His umbrella had only made it two blocks before it was flipped inside out and torn from his hands by the wind. Of course he could've fixed the fucking thing, if it hadn't been immediately run over by a Hostess truck. At least he'd been out of the water's trajectory when the truck plowed through the huge puddle, spraying water over the sidewalk in front of him. His heavy black combat boots were still pretty dry inside, although his jeans were soaked from the knee down. Running his fingers through his wet bangs he sighed and looked around the warehouse. At least he was on time.

"Where's your car?" A voice asked from behind a stack of boxes, making Duo jump.

"Fuck, Heero, don't fucking sneak up on me!" Duo walked around the boxes to find Heero sitting on an empty milk crate and flipping through order forms on a clipboard. "I couldn't get the fucking thing to fucking start."

"Must be a good morning, I think you just beat the record for number of f-bombs dropped in fifteen seconds," Heero said calmly without looking up from the paperwork. After a moment he lifted his head and raised an eyebrow, as he looked Duo over. "You left your jacket in my car yesterday."

"That's where it is!" Duo tried to blow his bangs off his forehead, but they were plastered there. "I looked everywhere for the damned thing and ended up wearing a hoodie, which was pretty much like wearing nothing at all. I look like a drowned rat."

Heero looked at Duo's damp shirt and smirked slightly before turning his attention back to the clipboard. "We can get your car towed to my house after work. There should be room enough in the garage to take a look at it."

"Really? Where's the Mustang?" Duo pulled his t-shirt away from his skin and shivered; it was damned cold in there.

"Over at Sully's. I messed up the paint on the rear quarter when I ran into that guardrail last month. Sully's willing to trade some labor. He's thinking of modifying his exhaust."

"Sweet deal." Duo rolled his shoulders, working out the last of the tension he felt from his hellish morning and feeling much calmer. Heero had that effect on him.

"The Hanson shipment is ready to be put on the truck." Heero looked up at Duo again and grinned, cocking his thumb towards the parked forklifts. "Phillips isn't due in until noon, want to race?"

Duo smiled. The day was already looking up.

By the time they clocked out, the rain had turned from constant downpour to steady drizzle. Despite the fact that it was hanging up for eight hours, Duo's hoodie was still damp. Luckily his black leather jacket was waiting for him on the passenger seat of Heero's Firebird, and he slipped into it was a content sigh, tossing his hoodie into the backseat.

Heero's car smelled like leather, gasoline, and Heero. Duo climbed in and sunk into the seat, closing his eyes. It was Friday and time to let the work week fall away. Opening his eyes, he watched Heero check the locks on the rolling doors before walking towards the parking lot. Duo tried, as always, not to notice the way Heero's body moved, just like he tried, as always, not to notice the sizable bulge that graced the crotch of Heero's jeans. Closing his eyes, he swallowed hard, and thought about goldfish.

"At least it's not raining as hard," Heero said as he got in the car and closed the door.

Duo nodded in agreement without opening his eyes. "It's just because you're freakin' charmed. If I was out here alone it would be pouring."

Heero snorted and started the car. "What's with this glass half empty shit, Sunshine?"

Cracking his eye open, Duo glared at Heero. "Walk a mile in my shoes, Buddy."

"Sounds good to me." Heero grinned and his eyes sparkled in a way that made Duo's heart sputter. Out of all the people he could have the hots for, why did it have to be Heero?

Duo had met him almost a year ago when he'd started the job at the warehouse and it didn't take long for them to realize they had a lot in common. They were both total gearheads, both loved hockey, and both had the same twisted sense of humor. It took Duo four months before he admitted to himself that Heero's ass had become a Thing of Major Interest. It took two more months, and meeting three of the girls Heero 'hung out' with, before he came to the realization that he didn't have a chance in Hell. It still didn't make things easier.

"Do you have your cell? I could call Pete and see if he can give me a tow." Duo was watching the rain slicked streets as he spoke. He was going to be spending the entire night hanging out with Heero, doing something they both loved, so the melancholy emo shit steeling over him could piss off. Now! Forcing a smile, he turned when Heero nudged him with the phone. "Thanks."

"Tell him he can leave it in the driveway when he gets there." Heero turned the car right on Hodges Ave, away from his house.

