Chapter Text
Location: Paris
It was a normal day: going to school, defeating some akumatized villans here and there, hanging out with Nathaniel… and yet Marc felt like something was wrong.
Actually, he felt like that for the last few days.
It was like… someone was watching him.
Orikko had a bad feeling, too. But they couldn’t sense any kind of hidden camera nor spot someone following him.
That eased a bit of the writer’s concerns. His friend had the ability to find any kind of bug or camera, so if they didn’t see any it must mean there’s no one spying him.
He trusted his Kwami.
So he just swallowed those bad thoughts and tried to go on with his life.
Plus, who would even get so interested in him and what he did?
He was just a normal boy with a normal life.
Sure, the comics he and Nathaniel made had become quite popular on the internet, but it wasn’t something that huge. Mostly their friends and some other people here and there knew about them.
And most important, no one knew he was actually Rooster Bold. Well, aside from the other Miraculers, but they all always made sure to be careful not to do anything that could lead to anyone finding out their identities.
So overall, Marc Anciel had a pretty average life. Some would even say it’s boring or monotone, but still, it’s not interesting enough for someone to start to follow him everywhere.
***
Marc Anciel had the perfect life.
He had loving parents who were always there for him, no matter what.
He had the freedom to express who he really was through make up or bright colors.
He had friends who were always there for him anytime.
He also had a boyfriend who loved him more than he loved himself.
Every time he followed him around he was reminded of how perfect the other boy’s life was - how full of happiness it was.
He would have done anything to have a life like that.
And to think that he would have never known about his existance if not for a small accident a few days before.
It wasn’t anything that bad, but he ended up in danger during a mission and needed to get out of there fast, so he created a portal to another universe. A portal that led him to another version of himself.
He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw him the first time.
He was wearing a rainbow tie-die shirt and had some intricate eyeshadow on. And yet nobody was saying anything to him. They weren’t even looking at him, as if he was completely normal to them.
The only time someone mentioned the boy’s make up was to compliment him.
It blew his mind. Where he was from he could have easily been beaten up for it, so why could that other boy wear it freely?
He even mentioned having a boyfriend like it was the most normal thing. He didn’t even try to hide it.
He would have done anything to be able to have one, but in his universe it was too dangerous.
He couldn’t be himself back at home. He always had to live through the fear of someone finding out the true him, who he was, what he thought…
And then there was this Marc, who could do what he wanted without worry.
The more he followed him, the more his jelousy grew.
Every time he saw him hug his parents, it made him wish he could see his own mom and dad. More than usual, at least.
Every time he saw him hang out with his friends, it made him wish he had some of his own.
He also seemed so close to his cousin. When was the last time he even talked to his Marinette?
As the days passed, he started to follow him more and more.
Every time, his envy and anger grew.
One fateful evening, while the other Marc was going back home from his boyfriend house, he realised something was different.
The openly gay boy’s shoulders looked tense and he kept taking routes that didn’t lead to his house.
It looked like he knew he was being followed.
The villain’s fist tightened.
Every time he watched the other boy, a dark, horrible thought passed through his mind. For days he wondered if he should listen to it.
But if Marc knew about him, he might lose that small chance to be finally happy. He would lose it forever.
The colorful boy walked into an alley.
That urged him to act. He couldn’t allow him to transform into a superhero, or else he wouldn’t be able to overpower him.
“Sublimation” he whispered as he walked into the darkness of that alley, too.
The pure boy turned around and gasped, his eyes widening and filling with dread as he laid his eyes on the other version of him.
Now that he wasn’t invisible anymore, the villain had to act fast. If the other Marc snapped out of his shock too soon, it would be over for him.
He used the super strenght he had granted himself to break a random tube from a wall and used that last minute weapon to hit the other boy in the side of his head.
The cracking sound he heard as soon as he hit his skull made him feel both guilty and satisfied.
There was no turning back now.
