Hello everyone, the final chapter is finally here 😅😅 I apologize for taking so long to finish it :( Right after finishing the last chapter, I took a small break from writing. Once I got back into writing this chapter, Sonic 3 came out (literally the best movie from 2024, ngl), I hyper-fixated on it, and wrote fanfiction in that universe, and this chapter got almost forgotten lol

But, hey, better late than never, I suppose (it wasn't in 2026 lol) The last chapter is finally here! Hope you guys like it :3

For once, Sonic was taking his time to collect his thoughts and emotions properly. Tails wasn't about to interrupt or rush him—he knew firsthand how hard it was to talk about personal trauma, even if it ultimately helped.

"During those six months…" His brother's voice trailed off as he sighed, his gaze dropping to the floor. The hedgehog looked like he couldn't bring himself to meet the fox's eyes. "It wasn't just Infinite beating me up or throwing me in that cell… But I guess you already knew that."

The blue blur let out a strained, awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his head. The hero briefly glanced at his baby brother, who gave a small nod, silently confirming what Sonic had said.

"It was just… so much worse than that." The teen swallowed hard, his fists tightening around the bedsheets. "He'd make me watch illusions of you guys…" His voice cracked slightly, the pain taking over the usual cocky, upbeat tone the blue hedgehog naturallyhas. "...being tortured."

The little kit's eyes widened for a fleeting moment, the shock visible before he quickly composed himself. It wasn't like it mattered, anyways—His brother wasn't looking at him. The fox's effort to mask his reaction was more of a precaution, a way to ensure Sonic felt comfortable enough to confess what was in the bottom of the hedgehog's heart.

"And… k-killed." Sonic's voice wavered, the words coming out like a broken whisper. Tears threatened to spill over as his hands trembled against the bed. "I-I knew it was all fake, but it felt so—so freaking real!" His voice cracked, rising in anguish as a few tears escaped.

The room fell into an uneasy silence, broken only by the sound of Sonic's shaky breaths. Seeing his older brother on the verge of breaking shattered Tails' heart.

Every word confirmed the fears that had plagued him since Sonic had been rescued.

The fox was flooded with a multitude of emotions.

Deep inside, the kid felt a wave of anger and resentment for what Infinite and Eggman had done to his brother, but he suppressed it for the hedgehog's sake.

Sadness weighed heavy on his chest as he thought about the pain, trauma and stress Sonic had endured, not just during those six months but even after. The kid knew there was a sadness, a melancholy hiding in his brother's green eyes…

He just didn't realize how bad it was…

And then came the guilt—a bitter pang in his heart. The genius couldn't shake the feeling that he should have done more, that he had failed to protect the person who had always protected him. The fox was working on not blaming himself for his brother's capture, but it wasn't easy.

And beneath it all, his logical mind quietly worked in the background. His brother must have PTSD.

It had to be that…

The sleepless nights, the haunted look in Sonic's eyes, the outbursts of frustration…

It all fit.

His brother wasn't just dealing with bad memories—he was reliving them.

"Sorry for dumping all that on you, lil' buddy," Sonic murmured, his voice hoarse. He rubbed at his eyes with his gloved hand, as if to erase any trace of vulnerability. "It's just… a lot has happened."

"You don't need to apologize, bro." Tails shook his head firmly, his voice steady yet filled with warmth. His words were gentle, carrying the kind of reassurance that only came from someone who genuinely cared. "You always told me there's nothing wrong with letting your feelings out—whether it's you saying it or Amy making you say it."

At that, his big brother rolled his eyes, a glimmer of genuine amusement crossing his face.

Genuine. The kit had missed seeing his big brother being so honest.

"Either way, it's true," The mechanic continued. "Your feelings are valid. I can't even imagine how hard it must've been for you… I'm so sorry you had to go through that." He finished, with a sincere, compassionate look on his face.

The fox meant every word he said.

If he had been the one in the blue blur's shoes . . . the kid wasn't sure he could have handle it. Definitely, not as well as Sonic had.

"Yeah, it's been hard…" The hedgehog gave a shaky laugh, affection coloring his tone, "I really apprecia—" The blue blur suddenly paused, his expression shifting as if something had just clicked in his mind. "Wait, since when are you the one giving me advice? I'm your big brot—"

"Sonic." Tails stopped his brother sternly, raising an eyebrow. His expression left no room for argument.

Their dynamic was shifting, at least for now. But the genius had to admit—he liked being able to help his brother.

Just like Sonic always loved being by his side.

Even though another part of him felt horrified, angry, sad, and a dozen other emotions he couldn't fully name, he was grateful he could support his big bro.

"My bad, buddy," The hero muttered. "I'm not used to…" The hedgehog trailed off, briefly looked down, finding the fabric of the sheet, conveniently, very interesting (he had been doing that a lot, although the child couldn't really blame him. The kit knew how hard it was for the teen to talk about this), "... well, talking about feelings or whatever. But I'll try. It's kinda helping, actually. I feel… lighter."

