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Chapter Text

It had only been an hour after Catboy had come back from scouring the city alone, and the others were worried about their honorary leader’s condition. Catboy had come back with a strange kind of sticky splat from Night Ninja, and from all of the heroes' collective experiences with the naughty ninja, they knew it didn’t mean anything good.

However, Catboy denied feeling weird. He seemed fine for the most part, aside from feeling somewhat light headed and saying awfully nice stuff about his attacker, but now, the others were noticing slight changes that quickly grew to be alarming..

Catboy wasn’t the type to constantly demand affection, but now all he wanted was to hug everyone and even requested chin scratches at one point. He also was acting more cat-like in a sense, similar to how Bastet acted sometimes; but even Bastet was starting to get weirded out by the sudden change in Catboy’s demeanor. At first, the others handled the purring and cuddles like they did with Bastet, but they drew the line once Catboy tried licking a few of his teammates.

Now, Newton Star was flipping through his personal notebooks and some scrolls An-Yu had fetched from the Pagoda on Mystery Mountain, trying to find a reason about what could be happening to his friend.

A stream of red and yellow flew past the corner of his eye, and he didn’t need to shift over to know who it was. “Any luck?” An-Yu asked.

Newton Star sighed and shook his head. “I can’t find anything. None of these scrolls mention anything to what Catboy’s going through. It doesn’t sound like a mind-control kind of splat, or a sleepy splat; you don’t think Night Ninja made another kind of sticky splat by accident?”

“Knowing that mischievous ninja, I expect nothing but the worst from him,” An-Yu explained. With a firm grasp of her staff, she strode over to Newton Star’s side and placed something on the table. “Here, I found another book about all kinds of splats the Dragon Masters once documented a thousand or so years ago. I’m going to go check up on Catboy; let me know if you find anything.”

“Thanks, An-Yu.” Newton smiled as An-Yu bowed before walking off towards the hallway containing the holding cells, where the others forced Catboy about twenty or so minutes ago. With a focused yet determined expression, Newton opened the book and started to flip through various subcategories of all the types of splats they could be created. Some were more interesting than others and a lot were more difficult to make, but one title caught his eyes.

“Yue-Lao’s Lovey-Dovey Splat (STATUS: HEAVILY DANGEROUS)
An ancient splat created by a former Chinese matchmaker named Yue-Lao who used the rare (and dangerous) type of splat to make people fall in love with her after decades of being heartbroken and forced to watch other younger ladies finding the men of their dreams. Originally used to help desperate women keep their husbands, Yue’s desperation to have people love her got out of hand, resulting in hundreds of devoted followers to worship and become affectionate to her, often to deadly levels of serotonin. This is one of few splats heavily banned, and those caught making a batch can be sentenced to banishment or death in certain cultures. A splat with good intentions, used for selfish and evil desires that turns the person lusted for into mindless loving zombies, whose brains turn to lovey-dovey mush in a matter of months if left untreated.”

Newton felt his stomach drop, eyes frozen on the page as his mind raced for an answer. Night Ninja made a forbidden sticky splat to make people fall in love with him? No, that can’t be right; why would he want people to love him, especially Catboy? He just wants an army of mindless followers or something! Whatever Night Ninja’s intentions were, Newton Star knew he had to put a stop to this. He’d seen zombies in comics before, and while he knew it would never happen in real life (his knowledge on how human bodies worked made him realize zombies wouldn’t last that long in real time with them decomposing rapidly in the sun), the type of magic these night-time villains had made him doubt his logical conclusions.

He jumped out of his chair and ran down the hallway An-Yu had walked down a few minutes ago, a pitiful feeling began to form in his stomach like a black hole. Oh no, An-Yu! I’m probably too late to save her. She’s probably infected or something.

Turning around a corner, Newton Star sighed in relief once he saw An-Yu outside of the cell, looking through the glass window. Phew.. Flying over to her side, Newton Star was about to ask her some questions, but he bit his tongue once he got a glance at her expression. He’d never seen her so horrified before, not even as mortified whenever she dealt with an upset Mystery Mountain.

“An-Yu?” Newton Star stared at her for a few seconds before curiously peering through the window. Newton’s jaw dropped, feeling sick to his stomach at what he saw. Catboy was curled up on the floor, back towards the two. Beside his shivering, frail body was a puddle of what the two hoped was not blood but vomit, with what they assumed where chunks of leftover-food were shaped like pretty little, paper-shaped hearts.

“He was like this when… when I arrived,” Newton Star took his eyes off the horrifying sight to look at An-Yu, whose eyes held a thousand years of terror. “He was throwing up those hearts so violently.. like blood. I-I tried to help… but..” An-Yu felt warm tears roll down her face, not even lifting her shaky hands to wipe away the tears she’s held away for decades. “I was so weak… I couldn’t move.”

“That love potion…” Newton Star felt like he couldn’t breathe, remembering what that short synopsis in that book detailed the fate for those affected. “The lovey-dovey splat..”

An-Yu’s hands gripped her staff harder, nearly breaking it into a thousand pieces. “N-No… of course. Of course Night Ninja would use that kind of splat; why didn’t I realize that sooner…?”

This is bad. No, this WAS really… really bad. Newton Star couldn’t just stand there, frozen in fear while Catboy was suffering alone in that chamber. He needed to get help: fast. He turned toward An-Yu, managing to pull her attention away for a moment. “An-Yu, stay here. I-I’m gonna get Gekko, Lilyfay, and Owlette: they’re outside washing the windows. Don’t move.”

