It's just another night in New York City. The endless drone of people filling the streets as they leave theatres to fill bars and restaurants, the rumble of traffic with the frequent sound of sirens and horns, and the vague scent of salt water that wafts through the air now and then as Matt moves past the docks, then heads into the city towards Midtown.
He keeps to the rooftops. The fire escapes and shadows of alleys help cover him when he can't quite make the jump (rare, considering how packed the buildings are). Tonight, there's no one he's tracking. There's always an alertness, ready in case he hears trouble, but if he's being honest ... Sometimes it's just freeing to run around like this and see the city in a way no one else will ever see it. It's just Matt and New York laid out below him.
Except that it's not just him.
Considering how New York seems to be teaming with heroes these days, Matt rarely runs into someone else up here. He slows his pace when it becomes clear it's no one he knows, nothing familiar coming to him as his boots hit the roof. He's cautious. Sort of. It could be a civilian, it could be another masked crusader, or it could be someone looking to cause trouble.
The Parker LuckTM has ensured that Peter has A Night roughly once a week, and A Bonafide Night every month or so. A Problem is usually once or twice a year and the idea that he might be in the third category right now is making his stomach sink a little in an uncomfortable way only made more uncomfortable by the fact that he's somehow managed to misremember the location of every single eatery he's used to stopping in at and when he'd finally found one of them, the man behind the cart had almost thrown his hotdog at him before they actually started talking.
That's why when he sees a familiar form a few buildings over, he'd started swinging his way over and he lands just as Matt asks a question that makes him stop in his tracks.
"When have I ever used the stairs, DD?" he asks, humor wavering just a little.
Behind the mask, Matt squints a little in confusion. His mouth turns down into a frown as he does his best to place the voice. Someone familiar with him, clearly. Someone implying he should know them. The only person Matt knows that might come close to hanging out on rooftops is Danny Rand and that's definitely not Danny's voice.
"That's a great question."
There's a tension now to his posture. His alerts are high as he tries to find the trick behind whatever is happening right now.
"No," he says and then, when the universe doesn't change and Matt doesn't relax and nothing fixes itself, a certain amount of whine slips in, "nooooo, no, no, no, I can't today, I just can't."
He turns to look at Matt then.
"Did you make any deals with any devils? Aliens? Is the Phoenix Force kicking around again- I know it likes-" but while Peter is jokey and ridiculous and wise-cracking, he's one of the heroes who knows best exactly why identities have to stay secret whatever Tony-pinata-full-of-cash-Stark might think so he swerves, "the strong, silent types."
Judging by the way Matt's mouth turns down, it's safe to assume he has no idea what the stranger's talking about. At least he doesn't detect any signs of deceit - no quickening in heart rate, no change in breathing pattern.
"I'm getting the feeling that something's going on and you know more about it than I do."
He considers the problem for a moment before he breathes out in a huff and looks around. This rooftop is a little low for his liking, definitely not the kind of level where there's plenty of cars and plenty of wind to cover things. That's why he tips his head off the building.
"Can we find a better rooftop? I'll go into it more when we've got a bit more white noise."
Matt would probably tell most people that when a stranger in New York asks to go to a spot where no one can see or hear you, you say no. Most people aren't him, though, so he just gives a hum of acknowledgment and a nod.
"Yeah, sure. I know where we can go."
He figures the guy will follow, so he doesn't waste time, jumping over the edge of the roof and moving up the fire-escape on the next one, starting to lead the way.
Peter isn't trying to show off. But he ends up swinging his way forward, only looping back around when he sees that Matt isn't using his billyclub as a Matt usually do. He crouches against the side of a building as he waits for Matt.
"The city," he says honestly, "I mean, I don't have a schnozz like yours, but it's just one of those things, right? You go across a bridge and the air is just... different."
"...no." Another open mouth sound, then a closed mouth sound. "I'll get into it when we get to your building. I'm getting some idea of what's up while we go."
Behind his mask, Matt nearly rolls his eyes. But he's off again, keeping his ears open for the sound of the other guy moving alongside him. Before long he comes to settle on top of a building in the garment district.
"Were you blipped?"
He asks it as soon as he knows he's not by himself.
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@thwippantly
He keeps to the rooftops. The fire escapes and shadows of alleys help cover him when he can't quite make the jump (rare, considering how packed the buildings are). Tonight, there's no one he's tracking. There's always an alertness, ready in case he hears trouble, but if he's being honest ... Sometimes it's just freeing to run around like this and see the city in a way no one else will ever see it. It's just Matt and New York laid out below him.
Except that it's not just him.
Considering how New York seems to be teaming with heroes these days, Matt rarely runs into someone else up here. He slows his pace when it becomes clear it's no one he knows, nothing familiar coming to him as his boots hit the roof. He's cautious. Sort of. It could be a civilian, it could be another masked crusader, or it could be someone looking to cause trouble.
"Take a wrong turn on the stairs?"
no subject
The Parker LuckTM has ensured that Peter has A Night roughly once a week, and A Bonafide Night every month or so. A Problem is usually once or twice a year and the idea that he might be in the third category right now is making his stomach sink a little in an uncomfortable way only made more uncomfortable by the fact that he's somehow managed to misremember the location of every single eatery he's used to stopping in at and when he'd finally found one of them, the man behind the cart had almost thrown his hotdog at him before they actually started talking.
That's why when he sees a familiar form a few buildings over, he'd started swinging his way over and he lands just as Matt asks a question that makes him stop in his tracks.
"When have I ever used the stairs, DD?" he asks, humor wavering just a little.
no subject
"That's a great question."
There's a tension now to his posture. His alerts are high as he tries to find the trick behind whatever is happening right now.
no subject
He turns to look at Matt then.
"Did you make any deals with any devils? Aliens? Is the Phoenix Force kicking around again- I know it likes-" but while Peter is jokey and ridiculous and wise-cracking, he's one of the heroes who knows best exactly why identities have to stay secret whatever Tony-pinata-full-of-cash-Stark might think so he swerves, "the strong, silent types."
no subject
"I'm getting the feeling that something's going on and you know more about it than I do."
no subject
He considers the problem for a moment before he breathes out in a huff and looks around. This rooftop is a little low for his liking, definitely not the kind of level where there's plenty of cars and plenty of wind to cover things. That's why he tips his head off the building.
"Can we find a better rooftop? I'll go into it more when we've got a bit more white noise."
no subject
"Yeah, sure. I know where we can go."
He figures the guy will follow, so he doesn't waste time, jumping over the edge of the roof and moving up the fire-escape on the next one, starting to lead the way.
no subject
"It even smells different."
no subject
"What smells different, exactly?"
Matt's not stupid. In fact, he considers himself to be pretty smart all things considered, and he's starting to maybe piece together the clues.
no subject
no subject
Is this another Danny Rand situation? Gone for half his life, comes back some sort of hero-type, not used to the way the city changed?
Which doesn't explain how he knows Matt.
no subject
"...no." Another open mouth sound, then a closed mouth sound. "I'll get into it when we get to your building. I'm getting some idea of what's up while we go."
no subject
"Were you blipped?"
He asks it as soon as he knows he's not by himself.