I'm Never Gonna Fall In Line

I'll never go down your road I find my way on my own I'll never follow your path I'll make mine and I won't look back

[danteramsey-blog]

mimi-rodriguez:

Mimi slowly crawled to the end of the bed, tipping her head to the side ever so slightly a confused look clouding her features, “What are you talking about Dante?” She asked, biting her lip slowly. “I’m sure that it’s not as bad as you think it is.” She wasn’t entirely sure what to say, especially considering that she wasn’t sure what he was talking about. 

“What do you mean Mila?” Mimi asked slowly, clenching her jaw ever so slightly, “Why were you with Mila?” A thousand different reasons he could have been with her passed through her head, but Mimi decided to ignore those. She didn’t want to think about Dante being with her for any reason at all, especially if it involved clothes not being on. Dante wouldn’t do that though, would he? Could she even judge him if he did? “Please don’t say things like that.” She said quickly, not wanting to think about the possibility that he might not be around anymore. “Whatever happened to Mila isn’t your fault, it’s going to be fine.” Her hand slowly moved towards his, carefully she set it on top, giving it a small squeeze. “I’ll make it okay. I’m not worried about Mila though, she could die in a ditch and it wouldn’t change my life. I just want to know if you’re okay.” 

Shit. Trying to keep his work life separate from his personal life was already harder than he assumed it’d be. He didn’t need Mimi worrying about what he was doing, not when they both had so much going on. “It’s complicated, just needed a bigger paycheck. No worries, it’s nothing you wouldn’t approve of.” He said nonchalantly, nodding his head. 

This was probably the most intimate they had been with each other in what felt like ages. There was something about it, something about it that somehow calmed him. Even after everything, he knew that deep down he loved her. Their relationship was anything but ideal and he was more than sure that they were mainly together on Ellie’s behalf, but he at least knew that. Even if there wasn’t a spark anymore, he at least knew that. “I’m fine, you know me. I was more worried about you and Ellie this whole time. “Where were you when it happened? The black-out I mean.”

[danteramsey-blog]

mimi-rodriguez:

Mimi had showered twice since getting home, hoping to wash any remains from her night off her. The hot water had long since run out by the time she stepped out of her second shower, though she hardly noticed, cold water was just something that she’d grown used to. The fact that Dante still wasn’t home was a bit troubling, but Mimi had faith that he would contact her when he could. Once she’d put clothes on, settling for sweatpants and a tank top, she sat on their bed, mindlessly watching her phone waiting to see if she’d hear from him. 

The sound of his voice made her jump a slight panicked look coming over her face before she relaxed, looking him over slowly. “I’m not going to say it was great, but it wasn’t the worst of my life… What happened?” 

Dante sat on the edge of their bed, taking off his shoes and tossing them to the side. At least she didn’t have an extremely bad experience. Shaking his head, he turned to face her. “I fucked up, ya know?” Of course she didn’t know but he didn’t know how else to explain what had happened blatantly. 

“Mila was taken all ‘cause I thought that we were safe in the Galvani’s mansion.” He ranted, surprised at what events had taken place. “I don’t even know who took her, I was supposed to defend her.” He noted, mainly upset at the fact that she was someone else’s child. If that was Ellie in her shoes, he’d want to rip apart whoever was supposed to look after her. “I’m surprised that they haven’t already taken me out.” His voice was serious, he had no idea what the hell to do. “God, I messed up.” 

[danteramsey-blog]

He couldn’t believe that in a matter of minutes, he had fucked up big time with the Galvani mafia. He was only given one job, and he thought that he would be able to handle that job without a hitch. He was very much so wrong. Keeping his head down as he walked into the apartment that he called home, he didn’t even bother kicking off his shoes. He had no doubt that Ellie was probably sleeping and he knew that in fact she was safe, due to the previous phone call that he had with his daughter earlier.

Immediately going into the bedroom, Dante was taken back by Mimi already in their bedroom. H “Hey,” He said softly, “I hope you had a better night than I did.”

