Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rook Blonko first heard the name Ben 10 during his seventeenth harvest, his last harvest before the interplanetary bus came and swept him off to the Plumber Academy. It was the start of the life he’d always dreamed of. Understandably, he was excited. And excitement often led to questionable decisions, at least among the Rook family children. 

“Father would not be happy you are awake,” Young One said, voice traveling down from the bunk overhead. Blonko didn’t bother turning around, too focused on the tools in his hands. “He says a growing boy needs his rest.”

“I am no longer a growing boy, Young One. I lost my bi'nthak many harvests ago. And I am afraid that if I grew any more, I would hit my head on the ceiling.”

“Father also says our men must be rested to feed the village.”

That was true, Blonko mentally conceded, even if he wouldn’t be here to eat the product of this harvest or watch how it would be distributed in the coming months. He was beyond tired, both physically and mentally, after many hours working under Revonnah’s suns today. Sleep was alluring but… “The evenings are the only moments I have to myself. Sleep is a fair sacrifice for some time to work.”

“You worked all day and you choose to work more?” Young One complained. Blonko heard his sheets rustle and he knew his brother was peering over the guard rail. “What are you working on anyway?”

Blonko turned, the shadow of a smile on his face, and held up the device. “A radio receiver.”

“What?”

“It will pick up signals passed between nearby planets.”

“And you are choosing to build that instead of sleep? To catch signals?”

“The speaker is functional. If I am able to repair it, I– we will be able to hear alien chatter. This may be my only way to learn about life offworld before leaving for the Academy.”

Now Young One looked interested. “What kind of chatter?”

Blonko shrugged, turning his attention back to his repairs. The device was intact and functional as far as he could tell. He just had to tweak it until it found the right signals. “I do not know. Magister Wat-Senn tells me public frequencies often have news or talk shows or–”

“...ve no… citizens of… ville! Ben 10 h… It’s payback time!”

Both Young One and Blonko jolted, startled. Young One slid off the bed and onto the floor, sitting up and staring at the offending device with wide eyes. “It- it used a contraction!”

Blonko remained silent as noise continued to pour from the speakers. “Ben 10 slammed his hand down on his Omnitrix and transforms into Slapstrike! Sporemax stands no chance against Slapstrike’s attacks!”

Young One scurried up to Blonko’s side, draping himself over his knees as he plucked the radio out of his brother’s hands. “This is not how the elders tell news. It is more like how the storytellers at the nursery would talk when they wanted us to be still. Only better.”

Blonko nodded absently. “Perhaps there is a title for this… show.”

“While Ben 10 was occupied fighting Sporemax, a shadow snatches Gwevin right out from under his nose!”

“How does this Ben 10 not notice his companion being taken when he is standing that close? The nose is right in front of the eyes, is it not?” 

“Offworlders talk in strange ways,” Blonko responded, not quite understanding himself. The tales were exciting though, entertaining in a way he didn’t think was possible, and Young One agreed. He suspected neither would be getting much sleep tonight.

Blonko, being the older brother, knew he had to be the responsible one. It was the harvest season and the day was difficult enough without a full day’s rest. Young One couldn’t hide his tiredness as well as his brother so Blonko limited their late-night listening sessions to only a few minutes, just tuning in until the commercial break. Commercials were fascinating as well, telling Blonko more about the real world than the show did, but The Ben 10 Show was what Young One, and admittedly Blonko, looked forward to at the end of each day. He couldn’t just stop watching it.

Maybe he should’ve quit while he was ahead.

“What is your favorite Ben 10 transformation?”

“What?” Blonko nearly dropped his harvest tool. “Young One, we are supposed to be working.”

“There is no one around and I am bored,” Young One pointed out, swinging his tool loosely. He wasn’t even harvesting all that much in the first place so Blonko couldn’t complain but he should at least try to look like he was working. “My favorite is Slapstrike!”

“Slapstrike is the only one Ben 10 ever uses,” Blonko pointed out and that was barely an exaggeration.

“That is why he is my favorite! He has many chances to do unthinkable heroics!”

Young One continued his chatter and Blonko never decided what his favorite transformation was. He didn’t mind. It didn’t matter all that much and his brother’s stream of excitement made a nice background noise while he worked. Normally his thoughts were too occupied worrying about where the next patch of amber ogia would be to think about much else. Listening to Young One was just the right level of stimulation to ward off boredom without distracting him. But there was only so much Young One could say about the show. Sharing soon evolved into asking questions.

“Why does Ben 10 spend so much time with Gwevin?” Young One asked one day as they headed out to the field. “Gwevin is always getting captured and Ben 10 is strong enough that he needs no sidekick.”

Probably so there could be dialogue when Ben 10 wasn’t fighting the weekly villain. Blonko knew Young One wouldn’t be satisfied with that answer. “They are best friends. Ben 10 likes having Gwevin around.”

“But does Gwevin not just get in the way?”

As a Gwevin fan, Blonko couldn’t just say yes. And thus an elaborate story was built.

They never finished the episodes and they only aired a couple times a week. A lot went unknown to Young One and Blonko. Of course they were going to wonder what happened next. And, ever the elder brother, that put Blonko in the position to fill those gaps in Young One’s mind. He was no storyteller but he could think up answers to Young One’s questions well enough.

Who snatched Gwevin from the battlefield? Some villain orchestrating all of Ben 10’s battles did it so he can learn Ben 10’s battle moves and defeat him. Where did Ben 10’s catchphrase come from? He first used the Omnitrix to defeat villains he’d been unable to fight prior and the battlecry stuck. Why was Sporemax so set on defeating Ben 10? Ben had wronged him before taking the path of a hero. So many questions, so many answers.

Blonko was beyond excited when the ship came to take him to the Academy. He’d miss his home, of course, and those days spent entertaining Young One with made up tales of their favorite hero became memories he looked back on with a deep fondness.

“What are you drawing?”

Orientation was… well, it was supposed to be a chance to meet people, to make friends. And no one wanted to be friends with a farmer on a backwater planet no one’s heard of. Of course Blonko would be drawn to the alien he didn’t recognize sitting away from everyone else in the corner of the dining commons. Who else was he supposed to approach when all the Tetramands were buddying up with each other and all the Galvans were trash talking every other alien in the room?

The alien had a sketchbook and pencil, something Blonko didn’t expect considering the size and shape of his paws. His claws made his grip on the utensil awkward but, from the glimpse Blonko got of the page, that translated into an art style unlike anything Blonko had ever seen. There were claw indents in the page but they remained at the edges and honestly weren’t that noticeable with how well the alien incorporated them into the drawing. It was more abstract, with long lines and blurry shapes, but Blonko could clearly see the outline of a green-clad figure. Beautiful work, he dare say.

The alien didn’t seem to share the sentiment, snapping the sketchbook shut and pressing his ears back. He mumbled a response but Blonko didn’t quite catch his words. Language barrier, maybe? “Pardon?”

“I know you already saw it and I know my social standing is kind of, uh, lacking. Just say whatever you’re going to say and leave me alone. I already got enough bullying back home for being into this stuff.”

Blonko tilted his head, confused. The alien thought he was trying to bully him? “I- forgive me. I did not mean to come across that way. I have not had much luck making friends so far and I thought your drawing was very impressive.”

The alien’s ears perked up, betraying his excitement. “Really?”

Blonko nodded. “There are not many artists on my homeworld. Do you mind if I see?”

The alien’s fur fluffed up a bit in embarrassment. “Ah, well, I don’t really show a lot of people… I left a lot of my real work at home. All I’ve done since coming to the Academy has been fanart.”

“What’s fanart?”

“You’ve never heard of fanart?”

Blonko shook his head. “Is that like drawings of fans?”

The alien snickered and opened his sketchbook again, looking a lot more relaxed than before. “No- well, yes but not the kind of fans you’re probably thinking of. You know Ben 10?”

Blonko couldn’t keep the fervor off his face. “You listen to the radio show as well?”

“There’s a radio show? I’ve only seen the TV show,” the alien responded, scooting over on the bench to give Blonko room to sit. Blonko accepted the offer, eyes fixed on the green and black drawings covering the page sitting in front of him. That was what Ben 10 looked like, huh? “I’m- I’m Scout.”

“I am Rook Blonko,” Blonko responded, tearing his eyes away from the amazing artwork to meet Scout’s friendly gaze.

“Nice to meet you, Rook,” Scout said and Rook didn’t correct him. “I hope we become good friends.”

“The extranet was a way for me to learn about life outside the Anur System, y’know? And it was an escape from how boring everything is on Anur Transyl. Not much excitement there. There’s some drama on other planets and moons but as a whole we’re a pretty peaceful people. Not many people interested in aliens or the stars or far off planets though. Made it hard for me to make friends. Other kids’ parents didn’t want me filling their heads with any ideas. I guess that’s why I got into fanart. It was a way to express that part of myself and it gave me the chance to make friends through fandom.”

Rook poked at his plate, not very enthusiastic about the meal options today. The Plumbers put in an effort to have options for a variety of diets but it wasn’t like they had a constant supply of amber ogia and vegetables were hard to keep fresh when transporting. He really wasn’t totally sure what he was eating. “It was similar for me. My people are content in their lives on Revonnah and are not very interested in life offworld. I repaired a radio in order to learn more about aliens before coming to the Academy and I discovered the Ben 10 radio show. My brother really enjoyed it and would ask me to come up with new endings when we were working on the field.”

Scout’s tail stiffened behind him for a moment before it began swooshing in excitement. “You wrote fanfic?”

“What?”

“Fanfiction. Y’know, like fan art is art made by fans? Fanfiction is fiction written by fans. That’s totally what you and your brother did.”

“I… I guess? Is fanfiction a popular thing on the extranet?”

“Oh, yeah. Well, not the whole extranet but it’s big in some niche spaces. You ever- wait, let me get my tablet. I’ve got some sites I gotta show you.”

Ben 10, Rook learned, was based on someone named Ben Tennyson from a planet called Earth and Earth hosted a lot of the sites that people in fandom used. Or, well, there were extranet corners of Earth websites. Scout told him a lot of media wasn’t available on Earth but a lot of Earth media could be found on the extranet so aliens used Earth fandom spaces for everything. Rook didn’t totally understand that part but Scout quickly forgot about the history lesson and helped him set up the accounts he’d need. 

“You need to wait for approval to get an ao3 account but you don’t need an account to use it if you want to look around on there. Ao3 is the site for fanfic so I’m betting that’s your domain. You might see some stuff about Fanfiction.net and WattPad but FFN is for Earth-only fandoms and WattPad is… Well, it’s scary,” Scout explained, closing the browser and switching to the app he just downloaded. “This is tumblr. It’s a social media site so you’ll get to interact with other fans here but you need to curate your dash to get what you want. If you want Ben 10 stuff, you’ll need to follow the tags and find some other Ben 10 fans to follow. I could give you some recs if you want.”

Rook very much did want recommendations and he spent that evening scrolling through pages and pages of Ben 10 fanart and reading stories about his favorite hero. The Ben 10 story– or fandom, he supposed– was a lot more elaborate than he’d initially assumed. Snippets of the radio show barely scratched the surface. He read some fics of the radio show but the fandom for the TV series was far more expansive. Scout was beyond thrilled to have the chance to introduce him to it. And after getting through all sixteen existing seasons, Rook had to say the radio show was truly awful. Oh, he’d never badmouth it but after getting exposed to a more thorough storyline in the TV show and good writing through fanfiction, the radio show just couldn’t compare.

There was some stuff about Ben Tennyson, the hero Ben 10, but Rook didn’t pay much attention. He tried but he couldn’t figure out how those stories fit into the canon of the show and all the transformations had different names which got confusing. He had a hard time keeping track of all of them, even if they were species that existed in real life. Some of them were written pretty well so he read a fic here or there, and there was plenty of good art that he reblogged, but The Ben 10 Show was always center stage on his dash.

Eventually, and Rook knew it was coming, Scout made a suggestion. “You should try writing a fic.”

“Telling my brother how episodes ended is pretty different from writing fics for the extranet,” Rook responded as the pair made a turn towards the dormitory wing of the base. Class was over for the day for the both of them. It was time to unwind. And writing fanfiction wasn’t exactly Rook’s idea of unwinding after a long day of class.

“You don’t have to post it. And you know no one expects the first fic to be amazing. I just think you have some real potential, Rook. You do real well in all our writing classes and you know the fandom as well as I do. And there aren’t a lot of fics about the radio show! You’re always saying you want to see more. If you want to read something, write it yourself and all that.”

That was a rather convincing point. With reliable extranet access, he’d been able to listen to the radio show in full and he had to say it was rather disappointing. Not finding satisfactory fics was even more disappointing. Maybe he could write a better ending, or a fix-it as the fandom called it. That seemed rather ambitious for a first fic though. A oneshot was probably a smarter start. Something short that he could pour some energy into writing well.

Rook’s night was spent sitting on his bed, blanket draped over his head and laptop, typing away at a new document. He posted it a week later. Got about thirty kudos on the first day which was rewarding, even if it wasn’t much, but it was the comments he got that kept him smiling through class the whole day.

“You were right!”

“Thank you,” Scout responded with a dramatic bow and sweep of his arm as Rook pushed his way into his dorm. Scout’s roommate was out, as he often was, and Rook had no qualms stealing his chair. “Why am I right?”

“I posted a fic.”

“Oh? That’s great! What about?”

“A different ending to Gwevin’s kidnapping in the radio show. The ending I told my brother was more focused on Gwevin and Ben 10’s relationship than Ben 10 fighting Sporemax’s goons.”

“Hurt-slash-comfort?”

“Yes.”

“Found family?”

“Of course.”

“Oh people love that.”

Rook nodded, still grinning. “I got four comments! All of them were from people like me who wish for there to be more fics expanding on the radio show.”

Scout matched his grin. “I told you! Totally untapped potential in the fandom there. You going to write more?”

Rook nodded. “I think so. I want to write out more of the stories I told Young One and maybe make some of them a more ambiguous blend of the radio show and the TV show. I do not want to get too ahead of myself yet.”

Scout wagged his tail, padding over. “Good idea. Oh man, you’re getting me excited about that. Can I read them? Promise you some fanart if I get inspired.”

Rook laughed. “That would be a great honor, my friend.”

Scout proved to be a great soundboard when Rook dove deeper into writing but he still never wrote as much as he’d like during his time at the Academy. Students had downtime, of course, but Rook had no plans of letting his Plumber education go to waste. Writing ate up a lot of time he could spend studying and getting in extra training. And the extra time he spent working on academics and conditioning paid off. His placement in the Proto-Tech program pretty much secured his success as a Plumber, and revived his motivation to focus on his education when his spirits got low.

Besides, writing couldn’t be his only hobby. Rook took the Earth sport soccer as an elective. Okay, admittedly he originally took the class to get inspiration for a soccer au but he ended up rather liking it and joined the soccer club. He also tried to attend the club meetings for more social groups when he could, just to get out more. Scout liked meeting and learning about other aliens and it was the least he could do to support his friend once in awhile. Galvans could be mean.

Still, by the time he was ready to graduate, Rook considered himself pretty thoroughly integrated into the fandom and fanfic circles. He’d dabbled in a number of tropes, had a good amount of popular fics, had some good mutuals on tumblr… He hoped he’d still have time for fandom when he got his long-term assignment. Because that was happening.

“Who’s giving you your assignment?” Scout asked, leaning on the doorway as Rook gave his room one last once over. All his things were moved out, placed on one of the move out ships, but Rook was paranoid. No harm in being careful.

“I am not certain. I was given a room number but no name.” Rook didn’t know what that meant. It’d been a source of anxiety since he got the message on his tablet. “What about you?”

“I told my advisor I wanted to go back to Anur Transyl. She made sure everything was arranged.”

Rook nodded absently. They’d talked about this before, of course. They were best friends after all. Parting ways would be rough but Rook joining Scout on Anur Transyl wasn’t the right move for either of them. Maybe once Scout warmed his people up to the idea of outsiders visiting, Rook could request a transfer. That would give Rook a chance to get some experience before getting involved in a big project like opening the Anur System’s borders. Or that’s what he hoped at least. Extranet communication was great but Rook feared he was saying goodbye to his friend.

Scout glanced at the clock. “You should probably get going. I’ll be here when you get back. Promise.”

“Thank you,” Rook murmured, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder as he stepped out of the room that’d been his home these past couple years and headed toward the administrative rooms. He tried not to look over his shoulder. He didn’t want to treat this like something final. Even if he wasn’t coming back to his dorm room, Scout wasn’t going anywhere.

Rook never went to the administrative wing much. It was a big base and, as a student, he usually had business elsewhere. Signs were helpful but the place was still a maz. Thankfully, he wasn’t the only wandering soul here.

“Are you looking for three-seventy?” a voice called out. Rook turned to see a human woman in red armor. Alpha Squad, he recognized. He wasn’t especially familiar with what they did but he knew they were a more combat-oriented program not unlike the Proto-Tech program. Scout had been nominated for it, only to be turned down due to his sonic abilities. It didn’t make much sense to Rook for an alien organization to exclude people for having powers but Scout was more interested in diplomacy than combat so it was unimportant. Still, Rook didn’t know what to think about this woman.

That was no reason to be unpleasant though so Rook smiled and nodded. “Yes, is that where you are getting your assignment as well?”

“Yup,” she answered, strutting over and offering a hand. “Guess that means we’ll be working together. Name’s Molly Gunther.”

Rook took her hand and shook it. It was an unusual greeting for Plumbers but one he was familiar with. He supposed he should get used to it, if he was going to be working with a human. Even all the fics he read never prepared him for how strange they were. “Rook Blonko.”

“Nice to meet you, Rook. Nice Proto-Armor.”

“Thank you.” He thought about unlatching his Proto-Tool but figured that might be a bit much. “Have you checked the floor above? Based on the numbers, I would think that three-seventy would be there but it is not.”

The two compared notes, going over where each of them had been so far. Molly said there was a rumor this wing was designed as part of a social experiment so all the room numbers were off intentionally. Rook thought it might be a test. Either way, they were able to cover more ground between the two of them and pinpointed the room with minimal fanfare. It took awhile but both were the type to give themselves plenty of time to find where they needed to be. They weren’t early but they were certainly on time.

Rook let Molly take the lead, using her ID to swipe in and unlock the door before pushing in. Inside, he saw a male Piscciss Volann Plumber and a female of a species he didn’t recognize. At first glance, he thought she might be an Uxorite or a Chimera Sui Generis. She had the green tones for it but she lacked the tentacles that defined either species. Molly, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly who the woman was.

“Oh my god,” she whispered, latching onto his arm with a sense of familiarity every human seemed to share. “That’s the Magistrata.”

Rook immediately forgot any annoyance at being grabbed and nearly returned the gesture. That was the Magistrata? How hasn’t he recognized her? He saw her picture all the time on the Academy website he used to check his enrollment status and grades. That wasn’t important though. Why was she here? Had he and Molly gone to the wrong room? Or worse, was she there for them?

The Piscciss Volann glanced toward the doorway, prompting Molly to release Rook’s arm and stand at attention, and flashed a toothy grin. “You two are Agent Molly Gunther and Agent Rook Blonko, right?”

The pair nodded. “Yes, sir.”

The Piscciss Volann stepped away from the Magistrata, ambling over to the two with a pleased look on his features. “I’m Magister Patelliday, second-in-command at the Plumber headquarters on Earth. How would you feel about working with Ben Tennyson?”

“Earth?”

Rook nodded enthusiastically as he walked Scout toward his ship. “Ben Tennyson– the hero, not the one from The Ben 10 Show – is in need of new teammates. The Magistrata suggested someone from the Proto-Tech program and someone from Alpha Squad.”

“And they picked you?” Scout paused. “Sorry, that sounded mean. Of course they picked you! You were the only one who got to keep the armor and Proto-Tool. It’s just- wow. Ben 10.”

“Jealous?” Rook teased.

Scout snorted. “Totally. I mean, I’m thrilled my assignment is on Anur Transyl but by Luna Lobo, Ben 10 is a legend. Maybe I’ll come visit you.”

“I will be sure to introduce you,” Rook responded, only half joking. It would be wonderful for Scout to come visit Earth and it would be a lot of fun to spend some time with both his hero and his fellow fan. Assuming everything went well. “I must admit, I am a bit nervous. I do not see much reason for Ben 10 to have a teammate, let alone two.”

Scout sobered up a bit. “Ben Tennyson is a Plumber, right? They really drill teamwork into us. I’m sure he’s different than he is in the show.”

That was a good point, Rook conceded. He knew that, logically at least. The Ben 10 he knew was inspired by another, meaning the Ben 10 he’d be meeting wouldn’t be the same as he was in the show. The villains he fought and the allies he made weren’t real. His personality had to be different too. What was he like then? Still a hero, maybe just a bit more organic than the writing of the various producers The Ben 10 Show had gone through? He should probably scrub his mental image of the hero out of his head before meeting him. Brallada, he didn’t know what he’d do if he embarrassed himself in front of the great Ben 10, even if it wasn’t the one he knew.

The pair talked a bit more about Scout’s plans for the Anur System before Molly came to fetch Rook. Unlike Scout, Rook’s schedule involved other people and Magister Patelliday didn’t want to be away from his station for too long. After a lackluster goodbye and one final check over his bags, Rook was boarding his new Proto-Ship and heading toward Earth.

Chapter Text

“I don’t want a new team.”

