A/N: Entirely AU, everyone is human, and both Thor and Jane are older than Loki. This does deal with a student/teacher relationship. Don't like, don't read.
Summary: After Frigga and Odin die, 23 year old Thor takes in his 15 year old brother, Loki, becoming his legal guardian. One year later, Loki is still struggling with his volatile emotions when he first meets his new science teacher and soon-to-be crush, Jane Foster. What happens when Loki's feelings deepen, and Thor begins to pursue her? *slow burn, Lokane*
Disclaimer: I sadly don't own anything but the plot.
Teach Me
Chapter 1
Loki Odinson was not what one would call a popular person. Neither was he a particularly kind person. That's not to say he went out of his way to be cruel. However, he was a trickster by nature, and if an occasion arose for him to cause a little mischief (nothing too hazardous for his intended target, mind you), who was he to deny something so serendipitous? He loved his mother, Frigga, dearly. She was, perhaps, the only person Loki went above and beyond to please. They spent many nights together, cooking, painting, or reading as they enjoyed each other's company, while his father, Odin, and his elder brother, Thor, were off discussing business and other dull pursuits. There had been in Loki's short life many times he'd envied and even hated his brother for all the praises their father sang him and not Loki. He'd even admit he'd come to despise (loathe even) the mere sight of his father, as he knew some form of harsh judgment or another would fall from his lips. Why, he often wondered in his youth, was he not good enough? Why was nothing he did gain one sign of approval, one small smile, or a kind word from his father? Why, when all Thor had to do was exist and Odin rallied for him like some annoying cheerleader at a ball game! There had come a time, shortly before his fifteenth birthday that Loki's mind all but demanded he answer those questions for his sanity's sake. High and low he'd searched all his parent's secret places looking for something – anything – that might give him even a small shred of closure. What he found instead pierced his very heart in two.
His mother found him nearly half an hour later, still sitting on the floor of his father's study, Odin's hidden floor safe open with its contents spread out around him. "Loki," she called hesitantly, noticing the crumpled paper in his hand and the silent tears that streaked his face, "What is wrong, my son?"
He winced at her wording, offering a soft "am I?" as his rebuttal while attempting to collect his mental bearings. Frigga sighed despairingly as she rushed to his side, sank to her knees, and took him in her arms. "Always," she whispered soothingly. "No matter what blood may say, Loki," she assured him as she rocked his shaking frame gently. "I have changed every diaper, soothed every fever, and I have loved you through it all because you are my son."
Grey orbs closed as relief filled him and he turned to pull her closer to him. "Mother," he murmured softly before his eyes shot back open and he pushed away. "Does Thor know?"
"What," his mother gasped out confused. "No, of course not."
"He was eight when I was born," he argued. "How could he not notice you were never with child?"
"Your brother was in boarding school," she explained, cringing when Loki shoved away further, hissing that Thor was not his brother.
"It all makes since now," he continued, his heart filling with malice. "This is why Odin favors Thor over me. This is why I was never good enough for him. Why I'll never be good enough…" Frigga tried to comfort him, but even wounded Loki was prideful and stubborn.
"We will talk of this later," she insisted, "with your father." He glared at her, his grey eyes steely and cold. Loki's teeth ground together after he'd snapped his jaw closed, then he spun on the heel of his boot and marched off towards him room. He'd heard his mother and Odin arguing that night as they'd prepared to go to a business dinner. It was the first night he'd cry himself to sleep. Hours later, Loki was shaken awake by none other than Thor. Even in his semi-consciousness he could tell that Thor was tired and sad, and Loki's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What is it?"
"It's our parents," the blond man's normally thunderous voice whispered softly, "they're gone."
Of course all that had happened a year ago. One year, and Loki Odinson still wasn't considered popular or kind. In fact, he was hardly considered anything at all. That's not to say he wasn't handsome, though his sinewy body, pale skin, shoulder-length black hair and grey eyes did attract a different sort than that of Thor. No, at sixteen years of age, Loki chose to be alone, but relished in the thought of knowing should he ever desire a distraction many of his classmates would all but fall before his feet. "Not that any of them are intelligent enough to even hold a decent conversation," he grumbled to himself as he pushed off the locker he was leaning against to head towards homeroom, but instead crashed directly into another person. Through a storm of loose papers, Loki's hand instinctively reached out to grab a hold of the person's – woman's, he noted – arm before she fell to the ground. Grey eyes examined her quickly, his breath catching in his throat as he took her in fully. This woman was small, a few inches shorter than himself even, with warm honey eyes, elbow-length chocolate hair with caramel highlights, fair skin, and petite features. She was simply stunning, but who was she? A transfer student? Perhaps a senior? Loki could tell from her dress, which was form-fitting but not obscenely so, that she was fully developed. His eyes flitted quickly downward to gaze at her long legs, and licked his lips nervously as he mentally cursed the slight stirring he felt in his loins and looked back up at the face of the beauty whose arm he still held. He released her, muttering a soft apology and bent down to help collect her papers.
