Chapter Text
As they were about to leave, Enzo heard the chanting and froze for a second to listen. “What is that?” he asked worriedly.
“It’s the obnoxious theme song of the travelers,” Damon said bitterly as he finished putting his jacket on and headed for the door only to find they were trapped in the house, and he groaned.
Wes gave him a second to try and get out and realize the futility of it before he stepped into view. “As a man of science, I always considered magic a cheat. Turns out…I cheat,” he admitted. “How’s the appetite?”
“Funny you should ask. I was just craving a blonde,” Damon quipped in a clear threat.
“You’re my patient zero Damon. I couldn’t let you ride off into the sunset without running a few tests,” Wes said smugly. He’d been keeping watch on them via magic the whole time, and realized the definite flaw in his plan to turn the vampires against each other. But to fix his mistake, he needed Enzo back.
“A few tests,” Enzo said disgustedly.
“Well…one test. Now that you’re trapped with only one source of food…How long can you go before you feed on your best friend?” With that last question, he and the travelers walked away. Just taking Enzo would be a nightmare with both of them fighting. Even with the help of the travelers. Not to mention he’d proven far too slippery to hold without his agreement.
Damon slammed the door, and they went back inside. Damon paced and Enzo just grabbed a chair to sit, chewing on his toothpick and thinking. Damon didn’t last an hour before he was losing it. Being trapped was bad enough. Knowing that he would end up killing Enzo if they didn’t get out just made it worse. He grabbed a chair and threw it at the window, trying to get out from there.
“Give it up, mate. Those travelers sealed this whole place up tight,” Enzo said lazily.
“Spell can’t last forever,” Damon huffed.
“Doesn’t need to,” Enzo pointed out. “Wes only needs it to last eight hours, remember. Then he can come back inside and autopsy my mangled corpse.” Being trapped and in danger was nothing new for him, and if he did have to die, at least it would be with Damon. Not that he had any intention of just giving up and dying, of course, but he couldn’t see any way around it just yet.
Damon was trying not to panic and just threw himself against the wall before sliding down it, to sit. “You’re pretty zen about all this,” Damon pointed out, hoping for some tips.
“Did you forget everything I taught you in that cell? Calmer heads will always prevail,” Enzo reminded him. All panicking, getting angry, or falling apart did was cause you to make mistakes and impede your ability to think.
“Always the soldier,” Damon said fondly, unable to hide all of his feelings from his tone.
Enzo could tell that Damon was giving up, and was getting a bit annoyed at that as he got up and told him, “You do have people we can call. Like your brother. Or your ex. Who can, in turn, find Wes and threaten him. Or maim him. Or anything that doesn’t involve your fangs in my neck.” If it wouldn’t lead to his death he might not mind that outcome, really. Just not the death part.
“My brother told me to leave and not come back. I am /not/ calling him,” Damon said defeatedly.
“So my life is not worth your pride,” Enzo said pointedly.
“They won’t come,” Damon said sadly. He’d burned those bridges already. Not that he regretted following Enzo for a second. Other than this unfortunate turn of events, of course, but overall, he would make the same choice every time.
“Or they will,” Enzo countered. “But then you might hurt them,” he knew what the problem was. “You don’t want to risk that, do you? Me, on the other hand,” he sighed and got up, trying to get some distance between them.
“I’m not gonna feed on you,” Damon said desperately. That wasn’t an option. He would do whatever it took to keep that from happening. “I’ll find another way.” He refused to consider just how much he sounded like the naïve kids when they were telling him not to hurt or threaten people. This was different. When it came to people he loved, he would never stop trying to find another way. There just wasn’t always a way to save /everyone/. But Enzo would /never/ be an acceptable sacrifice.
Enzo just looked at him like he was an idiot and put his toothpick back in his mouth before walking away. This was ridiculous. Damon had to know as well as he did that there was no other way. Not with the situation as it was. They needed an x factor. But he was refusing to call one. And he knew better than to try and do it around him. That would just start a fight that they didn’t need. He would just have to try and figure something else out. Starting with searching the house for anything useful. Vervain, a place to hide securely, maybe this guy was a secret freak and had a dungeon cell in the basem*nt he could put Damon in. Something.
