For the Love of a Patriot || 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 ✔️ [#wattys 2018]

13 | Halloween

"You know, that thing you do where you zone out at something for like five minutes and then you know how to do it perfectly?" Tony asked as I continued to stare at the large golden Rosetta stone wall while writing. I ignored him. SHIELD had finally let me start trying to decode it with Tony and Bruce's help.

"Tony, it's called Accelerated Development and it's the ability to develop skills traits and abilities faster and much more efficiently and faster than possible," Bruce said beside me, typing on his holopad.

"Yeah, yeah, you learn super fast and all that jazz, but the question is will you learn how to do something for me?" He asked, sitting on the table behind me.

"No..." I muttered, scribbling something down while touching the grooves of the bizarre lettering.

"Damn it." He mumbled under his breath.

"No, I mean..." I looked down at my notepad and over to Bruce who looked at me, confused. "The only language that it's translatable to is ancient Arabic. Many of these words don't have English meaning, and some don't even have a meaning in another language at all. The closest I can get is Arabic. The translation is still pending." I took off my glasses and set down my pen and pad next to me on the floor.

Bruce smiled at me. "Congratulations. You just made your first breakthrough."

"I did didn't I?" I smiled before closing my eyes. "Ficken sie ja!" I exclaimed, with a fist pump.

"Language." Steve came in wearing a witch's hat and I furrowed my eyebrows. "Gosh darn it, Steven. I said it in German it shouldn't count." I got up from my crisscrossed position on the floor to fold my arms and look at him.

"Well, that's one of the few languages I know." He shrugged.

I shook my head. "I finished my work for today. I have to get the house ready for tomorrow." I walked towards him and gave a small smile. "Nice hat."

"You guys have fun with that." Bruce stood up from the floor. "Halloween isn't the best for me."

"I love Halloween. Scaring kids is fun." Tony laughed.

"Not if they're four, Tony," Steve said with a deadpan tone before walking over to speak with Bruce.

"Seriously?" I raised my eyebrow. "That's low."

A sudden frightening scream from directly behind me into my ear made me give a startled scream. As a defense mechanism, my elbow flew backward, hitting whoever it was behind me in the face.

I turned quickly as Clint fell to the ground clutching his nose.

I relaxed. "Oh hey, Clint, what's up?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

He groaned with his hand still over his nose, lying his head on the ground. "Nothing much," he groaned. "...I think you broke my nose."

"Well Clint," I chuckled, folding my arms. "You scared the living hell out of me. I would be sympathetic, but now I'm over it." I shrugged with a smile. "Happy Halloween though."

I stepped over him as he gave his offended look.

Natasha came in and saw Clint getting off the ground and sighed. "Clint, did you try to scare Rachel again?"