[center][h3]Sam Fraser[/h3][/center]

Sneakers... a pair of smarter shoes for when he had something to go to... he was going to wear the winter boots on the train. Always wear your biggest clothes when going on a long trip, a tip that had stood the test of time. That was shoes taken care of. 

Sam shoved his running shoes down into the bottom of his bag, shifting them to the side to make sure there was enough space for some of his electronics to go in after. He stood at the foot of his bed, looking at all the clothes and gadgets splayed out on the mattress before him. Each group organized into piles that marked their categories according to his own filing system while he  looked over it all from above, thinking over how to fix almost everything he owned into a duffel bag like a squishy game of tetris.  

Then he got spooked out of his skin as the door behind him slammed open and a high pitched voice screeched in his ear!

“Got all your outfits together, Princess?! I gotcha tiaaaarah right here for 'ya!” Screamed the tiny dwarf that was the source of most of Sam's pain in this world. 

“Get out of my room, Abby!” He screamed back, struggling to close the door while his little sister whipped around like a hyperactive ping pong ball, giggling in that super annoying way she always did until he could chase her off. 

A guy had to be vain right now. At sixteen boys were at the biggest risk of turning into gross, unwashed, greasy slobs. By putting even just a little effort in Sam could muscle out half the competition when it came to talking to chicks. That was even more important now that he was going to go live on his own. Like, now he could invite girls back to his place or something... whoah. 

After his third try he finally managed to fit all the clothes, bathroom stuff and tech into the bag. They couldn't afford to get fancy implants for the kids, Sam included, and his dad had only gotten it because he practically had to for work. Sam figured if he could get a job while he was in Seattle he might be able to save up enough for one of his own but he'd have been lying if he tried denying he'd inherited some of his dad's technophobia. Sam always liked having a separate device for each purpose. One for work, one for calls, one for music. Though that maybe was just because trying to play tunes on his smart phone killed the battery cold blooded like. Having a fancy chip in his head would sure free up space on his person at least.

Sam got blasted out of his daydreaming by a flash of light as he walked into the living room.

“There he is!” Cooed his mom, offending camera still in hand and looking hyped as hell. “Honey put your bag down here I want some shots of all of you before you go.”

“Mooooom!” Sam protested impotently. “I got my train to catch!” He was too old for first day of school pics anyway! Not that he'd dare tell her that. 

“You've got a few hours for that, come on sweety this is important!” 

It was with a bunch of sighs, huffs and groans that Sam got dragged into the mix and let himself get propped up for shots like a doll. He still made sure that he cut a good figure though. It turned out he got some good luck cards from a few of his aunts and uncles too, some of 'em even put cash in there so score! Then came the time for the tearful goodbyes.

“I'm so proud of you!” His mom cried in a wail mixed with a cheer. “Oooh, don't go.” She said holding him close for a hug- before playfully pushing him an arm's length away. “But do go, get outta here!” She smiled. She'd been doing this joke for like a week since Sam got his letter, faking bursting into tears before giving a big cheer about seeing the little tyke finally fly the nest and talking about turning his room into a gym. Except this time Sam noticed that her eyes were shining pretty bright this time, in that wet kind of way where tears were just about threatening to fall. 

Which made Sam feel like he was about to tear up too! Seeing his mom like that laways had that effect on him. Women, man, it wasn't fair. “I'll miss you, Mom, I'll call, like, once a week I promise.” 

“You betta' young man.” She jokingly chided him. “Now come on, Abby has something she wants to show you.”

It was his little sister's turn for her big goodbye now and she was looking uncharacteristically bashful for it. Abby usually loved being the center of attention. “I wanted to get your tiara like I said for your goin' aways present but uuh...”

“But I said she could keep it.” Mom cut in firmly. “We were gunna get you a mascot for your dorm.” She went on to explain. 

And with a little more nudging abbey brought her hands out from behind her back, revealing a little teddy small enough to fit in Sam's coat pocket. He remembered seeing it about the house before but it wasn't one of the named stuffed animals that Abby turned into her inner circle. He knew those guys 'cus she made everyone have tea with them... loudly. 

“So I thought maybe you could have Doctor Bear to look after you.” She said, shuffling her feet and gluing her eyes to the floor. So that was why she was embarrassed, Abby always got that way when she had to do something nice. She presented him with the little teddy bear with hits sown on scarf and Sam took it graciously, slipping the fella into his inner pocket so the little guy didn't fall out in transit. The bear didn't have a white coat or anything that marked him out as a doctor but he wasn't about to question the deep lore that connected all his little sister's toys. 

“We'll take care of each other.” Sam said, offering up his most big brothery smile and patting the annoying scamp on the head. IT was the last chance he'd get to bug her in a while.  

Next was Lil' Mikey's turn. The youngest of the three Fraser kids and one that was spending his early years in the shadow of his more rambunctious siblings. Sam knew it and he tried to help out where he could. Micheal was a quiet kid, slow to yell and quick to cry. Sam wasn't much of a mentor and with their dad spending most of the time at work he kind of worried for Mikey's future once he left. Nothing he could do about it now though, his bro would be okay no doubt, he just had to find that Fraser fire. 

Mikey hugged his legs like a tree and Sam offered him a cool guy goodbye. Kneeling down to eye level he walked Mikey through one last super complicated handshake and leaned in to share a few private words. “Don't let the bastards get you down.” Sam whispered to him. Teaching his little brother swear words was like their secret bond and it always made Mikey feel like he'd been let in on some secret that only big boys knew.

Eventually Sam's time was up and his dad ushered him to the car. It was on the way there that the old man decided it was time to have one of those hear to hearts that both of them sucked at having! Sam had always had trouble talking about serious stuff to his dad and it seemed the reverse was true too. Things had been rocky between them for a long time and though they'd both calmed down in recent years Sam's dislike of the catholic church had hung between them for a long time as something they couldn't get over. His family was old school in some ways and opening up about feelings would always be a weakness for some of them. Still he got a few pieces of fatherly advise!

“And you know not to smoke while you're out there. Your mother would hate that.”

“I know, Dad.” Sam had only ever tried one puff on a cigarette, he didn't need a second.

“And the same goes for drinking-”

“I know, Dad!” Like he could get a fake ID anyway.

“And you know... with girls and such well... well they probably taught you more about that in school than me anyway!” Came his dad's flustered reply as he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the road. 

“Yeah, yeah sure!” Sam barked back, begging for things to not go there and keeping his own gaze locked on the passenger window. 

It was only once they got to the station and Sam was putting his back into getting his luggage out of the car that they gave it a second try. 

“Sam.” His dad gave him a hand pulling the bag out of the trunk and... just kind of let his name hang in the air for a heartbeat. “You know I'm so proud of you. We all are.” 

That caught Sam off guard. “Y-yeah...” Anything he had to add to that just got stuck in his throat. 

“Nobody, no one else in the family's ever managed something like this. Whatever you do out there, it's gunna be great, and you know you can come back any time if you get homesick.” His dad half stumbled over the words as if he was still shaping them in his head. 

“Thanks dad.” Sam felt himself smiling super wide and what might have been some blood rushing to his face. 

“C'mere then.” His dad grunted, pulling him into a hug. The two of them did what they always did when Fraser men hugged, they slapped each other on the back like they were playing drums and made a ton of overly loud grunts and comical blustering just to make the situation more macho, but to show they were self aware about it too and stuff. “Yeah, there 'ya go! You can get your next one same time next year!” 

Sam and his dad shared a grin, like men and said their goodbyes once he'd gotten a photo of Sam on his platform to take home. And they waved them through the window once he'd gotten another of Sam getting his seat on the train. After that there was nothing Sam to do but sit back, relax for the trip and... watch his home city rush by before it was gone. 

[i]'Here I go. Gunna go make my way in the world.'[/i] He thought with just a few worries and nerves.    

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/W3PL4IKt.jpg[/img][/center]