Hiya!

So I finally finished Off*beat in June, and, as much as I loved the ending (I had to dance around my kitchen for an hour to let off my feelings) I thought it could have been, expanded upon.

So that's what I did!

There's two more parts to this, so be patient!

Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TORY!

Disclaimer: I don't own Off*beat, Jenn Lee Quick does, and she is an absolutely wonderful lady, so I would never steal from her.

It was as if the corridor had become airless, or maybe that was just his lungs, for the antiseptic facility was suddenly lush with life. Tory Blake felt both unable to breath and somehow incredibly nourished and replenished. This new life was making his heart swell painfully.

He blinked furiously as he locked eyes with Colin Stephens, but Colin's whole aspect illuminated as he returned Tory's smile. Tory swallowed with difficulty, it now felt like his swollen heart had overflowed into his throat. For a split second, or maybe a few glorious hours, they just looked at each other, then, "Stephens?" The man in the lab coat standing next to Colin was watching him in some concern. Colin kept his eyes locked on Tory's as he replied, "Yes, I'm sorry." He inhaled, his smile still lighting up his face, his lips slightly parted. "I'll let you know if anything changes, but I'll be around tonight, so if anything you can come find me." His expression softened most invitingly as he turned and walked back down the hall. The man in the lab coat followed him curiously. Colin gave Tory one last look over his shoulder as he went, and it was all Tory could do not to follow or call after him.

"Dr. Blake?" Tory started. He'd completely forgotten he was on a tour of his new job's facility. His colleague was looking at him confusedly.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, what?" He smiled apologetically. His colleague was still watching him inquiringly, but she smiled in return as she led him the opposite way down the hall. "All the suites are this way." Tory's mind raced. He'd found Colin completely by accident, he was sure he'd need to spend his first week at Grow-Pak looking for him, but now the question of what to do next loomed ahead of him like a monster. I'll be around tonight, so if anything you can come find me. A clue, obviously, but what did "around" mean? Where? And when? Tory saw clearly the name on the badge the man with the lab coat had been wearing. It would be only too easy to find his office and explore, but this wasn't like sneaking around in high school. Here the stakes were far higher. However, the new challenge was exciting, and… Colin's parted lips, his dark eyes, shiny black hair… Tory took several deep breaths, trying to remain focused. Pleasurable as it was to dwell and dream as he had done for years, now…

"Is that a Zamioculcas?" Asked Tory's colleague from a long way away, eyeing the potted plant he was holding.

"Yeah!" Tory said, smiling affectionately at the plant and realizing his palms were slippery. He held it more closely to his chest. "I was worried I wouldn't be able to bring it here." He swallowed.

"Oh no, don't worry!" She said kindly. "As long as you don't, you know, bring it into any of the labs."

"Well, yeah," scoffed Tory. His colleague laughed.

"Here we are!" She indicated a door with "346" stamped across it. Tory stared at the numbers incredulously for a few seconds before accepting the card key his colleague passed him. He swiped it and entered. "It's not much," she said, apologetically, but Tory smiled as he looked around. His suite was like a small apartment: a kitchenette and living space comprised one room, and he could see his bedroom and bathroom through doors on the opposite wall. Remembering the tiny dorms his NYU friends had lived in and Mandy's even smaller New School dorms, he felt he had nothing to complain about.

"This is totally fine," Tory said, placing his plant tenderly next to the window in his new kitchen.

"Glad to hear it!" His colleague said genially. "That's pretty much it," she added, her eyes still on Tory.

"Thanks," Tory said with a glance.

"Oh, dinner usually starts in an hour, that's important, and OH! You can use your ID to check out books from the library here, but you need to get it activated."

"Library?" Tory asked sharply, turning around to face her this time. She raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, it's on the opposite side of the building, near Dr. Weisman's office." She shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry that doesn't help you, does it, you're new. It's just past where I picked you up." Tory smiled widely at her.

"Thanks for your help," he said, and this time he meant it. Looking confused, but gratified, his colleague nodded, said her good byes and backed out of the room.

