Through The Utility Closet Part 3: Get Tested
Y/N had never been a fan of hospitals. In fact, she had gone above and beyond in her efforts to avoid going to them. She thought she could probably count all of her hospital visits on her fingers. Thankfully, she was a fairly healthy individual, so it wasn't hard for her to stay out of the Emergency room. They were too sterile, too clean, and everyone was always bustling and grumping around, and poking and prodding all the time. Y/N knew that the hospital wasn't supposed to be an enjoyable place to spend time, but she definitely was of the opinion that steps could be made to make it at least comfortable. Or hospitable, if you'll excuse the joke.
Still, she was in a new dimension, apparently, and so exceptions must be made when it comes to personal dislikes against institutions. She wanted to get home, after all, and this was a necessary step. In order for these scientists to send her back home, they must figure out where exactly she is from, otherwise they could end up sending her to a completely wrong place or time or what have you, and that would just be a disaster.
Once she was up on the exam table, Y/N did her best to appear friendly to the business-like nurse. She was quick and efficient as she hooked Y/N up to at least different machines, and tied a rubber band around her upper arm. For a moment, Y/N was worried that these strangers might be shooting her full of drugs, but then she remembered that this was simply routine for drawing blood. She hoped that medical procedures weren't too different in this world from her own.
Y/N was relieved when the nurse brought in a tray of empty vials and begin to explain what she was doing.
"I'm going to draw some blood so we can do some tests. I'll also need a hair sample, and I'm going to do a saliva swab as well, just so we can take a look at your DNA. How's that sound?"
"Invasive."
The nurse smiled. "I promise you'll barely feel a thing. The swab will be oral, same as checking for strep."
The nurse did her tests, and then let a few scientists in lab coats in. They pulled up chairs in front of the exam table and introduced themselves, although Y/N forgot their names as soon as she heard them.
"Okay, so I guess the first question is for you to introduce yourself and where you're from."
"My name is Y/N Y/L/N, and I'm from (hometown) in (country). I was working at one of my jobs when I fell through an inter dimensional portal and ended up here."
"Good start. Can you tell me about the planetary system from your home world?"
"I guess so." Y/N thought about it for a second, trying to remember those astronomy lessons from many years ago. "Earth is the third planet from the Sun, which is the centre of the system. Then there's Mercury, Mars, Earth, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Pluto, and I think I'm missing some. I can't remember the order, sorry, I've never been good at planets."
"That's all right. Can you tell me how many days in a year?"
"365."
"And how old are you?"
"22."
"And how old do people usually live to be?"
"Uh, I don't know. Maybe anywhere from 70 to 90 years?" Should have paid for attention in stats class.
"How big are spiders in your world?"
"Some of them are super tiny, like you can barely see them. And then some of them are huge, like a dinner plate."
"I see. And how big are chickens?"
"What?"
"How big are chicken? I know it's a weird question, but some worlds have gigantic chickens that actually prey on humans."
"Thats, um, disturbing. But my chickens are normal size? Like small enough to fit in an oven."
"Ok, well that's good. "
There where more questions like this, some about history and some about geography and flora and fauna. When they were all done, the scientists discussed for a minute by themselves.
"Okay, well, from what we can tell, your world is incredibly similar to our own, with the major differences likely being social development. You say you don't have the Avengers in your world?"
"No, we don't have any superheroes or superpowers at all. I wish, though."
"Yeah, that makes sense. How much do you know about inter-dimensional portals?"
"Absolutely nothing."
"Ok, well that's fair, it's a tough subject. So pretty much, each dimension has kind of bridges to reach out to other dimensions. When two bridges line up, there's a chance for people or things to cross over."
"Okay, that makes sense I guess."
"A lot of the time, these bridges go unnoticed. Some dimensions are connected permanently, some are connected cyclicly, and some are connected for less than a second at a time, which makes them extra hard to track. You with me so far?"
Y/N nodded.
"Don't worry if you don't get it. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that we might have a hard time tracking down your world."
"Okay, but how long do you think it'll take? How long does it normally take?"
