Walking in an empty roadway around noon was the least among the things the teenagers wanted to do on their summer getaway.
"Why do I have a feeling that Paris loves us so much that we're not allowed to leave the place at all?" said by Marinette aka Ladybug, a beloved Parisian superhero and an idol by many.
"It might be because we woke up on a wrong side of the bed, or probably our stars predicted that today is not an ideal for us to travel." replied by Adrien aka Chat Noir, also a secret Parisian superhero well-known for his bad luck.
The designer snorted "There's no such thing like that, even if you consult a Feng Shui expert."
"Says by a Chinese girl who doesn't know how to speak basic Mandarin."
"Shut up." was her grouchy reply.
The model chuckled then gave a heavy sigh. His companion sighed too, especially in their current situation.
It was expected that the temperature would hit around 27°C minimum that day, which considered as typical for a French's summer, so both knew that the heat wave they were experiencing falls around that range.
They didn't have hats or umbrella to shield themselves from the direct sunlight, so they used their spare clothing - white shirt for him, black blazer for her - to cover their heads instead.
Each has a mineral water bottle they purchased before they left the store, which almost half-empty since a portion of it were used to remove their makeups. Their attires were returned to normal as they discarded the enhancements and accessories to someplace else.
"I think we've scared them enough." Adrien huffed as he wiped the trickling sweat from his forehead. "That they gave us wrong instructions."
"Or they assumed we're vigilantes, trying to rob a bank or an establishment God knows where. As if there's such a thing exists in the middle of nowhere."
He pursed a smile. After years of being friends with Marinette, he learned that the pig-tailed girl - though he unknowingly intimidated her most of the time - would break out from her shell once the situation demands it, reminding him of someone who became sassy once pressured.
Ladybug.
"Too bad we didn't give those people a benefit of a doubt, or rely on our GPS to check if there's actually another bus stop nearby."
"There's still no signal here, and my battery's on low," she responded after checking her phone for the seventh time then turned it off. "And besides, we're not that judgmental. We're also not stupid to see if they mislead us."
"So that means we're either on a right track, or we just followed the 'long cut'"
"If only we asked if their interpretation of nearby was similar to our vocabulary."
He cringed at the idea. "Don't tell me we'll be walking miles here under the heat of the sun."
"C'mon, let's try to enjoy the scenery, especially those empty green fields that you normally see in the countryside," she said sarcastically. "Wild animals on the side, fresh air billowing on our faces..."
"Add a Cowboy Theme music in our background and everything feels like we're in a middle of nowhere"
Both sighed again as they continued walking.
They couldn't get any available seats back in the stopover so they took their chances when one of the bus crews mentioned about a terminal for tourist and rental vehicles nearby.
And that nearby was still out of sight after road trekking for almost half an hour.
"Adrien?"
"Hmm?"
"You think we're...you know." her voice wavered a bit. "What if we're -"
"No!" he interrupted with a whimper. "Please don't say that four-letter word that starts with L!"
She bit her chapped lips to control her grin. "I'm not planning to say that L-word. "
"You better not, because I refused to accept that we're...L! No! Never!"
"But what if we're actually...L?" she teased.
She couldn't help but be reminded of a certain Kitty who was whining during Jackady's attack.
"Hmm...show some leg?"
Marinette burst out laughing when Adrien wiggled his brows then flaunted his leg on the side of a deserted road with a jerked thumb pose as if waiting for a hitchhike.
He may not know it, but he was the dorkiest guy she ever known next to Chat Noir.
"Isn't it more effective if you show them some face instead?" she teased again as they went on to their tracks.
"Then our efforts of running away from that mob assault will be futile."
"Point taken." the designer wondered with a groan. "I don't think going back to Paris would be a better option."
"We do that." her companion smirked. "And this time, both of us will be swamped by media."
A grunt escaped from her mouth upon realization. "And I gave my word to Miss Bustier. And Alya. Crap."
"Natalie didn't contact me yet, so maybe Monsieur Antoine pulled a rank to block the news?" the model said as he checked his phone for the last time before turning it off to conserve battery.
"Better to be safe than sorry."
Though Marinette was greatly concerned about her parents discovering the news, the anxiety she felt was milder compared to her worries towards her classmate and his father.
Business-wise, the blond model's involvement was a good PR for the company, but that doesn't mean it would be interpreted as positive by a mogul person like Gabriel Agreste.
She only idolized the man for his creativity, nothing more.
"I'm sorry about this mess. I should be more careful in public places." Adrien apologized with eyes on his feet.
"I didn't blame you." was her casual response. "And I understand your situation, being famous and all."
"And that's something I'm not proud of."
Marinette hummed then emptied her bottle. "If by telling you that I'm the one behind the sabotage, will that lessen your guilt?"
He paused for a moment then looked at her red, freckled face - got distracted a moment there - and asked: "How?"
"I stuffed a cardboard ball in the exhaust pipe."
This raised his brow. "Why am I not surprised?"
She gaped at his bemused expression. She was flustered not because of the scorching heat, but because of her embarrassment.
