Yet another drabble collection, this time focused on Thatch/Izo. It is set as complete but will be updated as I get more prompts on tumblr or ideas. The first one is for MyLadyDay, which seems only fitting, since she got me into the pairing to begin with XD The prompt was from the new meme and was met online au. Hope you enjoy!
Thatch watched as the city come into view below the plane. He couldn't believe it was finally time. He laughed quietly to himself earning yet another weird look from his seatmate. Thatch ignored her, too nervous to be bothered with her. It was silly, really. He had nothing to be nervous about. They'd been friends for years, after all.
Thatch smiled, remembering how they met. It was hard to believe that one wrong click and simple message led to the closest relationship he had. He'd been scrolling through Tumblr three years ago when he'd accidentally clicked on one of those annoying recommended blogs. It had been some sort of sewing blog or something, not related to anything he'd ever looked at of course, and he had been about to close it when a picture had caught his eyes.
The powder blue evening gown had a wide v-neckline, the straps hugging the upper arms. Crystal beads and silver thread lined the neckline in intricate floral embroidery. The bodice was simple, separated from the full, ankle-length skirt by a simple band of fabric, and even Thatch could tell it was gorgeous. But what it was the person wearing the dress that had held his attention.
He looked to be maybe a year or two younger than Thatch. His black hair had been pinned up in loose curls, and he'd worn light makeup of some sort. The dress had showed off his collarbones and lithe figure perfectly. He had obviously taken the picture himself, standing in front of a full-length mirror, and it had been easy to tell he was nervous about it, biting lightly on his bottom lip.
He had been simply breathtaking. Izo had asked him what it was about that dress or that picture that had made him stop and read the comments, instead of just closing it like he'd intended, but Thatch had never been able to describe it, despite being pestered about it repeatedly.
Scrolling through the replies, Thatch had been shocked by how cruel people were being. So what if he were a boy? He clearly could sew and that was what the blog was about. Several of the rudest had been the same people who'd asked to see him in one of his creations.
Before he'd consciously thought to send him a reply, he'd already started typing.
Don't let anyone stand in the way of doing what you love. You look beautiful.
As soon as he'd hit send, Thatch had instantly regretted it. He had been sure the boy would just be creeped out since he didn't know Thatch or laugh hysterically at the cheesy response. Since he couldn't delete it, Thatch had just signed out and closed his laptop, like that could somehow spare him the embarrassment.
When he'd next logged in, he'd had a message waiting for him. It had been polite and had just thanked him for his support, which, little did he know at the time, had meant so much to Izo in the face of the criticism he'd been sent. Thatch would never understand how they'd gone from those simple, impersonal messages to being each other's closest confidant, but by the time Izo had deleted his blog, a week or so after he'd posted his picture, they'd already exchanged skype names and emails and talked almost everyday.
It was so nice to be able to talk to someone who didn't understand, who was so far removed from the issue at hand to be somehow both objective and staunchly supportive. At least, that was how Thatch felt and he assumed Izo felt similarly or their friendship would have died out long ago.
They lived much too far apart to see each other easily, and neither of them had the money to travel across the country to visit a friend. Neither had parents that would be supportive of talking to some "random" person online, which made it all the more difficult. So in the three years they'd known each other, they'd never once met.
Thatch fidgeted in his seat, as the plane began his descent. He couldn't believe he was finally going to meet Izo. It had been the plan for years now, but now that he'd finally graduated high school, it all seemed surreal. They'd long ago plotted that Thatch could apply to culinary school, when he graduated high school, in New York, where Izo lived. He'd been saving up money for this since he was old enough to work, but Thatch still couldn't believe it was actually happening.
He was worried about the adjustment from rural Nebraska, sure, but mostly what caused his nervousness was Izo. What if their friendship could only survive with distance? What would he do if Izo hated him? What would he do if he found out?
The plane landed roughly, jarring Thatch out of his thoughts. He shuffled off with the other passengers, ignoring the finally dirty glare from the woman who had sat next to him. Thatch headed to the baggage claim, where Izo would hopefully be awaiting him, with anxiety and excitement writhing through him.
Thatch caught sight of Izo, who was standing right outside the exit in a crowd full of people, and stopped dead, gapping. He hadn't noticed Thatch yet and was still scanning the crowd of people leaving the terminals, completely oblivious to the stares his outfit was garnering.
He wore a classic-style land girl dress, which was black with white polka dots, with red strappy stilettos. He had on a simple black wide-brimmed hat, trimmed with a red ribbon, over his carefully pinned up hair and wore lipstick in a matching shade.
The outfit didn't shock Thatch; he had seen it before the first time the video chatted more than two years ago, and he'd mentioned once that it was one of his favorites that Izo had made. What left him gaping like an idiot was that Izo was wearing it in public. Not once since Izo had posted that picture had anyone but Thatch seen any of his creations on him, despite his encouragements.
Not only was he dressed up, but he also didn't seem the least bit phased at the stares of the other people. Thatch felt his heart clench, when he thought that he had something to do with Izo's apparent confidence. Izo had faced the potential mockery that he'd avoided for so long in order to wear Thatch's favorite dress to pick him up at the airport.
Izo finally caught sight of him, smiling widely and waving. He continued past the barrier towards Izo, rushing now that he had recovered from his shock. Izo met him at the edge and threw himself at Thatch, hugging him tightly. Thatch caught him, stumbling only a little at the impact, and returned the hug, feeling his earlier doubts melt away completely.
He pulled back slightly and smiled at Izo. "You look beautiful."
Thank you for reading! Reviews are always appreciated ^^