I was your only friend || Enzo St. John

Damage Me Deeply [IV]

It was like Damon's words were ripped straight out of his mouth, loathing himself as soon as he spoke. He knew he was right. And Enzo knew he was right. But for the Salvatore, he figured that anything he'd say would be disrespectful towards his once cellmate. It was something he hasn't experienced before, a whole different kind of pain. The feeling of helplessness stroke Damon like lighting - there was nothing he could do to change the past. He couldn't go back to that dark day when he's lost a friend, and also his humanity, gaining the will to live. Was the price worth it? Of course. Back to the present days, everyone who's ever crossed paths with him in the past century, knew that selfishness was the one and only Damon Salvatore's conquering trait. He was only for himself and he didn't care how many bodies he'd have to step over in order to achieve his own devious personal agenda and fulfill his sick psychotic desires. A monster, some would say and they would not be wrong.

On the other side of the sword, there laid Enzo, a man who's always been out there to help others in order to feel good about himself. He measured himself in good deeds and kind gestures, even though life's thrown so many obstacles in his path. Every rose has its thorns. And destiny made that the humble man and the proud one crossed paths once again. The only thing is that Lorenzo no longer kept his head down. He was fierce, energized, radiating even with confidence and willing to do whatever it takes. Damon was trapped, confused and plain overwhelmed. With the roles being switched, both of them would feel what it's like to barely walk a mile in each other's shoes. The traitor in one's eyes would be the martyr in his own, as well as the saint would on contrarily appear as a fallen angel. Damon did not know what reaction to expect, therefore he prepared for nothing. His guard was down even though his muscle were tense, his pose betraying how uncomfortable he found himself in this situation. It hit him that he no longer knew who Lorenzo was anymore, that the man standing tall in front of him, with burning eyes, was no longer his friend.

Newton's third law states that for every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. In a couple of fractions of moments, Enzo went through a complete specter of emotions. From anger, having veins popping up his forehead, clenched fists as if he was about to throw his rage away in a punch, to empathy, having a hard time understanding the deep roots of Damon's decision which lead them to this point, to acceptance of the past, realizing that nothing could heal these wounds anymore.

"Relax, buddy, it's not like I'm going to hit you or anything. Let's have a glass of scotch and a little chit chat." Enzo stated in a calm, warm voice as he took a deep breath, closing his eyes in order to achieve inner peace. His actions spooked Damon out; he just couldn't understand how one could master self-control at this level. He was about to crack a joke about anger management classes but decided to shut up instead and play along. As the two of them sat next to each other, clinking the glasses before allowing the amber liquid to burn their throats, the veil of silence from the room broke at once by the courtesy of the Salvatore.

"Enzo, how the hell are you even alive?", he mumbled, being a straightforward person as always. "I watched the flames catch you. The building collapsed as I walked by. What happened?"

Lorenzo's lips escaped a faint chuckle as his eyes scanned his mate from head to toe, stopping at looking him dead in the eyes. "Okay, so I guess we'll skip the small talk about the weather prognosis and celebrity gossip. Hmm, well, let's start from the beginning, shall we? Of course, I'll fast forward the part where you abandoned me to die, because you were there for that one. You damaged me deeply, mate. When you turned around and left, I've lost all hope. I sat there watching the flames get closer to me every blink. I no longer had the strength to scream or struggle with the vervain bars. I just stood there in silence, gasping upon every breathe, waiting for it all to be over. I even thought that if I just died, I'd be finally reunited with my family, it was a nice thought to have at that moment, to be honest. You see, it's not like in the movies. Death is not dramatic or heroic or anything, I did not see the light at the end of the tunnel nor did my whole life collapse in front of my eyes. I was just heading towards nothingness. And that's the moment that fucker, the Whitmore, opened the cage and carried me through the flames, down in the basement. I think I was unconscious for a couple of days or so. But then, when I finally woke up, the first face I saw was his. And the torture carried on for another half of a century. Just like you remember it. For all those years, I wished that he would have just let me die that night, be at peace.", he revealed, taking a moment to catch his breath afterward. It was just like walking down the memory lane for him, almost as if by having said all of that, he would just relieve it over and over again.

Enzo shook his head and continued "But here I am now, ain't I? Somehow I've managed to escape. The doctor was sloppy, I saw an opportunity and I took it. A couple of days ago, while I was in the experiment chamber, being tied up to that table, his phone rang. It was something urgent and he got all caught up in an argument. The strap on my left arm was loosened up, so I struggled to free myself and next thing I know, I'm throwing a metallic case at him and ran as fast and as far as my legs allow me to."

Through the entire narrative, Damon couldn't keep his gaze straight towards him, looking down at the glass of alcohol instead. He felt unbelievably guilty, but at least his story had a happy ending after all. By the time Enzo had reached the breaking point, the older vampire had finally got used to the idea that it was not a nightmare he was living right now and that he was not talking to a ghost after all. Pinching himself occasionally helped figuring that out. "I've got you, buddy."

Song: Damage Me Deeply [4]
https://youtu.be/w9zwubk_T_s