Thanks Vergina-spva and MyLadyDay for beta'ing


Chapter 16

Izo stared at their joined hands as Thatch's words sank in. Thatch had spoken softly, but he might as well have yelled for the silence that followed and the way that Izo's ears were ringing. Was this really happening? Could it actually be true? Izo felt dizzy and he had trouble breathing.

Thatch's hands slipped from his. "Get out," he hissed, not daring to look at Thatch.

"But–" Thatch started, but Izo wasn't going to let him finish that sentence, already on the verge of tears.

"Get out!" he screamed, his hands trembling. Slowly, Thatch did as he was told without saying another word. Only when the door was closed behind him and Izo was finally alone did he feel like he could breathe again. He placed a hand over his mouth, trying to prevent the tears from coming.

Thatch wasn't cruel, so this was not some kind of elaborate joke, but if it wasn't that, it had to mean this was just a dream, and those never ended well for Izo. Mostly because he woke up. It couldn't be real. It just couldn't… After all those years, Thatch couldn't just come out and say it all of a sudden? Not after Izo had kept his mouth shut and his feelings hidden for so long.

Something warm and wet trickled down his cheeks and over his hand, despite his efforts not to cry. He didn't understand what was happening. How could it be a dream when it felt so real? The warmth of Thatch's hands, gently squeezing Izo's…

Yet how could it be real when it felt like a dream? Izo had dreamt so many times of this happening, of Thatch confessing his love for him. Every time, Izo had been happy, but that never lasted long. Either it turned into a nightmare where Thatch was replaced by an evil twin whose only intentions were to harm Izo, or it was amazing, but Izo woke up. How many times would he let his heart get broken like that?

And yet… What if it was real? What if Thatch had actually told him he was in love with Izo, despite everything logic dictated, despite every reason Izo had thought up over the years of why Thatch would never feel the same for him? What if Izo had just ruined his last chance for happiness?

The sound of the front door falling shut woke Izo from his musings. Thatch had left, making the house suddenly feel empty. Izo didn't care anymore if it was a dream or not, he had to stop Thatch from leaving. They had to talk about this.

"Thatch!" he yelled as he stormed down the stairs, but by the time he made it outside, Thatch was nowhere to be seen. Izo's car was still in the driveway, so he couldn't be far, but Izo didn't know which way he would go. Would Thatch go to Marco, or just take a walk to clear his head?

Izo contemplated taking the car to go look for him, when he realised he wasn't wearing any shoes. Reluctantly, he went inside to put something on his feet. His eye caught sight of a paper lying on the table that hadn't been there before, to Izo's knowledge. His heart almost beating out of his chest, Izo picked up the paper and closed his eyes for a moment when he recognised Thatch's handwriting. Taking a deep breath, he read the words.

Dear Izo,

I'm sorry for the way I sprang that on you. I don't blame you for sending me away, I should have eased you into it. I know you'll come to talk to me when you've calmed down, but I just want to explain myself a bit.

I've known for a while how you felt about me, or so I thought. When I saw the picture–

Only now, Izo noticed that there was a photograph attached to the letter with a paperclip. Despite being afraid of what he might find, he looked at it. As he thought, it was the photograph taken by Fossa on Izo's eighteenth birthday. It was supposed to be hidden away in Izo's music box, so he couldn't help but wonder how Thatch had gotten hold of it.

I finally realised what that look meant, because I've definitely seen it before. Before you get mad, though, I didn't snoop through your things. A nurse found it under my bed in the hospital after you left the day I woke up. I figured it was yours and not something I was supposed to see, so I put it back in your music box. Since you didn't say anything about it, I think I was right in thinking that.

Anyway, I know this picture was taken a long time ago, and I can't be sure if you still feel that way. If not, I'll regret for the rest of my life that I missed my chance. And if you do… I'll try to make up for what I put you through for the rest of my life.

I'm going to Pops' now to think for a bit, but I really think that we should talk, because I have a lot more to say. Please come when you feel up for it.

Yours forever,

Thatch

Tears were threatening to fall again, but Izo brusquely wiped them away. Now was not the time. Hastily slipping on some footwear, Izo ran outside towards Marco's house, praying Ace would be there as well. He needed to talk to someone.

With a perfectly manicured nail, he pressed the doorbell with his index finger, not letting go for several seconds. After a while, longer than Izo would have liked, Ace appeared in the doorway, yawning. He was wearing a robe and, Izo suspected, not much else. Without saying a word or giving Ace a chance to speak, Izo pushed the paper into Ace's hand.

