whenever people reblog/like my old mayans mc gifs i'm just reminded of how badly they screwed over coco's character... he had so much potential in the first two seasons just for them to.... do whatever they did
Summary: Her niece had been in a fight, that was the voicemail Salacia received from her older sister one day. Little did she know exactly how that one message would change her life. Picking up her niece and meeting the teenager’s friend’s father opened her world backup. / Coco had no idea that picking up Letty and her new friend would lead to meeting the teenager’s aunt, a young single mother who would change his life forever. For the better. / It won’t be easy but they need each other.
In this chapter: The run has thankfully ended and everyone returns home, a little banged up bit in one piece. Salacia gets introduced to even more of Coco’a brothers and this world of his.
Trigger/Content Warning(s): none
Word Count: 2480
A/N: Finally have AC again, so I can think enough to post.
Five long days before the crew rode back onto the lot. Effectively ending the lockdown. They weren’t alone; a few members from another charter rode in with them. Salacia and the other ladies had a big meal planned for when they got back. They all shared a look glad she knew how to feed an army.
She wrung her hands a bit before seeing Coco get off his bike. He pulled his helmet off and looked up, his eyes instantly scanning for her and a relieved grin spreading over his face seeing her. She hurried over when she was certain she could and threw her arms around his neck. Not caring that it was obviously a day or two since his last shower. She was just glad he was back.
He let her hug him, giving her a tight squeeze as well, “Miss me Ma?” He asked with a shit eating grin.
“Of course,” she laughed before leaning in to murmur in his ear, “Every second you were gone.”
He felt his heart speed up. She knew just how to fluster him. He could fluster her as well.
“I need a shower,” He said when she finally pulled back.
“Mallie is down for a nap,” She said, a warning to not be too loud when he went back to shower.
He nodded and headed inside with her. She saw Taylor pressing a very open kiss on Angel’s lips which made her smile. Her sister deserved happiness too.
Coco walked back to his room and quietly set his bag down, looking at the bed and seeing Malachai snoozing soundly. It made his heart speed up in a different way. It was a fatherly affection that had been growing even stronger than when he first started trying again with Letty.
Salacia smiled and pecked his lips, “Get yourself cleaned up, Taylor, the girls, and I have a big meal planned for everyone so you get something home cooked after coming home from a long run.” She murmured.
“You’re so good to me, Mama.” He said, “To us.”
“They’re your family and we’re together.” She assured him, “And I am only as good as you deserve, Papi.”
He smiled at her, he knew he would have Templo after everyone had the chance to clean up. She walked back out and greeted the members who she knew when she passed them. Seeing Taylor and the girls waiting for her she headed there way, pausing to tell Bishop what she and Taylor had planned.
“I swear if that idiot doesn’t marry you I really will find someone who will.” He joked.
Salacia laughed and patted his shoulder. It was nice to be appreciated. She headed into the kitchen with Taylor to start putting things together. She had thought of a meal that was quick and easy to prepare and fed a lot of people.
Pasta came to mind.
“Alright girls, while you all work on chopping the onions and garlic for the sauce I’ll tell you how I make the meatballs while Taylor and I work on making them.” She said while putting a couple of cloves of garlic wrapped in foil into the oven for garlic bread.
Everyone went to work on what they needed to do.
—
Everything was together and covered in foil to stay warm until Templo let out. Malachai had woken up while they were in there and Salacia had set him up with a coloring book while the girls finished up in the kitchen.
Salacia grabbed a soda and went to sit by her son mussing his curls like usual making him laugh and bat at her hand like usual. She laughed softly and pulled out her phone to read a little.
She kept her eye on the Templo doors. She wanted to surprise Malachai with Coco’s return. He had been so anxious for him to come back. When she heard the loud gavel hit the block she looked at her son with a grin.
“Mallie, you’ve been a good boy right, mijo?” She asked.
“Si Momma.” Malachai said looking up at her with wide brown eyes, curiosity filling them.
“Perfect, ‘cause there’s a surprise for you.” She said in a sing-song voice.
