Flower power prompted " could we have stefan telling Damon about all the stomach aches he keeps getting and damons reaction and him trying to help them be less in the future { maybe he starts taking bunny to school or Damon convinces stefan to text him the next time he gets one - or anything else you want". Combining this with ann wanting the origin story for Stefan's nickname.

Brief mentions of infertility and miscarriage in this chapter.

Damon flips the page in his book. He doesn't even have to look up to know that Stefan has entered the room. A pause. He's left again. Damon glances over at his alarm clock. His brother has done this six times in the past hour. Walk in, open his mouth to say something and then leave. Damon tried asking what was wrong the first two times, but Stefan clammed up. Considering Stefan stays longer each time, he knows that his little brother is bound to break soon.

Footsteps pad into the room once more.

"Damon?"

Stefan's voice is soft, though not exactly young. Damon puts a mark in his book before placing it on the nightstand. His brother shifts from one foot to the other, gnawing on his lip. Stefan's big green eyes dart around. Damon sits up straight and pats the bed beside him. Stefan hesitates.

"Stef," Damon tilts his head. "What is going on with you?"

"I um, I have to tell you something but I don't want you to freak out."

Damon sighs. Stefan's used this tactic a lot lately. Damon hardly finds it fair.

"You know I can't promise that I won't worry or be upset," he says. "But what I can is that Scary DayDay will not come out."

Stefan doesn't even get the faintest hint of a smile. "Promise?"

"I promise. Now come on, Bunny Boy. What's wrong?"

"My um, my stomach's been hurting."

Damon practically leaps out of bed. "Have you been drinking deer?"

"No! It started before I got sick."

Damon frowns. "And you didn't tell me?"

"I thought it was because I needed to drop. But then sometimes I wouldn't and it still hurt for a really long time."

"Why didn't you come to me sooner?"

"I thought they'd go away."

Damon takes a breath. "Stef, how long have you had these stomach aches?"

"A…a few months."

Damon pinches the bridge of his nose. Stefan's face falls and he turns for the door.

"I'm sorry. I know I broke the most important rule. I…I'll just go."

Damon vamps over and grabs his arm. Stefan looks up at him, guilt written in his wide eyes. Damon sighs, using his thumb to stroke his baby brother's cheek.

"Don't be sorry, Bunny Boy," he says softly. "I know how hard it is for you to open up. I'm very proud of you for telling me."

"I waited a long time."

"And still, it took courage to be honest. Do you think you can continue to do that for me?" Stefan nods. "That's my good little boy. Now, does your tummy hurt right now?"

"Uh huh. Though, it got a little better when I walked in here."

Damon expels a soft hm. Stefan had his blood not too long ago. Not enough to leave him wanting more while also not enough to make him sick.

"And you're not avoiding dropping?"

Stefan nods, pouting. "I even tried forcing myself to, I thought it would help. But it just got worse!"

"Shh, shh," Damon coos. "Don't worry, we're going to figure this out, alright? Can you tell me when you usually get these tummy aches?"

"When I'm at school. I'm not doing anything different than I used to."

"What are you usually doing when they happen?"

"Just regular work. Nothing I haven't done before. Then I suddenly get anxious and my tummy starts hurting."

"And they don't happen at home?"

"Not as much. I was doing my homework and was fine. Then it started up again."

Damon racks his brain. Stefan makes great marks and always tries his best. Damon has to remind him to take a breath sometimes. And still, that wouldn't make a vampire sick. Perhaps it'd be different if he were human?

"Tell me exactly what happened when you felt it tonight. You were doing your homework and?"

"I looked to my bed. I started thinking about bedtime. Then I remembered that Bunny was gone and I got up to check the dryer to see if it'd be ready. That's when it started hurting."

A small smile creeps upon Damon's face. Stefan pout increses.

"Why are you pleased?.

"I'm not, baby boy. I think I just realized the problem."

He takes Stefan by the hand and leads him down the hall to the laundry room. The dryer beeps just as they walk in. Damon opens the door and removes the lopsided rabbit, passing it to Stefan. His younger brother clutches it to his chest. Damon's smile grows a little bittersweet as he watches his brother.

Lily had 5 miscarriages that Damon is aware of. There's a chance that there were more. He remembers the days where his mother refused to leave bed. Giuseppe stone cold as he announced to his son that there wouldn't be another baby. The house was never exactly filled with light and laughter, but they were darker those days.

Damon was 4 when he was first told he'd get a baby brother or sister. He became so excited. By the 6th pregnancy, he was jaded. Damon walked around with a tummy ache of his own, worrying that his mother would begin bleeding and father would drink from his special bottle.

Instead, his mother's stomach expanded. She allowed Damon to feel the baby kick. With each passing week, the light in Lily's eyes returned. Even Giuseppe seemed less grumpy than usual.

