#surprise; sonic's not one of the big sibs

[myymi]

drabble prompt; can we have some big sibs being protective over the baby? (tails as the baby, obv)

word count-636

ao3 link

“Alright, let's get started.” Amy said, clasping her hands together. She was standing in front of the large consoles that controlled the wall of monitors Tails had built.

“What’s the point in doing this?” A soldier, a brown raccoon, asked with a deep frown. “With Sonic dead there's no hope in us winning.”

“Sonic isn't dead.” Tails mumbled, his gaze locked onto the map sat atop the table everyone was gathered around.

“Then where is he?” The soldier asked, rolling his eyes. “You gotta grow up and accept that Sonic's–”

“Leave him alone.” Knuckles turned to the soldier to glare at him.

“I'm just saying!” The raccoon raised his paws defensively. “He needs to–”

“You've said enough, Ranger.” Amy frowned at him before sighing. “We're going to find Sonic, but right now we have to focus on pushing Eggman back.”

“Good luck with that.” Another soldier, a light blue lion huffed. “The closest thing we have to Sonic can't go outside without having a panic attack.” She made a point to look towards the little fox, rolling her eyes when he didn't move to argue with her.

Silver frowned at her, “He's going through a lot. Give him a break.”

“We're all going through a lot, Silver.” The lion said, crossing her arms. “But at least we're pulling our weight.”

“Come on, Quinn.” A gray cat sighed, “That's not fair.”

“Who cares about being fair, Hazy?” Ranger asked, frowning. “He's dealt with Eggman longer than any of us! He watched Sonic die, the least he could do is help out in the fights!”

“Hey!” Amy shouted, glaring at the raccoon and lion. “Both of you, stop it.” She scolded.

“You know we're right, Commander.” Quinn grumbled. “He's practically useless right now.”

More arguments broke out after that. Some defending Tails, but most berating him.

Silver went to join the conversation, but stopped when he felt a head push itself into his neck.

Looking down to his right, he found Tails trying to hide himself against the gray hedgehog. He was trembling slightly, ears pressed against his head as his paws clung to his tails that were twirled around each other.

Silver frowned, “Knuckles–” He looked up, stopping himself when he realized the echidna was standing now. He was arguing with Quinn, baring his teeth at her.

“Amy?” He turned to the pink hedgehog next, but she was busy trying to get everyone to stop yelling.

“Guys!–” Silver tried to raise his voice, but everyone else only got louder.

He groaned and looked around the room as he hugged the fox, trying to find a way to get everyone's attention.

His eyes eventually landed on the light switch beside the door.

Using his telekinesis, he flipped the switch down. The room went dark, causing the arguments to end in gasps as people looked around to figure out what happened.

Once it was just quiet mumbling, Silver flicked the lights back on. “Guys.” He called, watching as everyone finally turned to look at him. “You're scaring him.”

Knuckles and Amy immediately looked down at Tails, the latter's ears wilting at the sight of her brother.

Ranger scoffed and went to say something, but the pink hedgehog quickly beat him to it, “Silver, Knuckles, please go take him to his room and try to calm him down.” She ordered, looking at the two.

Silver nodded and shifted the little fox so he could pick him up as he stood from his chair. Knuckles walked ahead, opening the door for the hedgehog.

Amy smiled at them before turning back to the other mobians, specifically Ranger and Quinn, “We're gonna have a talk.” She decided, her smile dropping into a glare.

Silver could feel a shiver go down his spine at the sight.

He's just glad her anger isn't directed at him.

[ninjakasuga]

Sonally Week Year 3 Day One

Another year, another of @gojira007 and their blog @boundforfreedomsonsal hosting another week of one of the best OTP’s of fiction. Here’s my entry for Day One: Dawn.

Foreward: Another year; another Sonally Week! Here’s my entry for Day One, and hope ya’all enjoy. This one is a sequel of sorts to my “Surprise” Day entry last year, where after some heckling over certain aspects of his romance with Sally; Sonic gets the news he’s gonna be a big brother! Instead of a literally dawn I decided to do a more thematic ‘dawn of a new part of life’ aspect than the actual time of day.

“Sonic.”

The blue furred Hedgehog in question continued to pace the floor, seeming to either not hear, or simply not regard the call of his name. He stopped, but not to reply, and began to tap his foot repeatedly as he often did in a show of impatience. Soon he was pacing yet again, causing the one trying to get his attention to sigh in exasperation, again.

“Sonic!” Raising her voice, just-oh-so-slightly, Sally again, attempted to get the attention of her fiancé’ this time reaching out and managing to grasp his tail and give it a small yank. Probably not the best thing for Sonic’s pride as he let out the cutest squeak in response, but Sally didn’t mind. Smiling coyly yet with a hint of apology in her eyes as he turned to face her, she reached for his arm, softly rubbing it. “Calm down a bit hun, you’re going to wear the floor out.” Rubbing his slightly sore posterior, Sonic gave his beloved a mild glare that softened almost as soon as it appeared; agitation giving way to the concern plaguing him. “Sorry Sal, it’s just, well it’s been over an hour since the expected due date. What’s the hold up?”

A voice quips from a chair along the opposite side of the waiting room from Sonic and Sally. “Well that’s how labor sometimes goes Sonny-boy. I mean you didn’t exactly pop out as soon as your Ma’s water broke. Slow-going was the name of the game.” Chuckled Charles Hedgehog, finding much amusement in his nephew’s impatience. An impatience he very much empathized with, but knew better than to get too riled up at this point. “So an hour past when the doctor expects the babies to come is small change, especially compared to how you made everyone wait a whole ten hours and ninety-one minutes before you finally graced us with your presence.”

Sitting besides Charles, Rosie Woodchuck let out her own dainty but hearty giggle as she reached to give the silver-furred Hedgehog a gentle squeeze of his hand. “Oh the language coming out of that room. We both feared for your brother’s manlihood if not his existence.”

“I wasn’t that hard on Mom was I?” Inquired Sonic with genuine curiosity mixed with a mild hint of indignity. His gaze only half-way went to his Uncle and Rosie; mainly because he still found it weird they were dating. Correction had been dating on the down-low since, well, a long time with the two only having a ‘break’ when he’d been roboticized all those years. He was genuinely happy for them, but it was still just plain weird to him.

