Bit of an oxymoron, innit?

---

In the court room, Tommy sat next to Stress. Only Stress, him, Xisuma and their lawyer sat on the front row, Iskall pat him back as he went to the second, followed by the rest but two of the hermits. Helsknight and Evil X had stayed behind to guard the server from the person who had tried to injure the hermits and to also take care of Shroud. The members of the Dream SMP sat opposite of their side, Dream, George and Bad at the front with their own lawyer and of course the others followed in the other seats; there were four empty. One for Wilbur, one for Fundy and the other two for Philza and Technoblade. While Puffy was busy talking to the jury, Tommy busied himself with looking at those empty seats.

He didn't mind Fundy and Wilbur being gone; if anything, that was a given. How was a ghost supposed to get into the Main Hub? And Fundy had problems with Dream, probably, so that explained his absence. But Phil and Technoblade were still missing; they weren't in the room; they hadn't even bothered to show up. Tommy silently began to fume. He'd expected them to at least turn up to the most serious and important moment of his life -call it payment for all the shit they'd pulled against him and his friends on the SMP.

He had expected his own fucking father to be there -Phil didn't even need to be on his side, he just had to be there; for him and for no one else.

There was a hand on his back, small but not tiny but so familiar. He fully leaned into the arm behind him, pressed lightly into Stress' side despite how uprofessional the gesture might've been. He let her calm the storm that was brewing inside his chest for a few moments.

"They'll come, Tommy", she whispered reassuringly. She had noticed what he was worried about but how could she have not? Tommy hadn't tried to hide his emotions nor how intensely he was searching amongst the hoard of people.

"I'm sure they got caught up in something", Iskall piped up, moving forward and nudging his shoulder. "Maybe Fundy and Ghostbur needed help", he offered but Tommy shook his head defiantly with a small, trembling smile. He pushed away from Stress, opting for leaning against the desk instead.

The brunette's hand remained on his back for a bit. Her palm was splayed on his shoulderblades and warm, searing his skin with a heat he minded only a little. His skin was sweating and catching on fire but the embers were not burning hot yet. He could feel her eyes on the back of his head; the attempt at getting his attention in hopes of assuring him that Philza and Techno would come -if not both, then just Phil- but Tommy wouldn't give it to her in an obvious way. He was listening; Stress knew that he was and Tommy knew that she knew. Then the warmth was gone, the heat leaving to be replaced by an uncomfortable chill.

Dream was called up first. Beside him, Tommy could hear the shuffling of papers as Xisuma exchanged a few last words with their lawyer before the professional stood up to shoot the first bullet. The trial had officially began and Tommy wondered: power abuse versus kidnapping; who would fucking win?

And so Tommy watched as the admins of both servers entered a lawful battle of words and truths, glares sharp as daggers being thrown across the room. He watched and listened as both defended themselves with big words and confessions and clear or vague answers (Dream did that last one a lot). The lawyers were sharp with their questions, targeting their opponents with more or less success. Xisuma had nothing to hide, Tommy knew that, but Dream, on the other hand, did and so it was easy to pick him and his answers apart.

The whole ordeal seemed so surreal to Tommy, who smiled when Dream began to get flustered on the podium. Never had he dreamt of being in such a powerful position in a trial against his own abuser with witnesses that were for once on his side.

Never had he seen Xisuma like he did when the admin was called up next. The man presented the calm before the storm. Tommy was used to the admin's unassuming yet powerful demeanor but there was something more when he stepped on the podium. There was a certain stiffness to his shoulders that had never been there so apparent and his wings were jittering with nerves; the man was beyong ticked off -he was outraged- and while such an emotion was foreign on Xisuma, Tommy still shared the feeling with no fear.

"Did you withhold Tommy Innit against his will?", the lawyer asked. Xisuma straightend his back. Tommy hid a smirk behind his hand; the questions were all pointless, the answers obvious and by no accounts did Hermitcraft have anything to hide.

