((again shout out to _opheliac who has literally written 90% of this story.  She's amazing so show her some love <3 <3))

"I think he's asleep..." Mitch said, sitting on the opposite side of the bed. He knew he probably shouldn't stare, but his eyes remained glued to the sleeping man in his hotel bed.

"Mitch, don't get attached. You can't keep him."

"He's not a dog, Scott. He's a person... a very scared and confused person."

"That doesn't mean he's our responsibility." Scott stared at him, still a bit dumbfounded as to how Mitch was so adamant to help this stranger.

"He is. I know it doesn't make sense to you and maybe it doesn't really make sense to me either, but... Scott... he's you." Brown eyes stared up at him, open and honest. "I know he's not really, but... I can't just abandon him. I'd never abandon you."

He couldn't help but sigh, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. Mitch just didn't seem to understand how the situation made HIM feel. Imagine another you just popping up out of nowhere... how would you feel? It would be so easy for this ... imposter... to take away everything he'd worked his entire life for. Maybe he was overreacting and it was certainly out of character for him to be this confrontational with anyone, but fear does strange things to a person and he was currently terrified.

It didn't help that Mitch had already decided to play caretaker to the dupe and it bothered him to no end. MItch was his best friend and if this man with his face managed to hurt him or take him away... Scott would be devastated. He knew Mitch didn't understand, but that didn't mean he was going to just say 'okay let's invite him into our lives with nothing but a crazy story of a parallel universe or string theory or whatever malarkey this guy was spinning.

"He's trembling. Do you think he's cold? Maybe he's having a nightmare."

He watched Mitch maneuver the covers until he could cover his sleeping twin and tuck him in. It was weird watching the interaction. He felt like he was a ghost watching his own life, but that most certainly was not him.

His brain was beginning to short circuit and his protectiveness reared its ugly head again. "Mitch, I know he looks like me but he isn't." He moved closer to gently grab Mitch's arm and turn him to face him. "Look at me. He could be anyone. He could be a serial killer for all we know."

He watched Mitch roll his eyes and it only caused his frustration to grow.

"I know you think you can trust him because you trust me and he LOOKS like me, but Mitchy he's not. He's a literal stranger who could be anyone or anything and you just invited him into your hotel room. He could do anything to you and they would think it's me. Do you see why I'm scared now? He has my fingerprints. What if he has my DNA and he's not who he says he is? He could murder you or worse and make it look like I did it."

"You're being overdramatic."

"You're not being dramatic enough. Babe, I'm scared, alright? Him being here... it doesn't feel right. I know it's different for you because he feels familiar, but look at me. He's not me. Please tell me you understand why I'm upset."

Mitch shifted a little, unsure of what to say as he stared at his best friend. A few hours ago they'd planned to order room service and watch netflix and just be silly ... now he had two Scott's to deal with, both confused, both terrified.

"We should tell Esther. She'd know what to do.. and again... the more people who know the less could be fooled by him if he turns out to be dangerous."

Scott wasn't so sure, but it did make sense. If anyone would be able to keep a level head it would be Esther and she would also know how to keep a secret.

"I'll think about it."

"You should go get some comfy clothes. If you're afraid of him waking up and molesting me or something you can use my shower."

The sarcasm in Mitch's voice wasn't intentional, but it still stung a bit. It was a legitimate fear, one he didn't understand how Mitch could dismiss, but he really did need to change.

"Come with me to get some clothes."

"Scott... "

"It'll only take a second and it'll make me feel better. We can go talk to Esther too."

"What if room service comes back?"

"Please?"

Mitch looked over at the sleeping man with a sigh and then back at his best friend. He grabbed his room key and motioned to the door. "Let's make this quick."

~+~

Esther opened the door after one long minute of knocking, her hair tied in a messy bun and a tired look on her face. She looked them over from head to toe, her eyes narrowed. "What do you boys want? I thought we said no hangouts tonight." Her voice sounded exhausted and she didn't look any better, but she didn't hesitate opening the door to let them in.

