The Green Hornet, its characters and settings, do not belong to me, and are being used here without permission but for no profit. This fic is rated NC-17 for graphic sexual content, and has been written for starrystarrynight for Yuletide 2011.

Friends Can Listen To Endless Love In the Dark

Oneshot

For once, Britt could say that it was Kato's fault, all Kato's doing, completely Kato's idea. And he would.

They didn't go out as often as they used to - The Green Hornet had recently become so effective that all it took was the occasional punk-thrashing to get the proper message across. When they did go out Britt was sure to make it a spectacular affair, all the Black Beauty's toys on blazing display, his foot planted firmly in every available ass. His recently healed gunshot wound had given him a better idea of mortality and perspective, but only so much, and shit-kicking was still top of his list of things to occupy his brain especially when they had fewer opportunities to do it.

So when they went out one sweaty August night, suited up and looking for trouble, Britt made sure they found it. A gang of small-time would-be drug dealers made for a perfect extracurricular activity, and there were enough of them that Britt got to get in a few good licks himself before Kato cleaned them up. A police chase and a long detour later, they roared back into Reid Manor triumphant and all but giddy. By the time the adrenaline thinned out enough for either to even consider rest it was nearing four in the morning, and Britt oh-so-graciously offered his partner the pull-out for the few hours' sleep he could catch. Kato threw himself onto the mattress with a lazy grumble of gratitude and they parted for what should have been the rest of the night.

But Britt came back. He had never grown used to sleeping in the house's master bedroom - or any of them, really - and was entertaining thoughts of finishing off the opened bourbon to help the sandman along when he stumbled into the room. Though not the most graceful of tip-toers he was sure he could sneak in and out without disturbing his guest. He was in mid step, knee arched and foot pointed, when he saw from the doorway that Kato wasn't asleep yet after all.

Kato hadn't even changed out of his costume. He was stretched out on his back, long and black in the moonlit room, only the lower portion of his face showing any skin to give definition to his lounging shape. Even his cap was tipped forward, obscuring the eyes of his mask. Harsh breath hissed through the room and at first Britt thought Kato was having a nightmare, until a shift of posture spread Kato's legs apart, making discernible the actual event taking place.

Oh.

Britt's eyes went wide. Laughter bubbled in his chest and a hundred and four witty remarks and possible comebacks sprang to mind and were then discarded. He was frozen, still poised in motion like a paused cartoon, unable to breathe let alone formulate a characteristically obnoxious response. All he could do was stare at the impossible spectacle: Kato wriggling in his bed, his sleeve pulled back just enough to see a flash of wrist where his hand dipped down the front of his pants. In fact, one would almost say he was captivated. Just when he thought he was going to burst out in giggles, or flee the scene in preservation of his staunch masculinity, he stayed, watching Kato's lips part, watching Kato's hips buck, watching the slow movements of Kato's arm grow quicker and sharper, until he must have been close, his bottom lip between his teeth, his back arching -

Britt's instinct finally overrode his fascination, and he retreated with all haste to the master bedroom. Not a giggle was heard.

So Britt didn't get any sleep that night. It didn't really matter because even though he still had a job at the Daily Sentinel, he was no longer vital (if he had ever been) and no one questioned when he turned off the lights in his office for a cat-nap the next day. Or rather, a cat-avoiding-the-hell-out-of-Kato. Fortunately, Kato believed Britt when he blamed his Xbox for his exhaustion and was content to spend much of the day running errands for Axford and Lenore. For a full twelve hours he managed not to shout at anyone, "I saw Kato jerking it!" and as far as he was concerned, that was an accomplishment worthy of knighthood.

But a little boy with a secret never lasted long, and while they were on their way out of the office Britt caught Kato before he could head off to his motorcycle.

"You wanna go out again tonight?" he asked, totally casual, totally cool, not suspicious.

Kato looked him over. He looked no damn different than ever and Britt again felt the laughter running circles around his lungs. "You're up for that?"

"Me? Hell yeah I'm up to it. Why wouldn't I be?" Britt over-grinned as he walked Kato to his bike. "Can't let them think I'm going soft, right? Maybe we shouldn't stay out as late as last time but, you know, we could bust some heads, get a drink after, you know, jerk off or something."

It wasn't until Kato made a face that Britt realized he had said it. Well, twelve hours was still an inhuman effort.

"What'd'ya say?" Britt continued as if he hadn't slipped. "Don't tell me you're going soft. You're totally not soft, you're, like, totally hard, right Kato?"

"Right," Kato echoed, squinting at him. "Wait, what?"

Britt punched him in the shoulder and hurried toward his waiting car. "I'll see you at my place later!"

They went out that night, to a different part of the city that Lenore indicated they'd neglected recently. Britt kept an eye on his black-suited companion the whole time. He wondered if Kato had figured out already that he had seen, wondered what Kato was thinking if he had, what he was thinking if he hadn't, what he would think if Britt told him. He wondered what had inspired the little jaunt in his bed in the first place. Maybe it had been a discarded magazine, something on TV, or just the thought of Lenore winking at them when she came to work in a green blouse that morning. Maybe it was something more visceral than that: the euphoria of a job well done, the thrill of a successful ass-kicking, the pure unadulterated awesome that oozed from them when they were at the top of their game and all the city's criminals were nothing but scraggly little -

A coked-out arsonist punched Britt in the nose, so Kato wrapped the asshole around a telephone pole, and the two of them called it a night.