The second the door closed Tory's mind began spinning. "Weisman" was definitely the name on the ID badge the man with Colin had been wearing. Colin said he would be around later after he'd seen Tory… he wouldn't soon forget sharing lunch in the library back at St. Peters, would he? Tory strode through to his new bedroom, where he was relieved to find his suitcases waiting for him. He unzipped the smaller one and dug out a brand new notebook and a packet of pens. He threw himself onto his bed and began to write down everything he'd seen and heard so far as well as his suspicions. '54% chance this is all way too easy…' He thought, sucking on his pen and narrowing his eyes at his paper. Then again, the chances of running into Colin within fifteen minutes of arriving at Grow-Pak were less than 1%, could he be this lucky twice? 'Maybe we ARE in attunement or whatever,' Tory thought, in spite of himself.

He shut his notebook, placed it carefully on his bedside table and stood up. He studied his appearance in the full-length mirror on the wall next to the door. Feeling self-conscious, he took off his lab coat and tossed it onto his bed. 'Better,' he thought, running his fingers through his hair; he was uncomfortably aware of how messy it always was and how stupid it looked hanging in his face. 'What if he's changed his mind?' His own mind thought nastily. Tory blushed at his reflection and straightened his t-shirt. 'What if I'm misreading-' But he shook himself. 'Misreading what, the look on his face when he saw me? The way we said good bye?' Tory sighed heavily in exasperation with himself. "Stop it," he said out loud. He reached for his coat to remove his ID badge and clipped it to the front of his shirt.

Being confused about Colin was a well-practiced habit of Tory's, but he knew the one thing about which they were unquestionably on the same page. Tory's heart swelled as he remembered. Colin's soft lips, his heartbeat, his hands on his shoulders… Tory bit his lip. His mind had years worth of fantasies beginning with that kiss. The second he closed his eyes one would start to play, but now… 'Maybe one of them will be accurate?' Tory's heart sped up and heat ran up his neck. "Stop it," he said out loud again.

Sighing resignedly, Tory made sure he had his card key before heading out of his suite and back down the hall. A few men and women in lab coats nodded as they passed him. He tried to say hello because he felt it would be prudent, but his mouth was far too dry. His heart beat faster and faster as he proceeded through the facility despite his valiant efforts to remain calm. 'He's probably not even here,' Tory reminded himself sadly. 'He probably just-' but he stopped suddenly. Just ahead, the entire wall on the right side was glass paneled, and through it he could see shelves upon shelves of books. 'Aha!' He thought, running up to it and pressing his hands against the glass. But his triumph was almost immediately eclipsed by a panic so complete it felt like drowning. Feeling dizzy and disoriented, Tory turned and leaned his back against the glass for support, breathing deeply. 'It's cool,' he thought, 'don't get so worked up, it'll be -'

A tapping noise echoed from the glass directly between Tory's shoulder blades, making him jump so badly he stumbled and almost fell over. Clutching his chest, Tory whirled around, but then covered his mouth with his hands as Colin waved slowly at him through the glass, his face glowing. Tory threw his head back with what could have been a laugh or a sob, he wasn't sure, and saw Colin make a "come here" motion with his finger. Tory looked around wildly, spotted the door up ahead and sprinted toward it. His heart was pounding and he kept swallowing the cries fighting to get out of his throat.

As he opened the door to the library, he felt dizzy again, but as Colin hurried toward him the world seemed to right itself. Tory had one hand over his mouth again, his chest heaving. Colin had his hands pressed together in front of his face as if he were praying, his expression simply thrilled. Tory tried to say something, but no words came to him. He wanted to press the wetness out of the corners of his eyes, but felt sure that if he closed them even for a second Colin would vanish.

"You're as clever as ever, I see," Colin said, finally, taking his hands away from his mouth and wrapping them around his chest. He gripped his upper arms so hard his knuckles were white. Tory laughed incredulously.

"This was pure luck, dude, don't give me that." Colin laughed too and cast a nervous look at the elderly woman at the desk to their left. His eyes snapped back to Tory and he jerked his head over his shoulder.

"Come," he said, quietly. Tory's heart jumped into his throat again as he followed Colin across the room towards a wall of elevators. Colin pressed the UP button impatiently and turned back to Tory. "I can't believe you're here," he said softly.

