As the masked superhero led her away from the scene of the crime, Aria looked back at her strange actions earlier.
She had acted ignorant about the reason for her new powers. But why?
She turned the question over and couldn't find the bottom of it. Dad had spent years preparing them both with vague warnings and "just in case" pieces of advice. She'd known this day was coming. A real answer, even if incomplete, would have taken four words. Instead, she'd stood in the rubble and played the stunned civilian, and she genuinely could not say why.
Though it would've been nice if our conversation lasted a little longer...
His gloved hand held hers with surprising gentleness, guiding her through the thinning crowd toward the north exit. His grip was steady. It was warm, even through the glove. Every time his fingers shifted against hers, her stomach did a small maneuver that she excused as adrenaline and declined to investigate further.
Under the dust and smoke, something else kept reaching her. He smelled good. Clean and warm. Woodsy, even. Scents that shouldn't be on a man who had just been tangling with a supervillain.
Aria drifted a step closer as she snuck a glance up at him. The split-back tailcoat swayed as they walked, the purple waistcoat and charcoal shirt wrapping around a muscular build that the suit made no attempt to hide. Her eyes were especially drawn to his broad shoulders, and thick forearms.
Another small thing she noticed was his feet finding clean floor every time without him looking down once. It was… impressive in a subtle way, and so was his pretty nice bu-
"You're quiet," he said, voice muffled slightly by the mask. "You okay?"
"Y-yeah. Just… processing." She looked away with red cheeks and squeezed his hand once before she could stop herself. "Thanks again. For the camera, I mean."
He let out a soft chuckle. It was a nice sound. She decided masks probably made voices sound nicer. That was science, most likely.
"Anytime."
Anytime. Aria bit the inside of her cheek for reasons she didn't examine.
They reached the edge of the cordoned area where police lights were already flashing. He slowed to a stop and gently released her hand. Her hand felt oddly empty.
Also, her eyes had wandered somewhere completely unprofessional again, and she had no idea why they kept going to his a-
"This is your stop," he said, turning towards her. Her head snapped to the side. "You should head home now."
"Home? Oh, home! Right," she said, words tumbling out ahead of her brain. "But can I get your name before I go? I should at least know the name of my new baby's savior."
She shook the baby in her arms for emphasis. It felt casual. She was almost certain it looked casual.
He tilted his head, and even though she couldn't see his face, she could've sworn he was smiling under that mask. "If you're asking for my alias, it's Wild Card. But if you're asking for my real name, I can't say. It's classified."
"That's all right. I get it." She looked up at him again, eyes drifting over the sharp suit and featureless mask. "So, you're Wild Card…" she repeated, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Good name. It fits with the whole casino dealer thing you kinda have going on. I'm Aria."
She offered a handshake. It was important to have proper introductions, especially between two superheroes who could be working together in the future. That was the whole reason. There was no other reason.
He took it, giving a firm but careful shake as the commotion outside grew louder. "Pleasure meeting you, Aria. You really should head home now. This place is about to be swarmed by the police and the media. I doubt you'd like the hassle of dealing with them."
"Shit, you're right. And Mom's gonna kill me if I miss dinner," she muttered, brows knitting together before she sighed. "Too bad. Guess I'll be seeing you, Wild Card."
She'd be seeing him?
The words hung in the air, bolder than she'd intended and fully unauthorized. Aria felt her face heat as she quickly turned away, clutching her camera box to her chest.
Wild Card didn't respond, but she could've sworn there was a hint of amusement in the way he stood there for a second longer before vanishing back into the mall.
Aria hurried past the crowds and toward the street. She had a million questions spinning in her head about her powers, about what Dad would say at dinner, and, wedged in among the important ones for no reason she could name, the exact sound of "anytime."
She blamed the adrenaline. It had been a very long and stressful day.
OOO
Aria walked up the familiar path to their house, the strap of her new Nikon digging into her shoulder with every step. She hadn't tried flying home. The idea still felt too raw and too dangerous, so she'd chosen the long way instead, giving herself time to process everything that had happened at the mall.
But there was one family member she needed to see first. Spotting her brother's back, Aria sped up.
"Markus Sebastian Grayson," she muttered under her breath, her words sharpening. "You are so dead."
Her brother paused and turned around. "Huh?"
"Come here!" Aria yelled as she broke into a run.
"Oh, shit!"
She caught him before he could escape, arms locking around his neck in a dramatic, not-quite-serious stranglehold. Mark yelped, flailing as she shook him.
"You absolute walnut! You spilled cereal on my phone! I needed it today and it was dead because of you!"
Mark half-laughed, half-panicked. "It was... an accident! Let go, you psycho!"
