Day four! I noticed all of the one-shots up until now in this series have either love confessions or a reveal, so here's some (mainly) platonic LadyNoir, I hope you guys enjoy! I know I certainly enjoyed writing this! -Colorado

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The first time he saw through Ladybug's mask, it was the very moment they met. She rammed into him and introduced herself as "madly clumsy." The two of them had no idea what was happening, and Ladybug seemed apprehensive at best about charging into battle. Yet one day later, she had solidified herself as the savior of all of Paris. She had also solidified herself as Chat Noir's very first love.

The next time Chat Noir saw through Ladybug's mask was when Alya had gotten a bit too close to the akuma. He knew she was trying not to seem worried, but he also saw how her movements were frantic, how she was more concerned about saving Alya than stopping the akumatized victim. He never brought it up, of course, that would only open a can of worms she would happily close, but still, he noticed it.

The third time he saw through the mask was when her lucky charm seemed to lead her astray. She was down to her last two minutes and nothing seemed to click in her head. Chat Noir noticed how her breathing got shallow, how she hunched in on herself, how there was the smallest amount of tears in her eyes. So he had taken over for her, proposing a solution that allowed her to de-transform safely and call the charm again. It worked and Hawkmoth remained defeated.

The fourth time Chat Noir had seen through her mask, he was Adrien. Lila was spinning her golden threads, weaseling her lies into his life. Then Ladybug had shown up and yelled at her for doing so. It had caught him off guard, he didn't think Ladybug could lose her temper like that. Especially not to a harmless girl (it wasn't until later that he realized Lila was far from harmless). Ladybug had seemed embarrassed by it, to give her some credit, but it still surprised him.

Throughout their first few months of fighting side by side, Chat Noir was desperate to get any glance he could at the girl behind the mask. It was like a game to him, he'd banter, she'd shut him down, but he still saw that girl in the hidden moment. The Ladybug he knew, his partner, was not the same Ladybug Paris knew. He reveled in that fact. He loved Ladybug, the savior of Paris, but he also loved Ladybug, his partner. Any time he even got a glimpse on who she could be behind the mask, he held onto it as if it were a prized possession. To him, it was.

Still, he never told Ladybug about his observations. He was nervous that she would push him away out of fear, like she had done so many times in the past. So he took the sassy rebuttals that he loved so much, the facade of her being perfect, and combined it to the moments when she was vulnerable, when she needed his help. He knew whoever Ladybug was behind the mask was a mix of those two girls, just like he was a mix of Adrien and Chat Noir. He would never search her out with his Lady's permission, but dammit he was going to know the girl behind the mask, with or without knowing her name.

The first time Ladybug saw through Chat Noir's mask, it was the day after they met. She had screwed up big time by not capturing the akuma. Chat Noir had noticed her doubts, her fears, and silenced them all. He gave her the strength to push through their very first battle, he gave her the strength to become Ladybug.

The second time she saw through his mask, it was during their very first interview. Ladybug, of course, had been a nervous wreck, but Chat Noir helped float them through. He was always good in front of the cameras, but the poised and perfect boy in front of her was something new. He was still punning like a madman, much to her chagrin, but he seemed much more deliberate about everything he said.

The third time she saw the boy behind the mask was when she suspected Gabriel Agreste was Hawkmoth. Chat Noir had seemed upset the entire day, just wanting to get the battle over with. That was until he realized The Collector was Gabriel and so he couldn't possibly be Hawkmoth. He seemed okay after that. But the boy who was hurting and angry at the thought of Gabriel being Hawkmoth? She knew that wasn't Chat Noir, but the boy who was chosen to wear the ring. 

The fourth time she had seen through his mask, she was Marinette. He had confided in her as Chat Noir, revealing that he wasn't just a flirt but was in love with her alter ego. He showed her the rooftop filled with candles and rose petals, made just for her. When she showed up that night as Ladybug, he had given her a rose and kissed her cheek. He understood her feelings for someone else, he was so kind about the whole situation that she almost wished her answer had been 'yes.' Almost.

Ladybug tried her hardest to not notice the boy who wore the mask, to just focus on the goofy Chat Noir. It would be safer that way. She didn't intend on the boy behind the mask being one of the sweetest most genuine people she knew. He had his moments of anger, of impulsiveness, and a horrible sense of timing, but that boy behind the mask had drawn her in. Chat Noir was not just a joking flirt with a talent for motivational speeches, like she had assumed. He was a kind, vulnerable, jokester that only flirted with her because he loved her. The Chat Noir she knew, her partner, was not the same Chat Noir Paris knew. She adored that fact. Every time she caught a glimpse of Chat Noir being himself, she held it close to her heart. It was her little secret.

