4: The Jacket

If there's no one thing Enzo absolutely does not want to do tonight, it's go to a party with Damon and Stefan. But the brothers are in his apartment, lounging in his living room, and refuse to leave without him.

"He's been cranky all day - ever since he came back from lunch," says Matt, making himself a sandwich in the kitchen. Enzo, in his room with the door open, rolls his eyes.

"I'm not cranky." He sticks his head out to find Damon with his feet on the coffee table as he flips through channels and Stefan texting on his phone. "I'm not in the mood."

Stefan looks up - likely from talking to Caroline. "The girls are staying home." His phone vibrates and he does his best to bite back a smile, but Enzo catches it easily.

"Exactly, just us dudes," says Damon, glancing at him. "C'mon, we can be your wingmen for once."

"I don't need wingmen," says Enzo, slipping back inside his room to pull open his closet. He idly notes there's too much black. "I can get my own dates."

Damon snorts. "Right. Besides, you've got Bonnie!"

Enzo wants to slam the door right then and just go to bed. "Why don't you take Matt?"

"I, unlike you, have a date." Matt grins as he bites into his food. "Besides I don't like your friends."

"We don't like you either, Donovan." Damon switches to the end of a basketball game. "But he's right, Enzo. Come out with us instead of brooding in your closet."

Hesitating, Enzo leans against the doorway, arms crossed. After a moment, he sighs. "You know what - what the hell. Maybe I will meet someone and you can all shut up about this Bonnie thing."

Matt grins, mouth half-filled with food. "Nah, we probably won't."

Enzo shakes his head and retreats to his room, slamming his door shut. Ripping off the shirt he's been wearing all day - including on his… date with Bonnie - he throws on a nicer button-down. He tries to ignore her voice still echoing in his head - you don't deserve that second chance - but he can't as he combs his hair back.

He wants to believe he's not angry, not mad that she dismisses him - he deserves it, in part - but while she expects him to be better, she refuses to give him that chance. And it's infuriating.

Enzo throws open his door and crosses his arms. "Fine, we can go. But one of you is buying me a drink first."

Damon grins. "Little bro's got it." Stefan rolls his eyes, shaking off Damon's hand from his shoulder, and nods before leading them out.


Enzo remembers why he loves parties the moment he can hear the music. It's loud and obnoxious, but the drum beats rock his core and the melodies strum his heart chords. Dance and music - his headache eases just slightly, and maybe the shots they had consumed earlier might have something to do with it.

They lose Damon to beer pong and Stefan hangs back with him to roll his eyes and bail him out as a partner. Enzo watches for a while, but then gets bored, and heads over to the dance floor.

As he scans the floor, tapping his foot to the music, Enzo freezes when he sees her.

Of course.

The music is loud, and she's halfway across the room, but he's pretty sure she says something to the effect of you've got to be kidding me out loud to no one. For a second, Enzo debates turning around and pretending he didn't notice her. But Bonnie shakes her head, sighs, and heads straight for him.

"Let me guess," she says, crossing her arms and raising her voice over the music, "Damon brought you here."

Enzo raises an eyebrow. "So that's why he was suddenly interested in being my wingman."

"I hate him."

"Likewise."

It's awkward, because her voice is louder than the music - you don't deserve that second chance - and he looks at everything else. More people join the dancing mob, but Bonnie doesn't let him move towards it, blocking his path. And for a second, with her so close and looking down at her body, he forgets he's mad at her.

Then she speaks. "It's not nice to leave an unfinished conversation."

"I wasn't aware we were having one." His words sound harsher than he intends, but he's tired and he can't hear and she's standing really close to him.

"I can't believe you're such an - "

She cuts off, suddenly pushed forward. He catches her without thinking, hands on her waist and her hand resting on his chest. Their eyes meet. Bonnie turns in his arms to face the man behind her.

"Watch it," she says, and the other guy puts his hands up in surrender.

Although Enzo still has her arms around her, the other guy steps closer. "Sorry, darlin', I jush wanna dance," he slurs, glancing back towards Enzo, but his grin grows as Bonnie looks him over. Even though Enzo is sure he himself is slightly, possibly drunk, this guy is definitely drunk. "You look like you could use some proper lessons. I'm sure your ugly boyfriend won't mind."

Enzo rolls his eyes. Bonnie, however, steps forward and Enzo frowns at the sudden loss of warmth. She crosses her arms over her chest. "My friend, who - by the way - is way hotter than your ass, doesn't insult girls to get them to dance. Go to hell." Bonnie spins, and maybe her hair hits the other guy in the face, but he gets the message and leaves.

Enzo looks at her, still frowning. "You keep doing that." Part of him registers that she actually defended him, but right now, he's stuck on the other part.

"Doing what?" Her arms are still hugging her chest, and now they tighten as she half-shrugs and avoids his eyes. Maybe she's cold too.

"Using me to get something." A crowd of people enter the dance room, and Enzo finds himself pushed closer to her again. Maybe it's his proximity, or maybe it's because she genuinely feels bad - Enzo doesn't really know, doesn't really care, but Bonnie relaxes, her hands unconsciously resting on his arms.

"I'm sorry," she says, and he just barely hears her. He thinks he may have imagined it. But then she smiles, slightly, shaking her head. "I really don't mean to - "

"No, it's fine." He's too drunk for this and it's too loud. Her eyes are really green. "I don't mind being used by you."

Her face is very close to his. She licks her lips, and his eyes struggle to move away from them. "Are you still mad at me?" she asks, and he's likely imagining her gaze lingering over his mouth. He's drunk.

"Yes," he says, quickly, because he is and his brain isn't quite working. "Are you still mad at me?"

"Mad enough." Her hand tenses, and his right bicep throbs under her grip.

