…

The Basketball AU no one requested, yet here we are - because I need to get it out of my head. No idea where it will lead, if anywhere.

You could maybe blame (thank? lol) Danilo Gallinari of the LA Clippers for this. Because he reminds me of Enzo… Handsome guy with a fun Italian name and a cute accent (in this case Italian...)

...

If you haven't checked out Michael Malarkey's music by the way, I'd urge you to give it a shot. Start with "Uncomfortably Numb", "Feed the Flames", "I just want you", and "Mongrels" maybe. I picked them to be the soundtrack to this fic, with the first one being the overall theme.

You can find them all on Spotify and YouTube. Guy deserves so many more views / listens for sure! (But I'm currently fangirling out again...)

...

EDIT: I'm adding a trigger warning, just to be cautious. (Soft spoilers below)

This story morphed into something a little different than I thought and there's a triggery relationship of a grown up and a minor involved - if nothing graphic - as well as a suicide. Tread carefully if you do find yourself reading this fic. Thank you.

…

The Doctor and the Baller

…

...

Bonnie's hands were shaking as she held the letter in one, grappling with her phone with the other.

"Please tell me-"

"Caroline, I got the job!" she blurted out before her friend on the other end had a chance to finish her sentence. "I got the friggin' job!

"Oh my gosh!" the blonde screamed with excitement, briefly calming down to ask, "You mean you'll be part of the medical staff for the New Orleans Hybrids?!

Bonnie could barely get the words out. "Yes!" she said, her whole body ready to explode with a mix of nervous and happy anticipation. "I'm going to be part of a pro basketball organization's medical team!"

"Eeeeekh! This is so amazing, Bonnie! I'm so happy for you! Oh my gosh, I'm fangirling right now, but you'll have to get me in there one day. The owner is insanely hot!"

Bonnie had to giggle. Caroline was referring to Niklaus Mikaelson, of course. The man was a well known investor, who, fed up with the way the other big New Orleans basketball team was treated under the roof of a larger organization, had decided to build his own team.

Two years later, the new team had earned a little more respect than anyone had initially wanted to grant them, after they had almost made the playoffs - which was when they had appeared on Bonnie Bennett's radar.

She had finished medical school a few months before and had been ready to enter the "real world" as she liked to refer to it, when she had realized that she didn't want to work at a hospital, that she was looking for something a little different.

…

"I wanna see the world a bit and live a little, and not just see the inside of a hospital all day," she had told Caroline one evening when they had met for some ice cream and their favorite TV show, and her best friend had given her a contemplating look as she had gotten the TV ready.

A brief special and an interview with Klaus Mikaelson had appeared on the screen and Caroline had given her a sheepish sideways glance.

"Do you mind watching this for a moment?"

Bonnie had scrunched up her face. "Basketball? Really? I thought you were into Football, if anything..."

Caroline had shrugged, grinning embarrassedly. "I might have a crush on this guy." She had pointed at the TV with her remote.

"Niklaus Mikaelson, owner of the New Orleans Hybrids," Bonnie had read off the screen. "Really? He your type?" She had made a face, instantly annoyed with the man's grating accent and arrogant demeanor. But Caroline had beamed.

Bonnie had laughed at how much her friend seemed to be smitten with the man, until her gaze had landed on the team that had been practicing in the background. A lot of tall handsome men, but one of them had stuck out, and her heart had skipped a beat. She felt herself flush when the camera suddenly panned right on to him, the interviewer asking a question.

"How has your experience been with the Hybrids so far, Mr. Salvatore?"

He grinned into the camera, all bright eyes and dashing looks and Bonnie had berated herself for thinking of him in way inappropriate ways. Had she just developed a crush on a freaking baller?

"Oh gosh, I have an idea," Caroline had suddenly blurted out, before she could hear much of the man's handsome voice, and her friend had been grabbing her arm with an excited expression. "I read somewhere that they're rebuilding their entire medical team and are looking specifically for someone well-versed in physical therapy!"

Bonnie's focus had been physical therapy…

She had scoffed to the point of snorting. "Yeah, right. Let me apply to work for a professional basketball team…"

But the idea had somehow stuck.

And she and Caroline had begun to watch almost all of the games of the Hybrids together…

…

Now here she was, months later, and her application had really been accepted. It was hard to believe. Soon she would probably meet Mr. Damon Salvatore himself. Her face felt hot at the mere thought. Not that she'd have the slightest chance of…

No, Bonnie Bennett, she stopped herself right there. Be professional, girl.

But it would be so nice to actually see him, in person.

"We'll have to celebrate," Caroline was saying now, "tonight. At the Mystic Grill. I'll persuade Matt to turn on the game for us! Oh Bonnie, this is gonna be amazing!"

They hung up soon after, and Bonnie flopped down on her bed, all shaken up from the news. But in a good way. Her dream was coming true. She was going to be a medical assistant for the Hybrids. She'd earn way more than she could have ever hoped for, she'd get special benefits, and she'd meet all the players. She'd meet him. Damon Salvatore, the greatest new talent in the NBA right now, and the most handsome one, too…

With a smile on her face she fell back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, daydreaming.

