Lessons on Electrostatic Attraction

Lessons on Electrostatic Attraction

Summary: Tory gets distracted far too easily. His study partner isn't doing much to help matters. Honestly, Tory, can't you even conduct a tutoring session without embarrassing yourself? Oneshot. Featuring shampoo and slippery rugs.

Disclaimer: Tory and Colin in all their cuteness belong to Jen Quick. Me is getting no money. I is just getting a kick out of manipulating her adorable characters.

(You like the double innuendo in the title? Electrostatic attraction, get it? Ha ha! Ahaha ... ha. I kill myself...)

Words in italics are Tory's thoughts.

--

The lazy autumn sun lit up Tory's lounge room, where its two occupants sat on either end of a table messy with books, charts, notes and pens.

Tory held a textbook in one hand and was using the other to emphasize his point by waving it around. "Electrostatic attraction is one of the properties of ionic compounds. Ionic compounds form much stronger bonds than molecular compounds, because the force between - between the - what?"

Colin raised his eyebrows. "I didn't say anything."

"Yeah, but you were - I don't know - looking at me funny." Flustered, he attempted to turn the page and dropped the book. He bent to retrieve it, bumped his head on the table as he tried to sit up, and straightened with ears glowing as red as his hair. Colin covered his mouth with a hand, giving a suspiciously fake-sounding cough.

Tory found the page and plunged bravely on. "Ionic compounds are so strong because they are formed between metals and non-metals - or cations and anions, whatever you want to call them - and metals always form positive ions, and non-metals always form negative ions, so - so they - you're doing it again!"

"Doing what?" Colin's eyes were wide and innocent, but the corner of his mouth quirked upward slightly.

"You're staring! I can't concentrate with you staring at me like that!"

"Tory, you're teaching me something. Of course I'm going to look at you."

Tory didn't answer. He sunk lower on the couch with a sullen expression, certain that Colin was laughing at him. Which he was, but in a discreet kind of way.

When it was plain that Tory wasn't showing any signs of continuing the study session, Colin got up and crossed over to sit beside him, picking up the textbook where Tory had thrown it down next to him. "I'm sorry. Electrostatic attraction, wasn't it?"

Tory grumbled but took the proffered book, resuming his explanation. "So because of the positive charge of metal ions and the negative charge of non-metal ions, a bond is formed that is very hard to break. There's always a strong attraction between positives and negatives."

Colin nodded. Encouraged, Tory continued with more enthusiasm. "Take sodium and chlorine, for example. Table salt, right? Sodium forms a plus-one ion, and chlorine forms a minus-one ion. Each of them has exactly what the other wants. Sodium needs to give one ion away, and chlorine needs to gain one." He pointed to the diagram in the book, and Colin leaned over to look, his elbow resting on Tory's arm and his hair tickling Tory's cheek.

Tory's vision went hazy for a moment as he held back the impulsive desire to wrap his arms around the smaller boy and bury his face into that glossy softness.

He cleared his throat once or twice to get his voice working. "The bond they form is - is a strong bond, because of the, um, the - the opposite forces, and - and - and - what shampoo do you use?"

Tory winced at the horribly girly question. Colin's shoulders twitched. His hair was hiding his face, so Tory couldn't see his expression. If he starts laughing, I'll die, he thought.

Colin sat up. "‘Essence’," he said with a perfectly straight face, to Tory's surprise. "Apricot flavor. It's strong, I know."

"It's ... nice." And it's making me dizzy.

"Well ... thank you." Colin tilted his head slightly, and for one wild moment Tory thought he was going to kiss him. Instead Colin leaned back toward the textbook and asked, "So metals and non-metals - they don't form molecules, right?"

Still reeling from the after-effects of the images his imagination had supplied, Tory took a moment to answer. "Y-yeah. They, er, form lattices."

"Which are?"

The scent of Colin's hair and his proximity was making Tory light-headed. "Which are what?"

"Lattices. What are they? Tory, pay attention."

"Lattices. Right. They're like this." He steepled his fingers, forming a cage with his hands. "It's a network of ions pushing against each other." Colin nodded, a lock of hair falling over his face. Tory resisted the urge to reach out and stroke it back, and then knot his fingers in Colin's hair and kiss him senseless.