“B-But, what about Catboy..?”

“Just stay here. I’ll be right back.” Newton Star had no idea what to do, but the only thing his mind was screaming at him was to at least get two people that knew Catboy the best. Hopefully they would know how to help. Newton Star flew down the hallway and around the corner like a comet, leaving An-Yu alone and forced to watch her friend writhe in pain.

“I failed him..” An-Yu laid a hand on the window, feeling more tears roll down her cheeks. Memories of her past failures of living up to her dragon warrior predecessors flashed through her mind, holding her down like a weight in the ocean. You’re nothing like those other dragon warriors. You should be ashamed. You’re just a helpless little girl. No wonder you were locked in that– Her palm quickly shifted into a shaky fist, nearly shattering the wall before wiping her tears away with a force expression that would make any dragon slither away in fear. No, I’m NOT. I CAN’T fail him. Not like all my other friends. I won’t let that happen again. I won’t let another ninja hurt another one of my friends EVER AGAIN. Punching in the code to unlock the door, she raced inside.

“Catboy!” The feline hero didn’t move, only worsening An-Yu’s fears that she failed once more. “Catboy, please! Please, wake up!” I can’t fail again. I can’t let another one of my friends… be affected by my mistakes..

“An-Yu…?” A weak reply was heard, sending a wave of relief to wash over An-Yu like a tidal wave. She was so overcome with joy, An-Yu hugged him like he was about to turn into dust if she ever let go.

“Catboy! You’re okay!” Wrapping her arms around his body, she couldn’t help but enjoy the embrace, even if she wasn’t that known for her liking of physical affection. She wasn’t that close with the boy, but right now, she’d move Mystery Mountain if it meant making sure he wouldn’t die. She was so focused on knowing Catboy was alive and well that she neglected to notice the color of his uniform began to lighten to a baby-blue.

“Of course, I’m okay.” An-Yu let go, expecting to see a dazed-expression on Catboy’s face, but gasped once she saw his eyes, no longer a royal navy-blue, but shaped like pink hearts. An-Yu crawled back in horror, now noticing all the signs she didn’t notice before, like his rather straight tail now curled in the way of a heart or his softened hue of his costume.

“Now that you’re here.. I couldn’t be any happier!”

Racing down the halls, Newton Star was doubting if An-Yu could keep the situation under control. Once he heard her terrified screams around the corner, he knew what it meant.

“An-Yu!” Behind him, Owlette, Gekko, and Lilyfay tried to keep up the pace with Newton. They weren’t expecting something so sudden this night, so when Newton came racing out into space to warn them, they only had a few seconds to stop what they were doing before Newton Star dashed back inside, accidentally slamming the door in their faces.

“What happened to her?” Gekko asked worriedly. An-Yu was tough, but Gekko knew she struggled under intense pressure when it came to those closest to her.

“It’s Catboy! Somethings wrong with him, and An-Yu kinda froze in fear!” Owlette filled him in.

“WHAT?!”

“Hurry, come on!” Newton exclaimed, pointing down the hall where one last turn would lead them to their destination. Right as the four turned around the corner, a shocking sight was laid out right in front of them. Outside the isolation chamber was Anyu and Catboy, who looked like they were wrestling with each other. An-Yu was struggling to maintain the sheer sudden amount of strength Catboy gained while Catboy’s heart-stricken expression couldn't care any less about what she was doing.

“ANYU!”

“CATBOY?!”

“Oh, hello guys! Glad you’re here! You guys look scared though; wanna hug it out?”

“Get him off me!” An-Yu cried out, trying to restrain him.

“You were crying! Don’t worry, I’m here to make you all better!”

While the other three could only watch in horror at what was once their friend trying to snuggle with An-Yu with heart-shaped eyes, Newton Star wasted no time in helping out a friend. Soaring up into the air, Newton’s chest began to glow. “STAR POWER!” One bright blast sent Catboy flying back into the cell, falling flat on his back. Before he could even get up, Newton Star quickly pressed a button on the door, sealing Catboy inside.

“Fluttering feathers, what was THAT?!” Owlette exclaimed, her and Gekko rushing over to help a baffled and roughhoused An-Yu.

“I have no idea,” An-Yu murmured, holding her head, already feeling somewhat light headed. “When Newton Star, I went inside to check if Catboy was okay. Then, he just pounced on me like I was a ball of yarn!”

“Star zing bing, why would Catboy ever do that?” Lilyfay asked.

“My best guess would have to be that splat Night Ninja splattered on him earlier,” An-Yu explained, remembering how different Catboy was then compared to now. Ignoring hearing his pleas to let him out for more snuggles, she continued. “Whatever was in that splat, it’s nowhere near as powerful or dangerous as that forbidden lovey-dovey splat me and Newton thought it was.”

“Yeah, it looks like it just made him want to cuddle and hug people.” Newton Star added.

“It’s very odd, actually,” An-Yu suddenly said, rubbing her chin. “Normally, a lovey-dovey splat would make whoever is hit by it fall in love obsessively with whoever inserted a piece of themselves into it, but Catboy was hit with it by Night Ninja, and he wasn’t trying to escape to get to him. He was affectionate with me.”