"Well..." Mitch started once the door was closed behind his back. "There's... a bit of a situation."

"Of the apocalyptic variety," Scott interjected, not really joking.

The woman just crossed her arms over her chest, huffing. "What did you do? Did you break something? I swear, you're like children.."

The eye roll that Mitch gave her might have been amusing if she wasn't that tired. "Don't lump me into this - he's the toddler."

"Well now there's TWO toddlers to deal with!. Esther, you're smart... and resourceful... we need help."

"Wait, what are you talking about? Two toddlers?" She interrupted herself to shift her gaze from one boy to the other, her brows furrowing suspiciously. "You did NOT kidnap a child, did you?!"

"No, but there's a strange man in my bed?" Mitch suggested, his tone hesitant but his eyes never moving from her face, stoically ignoring Scott's side glance. 

Esther just rolled her eyes, walking over to her desk to sit down, already feeling cranky from exhaustion. "Mitchy, honey, I love you and you know it, but honestly I'm too tired to even think about your random boys, let alone deal with them. Send him away if you must, just remember he can't come with us."

"But he kinda has to?"

"I vote we tie cement blocks to his legs and dump him over a bridge mob style."

Mitch waved his hand around like to dismiss whatever Scott was saying. "Ok, serious talk. We have a situation that we honestly 100% need your help for. Please? Remember you love me?"

She passed her hands over her face, trying to resist letting out a frustrated groan. "Ugh, loving you is the only reason I still work with you all." She just looked at them, before taking a sip of the drink that she had been previously drinking, and then sighed. "Okay then, go on. What happened?"

"I think this is probably something that is easiest to just... show you..."

"There's two of me."

"Or Scott could just tell you."

She moved her gaze from one boy to the other, back and forth, her mouth open in disbelief. "Okay. How much did you drink now? Did you order wine? We said no getting drunk tonight!"

"Esther... my dearest love... just follow me before things get any worse.. or sasquatch breaks anything."

"Seriously? You guys this isn't funny, I'm tired."

"Seriously," Scott said, walking over to her and taking her hand in his."I know it sounds crazy, but I really need you. I don't know who else to turn to.."

She had never heard his voice sound more serious, or his eyes look as afraid as they were. When she moved her eyes to look at Mitch and saw him tearing at his bottom lip in worry, she knew that they actually thought they needed her. And however crazy she thought they were, she couldn't say no. So she stood up reluctantly, and followed them after a resigned, "fine. Fine. Let's go."

The walk to Mitch's room only took a minute or so, but Esther was so tired and the boys were so awkwardly worried that it seemed much longer. She almost sighed in relief when Mitch hesitantly opened the door, not sure that they were doing the right thing, but he knew that now they couldn't backtrack.

Esther walked slowly into the room, looking kind of annoyed when she saw that everything seemed fine, but she stopped in her track when she spotted the sleeping boy.*What the -" she started, turning around to check that Scott was still next to her, her eyes wide. "Wha- how.."

Mitch shrugged at her reaction, knowing that there was nothing he could say to make the situation less strange. He watched as Scott closed the door and leaned against it, obviously staying far away from his doppelganger.

It was almost comical how wide her eyes were. "Wait wait what.." She kept moving her gaze from one blonde boy to the other. "How..what..why does he look like Scott? Who is he? And why is he HERE?"

Scott sighed, stepping away from the door. "Because he is me..... me... and he CHOSE to come here... for...reasons?"

"There were lots of science words and things I don't understand, but he's Scott from another universe... I named him Oz."

"Another world? What is this, a movie? Seriously, did you check he doesn't have a mask on or something?" She was obviously panicking, talking fast and moving her hands around.

"Look at him, Es. It's Scott. He's scared and alone and I can't just leave him here."

"Unfortunately he's right. Mitch checked and everything matches up... fingerprints and all ..."

