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Loki watches Anya walk away and make her way to Agent Hill. He barely realizes that he has been staring until Thor wraps an arm around his shoulders and makes him groan in pain.
"Brother, I can see your eye wandering," Thor teases.
"Get off me, you big oaf!" Loki grunts, pushing Thor back before fixing his button-up shirt and holding tightly onto his drink. "And I have no idea what you are talking about."
"I see the way you are looking at Lady Anya, don't lie to me, brother." Thor smirks.
Loki rolls his eyes. "I am repulsed by the way you think I would be involved with a human. What intrigues me the most is her talent. Her paintings are quite... interesting."
"That, they are." Thor smiles knowingly, and pats his brother's shoulder. "Her brushwork is immaculate."
Loki raises his brows at his brother. "Don't tell me you've taken an interest in her as well? Two humans, brother? Having multiple ones won't make them last your lifetime."
Thor frowns. "When will you cease treating humans as inferior?"
"Once they become the opposite."
On the other hand, Anya grips her glass of wine as she looks at Loki over her shoulder. Maria narrows her eyes and follows her gaze. "Anya."
She turns back to Maria and tilts her head. "Hm?"
"You got a bit of drool over there." Maria teases, reaching over to jokingly wipe Anya's chin, making Anya scoff and push her hand away. Maria laughs.
"What are you talking about?"
"You're totally checking him out."
Anya widens her eyes. "He literally tried to take over the world. I'm just trying to make sure he doesn't ruin this night." She mutters.
Maria sighs and glances at Loki, who is now admiring one of the paintings in the room. "He's a bit harmless when his brother's around, see?"
"Didn't Thor get betrayed hundreds of times by him?"
Maria glances at Anya and raises an amused brow. "That doesn't mean he isn't hot, though."
"Maria!" Anya scolds in between surprised laughter. "You of all people shouldn't say that."
"Oh, I'm off-duty. I can say what I want. I have eyes, Anya." She grins and nudges Anya. "Look, I think he likes your painting."
Anya turns to look at Loki, who is quite busy being lost in his thoughts while staring at one of her works. She sighs. "He did look surprised when he found out that I paint."
Maria smiles and takes Anya's glass, telling her that she's going to get them both a refill. While the others continue to fill the whole room with laughter and overlapping voices, Loki just stays alone in front of her painting. Anya stands by the billiards table, just eyeing Loki curiously from all across the room.
He looks so... lost. As if he believes he is all alone. People walk past him and ignore him now, and Anya has a feeling that Loki would prefer it if they were at least acknowledging his presence... either by casual conversation or out of fear.
Anya glances around and rolls her eyes once she sees Maria being among Rhodey and Tony now. She had a feeling that Maria would leave her to go talk to Loki for some reason. Isn't everyone supposed to not trust Loki?
At the end, she ends up doing it anyway. Anya grabs a new drink from one of the tables and makes her way over to Loki's side.
"I called this one Hell's Nightclub," she informs him, and Loki immediately turns his head in disbelief that she approached him. "Do you know what a nightclub is?"
Loki blinks and turns back to the painting. "Of course, I do."
"You don't know what a nightclub is, do you?"
"Does it have anything to do with Midgard's game of golf?" Loki tests.
Anya snorts and covers her mouth to hide her smile. "You did not just say that."
Loki narrows his eyes, disliking the feeling of not knowing something that sounds like universal knowledge within Midgard. He says nothing in response.
Anya shrugs. "I'll take you to one, don't worry. I think you'll like nightclubs."
Loki doesn't hold his breath for that offer. "Why is it called as Hell's Nightclub?"
"Because it sounds cool."
He raises a brow at her, unimpressed.
Anya only smiles in return. "Fine. Do you see the little neon lights and bright colors over here?" She points to an area. Loki leans closer and nods. "Those are very reminiscent to what it feels like to be in a nightclub. The lights are just blinding, and the music just pumps through your veins. Alcohol in your system just heightens everything else. The chaos of it all, paired with the energy of dancing with strangers," Anya smiles as she observes her own painting.
Loki tilts his head to look at her side-profile. He surveys her face for a moment. "Why did you relate such a euphoric feeling to hell?"
The smile fades from her lips and she meets his gaze. "Because none of it is necessarily a good thing. It's all an illusion. You'd think you're in heaven, but you're in the opposite of it. Hell is disguised as something you long to be in."
They share a gaze and Loki feels as if he can see his own reflection in her eyes the longer he concentrates on her face.
"Your paintings are not just beautiful to admire. All of them are coated with vast emotions. Deeper meaning than any ordinary human can comprehend. You have quite the talent." His voice comes out lower than he expected.
"You have... quite the eyes."
Loki blinks, breaking from his trance as he takes in her words.
She must have realized what she said and masks it with a smile. "For art. I didn't think anyone would appreciate my work. They usually just fill up the empty wall spaces."
From those words, Loki glances at Anya with an appalled expression. Their conversation is cut short when the others are beginning to leave.
For some reason, Anya stayed by Loki's side. It seemed that Thor was having too much fun that it slipped his mind how his brother is still trying his best to fit in. It only occurred to Anya that Loki is trying to be like his brother; making friends while he stays here.
Anya notices how only a few people stayed, and they are all sitting together around a table.
Loki looks to Anya and nods. "I bid you goodnight, Miss Anastasia."
"You're leaving?"
"It seems that everyone else has."
"Doesn't mean you have to go, too. We all live here."
"Yes, but I must go to my quarters now."
"Brother, where are you going? Join us!" Thor laughs and calls out from his seat, everyone's attention is now on Loki.
He glances between their faces, only to see Barton's disapproving expression and Romanoff's confused face as to why Loki is standing near her sister.
Loki shakes his head and offers a smile to Thor. "I appreciate the offer, brother, but I'm afraid I should retire to my chambers. I bid you all a good night."
Before Anya could say anything, Loki turns and makes his way out of the door. Anya frowns, but reluctantly makes her way to the table to sit next to Natasha.
Natasha gives her a curious look. "Why were you hanging out with him?"
"I wasn't, I was just asking him why he liked my paintings so much." Anya mutters.
"Well, your paintings are pretty, I'll give him that."
Anya forces a smiles at Natasha, but stares off into the distance. She tries her best to focus on the group having fun during the after party, and she chuckles occasionally as the others try to lift the hammer, but she can't seem to stop thinking about how Loki described her art.
When it was her turn to lift the hammer, Anya just laughs and stays seated like her sister. That is definitely not a question they both need answered.
"I have a simpler conclusion," Thor takes the hammer and tosses it lazily in the air before catching it. "You're all not worthy."
Everyone boos him and laughs until a high pitched tone makes them wince.
"Worthy..."
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note: have i mentioned how much i love avengers: age of ultron?