She heard EZ chuckle from behind the bar. She grinned at him before looking back at Malachai. He was buzzing with excitement which made her smile widen even more. He began to ask what it was when the Templo doors opened. The guys all wandered out in their own time, Malachai was watching, curious of the new faces and smiling at the ones he did know until he saw Coco and his smile widened.
He was off the couch and running calling out the man’s name, Salacia’s soft laugh following him. To his credit, Coco didn’t care about his ego or reputation the second he heard Malachai call his name. He quickly bent and scooped the five year old up, holding him making the boy laugh happily, hugging the man who had become his father figure.
“Hey, Little Man, did you take care of your Mom and Letty for me like you promised?” He asked.
“Si!” Malachai declared proudly.
“Good boy.” Coco praised him.
“Didn’t know you had another kid,” one of his club brothers from the Oakland charter asked.
“I do now.” Coco said with a shrug still letting Malachai cling to him, “This is Malachai.”
Salacia walked over just in time to answer the question of who his mom was, “I am,” she said and Malachai tried to get Coco to pass him to his mom for a hug.
Coco did so carefully knowing it was getting a little too hard for her to carry him. She still held him and kissed his cheek before setting him down.
“Why don’t you go back to your coloring, mijo.” She said and the boy nodded and ran off back to what he was doing.
“Coloring book or just a notebook.” Taza asked, having noticed the boy preferred to draw.
“Notebook, I swear I have an artist in the making.” She laughed.
To those who didn’t know her the sweetness was shocking. But they hadn’t seen how the relationship had developed with Coco. How she made her place within the club.
Even if Coco hadn’t given her the title yet.
Bishop walked over with another man at his side and she felt Coco straighten up just a bit. She didn’t know if she should walk away, in case it was business but Bishop gave her a nod that it was okay as the men started talking. Bishop mentioned that Salacia and her sister were the ones who had decided to make food for everyone, her cheeks darkened but she smiled.
She smiled politely as Coco introduced her to the man, Marcus Alvarez, he was the big boss for all Mayans charters, she’d heard his name mentioned a few times. But she’d tuned out anything else mainly because she didn’t want to know any of the true Mayans business.
but her smile brightened to probably rival EZ’s megawatt grin at how Coco introduced her, “This is Salacia, she’s my Old Lady.”
—
Salacia was sitting at a picnic table with Coco, and her Son, eating the meal that she, Taylor, and the girls had worked on, while everyone else ate as well. Letty and Persephone were off on their own eating and laughing. She saw Taylor and Angel were sitting together making Salacia smile.
Salacia leaned over to wipe her son’s face when he got sauce all over it. She laughed.
“That’s why I never put him in white shirts.” She said with a laugh, “He’s still so messy.”
Coco smiled before motioning over to her sister and Angel, “You still okay with them?” He asked.
“Yeah, according to my sister they took things slow for the relationship part, kinda like we did.”
She looked at him.
Coco nodded, “I’ve never seen him that way, you know, like legitimately happy. At least in a while.” He observed.
“I think they might be able to say the same for you.” She murmured leaning over to peck his cheek, “We’re all damaged in our own way, there’s things about Taylor’s past that you don’t know, and things about mine that Angel doesn’t. Because those are parts of our lives reserved for partners.”
Coco nodded and set his hand on her thigh while they sat. She smiled at the action. The subtle possessiveness always made her feel comforted. She knew he would protect her from anything or anyone.
A couple of the guys from Oakland walked over, Marcus and according to the patch, his VP. Coco greeted them as they sat down across from the small blended family unit. Thought it was incomplete due to Letty being off with Salacia’s niece. Marcus thanked her for the food and asked how they met.
“His daughter and my niece are pretty much inseparable. We met about a year ago because they got into a fight with some other girls at school. Or more accurately Seph, my niece, got jumped and Letty jumped in to help her.” Salacia said, “Taylor couldn’t get out of a meeting at work and I got off early, so I picked her up from Coco’s place.”
“We made a bet on which girl would crack and tell us what happened first.” Coco added, “Seph did, so I paid for coffee.”
“Life kinda kept having us interact and...well here I am.” She said.
