"I told you," you yelled at the man walking around you, golden sigils swirling around you. "I don't know how I got here. I just went to sleep and poof! I'm now in the MCU."
"MCU?" Dr. Stephen Strange asked, watching you closely.
"Marvel Cinematic Universe," you answered before mentally kicking yourself. For some reason you couldn't help but tell the truth.
"What is 'Marvel'?"
"It's a comic book company," you responded instantly, swearing that you couldn't stop the impulse. "Can you please remove the Zone of Truth? I didn't even get the chance to roll a Charisma saving throw."
"Is that a reference to something?" Dr. Strange looked at you as if you were speaking another language.
"Dungeons and Dragons," you answered. "Look, you know the theory of infinite universes?"
Dr. Strange paused for a moment before nodding for you to continue.
"The universe I come from is one where all this-" you gestured at the sigils and waved a hand at Strange. "-is fiction. Originally a comic book series that later became a multi-million dollar company with TV shows, movies, and even an entire theme park inspired by the comics."
"So you know what happens in this universe," Dr. Strange stopped his stroll around your mystic cage at stared at you.
"Depends," you shrugged. "When did you become Sorcerer Supreme?"
"It's been a couple months," Strange almost looked surprised that you knew that piece of information.
"Did the Avengers have a huge fight at an airport yet?"
"No. . Wait-"
"Don't ask," you interrupted Strange. "Since you look like Cumberbatch, I really must be in the MCU. . ."
"Who is Cucumber batch?"
"Cumberbatch," you corrected. "Anyway, and since the TVA hasn't shown up yet to prune me, that must mean that either I haven't caused a Nexus Event yet-"
"TVA? Nexus Event" Strange seemed to get more confused as you spoke to yourself.
"-or this is a universe where I'm suppose to be here," you ignored Strange and began pacing around the magic circle. "If I remember correctly Thor and Loki are suppose to show up here at some point looking for Odin, which may mean that I'm suppose to help them?"
"Why would they-"
"Keep up Doc," you sighed exasperated. "You rewinded times multiple times fighting Dormammu, don't act like a fresh med student still wet behind the ears."
Strange coughed, his cheeks pink, but remained silent.
"Wait," you paused and looked at part of the ceiling of the room. "Did the Watcher bring me here?"
"Who's the Watcher," Strange looked at the same empty spot.
"A powerful cosmic being watching over the infinite universes," you explained. "But if it was him, why me? His main rule is not to interfere with the flow of time, to the point of watching the collapse of -I don't know how many- universes to preserve the survival of the infinite others."
"I don't think you're that special," Strange waved his hand, the sigils and circle disappearing.
"Exactly," you agreed, glad to see the Strange didn't see you as a threat. "I was just a girl living his my dad's basement because it's too expensive to get a place in this economy. What kind of power could I possible have in this universe. . . Wait."
"What?"
"Teach me magic."
"Excuse you?" Strange's shoulders stiffened.
"I'm in a universe where magic is real," your voice betrayed the excitement you were trying to hide. "My universe doesn't have magic. At least the flashy kind you have. Teach me."
"No."
"I'll ask Wong then," you shrugged.
"How do-"
"Did I reality shift?" you pinched yourself to make sure you weren't dreaming.
You weren't.
"Reality shift?"
"It's where you lucid dream into your 'desired universe'," you scoffed. "Never believed it was an actual thing, so I never tried it."
"You mean to tell me in your universe, where magic doesn't exist, you can shift into different universes?"
"No," you shook your head. "There's no scientific proof that reality shifting is actually a thing. What is most likely happening if that the person "shifting" is lucid dreaming and doesn't realize it."
"If you never done it, how can you say it's fake."
"Because hundreds, if not thousands, of people claim to be able to do it."
"That's a lot."
"And most of them are teenagers who-" you coughed preparing a dramatic voice. "live in a world misunderstood from society who cannot begin to comprehend how special they truly are. Although we cannot dismiss the possibility that some people can actually reality shift."
"But that many people, not to mention kids," Strange continued. You could see the numbers going through Strange's head.
"You have a better chance of winning the lottery," you finished the thought. "You have a better chance reality shifting in this universe."
"But you're not from this universe."
"Exactly," you nodded. "So something brought me here, because the chance that this is just some freaky accident. . ."
"So how do we send you back?"
"Who says I'm going back?" you stared at Strange with shock. "If there is a reason for me being here, I want to figure it out. Besides, the chance to live in a universe where I can do otherwise impossible things? I ain't going nowhere."
"You do not belong here," Strange stood his ground, his hands moving to begin a magic spell.
You quickly lifted your hands and made a circle, focusing of opening a portal to where you lived in your universe. It took less brain power than you thought as you felt energy surge around you, embers sparking in front of you. The ember spraying into a growing circle until it became large enough for you to run through. The circle closed behind you and you ran to the door and knocked.
A man that looked like your dad opened the door and stared down at you. He looked more fit that you remembered.
"Can I help you?"
"I am going house to house, asking them to answer some questions. It's for a project at my college."
"Which college do you go to?" your "father" asked.
You answered with the same college that you knew your father went to when he had met your mother.
"I hear it's a good college," he nodded.
"Did you go there," you asked.
"I almost did after I left the Airforce," the man straightened slightly, his military pride the same in any universe. "I ended up going somewhere else instead."
"I see," you nodded, masking the disappointment. "Would you happen to have a moment to answer some questions?"
"I'm actually busy so that would be a no," the man apologized and you quickly excused yourself.
You walked down the driveway where Strange stepped out of the swirling embers. He left his cape at home but still work the casual clothes he had when he was interrogating you.
"How did you do that," his eyes expressing shock. "You didn't even see anyone else do that."
"In the movies I have," you shrugged and started walking down the familiar streets, noting small differences between universes.
"No one can just watch a movie and suddenly become an expert," Strange walked next to you, watching you intently.
"I had a uncle who could play a song perfectly on the piano after listening to it once," you shrugged. "He was a pretty good swing dancer actually."
"But how were you able to do that," Strange asked. "Even I wasn't able to do that so quickly."
"Well," you continued walking, feeling the universe's energy swirling around you. "You know when you touched the TV screen from the 90's you could feel the static from it?"
"That's what I feel in the air," Strange nodded, waving his hand in the air, manipulating it slightly. "So you can feel it too?"
"I always could in a way," you nodded. "Though it wasn't as intense as it is here."
"But you said-"
"There is no flashy magic in my world," you interrupted Strange. "Mom was spiritualist and taught me to feel the energy of the universe around me. Plus being autistic with a pension for being too philosophical for my good, I figured out how to do all sorts of things."
You gathered the energy around your feet into a hard disc and moved it to carry you in the air, Strange following shortly after.
"Although, it's harder than it looks," you strained against the weight of your own body and struggled not to lose your concentration to keep you afloat and brought yourself back to the ground.
"And you weren't able to do this in your universe," Strange asked, following you to the ground. You felt a pang of jealousy that he didn't seem phased while you felt like you worked out for the first time in your life.
"Nope," you huffed and watched Strange over a portal back to the Sanctum Sanctorum, where a bottle of water flew to you as you walked in. "Thanks."
"You do need to go back to your world," Strange took a seat on a red loveseat. "But until then, you can stay here."
"Will you teach me magic then," you asked, sipping the water.
"If it means you won't do something dangerous," Strange's eyes seemed to glimmer with excitement and you smiled.