Just a little note: This is a fluffy, schmaltzy one-shot that I imagined taking place a few months after Bonnie and Enzo embark on their flirty little non-relationship.
It was well past midnight by the time Bonnie let herself into the old house. Not so late for a college student, but her body was weary. She felt much older, like everything she'd done, been through, was catching up to her. It had been a long day. She could've kept driving, could've gone to her dormitory and slept in her own bed. But she needed to let her mind shut down. And the weather certainly wasn't helping either.
It was snowing outside. The worst storm Virginia had seen in a while. The house was freezing, of course, so she walked over to the thermostat and turned up the heat. She shrugged out of her wet coat along the way, then tossed it onto an armchair. Turning, she glanced around the room. Took in the expensive décor, the empty fireplace. Stefan and Damon put in so much work here, she thought. So much of their time and money and effort. Now the place sat in solitude, abandoned by Lily and her minions.
Bonnie was so sick of this. So sick of losing everything that mattered to her. So sick of watching her friends lose everything.
Don't, Bonnie snapped at herself. No moping. You're just crashing here for the night. Not having an existential crisis. She took a deep breath, centering herself. Now, you're going to make yourself some hot chocolate, throw on one of the brothers' shirts, and crawl into bed. Sleep the day off.
Determined, she squared her shoulders and moved towards the kitchen in purposeful strides. Grabbing a mug from the cupboard next to the fridge, she filled it with water and placed it in the microwave. As the sound of its low humming filled the house, Bonnie leaned against the counter, idly tapping her foot.
She couldn't stand the near silence. The house felt like it had been blanketed by the snow, muffling any influence of the outside world. Bonnie glanced next to her and noticed the docking station Stefan had installed for his phone, long forgotten in his absence. She reached over and slid her phone into place. After scrolling through the albums, Bonnie settled on something that fit her mood. She hit play and the gentle strumming of a guitar replaced the silence.
As she got the mug out of the microwave and stirred in the hot chocolate mix, Bonnie let herself relax into the song. The lyrics were beautiful, euphonic. But they were wistful. The words could've been written by her. It was a song about being in the sky. Away from the land and the sea, a veil between her and the rest of the world. The singer's voice pulled at something inside her. Like it was trying to wrench out every emotion she'd been keeping locked up tight.
It had probably always been like that. Her occupation as a witch didn't exactly leave her much leisure time, time to truly connect with someone. Especially when her friends needed her skills so often. And her recent tendency to self-isolate didn't help. Add to that her spectacularly mediocre boyfriend-picking skills, and you had yourself the recipe for one very lovelorn woman.
"Do you always listen to such depressing music?"
Bonnie yelped and whirled around, almost dropping her mug. Enzo was standing in the middle of the kitchen, smirking.
"What the hell, Enzo?" Bonnie half-screeched.
"Easy, love," Enzo drawled. "Don't want you to have a heart attack, now, do we?"
"Oh, so that's why you snuck up on me instead of just announcing yourself like a normal person. You were trying not to scare me." It came out sounding snarkier than she'd meant it to. Good. It would hide the fact that her heart had sped up. By a lot. She just hoped Enzo wouldn't care to notice. But the glint in his eyes suggested otherwise.
"Exactly," he said with a cheeky grin.
"What are you even doing here, Enzo?" Bonnie asked. "Did Damon send you?"
Momentary confusion crossed his face. "Why would Damon send me?"
Because he probably suspects I'm falling apart. No. Enzo didn't need to hear that. "Because he's taking the whole protective-best-friend-thing a bit too seriously," she said instead.
Enzo began walking towards her and for a moment, Bonnie tensed. But he moved to lean against the island counter across from her. Her muscles relaxed again. For a second, Enzo just stared at her, before replying, "Well, no. I'm not here because of Damon."
"Then why?" she asked. Her heart still hadn't calmed down completely, and she had a feeling it wasn't just from being startled. But Enzo wouldn't know that. Nor did she want him to. They'd gotten closer over the past few months, keeping up the witty banter and flirty remarks. But she'd rather be blunt and to the point – and get him out of her hair. As much as his presence affected her, as much as she even liked it now, she couldn't deal with him tonight.
"What, I can't just stop by?" he retorted, in the same easygoing tone. "Maybe I want to raid the impressively-stocked Salvatore wine cellar. Been a hard day, you know."
"No shit." She couldn't argue there.
Because yeah, Bonnie did know. She'd been there for it all, of course, the Bennett witch whose powers were necessary for all life and death situations. Lily and Julian's usual antics had kept them all on their feet, scrambling once again to ensure the safety of Mystic Falls. Julian was going more and more insane by the day. Even Lily, despite her usual thick-headedness, was beginning to accept it. So there was hope. They could still kill Julian. Still figure out what to do about the Heretics.
They lapsed into a momentary quiet. Bonnie hadn't expected it, but it was kind of… peaceful, instead of awkward. She sipped at her hot chocolate while Enzo stared off into space.
After another minute, Bonnie broke the silence. "Seriously, though, Enzo. Why are you here? Do you need something?"