Esther just kept watching them, Mitch's worried expression and Scott's resigned one. "You can't be serious. You..can't actually believe this"

Scott simply gestured towards the bed where the man was still sound asleep. "See for yourself." 

She couldn't help but do as she was told, walking towards the bed to take a good look of the blonde. In the meanwhile, both Scott and Mitch got closer. "I don't know how... but he's like a clone." Mitch explained as she saw how closely Esther was looking at Oz.

"This is..this is insane." She furrowed her brows, raising her eyes to take a look at Scott, a sudden thought crossing her mind. "Wait..how do we know that this," she said, pointing at Oz,"isn't the real Scott and he's the imposter?"

The idea didn't seem to be appreciated by Scott, who closed his hands into fists, irritated. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?"

Mitch appeared more calm, setting a hand on the blonde's arm to calm him down, his gaze serious as he looked straight into Esther's eyes. "I'm positive this is the real Scott.  I can tell them apart, no problem. Oz is more tanned... less built, thinner in the face and arms... just softer? I guess?"

Esther just blinked, slightly intimidated by the little display of Mitch's knowledge on Scott Hoying 101.   "Okay okay. Sorry, I believe you, I just.. this is hard to process. There's two Scotts. As if one wasn't enough!"

"You're telling me."

Scott simply rolled his eyes, but didn't let them distract him from the important matter. "We have to get him back to LA somehow... I can't just have someone running around with my face doing God knows what." 

"And he doesn't have any money or a place to stay or anything.."

The brown haired girl just took a seat on the small sofa in front of the bed, massaging her temple with her fingers. "This is insane..what is he even doing here? What..how.." She stopped and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath almost like it would help her find a solution. "Okay. Okay. Just..let me think."

They stayed in silence for a couple of minutes, all three of them lost in their own thoughts, and only the loud knock on the door broke the quiet, making the sleeping boy wake up with a jolt.

"Whaaa? Uh?" He mumbled, voice hoarse.

Mitch and Scott simply shared a silent look, before Scott turned around to go open the door and take the room service tray. Meanwhile, Esther was looking at the now awake blonde with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"Oh my god..it's totally Scott.. oh god.." She couldn't stop murmuring.

Oz seemed even more confused when he spotted the girl, tightening the covers around his body, almost like it would give him a feeling of protection. This didn't go unnoticed by Mitch, who hurried over to sit next to him, a look of complete worry crossing his face.

"It's ok we have food ... and this is Esther. She's a friend that knows how to fix everything, so I'm sure she'll figure this out in no time." He said, offering him a reassuring smile.

Oz still looked like a scared puppy, glancing to Esther, then Mitch and lastly at Scott, who was closing the door and bringing the tray inside the room- "uh..I.. uh.."

Mitch sent a warning glance to Esther, who still looked completely overwhelmed by the whole situation, then moved his eyes to Scott, furrowing his forehead as if now remembering something. "Oh, um Scott we should've probably gotten him something to change into when we went to get your clothes. Do you have anything he can borrow?"

Scott only pursed his lips, obviously not thrilled by Mitch's request, but every single person in the room knew he couldn't deny him anything. "He gets my face now he gets my clothes... fine, just wait a second."

While Scott disappeared to go to his own room, Mitch tried to make Oz feel more at ease, uncovering the food. "Do you have pizza where you're from?"

The boy still looked confused and sleepy, and his gaze kept moving to Esther, but he raised his fair brows a little bit at the mention. "I..we.. yeah but.. I mean, it's expensive so.."

Mitch simply smiled. "I ordered us some... I didn't know what to get you so I ordered a lot of stuff, 'cause you must be starving."

"Uh..Thank you.." He sheepishly said, but it only took a bite of pizza before he seemed to forget the people around him, stuffing his mouth unceremoniously, which only served to make him look even more like Scott.

Esther and Mitch shared a look, a smirk tugging on the boy's lips as he moved back over towards her. "The resemblance is uncanny, right?"

