Disclaimer: Miraculously, I still don't own OffBeat. Go figure.

Summary: Colin and Tory are walking home from the library and Colin has finally confronted him. What will happen? Where will this lead the two? My take on OffBeat Volume 2.

AN: And for your reading pleasure, I humbly submit chapter two of Finding. Enjoy!

Rating: T (still hasn't deserved it yet. These two are like oil and water.)

Chapter 2: Friendship

"Hey." Raven locks and an all too familiar face greeted him in the living room.

"Colin?"

"Yeah, I need to tell you something."

Tory glanced at his mother's curious expression and frowned. Whatever Colin was about to say, she didn't need to hear it. "Mom, this is my, er, friend Colin. He was one of the guys I was tutoring at the library." Colin is in my house. In my living room. Meeting my mom.

"Nice to meet you Colin." Tory's mother beamed, silently celebrating that her lone wolf was making friends.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Blake." Colin offered politely, if a little distractedly.

"Um, we can talk in my room if you want to." Tory led him. What is going on? This was unexpected to say the least. Odds near zero. "You can sit on the bed." Colin took a seat on the bed and Tory settled into his desk chair closing the door behind him. So, uh, what did you want to tell me?"

"Listen, about this evening… Sorry about that. I know you were just concerned. I realize that." Colin's apology met astonished deep green eyes. Colin continued, "Tory, I've been keeping my distance from you guys for a good reason. Just trust me, you should stay as far away from me as you can."

Tory then realized his notebook laying open inches from Colin hand and nearly had a heart attack. Oh hell, this won't end well. I'm not thinking straight. I shouldn't have even brought him into my room in the first place. What's going on here? There is something I can't explain, something that I don't understand. Tory looked up at Colin gaze and immediately blushed heavily. Whatever I do, I have to keep his eyes on me and off that notebook. Colin, in my room, on my bed, talking to me, but…why wont my lips move? Why can't I look him in the eye? "Um…hey, do…um…you have to be completely alone? I…mean, um, you can have friends at least right?

Colin didn't know what to make of what he was witnessing. Come to think of it, every time he looked directly at Tory, Tory turned a shade of red and looked away. Almost as if… no that's silly. Colin caught himself staring and looked away himself. Colin had to admit, that Tory was somewhat good-looking, even attractive. He had a lean body, auburn hair, green eyes, and a cute face made even cuter by that expression of nervousness. No wonder Mandy was always following him around, but now was he asking to be his friend? "What makes you think I'm all alone? Why are you so interested?"

Tory shrugged. "I don't really know. It's just natural I guess. No offense by the way."

"Well, I guess to be honest; I don't really have any friends. And yeah I want to, but…" Colin trailed off. Having friends with all that's going on wouldn't be impossible, just complicated.

"Yeah you told me, fire and brimstone if anyone gets too close." Tory sighed remembering what his friend Paul had told him. The Gaia Project was very confidential. It was too deep and dangerous, he had been told, for him to keep digging in to.

"If you know that why do you keep pursuing it?"

"I don't know. Certain doom never really impressed me much." Tory noticed his own nervousness subsiding a bit. He was more relaxed now. "You know, you can open up whenever you're ready. I'm here for you man. You can tell me anything. Don't worry either, I can keep a secret."

"Tory." Colin held back tears. The pain of being locked up inside himself for so long caused a rush of emotions.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Dr. Garrets is going to have a fit over this if he finds out.

Knock. Knock.

"Hey what's up man?" It was Paul through the door. Here to mooch off dinner no doubt. Perfect. Awesome timing Paul.

"I'm going to go." Colin got up and headed to the door.

"Oh, okay, see you at school?"

"Uh, sure." Colin opened the door muttered a 'hey' to a surprised Paul and disappeared out the front door.

"Don't you dare say anything." Tory cut Paul off who was clearly waiting to say something clever.

"Heh, I see you've been busy. Poor guy." Paul was clearly amused with how flustered Tory was getting.