"Okay... but where are we going?" Duo held the phone in his hand and shot Heero a questioning look.

"I lost the forklift race and owe you beer. It's Friday night and I figured you deserved more than a six pack and my living room after the day you've had." Duo was about to argue that he liked Heero's living room when he saw Heero's lips curve into that devilish smile he loved so much. "I found a new place I think you'll like."

"I'm not going to argue over free beer," Duo said. "Is Trish meeting you there?"

Heero's brown furrowed a moment as he shook his head. "Nope, not quite her comfort zone. Plus I think she's out with her new boy toy."

It was Duo's turn for a furrowed brow. Boyfriend? Wasn't Heero doing her? Maybe they were just fuck buddies, a no strings attached sort of thing? Not that it should matter to him what or who Heero did. Nope, it didn't matter at all.

Duo idly counted cars as the headlights passed by while trying to will away the gloom that was trying to take over. He told himself it was the never-ending rain and grey skies that were sucking the joy out of him, not the nagging thoughts of Heero's ass being off limits. Just because his ass looked fucking perfect in his jeans didn't mean it actually was. Duo sunk lower in his seat.

"What's your problem?" Heero asked, his tone actually concerned. Duo looked up, surprised.

"Huh?"

"You've looked like someone kicked your puppy since we left work. If you don't want to go out just say so." Heero glanced over at Duo quickly before returning his focus to the road ahead.

For that brief second Duo swore he saw insecurity in Heero's eyes. How sad was it that such a thing perked Duo up? "I want to go out, I'm just bummed about my car." Duo wasn't lying; he was bummed about his car. He was just leaving certain things out. Like he could tell Heero that he was wallowing in the throes of unrequited love and pining like a schoolgirl with a crush and come out in one piece.

"I told you, don't worry about your car," Heero said in exasperation, turning the car left on Montgomery. "We have all weekend to get it going, and if we don't I'll pick you up for work on Monday."

"Yeah, okay." Duo straightened up in his seat just as Heero was pulling into the parking lot of a nondescript brick building. He saw a painted sign over the door that read Jack's and looked around the parking lot at the few vehicles already parked there. "Jack's. Have you been here before?"

"A few times," Heero answered, ducking his head slightly as he opened his door.

Duo swore he could see a faint pink tingeing Heero's cheek in the glow of the dome light, but shrugged it off. He was used to Heero being a bit weird. Instead of saying anything more, he just followed suit and got out of the car. He closed the door and waited as Heero reached into the backseat for his black leather jacket. God, not the jacket. If Heero looked good in a simple pair of faded blue jeans and a t-shirt, that was nothing compared to how he looked wearing his worn leather jacket, the buckles dangling perfectly to frame the man's crotch. Biting the inside of his cheek and trying not to stare, he waited for Heero to put on his jacket and walk around the car.

With his hands stuffed in his pockets, Heero waited at the trunk of the car for Duo to catch up. Duo met his eyes, and swore he thought Heero looked nervous. Alright, the day that started off shitty was now slipping into the Twilight Zone. Heero never looked nervous. Great, Heero was probably trying to give him a head's up that he was being fired or something.

They walked across the parking lot together in silence, the thickening mist leaving a shimmering moisture in their hair. Heero pulled open the door, waiting for Duo to step inside before following.

Duo had expected a dive. A sleazy bar with cheap drafts and a broken juke box. He was pleasantly surprised. Jack's was clean and pretty classy looking with a large horseshoe shaped marble topped bar. On one side of the bar there were two really nice pool tables surrounded by high tables with stools. On the other side was a dance floor, complete with tacky disco ball, and a stage for live music. The stage and dance floor was currently dark, although there was music playing through unseen speakers. Duo even recognized the song.

"Nice place," Duo said, turning his attention towards the bar and the few patrons sitting around it. The bartender was a heavily muscled guy wearing ripped jeans, a tight black t-shirt, and a lot of ink. When the bartender saw them, he nodded in greeting.

"Hey Heero, work done for the week?"

"Hey, Marcus. It couldn't have come fast enough," Heero replied, sliding onto a stool at the bar. Duo sat next to him, his curiosity piqued. Sure he considered himself Heero's friend, they hung out, worked on cars together, Hell, even had a few friends in common, but it was interesting that this guy knew Heero enough to greet him by name.

