Yukiya gazed down at the bundle in his wife's arms. The small infant gurgled and reached out to chew on Stella's hair.

Marcello Reizen was perfect.
He had his father's pale brown eyes, but his mother's curling black hair and bright smile. He was a fat baby, and his teeth were already growing in. He only had two at the moment, which made his smile that much more adorable. And he was always smiling. Always smiling, always laughing, even when he was asleep. He wasn't afraid of strangers, and he was kind for whatever friend was kind enough to watch him. He loved animals and magical beasts, and even Seth had seemed to soften when the baby was around.

Most of the time, Stella kept him with her in a baby wrap. When Marcello wasn't with her, Yukiya was most certainly keeping his son in another baby wrap. His patients cooed over him, and many brought gifts for the happy baby when they came in for a check up.

All the uncles and the aunts adored him, and even Elias had quickly grown used to caring for him. Lucio seemed to have finally grown up a bit, and seemed to take on the role of an older brother while Stella and Yukiya traveled with La Magnifique. In truth, everyone in La Magnifique adored the baby and practically fought over who would get to take care of the babe while his two parents worked.

Stella had developed a strong reputation as a beast-tamer and healer. When they traveled with La Magnifique, she would also work as a contortionist. Quite often while Stella would practice stretching, Marcello would try to follow her movements but, being such a small baby, he would simply roll over.

Yukiya had taken a similar route as Stella, those his patients were all human (or human-like). The permanent doctor of La Magnifique relished having another doctor on hand, regardless of how often he actually traveled with the circus. It had taken a bit of time for the members to fully accept Yukiya as Stella's husband (he still suspected there were those hoping she'd marry Evangelos or another person from La Magnifique), but they all seemed to respect, if not love, him now. The man was fairly certain that Marcello had played a large role in their warming up.

When the family of three wasn't travelling with the circus, they lived in a small house by the beach, about a short train ride away from the academy. The house could only be called 'small' because it was still being built. At the moment it consisted of a kitchen, a bathroom, one bedroom, and a closet. Marcello's new room was the current project. Yukiya and Stella did most of the actual building, with occasional help from friends. Elias and Anastasia were the most available, though Ana was kept busy with her work as a knight and Elias with his new inventions. When they were in town helping Elias with his larger projects, Esme and Serge would also help. Between the group, they had managed to finish the bedroom in just a few months' time, and even managed to build an office.

Some nights, especially on holidays, they would all go out and set up a large bonfire. They and some neighbors would bring food and drinks, and the children would play in the water. Over the years Yukiya had learned to better socialize with people, and casual events like these had actually become comfortable and enjoyable for the man.

He gazed out at the water. Stella was sitting just where the tide came in most shallow, Marcello splashing the water with one hand and chewing on the other. As she readjusted her grip on the fat toddler, the woman glanced back at him. She smiled at her husband in that beautiful Stella-way.

No matter how many times he saw, Yukiya's heart would melt the same way every time. It was that smile that he had fallen in love with, all those years ago when she ran into him at the Academy. It was that smile that had thawed his frozen heart, that had broken down every wall he'd constructed.
It was the smile that seemed to have been passed down to Marcello.

Marcello's toothy grin melted the man's heart in a different way. While Stella's loving smile had saved him, Marcello's innocent smile made Yukiya want to change the world so that Marcello would never need saving. Both Stella and Yukiya had seen the world's ugliness, and both wanted to do all they could to protect their son from it.

They seemed to be doing well so far. Marcello had only been met with love from those around him, and his parents had done all they could to keep it that way. The couple had even begun making plans for what where the baby would go if something ever happened to them. As morbid a thought as it was, they wanted to have as many safety nets as they could in case of the worse. That was something neither really had as children. They would not allow their tragedies to occur again.

Late one night, as Stella sang a Norisian lullaby Yukiya prepared two cups of tea. The herbal aroma combined with the distant sound of the waves created a rather soothing atmosphere. It was moments like these that the man felt the most at ease.
A hand reached past him to grab the other cup. Yukiya smiled and slid over a jar of honey. Stella giggled and took out the honey dipper.

"You know, your voice is perfect for lullabies," he mused as the couple made their way to the couch.

"We'd be in trouble if it wasn't!" She cuddled up under his arm. "Are you still thinking you want a beard?"

He rubbed his chin, the coarse bristles prickling his hand. He shrugged.

"Well, I think you would look quite handsome if you decide to. It may make you look like a more dignified doctor. Well, so long as you don't grow it out as long as your father's!"

"Wouldn't happen," he reassured her, "It seems hat and uncomfortable, and too much work."

"But I would be able to braid it."

"... Maybe once it turns grey. Once we're not... doing so much."

"Mm, that's fair."

Yukiya twirled one of her locks around his finger. Stella rubbed her cheek against his chest, and he smiled at the affectionate act. He smiled and sighed.
It was hard to believe that at one point, he would have never dared to even dream of all of this. He never dared to hope for a family, nor friends, nor even a real home. Yet here he was: married to the love of his life, blessed with a happy and healthy baby, with friends who regularly stopped by, and his relationship with his parents and siblings restored.
He pressed his lips to his wife's head. He felt her smile against his chest.

"How much more do you want to add to the house?" she quietly asked.

"Dunno... I think we should have a guest room, and it might not hurt to have a second bathroom."

"... Well, I know we kind of talked about this before, but if we want more kids, then we'll need more rooms for them."

"Naturally... what makes you ask?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him kiss. As she pulled back, she gave him a different kind of smile, one that he had only seen once.

"Well... we might need another one in the oncoming months."

Yukiya froze for a moment.
Then he set down his tea. He set down her tea.
And then he dragged her onto his lap and into a bear hug.

Stella laughed and smiled at him in that special Stella-way.