"Felix!"

His thoughts were interrupted as he walked up to the front doors of Agreste mansion. Adrien ran outside, down the steps and up to him, until their noses were only inches apart. He pulled Felix in for the big hug. "How long has it been?"

"Five years, two months, one week-"

Adrien pulled back and chuckled. "Same as always. What on earth has kept you from visiting for over five years?"

Now that would have been quite the conversation starter. Felix could only imagine the reaction he would get from Adrien if he told him the truth: had S.P.I.E.S agents not been watching him due to his family's wealth, he would have grown up completely alone.

"…School work. I have been very busy with school work."

Adrien frowned. "Wow. I started going to school last year, but I never thought there would be that much work. Then again, you are in your last year of high school." His frown flipped into a grin. "You have to tell me all about it! We can go to my room!"

The Agreste mansion had not changed much since his last visit half a decade before, though he could not ignore the large picture of Uncle Gabriel and Adrien hanging atop the stairs. Natalie strode out to greet them with clipboard in hand. "Seeing as how it is Saturday today, Adrien, I would suggest taking your free time to show Felix around. I have lots of work to do and your father will not be out of the office until dinner."

"I'll start with a tour of my room," Adrien explained as they ascended the steps, "since father let me redecorate it a few years ago."

Adrien had a mild recollection of the small and minimalist room Adrien kept the last time he had been there. "I imagine it has not changed too much over the years."

Adrien stopped outside the door and sheepishly grinned. "Well…" He led the way inside, where Felix had to catch his breath. "I mean, I may have gone a bit overboard."

Oh, how he would have enjoyed berating his cousin for the overstatement. It was like Uncle Gabriel had built his son an amusement park: arcade games, large flat screen, rock climbing wall, basketball net, etc. It was a complete one eighty of what he had been used to. It was enormous, filing up the entire room…

Then it struck him, and he relaxed. Uncle Gabriel was trying to compensate for what he could not replace. Felix's eyes fell to the three computer screens beside the large bed. Aunt Tiffany was the image on all three, smiling into the camera. He looked back to Adrien, who was waiting for his reaction. "…I have truly never seen anything so wondrous."

"I knew you would like it!"

'Like' was a strong word in that case, but Felix felt it better not to go dragging their thoughts on the room out. Instead they moved to the couch and sat down. The view from the large windows went as far as the wall. Elegant. "Tell me," Felix asked, "do you really have enough time to enjoy everything in here? I would think you have too many friends to spend time with outside the confines of the house."

Adrien leaned back, lost in fond memories. "That is partially true. I have some great friends, like Nino, Marinette, Alya and Chloe."

"The Bourgeois girl?" Felix had only met her a few times, when she was over at the Agreste mansion for a visit. He recalled her being a boisterous child that survived off sassy stances, even on things she could not understand. "How is she doing?"

"Fine, if a bit…I don't know," he shrugged, "she can bit a little mean to the other students."

"Probably a territorial thing."

"Come again?"

Felix made a similar shrug. He was out of practice and it felt unjointed. "Her father is the Mayor of Paris and her mother, well, was a victim of that terrible crash years ago. If I were in the same position, and were as bossy as she tended to be, I would also do everything I could to be on top of others."

"…Come again?"

He sighed. It was a slight downgrade moving from conversation with researchers to students. "I believe Chloe Bourgeois is afraid of gaining an inferiority complex, thus she builds herself up so high that she has developed a superiority complex."

Adrien thought on it for a moment. "You know, that makes a lot of sense. I suppose I should be there for her more. I tend to get swept away doing what the others are doing." He sat back up and smiled. "Enough about me. I can always introduce you to the others. How long are you here?"

"Thirty days."

"An entire month! Plenty of time to meet Nino! So how about you, Felix? What have you been up to these past five years, two months…uh…?"

Felix had an answer. It was the same answer he gave anyone who started asking questions. "For the past five years I have been involved in various extracurricular activities at St. Paul's Private Academy for the Gifted."

"What sort of activities could keep you so busy? I know Uncle Justin has been in the Marines all these years, but surely he would let you fly over here on your own."

"I wish I had the time before, but up until a few weeks ago my schedule was facing an issue of overcrowding from funding events, yearbook, conservations projects, student government, mail services, and so on." He let his emotions slip by a fraction. "I am sorry for not being in contact as frequently, Adrien."

His cousin gave him a smile that was tinged with sadness. It gave Felix a feeling he had only felt a few times in his work: guilt. "It's fine. I understand. It's just been pretty lonely up here, ever since…"

There was no need for words. They had both lost their mothers to strange circumstances. As they sat together in silence, Felix found his mind wandering to the fateful day he first realized magic was real.

The day he, too, had lost his own mother.

Man, the amount of mothers this show has out of the picture ;-; so yes, this Felix is similar to "Quantic Squad" Felix, but I assure you that the stories will be taking very different approaches to the Miraculous situation. It really is great being able to write more for the ML fandom. I want to get this story out before my super busy term comes (Three lit. classes, a poetry workshop AND a cinema history course!). I promise I will not be leaving this story hanging until it is completely wrapped up and finished.

Until the next chapter!