Roses_of_Magic prompted "maybe you could write Stefan's first birthday with Enzo as a stepdad"

Enzo nearly falls into the stove as Stefan races around the kitchen. "Whoa! Where's the fire?"

His son doesn't even bother to apologize. "I can't find my books! Bonnie's going to be here any second."

"Well, you know you're not going to find them by bumping me against a hot stove."

Stefan stills, biting his lip. He tilts his head and widens his eyes just a bit. Enzo has to hold back a smile.

"Sorry, Papa."

"It's okay, just be more careful." He kisses his forehead. "Where did you last see the books?"

"I don't know. I've checked literally everywhere."

Enzo cocks a brow. "Literally, huh?"

Stefan whines. "Papa, you're not helping."

"It's not a big deal if Bonnie has to wait a couple of minutes, Bambino. I'm sure she'll understand."

"The library closes early tonight, we don't have a lot of time."

Damon vamps into the room, two large textbooks in hand. "Who's the best dad in the world?"

Stefan expels a sigh of relief and rushes over to him, trying to grab them. Damon holds them above his head, smirking. Stefan groans. Enzo watches on, lowering the heat on the stove.

"Dad!"

"I asked a question."

"Right now, it's not you, because you're being mean."

Damon snorts. "C'mon, shorty, you can get them." He dangles them higher above his head. Stefan jumps up, attempting to grab his books, but it's of no use.

"Dad-dy," Stefan drags out the word with a pout.

His father chuckles, shaking his head and handing over the books. Stefan's shoulders relax. "Is everything okay, Bunny? You've been wound tighter than usual."

Stefan doesn't argue with the description, sending warning signs to his papa. "Nothing. Just have a lot of work to get done and not a whole lot of time."

"Do you want some help?" Enzo asks. Stefan shakes his head. "Are you sure, Topolino?"

He sighs. "Yes, Papa. I'm fine. I turn in my last project on Monday, so it's all set."

Enzo can't help but grin. "Then you'll be all set for your birthday on Friday."

Stefan's face falls. Damon makes a "cut it out" gesture against his neck. Enzo's brows furrow. He's meant to bring this up for awhile now.

"If we're going to plan a party, we should do it soon," he continues. "I'll make the cake."

"We're not having a party," Damon says, his voice not unkind and yet, not exactly warm.

"What? Why? It's our baby's birthday. You say you go all out for Christmas. Why would this be any different?"

Stefan grumbles, glancing at his dad. "You were supposed to tell him."

Damon runs his fingers through his hair. "I forgot, Bunny. I'm sorry."

Enzo frowns, folding his arms. "What did you forget to tell me?"

"I don't celebrate my birthday, alright?" Stefan whispers.

"What? Why?"

The sound of Bonnie's old clunker rounds up in the driveway. Stefan shoves the books into his nearby backpack and swings it over his shoulder. Enzo takes a step forward, putting a hand on his arm.

"Stef, what's going on? Why wouldn't you want to celebrate?"

"I just don't, okay?" Stefan rips away from him and sends a glare in his dad's direction. Enzo is further surprised when Damon doesn't send a warning glance and instead, looks deeply apologetic. "I'll be back by 6."

Stefan vamps out the door before his step-father can question him further. Enzo crosses back to the stove and completely turns it off, not caring if his sauce gets cold. Guilt is written in Damon's blue eyes as he wrings his wrists. Enzo can't shake the frown on his face. When he moved in, Damon gave him the whole rundown of Stefan. It was practically the size of the Bible. Nothing in there mentioned a hatred of birthdays.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Damon says, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

"I don't understand. Why doesn't Stefan like to celebrate his birthday?"

"Well, for starters, he's a vampire."

"That doesn't mean anything. Technically, he's another year older, even if he doesn't look it."

Damon gnaws on his lip. "Truth be told, it's been that way long before we were turned."

"What happened?" There's a beat of silence. Enzo clicks his tongue. "Damon, I'm his father too. I deserve to know these things." Damon's mouth drops open. "You can't keep me in the dark. He's not just your kid anymore."

Damon slowly nods. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. I should've told you and avoided all this mess. It honestly slipped my mind. Birthdays have been pretty lowkey for the past century."

"And that's because…"

Damon lowers himself down in a stool by the island. He rubs his thumb against his knuckles.

"Lily usually went all out for our birthdays. Huge cakes, a party in the garden or the main hall. Sure, it was mostly her and Guiseppe's friends, but they were never boring." In spite of his annoyance over the secret being kept, Enzo smiles a bit off the fondness on his husband's face. "Then…she was gone. The first year, Guiseppe arranged for our parties to go on as normal. For appearances of course." Damon rolls his eyes. "I was coming of age. There were certain responsibilities. Not as fun as when Lily was alive, but also not the worst thing."