"Me neither, honestly," Tory replied. He wanted to hug Colin, or at least grab his hand, but didn't quite know how. Colin's eyes darted to Tory's ID badge, then widened. He reached for it, and Tory's chest constricted painfully as Colin's fingers brushed against his chest.

"So it's Dr. Blake now?" Tory nodded.

"Yeah, only since May, though." Colin's eyes widened still further, but at that point the elevator arrived with a loud chime. Colin took his hand away from Tory's badge, but walked backwards into the elevator so their eyes remained locked on each other. The back of the elevator was more clear glass, and through it they could see only trees and blue sky. Colin backed up to the glass and leaned against it, the warm afternoon sunlight creating a kind of halo around him. He reached out and pressed the button for the top floor. Tory stood next to him, suddenly more aware of the heat rising between them as they looked at each other.

"Grow-Pak took you on so quickly?" Colin asked Tory interestedly.

"Of course they did," Tory said, as though it were obvious. Colin pressed his fingers to his lips as he laughed.

"I can't believe you're here," Colin said again, his voice full of disbelieving delight. The elevator stopped with another chime. The top floor of the library seemed deserted. None of the lights were on, but a skylight above them flooded the whole floor with natural light.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Tory asked.

"Here, it's quiet," Colin said, leading Tory deeper into the shelves of books. "It's like at St. Peters, remember?" Tory smiled.

"Yeah! You dragged me there to eat bobotie." They reached a quiet spot between two shelves, the silence of the library seemed to cocoon them even tighter together. Colin sat right in the corner of the two bookshelves and patted the ground next to him. Tory sat down beside him a little apprehensively.

"And I woke up and found you staring at me," Colin reminded him, raising his eyebrows. Tory flushed.

"Y-yeah, well…" but Colin was smiling.

"I'm just being a dick, I'm sorry." Tory sighed exasperatedly.

"You know I learned to make bobotie because of you." Colin stared at him incredulously.

"What?"

"Yeah, after…" Tory swallowed. "After you left. I couldn't really get the recipe right though, it never tasted like you. I mean, yours! Uh…" Tory bit his lip but Colin looked touched.

"I can show you how I make it, it's not so hard," he said softly, gently cupping the side of Tory's face. Tory closed his eyes and exhaled sharply at the touch, feeling his face burn. He brought his hand up to Colin's wrist, gently took his hand away and kissed the center of his palm. Colin's breath caught in his throat and his blush was so deep Tory could practically feel the heat coming from him. Tory's own lips were tingling as he gently folded Colin's fingers and placed gentle kisses on each of his knuckles. "Tory, s-stop," Colin gasped, and Tory released his hand in alarm.

"Fuck, I'm sorry, I, I thought!"

"No no, it's not like that, believe me," Colin said hurriedly, rubbing his knuckles tenderly. Mortified, Tory watched Colin with his heart in his throat. Colin swallowed and continued. "Believe me, I, I want to," and as he looked into Tory's eyes they both knew saying it aloud made it all the more true.

"So, why…?" Tory began, suddenly feeling desperate.

"I'm, part of an experiment, remember?" Colin replied, ruefully. "I can't do anything that might influence the data." He fingered Tory's ID badge again. "You should know better," he added, reproachfully.

"This isn't fair!" Tory burst out in frustration, and immediately he felt childish and stupid. A few seconds passed in silence, then Colin began to laugh. Tory's relief rushed out of him in a guilty giggle, but before long he too was laughing as he had not done in a very long time. It was a while before they could stop. "What was so funny about that?!" Tory demanded, trying to swallow the rest of his laughter.

"Nothing?" Colin offered with a shrug and a giggle, then, "Everything?" Without really meaning to, Tory grabbed Colin's hand and held it. Colin leaned his head back against the bookshelf, his eyes closed. Both of them could feel the warmth radiating from between their clasped hands. Tory's heart beat fiercely as Colin gently opened his eyes and titled his head towards him. Tory determinedly kept his eyes on Colin's face rather than the newly exposed inches of pale neck. "I'm so glad you're here," Colin breathed once again.

"Me too," Tory replied softly. The warmth between them intensified.

"Really though," Colin persisted, straightening up. "Where did you go to school? How did you get here so fast? How's your mom, and Mandy and Paul? There's so much you have to tell me!" He squeezed Tory's hand. Tory was pleased at his interest, but would not be distracted.

