Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Eiffel tower keychain felt heavy in her hand.

She shouldn't be doing this. It was senseless and stupid. It could end horribly.

She found she didn't care. She was allowing her heart to overtake her mind. She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

She focused, pain striking her at doing such a draining and strenuous task again, but determination pushed her to do it.

And eventually, she was done. It took some grueling and agonizing seconds, but the mass of energy formed into the creature she had wanted to create. Again.

"Hello, Sentimonster. I am Mayura."

The ladybug-replica blinked at her, looking slightly confused. Belatedly, Mayura wondered if she remembered anything. It was the same keychain she was using, after all. It should be the same being.

The creature blinked at her, before looking down at itself, turning it's hands over as if to inspect them. Then it looked back up at her.

Mayura cocked her head in impatience. "Do you remember me?"

It shook it's head.

The miraculous holder hesitated at that but couldn't help but think that it was probably better this way anyway.

The sentimonster fell to the ground, clutching at itself, panic and horror coating it's face. It was sentient, it was alive, it could feel and hurt and think. And then it was just gone. Not even enough time to scream.

She flinched out of the memory, ignoring the slightly swelling guilt, opting to detransform. Staying transformed longer than necessary was just adding pain onto herself she didn't need.

Almost immediately, she doubled over in agony as the familiar pain shot through her like lightning. She knew she would have to return the miraculous before Gabriel noticed, but she needed a moment to collect herself. She clutched at her chest, before registering that another pair of hands were on her, steadying her.

She looked up to see it staring down at her with... Concern? On it's young face.

"Are you ok?" it asked, and it was staring with such fervent worry that she began to feel a little uncomfortable.

"Yes, I'm alright" she straightened up, ignoring how nausea immediately filled her at the simple movement. "Now, i have to go. But I'll be right back. Stay still, please. Don't wander off."

It nodded in silent compliance, completely obedient. Nathalie paused, and then handed it the keychain. It's eyes grew wide in surprise.

"You can hold it. I don't want to be just controlling you." she murmered, adjusting her glasses on her nose as she fought off the overbearing sickness rising inside of her, leaving to return the miraculous before Gabriel would get the chance to notice.

All alone in the room, Sentibug clutched the keychain to it's chest, eyes sparkling in wonder.

Chapter Text

"You're home!" it exclaimed when she returned from work, exhausted. Her eyes widened in shock; she had somewhat forgotten that she had left it here.

She felt a little bad about referring to it as an 'it'. She wondered if it minded.

She mutely just opted to call it how she would a girl. She doubted it actually cared, but treating conscious beings like they didn't deserve any identification or real respect would always make her a little uncomfortable.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed Senti waving her hand in front of her face.

"Mayura, are you okay?" she innocently asked, frowning when Nathalie flinched at the name. "What's wrong?"

"That's- that's not my name. And you shouldn't call me that when I'm not transformed" she explained, shrugging off her blazer and going to lock the door. "My name is Nathalie"

"Oh. Alright, sorry" Sentibug nodded, filing the information away for future notice. "Where did you go?"

"Initially i went to just return the miraculous i had taken. Then i realized i would be late if i went back to leave a note for you or something like that, so i went to work and hoped you would stay put like i hoped" she glanced at her. "And it seems you did. You didn't go outside?"

Senti shook her head. "No, I'm too scared to. I looked around your house though. I hope that's okay..."

"It's fine. Where's the keychain?" Nathalie questioned, not seeing the small object anywhere. Senti flinched but uncurled her hand, which had been clenched shut and behind her back slightly. She held the item out, looking slightly defeated. "Um, it's here"

"Oh - You don't need to give it back" Nathalie quickly amended, raising a brow. "I just wanted to make sure that you hadn't lost or damaged it"

"Oh" her eyes widened in realisation before she smiled slightly. "Thanks"

"You're very welcome. Now i don't know about you, but I'm hungry. Do you... Do you eat...?" something seemed to hit her then, as she trailed off. She pinned Senti with a scrutinizing gaze. "Do you even eat?Or sleep?"

Senti hesitated. "I don't know. I haven't done either before"

"That's true" she murmered, before considering. "Well, we can easily test. Fancy an apple?"

"Sure!" the sentimonster smiled, following her eagerly, curious about this new experience.

Nathalie handed her the beforementioned fruit before going to make herself a proper meal, pausing when she noticed that Senti was staring at it without eating it.

"Something wrong?"

Senti shook her head after a moment, before awkwardly biting at it, teeth glancing off it without actually biting into it.

"Hold it closer and steady, and then bite harder" Nathalie explained slowly, feeling a bit odd. It wasn't everyday you taught someone how to eat an apple. Or eat in general.

As she watched her struggle to eat, Nathalie finally let herself admit how utterly weird this was to herself. Having a ladybug lookalike in her home was strange in itself, but this wasn't just a clone. It was a living, breathing, curious child.

Speaking of living...

"What am I going to do with you?" she pondered, tapping her chin as she watched the girl slowly make her way through the apple.

Senti looked up at her, mouth full. "Huh? What do you mean?

"Don't talk with your mouth full, it's impolite and you raise your chances of choking" she reprimanded automatically. Senti swallowed the food before repeating her question.

"Well, i can't exactly in good conscience just keep you cooped up in my house all the time... But you're too recognisable to just be walking around either"

"Maybe i could wear some sort of disguise?" Senti offered. "Or i could just say that I'm a fan of ladybug and that's why i look like her?"

"That will work short-term, but not long-term" Nathalie responded, finishing her meal and sitting down to eat it as she spoke. "Obviously we can't remove your costume, but we can put clothes over it. I might need to restyle your hair too"

"You'll buy me clothes?" Senti asked blankly. Nathalie looked at her strangely. "Yes? Is there something wrong?"

"No! Just that... Why are you doing this? All of this?"

Nathalie frowned and placed her fork down, looking the sentimonster directly in the eyes. She shifted.

"Offering to buy me clothes, and giving me control of myself, and letting me stay in your house" she looked up shyly. "Why are you doing any of this?"

'You were right; there's nothing inherently evil about her!'

"I..."

Choking, grasping at herself as if desperate to hold onto something, like it would somehow protect or ground her as her body dissapeared beneath her.

"Because-"

'YOU MONSTER!'

She flinched out of the memory.

"I suppose i just wanted some company. I don't have much of anyone to talk to" she responded. It wasn't technically a lie.

Senti smiled happily. "Then I'll be as talkative as you want! I don't mind!"

"...Thank you"