Since becoming parents, both Hody and Topaz had been learning new things every day. Some of them were very basic things that just came along with being parents, and others were a bit more complicated. Changing a diaper had been a very… interesting thing for the both of them.

Being woken up late at night to figure out whether little Turq was hungry, or wet himself, or just wanted to cry was another thing they'd had to get used to. Hody always figured the baby had a reason to cry, but apparently they just did something. Maybe he wanted to exercise his lungs or something. They didn't know, or care.

They just knew they had to take care of whatever their son needed, and they did. They were a team, and a family. So no matter how many sleepless nights or tough morning it took, they were going to make sure they did everything they could to make sure their son was taken care of.

And for the most part, with a mix of advice from their parents and help from their friends, they thought they could handle everything thrown at them pretty well. But there was one thing they never seemed quite prepared for.

Temper tantrums.

Turq was usually such a laid back child. At two years old now, he typically only made noise or got fussy when he wanted something. Or when he was away for one of them for too long. But every now and then something would happen, sometimes obvious, sometimes not, would occur. Something that would incur the wrath of the boy, and make him a hell of a lot of difficult to deal with.

It had been happening a bit more than they liked lately. Hody heard his mother call it the 'terrible twos' phase. Said he went through the same thing. As did his sister. He didn't remember his own terrible twos, but he did seem to recall a time where Maria seemed a lot more fussy and cried a lot more… yeah, he wasn't having that.

"You sit down in that chair until you calm down, you hear me?" Hody said, pointing down sternly. He had carried the toddler kicking and screaming to his room, and brought his time out chair along with him. He always made him sit in it until he cooled his head off and behaved. Turq would put up a fuss, but then eventually give up when he realized he wasn't going anywhere.

At least he usually did anyway.

"No!" Turq shouted angrily. "No! No! No! NO!"

Hody growled and grabbed the boy by the back of his shorts, pulling him back into the chair, only for him to try and scurry off again. "We can do this all day Turq. But you're not going anywhere until you sit down and behave yourself," he said sternly.

Topaz stood back and watched the two with a sad frown. She always hated when Hody had to get stern with their son. Admittedly she knew someone had to do it. Turq wasn't a bad kid by any means, it wasn't like he tried acting out all the time, but if it had just been down to her he probably would have been able to get away with a lot more.

That still didn't mean she liked it though. Especially with how much more often it'd been happening lately. "Hody, do you really have to be so hard on him?" she asked worried.

He scowled towards her. "Are you kidding me right now? Look at him. I don't care if he's angry, hungry, or gassy. I won't let him get away with throwing tantrums like this. He needs proper discipline," Hody said firmly.

"But he's just so-"

"Do not fall for those eyes," Hody said pointing at her. "Those eyes are a lie. Maria used to use those eyes. I used to use them. They are a Kelpbottom family trait that allows you to get away with any and everything," he warned. "I won't have it."

Topaz was about to say something, but then looked down and went wide eyed. "Uh… neither will he apparently…" Hody raised an eyebrow, and then looked down to see that Turq was not out of his grasp… and his pants.

The toddler had slipped out of his shorts and made his way towards the door. "What the-?! Turq, you get back over here right now!" Hody demanded.

"No!"

"Turquoise Kelpbottom, I mean it!" Hody shouted as he opened the door. The boy looked back at him with a glare. "Turq…" He opened the door and stepped out. "Little man, you better not-!" Turq stuck his tongue out and then slammed the door behind him, and Hody fumed.

Topaz hummed. "That's you son alright…" she muttered, shaking her head. That glare couldn't belong to anybody else but him.

"Not now woman. I have a toddler to deal with…" The last thing he needed was everyone gossiping about his son running around the castle butt naked. "That boy is going to learn who the king of this castle is one way or another."

He knew Turq got part of his stubbornness for him. It was a trait he was sure would serve him well in the future, and under different circumstances he might have felt pretty proud. But right now pride was buried under annoyance and irritation. He wasn't going to have his own son making a fool out of him.

"When the hell did he get so fast?!"

Hody gasped for air as he looked down the hall towards his son. Turq was peeking around the corner, a cautious pout on his face as he looked towards the King. Hody had been chasing him for a while now, but the minute he rounded the first corner Turq had already been making his way around another.