“I think pregnancy is hard for any woman the first time around, or so I read and was told.” Mused Sally as she gently pulled Sonic to sit beside her, rubbing his quills to both straighten them out, and to soothe his nerves. Not unlike Sonic she was still processing the semi-recent revelation that her beloved former Nanny and Sir Charles had been dating under everyone’s noses for so long. Then again should she be surprised? Both were rather private people about their personal lives outside of whatever they did with friends and family. Not to mention the true reason they kept it quiet back in the day had more to do with concerns their positions in the Royal Court would cause unrest for some if their more intimate relationship came to light.

Looking toward Rosie, Sally was now curious about her own birth given the topic. “Were Elias or I rough on Mother?”

Rosie shook her head, “Not really, Elias took some time, but your dear Mother thankfully did not have too rough a time of it. Her calm demeanor kept up even dealing with labor pains, and the end result more than made up for it. You were much easier, as she knew what to navigate and you only took so many hours after the labor contractions began to grace us with your presence.” She smiled fondly, thinking about the two occasions, then giggled. “That said she wasn’t above occasionally reminding your Father it was his fault she was in that state, and well, that’s her story to tell more than mine.”

Snickering, Sally looked at Sonic with a very straight face, barely keeping a grin from forming. “I promise if we have kids, not to threaten your masculinity. That said, I will probably get my vengeance some other way.”

Lifting an eyebrow, Sonic elbowed his girlfriend-now-fiance’ gently in the arm. “Oh reeeeeeeally? Well you gotta catch me first Sal.”

“I already did.” She murmured, leaning in to kiss his cheek as she laced her fingers with his.

“Got me there,” Relenting, Sonic returned the smile, as well as the kiss, planting it on her fluffy cheek before leaning back in his seat. His concern for his Mother and his impending siblings, slightly alleviated for the time being.

The elder couple shared a look, one they had often shared when they were witness to the dear love and devotion between Sally and Sonic. From children to adults, the two always seemed to be a pair they fit so well, it was clear as day even when they were in diapers or arguing up a storm as toddlers, to their teen years. The small things in life that made all the gloom and doom of the past decade and some odd-change worth living for. Soon everyone’s heard turns as the double-door leading to the maternity ward opened and Doctor Quack limped out, leaning on his cane carefully, but with a confident stride; showcasing he’d come to master the walking tool quite well.

“Well-?!”

Holding up his free hand, both to interrupt as well as allow Quack to pull down his mask, his bill forming into a smile. “Your newborn sister and brother are here, healthy and loud, and your Mother is doing very well herself.”

The four cheer as they stand up, mindful this was still a hospital and kept it down, but their jubilation was completely understood.

“Can we see them?” Asked Sonic, already antsy and looking ready to speed down the corridor.

“Yes, we’ve already handled all the post-birth clean up, and checked their vitals as well as Bernie’s, who herself wishes to see you all as well. So I see no issue with allowing visitation right away, but do keep it brief, they do need their rest.” Advised the water-foul doctor as he kept himself straight, if just to fight off his own fatigue which was now creeping up after the long labor. “Just NO running Sonic, got it?”

At the mild admonishment, the Hedgehog simply grinned. “Me? Run through a hospital? Would I do thaaaaaaaaaaaat?”

“Yes, you would.” Everyone else remarked with amazing timing and matching deadpan. To which Sonic rolled his eyes.

“Sheesh, talk about a crowd! Anyway let’s go, let’s go!” Sonic urged, already half-dragging Sally along, forcing his beloved to keep in rapid pace close to him as they held hands still. Sally simply went with it, laughing softly at Sonic’s outright adorable impulsive need to see his new siblings. Chuck and Rosie merely followed at their pace, but there was certainly a spring in their step as well.

Eventually the group, along with Doctor Quack, reach the room designated for Bernie and her newborns. Managing to keep Sonic at bay enough, Quack pushed the door open for them and cleared his throat. “Jules, Bernie, your guests have arrived.”

Like an impatient puppy, Sonic squeezed past Quack, Sally trailing hand-in-hand still from behind. His emerald-green eyes, zeroing-in on the target, even as his breath hitched softly as a wave of emotion floored Sonic as he finally gazed upon his Mother and new siblings. As tired as Bernie Hedgehog looked, nothing could dull the intense love and adoration in her eyes and face as she held two swaddled bundles in her arms. Her husband Jules’ own expression was a mirror of his wife’s, only tinged with the pride only a Father can know. Each look up their expressions beaming more at the sight of their eldest child, with Jules instantly waving him over.

“Hey there son, come say hi to your baby brother and sister!”

Noticing that Sally seemed a bit frozen, Sally found back a ‘snerk’ that wanted to come out, and simply pulled him along. Upon seeing the two infants, mewling and cooing, her own eyes mist. “Awww, they’re adorable!”

“Y-yeah they are…” Sonic managed a dry chuckle,  why did his throat feel so dry? He’d been psyched for this ever since his Mom laid the bombshell she was pregnant nine months ago! Of all the times for Sonic the Hedgehog to choke and lose his cool, it’s this? He didn’t lose his cool this much, asking Sally to marry him for Almighty’s sake! Leaning over he got a much better look at the two.

One of the two clearly favored their Mother’s more light-purple coat, another had the milder-blue of his Father. Both were cute as a button, and just, the sounds they made! Sonic usually wasn’t one to obsess over cute things, but he was entranced. “So we got names for these two? Or do I call em’ Li’ Sib one, and two?”

“We were thinking of Sonia, for this little angel.” Explained Bernie as she gently pet the back of her daughter’s head. The newborn curled against the warm hand that carried the scent of her Mother. “As for this handsome young man, I was thinking of something with M, like Manwell or Manny.”

“If he’s anything like Sonny-boy he’ll be one manic child.” Chuckled Charles as he and Rosie moved closer taking the end of the bed so as to not crowd anyone.

Something about that line struck a chord with Jules, who instantly adopted a thoughtful look as he rubbed his chin. “Manic, manic, why not Manic?” He grinned even as his wife looked at him rather funny. “Face it hun, if Sonic’s any indication, these two are going to be spirited, and it kind of goes well don’t you think?”

After a moment, Bernie tired rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she however smiled, “Manic it is. However if that name causes him woe, I’ll be sure he knows he has you to blame.”

“Anybody gives him or Sonia woe I’mma deck em’.” Sonic proclaimed, pounding his fists together.

“Nor alone,” Agreed Sally as she leaned against him. They weren’t her siblings biologically, but already she had decided she would help protect them at all cost.

