Best Friends (and what not to say to them)

Disclaimer: Naruto is not my toy, although sometimes I wish it was. Everyone you meet here belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, I just borrow them, occasionally.

Author's
Note: Currently co-writing a KoIzu in which they're not a couple, yet. This
is my take on an earlier incident in the timeline. It also explains why
Hayate is so sure about what's going on, later.

Warnings: None, really.

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Kotetsu lounged on the floor of Hayate's room, watching the sunlight
shift over the ceiling. He was not in a good mood. Worry and
self-disgust were firmly imprinted on every expression that crossed his
face.

"Have you told him?" Hayate asked.

Kotetsu just
laughed. "No, I haven't told him. He's my best friend. What kind of
stupid do you take me for? I'd like to continue having a best friend."

On
the futon, Hayate sighed dramatically, which set off a short coughing
fit. "Sorry about that. What makes you think that Izumo isn't just
waiting for you to open your mouth? You know he's not going to share
his opinions of anything without good reason."

Izumo was, at
that moment, in the hospital. He and Kotetsu had been out on a simple
escort mission that had gone vividly south, and Izumo saw the worst of
it. He was finally conscious now, a week after the fact, but it would
be a bit longer before he'd be back on his feet. The current debate was whether or not Kotetsu should go tell Izumo exactly how thrilled he was at his survival. Hayate, having been
the other best friend since they were probably six, could see that
Kotetsu and Izumo were madly in love with each other, no matter how
they tried to hide it, and it was this point that had Kotetsu on his
floor, complaining.

"I don't want to take that chance. What if
you're wrong? What if I'm wrong? What if I say it and he refuses to
talk to me ever again?" By this point, Kotetsu had worked himself into
quite a state.

"Ko-kun, the worst that will happen is that he'll
be flattered, but tell you no. You've been best friends for ten years.
Ten. Years. He's not going to throw that away because you've fallen in
love with him." Hayate reached out and claimed his tea from next to
Kotetsu's head.

"It's not right. Not now. He won't like the
idea." Kotetsu groaned from the weight of his own angst. At least that
was what Hayate attributed the sound to.

"You're just dumb,
today. I'm speaking here as the best friend you have that you're not
stupidly in love with. Get off your ass, walk to the hospital, and tell
hem you love him. He's not going to vanish in a puff of smoke. He's not
even going to yell at you. He's probably going to do whatever it is
that people do when they love you back." Hayate knew it was useless to
try to talk sense into Kotetsu, but he gave it one last try.

"It
would never work." Kotetsu closed his eyes and sipped his tea. It was
the last time the subject would come up for a good many years.