"Hey mom, do you think we're gonna see Ladybug or Chat Noir?"
Michael's mother sighed.
"Honey, this is the seventeenth time you've asked and the answer is still that I don't know."
Zips poked his head out of Michael's shirt collar.
"There's always trouble in Paris so of course you're gonna see 'em so stop asking OOH IS THAT THE EIFFEL TOWER?"
Michael snagged the Kwami as he attempted to escape the shirt collar. A second later and his mother would have seen the little idiot as she turned around to adjust his younger brother's car seat.
Michael pressed his nose against the glass to give Zips a look.
"Yes, it is, and we've talked about you coming out around my family…" he whispered.
"Sorry…" Zips replied, sufficiently chided.
"It's ok, you just can't do that!"
Michael reached down and slipped a sour hard candy out of his bag, sneaking it into the Kwami's hands. It was greedily downed immediately.
Wary of his mother's ire, Michael kept his mouth shut for the rest of the drive, opting to silently watch for one or both of his idols. He ended up sacrificing more than half of his stash of candy to keep Zips hidden, but his excitement kept him from noticing.
The ride to the hotel yielded no Ladybug or Chat Noir, only disappointment.
A tad angry, Michael helped his dad unload car as his mother took his two younger brothers up to the suites the family would be staying in. Zips was difficult as always, until Michael grabbed him and shoved him into one of his cargo pants pockets, velcroing it shut.
As he led the unpacking effort in the suite, his mother was rattling off her plans for their time in Paris. The Eiffel Tower was mentioned at least three times, along with some boring art museum and a dozen other things.
Michael sighed. That wasn't his goal in being here at all.
He wished Caleb had been able to come. Then, if nothing else, he would have had someone to talk to about girls or something.
After a couple minutes he ducked into the bathroom and let Zips out.
"It was TOO dark in there and claustrophobic too and I didn't like HEY WHAT'S THIS?"
Michael grabbed the purple bar of soap before Zips could nibble on it.
"Hey gimme gimme…"
"Zips, be quiet for a moment."
The shimmering green shoulder angel swung to a stop in midair.
"Michael what's wrong?"
Michael sighed.
"Caleb couldn't come cause of wrestling competitions, and all mom's plans are for either little kids or grown ups, and I'm just stuck here."
Zips flew in as Michael's chin dropped and struggled to lift it.
"Come on buddy you need to be positive I mean we don't want you to meet Ladybug and Chat Noir because you get Akumatized I mean think about what that would do to my chances of meeting Tikki!"
Michael laughed.
"Yeah, yeah, ok. Sounds like a plan."
Michael slid another hard candy out of his pocket, unwrapping it thoughtfully.
"Let's do this.
Zips nodded and flew back into the cargo pocket, and Michael unlocked the bathroom door.
Michael dropped the unwrapped candy into the pocket with Zips in it just as his dad swung around the corner.
"There you are kiddo! We're about to go to the Louvre!"
"The what?"
"The best art museum in the whole world! They have the Mona Lisa here!"
"Oh, cool!"
Michael faked interest, but the Mona Lisa did sound legitimately cool. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
