Title: Best Friends (and what not to say to them)
Characters: Hagane Kotetsu, Gekkou Hayate
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Author's Notes: Currently co-writing a KoIzu in which they're not a couple, yet. This is my take on in earlier incident in the timeline. It also explains why Hayate is so sure about what's going on, later.
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. 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.
