Out of all the pairings in The Vampire Diaries, Bonnie and Damon were one of the few who weren't explored romantically. They were best friends who had incredible chemistry, but Bonnie was paired with Enzo and Damon was waiting for Elena to wake up from her magically-induced coma.
Damon and Bonnie ending up together stopped being an outlandish concept when the two grew closer and Nina Dobrev left the show. In The Vampire Diaries books, Damon and Bonnie had a romance, so it wouldn't have been surprising if it was carried over. Although they never dated in the television series, there's plenty of evidence that suggests Damon and Bonnie were meant to be.
Damon Chooses Bonnie Over Elena
In season 2 of the series, Damon told Elena that he would have gladly let Bonnie die because he would always choose Elena over everyone else—but that didn't turn out to be the case.
When he's forced to decide whether to save Bonnie's life or let Elena fall into a Sleeping Beauty-type slumber, he picks Bonnie. In the past, Damon would have thrown Bonnie to the wolves, but he had grown to love and care for her in a way that neither of them thought was possible.
Bonnie And Damon's Reunion
Damon and Bonnie's hug takes the prize for being the most heartfelt one on the series. Damon wasn't sure whether Bonnie was alive or dead, but when he comes home and sees a plate of pancakes waiting for him he can't believe his eyes.
Upon realizing that Bonnie is really there with him, he opens his arms up for a hug. Bonnie runs across the room and leaps into Damon's embrace, and they hug each other as if their life depends on it.
Damon Protects Bonnie From Kai
Bonnie and Damon are known for their bickering, but there's a fine line between love and hate. Kai makes the mistake of making a move towards Bonnie when she and Damon are in an argument, and Damon does not react well.
He attacks Kai and warns him to never lay a hand on Bonnie, regardless of whether or not they're having a disagreement. After their time in the prison world, protecting each other was like second nature to them.
Bonnie Can't Forgive Damon For Leaving Her
Damon and Bonnie became more than best friends. Whatever was between them went deep, and they relied on each other heavily. But Damon mistakingly thinks he can't handle being alive without Elena and chooses to desiccate until she wakes up.
It's a betrayal that Bonnie takes seriously, and it weighs on her for years. Bonnie's inability to get over Damon leaving her, shows how deeply she cared about him. Damon regrets his decision, but it takes a lot to convince Bonnie that he'll never hurt her again.
Damon Tells Bonnie He Loves Her
When Bonnie loses control of herself, she runs around Mystic Falls and tries to kill all of her friends. Damon attempts to snap her out of it, by letting Bonnie know just how much she means to him.
Damon tells Bonnie that he admires her and he's proud of her, which are both great components of any healthy relationship. He continues on to say that he loves her the same way Elena loves her, but with enough time, the feelings could have easily entered romantic territory.
Bonnie's Powers Come Back When Damon Is In Danger
The entire time that Bonnie and Damon were in the prison world, Bonnie couldn't use her magic. She practiced constantly, but something was stopping her powers from presenting themselves. Kai comes up with a master plan after he observes Damon and Bonnie, and tries to kill Damon in front of her.
Bonnie is so determined to save him, that a switch flips inside of her, and her magic returns. It was Bonnie's love for Damon that was able to unlock what had been lying dormant in her for months.
Damon Stays On The Island To Find Bonnie
Damon and Bonnie weren't close in the early seasons of The Vampire Diaries, but similarly to the books, Damon developed a soft spot for her. Stefan and Caroline take Elena home after Jeremy is killed, and Damon stays on the island to find Bonnie.
He claims that he's doing it for Elena, but the relief on his face when they reunite makes it clear how much he cares. They share a hug which was a huge step forward in their relationship. Elena tells Matt that Damon doesn't hate Bonnie—he loves her.
Bonnie And Damon Hold Hands On The Other Side
The Other Side was about to collapse, and Damon and Bonnie were stuck there with only each other to share their last moments with. Bonnie tells Damon that she knows there are a million other people they'd both rather be there with, and he replies, "A couple thousand at most."
The looks they share are full of hundreds of different emotions. Bonnie and Damon hold hands and wait for whatever comes next, prepared to accept their fate together.
Damon Makes Bonnie Breakfast Every Morning
Every morning, Damon makes himself and Bonnie pancakes so the two of them can eat breakfast together. Bonnie complains every day about the whipped cream fangs he adds to the food, but she secretly seems to love it.
Living together for months made Damon and Bonnie grow comfortable around each other, and they fight like a married couple. There would be a lot of ups and downs in their relationship, but they genuinely enjoy one another's company.
Bonnie Sends Damon Back To Their World
When Bonnie and Damon are moments away from leaving the prison world, Damon parallels Bonnie's words from earlier. He tells her that there are probably a million people she'd rather be there with, and she replies, "Not exactly."
The plan was to leave the prison world together, but when only one of them can make it out, Bonnie makes sure it's Damon. Kai badly injures Bonnie and tries to steal the device to escape. Bonnie uses her magic to get it to Damon, and he's transported back to Earth before he can do anything to save her.