That's a shame. She was really interesting and fun to hang out with." Marinette beamed at him.
"I'm so glad you two hit it off. Her mother is even more strict than Mr. Agreste when it comes to their kid's social lives. I'm happy she's made another friend." While he was glad Kagami did have friends like Marinette, the comment about Gabriel left him a little concerned. Sure he knew the man didn't have the best reputation but still…
"Adrien's told us a lot about you." Varian tensed.
"Oh, what'd he say?"
"Just that his father is helping out your family and you really like to read and experiment." Varian let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He knew Adrien had been told not to talk about his past but it was good to know the other boy kept his word. "Oh and that you're from Germany. You speak French very well."
"Thanks I learned it when I was five." She laughed for a moment before realizing he wasn't joking. "Sorry, I didn't mean to boast." She shook her head.
"Oh no, it's fine. I knew you were smart, you just caught me off guard. Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone. She happily dragged him along as they went through Adrien's large circle of friends.
He first met Mylène and Ivan who were both a little shy but seemed like nice people. He found out that they were the ones who protested that this park be demolished for a pure air factory. When Varian pointed out all the holes in that plan it earned their respect in a big way.
From there he met Juleka and Rose. He knew of Juleka from Luka, her twin brother and she quietly mentioned her brother had spoken very highly of him. He was a little glad he wasn't there to see him blushing. Rose on the other hand was very interested to hear he grew up on a farm.
"Oh, did you take care of a lot of animals?" Varian nodded.
"It was mostly an apple orchard but we did have a few horses, some cows, chickens and pigs." As soon as she heard he'd raised pigs her eyes lit up.
"Oh how cute! I love pigs! They're my favorite! Did any of them win ribbons when you showed them off at fairs?"
"Well actually when they got big enough we-" but just as he was going to say what they really did with them her other friends in the background were frantically gesturing wordlessly for him to stop. "-we'd be a shoe in! Ours were always winners." Rose beamed and Juleka and the others wiped their brows with relief.
He talked a little more about his life on the farm and during the conversation his humane animal traps came up.
"So they just trap the animals but the chemicals don't hurt them or the environment?" Mylène asked. She seemed very interested in his invention.
"Yeah I couldn't risk harming the crops but I didn't want to hurt the animals either." He explained briefly how his goo bombs worked and how they would naturally dissolve in a few hours in case he wasn't there to free them. Ivan recommended patenting his idea and selling it. While Varian was flattered he said he was still working out the bugs. But it was an interesting idea though.
Before his thoughts could get much further he was tapped on the shoulder by some very sharp nails.
"Hi, you must be Gabriel Agreste's new house guest. Chloe Bourgeois, but of course you knew that already." He did indeed. Chloe Bourgeois, former holder of the Bee Miraculous. She outed herself to the public and when Ladybug hesitated giving her the miraculous again she threw a fit and teamed up with Shadow Moth. She was a favorite of Gabriel's. And while her profile made his stomach churn he grudgingly admitted she made a good Akuma. It was because of her they knew the identities of some of the holders and how they got the translation notes for the book. In other words, can't be too rude, for now.
"Gabriel did mention you, yes. I'm Varian Ritter." The redheaded girl beside her raised her hand.
"Hi Varian, I'm Sabrina." The other blond girl with a pink streak through her hair extended a hand intending to shake his.
"And I'm Zoe. It's nice to meet-"
"Excuse me sister!" Chloe said, cutting off the other girl. "I was talking to Valentino!"
"Varian."
"He's obviously an undercover celebrity staying with the Agrestes to hide from the paparazzi."
"I'm really just a science student."
"He doesn't have time for losers like you." Varian watched as the girl's face fell. He knew a little bit about the scandal in the Bourgeois family. It was never confirmed but supposedly Audrey Bourgeois had an affair with an American and Zoe was the result. She moved to France recently but her family situation was pretty bad. Keeping face or not he was going to give this spoiled brat a piece of his mind when Adrien stepped in.
"That's enough Chloe!" He said while Marinette pulled Zoe out of the crossfire. "We've been over this. If you want to hang out and be friends again you have to curb that attitude of yours." She shrugged him off.
"And who says I want to be friends with you anymore. I was having a delightful conversation with Valentino-"
"Varian."
"Until my ridiculous sister interrupted-" She looked around only to see Zoe, Adrian and Varian were gone. "Hey where did they go?"
While Adrien ran interference Alix snuck in and led Varian out of that mess.
"Figured someone was going to throw a punch soon, which I doubt your host family would appreciate."
"I wasn't going to punch her," he argued. "Slip an accelerated laxative into her latte maybe." The girl smiled.
"I meant me. I'm Alix by the way. So your Valentino?" Varian threw up his hands.
"That's it! I'm getting the laxative." Alix laughed as she led him over to a few other kids.
"I'm kidding Varian or would you prefer Basement Dweller?"
"It's better than Valentino." She laughed again.
"You've got a lot of sass, I like that." He smiled back as they passed two boys one drawing, one writing who both looked like they were in their own little world. "We'll introduce you to those two later. They're having a moment." The two waved briefly barely noticing Alix and Varian passing by.
"Marc and Nathaniel are working on a comic together and they're currently in the zone." Varian looked back at the pair.
"Ah, so that's what I look like 75% of the time." Alix led him over to two other boys. One tall and muscular, the other was short with glasses.
"Varian, I'd like you to meet Kim and Max." Two additional Miraculous holders. Kim, holder of the Monkey Miraculous and Max, holder of the Horse Miraculous. That was the one that got him stuck here far away from his father, but also may have saved his life. But Max wasn't the one responsible for his mess or emotional conflict.
"Nice to meet you." Varian greeted as Kim grabbed his hand and shook it a little too hard.
"Nice to meet you too! Say you mind timing our race? Alix thinks she can beat me just because she has skates."
"I said I'm twice as fast as you on skates." she challenged with her arms crossed.
"You're on! Varian count us down!"
"Um, OK. Three, two, one GO!" He said in a rush as the two jocks took off leaving him and Max behind. "Well, those two are certainly…"
"Energetic?" Max supplied helpfully.
"That works." Varian agreed.
"It's good to meet you Varian, I was impressed when I heard you passed a college level exam. Even if it was unintentional." Varian shrugged.
"Imagine what I could do if I tried." Max smiled but before he could comment a small robot started to hover beside him.
"I'd also like to introduce Markov."
"Nice to meet you Varian." Varian's eyes widened as he observed the little robot.
"Wow! Is that a fully functional robot with an actual artificial intelligence program?!" Both Max and Markov seemed pleased by his reaction.
"That's correct, I built and programmed him myself. He's my best friend" If possible that made Varian even more excited.
"You made him! That's so cool! I've read about A.I. and complex robots but I've never seen one in person! How did you go about coding him and what kind of learning software does he have?"
For the next twenty minutes or so Varian bombarded Max with questions and surprisingly Max seemed happy to answer them. Markov answered a few as well, making Varian even more excited at the complexity of his programming. And Markov was pleased to find another human as smart as his creator and could keep up and understand how he operated.
There was an annoyed little twinge in his pocket but Varian gently patted Ruddiger wordlessly telling him not to be jealous.
"Alright! I won!" Kim shouted as he and Alix crossed the finish line together.
"Yeah right. I totally beat you." Kim turned to the new kid who was supposed to be keeping track but he was disappointed to see he wasn't even looking at the race track.
"Hey guys who won?" Max looked back a little sheepishly but Varian was still focused on Markov. Kim was a little annoyed, he was trying to include the new kid but it seemed like he wasn't even paying attention.
"Hey Varian!" Varian jumped.
"Hun? Ah, sorry, what were you saying?" Kim huffed.
"Guess you didn't see who won." Now it was Varian's turn to look sheepish.
"Not to worry." Markov exclaimed, hovering close to the two athletes. "My sensors were keeping track and I can say that Alex won by a margin of 0.00000089%"
"You can calculate by a margin that small?" Varian exclaimed, turning his attention back to Max and Markov. "Your work is incredible Max, he's so well built." The pair beamed while Kim huffed again.
"OK so you beat me this time, but since it was so close I say we go best two out of three." Alix shrugged.
'`Maybe after lunch OK?" she said, walking over to the two scientists and the robot. Kim took a deep breath and followed.
"I'm flattered that you think so highly of my work Varian. What's your field of expertise?" Varian was so excited he almost blurted out Alchemy but quickly caught himself.
"Al-Chemistry is my primary focus but I have dabbled a little in robotics. Automatons mostly." To his surprise it was Alix who perked up.
"Oh, like those figures that move with clock work or like really tricked out music boxes." Varian looked back at the red head.
"Yeah, exactly. I found some really old ones that were broken and discarded. I studied them enough to fix them up and added a…few extra movements." He probably shouldn't have told them that but he was just so pleased to be able to talk about science and the things he liked with other kids his own age he just could help it.
"That sounds fascinating!" Max said while Varian shrugged.
"It's nothing compared to Markov here."
"I disagree. The art of automation takes a lot of skill and patience to master. Very few could do it in its heyday. People nowadays would use computers to run the calculations and machines to print the parts out precisely."
"I wish I had that when I was making mine. Would have saved me a lot of time." Alix's eyes widened.
"Wait, you built a Medieval robot, and you did it old school?" Varian wasn't quite sure what an old school meant but he figured that was a good thing.
"Yeah, I kind of had to."