She never told Chat Noir about her observations, she couldn't get his hopes up about a possible reveal. He might let her in a bit too much if he knew she was looking for hints of the boy he was when he wasn't suited up. So she rolled her eyes at his jokes, playfully rejected his flirts, and laughed along whenever one of his impulsive decisions resulted in a ridiculous situation. She knew getting too attached would affect their partnership, so she didn't let that happen. She kept the moment locked in a little box only to be taken out when she needed them most. She knew the true person behind the mask was a blend of Chat Noir and the perfect gentlemen who sometimes let his emotions get the best of him. She couldn't wait to meet him, and so wait she did.

It was safe to say that both Ladybug and Chat Noir had a good idea about who their partner was. For all their attempts at keeping the mask on, the two noticed the cracks. They noticed the moments of weakness, of strength, of being there for each other. Maybe they weren't together in the way Chat Noir ached to be, but they were still partners. Neither of them knew what they would do without the other.

So when Ladybug found Chat Noir sobbing on a rooftop, she knew she needed to comfort her partner.

"Chaton?" She whispered, approaching him carefully.

"My Lady!" He stiffened, carefully wiping the tears from his eyes. "I didn't expect to be graced with your beautiful presence tonight." He picked up her hand and placed a light kiss on it.

"Are you okay?" She gazed into his eyes, trying to sort out any and all emotions he could give her.

"Just peachy!" He grinned, but something about it felt off. It was the same grin he gave interviewees when they were being just a bit too invasive or caught onto something he'd rather not talk about.

"I don't believe that, you were crying just a few minutes ago." Ladybug sat down, grabbing Chat Noir's hand and pulling him down with her.

"Oh, so you saw that?" She hated how small her partner looked.

"I did. Do you want to talk about it?" She asked tentatively.

"Are you sure you want to hear about it? It may compromise some delicate information about myself." Chat Noir gave her a skeptical look, noticing the way she was chewing on her lip out of nervousness. He wasn't talking to Ladybug right now, he realized, he was talking to the other girl.

"Nothing too personal, okay? But you're obviously in pain and I'm not going to let my partner suffer." She decided with a curt nod. "What's going on, chaton?" She asked softly.

"It's my family life," he sighed. "My dad runs the family business that I play a role in. He's a bit... protective over me, let's say. I had wanted to go out with friends this weekend and he told me no, despite having an open schedule. When I asked why, he said all this horrible stuff about how I had a certain reputation to uphold and all of this bullshit, and that I shouldn't hang out with people like them." His voice turned venomous and Ladybug's heart broke. Chat Noir was always so good with people, she figured he must have a large and loving family. Oh, how wrong she was. "Then when I tried defending them, he threatened to pull me out of school! Again!" Ladybug gasped, absolutely horrified. She knew how much pain Adrien went through with his father, now Chat Noir was going through the exact same thing? She couldn't have that.

"Just say the word Chaton and his face will become best friends with my yo-yo." She muttered, getting the boy besides her to laugh. The boy who, right now, was much less Chat Noir and much more whatever name she didn't know.

"I don't think that's necessary, My Lady, although I appreciate the offer. Maybe once we reveal our identities to each other, I'll reconsider." Chat Noir shot her a grin. "Right now, I just need to be away."

"Do you mind the company?"

"Never."

Ladybug scooted closer to Chat Noir, leaning her head on his shoulder as he cried. That was the fifth time she saw through his mask. 

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"We've got to stop running into each other like this." Ladybug tried to joke, but her eyes were blurry with tears.

"Yeah, we really do." Chat Noir crouched down on the rooftop, hovering his hands over a crying Ladybug. "Would you like to talk about it?" He asked quietly.

"I'm not sure if I can." She sniffled. Chat Noir frowned. She was obviously going through something, but her ties to keeping the rules made her hesitate. Not for the first time, Chat Noir wished they had revealed their identities the very first day they met, before authority told them they couldn't.

"You let me cry with you once, let me do the same for you, My Lady." He placed his arms around her, not tight enough where she couldn't easily pull away, but enough to make his intent clear.

Ladybug fell onto his chest. "Have you ever been in a situation where only you know the truth and no matter who you tell no one believes you?" She asked through choked sobs.

"Sort of..." He knew that his father had influence over him and he couldn't speak out about how horrible his life was, but he wasn't sure if it was unbelievable.

"There's someone I know who keeps lying. She manipulates others around her by telling them what they want to hear. I was only tipped off about her because she said," Ladybug stopped, shaking her head, "she said something about Ladybug that wasn't true. I've tried calling her out but no one believes me because they think I'm jealous. I mean was I a little jealous at first? Yes, but now there's more to it. I just want to protect my friends. They keep asking me for proof yet this girl has given no proof of her lies either! I'm just so tired of it all." She ranted, scooting in closer to Chat Noir.

