#florian:intro

[gthswns]

— FLORIAN D’ANGELO

Full Name: Florian D’Angelo Face claim: Mark Strong Age: 54 Date of Birth: September 12th, 1965 Hometown: Naperville, Illinois Current Location: New Orleans, Louisiana; last 2 years Occupation: primary care doctor at New Orleans General Hospital

Florian’s life has been an uphill battle from the start — the eldest of six children, he was stuck with the duty of a caretaker from the very beginning. Whenever his parents were too busy with tending to their business, he’d end up taking care of his younger brothers, even when half the chores really shouldn’t have been done by a kid. He was an obedient child, figuring he’s got no other choice, only putting his foot down when he turned eighteen. He told his parents that he wanted to go to college, instead of, as planned for years, work at his family’s tailor shop, which, later down the line, he was supposed to take over. There were many arguments which in the end he won. Florian wanting to go his own way was definitely the start of the relationship between him and his parents deteriorating.

The plan he’s set up for himself was simple, college, med school, residency and a start of a career that would let him live independently. He was all work and no play during college, focusing on doing his best and more. As hardworking as he was, he wasn’t going to settle for anything other than perfect, no matter what. Everything seemed to be going according to plan until he was half-way through med school where he met Mauro. The whole relationship happened quickly and before either of them knew what they actually wanted, there was a child on the way and pressure from both their families to get married. So they did, even though both Florian and Mauro were close to breaking everything off. Florian was forced to drop out of school and take care of their child. Three years later there was more family on the way, a set of twins this time, which pushed Florian’s dreams even further away from him. 

It took another four years for Florian to finally put his foot down again — he left his husband and then soon enough he was divorced and free to do whatever he wanted. He started with coming out and transitioning, something that’s always been on his mind but due to his circumstances, wasn’t possible before. Going back to school was the next thing he wanted to focus on and thanks to his two brothers (only two, because the rest of his family has cut all ties with Florian by then)  who offered to help with his children and money, Florian was able to finish his studies and complete his residency. He took up a position at the local hospital and when his skills improved, he moved to Chicago where another, better job was lined up for him.

For a couple years things were good and then all of a sudden they weren’t — one of his brothers was killed and because Florian and Cesare were really close, the loss hit him very hard. Florian started working too much and then drinking too much and sometimes even mixing the two. Everything caught up to him when one night he almost operated under the influence. He was let go from his job soon after and once again, one of his brothers, the only other one who was still speaking to him, stepped in to help. Alberto offered an unconventional solution — to work with him. Florian knew that his brothers were involved in what was pretty much a gang, for years, the money he got from them couldn’t come from anything legal, considering how quickly and how much of it was coming in. And since Florian couldn’t see himself going back to work anytime soon, he figured that stitching up criminals is the next best thing. 

When Alberto told him he’s moving south, Florian was desperate to follow, afraid to lose the last of his family he had left. His kids have long moved out and got on with their lives, he was alone, there was nothing left to lose. Florian followed Alberto to New Orleans but decided to stay away from his brother’s business this time, which put a strain on their relationship. Florian managed to land himself a job at the hospital to get himself back on track and he’s been working there ever since.