“That is odd,” Gekko agreed. “But, what kind of splat are we dealing with?”

“I’m not so sure,” Newton Star frowned. “But maybe there’s more stuff in that book An-Yu found that can help us.”

“Ooh! What a stellar idea, Star-Boy!” LilyFay cheered, twirling in the air. While Lilyfay and the others began to walk back towards the meet-up table, Gekko stayed behind to make sure An-Yu was alright.

“Sorry about Catboy,” Gekko apologized, walking alongside his scaly-friend. “I’m not so sure what’s gotten into him.”

“Me neither,” An-Yu sighed, but smiled at Gekko earnestly. “But, I’m sure we’ll figure it out sooner or later. It’s what we do.”

“Yeah, you’re right! We’re the PJ Masks!” Gekko cheered, hearing An-Yu giggle at his enthusiasm.

“I forgot how cute you can be when you’re excited.”

“Huh?”

An-Yu stopped, realizing what she just said. Her face was turning as red as her outfit as she clasped a hand over her mouth. “O-oh, my! I… I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said that. It just sorta–”

“Slipped out?” Gekko, however, wasn’t that bothered by what she said; actually, he was really happy she said that. Giggling, he wrapped an arm around An-Yu with a big, old grin plastered on his face. “Don’t worry, An-Yu. I don’t mind.”

An-Yu sighed, relieved he wasn’t bothered by what she mistakenly said. Deep down, she felt flutterly, but brushed it off as not having to worry about regretting saying something to someone she was close with. “Well, that’s a relief. You know, you’re a really nice guy.”

"Heh, aw thanks! You're really nice too!"

But up ahead, Newton could only worry about how this even started in the first place, and how he was supposed to fix all of this. Sighing, he stared up at the dome where hundreds of stars were dazzling in the beauty of space.

I wonder how this even got this way…?

Chapter Text

It had been around half an hour since Catboy's affectionate assault, and the Power Heroes had made no progress in curing his ailment. They'd searched through the entire library's section of illnesses and treatments, looked through Mystery Mountain's sacred scrolls of a cure, and Gekko gave Catboy some chicken noodle soup: all of which didn't help their friend besides stalling their efforts in healing him. If anything, Catboy was getting worse: he was scratching the unlockable door like a needy kitty, desperate for attention, and even tried using his Super Cat Speed to glitch out of his prison. He was becoming impossible to ignore while the rest of the Power Heroes searched for a cure until Owlette made a quick trip to his bedroom and grabbed Mr. Meow: at least now, he had something to give his overbearing affection to. 

Just after ten o'clock at night, the Power Heroes sat in their meeting circle, their expressions variously defeated. They set aside piles of scrolls, books, and personal technology as the children watched a live service tape of Catboy's room. They had been monitoring him closer after An-Yu had been attacked, and for right now, all he was doing was snuggling his cuddly like an actual cat. He was even purring like one, and his two best friends were becoming worried about his sickeningly sweet behavior change. 

"I can't believe we let this happen," Owlette shook her head shamefully, watching Catboy rub his cheek on Mr. Meow's face. When he opened his eyes, she shuttered at the sight: no more were his eyes a friendly shade of blue, but bright pink hearts. "What kind of illness even is this? She then asked, looking at Newton.

"I've searched every book about illnesses: nothing lines up what symptoms Catboy has," Newton explained. Even this genius was stumped with these random symptoms. Overtly affectionate, pink hearts for eyes, aggressive at the sight of anyone, refuses to be alone: it reminded him of rabies, but without foaming at the mouth or refusing to drink water, Newton pushed away at any speculation of any major disease at hand. He looked at An-Yu, who was nervously staring at the table. "An-Yu? You doing alright?"

An-Yu's head shot up, prying her eyes towards her friends. "Yes, I'm... doing fine, for the most part." Although her attention was back to her allies, her hands were busy fumbling with each other. For some strange reason, An-Yu felt weird ever since Catboy had attacked her. Whether or not it was her trying to question how he overpowered her or trying to act normal about the situation, she couldn't deny she felt partially guilty for not helping Catboy at his worst. Scratching her wrist, An-Yu bit her lip. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect him, I just... I felt helpless."

Gekko got up and went to comfort An-Yu. "Don't blame yourself for this, An-Yu. Nobody could've known if would've gotten this bad." A sound interrupted their conversation and they looked up to see Catboy tumbling around the cell with Mr. Meow, who was the only thing back from letting him go bonkers. It was not they noticed his baby-blue fur shifting to another hue: bright pink. "I just hope it won't get any worse..."

"Y-Yeah.." Out of nowhere, An-Yu grabbed Gekko, pulling him into a hug. "I'm just happy we're together trying to figure it out, especially you, Gekko."

The sudden behavior change surprised Gekko, as did everyone else: when was the last time An-Yu hugged someone, or ever? This especially alarmed Bastet, who hopped from her seat and investigated the two. "That's awfully nice of you, An-Yu? What makes you say that?"

An-Yu, seeming to have snapped out of her affectionate state, let go of Gekko and scratched her head. "I'm not so sure where that came from. Normally, I try to keep my emotions-" Suddenly, An-Yu's voice died down, as she inhaled sharply. Her eyes were glued to her hand, which she had been itching for some strange reason. At first, she thought it was just dry skin, but to her horror, her skin was developing... scales. Rosey pink scales. 