“Triple, and quadruple so.” Added Rosie, who nodded along with Charles. The family was united on this front.

“Fantastic.” Giggling, Bernie kissed the heads of her newborns. “Hear that, your family is ready to murder for you.”

“You all can plot future murder later, as much as I hate to spoil the moment, Mother and both newborns need rest.” Spoke up Quack as he stood at the door, keeping silent until now.

Yawning, Bernie nodded in agreement, she was drained. Her gaze lifted to her husband. “You get some rest too, you’ve been up with me through all this.”

“I didn’t do even a fraction of the work; but, rest sounds good.” He yawned, quickly covering his mouth. “Mind if I just crash here Doc?”

“I’ve already asked an orderly to bring a rollaway for you. I know better.” Smiled the duck-doctor in a knowing fashion. “Now come now everyone, time to go.”

Looking at his parents, Sonic instantly stated. “We’ll visit tomorrow, promise.”

“Looking forward to it son, looking forward to it.”

Giving his siblings one last look, Sonic smiled and winked at the two infants. “Welcome to the world you two, hopefully by the time you can talk and explore the world there’ll be one last fat-man to worry about. That’s a big-bro promise!”  

[burndownthehousetonight]

((I’m really enjoying exploring the lore and characters of this RP, just as much as I love these schmoopy idiots :P @jack-rabbot​ is always adorable and this is no exception))

The Friday night dates the two shared carried on, with Manic sneaking in and Jack sometimes sneaking out to the garden the same way each week. So it surprised Manic to come by and find the rope ladder not dangling from the balcony like usual.

"Jack...?" He said up, trying not to be too loud and blow his cover. There was no reply, and with a kick to the back of his shoes, the spikes came out and he began to scale the wall again. Every step was calculated and precise, but from a distance, it looked like he was fluidly crawling up a flat brick wall in the same way as a lizard. No witnesses, once again. From inside, the figure on the balcony was faintly visible through the curtains. "Jack, you in there? Everything alright?"

The poor rabbit looked beside himself, wrapped up tightly in a blanket and looking anxious. The tea the maids rolled in for him had barely been touched, if Jack had even had a drop. He looked totally scared, and Manic was quick to offer comfort. "What's wrong, angel?" He offered, giving him someone to cry to if he needed it. The pet name was more a joke Jack took seriously than something Manic himself liked, but if it made Jack happy, he'd do it again in a heartbeat. "You ain't looked like this in a while. Have you been sleeping, dude?"

Jack looked forward to Friday nights as that meant seeing Manic and that always lifted his spirits, but this week was different. The first two days were fine, but on the third day something happened, something that terrified and left the rabbit so scared he didn’t leave his room for the following two days. He barely ate, he washed only when the maids made him wash on the fifth day, he had definitely lost weight and looked worn down even though he just stayed in his room for the past two days. He flinched when he heard Manic’s voice and when he turned to face Manic, he hugged Manic tightly and buried his face into his lover’s chest, the rabbit was shaking the whole time as he stayed close to Manic.

Once the rabbit had calmed down a little he looked up at Manic still clinging tightly to the prince. “T-there was a meeting on Wednesday. T-they want meh to court a princess ah never met, they want a marriage and a royal family between us and a neighboring kingdom to secure peace and stability between the two b-but ah can’t do it, a-ah can’t start something like that with someone ah haven’t even met.” Jack said to Manic, his grip on the prince stayed tight as his voice showed just how scared he was. On one hand there was no way he could go through with this for many reasons, on the other though it was a sense of duty to the kingdom that not only stopped him from saying no but letting this all happen while he broke down like this during the past two days.

Manic was shocked, to say the least. He idea lingered in his mind, sure, knowing that this was just how kingdoms function. But hearing the words, having it be tangible, seeing Jack withering was heartbreaking. Even Manic needed time to process that this was all real, thinking to himself and wondering just what to say.

"Okay, here's the thing - how many bombs dismembered the people pulling this together, huh?" Manic said, utterly pissed at these hypothetical people. "You're learning to walk, you can't start a family, and you sure as hell can't with all this trauma after..." He didn't want to say the words. The tragedy still hit him hard, and got him to stop the anger that was coming through. But his touch stayed gentle, the embrace tight.

"Look... Right now, they just want you to court. The marriage ain't scheduled yet." He had to sigh heavily, thinking of what would be the right thing to say. "Are we talking about the acorn princess... what's her name, Sally? Look, my brother knows her, she can debate her way out of anything. I'm sure if you told her you can't do this, she'd help. Or do you mean... do the Coolette's have a daughter?"

Jack shivered as he stayed close in Manic’s grip, flinching just a little as he heard Manic’s angry words and listened as the other male spoke. Once Manic had calmed down Jack just moved closer, resting his head on Manic’s chest while Manic spoke to him. “I-it’s princess Sally, they thought she would be a good choice since she seemed to have a stronger will then ah have.” Jack answered Manic’s question as he nuzzled up to Manic’s arms.

It was indeed the acorn heir that he was to marry. With her kingdom’s power behind him nothing like the incident would ever happen again, and the nobles at the meeting felt that the acorn family were more suited to rule now that it was just Jack, so they basically offered the acorn king Jack’s kingdom in return for Sally to be tied down with the crippled king. Jack looked up at Manic as he hoped something could be done. “A-are yeh sure she wouldn’t mind? A-ah don’t want to hurt her, it’s not her fault that ah can’t do this.” Jack sighed quietly feeling guilty of possibly letting someone who was actually a good person down because he couldn’t do what was asked of him. There weren't many times Manic saw Jack like this, and all the previous times, it was a result of trauma. But now he was clinging to Manic like the hedgehog was some kind of cornerstone desperately keeping his life together. He just wanted to make everything better, but there wasn't a catch-all solution to his problems. "Hey, can I tell you a secret?" Manic's eyes darted to the door, then the balcony. Speech was hushed, murmuring just for Jack's ears. "My brother... fronts a vigilante group." He even gave a moment to let the out of nowhere statement sink in. "I'm not joking. They don't fight people too much, they mostly plan and really just hang out, but they can get in fights. Mostly like, helping people the law won't let them help or more like, touchy social issues. And it's all big names in there. Like, there's me and my sibs, sir Antoine from way over, that big purple cat they aren't letting take the seafolk throne, your royal technologist's kid. Even princess Sally." There was a giddy grin, sharing this secret almost made him overflow with excitement. "I'm not saying you've gotta go all Rambo and fight crime. But if you want, I can sneak you out to one of their meetings, they're real chill. They've worked Sonic, Sally, and that cat guy out of arranged marriages, they can help. Promise." In all honesty at this point Manic was holding Jack together. He had pretty much lost everything else, Manic was the only thing he had left that actually kept the rabbit going now. Jack had no idea what to do, he didn’t want to go through with this and to no fault of Sally as she was actually quite nice about the whole thing but it was as Manic said. He just couldn’t go through with it, not with everything that happened to him, he just couldn’t.

