(A/N: Here's chapter 2. I hope it lives up to expectations.

Chapter 2: Buy You a Drink

In a bar was a man wearing a white long sleeved shirt that had its sleeves rolled up, black pants and a black gloves. He was pouring a drink into a small shot glass and then slid it over to a man sitting at the end of the counter he was behind. The day started off well, the bar he was working at wasn't overly packed, but business was flowing like a river. He was enjoying himself, spinning around the bar, making drinks, putting on a good show is what he lived for. Seeing the glimmer in people's eyes as their drinks are being made or his fans whenever he shows up to events. Needless to say, he was a showman.

Now, bartending was something he was passionate about and he was damn good at it too, he got to meet and serve all types of people; Mercenaries, drug lords, assassins, suits, common folk, you name it and he's served them. Hell, it's how he learned about the Apex Games. He loved to make conversation with people and thanks to his 'charming personality' he actually got a few connections with some big names. If he wanted or needed to know something, he had strings to pull.

"Well, well, well, I didn't know you owned a bar, Mirage." a seductive sounding voice called to him from behind. Turning to see who it was, his eyes widened slightly as they landed on 'Loba' the newest of the Legends. She was wearing a cream colored sweater that had a hole cut out of it exposing her cleavage, tight black pants and heels that zipped halfway up her calves.

"Yeah, welcome to the 'Paradise Lounge', the best bar in Solace City." he said, now fully facing her. "Y'know, I didn't expect to see you here, 'thought the new arrivals were always busy fighting off fans and the press, especially you." he finished in a flirtatious tone.

It wasn't unusual for the other Legends to come to his bar, hell, some of them came regularly. However, there were some he hadn't taken for drinkers. He didn't expect Ajay or 'Lifeline' in the ring, to drink, but it turned out she could throw back more shots than he could and drink anyone under the table. He hadn't expected Gibraltar of all people to be a lightweight when it comes to drinking. 'Just like an elephant' is what Mirage would often refer to him as. He was a monster on the field, but he couldn't hold his liquor for shit. A beer or two would be enough.

She gave a light chuckle "I appreciated your flattery, but I did come here for a drink. So I hope you can live up to the title of 'best bar in Solace City', it'd be a shame if you couldn't." She retorted in a teasing, sarcastically sad tone.

"Oh? Is that a challenge I sense?" He said in a fiery tone. "Alright then, pick your poison and I promise... it'll be the best you've ever had." he said as he winked while gesturing to a wall of an assortment of alcohol.

She gave a few more chuckles as she took a seat. "You're too much. But, we'll see about that. Let's start with a Margarita."

"You got it." he sang out as he grabbed a bottle of Tequila.

=X=

Drinks were served and people were drunk. The bar was winding down as people started to clear out. It was getting late and Mirage was whipping it down the counter, it was about an hour before closing time and there were only a few patrons left. He sometimes would have to step out to order taxis for people who could barely make it to the door. It didn't take very long for that hour to come and go as the bar was now clear of everyone, say for him and his employees who were clocking out and leaving.

After checking stock and going over the counter with a rag once more, Mirage packed up his things and stepped outside. He was immediately hit by the cool breeze of the night, the distant blare of music from night clubs and the soft glow of neon signs of nearby buildings. He turned back and started to lock up the bar until he heard a voice speak out.

"Closing up shop I see, but isn't it a bit early for it though?" a woman asked. Mirage quickly looked over to the voice and his mouth twisted into a grin.

"Hey, Wraith." He greeted cheerfully "Nah, I can't cut into my beauty sleep." he joked "I wasn't expecting to see you today though, what brings ya? Is it me? Please tell me it's me."

Wraith rolled her eyes as she responded "Hey. And I'm not here for you, I was hoping to get a drink. But, it seems I'm too late for that." she said as she looked up to the bar's sign.

"Pfft. It's not too late, I was about to go back in because I forgot my uh, my... phone. That's it." he said, sounding more like an excuse. "I can still whip you up a drink if you want." he offered as he gestured towards the bar's door. Wraith looked back down at him and locked eyes with him.

She raised an eyebrow "You sure, what about your 'beauty sleep'?"

