Title: Sweat it out

Pairing: Bankotsu/Jakotsu

List and Prompt (# and Theme): Crunchy, Prompt #5, Sweat it out

Rating: PG13

Words: 300

Universe/Genre: AU; Romance

Warnings: none

Summary: Bankotsu gets some terrible news that could affect his relationship with Jakotsu…

Author's note: Special thanks to my beta, Jen, for helping me to come up with this one.

Please note that this takes place early on in their relationship.

888

Bankotsu hung up his cell phone. He felt sick inside. His old friend, Hiten, had just called to tell him he had full blown AIDS. He set the phone on his desk and stared at it for several long tense minutes, before picking it and dialing. "Sweetness? We need to talk…"

888

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong or what?" Jakotsu said as he handed his boyfriend another Kirin.

Bankotsu took it and nodded. "I don't know how to tell you this…"

"Oh…"

The silence stretched between them like a living thing as Bankotsu worked up the courage to tell him. "Sweetness…?"

"Yeah…?"

"You know my friend, Hiten?"

Jakotsu nodded.

"He's got AIDS…"

"I'm sorry to hear that, Ban honey."

"I slept with him two weeks before I met you…"

"Oh…?" The cross-dresser tried to cover up his surprise.

Bankotsu nodded. "He was sick then, but he didn't tell me… I'm sorry, I ruined your life… If I had known, I wouldn't have slept with you."

Jakotsu nodded dumbly as the silence once again settled between them.

"I thought we were finally going to be together after all those years of dancing around the issue…"

The cross-dresser nodded. He raised a hand to rub his forehead tiredly between his eyes.

"I'm so sorry…"

"I know, Ban honey…" Jakotsu reached over to give his lover's hand a squeeze.

"What am I going to do?"

"I don't know… But we'll figure it out together."

"Yeah?"

Jakotsu nodded. "What if I call my friend, Sui?"

"Okay…"

888

"Well?"

"Sui said he'd call me today when he gets home from work."

"I can't wait that long, Sweetness…"

"I know…"

The phone rang and Jakotsu answered it. It was the longest five minutes of Bankotsu's life. He hung up and said, "Negative."

"Oh thank god…"