"I did", Tommy's smirk faltered for a moment. "Seeing as Tommy is underage and a victim of a server barrier rift, I decided to keep him in Hermitcraft until his Admin would come to collect him. However, his admin-"

The opposing lawyer did not let Xisuma continue, shooting the next question and cutting the admin off. The judge and the jury seemed a little bothered by it but the hermits only scoffed and huffed in an attempt to conceal their chuckles. Tommy spared a glance at Dream's direction only out of curiosity. He wanted to see the green bitch's reaction to Xisuma's ease and honesty.

What he saw made his inner cat purr with satisfaction. The admin looked meek, and dare, he say, afraid: silent, shoulders slightly hunched and playing with his fingers, a nervous gesture that Tommy desparately wanted to point and laugh at and Dream should have had praised Stress for being there and holding Tommy back. Beside the man sat George with his ridiculous round, white-rimmed glasses, whispering something to Dream. Whatever it was they were talking about did not seem to please Sapnap, who sat behind the two of them; the guy had a soft spot for Tommy and the other kids on the SMP, so it made sense.

Tommy leaned back into his seat, seeing no point in focusing on a loser when the winner was talking. Instead, he continued to listen to Xisuma's unwavering, clear and smooth voice as the admin answered each and every question that was thrown at him.

Some time passed and Tommy was up to speak next. Stress gave him an encouraging pat on the back as discreetly as she could, while Iskall did a thumbs up with the best toothy smile he could show under his bushy, brown beard. Xisuma nodded at him, brushed shoulders in way that told him that they had his back -and while Tommy already knew that, the reminder was a breath of relief. There was a buzz as the admin made himself comfortable in his seat and that was the last clear sound he heard.

As he stood up, his knees felt weak but he masked it by grabbing onto the desk, supporting some of his weight on it, feigning needing the help to get out of the peculiar seat. There was cotton in his ears as he approached the podium, as he climbed the few steps he had to to appear before the jury's eyes. He didn't know why he was so worried that he gripped the wooden surface in front of him so hard, his knuckles turned white. It was his moment, it was his turn to come out ontop.

In one big gulp, he swallowed down his nerves.

It was his time to win the fucking war! And he had support, so much support that there was no way he would lose that time. It was down to him, at that point, to dig his way through the dirt, claw and scratch on gravel and stone until he was out of the fuckin' pit; in that darned pit he'd throw a day's work in and watch it be blown up.

It was Dream's turn to look upon his work be destroyed, slowly and painfully, the flame eating slowly at the string. Tommy tried his best not to smirk.

Another breath, and he opened his mouth respond to the judge, but he was cut off by the doors of the court room swinging open and slamming into the wall. Everyone turned around, Tommy being one of the first and he couldn't believe his own eyes on the sight before him.

Philza fucking Minecraft stood there, hunched over and breathing heavily like he'd ran 'round the world twice. The avian looked up, wings of charcoal black fluffing up slightly, and he met Tommy's eyes. The oceans in both their gazes broke out into tsunamis but just like that moment came, it was gone as Phil raised his head to the judge and the jury. He bowed and Tommy was grounded again.

His father was there, for Dream or for him, he didn't know but he felt something in his chest that he couldn't quite place his finger on. He was glad; that much he knew but the feeling was more than gratitude in a way that made his fingertips tingly and for warmth to fill his body.

"Excuse my late arrival, please!"

Tommy's attention snapped to the powerful people before him. He saw the judge look down at a pack of papers, riffling through them before looking up. Two men in black suits and proffessional-looking sunglasses ran in -security, a thought supplied- but they didn't approach further when the judge looked back up. They simply waited; all of them waited with baited breath. The judge, finally, spoke.

"You are Philza Minecraft... Tommy Innit's biological father, correct?"

"Yes, your honor"

"Take your seat"

The man tipped his green and white bucket hat before striding with atmost confidense towards the empty seats on Dream's side. He spared Tommy a glance, one of soothed, warm water, but the boy defiantly turned his head away, mind tracing to the times the man had wronged him and L'Manburg and his friends. Phil didn't appear to mind all that much because his stride did not falter.