"Uh uh, you tell me first. How are you?" Tory glared at Colin fiercely, daring him to deflect the request, but Colin said nothing. He looked at Tory almost sadly.

"There's really not much to tell," he muttered, evasively. Tory rolled his eyes ostentatiously, but Colin gave his hand a squeeze as he continued, "I'm serious! I've been following Dr. Garretts and his team around since I left New York, presenting our research at conferences and everything, it was nothing new. Well, I actually did feel lonely for the first time, there's that. It sucked." He added the last part bitterly. "I'd love to hear something about other peoples' lives for a change." Tory inhaled deeply through his nose. He had never heard Colin sound resentful before, and it discomposed him far more than anything else had done so far.

"Colin, can I…" The request died in his chest, but he let go of Colin's hand and wrapped his arm around his shoulders instead. Surprised, but very pleased, Colin relaxed against Tory, leaning his head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry," Tory said softly, pressing his lips against the top of Colin's head and inhaling deeply again. He felt his body respond instantly, but now was not the time.

"Don't be," Colin replied wearily, breathing in Tory's neck and fighting off similar feelings. "I volunteered for this, remember?" Tory rubbed his face in Colin's hair.

"Mmhmm," he exhaled, making valiant efforts not to feel as excited as he did. Colin lifted his head away from Tory's shoulder so they were face to face again.

"You were going to tell me about you, remember?" He said, moodily. Tory's eyes narrowed at the deep flush in Colin's face and neck, but decided not to push it.

"All right, damn," he groaned, though he was smiling. "Um, basically my entire life was school, after you left," he stopped suddenly, his throat tight. He swallowed, but his voice shook slightly as he continued, "After you left, in all seriousness, I was pretty devastated." Colin bit his lip. "But… I was motivated, that's for damn sure." Tory smiled, pleased with himself. "I started taking college classes in the summer and ended up graduating from St. Peter's early, which was awesome because then I got into NYU early decision-"

"Really?"

"Yeah, dude, I'm fucking pro!" Tory added with a grin. Colin laughed and rubbed his cheek against Tory's shoulder. "I busted my ass though, like, fuck. I took so many credits every semester, I had no social life." Colin snorted.

"I thought your social life was just me, Paul and Mandy, what do you mean?"

"Wow, really? Damn…" Colin grinned encouragingly, wanting Tory to continue. Tory sighed, reminding himself of how Paul had sighed at him in high school and cleared his throat. "Anyway, it got easier once Mandy went to college. She went to The New School and we could see each other between classes and stuff." He smiled affectionately. "She started dating this illustration major from Parsons, he's pretty cool. They live together out in Flushing, now." He smiled at Colin, who returned the expression. "Paul's girlfriend moved in with him the summer after you left. She's really nice, she and my mom are like, best friends, that's pretty weird, but yeah. You know he'd been dating her for mad long and just never told me?" Tory added indignantly.

"Oh you missed a detail? How awful!" Colin teased. Tory gave him a very nasty look.

"Fuck you, Colin, seriously." Colin buried his face in Tory's neck again and Tory felt him inhale.

"You mean that?" Tory tried to wiggle away, blushing uncomfortably.

"God, yes! I hate you right now!" Colin wrapped his arms around Tory's waist and held him tight.

"Sorry," he said, smirking. "Your mom must have liked having more people to feed," he prompted.

"Yeah, that's definitely true," Tory said loudly to the ceiling. He gently disentangled himself from Colin so they were sitting facing each other. He tenderly took hold of Colin's hands and Colin returned the gesture with a squeeze. "She keeps harassing them about having kids, 85% chance it'll get worse now I've left home. She has a new boyfriend though, finally! And a new job, which is even better!" Colin could hear the pride in Tory's voice and gently brushed his bangs out of his face. "I do miss everybody," Tory continued, a little sadly. "But… they understand. Well, I didn't exactly tell them everything," he looked right into Colin's eyes, and Colin suddenly felt his chest constrict. "I know they're proud of me though, that's what's important." Colin nodded, his chest constricting further as he became acutely aware of everything Tory had done for him. For them.

