Damien Russo

*"What's life without a little risk?"*

-Damien, S1 E3, Coming Out of My Cage.

Damien Russo is a main character in Glee: NDNG. He's a junior, at the start of Season 1, and a member of the Cheerios, respected by the others, and most of the jocks. He is a member of the New Directions, as of the end of Pilot.

## Biography

#### Early Life

Damien had an unhappy childhood, with parents who never paid much attention to him, until the day he came out, when they immediately disowned him.

#### Season 1

Damien first appears in Pilot, lying down dramatically after a cheer rehearsal. He and Ophelia Yates listen to Beth Corcoran's plan to restart the Glee Club. In this conversation he playfully teases both his friends and their coach, until Ophelia chases him off.

He makes a confident entrance to his audition for the New Directions, and sings Elton John's I'm Still Standing.

In Edge, he shows his softer side, comforting a distressed Liam Cook in rehearsals. When Liam takes part in the What You Own sing off, Damien watches him closely, with a subtle grin, and congratulates him afterwards despite the outcome.

Damien's relationship with Liam grows more intimate in Coming Out of My Cage, when he helps Liam get the slushy out of his hair, and gives him a hoodie to borrow. He then appears in the performance of Totally Fucked. Later, in My Junk, he sings about Liam, winking at him in real life, and spinning him around in the dream sequence.

When Liam shows up at Damien's less-than-glamorous apartment later in this episode, it is revealed that Damien lives alone and works two jobs. The two share their problems, and end up sharing a kiss. Once Liam pulls away, Damien apologizes for putting him in a difficult situation, however they change the subject and happily chat over takeout.

In Popular, Damien appears with the Cheerios, catching the attention of Liam who is talking to Aubri Johnson. Damien tries to approach them however Aubri strategically places herself in the way, then Isabel Stanton calls Liam away. The coach demands he come to extra practice, and get a haircut, whilst backing him in to a locker which happens to be Liam's.

Damien tries to talk to Liam again after Glee Club rehearsal however Liam rushes off to class.

In Invitationals, Damien is seen teasing Ophelia in cheer rehearsal. Their attention is then drawn to Liam, who is watching, and this leads to Damien confiding in Ophelia that they kissed in his apartment until he pulled away. Damien explains that he won't try to take things further, to avoid confusing Liam. Ophelia questions Damien's belief that Liam is probably straight, but Damien changes the subject, respecting that it isn't their business.

When Liam and Aubri are trying to resolve their relationship later, Damien is seen walking past, which distracts Liam and therefore worries Aubri.

Damien appears in the performance of Good For You along with the others, expressing their anger about Beth's recent behaviour.

He comes to help Quentin Talley prepare their set at lunchtime, led there by Misty Erickson. Liam is also there which gives Damien his chance to confront him about why he's been avoiding him. They both want to be friends eventually, however Liam doesn't feel ready, so Damien agrees to keep his distance for a while.

Right before the club perform their medley at Invitationals, Damien comforts a disappointed Ophelia, as it is appears that neither of them have anyone in the audience to support them.

At the beginning of 6 Feet Under, Damien jokes about the similarities between Tobias Turner and Logan Abrams' respective relationships. Liam catches this, trying to hide his laughter, which leads to a brief and awkward conversation between them. Tobias asks about their relationship, but Damien say's there's nothing to tell. They know that one another are changing the subject but they agree to end the conversation and get to class. Valerie Lopez-Pierce appears and Damien playfully obstructs her locker, but when Viola James tells him to back off he apologizes and does so. He's so shocked by this new side of Viola (who is equally shocked) that he does everything she says and leaves.

Damien appears in the performance of Not What I Meant, towards the end, leaning against a wall. Afterwards he nearly gets a detention from Will Schuester, but runs away in time.

He also appears briefly in the performance of Under Pressure. He, Ophelia and Beth are then told off by Isabel for being late for cheer rehearsal because of Glee rehearsal. He doesn't hesitate to grovel on his knees with Beth.

At their next cheer rehearsal, Isabel is more satisfied with their performance, but wants more commitment from them, especially due to her hatred for Glee Clubs. Damien is at a loss for what to do about this, but agrees with Beth's determination to stick with Glee somehow. A moment of hesitation implies that Liam is a huge part of his attachment to Glee, and Ophelia clocks this, unimpressed. Damien tries to comfort his two friends by inviting them over for a movie night with ice cream. Ophelia turns this down for plans with Tobias, so Damien jokingly questions why she can have sex but not ice cream.

At the next Glee Club rehearsal, Damien is absent, as is Liam.

## Personality

Damien's a tease, to everyone he meets, which gets him into trouble, but when you get past that, he's sweet, and considerate. He loves his friends, and considers them his new family.

## Style/Appearance

Cheerio uniform with a hoodie over it is Damien's usual attire. (Sometimes even the skirt, when he isn't near the top of the pyramid.)

## Trivia

* Damien's vocal line tends to vary depending on what's needed, as he's versatile, and there are so many tenors.