…

Later, at the Grill, they were all watching the game together, celebrating Bonnie's new job at the same time. She was two drinks in, probably openly ogling at Damon whenever he appeared on the screen, but she didn't care if anyone noticed. It was the perfect evening.

The Hybrids were 13 points up by the end of the third quarter, with Damon having played the largest role in the game so far, and she loved seeing his best scenes replayed over and over. It was hard to imagine that she'd soon meet him in the flesh. A surreal feeling.

Bonnie was having a blast watching him play. She was smiling and laughing whenever Caroline fangirled over Niklaus Mikaelson, who could be seen jumping out of his seat every so often, clearly invested in the game.

"Did you hear that?" Caroline touched her arm, beaming, "He's the youngest owner in the league…"

"Wipe that drool off your face, girlfriend!" Bonnie commented, and they both broke into a laugh.

Matt shook his head. "And here I thought you girls were more into football, what with all the cheerleading and-"

Caroline waved him off. "Things have changed," she told him and while they all kept grinning, it was quite obvious what she had meant. Ever since her breakup with her former boyfriend Tyler, who had gone on to play college football, she had stopped caring about the sport.

Before the mood could tip, however, Bonnie saw Damon make the winning shot, a buzzer beater to boot, and she whooped happily, distracting her friends that way. The perfect ending to a perfect night. The Hybrids had won. Her team had won. She still couldn't quite believe it.

"Tomorrow is my first day!" she said, looking at her friends, and a smiling Elena nudged her lightly, just as Caroline asked, "You think you'll already get to see the players tomorrow?"

"These guys get injured so often, she's bound to see them," Matt stated drily, speaking from experience.

"This is not football, Matt." Elena grinned, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek as he made a face.

"No, but basketball can be pretty intense too. Bon will probably have to attend their practice sessions and get her fair share of dealing with scrapes and bruises."

"Hopefully nothing too serious. We don't wanna lose any of these guys while we still have a chance to get into the playoffs!"

Bonnie snorted at hearing Caroline talk like that. About sports. About basketball! As if it had always been her great passion.

"Alright, you lovely people. I need to get going now if I want to make a good impression tomorrow. Can't appear with a hangover and yesterday's clothes…" Bonnie grinned as she slowly got up, grabbing her purse as she went.

Caroline gave her a quick hug, and a kiss. "So so happy for you, Bonnie. I really am. Aw, this is gonna be so fun!"

…

Bonnie still had Caroline's voice in her head when she stood by the court on the next day, watching these too tall guys practicing their shots and working on their strength.

The whole thing was awe inspiring. She had been picked up by one of her new coworkers, a kind if stressed seeming guy named Luke, who was one of the physical therapists, and he had quickly shown her around.

"And here we are," he now said as if this was the highlight of the tour, and when she saw Damon Salvatore run past, with a light smirk playing across his features as his gaze briefly landed on her, she couldn't deny that this really was the highlight.

Her knees grew wobbly.

"Don't get too excited. Lots of our work here includes taking care of minor cuts and bruises, way below our qualifications, but if any of our players ever get seriously injured - which God forbid won't happen - then we're there for their surgeries and therapies."

"Wow." She rolled her eyes at herself when that was all she could come up with. Bonnie Bennett was star struck, and how embarrassing was that?

"Watch out!" Luke called out suddenly, pulling her away with him as Damon and another tall guy came tumbling and falling in their direction after one too rough interaction.

"Guys! Watch it," someone said, maybe the coach? And Bonnie felt her heart beat faster when Damon got up, helping his teammate up, too, and shot her a smirk again.

"Sorry, new girl. Hope we didn't hit you? Enzo here didn't get the memo that this is just a practice session… Did you, Lorenzo?"

The other guy rolled his eyes, but still took Damon's outstretched hand and let his teammate help him up.

"You were playing like you're a bloody rookie, mate," Lorenzo, or Enzo, grumbled out, then smirked at Bonnie, too, and she gritted her teeth at hearing his annoying accent. Just as bad as that team owner… "Ah, I see, the new medic is here," Enzo continued obliviously. "Did you by chance bring some Band-Aids so you could help me out with this, or are you just here to stand in our way?" He showed her the side of his arm where Bonnie now saw the skin had been scraped badly enough to make him bleed, and she pressed her lips together to swallow a snarky remark.

Already, she didn't like him. What charm Damon had, this guy was lacking completely.

"Cut the girl some slack, Enzo," Damon soothed, patting his mate's shoulder. "It's her first day. Besides, doesn't look like you're bleeding out."

Enzo rolled his neck, shooting Damon a dagger-like stare.

"Maybe not, but I doubt she gets paid just to look cute on the sidelines so might as well make her work."

Damon chuckled, then turned to Bonnie, who was starting to become furious and trying her best not to show it. She didn't want to lose her job on the very first day, and she was damn sure that Enzo - even though he was just a bench player and nowhere near as talented as Damon - would be higher valued than the newest member of the medical staff.