The poor teenager’s body fell limp on the ground in front of him.
He immediately threw the pipe away and crouched next to him.
He was relieved to see that the other Marc was still breathing and his pulse was still there.
He didn’t want to kill him, he just wanted to take what he had.
He immediately took the boy’s Miraculous from him, so he’ll never be able to go back home and stop him.
“Orikko, Daybreak”
With that, his transformation dropped and his Kwami appeared.
They immediately put themselves between him and the other Marc as they kept shaking their head and trying to say something that was being muffled by the seal.
Their holder didn’t pay much attention to them. He just took off his thumb ring and the Kwami disappeared.
Then he turned back towards the other version of himself.
***
Marc observed his other version as he was still knocked out.
To make sure his plan worked, he swapped clother with his counterpart. He also made sure to wipe away the other’s make up.
If his parents will ask why he’s not wearing it anymore he’ll just come up with some excuses.
He had to admit the bright red jacket was really comfortable and he was glad the other liked wearing fingerless gloves, too.
But now it felt kind of weird to look at the other teen. It was like looking at a mirror. A mirror that showed you lying on the ground. Like in a horror movie.
Not that he should have been surprised - they were the same person, after all.
But this Marc was way kinder than him. He would never do something as horrible as what he was doing.
Maybe that’s why everyone around him seemed to love him so much.
Maybe they’ll notice the change right away and will try to get their Marc back.
He shook his head, trying to get those anxious thoughts out of his head.
Then he got the other rooster Miraculous out.
As soon as he put it on, the Orikko from that universe emerged from the jewel.
The Kwami looked at him with hope at first. Then they must have realised he wasn’t their Marc, because their eyes filled with fear.
They looked at their rightful holder with worry.
He always wondered why this version of Orikko didn’t have any kind of block on their beak, but now wasn’t the time to ask.
The little rooster flew by the uncounscious boy’s face, feeling incredibly relieved when they noticed he wasn’t dead.
“Chick? Chick, are you alright?”
Marc was a bit surprised. He never heard Orikko talk. Their voice was a bit different from what he expected.
For a moment, he wondered what would change if his Kwami could talk too.
Would he be different, if only he had someone who would talk to him?
Would his Orikko give him a nickname, too?
…Probably not. The Marc from this universe was kind - a litteral angel. It was no wonder his Kwami loved him so much, just like everyone else.
He might not be able to gain that affection from Orikko, but maybe he could trick everyone else into liking him as much as their Marc.
He took a few steps towards them, making the small creature remember he was still there.
They flew in front of him with their tiny wings spread open, as if they wanted to protect their holder from him.
“Stay away” they warned “what do you even want from him? You guys are the same person” they said it like it would change his mind.
“I know that”
“Then why did you hurt him? He has done nothing wrong”
“I know that too”
“But why-“
Before the Kwami could finish that sentence, Marc decided to cut things short.
“Orikko, Nightfall”
He wasn’t sure if his usual magical words would work - he knew the other Marc used different ones - but he still ended up transforming into his usual suit, as if he was still wearing the Miraculous the Supreme had given to him.
Good. He didn’t want to waste more time.
“Sublimation”
A portal opened in front of him and the supervillain scooped his good counterpart in his arms.
The difference between the other Marc’s world and his own was huge.
He felt disappointed as soon as he saw the dullness of his universe again. It reminded him why he wanted to leave in the first place.
He jumped on the roofs - careful not to catch anyone’s attention - until he reached his destination.
He somehow managed to get inside the building without making any noise, until he reached his bed, where he gently laid his doppelganger.
Now he just had to run away, but something was blocking him.
He just stood beside the uncounscious teen, wondering if he should alter his memories.
It would be handier for him. He wouldn’t have to worry about him trying to get back home.
Maybe it would be better for the other Marc, too. Living in that hell knowing he didn’t belong there would be pretty painful.
