a/n For anyone linking to this story from tumblr, this is the fourth in a series, the Damily Opus. Order got reversed in posting. The first story is Need You Now.
Request reviews. Damily is fun and emotional to write since they both have such big personalities: happy-go-lucky Damian discovering his passion with outwardly formidable, but actually delicate Emily. It's good to know others appreciate it
Emily awoke to the sound of whistling and smell of coffee. Damian was approaching the bed, bearing a cup for both of them, wearing his boxers and a smile.
"Good morning, gorgeous," he greeted her. She stretched and responded "Hey, hottie."
He settled next to her on the bed. "I love waking up with you," he said.
Emily grinned. "There are a lot worse things," she agreed.
Damian looked mischievous as he added, "Do you know what else I love…the chance to see my file."
He suddenly hopped out of bed and ran across Emily's apartment to her desktop computer in the living area.
"No, Damian," Emily protested, throwing on his shirt that she saw on the floor, as she padded over to where Damian had already settled himself in front of the monitor. "It's too embarrassing, like electronic gushing."
He rubbed her leg as he answered, "It shouldn't be embarrassing. You know I'm at least as crazy about you, as I hope you are about me. I just want to see what about me impressed you. Show me... please."
"I could just tell you," she said.
"But this is the information age, baby" he reasoned. "Say it with data."
Resignedly, Emily opened the file marked The Damian Project and said as she tried to walk away, "okay let your ego go crazy."
He pulled her down to sit between his legs in the large padded chair that Emily used for her desk. "I want you to look at it with me, explain what's here. For instance, what is 'Modern Day Mr. Darcy?"
Emily opened that particular folder to show a still shot of Damian from the fifth episode of the Glee Project, wearing tall yellow rain boots. She explained "Did you ever see the movie Pride and Prejudice, with Darcy wearing the riding breeches and boots that emphasized his lo-o-ng thighs? That's what you in these boots reminded me of. And your being a stage man," she said turning to see his face, "trained to dress for reaction, I can't help but think that you knew it was a quirky but good look for you."
He winked in response.
She smiled knowingly and shifted slightly so she was sideways, with her legs dangling from across his leg. "No sense in looking at the emails. You already know them."
He shook his head slightly and said "I still don't understand why you didn't just contact me. We could have built up a slow communication-like you did with Samuel."
She shrugged her shoulders. "I had no idea what was really going on with you. For all I knew, you and Cameron were actually a couple."
He rolled his eyes at the suggestion.
"Besides," Emily added mischievously, "by enlisting Bryce and Sam, I had backup if you rejected me."
"Oh ho," Damian said, "what about Matheus?"
"Sure, I love Matheus," she answered, "and I would have needed a lot of comfort if you'd said no."
Damian shook his head more vehemently. "That wouldn't have happened."
"That almost did happen," she reminded him.
He wrapped his arms around her and looked directly into her dark eyes. "Understand this. I was taken by surprise by your proposal and I didn't handle the response well. But there was no way Samuel or anyone else was going to take you away from me that morning. I would've wrestled you both to the ground, put you behind me and dared Sam to try to get through, if I'd had to."
This time Emily rolled her eyes. "Well thank goodness it didn't come to that," she said, returning her gaze to the computer screen.
Damian began slowly running his lips along her face and nuzzling the side of her neck. "What's 'It's my cute little tongue thing, dammit'," he asked.
She opened that folder to show the clip of all the contestants in the third episode, gathered in the rec room. "This was when you and I were having our silent communication about Lindsay's chattering and right here, you do the thing with your tongue against your teeth, see? Then the camera cuts to Cameron as if you were directing that to him. But he was on the other side of the round sofa so he wouldn't have seen it. It's my cute little tongue thing, dammit."
"Well if it helps," Damian offered, "I have plenty of tongue for you now."
"Against your teeth," Emily instructed, doing the same with hers. They allowed the exposed parts of their tongues to touch and shivered a little at the unusual sensation.
"So, are these the video clips that convinced you I might be worthy of you," Damian asked, pointing to a group of YouTube folders.