"Oh, cmon, that was a joke... I only need beauty sleep on the weekends." he said as he winked at her causing Wraith to shake her head and roll her eyes, but she had a small grin while doing so.

Stepping back into the bar, Wraith slowly followed behind him as he switched on the lights. He closed and locked the door behind them as Wraith took a seat at the counter top. She took off her jacket and sat it on the stool next to her as Mirage made his way behind the counter.

"So, I assume you want the usual?" he said as he grabbed a glass and some mixing cups.

"Actually, I was thinking of getting a Daiquiri tonight." she answered while staring at the wall of alcohol bottles.

Mirage raised an eyebrow as his face took on a slightly puzzled look as he looked towards her.

Without even turning in his direction she asked "Is there something wrong with what I want to drink?" in a monotone voice that carried a hint of displeasement.

Mirage's eyes widened as she turned her head to meet his gaze "No no no no no." he quickly said with slight fear. "I just thought you didn't like to drink alcohol."

Wraith held herself back from rolling her eyes, but that didn't stop the displeasement she had in her voice "It's just one drink."

"Yeah, but you said you didn't like it. Said it made you 'think too much'. Plus, you're a complete lightweight." he stated with a hint of torment.

When Wraith first had a drink, she didn't intend on getting drunk, but, that's how she found out she couldn't hold her liquor when 2 drinks had her in a stupor. Granted, the drinks she had were pretty strong and had a ton of alcohol. That, however, wasn't the only thing that was wrong, she hated the feeling it gave her headaches, they weren't as painful, probably nullified by the alcohol, but they were certainly more nauseating. The voices were also affected by becoming foggy and more distorted. However, despite the drawbacks, she didn't completely hate the warm tingle it gave her in the pit of her stomach and through the rest of her body, it was actually quite enjoyable.

"I know what I said, but, I need something to drink and it's got to have alcohol." she retorted.

"Alrightty then. Don't say I didn't warn ya." he said. "So, what flavor do you want?"

She sat in thought for a few seconds before responding. "Strawberry."

"Got it." he nodded "One Strawberry Daiquiri, coming up." he finished as he smirked.

=X=

The conversation between the two was surprisingly pleasant. Wraith, for the most part, got along with the other Legends, at least she was able to hold somewhat of a conversation. Before Mirage, Wattson was the only person Wraith felt comfortable talking to and even starting conversations with. Maybe because of how unbelievably kind she was, or because all the voices would mumble calling her 'so sweet' or some form of it.

Now maybe it was because he didn't pry, or maybe because he would continuously ignore her, ignoring him. Either way she eventually caved in to his persistence enough to give up and accepted Mirage' friendship that would obviously be one sided.

As the two drank together as they shared some stories back and forward about things they did outside the Games. Naturally Mirage had a bit more to share than Wraith because she was a homebody, she only went out for food, drinks or to get fresh air. She didn't really like to interact with people so she didn't have friends, besides Wattson and the pseudo friendship she had with Mirage. Now maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it wasn't, either way, she found herself enjoying his company more than usual.

"-and that's why they're not allowed back in the bar." Mirage said as he finished up a story while he took a sip from the whisky he poured himself.

"That's exactly why I don't talk to the press. They're always asking things that piss me." Wraith spat with annoyance. She had blush riddling her cheeks and she generally looked drunk, but that was because she was. But despite her drunken state, she was speaking clear sentences besides the slight slur of words.

"It's all a part of the show." he said

"I still don't see how the rest of you guys can stand microphones and cameras being shoved in your face all day." she said as she downed the rest of her drink. She then put her arms up then brought her hands together and pulled back slightly, stretching in a pretty provocative manner that wasn't intended to be, but was seen as such. She arched her back a little as her chest pressed against her shirt as she inhaled and exhaled.

Mirage made the mistake of looking in her direction when she stretched. He felt his face get hotter as he briefly took in her appearance. The no-makeup look was a real and very much welcomed contrast to the usual glammed up girls Mirage has seen or talked to. Her eyelashes were long and raven colored just like her hair that was pinned up in the usual bun she kept it in. Her lips were full of color and her cheeks were littered with blush giving her fair skin a great look. When she opened her eyes, he was awestruck by just how beautiful they were. Icy blue with an almost fiery shine as the bar's soft tinted lighting reflected off of them.