Britt opened a fresh bottle of bourbon. It was still fairly early by their standards and there was no reason to invite Kato to stay the night a second time, but he did anyway. "So, you uh, wanna crash here again?" He poured them each a glass and slid one to the end of the bar.

Kato waited for it to slip off the edge before catching it. He didn't spill a drop. "It's not late," he said, hanging his cap on the opened bottle.

"So? Come on, we've been working our asses off out there." He rounded the bar and punched playfully at his suit of armor. "I'm still too fired up to sleep. Aren't you? Doesn't it get your blood pumping?" He thumped onto the fold-out bed. "I don't know about you, but I think it's kind of a turn on."

Kato followed but didn't join him. He stared down at Britt as he sipped his drink. "Really."

"Yeah, man." Britt had no idea where he was going with this, or what he intended to do, but he couldn't interpret the look Kato was fixing him with, and curiosity made him tingle. "Doesn't it turn you on? How freaking badass we are? We've got the biggest balls in this whole city, and every time we go out there and kick the shit out of dudes, they get a little bit bigger. How can we even stand it? I can't even stand it!"

Kato's cheeks were turning red. His eyes were wide and anxious, and as they stared an understanding passed between them: Britt had seen, and Kato knew he had seen, and Britt knew that Kato knew that he'd seen. He should have kicked Britt in his oversized balls and retreated in embarrassment, before the onslaught of genuine teasing came, but he only continued to stare like a stunned woodland creature.

Britt should have provided said teasing. He should have caved, hollered the words he'd been holding in all day, broken the tension with all his silliness. He couldn't do it. His stomach was suddenly tight and he couldn't look away from Kato's unfaltering stare. "In fact," he said, against all sense and instinct, "I might just whip it out right now."

Kato almost dropped his glass, and in his scramble to regain control over it sloshed most of the alcohol over his fingers. "What?"

"What?" Britt placed his glass aside. He felt as if he were having an out-of-body experience, but he was going with it; his id was on an unstoppable crash course he had never known how to sway. "What's the big deal? Can't two guys just jerk it after kicking ass all night?"

Kato sputtered. "I hope you are joking."

Britt reached for his fly, and it wasn't until he undid the button with a quiet flick of the fabric that he at last realized...he wasn't joking. There were butterflies in his stomach and a clown's balloon inflating in his pants. And it wasn't just the euphoria of their amazingness: it was Kato's flushed cheeks, his lips parting just like they had the night before, his wide, dark eyes. Kato was holding his breath, incredulous and trying to be disgusted, unable to look away.

"It's no big deal," Britt said again, his voice huskier than a moment ago. He unzipped his pants and reached down the front of them; he was half hard and felt light-headed already. "Damn, I'm horny. My nose doesn't even hurt anymore, that's how horny I am. Aren't you?"

Kato swallowed. "I'm not gay," he said weakly.

"So? Me neither." Britt shoved his pants and briefs down just enough that he could get his dick out, and swelled with pride when Kato blanched at the sight of it-he had no trouble assuming that it was totally his size eliciting the reaction. "Everyone knows it's not gay unless they touch, Kato."

Britt wrapped his hand around his cock and stroked, root to tip, slow and maybe showing off a little-he knew for a fact that it wasn't just his money that got women to his parties. It twitched within his fingers eagerly and he hissed, settling deeper into the cushions at his back. "Yeah," he huffed, grinning as pleasure tingled into his work-weary limbs. "Damn I should have thought of this before."

Kato gulped down the rest of his drink. He struggled visibly, chewing his lip and trying to glance away, but at last he thumped down on the bed, a more than adequate space between him and his partner. "Don't look," he said as he undid his fly.

"Oh come on, you've seen mine." Britt spread his knees wider and angled his hips toward Kato proudly. He wasn't imagining the impressed look on Kato's face, was he? "We've been best friends for, like, weeks now. We have to show each other our dicks, that's how it works, right?"

"Is not," Kato retorted. He nudged his pants down, but just when Britt thought he would get a glimpse, he tugged his jacket down to cover. Still, the sight of his black leather gloves, glistening with the bourbon, flexing and crinkling as Kato pumped his cock-it made Britt's mouth go dry. It took Britt several moments to realize that Kato was still talking.

"I'm not stupid," Kato grumbled, his arm working in swift, short strokes. "This isn't 'how it works' even for Americans."

"Jesus, who cares?" Britt scooted closer, and Kato scooted away. "We're superheroes, man. We can do whatever the hell we want." He licked his lips and let his other hand join the festivities, fondling his sack. They really were the biggest balls in town, he was sure of it. "And shit, I wanna get off so bad right now."