Then, the judge's attention was back on Tommy and Tommy's attention on them; the jury, the witnesses. But the fight in him let his vision shorten, focusing on the sole person whose opinion mattered at that moment.

"Tommy Innit", the judge's voice was detached, no emotion evident in it. Perhaps it was some trial trick, some way to manipulate the emotions, maybe the trust, of those around but Tommy did not have the time to wonder. "Is it true that Mr. Dream used his Administrator powers against the members of the Dream SMP?"

His answer would lead to the point of no return but Tommy thought that moment had well been passed. He wondered why he wasn't questioned earlier; another trick, maybe? Just like before, however, there was no time for him to tarry.

"It's true"

He could almost hear Dream cursing and if there were no whispers in the room, there were then. Maybe there had been people whispering before and Tommy hadn't noticed. The judge clapped his hands together and silence rang throughout the air; a silence urged by power and authority and the slightest hint of threat.

"You have stated that Mr. Dream has manipulated and verbally and physically harassed you and the other members on the server. To what extent did he do so?"

Tommy's nails chipped the sides of the podium, where he was holding onto just to have something to occupy his hands with. He gritted his teeth, took a second to collect himself before buried memories of those hurtful days in the wars, in betrayals and in a tattered, cold tent could resurface and break him, and destroy any progress he had made on his mentality altogether.

His calmly was calm; so calm that it was scary, even to himself.

He let everything pour out of his very soul. He left out the details, kept in the names of the main characters and his own. He kept out the music discs, only saying that Dream had used his most prized possessions to make Tommy submit to his every will -not that he submitted in the end but that did not matter. What matterred was the traumatization, both physical and mental, and there had been too many casualties for any of it to be overlooked.

Before he knew it, he was sent to sit back down. He did so with no hesitation, with trembling, strained hands -so strained that the muscles on them almost seemed to lock in place. He sat back in his seat, next to Stress, to Xisuma, and he melted into the woman's side, one hand bunching the fabric of her shirt as small fingers enveloped his in assurance. You did amazing, love! -he could almost hear her saying it but Tommy didn't want to show any affection in front of all those important, official individuals.

Dream was called up again but Tommy didn't care what the admin was asked nor what it was that he answered. He only cared about the people beside him, the support he was receiving, and the small smile Sapnap threw him. Dream's only support, it would appear, was George, the man so head-over-heels for the green bitch that he followed his narrative well when he was asked a few questions next. It was all a bunch of bullshit and that was all Tommy had to know. It was all a bunch of bullshit that the witnesses would debunk when it'd be their turn to speak.

Break time came later than Tommy would've liked but he was thankful there was one anyway. People filed out of the court room, Tommy being one of the first, not-so-gracefully tugging Stress along by the hand. The brunette followed him with no question and when he stopped in a discreet place and turned, she didn't hesitate in opening her arms and welcoming his body, letting him wrap his arms around her.

Tommy buried his nose in Stress' neck, short hair tickling his face but he didn't mind it, just like he didn't mind hanching over to hug the woman properly. Arms fell around his shoulders, over his back and a big breath escaped him. A weight seemed to lift from his chest at the small moment of serenity, enveloped in the embrace of the woman he'd called his mum. His mother. And while it had been on accident, pure instinct back then, it had been enough to tie word to feeling in his mind; in his heart.

Stress meant trust, safety; Stress meant home. Home was were the heart and love was; and it would always be with her.

It was a spot that Phil had tried to fill for years before they separated. Before Tommy followed Wilbur to the newfound lands of Dream's SMP, Phil had tried to be both father and mother for him and Wil. He'd tried so much but Tommy hadn't known to appreciate the effort back then, being young enough to lack that sort of knowledge. But he knew now, with the hermits around him, with his home enveloping him in warmth, supporting him.

"How are you, love?", her words were soft spoken, almost a whisper but Tommy heard them loud enough.

