So I got this idea from my three year old nephew, who we've just decided needs to be weened off the binky. I hope you guys enjoy this little flashback.

Whoo! I remembered to put a disclaimer on one of my stories!

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia, and if I did, Regal's theme would be Dane Cook's rant on 'The Friend That Nobody Likes.'

Kratos stared at his son from across the table. Lloyd narrowed his eyes and resolutely shook his head. Kratos held out his

hand.

"Give it to me, Lloyd. Now."

"No."

"You'll get it back at naptime."

"No."

He decided to appeal to his son's loving side. "Please? I need it."

"No."

Enough of that. "Now, Lloyd. Or I'll take it from you."

Lloyd stuck his tongue out and blew him a raspberry. "No. It's mine."

Kratos threw his hands up in mock defeat. "Fine. I guess you get to keep it." He stood up from his seat and casually walked over to where Lloyd had just finished his breakfast. As he passed his triumphant son, he suddenly dove, yanking it out of his mouth.

"Daddy! Give me back my binky!"

Kratos quickly stuffed the pacifier into his own mouth, ignoring the fact that Lloyd's slobber was all over it. Lloyd screamed bloody murder, causing stares from the people around them who had chosen to eat their breakfast at the hotel's café. Kratos quickly picked him up and carried him outside to where Noishe and Anna were packing things up.

"Mommy! Daddy took my binky!" Lloyd yelled though dry sobs. He was obviously hoping his mother would demand Kratos return the pacifier, but he was wrong.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry. You're getting to be a big boy, almost three, and you don't need a binky anymore. We'll give it to you at naptime, okay?" She pulled the item out of her husband's mouth and put it in one of the bags.

Apparently, this was not okay in Lloyd's book. "No! I hate you! I want it now!"

Kratos flinched internally at his son's words. Even though he knew they were said in anger and frustration, he still didn't enjoy hearing them. However, he ignored his discomfort.

"Come on, Lloyd. We have to go. I'm gonna put you on Noishe now."

"No! I hate Noose! I hate you! I want my binky!"

Kratos sighed and set him on Noishe's back, making sure he was held in place by the belt that looped around Noishe's middle. In a fruitless effort to calm him down, Anna said, "How about if Daddy shows you his wings again?"

Kratos hated when she said that. He personally wished that Lloyd never see the symbols of his past, but if it stopped the tantrums…

"No! I hate Daddy's wings!"

They decided to simply ignore his cries and continue on. This prompted a tear-soaked speech on all the things that could've possibly cheered the boy up.

"I-I hate cake! Yeah! And milk! I hate Daddy's sword! And I hate my shoes! I hate Daddy and Mommy and You-in and-and I hate the water! I hate the fishes and the sky, too!"

Lloyd continued with his list for at least another half an hour as they headed towards Triet. They needed to see Yuan to fix Anna's Rheiard, and he was usually there. Finally, after a while of being ignored, Lloyd gave in.

"I hate naptime! I hate dinner! And-and I hate…I hate…" apparently unable to find anything else to hate, Lloyd gave a giant sniffle and held up his arms to his father.

"Da-daddy, can I come up there?"

Kratos immediately stopped Noishe and unbuckled the child's makeshift restraints. He lifted Lloyd over his head and settled him on his shoulders, where he promptly buried his head in his father's hair. After a few moments, though…

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Lloyd?"

"Can I have my binky now?"

"Not until naptime."

"Mommy?"

"Not until naptime, darling."

"Is it naptime yet?"

"Not quite."

"Pweese?" he put on his cutest face, which won Anna over in a matter of seconds.

"Kratos, give him his pacifier back, please."

Kratos wasn't fooled. "Lloyd, it's nowhere near naptime. You'll just have to deal without a pacifier."

"But it's naptime soon, right?"

"Yes, soon, but not yet. Now, start behaving and I'll let you have it."

"But I'm bein'-have! Look, I'm being all nice and ever-thing!"

Kratos chuckled at his son's attempts to persuade him. "Not yet."

Lloyd was quiet for about ten minutes. Then…

"Daddy?"

"Not now."

"Pweese?"

"No."

This went on until they stopped to eat. Lloyd quickly scarfed down his sandwich and then said, "It's naptime now, yep!"

Kratos smile at him. "Very well, Lloyd. Here you go." He pulled out the pacifier and handed it to his son, who wiped it off on his shirt and stuck it in his mouth.

"Now, you have to go to sleep, okay? It's naptime." Anna kissed her son's forehead. Lloyd nodded and went over to plop into his father's crossed legs and shift into a comfortable napping position. Soon, he was letting loose quiet snores.

As the couple sat and finished their lunch in the few moments of peace they would have before their son woke up, Anna said, "Just think, we're going to have to do this until he's totally done with the pacifier. Every day."

Kratos smiled. "Well, think of it this way. Now, he's a lot more excited for naptime."