They had about an hour left before Damon needed to feed when he came back with what he hoped would save him. Or buy him time at least. “Towing chains. Farmer’s best friend,” he said as he got them positioned over a sturdy chair. “And in about an hour, mine,” he patted the chair for Damon to sit down. “Take a seat.”
Damon stopped his pacing and went over. Much as the idea of being chained up freaked him out, this was /Enzo/. Even if Enzo just got him chained up to kill him easier, he could live with that. “They’re not gonna let us out of here until I kill you,” he said as he sat down in the chair, taking the position. “Or you kill me,” he said pointedly. Just in case that /wasn’t/ what Enzo planned. He wanted to give him the idea.
“Don’t be dramatic,” Enzo said as he chained him in. Killing Damon would never be an option for him. No, he had a much better plan. “We’ll work something out,” he promised.
“There’s no cure, Enzo. Not for this,” Damon said emotionlessly.
“You’ve given it all of two days,” Enzo snapped. There was nothing he hated more than Damon just giving up. He’d always managed to snap him out of it in the cells, but it seemed to be more difficult now. “But that’s what you do isn’t it? When there’s a problem, you run,” he said disappointedly. “You did it to me. You did it to your girl.”
“Because when I stay I destroy things,” Damon said hollowly, not even able to look at Enzo as he said it.
Enzo wasn’t going to let that stand, but he finished tightening the chains first before he gave Damon his full attention, leaning in close so Damon didn’t have a choice but to meet his eyes. “We’re not all as fragile as you think we are,” he said earnestly, ignoring the urge to kiss him. He knew that Damon was just as damaged as he was in a different way. They needed each other. To keep each other balanced. Steady. To remind each other how to live. To push each other in the right ways. He wasn’t going to risk blowing up their friendship by trying for more. Especially when Damon already had a great love out there that he was pining for. He needed that much to be known though. That he wasn’t fragile enough for Damon to break.
Damon was entranced by Enzo’s proximity and his words started to sink in, but they were accompanied by the memory of his words from a couple months ago. When he said that Damon ruined him. That didn’t mean he could resist any longer though. Everything else could be worked out later but he /needed/ this. He didn’t have much room to move with the chains, but Enzo was close enough that he didn’t need to move much. Just a few inches to let their lips meet and he couldn’t stop the slight whimper that pulled from him at the feel of Enzo’s lips against his.
Enzo froze for a split second when Damon kissed him, but then he was kissing him back, leaning in desperately, hands going to Damon’s cheeks as he drank in every second he could of this moment he’d been dreaming of for most of his life. Even when he hated Damon, deep down he’d dreamed of this. Just the idea that Damon could want this too meant everything. He even managed to forget the situation they were in. At least for a minute. Until he felt Damon’s fangs pierce his lip. He blurred back, leaning against the wall opposite Damon and breathed out, “sh*te…” trying to catch his breath as he saw the veins protruding through Damon’s face and him visibly struggling to pull them back.
“Crap. Enzo…I’m sorry,” Damon said once he managed to bring himself under control. It was still almost an hour before he would be jonesing again or it might have been a little more difficult. He wasn’t sure how much of his lack of breath was about the kiss and how much was about the effort to bring himself back.
“About the kiss or about biting me,” Enzo had to ask.
Both, Damon tried to say. That was the right answer. But it was also a lie. One that he couldn’t stomach telling. Not to Enzo. Not with the memory of how desperately Enzo had kissed him back. Instead of answering the question, he decided to clear up his confusion from just before it. “You said that I ruined you,” he said, pain writ in his features.
“I also said that I’m not that fragile,” Enzo replied. “You’re not protecting me by running. You’re protecting yourself,” he said shortly before he turned his attention back to his plan. If Damon wasn’t willing to fight for him, then that was his problem. He could live with standing by a friend who wouldn’t fight, but for more than that, Damon would have to meet him halfway, so he saw no point in continuing this conversation.