The scientists shifted uncomfortably. "Well that's the thing. There is an infinite amount of universes you could be from, and it'll take a while to narrow it down to just the most likely. From there, we would have to figure out what kind of bridges they all have, and figure out how to predict it, and then figure out a way to send you back."
"Oh, that does sound complicated. So like a month?"
They glanced at each other. "We've never done this before, and we've never sent anyone back through a bridge."
"Two months?"
"Maybe a year."
"What?"
"I said, maybe a year?"
"I'm going to be here for a year."
"Maybe, like I said we've never done this before so we can't really give you an idea of how long it will take."
"Oh my God."
"We're very sorry. We'll give you some space."
The scientists left, and the nurse from before came back in and started unhooking Y/N from the monitors.
"We've run all the tests we need to, dear. Do you have any questions?"
"I have so many questions, I don't even know where to begin."
"That's understandable. We'll have your results back in a few hours, and that'll help the scientists get a head start on where you're from. I've got your clothes here, if you step through that door you'll be able to change in privacy."
Y/N nodded and jumped off of the table, gathering her clothes in her rooms and she quickly walked across the cold floor to the changing room. She pulled on her work clothes, which consisted of jeans and a black t-shirt, but opted to leave the apron and baseball cap off. There was no need to wear them here. Y/N put her shoes back on, simple canvas slip-ons, and reflected on what she had just learned. Here are the facts.
1. She had magically teleported through a door.
2. She was now stuck in a world that apparently had superheroes.
3. The superheroes had no idea how to get her back, or how long it would take to figure it out.
4. She was stuck.
Now, a normal person might cry when they considered this situation. But, Y/N was not a normal person. She had the fun meal-deal of anxiety and depression, and at this moment, she thanked her ill little brain for causing her to overthink every little scenario so she would be prepared for the worst to happen. Of course, none of those thoughts covered time and dimension travel, but they had covered a sudden zombie apocalypse, so it was just a matter of adjusting the survival strategy. Find shelter, find friends, and fight to live.
So far, Y/N had maybe found friends. The Avengers seemed like a friendly bunch, if oddly beautiful, and Sam had offered his basement as shelter. Now, all she had to do was figure out the day to day stuff. Get a job, live a life, and get back to her world.
So she stepped out of the changing room back into the hallway, and say the Avengers gathered around. They all turned to her as the door closed behind her.
"And what did you find out from the scientists, Y/N?" Vision asked.
"Well, they tried explaining how inter-dimensional portals work. That went way over my head. But basically, I'm gonna be stuck here for a while until they can figure out where I'm from and figure out how to get me back. So, I guess I'm going to need to find a job or something pretty quick."
Tony shook his head and stepped to the front of the group. "That won't be necessary. I'm loaded, and I'll make sure you're set up to not need anything."
"Why?"
"Because I want to? You just flew through outer space into a whole new world, and you're worried about getting a job? Come on, live a little! You look like you work too hard. What work do you do?"
"At which job?"
"Well how many do you have?"
"Three."
"Holy moly."
"Yeah."
"Why?"
Y/N shrugged. "I get bored."
"So you work?"
"Beats sitting around on my ass."
"Fair point. Well anyways, enjoy the vacation for now, and in the future if you still want a job, we'll have to figure out the proper documents. For now, enjoy your vacation! I'm loaded, and this is the perfect opportunity to share, okay?"
"If you really want to, I mean, I don't mind working."
"Clearly, you have three jobs. Psycho. But no, I don't mind. In fact, I would be offended if you didn't accept my offer."
"Okay, well, then, thanks!"
"No problem. I already gave Sam a credit card for you, so you can go shopping on your way to his house. You do know how to work a credit card, right?"
Y/N grinned. "Yes, Tony, I know how to work a credit card. My world apparently isn't that different from this one, just a few small differences I guess."
"Good. Alright, well, roll out, team."
The Avengers dissipated until it was just Sam, Steve, and James standing around with Y/N.
"So you're still coming with us, right?" Sam asked.
Y/N shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. If you don't mind, of course."
"Not at all. It'll be nice having a girl in the house, for once."
