Lock Me Up (Miraculous 1930's AU)

Where or When

"It seems we've stood and talked like this before
We looked at each other in the same way then
But I can't remember where or when."

West Chicago, Illinois. October 31, 1930. 8:15 P.M.

"You can't stay here."

"Wait... you mean we have to leave? Like, 'leave-leave' or a 'be-right-back' leave?" The look embedded among the green in Chat's eyes gave away his panicked state- if his white-knuckled grip on Ladybug's much smaller hand didn't already. Usually, she most likely would have minded having her circulation cut off by her partner, but she too was too panicked to care. 

"I'm saying you have to get out of here and don't look back," Plagg affirmed, slapping his hand down on the counter from his place behind it in the store, leaning towards the two frantic young adults. "This isn't just running around taking money, anymore. You have blood on your hands, and if you weren't a target before, you sure as hell are one now."

"Plagg," Tikki finally called softly from her place beside the counter, where she had been standing with her lips curled inward and her eyebrows scrunched together in worry.  "Please, they're still young. You haven't even let them explain themselves fully."

"Look Tikki," Plagg breathed, his voice a bit softer towards the kind woman as he turned to face her. "It doesn't matter why she shot the man or not. It's not like I don't care, and I honestly don't believe she committed murder in cold blood, but who isn't going to care are the cops. They went into a bank with weapons, robbed it, and an employee of the bank ended up shot. Do you really think they're going to take that lightly?"

Whilst Plagg had been talking, Ladybug had dug her face into Chat's sleeve, doing all she could to prevent the tears welled up in her eyes from falling. Upon noticing this, Chat put his own fear aside to try and ease his partner's by running his unoccupied hand slowly through her dark locks as he closed his eyes, head turned down to face the shorter.

After Plagg had spoken his last word, Tikki had turned to look at the pair, her heart welling up at the sight. She then wrapped her fingers around Plagg's wrist and tugged him into the back room to avoid being heard.

"I know you're right," Tikki murmured, looking down as she gently picked up both of Plagg's hands to gently clasp in between the two. "I'm just so worried about them."

"I know you are, Tikki," Plagg responded, his voiced laced with an almost unheard of gentleness for him. "But we made it, didn't we?"

Tikki looked up, returning the others small, soft smile, though the eyes that looked up into his still were glossed over with unshed tears. "Yeah," she softly laughed in a croaky voice, releasing one of Plagg's hands to bring her own up to her face to rub the tears away. "I guess we did."

After she returned her other hand back to Plagg's and they took a moment to look down and compose their thoughts and emotions, Tikki spoke up once more, her voice barely a murmur.

"Do you think we should tell them?"

"You mean that they actually know and are in love with one another?"

Tikki lightly hit Plagg's shoulder, softly giggling and lightening the heavy atmosphere. Before she could speak, Plagg gave her an actual answer.

"I don't think we should tell them. I think something like that is made to be figured out by themselves," Plagg leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper, "Makes it more special," he added with a wink.

***

No time for goodbyes.

The sun had long passed dipped below the horizon at this point, and pitch black consumed the hazy-blue canvas of the sky like an ink spill. Slowly but surely, the lights of the city faded to black as well, casting a darkness over Chicago that acted as a perfect blanket of protection for two young criminals on the run.