But the idea of erasing those memories felt so wrong. If he was in his place, Marc would keep those moments close to his heart.
Plus, he already took his Miraculous from him. What could the other Marc do to go back home? Nothing. He would be stuck there forever.
The villain’s train of thoughts were interrupted by a sound of footsteps right outside his room.
“Sublimation!” He hissed, making sure to jump into the portal and close it as fast as possible, before someone saw him.
Whatever. Now that hell of a world was the other Marc’s life and the one full of love would be his.
Nobody could stop him from taking what he wanted now.
***
As soon as he was back to the nicer universe, Marc transformed back and headed home.
Now other than finding an excuse to why he wasn’t wearing his make up anymore he had to find a way to explain why he was late.
If the other Marc’s parents were like his own, they were probably waiting for him to come back, worried sick.
“You know, it’s not too late to do the right thing” Orikko said from inside his jacket.
Marc glanced at him but didn’t stop walking.
“My Chick didn’t do anything to deserve what you had done to him”
“I know. But what is done is done. I can’t undo it”
“You can if you do it immediately! Please, I’m sure there must be another solution” the Kwami pleaded.
Marc started to ignore them.
“It’ll be worse if someone else notices, right? You are not our Marc and his friends and family will surely notice eventually”
That made the villain stop.
He knew the little rooster was right. In fact, he was actually really scared of that outcome.
“Please, just give my Miraculous back to my Chick. I’m sure he’ll forgive you, even with that bad injury you gave him”
Suddently, Marc had an idea.
He ran home as fast as he could.
“Where are you going? Hey, answer me!” Orikko kept pressing.
The noirette paid them no mind.
Finally, he reached the building where the local Marc lived.
He closed the door and ran uo the first flight of stairs, only to stop there.
“What are you doing?”
The ravenette just smirked at them.
“You’re right, you know? I’m bound to make some mistakes eventually. Therefore, I need an enxuse to make my weird behaviour normal”
Before Orikko could ask more questions, the villain took a deep breath and let himself fall backwards, down the stairs.
“Chick!” The Kwami of pretension gasped, forgetting for a moment that he wasn’t their Marc.
He ended up rolling down the steps that brought him pain everywhere. Thankfully it wasn’t a really high staircase, just enough for his plan to work. Hopefully.
“Are you out of your mind?! Why did you di that?!” Orikko rushed down to his side.
Marc kept ignoring them.
As soon as the pain dissipated, he stood up and brought a hand to his head - the part of his body that was hurting the most.
He smirked when he saw a bit of blood.
“Oh my, it looks like I fell down the stairs” he slowly stood up “my head really hurts. I hope I didn’t injure myself too badly, or else it could have some consequences on my behaviour”
The Kwami’s eyes widened in realisation.
Marc gently guided them to hide in the red jacket.
“Well, the best thing to do right now is to go to my parent and tell them about this little accident”
He went up the stairs again. This time he didn’t stop until he reached the front door of the other Marc’s apartament.
He took a deep breath, then he went in.
He stopped as soon as he saw the inside of the house. It looked so much like his own home before his parents…
“Marc! You’re home!” The other teen’s mother’s voice was the same as his mom’s.
His eyes filled with tears even before she reached the front door.
“Why are you so late? You were supposed to be here by…” she stopped when she saw the state her ‘son’ was in.
Marc just sniffled.
She was as beatiful as his mom. Identical.
The woman immediately rushed to him and cupped his face in her hands.
They were warm. Just like his real mom.
“Oh my! What happened? Did something happen at Nathaniel’s? Did you run into some gangsters on your way home?”
The other Marc’s father arrived too.
“What is all of this-“ his eyes landed on Marc “dear? Why is you head bleeding?”
He immediately went to check on him.
Both of the adults looked frantuc as they tried to inspect the teenager’s body for more injuries while they kept asking him what happened.
Marc just leaned into their touches.
It felt so nice to finally be home.