In retrospect, he should have known. Between her Guardian duties, the design work, schoolwork, and suddenly having to protect all her holders as Hawkmoth started to target them each one by one, it should have come as no surprise that Marinette had run herself to the point of exhaustion.
After she had fainted in class and couldn't easily be roused, Adrien dutifully volunteered to carry his friend to the nurse. Under the direction of the nurse, he set her onto the bed as gently as he could. However, that didn't keep her purse from accidentally spilling onto the ground.
Luckily, almost everything stayed inside...
It was only a tiny black cat charm tumbled out. A very familiar one.
Eyed wide, Adrien frantically popped it back into her purse. Hand over his mouth, he raced out of the room, mulling the possibilities, and setting his hand over his stomach to quiet the anxious tide of butterflies rising in his gut.
He glanced back over his shoulder into the nurses office. He really couldn't help himself, not with Marinette looking so frail...
Not if she was really...
Shaking his head, Adrien sped down the hall. When the coast was clear, he quickly ducked into the bathroom. Transforming only after he was sure the room was clear, he slipped out onto the ledge near the window where she was resting.
Shutting his eyes, he tilted his head. Perking every ear he had to listen intently, Chat Noir held his breath and pressed the red-spotted button.
And hoped.