"Awesome! I'm into engineering myself. I'd love to see your automaton in action." Varian's smile quickly turned into a frown.
"I'm afraid I don't have it anymore."
"Oh, why not?"
"Someone destroyed it." Yeah, OK so he was using it as a weapon to attack the royal family. It still stung to see all that work destroyed by…her.
"What! Oh man that sucks!" Alix exclaimed. "I remember when my family's watch was broken. I was devastated."
"Indeed." Max concurred. "As scientists we put a lot of our heart and soul into our work. To destroy something like that…" he looked at Markov no doubt remembering the times when he was in danger.
"I don't have the parts to make one as big as my last one but if you're interested in seeing how it works I could create a smaller version to give you an idea." Alix spun on her skates.
"That'd be so cool…oh but do you have time? Adrien said you were working day and night on some project with his father." Varian frowned at the mention of the project. He knew Adrien wasn't in the know but the more people thought there was a project the more they'd expect results. As much as he hoped to have the Miraculous in his hands sooner rather than later one wrong move and it could be over for them. It occurred to him they might need to come up with something in case those nasty rumors popped up again.
"The project is really important to me and I can get a little too involved and lose track of time." The other two nodded in agreement. "But I'm not working all the time, I'm on a break right now. I'll make the automaton in my spare time, it'll be fun." Alix pumped her hands in the air.
"Oh, how about we work on it together?" she suggested.
"That would be a wonderful way to see how it functions." Max agreed.
"Well, it would be a fun to work on it together, maybe you guys can even think of ways to improve it." The three scientists all chatted happily about automatons, robots and chemical compounds. What they seemed to forget was Kim who silently slunk off feeling a little like he had been excluded.
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Before they knew it Nino called everyone over for lunch. The blankets we covered in a variety of side dishes and treats since most people brought their own lunch. Adrien took out his own meal but he noticed that Varian wasn't eating for some reason.
"What's wrong, I thought you packed a lunch before we left." Varian glanced around the circle most of the students had settled in.
"I don't want Rose to see my lunch." Adrien for the life of him, couldn't fathom why.
"Why, what did you bring?" He looked over to make sure she wasn't listening.
"Ham sandwich," he whispered. Adrien chuckled lightly as he handed Varian a piece of his.
"While I appreciate the sentiment, father said you weren't supposed to skip meals though." Varian smiled and took the offered food but that got Adrien thinking. Why was that a rule? Sure Varian was skinnier than he was, which was saying a lot since he was a model, but even so…
"Say, why does father have to have a rule to make sure you eat." Varian froze mid bite.
"Oh I just have a habit of getting too into my work and forget to stop and eat every so often. I'm not called the Basement Dweller for nothing." He joked as he continued to eat and while it did feel like the other boy wasn't lying to him it felt like he wasn't telling the complete truth either.
While everyone was in a group enjoying their meal Varian found himself the center of attention. He couldn't say he wasn't expecting this, he was the new kid after all but it still felt a little weird.
"Juleka said you were jamming out with Luka last week." Rose said, glancing back at her girlfriend. "We're in a band together called, "Kitty Session"
"Oh yeah Luka mentioned that, he's your guitarist right? I know he plays a few different instruments."
"Yeah he's our guitarist, Juleka's on base, Ivan drums, and I sing." Adrien tentatively raised his hand.
"I play the keyboard with them when I can." He felt a little sting when Rose didn't bring that up but he wasn't able to come very often so he guess he understood. Rose did look a little embarrassed that she forgot to mention Adrien's contribution.
"So do you play anything Varian?" Marinette asked.
"I can play the guitar as well as the piano." Adrien blinked. He hadn't known about that.
"Really!" Rose squeaked. "Maybe you can play in our band sometime when Adrien's busy." Adrien didn't quite scowl; it was hidden by his water bottle. It wasn't his fault his father barely gave him any freedom while Varian didn't seem to have any restrictions.
"While I wouldn't mind playing with you guys my schedule is pretty tight myself. I couldn't make any commitments but maybe just for fun sometimes?" The other band members nodded enthusiastically. All except Adrien who took another very long sip on his water. He wasn't the only one not on board the Varian train. Kim was not used to being ignored, especially by his best friends. But he didn't want to appear rude either.
"So you're a genius, a master builder and can play music." He meant it to sound like a complement but it came off a little condescending. "How about sports though?" All eyes were back on Varian again but he just shrugged.
"Not really." He said, causing Kim to smile a bit. "Not unless you count riding down a mountain in the snow on a flimsy piece of wood." He said, meaning for it to be a dark joke but then he saw Alix's eyes light up.
"Oh, you mean extreme snowboarding!" Kim frowned but Varian completely missed it as he realized she wasn't joking. 'People in this world really do that for fun?'
