The Forsaken Truth (Marvel's Avengers)

Close Calls

We walked in comfortable silence until we came into the fancy dining room, and I spotted the ginger haired woman from yesterday sitting in one of the chairs.

She stood up and approached us, beaming at Tony before she noticed me lurking behind him.

"Aylin! Hi, I heard you were joining us for lunch?"

Awkwardly, I nodded, rubbing my arm. "Yeah...apparently."

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't get the chance to introduce myself. Pepper Potts."

I smiled, shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you."

She led me to a vacant chair at the end of the table beside Bruce, before sitting across from me along with Tony. I tentatively took my seat.

"Do you like Italian? I don't cook very much, so Tony ordered takeout." Pepper said with a sheepish grin.

Are you serious? I LOVE Italian.

"That's okay." I assured her and she immediately offered me a plate heaped with alfredo pasta and a few pieces of garlic bread.

Oh goody gorgeous... CONSUME IT ALL!

Ignoring the urge to devour the meal like a barbarian, I forced myself to take tiny bites in order to maintain the professional facade.

"So Aylin....." I looked up from the food. "Are you American? You don't look American."

"Tony!" Pepper whacked his arm causing him to wince and rub the hit area as I watched on in amusement. "I'm sorry, he is really insensitive sometimes."

"But I-"

"Its okay, I don't mind. I get that question a lot." I spoke over Tony.

"See? No harm done."

I ignored him, looking at Pepper as I answered. "Well, I'll give you a brief explanation. I was born and raised in U.A.E, but I completed my schooling in Asia. Then, I decided to move to the U.K. I worked there for quite some time before coming here."

All three of them stared at me with looks of barely concealed surprise.

"But how's that possible? You're only eighteen." Bruce questioned.

"Uh, well technically, my family sent me to England for college. But that didn't work out so I found a job instead."

Liar.

"Wo-wow that's really, uh interesting." Bruce muttered.

I just smiled softly, knowing that it wasn't the complete truth.

"That's why you have such a peculiar accent." Tony stated which earned him a warning look from the woman beside him.

"Yeah, it's kind of a mix between everything I learned." I let out a low chuckle.

I kept quiet about the fact that I could fake different accents almost perfectly if I wanted to. It was just one of my many talents.

Watch out, your head's inflating.

"If it means anything, I like it." Pepper beamed.

"Thank you." I bowed my head, wishing the conversation would end there.

Thankfully it did. Or at least it didn't involve me.
Unconcerned by the adult-y talks they were engaged with, I happily ate the delicious meal, taste buds moaning with pleasure. And within minutes, the plate was wiped clean and my tummy was bloated under my loose top.

Glancing up, I saw that the others had finished eating too. Intending to put the plate in the sink, I got up, but Pepper beat me to it, instantly shooting up and grabbing the utensil in my hand.