Tobias stared at this phone critically, then up at the school in front of him. Teenagers were streaming out the doors to their cars and buses, talking in a rising wave of excitement. He heard snippets of conversation as they passed where he stood, but they weren't what he was here for. He had a little over an hour until he estimated his brother would finish with Warbler practice and head home, assuming today's schedule would match the last two weeks.

Taking a deep breath, he checked his phone again to be sure, pulled his coat tighter around himself, and ventured into the unknown: Public School. Thanks to his condition he'd been either home schooled or tutored most of his life, with the occasional private school, so he'd never actually stepped into a high school like this in his life. The students were rough with each other, the lockers looked cheap, and there was this indescribable smell in the air, but for a first impression he couldn't say it was all that bad.

McKinley High, home of the New Directions. To say he was nervous was an understatement; these people hated his brother and, frankly, they had a good reason to. The fact that he was here without telling anyone was probably akin to a death sentence.

He wandered aimlessly through the halls, lost, until he heard the faint, but unmistakable sound of music. Feeling triumphant for finding the choir room, he approached carefully. As he neared the door, he recognized the cacophony of sounds. Someone was playing piano, there was a guitar playing a completely different song, multiple voices were practicing a multitude of lyrics, and others were raised in excited conversation. He stood listening to them for several minutes, reluctant to break up the chaotic cheer.

Before he could make a decision, a rough hand clamped down on the back of his neck. "Hello," the owner said, with a note of false cheer. "Look what we have here!" Toby felt himself propelled through the door. It took a moment for the club to notice, but the noise eventually died out. The number of hostile looks was staggering, if not unexpected. "It seems we have a spy today."

The hand tightened to keep him from jerking free, and he saved a thought to thank God he wore so many layers as he clutched his bag tighter to his chest. One of the boys rolled forward, chin tilted up as he inhaled. "I thought we schooled you already."

"Yeah," added a girl wearing pink zebra stripes. "You don't think you're going to steal our ideas again, do you?"

Toby opened his mouth to defend himself, instantly regretting this whole trip, but his "-wait-" was drowned out as three others spoke up over him. The boy finally released his neck, pushing him forward. He stumbled over his feet, looking back as the door locked with a note of finality. He realized belatedly that the others were now quiet, waiting, so he glanced at each of them in turn before words finally came to him. "Am I going to die?"

A deeper silence met him and he shifted uneasily.

"Is he for real?"

"I think we should just take care of this guy once and for all."

"Guys-"

"Before Mr. Schue comes back."

"There's a dumpster exit right down the hall."

"I'll keep a lookout."

"Guys, hold up a minute."

"Finn, give me a hand with him."

Toby dove around the piano to get some breathing room, backing up against a wall so he can see the entire group.

"Puck, stop!" Toby recognized the speaker as Finn from the coffee shop, finally, as he grabbed the other guy's arm to stop him from following. "That's not Sebastian." Finn turned to look at an anxious young woman, Rachel, who nodded in confirmation.

"What do you mean that's not him? Look at his face!" Puck gestured.

"No, dude, I'm serious. I saw him a couple weeks ago."

"He's right." Kurt stood up from where he'd been hidden at the back of the room, followed by another teen with dark gelled hair. "He's too thin to be Sebastian, you can tell. This has to be his brother."

Toby nodded quickly when they looked back at him. "I- I'm Tobias."

"Great. My life is a cartoon. It's an evil twin plot gone wrong." Puck threw up his hands in frustration and paced in a circle before settling. "Shouldn't Smythe have a goatee?"

"He's not evil," Toby defended, but there wasn't much feeling behind it.

"It doesn't matter if he's Sebastian or not, he's still spying." A girl with short blonde hair spoke up from her seat, hands clasped delicately over her knee. "Why else would he be here?"

Rachel stepped forward to grab the attention of her friends. "That is a very good question...and while spying would be the immediate answer, I believe he has to be here for a different reason."

A dark haired cheerleader crossed her arms. "And what would that be, princess?".

"I don't know, but it's not like we were working on our set list today, though considering regionals is next weekend we really should be, but Mr. Schue believes that-"

"Rachel," another girl interrupted, and Rachel pursed her lips together as she brought her thoughts back in order.