"Yeah, it does help." The kid replied, recalling how much he'd felt the same in the past. "So…" The kit hesitated, thinking of how Sonic usually approached things.. "... is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"Yeah…" The hero nodded hesitantly, "...but I don't think I can tell you everything. Not yet."

"That's okay, big bro. Take as much time as you need. You don't have to say anything you're not ready to share." The fox's voice was soft and kind, his smile reminiscent of the one Sonic always gave him, in these situations.

"Thanks…" His big brother looked down again, "So, uh, I guess it's rather obvious that I had- I've been having nightmares."

Tails gave a small 'yes'.

"The thing is… What Infinite did to you— to that illusion of yours— was… by far, the worst part." The blue blur finally met the child's gaze. His eyes were filled with pain, breaking his little brother's heart even further. "Every time I fell asleep, I had these nightmares where I saw you…" His brother was looking at the bed's sheets again, "Dying in front of me." The hedgehog's voice cracked, as a small tear fell down from his eyes.

"So, I had this brilliant plan. I just wouldn't sleep. If I didn't sleep, I wouldn't have to see . . . that again. So I started staying awake. I drank as many energy drinks as I could, ran everywhere, kept busy helping at HQ… Anything to keep moving . . . like always." Sonic gave an awkward laugh. His green eyes were filled with so much exhaustion and sorrow.

Fury burned hot within him—anger at Infinite and Eggman for the literal torture they had put his brother through.

He could barely not see red.

They had made his brother see 'him' dying, over and over again.

Made him see all of his friends suffer and get killed.

Torture him in ways his brother couldn't even talk about, yet.

A part of him wanted so desperately to avenge his brother. Infinite and Eggman deserved to pay for hurting Sonic so deeply.

For doing something worse than death.

But, at the same time, the kit just knew it wouldn't fix anything.

Infinite was dead.

It would go against the hedgehog's morals (and, deep down, Tails' morals, as well, even if the kit was, at the moment, somewhat consumed by the anger and resentment to recognize it).

And the blue blur wouldn't want him to do it, either.

No matter how traumatized he was.

Gosh, his brother desperately needed therapy.

The mechanic couldn't really hide what he was feeling (at least, at first), but the teen wasn't looking at him, which Tails was thankful for. Otherwise, Sonic would close up, immediately. The kit simply let the hedgehog continue. After all, as Amy had told him, back when the fox had asked for help:'When we are helping someone, what that person needs is empathy and consolation, not answers or solutions.'

To be fair, this was one of the things the kit already intrinsically knew (his older brother has always listened first, before giving any kind of solution and/or advice). But it was good to be more aware of it. The kid was going to avoid giving solutions and answers before his big brother needed it or asked for it.

"And… sometimes, especially after I was rescued, I get these… flashbacks? Yeah, flashbacks sounds about right." The blue blur's voice wavered, his fingers tracing aimless patterns on the surface of the sheet.

Yup, Sonic has PTSD…

At least the Resistance had good therapists, considering… everything that had transpired over the last eight months.

"It was like I was right back there, trapped all over again. It just feels so... real." He paused, his breath hitching as his eyes shimmered with new unshed tears. "It's just been hard." Sonic sniffled, squeezing his eyes shut and brushing at his cheek with the back of his glove. "I just don't know what to do anymore. I thought this plan would work, but clearly, that ain't the case…" His voice cracked, and a new wave of concern washed over Tails.

There was obviously more to the story than what the hedgehog had shared. The kid wasn't naive—he knew his older brother didn't feel comfortable laying everything bare. And he wouldn't press him, not when the blue blur was so clearly struggling to hold himself together.

But he didn't need more details to understand. The child had seen the effects of Infinite's torture firsthand. He knew exactly what it had done to his brother.

"Sonic…" The fox leaned forward, placing a gentle hand on Sonic's arm, his voice soft but steady. "I think you're dealing with PTSD. I've read books about it, and It's not your fault, but there's help for this—therapy, treatment at the Resistance. It'll help you deal with the symptoms in a healthy way. You'll get better." The kit finished, sincerely, saying everything he remembered reading about it.

"You really think so?" The blue blur whispered, glancing at his little brother. His emerald-green eyes were glassy with tears.

"I know so," The mechanic replied with conviction, offering a warm, reassuring smile. "No matter how long it takes, you're going to be okay. And we can help you, too. I promise I'll be by your side, no matter what… but you need to let me help you. Do you promise to tell me everything you feel comfortable sharing from now on?"

"Uh… I…" The hero hesitated (never a good sign),rubbing the back of his neck as he broke eye contact. "I already told you more than I should've. I can't promise to tell you everything, little buddy. I don't want to take away your happiness or… burden you further."

Of course, his brother was still keen on keeping things to himself (and to a therapist, he supposed).

"Sonic," Tails interrupted gently, "if it ever gets to be too much for me, I promise I'll tell you right away. I can handle it, and I get why you're worried. But I mean it—from the bottom of my heart—if I ever feel overwhelmed or need time to process, I'll let you know, okay?"