The group of four started walking down the long hallway.
"So do you just collect strays, Sam?" Y/N asked, curious of why he was so eager to offer his spare room to a total stranger.
Before he could answer, Steve cut in. "Yeah, I mean, why else did you think we lived with him?"
"I don't know. I thought maybe you were in a band, or really good gym buddies, or maybe even a throuple."
Sam choked on a laugh, but Bucky and Steve looked confused. "What's a throuple?" James asked.
"It's like a couple, but instead of it being two people, it's three." Y/N explained.
"And you thought?" Steve almost looked offended.
"Look, sorry, I don't know what's normal for you here, and I didn't want to assume it was all platonic!"
Sam was dying laughing. "You thought -" he had to lean on a wall to keep standing upright. "Man, we're just good friends, and these two have absolutely no credit, so it's hard for them to find places to stay."
"Ah. I guess being a superhero might not pay well."
"Well, I mean there are other reasons too, but yeah let's go with that." Steve didn't exactly want to jump this poor girl with the fact that he was also over 100 years old and had been frozen for a while. She had enough to worry about.
Y/N didn't pursue the other reasons, because they had finally exited the building and she was looking around, comparing this new world to her own. It was dark out, because it was night. She looked down the street and saw a McDonalds sign, which made her smile. At least she could have her chicky nugs if things got too tough. Turns out this world was just like hers, just with a bit of a different history. A lot more violence, hence the need for superheroes.
They got into the car, and Sam drove them to a mall, where they spent an hour and a half hopping around to different stores to get stuff. Y/N got used to spending someone else's money, and she definitely took advantage of the three guys following her around who offered, nay, insisted on carrying her bags. However, she insisted on going into the drugstore alone so she could collect toiletries.
She grabbed a cart (and honestly who uses a cart in a drugstore unless you have serious money to spend) and spent about 45 minutes going up and down most of the aisles to find what she needed. Luckily, the products were exactly the same as she was used to, so it was only a matter of finding exactly what she needed.
When Y/N finally walked out, she spotted her new companions sitting down on one of those middle-of-the-mall benches that are intended for senior citizens and mothers with rowdy children and men waiting for women to finish their shopping.
"Got everything you need?" Sam asked as he stood up and stretched.
"Yup."
"Alright, let's head home. You feel like pizza for dinner?"
"What's pizza?" Y/N deadpanned, and the three guys looked shocked.
"You don't know what pizza is?" Steve asked.
"Nope, never heard that word before in my life."
"Seriously?"
"Why would I joke about it?"
"You've never had pizza before." James reiterated.
"Nope. What is it?"
"No, you gotta experience it." Sam smiled and started walking back the way they had come.
Steve and James were perfect gentleman, and oddly strong as well, but Y/N again did not complain when they grabbed her bags from the drugstore. She opened doors for them as they went out to the parking lot.
Once they were back in the car, Sam got on his phone and ordered pizza that would be delivered right as they got home, provided traffic cooperated. Y/N spent the drive looking out the window at all the lights and people she saw, and didn't pay much attention to the conversation the guys were having. Nothing looked too out of the ordinary, except for the whole superhero thing.
Once they got to Sam's house, a tidy little bungalow in a quiet neighbourhood, they unloaded the car and headed inside. Steve and James ran downstairs to put Y/N's bags in her room, while Sam gave her a tour.
As they were walking down a hallway, Y/N stopped to look at family pictures hanging on the wall.
"Is this your family?" She asked.
"Yeah, that's my sister and her two boys. They've grown a lot since that picture was taken though."
"They look like lots of fun."
"They're a handful, that's for sure."
"And these are your parents?"
"Yeah," Sam said quietly. "They passed a few years ago, that's the last picture we ever took of them both together."
"Oh I'm so sorry." Sam shook his head as Y/N reached out to touch his arm. "They have really kind eyes." She said, her gaze returning to the picture.
"They were the kindest people I've ever known." Sam said, and just then, the doorbell rang. "Sounds like the pizzas here."
Y/N could hear the two boys thundering back up the stairs as she followed Sam to the front door. She expected that he would need help carrying all the food in.
