Word of warning added: since a few people seem to think I'm trying to lure "Damon / Bamon" fans into this story... I'm not trying to do that. This is clearly marked as having Benzo as well.
Do not read on if you're just here for Damon. Do not read on if you expect Bonnie to ditch Enzo at some point and ride into the sunset with Damon. It's not gonna happen. Will there be Bamon? Yes. If you're just here for that: try chapter 4. I would put it all right here, but then I'd spoil the whole story for anyone who IS interested in giving it a chance.
...
This will not be a very long story. It sorta just happened. It's an AU. In case it wasn't clear from the description: this will have both Bamon and Benzo.
Benzo is my favorite, but I have soft spots for a lot of other couples. Which is why this fandom is so fun.
Anyways. Here's the start:
...
It should have been a perfect evening crowned by a peaceful night:
They had set out to light a bonfire at the beach, just a bunch of kids from college having fun. Bonnie had been looking forward to the event all month. She, Elena, and Caroline had been excited to finally celebrate the end of classes and the beginning of summer. They'd been talking about it for weeks, deciding on dresses, and who was going to try and hook up with who.
Elena had Damon, of course, still a fact that made Bonnie feel hurt inside at times. She'd had her moments with him. He was her best friend. She knew there had been sparks, the promise of more.
But then he'd never been able to make the move. And she couldn't. Out of loyalty to Elena, because the girl was her best friend, too. And Bonnie wasn't one to break someone else's relationship.
Didn't mean it didn't hurt.
She needed to try and move on. Get Damon Salvatore out of her mind. Caroline, too, had to get over a Salvatore, the younger brother, and Bonnie was sure that together, they would find some flirt-worthy material at the beach.
There'd be booze. There'd be flip flops and s'mores. There'd be so many boys just waiting for a fling, and hell if Bonnie wasn't ready for some good old-fashioned one-night-stand.
If she was being honest, she just wanted to be fucked again, and not just wallow in self pity while picturing Damon with Elena and hating herself for it.
…
When the party was in full swing, she was making good on her promise to herself. She was flirting left and right, she was accepting drinks from whomever handed one to her, she didn't even ask what was in it. And she had a blast.
She winked at Caroline when the blonde slowly made her way into the shadows with that handsome exchange student from Denmark, (or was it Sweden?), then sat down next to the bonfire, holding a stick with a marshmallow into the flames. She was ready for some calories to battle the alcohol.
"Care to introduce a foreigner to the intricacies of the American tradition of roasting sugary treats?" A handsome male voice with an English accent next to her quipped, and she turned around and squinted at the dark haired man sitting close to her, surprised at recognizing him.
Wasn't that Damon's roommate? Yet another exchange student. Probably because everyone local knew how notorious Damon was and didn't want to room with him, Bonnie thought. She bit her lower lip to stop herself from going down that road.
She'd tried this too many times: pretending Damon was an asshole, and not worth her time. He could be, yes, but she knew that deep down, he was a kind human being with a heart of gold who cared for those he loved.
And he did love her.
He'd been the one to take care of her when Elena and Caroline had been in Europe and her stupid boyfriend at the time had started threatening suicide when she had wanted to break up.
It had been Damon who'd looked out for her, who'd given her the strength to go through with it anyways. He'd made sure she ate when she felt like she couldn't, he'd made sure Malachai got the help he needed, when she had just wanted to push him off the windowsill he had climbed on that one day.
He'd been so good to her.
For her.
And now here she sat with his roomie and all she could think was… He was cute, too. A bit like a more British version of Damon. Washed out. A little less electric. But hey. She needed a rebound-type-of-guy anyways. Not that she'd ever even gotten that close to Damon…
She sighed, then pulled herself up straighter, putting on her best flirty expression. Focus on the fun, Bonnie, she cajoled herself.
"Leonardo, right?" She said, vaguely remembering he had a rather un-British sounding name, and she startled slightly when he threw back his head a little, a wide grin blooming on his face before he chuckled.
"Close enough. It's Lorenzo. Or, for you: Enzo."
She was grateful for the booze in her system that had already made he cheeks look flushed, or else he'd have noticed her embarrassment. As it was, she simply acknowledged it, then leaned in to put an arm around his neck in a familiar gesture.
"Okay, Enzo," she stressed his name with as much breathy seductiveness as she could conjure, "let me show you how we do this…"
And she smiled at him, scooting even closer, taking his hand to guide his movement.
…
Damon had been standing with Elena, animatedly talking to a group of friends, when he suddenly spotted Bonnie sitting by the fire. At first, he didn't think anything of it, but he found his gaze drawn there more and more, until he was barely able to follow the conversation around him anymore.
He nudged Elena. "You think we should get her home?" He asked, nodding in their friend's direction, but Elena shook her head.
"Why? She looks like she's enjoying herself."
"She's drunk. I don't want her to get hurt."
"By Enzo?" Incredulity tinged her chuckle, and she placed a hand, lightly soothing, on his arm. "He's your friend. And he's sweet."
He rolled his eyes at her. "Sweet…"
She chuckled dismissively, then went back to talking to her friends while he muttered to himself, "He's also a man."
Over the course of the next half hour or so, he felt himself grow more and more agitated. He was worried about her. They were getting too close over there. Had Enzo just… pushed his hand under Bonnie's shirt?
Alright, this was enough.
He stalked off, with a quick excusing peck on Elena's cheek. "I'll just make sure Enzo doesn't overstep-" He didn't finish his sentence and didn't hear Elena's weak protest that Bonnie could take care of herself. He was already half way over to the fire.
"Take your hands off her," he bit out, making Bonnie look at him exasperatedly.
The two disentangled, facing him, and Enzo slowly rose into a stand.
"Damon," he said brightly, "did you know that your friend Bonnie Bennett is an expert in the art of s'mores?"
"And you are an expert in seducing vulnerable young women, methinks. Back off, St. John!"
Enzo cocked his head, giving Damon a curious look. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
Bonnie rolled her eyes, then slowly got up herself, a little tipsy and unsure on her feet, she stumbled and steadied herself against Damon's chest. "Stay out of this, Damon," she whispered, then pushed herself off him and back toward Enzo.
It wasn't quite clear to either of them what happened in the next few minutes.
Damon felt a sudden sense of jealousy explode in him.
Bonnie felt a surge of testosterone in both men, then a sudden tumult made her lose her balance and she felt herself falling.
Someone was trying to grab her, flailing arms everywhere, she felt the heat of the fire rushing toward her, then a huge push that took her breath away, and as she felt the ground hard against her back, she looked up to see Enzo and Damon fight? - Over her? She saw them shove each other.
Saw Damon's wild anger as he got his face into the other man's personal space, neither of them backing down, like an intimate dance.
She stumbled upward, grabbed Damon's arm. "Stop it," she breathed, angry at him, and a little bit… intrigued. A part of her loved to see how protective he was of her.
But then she saw the brute force he put into his next move, the calculation when he shoved Enzo with both arms outstretched, catching his friend off-guard, making him stumble and…
… scream as his arm caught fire immediately when he fell too close to the flames.
