Being followed was nothing new for Matt, by this point. But this approach? It wasn’t quite what he was used to, not something he had encountered during his libel trial, almost a year ago, now, or the SHIELD leak. Not a routine he associated with your average paparazzi journalist. He had never known a bounty hunter who’d observe him this closely, for this long, without going for the kill. Typically, an agent of one sort or another would be announced by the buzz and chatter of an earpiece.
Whoever this was, and whatever their intentions happened to be, they had some kind of experience with surveillance work. And spent a lot of their spare time in the city’s many coffee shops. The scent of fresh coffee and scalded milk had been what first tipped him off, persisting as the odors of the city shifted around them. Determining who the smell belonged to had been a bit trickier - only a bit, though. The streets of downtown Los Angeles were far from empty, even at this hour, and he couldn’t turn and track it back without giving up the game. Nonetheless, it wasn’t long before Matt noticed that slight silhouette trailing behind him, occasionally disappearing into the milling crowds. They’d been maintaining a healthy distance for maybe an hour, now. Far enough away that he couldn’t pick up what little detail his radar could usually offer. As he headed into neighborhoods with fewer distractions, though, it became easier to isolate the pitch of their breathing, the impact and pace of their steps. Listen to that heartbeat. Putting the pieces together, he found a young, fit, coolly confident woman. A professional.
Still - it wouldn’t have been too hard to lose her. Maybe Matt didn’t know Los Angeles that well, yet, but it wouldn’t matter. He’d only met a handful of people, superheroes included, who were able to keep up with the way he could move through a city. Being in his street clothes wouldn’t keep him from taking to the rooftops. It wasn’t like he had anything to hide, not anymore, and he was getting used to Daredevilling in his civvies.
So Matt had carried on as if nothing was amiss, heading towards the sound of keening seagulls and waves, following a breeze carrying salt and seaweed. He was almost grateful for the distraction; he’d been in desperate need of distractions, lately. After his little tête-à-tête with Elektra. For the past few days he’d been throwing himself at all the crime and mayhem he could find - a surprising, almost unsettling amount, really - trying, and failing, to untangle himself from the mess of memories, questions, and guilt that that encounter had dredged up. But he’d wound down, worn down, enough to start considering different tactics, at least. The plan for tonight had been a quiet, meditative stroll along one of L.A.’s more out of the way beaches, an attempt to clear his head that wouldn’t leave him needing new stitches again. Which would be nice. But this shadow was an interesting development, one that he’d have to deal with first.
Tucking his cane up under his arm, he stepped off the sidewalk into tall, rustling grass. As the weeds gave way to fine sand, Matt paused and took a deep breath of oceanfront air. Then, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth, he bent to untie his shoes.
"So, I’m going to assume that you’ve done your research. But, just in case it slipped by the tabloids…"
He turned to give his stalker a grin as he pulled off his socks, shoving them into his sneakers.
"You should know that I’m a ‘long walks on the beach’ kind of guy. You’re welcome to join me, instead of creeping along back there. We could even have a conversation.”
Matt straightened up, carrying his shoes by the laces.
"I’d love a recommendation for somewhere with decent espresso. Or we can get right to the point, and you can explain why you’re tailing me.”
He shrugged, and started off down the shore. Confident she wouldn’t spook, not after coming this far - not when she was gutsy enough to track him down in the first place.
“Your call.”
janainaart
baratheonpilled
pixelskylines
