Chapter 2: Iced Over

"What's going on here?" He ran forward just in time to have Ladybug nearly run into him.

"There's something up there…it moved…the slime… I think…" She looked wide eyed ahead.

"Too dark to see huh?" He crossed his arms and smirked.

"Oh stop gloating and help!" She rolled her eyes.

"There is something here…" He squinted into the darkness. Something was oozing from ahead, as if it was coming out of the waterway that was empty. Or so they thought…he squinted a bit harder.

"Oh man…there's like-a lot of it!"

"A lot of what?"

"I don't know what do you want to call it?"

"What is it?"

"It is oozing into the waterway through that grate over there!" He pointed ahead.

"I can barely see that. I need to fix this somehow…"

"Don't use your powers right away…you'll just power down and your Miraculous will get weak. I get the feeling we're heading in the right direction. "

"Uh-I think the direction is heading towards us…look!" Suddenly the ooze started to move foreword towards them, filling the space ahead, an aqua green gush forward.

"Do you think it's alive?!" She stepped back as it almost climbed up her food.

"If it is it could be an Akuma…"

"Then if we lead it up top then the rest of the city might be in danger…" Ladybug looked behind her. They couldn't put others in danger, but they definitely didn't see the source just yet.

"So we fight it."

"How do we fight …jello? Or slime?" She said as they took a step back as it approached, accumulating, filling the space.

"Jlime? Slello? No…how about…" He took another step back. "Slimello? Jime? You know nothing really flows…there must be something we can call it…"

"Not helping…" She said. "You said it was coming from another grate ahead right? Which means the tunnels go on…so if we can clog he grate that the water was supposed to escape through and destroy enough to get there or closer to it… we might be able to continue to whatever it is that's causing this."

"Okay well how do we stop it?"

"A certain Cat claw perhaps? If you can destroy enough of it, I'll use my lucky charm to clog it up somehow…I'll think of something…"

"Worth a try. We'll be cutting it close though if we need to change back and re-fuel."

"We've done it before! Lucky Charm!" She found that she'd gotten a portable hair dryer.

"What are you going to do? Blow it away?" Cat-Noir looked confused.

"I'll figure it out just start destroying as much of it as you can. If the perp isn't here then we'll at least get to the next part of the tunnel and get more answers!" She looked to her hair-dryer and then to the grate, when she noticed a small protruding stone just above it. If she hooked her yoyo on that, and then could reach the grate…she looked to her dryer when the "cold" button illuminated in bug-print.

So that was the answer. "Cat Noir do your thing!"

"Whatever you say my lady!" He said and looked at the sludge. It had to be alive or something, it was just too momentous. If it overflowed the water path they'd be consumed by it and it would spill onto the streets. It was already getting close. "Cataclysm!"

He shot a bout of his destructive energy towards the goo encroaching on the path, but it wasn't enough for a clear path for Ladybug. "I've never done two in a row before…"

"It's okay I'll find another way." She looked to him.

"No…maybe…" He looked to his staff. 'Jump on!"

She nodded, he extended his staff to get her closer, as she was perched like a bird on it. "I really don't want to fall into this stuff…"

"Yea, doesn't look exactly appetizing."

"I didn't mean to eat! I meant to swim in!" She looked ahead. And used her yo-yo to get her closer to the grate.

He shrugged. Maybe Plagg was hungry too. "I still don't get what the dryer is going to do."

"By my calculations, it's already cold enough down here that with a bit more of a push, and the draft from the vacant halls…considering it's already a cool fall day…"

She used the blow-dryer on cool, hanging upside down from her. If something happened and she fell it wouldn't be good. If this slime was anything like water it would just take it to get a bit colder and-

She flicked it. Suddenly the goo that was oozing out turned to ice.

"It won't hold forever, but it'll stop us from being it's lunch." She pushed off the wall and flipped onto the stone tunnel path again.

"Impressive. Must pay attention during those science lessons?"

"When I'm there to actually have them."

"Miss classes a lot? Me too…" He looked to the side and noticed her Miraculous was flickering out. "You're Miraculous is fading…"

"So is yours…slower…but it is. But I guess this means we find a place to relax for a while. As long as this holds we should be good. I'd hate to call it quits after we just made us a clear path.

"Sounds good to me. Need a snack?" He pulled out a bag of Camembert.

"Nah, I'm sure I have something…." Her family's bakery was helpful. She must have something…a cookie for Tikki maybe? "I don't think my kwami would like that…" She looked behind her to a small alcove over to the side.

"Okay, I guess I'll be off." He turned onto his heel when he took a few steps away. He'd always respected their decision to keep it secret; she'd always wanted it that way. If he turned around and snuck up on her he'd find out who she was; who the girl he loved was. But …it also might mean she could see him…

Plus she'd probably never trust him again if he did. He'd better resist the temptation and just-

Actually…it was oddly quiet.

"- can you hear anyone else eating?"

"No…but what does it matter?" Plagg said mid-chew, almost done his second wheel.

"I'm sure they'd be talking a bit like us…I don't hear anything. In fact, I'm worried about how silent it is."

"We were silent before… I'm always silent when I eat."

"Only because you stole the Camembert before I could give it to you, and you fit so much of that stinky stuff in your mouth at once, I'm surprised you even have enough room in your stomach for it. I'm suspecting her Miraculous is a bit less …"

"You just want to see who she really is." Plagg smirked.

"No I don't. And to make sure of it, I'm going as Cat Noir. Finish that up now. We're changing back."

"What? No, I'm not-"

"Claws out!"

He took a brief few steps forward around a corner back to where they had been before.

"Ladybug? Have you changed back? Where are you? Woaah!" He stepped forward and fell forward slipping nearly going face first into the pool of left over slello? He blinked as he regained his form still on the ground, pushing his face away from the slime.

"Actually I haven't had a chance to change just yet…I guess I actually did forget my food for on–"

"Hey wait don't get too close this part is still covered in goop! I didn't even notice it without my-"

"I'll be fine I …hey does that area look a bit…bubbly to you?"

Suddenly a large goopy monster seemed to come out of the pool of goop and with a quick motion, Ladybug was dragged into the pool of slime with it.