Enzo is silent, nodding to indicate Damon can continue.

"Stefan…he refused to come down. Guiseppe threatened him. I pleaded, just so we could get it over and done with. Still, Stefan didn't move." He shakes his head. "I think it was the first and only time he wasn't scared of Guiseppe. He told him he was free to whip him as he saw fit but he wasn't going. It wasn't the same without Lily."

Enzo's heart aches at the image of baby Stefan holed up in his room. In so much emotional pain that he was willing to undergo the physical abuse of his biological father, just to avoid it. He's seen the few pictures Damon has from Stefan at that age. Far too young to have faced such a loss.

"So, what did Guiseppe do?"

Damon cringes. There's a familiar sense of pain in his eyes that Enzo sees every time they discuss his childhood. "He whipped Stefan. My little boy relented and went downstairs, but he was downright miserable. Refused to talk to anyone. Guiseppe was embarrassed and said Stefan didn't deserve anymore parties." He sighs. "I think he realized Stefan was "winning" in a way, but the alternative was another decade of embarrassing parties."

Enzo rubs his temples, trying to process it all. "So, he just never celebrated again?"

"Sometimes Lexi would drag him to a concert or something, but that tapered out when he was clearly no fun. I get him a gift every year. When I was in town and after his classification, I'd take him to dinner. But that's it. He only allows one "happy birthday"."

"No cake? I find that hard to believe. Stefan never turns down sweets."

"On this day, he does."

Enzo stares at his hands. He knows his boys had a life prior to him. One filled with abuse and trauma. With every crack in that book, he finds himself at a loss. What words can make up for all of this? How can you heal a person in such pain?

"I wish you had told me," Enzo mutters. "I wouldn't have made such a fool of myself."

"I apologize. As I said, it slipped my mind."

"Did you already buy his present?"

"Not completely. Since I found out his true classification, I usually get him two things. One for his older space, the other for when he's little. Worked last year, since he dropped."

Damon gets up and heads over to the pantry. Enzo trails behind. Damon digs around until he finds a bin labeled "Extra Human Blood".

"The best hiding spot considering he plays in our closet," he explains, lifting the lid.

Inside is a large box advertising a deluxe Cinderella giftset. It's complete with a new Barbie, paired with a large plastic horse and carriage. Enzo grins.

"He's going to be over the moon."

Damon matches his smile. "I hope so." He puts the lid back on. "I haven't gotten the gift for his older space. Kind of at a loss this year. He never says what he wants but it's a little tricky. The boy has everything."

Enzo smirks. "And who's fault is that?"

Damon narrows his eyes. "Yours, you spoil him the most."

Enzo chuckles, shaking his head. He watches as Damon returns the bin so it's carefully hidden. His smile slowly fades as the wheels in his head begin turning.

"Do you mind if I get the gift?" Damon tilts his head. "I think I have an idea."

"What is it?"

"It's a surprise."

Damon puts his hands on his hips. "It's not my birthday, ya know?"

"Oh, I'm aware. Consider it payback for not telling me this about my bambino." Enzo pecks his lips. "Seriously, is there anything else?"

Damon shakes his head. "No, I promise. This is it." He pauses, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Well, wait, you know he's a vampire, right?'

Enzo rolls his eyes, lightly punching him on the shoulder. "Thanks, smart ass."

Stefan has never been an early riser regardless, but he's even less inclined to get out of bed the day of his 167th birthday. Another year around the sun. Not as if much has changed. He's still 17. He'll inevitably drop at one point over the next few days. His dads are somewhere across the house.

Crow flaps over from his perch and lands on Stefan's shoulder. He gently pulls on his curls. Stefan gives him a half-hearted smile. "Thanks, bud."

He doesn't bother getting dressed before heading downstairs, Crow following close behind. On the kitchen table are two wrapped presents. One is large, wrapped in Spiderman paper. The other small and square. It's dressed up in plain green wrap. Stefan holds back a sigh. He's tried in vain to instate a no present rule. Damon refuses to budge on that one. At least it's only 2 gifts versus the swarm he was probably tempted by.

Enzo appears at his side. He gives him a small smile. Stefan shifts awkwardly. They've spoken since the upset, with no word on the birthday in question. Damon's apologized about 5 times for not mentioning it sooner. Stefan finds it hard to be upset. It's been the status quo for 156 years. Even Lexi doesn't bother much anymore, outside sending a gift of her own and a text.

"So, I was thinking maybe you could skip school today," Enzo says. "We could go do something fun."