Ace held the letter in the light of the lamp next to the front door as his eyes moved back and forth to read the words. "What picture?" he asked when he had arrived at that point.

Izo handed him the photograph, and Ace took a long look at it. "You look so young!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Are you saying I look old now?" Izo asked sharply, because, despite the situation, he wasn't about to let himself be insulted.

"No, I just mean… I need to read this," Ace muttered and looked back to the paper in his hand. Finally, he lowered the letter. "But this is great, right? Though, what did he mean, calmed down? What did you do?"

"I yelled at him and told him to get out," Izo said with a sigh. When Ace gave him a deadpanned look, he huffed. "What was I supposed to do? He sprang this on me out of nowhere!"

"I wouldn't call it nowhere," Ace muttered, but continued on a serious tone, "What are you going to do now? You are going to talk to him, right?"

"Of course I am."

"Then why are you here?" Ace asked curiously.

"I–" Izo started, but to be honest, he wasn't sure. He had felt the need to talk to someone, but he could do that with Thatch as well.

"This isn't one of those 'careful what you wish for' type of situations, right?" Ace asked, sounding genuinely worried. "You do still want him, right?"

"Of course I do. I just…" Izo trailed off. He wasn't even sure himself where he was going with that.

"Then go!" Ace turned him around and pushed him back in the direction of his house. "Go after him and get you're happily ever after!" When Izo looked over his shoulder and raised his eyebrow, Ace shrugged. "Sorry, I've been watching too many Disney movies lately. But I stand by what I said!"

With a slight smile on his face, Izo made his way back to his house and opened the door of his car. It seemed that all he needed was a push in the right direction, and that was exactly what Ace had given him.

Izo drove as fast as was allowed and pulled up on Pops' driveway. The house he grew up in was mostly dark, but he could still see a few lights on. Ringing the doorbell wasn't necessary, as he had the key with him, and Izo stormed into the living room. Unfortunately, he found it empty.

In the dining room, Pops was sitting at the table, sipping from a mug of hot cocoa – no doubt spiced up a little with some rum – and reading the newspaper. When he heard Izo enter, he looked at him over the edge of his reading glasses. "Welcome home, son," he greeted him warmly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Is Thatch here?" Izo asked hastily.

"No, son. Was he coming here?" When Izo nodded, he continued, "Well, if he's taken the bus, it might be a while before he gets here. Sit down," he pulled out a chair and patted invitingly on it, "and have some cocoa."

Izo smiled and grabbed a mug from the kitchen, which Pops filled from the jug on the table as he sat down. While they were sipping their beverage, Izo told Pops everything that had taken place today – or yesterday by now – including meeting Sanji and Thatch's confession.

When he was done, Pops hummed and placed a large hand on Izo's shoulder. "It's good that you came tonight. He'll be happy to see you."

Izo nodded, but he couldn't help but feel nervous. Thatch wouldn't be mad, he had already said he understood and it was still Thatch they were talking about, but he had never expected he would find himself in this situation. That he would ever talk about how he felt with Thatch.

After what seemed like forever – even though Pops tried to distract him by telling him about his day – the front door opened again. Almost automatically, Izo rose from his chair, but didn't move any further, watching the door in anticipation.

"Pops?" Thatch's voice called from the living room.

"In here, son!" Pops replied.

Footsteps came their way, and Pops squeezed Izo's hand reassuringly as Izo couldn't take his eyes off the door. Finally, Thatch appeared in the doorway, his face softening when he saw Izo. "Hey," he said.

Izo's lips curled into a smile despite everything. "Hey," he said.

"Well, it looks like you kids need some privacy," Pops said as he walked to the door, the paper folded up under his arm and his mug in his hand. When he passed Thatch, he placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Thatch, welcome home, son. Have some cocoa." He gestured to the jug on the table.

"Thanks, Pops. Good night!" Thatch called after him.

"Good night!" Izo called as well.

When they were alone, however, the room became silent again. Izo fidgeted with his cup nervously, before placing it on the table. "I'll get you a mug," he muttered and fled to the kitchen to buy himself some time. His heart was hammering in his chest, though he wasn't sure why. Thatch had said he was in love with Izo, and Izo felt that way too, so everything should be okay, right?

After he had repeated that to himself a few times, he finally found the courage to return to the dinging room, where he filled Thatch's mug with cocoa without making eye contact. When he was done, though, he could feel the mug being taken from him and Thatch's hand slipping into his.

"Come."