Rook, for all his efforts to shake his expectations about Earth, had a hard time wrapping his head around the enigma that was Ben Tennyson. He was- well, he looked nothing like he did in The Ben 10 Show . Logically Rook knew that was an actor but he expected some resemblance. The Ben 10 he knew was tall, muscular, and, by human standards, traditionally handsome. His Omnitrix matched that image too, with its size and claws. Everything about him screamed hero.

This Ben 10 was short. And skinny. His Omnitrix was tiny, easily confused for a regular watch. The only similarity he shared with Ben 10 from The Ben 10 Show was his brown hair and green eyes. Nothing about his appearance alerted Rook that this was a hero. And most shockingly, he was younger than Rook himself. He wasn’t even an adult yet, if what he remembered about humans was correct. If Magister Patelliday had not pointed him out, Rook wouldn’t have noticed him at all. He looked like any other human, maybe even less impressive than some of the others he’d met. Was this really the great Ben 10?

Rook knew to not judge on appearances. A hero didn’t have to be physically strong or aesthetically pleasing. It was the heart of a hero that mattered. Ben insisting he didn’t want a team upon meeting Rook and Molly, however, quickly cemented who he was in Rook’s mind. This was a pale imitation of the Ben he knew.

“Ben,” Magister Tennyson started, reaching out to put a hand on Ben’s shoulder. This Magister Rook knew. He was quite famous even before his grandson saved the universe. Even if Rook hadn’t been assigned to work alongside Ben 10, he’d gladly be stationed on Earth under Max Tennsyon. It’d be an honor, even if it felt like a slap in the face compared to what he and Molly had been promised.

“Look, I know you think I need someone around to keep me out of trouble and stop being lonely or whatever,” Ben interrupted and Rook couldn’t help but stare. If that was why he and Molly had been assigned here, that would be a real slap in the face. Insulting even. “But I think I’ve been doing this hero thing long enough that I can handle it on my own. Was kind of looking forward to doing the solo-thing, even.”

“I know you can do it on your own, Ben,” Magister Tennyson told him gently, hand reaching Ben’s shoulder. Ben didn’t slap it away but he shifted his weight onto one foot, leaning away from his grandfather. If Max and Ben were Revonnahganders, Ben would’ve earned himself a talking to for showing such disrespect but Max hardly seemed to notice Ben’s rudeness. “That doesn’t mean you have to. Having a team only makes you stronger, kiddo.”

Kiddo? Rook had seen the nickname used in fics before. He’d always assumed it was just a fandom quirk that the extranet made up to make their stories feel more authentically human. He didn’t think that was something people called each other in real life.

“I know. But Kevin and Gwen you can’t just replace Kevin and Gwen,” Ben responded, finally stepping away and heading toward the door, signaling the conversation was coming to an end. Pausing, he glanced over his shoulder at Molly and Rook. “No offense to you two. This just isn’t really how I roll.”

Ben waved a hand casually and then he was gone. Magister Tennyson let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry about that. He’ll warm up eventually. It’s been hard on him, Kevin and Gwen leaving that is.”

“It is fine,” Rook told him even though it really wasn’t. Also, Kevin and Gwen? Was Gwevin named after two people? “Perhaps this will give us a chance to review Ben Tennyson’s files and determine our duties around the base.”

Magister Tennyson waved him off. “No, I’m not going to make you start working on your first day here. You two have a few days to settle in, and I’m sure you want to see some of Earth and Molly would like to visit her old stomping ground. Ask Jerry for your room assignments and report for duty on Thursday.”

“Yes, sir,” Rook and Molly echoed and headed out to get their first tastes of Bellwood.

Rook had a car but didn’t know Earth road laws. Molly didn’t have a car but she did know Earth road laws. That combined with the fact Ben Tennyson had just walked away from both of them, they were kind of stuck together. Rook would rather not be so reliant on a woman he barely knew but he supposed. Fanfiction probably wasn’t a great source for reference. It was nice to have a guide to Earth. “Where are we going?”

Molly didn’t take her eyes off the road but her demeanor visibly shifted from stiff determination to something more defeated. “I- I don’t know. Was hoping driving might clear my head a bit but I’m still pissed, you know? Who does that guy think he is?”

“I am upset as well but I do not find it too surprising that Ben Tennyson does not wish for a partner or teammates. He seems fully capable of holding his own.”

Molly snorted. “That guy? How much do you know about him?”

Rook tried not to let his fur fluff up in embarrassment. “I- I listened to the Ben 10 radio show on Revonnah and watched The Ben 10 Show at the Academy. Scout and I looked at some, uh, Ben 10 fan spaces on the extranet and there were occasionally Earth news articles or discussion about the hero Ben 10’s heroics but nothing like the Plumber files or what’s in our textbooks.”

“Scout?”

“My best friend. Loboan.”

“Fanboy?”

Rook could feel his fur sticking up a bit now and looked away, trying to hide it. “I would not go as far to say that but we did bond over our shared enjoyment of the shows and related fanworks.”

“Oh, you’re most definitely a fanboy.” Rook could hear the grin in Molly’s voice.

Rook wanted to snap at her but he knew that wouldn’t help anything and this was nothing he hadn’t heard before. Mostly in his head, not from another person, but still nothing he’d never heard before. “I am still a capable Plumber despite my hobbies.”

“Sorry. My, uh, brother is really into Sumo Slammers and I’d always fight with him over the remote because I wanted to watch- gah, don’t tell anyone but I was pretty deep in the Weird World fandom before going to the Academy. Spent days on the Weird World website before it got taken down. Wrote fanmail and everything. Had a whole tumblr account devoted to Pokemon too. You should’ve seen me when they brought in fish from Appoplexia for… I don’t remember what the holiday’s called but the native fish look exactly like Magikarp and Gyarados. I swear, if there was tumblr on the extranet I would’ve filled up my queue with pictures.”

“But tumblr does exist on the extranet,” Rook informed her. Molly’s head swiveled and she stared at him, mouth agape. “I believe you need to download an extension to make the Earth site compatible with extranet servers but I have many human mutuals.”

“God damn it,” she muttered, looking back to the road. There were few cars out, thankfully, or Rook would’ve had a fit over road safety. “So much time wasted. Well, I guess it was probably for the better. Wouldn’t have spent as much time focusing on Alpha Squad if I was on tumblr and ao3 every night.”

“I spent my entire time at the Academy writing fanfiction and I was still at the top of the Proto-Tech program.”

“Screw you, Blonko,” Molly said good naturedly. Rook felt a nice feeling curl up in his stomach at the sound of his name. No one called him Blonko in a long time. She didn’t know that but still, it was nice. This was nice. Almost like what he had with Scout. “So guessing you’re a fan of some Earth stuff, huh? What’s something you want to see?”

“Ikea,” Rook answered immediately. Ikea fics weren’t that popular but he’d seen enough that his lack of understanding plagued his mind. It was a meme, from what he gathered, but it was also a physical building and successful business. He didn’t really understand the fond yet horrified way humans regarded it.

Molly laughed. “I’ll take you sometime. Not really room for furniture on base but the meatballs are worth the drive.”

“I would like that,” he responded, not totally sure if she was joking or not. “Do you want to get coffee?”

She glanced at him, looking surprised, and smirked. “You asking me out on a date, Blonko?”

Rook’s stomach did that thing again and warmth spread to his chest. He hadn’t been asking her out. Really, his mind had just jumped from Ikea fics to coffee shop aus. The way he was feeling was nice though. Maybe he had been asking her out. “Do you want it to be?”

She looked surprised and Rook almost took it back but the look was soon replaced by a smile softer than Rook thought Molly was even capable of. “Why not?”

Those first few days on Earth were better than Rook expected and that was all thanks to Molly. Even with all the uncertainty with Ben Tennyson hanging over their heads, they had fun. Rook wasn’t really a fan of coffee all that much so Molly introduced him to smoothies, which was apparently a growing trend right before she left Earth. She showed him how to drive on Earth roads, had him try fast food, took him grocery shopping, and let him enjoy Earth and all its wonders. Didn’t even feel like a scouting mission, just like a friend sharing her homeworld to a friend. Or boyfriend. Whatever they were.

Rook, of course, put in the effort to ensure it wasn’t all one sided. He helped her set up the extranet extension on her tumblr and ao3 accounts. He read up a bit on Pokemon and looked at an old Weird World archive so he’d understand her ramblings about them. They read Ben Tennyson’s Plumber file and watched The Ben 10 Show together, observing the vast differences between them. It made Rook feel a bit silly for imagining Ben Tennyson to be like Ben 10 but Molly was there to laugh with him and that made it alright. 

But eventually, they had to face Ben.

Rook thought they’d be meeting one of the magisters when they were called to the cortex the day they were supposed to start their duty but instead they found Ben. He looked different than the last time they saw him. More subdued? Nervous? Either way, the sight of him got Rook’s hackles to rise in unease. “Sir?”

“Call me Ben, dude,” Ben responded, voice sounding tired.

Rook nodded. “Okay, Ben dude.”

Ben stared at him. Molly snickered. “He was calling you dude, Rook. He just wants you to call him Ben. First name basis.”

“Oh.” How embarrassing. 

Ben cleared his throat. “I, uh, looked at your assignments. Rook Blonko and Molly Gunther?”

Rook nodded and Molly put her hands on her hips. “Whether you’re on a first name basis with us depends on how this conversation goes.”

Ben winced. “Yeah, okay, I deserve that. Look, I still don’t really want a team. Or, well, you guys. No offense.”

Rook had no idea how he wasn’t supposed to be offended by that. “We’re Plumbers. Working in teams is standard for field agents.”

“I’m not really a Plumber. More of a free-lance guy who works with the Plumbers sometimes? My old team too. Not really sure how I feel about, y’know, getting tied down to the Plumbers,” Ben said, scratching the back of his head. “Kevin and Gwen were- are my friends. We were a team because we worked well together. I trusted them. I don’t… You guys are total strangers. The kinds of missions I take- I know I get in over my head sometimes. I need back up but I need to trust whoever’s with me. I can’t just magically transfer how I feel about Kevin and Gwen to you guys.”

Ben was visibly struggling. Rook supposed he could see where he was coming from. He wasn’t a Plumber. He didn’t have the training Molly and Rook did. He wasn’t conditioned to work in squads like they were. Ben was used to more freedom. It’d take time to adjust to working with the Plumbers. Annoying but Rook wasn’t unempathetic.

“So what does that mean for us?” Molly asked, crossing her arms.

Ben scratched the back of his head. “I still need a team. I’m not fighting any big villains right now but that’s not really something I can plan for, you know? Grandpa- er, Magister Tennyson suggested we go on patrols. Bellwood doesn’t have a ton of me-level crime but there’s an underground alien city apparently? I don’t think he really expects us to do much but spending time together might, I dunno, establish a rapport so we have something to go on when actual missions come up.”

Rook blinked a few times. Ben still didn’t sound very thrilled but he was looking at this logically and Rook could see his reason. “That sounds acceptable.”

Molly nodded in agreement. “Count me in.”

Ben smiled. “Glad to hear it. Now, does this mean I can call you Rook and Molly? Or is it Agent Blonko and Agent Gunther?”

“Molly’s fine, I guess. Don’t overdo it.”

“It’s Agent Rook, not Agent Blonko. My people put the family name before the given name.” Rook paused. That sounded like he requested Ben to call him by his title, didn’t it? “My friends call me Rook.”

“Wait, so all this time I thought I was calling you by your last name, I was calling you by your first name? Or, uh, given name?” Molly asked, raising an eyebrow. “Totally not what I was going for.”

Rook chuckled. “I like when you call me Blonko. Given names are more personal. We tend to use them with those we hold intimate bonds with, like family or close village members.”

Ben eyed the two suspiciously. “Inti- wait. Are you two dating? Ugh, am I the third wheel again? Kevin and Gwen have only been gone a couple weeks and already I’m stuck with them again!”

Molly grinned and tossed an arm around Rook’s shoulders. “Consider it payback for how you treated us when we arrived.”

“Totally fair.”

Patrols, for the most part, were uneventful. More often than not, they’d just end up playing soccer with some Kincelerans in Undertown but they stopped petty theft here and there. Above all, it gave Rook, Molly, and Ben a chance to get to know each other. Even with Ben’s uncertainties and hesitance, Rook really felt like a friendship evolved in those first few weeks. It was fun, the three of them spending time together. It wasn’t like the time Rook spent with Molly, talking about their fanfic and fanart finds on the extranet mixed in with the occasional kiss or cuddle, but the dynamic they had was something Rook hadn’t realized he craved. Rook’s previous friendships had been lacking, he realized. Other than with Scout, of course.

He often found himself wishing Scout was there in the Proto-Truk with the rest of them. And he often found himself wishing Ben was there when Molly and Rook were hanging out in their quarters. Bad idea, he knew. If Ben found out they were such big fans of The Ben 10 Show , Rook would be mortified. And even if Rook’s relationship with Molly wasn’t quite like the sweethearts he saw around his village back on Revonnah or in romantic fics, he liked what they had.

The time the three of them spent together proved worthwhile. Magister Tennyson or whoever suggested patrols to strengthen their team was right. When missions came about and villains began crawling out of the woodwork, the trio had no trouble handling it. Dealing with the rise of a new gang under one of Vilgax’s old henchmen, discovering a race of Piscciss Volann/ human hybrids under the sea, getting hunted by an alien mercenary and his Nemetrix-wielding hunting dog… It wasn’t what Rook envisioned when he dreamed of being a Plumber in his youth but Rook wouldn’t change a thing. It made him feel like a hero, like a character in The Ben 10 Show or Sumo Slammers.

Yes, he was expanding his fandom list. There were plenty of other great franchises out there other than The Ben 10 Show . Honestly it was a bit surprising it took him this long to realize it. Sumo Slammers , Pokemon , and Weird World captured most of his attention but the others he dabbled in weren’t bad, though none of them overcame The Ben 10 Show on his dash. Still, his tumblr blog and ao3 account branched from a single fandom to multifandom space in just a few weeks.

But it wasn’t Molly and Ben’s efforts to introduce him to new fandoms that broke Rook’s unwavering love for his favorite show. It was actually a bank robbery interrupting one of the crew’s regular soccer games.

“Have no fear, citizens of Earthville! Ben 10 has arrived!”

Rook would know that voice anywhere.

“Ben 10! Ben 10! Ben 10!”

“Um… what?” Ben tilted his head, looking completely and utterly confused. Around them, Undertownians abandoned the soccer game and gathered to watch Solid Plugg and a tall, muscular human exchange blows.

Rook supposed he owed his friend an explanation and, as much as it pained him, he tore his gaze away from the film set. “You do not know of The Ben 10 Show ?”

“What?”

“That’s Deefus Veeblepister, a Lenopan actor,” Molly explained, pointing her index toward the fight. “He plays your character on an extranet superhero program. You’ve really never heard of it, have you?”

“Uh, no. Never got a call or anything.”

That was- First of all, it was surprising. Rook knew Ben had extranet access, and was quite proficient at using it. What were the chances he didn’t just stumble across it on his own? The Sumo Slammer fandom was popular offworld and Rook knew Ben frequently played online games with people on other planets. Surely The Ben 10 Show would have come to his attention at some point. But second, it was alarming. There were explicit laws about ownership and image in the media industry. Granted, from Rook’s understanding of copyright and defamation laws, whether or not Ben had a case in court if he wanted to go against The Ben 10 Show was unclear but for such a big program using his name, Ben should have been contacted. At the very least, some of the proceeds should’ve been going to him if he was completely uninvolved in the show’s production.

Ben didn’t look upset though and Rook was distracted by his concerns by Ben fiddling with his Omnitrix. “Well, technically it is my show…”

Articguana stepped in front of the camera and the latest Gwevin, an alien Ben seemed to know named Simian, joined the fray. Rook gripped Molly’s hand in excitement and hit the record function on his Proto-Tool. Scout was going to be so jealous when he found out Rook got to watch an episode of The Ben 10 Show being filmed! And they were doing photos afterward?

“What are you doing?” Ben asked once Deefus shoved him to the side to pose with a pair of Kinceleran kids. “You really want to take a picture with this guy?”

“You do not understand how big of a deal this is,” Rook responded as the line inched forward. “Imagine if you got to take a photo with Ishiyama.”

“Ishiyama’s fictional. Ben 10 is a real person. You hang out with me all the time!”

“We don’t have any pictures of us,” Molly pointed out, putting a hand on Ben’s back to pull him into the line. “Come on, would it be so bad?”

“Yes.”

“Do it for us?”

“Fine! I don’t understand why you two like this guy though.”

They got their picture. Ben didn’t put in much effort to look happy but Rook didn’t mind. It was a picture of the three of them, and having the real Ben 10 in there made it all the more special. The moment he got his copy, Rook sent a message to Scout, a file with the picture attached, practically shaking in anticipation. He wished he was there on Anur Transyl with him just so he could see his face when he got it. He didn’t have the time to wait for a response though because Deefus, Hokestar, Solid Plugg, and Simian were rushing off to the next set and Ben was suspicious about something or another Simian said and wanted to follow. Not that Rook was complaining. Getting the chance to watch The Ben 10 Show being filmed was a dream come true.

Or it was until Slapstrike knocked a tanker truck off the overpass and Deefus melted into panic at the sight of leaking gasoline.

“Ben!” Rook shouted in alarm, snapping out of his starry-eyed state. He didn’t see anything around that could ignite the spreading pool but that didn’t mean they weren’t in danger nor did it change the fact the truck driver probably wouldn’t survive a fall from that height.

“On it!” Ben yelled and a moment later Diamondhead erected a ramp to slide the truck to safety. Above, Deefus and Solid Plugg snap out of their stupor and jump back into the scene, though Rook can tell they’re both off their game. Ben wasn’t having it though. From so far away, Rook can’t hear his friend laying into them but he can still feel the echoes of satisfaction. They deserve whatever they’re getting.

Wow. Huh. He was siding with the hero Ben 10 over the real Ben 10. Or, the fictional Ben 10, he supposed, was more accurate. When had Ben Tennyson the human become the real Ben 10 to him? One he liked more than the character he adored for so long? Between his new Plumber duties and checking out new fandoms with Molly, he hadn’t been writing as much lately. Maybe he was losing his passion for the show. That made him kind of sad, actually. Hopefully he’d find some inspiration after today.

The Proto-Truk shifted into the Proto-Ship and Rook and Molly were on the overpass in a heartbeat but whatever went down up here was over. Deefus was walking away, an expression Rook couldn’t read on his face. He waved and Deefus ignored him but Rook didn’t have a lot of time to be disappointed. “Hey Plumber, can you help me pick up these technorganisites before they’re not microscopic anymore?”

For a moment, Rook is shocked at how casually Solid Plugg is talking to him. Sure, he’d been on Earth for awhile and fell into a pretty solid rhythm, encountering plenty of villains enough times to develop some sort of rapport, but this was something else. Then his brain caught up with what Solid Plugg said. “You are using real technorganisites?”

“They make fake ones?”

Rook desperately wanted to forget everything that happened next. It wasn’t traumatic or anything, honestly a lot tamer than some of the other adventures he’d been on, but it had been stressful. Collectimus had been a headache and a half. At least it was over now and Earth wasn’t about to be shrunk down and plastered on a playing card. There was still Solid Plugg, Hokestar, and Deefus to deal with.

“My! Those cheekbones! Have you ever considered a career in acting, my boy?”

It would’ve been easy to say no and tell Hokestar he wouldn’t be happy fulfilling the role of Gwevin. But after watching Deefus stroke his own ego after cowering at the consequences of his own mistakes, Rook couldn’t do easy. Whirling on Deefus, Rook said two words he’d never thought would leave his mouth. “You’re pathetic.”

Someone gasped. “Did he just use a contraction?”

Deefus raised an eyebrow. A false eyebrow. That wasn’t even his real face. “Excuse me?”

“You claim you are the real Ben Tennyson! You speak of “channeling the hero” yet in the moment, you hide and wait for someone to save you. You have no right to call yourself Ben 10.”

Deefus’s expression shifted. “Look, man, I’m just an actor.”

“And you ridicule the real- the true Ben 10 for being a hero.”

“I- what?”

“Yeah, man. You told me to change my name,” Ben spoke up, crossing his arms. “Not cool. Look, I don’t even mind there being a TV show about me but I hate that this is the way the universe sees me.”

Ben gestured at Deefus, prompting the man to look himself up and down. “What’s wrong with how I play Ben 10?”

“The show’s Ben 10 is no hero. I see that now,” Rook responded, clenching his fists. Molly put a gentle hand on his shoulder and Rook didn’t know if it was supposed to be supportive or a warning but he was getting too worked up to care. “Your Ben 10 is strong and confident and- and angsty and he doesn’t need anyone. That is how we imagine heroes but that is not how heroes are in real life. In the real world, a hero is just someone who puts others before themselves. They’re still just regular people. Your Ben 10 lacks everything that makes my Ben 10 genuine.”

Deefus had a notebook. Where had he gotten that? “Uh-huh, uh-huh. All good notes. So how does one make a character genuine? I mean, I’m an actor. I’m playing a character.”

“Play yourself. Be Deefus V… What’s his name?”

“Deefus Veeblepister,” Molly supplied. Behind her, Hokestar moaned dramatically, dragging four hands down his face.

“Be Deefus Veeblepister! Be your own hero! You pulled all these fans and you probably didn’t even need my name to do it. I mean, no one’s ever confusing you for me or me for you. Your thing is totally separate from my thing. Embrace it!”