"Fine", he inhaled slowly, the scent of lavender and aliums calming his nerves, making him less alert; relaxed. "Can't wait for this to be over", he added, shifting his head so he could look up at those chocolate brown eyes full of love and care.

Care and love only a mother could give, some corner of his brain teased him. He ignored it somewhat, secretly happy that the thought existed for a moment but also a bit embarrassed.

Fingers found their way to his head, carefully tousling his blonde curls as Stress chuckled. The warm smile that graced her features had him smiling back.

"I can't say that I'm having the best time either", she said. "Hopefully our case doesn't drag out for very long"

Tommy pulled away, Stress let him go. He waved her words off, playfully.

"Pffft, nah, there is no way the judge hasn't seen through Dream's stupid facade yet"

Stress huffed a laugh, gently ruffling up his hair before gesturing him to bend to her level so she could fix his hairstyle again. Tommy did bend but only for so long before he heard footsteps. There weren't many people where they were, in the secluded little space of the hallway, only a few of them sprinkled about. The footsteps he heard were familiar and Stress must've had heard them too -or Tommy's face betrayed it- because she looked slightly alarmed.

He peeked over her shoulder -which was easy to do- he caught a glimpse of green, then golden hair, ocean blue eyes. His breath caught in his throat for a second. Phil, his father, he'd also stopped dead in his tracks when their eyes met. The avian looked awkward, standing in the middle of the hallway in his usual clothes -apparently, he'd come as fast as he could, regardless if his wardrobe choices were up to court standards.

"Go to your dad", Stress told him, a hand caressing his cheek for a mere moment. Her smile grew strained, a small detail Tommy picked up on immediately. It was strange, pained; Tommy didn't know what to make of it and Stress didn't let him ask. "I'll be with Iskall and the others"

She swiftly left, the last of her touch slipping away, leaving him behind. Tommy almost chased after her but he composed himself and only followed until he was a breath away from Phil.

He got a better look of the man then. His hair, always golden, looked lighter, evidence of his stay in the cloudy, northern region of the Dream SMP. His wings looked fine, less burnt and more on the fluffy side, new feathers taking the place of the previously scorched ones. Phil looked healthier than Tommy remembered but the worry was obvious in the numerous wrinkles on his forehead. Sure, for a man his age it would be normal to have those but not so many.

"Hey, Tommy", the man greeted him, smile small, restrained.

"Phil, hi", Tommy couldn't help how awkward his voice sounded.

"How have you been, mate?"

The words broke a barrier they hadn't noticed and allowed them to take a step forth. Tommy hugged Phil and Phil hugged him, both arms and wings wrapping around him, a veil of feathers that separated him from everything else.

"Have they been taking care of you?", was the first thing his father asked. Tommy pulled away and nodded.

"They have. They're good people, Phil. I don't know what Dream told you about them or if he told you anything at all but", he paused, took a breath and laughed, "They are so good that sometimes I think I don't deserve them!"

It was quiet enough, the veil of black muffling enough, for anyone else to hear. Phil frowned.

"If fate handed you to them, then you deserve them", he told him, grasping him by the shoulders for a moment before letting go in order to change the subject. "That woman you were talking to earlier seemed nice"

Tommy appreciated Phil's curiosity. The avian was appraising his son's new flock of people, or he was trying to. Tommy hadn't had enough time to write every little detail in the letters and Phil asking meant that he wanted to learn more; more than a few words could carry of a personality and character on paper.

Phil cared; Tommy had been stupid to think otherwise.

"That's Stress", he said. The corners of Phil's lips tugged upwards slightly.

"Does she remind you of her?" -Of Kristen? Tommy blinked.

"...In a way. Wait, how did you-"

"You smiled wide when you spoke her name. It's like you've found the missing piece of the puzzle"

And Phil's smile was warmer; happy, genuine.

