I know a lot of you have been waiting for this, Akumatized Varian! Let's get on with it shall we?

Content warning: Kidnapping, restraining, death threats, obsession, mental instability, injury, blood (Adrien is not in good hands at the moment)

Chapter 21

Mean Streak Part 1

Varian had seen many people Akumatzed during his time as Shadow Moth's partner but he had always been hesitant about being Akumatized himself. Although he knew the process was painless and if he was willing he'd pretty much have complete control and keep his memories as well, he didn't like the idea of someone potentially having control over him.

It was different when he was Tanuki, he trusted Ruddiger, he was his partner and he always felt in control. So for him to volunteer meant that the situation was dire and he was now putting his trust in Gabriel. Despite their disagreement they both wanted to save Adrien.

Shadow Moth had just been planning on finding someone at random but using Varian would mean a much lower chance of his son getting hurt.

"Are you sure about this?" Varian took a deep breath. He was a little nervous but this was for Adrien.

"Yes, let me do this." Shadow Moth wished they had more time to strategies but right now every second counted.

"Alright, I'm trusting you." And he was, he was trusting him with something far more precious than the Miraculous they were hunting. And Varian knew it.

It was easy to find Varian's emotions, he was still mad at Gariel despite their current truce. He was also upset with…a fairytale? He'd ask about that later. He sent out the cursed butterfly which flew through the city faster than ever before.

Varian was waiting in an alleyway when he saw it. He instinctually took a step back but gritted his teeth and allowed the Akuma to enter his notebook.

The instant it was absorbed he felt a light numbing sensation all through his body. He suspected it would be stronger for someone being taken against their will. The next moment it was like Shadow Moth was in his head but speaking as clearly as if he was whispering in his ear.

"Mean Streak! I give you-" Varian couldn't help but laugh.

"Really! That's the best you could come up with? How long were you waiting to use that one because I know you've been thinking about it." Shadow Moth growled.

"Just get in there and save my son! You have the power to eliminate any obstacle in front of you so nothing can stand in your way." He forgo the rest of the speech as he felt Varian accepting his new gift.

"Don't worry, I've already got a plan." The familiar dark cloud surrounded the young villain transforming his body and bestowing him with a new power. "You can trust me."

His new outfit consisted of a blue bodysuit with rose colored sleeves and boots. His gloves were blue to match his suit and he had a long glowing light blue streak circling his body from the bottom of his left leg to the tips of his right finger which held his notebook which was glowing as well. His skin had a more pinkish tone than usual and his hair was now the same color as his hair stripe. Although his hair stripe was now the same light glowy blue as his new body streak. Lastly he had a face mask covering his mouth decorated with sharp teeth on the front.

It was a little like the bandanas he made as a kid when he and his Dad would play pirates together. (apparently he was obsessed with them when he was seven) He wondered off hand if that was something Gabriel saw when he read his emotion or was it something his subconscious added to the design. He'd have to dwell on that later though, Adrien needed him.

Mean Streak ran up to the building declaring war on Gabriel Agreste and his empire. The cops tried to shoot at him but he instantly took out a sheet of paper from his notebook and used it to expertly deflect all of their bullets (making sure they didn't hit any bystanders of course.) He then crumpled up the paper and pitched it like a baseball knocking the squad cars out of the way with a blue steak. Gabriel must have had fun with this design Varian thought as he took another sheet of paper and stuck it to the blocked off entrance.

He sent out another blue streak now realizing his own hair streak was glowing as well. 'Oh yeah, he definitely had fun with this design.' It was a shame neither could really enjoy this with so much on the line.

The streak dissolved the door instantly and Varian ran for the stairs hoping to find his friend before something bad happened.

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Marinette was in an angry panic. She had just got the news broadcast that Adrien may have been kidnapped from this photoshoot, a place where he was supposed to be safe, and then she gets the alert that an Akuma is attacking the same building!

She grabbed the glasses out of the Miraculous box, instructing Kaalki to come with her.

At least she didn't have to choose which problem she had to handle thank goodness. It wasn't unusual for Ladybug to help out the police or stop local crime but she was the only one who could stop an Akuma. If it had attacked anywhere else she would have had to deal with it first and she would have been sick with worry the entire time.

Of course the Akuma could be after Adrien himself which was why her panic meter was rising. To make matters worse, Chat Noir was not answering! Between the kidnapper, the Akuma and Tanuki she could really use her partner for this.

Hopefully he's just running a little late.