"It's completely insane. I'm pretty sure I've gone crazy. It's kind of fascinating though."

"I can't just leave him here not knowing what to do or where to go... i have to know he's gonna be ok. Is that weird?"

Esther was about to reply when Scott reentered the room, a pair of loose pants and a tee in his hands, that he simply set on the bed. "Here you go.."

"Oh..thank you.." The other blonde replied, not even meeting his eyes.

The woman watched the awkward exchange with her lips pressed into a thin line. "Okay.. I get what you guys mean. We have to bring him with us, there's no other way."

Scott grabbed three pieces of pizza and walked over so he could sit next to her. "And how do we do that?"

"It's not like I can hide him in my bunk and hope no one accidentally finds him..." Mitch trailed off, heading back over to the food and piling a plate with french fries. He glanced towards his two friends, trying to decide where to sit before he straightened his chin and took a seat next to Oz.

Scott visibly tensed at that, and Esther noticed, but she didn't say anything, focusing on the more important subject. "There's a way, though I'm not sure you'll like it," she started, looking at Scott.

"If it involves leaving him alone with Mitch then hell no."

The tenor rolled his eyes, but stayed silent. Oz, on the other end, stopped mid chew to look over him. "How many times do I have to tell you -"

Esther raised a hand to interrupt him, her eyes narrowed as she switched to professional mode- the one she used to get everyone to do what she wanted. "Well either he rides with us on the tour bus and you take a plane, OR you give him your ID and he flies back to LA. Alone. With your papers so if he does something, try to tell everyone it's not you but actually a version of you just from another world..."

She crosses her arms over her chest when she finished her little speech, clearly annoyed.

Scott couldn't believe it. "SERIOUSLY?" 

Mitch rolled his eyes once again, leaning over so he could whisper in Oz's ear. "Just ignore him. He gets cranky when he's hungry and tired... it'll get better when he eats a little, I promise."

Oz didn't seem convinced. "Somehow I doubt it.."

Meanwhile, Esther was still trying to convince Scott. "Yes, seriously. We can't have two of you on the tour bus, that's for damn sure."

"Well can't Mitch come with me and the dupe can go with you? If I have to fly at least give me some company!"

She huffed, her frustration growing and growing. "Really? And what will I say to everyone wondering where he is when they'll see Oz..aka you on the bus?"

It was Mitch's time to speak up. "Scotty I'll pay for the plane ticket, but she's right. Besides, people will start to catch on if they try to talk to him like he's you. He doesn't know the things you know and hasn't had the experiences you've had. they'll think he's sick or something ...it'll just be bad.." He paired his pleading voice with puppy eyes, a combination that he knew was lethal.

Esther didn't seem pleased as she set a hand on Scott's arm. "I'm sorry Scott but it's the only way I can think of.."

The baritone was clearly frustrated, but didn't seem to have an argument to counter with as he nodded.

Both Mitch and Esther visibly relaxed, and the girl started to shift into manager mode. "Okay..okay good. So I will go book the plane for you. Let's hope there are seats available.." She trailed off, sighing at the mere idea.

Scott took another bite of his pizza before he started speaking. "So we get him to LA, then what? He says there's this government guy but it's not like you can just walk into a government building and ask for information.."

"One step at the time. Let's get him to LA first, so he's with you guys and not wandering around. Once we're home we'll think of ways to contact this guy. I mean, there are registers right? People that have some position at the government must be listed somewhere..." Esther's voice died down as she started thinking of a plan.

"Let's google it?" Mitch suggested, before turning to look at Oz, who was still eating. "It's an internet search thing... you guys have the internet right?"

Oz just nodded. "Yeah, we do but our search thing isn't called like that.."

Esther stretched her arms above her head. "I'll look it up tomorrow. Right now I'm honestly too tired to do anything."

Scott gave her a small smile. "Thanks for your help Es, it means a lot. I'd walk you back to your room but... " He lowered his voice, his gaze briefly moving to the pair talking on the bed before setting on Esther again. "I don't really trust him alone with Mitch."