“A-a secret?” The rabbit was curious of what Manic had hidden as the hedgehog checked the door and balcony. The rabbit listened without fail as Manic spoke. Jack needed a few moments to take everything, a vigilante group? Sally and even his own technologist was there? But the fact they managed to work folks out of arranged marriages gave the rabbit a little hope as he looked up at Manic. “T-they can? P-please Manic, let meh come with yeh.” Jack almost begged as he hugged his lover more.

A small sign of hope was all the rabbit needed but he couldn’t really hide how desperate he looked for a way out of the situation he was in as he stayed close to Manic as he not only agreed to go to the outside world with Manic but almost begged Manic to take him there. It barely took a moment. Jack was changing, and Manic was using the telephone in the room "Bro, we've gotta arrange a last second meeting. How about like... Four hours? Is that gonna be enough time? ...Great. Alright, see you in a bit, I'm bringing someone along. ...Yeah, we can trust them." "If we're leaving, let's leave the rope ladder up here." He normally used ladder was left in it's usual place, and he picked up Jack in his arms again. Unlike the first time he snuck the king out, Manic was slower this time. His spiked shoes had left small holes between the sturdy stones from multiple climbs, giving solid footholds as he descended the castle side. "There's this really well kept secret town," the prince started once they got to the ground. What was he pressing buttons on, a... a skateboard without wheels? "It's in the seafolk kingdom, that's where we're gonna meet for this. But it's a long ride, so..." The skateboard like device came to life, levitating in the air. A few pulls from Manic pulled up a handle of some kind and a large sheer green windshield. "Your technologist's kid made it. Impressive, right? I can almost travel as fast as Sonic with this thing!" He stepped on, motioning for Jack to stand between him and the handle. "Don't worry, I'll drive slower. You ready?" With Manic’s help Jack quickly changed into commoners clothing with a cloak to cover his long ears that would give him away. Jack listened to Manic on the phone as he changed, and when Manic had finished, Jack was ready too. “O-okay, that’s fine.” Jack gently held onto Manic as the prince held the rabbit in his arms as they slowly made their way down the wall. Jack listened to every word Manic said as they got on the ground and asked where the town was while Manic was pressing buttons on the device. Jack was confused at first wondering what it was that Manic was using and how would it get them to where they needed to go. Soon enough with the device operational and floating in the air, Jack couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “I-it is incredible, it’s just amazing.” Jack replied but he was still wondering, was this able to take both of them all the way to their destination? If Manic thought so then all Jack did was stay close and wrapped his arms around Manic as they got ready to set off. “Okay, thank yeh Manic.” "Here, stand between me and the handles," Manic motioned for Jack to move. He stood behind the rabbit kind and held his hands to the handle, mostly to stay close for Jack's comfort. It began to make whirring noises as it prepared, and Manic twisted the handle. These weren't the supersonic speeds his brother could go at, but the travel was much faster than anything normal. It sped away from the castle almost immediately, soaring through trees and wide forest paths like it was nothing. All of a sudden, it made total sense how they could get all the way to the seafolk kingdom in time. "Hang on, buddy, lemme show you what this baby can do...!" The moment they exited the forest, he swerved left, straight towards the river, but the device didn't sink. It propelled upstream, leaving countless ripples in it's wake. Sure it was dark, but the full moon provided enough light to see the surroundings, and all the sturdy trees and blithe wildflowers of the area. All Manic did was rest his head on Jack's shoulder and smirk. "This'll lead right up to the Marble River." A massive waterway that cut through the seafolk kingdom's capital. "I know the way from there... so how's it feel? To be driving, to be free?" Jack blushed and nodded as he moved between Manic and the handles and held them as Manic held onto his hands. Jack held on tightly as Manic did most of if not almost all the work for the device to speed off away from the castle. It was clear that Jack certainly wasn’t used to this as he held on quite tightly and was glad that Manic was behind him; otherwise the young king might’ve panicked a little, Jack wasn’t sure if he could get used to this kind of speed but at least he was out and away from the castle for the first time in what feels like a lifetime.

“M-manic? W-where are we going?” Jack asked sounding a little worried as they swerved left and headed straight for the river, the rabbit shut his eyes tightly as they were about to crash into the water. Weren’t they? It wasn’t until a few seconds that Jack opened his eyes. To see that the device was flying over the water as they made their way over the river and straight down to where they needed to go, it was so terrifying yet exciting at the same time. Jack only moved his head a little to look at the surroundings while keeping his attention forward, the blush returned to the rabbit’s face as he felt Manic’s head rest on his shoulder.

Jack listened and was glad that it sounded like they weren’t too far away now. Listening to Manic’s question Jack wasn’t sure how to feel. Of course the driving was terrifying but anything new could be at first, the idea of freedom though? He wasn’t sure, it felt nice of course, to be out of the castle and do anything he wanted but, what about his duty? His responsibility? The whole point of going to this meeting was to try and break the rabbit away from his duty that he just couldn’t do. He wanted to say that he was happy with the freedom but he was still conflicted, he was still at the point where he was scared of letting people down, even the ones who aren’t there to burden him anymore.

