#matthew starter

Matthew had gotten into the police academy as soon as he was able. Ever since his brother was killed, Matthew knew what he wanted to do, what he wanted to be able to do. He completed two years of college while he waited to be old enough to start at the academy and graduated a month after he had turned 21.

The training was tough, but Matthew was determined to be the best he could be and graduated near the top of his class. His transition had been difficult, constantly forcing himself to talk to the other recruits and not be as jaded as his brother’s death had left him. Matthew wanted to believe that he could do right by him, could avenge his death and prevent others.

He was paired up with - to his surprise - the Sheriff of Beacon Hills himself and Matthew was honestly a bit nervous about it. He had been expecting to be paired with a lower ranking officer, but there were “reasons” he wasn’t and he didn’t bother asking why. It took a few months of warming up to him, but they slowly became what he could call friends. Matthew had told him little about his actual past, only bringing up vague details like how his brother’s death led him to police work and his parents’ deaths got them both put in foster care. Though they were close, Matthew didn’t feel comfortable bearing his soul to another person even if he was a great person. It was a little difficult, but it was rewarding all the same. Matthew hadn’t really had many friends before, so getting close with the Sheriff and occasionally having drinks with him was all new to him.

That being said, he was still extremely surprised to be invited over to the Sheriff’s house for dinner one night. Apparently, it would be good bonding time and he could meet the Sheriff’s son, Stiles and a bunch of other reasons that needed to be said to convince him. He dressed nice even though the other insisted that he could wear casual clothes. A simple dark red button up and black slacks weren’t too fancy in his eyes and he wanted to make a good first impression on his son. This was the Sheriff’s family, after all, and it wasn’t something that Matthew had experienced in a while.

Matthew hated the Fourth of July. Ever since he’d gotten back from Afgahnistan, the three days around the fourth were complete hell and he usually spent as much of it as he could completely drunk. Usually, he only had to worry about being numb to the world once the sun set. Most people didn’t even think about how fireworks affected veterans because most people didn’t even think about veterans except on Memorial and Veteran’s Day. 

He’d lost count of the amount of drinks he’d had that night. In the sea of alcohol that his mind was in, it took Matthew a minute to realize that someone was knocking on his door. He swayed as he stood, stumbling over to the front door. The soldier didn’t care how disheveled he looked as he opened the door, leaning on the door frame heavily.

Matthew was out walking with his service dog, Chief, on his psychiatrist’s orders. The doctor said it was good for him to get out and be among people to show that he was safe in the states. He had been home for a couple months, but just recently went outside more than just to go to the doctor.

It was difficult and everything seemed to remind him of the war; threatening to send him into a bad headspace. But Chief was fantastic at his job and was able to keep him safe and in the present most of the time.  Today, unfortunately, was not a good day. As he weaved through the crowd toward the nearest park, he happened to pass by an alley where a fight had broken out. The attackers were shouting about getting information about something. The victim kept saying how he didn’t know anything and pleading for them to stop. Luckily, a local cop had run past him into the alley to stop the three, but it was too late for Matthew.

Chief whined as his owner stopped, his hand tightening on the leash. He let out a soft yip, trying to get his owner’s attention, but it didn’t help. It was just a moment and then Matthew bolted, he leash dropping from his hand, leaving Chief to bark loudly and chase him. He ran into a few people, one making him stumble. He stopped himself just before he hit the ground and looked around wildly. He was breathing shallowly and he quickly ducked into a small doorway, leaning against the wall and gripping his chest. Chief caught up with him and barked some more, licking Matthew’s hand that was at his side.