Author's Note: Wow, I really didn't expect to get as positive of feedback as I did. I kind of expected StefanxOc to be a hated category of fics and I'm not sure why? But I'm super happy that so many of you loved Starlett! I haven't posted any yet, but I have songfic ideas that I can't post on FF because that's against copyright rules for this site. If you'd like to see MORE about Starlett and their life together, you can follow my AO3 account at PrettyboyWrecked. If you'd like even more updates and day-to-day live updates on what their lives are like as teenagers and beyond, you can join or follow (to get regular email updates) my roleplay forum which is linked on my profile! That's where this pairing started and that's where their young romance is currently blooming in an 1800s setting! The more role players the merrier I always say 😉
Also! Just so you all have a clear picture of them in your minds; Scarlett's face claim is Jennifer Lawrence with her blonde hair. Not sure why that was so important to add but it felt important to me lol
~STARLETT~
The year was 1979. They'd been together so long now that they'd stopped counting the years and had started simply counting the decades that went by side by side. It was no secret that Stefan had hardly looked at another woman since he was a year old and she'd come in with her little toddler legs and waddled into his life. She was the light of his life. He couldn't picture his world without her in it, likely because he'd never had to, but he certainly wasn't about to start now. Every year on her birthday he got her something she could cherish for the rest of her life but this year he was determined to go above and beyond.
Scarlett Rose Salvatore had been her name since they'd thrown caution to the wind and gotten married somewhere just outside of Mystic Falls shortly after he found her and turned her with the promise of never having to see her father again. They could disappear, together, and no one could ever hurt her again. Would ever hurt her again, especially not that rat bastard of a father that liked to keep her locked at home as often and as long as he could. Not while Stefan was around, and if he had his way he'd never leave her side. Of course, things were a bit different now. Their families were both dead and he had no doubts that if it came down to it, she could and would do whatever it took to protect herself. She wasn't a damsel anymore, she was the savior. The hero. And he loved that about her. Loved that she'd gone from small and afraid and locked inside her own mind to this beautiful, wonderful, open young woman that could take on the world without batting an eye. Today, he wanted to show her just how much he truly loved her and cherished everything she was and everything she'd become.
"Stefan?" Scarlett called from the bedroom of their shabby little single-story flat with half a kitchen, a rinky-dink little bathroom and a bedroom small enough to make just one person claustrophobic. He smiled as he closed the door and dropped his keys on the table.
"Yeah, it's me!" He called back. He'd told her she wasn't to get out of bed for the entire day. He was glad to see she'd likely followed his orders and spent the day lazing about in her underwear and that stupid old shirt that she'd managed to salvage from his childhood home before it was burned to the ground. It didn't even look the same, and it certainly didn't smell like him by now, so he wasn't sure what attachment she had to it but he wasn't complaining. Not like she didn't look incredible in it, maybe even more so than she did in her most dolled up dresses with her make-up done perfectly.
"Ugh! What took you so long? You've been gone for hours!" Stefan chuckled under his breath and as soon as he had his shoes off, he was down the hall practically flinging himself onto the bed next to her. She let out a little squeal of surprise and excitement and slapped his arm as soon as he was still. "Stefan Salvatore don't you do scare me like that!" he felt the chuckle develop into a real laugh and rolled his eyes as he grabbed her hand and pulled it up to his lips, so he could drop a quick but passionate kiss to the back of it.
"Happy Birthday, Mrs. Salvatore." He said with a wide genuine grin, the little barely-there dimples from his young childhood making an appearance. "Would you like to finally know what your surprise is?" He asked with a brow raised and a little tilt of his head.
She squealed again, this time shorter and more of a shriek of excitement than before as she bounced slightly on the bed, sitting up and closing her eyes with eager anticipation. "I'm ready!" Her hands extended in front of her as if she were waiting for him to hand her something small, maybe a necklace or a set of earrings like he normally gave her for all her birthdays and likely had to save up for months just to be able to afford. His smile softened, and he made quick work of pulling his shirt off over his head and then let out a sigh, glancing down to the beautiful rose that adorned his top right shoulder and then he turned back to face her.
"Open your eyes, Scar." A sudden wave of insecurity passed over him. They'd never really been that couple that got tattoos in honor of the other. But they'd been together for so long now, there was no way he would ever love another woman the way he loved her. It wasn't possible for him to feel this way for anyone else, so it wasn't just some rash decision. He'd been planning this day for years.
The moment her eyes opened, the room went completely silent. The insecurity got worse yet, because she'd never reacted this way to any gift he'd ever given her. He watched her with rapt attention, doing his best to gauge her reaction and figure out what was going on inside her head. For the first time since they were small, he couldn't figure out what she was feeling and that made him more uncomfortable than he liked to admit. "Scarlett…?" He asked, hoping to shake her out of whatever trance she'd fallen into. She didn't seem to hear him as she lifted a hand and traced the lines of the intricate rose now permanently imprinted into his skin. "I can get it removed if it was a bad idea." He said, a touch of sadness seeping into his tone because he honestly didn't like that idea. This felt like a little piece of her was with him no matter where they both went. As corny and disgustingly romantic as that was, he loved it. But he didn't want to keep it if it made her feel…uncomfortable or pressured or anything to that extent.
Before he could even finish his line of thought, a sweet bubbly giggle escaped her lips and he could suddenly see the tears shining bright and present in her blue eyes. She covered the rose with as much of her hand as she could, though it was a bit bigger than her fingers could reach and stroked her whole hand down his arm before leaning forward and dropping a tender kiss to the heart of the rose where her initials were neatly scribbled in cursive to accompany the theme of the tattoo. "I love it." She said simply, brightly. He could hear the tears mingled with the joy in her voice and he breathed a sigh of relief before he reached forward and slid one hand around her small waist.
"Well, I love you, so I'm glad you don't hate it." He replied with a small but genuine smile playing with the corners of his lips. She released another ring of giggles that he loved hearing from her so much and bent down to connect their lips in a passionate kiss, hands cupping themselves around his jaw as he tugged her closer by the hand around her waist and sat up so he could nudge her slight frame towards the pillows and situate himself above her on the bed. The heated make-out session lasted a solid ten minutes and by the end of it, she was sure she'd be out of breath had she needed to breathe to survive. When he finally puled away to leave a bespeckling of light kisses along her jaw and forehead and down the bridge of her nose, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer to bury her face in the crook of his neck, his arms sliding slightly awkwardly underneath her back to circle around her, and he settled his weight on top of her. "Happy Birthday, beautiful." He said, a smile curling his lips as he buried his nose in her hair.
"You said that already." She commented, amusement clear in her voice. He gave a little hum of agreement before he spoke again, "And I'll say it again, and again, and again…. because I love you."
She felt her heart swell with pride and glee at his words. He'd always been this way on her birthdays; doting on her and treating her like a queen. It started because her father treated her like an ant even on the most special of days, and he always believed she deserved at least one day where she could feel like royalty to make up for how her father treated her. But even after they'd left Mystic Falls and her father had died and they'd moved on with their lives to a time when they didn't even think about him anymore Stefan had continued the tradition. It always made her feel like the most important woman in the world, and if she were to ask him he'd simply respond by saying "Because you are."