"Don't worry about it, it kind of was apocalyptic." Esther said, waving her hand as to minimize it. She followed his eyes, her gaze staying on Mitch and Oz for longer. The brunette was making sure the food was okay, probably just trying to distract the boy, and Oz seemed to enjoy the conversation, his blue eyes never leaving Mitch's face, a smile curving his lips.

Scott just started talking again, his voice much quieter than before. "He had a Mitch in his world but he died and .. he's already staring at my Mitch funny... not my as in my Mitch, just our Mitch.."

Esther flinched at the explanation. "Oh no. I can't imagine what you would be like if Mitch.." She didn't finish her sentence, watching the pair as the tenor kept talking, telling Oz all the amazing food he would find in Los Angeles once they were home.

"I don't even want to think about it... and the weirdest part is.. they were engaged."

Scott voice sounded like he didn't even want to share that bit of information, and for some reason he wasn't looking at Esther when she turned to face him, her eyes even more wide. "Oh shit! The poor boy! They were..? Oh. Oh, that -"

She stopped when she heard Mitch's voice say, "You chew them?", and as she looked she saw that Mitch was holding Oz's hand in his, his eyes focused on his nails. Oz looked surprised at that, his cheeks a bit rosy as he took a couple of seconds to reply. "I.. yeah, if I'm nervous."

Scott didn't seem to like the scene. "Yeah well what if that poor boy is here for my Mitch... I mean our Mitch.."

Esther raised her brows at that. "First of all, don't start panicking. But even if that was the case..what would you do? I know you're protective but..I mean.. he's you!"

"He's not me. He looks like me but he's not. He said he can't sing, he's all twitchy and weird and.. we don't know anything about him."

She huffed, frustrated, trying to focus on the pouty blonde and not the one that was explaining to Mitch how fashion worked in his world. "He iS you. And in every universe, you can sing.. guaranteed. Even if we don't know anything specific about him, he's you. And in no universe would you ever hurt Mitch, you have to know that. Besides, Mitch seems to trust him."

Scott didn't look happy at all, but he couldn't help but watch the pair, raising his eyes as Mitch suggested that Oz changed into Scott's clothes, before the blonde disappeared inside the bathroom. "Mitch acts like he's some stray dog.."

Esther shook her head. "He just can't help but help a Scott." A thought struck her then, and she started giggling all of a sudden.

Mitch turned to look at them at the sound. "What's so funny?"

"Just wondering what happened in that universe that turned you guys from sisters to almost husbands," she said, trying to suppress a giggle, before she stood up. "Okay boys, I'll go over to my room and book Scott's flight before it gets too late. Ill text you the details, okay?" She moved her gaze from one boy to the other, a pleading look on her face. "Please try not to argue."

The two boys waved at her as she left, before Scott too stood up. "It's getting late Mitch, we should leave him to get settled in."

The brunette raised an eyebrow at that. "Uhm,this is my room?"

"Well you're not sleeping in here with him."

The boy simply crossed his arms over his chest. "There have been strangers in my bed before and you never had an issue until now."

"They weren't wearing my face!"

"You're ridiculous, you know?"

"I'm not backing down on this," Scott said, his voice sounding final.

"Fine, you want to fit two of you on one of these little beds? Please, go ahead."

Scott was about to reply when the bathroom door opened and Oz stepped out of it, rubbing at his arms and looking even more like the blonde. He stopped in his track as he realized that the two of them were arguing. "Oh. Sorry.. I'll just.. uh go back in there and come out when you're..done?"

Mitch shook his head at that, a small smile tugging at his lips. "No, no. Um.. I'm going to go to Scott's room for the night... he's having a ... moment.. will you be ok in here until morning?"