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Adrien's head was throbbing. He was trying to remember why he had a headache or for that matter, where he was. What was the last thing he remembered? He was…he was talking to Varian on the phone . Yes, that's right. He was trying to invite him to dinner, he still sounded mad. And then- He remembered a hand covering his mouth with a strange smelling rag. Someone…someone had grabbed him.

His eyes shot wide open and he tried to stand up but he couldn't. His hands were tied behind his back and his feet were tied together in front of him. He tried to call for help but that was when he realized there was a cloth gag in his mouth preventing anyone from hearing him.

Now he was starting to panic. He didn't know who attacked him or why but whatever the reason. It couldn't be good.

"Ah finally awake, are we?" Adrien stiffened hearing a voice from behind him but couldn't turn around because of the restraints. "This is all your fault you know."

Adrien thought he recognized the voice but he couldn't quite place it. He gasped as a set of hands grabbed him and pulled him up. He was half carried half dragged to the window of what he now recognized as the studio. He glanced down seeing the entrance to the building surrounded by police officers.

"See that? That is you're overprotective Daddy jumping the gun!" Adrien's kidnapper then shoved him into a chair and began tying him to it. "You're such a little shit, always strutting around as if you didn't have a care in the world. As if you didn't know what you were doing!"

Alarm bells were going off in Adrien's head. What was this lunatic talking about?

"I just wanted to spend more time with you, and take care of you but then you had to go and run away!" He pulled the rope a little too tight and Adrien winched."You're so beautiful, I just wanted to keep you that way. Didn't want you gaining weight and ruining that perfect body of yours."

Adrien's eyes widened in realization. He knew who this was.

"Then that bitch of a coordinator reported me to your Father, and guess what? He fired me!" Jacques moved so he was now facing Adrien looking angry and deranged. "Well he can't keep me from taking what I want. I might not make it out of here now, but I've sealed us up nice and tight."

Sweat was forming on Adrien's brow. He was trying not to show just how scared he was but right now he was shaking like a leaf.

"Maybe it's better this way. I'll have one last chance to look at you and I'll be the last person you see. Afterwards we'll leave this world together. You'll forever be beautiful, unspoiled by the cruel hands of time!"

Adrien was now violently shaking his head trying to wrench himself free. He looked up when he heard a small click and saw Jacques waving a switchblade around.

"Now now. I really don't want to damage that lovely face of yours but I wouldn't mind carving my name into your flesh." Adrien stilled. "See you're really a good boy deep down." He lowered the knife and in a flash cut off the top button on his shirt.

"Although my signature would look exquisite on your thigh." He lowered the knife brushing in along the seam of his pants. "Wouldn't that be a nice surprise for Daddy?"

But before he could make another cut the building was rocked by an explosion. Luckily the knife missed Adrien's leg. As Jock rushed to the window Plagg snuck out of Adrien's pocket to try and free his owner.

"Blast it!" Jock swore seeing the chaos going on outside. "Of all the times for an Akuma attack!"

Adrien was never more grateful for an Akuma attack than he was right now..

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The plan was simple. Nathalie was monitoring the building and relaying the information to Shadow Moth. He would then pass on the information to Varian so he'd know where to go. But while this was a rescue this was also an Akuma attack so Varian had the additional challenge of making this look real.

He burst into one of the rooms that had yet to be evacuated. The people shouted and screamed when they saw him and although he knew not to take it personally he was reminded of the time he attacked Corona with an army of atomotons and a mutated Ruddigar. He shoved that thought aside and he went to work.

"Gabriel Agreste is a heartless liar who only cares about his legacy and reputation." He grabbed a sheet of paper from his notebook and charged it with the energy from his hair. The people in front of him all scattered as he did so. He unleashed his power on the wall they had just vacated.

Turning around he continued to shout hateful remarks about the man who had taken him in. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the civilians exiting through the hole he made. Good, he thought. So far things were going according to plan. He continued to destroy parts of the room until Shadow Moth contacted him.

"Mean Streak, Mayura couldn't find Adrien on the cameras but the 12th floor is completely off line. He has to be there." Varian nodded, whipping out another sheet of paper.

"I'll take out all you hold dear Gabriel! From the bottom to the top!" He said out loud in case anyone was still left to hear him.

"Hurry! Ladybug will no doubt be arriving soon and we can't afford a delay!" Varian nodded, jumping through the hole he made in the ceiling taking him from the second floor to the third. Unfortunately he couldn't go straight up or risk weakening the building's structure.