Tory swallowed and pressed his fingers together. "They're all connected together, all the ions." His voice shook slightly. Colin was looking up at him from under his lashes, and - Tory couldn't believe it - his dark eyes were actually smouldering. He's doing this on purpose, the rat.

Which means he's figured it out. Damn.

"It's that attraction between them - the electrostatic attraction between the positives and negatives, that makes the bond so hard to break."

"Right." Seeming to consider this information, Colin absently slung an arm over the back of the couch, so that his shirt hitched up to expose part of his stomach.

Yep. He knows.

Tory opened his mouth and closed it when no sound came out. I think I'm in serious danger of a nosebleed.

"Tory? Shall I go turn down the heater?" Colin's eyes twinkled with laughter. "You've gone all red."

Irritated and embarrassed, Tory exhaled sharply and threw the book down again. "Would you stop? I'm doing you a favor, you know!"

"Tory-"

"You do this on purpose!"

"I'm sorry."

"Why?" Tory crossed his arms and glared.

"Because - I like it when you blush."

Tory blinked, and if this is even possible, went even more red. "Um. I - what?"

"I like it. Really." Any trace of a smirk was gone from Colin's face, and he smiled. "You're cute.”

Tory mumbled something incoherent. He felt like his face was about to explode.

The silence spiralled as Tory stared down at the pattern on the couch, hardly daring to believe what he'd just heard, not trusting himself to answer, or worse, to lose composure and throw himself on the other boy. Tory felt Colin shift restlessly in his seat, and glanced up at him. He actually looks - worried, Tory thought.

"Tory, just forget what I -"

Definitely the last thing Tory wanted to hear. "No, it's okay - that is, I - well, you've probably already noticed, but I -"

If you asked Tory about it later, he probably couldn't tell you exactly what happened. Everything happened very fast, in a kind of blur. It went something like this: Colin tried to stand up, perhaps to rearrange his position on the couch, but slipped on the rug under their feet. Tory shot off his seat and grabbed Colin's arm to stop him from falling onto the table, yanking him toward himself. Colin must've reached out to grab Tory's shoulders to regain his balance, because his arms ended up around Tory's neck. Then somehow - afterward, Colin maintained the rug slipped again, but Tory said Colin had already kicked it under the table - they ended up falling backward onto the couch, Colin landing heavily on top of Tory.

Tory blinked to find Colin's dark eyes inches from his. His beautiful hair framed his face and the glow from the window gave him a faint halo.

Colin's eyes were still wide from the shock of the fall, but as Tory's face colored again, they softened and narrowed as he smirked.

"So - what were you saying, Tory Blake?"

Tory was mildly surprised at the words that came out of his mouth. "I was wondering," he said, staring at Colin's thin pink lips which hovered just above his own, "if you would kiss me."

"Dumb question."

The textbook went flying, along with any pens or notebooks that had the misfortune to be on the couch at the time. Neither noticed. Colin was occupied with attacking Tory's lips until they bruised, and Tory was busy trying to breathe while getting his fingers worked as far into Colin's silky hair as possible.

They stayed at it for the better part of an hour, the kisses getting softer and lasting longer, until the revving of an engine told them Tory's mother was home. Colin sat up, shirt half undone, his eyes bright and his hair as messy as Tory's for once.

"Can we-" His voce was husky, and he cleared his throat. "Could we, do you think, ah - go over electromagnetic attraction tomorrow? I afraid I didn't quite ... get it, when we did it in class."

"But I went through it with you yesterday." Tory smiled craftily.

"Yeah, I know, but I think I need it explained again." Colin coughed. “Just to, you know, clarify a few things.”

“Uh-huh. Right.”

--

El Fino

I like this better than my last one. Character-driven dialogue is my forte, rather than the description of events. Sexy Colin was fun to write. --laughs-- I can so imagine him doing something like that in book 3 - but we'll have to wait and see, eh?

And yeah, I know technically Tory's teaching him chemistry rather than physics. Tough. I don't do physics. Besides, chemistry's better if you like cheap puns. XP