"Brought a friend?" Marcus asked with a smirk that made Duo feel suddenly defensive.

"Yeah." Heero's expression grew almost hard. "He's with me."

Marcus chuckled. "Sorry to hear it, Boss. What can I get for you?"

"Two shots of Jim Beam and a couple of chasers." Duo opened his mouth to argue that he could order for himself, but snapped it shut when he saw the satisfied smirk on the bartender's face. He felt like he was missing something major, but hadn't the faintest clue as to what it was.

He glanced over at Heero and noticed the tension in his body. As soon as Marcus set their drinks on the bar and turned away, Duo leaned in, keeping his voice low. "Everything okay? I mean, you don't have a problem with that guy, do you?"

Heero shook his head, keeping his focus on the drinks in front of them. He picked up the shot and knocked it back before setting the empty on the bar and flicking it away with the back of his hand. "He's just trying to bust my balls." Heero turned and eyed Duo's shot. "Come on, you have some unwinding to do."

Duo grinned, happy that Heero seemed himself again, and downed the shot. It burned, but felt good as he felt the alcohol hit his stomach. Picking up his beer, he took a long swallow. "Thanks. I appreciate you looking out for me."

"Want to shoot some pool?" Heero wasn't waiting for an answer as he slid off his stool and picked up his beer.

"Of course." Duo followed Heero towards the pool tables with rising excitement. He loved to play and Heero always provided a challenge.

The table was one of the best Duo had ever played on and it was easy to lose himself in the game. No matter how much he drank it seemed like there was always a beer waiting for him and after a while he managed to catch Heero signaling the bartender, and resisted the urge to ask if Heero were trying to get him drunk. Not that he minded Heero being slick, he was pleasantly buzzed and finally unwound. By the third game he noticed the music had gotten louder and the lights were on over the other side of the room above the dance floor.

After sinking the eight ball, Duo looked up at Heero with a grin. "That one's mine."

"I'm still ahead by one and we have all night." Heero had taken off his jacket and draped it over a stool. Duo couldn't help but appreciate the man's abs through the material of his t-shirt. Man, he needed to slow down on the booze before he got himself into trouble.

"I have to take a leak, be right back." Duo turned away quickly, hoping Heero didn't notice him ogling. The bathrooms were in the corner of the building opposite the pool tables, and once Duo thought about urinating he had to resist the urge to run. How many beers had he had?

The bathroom was empty and he braced his hand against the wall as he used the urinal. He was feeling pretty damned good, but after assessing himself for a moment knew he wasn't close to being drunk. The buzz made him pleasantly light, but he had no trouble standing and walking a straight line.

So why was he seeing things?

Zipping up, he stared at the sign over the urinals. The very graphic sign over the urinals. "Fucking feels good," Duo read aloud. "Before you get lost in the feeling, remember to protect yourself." Stepping back, he stared at the picture of two very hot guys having sex. No fucking way.

Turning, he washed his hands and tried to force his muzzy mind to focus. Two guys. The door opened and a couple of guys walked in, both looked like bikers with leather and tattoos. Before the door swung shut again, Duo slipped back out into the bar and tried to look around casually. Guys playing pool. Guys sitting at tables talking. Guys at the bar. Guys ... dancing with each other. The flickering light bulb over Duo's head suddenly flashed brightly. Holy shit, Heero had brought him to a gay bar.

Walking across the floor, he saw Heero standing at the bar talking to someone while holding two beers. Heero flashed a grin, ducking his head slightly at something the guy had said, and jealousy made Duo's stomach knot. Why had Heero brought him to a gay bar? Sure he was gay, but he'd never told Heero that. Did Heero think that this was a slick way to get Duo to come out to him? If Heero wanted to know if he was gay he could've asked, he didn't need to put on a show. Anger replaced the jealousy and he stuck his fisted hands into the pockets of his jacket. What was Heero trying to do? Show him he was comfortable having a fag for a friend?

"Can I talk to you?" Duo asked harshly, ignoring the startled expression on Heero's face.

"Sure." Heero shrugged and handed him a beer, which he took without hesitation. Following Heero as he led them to a secluded corner of the room, Duo raged inside, all the while still checking out Heero's ass. Maybe he was a wee bit drunker than he'd thought. Setting his glass on the table, Heero leaned casually against the wall, his expression defiant. "So, talk."