Mirage botched his response. "W-well, you get used to it after a wu-..wha-…some time has passed. You don't like it because you're always gram-..gruh… in a bad mood." he responded while quickly looking away and lightly tapping his foot.

"I guess you're right." she responded while resting her head on her forearms that were now crossed and laying on the counter. She looked over toward Mirage and noticed his uneasiness. "Are you okay?" She tried her best to sound concerned.

"Pfft. Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about the upcoming game." he said with as much confidence as he could, though his body betrayed him as he was shifting slightly as if uncomfortable.

Wraith's eyes slowly narrowed "Say, I've been curious to know; what's with the stutter? All the times I've heard it, I thought it was just a simple trip over your words, something everyone does at one point or another, but now...I'm not so sure."

That's when the voice in Wraith's head spoke up "Woah there, happy hour. What's with all the questions? Do you want him to start asking questions?" The voice questioned. Wraith's eyes widened at that realization but it was already too late.

"Oh that? It's nothing, just a plain slip of the tongue is all." He said with a big smile, he even let out a small chuckle that sounded all too forced and his eyes seemed to tell a different story. That's when he simultaneously slouched his shoulders while letting out an exasperated sigh.

"It's a... nervous stutter. Had since I was young." he answered while taking a seat on a stool behind the counter.

"Now why would he be nervous?" the voice asked, to which Wraith internally rolled her eyes.

Although she did want to know more, she also didn't want him to return questions, so instead she just apologized "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."'

"Nah, it's fine. I tried to play off before, but I figured at least one of you guys would have figured out it was a stutter by now. Dumb, I know." he said as he let out a chuckle that sounded forced. Although his smile shrunk, it never wavered. A few seconds of silence followed as the two sat there.

"Well, I think it's cute." the voice mused

"Shut up." Wraith mistakenly said aloud, catching the attention of Mirage who had a look of confusion as they both looked up at each other at the same time.

Wraith's eyes widened even more as she just realized what she had said might have been taken the wrong way. Then she made possibly the worst decision she could have probably made. Saying too much. And with the added alcohol in her system, she let a lot slip.

"Oh no, Mirage, I wasn't talking to you. You see, when I said I 'think too much', I was talking about this voice in my head that talks to me sometimes and she just decides to pop in whenever she...feels...like...oh god-." Wraith slowly stopped herself as she grew a look of horror as she looked at Mirage's face. His eyes were widened slightly and one of his eyebrows was raised. "And shit, now he thinks I'm crazy." she thought, closing her eyes as she exhaled and slumped over with her forehead resting on her forearms once more.

"And that's why we don't drink. Should have just gone with a Virgin Mary, lightweight." the voice said in a teasing manner.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked with concern.

"Aw, he's all worried, see what you did?" the voice called out.

"Look, I get it if you don't want to talk about it, but I'm for you." Mirage said, but the wording was different from his usual talk.

She slowly looked over at him. He had a small but warm slime and his eyes were very welcoming. She couldn't stop her eyes from dancing around his features. Kind hazel eyes, bronze colored skin, his beard looked so defined, even though it was styled and groomed, it just barely held its natural curl. The hair on his head was wavy and flowed gently into his face. Usually his goggles would keep it up and out of the way, but without them, the dark brown bangs hung just above his eyebrow and to the side. Her eyes started to move on their own as they wandered downwards and lingered on his frame. He certainly filled out the shirt he was wearing as it clung to him perfectly.

"Handsome devil isn't he? But you might want to stop staring." the voice commented. The face Wraith made after that line must have startled him as he started to backpedal.

"I-...I mean to talk, y'know… doesn't have to be now- or ever- or if you...just…fuck-" he sighed slightly clearly frustrated with himself. "Whenever you want to talk, I'll be here..." he trailed off as he finished off the rest of his drink.

Wraith lightly exhaled as she sat back up. "Thanks, I really appreciate that."

