Chapter Ten

Me and Tails are both standing there with our fists clenched. Out of the corner of my eye I see Amadeus shift onto his back. His breath catches and he starts coughing. We both ignore it.

"What the hell are you doing here?" asks Tails.

Sonic shrugs. "I dunno. I was in the neighbourhood."

He's standing there acting the idiot like he always does, but I know he's already completely and correctly assessed the situation and decided what he's going to do next. In that way he's like Amadeus, in that he can pretend to be the idiot but actually be the smartest person in the room.

Tails walks up to Sonic and tries to hit him. Sonic catches his arm.

"Now's not the time for that, kiddo."

"Who're you to say what's the time for what, huh Sonic! Knuckles called you a month ago! Where the hell have you been!"

"Tails, it's fucking hard to catch a plane out of Downunda, okay? I had to wait two weeks just to get on it, only I got on the wrong one and ended up in—"

"You're kidding. I'm actually supposed to believe this bullshit you're gonna say?"

"Well if you really wanna know you could call the Chaotix. They'll tell ya it's true."

As if on cue, the phone rings.

"KNUCKLES! WE'VE GOT HIM!"

"Uh, Vector—"

"He's in town, Knuckles. He took a plane out of Downunda, the first one that left, ended up in—"

"Vector—"

He just plows through. "—and then he took another one to—"

"Vector, shut up for three seconds will you! I know where Sonic is!"

"Oh."

The last time I heard him sound so disappointed, the burrito stand was out of taco beef.

"Thanks anyway and I'll pay you tomorrow."

"Sure thing boss!" he says. "Just in time to pay the rent!"

Sonic looks at me in that way he does, with his brow raised. "Convinced now?"

"Still doesn't change the fact that you're a jerk."

"No, I guess not." He looks at Tails. "I'm gonna let you go now. Don't try an' hit me again."

"Why not?"

"Because as much of a jerk as I am, I'm here to help ya. An' if we're all getting all angry, no one's gonna wanna help or be helped."

"Stop being such a smartass."

"Stop swearing. You think your dad raised you to talk like that?"

This instantly cows Tails but he says, "My dad didn't raise me, you did. So anything I do is your fault."

"Yeah, and I raised ya not to swear. Same difference."

"You swear all the time!"

"Sonic and Tails are not the same person."

Sonic lets go of his arm.

"I thought…I thought you told everyone you didn't know who I was."

"Yeah. That was really stupid, wasn't it."

I can see Tails has completely lost any anger or resolve he had and is going right back to being the scared little kid he was ten minutes ago.

"You really think so?"

Sonic sighs and looks at Tails.

"Kiddo, I came as soon as Knuckles there started screamin' at me on the phone, didn't I?"

"Yeah," says Tails, and he starts crying. Sonic does the big brother thing and hugs him and tells him it's gonna be okay, even though the kid's dad is lying there

almost certainly dying on the bed. Tails may have forgiven him, but I'm still pissed.

"So you think we're just gonna take it, Sonic? You ditch us and now you come back and expect it to all be the same?"

"Hell no," says Sonic. "I didn't say that. Now shut up. You'll have time to yell at me and tell me what an asshole I am later. And maybe I'll even let you."

"Why would you do that?"

"'cause I'm not as much of a jerk as you think I am."

After a minute Tails stops crying and goes back to sit with his dad. Amadeus has been watching the whole thing.

"Well dad," Tails says, "you were right."

"For once," says Amadeus, his voice scratchy, and he has to take a minute to clear his throat.

"Hey old man," says Sonic like it hasn't been four months since he saw the guy. "What's shakin'?"

"Miles will have to tell you that," says Amadeus. "I'm not sure I'll make it through the telling."

"Aha," says Sonic, and he sits down on the bedside table.

"That's not a chair," I say shortly.

"It is now," says Sonic.

Oh how I hate him.

As Tails tells Sonic what's going on, I imagine all the ways I can do him grievous injury. I think of quite a few ways by the time he's finished.

"Huh," says Sonic. "You ready to kick the bucket there Amadeus?"

"Depends on the time of day."

"Two o'clock."

"Two o'clock today or two o'clock tomorrow?"

"Let's go with tomorrow."

"No."

"So I'm guessin' today was a yes?"

"That's correct."

"You keep pluggin' away at it. I ain't going nowhere."

"I think you should," I say. "I think you should go back to the hole you crawled out of."

"I wasn't born in a hole," says Sonic at the same time as Amadeus says, "Shut up, Knuckles."

We're all staring at him. I don't think he's ever said shut up before in his entire life.

"He's here. That's all that matters. Stop being resentful of his past actions and look at his present ones."

"You can't just forgive the past, Amadeus!"

"No, but you're not going to argue about it anymore. It's not important. That wound has closed. Stop picking at it."

"It has not closed! It—"

"Yes, it has," says Amadeus firmly. "If Miles is willing to let it go, then so must you be. He's the one who lost the most."

Damn I hate that he makes so much sense.

"I kinda do owe you an explanation though," says Sonic. "That the same as that wound thing, Amadeus?"

"No," says Amadeus.

Sonic looks at me.

"You gonna listen and not talk, Knuckles?"

"If I have to."

"Shut up or get out," says Sonic. "I don't wanna tell the story more'n once."

He's pissing me off again. "Who are you to make conditions?"

"It's my damn story, Knuckles. Now shut up."

I swear as soon as he stops talking, I'm going to deck the jerk.