"Oh, yeah of course. Go uhm.. have a good night," Oz said, and it was obvious that he had misunderstood, his cheeks blushing as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

Scott seemed to relax as Mitch acquiesced, letting out the breath he was holding as he grabbed more food and put it on a plate to bring to take to his room. In the meantime, Mitch started gathering the stuff he would need for the night, and there was an awkward moment where the three of them all stood in front of the room as they exchanged good nights. And then Mitch and Scott walked out, leaving Oz alone.

----

He was watching some stupid program while he was in bed, covered head to toe with the soft sheets that the hotel provided, and he was fascinated with the tv. He was so focused that he jumped when he heard the door open, his heart beating fast and only relaxing when he spotted Mitch stepping inside the room.

"H-hey," Oz stuttered, sitting up a little bit so he wasn't completely lying down on the bed. 

Mitch looked apologetic as his eyes made out his silhouette under the covers. "Sorry... sorry, I didn't mean to scare you I just... Scott fell asleep while I was in the shower and kind of took up the entire bed and.." He stopped, biting his lip as he awkwardly stood there. "Um if it's not ok that's fine but um..."

Oz blinked before he understood. "Oh..oh you mean.." He blushed a little bit, but scooted over to give him some space, mentally thanking his good luck that the bed was big enough. "Sure, sure.. no problem.. Just.." He bit his lip before he dared to ask, "you sure it's okay with him? Scott..uh.. will he be..."

"He's not my dad. He'll get over it." Mitch's voice didn't sound annoyed as he set his bag down and climbed in, but there was a note of finality in it that didn't go unnoticed.

Once he was set on the soft mattress, the tenor turned to look at him. "I'm sorry he's been such a jerk, but he's just scared. I mean imagine if he showed up in your world with you and your Mitch... you would probably be scared too... "

Oz rolled his eyes with a smirk. "I wouldn't be too happy about it, but Mitch would have loved it.." He stopped himself as the corners of his eyes lowered, a sting of sadness hitting him.

"How are you feeling?"

There was no simple answer to that. "I'm..fine, I guess? I'm still not quite sure this is real, if I'm honest. They talked about it so much.. but you don't believe it will work until it does, you know?"

"Yeah it's still a bit surreal for me too. I'm sorry if I come on a little strong sometimes. It's just, you feel familiar, you know? Not just because you look like him but... ok now i know I'm tired because i'm rambling," Mitch finished, rolling his eyes at himself and laughing a little.

Oz shook his head, relaxing against the headboard, a sad smile still on his lips. "Don't worry, I know what you mean. I.. feel the same way. I was a bit..surprised at first, because you look different than.. " He stopped, swallowing before keep talking. "But the more we talk, the more familiar you are. Scott, on the other hand.." He huffed, a bit frustrated. "Well I see very few things in common, if I'm honest."

Mitch's smile was big, dimples showing as he laughed quietly. "He hasn't really been himself today. He's usually a giant teddy bear... sweet, smart... so creative it makes me want to cry with envy but don't tell him I said that." He laughed, his eyes shining and voice thick with affection. "He has an amazing heart, hopefully you'll get to see that side of him soon." 

Oz was listening carefully and couldn't help but notice the soft tone of Mitch's words. "The way you talk about him.." He trailed off, not sure how to voice his own thoughts about it.

"He's been my best friend since we were kids, he's like my brother..." He shrugged, shifting in bed so he could cover himself. "Now you should sleep... we both should. We'll figure this out.  It's all going to be ok, I won't let anything happen to you I promise."

Oz smiled at him, and without even realizing it his hand moved to cover Mitch's. "Thank you Mitch. You know you don't have to do any of this, right?"

The tenor looked at their hands and smiled, shifting them so that he could intertwine their fingers loosely together, while his free hand grabbed at the remote to turn the tv off. "I know, but I want to. Sweet dreams, Scott...it'll all seem a bit brighter in the morning."

There was a warmth spreading in his stomach as he looked down at their hands still tangled together, and at the same time some sort of sadness swirling with it. He tried not to focus on neither of those feelings, simply closing his eyes and giving in to sleep.