When Plagg returned home that morning, he expected to find the cave empty, after seeing Tikki and Marinette together. Finally some peace and quiet.

What he didn't expect to find in Marinette's corner, the human man asleep with Marinette's blanket. Plagg bit back the urge to growl at the man, and just settled for his nap, his rear side out in the early morning sun.

He had only closed his eyes when he heard a yawn, opening one eye to find the man sitting up with a stretch. The man looked mournfully at the area around him before realizing he was being watched.

Plagg bared his fangs, showing the man he was meant to be feared, before turning his head and closing her eye. He would let the man live for today if he left the cave quietly, considering Marinette had yet to tell him why she didn't come home last night.

"Where's Marinette? Have you seen her? Is she alright," the man asked as he rushed to the dragon's face.

"You should know better than I do kid. I don't spend all day with her."

"We parted ways last night, but she hasn't come back."

"Hmm, I wonder why?"

The cave was silent, Plagg opening one eye to see the man grimacing, his hands clenching and unclenching at his side.

"Maybe you better go talk over your issues. It doesn't help to bottle them up inside," offered Plagg, hoping that would get the kid to leave him alone. It had the opposite effect.

The man sat down near his head, leaning against Plagg's neck. Plagg immediately reared his head up, so the man fell over.

"No touchy."

"Sorry." The man shifted in position so he sat at the other opening of the cave, allowing Plagg the space to lay his head down.

"Yesterday was so perfect. We went up to the snow, had fun, talked. She looked like she was catching a cold, so I brought her back. She asked me to dance since our dance at her birthday party was interrupted. It felt like magic the way we danced alongside the lake. The moon and stars were dancing in her eyes. And before I knew it, we had stopped and she was really close to me."

"Did you kiss her," Plagg growled.

The man looked up from the dirt spot he had previously be staring at, the movement giving Plagg whiplash just watching.

"No! I mean, well, I would have liked to…" the man's cheeks turned pink in embarrassment, Plagg finding it rather amusing. The princess's blush had been frequent when talking of Adrien, so it was nice to see she had a similar effect on the man. Plagg just sneered and snorted at the man.

The man shook his head, "but I can't. She's a princess and I'm a knight. Her bodyguard at best."

"Your point?"

"A knight and a princess? Romantically involved. That only happens in stories. And I don't even want to think about what the king would do if he found out."

"Did the king command you not to get romantically involved with the princess?"

The man opened his mouth to say something, then furrowed his brows as he tried to think, "No. He said to bring Marinette home safely."

"Exactly. Problem solved. Now leave."

"But she's a princess, and I'm a knight. After our time here is over it will go back to being that. I can't marry her."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Plagg lifted his head. "Who said anything about marriage?"

"Um, well…"
"Look kid, you seem nice, but honestly, cool off."
"But you just told me to kiss her!"
"I told you no such thing. She is trying to get out of a marriage and now you want to rope her into another one?"

"I, um…"

"Humans, always jumping off cliffs." Plagg laid down his head with an exasperated sigh.

"That's a terrible analogy."

"Well some humans do, and marriage is a dangerous cliff my friend. And the less you know a person, the steeper a cliff it is."

The man looked confused, Plagg pleased with his analogy and hoping the man would leave to find another dragon to confide in. Bug would probably be better at this. But she was probably still with Marinette.

"Look kid, from what the princess told me, if the marriage is called off, she would probably take a little time before finding suitors. Line up then and you'll probably have an advantage since you already know her."

"Really, she said that?"
"On the first day I met her." The man leaned back, sighing with a happy smile on his face. Maybe now Plagg would be left in peace.

"But what should I do now?"

"I don't know kid, I'm all out of advice for today. Go find another dragon, probably the red one that brought you here."

"Tikki?"
"Yeah her."

"She's probably already sleeping in the cave."

"Then go find the princess and tell her your grand ideas of marriage."

The man smiled a bit, then frowned, then grimaced. These humans Plagg was stuck with were very expressive.

"Wouldn't that just confuse her? And what if she is caught a cold from our time in the snow?"

"I don't know how women work. Go ask her yourself."

The man sighed, finally standing, brushing the dirt off his pants.

"You aren't a very helpful dragon, are you?"
"I'm helpful when it's convenient. And right now kid, you are inconveniencing my sleep."

The man sighed, exiting the cave.

"I have a name you know."
"Congratulations. I don't care."

The man shook his head and walked off, Plagg lifting his head a little to watch him go. He then turned his direction to the opposite side of the valley, to a small crack in the mountainside. A small bit of red, unnoticeable from the level the man was now at, was poking out. Plagg smiled and rested his head back down, content knowing his princess was being taken care of.