“A-ah don’t think driving is mah thing to be honest, ah think ah’ll stick to being a passenger, t-the freedom? I-it feels nice. Thank yeh Manic.” This was exactly the kind of response Manic expected. But himself? He lived for excitement, and this was just making him love being with the rabbit even more. "Don't worry, I'll be your captain. Hang on tight, babe." But even as fast as the waterway path could get them there, nothing could really get them across that distance so quickly. Even when manic started playing some music for the two, they could only wait for Manic to turn at another fork in the river and head further upstream, for almost a full hour of driving. The rivers slowly got wider as they approached the kingdom, with small villages passing by more frequently. But just as the sights of the capital city were barely visible in the distance, the gorgeous ocean view and the many small canals, Manic veered wildly off course. Straight up a small stream, barely noticeable, flowing from a different small river entirely. The ride finally slowed down, gradually coming to a stop. Another small town, with a hotel, a bar, a restaurant. A small but full community. While Manic pressed buttons on the hoverboard to retract the ride, he smiled to Jack. "Welcome to Velare," The prince said with a smile. He took off the coat that covered his body, not caring if anyone saw him. "They're technically a micronation, so... honestly, royal titles mean nothing here. No one's gonna hound you here." Jack received two firm pats on the back, to try and help usher him into the little village. "Come on, take off your coat, no one's gonna care. We've got some time, wanna grab a drink with me before they get here?" Jack did what Manic told him and held on tight as they zoomed across the waterway. Jack thought the ride would never end as they kept going, having music on did help with keeping the rabbit’s mind off how long it was taking to get there as he held on and looked at the passing surroundings. Before they arrived a faint thought of worry came to the rabbit’s mind, what was going to happen when someone found out he was gone? It wasn’t like that time in the garden where they could sneak in through the balcony again, the king had left his kingdom and who knows what sort of panic and worry that could cause.

That thought was put on hold as Jack had to hold on tighter as Manic veered off course and went up a much smaller stream then what they were just above. Jack couldn’t believe they were finally there as he got off while Manic retracted his ride as Jack looked around. Jack was a little nervous as manic took off his coat without a care, he was still unsure of a lot of things, he didn’t want to remove his cloak but at the least he pulled down his hood to try and compromise a little as Jack felt a safer with the cloak on. “A-ah see, ah would like to keep it on for now if that’s okay with yeh Manic.” The rabbit replied before looking around more as they entered the village.

When Manic asked his last question Jack nodded a little. “O-okay, ah wouldn’t mind a drink.” A drink might help ease the rabbit’s nerves as he was a little nervous of meeting Sally there, what was she going to say? Was she going to be offended or upset when he tells he he can’t marry her? Jack stayed close to Manic as they went to bar to grab a drink and wait for everyone else to show. The two entering royals were met with a warm, social atmosphere. People sitting on barstools, some looking rich, some the more humble town residents. It wasn't anything like the colorful mixed drinks Manic was used to, mostly brand name beers, but he didn't quiet mind. It was obvious that every board in the walls, floors, even furniture was built by hand, strong and sturdy. Nothing like the castle, but carrying it's own strange charm. And before they could even order, they were interrupted. "Hey... Hey, Manic!" Manic almost sighed at the sight, but a sarcastic, half-amused sigh. "Guess I've gotta introduce y'all. Follow me, man." The hedgehog who had called for them was sitting at the corner of the bar, not afraid to show off his wealth in fancy clothes. He grinned, showing off a full set of jagged, sharp teeth. "Hey, uh... Wow, wasn't expecting to see you here tonight!" He said with a smile. "Uh, this is Scourge. You know, king of Moebius." "There's been nothin' happening all night. C'mon, Jackie, drink with me, I've got some beers on the way." He patted the chair next to his booth seat. Manic just rolled his eyes and sat on the other side of Scourge. Although this place was new, when Jack entered and got used to it after a short while he felt a bit more relaxed. This place felt nice, it felt a lot better then his home had been the past few days. Jack didn’t drink very much but he would try different things in small amounts, he had to at least try and stay responsible after all. After looking around with Manic he too heard the voice calling to the prince. Jack wasn’t sure how to feel at Manic’s response but the rabbit trusted him as he went over to the source of the voice.

Jack could quickly tell that the hedgehog that called over to them was a king or at least someone of a high position as he showed off his wealth. The being behind the table looked familiar somehow and when he heard the name Scourge it hit him, the ruler of the somewhat lawless kingdom of Moebius. A rep from that kingdom once made an appearance at his kingdom’s court but it was his father that dealt with them and he wasn’t sure if the response they both gave each other left Scourge’s kingdom holding a grudge. Now that he was the one bearing the mantle of the king he had to take responsibility for his father’s actions depending if Scourge held any grudges against his land.

“H-hello yeh'r majesty, ah hope yeh are well.” Jack gulped quietly and doing his best to respect the other monarch. He nodded a little and sat down on one side while Manic sat on the other. “T-that’s very kind of yeh king Scourge, a-ah won’t be having that much though ah’m afraid as ah have to meet with someone later tonight over business.” Jack said as respectfully as he could hoping not to offend the king in the middle of the three. "If you're gonna be king, two things you gotta know." Scourge said, leaning over the table and grinning. He never got tired of being called king. "Doesn't matter if you're scared shitless, don't act like it. You get the wrong person, and they just see another weak target, an' I don't want anyone else slicing up that pretty face..." A claws paw teased at Jack's cheek, letting him just barely feel the sharp tips. It pulled back immediately to the sound of four beer steins clattering as they were placed on the table. "Drink up!" The waitress said, walking away apparently not realizing the threat Scourge had made. Nothing serious, just a dark joke to see him cower a little. Manic gave Jack a comforting pat on his hand, just to try and relax him. The gentle stare he gave to let him know it was alright was only broken to give a massive, overdramatic eyeroll straight for the smug hedgehog at the end of the table. "One more thing?" He said, leaning back and grabbing a cup at random. "We ain't kings here. I don't care if your kingdom hates mine over some prissy parliament stuff over roads or whatever, we ain't kingdoms. I'm Scourge, and your Jack." He said, leaning back satisfied at letting Jack know just who was in charge. "But call me king all you want." "Seriously, don't worry dude." Manic said. "My kingdom? Lemme tell you, they HATE this idiot!" Jack gulped and listened to every word Scourge said as the other king spoke to him. The rabbit nodded a little at what Scourge said, although trying to show he wasn’t scared was easier said then done. A faint blush came to the rabbit's face as he felt the claws gently on his face as he heard Scourge’s words. Jack was a little relieved that the drinks came as it gave Scourge something to distract himself from the rabbit, thankfully Jack did calm down a little when he felt Manic’s hand on his. As long as he was there, Jack would try and get through this.