He went up level by level sometimes with a well placed hole or even the stairs. He got to the 11th floor and he was pretty sure this was where Adrien was taken from. There was a whole set of large fluffy clouds, cameras set up a little further back and a wardrobe area with various costumes on a rack in the corner. He also found both the stairs barricaded and the elevator dismantled, blocking him from the 12th floor. He could force his way in but it could be boobytrapped. While that would have been a problem for the police it would be a simple matter for him to just go through the ceiling again. The problem was he didn't know where Adrien was on the 12th floor. If Mean Streak destroyed the wrong spot Adrien could be seriously hurt.

Just as he was debating what to do however, "Mean Streak! Behind you!" He ducked just in time to avoid an attack by…Ladybug? She looked different from every other time she fought him. Her outfit had patches of white and her hair was in a long ponytail. She was also sporting sunglasses and that when it hit him.

This was Pegabug! Ladybug had combined the Miraculous of the Ladybug and Horse in order to use the abilities to open portals. He smirked to himself, this was perfect.

"Remember, you are now Mean Streak. If Ladybug recognizes you as Tanuki-"

"Don't worry Shadow Moth," Varian reassured him. "I'll get you the Miraculous of the Ladybug and Black Cat as soon as I get my hands on the thing Gabriel cherished the most."

Pegabug gasped quickly realizing just what he meant. "You leave Adrien Agreste out of your little revenge plot. He's done nothing to you." Mean Streak scoffed.

"Sometimes the only way to get someone to listen to you is by threatening someone they love." He could feel Shadow Moth flinch a little at that. The villain was quickly reminded why Varian wound up in prison in the first place. Making this look real was shockingly easy.

"That's something only a coward would do!" Varian gritted his teeth genuinely angry at that remark.

"You know nothing about me! I'm not afraid of Gabriel Agreste and I'm certainly not afraid of you!" He launched another sheet of paper at the heroine while trying to angle it just right so he could clip the ceiling and hopefully get a better idea where Adrien was. He heard an adult's voice curse but they didn't seem to be too close to the hole.

Pegabug heard it too as she looked up and gasped.

"There he is!" Mean Streak exclaimed. "I've got to get to him before his stalker does." He moved towards the hole hoping to draw her attention to it, she took the bait. She used her yoyo to trip him up as she tried to get to the hole herself.

Unfortunately the small hole was blocked by something large and heavy from the floor above. Ladybug cursed as dodged another paper from Mean Streak's book.

"Where is that blasted Cat when I need him?" Pegabug said as she continued to dodge and figure out how to get to Adrien when she couldn't see him. Varian was wondering the same thing as well.

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Jacques could hear the fighting going on downstairs so he knew he had to work fast. He had to claim his prize and end it all before the battle came to him. He wasn't able to do much before the room shook and there was a bowling ball size hole in the corner. He cursed as he left the beautiful boy to block the hole in case one of the supers tried to come up through it.

Adrien let out a breath he was holding as his capture left him on his own. Plagg was working double time on the ropes. Much faster now after finding a metal shard from the blast. Adrien was looking back and forth as Jock pushed a heavy metal cabinet over the hole and back to Plagg who had just gotten his hands free and was now working on his feet.

He noticed a spare shard by his feet and quickly snatched it up to help. While it was only a few moments it felt agonizingly slow for the boy who was just moments away from freedom or death. The moment he was free he jumped from the chair and ran to the stairwell door. He was inches away when a hand grabbed him and yanked him back.

"Careful Adrien." Jacques said calmly, restraining the boy in his arms. "The door's rigged to blow. It would have been a very messy end for you. Very messy indeed." Adrien paused for a moment seeing there was indeed an explosive device attached to the door.

He had escaped danger for the moment but a moment later the crazy cameraman had a knife to his throat.

"I didn't want it to be like this Adrien. It was supposed to be beautiful." He said as the arm not holding the knife was tightening his grip. Adrien grabbed the offending hand with his own trying to break free until the knife pressed harder against his flesh causing a few drops of blood to trickle down neck.

"Look what you've made me do! Your beautiful skin is now flawed! I was trying so hard to keep your beauty preserved but it seems there's no time left to do anything but leave this world together. I won't let them take me and no one will ever have you!"

Adrien wrenched his hands free and grabbed at the knife trying to protect his throat.

"LADYBUG HELP!" he shouted as loud as he could hoping his partner was close enough to hear.

"Stop struggling! I could never forgive myself if I damaged your face." As Adrien continued to struggle Plagg was getting ready to use his powers to save his current holder, but before he could the floor beneath them vanished.

To be continued…

Next time: Will Varian and or Ladybug be able to save Adrien?