"Not that often." He said, trying to hide his surprise. "It was called something else back home." 'Namely fighting for my life trying to survive a blizzard just to get thrown back into it when you went begging for help!' He looked up to see everyone looking at him concerned.
"Sorry it wasn't really fun for me when I tried it." he said nothing more and thankfully no one pressed. Thankfully most of the group broke up and were doing their own thing after lunch. Varian was about to look for Max or Alix when he heard an unfamiliar voice spreading lies.
"Seen the movie? I had a minor part. Julian, the director, was so nice." He glanced over to see a girl who must have just arrived. She was talking to Juleka, Rose, Nathaniel and Marc about some movie she was supposedly in. Her name was Lila Rossi and she was a liar. Now Varian was no stranger to lying especially nowadays but he did so out of necessity, she did it to make herself look good. Not unlike a certain King who would send soldiers to torment a helpless teenager who's words of truth threatened his picture perfect world.
"Oh you were in a movie? Which one?" She turned around a little surprised to see him but quickly composed herself.
"The Stars in Our Eyes. It was so much fun." as she spoke her little audience was eating up her every word. He did notice Marinette staring at the group and glaring at Lila. She had her fist in her mouth as if to stop herself from calling her out. He was thankful at least one person wasn't buying it.
"That's so neat! So tell me what's your stage name?" She paused in her self gratification and gave Varian a curious look.
"What do you mean?" she said in a sweet sounding voice but there were definitely challenging undertones within it.
"Well I just saw that movie myself and really liked it. So I made sure to watch the credits but I don't recall seeing your name there. So what's your stage name? I'd like to see what else you've done." He said pulling out his phone ready to look up her fake name and call her bluff.
"Oh, I see the confusion. Truthfully, the actress who was supposed to play the part got sick in the middle of shooting. I took her place for a few scenes but I insisted not being in the credits. Her dear sick mother would be watching and would be confused by two people playing her daughter's part." Well, thought Varian. He had to admit she was good, no wonder Gabriel liked using her. She seemed to be able to control her emotions really well so that's why he could only Akumatize her every now and then. She was a force to be reckoned with.
"Who was the actress?" Rose asked and without missing a beat Lira's lies just continued.
"She made me promise not to tell, and I always keep my promises." She looked back at him as her audience praised her as if to say, 'Nice try.'
"You must be Adrien's house guest. Varian was it?" She held out her hand and for a moment he was tempted to refuse it but she technically worked for Gabriel as a model so he'd have to put up with her for now.
"It is. And you must be Lila. Gabriel mentioned you once or twice."
"He did? Oh how nice of him." He hated her already.
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All too soon the picnic came to an end and everyone was getting ready to leave. While Varian certainly had a good time he kept getting these weird comments about Gabriel. He tried to ignore them at first but they were getting more and more troublesome.
"He doesn't keep you in the basement all day does he?"
"Tell me the truth, are you really his long lost son?"
"Blink twice if you're being held against your will."
"Alright everyone, STOP!" He didn't mean to shout but this was getting out of hand. He thought Alya debunk all those rumors but it seems like they persisted.
"Look, I know Gabriel doesn't have the best reputation but these weird rumors could really hurt him if they spread too far. I know he comes across a little cold but I've seen how much he loves his son and he'd been so kind to me. Sure he's a little overprotective but he's also a man who lost his wife so I can understand that. As for me…" Varian took a deep breath. "My father is…not well. And when it happened no one was there to help me. Gabriel was the first person in a long time to offer me any kind of help for me and my father." Nino scoffed.
"That's just called being a decent human being." Varian shot him a dark look.
"Well he was the first decent human being I'd come across in a long time. Even those who were in charge and could do something, didn't, even those who were supposed to care…didn't." He stubbornly wiped a tear away ignoring all the eyes on him. "As for the project in the basement, it's something that could potentially help my Dad but the details are classified and that's all the information you'll get out of me on that.
"You don't need to like Gabriel but me and Adrien know another side to him. So please just ease up on the rumors and watch what you say around us OK?" The crowd was too stunned to do anything except nod. When the limo pulled up Varian practically leapt in not wanting to see those looks of pity any longer. Hopefully this would be enough to stop the rumors so Gabriel wouldn't be harassed because he didn't think he could do that again in front of that many people.
Adrien joined him in the limo and the two made their way home. Adrien was quiet for a moment before speaking.
"It must be nice seeing another side of Father." Varian looked up confused by the boy's tone. "It was nice of you to say even if it wasn't all true." Varian was even more confused now.
"What do you mean? Of course it was true." Adrien looked back at Varian with an unreadable expression on his face.
"If you say so." Adrien turned around and stared out the window with a sad look on his face. Varian felt like he was missing something, something very important.
To be continued…
Next time: Tanuki steps up his game against Ladybug and Chat Noir but he also gets some unwanted attention as a result.