She was right. The delivery driver had to go back to his car to get a second load of pizza. Y/N brought the first load into the kitchen and got a few plates down from the cupboard.
"Oh, good, you found the plates!" Sam said as he walked into the kitchen a few minutes later.
"Yeah, lucky guess."
They set the table in silence as Steve and James washed up, and then they sat down for dinner.
Sam decided he wanted to know more about Y/N. "So, Y/N, tell us a little bit about yourself."
"Ok, well," Y/N hated this questions, because how do you boil yourself down to just a few facts? She just wished people would ask direct questions, because she could answer questions if they were clear. She hated vagueness. "I'm 22, I still live, or lived, with my parents. I like dogs. My favourite colour is yellow. I have three jobs, as a nanny, in retail, and also at a Bubble Tea shop in my hometown. What else do you want to know?"
"Well that's a lot. Why do you have three jobs?" Steve asked.
Y/N shrugged, having to explain her workaholic tendencies twice in a day. "I get bored. And I like working, keeps life interesting."
"I'll bet. What do you do for fun?"
"I read a lot. And I like to go to the lake. And crochet."
"What kind of books do you read?" Steve asked.
"It depends. Sometimes fantasy, sometimes mystery. I read a lot of those cheap drugstore romances."
"Wait, you crochet?" Sam asked. "What are you, a grandma?"
"Like a crazy, chaotic grandma, kinda. I drink a lot of tea and wear a lot of sweaters, sorry for being comfy!"
They went back and forth for a few minutes. "How do you like the pizza?" Sam asked.
"Well," Y/N waggled her head back and forth, debating how to break the ruse. "Not the best I've ever had, but it's close."
"Wait, you've had pizza before?"
"Yes."
"You said before though-"
"And you believed me?Rookie move, gentlemen."
"Why would you trick us?" They weren't mad, just a little confused. And amused. James hadn't really said much since they sat down for dinner, but he grinned and chuckled at the confused looks on his friends faces.
Y/N shrugged. "Gotta keep you guys on your toes, yaknow?" They all laughed. "But hey, tell me more about you guys. You're super soldiers? What does that even mean?"
Sam and Steve took turns explaining who they were, and how the Avengers came to be. They didn't touch too much on James, who excused himself fairly into the evening. He was a little shy and quiet around newcomers, apparently, but Y/N wasn't bothered. She had bigger things to worry about than someone being shy around her.
When the talking turned to yawns, Sam offered to show Y/N to her room. He took her down the stairs into the basement, which opened up into a spacious rec room. There was a massive TV and a pool table. Down a short hallway were the two previously spare rooms, both of which were now occupied by strays that Sam had picked up. The only bathroom was unfortunately across the basement, but Y/N didn't foresee any problems with that.
Sam explained how every room had it's own colours for sheets and towels and stuff, and Y/N was very impressed with how domestically organized he was turning out to be.
Sam went back upstairs, and Y/N took a few minutes to settle in. She would unpack and run her new clothes through the laundry tomorrow, but for now all she wanted was a hot shower and a good long nights sleep.
She went into the bathroom, and saw that James had already made space for her stuff in the shower caddy, on the towel rack, and in the medicine cabinet above the sink. With a smile on her face, she put her few new belongings in those empty spaces, then drug herself through the shower and fell into her bed, exhausted.
Before her eyes closed, Y/N considered what had happened to her today. In a new dimension, living with three strange yet wonderful men, something that would be sure to give her mother a heart attack. And yet, she was excited for the morning to come. Part of her hoped that when she opened her eyes again, she would wake up in her home world, and she would be surrounded by people she knew and recognized. That's what a normal person would hope for in this situation, right?
But as I've told you before, Y/N is no normal person, and the other part of her was wishing that when she woke up, she would still be here, in Sam's house. She wanted to opportunity to explore, so see what else was out there. Maybe she'd discover a new life, a new chance to be the person she had wished to be but never got the chance. Whatever happened, she knew that tomorrow would be full questions, and hopefully a few answers. She hoped, anyways.