Work Text:
Written while listening to; forwards beckon rebound.
Gracie stood in front of her, hair held barely out of her face with that big red bow, the one zam had tied this morning. She was about ten feet away, standing with a slight limp and framed by the archway leading into the fellas dorm. She looked perfect and beautiful and wrong,
So,
So,
Wrong.
She clutched her bells less like a death grip, like her connection to the shepherdess and more like a calling, a playful taught as she rung them over and over again, calling zam,
Beckoning her.
Zam felt maggie clutch her hand and snapped out of it. Everything seemed to come back at once, maggies shaking hands,twilight's snout pressed quietly into her neck, the screaming that echoed from the whole school as everyone scrambled to find their loved ones.
Maggie pressed into her side, shaking slightly.
“Gracie?” Zam whispered,
Because she didn't know, and she wanted to- to- she just wanted Gracie the real one.
“Im here”
Fuck, it was gracie then. Zam shot up as Maggie let go of her hand, letting her stumble forwards towards gracie, towards those incessantly ringing bells a command of come here zam, its me gracie, me, gracie, me.
“Zaam!!” a shrill shriek cut through the air from behind her, and again
“ZAAAAM!!!!” zam spun, because that was gracie, that was shure as the stars gracie, this zam knew and there she was, spinning away from sausage as he tried to grab her elbow with his human arm, but she spun in a circle screaming that name, her name.
“ZAAAAM!!!” She was crying and she sounded scared, and so was Zam, she needed her Gracie, but not This Gracie, not the one whose soft face was turning into a scowl as it saw what was happening, and saw the realization ripping across her face. She lunged. Mega pushed them away, her small hands just strong enough to move Zam's lengthy body from her frozen state. Once Zam was moved she saw, really saw, that thing was not Gracie. She reacted in an instant to the familiar movement of pinching a star flowing through her muscles as she pushed it at the thing. And yes it still hurt, because it looked like gracie, and it did not drop her voice either, it screamed like her too, the scream that ripped out of the things through, was a cheap knock off of the real thing but it still hurt all the same, she clutched at maggie as the thing was hit of the balcony by Zam's star.
“ZAM!” Gracie had seen her, she was pushing off sausage, tears streaming down her face as she ran over to her, she didn't jingle either, that thing stole her bells, she must be so scared, Zam though, but so was she. Maggie moved out of the way just as she knocked into Zam from her spot keeling on the ground. Gracie fit right on top of her pushing into the Zam with all her weight, but she was no longer scared, not like she had been on the first day, she didn't shy away from the touch, no, she melted into it. She pulled the shepherdesses chosen one further on her lap, pulling their bodies flush as her arms hung around her neck and her face buried under her chin. Tears poured down her chest, soaking the fabric of her clothes under the few pieces of her suit she still needed to wear, but Zam didn't care. She wrapped around gracie arms locking around her waist and face buried in her hair, Zam took a few shuddering bretahs shaking in a small but noticeable way, one a hug alone couldn't quell, well maybe this counted as more than a hug. She breathed in the smell of wool and flowers and fresh grass and water, she breathed and breathed and breathed, sausage legs were joining maggie on the floor checking if she was okay quietly, but neither of the girls were aware, they just pulled each other closer.
“Its okay, its okay its okay, im here, im here, im here, im here” zam whispered and whispered over and over again into Gracie's hair and after a moment it seemed to work, for bother herself and gracie as the sheep like girl’s breathing began to slow running her fingers through the tips of the aliens hair, weather to comfort herself or zam she didn't care, zam just breathed and breathed and breathed.
“Gracie”
“Zam”
Out of breath, tired and soaked in tears, but together.