Rook had no idea how Ben turned his angry ranting into legit career advice but that was just what made him Ben. And it seemed to be working, judging by Deefus’s thoughtful nodding. “Yeah… Yeah! Rebranding! I like that idea!”

Hokestar spluttered. “M-my boy! We can’t just rebrand! What about all our existing merchandise and advertising?”

“We wouldn’t have to recast Gwevin.”

“I’m sold.”

“You don’t have to totally rebrand,” Ben pointed out. “It’s still The Ben 10 Show. You have something good. Just attach your name to it.”

“Ugh. Don’t tell me you want to be Gwevin.”

“What? No! Get rid of the Gwevin character! It’s so totally weird to see my cousin and my best friend combined!”

“Gwevin’s based on a real person?”

The bickering continued but Rook tuned it out. For the first time in awhile, he had an idea for a fic.

Rook wrote out his idea the moment he got home. The next several hours were spent writing and editing and it was so late in the night by the time he finally posted it that he passed right out. He’d totally forgotten he’d messaged Scout until his communicator was buzzing with a call from the Anur System the next morning. 

“Scout!”

“Hey, Rook,” Scout greeted, hologram image flickering. He looked good, Rook noted. “You good?”

“Why would I not be?”

“Well, first you texted me a picture of you, Molly Gunther, the hero Ben 10, and the real Ben 10 and then eight hours later you post a second person fic about a fan meeting Ben Tennyson.”

“Oh.”

“Title: Face to Face . Fandoms: The Ben 10 Show , Ben 10 (RPF) . Rating: general audiences. Category: gen. Word count: 5K,” Scout recited, eyes looking to the side like he was reading something offscreen. He most certainly was. “Summary: You’ve been a fan of Ben 10 for years. That confident posture, that booming voice, you’d know it anywhere. But when Ben 10 saves you from Sporemax’s latest plan, you realize you never really knew Ben 10 at all. Tags: Real Ben 10/ Hero Ben 10 Fusion, 2nd Person POV, Meeting Your Heroes, Character Study, Ben 10 x Reader if you squint.”

“I know my own fic, yes,” Rook muttered, leaning back to flop down on his bed. He was sure it was an unflattering angle for the camera but he didn’t care. Scout had seen him looking worse. “Your point?”

“Um, hello? Details? Come on, don’t leave me hanging. You met the real Ben 10 then write this amazing fic about how dreamy and loving he is? You have a one night stand or something? Ooh, or get a date?”

“I did not write Ben 10 as dreamy and loving,” Rook complained. He was smiling and he didn’t know why. “And no, I did not go out with Deefus Veeblepister. I am seeing Molly Gunther, actually.”

“Really? A human? Didn’t think hairless apes were your type.”

“And you thought a male pile of mud was?”

“They can change form! And I’ve seen attractive Lenopans. Not really my type but no judgment.”

“I have seen attractive Lenopeans as well and I assure you, Deefus Veeblepister is not an attractive Lenopan.”

“Oh man, really?”

“Incredibly unattractive. Physically you would think he hasn’t absorbed anything but dry soil and jet fuel in years. His form is not held together well at all and he has no care for his body whatsoever.”

“Gross. Didn’t think you’d be one to judge on physical appearance.”

“I would not be so harsh on his physical appearance if his personality was not so awful as well.”

Scout’s ears shot up in surprise. “Really? But your fic was so nice about him.”

“Real Ben 10/ Hero Ben 10 Fusion, remember?” Rook told him, repeating the tag Scout had read off moments ago. “Meeting Deefus Veeblepister after spending so much time with Ben made me realize he’s the total opposite of what a hero was. I- It was a big moment for me. I wanted to write what it felt like to come to the realization someone you thought you knew was a hero. So I projected Ben Tennyson’s personality onto the character Ben 10 for a fic.”

“And the x Reader?”

“If you squint,” Rook reminded before shrugging. “It felt right with the tone of the fic. And you know that second person is unpopular. I thought a ship might negate that a bit.”

“Fanservice. You sure that’s all it is?”

“What are you implying?”

“Sounds like someone has a bit of a crush on Ben 10.”

“I am dating Molly, remember?” Rook responded, “and Ben 10 is a fictional character.”

“Not to you. You hang out with him every day.”

Rook blinked a couple times before bursting into laughter. “You think I am in love with Benjamin Kirby Tennyson?”

“I didn’t say in love. But yes.”

Rook shook his head. “No, Scout. I am not in love with my coworker. I am happy in my relationship with Molly. And I think you would know if I was interested in men.”

“I’m flattered,” Scout joked and dropped the subject. “So Molly Gunther, huh? Wasn’t expecting that.”

Yeah, he probably should’ve told Scout sooner but it never really came up. It had now though and Rook wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to brag to his best friend about how good his life was right now. Successful career, fun girlfriend, friends with amazing hero, what more could he ask for?

Still, the conversation with Scout watered the already-existing seedlings of doubt rooted in Rook’s mind. He’d been referring to Ben when he said he was not in love with his coworker but it was true about Molly too. It’d been months and he still felt that nice feeling in his belly when he was around her but it’d been like that from the start. Shouldn’t he feel more by now? And it wasn’t like she was the only person who made him feel happy. It was different with her but not different in the way romantic relationships were. They touched and shared personal things and it was fun but those things weren’t romantic.

Kisses and hand holding were romantic. Sure, they did those things but not much and Rook didn’t feel a particularly strong desire to initiate them. If this was love, maybe he would. Then again, there were two parts in a relationship and Molly wasn’t doing the initiating either. It didn’t feel like she was holding back for his sake either. Was she just not into him? Or was he not into her? Or both?

He got his answer, shockingly, after a mission with Ben’s girlfriend. Or ex-girlfriend. He really had no idea what was happening by that point. 

Chapter Text

The mission with Kai Green was one that was directly assigned to them, not one they’d managed to pick up more thanks to Ben’s shenanigans than through sheer chance like they usually did. Ben had seen her and helped her out since Molly and Rook came to Earth, of course, but the pair usually kept their distance. It was Ben’s relationship after all. He probably appreciated the alone time. This would be their first time meeting her.

Molly and Kai hit it off immediately. Rook and Ben were left to the mosquitoes. 

Why were there so many mosquitoes in  Dos Santos?

“Surprised you’re not up there with the girls,” Ben commented as he slapped his arm for what felt like the dozenth time. The insects liked the humans far more than a furred being like a Revonnahgander. Rook already felt pretty miserable. He couldn’t imagine how much worse the humans felt. Or, well, Ben. Kai had worn bug spray and Molly’s armor covered most of her body. Then again, so did Rook’s and he was still being bitten. What was up with that?

“Archaeology has never been my interest.”

“Didn’t think it would be Molly’s either. Always thought she was more of a punching type of gal.”

“From what you tell me, much of Kai’s work involves bridging the gap between humans and aliens. Even if she does enjoy the more combat-focused aspects of being a Plumber, this is still the summation of two significant parts of her life.”

“...Nah.”

“Nah?”

“I think she’s just enjoying girl time. Plumbing is a super male-dominated field, you know?”

Ben was right but Rook didn’t see how that was relevant here. He’d never understand humans and their gendered relationships. Rook had both male and female friends on Revonnah and none of their bonding practices were partially dependent on sharing a gender or not. “It is not called Plumbing.”

“Oh, it’s one hundred percent called plumbing.”

They found the Temple of the Sky. They fought a Jungle Guardian. They discovered the Jungle Guardian was actually a Galvan named Ujin. They learned the temple’s purpose was to protect a piece of a powerful Chronosapien. Then a steampunk time traveler showed up, explained some future version of Ben had already defeated this Maltruant fellow, and swept the Galvan back to Galvan Prime without fanfare. Honestly not the weirdest mission he’d been on since coming to Earth

“Okay, I’m just gonna…” The Omnitrix made its usual warping noise and Eatle took Ben’s place, spring in hand. Kai slapped it away.

“Ben!”

“What? I’m an alien. Eating’s what I do!”

“Ben, look at this place.” Kai stepped back, gesturing up at the building around them. “It’s an archaeologist's paradise! Especially now that there are more archaeologists looking into alien’s after Grandpa Wes’s work got big in Bellwood.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s cool and all,” Eatle responded, “but this spring thing isn’t stopping you from going all archaeology on the temple. It’s a piece of a supervillain. It deserves to get eaten.”

“It’s history!”

“It’s dangerous!”

“Or you could compromise and just move it somewhere more secure until someone decides what to do with it,” Molly suggested. “Kai’s right, Ben. This place is a treasure trove for the work being done at the Bellwood museum.”

“Thank you!” Kai exclaimed but Ben looked displeased.

“Rook? Back me up here, buddy?”

Rook frowned. Choosing between Ben and his girlfriend? Not something he enjoys doing. “I am in agreement with Ben. I do believe this artifact may be too dangerous to keep around if we can do something about it. But, it is not our call to make. Humans have laws about preserving history. Kai is the authority here when it comes to this sort of thing.”

“Thank you, Rook! See, Ben? You’ve got to be careful with these things!”

Ben grumbled and he grumbled all the way back. Rook was sure he’d be bickering with Kai if Kai and Molly weren’t so caught up in conversation on the way back to the city. And after they arrived in the city. And after the Plumber team was supposed to leave.

Rook was no master at these sorts of things but he could tell by the way Molly looked at Kai. Molly was leaving.

Back at the base, he leaned on her door frame, trying to look casual even though he was anything but. She was packing up her room. Not everything, not permanently, but weeks passed since the mission in Dos Santos and it was becoming more and more obvious. Molly wanted to help with the xenoarchaeology efforts. It wasn’t surprising. As he’d told Ben, this was a way for her to connect her Plumber work to her human heritage. It was important to her and to Earth. Rook wasn’t upset about that, he couldn’t be, but it was also becoming more and more obvious she wanted Kai. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

Molly paused, a hairbrush in hand, next to a half-filled suitcase. “Blonko…”

“I am not upset. I genuinely want to know. I understand the importance of taking this new assignment but it does not have to be you. You were chosen for Alpha Squad because of your combat skill. There will not be much room for that in xenoarchaeology.”

“I- In Dos Santos, we discovered something. Something big. Kai’s work could change everything for humans. I want to be part of that. I’ll still be around, Blonko. I’m still a Plumber. This isn’t goodbye.”

“I know. I know the xenoarcaheolgy is a huge opportunity but I also know that is not the only reason you are taking this path. I just want to make sure you know how big of a decision you are making in order to be with someone.”

She dropped the hairbrush. “Blonko-”

“I am not upset,” he told her gently, “nor am I surprised. She is human, and female. Though I think the latter is more significant than the first.”

Emotion flashed across her face from surprise, to fear, to finally settling on guilt. “Blonko, I’m sorry-”

“Do not be. I am not upset,” he reiterated. He took a step into the room, closing some of the distance between them. “I think we both know our relationship was more platonic than most after seven months.”

Molly made a noise that could have been a snort or a chuckle. “Yeah, maybe. I thought that was what made us work but I guess I should’ve realized it was something else. You’re handsome, Blonko, but you’re right. Men just don’t really shiver my timbers.”

Rook couldn’t help but burst out laughing, breaking the somber tension in the air. “I was not planning on writing a break up fic but now I have to just so I can use that line.”

Molly grinned and joined him in laughter. “Send me your first draft and I’ll beta. Get some authentic lesbian input.”

Rook matched her grin. “Of course.”

“Do you want to get milkshakes?”

They broke up on good terms but it was still a break up and break ups sucked. It didn’t help that Ben was going through the same thing and their patrols were just the two of them now. The air was so thick with everything that went unspoken that Rook feared he would drown in it.

“Milkshakes? Not smoothies? That does not sound like you, Ben.”

“Bro, I love milkshakes. They’re just like smoothies but better and totally unhealthy. Perfect sad time food.”

“Sad time?”

“Dude. We don’t have to dodge the subject. Your girlfriend stole my girlfriend. Or my girlfriend stole your girlfriend. I’m not really sure what went down but we’re both girlfriendless and we deserve milkshakes. Come on, you’ll love them. Cats love milk, right? Or, wait, I’m pretty sure cats are lactose intolerant. Are you lactose intolerant?”

“I do not know. Most species do not drink milk in adulthood. I have never had it.” A ghost of a smile formed on his face. “Today seems as good a day as any to find out if Revonnahganders share your Earth feline’s enjoyment and intolerance of milk though. An upset stomach would not make my day much worse than it already is.”

“Alright! To Burger Shack!”

Burger Shack, Rook learned, was amazing. Burgers too. Meatballs made him too sad to eat anymore so burgers were currently fighting for the top place of Rook’s list of favorite Earth foods. Milkshakes were… Well, the flavor and texture was incredibly enjoyable but Rook learned the hard way that lactose intolerance was a lot worse than just getting an upset stomach. Thankfully Ben was familiar with the horrors of lactose and did not mind waiting while Rook blew his guts out in the restaurant bathroom. In fact, he seemed rather amused by it. Sympathetic but still amused.

Still, even his newly discovered aversion to milk didn’t ruin his day. He had a good time. Many good times, actually. Getting food off-duty was starting to become a regular thing, Ben swinging by Rook’s room at the HQ on their off days to pester him into going some place with him. It filled the time he used to spend with Molly, at least. Ben wasn’t a bad replacement.

Unfortunately, other people misunderstood what Ben was a replacement for.

“You and Ben are cute together,” Gwen commented one day Rook and Ben had gone to Friedkin to visit his cousin and best friend. It was Rook’s first time meeting them. Or, well, second time. He’d met them briefly during the whole Khyber fiasco when Kevin adopted his hound but that didn’t really count. That was business. This was much more informal, if the sight of Kevin and Ben wrestling in the middle of the foot truck line thirty feet away was any indicator.

“What?” Rook looked up from the pooch lazing on his lap. Zed was so much better under Kevin’s care. Far less skinny and far more cuddly. Pets weren’t allowed on Plumber bases, of course, but if Rook ever relocated, maybe he’d look into getting one. A plan for retirement, at least. Brallada, that was weird to think about.

“I know you two are, you know…”

“I do not know,” Rook responded and he meant it. “Forgive me, the indirect way you humans speak is difficult for me to follow.”

“Sorry. I meant I know you and Ben are a couple.”

Rook knew he looked surprised. He made no effort to hide it. “Ben and I are not dating.”

“Really?” Now it was her turn to look surprised. “My bad.”

Rook somehow expected more protest. That’s what always happened in fanfic, though maybe that wasn’t the best comparison. Characters in fanfic always had feelings for each other when they denied they were dating. Usually unrecognized or at least believed to be one-sided. That was not the case here. “We are partners in our Plumber work and friends off duty but nothing more. What made you think we were dating?”

Gwen shrugged. “You seem close. Ben doesn’t bring just anyone to meet his cousin and best friend in another city, you know.”

“Ben and I…” How should he put this? Rook had no idea how much Ben told his cousin. He didn’t want to overstep. “We have been spending a lot of time together. My girlfriend stole his girlfriend. Or his girlfriend stole my girlfriend. We are not really sure.”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess that makes more sense. Ester?”

“No. Kai.”

“Kai,” Gwen repeated. She made a displeased face and Rook didn’t understand why. He stared at her a moment, prompting her to continue. “She’s Ben’s type but I got the feeling Ben’s not her type, if you know what I mean.”

He did not know what she meant. They had just established that. “Because she likes women?”

“No. Well, maybe. I didn’t know Kai was into girls. I meant I always got the idea that people like you were her type.”

“Me?” That was surprising. “Why?”

“Most humans don’t go aliens and even less for the fur,” Gwen told him and Rook felt disappointment well up in his stomach. He had no idea why. This wasn’t even new information to him. He didn’t like humans much either, so it made sense they wouldn’t like aliens like him. “I guess it makes more sense that she’s into girls than she’s into aliens though. Ugh, don’t tell Ben that was why I thought they didn’t work out.”

Rook’s smile didn’t come easy. “Your secret is safe with me. And if you are curious, aliens tend to not go for humans and those of us with fur are usually not interested in anyone without it. My friend Scout actually thought I was messing with him when I told him I was seeing Molly. It is pretty uncommon.”

“That makes sense. Ben’s dated a few aliens, never any with fur though. Geez, if you told me six years ago that I’d be talking with an alien about alien dating preferences, I never would’ve believed you.”

“What are we talking about?” a voice interjected and Ben suddenly appeared with Kevin in tow and sandwiches in hand. “Kev’s got yours, Gwen. No tomatoes or peppers. And here’s yours, Rook. No cheese.”

“Thank you,” Rook responded, taking the sandwich from his friend. Zed lifted her head and half heartedly tried to snatch it before lumbering over to lie on Kevin’s lap. He was more likely to share, she knew. “We were just talking about Kai.”

“Ugh. Kai.”

“What happened with Kai?” Kevin asked, peering around Zed as she fully stood on top of him, paw on either knee. Kevin made no effort to push her off.

“Dumped me. Stole Rook’s girlfriend actually. Or the other way around. I’m too scared to ask and Rook’s too polite even though they actually talked it out. At least Molly had the decency to tell him before anything happened.”

“Oh, Ouch. Never been cheated on but Argit was once and boy. It was messy. Ended up having to knock him out with a Null Guardian leg. You do not want to hear how that went down.”

Rook did actually want to hear how that went down but the conversation delved into a pretty decent gossip session and Rook quickly forgot Gwen’s comment and that sad feeling he got when Gwen mentioned humans not liking furred aliens. Really, why was he caught up on that? His relationship with Molly wasn’t like that and, besides, it was over. It wasn’t like he had any other humans on his mind.

It was only a matter of time before Rook and Ben found themselves on another mission with Molly and Kai. It was awkward.

“Ben.” 

Kai.”

Awkward for Kai and Ben at least. Molly and Rook were great.

“Rook! It’s good to see you!” 

“Molly! I am happy to see you as well.”

“I wish I could be on good terms with my exes,” Kai grumbled. Ben fully gave her the stink eye, making no effort to hide it. Rook put a hand on Ben’s shoulder to keep him from making a scene. They’d been over this. Many times.

“So what is the situation?” Rook asked, hoping they could get right into things without the drama. Or, more drama anyway. Some was inevitable when Ben was involved. “We usually do not get many details from headquarters for these sorts of missions.”

“Remember that werewolf we ran into when we met?” Kai asked, turning to Ben. “The Yenaldooshi?”

“The one that turned out to be an alien? Yeah. I thought he died. Pretty sure Grandpa Max rammed a space shuttle into him or something. I don’t really remember.”

“Well, he’s still alive and kicking. We ran into him when we were investigating a site reported to have some remains of what we suspect to be an alien aircraft. The werewolf swiped them and took off into the desert. Grandpa Wes says last time he saw him, the werewolf was caught up in some big plan with some other aliens so he wanted us to have some back up going after this guy.”

“I thought werewolves were fictional,” Rook commented, a bit proud he remembered what a werewolf was. Not that he’d ever tell Kai or Ben that it was solely thanks to werewolf fics. Not the most popular trope in any of the fandoms he was in, even Weird World , but there were a handful of Sumo Slammers fics where that used lycanthropy to explain Kenko’s powers. It worked well. Maybe Rook would try writing something like that if this mission gave him any inspiration.

“They are,” Ben told him. “This guy’s an alien. We just don’t know what kind so it’s easier to call him a werewolf. Or Yenaldooshi.”

“A Yenaldooshi is a type of witch that wears coyote skin in Navajo mythology,” Kai explained. “Ben got scratched by it and we thought he was transforming like people did in the legends but it turned out the Omnitrix was just malfunctioning. Benwolf was pretty cute though.”

“Hey! I call him Blitzwolfer now! And he’s not cute. He’s tough!”

“Whatever. You two helping?”

“Doy. Do you really think we came all the way to Arizona just to leave right away? It’s Arizona!” 

In the moment, Rook didn’t understand Ben’s disdain for Arizona but he quickly realized it was well placed. It was hot here. Too hot for a Revonnahgander, as they quickly learned. He still helped out, of course, but it wasn’t until night fell that it was cool enough for any of them to venture very far into the desert. 

“Gimme your hand.”

“What?” 

“You have fur,” Ben pointed out like it was obvious as he took Rook’s hand in his own. Rook didn’t pull away. 

“Why is that reason to hold hands?”

“Deserts are freezing at night! Humans huddle for warmth, you know.”

“Then huddle with your fellow humans. I am sure they would appreciate it much more than I do.”

“Yeah, no. I am not going to butt into my ex’s relationship because I’m cold.”

“Fine. You can hold my hand, Ben.” Only because Ben had been kind to him when Rook was sweating through his fur that afternoon. Definitely not because watching Molly and Kai hold hands made him wish he had a hand to hold. He hadn’t in a long time, not since Rayona and that was a long time ago. The only person whose hand he maybe could’ve held was Scout’s and his claws were too big to really do that. Besides, no matter how nerdy the foundation of their friendship was, hand holding wasn’t really something men did with each other.

Except Rook and Ben, apparently. It didn’t feel emasculating at all. Maybe being an alien in pretty much every social scenario he’d had the past few years made him more secure in his masculinity? He’d never been insecure about it before but it was a lot easier to bend Revonnahgander social norms when there were no other Revonnahganders around.

Concern wormed its way onto Ben’s face. “Is this okay? I’m just messing around, I don’t want to be pushy. If you don’t want to-”

Rook curled his fingers around Ben’s hand. “It is fine, Ben. I do not mind keeping you warm. Did you know that when humans are cold, the warm blood in their body leaves their fingers and toes first because it is farthest from the heart? That is why hypothermia victims-”

“Okay, I don’t want to hear about that when we’re freezing in the middle of the desert!”

