Shadowplay | Tony Stark

SEVENTEEN - ANOTHER CALL

Mila's hangover had finally lifted when the time reached three o'clock in the afternoon. She'd forced herself to power through the splitting headache to make breakfast for Clint and Peter before they left, keen to spend at least a little bit of time with them and to thank them for taking care of Tristan.

She and Tony had returned home much later than they'd planned to, coming back to a silently still house that felt very much like the one Mila saw when she first arrived.

She'd felt different that evening, almost like her mind and soul had a golden light shining on it, masking all the darkness or her past troubles and future worries. Mila had enjoyed her time with Tony, and not just because of the way her heart flared up when he finally kissed her, but because he made her happy.

They'd said a quiet Goodnight to one another at the top of the staircase before heading to their own bedrooms, neither of them suggesting anything other than one last kiss in the dark.

After bidding goodbye to Clint and Peter, and consoling Tristan who sobbed an ocean of tears at their departure, Mila's attention was taken by the sound of her phone ringing in the kitchen.

She'd not had time to talk to Tony alone about what had happened last night, in fact she'd barely had time to talk to him at all that following day, their first proper interaction being the second her phone started to ring.

"I'll watch him, don't worry."

She nodded and wandered into the kitchen, a rising of anxiety attacking her insides when once again, she saw Joss' name light up the screen.

With a sigh, Mila grabbed her phone and walked outside onto the porch before answering, closing the door behind her.

"Hello?"

"Mila, how are you?"

She swallowed, "We're fine. And you?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Well, I still have no idea what's going on and there's nobody I can talk to because they're locked up, but uh, I just wanted to call and make sure you were both still safe."

Mila trusted Tony, but part of her was still drawn to believing that Joss Miller had no part of what was happening in the Sheriffs Office downtown, unable to comprehend that he would ever find himself caught up in something so outlandishly horrendous.

"We are, don't worry about us."

"Listen, I uh, I might've been wrong about Tony Stark. I think I ended up on the wrong side of whatever was happening at work, not on purpose, I just did what I was told, but I know now that what he was doing was right and-"

"Joss I'm not with him, and I'm still not telling you or anybody for that matter where I am."

His admission made his pretences sound false and instantly unstable, making Mila's common sense and defence instantly switch on. She loved Joss like one friend loved another and deep in her bones she did trust him, but there was no amount of trust worth risking her and her son's safety for.

"No, no I know that. Mila I would never hurt you, and I know why you're afraid and can't trust me and that's fine, but I just need you to remember that all I want is for you guys to be safe."

Mila didn't say anything. She'd heard it all before from Joss and while it meant a lot that she had someone looking out for her and her son, thinking about them and praying for their safety and well-being, there was still a chance that none of it was actually true.

"I saw Logan yesterday. We talked."

"Joss, I appreciate you calling but I don't want to hear about this, please-"