@mimi-rodriguez

[danteramsey-blog]

salxgalvani:

@danteramsey

Salvatore kept thinking about Mila, the way she looked on that hospital bed, the way she sounded, how she cried. She looked outright scared, he could see right through her, and he had to find out what happened, where the fuck was Ramsey when she got hurt in that brutal way? Truth be told, he wanted to grab Dante and slam him against every wall for letting that happen to her, but Sal had to see reason, and at least ask the questions first, this time. His eyes laid on the door when Dante showed up, and Salvatore didn’t even bother with the pleasantries, not anymore “What the hell happened to my fiancée?” he didn’t raise his voice, he didn’t throw a fit, he kept his voice low but dangerously serious at the same time, his finger pointing at the seat on the other side of the desk, in case Dante wished to sit down while he explained.

He was so worried about Mila, that he hadn’t thought about what was going to happen to him. Being told to go to Salvatore, he felt as if he was getting called to the assistant principal’s office. Except Dante knew that he royally fucked up. What was going to happen to him? He was nervous as hell. He wasn’t familiar with their rules, he was new to all of this. Taking a deep breath, Dante made sure that his posture was perfect, trying to make sure he was showing Salvatore some respect. “I don’t know.” He said before, shaking his head, wanting to make his statement clear. “I mean it wasn’t supposed to happen. She was just gonna change and find some calendars, and I was gonna try to find the generator. I let her go get changed and then when I realized something didn’t add up...” His voice faded as he looked down at his feet. “I’m sorry.” He said, looking up at the man. “It probably doesn’t help any now, but I’m sorry.”

[danteramsey-blog]

milenakuragina :

Mila offered him a placating smile as she unlocked the doors to the Galvani estate and slipped inside, holding the door just long enough for him to get in. The Galvani manor in the dark resembled something out of a horror movie. All grand, imperious, and menacing. As if one wrong step might lead to your doom…

“I believe the generator should be in the basement? Truthfully, I haven’t taken the time to try and find it up until now.” She shifted with discomfort, wringing her hands as she cast Dante a look over her shoulder. “And I’m not a very big fan of the dark.”

And then, an idea struck. “I’ve some candles in my room. Trust me, Dante, I can handle making it up the stairs and down the hall. I’ll change into something more comfortable– and you can find the generator. And make your phone calls while you’re at it. Does that sound like a good plan?”

Dante locked the door behind him. He didn’t need any stupid kids following them in.

“I wouldn’t expect you to, it’s not the first thing people think of when they move into a place as big as this.” Truth is, he wasn’t either. Even when he was little, he always insisted on having a night light placed in his bedroom. “Then we’re in this together.” He chuckled, “But no worries, I got your back.” Dante added. 

She was right, there was no harm in the comfort in the mansion that she occupied. “Okay yeah, I got the generators and you got the candles.” He confirmed. “We’ll meet back here?” He asked, knowing that he was going to try to do his mission as quickly as possibly. He had no idea how to even work a generator but he figured that as soon as he got down there, and found it it’d be a bit more clear.

[danteramsey-blog]

milenakuragina:

Mila offered him a look that could only translate to: are you fucking kidding me? With a soft sigh, she put a hand into her coat pocket and removed her house keys. Extending them to Dante, she looked warily around the estate. Wasn’t it safer inside than to roam about out? 

“I think we should be going inside– we can check the generator, maybe? I think we’ll be far more comfortable sitting in the dark of the manor than sitting in the dark in the streets, yes?” Before he could protest, Mila continued trudging toward the manor’s front entrance. 

“And if you’d like, you’re welcome to call any loved ones you have waiting on you. I’ve never experienced a black-out before,” she added the last bit in an almost excited whisper.

She knew what was best, he had already learned better than to question her in what she wanted to do. He nodded at the woman, “Okay, yeah. I don’t know a whole lot of shit about generators but we could check out.” Maybe she had experience with generators herself. 

He didn’t think that sitting in a dark place was any better, it was still dark. “Maybe if we get some candles, yeah. If we can find any.” 