"It's good. She seems like a good person", he assured Tommy, though the boy barely needed the assurance. Tommy only needed Phil's acceptance. "Finally, I won't have to take my worry out on Techno every time you go running into the woods"

And he'd accepted the new members of the family; at least Stress as far as Tommy could tell.

"Is False alright?", Tommy whispered his question, in spite of the fact that no one could hear them and that there was no one to listen in. Phil smiled at him, the gesture meant to be reassuring but it lacked in that department.

"She is"

While Tommy wanted to press, to pry further into business that was personal, he didn't get the time. Xisuma had approached them, clearing his throat to grab their attention.

"Excuse me, the trial is resuming in a minute"

Wings furled behind Phil's back, tacked neatly there as he turned to face the admin. Gratitude was clear on his face but Xisuma cut him off before he could utter a single word -formal as always.

"I'm sorry we had to meet this way. I'm Xisuma, it's a pleasure to meet you, sir"

Phil nodded his head, his posture straightening to that of professionalism.

"Likewise", he replied, "Thank you for taking care of Tommy and my deepest apologies for any chaos he may have caused"

"Phil!"

Xisuma laughed at his embarrassed face. Phil chuckled, reaching back to ruffle his hair but Tommy batted his hand away defiantly.

"I didn't cause shit!"

"Aside from the occasional swears, he's been a good sport"

Tommy grimaced at the way they talked about him like he was some child, like he wasn't hearing them blab about his person. It felt strange to hear them discuss him, as the two talked like parents in the park talking about their children. Then, he realized, that they both were his parents -both literally and metaphorically, because Xisuma was not bound to him by blood like Phil but he was still there. So was Iskall, Grian, Scar and all the other hermits.

All the hermits together made a singular father and then there was Stress, who was special and didn't fit in that mess. Well, Cleo was a special case too, unfit for either category because she taught lessons in school subjects, not so much in life (the only life lessons she taught were inside zoo cages).

Everyone, Tommy realized then, had fallen into a slot meticulously crafted for them. The dads, the mum, the teacher and if False were there, the sparring partner.

"I'd like to talk to you about... after the trial", Phil said, voice more serious and volume lower. Xisuma shook his head.

"The choice is up to Tommy", he said. The words made Phil falter. "We'll miss him if he leaves but his future is up to him"

Oh. Oh. Did Tommy actually have to decide where to live? Didn't the judge decide on that part. However, Xisuma and Phil seemed to be on good terms with each other, despite having just met in the middle of the hallway.

"I'm sure we can figure something out, guys", Tommy interrupted. Maybe they'd get a deal like the standard "the hermits will see you every second weekend", or something like that.

Phil hummed for a moment, eyes tracing Tommy's features before turning to meet Xisuma's under the bee's visor.

"We'll be with you in a minute"

Xisuma nodded, turned on his heel and left but not without tousling Tommy's hair first. It seemed Stress would have to tame the nest on his head again.

The avian turned to face him, face unreadable but clearly focused.

"Tell me, Tommy, do you want to stay with them?"

The answer came almost instinctively to Tommy.

"Yes!"

Φ

The trial ended the same day it began. It ended with the hermits being the winners, Tommy finally receiving his long-deserved freedom, peace and quiet. He'd almost jumped out of his seat at the announcement.

The final say had come from his legal and biological guardian, Philza. The man supported the hermits in every way he could, supporting both Tommy and himself in a way Tommy was still too young to comprehend completely. It was in a way a parent did all they could to support their child, and if he wasn't wrong about his hypothesis, he'd learn quickly with Shroud.

So, Tommy's custody had been handed over to Phil and then passed down to the hermits. Phil had said that the more people Tommy were to be surrounded by, the better, hiding what his true feelings were. However, Tommy knew. He had seen the hurt, the something that had tethered the ocean in the man's eyes. Phil had been a bad parent, a bad influence, in contrast to the hermits, he was not suited for the job.

He'd come by from time to time! Right after he and Techno would help retrieve False and Wels from the SMP. If he went back on his word, Tommy would go hunt for his head.