"I'm so sorry," a soft, soothing voice that nearly made him growl at the sound of it began to speak. "I was in a hurry, and I wasn't watching where I was going," she rambled, albeit adorably, but rambled all the same. "And…," she paused, causing Loki's eyes to meet her own amber ones, her lips spreading into a small, happy smile. "Thanks," she continued, "for catching me. You've got some quick reflexes there."
Loki couldn't help the slight tug he felt from his lips all but demanding to return her pleasant expression. "Not quick enough to avoid the situation entirely," he teased, his heart squeezing painfully before speeding up at the gentle laugh his statement invoked from her.
"Perhaps it was fated," she volleyed right back. "Sooner or later you were doomed to be tripped on or crashed into. It was just your bad luck it ended up being by me." Her eyes sparkled like the stars as she looked at him, really looked at him. How long had it been since someone – anyone – had looked at Loki and actual saw him? A year, he mentally answered, since Frigga… And yet, somehow this girl – this woman – who'd literally just crash into him took one look and just knew him. "I'm Jane, by the way," she grinned, her eyes still shining as she reached out to take her papers from him – her smooth fingers caressing lightly against the palm of his hand – and placed them haphazardly into her white binder, "Jane Foster."
"Well, Jane Foster," Loki replied in a lightly mocking tone, "I am Loki."
"Odinson?"
Something akin to excitement fused with hesitation shot through him. She'd heard of him. But why and from who? "Yes," he replied wearily.
"My uncle told me about you," she offered as an explanation. "Though you're not at all what I'd imagined from the things he's said," she admitted sheepishly.
"And your uncle is?"
"Erik Selvig."
Selvig? As in his biology professor Selvig? Loki nearly cursed aloud as he realized the horrible things the man had probably told Jane about him. It wasn't that Loki was particularly bad at biology, it's just that when he did bother to show up to what he considered a rather worthless class, the old man spouted more hot air out of his mouth than Loki cared to remember. That and he refused to do any of the assignments, or labs for that matter. In fact his grade was (remarkably and notably) a passing one based solely on test scores.
Selvig's class was Loki's last of the day (another reason he tended to skip it), which left six and a half hours for him to obsess over this mysterious Jane Foster. Loki frowned at the word. He wasn't obsessed, he mentally corrected himself. He just looked for her everywhere he went that day and replayed their brief conversation from that morning in a continual loop in his mind, but he most definitely wasn't obsessed. He sat down in his usual biology seat with an annoyed huff as he recalled he hadn't heard or seen Jane anywhere since their first exchange. Of course he figured she was a senior, and being a sophomore, he wasn't expecting her to be in his classes – but surely he should have caught a glimpse or two in the hallway or at lunch (assuming they had the same one). Loki scowled, turning his head to look out the window from his back corner seat when a sickeningly saccharine voice purred towards him.
"Hey, Loki."
Loki, for his part, fought to keep from rolling his eyes. How many times had he turned her down, and yet she kept coming back like a dog that was grateful for any spare scraps it may receive. "Sigyn," he drawled out, casting a bored glance at her overly cheerful face as she pushed a piece of her newly platinum blond locks behind her ear.
"Daddy said he and your brother have been talking about merging companies," she continued, unaware of how Loki's body tensed at the mention of Thor. "Maybe I'll see you outside of school sometime. You could show me your room," she added with a leer as one of her hands reached down and touched his right thigh.
"Sigyn," he hissed, snatching her hand away as quickly as possible. He was saved from saying anything else, as Selvig chose that moment to call the class to order, though he did continue to glare at her for several minutes afterwards.
"I would like to introduce you all to, Miss Jane Foster," Selvig's voice boomed about the room, the name catching Loki's attention and causing him to actually look to the front of the room. His grey eyes quickly looked behind the middle-aged man to see the beauty standing slightly behind him step forward. For the second time that day his breath caught in his throat and his heart thudded painfully fast within his chest. "Miss Foster is a student at our state college in her last year before graduating. During this school year, she will be preforming the exercise portion of her course by teaching this and several other classes. I ask that you be respectful and treat her no differently than you'd treat me –"
"I thought you said to be respectful," one of the teens yelled out, causing Loki to roll his eyes and several of his classmates to giggle and snicker.
" – because I will be here," the professor finished with a glare towards the whole class before turning stiffly and sitting down. Jane, for her part, smiled warmly as she introduced herself and began counting off papers to be passed down each row. "This test I'm giving you isn't for a grade," she stressed. "I merely wish to see where you're at in your studies. Though Professor Selvig assures me you're all ready to drive straight into mitosis versus meiosis, I'd rather see what you guys actually remember. If you don't know an answer," she continued, her eyes finally landing on Loki as she stood at the front of his row, her smile widening slightly in a private display of recognition that caused his rapidly beating heart to momentarily falter, "guess. You'd be surprised how many of my college exams I passed that way."