The mention of loved ones almost caused Dante to say another curse word. He was trying his best to not curse in front of Mila. He had the mouth of a trucker, and he didn’t want Mila to think any more low than she did of him already. His first thought was Ellie, was she okay? Scared? Hurt? It’s not like he could check on her in person. How was he even going to get a hold of her? Then again he didn’t want to know if she wasn’t okay. Ignorance is bliss, after all. Then there was Mimi, he had no idea what she was doing but he hoped that she was safe. “Thank you, I’ll call them once we figure out what’s happening.” Though he knew he wasn’t going to shake Ellie from his mind.

“Trust me, they aren’t as fun as you’d think. We’re just lucky that it’s not the dead of winter.” He admitted. “Do you know where the generator would be or anything?”

[danteramsey-blog]

“You know, I think I would kill for a day all to myself,” Mila threw the words over her shoulder as she continued down the front walkway of the Galvani manor. Her afternoon had been filled with arguments over email, arguments over the phone, and arguments over text messages. Whether these were shared between her and a business associate or her and her parents was a mystery only Mila knew how to solve. At the end of the day, all she wanted was peace. 

Peace and quiet.

Quiet and ease.

Something Chicago severely lacked.

“What say you, my friend? I imagine that if I had to spend my days trailing after me I too would–” she broke off, her words slipping instead into a simple Russian curse: Yebát. It was half past six in the evening and every single light on the Galvani estate seemed to blink out one after the other. Like something out of a horror movie. Turning her gaze out to the neighborhood, Mila could see that it wasn’t just the Galvani’s who were affected. 

She turned to Dante. Her shadow. Her reluctant companion. Now, her sword and shield. “What,” she asked, “is going on?”

@danteramsey

His orders had been clear, and he was following them. He heard what happened to those who didn’t follow the exact orders that Don Emilio set out for them. He nodded at her words, knowing that he too would kill for a day that included just him and his daughter. Life was never that simple though. 

“Yeah, tell me about it.” He added, mainly for just himself to hear. 

Dante stepped back for a moment, watching every light around them shut off, the darkness becoming quite evident after a few seconds. “I have no idea.” He said honestly, looking around. “Some black-out of some sort, I’m guessing.” What the hell was he supposed to do now? Was it safe for her to go back into the manor with no lights on? “Shit.” He announced, looking around cluelessly. “Maybe we should just get going? See if it’s not just around here? I don’t know.”

[officialqueenbae]

Sadness fucks me way too often. Leaves at the shortest of notice. Flirts with my soul and takes that too.

when depression fucks you over (via officialqueenbae)

[danteramsey-blog]

What’s your full name? “Dante James Ramsey. Fancy, I know.”

When’s your birthday? “June 23rd, so we’ve got a while to go before then.” 

Where were you born? “Chicago born and raised.” 

Do you have any tattoos, piercings, birthmarks, or scars? “Yeah I have a tattoo with Ellie’s birthdate in Roman numerals on my left pec. I have too many scars to name. I also have my lobes pierced.”

If yes, what are the stories behind them? “My tattoo is kind of obvious, and I’ve had my ears pierced since I was like eighteen since all of my friends did the same thing. The scars are just from being around, I guess. I fell on my bike back when I was eleven and I have a nasty knee scar. I also have one from my football days where some asshole cleated me and it hurt like fuck. The others are not as significant.”

What is your current living situation? “I live in an apartment with my girlfriend and our daughter. It’s kinda crammed sometimes but we make it work.”

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do? “Honestly, it was way back in high school when I had to decide to give up my scholarships or help support my family. I made the right decision in the end.”

What’s your favorite movie? “Terminator, hands down. Come with me if you wanna live.”

Do you have any hidden talents? “When I was younger I used to be able to do some card tricks but I’ve lost my touch.”

What do you like to do in your spare time? “Spare time? What the hell is spare time and how can I get some?”

