~.~
Wraith watched while Mirage leaned forward into frame, resting an elbow on the shoulder of the fan who'd queued for the selfie, winning smile in place as he clicked his tongue, motioning as though shooting the camera from his fingertips.
The girl beamed, her eyes bright with excitement - they'd all heard how Mirage was her absolute favourite of all the Legends - and her cheeks had reddened due to his proximity. It was no secret Wraith's squadmate had a visible affect on a good many of their fans. By pairing his good looks with his (albeit sometimes cheesy) charm and winning attitude, he had men and woman alike falling over themselves to declare themselves his biggest fan. (Or, indeed, declare their love.)
Mirage loved the attention. Lived for it, it sometimes seemed. But it was there again in his eyes as Wraith watched him chat to the smitten girl, signing her photograph and sending her on her way with one of his trademark winks. Wraith saw it as he watched her off, hands on his hips as he stretched a little, momentarily absent. She saw it in the way his smile flickered.
They'd been squad for three years, by now. Friends for almost as long, despite all her best efforts initially, to keep him at a distance. She knew him, inside out: the stuff she had to for the Arena and much more besides. His performance today had been stellar, as always. They'd vibed in all the right ways and worked seamlessly like they always did.
But the shadows had been there for a couple months, now, and he'd yet to say a word. She was… well, she was starting to worry.
Pathfinder was taking photos too, his line as long as Mirage's. Wraith had taken all hers already, her own fans more interested in her autographs or in group shots. Perhaps she scared a lot of them from asking for selfies. Who knew.
As it was, she leaned against one wall of the large booth they'd been sectioned into, holding her book but watching more than reading. Another fan stepped up to Mirage and the Trickster pounced instantly into his act.
Wraith watched, as she had for the last three after-game VIP meet-n-greets, as he smiled without it reaching his eyes. Compared to several of the others, Mirage's Promo expressions had always felt real. His eyes smiled, his grins were light, and you could see that he was genuinely pleased to be there, getting attention, giving people what they wanted.
As she watched him interact with the latest of his fans, she sighed. Something had to be done. But to do so, she'd have to know what to fix, which meant she'd have to find out what was broken. She watched, pretending to read, until it was time for the finale; the group shots their official photographer would be taking and printing on demand for the people who'd paid for the privilege of entry into their Booth.
Some of the photos would be pretty standard, directed by the photographer, and mostly just a lot of their own Banner poses. Some casual poses, if the crowd wanted them. And then a few suggestions, if anyone had any. These were what Wraith dreaded most, for you never knew what people would ask for, and sometimes it could get uncomfortable.
Once, a fan had asked for Mirage to pose with Wraith held above him, ballet-style. It was early in their friendship, it crossed a lot of her personal boundaries, and had been incredibly uncomfortable to fulfil. But the fan had been a five year old with hopeful eyes bigger than the moon, and Mirage had glanced at her with it written clear on his face that he thought they should.
She'd tried to take comfort in the fact that the kid had clearly just had his day made.
Since then they'd had their share of other embarrassing pose-requests, and had fulfilled almost all of them for imaginative fans with often romantic hearts. At this stage, with their bond and close friendship, there was little they couldn't shrug off afterwards.
She did as she was directed. She filled her poses, she flashed her sharp glances. She even let the Void flicker across her fingers despite the burn, when it was asked.
They'd completed most of their standard repertoire and were posing more casually when a fan asked for a group hug. Not uncommon, and typically a big fan favourite. Mirage's hearty chuckle was all the notice Wraith got before his arm was tossed over her shoulder to tug her to his side, and she rolled her eyes as she complied. He smiled cheekily at her as the crowd laughed and she grumbled, and his eyes lit up. Pathfinder's arm rested atop Mirage's on her shoulder and Mirage squeezed them both closer than was entirely necessary as he turned to the camera. Wraith let a smile touch her face.
"Say fermented milk proteins!" Pathfinder called brightly, and the flash caught them just as Mirage laughed, Wraith's own lips twisting in humour.
When their time slot was completed and they'd waved off their fans, Mirage collected the printouts from their sessions and Wraith helped Pathfinder tidy what little mess they'd left. When it was time to leave Wraith noticed that Mirage was lingering, even the photographer long gone. She quirked a curious eyebrow at him from the doorway, but he didn't seem to sense her gaze. He stood by one of the tables with a large printout in his hands, and his expression was a strangely… vulnerable sight.
There was something different in his expression, something that was… melancholy, maybe. Sad. Wistful. Not quite, but something. It made her heart ache softly, that he might be in some sort of pain.
Wraith moved to his side, peering down at the photograph. The group hug of course, the three of them crushed together in the centre of the image. Wraith felt her breath hitch to see it, something that always caught her off guard. The picture was good. Casual, with their friendship clear across the page.
Mirage's head was thrown to one side, the startled laughter warm on his mouth, the curl of his hair brushing the top of her own head as her eyes shifted sideways to look for Pathfinder at his unexpected command. Her own smile was real, expression coloured with wry amusement, an expression she had never seen on her own face, or ever expected to, only two years ago. Pathfinder's eye was bright with pride, the smiling face on his monitor display glowing and happy.