Thankfully, Luke had already grabbed the first aid kit and was now helping her to get everything ready. She felt like a complete idiot, like a med school beginner, as she watched him, taking the antiseptic spray from him and listening to his whispered instructions, all the while clenching her teeth while trying to keep a smile on her face.

Enzo raised an eyebrow as he watched her. "This your first time, love?"

She stifled a scoff, then grinned up at him as sweetly as possible. "No, actually. I'm a certified doctor, which, by the way, probably makes me a lot smarter than someone who is just here, kicking a ball around."

Heat flushed her face as she realized what she had just said, and to whom, but then Damon started laughing loudly, his hand coming down on Enzo's shoulder yet again.

"She owned you, man," he said, then winked at Bonnie before he eventually returned to practice, leaving Bonnie to put some steri-strips on Enzo's arm.

"Leave it on till after practice and then come see me - or whichever doctor you prefer… - to check on you again." All business, she told herself. That was probably the best way to deal with it now. And by no means no more allusions to a player not being as smart as she was...

Enzo smirked down from his ridiculous height with a nod, then bent down slightly. "See you later, love. - And it's 'throwing'."

"What?"

His smirk widened, annoying her. "This is not soccer. We're throwing the ball, not kicking." He had the audacity to wave at her, then jogged back to his teammates, leaving her fuming and feeling embarrassed.

Luke beside her shook his head. "That was… an interesting first encounter…"

Bonnie made a face. "Ugh. I ruined it, didn't I? They'll fire me before I even made it to the end of my first day."

"Eh. Enzo is known for having a bit of a temper. So's Damon. I think you handled it well enough. Even Klaus himself knows these guys are a handful."

"Klaus?"

Luke shrugged. "Mikaelson. The owner."

"Oh gosh, I hope he doesn't get wind of this."

Luke chuckled at her appalled expression. "Oh, don't worry about it. He doesn't usually fire anyone. It's more like the other way around. You wouldn't be the first to quit over these guys, actually. We have quite the high attrition rate…"

Bonnie sighed. This didn't make her feel one bit better.

This had been supposed to be the perfect job, her dream come true! And now it was turning into a nightmare, fast.

…

"He's awful!" Bonnie whined into the phone, and Caroline didn't know what to tell her friend. She felt sad for Bonnie, sad that her first day hadn't started too well, but…

"It's your first day, Bon. It's going to get better from here on out. Just wait until you know them all a little better and can take their moods in stride. These pro athletes can be quite the divas."

"You don't say."

Caroline could almost see Bonnie's eyeroll, and she could most certainly hear the exaggerated sigh.

"Was Damon as cute in person at least?"

"Yeah."

Grudging admittance. Caroline could work with that. Smiling, she said, "Who is this Enzo anyways? I don't even think I've seen him play at all."

"He's a bench guy. Hasn't played all that many minutes. He's only a second year, got drafted pretty late after only playing in Europe. His parents are British-Italian or something."

Caroline almost spit out a sip of latte. For someone Bonnie found to be so annoying and had never once mentioned, she certainly knew more about him than she should.

"I just googled him," came the sheepish explanation before Care had had a chance to comment, and she chuckled.

"Ooooh. So at least you care enough to google the guy."

"I don't care."

"Okayyy… Anyways." She sighed. "We'll get drinks as soon as you're done and then you can tell me all about how awful that guy is and how hot Damon is and please, by all that is holy, try and at least catch a glimpse of Klaus for me!"

Bonnie laughed, finally sounding better again. "Will do."

"You got this, Bon. Hang in there."

"Yeah…"

Caroline smiled to herself. Bonnie would be fine, she knew it. It couldn't really be that bad.

…

"Oh my gosh, he didn't!" Caroline gasped.

It really was that bad. Turned out, Lorenzo St. John - which was his full name - was indeed an arrogant bastard, and he treated poor Bonnie without any respect.

"And then he just left me standing there and walked over to the head of staff for a 'real' medical evaluation. Over a freaking scratch! Ugh!" Bonnie held her head in her hands, half-heartedly staring into her drink. She had ordered a Coke, plain and simple, but now even the sugary drink couldn't help pick up her mood.

"I'm sorry, Bonnie. Just forget the idiot."

"I wish I could. He's on the team, though, so I'll see him every friggin' day..." She sighed. "At least I still have a job…"

Caroline looked at her with sympathy. "How was Damon, though?" A change of topic couldn't hurt, she figured, but Bonnie merely sighed.

"Even hotter up close. But who am I kidding. It's a stupid celebrity crush. I have a friggin' celebrity crush! Ugh. How hopeless am I?"

"Hey…"

Bonnie scoffed. "I mean, it's not like he could come to my defense or anything. And why should he. I don't know the guy. Besides. I should probably stop watching the games. It'll just mess with my head now that I have to see these guys on a daily basis."

"Um, Bon… Hate to break it to you, but as medical staff, I'm pretty sure you'll have to be at the games."

Bonnie's head shot up as the realization hit her, then she pretend-collapsed on the table. "Oh Caroline, I'm so dead!"

And tomorrow was the next game…

Caroline chuckled sympathetically. "You'll survive, Bon. I know it."

But would she really? Bonnie somehow doubted it.