Gasping, she grabbed her hand and shielded it away from the other's sight, which only made them more concerned. 

"An-Yu?" Owlette walked over, reaching out a hand. But An-Yu backed away, her eyes shaking in fear. "An-Yu, what's wrong?"

"M-My hands.." Another glance and An-Yu was mortified to see both her hands were starting to get scaley and sharp. It was too early for her to be getting her dragon features, just short about another thousand years or so. But could've it been affected by her imprisonment in her gong? No, it shouldn't have. As the dragon girl's mind raced for an answer, the sudden thought of Catboy crossed her mind. When he came back after running into Night Ninja, he had been hit with sticky splat and that's when he started acting weird: feeling light-headed, acting abnormally kind, and overtly affectionate. All of those symptoms An-Yu had felt, just more sporadically than he had. 

An-Yu peaked at her friends surrounding her, mainly at Gekko. Her heart began to beat faster and a fluttery feeling developed in her gut: a sense of burning longing crept into her mind, with her cheeks reddening at the sight of the adorable lizard... "What am I saying?! He's my friend, I can't have those feelings. We work together, I can't... I.." 

Her hands dropped to her sides as An-Yu focused all her attention on her scaly green friend. What was there not to love about him? Sure, she loved her friends, but Gekko was... special, in his own weird way. He was honest, kind, and more importantly silly. If it wasn't for him, she'd still be the strict dragon warrior who hated anything not approved by Mystery Mountain. He was special to her, and she didn't like when villains messed with him. 

"A-An-Yu?" 

"must... protect..." An-Yu muttered under breath. "Can't... think.. must... protect Gekko.." She held her head, closing her eyes at attempting to worry about anything else. But all her mind was thinking about was Gekko, and all the times he's been captured by those pesky villains. All those times he'd been scared, and how she felt helpless. She couldn't let that happen again, not ever. No one was going to take away her treasure. "Mine... he's... precious."

However, the Power Heroes exchanged unsure, concerned expressions. Just a few minutes ago, An-Yu was as cool as a cucumber, but now all she was saying was complete and utter nonsense to them. Newton Star was especially concerned as his mind was racing with possible explanations for her sudden shift in character. Was it a dragon thing? Or did it have to do with Catboy?

"What's happening to her?" Ice Cub questioned, seeing her arms getting scalier by the second. 

"By the claws of Cleopatra, I don't even know, and I've seen plagues that make this look like a simple cold!" Bastet remarked. 

Unlike the others, too scared to check up on her, Gekko approached her. Grabbing onto her shoulders, he attempted to pull her back into reality. "An-Yu, are you okay?"

But, this simple act of kindness only worsened the situation. With Gekko right in front of her, all logic and the concept of reality were thrown aside for the two-thousand-year-old dragon warrior: she had everything she needed to worry about right in front of her. Her cheeks warming, An-Yu smiled lovingly. "You're so strong, Gekko.. but it won't be enough for a villain to hurt you."

"H-Huh?" Gekko's eyes widened before he was forced into a tight hug. Immediately, he tried to wriggle out of it, but An-Yu's grip was surprisingly strong. As much as he was a fan of hugs, this was a little too much. But all he could do was stare at An-Yu and feel her heartbeat, which was beating faster than he expected. "A-An-Yu! Let me go!"

"G-Gekko...must protect.." An-Yu giggled as she nestled in his warmth, seemingly in a lovestruck trance. It was like everything she had longed for was given to her in that swift motion, the unnerving loneliness she felt before died after coming into contact with his lizard body. An-Yu felt warm and tingly all over, with a bubbly feeling swirling in her stomach. She felt all fuzzy, and she didn't want this feeling to ever go away. 

Until the bubbly feeling began to feel... off. It didn't just stay in her stomach, but it rose, rising into her chest, and a wave of nausea quickly developed. Naueslouly, she let go of Gekko, giving him enough time to run to the safety of his friends, and threw up all over the floor. Though her teammates were grossed out, their concern outweighed their disgust when they noticed An-Yu's vomit wasn't anything she had eaten that day, but an eerily hot pink liquid, with cute paper felt hearts. 

"An-Yu!" Despite what An-Yu had done, Gekko raced back over to help her. And while there was little to do, since her hair was already tied into two neatly done buns, he instinctively rubbed her back. The other Power Heroes ran over, except for Newton. 

Bastet looked at her friend. "Newton? Are you okay?"

"He's probably not a fan of vomit," Owlette guessed, her voice a tad shaky as her friend continued to cough up more hearts. 

"It's spreading.."

Owlette's eyes widened and she looked at Newton, whose face was one of complete and utter horror. He looked like he was watching an asteroid coming straight at Earth, and he couldn't do anything to save his planet. "W-What do you mean?"

"T-The infection... it's... it got to An-Yu.." Newton mustered out, and every other Power Hero, even An-Yu, gasped in horror. An-Yu was especially horrified but was too focused on hurling up more paper-felt hearts. How could someone as powerful as her get infected? Immediately, everyone backed away, not daring to be the next one infected. Gekko did take a few steps back but didn't want to be too far away from his ill friend. The sight of her in pain hurt him, but probably not as much pain as An-Yu was in.

