Broken Kings (House of Cards...

In the last month there had been death ,destruction, explosions, aggressive sex and a few moments of attempted normalicy. Staring at the flames dancing above half melted candles, Reaper knew he had to keep faking happy or the others around him would see the weight and the wear his life had been piling on him. No one expected the birthday boy to look like he was still mourning on the inside but that was the truth. It had been almost two years since his sister Adrianna had been raped and murdered and it still hurt as much as when he had found her body. She should be here right now, scolding him for the way he'd been living his life. But she was gone and would never keep him in line again. And his family was still too shattered to realize how much he needed them.

Right now the entire Vega family was together, except for his uncle, aunt and a couple of cousins that had already left Spain. His Abuelo and Abuela were sitting at the head of the table, elderly but vigourous, face lined with experience and traces of their grief. His mother and father tried to keep busy and look like they weren't miserable and his younger brother Diego, Dio bless him, was actually playing with the bike Malcolm had been gifted with for his sixteen birthday. It wasn't a bicycle, but instead was a used and repaired dirt bike, a useful gift that he had not been expecting. The entire family had gone in on it for them to afford it and Reaper was touched by the gift. He just didn't know how to express that anymore.

Cake splattered into the side of Reaper's face and the room went quiet. The second splat as the icing and cake fell from his cheek to the table was loud and then the room filled with the healthy sound of surprised laughter. Maya smirked at Malcolm from her seat, her intentions clear as day with how smug she was now. The cake assault had broken the weird emotionless stall Reaper had been sitting in, and although the laughter never reached his eyes, he was laughing.

He knew that his family was all hoping that Maya being around indicated some kind of normal relationship between her and Malcolm, but the truth was something that none of the civilized Vegas would ever learn. That she was sleeping with the man that had plotted the kidnapping, drugging, rape and murder of Adrianna Vega. Yes Maya was doing it to gather information for Reaper, but that fact would just make things worse, not better, so it was easier to keep everyone in the dark. Reaper just hated to have to lie to his family's face so plainly. When Reaper had come in from his daily run to see the surprise party thrown by his parents, and Maya was here, he played along with the hug and kiss she gave him. There was a happy twinkle in his mother's eyes that had been missing for two years and it was a lie, but he let her have it.

Everyone at the birthday party was breaking off into conversations and Reaper took the opportunity to slip away from the noisy comfort of family to spend a second alone. Of course, coming from a large family, living with a gang for the last year, Malcolm should have known that he wasn't allowed alone time. He was outback for not even a five count before the sound of footsteps following sounded out. They were loud, confident and revealed that the walker was no threat long before Malcolm's father stepped into view.

"I know what you've been doing. You mother suspects, but she doesn't know the details." His father said simply, respecting his son enough to not beat around the bush.

Reaper didn't know what to say, the cold and emotionless place inside his chest quivered with a half remembered sensation of shame but he just hurt too much to really be bothered with how others looked at him. The same aloof disdain he had for his own reputation amongst the Burrio boys was in place now and it allowed him to shoulder the pressure of his father's disproval. He finally looked his father in the eye and shrugged. "For now I'm Reaper. Until I'm not anymore. The time between now and then is the unknown." he offered philosophically.

His father laughed without humor. "Malcolm, I'm worried that the time you're not Reaper anymore is going to occur only when I bury you in the ground. I've already outlived one of my children, don't make me outlive another." Reaper nodded his head softly, not agreeing but indicating that he was listening. His father sighed as he realized that the young man Malcolm had become wasn't going to back down on this. And even if his father hated it, he would continue on this course of action. Reaper saw his dad shaked his head and give another humourless laugh. "In the hallway closet there is a bullet proof vest. Anytime you step outside this house, I want you wearing that under your shirt. I don't care if you're sleeping, eating, swimming or f*cking, you wear it. Or you get out of this house. I cannot have you tear this family apart with your senseless death as well. Not if they're successful in their next drive by attempt." the elder Vega turned and went inside before the birthday boy could respond.

Malcolm listened to the sounds of his family having fun, even if the atmosphere was subdued with the voice that would never laugh with them again. His father's request was fair and Reaper nodded to himself as he turned to head inside. He pulled off his shirt and pulled on the vest, knowing he'd have some chafe marks until he got used to it. Grabbing a looser shirt from his father's closet, he headed back out and saw his father give him the manly nod. He would be staying with his family, and his father would be reading the obituary every morning if he didn't come home at night.

"What did you wish for?" Carlitos asked Reaper when he sat back down. He'd been the one to not only inform Mr. Vega of Malcolm's activities, he'd given the man the vest as well.

"World peace." Reaper replied sarcastically. He'd figured out already how a brand new bullet proof vest had fallen into his science nerd of a father's hands.

Carlitos smiled gently but his eyes were staring out at the happily chatting family as if he was a creature in a cage and they were tourists in a zoo. "In two days time we're getting a chance at Juntez. Maya says that he's leading the brute squad to retaliate for our little boom the other day."

Reaper nodded and felt the corners of his mouth curl in a cruel smile as he relished the chance to face one of those bastards and bring him pain. He didn't particularily care who at this point, his brain was losing the rational, adult logic he'd been operating with and now he was descending into a vengeance fuelled fantasy of the nasty things he imagined being able to do in return. "The boys have their own gift for you, so if you're just about done here...." Carlitos stood up and walked out of the party without a single goodbye.

Reaper was less rude, he got a kiss from his mother and Abuela, a handshake from his father and a hug from his brother. It felt strange because he knew they were all looking at him differently today, even though he was the exact same as yesterday. It was only to them that the change in his age was important, to those that mattered, him being young would mean nothing. Though the other gangsters always loved any chance to party and celebrate, so Reaper was anticipating a wild night.

They took him to The Rising Sun. It was a strip club in the city and it was actually rather classy, or as classy as a bunch of street running gangsters would find appealing. The women looked clean but bored, the music was tin canned and loud, the drinks cold, wet and someone else's problem to pay for. And this being Reaper and his all important sixteenth birthday, they boys paid for a very special birthday treat. The showcase stripper had a chair for him on the stage, and when she stripped and gave him a lap dance, it turned into a public screw very quick. Even so, Reaper insisted on basic precautions and found the entire thing rather irritating rather than arousing, but he never let on.

Drunk, tired, sticky and on his way to the worst hang over he would ever endure, Malcolm came home and wondered for the first time if he shouldn't just walk away from it all. Tell his father that he wanted out of this world, that they all needed to follow Adrianna's dream and move to Canada. He would hurt and the regret would stay with him always but then he wouldn't be living this horrible lie, making his family hurt so bad. Carlitos would never hold it against him, but that would be condemning his friend to hunting for revenge alone. Maya's debt was to Malcolm, not Carlitos and she would ditch the Burrio Boys the moment he wasn't one of them anymore. And he wasn't cruel enough to do that, he wasn't as dead inside as he would like to be. And that might be a problem considering that he needed to be cold if he was going to make Juntez pay. It was finally beginning.