"I didn't mean to offend you." he sniggered when she suddenly caved in. "We're accomplices, remember?"
The girl nodded as she looked on the mirage projected by the dusty road. "Toilets aside, I think I'm going to have nightmares about buses."
He followed her gaze then observed the blurry images caused by the heat emitted from the concrete road. "And here I am experiencing what L people had in the desert."
"Heat stroke?"
"No." he gulped. "Hallucinations."
Marinette was feeling dizzy, but upon hearing Adrien's words perked her attention. She squinted her eyes then wiped the sweat that dripped from her brows. She looked at the Mirage again.
"Now I'm seeing a vehicle instead of an oasis."
"That's because a minivan is our oasis."
"Replacing the desire of water into a small green van?"
"With an open hood?" he supplied.
"And a floral design on its sides?" she giggled on their matching descriptions. "Funny how your imagination coincides mine."
"True. As if we're seeing the same picture..."
Wait a minute.
Both stopped in their tracks when a realization finally dawned on them. They looked at each other's faces, and after sensing a mutual agreement, they ran towards the imagery.
It was real.
Two people gradually emerged from their vision - a male standing outside the driver's seat and a female inside the vehicle near the window. Upon further inspection, they found out that it was actually a campervan.
The male and the female were quite preoccupied with their debate to notice their presence.
"Didn't I tell you to have a mechanic check it a week ago, Sean?!" the female bewailed.
"But Maman." the male named Sean replied with a huff. "I bought this to Uncle Jack three days ago, and he told me the engine works fine!"
"Your Uncle Jack is nothing but a liar! He doesn't even know how to fix his own damn tie and now he's expert on cars?!"
"Maman, your blood pressure." he reminded her. "I might end up rushing you to the hospital instead and we'll both miss Gwen's wedding."
"You can't even make this stupid thing move and now you're thinking of rushing me to the hospital?!" his furious mother spat out. "We're supposed to be in Argentan by now, and you know we can't miss the wedding!"
"If only you let Rupert take that gown to Madame Evlyn - "
"If letting the Groom see his Bride a day before their wedding is a bad omen, how about him seeing the wedding gown itself on -"
"That's baloney." Sean rolled his eyes. "If we can't give it to Gwen, then let her wear anything. Or just cancel the wedding."
"Sean!"
Marinette interrupted them with a hum, which eventually caught their attention.
"I'm sorry if we heard your discussion." Adrien apologized shyly. "It's not our intention to listen, but it seems that you're also stuck here."
Sean ogled at the two then looked at them for a vehicle but found none.
"We missed our ride." the raven-haired explained, but her focus was on the sniffling woman who was clutching a tulle. "We've been informed that there's a private bus transport somewhere around here."
"I'm sorry but we're not really familiar with this area." the man replied then flinched when his Maman groaned. "And I haven't seen any public vehicles passing this road ever since we got here."
The teenagers stiffed. They felt like their fates have been sealed up already, especially with the man's follow-up question:
"Are you two lost or something?"
The taboo L-word has been dropped unceremoniously, and Adrien had to muster his strength not to cry.
Sean noticed their crestfallen expression. "I don't know how to help you two, or you in mine since we're also in the middle of nowhere."
By hook or by crook, Marinette refused to do walkathons anymore.
"What if we can fix - "
"What if we can fix your van?" her companion finished her words.
"What?!" the three chorused, loudest was from Marinette's.
"I've been into several car engine failures, and my teacher was a grumpy driver." the blond said then gave his companion a wink, making her blushed more. "So, hitchhiking?"
She knew that Adrien was an epitome of perfection, so she didn't question his abilities. If he didn't volunteer himself, she might have taken his position by summoning a Lucky Charm.
The idea didn't occur to her until Tikki suggested it.
The poor kwami couldn't take the heat any longer, especially that she was inside her purse with a temperature akin to an oven.
This is an emergency situation, Tikki moaned subtly. It's killing me.
There was no question about transformation since Tikki consumed the last batch of cookies. The hurdles would be the place where Ladybug could call the Lucky Charm discreetly, and Marinette's alibi on how she got the item.
Her kwami might know how to counter those issues, but at least she was thankful that her idea became a backup.
"Where's your destination?" Sean asked them.
When the teenagers told him the list of possible places that they can be dropped off, the mother and son gave them a grim look.
"I'm sorry, but the places you two mentioned were out of our way." the man told them. "We have to go to Anet first before we enter Orne. You see, we have a wedding gown to be repaired there, and the Bride needs to have it before six today."
Marinette saw a glimpse of unaligned decors near the bodice. Seems minor to her, but she couldn't tell it without seeing the overalls.
She may or may not confident about it, but she has to do something.
"I think." the designer finally spoke then pointed the tulle. "I can fix that gown."
"Are you sure?" this time it was the mother who asked.
Good question.
Before Marinette could say something, two large hands fell on her shoulders.
"You got lucky." Adrien gave them a Chat-esque grin. "Because you're currently talking to one of the best junior designers in France."