"You didn't have to do all of this, you know," Colin said quietly, his throat burning. Tory's eyes narrowed.

"Are you serious?" Colin flushed uncomfortably and looked away from Tory for the first time. Giving Tory the plant food had seemed such a simple gesture in the moment. I'll be waiting, come find me. But now he realized how childish that had been, and how selfish. How much had Tory sacrificed for him? How hard had he worked? And now, he, Colin, was acting ungrateful.

"No," Colin said, finally, not meeting Tory's eyes. "I guess I just realized how, I-" Colin ran his fingers through his hair distractedly, trying to find the words. "I'm just really happy to see you, and," the burning in his throat had spread to the corners of his eyes as he looked Tory full in the face. "I feel like I asked for too much and, I, I haven't done enough to deserve it." Colin blinked furiously and sighed. Tory watched him, waiting, squeezing his other hand. "All I did was give you plant food and you bent over backwards for me! Why?!" Colin demanded, his voice rising, as though he were trying to blame Tory for the shame he was beginning to feel.

"Stop," Tory said firmly. "No, seriously, please stop." Colin swallowed. "I didn't do anything because you or anybody else told me to. All you said was it was my job to figure out how to put us back together. It would have been like, ridiculously easy for me to be like, nah fuck this, he's not worth it, but I actually thought you were. My bad." He added, coldly. Colin wiped his eyes with the tips of his fingers impatiently. "Not thinking about you for a second," Tory continued. "I'm fucking lucky to get a job here. The economy is still fucked to hell; a job like this is amazing. Even if I didn't find you here," Tory tried not to imagine the total and complete disappointment of that scenario, "it'd still have been worth it." Colin still looked unconvinced, so Tory persisted. "Dude you know I'm smart as fuck, I could have studied anything! At least this thing with you gave me direction. Plus, botany's actually pretty all right!" He smiled graciously and Colin's mouth twitched. "I shouldn't have recorded so much about you in high school, it's made you feel too important," Tory added with narrowed eyes, and Colin finally smiled.

"I'm really glad you're here," he said, softly. Tory threw his hands up and exclaimed,

"Me too, GOD!" He brought his hands onto the floor behind him and leaned back at his ease. Colin gave him a furtive look before slowly moving closer to Tory, the uncomfortable heat in his face now simmering under his skin excitedly. His eyes looked strange, heavy. The mood tautened. Tory's heart beat faster again. Colin opened his mouth ever so slightly, then stood up so suddenly it startled Tory. Colin extended his hand to Tory and pulled him to his feet. They stood facing each other, still holding hands.

"Can I, try something?" Colin asked, his voice soft and husky. Tory's entire body seemed to stiffen as all the blood and reason drained from his head.

"Do you mean…?" Tory's voice trailed off rather pathetically, his entire being focused on Colin. On his hand, now slippery, still holding tight to his own; his face, so intent; his chest, heaving under his black uniform… Colin took another step forward so they were barely an inch apart and lifted his chin, his lips achingly close to Tory's. Tory could feel Colin telling him, but still held back. "W-what about the experiment?" Tory uttered, his heart beating painfully. Colin swallowed one last time.

"Fuck it," he breathed, and kissed Tory full on the lips. Tory groaned in relief and threw his arms around Colin in such a tight embrace he felt like the breath was squeezed out of both of them, or maybe it was that his mind and body were filled with such joy that everything else was forced out. Colin squeezed the sides of Tory's face to pull him closer, his fingers scrabbling in Tory's hair. Their kiss deepened, messy and desperate. Every time they broke apart they would gasp, groan and then plunge passionately back into each other. Colin shoved Tory up against the bookshelf behind him and Tory's head spun. He clawed desperately at the back of Colin's uniform, wanting to tear it from him and really feel his skin. His heart, and erection, throbbed intensely.

"Colin," he exhaled when their lips next parted, "my room, let's go back to my room!"

"Mmhmm!"