Rook wanted to tell him that there was no ice in the desert so it wouldn’t actually be that extreme but Ben was tugging on his hand to catch up with Molly and Kai. A smile formed on his face, amused by Ben’s antics. “I imagine that our- do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Ben asked, coming to a stop. Ahead of them, Kai and Molly paused and turned toward them, concern on their faces. Molly let go of Kai’s hand and drew her blaster, eyes already scanning the area for potential threat like the trained Plumber she was.

“I am not sure. Revonnahganders have sharper hearing than humans but it is not that significant,” Rook told him, letting go of Ben’s hand to draw his own weapon. Immediately, his fingers felt a little colder but now wasn’t the time to complain. “I know I heard movement. It might have just been-”

Rook thought it could have just been wind blowing sand around but Kai screamed, hulkish arms appearing from the shadows and dragged her into the desert. “Kai!”

Rook switched his Proto-Tool’s light on. He hadn’t before in fear of draining the battery or drawing unwanted attention but that hardly mattered now. Molly was aiming frantically, too afraid of losing Kai to lower her weapon but too afraid of hitting Kai to shoot. Rook rotated quickly, aiming the flashlight everywhere but he saw nothing around them, save drag marks in the sand. Then Ben was tapping his shoulder and directed his gaze upward. There, standing on a thick sandstone cliff, illuminated by moonlight, was a werewolf, an unconscious Kai tossed over its shoulder. Only, it wasn’t a werewolf. 

“Loboan?”

The Loboan howled and suddenly Molly was shooting and the creature vanished into the night.

“You saw a Loboan? Here? On Earth?”

Honestly, Rook had no idea how Scout got here so fast. It was a miracle he’d answered Rook’s call and a godsend Scout had managed to find a planet with a teleporter that didn’t chase him off for being an Anur species right off the bat. Not how Rook expected his best friend to visit his new world for the first time but Rook wasn’t complaining. They needed his help.

“Yeah, the werewo- uh, Yenaldooshi- er, what are your people called again? I always call them Blitzwolfers. Or Benwolfs, I guess.”

“Loboans,” Rook, Molly, and Scout said in unison. Really, it wasn’t hard to remember species names. If Ben could remember the nicknames he gave his transformations, he should be able to remember the names of their actual species.

“Loboans. The guy is one of you,” Ben said before his eyes flickered down to the Omnitrix. “He doesn’t look exactly the same. You’re kind of halfway between him and Blitzwolfer. The Yenaldooshi is pretty skinny. He’s big but he’s not buff like Blitzwolfer.”

Rook would’ve made fun of Ben for calling himself buff if the situation weren’t so dire.

“Sounds like a Lunar Loboan,” Scout responded and got blank stares in response. “Oh, um, so there are different types of Loboans. We all come from Luna Lobo but the ones that live on planets are pretty different from the ones that live on the moon. It’s lifestyle mostly, nothing genetically different or anything. Planetary Loboans usually live in towns alongside other species and Lunan Loboans usually like in packs. They don’t really speak like you do and they’re a lot more aggressive in general. I think just because they don't have a super reliable food source, they have to hunt and stuff so they’re just hungrier. I’m, uh, I’m a Planetary Loboan, by the way.”

“Can you still talk to the Lunar Loboan?” Molly asked. She was gripping her elbows, Rook noticed. She was worried about Kai and Scout’s comment about Lunar Loboans’ hunger probably wasn’t helping. 

Scout, thankfully, nodded. “Yeah. Our sonic abilities developed since our language is more- well, I don’t want to say sound-based since most species rely on vocal chords to communicate but we just kind of make noises and infer the meaning from them? It’s not an exact science like talking with words is but it’s not hard. If you need to talk to the Loboan, I can translate.”

“I think we are more focused on getting Kai back,” Rook told him, “but we will keep that in mind.”

“I had Wildmutt– that’s my Vulpimancer form– sniff around a bit. I was able to find the general area the Yenaldooshi is hanging around,” Ben explained, “but Molly and Rook told me not to get too close. Didn’t know how the Yenaldooshi would react to me coming close, and all that. Is it okay if I call him the Yenaldooshi? That’s just how I think of him since werewolf isn’t really accurate. But I guess Yenaldooshi isn’t really either but that feels a bit more specific than werewolf.”

Scout stopped him before Ben could start rambling. “It’s fine. Loboans only really use names when we’re interacting with species who do. Actually it’s more complicated than that but I don’t think you really want to get into that right now.”

Molly nodded. “Right. We need to find Kai. You think you’ll be able to approach the Yenaldooshi’s lair without any problem?”

Scout nodded. “Leave it to me. Probably best if you guys hang back. If this really is a Loban, I’m sure he’ll be surprised enough to see another Loboan on Earth that he won’t attack right away at the very least. I’ll call you in if there’s any problems.”

It was a solid plan but it didn’t ward off Ben or Molly’s unease. Kai was Molly’s girlfriend and Ben’s ex for crying out loud. They had every right to be nervous, especially since they were putting all their trust in an alien neither of them knew. They set up camp at the base of a hoodoo not far from where Wildmutt determined the Yenaldooshi was hiding out. That was about all they could do. It was all in Scout’s hands now.

They all remained silent, tense in anticipation, until Scout’s voice finally came crackling through comms. “All clear.”

The three of them visibly relaxed. Rook clicked his comm on to respond. “What is the situation?”

“Kai’s fine. Yenaldooshi here got stuck on Earth a few decades ago on a… scouting party? I don;t really know what to call it. The High Ecto-Lord got trapped out of the Anur System for a couple centuries. A Transylian scientist was chosen to look for Zs’Skayr and learn more about the outside world but their ship was damaged and they were separated for a bit. Apparently they found each other again a few years ago and tried to get offworld but the Transylian and Thep Khufan crewmates left them behind. They’ve been trying to build a ship. That’s why Kai and Molly ran into them. The only alien tech they could make much use of was leftover pieces from earlier incursions.”

“They?” Molly echoed. Rook knew it didn’t matter but Scout’s word choice captured his curiosity as well. Was there more than one or…?

“Um, yeah. I told you naming practices for Loboans were complicated and I’m not really sure how some of our language translates but they is a neutral pronoun in common tongue, right? Our language is more tonal and on Luna Lobo gender is… Yenaldooshi doesn’t use the more masculine or feminine tones so they felt like the best translation. Is that alright?”

“Oh, yeah. Of course.” Molly recovered quickly. “Some humans use they/ them pronouns. I just didn’t realize Loboans had, uh, progressive views about gender.”

“I really have no idea what you’re talking about but anyway,” Scout went on, “Yenaldooshi recognized Kai and Ben’s scents and grabbed Kai hoping Ben wouldn’t attack them if they had her.”

Ben grimaced. “Honestly, smart move on his- um, their part. Um, tell them I’m sorry?”

A rumbling noise came from the other end of the comm, followed by a bark that didn’t quite sound like Scout. A moment later, Scout was speaking again. “They say it’s fine. Well, not really but they’re not going to hold it against you. Before I got here, Kai got the idea Yenaldooshi was building something and decided to help out. Now that I’m here, I told them I’d give them a hand and then if they wanted I could help them get the rest of the parts they need. Through the Plumbers or alien shops, of course. I don’t really want to mess with Kai’s work any more than I have to.”

Rook released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “That is wonderful news. How long before you can come out of the cave?”

“Awhile,” Scout answered and he didn’t sound particularly happy about it. “Yenaldooshi is exactly trusting and they want some assurance that we won’t screw them over. This stuff isn’t too complex though. A few hours maybe? I’m not really sure what time it is but I’ll make sure we’re out by sunhigh. Sound good?”

“Affirmative.”

“Can I talk to Kai?” Molly requested, holding out a hand. Rook passed his communicator over to her readily. “I- I just want to hear that she’s alright.”

“Um, sure. Kai? Rook’s girlfriend wants to talk to you.”

“Oh, we broke up,” Rook and Molly said in unison, Molly’s face red and Rook’s fur fluffing up ever so slightly.

“Really? Man, Rook, you need to tell me these things. Okay, handing you over now.”

Rook and Ben scooted to the other side of the hoodoo, giving Molly some privacy to talk to her girlfriend. Rook borrowed Ben’s comm to inform HQ of the situation, and to tell Jerry to find some accommodations for Yenaldooshi and Scout. Scout, being a Plumber, was entitled to a room in the residents’ wing of the underground base but Yenaldooshi wasn’t a Plumber. Unless they wanted to keep sleeping in caves, they’d need a place in Undertown. And while Rook was sure Yenaldooshi had no problem maintaining their current lifestyle while building their ship, Rook was sure Scout would. Something to talk about later but it wasn’t like Rook had anything better to do. May as well make sure the options were available. 

Most of the night was spent huddling for warmth before Ben got the idea to use XLR8 to go grab some blankets. Molly remained at the front of the hoodoo, as close to Yenaldooshi’s den as she dared get, while Ben and Rook hung back, giving her some space. It’d be nice for the three of them to spend some time together but Molly was distracted and Rook got the idea Ben still wasn’t totally thrilled about Molly dating Kai. Rook didn’t really want to get caught up in whatever drama they had though so he wasn’t all that upset to spend the night with Ben curled up next to him. Playing the no internet dinosaur game wasn’t what Rook would normally call a good time but Ben made it fun. He always did.

Rook felt like he’d done this before. Had Molly and Rook sat like this on stakeouts before? What would Ben be doing if they did? He couldn’t remember. He didn’t think so. Rook and Molly usually kept professional on missions. Ben would always gag when they acted coupley. Then again, they didn’t really act coupley even when they were alone. Rook thought they did but watching Kai and Molly made him rethink that. Was sharing a blanket and playing the no internet dinosaur game a couple thing? It felt like something he could see Molly and Kai or even Kevin and Gwen doing. Then again, he was doing it with Ben and it wasn’t like he’d never shared a seat and tablet with Scout when the common rooms were full.

He fell asleep thinking about that.

Chapter Text

“Molly, can I talk to you for a moment?”

As promised, Scout returned from Yenaldooshi’s den with Yenaldooshi and Kai in tow as the sun creeped to the highest point in the sky the following morning. Yenaldooshi didn’t let Rook, Ben, or Molly take a look at the ship they were building but they did agree to return to Bellwood with the Plumbers. A promise of a place to live other than a cave, as it turned out, proved to be enticing.

Kai was… Rook didn’t know where Kai was at the moment but Molly was at the spot Rook had parked the Proto-Ship, taking some time to see her friends off. Well, Rook and Ben. She’d only met Scout once before and Yenaldooshi was a total stranger, a stranger with a language barrier. Scout’s request visibly surprised her. “Oh. Um, sure. Just us?”

“Uh…” Scout glanced between Ben and Rook. “All three of you I guess? I don’t really know what the situation was. But Kai came onto me a couple times while we were working. And, uh, Yenaldooshi too, I think. I might just be misinterpreting human behavior but I thought you should know.”

Molly’s expression changed. “Oh. Scout, thank you but I don’t think Kai would-”

“I thought Kai was into me the day we met. I transformed into a Loboan that day,” Ben said suddenly, cutting off whatever Molly was saying. A rare moment of solemnity overtook his posture and Ben suddenly felt much taller than he actually was. “Kai told me she wasn’t interested in me after I turned back. And, uh, when we were dating, she showed- she acted… Kai was different about my aliens than me, especially Blitzwolfer. I- Look, I know I acted out a bit when you and Kai started dating but I don’t, like, want Kai back or anything. You two seem good together. We had a lot of problems when we were together and I was kinda hoping things would be different with you two but it sounds like you have some things to talk about.”

Molly’s lips pursed. “I- okay. Yeah, I’ll talk to her. But only because the stereotype about lesbians and communication is based on reality! I trust Kai but I also trust your judgment, Ben. I’ll talk to her.”

Scout smiled awkwardly. “You do that. And, uh, sorry. I don’t want to cause problems in your relationship.”

Molly waved him off. “You didn’t do anything… You didn’t do anything, right?”

“Um, no.” One of Scout’s ears flopped down to the side. “The first time I thought it was just an accident and played it off. The second time I straight up told her Loboans aren’t really into furless apes.”

“Okay, I know she came onto you and I’m starting to get a little peeved but that still doesn’t mean you can call my girlfriend a furless ape.”

Scout’s other ear fell down. “Sorry? I thought humans were apes. And you don’t have fur.”

“Forgive me, that was how I referred to you when we were dating,” Rook spoke up, feeling bad Scout was taking the blame. “It is an, uh, extranet meme from Apoplexia that species like ours usually are not interested in species like Incurseans or Tetramands.”

Molly sighed. “Incurseans and Tetramands aren’t anything like apes. They’re- Actually, you know what? Forget it. Not a big deal. You four have a nice trip back to Bellwood. And I hope Yenaldooshi makes it back to the Anur System okay.”

Scout gave her a thumbs up. “I’ll try my best.”

“It was good seeing you, Molly,” Rook said and he meant it.

“Yeah,” Ben agreed, opening his arms up for a hug. Humans and their hugs. How strange. “Hope everything goes well with Kai.”

“Me too,” Molly responded and then she was gone, leaving Ben and Rook to take their seats at the front of the Proto-Ship and Scout and Yenaldooshi to climb into the cargo hold in the back.

“Y’know, when Kai and I were dating,” Ben said quietly after they’d been in the air for awhile, once he was sure Scout and Yenaldooshi were too deep in their own conversation to be listening, “I was scared Kai only liked me for Blitzwolfer. Or all my aliens, really. XLR8 got our first kiss. But mostly Blitzwolfer.”

Rook hadn’t picked up on any of that when Ben and Kai were dating. They always seemed like a happy couple, just like the ones he saw in fics. That was the human standard as far as he knew. Then again, he hadn’t spent much time with the two of them before the mission in Dos Santos. Did that make him a bad friend? That he didn’t know his friend’s relationship wasn’t working? Rook’s girlfriend swept Kai off her feet the day they met. Wasn’t that a sign things hadn’t been all that good at that point?

“When Kai started dating Molly, I felt like I’d been pretty silly for thinking that. I mean, she was dating a human. That meant I was just being insecure about the alien thing, right? I’d been scared Julie didn’t like me for my aliens and that ended. I must’ve just been projecting the opposite onto Kai, right? And since Kai left me for Molly, that meant it wasn’t me. I’m a guy, she likes girls. It wasn’t going to happen.”

“And now?” Rook asked, fearing the answer. “What do you think now?”

“That Kai’s got issues,” Ben grumbled. “I mean, I don’t care if people want to date aliens. I dated a couple. And my grandma’s an alien. I can’t really complain about that. But Kai’s attitude about aliens doesn’t really feel… healthy. To me, at least I don’t know a lot about alien dating stuff. But now I feel like she was just stringing me along. Maybe Molly too. I don’t really know what’s going on with her but right now I really feel like she’d only dated me for Blitzwolfer.”

As much as Ben joked, complained, and puffed up his own chest, he could be thoughtful sometimes. Rook knew that, even if he forgot pretty frequently. He wrote a whole fic about how genuine Ben could be yet these moments still surprised him. “If it makes you feel any better, I think Molly only dated me for that long because I was the only man she could put up with. We were never really, uh, romantic. Or sexual. I think she knew she was gay from the start and the only reason we worked was because I didn’t ask her to be straight for me.”

“Oh. Um, yeah. That makes sense.”

Rook swallowed, a rush of adrenaline overtaking him. Before a cloud of doubt rolled in, he blurted out, “And I think that may have been because I didn’t want to be straight for her.”

“Oh!”

Rook would’ve looked away if he didn’t need to keep his eyes ahead to keep them all from crashing and dying a horrible death. That didn’t sound all that unappealing right now though.

“That’s- that’s great!” Ben exclaimed and Rook didn’t know if it sounded authentic or forced. A wave of embarrassment overtook him. He shouldn’t have said that. What was he thinking? “Is- is it?”

“Is it?” What kind of question was that?

“On Earth figuring out your sexuality is a good thing! Nowadays, at least,” Ben told him. “How do your people feel about guys liking guys? Or you liking guys, I guess.”

Liking guys. Someone saying it out loud made it feel all the more real. Rook wasn’t ready for this. What had he been thinking? Oh right, he hadn’t been thinking. “Not… great?”

“Oh. Um, that sucks.”

Rook snorted. “Yes. It does.”

“Got a progressive family at least?”

“Yes, actually, but not that progressive.” Rook sighed. He never thought about this all that carefully. He should have but he always pushed thoughts of his family away when his mind drifted towards- well, men. In this context, that is. All the times he got bored in class and instead occupied his mind by appreciating the solid builds of his male classmates. The softness the corners of men’s eyes had, a depth he could fall into that Rook just couldn’t find in women. Seeing Scout the soft fur on barrel chest bare when he tossed off his shirt to take a shower after a long work out. The way Ben’s voice grew a touch deeper when he was focused, and then peak when he got excited.

Brallada. Rook was gay, wasn’t he? And what were those thoughts about Scout and Ben about? He knew he didn’t have a crush on Scout. He would’ve noticed at some point during their time at the Academy, wouldn’t he? Maybe it was just a lingering attraction. Scout was handsome. He didn’t have to like men to know that. But he didn’t have the same excuse for Ben.

He’d known Ben less than a year. He’d been dating Molly for most of that time, though Rook wasn’t really sure if he could call what they had dating at this point. Was that enough time to get a crush? Rook didn’t know. The only points of reference he had were fanfiction and Rayona and he was starting to realize he shouldn’t be using either of those things to figure out his feelings about real-life relationships. Crushes happened so fast in fanfic. Or so slow. And his relationship with Rayona had come so naturally. Then again, so had his relationship with Molly and he knew exactly why that happened.

Plus, everything he said about furless apes was true. There was a reason there was a popular joke about it. It was relatable. Most furred aliens, anyone from Arachnichimp to Vulpimancers, didn’t go for anything with scales or bare skin. And among mammals, canines, felines, and rodents usually didn’t go for primates. It wasn’t a rule but Rook related to it the first time he heard it mentioned. Fur was attractive. Ape features generally were not.

He hadn’t been through this with Molly but he needed to stop comparing his feelings now to her. And she’d practically asked him out. The idea never would’ve occurred to him if she hadn’t said anything. He liked her for her personality and how well it meshed with his. The again, didn’t he like Ben’s personality? Was it attraction if Rook only liked Ben’s personality? There were different types of attraction, Rook knew, but he didn’t know what they were. Did that matter though? Attraction was attraction, physical or not. 

Rook tried to think back to any time he might’ve looked at Ben the way he’d apparently been looking at Scout back at the Academy but his train of thought was interrupted when he realized Ben was talking to him. “Forgive me, could you repeat that?”

“I- uh, nevermind.” Rook felt the seat shudder a bit as Ben shook himself. “Forget it. Thanks for telling me, dude. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

It wasn’t. It really wasn’t but Ben’s assurance made him feel a bit better.

The next few days were hectic. Returning from a mission usually involved some report writing, and haggling Ben into writing his usually took some effort on Rook’s part, and then there was the usual rest and recuperation. This time, however, they returned with a couple guests in tow. Scout arrived via teleportation, which needed to be logged, and he was going to be at a station half a galaxy away from his usual one. There was a mountain of paperwork involved in that.

Molly had returned about a day into that whole process, eyes dry but rimmed with red. Rook didn’t have to ask that it hadn’t gone well with Kai. He let her sleep over until Jerry cleared her to return to her own quarters, then proceeded to break into her room every morning to make sure she got out of bed. It didn’t matter that they weren’t dating. Rook still cared and he cared a lot. He wouldn’t let Molly go through this alone if he could help it.

They’d also found an alien who’d arrived on Earth with no records long before Plumber presence was firmly established on Earth. Rook knew there had been a number of human Plumbers running things until a few years ago but he didn’t know the implications. Or, he hadn’t. He did now. Sorting things out with Yenaldooshi required Rook, Scout, and Ben to become intimately familiar with Earth’s alien immigrant policy, specifically Earth’s contemporary alien history. 

It worked out in the end, Yenaldooshi getting some temporary housing in Undertown and a promise of a stipend to aid with ship repairs, but by that point they were too tired to really be excited about it. At least Rook had Scout back. Even if it was several days before the pair had the chance to spend any time together.

“You didn’t tell me you and Molly broke up,” Scout told him casually as he padded into Rook’s room and threw himself onto his bed before Rook could even invite him in. Rook huffed affectionately and took the chair at his desk. Nothing had changed, it seemed. Or maybe it was more accurate to say some things never changed even when everything else did.

“Forgive me. I suppose we have not been talking as much as we thought we would when we graduated. I feel I am partially to blame for that.”

“Don’t beat yourself up. I think that I thought that we were talking more than we actually do. I mean, I think about you all the time,” Scout said, rolling onto his belly to face Rook. “You were a really big part of my life for a long time and I don’t have anyone like that on Anur Transyl. And I still get notifications whenever you post a fic or like a piece of my art so I guess my brain counts that as interaction when it isn’t.”

“I did write a break up fic after Molly and I ended things,” Rook remembered aloud. “Real world AU. Kenko’s girlfriend left him for Ishiyama’s girlfriend.”

“ Men Don’t Shiver My Timbers ,” Scout recalled. He cocked his head. “Was the title a reference? I don’t get it. And you know I read all your writing but I really have no idea who anyone is in your Sumo Slammer fics. I tried pirating the show once but the extranet copy got corrupted by an overexcited Galvanic Mechamorph four years ago, or at least that’s what all the forums said. I didn’t realize that fic was different from any others. It all went over my head.”