Maybe in a different context he would be overjoyed, but his Ladybug was hurting. If cuddling with her was bringing her comfort then he would do it. All he wanted to do was make sure she was okay. This girl in his arms, not Ladybug, but the girl behind the mask. He needed to make sure she knew everything would be alright.

"I'm so sorry My Lady," he whispered, "I know it's hard, but maybe try and dig up some proof of her lying? If her lies are scandalous then there should be some news articles about her, right? If there's no articles on her, maybe your friends will take that as proof? Not that you need to give them proof but..." He trailed off, thinking of Lila. Hopefully she was keeping their deal and not hurting Marinette.

"I can't, Chat. She's threatened me."

"What?" He shouted and Ladybug winced. She looked so small right now, it broke his heart. "I swear My Lady, you say the word and I will use my powers on her."

She snorted. "That's not very superhero of you, Chat Noir."

"I don't care, she's hurting you. No one hurts My Lady." He huffed.

Ladybug looked up at him, eyes shining. She realized now, the boy whose arms she was crying in was not Chat Noir, but the boy behind the mask. A rush of gratitude filled her.

"Thank you, Chaton." She hugged him.

"For what?"

"For making me feel a bit better. I still don't know what I'm going to do about it, but I'm glad I have you." She smiled, suddenly things didn't feel so bleak when she was with him.

"Always, My Lady, always." He whispered.

That was the fifth time he saw through the mask.

Their partnership only grew stronger as they began to confide in each other more. If they thought they could read each other's thoughts before, that was nothing compared to their recent shift. It was like they knew what the other was going to do before they even did it. Both of them were overjoyed at the shift, both of them suspecting what had caused it. Because as much as the mask protected their secret identities, it also prevented them from seeing the deepest sides of each other. Once they began to see those sides well... it's only natural for them to grow much closer in and out of battle. 

They saw each other's weaknesses. When Chat Noir came to patrol with sagging shoulders, Ladybug automatically knew his dad was being a horrible person again. When Ladybug came to patrol with her mouth pressed in a thin line, he knew something was happening at school again, whether with that girl or the bully she had begun to open up about.

But they also saw each other's strengths. When Chat Noir got to bounce on the balls of his feet, Ladybug knew he got to see his friends. When Ladybug came holding a bag of pastries and smiling a bit more than usual, he knew she had just fulfilled one of her many plans.

The two of them simply saw each other, both sides of the mask. They may not know each other's names, but that didn't really matter anymore. What was a name to Chat Noir when he got to see Ladybug's happy dance when describing her favorite video game? What was a name to Ladybug when Chat Noir explained the latest song he was learning on the piano?

Had both of them thrown caution to the wind at this point? Maybe. But Chat Noir never cared that much about the rules and Ladybug cared too much to listen to the rules. So they began to know each other, in and out of the mask. His favorite color was blue, hers was pink. He loves passionfruit macarons, she sewed her own clothes. They both worked in their family's business. And with every new detail they learned about each other, with every warning from Tikki and eye roll from Plagg, their partnership only grew stronger. Chat Noir wasn't just her partner, he was her best friend and closest confidant. Ladybug wasn't just the girl he was in love with, she was the woman he trusted with his whole being and could tell her anything.

Anything except his name.

Although, if the two of them were being completely honest, their secret identities were more of a formality at this point. Both of them held suspicions about the other, both of them too scared of being wrong, or, perhaps worse, being right. What implications it held and how it would change their relationship. So when Adrien made a cat pun, it fell on Marinette's deaf ears. When Marinette disappeared during akuma attacks, Adrien turned a blind eye. It was unspoken between them, a hidden "is it you?" lingering on every conversation they had, as both Marinette and Adrien and Chat Noir and Ladybug.

But still, they held off. Not until Hawkmoth was defeated. The two of them were more than happy to wait. They knew each other well enough that it didn't matter much anymore. It would still be special, but in a different way. It wasn't that they could now know each other, it was the fact they could have a normal friendship (and if their suspicions were right, perhaps something more).

So when Hawkmoth eventually went down in a blaze of glory and Mayura turned herself in, they weren't nearly as nervous about the reveal as they should've been. Marinette spent the day figuring out her outfit, hair, and makeup, and Tikki was expecting a breakdown at any minute. But she left out the door barely breathing a word that wasn't positive. Adrien spent the day playing video games with Nino before getting ready, and despite Plagg teasing him ("you're about to meet the love of your life!") Adrien showed no signs of nervousness. Both of them wondered what in the world was going on with their holders. The answer was one very simple truth:

Although they would learn each other's names, they already knew exactly who their partner was behind the mask. 

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Honestly it was so hard to think of what to do with this prompt, but I'm very proud of this result. This is also the fastest I've written for this series so far, so hopefully it's not too riddled with spelling and grammatical mistakes. Thank you for reading and I'll see you tomorrow! -Colorado