Emily answered, "I wouldn't put it like that but, yes. These are the videos that Alex sent me. This one is my favorite."
She opened the file of Damian, in a brown suit, with his signature loosened tie, singing Hold On.
Damian watched himself for a moment and chuckled. "You're so easy. All I have to do is stay in the first couple of octaves, and you're like putty in my hands. I guess I do seem more mature and swa-vay here," he said with a little surprise.
"Yummm," Emily responded, with her lips pressed to his cheek.
He pointed at one entry in the comments section. "You read Spanish. What does it say," he asked her.
"I love Damian McGinty," she answered.
Damian stared for a moment at her profile then said "Say it again."
She turned to face him then said precisely "The girl wrote 'I love Damian McGinty.' As you can see, that's what most of the hundreds of comments say. Those poor things would kill to be where I am right now."
He cupped her face in his hands and said "They're girls with a crush. You're a woman, with the man you've turned me into, who can't get enough of you."
Between kisses he said, "Come to L.A. with me. I don't want to leave you here."
"That's awfully impetuous for you," she observed.
Kissing her more ardently, Damian explained. " I have to be able to be normal around you. Right now my heart beats almost double time when I'm this close to you. I need to become familiar with you. And after the misunderstandings last week, we need more time together. Come on," he continued. "I'll take you to Disneyland, the beach, one of those cheesy tours of movie star homes, anything. I just want you with me."
Emily responded. "All I really want is for you to show me the area where you live and to go to Mass with you tomorrow. I wouldn't want you to miss it because of me."
Damian stopped as realization set in. "So you'll come," he asked excitedly.
She nodded, saying "I have to be in Oregon on Tuesday anyway to meet with the Hope's Voice people, so I can just go there from your place, if you want me there that long."
The huge smile on Damian's face indicated his….glee.
He rose from the chair and, leading Emily by the hand, moved to the coffee table where his phone was. He grinned down at the message from Alex from the previous night and showed it to Emily.
"I think we lived up to his expectations," Emily said laughingly.
Damian smirked and nodded in agreement. He hit a button on speed dial and instructed that he needed two flights from LaGuardia to LAX within the next two to three hours. "Buzz me back with details," he said.
To Emily he explained. "I chose LaGuardia because you went to the LaGuardia Fame high school, didn't you?"
"That's right," she said, delighted that he knew that.
"You're so talented," he said, kissing her again. "You can sing and dance too," he said teasingly. "Do you want me to sing you to bed again? I take requests."
Emily said, "just pick another song from your 'what will make Emily twinge file.'"
Damian thought for a moment, pulling out another classic from the low register...
Wise men say, only fools rush in
But I can't help
Falling in love with you
The phrasing allowed for kissing every couple of words without interrupting the flow of the tune. Damian was struck by the truth in the lyrics. He was definitely falling in love with Emily but knew she wasn't ready to hear it. So he proclaimed himself in song.
Her reaction indicated that the deep tone of the song, if not the words, had had their desired effect.
Just then Damian's phone buzzed. He looked at it with hostility and asked Emily, "Can you be ready in 45 minutes?"
"Not from underneath you, I can't," she said, struggling to get up from the bed.
Damian rolled off of her with reluctance and frustration.
She jumped up then said from the bathroom. "I'm just going to take a quick shower then you can if you'd like."
"Oh no," Damian said, rising and moving to the bathroom, "I'm not missing out on a shower again. This time we'll take it together."
He pulled back the shower curtain and saw Emily naked and dripping. "Wow," he said, "I didn't even think to say I wanted wet Emily. But I do now," he added, climbing into the old fashioned bathtub to take her into his arms.
She gave him a quick kiss and said "I'm sorry, Damian. I have to get ready."
She jumped out and walked to the door trailing water, as she'd failed to get a towel.
Damian watched her and said "What's that expression? Hate to see you go but love to watch you leave." He literally licked his lips with those words.
Emily stopped in the doorway and threw a seductive smile over her shoulder before continuing to her closet.
Damian watched until he couldn't see her, turned the cold water on full force, and surrendered his fevered head and body to the icy spray.