He really wants to kiss her.

Enzo blinks rapidly, because that thought doesn't belong - and the clouds begin, just slightly, to fade. He shakes his head. "Well then," he says, slowly moving backwards so her eyes aren't quite so green and her lips don't look quite as soft, "I guess we're just two people who are mad at each other. Wherever do we go from here?"

Bonnie's arms fall to her side and she shrugs. His stomach tenses for a moment, but she seems completely unaffected, so he assumes he really is just that drunk. "I'm actually thinking of finding Damon, kicking his ass in beer pong, and then heading out after they inevitably play Get Low."

Enzo tries not to grin, but he fails. "To the window? Really?"

"To the wall. Really." Her smile brightens the entirely darkened room. She sways to the current song, and Enzo finds himself matching her. "C'mon, you know where he is?"

Nodding, he offers his hand. "Shall we?"

Bonnie hesitates, but she rests her hand in his. It's soft and a bit sweaty and very warm, but Enzo likes how her skin feels on his.

He needs to get laid.

Bonnie ends up convincing him to be her partner, and even though he's totally horrible at it, she ends up single-handedly beating Damon and an apparently sober Stefan. "That's for tricking me into coming and not even looking for me once you got here," she says, after sinking the last shot. Damon tries to defend himself for a minute before giving up and downing the last two cups of beer.

Stefan takes out his phone. Bonnie hits him with the ping-pong ball. "Tell Caroline to go to sleep. We have brunch plans tomorrow."

"We have brunch plans," says Stefan, with amused grin. He tosses back the ball and Enzo tries to catch it, but he drops it. He watches it roll towards Bonnie. She rolls her eyes and bends over to pick it up - and Enzo knows he shouldn't, especially with Damon and Stefan standing right there, but he can't look away.

When Bonnie stands up again, saying something about ovaries before brovaries, Enzo pointedly looks away. Damon catches his eye, smirks, but says nothing.

Enzo massages his temples.

"You wanna walk me home?" asks Bonnie, raising an eyebrow. "You look like you're done for the night."

Enzo frowns. "They haven't played your song yet."

Shrugging, she leans on the table. "I don't really care that much. Plus, I wanna get home before Stefan. If I wake up before him - "

"No one in the history of humanity wakes up earlier than my freak-of-nature brother," says Damon, arranging the cups on his side of the table again. Stefan ignores them, texting once more. "And when it comes to Caroline…" He snatches the phone out of Stefan's hands.

"I was just telling Caroline that it looks like we're going to have to reschedule for next week," says Stefan calmly, pulling his phone back. He pockets it and smiles at Bonnie. "I figured you had things you wanted to tell her anyway."

Bonnie furrows her eyebrows. It's cute. Enzo looks at the brothers instead, leaning on his hands that rest on the table. "What're you talking about?"

Stefan looks at her, then Enzo, and then back at her. He says nothing.

Enzo groans. "Can we get out of here, please?"

Laughing, Bonnie puts a hand on his shoulder. He tenses, and she must have sensed it, because she quickly pulls back. Glancing at her, Bonnie still smiles, although it's slightly softer. "You're not helping."

"My head hurts." It does, but also she's glowing and he absolutely hates it. "I'll walk you home. Let's just get out of here."

Although the corner of her lips turn downwards slightly, she doesn't argue. Instead, she hugs Stefan, kicks the back of Damon's leg when he tries to sink a cup, and fixes her thin cardigan on her shoulders. Enzo follows her out, nodding at the brothers, trying not to watching Bonnie's legs in front of him.

They're halfway back to her place - he lives further away, but not by much - when Enzo notices she's shivering. And it registers to him that while he has a jacket on, she's just wearing a cardigan.

He's more sober now, but the warmth of alcohol still flows through him. Without saying anything, he strips off his jacket and hands it to her.

Bonnie stops walking, glancing between him and the jacket. "What are you doing?"

"Offering you my jacket. It's cold. You're cold. Take it."

Hesitating, she looks at him, not smiling but not upset either. She's - searching, and Enzo squirms under her gaze. Finally - "fine, if you're offering - " The jacket is leather and it's slightly too big, the sleeves swallowing her. But she wears it well, her tiny fingers able to zip it up, before she stuffs her hands into the pockets. Enzo bites his lip. "What?" she asks, raising an eyebrow at him.

Shaking his head, he keeps walking, refusing to look at her. "Nothing. It's big on you."

It's hot on her.

They reach her place in silence, the comfortable night air cool enough to prevent a need for conversation. He shifts his weight from foot to foot while she pauses before the entrance. Turning to face him, she smiles. "Thanks, Enzo."

"For what?"

Bonnie shrugs, still smiling slightly, eyes almost glittering in the nighttime. "Walking me home. Being my partner against Damon. Letting me use you." He feels instantly sober as she gazes at him, green eyes flashing, his jacket swallowing curves but exposing edges. "You're not a complete asshole."

He doesn't really know what to say. Her words from that morning still haunt him - you don't deserve that second chance - but these new words, they're a new line, a new page. Steadying his stomach, slowly, Enzo nods and smiles back.

"It's because I'm drunk," he says, crossing his arms over his chest, hiding behind a smirk. "I'm a nice drunk."

Bonnie laughs - and god, her laugh is brighter than the stars - and shakes her head. "Whatever you say, Lorenzo." He grins as she waves goodbye, leaving him alone on the steps of her apartment.

It's only when he's home, in his bed, already half-asleep, that he realizes she still has his jacket.


Notes: Sorry it's been a while! But I don't feel too bad given all the other fic I've been writing. This, along with some prompts I'm working on, will be my main focus for now. With the show over, to keep me motivated and inspired, I'm going to need reviews, so please continue leaving your thoughts!