Glares 6

                                    

                                          
Techno felt as if he'd been in that courtroom for hours. It was an endless cycle of testimonies and questions, he didn't understand how a lawyer could do this or a living, let alone enjoy it. 
                          
The main argument against him was the lack of mental and emotional capacity to properly raise Tubbo. The whole thing has been based on his age, he was seen as immature. Some of the parents who judged him were on the school board and made the call to CPS. 
                          
Techno shoved the thoughts out of his mind and sat up as Tubbo was called up to the stand. He glanced at the prosecutor who had been tearing into everyone who sat in that chair. He silently hoped he'd go easy on Tubbo, he was just a kid after all.
                          
Tubbo nervously sat down and looked at Techno, who gave him a small smile, then turned his head to the man in front of him named J. Schlatt.
                          
Schlatt smiled at Tubbo, "Hey kiddo, can you state your name and age for us?"
                          
Tubbo didn't like the smile, "I-I'm Tubbo, I'm 16..."
                          
"And can you tell us how old your dad is?"
                          
Tubbo looked at Techno, "21, I think-"
                          
"You think? That's not very reassuring," Schlatt gave him another smile, "You're right though, he is 21. Do you know the number of years separating you two, Tubbo?"
                          
Tubbo looked down, "about 5 years..."
                          
"It's more 4 and a half plus some, but yeah, basically. Tubbo, did you have bad biological parents?"
                          
Tubbo flinched and looked down, "My dad wasn't the best parent."
                          
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I bring up a bad memory? I apologize," Schlatt paused and looked at Techno before continuing, "Do you think that's why you're clingy to your dad? Because you think he's a better parent than him?" 
                          
Tubbo looked Schlatt in the eyes, "He's leagues better than him."
                          
"Is he? Are you sure?"
                          
Tubbo nodded, "I'm positive."
                          
"So there's never been a time where he didn't care for you or where he didn't trust you with something?" Techno looked at Tubbo, watching him think through it.
                          
"Well, yeah, but-"
                          
Schlatt internally smiled, Bingo. and cut him off, "So he doesn't trust you with as much as you thought?"
                          
"Of course not, but-" Techno saw Tubbo start to panic and instinctively started to go over, only to be held down by his attorney.
                          
"So he's not trusting you with as much as you thought, what else could he be hiding from you? Do you love him or the idea of him?" Tubbo started crying, "No more questions, Your Honor."
                          
"We'll be entering a 15 minute recess. During this time, I will allow the defendant to comfort Mr. Tubbo," and with that, the judge left.
                          
Tubbo ran out of the seat and into Technos arms, sobbing. Techno quietly hugged the boy and glared at Schlatt.
                          
"I'm sorry for being w-weak dad..." Tubbo sniffled.
                          
Techno pulled away to wipe the tears off Tubbo's face, "You aren't weak, Tubbo. You did a really brave thing, ok? I'm proud of you," he gave Tubbo another smile and hugged him.
                          
Tubbo eventually had to join the rest of their family and Niki in the public gallery, sitting on Phil's lap and holding the two bee plushies.
                          
Techno was the last witness called to the stand and he sat down, slightly nervous after seeing Schlatt's last performance.
                          
Schlatt smiled at him, "I assume you're rather angry at me, hm?"
                          
"You did just make my son cry, so naturally, yes."
                          
"My apologies, I didn't mean to. Speaking of your son and anger, have you ever snapped at him?"
                          
"I try my best to not let my emotions take the best of me when it comes to situations. I tend to approach them with a level head," Techno knew he was trying to draw a reaction out of him.
                          
"But you just said you were angry at me. Are you not going to stand up for your child?"
                          
"I am indeed angry at you, but I won't do anything reckless."
                          
Schlatt smiled, "So you wouldn't risk your life for your sons?"
                          
"Let me rephrase, I won't do anything that would majorly affect Tubbo's life. Attacking you verbally or physically would only result in Tubbo potentially getting traumatized, but I would willingly risk my life if it meant Tubbo escaped unharmed." Techno saw Tubbo look down but he turned his focus back on Schlatt. He would handle Tubbo's concerns later.
                          
After a few minutes of back and forth with no leverage, Schlatt decided to play his final ace, "Did you originally adopt your son out of love or because you felt obligated to?"
                          
Techno froze, "I'm sorry? Can you repeat that?"
                          
Schlatt smiled, "Did you originally adopt your son out of love or because you felt obligated to?"
                          
Techno looked at Tubbo's worried face then back at Schlatt, "A mix of both."
                          
"Can you expound on that?"
                          
Techno looked down, "Well, when I first found him, he reminded me a lot of myself when I was younger, so I took him in out of obligation and to keep him from getting a cold. After that, I genuinely grew to love him."
                          
"Do you think you are fit to be a father?"
                          
"I... I sometimes think I'm not. However, seeing Tubbo happy gives me the drive to provide the best possible life for him, no matter what happens to me."
                          
Schlatt frowned and sat down, "No more questions, Your Honor."
                          
Techno moved back to his seat, slightly shaking. He'd caught a glimpse of Tubbo crying into Phil and turned his eyes away. He sat down, his world slightly spinning as he calmed his racing heart. Had he done enough?
                          
He started zoning out as closing statements began. Would Tubbo take in back after that admission? Was Schlatts goal even to remove him as a father or to get Tubbo to not accept him anymore? His mind was snapped back to reality as the judge made the decision.
                          
"I find the allegations of child negligence against the defendant as false. The case is dismissed," Techno felt numb. Was this really a win? He turned to look at his family and found smiling faces, including Tubbo. He felt relief rush over him and he rushed over to hug Tubbo. 
                          
He didn't care what anyone said, Tubbo was his and he had the court ruling to prove it.
                          
And this marks the end of this sub arc. Hope you enjoyed!
                          
-Creeper001