Varian x Reader Oneshots

The Sorrow of the Son

You knocked briskly on the door to Varian's lab, your knuckles pounding on the harsh wooden door. It was splintered and stained, the wood several colours, due to repairs made over time. A strange smell wafted through the gaps in the frame, green smoke billowing and sifting upwards from the bottom. This wasn't unusual, however, but the fact that Varian hadn't responded to your arrival made you worry slightly, so you knocked again. And again, nothing. Drawing your breath and blocking the passage of air through your nose, you grasped the door handle and pushed against the wood with your shoulder. It came free and you stumbled through, landing in a heap on the floor. The green smoke was more present now, skimming the bottom of the floor and licking at your face. The sulphurous smell both blinded and choked you, its trail leading back to a small beaker on a far desk, at which sat Varian, unfazed and uninterested at your arrival.

"Varian?" You called out to your boyfriend, your hand wafting the smoke away from your face, the orifices starting to burn. He didn't answer, but you could hear his incoherent mutterings from where you were stood. You tapped your foot on the ground rapidly.

"Varian," you questioned again, this time louder and a little more impatiently. His hand twitched as you raised your voice, so he definitely heard you, but still his head stayed focused on his desk, and he continued to ignore you.

You huffed and stomped over, grabbing his arm, the quill dripping ink onto his messy notes. He looked up at you with an eyebrow raised, and a question on his lips.

"What?" Varian said, his words laced with annoyance. Oh. Oh.

Red circles surrounded his eyes, puffy and bloodshot as they were, and streaks made their way down his face, like the tears had burned into his skin. His nose was pink and his mouth was quivering, and his hair stuck out in multiple directions around the strap of his goggles. He looked a mess.

"Varian, what happened," you gasped. You removed your hand from his arm and brought it to his cheek, caressing the tear lines. He pulled away and focused his head back on his work, his eyes empty.

"See for yourself," he answered monotonously, his head jerking to the second part of his lab. You turned your head to see a large... something, covered in a tarp. Out from the bottom stuck tentacles of what looked like amber, the legs spiralling and sticking out in odd directions. Now that you saw it you couldn't look away. With one last look back at Varian, you walked towards it. Your hand grasped the tarp and you yanked it away. You gasped, your hands stuck to your mouth in shock.

In front of you was a large statue, its hue matching that of the strange tentacles surrounding you. Inside was a figure, blurred and unclear through the orange, but it was clear who it was. Quirin, his hand outstretched, his eyes closed, was stuck in the amber. You tightened your grip on your hands as you let out a sob, your eyes starting to stream tears, your vision stuck on Varian's father encased and trapped.

From behind you, you heard the faint sound of crying, and turned back to see Varian with his head on the desk, his back shaking through his sobs. He looked awful. You ran over to him and grabbed his hands, pulling him from the chair, and watched in pain as he dropped to the floor, his head in his knees and his arms wrapped tightly around his legs. You fell to his side.

"Varian, I-I'm so sorry. What happened?" You asked, trying to keep your voice as level as possible, which was hard, seeing as you too were crying. Varian didn't answer, and he brought his legs in closer to his head.

"We'll get him out Varian," you said, reaching out your hand to gently hold his. Suddenly, he turned and wrapped his arms around you, his head in your lap. He buried his face into your leg, the fabric of your skirts crinkling around him. You placed your hand on his head and played with his hair, feeling the shuddering of his small body beneath you.

You leant down and kissed his head.

"I promise."

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WELL this was quite short, only 700 or so words, but I was in the mood to write some angst.

welp I tried.