Somehow those tiny little legs of his were keeping him well ahead of his father's. But rather than just keep running, he could peek around the corner to keep an eye on him, only moving when he made to go after him again. "Gah! Turq, you knock this off right now or I swear…"

Turq stared at his father a bit longer, and then slowly stuck his tongue out at him. Hody grunted and then rushed after him, but the boy moved and began running again. He cut around the corner and followed him to the kitchen, bursting through the doors. He looked around trying to figure out just where he'd gone off to, and then saw him on the counter. "Turq! Get down from there!"

The boy scurried across the counter, and Hody ran after him and tried to cut him off. He made it to the end and then jumped onto one of the food carts, but Hody reached out and then managed to grab him out of the air. "I finally got you, you little-!"

Turq slipped out of his shirt, dropping onto the ground and running in between one of the food carts before bursting out of the doors and making his escape. Hody stood with a stunned expression on his face as he held the boys shirt. Then he sighed. Great, not he really was butt naked. He had to catch him quickly.

"Think we should call in the big guns?"

He looked over his shoulder and saw Topaz walking in, a smirk on her face. "This isn't a funny woman. Do you know what the servants are going to be saying if they see him running around here like this?"

"Oh relax big daddy. Let's just call in the calvary." She lifted her fingers to her mouth and then whistled, and a few moments later Snapper came scurrying into the kitchen. The shark pup barked excited as he jumped up and down before them, and Styx entered through the doors just a bit after.

Topaz bent down and patted them both. "Boys… we need you to play a gentle little game of fetch. Go get Truq, and you'll get an extra snack at dinner tonight," she said.

Styx grunted. He would have tracked down the little flame at her request either way, but an extra snack was just a bonus. Snapper on the other hand looked downright ecstatic. He quickly turned and rushed off. "You really just sent the housepets after our child…?" Hody asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You don't think they can handle it?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. "You know Turq loves those two. They might even get him out of his little tantrum."

Turq had managed to run all the way to the throne room before Snapper and Styx tracked him down. He had been hiding behind his father's chair when he'd peeked out and seen the two wander in.

They had managed to locate the little prince immediately, and Snapper rushed over towards him. He ran behind Turq, and then began nudging him forward. He looked confused as Snapper kept gently pushing him forward, and then made his way back to his hiding spot.

Snapper barked and ran back at him, grabbing him by his frowned and whined as the shark pup began gently dragging him by his tail, being careful not to prick him with his teeth. Snapper got him about halfway through the room, already thinking about how good his extra snack would taste, before Turq reached down a put a hand on him.

"No…" The toddler began scratching right near his gills, and Snapper's eyes widened. He leaned to the side as Turq kept scratching, and then flopped over and rolled onto his back, his tongue hanging out lazily. Turq smirked. He had seen his father and auntie Dottie scratch Snapper there enough times to know it was his weak spot.

He got ready to go find another hiding spot, when suddenly a large paw lightly pinned him down. Styx snorted. Unlike Snapper, he didn't have such an obvious weak spot. He could keep the little one here until his mistress and her mate arrived, and then-

"NNNOOOOOOO!"

Styx and Snapper both winced as Turq let out an ear shattering yell. Usually when he began crying, they were already halfway to the other side of the castle. But they hadn't been paying attention, and failed to notice that he'd taken a deep breath so that he could scream his little head off.

"NO! NO! NO! LET GO! LET GO NOW!"

Turq shouted and flailed his arms and legs about, and Styx quickly backed up, lowering his head and covering his ears with his paws. Snapper ran underneath him, desperate to hide himself from the toddler's wails. The two both squeezed their eyes shut and drowned out the sound, and after a while Styx felt something nudge his side.

He looked up and then saw Hody and Topaz staring down at him. Snapper was still covering his own head when Styx nudged him, and the landshark looked around before noticing them as well. "Got you guys with the olde toddler shout huh?" Topaz asked. Styx and Snapper both lowered their heads. "Aw, don't worry about it guys. I guess we're just gonna have to-"

"Don't you say it…" Hody said, cutting her off. "I refuse."

She narrowed her eyes. "Hody, don't be so freaking dramatic. You know how good he is at handling that boy. We should call him."

"I refuse to call that… sister stealer, for help. No way," he said stubbornly.

She raised an eyebrow. Sister stealer? She was starting to wonder who the actual toddler was here. "I'm calling him."

"Don't you do it!"

"I'm doing it."

"Woman, I mean it! You better not call him! I won't have it! That's my final say on-!"

"Yo Astro, we need your help."

Astro raised an eyebrow as he looked down at his mirror. Topaz was the one who had called him, though he could see Hody scowling in the background. "Why? What's wrong?" he asked. It was odd for the two of them to call him unless they needed help dealing with some rebellion or something.