A week of waiting for his brother to wake up had made the kid very well-prepared to handle whatever the hedgehog threw at him.

"You really want to help me, huh?" Sonic blinked at his brother, his resistance softening.

The fox simply nodded, his expression unwavering.

"Alright, I'll try." The teen sighed, a small, almost shy smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"That's all I can ask for, big bro." Tails smiled sincerely. "I'm not too worried about being overwhelmed, though. My emotional battery's at 100% anyway—you barely ask for help yourself."

"Hey, that's not true! I do ask for help… sometimes… okay, maybe kinda true." The blue blur admitted with a sheepish grin, chuckling softly as the tension in his shoulders eased slightly. "Alright, so… have you been watching those cartoons?"

Tails blinked.

Okay, so maybe he wasn't prepared for everything.

Why did the hedgehog change the topic so suddenly?Especially about the childish stuff he does that only his brother knew about.

"Uh… no? I haven't watched them since the war started, really…" The kid replied sincerely, still not fully understanding why the blue blur started this topic of conversation (although, he had some ideas)

"We've talked about this, buddy. I thought you started watching them after we talked about how important your self-care is."

The kit bit his lip, his thoughts flickering back to the past several months. At first, the genius hadn't watched them because he was in a literal war, desperately trying to find his brother. Then, after they had finally defeated Eggman, guilt had kept him from indulging in anything fun, since he felt like he had failed his brother. Once that was out of the way, the mechanic had been too worried about Sonic to focus on himself.

"I know," Tails said softly. "There was just so much going on with the Resistance, and with other stuff. It just slipped my mind."

All he said was indeed the truth. The child wasn't about to admit the concern he had for the blue hedgehog was part of the reason, though. The genius didn't want his brother to feel even more guilty, for no good reason.

It was just unnecessary.

"But why are you asking me this?"

"Well, cuz' I've got an idea." Sonic replied, with a satisfied and knowing smirk. Almost like the hero just knew his little brother would agree with the idea he had. "I promise to tell you everything I can, and you promise to take some time, everyday, to watch those cartoons you like and to do just kids stuff. You need to be a kid too, y'know?"

Well, the fox did need to catch up on Bluey… and the kit did miss watching the Disknee Channel…

"Alright. Deal." The genius nodded with a satisfied smile.

"Atta boy." The hedgehog ruffled his brother's fur affectionately. "I have to say, I'm quite impressed at how you just knew the right thing to say… Amy helped you, didn't she?"

"Maybe…" The kit rolled his eyes, and the two shared a soft, knowing snicker.

After a moment, the fox glanced at the clock and noticed it was past one in the morning. Tails felt tired. And his brother waswaymore tired. With a brief yawn, the kit scooted his chair closer to the bed and grabbed a blanket from the floor—one his brother hadn't even noticed before.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"Getting comfortable. You need to sleep, don't you?" The mechanic grinned as he wrapped himself in the thick fabric.

"Yeah, and?" Sonic replied, his tone teasing yet curious.

"I've been sleeping here, y'know? You already knew that… or maybe you're just too tired to remember." The genius teased his brother in a half-serious way, smirking as he spoke.

Deep down, though, Tails was slightly concerned that the hedgehog might have forgotten something important—but it made sense. The blue blur hadn't been sleeping properly for weeks.

"C'mon, lil' bro. I'm tired but notthattired. I just assumed you went to Mystic Ruins or something to sleep, and then came back." The teen rubbed his back quills rather awkwardly, slightly embarrassed he had missed a presumably obvious fact (definitely due to his lack of sleep). "But, thinking about it, you sleeping here makes more sense. Still, isn't that chair uncomfortable?"

"Even though this is the hardest plastic chair I've ever sat on, it's surprisingly not that hard to fall asleep on." The hedgehog looked at him in a slightly suspicious manner. "I mean it, Sonic. And besides, that way, if you have another nightmare, you'll wake up and see me right here—safe and sound."

"I…" His brother suddenly sniffed, his emerald eyes filled with emotion. "I might wake you up…"

"I hope you do. You know I want to help you, bro." Tails replied with a sincerity that couldn't be faked, as he looked directly at the surprised, thankful emerald colored eyes the hero had.

"Thank you, lil' buddy," Sonic smiled gratefully, his voice thick with emotion and love for him. "You're the best brother any hedgehog could ask for!" He finished with a genuine smile, as wide as the world.

"You're the best brother in the whole world, too," The kid replied softly, smiling authentically.

Sonic wouldn't heal overnight, but Tails could feel it in his heart—eventually, his big brother was going to be just alright…

And it's a wrap! Thank you so much for reading This was a more experimental fic for me, but I'm glad I did a decent job with the PTSD aspects 😅😅

See you in the next one ;)

(Tails watches Bluey your honor 😍😍 And Tails loves the DisKnees 👍ifykyk)