"Why did you bring me here?" Duo slammed his glass down next to Heero's, sloshing its contents over the table.

Heero frowned slightly. "Because we were going out for a beer after work? Duo, what's your problem?"

"My problem? The only problem I have is you taking me to a fucking gay bar and trying to out me," Duo hissed, stepping into Heero's personal space. "I think it's you who has the problem."

"What?" Heero straightened up, his expression hard. "What the fuck are you talking about? I've known you were gay since I met you!" Heero narrowed his eyes. "Everything isn't about you, you know."

"If you knew, then what's all this?" Duo asked, confused, his anger bleeding away. He didn't like to see Heero upset, especially knowing he was the one that made him that way. "I'm lost."

"No shit." Heero took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "I like it here. I feel comfortable here. I just thought that I could bring you here with me and it wouldn't be a big deal. I knew you were gay, I just had no idea you were still so deeply closeted."

"I'm not closeted!" Duo spat while his brain frantically tried to catch up. Wait. Heero was gay. Heero ... was gay. In all of this it never dawned on him that Heero just might be gay, too. Duo's eyes widened with the sudden realization and he felt his face rapidly heating up. Holy god, could he embarrass himself more?

"I am a complete fucktard."

"Yup," Heero agreed. He stared at Duo for a moment, Heero's blue eyes boring into him for a full minute before a smile slowly spread on his face. "But I knew that already."

"Why didn't you just say something before now?"

Heero shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "We never really talked about that part of our personal lives when we hung out. I figured that it was off limits."

"With all those girls hanging around you I just figured you were ... occupied."

Laughing, Heero shook his head. "No. I fix their cars and threaten their boyfriends. We're just friends."

"Oh," Duo said dumbly. "It looks like they're better friends than I am."

Heero's expression grew serious. "I don't want to be your friend."

Duo suddenly felt panicked. He counted on Heero's friendship, he needed it. Heero must've seen the panic on Duo's face, because before Duo knew what was happening Heero hand grabbed him by the arm and pushed him into the corner. He'd barely registered his position when Heero was touching his face.

"I'm not satisfied with being just your friend, Duo, and I'm tired of waiting for you to notice."

Heero's lips sealed off any words that Duo might've uttered, if he could've managed to locate some brain cells that is. Despite the fact that his brain was miles behind, his body was right on point, and when Heero's tongue nudged his lower lip he kissed back with everything he had. When they parted, Heero rested his forehead against Duo's shoulder, breathing raggedly against his neck.

"I don't want to be your friend either," Duo whispered, threading his fingers through Heero's belt loops and pulling him closer. "Our friendship is officially over."

"Yeah?" Heero kissed Duo's neck before lifting his head and grinning crookedly.

"Yup." Duo leaned forward and kissed Heero again, pulling his body flush against him. He heard someone whistle appreciatively from nearby, forcing him to pull back. "We'll still work on cars, even though we're no longer friends, right?"

"We'll still work on cars, watch hockey, hang out ... and much, much more." Heero's eyes sparkled with promise.

"I like more." Duo grinned, wrapping his arms around Heero's waist.

"I like you," Heero whispered huskily and wiggled his eyebrows.

"I hope you still like me after we spend the weekend working on my car." Duo groaned softly, suddenly remembering his car. Sure he loved to work on cars with Heero, but at the moment he was thinking of other things he'd rather do.

"Don't need to," Heero said, matter of fact. He stepped back, and took hold of Duo's hand, tugging him towards their neglected beers.

"Huh?"

"It's the distributor cap. It's loose and with it being so wet you weren't getting a spark." Heero offered a sheepish grin over the rim of his glass before taking a sip of beer.

"How did you know that?" Duo raised his eyebrow in question.

Heero smirked. "Because I loosened it myself last night."

Duo's eyes widened as he remembered the hellish walk to work that morning in the pouring rain. All it took was one look into Heero's deep, blue eyes to realize that being soggy all day was totally worth it. "I hope you know you'll be making that up to me."

"I'm counting on it."

Archivist's note: The title is from lyrics to Electric Six, Gay Bar.