Lock Me Up (Miraculous 1930's AU)

There'll Be Some Changes Made

"A change in the weather,
A change in the sea, 
From now on there'll be a change in me;
My walk will be different, my talk and my name 
Nothing about me is gonna be the same."

Saturday, August 27, 1930. 7:25 AM. Chicago, Illinois.

The sound of cheerful whistling bounced off the buildings of Chicago as Adrien made his way down the sidewalk, hands stuffed in his pockets. He only stopped when he came face a small brick building adorned with white, chipping paint and a sign that announced the building's occupation of a bakery. Even with the building's chipping paint, however, it was obvious that as much work as possible was put into making the bakery look presentable, from the flowers that rested on the outdoor table (whose color matched that of the brick walls) to the careful painting done on the windows, displaying the names of different pastries. He smiled as he opened the wooden door, stepping inside as a ding rang out in a dead-silent room. He took off his dark grey Homburg hat as his eyes skimmed the area, that appeared to be devoid of any life. "Hello?"Adrien called, slowly walking towards the counter. "Marinette? Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng?" Even the backroom gave no signs of anyone being in it. 

Marinette and Adrien had come to be good friends over the couple of months that they had known each other. At this point, they were comfortable in one another's presence (although Adrien noticed times where Marinette stuttered around him,) and Marinette and even her parents mentioned that if they weren't in the downstairs bakery, Adrien was free to check upstairs in the apartment area. And so, in the room that Adrien could hear a pin drop, he decided to give the upstairs a try. As he made his way up the creaking stairs and towards the apartment door, however, he began to hear voices- one of which he could not recognize. This unknown voice caused Adrien to pause in his steps. Adrien, of course, had no intentions of being nosy, but he couldn't help but to hear the conversation that continued behind the other side of the door. 

"C-can't we get an extension? Is there any chance we could?" Adrien recognized the voice to be Marinette's mother. It sounded somber, much unlike her usually perky tones that offered Adrien a refill on his coffee every morning. 

"Listen, mam." Adrien stiffened as the deep, unrecognizable voice spoke up. "You folks are all very nice people, and you know I would if I could. But times are tough right now. Everyone is struggling. There's no room for leeway when it comes to this. I'm sorry." 

"B-but that's not fair!" Came the sudden cry of a voice. A usually soft but cheerful voice, Adrien knew, that was now desperate and pained in such a way that made Adrien's heart clench. Marinette's voice. "W-we still have an-another 6 weeks! You can't do this to us!" 

"Look sweetheart, I'm sorry," came the unfamiliar voice again. Whoever this guy was, Adrien wanted him to give him a good sock in the mouth for bringing Marinette to where she was emotionally. "But like I said, times are tough. We all need money. And we're going to need yours in three months, or you can't live here anymore." At these words, Adrien's eyes widened. He knew he couldn't stay frozen when he heard this, however, as he began to hear footsteps coming towards the door. Quickly as he could, he bolted down the stairs, into the bakery, and out the door, just as he heard Marinette's voice calling out a "hello?" 

***

8:12 AM, August 27, 1930. Chicago, Illinois. 

"Plagg!" Adrien yelled, shutting the door behind him as he walked into a room stocked with assorted foods and goods. The room was completely wooden except for one wall that was white and had "Plagg's General Store" painted on it in large, cursive writing.