Now that Scout was on Earth, he could watch it if he wanted. Maybe that’d be a good way for Ben and Scout to spend some time together. Ben never said no to Sumo Slammers and Rook would be thrilled to see his two closest friends getting along. “Perhaps we should not rely on fanfiction to communicate with each other.”

“You think?” Scout snorted before pausing. “Wait, did I ever tell you I dated an Apoplexian?”

What? “No? Brallada, how did you-”

“It was long distance,” Scout responded with a shrug, waving his tail behind me. “Didn’t work for obvious reasons. You remember Skraprr Byakko?”

“You dated Skraprr Byakko?” Rook remembered Skraprr. Too brash for Rook’s taste but pretty tame compared to other Apoplexians. And he one of the only felines at the Academy when Rook was enrolled. They bonded over it. Looking back, Rook probably would’ve had a crush on him if his loudness wasn’t so off putting. 

But more importantly, in Rook’s mind, Skrappr was textbook masculinity, physically at least. Was Scout gay too? That would make Rook’s life a lot easier.

“What? No. Skraprr and I were in the Xenopology Club together.”

“How does that affect anything?”

“A lot went down in Xenopology Club. What happens in Xenopology Club stays in Xenopology Club but let me tell you-”

“You saw him naked, didn’t you?”

“Ooh, contraction. But yes. I know you’re a feline and you probably think what we canines have going on is crazy but what you guys are rocking is just plain scary.”

“And yet you dated an Apoplexian?”

“Female,” Scout said and Rook mentally slapped himself. He was just thinking about how Scout probably wasn’t gay. “And long distance. Skrappr set us up. I wasn’t really looking but I told him how other Loboans aren’t really cool with the whole Plumber thing and he told me his friend got dumped recently and wasn’t looking for anything close to home at the time.”

“You were a rebound.” Scout had taught him that word. Rook was kind of proud for remembering.

“Pretty much, yeah. Not upset about it though. It just means the hunt’s going to be a little bit longer and Loboans don’t mind a long hunt.”

That was a nice way to look at it. “Any luck?”

Rook was expecting Scout to say no but his friend’s ears twitched and Rook knew that meant something. He grinned and leaned forward, earning himself a scowl from his best friend. “Hey, quit looking at me like that. It’s- it’s nothing yet. Yenaldooshi and I are just- we’re hitting it off well. I don’t want to push anything since I’m the only Loboan they’ve seen in decades, decades they spent running from humans while I drew fictional monsters and tried to get an extranet signal through the Anur Arachnid’s webs. But anytime I spend time with them, I want to spend more time with them and if that’s not a sign there’s something there, I don’t know what is.”

“Wow.” Rook didn’t know what to say.

Scout’s ears flattened and Rook suddenly realized how vulnerable Scout was being. “What? You don’t like Yenaldooshi?”

“No! Well, I do not really know them but they seem nice.” Not really but Rook wasn’t going to say that. Decades spent hunting in the desert didn’t exactly do wonders for someone’s fur and it was hard for Rook to see much else when Yenaldooshi only knew a handful of English phrases so far.

“Then what is it?”

“They are not… female.”

Scout eyes narrowed. “Is that a problem?”

“No!” Brallada, he sounded like a jerk right now, didn’t he. “It is just-”

“Just what?”

“...I do not think I like women. And I may have told Ben I like men even though I am not quite sure yet. I mean, I am fairly certain but I am not completely certain. This is all very new to me.”

“Oh. Okay, wow,” Scout said, demeanor completely changing. He sat up a bit, propping himself up on his elbows. “Sorry for snarling at you. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“You were not snarling.”

“Figuratively, not literally.” Scout’s tail waved behind him. “And sorry if you felt pressured to come out.”

“I wanted to tell you anyway. I miss talking to you, Scout.”

“I do too, Rook,” Scout said, voice growing soft. “So… Ben?”

“What about him?”

“You said you told Ben you like men. Was The Ben 10 Show an awakening for you?”

“What? No. I told you, Deefus Veeblepister is awful.”

“But you like the hero Ben 10?”

“I- maybe?” Did he? Rook didn’t know. “You are making it sound like it is a fan thing.”

“Sorry,” Scout apologized and Rook knew it was genuine. “I haven’t really had a chance to get to know him. I mean, I know he’s not the same Ben 10 as the one in The Ben 10 Show but that’s the only one I’ve known until now. Hard to separate them in my head. It’s different for you?”

“No. Not anymore at least. My Ben is… real. He’s not the pinnacle of heroism and confidence. He’s just someone my age who tries to do the right thing even though his life is busy enough without trying to save the universe.” Rook felt his voice take a wistful tone but he couldn’t help it. “Ben is… We had fun, back when it was just me, Molly, and him. We got smoothies and we played Sumo Slammers on his console when patrol got slow. And then when it was just the two of us, he tried to cheer me up. I think he knew I associated meatballs with Molly so he got me to try burgers and shakes. He shared his favorite food with me when it made me sad to eat mine. And in the desert, he took care of me when I overheated and let me take care of him when he was cold. That was when I realized I have never felt that way about someone before.”

“Woah.” Scout was smiling. There were no teeth in it, just an upward quirk of his lips and an intense look in his eyes that let Rook know he was really listening. “It sounds like you really love him.”

Rook’s fur fluffed up in embarrassment. He made no attempt to hide it. Love was a big word. “I- I would not go that far.”

“You said you love the real Ben 10. The character, that is. You chose this guy over a character you used to get you through two years in military school lightyears from home. That’s gotta mean something.”

“Perhaps. But I do wish you would stop comparing Ben to The Ben 10 Show . They are nothing alike.”

“Sorry. Hey, you ever tell Ben about The Ben 10 Show ?”

“Yes. When we met Deefus Veeblepister.”

“Oh right. Yeah, I forgot he’d been there.”

“I did not tell him how active I am in the fandom or what it means to me. I think I should.”

“Yeah, probably.”

“...”

“...”

“...Do you want to watch Sumo Slammers ?”

“I really don’t think I have the mental capacity to get sucked into another fandom right now but my answer is still yeah, doy. Of course I want to watch Sumo Slammers , Rook. Who do you take me for?”

Rook laughed and got up to search for his laptop. Even as his world was shaken upside down, there were some things he could count on to stay the same.

It wasn’t a big deal, in the greater scheme of things at least. It felt like a big deal to Rook though, even if he didn’t want it to be. He didn’t want Ben to think it was big for him. He had to approach this casually.

“Have you ever watched The Ben 10 Show ?”

Ben glanced over at him from the Proto-Truk passenger seat, looking vaguely surprised. “The show that Deefus guy is in? No, why? Something happen?”

Rook shook his head and hoped his words didn’t sound too rehearsed. “No, but I thought that you may be interested to know how the universe perceives you. There is a rather active space on the extranet that discusses the program.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised aliens have fandom culture,” Ben murmured before speaking up. “That’s not really about me though, right?”

“It is the image of you,” Rook pointed out, “and there is a significant part of the fandom that focuses on you, Ben.”

“Sounds like you're familiar with it,” Ben said, voice taking a teasing tone. Rook remained silent and surprise overtook his features. “Wait, you’re into this stuff?”

“Not really, not anymore.” That wasn’t even really a lie. It was harder to get inspiration now. He wrote a Sumo Slammers oneshot a few weeks ago but that was the only thing he’d written since the break up fic, and even then he’d been kind of slacking. “The radio signal was one of the few I could find on Revonnah. It was a way for me to learn more about life offworld. And at the Academy, the extranet was one of the few distractions any student had from school life.”

“Huh. I guess that makes sense. I’m not really into the whole fandom scene so I guess I was surprised you would be. You think I should check it out?”

Not really but that had been Rook’s gateway into his confession so he sort of had to say yes. “I think you would find it interesting is all. I believe you can find excerpts from Plumber textbooks about you.”

“Wait, you guys had classes about me?”

“No but you came up. There are a few paragraphs about you in one of the general education textbooks.”

“Man, a guy saves the universe and he only gets a few paragraphs? Ungrateful.” Ben leaned against the window. “Well, thanks for telling me, Rook. I haven’t spent that much time checking out the extranet. I guess this might be a good way to get started.”

Rook offered him a smile before looking back to the road. “Anytime, Ben.”

It wasn’t a big deal but at least it was a weight off Rook’s chest. Now maybe he would feel less bad about his little crush on Ben.

Chapter Text

Ben meant what he said when he said he didn’t want a new team but it was inevitable he grew fond of Rook and Molly. He couldn’t spend so much time with someone and just end up not liking them. Ben was just like that. He even sort of liked J.T. after all this time. He shouldn’t have been surprised he missed Molly on patrols when she left to work with Kai.

Then Kai broke up with him. Over text. Over text! How rude was that? Ben knew their relationship wasn’t perfect but he thought she at least cared enough about him to break up with him face to face.

“I hate break ups,” Ben whined when Rook opened his room’s door. He raised a brow in question and Ben took the opportunity to duck under the taller man’s arm and step into the room.

“I do too,” Rook sighed and turned, shuffling into the room after Ben. “It has been a trying time.”

“Wait, Molly broke up with you too?”

Rook looked confused. “Kai did not tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Molly and Kai have been dating for weeks.”

“What?! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought you knew! I thought that was why our patrols have been so quiet.”

“They’ve been quiet because we’re missing a person. Wait, did Molly tell you she was dating Kai face to face?”

“I had my suspicions and suggested we end things so she could pursue her relationship with Kai,” Rook explained and the guy looked genuinely guilty. “Forgive me, I had not known that you and Kai had not spoken.”

“It’s not your fault. Damn, I guess the stereotypes about lesbians and communication aren’t true.” Was Kai a lesbian? That would make things a lot easier. He could rationalize that. Meant they just weren’t meant to work out, not that there was something wrong with them. “I guess that means you don’t want to listen to me ugly cry.”

“I- what?”

Ben turned into Big Chill and flew out through the ceiling before Rook could protest. He didn’t know what he was thinking coming to Rook’s room like that. They were friends, or so Ben hoped, but not friends like that. They didn’t do feelings, not like he did with Gwen and Kevin. God, he wanted to talk to Gwen and Kevin right now but he also didn’t really want to fly all the way to Friedkin. Gwen was probably in class anyway and Kevin would just sit there awkwardly if Ben looked even remotely distressed. Those two were out.

Should he talk to his mom? She was probably at work by now but she’d drop things to listen to her son. Ben didn’t really want to talk to his mom though. She was- well, his mom. He wasn’t too cool to hang out with his mom but there were some details of his relationship that he did not want slipping out in front of his parents. Ben swore he would trap himself as Walkatrout before even hinting that he thought Kai was more into Blitzwolfer than him in front of Sandra or Carl.

That didn’t leave a lot of options though. Should he talk to Julie? Or Ester? Wait, it was probably a bad idea to see your ex after a break up. Geez, he really needed more friends. Should he go to school? He hadn’t been in forever but maybe he had some friend there he didn’t know about who had good break up advice. No, now he was sounding real pathetic. He needed to find someone quick or Big Chill was about to freeze half of Bellwood with his tears.

And that was what brought him to the counter at Mr. Baumann’s grocery.

“Ben…”

“I promise I won’t wreck anything, Mr. Baumann.” Ben clasped his hands together like he was pleading, hoping that would really sell it. “I just want to cry in public and this seemed like a good place to do it.”

Now Mr. Baumann looked concerned. “What? Are you alright, Ben?”

Whoops. Time to backpedal. Old people never really got that kind of humor, did they? “I’m not actually going to cry in your store, Mr. Baumann. I just- what do you know about breakups?”

“What makes you think I know anything about breakups?”

That was kind of a good point. Ben had no idea how Mr. Baumann managed to pull Sheelane but honestly, as much as Ben butt heads with his neighbor, he thought they made a good couple. “I dunno. I just have a lot of feelings right now and don’t want to sit in my room at home.”

That was a mental image, wasn’t it? Hoodie zipped up, headphones jammed in his ears, lights off, bawling. Granted, Ben hadn’t done that when he broke up with Julie or Ester but they hadn’t cheated on him either. Had Kai cheated? He wasn’t totally sure. Something to think about later. Point was he didn’t know how he was going to react and he felt pretty fragile right now.

Gentleness overtook Mr. Baumann’s features. Or maybe it was pity. Ben thought it looked a lot like pity. “Oh, alright. I’m busy but you can stay at the counter. Just don’t touch anything!”

Ben was pretty sure Mr. Baumann just slapped on that last part for old time’s sake but he promised that he wouldn’t destroy the store and flopped down over the surface of the counter. In the back of his mind, he heard his mother’s voice tell him not to do that, that public surfaces were dirty and he shouldn’t be putting his face on them, just like she had in his younger years, but he couldn’t find himself to care. Mr. Baumann’s counter couldn’t be that dirty. Breaking up with a serious partner over text? Now that was dirty.

The sound of slurping filled his ears. Ben rotated his head to see Solid Plugg standing on the ground next to him, slurping some drink Ben was pretty sure came from Pakmar thick blue liquid through a straw. Pakmar’s latest business, he was pretty sure. “Got broken up with, huh?”

Solid Plugg wasn’t exactly Ben’s idea of a conversation partner but he wasn’t going to pass up the chance for human connection. Or alien connection? Solid Plugg wasn’t a stranger at least. Ben knew him well enough to know he at least wouldn’t go running off to Will Harangue with all his secrets. How embarrassing would it be if his breakup got broadcasted all over television? “Over text.”

“Yowch,” Solid Plugg commented as he climbed onto the stool next to Ben’s. He took another sip, still slurping loudly. “You deserve it?”

“What? No.” Did he? He didn’t think so. “I just found out she’d been cheating on me. I guess I should be glad she said something instead of just stringing me along while she was hooking up with someone else behind my back but still sucks, you know?”

Solid Plugg hummed in agreement. “You know the guy?”

“Who?”

“The guy your girl left you for.”

“Yeah. Well, she’s a girl too but yes. I worked with her and her boyfriend. Turns out they talked about it before she went off with Kai but Rook thought I already knew so I got too embarrassed to talk about it with him and I ended up here.”

Solid Plugg hummed again, lower this time. “You want help getting revenge.”

“I’m not getting revenge on Kai for leaving me, Solid Plugg.”

“Call me Gary.”

“Gary isn’t your real name.”

“Oh, I thought that was just something humans did to show they were being informal. Didn’t know you actually needed a different name for that. My bad.” Ben wanted to roll his eyes but Solid Plugg was actually trying to be nice and Ben could use nice right now. “So that’s a no on revenge?”

“I’m supposed to be a hero. I can’t- what would I even do?”

“Steal her girlfriend?”

“Her girlfriend, who is my friend’s ex? Who I still work with?”

“...Steal her girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend?”

“In what world is that revenge?”

Solid Plugg shrugged. “I guess it's more of a rebound. But it’d be easier to rub in her face than dating some other chick.”

Were Solid Plugg’s people bi? Or pan? Or one of those species whose gender shifted? Not a lot of people would suggest getting a boyfriend when your girlfriend broke up with you. A lack of heteronormativity was a breath of fresh air but not really what Ben wanted or needed right now, though he supposed it was better than Solid Plug trying to set him up with his sister or something. “You’re not super familiar with human dating practices, are you?”

“Nope,” Solid Plugg said, sounding completely and utterly unashamed. “Wanna here about my species’ mating rituals?”

“Um, not really.”

“Yeah, thought so. Never hurts to ask.”

Ben left after that, feeling a bit better but also too creeped out to stick around much longer. Solid Plugg had a point though. Rook was an untapped resource. Sure, he could’ve gone flirting around Undertown or asked someone to set him up on a blind date for some of that sweet rebound action but Ben didn’t really want to date someone else right now. Even the thought of getting another girlfriend made him want to groan and hide from the world. What he needed was some bro time and Rook was the perfect candidate for that.

So he asked Rook if he wanted to get milkshakes and burgers. That led to getting smoothies after patrols, which was something they normally did but now they actually sat around Mr. Smoothey’s and drank them there instead of just sucking them down on the drive home. It wasn’t all that different but to Ben it was. And then they went to a Sumo Slammers event at the local theater, and visited arcades on their off days, and practiced soccer at the park even when the Kinceleran kids they usually played with were all grounded. Ben even invited Rook to the farmer’s market with his mom one weekend. It was nice.

About a month later, Rook and Ben ran into Solid Plugg and the stout alien asked how Ben’s courtships were going. Ben told him he wasn’t seeing anyone, only to abruptly realize he was.

He was dating Rook, wasn’t he?

That realization sent Jetray flying toward Friedkin University mighty quick. He didn’t even care that Gwen probably was in class and Kevin wasn’t the best person to talk to when he was freaking out. Ben was panicking and he couldn’t run to Rook like this like he had before and no way was he talking to Solid Plugg about this, not after their last couple conversations. So Friedkin University it was.

Ben would’ve used Goop or Juryrigg to break through Gwen’s apartment door but since Kevin got Zed, he was a bit scared to visit. Instead, he turned back into a human and knocked like a normal person, silently praying to whatever alien out there granted wishes that someone would be home.

The door knob turned and the door swung open. “Ben? What are you doing here?”

“IthinkImightbedatingRook.”

Kevin stared at him blankly. “What?”

“I think I might be dating Rook,” Ben repeated, burying his face into his hands. He couldn’t believe it was Kevin he was talking about this with but it was too late to back down. He just had to power through this. He could do that, right? He’d done so much worse. He was Ben 10, hero of the universe! He could get through one measly conversation with his best friend.

“Um. Okay.” Kevin looked lost. “Do you… want to come in? Gwen took Zed for a walk. We can hang until they get back?”

Ben was a bit relieved Gwen wasn’t in class. He could really use her right now. “You’re not freaking out?”

“Are you freaking out?”

“Yes! I might be dating a guy!”

“I don’t care who you date,” Kevin told him, stepping back to let Ben come into the apartment. Verbally, he paused before speaking again. “Though I guess I am a bit surprised you’re seeing a guy.”

“I know, right?” That was why he couldn’t go talk to Solid Plugg again. “I started hanging out with Rook more because I thought I needed bro time but now I’m starting to think it’s all been date stuff.”

“Okay, first of all, I’m your bro. Bro time with anyone else is inferior,” Kevin said and Ben nodded along. That was true. No one matched up to Kevin in that department. “Second, you’re just hanging out, right? You didn’t actually ask him out? Or he didn’t ask you out?”

Ben shook his head and started calming down a bit. Kevin had a point. “I guess not.”

“Then why do you think you’re dating?”

“I just-” Why did he think they were dating? His thoughts were a bit too scrambled to remember why. “We- We’re spending a lot of time with just the two of us. Like, sometimes we’re doing stuff like drinking smoothies or playing games but sometimes it’s just… us, you know? Feels kinda… I don’t know… I never-”

“Do you want other people there?”

Ben didn’t see why that mattered. “I- No? I mean, Molly used to come on patrols with us and I like her and all but I don’t really think about her all that much anymore.”

“Does Rook like hanging out with you?”

“I- I hope so?” Ben was usually the one who asked. Wait, actually, that wasn’t true. Rook was the one who told him about the Sumo Slammers film festival. Most of the food related outings and Earth activities were Ben’s idea though. Did Rook like hanging out? Ben was sure Rook had other friends. Was Ben taking him away from them? 

“And you like hanging out with him?”

“Yeah.” Ben could feel a smile creeping up on his face. “I do.”

“Is it anything like when you hung out with Kai? Or Julie? Or Ester, I guess.”

The smile slipped a bit. “I… I guess not? With Kai… We didn’t really go out that much. We were always bickering when we were on dates but that was just our dynamic, you know? But when it was just us-”

She’d ask him to turn into Blitzwolfer. He thought it was a joke, she only ever asked once, but she asked every time. Once he turned into Spidermonkey just to see what she would do and he still got cuddled more than he did as Ben. Neither of them commented on it but it was still a pretty big blow to Ben’s ego.

“-nothing came easy. It was easy with Julie I think, except I kept having to leave to go do alien junk and at some point it felt like she was just waiting for me to leave. I guess it was kind of easy with Ester too but she… I don’t know how to describe it. Felt like we wanted different things all the time. Like, anytime I thought we were having fun watching a movie, she’d be more focused on, like, cuddling than watching the movie. Or she’d want to take romantic walks around the lake and not want to talk about the geese. I know that’s a weird thing to get caught up on but I like geese! They’re giant and they bite things! Anytime we see geese Rook’ll tell me they’re stopping by on their way to Canada or that they like the seeds in the area or whatever. Ester would never listen to me say stuff like that.”

“Sounds like you’re definitely dating him.”

Ben snapped back to reality. He’d forgotten what they were talking about. “What?”

“Come on,” Kevin said, grinning. “This is all total romance stuff. Not like fancy dinners and roses and all that garbage but like actual romance. Like, right before you get domestic when you are just vibing on the same wavelength, you know?”

“Vibing on the same wavelength? Really?”

Kevin scowled. “Shut up, Ben. I’m trying to help you figure all this stuff out about your boyfriend here.”

“He’s not my boyfriend. Just because I’m doing all this stuff with Rook doesn’t mean I like him.”

“How could you possibly not like him? You just said you like it when he tells you about geese. That’s practically textbook domestic right there.”

“I mean, he’s a guy?”

“Okay, I’m straight, but I have eyes and I know that guy’s hot. If I had to pick a dude material right there. No way you’re not into him.”