After coughing up some more hearts, An-Yu grasped onto her sore throat, her voice shaky. Turning around, she felt teary-eyed seeing her friends wanting to help her, but too scared of being infected to do so.  "I... I didn't mean to... Gekko, I'm... I'm sorry." 

"Don't apologize, An-Yu! You couldn't control it." Gekko insisted. As much as he wanted to hug her, he restricted himself by giving her two thumbs up while the dragon girl wiped away her vomit-stained mouth. 

"But what are we supposed to do now?" Ice Cub asked. "It already got to An-Yu and Catboy!"

"Well, first we need to clean up the mess," Newton Star began, looking over at PJ Robot. Without any words exchanged between the two, PJ Robot flew to the storage closet to retrieve cleaning supplies and a test tube. "I'll need to get a sample of her puke and examine it for further analysis. Then, we need to quickly quarantine-"

"Oh, Power Heroes~!"

A sudden eager announcement made everyone freeze, and turn towards the source of the voice. Coming out of the shadows, it was none other than Night Ninja and his entourage of pesky Ninjalinos. However, he and his pint-sized crew were looking quite different tonight. Instead of being a deep shade of blue with streaks of red and white, Night Ninja was bright pink. Ribbons were laced around his arms, legs, neck, and around his forehead, topped off with dainty little bows at the ends. His stripes were now ivory white, with hearts scattered around his uniform. His Ninjalinos had similar appearances, with them being shades of pink and adorned with ribbons. One thing they all had in common was their eyes, as they had pink hearts like Catboy. 

"Lovely to see my favorite nighttime heroes together!" Night Ninja happily exclaimed, his sickeningly sweet tone making the Power Heroes unnerved. Seeing the Power Heroes group together with angry expressions, the pink ninja looked confused. "My, what's with those unhappy faces?"

"You KNOW why we're mad," Newton Star declared, enabling his Star Shields. "You infected Catboy with whatever disease you created, and now it's gotten An-Yu!"

"Yeah, what's the big deal?!" Owlette added, already up in the air and ready to use her Owl Wing Wind to blow him and his mini-me crew out of HQ. "How'd you even get in here? We're in space!"

"That's something not to worry about, my flying friend! I'm only here because I and my dear Ninjalinos felt a disturbance of unhappy emotions coming from you. And we're here to make everything better! Now, who wants a hug?" Night Ninja asked, opening his arms and expecting everyone to want a hug. 

But instead, Newton Star blasted him with Star Power. Being knocked a few feet back, Night Ninja's happiness didn't shift even slightly. His eyes were still dotting hearts and a smile was still plastered on his face. "My my, someone is in a bad mood tonight! I bet one of my Ninja Hugs will make you feel all better!"

His lace ribbons then began to expand in length, slithering like eager snakes for a tasty meal. They began to hover around a now anxious group of Power Heroes, as the Ninjalinos were awed at the sight. "Now, just let my ribbons wrap around you and-"

"POWER HEROES, SCATTER!" With Newton Star's warning, the Power Heroes separated, dodging the attacks of the ribbons ready to capture them. However, Night Ninja was expecting their stubbornness: Romeo was just like them, except they weren't in a confined space and there wasn't Luna ready to help him out. He did however have an entourage on eager Ninjalinos, all eager to snuggle and cuddle anyone. 

Night Ninja sighed, before turning to his students. "Oh, my dearest Ninjalinos, looks like our heroes aren't that willing to get hugs and cuddles so easily. So, I'm going to need your help retrieving them for me. Would that be okay?"

In response, a bunch of eager ninjalinoese came from his infected crew. Saluting their leader, the ninjas went to overpower the heroes with hugs, cuddles, and kisses. Watching his children wander off to different sectors of the headquarters, Night Ninja felt his heartbeat growing louder. Feeling his chest with wonder, he closed his eyes and tried to figure out what his heart was trying to say. "Someone's close by... but who? Luna?"

Opening his eyes, he nonchalantly looked up at the still-active surveillance camera and gasped in surprise to see Catboy. The poor thing was still trapped inside that cramped ol' cell, and he was curled up into a ball. Although he felt heartbroken to see his dearest trapped, his heartbeat raced with anticipation: his heart led him to the right place, and he was there to help him. 

"Oh, my sweet little kitten, I'm coming to rescue you!"

"Need.. more... I want more..."

Catboy had been trapped inside this room for god knows how long: the one thing he did know was that he felt awful. His body felt weak and cold, deprived of any contact or affection for far too long. A peek at his paws and he shivered, as his precious pink fur was shifting back to a boring shade of baby blue. How could his friends have trapped him in here? They were supposed to love him and be there for him, not leave him alone!

Curling into a fetal position, Catboy whimpered as a ball of anxiety and worthlessness unraveled in his gut. Mr. Meow was across from him, already worn out from all the cuddling Catboy had given him for roughly ten minutes. Catboy didn't want a silly stuffed animal: stuffed animals couldn't say nice things or cuddle with you, all they could do was limp in your arms as all your warmth enveloped in them. It wasn't the same, and he wasn't sure how much longer he was going to last. He needed to say nice things to someone, he needed someone to say nice things to HIM! 

Outside, the sound of footsteps made Catboy jolt up with hope. Rising onto his shaky feet, he managed to get a glimpse out of a window. To his surprise, he saw An-Yu and Gekko run past, but they completely ignored him. "W-What...? N-No! Come back! I need you guys!"