What habits do you have? “I crack my knuckles a lot and Ellie tells me I chew extremely loud. I fidget a lot, I don’t like having to sit in one place for a long time. I also always try to be early.”

Would you consider yourself to be introverted or extroverted? “Introverted, I guess. I dunno, never really thought too much about it. I’m not one to go out of my way to speak to someone but if a stranger’s talking to me, I’ll respond.”

Are you a quick thinker or do you need time to process and analyze a situation before acting? “Both depending on the situation. If it’s a long-term effect, I’ll analyze and everything but if it’s short-term, I’ll usually just act quickly.”

You get 3 wishes. What are they? And no, you can’t wish for more wishes. “My first wish would be to be able to never have to worry about bills ever again. My second wish would be that my daughter has the best rest of her childhood and teenhood that she could ever imagine. Lastly, I guess it would be to automatically repair any rifts in any relationships that I have.”

Are you religious in any way? “Not really. If I want help with doing something, I might pray, I guess but I’m not super into the whole religion scene. But if you are, that’s cool too.”

[danteramsey-blog]

rdahar:

“It’s that way with everything, right? Coke from a bottle always tastes better than from the fountain. At least, to me anyway.” Rafael shrugged, unscrewing the top to his beer. Raf had been a little busier than usual with work. He hated it. Late nights usually left him too exhausted to do anything the following day. However, that particular day was free of work. And the next day, too. He was determined to take advantage of it. "Anyway. You here alone? I was supposed to come with my friends, but they all got ‘busy.’ Whatever, y'know? I can drink alone.“ In all actuality, Rafael hated being alone. He was almost surrounded by his group of friends, but when he found out they were all busy, Raf decided to go out alone anyway. He desperately needed to unwind. 

 “Nah, I think you’re right, though I’m more of a Pepsi fan.” He admitted with a shrug. “Yeah, just needed some downtime to myself, I guess.” Dante didn’t particularly have friends. Or rather, he didn’t have time for friends. Back in high school, that was practically opposite. But times changed and so had he, now the single word, bills, floated around in his head most of the time. “They can’t even grab a drink? Who would turn down going out for at least one drink. You like drinking alone?”

[flawlessgentlemen]

[danteramsey-blog]

salxgalvani:

Salvatore sipped from his drink when Dante started speaking to him, his head turning into his direction rather lazyly. Not because he was bothered by the question, but because he was – well, lazy “I honestly have no idea. Let’s ask it.” Salvatore turned his whole focus on Dante’s beer “Hey yellow buddy, we are curious, and we were hoping you could shed some light here. Why do you taste better from the bottle than when we get it from the tap?”

That was a reaction that Dante wasn’t sure he could have ever imagined getting. It was refreshing, to see a man who was highly regarded, so candid. “I don’t know if he’s answering, maybe I already drank the part of the bottle that speaks.” Dante joked, chuckling at his own words. “Why you gotta taste so damn good?” He joined in, asking the bottle a question as well.

[danteramsey-blog]

mimi-rodriguez:

“Yes, extra limes.” She added, looking past Dante to the bartender. “Just like, a little bowl of limes with my drink. Thanks.” Mimi ran her tongue over her lips, looking down at her shoes. “This isn’t the time, but we need to talk and we need to do it soon. We’re avoiding this,” she gestured between the two of them, “whatever is happening here. We’re avoiding it and we need to figure it out. It’s not just you, it’s both of us, I’m not blaming you, I just need us to figure it out because Ellie doesn’t deserve this and all this pretending makes me feel I’m lying to her. This isn’t the time just… I need you to make time for me Dante, I need you to make time for us because we need to talk about this.” 

His head turned towards her as she spoke, though he just looked at his feet. Talking about what they were, what they were going through, only made it more real. “And just when do you think we could talk? We're either with Ellie and when we’re not, at least one of us is working. It’s not like we have time to talk.” He muttered, not even wanting to acknowledge the fact that they had to talk. He loved her, that should be enough, but it wasn’t. “I’ll tell you what. We’ll set aside a time, maybe in the morning one day, and we’ll talk about whatever you wanna talk about. Alright?”

