Stars

A/N: Yup, the Angst War is back on track and Claire and I are doing a challenge! This one-shot (and round) will fall under the theme 'Ladrien Angst'. Unfortunately, Claire put a no-killing rule so I wasn't able to go as ballsy as I would have liked.

Anyways, the competition is that whoever can get the most FAVORITES (not follows) within two weeks will win! And because I'm so generous, check out Claire's story titled "Good Enough". Oh well, enjoy!

When I was a child, I used to think that fairy tales are real and happily ever afters exist. I use to live in a land of happiness and rainbows, and that even the bad days would eventually shape into good ones. Everything was perfect. My mom would always point to the stars and that even if they died and was no longer in existence, its light would shine for years to come. Its light would radiate positivity and spark hope in everyone's hearts. But then just like a dying star, my mom was taken away from me. And with her memory was honored every single day since, I could never ever forget the final time she looked at me. The final time she cupped my face and told me she loved me. Because no portrait, no video recording, nothing could ever replicate the affection she had for me and my father.

And that's when I met Ladybug. She had her eyes; she had her smile and I couldn't help fall in love with her. Not because of the way she looked, but because of the way she was. If I knew she felt the same for my other side, then maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't be gone. She would still be her, still hugging me and whispering little nothings in my ear. I used to watch her from a distance, wondering how I could woo her, and in the process I was too blind to realize she was right under my nose the entire time. As time went on and we grew wiser, I grew closer to both sides of my lady until I couldn't take it anymore and begged to see the woman under the mask, and I would show her my true self in return.

The night we revealed our identities sparked fireworks in my head, and from that day on, I would always enjoy the occasional visit from Ladybug as she handed me roses. I would play piano and she would sit and listen, as we would laugh and talk about the world around us. Whenever I would be alone, neglected by my father once again, Ladybug would be my company and she would be my family. She would hold me tight and tell me I would always be loved and wanted. It was like we were connected, like we were soulmates, and even if I subconsciously knew peace was dying as I breathed, I wanted some sort of pillar in my crumbling world.

The day we had to defeat my father, I couldn't even look at the house I would reluctantly call home. Every single person that vaguely embodied home was either lost or corrupted into this horrid state. The night I saw my mother resting peacefully in a coffin underground was a sight I'd never remember. Her smile was as warm as ever, and despite her eyes being closed, I could feel as if she was looking at me and advising me to do what was right, even if it meant losing her forever. And so despite my aching heart telling me to never let go, saying that if I gave up, I could have the family I longed and loved, I ignored my emotions and destroyed everything my father had built with the hopes of having his wife back.

I had transformed back first, so as Ladybug gripped my shoulders, I had to stomach the sight of my mother being hauled away and my father and Nathalie being guided with handcuffs. Part of me wanted to look in his eyes and search for his motivation, but I knew he would only use our mother's name in vain. She would have never wanted our family to split apart because of her sacrifice. And once we were alone, Ladybug and I would kneel on the floor and embrace. No words had to be said because we had each other, and I had believed Ladybug would always be by my side.

Then one day, she and I were in her room. She had hid all hints of her leaving in order to protect me. We lied on her chaise and hardly mumbled a word as we so affectionately hugged. And then she whispered in my ear she had to leave. Despite my desperate pleas for her to not be another fading star, she told me she had to leave to protect the people she loved. And she promised me she would return when the job was done. When she pulled me close and her lips touched mine, I had, for one fleeting moment, felt as if everything in the world was bright. I had felt as if she was my forever. After what felt like days of blissful nothingness, she moved away by a centimeter. Her lips were still a breath away from mine, as if she was in constant debate whether to stay or to go. But the second she took a look into my emerald green eyes, her bluebell orbs of beauty closed as she parted away from me. And after grabbing the bag she hid right under me, she opened the window and left.

Dreams of Ladybug haunted my nights for weeks, as I hoped she'd return and stay by my side for as long as I lived. I would wake and night and think it was her shadow that was waiting for me, but alas, it was my lovesick mind longing for her kind touch. Weeks turned to years as I desperately wanted a sign Ladybug was even alive. And if she was, did she still remember me?

For the rest of my life, I had waited and waited for her return, for her to fulfill her promise. I would forever wonder if she found someone better, more suited, for her, and wondered why did she leave me. The threat of the miraculous was gone, so why was the universe so adamant in taking my love away? But as I lie on my deathbed, I come to terms she will never come back. I've come to terms she had forgotten about me. I've come to terms she broke her promise.

Because the second we had revealed our identities, Ladybug was a star, who finally faded away.

A/N: Your move, Claire! You thought you could defeat me by putting a no-killing rule? Ha, fight me!

Bug Out!