Kato shuddered. "But this..." Whatever his vocal protests he was certainly getting into it-Britt could see his eyelids fluttering, and sweat was forming on his upper lip. He squirmed on the mattress as if trying to find a more comfortable position while still preventing Britt from seeing anything. Despite all his prowess as a fighter he looked suddenly vulnerable, unraveling beneath his own working fingers. When his eyes flicked toward Britt they were bright and uncertain. He had never looked at Britt that way before and it unraveled him, too.

"It's fine," Britt said quietly. When he scooted closer Kato didn't try to escape again, but he did snatch up a corner of the blanket to cover himself with. It took some maneuvering but then they were shoulder to shoulder, their costumes swishing quietly against each other. "You worry too much, Kato," he continued. When he rubbed his thigh against Kato's it gave him a thrill, so he did it again, and soon Kato was rubbing up on him, too. "You trust me, right?"

Kato squirmed and pumped faster. "Yes."

Britt couldn't help but follow his example. His cock was hard and straining, and he suddenly couldn't remember the last time he'd had a chance not just to jerk it, but feel arousal like this, excitement like this. When he squeezed his head he almost saw stars. "Feels good, right?"

"Yes..."

They crowded closer together. Kato was breathing hard, and beneath the steady hiss Britt could hear the tiniest of murmurs, an almost whimper that spread goose bumps up his arms. It was charming and tantalizing, and Britt turned his head toward him, trying to catch every faint vocalization. Feeling Kato shiver against his shoulder, sensing that Kato needed him and his encouragement was hypnotizing. He licked his lips. "Slow down," he whispered. "Take it easy, man, there's no rush."

Kato growled, but he did as Britt asked. He dipped both hands beneath the blanket and let out a deep sigh of approval as he slowed to match Britt's pace. They were pressed so close that when he quivered, it vibrated into Britt and made him sweat all over again. "Like...like that?" he gasped.

"Yeah..." Britt strained, watching the shift of the blanket. The mystery of not knowing exactly what was going on under there drove him crazy. "Yeah, that's...perfect." He turned his nose into Kato's temple and laughed breathlessly. "You're perfect."

Kato moved too suddenly for Britt to prepare himself. They were so close together that all it took was a slight shift, an extra tilt, and then Kato's mouth was on his, groping clumsily for a kiss. It wasn't what Britt had expected or asked for, but it put a fire in his belly like nothing else. Before he knew it the bullshit stripped away and all he wanted was more-more of that desperate kiss, more of those delicious little noises, more Kato. They were perfect and a-fucking-mazing and why shouldn't they do this? It made so much sense. It was the best idea Kato had ever had.

Britt twisted around, throwing his leg over Kato's lap to straddle him. Kato flinched, and Britt felt him tense just like he did before wrapping douchebags around telephone poles, but another kiss halted him before their evening came to that unfortunate end. Britt leaned into him, gripping the back of the sofa with one hand while the other worked furiously over his cock. His pulse hammered in his ears and his hips jerked, pumping instinctively into his palm. Kato gasped between their lips and wriggled between Britt's knees, trying to maintain enough space between them that he could still pleasure himself. When Britt shifted too close Kato pressed one hand into his inner thigh, and holy hell if he didn't love that. He rocked into Kato as if he were fucking him, and a mad part of him wished he was, and judging by the way Kato moaned and arched beneath him he must have been feeling the same thing.

They were wild animals-they were panting beasts. It was clumsy and frantic and downright electric, but it was when Kato slipped into Chinese-just a few short words that he knew had to be vulgar-that Britt lost his mind. His lips crashed into Kato's and he came, jerking into his fist, his entire body rumbling with a groan of satisfaction. Kato followed seconds later, his hand clenching against Britt's hip. His breath rushed against Britt's whiskers and gradually they both wound down, sagging into each other, weak and jelly-like.

"Whoa," said Britt breathlessly. He laughed as he carefully leaned back. "Okay, that was a little gay."

Kato swallowed hard and fingered the blanket covering his lap. "They didn't touch," he said.

"Oh, yeah." Britt shifted on his knees, wondering if he could get away with one more kiss. "But you know, I just made that up. It's not like..." When Kato made a face at him he faltered, but managed a sheepish smile. "You know, it's not like I care, one way or the other. If we're... or you know."

Kato just stared, and then pushed gently against Britt's stomach. He might as well have punched him, for the stone it dropped into Britt's gut. With a worried frown Britt followed the prodding and slumped off him. "Uhh..." He slipped his dick awkwardly back into his briefs. "Did I just fuck this up?" he asked bluntly.

Kato nestled back into the sofa. "Can I stay the night again?"

"Um...yeah, sure." Britt wasn't sure what to make of it, but Kato didn't look disgusted, or angry, or any of the other hundred negative faces he had made at Britt during their acquaintance. "Help yourself. You want another drink?"

"Yes," Kato said immediately. "Yes, let's drink."

He smirked, to which Britt grinned, and then chuckled, to which Britt laughed. Rather than bother with glasses they shared the remaining bottle back and forth, congratulating each other on the evening's earlier events. By the time they passed out together in the bed, drunk and satiated, it was as if nothing had happened and nothing had changed. Even the next morning they mentioned nothing and shared no awkwardness through another long day of work.

That night, Kato suggested they go out again. Kato always had the best ideas.