The class laughed and relaxed at her words, which was no doubt exactly what she wanted to happen. Loki Odinson, quickly answered his test before turning it over and gazing out the window again. He could feel Selvig's eyes on him, and snorted to himself as he fought to keep from searching out where Jane was in the room. He swallowed as he replayed their morning conversation again, this time adding in the way her smile had widened for him alone moments before. Perhaps he was letting his feelings get away from him? Perhaps he was reading too much into things? A gentle hand on his shoulder squeezing lightly brought him out of his musings. His head snapped upwards in time to see Jane pick up his test and walk away from him. Loki waited for the feel of her hand to disappear from his skin, but it only seemed to grow heavier and hotter until it felt as if that simple, fleeting touch had branded him. He closed his eyes, thankful for the silence outside that of the ticking clock, and tried to force the sensation away. He took a deep breath and nearly choked on the scent of Jane's soft, exotic perfume. Again his eyes snapped towards her own honeyed ones as she leaned down to his ears and asked him if he could stay after class. He nodded and she turned to continue picking up tests as they were finished.
"If you haven't finished," Jane called out as the final bell of the day rang, "please turn them in on the front desk on your way out."
Loki watched as his fellow classmates migrated out of the room like a herd of cattle, his eyes fixed firmly on the door. It was only as the last few students trickled out that he stood, throwing his messenger bag a crossed his shoulder, and slowly made his way to the front of the class. He noted that Selvig had already left, leaving him alone with Jane. "You wanted to see me," he asked, though it sounded more like a statement. Jane motioned towards the door and they both began to walk down the hall.
"I just wanted a quick word," she assured him, and Loki nodded before leading them both towards his locker. "I looked over your test," she started and Loki again nodded, keeping his eyes in front of him and hardening his resolve for whatever judgment was about to fall from her plump lips. "Your answers were brilliant."
Loki nearly stumbled over his own feet, but caught himself just in time. "I'm sorry," he said softly, his ears still truly not believing what they'd heard.
"Don't be," she grinned, holding back her laughter at his surprised expression. He stopped then and turned his attention to opening his locker and switching out his after lunch class books for the ones he had homework in. "The reason I wanted to talk with you is," she began nervously, biting her bottom lip. The action caught Loki's attention and he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to nibble on said lip himself.
"Am I so frightening," he teased. "I can't imagine a long teaching career for you if you're so afraid of your charges."
"I suppose not," she laughed briefly. "No, I'm just not sure if Erik – Professor Selvig – will go along with me on this."
"Jane," he began, then stopped and winced as he forced himself to be more formal. "Miss Foster –"
"Jane is fine," she corrected, and he could swear his heart had grown wings, "when it's just us. It's the least I can do, considering I nearly turned you into a pancake this morning." Loki chuckled, his mind wondering how often it would be just them. "Anyway," Jane cleared her throat, "as I was saying earlier, your answers were brilliant, Loki. I really don't think there's much I can teach you at this level. I was wondering if you'd like to transfer to second year biology."
"That's a junior class," his eyes widened.
"I know," she agreed. "But based on your answers alone, I know you could do it – if you wanted to. I could talk to Selvig to see if he'd accept you, then he and I'd need to talk to the principle. I'm certain there'd be some form of test, which I'd be completely willing to help you study for. I'd even tutor you in anything you missed in biology two before you were transferred in."
Loki's mind reeled with thoughts. Jane believed in him. Jane was offering to spend countless amount of time outside school with him. Jane, who made his head numb and his heart swell. Jane, who saw him, understood him – or a part of him at least. His Jane… "If you truly wouldn't mind," he replied, not wanting to seem overly anxious to be alone with her, his teacher.
Her smile reached her eyes and she released an excited squeal that nearly made him laugh. "I'll talk to Erik tonight," she assured him as they headed towards the school parking lot, "and let you know what he says tomorrow. You can stop by the room anytime, or stay after class and I'll let you know what he says."
"Wonderful," he said, though his heart seemed to be all but breaking as she got into her car and waved goodbye. For ten minutes he sat in his own car, getting the pain under control before driving home. Parking in the garage, he rushed inside, barely remembering to nod a greeting to the family butler, before heading off to his room and locking the door behind him. He knew he should start on his homework (most of which he'd nearly complete in study hall), but his head and heart were too full of exciting, conflicting, and confusing emotions. For the first time in his life, Loki was at a complete and utter loss as to what to do. One thing was for certain though, he thought with a smile, tomorrow he'd see Jane again.