Marcus looked over at Malachai who was happily eating but looking curiously at him and his VP. His shyness had started to dissipate once starting school but still. He didn’t know them. But he recognized the kuttes so he knew that Coco must know them.
“Little Mal is my son with my late fiancé.” She said, “Coco’s been his father figure since we got serious. Pretty much the only other one he’s had. In my opinion it takes a real man to step up for a kid like he has.” She noticed Coco trying not to get flustered but smiling.
“What happened to his father?” Marcus’s VP asked.
Salacia looked at her son who was finished eating and just swinging his feet wanting to go play. She quickly wiped his face again.
“Hey Mijo, How about you go and pester your Auntie Taye and Angel, okay?” She murmured and he nodded, hopping up and running over to his aunt and her new boyfriend.
“He doesn’t know the details.” Coco said.
“He was six months old,” Salacia explained, “We were out grocery shopping as a family and some racist old prick decided to harass me, using some very choice words for my child, when he put his hands on me Malachai, his father Malachai, got between us and...the bastard shot him...he died before he got to the hospital...pretty much in my arms.”
It still broke her heart to think about it. To talk about it. Seeing the man you loved die like that. She shook her head trying to clear the sadness away for now.
“Jesus,” Marcus said, “If he’s in jail in California you know…”
She understood what the offer was and was shocked, Coco was as well.
“Texas.” She answered before he could finish the offer, “Already got the death sentence.”
He nodded, and they talked for a moment longer before the pair got up leaning Coco and Salacia at their table. She leaned on his shoulder.
“I’m so happy you’re back.” She murmured.
“Worried about me querida?” Coco asked with a chuckled.
“Always.” She laughed, turning her head so he could capture his lips.
“Welcome to the life,” he joked, “Still sure you wanna be around all this?”
“Definitely.” She assured him, smiling.
—
Finally back at home after yet another night in the clubhouse Salacia breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t minded it up there, except for the worry that filled her every second he was away. Even a text before bed each morning and night didn’t feel like enough sometimes. She was terrified even more than a usual run.
She was separating laundry when Coco walked into the garage where everything was hooked up and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
“You never stop unless I make you, do you?” He teased.
“I can’t help it, keeping my hands busy keeps my mind from working overtime.” She admitted, “I was more scared this time, does that make sense? You go on runs, some across the damn border, and I haven’t been scared like this before.”
“A run while the club is on lockdown is different. It’s not common but it is a more dangerous situation for us, so you being more scared...yeah, it makes sense. I was worried too, worried I wouldn’t come home to you...worried something would happen when I was gone and couldn’t protect you…” he said honestly.
“Well, you’re home.” She said, “And I’m okay. Eventually this feeling will go away. Right now I’m just happy you’re home.”
Salacia turned and smiled at him, “But there was something I wanted to ask you.” She set her arms over his shoulders.
“Oh yeah?” He tilted his head.
“Old Lady, huh?” She asked with a soft smile.
Coco chuckled, a soft blush dusting his cheeks, “Well yeah, I mean it makes sense right?” He said trying to keep his emotions in check as usual, even though he didn’t really have to do that with her, “You’re my woman, we live together, and well you do everything an Old Lady does, you should have the title.”
She giggled and leaned in pecking his lips, “I like it,” she said, “More official than just girlfriend.”
“Yeah, means a lot in this world of mine, Mami.” He said.
Salacia nodded, her heart going a mile a minute. There was something about him giving her that title. About him standing in the garage with her. Dressed in a pair of grey sweatpants and a white tank top, his hair still slightly damp from a shower, with a smile on his lips and his brown eyes shimmering with affection for her.
She leaned in and kissed him. The title meant a lot to her too. She pulled him close and his arms tightened around her waist. Their mouths moved together and she was breathless with his lips on hers.
He broke the kiss, “I love you, Salacia.” He breathed.
“I love you, Johnny.” She said, moving a hand to cup his cheek, “My Old Man.”
She could see the way the same affected him, one hand coming up to grasp hers before turning his head to kiss her palm.
He really could see her in his life forever. He loved her. And he would do everything he could to keep her in his life and happy.