Jack took a cup himself but just kept it in front of him for now as Scourge spoke. Well, at least it seemed Scourge didn’t hold anything against him for what happened which was a good sign, although Jack didn’t want to press his luck if he could help it. Jack gulped and nodded as he looked over to scourge. "A-ah see, t-thank yeh king Scourge.” Jack replied before listening to Manic. It was obvious the two hedgehogs were used to each other if Manic could speak to the king like he just did. Jack would never dare something like that as he was still a little nervous around the other king. Of course, Scourge knew what it always meant when Manic showed up, even if he had a friend with him. "So when's Sonic showing up and ruining everything?" Manic shrugged. "Don't really know, honestly. Probably like an hour, tops. We're gonna be here a while, too." This only made the king let out some kind of a low grunt of disgust. Him and Manic raised their glasses and drank in time, enjoying a smooth, almost cherry-tinted bitter flavor. They all barely had enough time to finish their drinks, Scourge taking a little extra to finish off that second stein, but that was enough time to see Manic and Scourge talk. Their speech seemed littered with inside jokes and hollow insults at one another, a strangely close relationship if their kingdoms truly hated each other. "Alright, you get outta here, he'll show up any second." Manic said, not wanting to waste time. He was quick to hop out of his small wooden chair and start strolling towards the door. Scourge stayed behind while Jack got up, giving him a hesitant pat on the back. "Sorry, kid." The incident was still fresh in his mind. He wasn't one to express sympathy, but for a friend of a friend who just went through so much trauma, he could make an exception. Jack listened to the two speak as Manic’s brother was mentioned. It seemed more likely that Sonic and Scourge didn’t get on very well if at all. As the two had their drinks and spoke, Jack had a few small sips from his too although he probably only drank about half or just more then half of his by the time he was done. Jack wasn’t sure what the relationship between Manic and Scourge was as they spoke, joked and somewhat insulted each other but at least they got along okay which was better then expected. Jack listened to Manic as the prince said it was time to go.

Jack watched Manic leave before getting up himself and flinching a little as he felt the pat on his back. He had no idea that more people knew about the incident. He looked back at the other king as he heard the other’s words. "A-ah’ll be fine, b-but thank yeh.” Jack replied before quickly leaving to join Manic outside the bar as they both went off to find the meeting. Once they were all out, Manic was waiting to stand right next to Jack again. "Alright, thanks for the drinks, man. See ya." He said with a lazy wave. Scourge grinned at the two of them, before turning away. His feet started to warm up, going faster and faster until he was merely a green blur down the nearby paths and out of sight. And just in time, too. It was only as soon as they got to the hotel doors that another blur came in, this one deep blue. Prince Sonic appeared, not even having bothered getting any kind of disguise. "Yo!" Sonic said, running up to Manic and giving him a cheesy finger gun. "Oh, hey, Jack, you're the friend Manic brought?" "Yeah, he's kinda... in a situation. You wanna explain?" Manic said. All of a sudden, he seemed totally fine with Sonic being there. "We're meeting up in room 206, you tell us on the way there." He stepped aside and opened the door in an over dramatic fashion, motioning for the two to enter with his goofy grin. Manic just snorted and laughed. Jack soon stood next to Manic as the prince spoke before he spoke himself. "T-thank yeh, the drinks were good, have a safe trip home king Scourge.” Jack said before Scourge turned and left the two. For a first time meeting with Scourge after all that was said about him, the other monarch didn’t seem that bad. Hopefully things could work out between them, but for now there was other things that needed dealing with as Jack went with Manic to the hotel before being joined by Manic’s brother as Sonic quickly came in. The young king nodded to answer Sonic’s question before Manic explained why he was there.

“O-okay, t-thank yeh Sonic.” Jack replied as the other opened the door leaving Manic laughing, unfortunately Jack couldn’t see the humour of it at the moment as he started to worry again. If Sonic was here then no doubt that the others were too including princess Sally. He wasn’t sure what to tell her, how was he going to explain to her that he couldn’t go through with this. Hopefully Manic might be able to help with that at least.

As the three entered the hotel and made their way to the hotel room, Jack explained to Sonic why he was there and why he desperately needed their help as he explained about the whole forced courting he was made to go through with to Sally and the possibility of marriage and to start a royal family with her. He hoped Sonic would understand and help him like Manic had done so much for the rabbit already. "Don't worry, we've got a loooot of experience here." Sonic said as he twirled his key in the lock. "Like, in this very specific area, I mean." When the door was opened and they were ushered inside, many of the other members Manic had mentioned were inside. His sister sat on the bed next to Sir Antione, the son of Jack's royal technologist was sitting on the other and playing with his two large tails. And most striking of all, there was princess Sally, toying with her hands and watching them as they entered. Sonic didn't seem to catch how tense Jack felt. "Sally, how many people are you gonna get in arranged marriages with?" He said like he was scolding her. "Don't remind me," she said, rubbing her temples at his dumb joke. "They're all filled in on what's happening. It's nice to finally meet you in person, Jack. I'm sorry it's in these circumstances." Jack gulped quietly as the three entered the room. Jack was dreading the worst as he looked around but it didn’t seem as bad as he thought it would be. He recognized some of the faces in the room quickly enough as he saw Sonia and the son of his royal technologist who waved to the young king, and as Jack waved back to the two tailed fox he saw the coyote noble sitting on the bed. Jack knew of Antione but up until now had never seen him himself. His heart stopped for a moment or two when he saw princess Sally, the one he was to court and another member of this group that Manic had brought him to. A lot of feelings were going through the young kings mind at once, he was quite nervous of meeting Sally face to face and in a situation like this certainly didn’t help.

Although he was glad he could finally see her at least so they could talk this through, she seemed so beautiful and strong. She definitely seemed a lot stronger then he could ever be, which could’ve been why he was being made to marry her, as the nobles of his kingdom wanted what they felt was a stronger leader then the king they had now. Jack gulped and listened to Sally speak before bowing before her as he tried to keep royal protocol despite how nervous he was. "I-it’s an honour meeting yeh too princess Sally, y-yeh don’t have to be sorry, this is mah fault.” Jack said before Antione spoke up.