Aria released him with one last pointed shove. Mark rubbed his neck, staring at her like she'd lost her mind.
"Why'd you do that?" he asked, genuinely confused. "I already apologized for the phone."
She waved him off. "I'll explain later. When everyone's at the table."
She didn't want to tell the full mall story twice.
They stepped inside, dropping their things on the couch. Aria set her camera down carefully before following Mark to the dining room.
The aroma of authentic German bratwurst filled the Grayson household as Debbie moved between the kitchen and dining table with practiced efficiency. She set down a steaming platter, wiping her hands on her apron.
"And a big welcome home to my favorite son and daughter," she said in that warm tone she always used. "But I also heated up some authentic German bratwurst, flown in special today, just for you two."
Mark dropped into his usual chair across from Mom with an odd little smile tugging at his mouth.. "I… had a pretty interesting day."
A sudden blur whipped through the room, bringing a gust of wind that rattled the silverware. Mom's hand shot out instinctively, like always, catching a wine glass before it could topple. Dad stopped behind her, leaning in to kiss her cheek.
"Sorry I'm late," he said, sliding into the head seat. "Honest to God, a kaiju was attacking another cruise ship in the Pacific. I stopped it."
"Ooh, a kaiju. Nice," Debbie replied. "Mark was just about to tell us how interesting his day was."
Aria slid in on Mark's left, her own news pressing against her teeth. Fine. He could go first. Hers was better.
All eyes turned to Mark. A wide grin split his face as he leaned forward.
"Guess who's finally getting his powers?"
Aria's fork froze halfway to her mouth.
Wait, what?
Silence swallowed the table. Her brother's grin faltered as he searched their father's face. Dad's expression had gone neutral, the easy smile he usually wore at dinner nowhere to be found. His blue eyes were distant.
What was up with dad's reaction?
"Are you sure?" Dad asked, his voice level in a way that felt too controlled.
"Pretty sure," Mark answered, face tense with visible uncertainty. "Threw a trash bag... into space... at work."
Mom glanced between the two of them, then kicked Dad under the table.
Dad blinked, the mask cracking just enough for a smile to form on his lips. It didn't quite reach his eyes. "Oh. That's… great, son. Just great." He reached over and clapped her brother on the shoulder, the gesture a fraction too stiff. "If you're up for it, I'll make some time tomorrow for training."
But Aria couldn't dwell on her dad's odd reaction for long. Her mind was spinning. Mark too? Today of all days?
Debbie's warmth cut through the tension like always. "This is so exciting!" she said, turning to Aria with an expectant look. "Well? How was your day, sweetheart? You've been quiet."
Aria took a steadying breath, fingers tightening around her fork. She glanced at the shiny new Nikon on the couch, then back at her family.
"Actually…" she said, voice quieter than she intended, "I got my powers today too."
The table went dead silent for the second time. Dad's hand stilled completely on his glass.
"There was an attack at the mall," she went on. "A supervillain. Everything went crazy and this hanging ceiling came down on me, and I just… caught it. Like it was nothing." A laugh wobbled out of her. "Then a superhero in a white mask fixed the broken camera I just bought. With magic, I think. It looked like magic."
Mark stared at her, mouth open. "You what?!"
For one moment, Dad looked proud for some reason. He looked even more proud than when her photo took first place at the state fair.
"Were you hurt?" Mom asked.
"Did anyone see you catch it?" Dad questioned.
"No, and… no one except the hero, I think."
"This hero." His voice stayed pleasant in an unnerving way. "Did you give him your name?"
"He introduced himself, so I just did the same, like a normal person. I know it goes against what you said, but I wasn't going to Jason Bourne the guy just because he saw me get my powers."
"I didn't expect you to, but giving out your real name to strangers could go wrong. Did you at least get his?"
"Wild Card." The name came out quicker than she expected, so she buried the evidence under a forkful of bratwurst. "That's his alias, anyway. He said his real name's classified. Was very official about it."
"Wild Card..." Dad repeated.
Mom's eyes were wide, but she recovered first, reaching across the table to take Aria's hand. "Both of my babies got their superpowers! Oh, honey. I'm so happy for you."
Aria smiled. "Thanks, mom. I'm just glad I can fly now."
Dad exhaled. "Tomorrow, then. Bright and early. Both of you." He paused, and the smile that followed was soft. "Get some rest tonight."
"Yes! Finally!" Her brother's excitement came roaring back, aimed entirely at tomorrow. "What time? Can we start before school? I've been ready for this my whole life."
"Bright and early means bright and early," Dad said.
"I'm setting three alarms."
Somewhere out there, Wild Card was probably already moving on to the next crisis.