Pounding his hands on the windows, the intensity of the banging grew slower as he fell onto his knees and reverted into a fetal position, sobbing quietly. His one chance of someone finding him slipped from between his fingers, and there was nothing he could do about it. 

"It's not fair.." Catboy sobbed. 

"What's not fair?"

Catboy's ear perked up at the sweet-sounding voice nearby. Lifting his head, Catboy turned around and gasped in delight. Leaning by the door was none other than Night Ninja, whose comforting heart made Catboy's heart skip a beat. In a blink of an eye, Catboy nearly tackled the pink ninja onto the ground, nestling in his warmth and purring loudly. 

"Aww, did my sweet little kitten miss me~?" Night Ninja cooed, petting the attention-deprived boy whose tail curled into a heart. Noticing Catboy's baby-blue fur being overcoated by the delicate pink fur, he lifted Catboy's face to his. "I'm so sorry those naughty heroes trapped you in here, all alone and without anyone to snuggle with.."

"It was bad, but at least you're here now!" Catboy replied, hugging Night Ninja who planted a kiss on the boy's forehead, causing Catboy to purr loudly. 

"Yes, and I'm happy you're here with me." Night Ninja added. "Say, how about you come with me? I promise to give you all the hugs and cuddles you desire."

"What about my friends?" Catboy asked. "Shouldn't they get hugs too?"

"Oh, those silly little heroes are playing a useless game of hide and go seek. Before you know it, they'll be tired enough for my Ninjalinos to pile them with cuddles!" Night Ninja waved off, helping Catboy to his feet. "Now, come my darling, to the city we shall go! Luna and Romeo are waiting for more hugs!"

Using his Super Gekko Camouflage, Gekko was able to not be detected by three Ninjalinos who ran right past him. Unmasking his invisibility, he hid inside an empty room. Peaking his head out for any sign of a ninja or one of his friends, his eyes widened to see the door to Catboy's cell being open and Night Ninja wandering inside. 

"Oh no!" Not only was that a bad sign, as the last thing the Power Heroes needed was to hear more of Catboy purring and crying for attention, but the possibility of the two escaping together made Gekko worry. "Guys, Night Ninja-"

However, a hand slapped over Gekko's mouth as he was yanked back into the room, with the door silently locking. Falling backward, Gekko gasped and tried to get up, but something kept him down. "H-Huh? Whose-?"

Turning around, Gekko's jaw dropped. That said person was none other than An-Yu, and to say she was fine was the understatement of the millennia. Her arms were now entirely covered with pink scales, with her neatly kept buns now becoming heart-shaped. Strands of her ebony black hair were now pink highlights, with her extra hair falling by her back. What surprised Gekko the most were two things: An-Yu had grown a tail and her eyes were now... hearts. 

"A-An-Yu!" Gekko squealed, backing up to the door with a fluttery, nervous feeling developing in his stomach. "Wh-What happened to you?!"

"Oh, Gekko. I'm so happy you're safe," Completly ignoring his terrified question, An-Yu wrapped her arms around the petrified boy, and the two fell to their knees. "Those pesky ninjas won't lay a hand on you, I promise."

"B-But..." As much as Gekko wanted to run away, something inside him bolted him to the ground. His arms, once trying to free himself, fell to his side, and he weakly looked at his friend, whose eyes made his resistance weaken by the second. "I... I'm scared..."

"You don't have to be," An-Yu murmured. "You're one of my most precious treasures, and I'll make sure nobody tries to steal you away from me." 

Gekko's struggle came to a close, as his body limped and his head rested on her chest. Her arms wrapped around him, with everlasting warmth making him smile. Lizards were always drawn to warmth, even if they were cold-blooded. The thoughts of escaping were second to none, and all Gekko could think about was that he was safe with An-Yu, and nothing was going to get in between them. Even as he started to cough and gag, An-Yu kept him close. It was her duty to protect those dearest to her, and she'd be there right by his side, no matter what. 

Chapter Text

"There are so many of them!"

"I know: it's like when you get rid of one, four more appear to try and tackle you into a snuggle-pile!"

Owlette and Newton Star, like the rest of their Power Heroes friends, were struggling to tackle this rather abnormal villain attack of the night. Sure, they'd dabbled with fighting off Night Ninja's endless swarm of pint-sized mini-mes, but this time they seemed adamant about making any physical contact with them, by any means necessary. Chasing them around the headquarters, attempting to surround them with open arms, blowing kisses at them, firing more of the same Sticky Splat that their fallen head-over-heels leader was unfortunately attacked with, even having a go at using ribbons to wrap the fearful heroes up: there was no end to the loving brigade, and there was no sight of their leader anywhere. 

In different sectors of the highly advanced HQ, everyone was fighting their own battles: Bastet was using her Sun-Disc to deflect any of the Ninjalinos' attempts at wrapping her like a love-mummy, Lilyfay and Ice Cub were working together, with Lilyfay on Ice-Cub's shoulders as he glided around the headquarters as an attempt at freezing the Ninjalinos' feet, and PJ Robot was thwarting off any hugs or unwanted kisses with disinfectant spray. 

As Owlette made a defensive gust of wind at a Ninjalino trying to hug her, she noticed Gekko wasn't near any of his friends. "Gekko?" Calling out, she flew high from the tiny desperate hands reaching to her as she flew around Space Q in search of anything green. "Where could he have gone?" Owlette asked herself.