"No, problem. Whatever it is you're going through, you don't have to go through it alone. I know what it's like to have no one to talk to about your problems, so don't be afraid to come and talk over a drink." The way he said it was extremely different from how he usually spoke. It was fluent, genuine and wasn't hesitated in the slightest and it also lacked that usual charm, it was something that was rarely seen- if ever seen from him. He looked at the bottom of the empty glass he held in his hand with saddened eyes. When he looked over at Wraith who was a bit awestruck with a slight look of shock and surprise at his display of heart, he quickly went back to his early mood, with a big smile and charismatic charm.

"But uh yeah, whenever you want, the door is always open. Or something like that, just try not to get too drunk, you wouldn't want to vomit on the floor. Had way too many clean ups yesterday." He chuckled "So uh, how's your head?" he asked, trying to get off the topic, which Wraith followed along.

"It's fine, just… a little fuzzy." she replied.

"Too much to drink I see. I did try to warn you, but the big bad Wraith said she could handle it. Bet you're regretting it now." he quickly teased

"I am fine." she sternly replied, but it was slightly slurred through and her face, nose and cheeks were starting to get redder.

"Yeah, you sound as good as you look." he replied while stifling a laugh.

"Oh?" She said "And, how do I look?" she questioned with a hint of teasing and fake anger. Her eyes were narrowed and her mouth was twisted into a slight smirk as if she was unable to frown. Her cheeks were just as red if not a little redder than before.

"You look horrible-" he replied mistakenly.

"What?!" she loudly whispered, trying to keep the sudden surge of actual anger in check.

"Wha- no- no I didn't mean-...you look good- no like- I mean you look bad because you're drunk like- I just... You look good, but you're drunk so your facial expra-expre-extres...your look is kinda bad, but your face is good, not because…That's not right. Look, what I'm trying to say is-" He began to ramble on trying to explain himself much to Wraith's amusement.

Usually she'd find his ramblings annoying and obnoxious, but she'd be lying to herself if she said she didn't enjoy causing those ramblings. Seeing him stumble through and fumble his words while being flustered was kind of refreshing to the normal day activities.

"Like I said; 'it's cute'." the voice chimed in.

"For the love of- why are you still talking?" Wraith spoke back to the voice inwardly.

"Come on now, I'm just saying what we're thinking." the voice replied.

"Oh no, I'M not thinking that, just you." Wraith retorted in a matter-of-fact way.

"Oh really?" the voice questioned

"-and that's why drinking is bad! For you- I mean." Mirage stated, finished his rant.

Wraith held back a laugh as spoke "Alright, I get it. You can calm down now."

"I am calm. I'm always calm, in fact, I think you should be the one to calm down." Mirage stated

Wraith took on a slightly puzzled look "And why is that?"

"Drinking, hello?! Haven't you been listening to my, totally valid, points? You've only had four drinks and you look like you're either going to fall out or fall over." he said matter-of-factly.

"And what about you? You sound and look horrible too" she said but then she made an over the top gasp as continued "I mean, you look good- no wait!" she finished while chuckling to herself.

"Oh ha ha, real funny. Hilarious, really. But uh, wasn't it you who got mad over your looks? I thought you didn't care how others viewed you." Mirage questioned while leaning in to increase the pressure which worked because she immediately became slightly flustered.

"I-...what? No. I don't care, it's just-" Wraith was starting to explain but was cut off by him.

"Oh, I get it. It's that my view is the one that actually matters, right?" He said in a teasing voice, but before she could respond he continued. "Am I that important, aww I feel so special!" he finished in an even more teasing manner even going as far as to add dramatic flare by putting his hand over his chest where his heart is.

"No! That's not it. I just...uh...am drunk, like you said. I'm not in the right mind space." she stated while looking off while nibbling on her bottom lip..

"Riiiight." he dragged out "And I'm supposed to believe that? You know, you have a really bad habit of biting your lip when you tell a lie." he added which made her immediately cover her mouth with a horrified look.

"Ooo, you do, do that…" the voice painfully agreed

"I do? Why didn't you tell me? Is THAT how he was always able to call me out so many times?" Wraith replied

"Sorry?" the voice apologized

After Wraith's mini panic an ideal come-back popped into her head as if flipping a light switch "Oh? Like I was supposed to believe you 'forgot your phone'? You haven't looked for it the entire time we've been in here, in fact, I think I can see the outline of your phone in your pocket right now." she responded and this time she leaned in to get a better view at his pocket.