[danteramsey-blog]

Nevada typically doesn’t drink during the weekdays, only Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. But after another failed attempt at getting Cisco to fucking talk to her, she desperately needed a drink. She ordered a honey bourbon on the rocks and was waiting for it when she heard the other man talk to her. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow, surprised and amused by the “philosophical” question. “Possibly because they water down the beer in the tap a bit. I have no idea, honestly.”

He nodded, pondering on her answer to his inquiry. "That’s actually true, and that’s definitely why. Taps are shit, I’m telling you. Except when you open it wrong and it overflows everywhere, happens to me all the time.” He shrugged, flashing a smile. “What’s that you got there?”

[danteramsey-blog]

milenakuragina:

“Oh.” Mila’s mouth formed a perfect circle. Don Emilio really had heeded her words. She was both surprised and… perhaps even a little impressed. As if her previous actions hadn’t even occured, Mila stepped to the side of the sidewalk and outstretched a slim hand to the man. To her bodyguard.

“Mila Kuragina–so lovely to make your acquaintance! You know, I’ve been waiting on receiving a man of your… profession for some time now. I’m sure Don Emilio chose wisely.” She beamed at the man, now all smiles. Though once more she surveyed his person and let out a breath of laughter. “Though we may have to do something about your choice of attire.”

Dante noticed the shift in her attitude immediately, wondering how just the mention of him being her bodyguard shifted her actions. Dante shook her hand, strongly gripping it as he did so. Almost to ensure that she knew that he was strong. “Dante Ramsey, it’s cool to meet you.”

He hoped that Don Emilio chose wisely. This was Dante’s first bodyguarding gig and while he had an idea, he wasn’t entirely sure what it consisted of. He figured it wasn’t necessary to mention that she was his first assignment, at least not yet, in fear of getting his head ripped off. “I hope so too. I’m a street fighter so I’m used to beating the crap outta people.” He shrugged before looking down at his clothes. He was wearing a faded t-shirt with worn out shoes. What was wrong with his outfit?  Sure he wasn’t the fanciest or fashionable person, but did that really matter? “What’s wrong with it?” He smiled. They were going to spend a lot of time together, it would help if they were both amicable. 

[danteramsey-blog]

katherineschafer:

Katherine looked into her drink. Blonde liquid swirled in her pint glass. “Do you think?” she asked, before shrugging. “All I know is that the tap and a bottle are better than a can. I feel like I can taste the aluminum.”

“Honestly a can is only good for shotgunning. I hope that that’s all that people buy them for.” He nodded, agreeing with the younger woman. “I think so, definitely. There’s something so satisfying about opening a bottle, y’know?”

[danteramsey-blog]

milenakuragina:

She looked at the man with an expression that was filled with nothing short of disdain. Sighing, she apologized in Russian and told her father she would call him back soon. Slipped her phone into her pocket. Scowled. The basics for a European A-lister who had just been so rudely interrupted. Though perhaps she was blowing it up in her head.

Continuing on with her stride, she gestured for Dante to follow. “Walk with me, talk with me,” she instructed and continued without missing a beat, “you don’t want my change. This is good. But a ‘boss’ told you to meet me? Without my knowing? This is not as good. I would love an explanation.”

Uncomfortable was an understatement. How could one woman infuriate him within a matter of a few sentences? As if she was above him, he couldn’t stand pretentious attitudes. At the end of the day, they were all the same: everyone has to shit the same way. 

“Oh, maybe I was supposed to tell you. I don’t know how all of this works yet.” He announced, though they were mainly thoughts that he was making public. “I’m not here to kill you or anything. I’m here to do the opposite, I’m your bodyguard.” Realizing that this was probably not the best foot to start on, Dante paused. “Wait, can I start over?” He asked, though it was more rhetorical than anything as he didn’t wait for a response. “I’m Dante, it’s nice to meet you. I’m gonna be your bodyguard.” He shrugged, not knowing how to go about this.