"Paul!" Tory warned.

"Hey don't worry man, I'm just here for some of your mom's grub."

"Mooch." Tory huffed.

"So what did I miss?"

"Your butt out the door. Go home Paul." Tory half joked. In truth he was a little relieved that Colin had left. Something was too unsettling about the whole thing. Well at least he hadn't seen the notebook.

"I told you, not until I get some grub."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Monday. Crap. The day when the whole world is forced to remember why they celebrate Friday. Tory played his mp3 player on random on the L-train and tried to take his mind off Colin but it was futile. That unsettling feeling had matured in full grown butterflies that were determined to fly about his stomach. If the commute did anything, it gave Tory time to think and daydream.

"Tory. Save me." A scared Colin was strapped to an examining table pleaded. "Only you can save me."

"Colin! Hold on, I'm coming."

An evil Dr. Garrets complete with a hooked mustache appeared brandishing a fencing sword. "Mwahaha, no one can stop me! Prepare to die Sir Blake."

"I will defeat you. I'm going to save him"

"Mwahaha, you will try." The doctor thrusted his sword at Tory who blocked with his own. Tory returned with a high slash that nicked the evil doctor. "What? How dare you!"

The doctor gave another hard thrust to which Tory spun around to evade. Seeing an opening, he gave a thrust of his own, piercing the doctor's chest. "No, It can't be! How could I have been defeated?" The doctor dropped to the floor in a fit of drama.

Colin beamed, "you saved me, I knew you would. How can I ever thank you?"

Tory sheathed his sword and untied the restraints. "There's no need, I would climb the highest mountain, dive to the bottom of the deepest ocean, and fight a dozen dragons for you."

"My hero!" Colin jumped up and embraced Tory. "Give a kiss oh brave knight."

Tory snapped out of his fantasy. A kiss? Tory looked around the train nervously as if he had been caught with his pants down.Sighing at himself, he picked a track on his player and turned up the volume to drown out the world and his troubling thoughts.

Mandy greeted him as he arrived at the school. It still perplexed Tory how Mandy always seemed to find him. Even more than he ran into Colin, Mandy was there. Tory found the pretty blond uninteresting and far less intelligent than himself, which frankly annoyed him. Tory had to admit, though, that she had a good heart and here she was, waving him over to her two friends.

The redhead walked up to the group. "Hey," Tory offered.

"Hey, thanks so much for tutoring me last Saturday. I feel like I really caught up thanks to you!" The blond exclaimed.

"No problem, its just natural that I should offer my excellent physics skills to those who need help." Tory pulled his trademark, I'm-so-much-better-than-thou line.

"You're so civic-minded Tory!" Mandy exclaimed.

A bell rang. "Well, I'll see you later ladies." Tory was just about ready to bolt from the blond ball of empty headedness.

"Bye Tory! I have a student council thing so I won't see you in physics today. Tell Colin I said hi."

Tory nodded absently and walked towards his locker. Colin. He had almost managed, for one moment, to forget. It was almost like the raven haired boy was haunting him now. What is going on here? It was a simple investigation. When did I let it become the main, no the only, focus of my life? I'm going to go crazy at this rate. Tory clenched his fist "That's it. Time to settle this." Tory declared out loud to no one.

"Settle what?" Came a voice from behind him. Dark brown eyes and a curious expression met Tory's startled gaze when the redhead turned around.

Tory found himself and quickly got over the surprise of running into the object of his obsession. "This. Time to settle this." Tory placed his hands on the raven haired boy's shoulders. Colin, surprised by the contact, stared into Tory's mesmerizing deep green eyes unknowingly entranced by the redhead's unfamiliar expression and not sure how to respond. Might as well get this over with. Tory thought as he leaned in for his first kiss.

AN: Well there ya go. I hope you liked. Please review and depending on what I get, I'll update. Just a shout out to my readers: Thank you for reading/enduring my first fanfic. I just hope that I'll improve with time.