Ben knew Kevin was just messing with him but he had a point. Rook was beautiful in a way girls weren’t and there were some, uh, more masculine parts about him that Ben liked in a way he didn’t think could be explained by heterosexuality. “He’s an alien?”

“So’s Ester. Try again.”

Ben almost said he had fur but thinking about it, he didn’t mind all that much. He tried not to look at furry aliens that way since Kai said those oh-so-painful words to him as a kid after he detransformed from Benwolf that first time. Fur wasn’t a problem. It was what it made him think about that was the aversion but the fur itself wasn’t a dealbreaker.

Ben suddenly realized he hadn’t been talking this whole time and Kevin took his silence as his own victory. “Told ya. You totally like him.”

The front door swung open. “Ben likes who?”

Gwen, unsurprisingly, was much better at giving advice. She talked him through his fears about liking a man. She assured him that Grandpa would be alright with that, even though he grew up when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth. She let him ramble through the likelihood that Rook probably didn’t feel the same way, and then brought up the possibility that he might. She asked him if Ben actually wanted a relationship, and Ben realized he didn’t know. She told him to keep spending time with him to see if the answer would come up on its own, and to learn more about Rook’s interests and his life in the event that Ben realized he did, in fact, want to take their relationship in a less platonic direction.

The mission with Molly and Kai proved to be a good time to test the waters. It was cold, cold enough that clinging to Rook wasn’t inappropriate in the slightest. It didn’t even occur to Ben that it could be taken that way until Rook hesitated, but a night spent sharing body heat under the stars with only one blanket between them proved to be a telling experience. Namely, it told him he definitely liked Rook.

And then Scout told them that Kai came onto him and all Ben’s old insecurities about fur and being an alien came back. They’d been bottled up for so long but now with Molly facing the same thing he did and two Loboans talking in the back of the Proto-Truk, Ben’s talkative nature got the better of him and he let some of it slip.

“Y’know, when Kai and I were dating, I was scared Kai only liked me for Blitzwolfer. Or all my aliens, really. XLR8 got our first kiss. But mostly Blitzwolfer. When Kai started dating Molly, I felt like I’d been pretty silly for thinking that. I mean, she was dating a human. That meant I was just being insecure about the alien thing, right? I’d been scared Julie didn’t like me for my aliens and that ended. I must’ve just been projecting the opposite onto Kai, right? And since Kai left me for Molly, that meant it wasn’t me. I’m a guy, she likes girls. It wasn’t going to happen.”

“And now?” Rook asked. Ben couldn’t look at him. “What do you think now?”

“That Kai’s got issues. I mean, I don’t care if people want to date aliens. I dated a couple. And my grandma’s an alien. I can’t really complain about that. But Kai’s attitude about aliens doesn’t really feel… healthy. To me, at least I don’t know a lot about alien dating stuff. But now I feel like she was just stringing me along. Maybe Molly too. I don’t really know what’s going on with her but right now I really feel like she’d only dated me for Blitzwolfer.”

It all just came tumbling out. The words he said were kinder than the ones he’d thought and maybe that was for Rook’s sake or maybe Ben felt more angry than he actually was. It didn’t really matter much though because Rook’s next words hit deep in a very different spot.

“If it makes you feel any better, I think Molly only dated me for that long because I was the only man she could put up with. We were never really, uh, romantic. Or sexual. I think she knew she was gay from the start and the only reason we worked was because I didn’t ask her to be straight for me.”

“Oh. Um, yeah. That makes sense.”

“And I think that may have been because I didn’t want to be straight for her.”

“Oh! That’s- that’s great!” Ben exclaimed, stuttering as his heart leaped to his throat. This- Ben hadn’t expected this but he was beyond excited. Only Rook didn’t seem to share the sentiment. His gaze remained fixed ahead, focused on driving, but Ben could see his jaw muscles working. God, he had nice jaw muscles. Not the time for that though. Ben could tell this was hard for him.  “Is- is it?”

“Is it?” 

“On Earth figuring out your sexuality is a good thing! Nowadays, at least.” He’d have to tell him about Earth’s history with homophobia later but he didn’t want to rain on Rook’s… Well, it wasn’t a parade, that was for sure. “How do your people feel about guys liking guys? Or you liking guys, I guess.”

“Not… great?”

“Oh. Um, that sucks.”

“Yes. It does.”

“Got a progressive family at least?”

“Yes, actually, but not that progressive.”

Rook grew silent for several moments and Ben took a deep breath. “I like guys too.”

Rook jolted and blinked a few times in a way that told Ben he’d been zoning out. “Forgive me, could you repeat that?”

“I- uh, nevermind.” Ben shook himself. He shouldn’t have said that. This was Rook’s moment and he wasn’t going to hijack it. “Forget it. Thanks for telling me, dude. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

Ben knew exactly how hard it was.

Molly came back. Kai dumped her, or maybe Molly dumped Kai. Ben didn’t ask and he didn’t plan to. Rook hugged her when she first joined them on patrol but they didn’t kiss like they used to. It was obvious neither of them wanted that. And then it became obvious they’d been apart too long and their dynamic didn’t work anymore. Molly requested a new team.

Scout joined them once in awhile but he was more focused on helping Yeanldooshi most of the time. He visited them a lot in Undertown and Yenaldooshi came to the base frequently. Whenever Rook and Ben saw them, they’d chuff and growl at each other, expressions fond, even though Yenaldooshi quickly developed a pretty good grip on English. They weren’t dating, or courting or whatever Loboans did, but Ben got the sense there was something there. Maybe they were waiting until they returned to the Anur System. Ben hoped it worked out for them. Scout was a good guy and Yenaldooshi deserved something good after all these years.

Even with Ben’s social circle expanding ever so slightly, Ben and Rook still went out like they used to, just the two of them and it was different from whenever they hunt out with Molly or Scout. Ben was pretty sure they noticed. For better or for worse, heteronormativity wasn’t a barrier to hide behind with them. The memes about gay people being like moths and flames to each other had some truth to it, huh? It was comforting, in a way, to know Ben had someone to talk to if he wanted but it was also daunting. Because he really needed to talk to someone.

The night Ben decided to knock on Molly’s door was a perfect one. Rook and Scout were in Rook’s room catching up, something they hadn’t gotten the chance to do yet. They would be occupied for hours and that meant none of them would be thinking about where Ben was or what he would be doing. And maybe he’d get the chance to clear the air with Molly while he was at it.

Judging from the look on her face when she opened the door, that was very necessary. “What do you want?”

“I have a crush on Rook.”

The annoyance faded immediately and Molly opened the door for him. “Come in. Sounds like we have a lot to talk about.”

Chapter Text

Molly told him to just tell Rook how he felt. Rook came from a very different culture. He wouldn’t know if Ben was hitting on him and Ben would never be able to pick up if Rook was into him. In Ben’s mind, that was all the more reason not to tell Rook how he felt. He’d already told him his family wouldn’t be accepting and Rook had seemed pretty nervous during that whole conversation. The last thing Ben wanted to do was make him uncomfortable. It was painfully obvious Rook wasn’t ready for, well, Ben. Or anyone else, Ben supposed, but he didn’t really want to think about that. He had a chance, even if it felt like he was grasping at straws.

And grasp at straws he did. Ben felt kind of pathetic doing it but he was crushing it hard and he had to channel it somehow. Rook liked a smoothie flavor? Ben remembered to pick it up. Rook was too tall to use the rails around the dance pad at the arcade? Ben turned into Bullfrag and then they were both handicapped, at least until they got good enough they didn’t need rails. Rook’s favorite pokemon was Gyarados? Ben traded him his shiny one to borrow when they battled. Rook disagreed with some bill some politician in some state was trying to pass? Ben googled it so he didn’t look totally lost when Rook talked about it. Anything to show he cared.

A fleeting conversation during their patrol on an insignificant Thursday afternoon gave Ben a window to try something new. 

“Have you ever watched The Ben 10 Show ?”

Gwen had told him to try to learn more about Rook’s interests. This was the first thing Ben knew that Rook liked that Ben hadn’t already been into like Sumo Slammers or found totally boring like farming. He was vaguely aware of the workings of the Sumo Slammers fandom. It wouldn’t be too hard to transfer that to The Ben 10 Show , would it?

Maybe he was still grasping at straws a bit. Rook had said he didn’t watch it anymore, that he’d missed the last couple seasons, but he also said he’d listened to the radio show on Revonnah. Rook almost never talked about his homeworld. Maybe being able to talk about The Ben 10 Show would open up that possibility. Okay, Ben was definitely grasping at straws here but it wasn’t like he hated the extranet or anything. He messed around on his laptop most nights anyway. This wouldn’t be all that different.

He tried watching a couple episodes of The Ben 10 Show but he just couldn’t. The writing and acting was just so bad, even in the newer episodes. That was fine though. Rook suggested he check out fandom spaces, not the show itself. He found some summaries of the show that told him enough about the plot and the characters that he wasn’t totally lost when he looked at the forums or ventured into the realm of fanfiction. Ben still felt pretty lost though. There were some fics about him tagged as Real Person Fiction and Ben got sort of excited at the prospect of people writing about him, the actual Ben 10, but most of them were speculations on his current and past relationships. He figured out how to filter those out pretty quickly.

There were some crossovers and fusion fics between The Ben 10 Show and Ben 10 RPF . That, Ben figured, was a bit more up his alley. Most of the fics with that tag were character studies and that he could get behind. The first couple he read were actually pretty good but nothing caught his attention, at least not until he found the funniest username on all of ao3.

FarmerBoringJeans.

Who named themselves that? Totally looking over the fic, Ben clicked on the username and saw that FarmerBoringJeans had a number of fics in all the branches of the Ben 10 fandom, as well as Sumo Slammers, Pokemon , and even Weird World . Ben always wanted to check that out but it was always running at the same time as Sumo Slammers so he never did. How’d this guy managed to watch them both? He briefly wished ao3 had a messaging feature so he could ask before realizing there was a tumblr account linked. Ben clicked it without much thought.

Ben honestly sort of forgot about tumblr. Gwen used it a lot back in the day. He knew fandoms thrived there, though Ben didn’t know any fandoms Gwen would’ve been into at the time. Maybe that would’ve been a good place to start. Way easier than navigating The Ben 10 Show forums. He was never a fan of forums, even though that was where he found most of his partners for multiplayer games.

FarmerBoringJeans had a ton of art on his blog, all reblogged from the same account. LunaLoco, it was called. Ben thought that was pretty funny but he couldn’t pinpoint why. LunaLoco made fanart for a lot of FarmerBoringJeans’ fics, Ben realized. And visa versa? Ben didn’t realize people wrote fics about fanart. That was pretty cool. He couldn’t imagine having a relationship like that. Ben never wrote or drew much outside of his required English and art classes, especially not in his teenage years, but he knew it took time and dedication, art of that level especially. If FarmerBoringJeans’ fanfiction was half the quality of their friend’s fanart, Ben would be beyond impressed. And for them to put so much effort into creating things for each other? That was love if he ever saw it.

Intrigued, Ben clicked back to the ao3 account. He wanted to see this guy’s writing. He started with a couple Sumo Slammers fics. Nothing too long, nothing too short either, just to see if it was any good. And it was. Honestly, the writing was better than some of the actual stuff, in Ben’s opinion. Most of the fics focused on Kenko who wasn’t Ben’s favorite character and FarmerBoringJeans’s portrayal didn’t change that but Ben definitely saw him in a new light after finishing a fic showing the beginning of Kenko and Ishiyama’s rivalry. The author’s note said they wrote another exploring the origins of Kenko’s powers but another click told Ben he’d be awake all night reading it if he got started so he opened a new tab and set it aside for later. Maybe there really was something to all this fanfiction stuff.

But he was here to learn about the Ben 10 fandom. Clicking back to that first fic he’d found, he tapped it open and gave the overview a look. Face to Face , it was called. It was second person which didn’t really put the straw in Ben’s smoothie but the premise was kind of interesting. He kept scrolling.

“You’ve been a fan of Ben 10 for years,” it read. “That confident posture, that booming voice, you’d know it anywhere. But when Ben 10 saves you from Sporemax’s latest plan, you realize you never really knew Ben 10 at all.”

Ben didn’t realize his eyes were damp until he reached the end of the page.

That first time you met him, you were disappointed. He stumbled. He disappointed you because he stumbled. Looking back, it was such a silly thing to get caught up on. Ridiculous, even. You wouldn’t be disappointed when anyone else stumbled. When your little brother stumbled, you’d dust off his knees and carry him to your mother if he cried. If your best friend stumbled, you’d tease him for it then be extra nice to him for the rest of the day if he looked embarrassed. How was Ben 10 any different?

Because he wasn’t human, not to you at least. On TV, you saw a hero. Ben smiled. He made daring saves. He executed risky plans flawlessly. He told jokes when he gave speeches and everyone laughed. His eyes looked like they were filled with stars and his smile always met his eyes. But this was reality and in reality, Ben was human.

He had flaws. That was what the stumble told you. Ben 10 wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t a rubber ball that bounced back every time it was thrown. He wasn’t an immortal, invincible being whose body never got worn. He wasn’t a genius with a mind so strong it never broke. Ben 10 was human, broken and flawed, just like all of us.

But after that first meeting, you saw him again and again. And you really saw him. You saw those cracks in that heroic image, that heroic facade. You saw the fear in his eyes, the insecurity in his gait, and the shake of his hands. You heard the panic in his voice, crackling of his tired joints, and the exhaustion in his breath. But you could also see how hard he tried. He knew he was only human, or as human as someone wielding the Omnitrix could be, and he tried anyway. He tried because he cared, even when caring tore him apart from the inside out.

How hadn’t you seen those tears before? All the times you saw him in the news, all the times he saved the universe, he was hurting. His heart screamed for help, his body cried for it to end, yet he just kept pushing forward. Ben 10 kept being a hero. Not for the adoration, not for the medals, but because he wanted to live.

You saw how much Ben loved life. When he wasn’t saving the universe or battling villains, he ate, and drank, and played just like the rest of us. It brought him such joy. You could hear it in his laugh, even if he pretended those laughs were the same as the fake ones he gave when a news anchor shoved a microphone in his face. Those moments when he was laughing his real laugh were the only moments his smile really touched his eyes like you always thought it did. Everything else just fell flat compared to this.

But if Ben loved life so much, why did he risk it all the time? For all his strength and thunder on screen, his battles actually came quite close. It could all end at any moment and the universe would be deprived of Ben. One movement too slow and Ben could lose it all. Wouldn’t it be easier to just stop? He would finally be able to relax. Maybe those tears in his psyche would finally get to heal. You never work up the nerve to ask but you don’t need to.

He saves you. Again and again. You begin to hate that he keeps putting himself in danger but he just keeps doing it without complaint. At first, you didn’t understand why. You watched him save countless others, asking yourself the same question every time. And one day, out of the blue, you understood.

Ben loved life but that love wasn’t restricted to his own life. He didn’t fight so hard to save people because of any moral code or to live up to any title. He saved lives because he loved life and he didn’t want anyone to lose the chance to live theirs, even if it meant he never got to live his. Ben, for all his acting and all his performing, cared deeply and selflessly. And that, you knew, was what made him a hero.

Ben felt seen.

It took awhile for Ben to get his thoughts together. Then he read it again. How could he not? He skimmed over the more plot focused parts– Ben really did not care about how the reader got caught up in Sporemax’s latest plot– and got right into the meat of it. FarmerBoringJeans just saw right through him. He did put up a hero facade. He did love being alive but he loved other people being alive even more. Ben didn’t always feel like a hero but reading FarmerBoringJeans’s fic, he certainly did.

None of the other The Ben 10 Show fics hit this hard though. Most of them didn’t even entertain the possibility that Ben 10 was anything but the heroic persona. Even for the fictional version, Ben didn’t think it was too big of a leap for fans to theorize there was some genuinity hiding behind all those muscles. FarmerBoringJeans’ fic was more than theory though. It was a whole different level. It really felt like the author knew him.

Wait. Farmer… Boring… Rook… Rook told him to check out fandom spaces. Rook was active in fandom at some point. There was no way-

Ben checked the date Face To Face was posted. If he remembered correctly, it entered the extranet shortly after the whole fiasco with Deefus Veeblepister on Earth. That couldn’t be a coincidence. Could it? He clicked back to his tumblr account to see if he could learn more but the bio was uninspired. No personal information. Smart move, probably. It was a big universe out there so even a slightly specific detail could give away a lot. Unfortunate for Ben though. He’d just have to look at his posts.

Ben only swiped a few times before it occurred to him why LunaLoco was so funny to him. Scout and Yenaldooshi were Loboans. Scout called Yenaldooshi a Lunar Loboan. That was something. Something that wasn’t clicking in his mind but something just an extranet search away.

“There we go,” Ben murmured aloud when the results loaded. Luna Lobo, a moon in the Anur System. That was where Scout teleported from, right? He was the only Plumber there. Oh, farts. Scout was LunaLoco, wasn’t he? And that practically confirmed Rook was FarmerBoringJeans. It wasn’t evidence that would hold up in court but it was evidence nonetheless and Ben found it pretty damning. 

Now came the question of what to do about it. And how Ben felt about it. Gee, how did he feel about it? On one hand, it was kind of weird that two of his friends made fanart and fanfiction of him. There was a disconnect between Ben and the character from the show but it was still a little weird, even if most of Rook’s fics were dated long before they’d ever met. Ben had seen a lot weirder though and he wasn’t even sure if he cared. The writing was really good. The art too. A good number of Ben’s real transformations found their way onto LunaLobo’s blog and Ben had to say they looked really good in Scout’s style, even better than some of the human-made fanart Kevin found on Twitter and texted him when he was bored.

Ben’s thoughts kept drifting back to Face To Face . That fic… Wow, it really hit close to home. He hadn’t realized Rook saw him like that. They were friends, of course. Close friends, even. Ben knew Rook didn’t see him like that jerk he met when he first arrived on Earth and he knew he didn’t see him like Deefus. But this? Reading this fic made Ben feel like Rook was holding Ben’s beating heart in his hands, like he could see every inch of his soul, all the dark spots and rawness included. That was a bit scary but no more scary than his feelings for Rook.

Oh right. He had feelings for Rook. He’d gotten so caught up in everything it’d slipped his mind for a moment, even if his subconscious was screaming in joy this whole time. Rook saw him as him. Not some jerk kid or perfect hero. Him. Ben. That knowledge made his stomach curl in delight. He hadn’t even realized that was a fear of his but his body felt so light and elated from joy right now.

Or maybe it was sleep deprivation. Ben hadn’t realized he’d been awake for so long. He could see the sun’s light starting to leak through a crack in his window. He should probably sleep, shouldn’t he? He had patrol in the morning. Then again, it was already morning so was there any sense in even sleeping at this point? Going to sleep would probably just make him even more tired and cranky in a few hours than not sleeping.

Decision made, Ben transformed into Big Chill and phased through the roof of his house to make a beeline for Max’s Plumbing.

Ben timed out just as he reached the base. Annoying but probably for the better. In his frenzy, he might’ve phased right into Rook’s room and scaring the guy awake was just about the last thing he wanted to do right now. Instead, he knocked like a normal person.

“Ben?” Rook looked blurry-eyed, fur messy with little more than a big tv shirt thrown over him to cover it up. Ben had never seen him like this, the alien always bright and awake when the Proto-Truk rolled by to pick him up for patrol in the morning. The fur on one side of his face was rubbed the wrong way, sticking up in all sorts of different directions, like he’d fallen asleep with his cheek squashed into the pillow. How had Ben spent so long looking away from aliens with fur? This was beyond cute. “What are you doing here so early?”

“I- FarmerBoringJeans!” Ben blurted, not knowing what else to say. This wasn’t exactly an easy conversation to start. Ben wasn’t even totally sure what he was trying to do here.

“I- what?” A multitude of emotions flashed across Rook’s face but Ben’s mind was running too fast to really process them. “Where did you hear that name?”

“I did- I looked up The Ben 10 Show on the extranet like you told me,” Ben rambled. He sort of wished Rook would let him in so he’d get to do something other than just stand in the hallway but Rook was blocking the door, slumped over the door frame, and Ben couldn’t blame him for not letting him enter. “I found FarmerBoringJeans. And LunaLoco but mostly FarmerBoringJeans.”

“...Okay.”

Rook looked bewildered. Ben didn’t know if it was from being woken up or if he was going too fast but he didn’t stop. “Is that really how you see me?”

“What?”

“I read your fic. Is that how you really see me?”

“Which fic?” Rook asked, rubbing a hand over his face. “I have written several.”

Oh. Yeah, right. His words probably sounded like nonsense to Rook right about now. “ Face To Face .”

“Oh.” Rook lowered his hand, brow creasing with concern. “Forgive me. If you wish, I can take it down and we can forget it ever-”

“What?” That was not the reaction he was expecting. “Why would you take it down?”

Rook blinked at him. “Does… Does it not make you uncomfortable?”

“What? No. I love it. I just- I feel like no one’s seen me like that. I was just surprised but it’s, y’know, sweet. Why would I be uncomfortable?”

Rook’s eyes flickered to the side. “When Scout read it, he asked me if I am… interested in you.”

“Oh.” Oh was right. Ben was not expecting this. He had no idea what to think about it but he didn’t want to slow down to figure it out. Not now, even if it left him hurt. “...Are you?”

“...At the time? No.”

Ben’s heart did things he wished it wouldn’t. “And now?”

Rook exhaled through his nose. “I do not wish for things to change between us.”