But there was something that turned the tables. Something that corrupted the balance between right and wrong.

Dream had admitted to his crimes. He'd pleaded guilty, pleading ignorance because of his age -early twenties- and inexperience or something, Tommy had been too shocked to pay attention. It was a trick, they all knew it was one. Tommy had cast a glance at George whilst that was happening but the guy's face betrayed nothing; a poker face that could have had challenged that of Keralis'.

The judge had taken pity on him, lightening his sentence by a good amount. Instead of being stripped of his rank, of his server, of his fuckin' power, he was stripped of his freedom. There would be a Hub Moderator visiting the Dream SMP every other day, a sort of supervisor who would determine if Dream was righting his wrongs.

The admin had realized he wouldn't have had won the battle. He hadn't had a change of heart, Tommy was certain such a feat would be forever unobtainable for Dream. It was completely unfair to both Tommy and his friends; it was false justice that they could've done nothing about.

It was better than nothing at all but Tommy wanted more. He wanted to see the man punished and thrown behind bars but Xisuma had shut down the idea, saying that Dream needed a therapist or some other professional and some guidance in the Administrator department.

"At least, you won't return to him", Grian had reassured him as they were leaving the court room, a hand resting on Tommy's shoulder at an awkward angle.

"Yeah, guess you're right"

Xisuma had been held back by the Moderators present in the trial, so everyone else was exiting the room to wait in the lobby. Tommy had though nothing of it, seeing as Xisuma was the admin of Hermitcraft and there could've been a hundred papers he had to sign to take him home. Maybe there was more paperwork to sign off regarding the rift that had caused all that.

With that, Tommy's case had closed. Finally, he could live freely without any fear of being grabbed by a green teletubby out of the blue. His friends and family would be safe too, thanks to the Moderator who would frequently check up on them until Dream was deemed safe to work alone.

However, the case had not closed. The current chapter of Tommy's life had ended, yes, but another one was beginning. He didn't sense it; he saw it. He and the rest of the hermits surrounding him

First, all chatter died down, then all gazes followed Tommy's down the hall. Tommy gulped, he felt a hand wrap around his, protective or reassuring -he could not quite focus on that at that moment.

Their admin was returning but Dream was following behind, just a step away. Phil approached and shouted a few words Dream's way. Tommy smiled at that but frowned when Xisuma turned to calm the avian.

Why was Xisuma protecting Dream? Or putting himself in danger by doing so?

"Dream, stop following Xisuma and fuck off!", Tommy yelled, following his father's example and mostly his own thoughts.

Dream's steps didn't falter but he also didn't try anything when Xisuma stopped a few steps before the hermits. The bee spared a glance to Tommy, then to all the others.

"I have been tasked with tutoring Dream", he said. His words were greeted by silence. "To teach him how to be a better admin"

Tommy felt like the world was cracking under his feet; cracking and slowly to allow the void beneath to swallow him whole. Was that why he'd been held back? To be given a fucking maniac to tame?

The same fucking maniac who made Tommy's life Hell?

To Tommy's comfort, Dream did look a little uncomfortable standing behind Xisuma. Tommy stuck his nose up, almost snarled and tugged his hand out of the grip on it. The guy was an actor, he knew. Dream could feign anything he wanted and it would be just enough to be believable.

But Tommy had learnt of his tricks the hard way.

"You can't fucking be serious, Xisuma!"

Xisuma shook his head.

"Please, don't make a scene, Tommy"

"No, I will make a scene. The fuck do you mean 'you'll teach him to be a better admin'?!"

"Tommy, please, I'll explain to you later"

"No, no, you'll explain right fuckin' now! I am not letting that green bitch anywhere near the server!"

"Tommy!", the tone was chiding, frustrated, and then a hand was holding him back. He looked back with a snarl, only to back down when Stress met him with a disapproving look. "Not now, love"

Tommy tutted and flipped the bird at Dream. And if Dream smiled, grinned or smirked at what he'd just witnessed, that darned, porcelain mask hid it.