Without putting up a fight, Izo let himself be dragged to the living room, where Thatch sat him down on the couch. They were silent for a moment, before Thatch turned to him, a grin on his face. "I'm glad you came. I mean, I knew you would, but I'd expected you to come in the morning. So I was really happy when I saw your car."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Izo said softly.

Thatch took a sip from his beverage and shook his head. "It's okay, I understand. Did you get my note?"

Izo nodded.

"Good, good." Thatch clasped his hands together and leaned on them with his chin. "I promise I will explain everything, but before I do, could you please say yes or no?"

It was clear what Thatch wanted answered, but Izo was not going to allow any miscommunication. "That depends on how you phrase the question."

Thatch nodded, looking in front of him. "Was I right? About the picture, I mean."

"Yes."

Thatch nodded again, taking a shaky breath before finally looking Izo in the eye. "And… now?" he asked hesitantly.

Izo bit his lip, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry. "Yes," he said hoarsely.

Thatch took a shaky breath, pulling Izo tightly against him. Izo could feel him tremble and buried his face in his chest, still not able to believe that this was actually happening. For a while, they didn't move, until Thatch finally pulled back. "I promised you I'd explain everything."

"Before you do, can you answer a question for me?" Izo asked. He had taken away Thatch's worries, so now it was time for him to return the favour. Closing his eyes, he asked, "Is this because of the coma?" Ever since it happened, he had feared that it would change Thatch, or that he would let himself be changed. Since he fully recovered, however, Izo had only witnessed the Thatch he knew and loved, but he still needed to hear it be said out loud.

"No," Thatch replied. "Well, yes, in a way, but not how you might think. Let me explain." He took a more comfortable position on the couch and took another sip from his cocoa, considering where he should start.

"During my coma," he finally started, "I dreamt a lot about you. Well, apparently, they weren't really dreams, according to my physical therapist, but interpretations of things that happened around me. So I guess it made sense they were a lot about you, seeing you haven't left my side." He took Izo's hand in his. "But the visions I had… They were about you and me, living together and," he grinned sheepishly, "we kissed. A lot. It was nice. So when you kissed me for real when I woke up, it took a long time for me to realise it hadn't been a dream."

He remained silent for a moment, as if lost in thought, and Izo took the opportunity to crawl close against him. Thatch wrapped an arm around him as he continued his story. "When that nurse gave me the photo, I guess it just finally clicked in my head. How you felt about me, I mean. I should have seen it a long time ago." He sighed.

"Obviously, you weren't ready," Izo said softly, still lying against Thatch's chest. The rise and fall of his chest, along with his steady heartbeat was enough to convince Izo that this was actually real.

"Maybe. When I started to think about it, I realised that I've had feelings for you as well for a while already." Thatch caressed Izo's hair when he snapped his head up. "I just never interpreted it as anything other than friendship. When I was with women, on dates and such, I was always more excited to tell you about them afterward than actually being around them."

Izo moved, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in the crook of Thatch's neck. He felt Thatch tightening his grip on him, as if he was afraid to let go.

"Anyway," Thatch continued softly, "once I figured out I might have feelings for you too, I had to be sure that you felt that way for me. I mean, I know I've seen you look at me like you did on the photograph before, but I had to be certain it meant what I thought it did."

"Is that why you asked me out on a date?" Izo asked, sitting up, though, because Thatch was still holding him, he couldn't move that much. He was a bit indignant that Thatch had done that on purpose.

Thatch smiled sheepishly. "That was the ultimate test, yes."

Izo snorted and slapped Thatch against his chest, though it was more playful than anything else. Thatch laughed and cupped Izo's cheek, before his face turned serious again. "Can I kiss you?" he asked earnestly.

Izo wanted to say yes more than anything, but there was still something he needed answered. "Thatch, are you certain?" he asked, his stomach twisting at the thought of a negative answer. He wasn't sure if he would be able to handle that after the hope Thatch had given him.

Thatch caressed his cheek, his fingers barely touching his skin. "I wouldn't have told you if I wasn't," he said. "I wanted you to be able to say no, before I moved in, so I still had a place to go."

Izo nodded, briefly wondering if Ace had given Thatch the same advice. But he couldn't know, could he?

"Can I kiss you?" Thatch asked again, excitement clear on his face.

Izo let out a laugh. "Are you just going to keep asking?"

"Until you say no."

"What if I say yes?" Izo asked, his lips curled into a smile. He had to chuckle when Thatch looked almost shocked, as if he had never expected to get permission, but all coherent thought disappeared when Thatch finally, finally, pressed their lips together.