Then, something clicked: he was really worried about An-Yu's condition, even after she hoarded him all for herself. But when the Ninjalinos swarmed them, he and An-Yu must've run off to avoid them infecting him or An-Yu further. "Poor An-Yu..." Owlette thought to herself, remembering how fearful she looked when she saw those scales growing on her arms. Who knows what kinds of horrifying thoughts her friend might've been dreading? She was always the most collected of the bunch, so seeing her frightened by something she had little to no knowledge of was all the more worrying. 

"Owlette, LOOK OUT!"

"Huh?" Quickly turning her head, her enhanced eyesight quickly spotted something flying at her, and she quickly dove out of the way. Whatever it was hit a wall she was flying next to, and Owlette inhaled sharply in shock from the suddenness of it all. Carefully examining the substance, Owlette gasped: it looked just like the Sticky-Splat Catboy had when he came back earlier, only this one was filled with pink glitter and rose petals. 

"Oh, no," Owlette muttered, looking over and noticing a few infected Ninjalinos were holding globs of Sticky Splat, giggling joyfully. "Oh, NO!"

"GET OUT OF THE WAY! FLY!" Newton Star screamed.

And fly she did. She flew all over the Headquarters, nearly bumping into her friends and tech, trying desperately to avoid becoming another cuddlebug for them to snuggle with. Splat covered the glass ceiling, the walls, the meet-up table: almost everywhere you looked, a bit of splat was covering it. Trapped inside her own birdcage of doom, Owlette continued to fly as her teammates looked on in horror whilst still deflecting unwanted affectionate attacks. 

"Shuttering snowflakes, what are we gonna do?" Ice Cub asked, before dodging another splat coming his direction. "I can't dodge those AND glide around with all these Ninjalinos everywhere! Someone could get hurt really badly."  

"We need to get out of their sight, and they need their leader so they'll leave us alone," Newton Star ordered, seemingly taking over Catboy's role as leader. He couldn't lie; it felt oddly satisfying having everyone listen to him, rather than him being the one given orders. "If we get Night Ninja and throw him out, they'll follow, and we can be left alone to find another way to handle this mess. Now, does anybody know where he is?"

"Uh... right behind you?" Bastet pointed out, with an expression of confusion on her face. 

Newton, ignoring that she was looking up, defensively powered up his Star Shields and turned around, ready to fight back. However, he didn't see the pink ninja behind him. "Huh, then where-" He stopped, noticing his allies and even the Ninjalinos were looking up. Raising a brow, he too followed with what everyone else was doing, and his jaw dropped. 

It was Catboy and Night Ninja: canoodling! The holographic screen-player displayed their affectionate actions, causing the Ninjalinos to stop whatever they were doing and cheer. Seeing someone sharing their love halted their task on spreading their love, as they hugged one another as they happily watched Night Ninja pet Catboy, who was decorated in a variety of ribbons and bows. While the Ninjalinos were adoring their leader, the heroes saw this as a chance to escape. Sneakily and quietly, they ran over to the holding cells area to fetch the last two heroes. 

Taking a breather, the heroes sat silently for a moment before Lilyfay spoke out about her frustrations. 

"Poor Catboy," Lilyfay lamented. "he's being treated like an actual kitten! Cosmo dust, why is Night Ninja doing this?" 

"I... I don't think HE's the one doing all of this." Newton Star speculated. 

"What do you mean?" Ice Cub asked. 

"Think about it," Newton Star started, gathering everyone's attention. "If Night Ninja was behind all of this and meant to infect Catboy and his Ninjalinos to be all lovey-dovey affectionate, why would HE be infected? Wouldn't he have left himself the only one unaffected? Wouldn't he prevent himself from becoming one of them?"

"So, you're saying someone else must've done this?" Owlette asked. 

"That's what I'm hoping for," Newton Star replied. "Otherwise, I'd have to face the facts that Night Ninja, of all people, was smart enough to create a mind-altering love virus."

The heroes shared a round of laughter before picking up where they started. They ran down the hall and right as they were about to individually search the rooms, Bastet came to a halt at one room whose door was already sealed shut. Meowing curiously, she tried to look through the observation window but was blocked by a wall of cherry blossoms. 

"Uh, guys?" Bastet called out, gathering everyone to look at her. "I think someone's in this room."

The heroes ran over and were equally as surprised by the mysterious aura the room held. Cautiously, they opened the door and were horrified to see where their remaining two heroes had gone. Beyond puddles of paper hearts, mysteriously pink liquid, and cherry blossom petals were An-Yu and Gekko, wrapped together in each other's arms. Unlike Gekko, whose scales only shifted slightly in hue, An-Yu changed dramatically. Her red and yellow color palette was now pink, black, and white; her straight black hair was now nearly all pink, flowing gracefully around her. She was also a little bit bigger, with her dragon features, like her tail, pointed ears, and scales, which possibly contributed a major factor to the sudden growth. 

"PJ Masks," An-Yu's voice calmly greeted, her tail defensively wrapping around Gekko, who was busy snuggling and admiring An-Yu to focus on his worried friends. "So nice of you to drop by. Care to join?"

No one said a word. For a whole minute, everyone stayed silent in frozen horror. Then, Newton managed to make out some words. "W-What... What happened to you two?"

