Matteo both loved and hated the darkness. On the one hand, he hated it, because it usually meant he was supposed to sleep, and no matter how long he’d been attending therapy, nightmares of his time at war still haunted him. But on the other hand he loved it, because at night no one expected him to be fine and functioning and normal. Being outside at night, when the streets were empty and discarded, he felt as if he could breathe a little easier, without so many expectations resting on his shoulders. That night, he’d gone out for a run after failing to fall asleep. The night air was cold, but it made him feel alive. His feet hit the ground in a steady rhythm, and next to him his dog was having the time of her life. The silver labrador was often a diva, but she loved it when she got to run next to him.
Though halfway through his run, the barking of another dog distracted her, and before Matteo himself had really registered the sound, Diana was chasing across the street. “Diana! Hey!”, he called after her, cursing under his breath as he checked for cars before crossing the street himself. As the light of a street lamp almost blinded him, he saw what the two dogs were barking at though. His heart pumping wildly in his chest, Matteo almost felt as if he was back in the battlefield. How many of his brothers had he thrown himself in front to save them? Too many to count. “Hey!”, he called again, louder this time, anger in his voice as his eyes settled on the attacker. “Let go of him!” His feet increased their speed, and he collided with the stranger at full force, sending them both tumbling to the ground. With Matteo on top, he pushed the attacker against the ground, and the years of military training made it easy to land a few hits against the other’s face. There was a cracking sound, and blood on his burning knuckles, before he was shoved aside with surprising force. But the stranger decided to flee rather than fight back. Matteo jumped back onto his feet, and for a moment he was tempted to run after the other. Diana followed for a few steps, barking still, but Matteo decided against following him and instead turned to the victim of the scene.
His eyes scanned over the man’s features, blood on his skin. “Hey.” His voice was more gentle and worried now, and he took a step closer. “Do you need me to call an ambulance?” It was hard to see just how bad it was, especially because he had no idea how long the criminal had already been using this man as a punching bag. “Did he take anything from you?”
The sound of another voice – a familiar voice – was what hit him first. The another fist to his gut had him doubling over before the guy was spooked by Matteo. Jude felt dizzy and breathless, but all things considering, he’d held on to his wallet. The stubborn side of him was definitely impressed with himself, but he still found himself leaning back against the side of the building and sliding down to sit on the ground. Standing was far too much effort, and he could feel his dog pressing her wet nose against his cheek while whining. “S’fine, MJ,” he wheezed, wishing he could see. It was even more terrifying to not know what was going on around him.
Matteo’s voice had him curling in on himself a little more, “No, no he didn’t fucking take anything from me. I can’t – I need to just...I need to relax,” he sucked in another breath, already feeling like he was losing his grip on his anxiety. He knew he had to be home before eight, and a stupid mistake like this had cost him his abdomen apparently. Jude idly wondered how the bruises would look. He put his hand up, “Don’t....please, dude, I just...I don’t want an ambulance.” He knew his emergency contact would be called – his mother – and she’d show up at the hospital in a flurry to sign all his paperwork since he couldn’t read the terms. A downside, clearly. “I know you...” he wheezed, “the guy I met at the dog park.”
