Work Text:
Pocket’s mind raced as they skipped across the roofs of Broadway. Earlier in the day, they had a rather climactic run-in with Mina at Greenwich, which resulted in them being riddled with bullets and getting cornered beneath a bridge. In an act of desperation, Pocket had blurted out whatever distraction they could think of. They asked Mina if she wanted to catch up sometime. Mina thought about it, smiled devilishly, and let out a small giggle.
“Alright, Fairfax. Find me on the roof of The Baroness, four o’clock sharp. And don’t you dare leave me hanging again.”
That’s all she said before daintily placing a pistol round right between their eyes. As Pocket’s body slowly rematerialized in the Amber Hand’s base, they had plenty of time to think about what Mina had said, as well as how badly it hurt to get shot in the nose. When the gunfire and spell-slinging subsided for the day, Pocket wasted no time making their way to the hotel.
Pocket wasn’t sure what to make of this ‘date’ they had accidentally scored. It’d been five years since the two of them had seen each other, let alone spoken. Last time they met, they were eighteen and preparing for an arranged marriage. Things were not particularly romantic between either of them back then. Pocket doubted that would ever change. Pocket also knew that Mina wasn’t the type of person to make friendly conversation with an ex. As far as they were aware, Mina could just be waiting to shoot them in the face again the moment they showed up. Pocket convinced themself it would hurt less the second time if that was the case. They threw their trench coat up and onto the roof of The Baroness and warped to it without any more consideration.
Waiting there on the roof of The Baroness was Mina, sitting at a small table and drinking tea alone. A large umbrella mounted to the table shielded Mina’s cold, pale skin from the afternoon sun. She pretended not to notice as Pocket approached and took a seat across from her without pouring himself any tea. There wasn’t a cup set out for him anyway.
“So, The Baroness,” Pocket started. “Do you like staying here? I’ve heard mixed things.”
Mina lowered her cup from her mouth. “Ugh, absolutely not. The room service sucks and the bellboy gives me the creeps.”
A moment of silence passed before Mina said more. Despite seeming as refined as ever, she spoke with an attitude that Pocket remembered well.
“So what’s been the deal with you, Arin? Running around New York with a magic suitcase full of frogs and living in the sewers for half a decade? And you didn’t even think to come find me and tell me you were alive this whole time? Hell, from what I’ve heard, you didn’t even tell Dynamo — and he’s your godfather.”
Pocket tensed. This was roughly how they expected their meeting to go. They were just glad Mina had nothing mean to say about their choice of pseudonym. Admittedly, it was strangely satisfying to hear Mina still call them Arin.
“I was living in the tunnels, actually,” Pocket quietly corrected her. “And I wasn’t living down there the entire time, for your information.”
Mina cracked a sharp smile. “Living with a giant, smelly mole man for any amount of time is too long, if you ask me.”
Mina took another sip of her tea. Pocket watched as she drank, and then spoke without hesitating.
“I’m sorry, Mina.”
Mina did her best to not choke on her tea, while also trying to hide the fact that she almost certainly did. She quickly placed her cup onto the table and looked back up at them.
“What did you just say?”
Pocket continued. “I’m sorry that I didn’t come and find you after I got shot. I was so afraid of everything and everyone after it happened, I didn’t know who I could talk to or turn to anymore. By the time I heard anything about you, you had already… moved on.”
Pocket shifted in their seat, doing their best to not stare at the canines poking out from beneath Mina’s upper lip. Mina felt conscious of her fangs for the first time in a few years. She frowned at him.
“Yeah, that’s one way to put it, Arin.” Mina straightened up. “You ruined my goddamn life, you know that? I wouldn’t be like this if you hadn’t vanished on me. In fact, you probably wouldn’t be living like a vagrant either if I knew you were still alive. My parents could have sheltered you.”
Pocket sighed. “I know you don’t mean that from a place of love, Mina.”
Mina scoffed. “Of course I don’t. We were only getting married, after all.”
A long moment of desperate silence permeated the patio table. For the first time since meeting Mina, Pocket considered that she may have actually been looking forward to getting married. At the time, Pocket couldn’t imagine it. They thought Mina was too talkative and rude for a relationship. On the other hand, Pocket was too introverted and passive. There was no way either of them were tolerating each other. Back then, some part of Pocket was glad that she thought they were dead. Could she have been a friend if they had just given her the chance? Pocket spoke up without thinking.
“I’m still a Fairfax, Mina. If you wanted a stake in Fairfax Industries, you could’ve had it by now, but you never came and found me either. Wasn’t that all you wanted from me?”
