Disclaimer: The world and characters Ben 10, Ben 10: Alien Force, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien all belong to Cartoon network. Just borrowing them for my own and possible the amusement of other fans.

An Unexpected Outing

"Your grandfather knows," Pierce said causing him to stop and stare at his boyfriend of just three weeks. "Before you ask, no I didn't tell him but he flat out asked me if we were being careful." That just made the entire situation worse.

"How did he find out?" He asked himself more than Pierce. "I mean even Gwen and Kevin don't know yet and it isn't like I see Grandpa Max every day anymore." He said and then saw Pierce shaking his head. "Do you have any idea how he found out?"

"Let's see we've been hanging out a lot more, I showed up with a hickey I refused to explain to my little sister and Max called one time while you were over in my room really late." Pierce said laying it out clearly. "The fact you haven't moped this time about breaking up with Julie for good probably makes it clear your seeing someone else."

"I suppose but that doesn't explain why he's asking sex things," He said feeling slightly embarrassed. "He never asked me anything like that about Julie." He saw Pierce look away. "What is it you aren't saying?"

"You and Julie weren't very physical with each other, I mean did you two ever kiss in public at all?" He shook his head no. He wasn't going to bother explaining that Julie wanted to take things slow and he'd been okay with that. "I just want to know if he's going to tell your parents."

"No, Grandpa Max is good about leaving that kind of thing up to me to tell." He said thinking of the Omnitrix. "I mean he let me go for years lying about the Omnitrix and me dating a human pin cushion has to be in the same ball park." He smiled at Pierce's look of annoyance at the pincushion remark. "I suppose though this means I need to tell Gwen or Grandpa might let something slip." He sighed and then said, "I don't know how she's going to take it; she's still really good friends with Julie and keeps hinting for us to get back together."

"She'll take it better than Manny will when I tell him," Pierce said shaking his head. "He's a good guy at heart but his first reaction to anything different isn't pretty." He recalled some of the run ins he'd had with Manny over the last few years. "Of course he might take it better than Kevin will, especially if he ever figures out you had a crush on him."

"I never should have told you that," He said knowing the mention of his one-sided crush on his cousin's boyfriend was payback for the pin cushion remark. "Besides Kevin might be flattered even as he assures me repeatedly that he's not into guys." He saw Pierce smile slightly at that. "Anyway are we just going to sit around my room all day discussion how badly folks are going to react or are we going to go out and do something."

"I thought we could stay in and do something," Pierce said suggestively leaning in toward him. He nodded and pulled him into a kiss. They fell back onto the bed and were right in the middle of a great make out session when his bedroom door opened and his mother screamed in shock.

"Uh Mom I can explain," He said wondering how he hadn't heard her get home. He wondered if this was all some kind of cosmic joke first he finds out his grandfather knows and then his mom catches him making out while she's supposed to be out all day with his dad. He saw his mother staring at Pierce who was staring stupidly at his mother while still on top of him. "Uh this is Pierce, Pierce my mom." That got his boyfriend to get up and look embarrassed as he mumbled out a greeting.

"We came back early because your father has a stomach virus," his mother said surprisingly calm. "Make yourselves presentable and then come down stairs we need to talk." She turned and left and he glanced over at Pierce who just started laughing.

"This isn't funny Pierce the only way this could get worse is if Gwen calls with an emergency." He said and seconds later his phone began to ring. "No way it can't be," He reached for his phone as Pierce began to laugh even harder.

"Ben, your mom just texted me not to call for any reason for the next hour." He was a bit shocked his mom even knew how to text let alone that she'd think he'd run. "And who is laughing in the back ground?" He shot another glare at Pierce who tried to get it under control.

"That's just Pierce," He said quickly. "Mom walked in on us doing something she's not happy about so for the next hour I'm going to get lectured." He knew any second now Gwen would be asking what they were doing. "Look Gwen I'll call you later and tell you everything but we need to get downstairs before mom comes back up here."

After he hung up the phone, he glanced at Pierce who had managed to get his laughter under control. "I think I jinxed us by bringing up Max knowing." He had to smile at that even as he hurried made sure his shirt wasn't rumbled too badly and then headed toward the door. "So which do you think freaked them out the most that I'm a guy or that I'm not fully human."

"I'm not fully human either and neither is my dad remember," He said as they walked toward the living room. His parents had never said anything he could recall that was homophobic so he was hoping it was just shock and not real disapproval for either reason.

He saw his dad sitting on the couch next to his mom. She looked annoyed and his dad just looked vaguely queasy. He really hoped it was the stomach virus his mom had mentioned. He glanced over at Pierce who had managed to school his face to be perfectly neutral. "How long has this been going on?" His mom asked taking him by surprise.

"We've been dating about three weeks," Pierce said speaking up quickly. He watched his parents exchange glanced and he knew they were doing the math about how he'd broken up with Julie for good two months ago.

"We aren't mad," His dad said sounding as sick as he looked. "We just want to understand." He was glad his dad had said that as he forced himself to sit down. He could tell with a slight glance that Pierce was relieved to hear that as well. "I hate to ask this but you weren't just using Julie were you?"

He felt slightly insulted but he should have expected that. "No, I wasn't," He said quickly. "Julie, and I didn't work out but I wasn't using her to hide anything I like both guys and girls." He hoped that would be the end of it but based on how his mother was looking at Pierce it wasn't.

"Haven't I seen you with Max?" His mom said looking at Pierce strangely. "Aren't you one of the plumber's fresh out of the academy that he's supervising?" He set back as Pierce revealed that yes he was and that led to the big bombshell. "Does Max know about this?"

"He figured it out recently," He said quickly not wanting Pierce to repeat what his grandpa had mentioned. "We haven't had a chance to talk about it and even Gwen doesn't know yet." He could tell that surprised his parents and kept them from asking too many questions. He doubted they'd have the sex talk while Pierce was there but as soon as he left he knew he'd get asked about it. "We aren't ashamed or anything I just don't want to make the same mistake as last time." He could tell even Pierce was surprised by that. "Julie and I didn't work because stuff just kept happening that she got dragged into without any real say." After that statement he was glad that his parents seemed to mutually agree to not ask for too many embarrassing details even though his mom did quiz Pierce on his background a great deal.

Later after Pierce had left, he sat on his bed and dialed Gwen. "Sorry it took me so long to get back to you." He could tell from Gwen's response that she was a bit put out that he hadn't called her back just after an hour. "It just took longer than we thought and after Pierce left my parents asked me some really embarrassing personal questions and grounded me."

"What on Earth were you doing that was so bad Ben?" Gwen asked clearly agitated. "Kevin, thinks that you and Pierce were experimenting with alien drugs." He found himself completely at a loss for words. "I told him that was crazy but he said that he knew plenty of plumbers who dabbled in them at the academy and wouldn't tell me how he knew."

"Nothing like that, Mom, just walked in on us making out," He said enjoying the shock he knew he'd given her. He didn't get to surprise her often because she knew him too well. "So I had to do the whole coming out thing to my parents and now you over the phone."

"I'll be over there in fifteen minutes," Gwen said and hung up the phone. He considered calling her back but knew it was probably better to have that conversation in person. He just hoped she didn't bring Kevin with her he wanted at least one more day before he had to handle that discussion.

The End.