the sun in your eyes ☼ loki

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞: 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦

Anya softens and she closes her eyes. "...Sorry. I shouldn't have laid that on you. You're not the Loki that left me."

"Well, as of yesterday, I technically am."

Silence overcomes them, just before a smile grows on Anya's face. A chuckle leaves her lips, and Loki couldn't help but mirror her. She gives him a small smile. "I'll see you around, Loki."

Loki's smile fades as he watches Anya walk away. Yes, she did tell them all about the Eternals, and Kang... but she did not tell them what she saw when she was taken through different timelines where Loki did not know her. None of them know why that happened, too.

Neither did Anya.

Loki finds Sylvie in the balcony, sharpening her sword with a rock. She was still in her battlesuit, unlike Loki who is already dressed in casual attire—his being a button-up shirt and black pants. Sylvie briefly glances at him but says nothing as he approaches her side.

"What are you doing up here?"

"That Spider-boy wouldn't stop asking questions about apocalypses. He thought they were cool. I had to get away." Sylvie mutters.

Loki chuckles. "All children are curious."

"Yeah, but he didn't grow up in apocalypses, did he?" Sylvie shoots him a pointed look.

Loki grimaces. "Right. Sorry."

Sylvie softens before sighing, shaking her head. "I just feel odd being here."

He watches her for a moment. "Is it because Thor is coming later?"

Sylvie visibly flinches and she lets out a dry laugh. "Look at me. Terrified over seeing someone I haven't seen in thousands of years. I don't even remember what he looks like anymore."

"Well, I can tell you that he very much looks like an adult now."

Sylvie snorts at Loki's teasing. "This Thor doesn't even know me."

"Of course he does. Because you and I are the same." Loki places his hand on Sylvie's shoulder to reassure her.

She nods, giving him a meaningful glance. "You forgot to tell me something."

"And what is that?"

"The necklace. You gave it to Anya. She has it." Sylvie stares off into the view in front of them. "I've seen a lot of Anyas, even the ones that we were apparently already in love with. None of them had our necklaces."

He wavers. "How strange..."

"Isn't it? I think this is the only reality where you completely gave your soul to her." Sylvie chuckles, but it held no happiness in it. "The Loki in this reality must have been more than in love with her. Enough to give away such a huge part of himself."

Loki lets her words run through his mind for hours. There must be something different, then. None of the other Lokis gave their Anya the necklace. What is so different about this reality?

Meanwhile, Anya is back in her room, and to calm herself down, she does what she usually does. As she glides the brush against the canvas, she hears a soft knock and she calls out to let themselves in.

When she glances around to see who it is, she relaxes a bit and turns to her painting again.

Yelena steps in, approaching her side. "So, you found your family?"

"Kind of. My mother wasn't there with them." Anya mumbles. "And I don't think I'm related to any of them, they're all from different backgrounds."

"Does being related matter when it comes to being family?" Yelena softly asks.