Enzo waited a while before answering, meeting her inquisitive gaze with an unreadable stare. Bonnie's body began to grow hot, more nervous. The way he was looking at her… It was the exact same way he'd looked at her during Lily's party. Like he'd forgotten anyone else existed. Like she made him nervous.
Finally, he said, "Why do you always assume people need something from you? Don't you ever think they might just… want to see you?"
The question caught her a little off-guard. But she answered with honesty.
"In this town… when you're a witch, people are usually banging at your door with some kind of emergency. You're always needed for something specific." Bonnie laughed, a quiet, humorless exhalation.
"Well there's nothing wrong. No fires to put out." Enzo said simply. "Just me."
He pushed himself away from the counter and took a step closer to her. Then stopped. "I just wanted…" He bit his lip. Strange. He seemed almost – what was it? – flustered. That was it. He seemed flustered. "I just wanted to see you."
It wasn't some insane declaration by any means. Just a single sentence. An innocent desire. But Bonnie's brow furrowed. "Why" she asked.
Enzo smiled again, and the sight of it may have made her heart flutter a little. She shook her head. No, she thought, you're sleep deprived. Enzo does not make your heart flutter. But dammit, it did. He took a step closer. Bonnie shifted, self-conscious.
"You're full of questions, aren't you?" he teased. But beneath the airy tone, Bonnie sensed something serious. Something more. "Is it so hard to believe that after spending so much time with you, I'd want to be around you when we're not in the middle of a crisis?" Another smile lit his face. But this one didn't dazzle her the way his other smiles did. It was softer. It put an almost yearning look in his eyes, one that reminded her of the song that was still playing on Bonnie's phone.
"It is when during that time, you were constantly plotting your revenge on Julian or pining over my best friend's psychotic mother." Bonnie retorted.
Enzo took another step towards her, this one putting him within half a foot of her body. She could feel his body heat on her.
"Fair enough. I deserve your judgment on that. But you know what else I deserve, Bonnie?" It was one of the few times she got to hear him say her name. Like always, hearing it felt like someone had poured the hot chocolate she'd been drinking straight into her bloodstream, the warmth a physical weight that lowered her eyes. Just the slightest.
"You tell me."
"You," Enzo said.
Bonnie's eyes flew up to lock with his. She opened her mouth to speak, but Enzo lifted his hand, bringing his thumb to trace her lower lip. Her heart thudded in her chest.
"Before you come up with one of those witty one-liners I love, let me say what I came here to say. I've been working up to it for a while now, you know." When Bonnie didn't reply, he continued. "Being around you… being with you has changed me, Bonnie. I'm not the deprived man who chose to side with Lily anymore. Nor the man who thought he could settle for scraps of her affection. Not now, when I could have more." His hand moved so that he was cupping her face, his thumb tracing gentle lines on her cheek.
Bonnie couldn't tear her eyes away from his. Hear heart was pounding now, her mind reeling, but she remained silent. Waiting for him, because now she needed to hear the rest. So he went on.
"I realized… You made me realize I deserve more. I deserve a relationship with mutual respect, with someone who is just as devoted to me as I am to them. You deserve that too, Bonnie. You deserve someone who can treat you the way you deserve. Not the way that ridiculous boy treated you," he muttered the last part. Bonnie rolled her eyes. "And over everything else, you should be with someone who only has eyes for you. Over the last few months, I've realized that's me. Because I no longer see anyone else but you." He punctuated the end of the speech with a nervous sigh.
For a minute, Bonnie let herself close her eyes. She was drowsy, drained, exhausted. This didn't feel quite real. But she opened her eyes and Enzo was there. Still gazing at her the same way, still patiently waiting for a response. Even when his jaw muscles were locked tight from nerves.
She could toy with him. At that very moment, several dozen taunts were running through her mind. She could mess with him just a little, make him suffer before she answered his unspoken question.
But that wasn't their style. No, she'd just be the blunt and to-the-point Bonnie he seemed to appreciate. Besides,
"Well then," she said. "Kiss me."
Enzo grinned again, and this time it dazzled her. He took one last step forward, not hesitating to move his hands to her waist. He pulled her into him. And then he was leaning down and she was rising up on her tiptoes. And their lips were meeting and finally, finally, they were kissing. Bonnie's body lit up. She wrapped her arms around Enzo's neck and let her mind go blank.
She couldn't hear the album playing in the background anymore. Didn't feel the wistfulness the singer must have felt. She felt tethered, for once. She felt cherished and wanted and needed for a completely new reason.
It was about damn time.
Author's Note: So I've struggled with writer's block for years. Anything I wrote, I didn't finish or just didn't like. Recently, I've started writing again and actually following through. So understandably, my skills are quite rusty and I apologize for that. Constructive criticism is always welcome and helpful, though!
In case anyone's wondering, the song Bonnie listens to in this story is "Cicadas and Gulls" by Feist. It's such a stunning song, and every time I listen to it I think about how gorgeous yet wistful and lonely it sounds. And I'm just so in love with Bonenzo that a couple nights ago when I was listening to it, I thought of them. This may have made Bonnie and Enzo slightly OOC, but I couldn't resist. Give the song a listen, though. You won't regret it!