The day Stefan was born, one of Lily's handmaidens took Damon into the garden. The weather was cold, all the leaves brown and dry. There wasn't much to do, so the handmaiden suggested they count the different animals they could see. While there weren't many birds or any exciting big animals, he counted 5 rabbits. The handmaiden smiled.

"Did you know that rabbits symbolize luck and fertility?"

Damon tilted his head. "What's fertility?"

"It means a woman's ability to carry a baby. Your mama struggled really hard to give you a little brother or sister. But now, she and your father are bringing new life into this world. What are the odds we would see so many beautiful rabbits while out today?"

Damon's eyebrows knitted together. "So, the new baby is like a bunny?"

The handmaiden's smile grew. "Aye, little one. He is very much like one."

Together, they worked on the very bunny that's snuggled in Stefan's arms. The handmaiden let Damon do the lion's share, so the ears are lopsided. The button eyes aren't symmetrical. The fabric has only held up so well because he found a witch to charm it. Stefan never let it go as a child, dragging the thing everywhere. Damon teased him that if he continued to play with it so much, he would turn into a bunny, thus spawning the nickname of over a century. It was only aided after Stefan turned to a vegetarian diet. Bunny blood was a favorite.

When he turned 10, Giuseppe deemed him "too old" for a stuffed animal and threatened to have it burned. Damon promised to take care of it and instead taught Stefan how to properly hide it.

It shouldn't have been a surprise that when Damon returned from war, he found the bunny under Stefan's pillow. His brother always claimed nostalgia. So little of their childhood was good, of course he'd hang onto the part that was.

"Better?" Damon asks.

Stefan slowly nods. "I don't understand. I don't feel younger right now. Why do I want my bunny?"

"Because it brings you comfort. You've been through so much, Stef. All the CPTSD, anxiety and guilt, it does a number on even an adult."

"Yeah, but…my bunny?"

Damon shrugs. "I guess we can't control what helps. It does, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose. It's one of the few things that does when I'm like this."

"What else?"

"Crow. And um…" Stefan trails off, burying his face in the bunny.

Damon arches a brow. "Stefan."

Stefan sighs, still clutching it close. "You, alright? I don't get them around you."

A smile breaks out across Damon's face. He pulls Stefan into his arms and hugs him tightly, pressing several kisses to the top of his head. Stefan whines, tightening his grip on his bunny.

"It's embarrassing," he argues, pulling away. "I shouldn't need my big brother or my bunny to help me feel better."

"It's perfectly natural," Damon assures him.

"Nothing about this is natural. I'm a freak."

"Hey!" Damon gently taps his cheek. "Stefan Antonio, you are my favorite person on this planet. I wouldn't let anyone else call you that, so I'm certainly not going to allow you to."

Stefan pouts but nods. "Sorry, Day."

"Don't be." Damon fusses with Stefan's hair for a moment before returning to the task at hand. "We're going to figure this out."

"How?"

"Well, maybe it's time that Bunny starts coming to school with you. Just like he used to tag along to your tutoring sessions."

Stefan's cheeks turn bright red. "Yeah, and I was the only student! Even with Littles being so accepted, I'd never live it down."

Damon sighs, shaking his head. He loves every side of Stefan, but the constant need for other's approval is a bit draining at times.

"You don't have to keep him out. Your jacket has a little pouch so he'd stay close. Or you could keep him in your backpack."

Stefan slowly nods. "I guess that'd work."

"And if it doesn't, you can text me at any time. I'll come get you."

"The principal won't appreciate that very much."

"He can kiss my ass. All I care about is your health, all aspects of it."

"'Kay," Stefan mumbles, moving the rabbit back up to his mouth.

His brother may not feel entirely young, but Damon's heart tells him that he needs a good dose of cuddles.

Damon hooks his arms beneath Stefan's legs and lifts him up into a hold. His brother immediately curls into him, sucking on the ear. Damon gently removes it, causing Stefan to growl. He laughs.

"You'll thank me when he's not all wet with your slobber. You can suck your thumb or I can get your binky?"

"Don't need binky. Those are for babies."

And yet, the thumb enters his mouth.

Damon carries Stefan to the bed and for once, doesn't place him on his chest. Rather, he keeps him close and rubs his tummy.

"I used to do this when you were little, the first time I mean," Damon muses. "If you couldn't sleep or were sick. After a bad dream. Sometimes even just when we were relaxing."

Stefan nods, cuddling his bunny closer. "Made me feel better," he lisps behind his thumb. "Safe."

"You'll always be safe with me." Damon kisses his forehead. "My sweet little bunny."

"Not little."

"Even when you're big, you'll always be my baby. I can't exactly turn this off."

Stefan nods. It only takes another 5 minutes of tummy rubs for him to drift off.