Marinette scowled into the darkness out into the city, and the labyrinth of fairy lights and rooftops so clear from her view. Any other night, it would have been a pleasant sight. She was already up far later than she had intended to be tonight.

She massaged her still sore shoulder. This last battle had been close. Much too close for comfort. The bruising on her yo-yoing shoulder still ached, even after she'd taken a dose of medicine. If it had not been for Chat Noir knocking her out of the line of fire - onto the side of the roof - it would have been far worse. Even her suit and the miraculous cure had only managed to mitigate some of the effects. It would heal eventually, but the fact that it even happened had been a bit of a rude awakening.

Hawkmoth was learning, getting sharper in his focus and more selective in his villains. She and Chat Noir had been an extremely effective team. Hawkmoth knew their powers well and kept pushing them both to their limits. Today had been the first sign they were starting to hit a wall.

He seemed to be lining them up for a big showdown, so it was essential to the safety of all of Paris that they were better prepared.

She palmed the small, wooden box that Master Fu had left with her only hours ago, tracing the nail of her little finger lightly along the ornate pattern. They really did need to have a surprise waiting in the wings.

"Have you thought about it?" Tikki chirped, hovering atop her shoulder.

"It's really all I can think about right now." Marinette tucked her knees up under her and leaned back onto the chair. Master Fu had given her the Fox Miraculous, although he had been deliberately vague on exactly the powers it would entail. "My instinct at the start of all of this was Alya. I know she can be trusted. I know she is smart and capable enough. We need to be able to outwit whatever else Hawkmoth has waiting for us. We need an edge. Someone who can read people well and take action with little guidance."

Tikki nodded sagely. Her slight smile clearly indicated that she please with the assessment and the pick. "And Alya certainly can. No one else has gotten nearly so close to knowing who Ladybug truly is."

"But that's also part of the problem." Marinette sighed, pressing her back into the brick wall. "Alya also has the Ladyblog to consider. I feel like she'd be inclined to step away or scale back, but she has been such an active presence that it would surely be noticed."

"Maybe she would be able to continue the blog. She could always include or exclude information to keep the safety of the team in check."

Marinette bit her lip. That idea had some potential, provided Alya would go for the strategic use of her blog. "But then, she still has her responsibilities to watch over her siblings. I have a hard enough time sneaking away sometimes in the evenings. And Alya isn't always able to come out to grab pictures for the Ladyblog, even when the Akuma are sighted."

The kwami frowned. "That's right. You did have a bit of a challenge convincing Alya to be your deputy class rep."

"I had honestly forgotten about that." Marinette bit back a groan, but gave in to the urge to massage her temples. "What am I supposed to do here, Tikki? There is no one else I would trust more with this responsibility."

"There is certainly good potential for having Alya step into the role. I think you could help make it work, especially if you explain the need for safety and such." Tikki tapped a tiny hand to her lip as she floated back in forth through the air beside Marinette. "But if you are still worried about things, why don't you talk to Chat Noir?"

Eyes wide, Marinette gaped. "I thought we were supposed to be keeping our new heroes identities a secret."

"Well," Tikki hedged, "you don't really need to tell him everything. Just talk to him in vague terms about your concerns and avoid mentioning the Ladyblog. He actually is a very good judge of situations when he isn't taking rash action."

Marinette quirked a brow. "Or flirting."

"Of course." Tikki gave her charge a conciliatory smile, content to pretend she didn't know just how much Marinette's heart sped up when her partner turned on the charm. Just because she could speak directly to Marinette in battle didn't mean she wasn't aware of what went on when her powers were in use. "But no one else has nearly as much insight into the demands life as he does. Who knows how busy Chat might be in his usual life? I know things were not nearly so hectic for my last miraculous holder. But life and times have changed so much since then."

Marinette bit her lip, pulling herself away from the wall slowly to minimize the pain. "And maybe I can get some insight into what kind of person he is considering for the team?"

Tikki grinned for a moment before her eyes flew wide open at the familiar mental tug. She darted behind the potted plant at Marinette's side.

Marinette blinked, catching the motion a few seconds too late. "What?"

Tikki hissed. "It looks like you're about to get your chance."

Marinette squinted just barely able to make out Chat Noir darkened form leaping from rooftop to rooftop some 50 feet away. "We need to transform to even talk to him about that."

"There's no time, Marinette."

Marinette grit her teeth forcing her attention away from the plant that hid Tikki. She couldn't let Chat see her in pain. Somehow she would need to keep that in check for as long as he stayed. She plastered on a pleasant smile, widening her eyes in feigned surprise as Chat made the final leap onto her balcony. "Oh! Hello!"

"Hello, Purr-incess." He grinned, grabbing for her good hand to press a kiss to her knuckles. "Just the person I was looking for this lovely evening."

Her eyes widened further, unconsciously wincing as she tensed her shoulders. Had she missed an Akuma sighting? "I-You need my help with an Akuma again?"

Chat frowned, his eyes narrowing. He still held onto her hand, but drew his lips back from her fingers. Head tilting slightly, he blinked. "Not for the moment."

Marinette released the breath she had been holding. At least she could focus on resting and healing this evening, even if her other worries still kept her awake. Her smile grew more genuine. "Well, that's a relief."

His wide smile returned. "But that's what I came to talk to you about, purr-incess. You have been so helpful in the past, keeping such a level head even in this more difficult situations."

"Oh." Marinette murmured, not quite meeting his eyes. "Well, thank you for that-"

Chat Noir pressed on. "And you've been very quiet about these few times where you have helped out, which I know my partner and I both appreciate. Not everyone does, you know?"

Unfortunately, she knew that all too well. Marinette nodded, bouncing anxiously on the balls of her feet. And while Chat's vote of confidence of her - both as herself and her alter ego - drew a pool of warmth to her cheeks that luckily was mostly hidden by the darkness, it really didn't explain why he was here.

Chat grinned widely, his jade eyes meeting hers head on. "As it happens, there will be an opening on the team. I think you'd be the purr-fect fit."

Marinette's jaw dropped, her lungs suddenly unable to function properly. What?

Notes:

All errors are mine. I'm still looking for a beta in this fandom.

I spent the last three weeks doing crazy overtime for work and this idea just wouldn't let me go. I have several works in progress and lots of IRL responsibilities, so I will update as soon as I can.

Feedback is greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading!