- Chapter 131 - That Dress -
Warnings: not to spoil anything, but death angst lol, and mentions of sobbing (sorry in advance)
Modern AU (minus Covid)
Third Person POV

Sniper always loved that dress.

It was a light yellow, halter dress that went down to just above her knees.

Sniper had worn it to Homecoming, and a few other special events since she got it.

It was her favorite dress to wear and sometimes, she'd convince Smalls to dress up with her for a date so she could wear it.

Smalls always wore pants or a pantsuit or something else. She preferred not to wear dresses, especially because she was forced to as a child.

However, she loved seeing Sniper in her dresses, and she swore that Sniper literally glowed when she was wearing her yellow dress.

Anyone could tell how happy it made her.

Smalls stood outside of Sniper's house, holding flowers as she waited for the girl. She looked up when the door to the house opened.

Race and Mush, Sniper's foster brothers, stood on either side of her, while Hannah, their foster mother, stood behind them.

Sniper was wearing her yellow dress, playing with the end of the skirt part out of nerves like she usually did. She beamed when she saw Smalls.

Mush leaned over to Sniper and whispered something to her. Probably "have fun", if Smalls knew them well enough.

Sniper grinned and threw her arms around the boy, before letting go with one arm to grab Race and drag him into the hug.

The two boys smiled and hugged back.

Sniper pulled away after a moment, said goodbye, and bounded down the steps to Smalls.

Smalls smiled. She held out the flowers for Sniper. "You look beautiful, my lady."

Sniper giggled a bit, her cheeks a bit flushed and not just from the blush she was wearing. "Thank you." She took the flowers. "You look amazing too."

Smalls smiled wider.

~~

Sniper giggled with Smalls as they ran, hand-in-hand, out to the courtyard.

Smalls pulled Sniper down so they were laying on the ground together, causing the younger to burst into more giggles, and Smalls to laugh with her.

Sniper looked back at the door. "Do you think they'll come looking for us?" she asked, still smiling brightly.

Smalls shook her head. "Nah," she answered. "Spot may try, but Race or someone will probably convince him to leave us alone because we're not kids anymore."

Sniper giggled and rolled onto her stomach, putting her hands under her head and swinging her legs back and forth behind her. "I'm surprised Race isn't protective of me because I just kissed someone," she said.

Smalls chuckled. "I mean, it's probably a bit weird for him to see his little sister kiss someone," she winked at Sniper, "but hey, he has two boyfriends and he knows what it's like to have overprotective siblings."

Sniper giggled again, her cheeks reddening from Smalls's wink. "Yeah, Jack and the boys aren't even his actual siblings, besides Mush, because we're foster siblings, but they're super protective of him," she stated.

Smalls nodded. "If Davey weren't distracting Jack, I think he would've come after us too," she commented.

Sniper nodded in agreement. She laid back and looked at the stars. "You know, Toni would like this," she commented. "All of the stars; he'd like being out here."

Smalls hummed and laid down next to her. She laid on her back and slowly slipped her hand into Sniper's.

Sniper blushed. "Especially if his boyfriends were with him too," she added, mumbling a bit.

Smalls smiled. "Well, do you like this?" she asked, turning her head to look at Sniper.

Sniper looked at Smalls, smiling. Did she like this?

Yeah, she did. She liked feeling pretty in her dress, she liked hanging out with Smalls, she liked laying under the stars with Smalls's hand in her own.

"Yeah," Sniper answered, her voice soft. "I do like this."

Smalls smiled. "You know what would make it even better?" she asked quietly.

Sniper tilted her head. "What?"

Smalls smirked a bit. "If the pretty girl next to me kissed me... and if we cuddled," she answered.

Sniper giggled a bit as she stared at the stars, her cheeks red. "Well, the pretty girl next to you would like that too," she responded.

Smalls grinned and sat up. She looked at Sniper.

Sniper started to sit up, but Smalls stopped her.

"Hold on," Smalls pulled her phone out of her pocket, "I want to take a picture of you. You look really pretty in the moonlight and like this," she told her.

Sniper blushed, laying back down like she had been.

Smalls snapped the picture and looked at it, smiling. "Beautiful." She put her phone back in her pocket. "Now, kiss me, my darling." She grinned down at her.

Sniper giggled. "I thought you'd never ask." She sat up again.

Smalls cupped her cheeks and pulled her into a kiss.

What an amazing night that had been.

What more amazing nights they could've had.

But, there would be no more amazing nights.

There would be no more kissing and cuddling under the stars for hours until their brothers (and cousins) found them.

Smalls wouldn't get to kiss Sniper ever again, or see her bounce out of her house in her beautiful dress, or watch her twirl down the sidewalk, beaming because of how happy the dress made her.

Yet, here she stood, staring down at her beautiful girlfriend in her favorite dress.

A quiet chatter filled the air around her, but she wasn't focused on that.

She was focused on Sniper, like she always was.

Sniper still looked beautiful; she always did.

However, Smalls didn't want her last memory of Sniper in her favorite dress to be of her, laying in a casket, no longer breathing.

Tears stung Smalls's eyes and she almost looked away.

She wanted to look away. But she... she just couldn't.

This was the last time she'd ever see Sniper... or Sniper's body, at least.

Hannah, Sniper's foster mom chose for her to be wearing the dress she'd always loved at her funeral because it was her favorite. It made sense.

Still, Smalls wished she'd have a different last memory of Sniper in the dress.

She wished Sniper could wake up and she could hear that beautiful giggle or see that smile again.

Now, all she had were pictures.

Smalls couldn't help it anymore, and she broke down next to the coffin.

She felt someone, probably Spot, rush over to her and pull her into their arms, but she wasn't focused on them.

Tears streamed down her cheeks and sobs escaped her lips as she wished that she could see her best friend - her girlfriend - twirling around in that dress one more time.

Sniper had always loved that dress, just like Smalls had always loved her. And like Sniper's love for that dress would never die, neither would Smalls's love for her.

I Words
So, oops, I made myself cry writing this.
I wanted to write Smallsper and I was trying to think of ideas when I thought of this, and I knew I shouldn't because we don't ruin Smallsper or make them sad, but... I wrote it anyway.