It took a while for them to get anywhere. Every second they weren't kissing each other seemed a second wasted, and though they both knew what promise going back to Tory's room held, it was hard to stop the immediate gratification of kissing passionately in a secluded corner of the library. Finally they both unglued themselves and stood next to each other, leaning against the bookshelf and panting. Tory kept his eyes closed, trying to regain composure. When he finally felt okay he chanced a glance at Colin and saw nothing but his body encased in its black uniform, the fabric tight over his still prominent erection. Tory groaned sadly and Colin bit his lip as they looked at each other. "Okay!" Colin exclaimed, throwing his arms up and turning away from Tory. He put his hands on his hips, tossed his head back and exhaled sharply through his mouth. "Okay," he said again. "Okay let's go."

He turned to Tory, who had to exercise great control not to grab him and keep kissing him, and they scurried back to the elevator. Orange evening light shown down through the skylight and seemed the blur the edges of all the bookshelves while long tendrils of shadow made everything otherworldly. Tory felt in a haze, like he'd traveled miles in no time and couldn't quite believe it had happened. Somehow they reached the elevators, and Tory took Colin's hand while they waited. He wanted to say something, but had no idea what. It was like he was riding on a tsunami that was just about to crash on shore.

The elevator arrived with a welcome chime, and after they stepped onto it Tory reached for Colin and embraced him. Colin wrapped his arms around Tory's waist and seemed to melt against him. Tory inhaled deeply, smelling his sweat, his hair. "Oh god," he said out loud.

"What?" Colin asked, his lips on the Tory's collarbone. Tory inhaled again.

"Nothing, I just…"

"Yeah." They looked at each other, smiling sheepishly. Finally the elevator chimed at the first floor of the library and they let go of each other at once. They scurried past the librarian, not looking at her, even though that probably looked more suspicious. Tory led Colin back down the corridor, feeling a similar rush of anticipation and fear as he had done all that time ago. Thankfully they didn't run into anyone, and it was a huge relief to finally reach Tory's room. Tory's hands shook slightly as he swiped his card key and finally they were safely enclosed in Tory's room. Colin wasted no time; the second the door shut he shoved Tory up against it and kissed him with an entirely new passion. Tory groaned, all the blood and sense draining from his head as he reached desperately for the zipper on Colin's uniform and pulled it down.

"Oh god," Tory breathed again as he ran his fingers over Colin's chest, his shoulders, his back. His skin felt so soft, it was unreal. Tory touched him greedily, flexing his fingers everywhere he could, and Colin felt the places Tory touched him burn as his body flushed with arousal. Colin let go of Tory's lips and moved to his neck, kissing, sucking and biting the deliciously soft skin there. Tory groaned and shivered as he thrust his hips forward. Colin bit down on Tory's neck to muffle his own gasp and shoved his hands up Tory's shirt, his fingers desperate. "My room," Tory gasped yet again. "Let's go to my room." Colin let go of Tory and stepped back. He looked amazing: his chest was flushed and heaving, his lips were parted and swollen and his eyes were misty. His uniform was practically pulled off him and Tory could see the waistband of his underwear. "Slate blue?" Tory breathed without thinking, his throat burning.

"What?" Colin breathed back confusedly.

"Never mind," Tory replied, suddenly embarrassed. Colin smiled and extended his hand. Tory took it, but his words had suddenly awoken him to what was about to happen. Tory didn't take Colin's hand; his nerves seemed to have paralyzed him.

"Are you okay?" Colin asked, concerned. Tory tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. He opened and closed his mouth several times as scenario after scenario played through his head like a scary movie. What exactly were they going to do? How far would they take it? Tory knew what to do in theory but he hadn't really had time to get much experience. He felt just as confused and wrong-footed as he had in high school. The odds of this going badly were exponentially increasing in his head even as he looked at Colin. "Are you okay?" He asked again.

"I, uh, I've…" Tory's voice trailed off sadly, but Colin took his hand.

"I haven't either," he told him softly. Tory's heart leapt.

"Really?"

"Duh, Tory, when would I have had time?" They looked at each other and burst into uncontrollable laughter for the second time that evening.

"Sorry," Tory managed, "Sorry it's just, same here!" Colin pulled his uniform back up onto his shoulder, but looked heartened.

"We've got all night to figure it out though, right? Let's just take it slow." Tory and Colin smiled at each other, affectionate warmth rising between them again.

"Slow," Tory agreed.

How was it? Good? Bad? In between? Part two up soon, I promise!

Reviews are love!