Stefan shakes his head. "Thanks, Papa, but I really don't feel up to it."

"Are you sure? We could drive out to the arcade. Play some games, maybe gouge ourselves on sweets."

Stefan fidgets. He knows what he's trying to do. Damon's barked down this tree before.

"Papa, I really appreciate all this," he says patiently. "But it's like I said, I don't want to celebrate my birthday."

Enzo bites his lip. "I know I need to respect that, it's just hard. This is the first birthday I've gotten to spend with you." Stefan ducks his head. Enzo uses two fingers to lift his chin. His eyes are filled with sincerity. "But the truth is, it's not about me. This is your day and you get to decide how big a deal we make of it."

Stefan frowns. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Enzo kisses his forehead. "We can do anything you want. Even if that includes nothing."

Stefan's eyes sparkle just a bit and he quickly blinks. Damon tried a bit too hard in the early years to get him to celebrate, even just a little. He meant well, but it was frustrating for that bit of time.

Enzo's respected him pretty much off the bat.

"I appreciate it," Stefan says. "I really do."

"Your dad stepped out to get some eggs so I can make you French Toast," Enzo explains, pushing back some of his son's waves. "He's the one that got you that big present back there."

"Let me guess. Something for my little space."

Enzo chuckles and nods. "Yup. But I was the one to pick out your older gift. You don't have to open it now."

Stefan eyes the little box. Usually, he waits until the evening to open everything, but he's unsure if he can wait that long. Enzo's gotten him gifts before, but this feels different.

He picks it up from the table and neatly rips the paper, just as Lily taught him. Stefan shakes the memory of his biological mother from his head. The box is blank, giving no hints as to where it could be from. He lifts the lid.

Nestled in some white cotton is a black bracelet. Stefan can smell that it's made of real leather. There's an intricate design in the weaving. He stares at it in awe. A gasp escapes his lips as he notices the plate across the front.

A silver crow is imprinted in it. He gently flips the bracelet over and finds an inscription on the back.

Stefan Antonio Salvatore-St. John

Ti voglio un mondo di bene

Stefan blinks as he whispers, "I love you to the moon and back…"

He doesn't look up from the beautiful bracelet. Stefan's never been one for jewelry, outside his ring. This is different. It's exquisite, with amazing detail. His pet is included, paired with the phrase that Damon's said to him since he was a child. Enzo's slipped into the habit as well, uttering it in Italian, of course.

Enzo's nervous voice breaks through his thoughts. "Well? What do you think?"

Stefan finally meets his eye. "Papa…this is…it's amazing. Where did you even find it?"

"I had it made. The guy could do a few different animals, but I figured you'd appreciate the crow most."

Stefan slowly nods. "Yeah…I do."

Enzo's smile grows soft. "Bambino, I know you're not a fan of this day and I understand why. We don't have to do anything you don't want to. I just need you to know, this is one of my favorite days of the year. It's when you came into the world. How could it not be?"

The corners of Stefan's mouth tug upwards. "That's what Daddy says too."

"See, I knew I married him for a reason."

Enzo steps forward and fastens the bracelet around Stefan's wrist. The teen looks at it, still in awe.

"Thank you, Papa."

He throws his arms around him. Enzo hugs him tighter, kissing the side of his head.

"You're welcome, Topolino. Buon compleanno."

The two stay in the embrace until they hear the door open. Damon appears in the kitchen not long after, holding some bags. He beams upon seeing Stefan and settles them down.

"Happy birthday, Bunny Boy!" Stefan can't even scowl at the wish. Damon gives him a big kiss on the forehead. "I can't believe my baby isn't growing up."

Stefan playfully rolls his eyes. "Ya know, you said that before I turned."

"Yes, because you've always been my little baby."

He tickles Stefan, causing him to giggle.

"You want to open your present now or later?"

"Later." He holds up his wrist. "Look what Papa got me."

Damon grins. "Wow, your papa has very good taste."

Enzo smirks. "I picked you, didn't I?"

With Stefan smushed between them, the two share a kiss. The teen grumbles between them. Damon pulls off, laughing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bunny. Don't think I forgot your birthday kisses."

Stefan's laughter cannot be contained as Damon and Enzo make sure to cover his face in over a hundred smooches. There are some parts of his birthday that maybe aren't half-bad.

So, not your typical birthday chapter, but I wanted to follow Stefan canonically hating his birthday, as it really does make sense for his character. Yet, I also feel Damon and Enzo aren't the type to just not do anything for it! As much as Damon respects Stefan's autonomy, there are just some things a dad can't shake.

Next time, we'll get a flashback chapter to Defan's life, pre-Enzo. What exactly happened the day Damon realized his baby needed a car seat?