"Love," An-Yu replied lovingly, the word flowing ever so graciously out of her mouth. "Love did this to us. And I couldn't be any happier for this wonderful change. I was never able to let my emotions come over me, but now... I have Gekko by my side, and you guys with me. What more can I ask for?"

"B-But, An-Yu, you're infected," Newton reminded, hoping to get some sense into his infected friend: maybe, just maybe, she was still there, logical and reasonable deep down. "Look, please, just listen to us, we want to help."

"Help?" Suddenly, An-Yu's calm demeanor shifted slightly. Her hands grabbed onto Gekko more, and her eyes narrowed instinctively. "With me, Gekko needs no help. I'll protect him until the sun explodes: he's all that I want to love and protect, and you won't ever take that away from me."

"T-Take him away?" Newton repeated aloud, earning a stern glare from the dragon girl, all the while Gekko happily wagged his tail as his protector held onto him with a strong grip of loving embrace. "No, no no no! We don't want to take HIM away."

An-Yu's defensive demeanor softened, her tight embrace easing down. 

"We-" Before Newton could explain in more detail, the nearby sound of childish giggling interrupted their conversation. The Power Heroes looked over at the source of the noise and recoiled in horror to see a swarm of Ninjalinos running towards them, arms ready to embrace. 

Thinking fast, Newton blurted out, "Bu-But those Ninjalinios will take Gekko away from you and never let him back!"

Immediately, An-Yu's eyes filled with rage, and with a fearful roar, her human form disappeared into a cloud of pink smoke, blinding everyone in the vicinity. After a moment of the Power Heroes and Ninjalinos coughing, both sides of the same coin were horrified to see a dragon's head poking out of the room, glaring deeply at the infected Ninjalinos, who stared back with the same level of adoration as they did with everyone else. Letting out a roar, the Ninjalinos were sent flying as An-Yu squirmed out of the room, nearly crushing her teammates in the process of escaping. Newton and Owlette, who took to the ceiling, saw Gekko, wrapped tightly in An-Yu's tail, waving at the two as An-Yu scattered down the hallway, followed by the Ninjalinos, who seemingly forgot about the Power Heroes. 

"An-Yu!" Owlette cried out, flying after her. "Where are you going!?"

"Mystery Mountain," An-Yu, in her dragon form, huffed, opening a portal to the sacred lands. "Away from all of you trying to steal my most precious treasure. There, we will be safe, safe from all of you thieves and monsters."

"But, An-Yu! We were just trying to help!" Newton begged for her to listen, but the infection had already taken control of her feelings and emotions. All logic and reasoning were out the window at that point, and before anyone could stop her, she and Gekko vanished into the portal, leaving a bunch of Ninjalinos upset and the Power Heroes awe-struck in wordless confusion. 

"My, now that was quite a show~." Another voice interrupted the stunned silence. The Power Heroes turned around, seeing Night Ninja entering from the hallway, with Catboy next to him, holding his hand. Both of them were wearing matching ribbons, with Catboy looking like a fancy porcelain doll the way he wore those ribbons. The Ninjalinos ran over to their leader, ignoring the attempt to make the Power Heroes one of them. As his army of children yapped excitedly, he gazed at the heroes with remorse. "Sad to see some of us are hoarding our love to just ourselves, when we could share our love. Such a shame, but I can't expect much from a dragon."

"Catboy.." Owlette said under her breath, now just realizing she was the last of the original three not infected. She wanted to cry, but all she could do was point a finger at Night Ninja and confront him in a shaky tone. "Y-You! Look at what you and your annoying army of Ninjalinos've done! You turned Catboy into a helpless kitten, got An-Yu infected, and now she took Gekko to Mystery Mountain, who's also infected! Don't you understand the mess you've caused? It's all your fault!"

Seeing tears well up in her eyes, Night Ninja instinctively reached out his ribbons to bring Owlette in for a hug, but the other heroes made sure they didn't lay on one of her feathers. Pulling them back, Night Ninja sighed. "You poor things. I wish I could help, but you're making this quite difficult."

"WE'RE being difficult?" Bastet repeated angrily, as Night Ninja nodded. 

"Love is quite a complex emotion, now, is it?" He asked rhetorically, scratching Catboy's chin, which caused him to purr. "Every person has their unique way of showing their love to someone: some by hugging, kissing, protecting, talking to them when no one is available. But you... you just get in the way of all the ways we've shown love. My Ninjalinos and I have tried to give our love to you, but you Power Heroes are so stubborn to accept that even we villains have love for you. Just think: we wouldn't be doing all of this if we hated you, would we?"

The Power Heroes stood in silence, earning a smirk from Night Ninja. 

"I thought so." Using one of his ribbons, he guided Catboy as if he were on a leash, over to the exit, followed by his squadron of Ninjalinos. "Now, if you excuse us, I'll be bringing my dearest to a place where people will actually give him the affection he has been starving for, unlike you heartless monsters who call yourselves "heroes". If you do change your minds, my Ninjalinos will come find you and guide you to me. Until then, toodles~!"

With his Ninja Rings, he, Catboy, and his Ninjalinos teleported away, leaving the Power Heroes all alone, only with three valuable, important members gone in under an hour. All because of Night Ninja. Unable to contain his frustration, confusion, and guilt, Newton fell to his knees and cried softly, as his friends, stricken with horror and grief, huddled around him cautiously to calm him down.