“How so your majesty? You can not be blamed for being forced into courting and marriage, it has happened to quite a few of us in this room! This is something that is out of your hands no? And it is why you are here am I right?” The coyote said trying to at least put Jack’s mind at ease by telling him this wasn’t his fault. Even so Jack blamed himself as he felt so weak after what happened to him, and he felt like that’s why they wanted someone stronger to take the throne so something like that wouldn't happen again. Sally didn't read quite that deep into Jack's emotions, not yet. This nervousness definitely meant there was some kind of self doubt going on, and given the circumstances, she came to a different right conclusion. So when she stood up to talk to Jack, she kept on strong appearances to make him feel safer. "I've heard you're a nice king, and a wonderful rabbit," she started, "but I don't know you either. This isn't my idea, this is our advisers and royal courts colluding behind our backs. So you aren't going to insult me." He pat on his shoulder was gentler than it looked. "Now, if we need to get out of this, sit down somewhere, we can come up with something." So they all shuffled around, making room and squeezing around. Manic and Tails sat on the floor, not particularly caring where they sat and letting everyone else use the beds. "We could always go with our fallback and have me talk them into a different arranges marriage, but... well, after that one with Big, I think they figured out I wasn't serious." Sally tapped a finger on her chin, deep in thought. "Then we shouldn't argue from your point of view, we should argue from his royal highness's!" There was a smug grin, like Antione's simple solution had been too hard to come by. "He has- and pardon me for bringing this up so early." There wasn't a pat on the back, but Antione reaching an arm around Jack and holding his opposite shoulder for his comfort. "He has been through so much. Perhaps we can..." He couldn't think of an answer, face constantly changing as he tried to find something to say that wouldn't further Jack's trauma. "Use it to our advantage?" Tails's small voice perked up, the only one who didn't realize how bad the wording could be taken. "Do we know who did this yet?" Was the rabbit that easy to read? More then likely yes, he was never very good at hiding his emotions, especially his nervousness or fear which probably made him an easy target for things like this in the first place. Of course he was doing his best to stay calm but at first he had no idea what Sally was going to say to him and feared the worse, but her words were a lot kinder to him then he was as he listened to the princess speak with a slight sigh of relief before he spoke as well. "T-thank yeh princess Sally. Ah see, ah guessed as much, a-ah do apologise princess, I-if ah had been a bit stronger and more firm with mah court this would’ve probably never happened.” Jack replied still blaming himself for the whole thing as it seemed like while he was king he had a lot to learn how royal marriages and alliances worked.

When seats were taken on the beds Jack sat next to Sonia while being opposite to Sally as they spoke of what to do next. Jack listened to each suggestion wondering, how many times have they done this before? Would he have to go through this a lot too? He wondered as Antione made his suggestion. While Jack was still a little nervous he was getting used to everyone else in the room and didn’t move or flinch as much as he felt the coyote noble’s arm wrap him and held his shoulder as he spoke. Jack wasn’t so sure where this was going, but he had a bad feeling about it, and that feeling only got worse when the small fox’s voice picked up.

Use his trauma to their advantage? How would that even work? And was this the only idea they had? Jack certainly wasn’t keen on the idea and wasn’t really hiding it as he spoke. “N-no, ah don’t know who did it, I-is there really no other option then using meh for yeh'r plan? How would it even work?” The young king asked gripping his metal arm tightly showing his distress as the idea was definitely not a favourite of his. "No! No, no, wait!" Of course, no one said that directly. Everyone chimed in to say no and comfort Jack somehow, leading to an awkward mass of vaguely apologetic words assaulting the rabbit. The moment there was a space, Tails spoke again. "I meant, a lot happened at the... incident. We can tell them you're sad about it and see what that would do!" Manic sighed, ruffling the fox's head. "We've tried that, buddy, it didn't work." "No, I think he's on to something." Sonia said. "It's still-" The words were delicate, and everyone was likely to catch their words. "Foreign leaders were the victims, we could force some kind of emphasis on the incident." "That's it...!" Sally's ears perked up, sitting forward and alert. "I've got it, it's so simple! We need to find out who or what did this, of course you're still investigating. But this is your family, no one is going to blame you for making this investigation your top priority. What's a way to say- I know, tell them that it's for my safety. Tell them you can't risk the next generation of your family until you know what happened to the last generation." She sat up straight, coming across the perfect line. "'I can't bring a child into the world with a target on their head!' That's your line, that's your way to end this marriage and bring this floundering investigation back on track!" "But who did it?" Everyone's attention was suddenly turned to the man standing at the door to the room. The rightful king but legally the 'chief advisor' to the king of the seafolk kingdom, a towering purple cat. His stance, his facial expressions, everything about him would imply a much younger person than Big actually was. "We can find out who did it, right?" Big may not have had Sonic or Sonia's powers, or Antoine's bravery, or Tail's intelligence. But those small eyes glimmered with an innocent kind of hope that was otherwise gone from those weeks of investigation, and everyone else in the room. The rabbit was taken back by the mass of apologetic words that rushed him all at once. When things had calmed down Jack listened to what everyone had in mind. Once things had been explained Jack was more willing to get behind the idea, although it was as Manic said, Jack’s home council wouldn’t accept the kings feelings of loss and morning as an excuse to stop the wedding. But hearing Sonia’s words and listening to her and Sally speak it did start to make sense to him, he would definitely need to practice his line to try and make it sound genuine, he was never really good at lying to start with, but he would need to at least try if he wanted this to work and in a sense he was somewhat telling the truth as he didn’t want something like this happening again. Jack turned to look at the purple cat as he spoke. There was very little information about the incident to begin with, no leads, very little suspects and no reason as of yet why this happened, the investigation was dead on it’s feet which was probably why everyone else gave up. "A-ah don’t know who did it, we never found out who or why they would do it.” The young king said before Antione spoke up. “There clearly has to be a reason for it no? Maybe they were hired assassins, assassination is more common in politics then you think your majesty.” The coyote said as he looked around. “That doesn’t explain why it happened, if it was assassins then who sent them and why?” Tails asked going with Antione’s idea. “Hey, this could be a random guess but what if someone from Moebius sent them? They certainly didn’t get along well with Jack’s kingdom and after what happened between them and Jack’s father it wouldn’t surprise me if they wanted payback.” This time it was Sonic speaking his mind as he made Scourge’s kingdom and ultimately Scourge himself as a suspect. “It could be anyone really, it could even be someone from Jack’s own court who could’ve been behind this.” Sally spoke up as she had to put her words on the table. It was true, it could be anyone who had done it, there was no idea to tell who could’ve been behind it. Everyone had their theories and suspicions. Sonic, Antoine, Sally, they all could vomit out more bile and suspicions, and without evidence, no one could really say they were wrong. It took Sonia to put an end to it. "Suspecting random people isn't going to help. We just need to- I don't know. This investigation is so dead, I'm not sure what there's left to do." "Try again." Any time Big spoke, the full attention was drawn to him. Sometimes, the basic logic was something all these royals would totally overlook. "I can help, too. I want any bad guys to get caught." "We all do." Sally looked straight at Big and smiled, before looking between the others and letting out a sigh. "Alright. We're going to find out what happened. I'm just not sure what's next." When he hopped from the floor, Tail's was wagging and spinning his tails around excitedly. "I know! My dad knows this professor from the Sol kingdom, Von Schlemmer! He's working on experimental forensic stuff for them, maybe you could get some help from him!" Jack just sat and listened to everyone’s suspicions and theories and more nervous and worried then before. Was there so many people that had some reason to do his family harm? Clearly so, and one of these was successful in doing that harm, although not enough to completely wipe out the royal family they weren’t too far off. Jack stayed quiet as everyone spoke. The rabbit tried to take in what was happening, at first this was just trying to find a way to peacefully call off the marriage between him and Sally, and now they were trying to start up the investigation of the attack on his family.

