the final countdown {sammy oneshot}

A gentle breeze filled the air sweeping through the open windows of his mother’s house as the sun slowly rose high into the sky. His arms stretched above his head as his bare feet touched the cold, wooden floor. Chills ran up his spine, and he looked around staring at the tiny calendar pinned against the wall. The corner of his lips twisted towards his ears. A genuine smile spread across his face. In just a few days, Sammy was going to marry his best friend. Happiness crawled beneath his skin, and every hair stood on end as he ran his fingers through his shaggy hair brushing it out of his eyes.

His heart pranced joyfully inside his chest, and every single breath caught in the back of his throat remembering the day he walked out of school dragging himself through the schoolyard only to find a beautiful girl seated on a bench alone with nobody around her. Talking was difficult, yet Sammy felt a connection he wasn’t able to hide. A spark grew inside him, and every day he talked to her the spark steadily grew, and now it was a wildfire spreading through his body. Even when June was taken by the peacekeepers, Sammy never lost the spark. It was just a mere kindling in the ash, but it kept going, and that spark would go for all eternity.

Through every high and every low, Sammy loved June for who she was. It didn’t matter the pain from the past haunted by the ghost of her sister. Six years ago life turned upside as May journeyed through the games, and Sammy made a promise he nearly broke. Keeping June safe was his first priority, when it came to the peacekeepers, he was powerless just like he was powerless against the reaping. But he was safe now. June was safe. They both were safe from the Capitol for all eternity, yet that feeling could end at any given moment.

A soft sigh fell from his lips as he walked down the hallway. Cold boards squealed in protest with every step he took until Sammy was finally standing in the kitchen staring out the front window wishing for the days to go faster. Many thoughts bounced through his skull going through a checklist of everything that needed to be done, and he realized he was missing one very important item. A suit.

"Mom, I need to go get a suit, or something nice to wear. I can't just go out and wear these raggedy clothes I own to the wedding." He called out wondering if she would hear him, and the sound of her footsteps behind him only made the smile on his face grow larger. For the first time in his life, Sammy was breaking away from the chains she held him in. His freedom was just around the corner, and the happiness he felt was worth every single second. He turned to face her, and his heart shattered into millions of tiny pieces as a single tear slid down the side of her face. "Mom, don't cry. Please." His hand reached forward wiping the tear away praying more didn’t fall. "It's going to be okay. I'll be okay. You'll be okay. I promise."

"My baby boy is all grown up. It's hard to believe."

His heart fell to the floor with an iron thud. Butterflies danced in the pit of his stomach twisting his insides together. Sammy was all she had for nineteen years. A father wasn’t there to help raise him, and he was proud of his mother, yet he wasn’t able to comprehend the pain she was feeling inside, but he understood. She raised him. She cared for him, and the chains she held him in were starting to make sense now. Letting go was always the hardest part, and Sammy never realized she was protecting him. Keeping him safe. "I have something you may be interested in."

He lifted his gaze from the floor before looking into the eyes of his mother. Curiosity was slowly wrapping around him telling him to go forward. Sammy wanted to buy something. To find something perfect for his special day, but his heart was leaping, and he at least had to look at what she had to offer. Who knows, it may end up being the perfect outfit. With a nod of his head, he followed his mother through the house turning every corner bouncing his steps trying to look excited, and he stopped just outside her room as she held a hand up before disappearing behind the door into the closet. He heard her rummaging through the drawers, and finally she reappeared in front of him holding a black bag.

With a deep breath, he reached his hands out taking the bag wondering what was inside. The weight held his arms down, and he knew whatever was inside this was very important to her, and he wanted to make her happy. That was all Sammy ever wanted. His entire life was spent trying to please her, and his life slowly started falling into place, and the puzzle pieces started fitting together.

"My dad wore this when he got married."

Every emotion left his body as he stared blankly at the bag in front of him. One hand held tightly against the hanger as another hand removed the garbage bag exposing the suit inside, and he felt himself starting to break -

His eyes were wide the moment the suit was in his line of vision, and he felt a sense of joy, a sense of perfection as he held it into the air taking in every single detail. A dark blue, pinstriped blazer and pants, a lighter blue, pinstriped vest, and a blue button up shirt, and a dark blue tie to match it all together. A large smile spread across his face as he watched his mother disappear into her room again before returning with a hat and a pair of shoes. "I don't know if the shoes will fit you, but you can try them on at least."

Sammy swiped the shoes from her hands before sliding them onto his crooked feet wondering how anyone could wear something like this, yet his heart leaped for joy as the shoe slid across his hobbit feet, and as he turned to face his mother, she placed the hat on his head. This is perfect. It’s all I need.

He retreated to his room for only a moment giving himself enough time to change out of his pajamas and into the suit his mother presented him with. His gaze locked on himself in the mirror as he turned around trying to take in all angles.

"So, Sammy, what do you think?"

"I love it, mom. It's perfect."