Mark dangled there in the air, his pajama pants stretched tight in my grip, the fabric pulled thin from me snagging him mid-fall.
His eyes were wide, staring at me—white hair, blue eyes, gripping him on one hand while the other one in his pocket, floating like it was nothing.
He blinked a few times, then shook his head like he was waking up from a dream. Slowly, his body started to steady, and he hovered on his own, wobbling a little but managing to stay up.
Seeing that, I let go of his pajamas, letting them snap back into place—well, as much as they could after that stretch.
He floated there, rubbing his waist where the pants had dug in, and glanced at me again. I could see the gears turning in his head—this guy's flying, he saved me, he's gotta be a hero, right? He didn't say it, but his face said plenty: confusion, relief, maybe a little awe.
Before he could figure out what to say, I broke the silence, smirking as I crossed my arms. "What, no 'thanks' for saving your butt? I mean, you were about to make an O-shaped hole in the road. Oh, and what's your name, kid?"
Mark snapped out of it, chuckling nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, uh, yeah—thanks! Thanks a lot for that. I'm Mark. I just got my powers yesterday, and, well, I was so excited I couldn't wait. I snuck out tonight to try them out—like, flying and stuff. Guess I got a little carried away." He grinned, still buzzing with that new-power high, his voice full of that awkward teenage energy.
I tilted my head, popping a leftover gummy from my pocket into my mouth as I listened. Then I laughed, pointing at him with the candy wrapper.
"Mark, huh? You just blurt out your name and 'I got powers' to some random guy floating in the sky? Are you that excited? What if I'm a villain, huh? I could blackmail you now—'Hey, Mark, pay up or I tell the world you're the pajama kid who almost cratered his own street!'" I smirk, teasing him just to see his reaction, keeping it light but with that serious villain like edge.
Mark's grin faltered for a second, his eyes widening like he hadn't even thought of that. Then he laughed again, scratching his neck.
"Oh, uh, crap—you're right. I probably shouldn't have just said that. But, I mean, you just saved me, so you're not a villain… right?" He floated there, still hovering a little unevenly, looking at me like he was half-sure, half-hoping I wasn't about to pull a fast one.
Mark hovered there, still wobbling a bit in the air, his voice cracking with a nervous edge. "Right?!" he asked again, eyes wide, like he was suddenly realizing he might've just done the dumbest thing possible in his first 24 hours with powers.
I could practically see the panic bubbling up—Did I just spill my secret to a bad guy?
I laughed, a short, bright sound, waving a hand to calm him down. "Relax, kid, relax! I'm not a villain—promise. But I'm not exactly a hero either, y'know? Think of me as a neutral party—just floating around, doing my thing. No evil plots, no cape, just me." I grinned, popping another gummy into my mouth, keeping it casual to ease his nerves.
Mark let out a shaky chuckle, his shoulders dropping as he took a deep breath. "Oh, man, that's a relief," he said, rubbing his face. "I thought for a second I'd just handed my whole life to some creep." He was still smiling, though, that excitement creeping back in now that he knew he wasn't in trouble.
I tilted my head, smirking, and pointed down at his waist. "Uh, speaking of handing stuff over—your pajamas are slipping, buddy." His pants, already stretched from me grabbing them, were sliding lower, barely hanging on.
Mark's eyes shot down, and he swore under his breath—"Crap!"—yanking them up with one hand, his face turning red as he fumbled to keep them in place.
Still grinning, I stuck out my right hand for a handshake. "Name's Gojo Satoru—nice to meet you, Mark. And, uh, sorry about the pajama situation. Guess I stretched 'em out a bit catching you." He laughed, reaching out with his right hand to shake mine, his left still clutching his pants to keep them from dropping. Our hands met, a quick, firm grip, and he didn't seem too mad about the whole thing.
"Why'd I blurt out my name like that? You said to me." Mark said, shaking his head with a sheepish grin. "And now Aren't you worried I'll, like, expose you or something now that I know your name too?"
I laughed louder this time, leaning back in the air like I was lounging. "Expose me? Oh, please, Mark—go ahead and try! I'm not exactly shaking in my boots here. I'm not that weak, y'know." I smirked, giving him a playful taunt, my tone dripping with that Gojo confidence. "Good luck getting the drop on me, kid."
Then I straightened up a bit, scratching my head. "Oh, and seriously—sorry about your pajamas. They're, uh, pretty much toast now. Tell you what, though—I'll make it up to you. How about I introduce you to a superhero team? If you're into that kinda thing, I mean." I flashed him a big, goofy grin, waiting to see how he'd take it.
Mark blinked, then waved it off with his free hand, still holding his pants with the other. "Nah, don't worry about the pajamas man—it's nothing. You just saved me from crashing and making a crater like you said, so we're cool. But, uh—a superhero team? Are you serious about that?" His eyes lit up, that excitement flaring again, like the idea of a team was the coolest thing he'd heard all night.
He floated there, pajama pants sagging but forgotten for a second, waiting for me to confirm I wasn't just messing with him.
'He is hooked already,' I thought, smirking to myself.