"I-...wait-...Hey! That's not fair. I was being a good friend by making up a completely legetie-...lagita-... real excuse to fulfil your need." he quickly said "And for the record, I did forget my phone, it was… in the drawer. Yeah the drawer, where I keep the... towels." his said in a matter-of-fact way.

Wraith's eyes were slightly twitching and she was trying to force away the small grin she had, but she couldn't hold back the laugh that came as she caved in and completely lost it. Mirage's eyes widened upon hearing her laughter. Of course he had heard her chuckle and even snicker a little, but this was new. He was awe-shrunken at how cheerful and genuine it sounded, however, it was also contagious just as it was beautiful as he joined in her laughing fit.

A few seconds passed of them laughing together. When they started to calm down a few more seconds of silence passed before Wraith turned and looked over at him. Mirage took a seat in front of her with only the counter top separating them.

"Thanks, Elliot... I really needed this." she said while looking him straight in the eye.

"Anytime, it's what I'm here for." He responded with a welcoming smile and held up his hands in a shrugging-like manner before resting them on the counter in front of him. For a moment they just stared longingly at each other without saying a word.

Suddenly, without thinking or prompt, Mirage reached out to Wraith and placed a hand on her cheek to which Wraith immediately became flustered and went to remove it. As soon as she touched his hand, she got a feeling in the pit of her stomach that caused her to close her eyes and melted to his touch as she caressed the back of his hand. After a few seconds she opened her eyes again and the two continued to stare longingly at each other.

Mirage started to lean in towards her, both had a look of uncertainty as the distance decreased. When they were face to face, Wraith rose a little out of her seat as she began to lean forward. They tilted their heads slightly, just enough so that their noses slipped past each other as they got even closer.

Wraith felt her heart beating a million miles as she, just for a second, locked eyes with him. Both of them simultaneously look down at each other's lips as they're eyes slowly shut. They're lips locked together in a kiss that seemed to pause time as a warm feeling passed through their senses.

The kiss deepened as Wraith's arms wrapped around Mirage' neck to pull him closer and Mirage responded by wrapping one of his arms around her back. The countertop then became more noticeable as the two tried to get closer, the kiss was released as they looked down at the counter. Mirage chuckled as their embrace broke. Mirage then started to move from behind the counter as Wraith watched him intently and when he reached her, he bent down to her level as their kiss continued.

Mirage broke the kiss for a second as he wrapped his hands under her thighs and hoisted her up, then sat her on the counter as he moved between her legs as their kiss carried on. Wraith locked her legs around his waist as her arms found their way around his neck then to his back. Mirage, again, broke the kiss, but he quickly moved to the crook of neck where he planted kisses and small light bites which made Wraith moan.

Wraith broke the kiss as she quickly, but gently, pushed Mirage back, although she kept her legs locked around him.

"Are you okay?" Mirage asked with a bit of surprise.

Wraith didn't respond, but she did shake her head from side to side.

"What's wrong?" he questioned with concern. "D-did I do something wrong?" He quickly followed up.

"No… I just-... my stomach and head are twisting up." she clarified.

A few seconds of silence passed as Mirage seemed to be thinking. "You uhh… wanna go upstairs? I got a room up there for nights I can't make it out the door. You can use the bed."

Wraith looked up at him with a look of suspicion. "Is this a part of your ploy? Get me drunk enough?" she said but had a teasing tone.

Mirage had a look of horror as he responded "I-...what? No, no- I didn't mean for… how was-" he was explaining but was cut off my Wraith

"I'm joking… relax." She said while tightening her legs around and giving a coy look. "However-..." she added as she released her leg hold on him. "-I need a bathroom."

END+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++END+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++END

(A/N: I know, I know. This ended abruptly. However, this one chapter was 30 pages long… 30! I cut it down to like 12 and it's still pretty long. This entire story is like 8 months old… and like 200 pages long in it's entirety… I'm going through it to rewrite and remove a lot of it as it was pretty bad and I didn't like the ending, that and; I never expected to be sharing it. So, if you're interested in seeing more, let me know and I'll find time to write it.)

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this and the rest.

Song name: Buy U a Drink By T-Pain Ft. Yung Joc