Mina hesitated. She could feel her fangs pressing into her bottom lip again as she responded.
“I’m… beyond that now, Arin. Those base, mortal desires don’t belong to me anymore. Vampires don’t care about wealth and family names, or love.”
“But they do care about inviting old acquaintances to a rooftop for tea.” they responded.
Mina hesitated again, but this time she concealed a smile. She spoke with a defeated tone.
“No, that’s just me. I guess that’s one of the few things I haven’t let go of yet.”
Another moment of silence washed over the pair as they looked at each other from across the table. In the distance, the loud clang of an anvil echoed through the streets. Pocket turned towards the sound. The Amber Hand was calling for its pawns to return to base. Pocket faced back towards Mina, trying to think of something to say so that their conversation wouldn’t have to end just yet. Mina breathed in and spoke for them.
“I know what you’re gonna say, Arin. I did this to myself. It’s a shitty thing to say, but you’re right. If I couldn’t have you… if I couldn’t have Fairfax Industries, then this was the next best thing. It may have even been a step up, frankly. We’re both on new paths now. I figured you’d know that more than anyone.”
Pocket looked away. They were hoping this meeting would end on better terms, but they lingered on Mina’s words. If she couldn’t have me? They fidgeted with the statement in their head like a candy wrapper. Pocket had been living on the run for five years and never had a moment to realize what they left behind. They never considered the pain of Mina being left at the altar. They couldn’t have known it back then, but their lives would have been inarguably better if they had gotten married. Better than the fates they met with instead. Were their new lives really something that either of them could fix, even together? Pocket wasn’t completely sure why, but a feeling in their chest told them that it wasn’t too late to try.
“You… could still have Fairfax, actually, if you’d help me. I’m the rightful heir to the company and I’m going to get control of it one way or another. You want revenge on the man who took that name from you? Then help me take down my father.”
Mina looked stunned by the offer. Her pale complexion barely produced a blush as she frowned.
“What, now that I’m a high society vampire I’m suddenly useful to you? And to think, I’m the one who was getting nonstop shit for trying to link with the bigger fish five years ago. You’re just trying to find some excuse for us to hang out while enabling your vendetta at the same time, is that it?”
Pocket bit their tongue and nodded. “Yeah. That’s, um… that’s basically it.”
Mina sighed. She considered the offer for a few seconds. Pocket couldn’t believe she was actually giving it any thought.
“… Yeah. Okay, screw it. Sounds like fun. But don’t get the wrong idea here, Arin. You’re still the worst and I still hate you. This is just a… mutual revenge plot. Got it?”
“Absolutely, understood.” Arin stood up from their seat. “Let’s shake on it?”
Mina rose elegantly and opened her parasol. She walked towards Pocket and tugged on the end of their scarf with her free hand. Their eyes met, and for the first time, they truly looked at each other. Pocket instinctively blushed. Mina’s face was expressionless. She continued to stare as she spoke.
“Actually, I have a better idea for keeping promises between us.”
Pocket ziplined back to the Amber Hand’s factory base quickly. Their huge scarf flapped in the wind, pulled up higher than usual. Mo and Krill were there to greet them when they arrived.
“Hey kid!” Krill called out. “How’d your outing with the lady go?”
“Fine,” Pocket quickly responded. “Might be seeing more of her around, probably. She said she was interested in helping me get back at Fairfax Industries.”
Krill laughed. “Well that’s a development for sure! She say anything else?”
“Yeah, she called Mo a smelly mole man again.”
“What-! That little-! If the two of us see that brat out there on Greenwich, it’s on sight! Come on Mo, we’re going.”
As the Tunnel Rats burrowed away, Pocket rubbed at the side of their neck with their scarf. The mark that Mina left there was a bit itchy. Pocket looked down and saw two little red bloodstains drying into the scarf’s bright fabric.
Pocket was embarrassed when she bit them. They had to stop themself from leaning in closer when it happened. Mina had definitely noticed. The pair never got to share a kiss all those years ago, but maybe this was close enough. Maybe they should have actually kissed right there on the roof. It wasn’t like they were meeting for the first time, after all.
Either way, it was back to the streets of the Cursed Apple for the two of them. The war between the Sapphire Flame and the Amber Hand raged on, but rumor spread throughout both teams that Pocket and Mina couldn’t seem to stop running into each other at The Baroness Hotel on Broadway.
“Just catching up,” they’d both say when someone asked. “It’s been five years, after all.”