“That’s not an answer.” Wait, that sounded bad, didn’t it? “I mean, if you really don’t want to talk about this, I guess we can table it for-”

“I think I do,” Rook said so quietly Ben hardly heard it over the sound of his own voice. “Forgive me.”

“Why are you sorry? That’s not a bad thing.”

Rook looked confused. “But my feelings are unrequited?” 

“Who said that?”

Confusion shifted into surprise. “You- Really?”

Ben knew he looked totally confident right now but he could feel that start to fade away. The momentum from his earlier excitement was slipping now that they were getting into real feelings territory. “Y-yeah. I thought- well, Kevin said it was obvious but Molly said you wouldn’t notice if I wrote it on a sign and glued it to your windshield. That’s, uh, an exaggeration. I know you don’t notice sometimes.”

Rook blinked slowly. Ben could practically see the wheels turning in his mind. “I… do not know what to say.”

That was a bit disappointing but Ben couldn’t find it in him to be upset. “I did kind of spring all this on you, didn’t I? It’s like… oh gee, I left my phone at home but I know it’s still real freaking early. I guess… I’ll go? We can talk when we meet up for patrol. Or, um, we can not do patrol? Or do it later. If you need some time to think, I totally get-”

“You are rambling,” Rook interrupted, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“Sorry. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Amusement melted into concern. “We can reschedule patrol for later in the day. You should get some rest.”

Ben didn’t know if he could wait even longer but Rook had a point. “That’s probably a good idea. Text me when you’re ready, okay? Actually, no. I’ll probably be asleep. My sleep schedule’s going to be all messed up after this.”

Rook chuckled. “I can start patrol alone and you can join when you are ready, if you prefer.”

Knowing how hard he slept, that was not preferable. It’d be forever before Ben got to talk to Rook. It did seem like the wisest choice though. “Um, okay, yeah. Sounds good. I’ll just Jetray to wherever you are when I wake up.”

“You must stop using your aliens’ names as verbs.”

“Never! Now watch me Big Chill away!”

Ben apparently left earlier than he thought. When he unlocked the front door, he found himself face to face with his father.

Carl and Ben stared at each other, wide-eyed. Carl put down his coffee mug and drifted out of the kitchen. “You’re up early.”

“More like up late,” Ben cracked before wincing. Probably not the best thing to say to his dad, especially when they hadn’t been seeing each other much lately. Oh, the woes of demanding schedules. 

Carl raised a brow. “Coffee?”

“Oh. Um, no thanks. I told Rook I’d get some rest.”

“Rook’s the guy you’re working with now, right?”

“Yeah. How would you feel about-”

How would you feel about me dating him, Ben wanted to ask. Only he didn’t really want to ask that. He never wanted to ask his dad that. Gee, he was more tired than he thought if his tongue was this loose. Ben was getting way too ahead of himself. He hadn’t even talked about that with Rook yet. And this was his first time seeing his father in what felt like forever. Telling his dad he liked a guy, an alien guy, at stupid o’clock in the morning wasn’t really how Ben wanted to come out.

He had to come out to his parents at some point, didn’t he? Ben was pretty sure he was bi at this point but there was still a pretty big mental jump from accepting he liked his friend and identifying with a word he’d only ever seen mentioned online. Bisexual. He’d looked it up before, of course. He didn’t know how he felt about it quite yet though. If Ben hadn’t practically just pulled an all-nighter, he’d spend another evening going down the extranet rabbithole. Maybe there was another word that fit better, or maybe he just didn’t understand what bisexuality was all that well yet.

Ben suddenly realized he’d trailed off in the middle of a sentence. He snapped back to reality, hoping he hadn’t gone silent for too long. “How would you feel about… meeting him sometime?”

Okay, that was still a bit too close to what he almost asked. Kids didn’t ask their parents if they wanted to meet their friends. Time to backpedal. It was alright. Everything was fine. Ben could salvage this.

“Just because, you know, I spend so much time with him and I know you and Mom worry since you don’t always know where I am or who I’m with or anything like that. Mom met Rook and I think she’s been feeling better. Not that I expect you to worry about me but it’d mean something to me if the guys in my life met each other.” Ben thought he was doing pretty good but that last part didn’t exactly sound heterosexual either. “You know, get a face to a name. Or, actually, Molly is back in Bellwood and Rook’s friend on Scout is on Earth for awhile. Wait, you haven’t met that many aliens, have you? Other than Grandma Verdona, I mean. Would that be weird for you?”

Carl looked a bit thrown off guard and Ben realized he’d been rambling. He’d been doing that a lot today, hadn’t he? Sleep was more important than he thought. “I… Of course I worry about you, Ben. And, you know, maybe you’re right. I can’t say I’m excited to meet more aliens but maybe I’d get some peace of mind if I knew your coworkers. Or friends?”

“Friends,” Ben confirmed before he gave it a second thought.

Carl smiled. “Glad to hear it, sport. Now, I should get going. You go get some sleep, alright?”

“Alright,” Ben answered and headed towards the stairs up to his room, muttering under his breath. “Sport? I save the universe. Am I really a sport?”

He threw himself on his bed and fell asleep with those words on his mind. Better than going to bed stressed about a boy, wasn’t it?

Chapter Text

Ben awoke late in the afternoon. By the time he was out the door and Jetray was in the sky, the usual patrol window was almost over. Rook would still be out, Ben knew, but it didn’t leave them much time to talk. Maybe that was a good thing though. Ben didn’t know what he was hoping to get out of this conversation. Other than a boyfriend. He was very much hoping to get a boyfriend. Or at least he thought so. Articulating that thought was giving him doubts.

Jetray cruised the sky somewhat lazily, sharp eyes keeping a lookout for the Proto-Truk. He eventually spotted it stopped at a red light near Mr. Baumann’s old place and swooped down to claim his spot in the passenger seat. Only, it was already taken. “Oh. Hey, Scout.”

“Hey, Ben,” Scout greeted, looking somewhat startled by his appearance. “I’ll get out of your fur and let you two talk.”

“Oh. You don’t have to. We’re in the middle of the r- oh okay.” Jetray leaned back a bit so Scout could open the door and wander out onto the street. “Does he know how to get back home?”

“Aliens know how to use a gps too,” Scout called over his shoulder as he got farther away. Ben wanted to call back but the light turned green and he figured Rook didn’t want to wait around for him in traffic so he slipped into the car, slammed the door shut, and changed back into Ben. Pretty smooth, he’d say. Normally he slipped up on something trying to get into a car as an alien. Granted, normally the vehicle was moving but Ben still counted it as a win.

“Hello, Ben,” Rook greeted as he hit the gas, the Proto-Truk clearing the intersection.

“Hey, Rook. Scout?”

“I was nervous,” Rook admitted. “Loboans have very different feelings about same-sex partnerships than Revonnahganders so I thought talking would calm my mind more than going on patrol on my own. Then we searched the internet to see how humans felt about these things.”

Ben wasn’t even sure if he’d ever heard Rook use the word internet. Honestly, Ben didn’t even use it himself these days. “That’s great. So… How’s that?”

“How is what?”

“Same-sex partnerships on other planets,” Ben told him. “Might be nice to have some context before we start talking… y’know.”

“Luna Lobo and Revonnah are on completely opposite sides of the spectrum,” Rook began. “On Anur Transyl, Loboans live by Transylian traditions. Most marriages are between men and women, though they are accepting of others.”

“That’s kind of like how it is here. What about Luna Lobo?”

“Loboans don’t have a rigid sense of gender like Transylians or Revonnahganders or humans. It is more social and influenced by pack rank. There is some innate sense of it too but there is some fluidity as well. Gender plays less of a role in relationships as a result, and relationships aren’t necessarily romantic in nature either. Romance is more of a foreign concept and there is more emphasis on the bond between individuals.” 

“Huh.” Pretty interesting stuff. It made sense aliens would view these things differently, just like other cultures or even animals on Earth did, but Ben never put much thought into it. “Sounds nice.”

“Indeed.”

“And Revonnahganders?”

Rook’s expression soured ever so slightly. “On Revonnah, gender is intertwined with land ownership, which is central to our way of life. The eldest son inherits the farm from his father when he marries and he must have children to pass the farm on himself so marrying a man would be unthinkable. Similarly, a women’s success and livelihood is highly dependent on marriage to a man with land so a woman marrying another woman is unheard of.”

“What about, um, non-eldest sons?” Rook mentioned he had a brother, right? There was something about it in that fic Ben read at least.

“In a progressive family, any brothers on good terms with the family would be allowed to farm some of the eldest son’s land. In a more traditional family, he would be ordered to leave the village and find his own land to farm. In the past, I believe it was expected for a successful landowner to take more wives to bear more children to farm the land and sharing any land with a brother would be a threat to that.”

“Ew,” Ben said aloud before realizing what he was doing. He shot Rook an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

“No need. I do not like that particular practice either. I do suppose that if a woman or younger brother wished to partner with someone of the same gender, those pioneer villages would be the place to do so but I have never been to one.” Rook swallowed. “My father encouraged my brother and I to bond. I think he wished for me to share my land with him. I do not- As far as I know, there has never been a case like mine.”

“I’m sure there have been other gay people on your planet, Rook.”

Rook huffed fondly. “I meant eldest sons leaving the village like I did. Normally, if a son did not marry his father would arrange a marriage for him when he grew too old to farm the land himself. I do not know if I would be allowed to pass my father’s land to my brother or one of my sisters.”

“It’s your land. Why wouldn’t you be allowed to?”

Rook shrugged half-heartedly. “It is something to think about another time. It is a reason I am hesitant to explore my feelings but I am not on Revonnah at the moment and I have not let other Revonnahgander standards dictate my life so far. I am trying a more human approach.”

Ben suddenly remembered how this conversation started. “Oh. Earth stuff, right. Well, uh, I don’t really know my LGBT history all that well. If you were poking around the internet, you might know more than me. In the US, it kind of depends where you are and who your family is. Sometimes people say they’re homophobic for religious reasons, which is kind of bs. I think they’re just using it as an excuse. I’ve heard different cultures have different feelings about it so it’s different for, like, immigrants and homophobia’s associated with some political parties but my parents are pretty progressive so… I don’t know, I’ve never really worried about it much.”

Rook nodded thoughtfully. “So your family would be accepting?”

“Not really. Well, yes. Like they wouldn’t kick me out or anything but it’s not really considered normal so coming out is a whole thing. That’s, um, when you tell someone you’re not straight or cis or whatever. Humans use a lot of labels for things and it’s kind of a big deal to change labels.”

Rook’s eyes flashed with recognition. “Scout and I found some lists online. We were looking at them before you arrived.”

“Oh, that’s cool. Find anything you like?”

“Scout feels the labels agender and transneutral fit Yenaldooshi best. He said he would ask them when he saw them next. And Scout thinks for him demiboy or boyflux would describe his gender well but he told me he does not like those words much. On Anur Transyl and at the Academy, he lived as a male and likes being perceived that way even if he does not necessarily feel that way all the time and he would not be seen that way in a pack.”

“I get that.” Not really. Ben never thought about his gender in that way but he could understand hesitance about labels. “What about you?”

“I think gay is accurate. Or vincian. Or uranic. I don’t particularly like any of them though.” Rook’s voice carried a hint of frustration. Ben didn’t comment on it. “Scout felt the label pansexual was accurate for him but he didn’t want to use that label either. We both found some comfort in the word queer though. It is a more broad term and merely indicates deviation from what is expected rather than a specific description of identity.”

That did sound nice. Ben didn’t think it was for him, not with how often he’d heard it thrown around as an insult on Harangue’s show, but he was glad to hear Scout and Rook found some kind of freedom from labels. “It’s a good word.”

Rook smiled and Ben realized that he was probably just as nervous as he was. “And you?”

“What about me?”

“Do you use any of your human words to describe your identity?”

Oh right. That. “Well… I thought bisexual might be it. It’s hard to make the switch in my brain though. I identified as straight for so long. Kind of weird that I suddenly like guys, you know?”

“Why can you not use the label straight though?”

Ben blinked a few times. “Because… I’m not straight?”

“They are just words. If that is what you are more comfortable with, there is no reason you must change it. Or if you feel it is not accurate, there are queer labels adjacent to heterosexuality. For example, heteroflexible. It is also okay if you do not know yet.”

“I-” Ben interrupted himself with a soft chuckle. “Can’t believe I’m getting the just be yourself talk from a farm boy.”

“Farm boy who just spent several hours looking at the queer part of tumblr!”

“Tumblr farm boy,” Ben amended, failing to keep the mirth out of his voice. “Man, I can’t believe I caught feelings for a tumblr farm boy.”

The demeanor in the Proto-Truk suddenly shifted and Ben realized what he just said. So far, they've been dancing around the subject. Different planets and labels weren’t… They were Ben and Rook but they weren’t Ben and Rook . Not in the way they needed to talk about.

“So Weird World , huh?” Ben blurted loudly.

Rook turned to stare at him. “What?”

Ben was thinking the same thing. How had he gotten to Weird World ? “You- you posted about it on tumblr and ao3 but it airs at the same time as Sumo Slammers . How did you watch both?”

“I am an alien. I do not watch cable. I pirated both of them.”

“Oh.” That made sense. 

Rook hummed, eyes crinkling in amusement. “I know you wanted to ask about our relationship, Ben.”

“Yeah.” Ben scratched the back of his neck. “I mean, we’ve established that we’re both, um, new to this liking guys thing and maybe we’re not ready for the implications of that but we still like each other. That means something, right?”

Rook nodded. “I like what we have now and I fear that changing but I imagine that acknowledging our feelings would only benefit that.”

“Y-yeah. Things don’t have to change that much. I mean, we’re already pretty close. Practically dating. Dating wouldn’t be a big step up from this. Or- I don’t know, maybe it would. Dating usually involves, like, getting to know each other and going on dates and romantic stuff like that.”

“According to my understanding of what a date consists of, a date does not have to be romantic. We are not heterosexual and we do not need to conform to heterosexual standards. Our hang outs, as you call them, could be considered dates by contemporary views.”

Yeah. That was a good point. Ben didn’t really like all that romantic stuff his past girlfriends wanted. With Julie, Ben knew she wanted it but she never pressured him to take her to a nice dinner or buy her roses so he didn’t really mind taking those extra steps to make her happy. With Ester, her efforts to act like a couple were far too stifling for Ben to even approach the romantic. And with Kai, Ben just never knew what she wanted from him. They fought too much for Ben to think about pulling out the stops.

But with Rook, Ben couldn’t really foresee any of those issues. Rook wasn’t the romantic type, at least not by human standards, but he wasn’t opposed to affection or spending time together. That was all Ben wanted from his past girlfriends. He didn’t think it was too much to ask but now, having struck out three times, he was starting to understand sometimes people just wanted different things.

“We could take it slow,” Ben suggested. “Figure out if the dating thing is for us. Or skip that part and just… relationship. As a verb, not a noun. I don’t really understand why there’s not a different word for that. Like, you call the person you're with before you get married your boyfriend or girlfriend and you say you’re dating someone when you have a boyfriend or girlfriend but the word dating refers to that part at the beginning of a relationship when you’re getting to know each other. But there’s a part between that and being married where you’re, like, solid and you know each other so you’re not dating but you’re still not each other’s wife or husband. And some people don’t get married! We should have a word for that.”

Rook hummed again and offered a shy smile. “We could figure that out together, Ben.”

Ben’s insides went all mushy. Oh yeah, he picked a good one here.

It was only a matter of time before the media caught a whiff of Rook.

They knew he existed, of course. Ben had fought alongside him plenty of times and they were seen in public at least as frequently as anyone else Ben hung around with. It wasn’t until the whole fiasco with the Vengers that Ben realized they just hadn’t cared. Until now, that is.

Big outlets like Harangue’s station were more focused on smearing Ben than anything else but fans were more excited to have more Ben content. Some of them at least. With Ben and Rook taking a break from hero work, they had plenty of time to watch extranet and internet fandom spaces combust over recent Earth news feeds, including tumblr trying to make sense of the “catboy” constantly at Ben’s side during Vengers run-ins.

“Half the extranet thinks I am a Citrakayah,” Rook complained one afternoon over a meal at Mr. Baumann’s shop.

“Better than half the internet thinking you’re a furry,” Ben grumbled, scrolling through his Twitter feed. “If anyone’s a furry, it’s Kai. I think my dating record is enough proof I’m not.”

“What is a furry?”

“It’s- uh…” Ben looked up from his phone, taking a good look at his boyfriend. Boyfriend- it still made him giddy to think the word. “You don’t want to know.”

Rook peered at him. “You do realize I have the entirety of the extranet at my fingertips, correct? I can just search for it.”

“I’ll, uh, tell you later,” Ben told him, crossing his fingers in hope that Rook would forget. “What’s a Citrakayah?”

“Fasttrack,” Rook informed him. “I do not see the similarities.”

Ben did but he chose not to comment on it. “Is that really the worst tumblr’s got?”

“No. There are mostly shippers but I am choosing to ignore those posts.”

“Oh.” Yeah, that tracked. Fast tracked. Ha. Ben cracked himself up sometimes. “Fandom Twitter’s got some of that too but most of it is just calling me a child abuser. Even though Billy and I are literally the same age and he’s the one harassing me. Also choosing to ignore those parts.”

Rook made a sympathetic noise. “If it makes you feel better, someone has been submitting an anonymous ask with that picture of Mazuma holding Billy by his collar to any blog that posts about that.”

Ben held back a laugh. That did make him feel better. “Is that someone you?”

“No.”

“Is that someone Scout?”

“It is anonymous. I do not know. But I do not think so. He has been trolling BRooken shippers.”

“Brooken?”

“BRooken. The r is capitalized. It is a combination of our names.”

“I gathered that. Not the best ship name in my opinion.”

“Agreed. I do not understand the practice of combining two names. I prefer when fans just list the two names and separate them with a slash or ampersand.” 

“Yeah, I- wait. We’ve been down that route before. Let’s stay on topic. How’s Scout trolling them?”

“The hairless ape meme mostly.”

“I still don’t understand that meme.”

“I imagine it is a lot like calling you a furry.”

“I’m still not telling you what a furry is, Rook.”

“Then you will never understand hairless apes.”

“Whatever. I don’t care that much.” That was a lie. Ben cared very much. But, he hated the idea of explaining to Rook what a furry was even more. “I’m sure we could troll much better than that.”

Rook looked intrigued. “What do you have in mind?”

“You’re sitting on Rook’s lap.”

“Yes. Yes, I am, Kevin.”

“People are taking pictures.”

“I know.”

“We are trolling the internet!” Rook added helpfully, “and my friend Scout has already begun photoshopping an image of us Lady and the Tramping these very sandwiches.”

“How do you know what Lady and the Tramping is?” Ben wondered aloud before shaking the thought out of his head. “You know what? I don’t care. That’s perfect and I love it. Tumblr’s going to go crazy.”

Gwen and Kevin exchanged a glance, looking completely and utterly out of their depth here. Ben and Rook kept eating their sandwiches, pretending not to notice the cellphone cameras flashing in the background. It was all part of the plan.

“There is fanfic of us.”

“Is it good?”

“Not at all.”

“Amazing. Send it to me.”

“Which-”

“All of it.”

“All of it?”

“Send me the tag. We’re staying up late tonight, catboy. In a reading way, not a sexy way, in case that wasn’t clear.”

“Ben! Do you have a moment to answer a few questions?”

Trolling the internet was fun but exhausting and Undertown provided a nice break from it. Most Undertownians knew who they were and let Ben and Rook have their peace. There were questions here and there, mostly from friends and acquaintances, but nothing like it was on the surface. It wasn’t overwhelming 24/7 or anything like that but the constant threat of being snuck up upon by a camera or reporter was very real and very draining. Ben supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised when they found him in Undertown.

Ben turned, not sure who he expected to see, but relaxed when he saw a very familiar face. “Oh. It’s just you, Jimmy.”

“What do you mean just Jimmy?” Jimmy’s expression soured but it didn’t last long. “You’re not busy are you?”

“Uh…” Ben glanced at Rook. They were headed to meet K8-E and the Kinceleran kids for a game. He didn’t know if it was soccer or street hockey today but he’d been looking forward to it. N-8 and N-D had gotten themselves grounded last week and DJ had a bruised tail so they hadn’t had enough players for a real game until now. T8-M had told him how restless ML-E got when she didn’t get the chance to play. They needed all the extra wheels on deck today, XLR8 included.

Rook seemed unhurried though, flashing a polite smile in Jimmy’s direction. “Do not worry. We still have plenty of time if you want to talk to your friend.”

“I wouldn’t say we’re friends,” Ben muttered but neither Jimmy nor Rook seemed to hear him. Whatever. That was probably for the better. His mother always told him not to say anything if what he wanted to say wasn’t nice. Was that the quote? Ben could never remember. “So what you got for me, Jimmy?”

Jimmy pulled out a notebook like the nerd he was. But, instead of pestering Ben like he always did, he turned to Rook. “You’re Rook, right? The forums were really buzzing about you during the whole Vengers fiasco.”

Rook nodded. “Rook Blonko. Revonnahgander. From Revonnah. Not a Citrakayah.”

Ben snorted. Rook was really caught up on that, huh? But Jimmy scribbled it down like it was the most important thing in the world. “Rook… Blonko. Revonnahagnder. Not Citrakayah. And how would you describe your relationship with Ben Tennyson?”

“Um…” Rook suddenly lost his usual ease. “He is my… partner?”