It was hard to ignore Big whenever the cat spoke, of course what he was saying made sense but how can they start again without any leads or clues? They had nothing to go with at the moment so trying again was easier said then done, after hearing tail’s suggestion jack finally spoke himself even though he was confused, nervous and distressed about the whole thing. "A-ah see, well ah can speak to him about it tomorrow after we call off the wedding and get the investigation started up again, at least ah hope that’ll happen.” Jack spoke as he sat down once more showing his lack of confidence on his part of the plan. "No, you KNOW that will happen!" Antoine said, patting Jack's back yet again. "Confidence is key, we will solve your problems! For you and for all of us!" "There's no time to waste." Sonia stood up, maintaining regal poise even in a casual setting. "Tails, get that forensic information. Jack, Sally, you know what to do. Everyone else, we need to keep this investigation going. Let's get back, sun will rise in a few hours and we can't be missing." Most everyone left, giving Jack some kind of farewell. Sally a firm pat on the shoulders for support, Antoine a kiss on the hand, and most everyone else with a handshake. And once outside, everyone went off their own ways. Sonic ran with Sonia riding some kind of board like Manic's in her wake, Sally and Antoine on horseback, and Tails simply flying away. Big took a slower stroll back to the close city, humming to himself. All that left was Manic and Jack, the former ushering the king to sit on the edge of a fountain outside. "...Antoine's kinda cute, ain't he? In a snooty french kinda way?" Manic teased, nudging Jack and smiling. "That got real heavy, how you doing? You wanna talk or just jet back?" Confidence is key? That was something Jack was worried about, but he nodded to the coyote's words. "O-okay, a-ah just can’t thank yeh all enough for what yeh’ve done for meh, ah just hope ah can repay yeh all somehow.” Jack watched and listened as Sonia spoke and explained the plan. Once everyone was ready Jack followed Manic outside and said his own farewells. He couldn’t believe how strong willed Sally was and still felt a little guilty for dragging her into his mess in the first place. He also couldn’t help but blush a little as he felt the kiss on his hand from Antione, he’d never had that kind of greeting or farewell so of course the shy rabbit would blush a little when receiving such affection.

After parting with everyone else and watching them leave he sat next to Manic on the fountain as Manic spoke. “Y-yeah, he is a bit cute.” Jack blushed a little more from Manic’s teasing as Manic got more serious. “A-ah’ll be fine thank yeh Manic, ah think we should go b-but there is one last thing ah want to say before we go.” Before Manic had a chance to reply, Jack gently held Manic’s hand and kissed him softly on the lips. After everything that had happened Manic had pretty much brought Jack back from the brink of despair and gave light to the rabbit’s life again, he would do anything to make this up to Manic if he could, after a few seconds of kissing Jack pulled back slowly. “T-thank yeh Manic, for everything, a-ah don’t think ah could ever fully express how grateful ah am for all yeh did for meh.” "I'm always here to help, babe." The nervousness was still visible, but he could also see just how relieve Jack was compared to when they met. Jack's cheek was cupped in his hand so he could look Jack in the eye and give him a warm, gentle look. "You know I'd do anything to see you smile." The moment held for just a second. Manic grabbed Jack's hand and gently tugged him, walking him towards their ride back to the castle. "Come on, let's get you back before anyone notices you're gone." ◇        ◇        ◇        ◇ "His Majesty has been sleeping all morning." The guards and castle workers standing around Jack's door were confused, this wasn't like the rabbit! Had he been awake all night? The gossip stopped when Jack finally exited, but the confusion wasn't gone. "Your Majesty?" One particular adviser bowed slightly, before facing the kind. "Are you feeling alright? We need to discuss your marriage with the Acorn princess." Jack felt blessed to be with Manic as he listened to his lover speak, he was so happy and grateful to have him. He quickly followed as Manic took him back to the ride and Jack stood behind Manic, this time with both arms wrapped around Manic while gently nuzzling Manic’s back as they rode all the way back to the castle.

It wasn’t like the king to sleep in but considering what he’d been doing the night before he didn’t have the strength to wake up at his usual time. When he did wake up he quickly got washed and dressed, he was still a little nervous but he had to do this, it was up to him to make this plan work. Once he was ready he slowly walked out to see the guards and advisors waiting at his door.

"Yes, ah’m fine thank yeh, about that, ah was thinking about that all night, ah can’t go through with the marriage, not with whoever attacked mah family still at large. Ah apologise but ah cannot start a family or bring a child into the world with a target on their head. Who can say who did it and when they will strike again? Because last time it was just mah family that suffered, if we let this problem go without notice if it happens again it will be both kingdoms that suffer for it. So until the investigation into mah family’s deaths are concluded and the one behind it is brought to justice, there will be no marriage’s between anyone.” Jack declared before going off with the guards and advisers to start business for the day.

There was a round of surprise between the guards and advisers. The king had been so meek, where had this newfound sternness come from? But this wasn't an unpleasant surprise. In fact, the old cat who had delivered the message had to wait before he could even gather his words. "That's a... fair point, your majesty." Their glasses were adjusted, his tone pleasantly surprised. "We should send your word to the Acorn kingdom immediately." That one speech had changed him just enough in the minds of those few people gathered. The investigation was never truly stopped, but it was time to dust off everything gathered and give everything a second thorough search over. There must be something they missed, some tiny clue they could build off of. It was in the name of Jack's family, they had to figure out who did this and protect who was currently the last of his lineage. And it wouldn't be long before Jack got the kind of news he absolutely didn't want to hear.