"All I'm saying is that maybe there's another explanation for this. Even Sebastian can't be THAT stupid to try the same thing twice."

"No, last time he weaseled the information out of Blaine."

"Lay off, Puck." Kurt's voice dipped icily again and Toby shivered, debating whether or not to break for the door while they were distracted.

"Dude, chill. I'm just joking. Blaine knows he's cool." Puck reached out with one fist, offering a bump to the other teen, who grinned and matched his gesture. "See? We're tight."

"Yeah, after your heartfelt apology-" Blaine started.

"Whoa whoa, come on. I got a reputation to protect!"

Toby felt the tension dying. If he was going to get through to them, now would be the time. He clutched his bag harder and took a deep breath, drawing together every ounce of bravery he could. "I'm here to apologize!" he shouted before the New Directions could continue their bickering. Silence met him once again and he fidgeted. "I wanted to apologize for him. For what he did."

Kurt snorted softly. "He's not sorry."

"No," Toby admitted quickly. "He's not, but I am. What he did was terrible, and nobody deserves that. So I came here to apologize, because I know he never will. Although," he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling hot and uncomfortable. "I'm not quite sure what I was trying to accomplish anymore. You're all a bit intimidating."

Blaine laughed and wrapped his arm around Kurt. "You get used to them."

The group shared glances, and a couple of the others chuckled as well, but Toby could sense the awkwardness rising again. "Thanks, but I think this might have been a bad idea. I'm sorry." He made for the door, and to his relief they let him pass. He was halfway down the hall before he heard the sound of footsteps, and half turned; surprised to see Finn had followed him out. He waited as Finn caught up, and raised an eyebrow in a silent question.

"I, uh… I was going to say you didn't have to leave, but knowing Kurt it might be a good idea after all," he muttered lamely, rubbing the back of his neck. "He's still sorta angry at your brother."

"Yeah, and you don't have any reason to trust me anyway. I get it, honestly. I said what I wanted to say; now I'm going home."

Finn watched him for a moment and nodded, offering the other teen a smile. "I'll show ya the way out."

He hesitated, but recognized the gesture as sincere. "Thanks. It took me ten minutes just to find the music room." They walked in silence until they reached the doors, and Toby made sure his jacket was still done up before he opened them.

"Look," Finn stopped him from leaving with a hand on his arm. "I wanted to apologize too. For the last time we met. I just…," he paused, awkwardly, unable to explain.

Toby grinned. "You thought I was my brother and were trying to keep me from starting a riot. It wasn't very effective, but I admire the attempt anyway. Your friends really are scary."

That earned him a laugh. "Yeah, though… they're not all that bad."

"I'll have to take your word for it." He stared out the doors for a moment, his thoughts running away from him, before frowning thoughtfully. "So... Blaine? It looks like his surgery went well."

"Yeah, Kurt was freakin' out for awhile, but it turned out great. You can't even tell he was hurt."

"I am sorry. For what it's worth I don't think Sebastian meant for any of this to happen." Finn shook his head and didn't reply, rubbing the back of his neck again. "Right, well, I should probably get going. It's a long drive, and I'm expected home."

"Yeah sure, no problem. Tell you what: let me make up for how I acted the other day."

Toby's eyebrow arched again. "You sure? I could be a secret agent gathering information on you and your friends."

Finn shook his head, his unsure smile turning into a matching grin. "You don't really seem like the spy type."

"Or I could just be really good at my job."

"I've played Team Fortress 2 enough times to recognize a spy, you can't fool me."

Toby laughed and reached into his pocket for his cell phone. "Touché. I can't promise to forgive you, though," he added as he opened up a new contact and handed the phone over to Finn. "As you saw my brother is a little overprotective, and I'm not sure your friends will be too happy either. However, I doubt a few rounds of me owning you in Halo will raise suspicions."
Finn shook his head as he entered his number and sent a text to his own phone. "Big words, Tobias, but there's no way you're going to beat me."

"Call me Toby."

"Finn."

Toby pocketed his phone and held out his hand. "You're on, Finn. You don't even know what you've gotten yourself into."

They shook on it, and after a few more minutes of conversation Toby was on his way home, a hesitant hope spurring in his chest. Peace between Sebastian and the New Directions was impossible, but maybe he could get a friend for himself out of this ordeal.