“We work together. In the Plumbers,” Ben supplied. “And he’s my boyfriend.”

“Oh! So you broke up with Kai? Wait, that’s probably not what you’re supposed to say when-”

“It is fine,” Rook assured and it didn’t even sound forced. “I am very aware of Ben’s dating history.”

Jimmy didn’t seem to know how to react to that and went on with his questions, mostly ones surrounding the Vengers’ arrest and Ben’s feelings about all the bad press, until an alarm on Rook’s phone beeped, telling the pair it was time to get going. Why he had alarms, Ben did not understand but he was grateful for it. Interviews with Jimmy were never ending if there wasn’t anything interrupting them.

“I am surprised you felt it was time to come out,” Rook commented as they picked their way through the streets of Undertown after the game. Ben wasn’t sure who’s team won but ML-E was tired enough that she walked instead of ran home so Ben considered that a win for all of them. “Though I do understand wanting your friend to be the one to announce the news.”

“What?” It took Ben’s brain a moment to realize what Rook was talking about. “Oh. No. Jimmy’s blog is like… the Onion. Yeah, it’s like the Onion. You shouldn’t take anything on it seriously. It’s not a real news source, Rook. I wouldn’t out us without asking if I thought it was legit.”

Rook blinked a few times and his expression softened. “Thank you. I appreciate the courtesy, Ben. But I do think Jimmy is considered a reputable news source.”

“Why? Because he had a notebook?”

Rook shrugged. “I suppose we will see.”

Rook was right. Screw him and his rightness.

“Ben Tennyson is corrupting America’s youth!”

“I told you,” Rook said, sounding smug as Ben turned down the television’s volume. He didn’t really want to hear Will Harangue’s voice right now. Sometimes it was funny but most of the time it just irked his brain.

“Yeah,” Ben sighed. “What are we going to do about it?”

“What do you mean?”

“My family already knows about us but yours doesn’t. You think they’re going to hear about this all the way on Revonnah?”

“No. I must admit, I am nervous but no more than I was when we began our relationship,” Rook told him, drawing an arm over Ben’s shoulders. Instinctively, Ben leaned into it, even if Rook’s Proto-Armor was less comfortable than the couch they were sitting on. His parents were out at the moment and that made it a hell of a lot easier to be close like this. “It was difficult enough for me to get The Ben 10 Show ’s radio signal on Revonnah. I do not think anyone in my family will hear anything of this.”

“But doesn’t your brother have your old radio?”

“Yes but that does not mean anything,” Rook told him but his confidence was slipping before Ben’s eyes.

“And isn’t he good with technology?”

“Yes…”

“And wasn’t Scout able to get on the extranet from the Anur System?”

“Brallada,” Rook muttered. He shifted a bit, making sure Ben could see his face when he asked, “Would you like to come to Revonnah with me for the next harvest?”

Ben grinned and let his voice take a teasing tone. “Meeting the parents already?”

“We are literally in your parents’ house, Ben. Your mother left us lunch in the refrigerator. I helped your father rotate his tires last week.”

Ben winced. “Yeah, it’s probably about time I meet your folks, huh?”

“Agreed.”

“...”

“...”

“Nervous about it?”

“More than I would be if I were facing down Vilgax himself.”

Ben let out a long breath. “I feel you there, catboy.”

“Do not call me that in front of my parents. Or my siblings, for that matter. I will never hear the end of it.”

It took Ben a lot of willpower not to start pestering Rook with the nickname. “Hey, you think I’ll get any brownie points if I get Azmuth to program Revonnahgander DNA into the Omnitrix? I could pick some kind of chess themed name. Y’know, after Rook. Ooh, or a cat pun. None of my catty aliens have pun names so far. That’d be fun.”

“If you name your Revonnahgander transformation Acrocat, I am telling Jimmy Jones you are a furry and everyone will believe him.”

“No Revonnahgander transformation then.”

Chapter Text

The trip to Revonnah was a long one. Not necessarily longer than the days Rook and Ben drove around Bellwood for patrol but something about being in space made sitting in the Proto-Ship’s seats unbearable. Ben couldn’t believe he’d gotten used to being in a moving vehicle this long back on that summer road trip with Grandpa and Gwen. That felt like so long ago. Rook, at least, was better company than Gwen had been. Even if hearing about Revonnah’s calendar system was kind of boring.

“There she is,” Rook murmured as the planet came into view. “Revonnah.”

“Nervous?” Ben asked quietly.

Rook let out a huff. “Yes. It has been quite some time since I have come home. None of my breaks at the Academy aligned with harvest season and last year we were in the middle of our fight with Khyber.”

Ben wanted to apologize. Or tell his boyfriend he should have the chance to see his family on his own and not have to worry about the implications of Ben’s presence. He kept his mouth shut though. They didn’t need that kind of energy as they were pulling into Revonnah’s atmosphere and getting their first look at the surface. Ben tried not to make it too obvious but the only thing keeping him from plastering his face against the window was the nervous thrum in the background. He didn’t want to derail too soon.

“Big brother!” A small white-faced Revonnahgander charged toward the Proto-Ship, totally ignoring the gaggle of older Revonnahganders behind him, all calling for him not to run off. He didn’t seem to hear them though, or he just didn’t care, and flung himself at Rook. “You are back! You are back!”

Rook grinned and scooped up the little Revonnahgander. “Young One! You have grown!”

“Barley,” the boy grumbled, tail lashing behind him. “I still have my bi'nthak.”

Ben didn’t know what that meant but Rook didn’t have a chance to respond. The Revonnahganders chasing after Young One were nearing, an elderly, violet-faced Revonnahgander leading the charge. “You brought an alien.”

Ben almost looked over his shoulder. He still wasn’t used to being called an alien in his human form.

Rook shifted his hold on Young One and put a hand on Ben’s shoulder. “This is Ben Tennyson, my friend from E-”

“THE Ben Tennyson?!” Young One cried, eyes wide and Ben suddenly remembered the tale Rook told him so long ago. Rook and his brother had been fans of The Ben 10 Show before he left for the Academy, right? “You know the Ben 10?”

“Not the one you hear on the radio,” Rook informed him and Ben suddenly remembered Scout’s adjustment to seeing Ben as the hero instead of the character. Rook probably had a learning curve too, he realized. He’d just been more quiet about it. Were they going to have to do this all over again? Though, maybe he could use that to his advantage? He wanted the Rooks to like him after all. It didn’t matter how they ended up liking him.

No, he was sure Rook wanted the Rooks to like Ben for Ben. And speaking of the Rooks, he should probably call Rook by his chosen name while he was here, wasn’t he? To avoid confusion. And show they had a relationship beyond a professional one. They should’ve talked about that on the trip here, shouldn’t they?

The eldest Revonnahgander was eyeing Ben with suspicion. “Why did you bring him?”

“He is important to me, Father,” Rook responded, expression hardening ever so slightly, “and he can aid with the harvest. Would you oppose an extra set of hands?”

Rook’s father– Ben probably should know his name, shouldn’t he– was eyeing Ben again. “We are still flushing the crops. He does not look like he has the strength to transport water up the mountainside.”

Ben perked up. “You need water?”

Rook looked alarmed. “Ben, do not-”

Ben was already dialing up his Omnitrix. “Water Hazard!”

Both Rook’s father and little brother’s eyes widened, though for very different reasons. Young One looked positively excited while his father was stepping back, ushering the other Revonnahganders behind him protectively. “What is that?!”

Water Hazard raised a hand, palm directed toward the sky, and let out a gentle stream of water. Or he tried at least. Gentle wasn’t something he was quite used to and he ended up firing a pretty big blast into the sky. It dispersed into a light rain by the time it came down but Ben still cringed. He wasn’t really making the best first impression but fake it until you make it, right? “If getting water’s your problem, I’m your guy!”

Young One gasped and not in a good way. “He used a contraction!”

“Oh, um, sorry. We use contractions on my homeplanet.” Ben switched back into his human form, scratching the back of his head with a grimace. He knew Rook didn’t use contractions but he never said it bothered him when others used them. “I can stop if you want?”

“I do not expect you to change, Ben,” Rook told him, voice soft and genuine, before turning back to his father. “Father?”

Rook’s father hummed unhappily. “I am not pleased you brought an alien to Revonnah, my son. But it would be rude to turn away a guest and we could use his skills, even if it is not traditional. It has been a difficult crop this year.”

Ben held himself from cheering. Probably not the best thing to do when your boyfriend’s father said his family might not have enough to eat this year. “Thank you, sir!”

Rook’s father dipped his head. “I am Rook Da. These are my daughters Rook Shar, Rook Shim, and Rook Shi. Blonko is holding my youngest, Young One. My wife Rook Bralla is back in the house. Where the rest of my children are supposed to be.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Ben said politely, trying not to laugh at Rook’s siblings' guilty expressions. He hoped they'd be less nervous when Rook’s parents weren’t around. Young One seemed fun, so far at least. He hoped Rook’s sisters were the same.

“Come,” Da ordered, turning away. “The work day has begun and we are late to the field.”

“Yes, Father,” the Rook siblings echoed before heading toward the house, leaving Ben to scramble after them.

“Mother!”

It turned out Da had been exaggerating a bit when he said they were late to the field. The Rook family was still getting ready for the work day, which Ben realized upon seeing Bralla working in the kitchen and Young One searching the house for his work shoes. After the long ride, Ben had been hoping they’d arrive at night so they could get some rest but he wasn’t going to complain in front of Rook’s family about having to work and at least he was getting a meal before heading out to the fields.

“Do you need any help, ma’am?” Ben asked, calling upon all the manners his mother had lectured into him before meeting Julie’s parents for the first time. Ben hadn’t been nervous about meeting them and grumbled through the whole lesson but he was suddenly glad his mother had forced him to pay attention. Unfortunately, Bralla was not as receptive as Mrs. Yamamoto and Ben was met with a blank stare.

“On Earth, it is polite to offer the host or hostess aid with meal preparation. Forgive him,” Rook told her, putting his hands on Ben’s shoulder to guide him away from the kitchen. Voice dropping to a whisper, he explained, “It is traditional that women do not speak to the men while they handle housework. My father encourages the women of the house to speak but my mother is… less progressive than he is.”

Ben tried not to make a face. “I’ve seen you cook and clean though.”

Rook shrugged. “Scout taught me at the Academy. My mother never allowed me to at home.”

“That’s… like the total opposite of my mom. She’d be thrilled if I offered to help her out. Do you just… not do anything?”

“I will tell you of my duties another time,” Rook promised. “Do you need work clothes? Or are you comfortable in your current attire?”

“I’ve got my sneakers,” Ben told him, “and I’m probably going to be Water Hazard for awhile.”

Rook nodded and they got swept up in the day. Water Hazard, as it turned out, was perfect for flushing the crops. Ben really hoped it earned him a few points in Da’s favor but after the morning’s interactions, he wasn’t feeling too optimistic.

“I have an announcement to make.”

By the end of the day, Ben was pretty tired. Even if he used his aliens, he was still moving a lot and he couldn’t stay timed in for the entirety of the work period. The meal was rewarding, even if they were rations from the last harvest meant to time them over until the next crop came in. Ben didn’t even have to like it like he did the first time he ate with Ester’s tribe. Sure, one food would get boring after awhile but it was warm and filling and enough to make Ben forget why they’d come here.

“It is not surprising that you only came to deliver news,” Shi snarked, humor glinting in her eye. Da glared at her, making her duck her head. “Forgive me, Brother.”

“I do not need to, Sister. I should have come home sooner and I wish I had a visit before… I fear you will not want me back after I tell you…” Rook trailed off, brow furrowing. Ben wanted to reach out for him but he didn’t think it would be appreciated right now. “There is no easy way to say this. Ben and I are in a relationship. One of romantic nature.”

Ben expected yelling. Maybe food throwing. A slap at worse. Not silence. Ben knew it wasn’t the worst outcome but in the moment it really felt like it. Neither Ben nor Rook planned for something like this. What were they supposed to do with silence?

“I have known Ben for a long time. And in that time, I have learned to see him for who he is and see the human behind the hero.” Rook swallowed. “I know our people do not accept men who love men and that the lack of alien presence on Revonnah prevents almost any possibility for a relationship with an alien but I do not care about tradition when it comes to Ben. I plan on remaining in a committed relationship with Ben whether you approve or not. I am telling you in hope that you will want to remain in my life and respect who I love.”

Ben tried not to blush. They’d gone over this in the ship, of course, but Rook was still throwing a lot of declarative statements around. How was he supposed to react? Sure, they’d been together for awhile. It still felt like a big deal for them.

The Rooks seemed to understand that too but they weren’t saying anything. Young One was biting his lip like he did anytime he was about to cheer or whoop in excitement. That was about what Ben expected. Rook’s sisters were glancing between Rook and their parents, expressions emotive but unreadable. Ben found himself following their gazes. They still weren’t saying anything.

And they wouldn’t apparently. Silent as ever, Da rose from his seat at the dinner table and walked out of the room.

“Father…” Rook tried calling after him but Da didn’t even turn and walked right out the front door. Bralla stared after him, then turned back to Rook. “Mother…”

Bralla glared before getting to her feet and following Da out the door.

Rook deflated, letting out a long breath. “I suppose that is the best I could have hoped for.”

“Oh Blonko,” Shar said softly and came to her brother’s side, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in comfort. “Let us… Let us go to the common room to talk.”

“Let us,” Rook agreed and let Shar guide him to the house’s main room. Shim, Shi, and Young One hopped off their chairs and followed them to sit on the floor. Ben briefly wondered if this was a private thing or if he should join them before deciding to pull a chair to the edge of the room, close enough to listen in but far enough to give the family their space.

“How will you get Father’s land if you like a boy?” Shi asked and Ben didn’t think that was important right now but he understood it was to them.

Rook shrugged. “I do not know. But I did not plan on returning to life on Revonnah and Ben does not change that.”

“What about Rayona?” Young One asked and Ben tried not to wince or make it too obvious he was closely listening to Rook’s answer.

“I have not spoken to her,” Rook admitted, “but I do not like women in that way so I do not think our previous relationship was meant to be.”

“...Rayona has found another as well,” Shar spoke up quietly, earning surprised looks from the rest of the family. Not exciting news to Ben but he supposed Gwen and Kevin would be interested if Julie was seeing someone new. Well, she was but Ben couldn’t remember his name at the moment.

“Who?” Shim asked, looking interested. He was faintly surprised that no one but Shar knew about whoever Rayona was dating, mainly because the village seemed close from what he observed but partially because Shim seemed like the kind of person who knew things. Rook had told Ben she was the gossip of the siblings.

“You must promise not to tell Mother or Father,” Shar told her, voice urgent. Ben agreed easily, along with the Rook siblings, even if he didn’t understand quite was going on.

“Of course,” Rook promised her. “But who could prompt such secrecy?”

“Me,” Shar admitted, sounding almost shy, and the room erupted in congratulations.

“I did not expect it! You have done well to hide it.”

“Rayona would make an excellent wife! I can see you two having a wonderful relationship.”

“I am happy for you, Shar,” Rook told her, eyes shining. This was the reaction he deserved, Ben realized, but Rook didn’t look jealous in the slightest. He knew exactly how she was feeling right now and what had been leading to this moment. “I must say I am surprised but I am happy that you and Rayona found each other.”

“Thank you,” Shar whispered, eyes just as shiny.

“If Blonko does not want the land and Shar does not plan on finding a husband, why does Shar not inherit the land?” Young One asked, looking between them. Ben thought that was a pretty good idea but the others didn’t leap at it like he thought they would.

“I recently applied to the Plumber Academy. I am waiting to hear back,” Shar told them, pulling Young One onto her lap. “I told Rayona, Shim, and Shi but not you yet. Could I ask you to forgive me and not tell Mother and Father?”

Young One nodded and beamed up at her. “Yes! How exciting!”

Shar smiled faintly before looking up at her elder brother. “I do not know what I will do if I am accepted and graduate but I hope to open Revonnah to alien presence. If Rayona and I work out and I am stationed on Revonnah, I could use the land, if you are willing to share.”

Ben thought that was pretty noble. That was similar to what Scout was doing, right? Not on the same scale but very similar goals. After this, if and when things calmed down, Ben would have to tell Rook to send Shar Scout’s contact information. Or do it himself, he supposed. He considered Scout a friend and hoped to build a similar relationship with Shar. His mom was proud he’d made so many friends lately but Ben knew he still didn’t have many by human standards. More never hurt and Shar seemed pretty cool.

Rook nodded, looking pleased. “I do not yet know how my relationship with Revonnah will be in the future. If Father allows me to inherit the land, I will gladly hand it over to you, or share ownership if that is what is best for us. There is still much we do not know.”

“I fear Mother and Father’s reactions are telling though,” Shar said, slumping a bit in defeat. Ben wanted to say something comforting, to tell her she could have a happy future regardless of what her parents thought or approved of, but he didn’t think it would be appropriate right now. Or appreciated. No matter how supportive the Rook siblings were of his boyfriend, Ben was still an outsider. He didn’t understand the weight of their words.

Rook put an arm around her shoulder and let Shim and Shi cuddle up on his other side. “I fear so as well but at least we have each other.”

It was some time before Da or Bralla came back. It was rather stressful for all of them but they made the most of it. The siblings had more questions for Rook and Shar, and then some for Ben, before the initial excitement wore off and the demeanor shifted. Regardless who revealed what, they were still siblings without their parents around. They played some games, gossiped, and threw around a few contractions before Rook and Shar decided to be responsible and shoo their younger siblings off to bed.

“You do not need to stay awake with us,” Rook told his sister as he and Ben settled down on the couch by the front door. “We have a long work day tomorrow. You need your rest.”

“You traveled all the way here and then worked all day. You are more tired than I am,” Shar replied a little snarkily. “I will be fine. I want to be there for you when Mother and Father return. Unless you and Ben wish for some alone time?”

Rook’s fur fluffed up a bit but Ben answered to save him from the embarrassment. “Don’t worry. Blonko and I knew we weren’t getting a ton of time to ourselves when we were here. And I don’t think I’d be much help if things go South.”

“Go South?”

“An Earth expression,” Rook translated with a smile. “He means he thinks you will be helpful if Father wishes to talk when he comes back.”

Shar nodded and started to respond but the front door knob was turning and suddenly all three of them were scrambling to their feet. There was no need, of course, but Ben had the overwhelming urge to be as presentable as possible. Even if he had no idea what passed as presentable for Revonnahganders. A t-shirt and brown cargo pants probably weren’t it but there wasn’t anything he could do about that, now could he?

“Father,” Rook greeted as Da entered the house before confusion spread across his face. “Where is Mother?”

“Your mother is with a neighbor,” he told him, shutting the door gently. Ben wasn’t sure if he should read that as a good sign or not. “She needed some time to think.”

“I see,” Rook murmured, looking down. “And you?”

Da took a few steps into the house and hesitantly put a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I… I needed time to think as well. I did not want to say things that I would regret so I left. And your mother and I talked. I… I think your mother should tell you how she feels. I do not want to speak on her behalf.”

“I understand that, Father,” Rook responded as Da retracted his hand. “But how do you feel?”

“I am not thrilled by your choice in a partner,” Da told him, “but my talk with your mother was… enlightening.”

“Enlightening? In what way?”

“I raised you to make your own choices, to value our traditions without being confined by them. Neither of us expected for you to stray so far from tradition,” Da said, gaze flickering down. “She believes I am responsible for the path your life has taken but I stand by my teachings, even if I do not approve.”

“Father…?”

“When you were younger, I know you often hid things from me. Alien technology you found, visits to Wat-Senn, staying up late to study, even when you began training with Master Kundo. I wish that you did not feel you had to hide yourself from me and I regret putting you into that position. I know forcing you to conform to our ways would only make you unhappy. It is not what I want for you but you have found success and happiness in offworld ways. It would be unjust of me to stand in the way of that.”

Ben glanced at Rook, carefully studying his expression. He looked hopeful, and incredibly so. Ben silently prayed Da didn’t smash that hope with whatever he said next.

“I want to be proud of you for paving your own path, my son. My own father, your grandfather, did not approve of some choices that I made, which is why I tried to give you and your siblings freedom. You have exceeded my hopes and expectations and I do not think I am ready for my eldest son to welcome a male alien into the family,” Da told him, sounding genuine and regretful. But before crestfallenness could take over Rook’s features, he continued, “That does not mean I never will though. I will try though, Blonko.”

“Thank you, Father,” Rook said breathily. He started to open his arms before freezing. “May I hug you? In many cultures, a hug is a gesture of emotional warmth and an appropriate way to express joy, comfort, or relief.”

Da looked amused and opened his arms. “I know what a hug is, Blonko.”

Rook smiled bashfully and the two embraced. Ben spared a glance at Shar and she offered him a smile and a nod. Things were going to work out in the Rook family.

Da looked in Ben’s direction and tilted his head respectfully. “I hope we have not scared you off.”

Ben shook his head and couldn’t help but let a cocky smirk worm its way onto his face. “It takes a lot to scare me, and it’d take even more to scare me off from your son.”

Da nodded in approval. “Good. Now off to bed, you three. We have one more day of flushing the crops before the harvest begins and I expect you all to to be ready at dawn.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Of course, sir.”

Da smiled and shooed them good naturedly. Rook led him to the room he shared with Young One but Ben was too tired to check out his boyfriend’s childhood bedroom. All the traveling and work earlier combined with the emotional drainage of the evening, Ben and Rook clocked right out on the bottom bunk, arms around each other and hearts filled with hope for their future.