"Turq's throwing a tantrum," Topaz said. "Hody's pissed him off, and he's running all around the castle naked as hell. We were hoping you could-"

Astro cut her off. "I'm sorry, but did you seriously just call me because you're having trouble dealing with your own child?" he asked. "Babies through tantrums. Just settle him down and-"

Now it was Hody's turn to cut him off. "You don't think we tried that you fool?!" he asked annoyed. He didn't like having his skill as a parent challenge. "Listen, for some god forsaken reason my son seems to like you. It's the only flaw in his otherwise perfect mix of our bloodlines."

"He's running around naked and that's somehow the only thing wrong with-?"

"Now if you're not going to get over here help us, at the very least you can cut down on the snark and offer whatever pitiful advice you can," he said. Astro seemed to have a pretty good beat on his son for some reason. It honestly annoyed him how much he seemed to know about the biology of a kid who wasn't his own. But he was a half-breed so he supposed he had firsthand experience.

Astro sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't come there right now. I'm busy handling something on Earth. But if he's really throwing a tantrum then just find someone else who can get a handle on him," Astro explained. "Whenever I was out of control my grandmother was the one to wrangle me in."

Hody and Topaz both shared a glance. "Shit! Why didn't we think of that?!" Hody said.

"Because you're not very smart…" Astro muttered.

"Oh fuck you!" Topaz said before hanging up the mirror.

Turq opened the cabinet as he stood on the counter top. After he had shaken off Styx and Snapper his little tummy had started growling, and he'd decided to make his way to the kitchen and get a snack. He grabbed a box of some of his favorite cookies and began ripping it open, when he heard the door open again.

He turned around, looking ready to dash off again, but then looked surprised when he saw Camie walking in. "Well, haven't you been busy this morning," his grandmother said as she walked over towards him. "Have you been feeling fussy this morning Turq?" she asked.

Turq paused as she walked up in front of him, while Hody and Topaz watched from the door. One of the few people Turq would ever rarely crack a smile for was Camie. They weren't sure if it was because she spoiled him so much, or if there was just some angry technique passed to every grandmother about how to handle rowdy toddlers.

"Now Turq, I understand you're upset, but do you think running around the castle naked and making a mess is a way for good little boys to act?" she asked.

Turq frowned and looked down. "No…" he muttered.

"And do you think it's good behavior to run away from mommy and daddy and eat cookies before dinner?" she asked, gesturing towards the box in his hand.

Turq let out a little grunt. "No," he reluctantly said before setting the box down.

Camie smiled and picked him up. "I'll tell you what Turq. Why don't we take you back to your room and put you down for a nap. I'll read you a story, and later on after you've been a good boy and eaten your actual dinner, then you can have a snack. Okay?" she asked.

Turq nodded, and then raised his arms up towards her. She picked up him and poked her nose to his, and he let out a giggle. "There's my grandson's cute little smile," she said holding him up happily. Turq giggled and waved his arms about happily.

Hody and Topaz let out a sigh, and then began making their way in. The moment Turq saw his father, his eyes went wide. Hoyd frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but Camie held her hand up. "Ah, if you're planning on lecturing him, save it for later. Right now it's grandma time."

Hody looked at her in disbelief. "What-?! Mom! Look, I appreciate the help, really I do, but you can't expect me to say nothing after everything he's done today!"

Turq clung to his grandmother, who waved her finger. "Yes, he misbehaved. And yes, I do think that he deserved to be scolded… after I get to spend my grandma time with him," she said. "Then you can fuss all you want… you know, as long as I don't hear it."

"So I'm not even allowed to lecture him as long as you're around…"

"That is correct…"

Topaz looked back and forth between them, and Hody held his hands out. "You lectured me in front of everyone, all the time!" he argued.

Camie smiled. "Yeah but… this is my grandbaby," she said hugging Turq closely. "Now let's go find a good book for grandma to read you."

As she walked out, Turq leaned his head on her shoulder, giving Hody the most devious smirk he had ever seen in his life. Hody narrowed his eyes as Topaz walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "You know he's going to use your mom as a get of a jail free card every chance he gets, right?"

"I know…"

A/N: Turq throwing a temper tantrum! When them titan babies start throwing a fit, they really are hell to deal with! Lucky for Hody and Topaz grandma Camie is there to save the say (and bail him out of a much deserved scolding lol) Grandmas always let you get away with everything. I should know, mine lived with us and my dad still complains about how much she let me and my brother slide with stuff.