What struck her most, was the light in Mirage's eyes. His smile was real. He was captured there in this photograph, with real happiness in his face. Wraith looked up, seeing his expression now, faced with this photo it was clear he liked, and realised how easy it was to do what she'd been looking for a way to do.
"It's pretty good, huh?" he asked her, finally sliding amber eyes her way.
Wraith smiled, and hummed in amusement.
"Yeah. A good candid. I bet it blows up."
Mirage's lip rose at the corner, pleased.
"It's great. We're a real team."
Wraith gave a gentle snort, and slipped her hand onto his forearm, to tug him towards the doorway.
"Took you three years to figure out?" she teased, and watched the bright light in his eyes reappear as he pulled a stricken face.
"Took me three- Excuse me? Who was it that didn't believe me when I said 'Hey, six months from now we'll be BFFs' huh?"
Wraith chuckled as he gathered the last of the photos and finally began following her, filling the air of the hallways with predictable squawking and denials. Reminding her of earlier days, if with exaggerations, of her lone wolf tendencies and his predictions of how great they'd become. She rolled her eyes. The strange, almost sad tinge from before was gone, and she was relieved. If it meant indulging his dramatics, so be it.
Besides, after all this time it wasn't like she didn't find him funny now and then.
~.~
Reigning Champions for another Game, the crowd in their booth room was thick. Wraith found herself with a long line, despite even her best efforts at being intimidating. It was clear pretty soon that their time slot would be extended. The photographer relayed temporary terms from the phone call, Management staff querying. Not that anyone expected the Legends to disagree, with the records they had the terms were often negotiated fairly.
The timescale was doubled. There would be a brief break midway, and they'd just lost their entire afternoon too. Mirage let it buoy him, clearly giddy about the implications of such an event. Real bragging rights the next time he was chatting shit with the other Legends. Pathfinder shared his sentiment. Wraith was exhausted before they even reached the interval, but if her squad were there, there she'd be.
"Can we get the two of you just about here, for a Duo set?"
Wraith swallowed her mouthful of water and hid her lack of enthusiasm. Mirage flashed a flirtatious grin and showed enough for both of them. But she saw his eyes, as he turned away to move, and there it was again. That shadow. That… sadness. She followed him over to the spot, waited patiently while a light was moved. She took the direction from the photographer. Mirage's elbow on her shoulder was comfortable, his body close to hers and warm, his grin wide.
To those who weren't looking, or weren't able to see under Mirage to Elliot, the hollowness in his eyes would be invisible. His smile the decoy.
Her gut lurched a little, and she was decided.
"Okay, and now casual? What about- Perfect!"
The photographer's tone leapt in satisfaction, and Wraith was relieved. Mirage had barely moved, and she sensed his confusion as he accepted it. Wraith's smile curled a little more than usual as the flash went off, and the people waiting giggled.
Mirage's bemusement was, in a way, a reward. For Mirage himself wouldn't see until later, if someone wanted an autograph on it, or maybe not even till their time was up. Wraith was surprised to feel kind of giddy with anticipation, and she sought another opportunity.
The lights were warm, by now, but she wasn't sure that they could be blamed for the depth of the heat that burned at the back of her neck.
As it turned out, someone did want it autographed, his excitement clear and evident. This was something new, something he'd been among the first to witness, and that was obvious across the guy's face as he looked up at them.
"Wh- Oh my god."
Wraith smirked, tipping her head to one side as she looked up at his face, watching the surprise take hold. His mouth opened and closed, and it was both validating and mildly terrifying to await his reaction. Eventually his gaze slide to hers, and her smirk deepened as she saw the rare flush across the tops of his cheeks.
"You gave me bunny ears!"
He played his part, making everyone laugh as he waxed lyrical about the betrayal of it, the injustice, and then, grinning, the proclamation that he knew she'd finally realise what fun was. Wraith huffed a laugh and rolled her eyes but behind it all, his big act, there was happiness in his eyes like sunshine filtering through honey. Wraith was pleased to see it.
~.~
Wraith settled on the carpeted step where she was directed, sweeping her legs up beside her and resting a hand on one ankle. Mirage's palms were firm as they settled on her shoulders and he gave them a brief squeeze, probably to comfort her. She tipped her head all the way back to look up at him and when he turned to meet her eye in amusement, their faces were scarcely inches apart.
She was struck suddenly by the thought of the leaf she'd rescued from his hair just the day before, and the look of pure terror she'd seen in his eyes when she turned away from the tumble she'd almost taken off the edge of the Arena.
The new smile that alighted briefly, sweetly, on his lips was real. His eyes lit up. Wraith's breath fumbled at the simple happiness and for a fleeting second she forgot about the Game, and the cameras, and felt herself smile back.
As she reached one hand up to push his face to the side for the audience's amusement and the flash of the camera, her heart pounded. She wondered for the rest of the day if he'd seen the way her gaze flickered to his mouth when he smiled.
~.~