So, I've come up with a wonderfully toxic relationship dynamic between Varian and Hubert.
The twist, they are both abusive. Hubert is psychological abusive and Varian is physically abusive.
We know Hubert has a matyr-complex, now imagine he dials up the cult leader thing up to eleven and actually beliefs he's Jesus Christ. And he beliefs that Varian is Satan. He needs Varian as this traitor symbol of evil to present himself as the light.
Make him a religious fanatic masochist.
He WANTS Varian to hurt him. He wants Varian to slap him beat him, humiliate and degrade him. He wants Varian to step on his neck and press his face into the dirt and it makes him feel like a god.
I like to think that Varian is a sadist. He enjoys hurting people, but he actually doesn't want to. Yes, it's exhilarating, it's like a drug, but Varian also doesn't want to be a bad person. That what ties him to Hubert. He feels slightly less bad about hurting a scumbag like him. But he's also smart enough to know how messed up the situation is. And Hubert knows that too. That's how he keeps Varian around. He's not just a prisoner. He could leave but he stays because he enjoys it.
Honestly, it's kind of like the relationship between Lapis and Jasper. At first glance you wouldn't guess who's the physical abuser but it's toxic for both of them.
I also think that Hubert would slowly ask for more, he would encourage or demand Varian to keep going further to the point when Varian tells him that to do so he would have to kill him and Hubert would only smile maniacally and tell him to do it.
