The sky was filled with stars that night. Jane sat on the edge of her roof, bundled up in blankets and clutching a hot cup of coffee in her frozen hands. She swung her legs back and forth as she stared up at the brilliance of the sky above her. During the day, she studied the stars as a scientist. But at night, she would look up at them and imagine the stories they told and the amazing things out there, beyond anything her scientific studies could tell her.

She was so enraptured in the stars, she didn't notice the shadows stir and somebody step lightly out of them, as softly as a cat.

"Hello, Jane Foster."

She jumped and turned her head.

It was Loki.

The last time she had seen him, it was after the war between The Dark Elves and Asgard had finally finished and Malekith had been defeated. Once everything had been sorted out, they returned to the palace and Thor, after a long consultation with Odin, had finally delivered the verdict to Loki and her; separately, of course.
Loki would be freed from his cell, but not allowed to leave the palace or its grounds. Not, at least, until he could prove trustworthy, which meant, to the Allfather, never.

"Uh, hi."

Piercing blue eyes met brown as he turned his head to look at her. He was very tall, she noticed yet again. Not as tall as Thor, perhaps, but he gave a different sort of air from Thor. Wilder, more dangerous. Loki was unpredictable, that was the only thing predictable about him. You never knew what he would do, whether he would grin at you or slit your throat. However, tonight, Loki did not seem to want to do either of them.

He sat down gracefully next to her, so close his leg briefly brushed her's, before concentrating his focus up at the stars, an occupation Jane had been doing just a few moments ago. But instead of turning back to looking at the stars, she studied him. He was so close she could see the individual lashes surrounding his eyes. They were surprisingly bright blue, big and expressive. If they had not belonged to a man she knew had killed dozens of people, she would have called them puppy eyes.

But he had helped to save her life, as well as the millions of people in every realm who would have died if Malekith had taken over. Surely that was enough to forgive him, even a little bit?

They sat in silence for a while, Jane still watching Loki. Even if you had forced her, she never would have admitted it, but she found Loki just as fascinating as the stars. He was was as unlike Thor as night and day. Where Thor was outspoken, he was quiet. Where Thor used brute force, he used magic and tricks and his brain to get him out of situations. She loved Thor; he was sweet and chivalrous, everything Loki wasn't, but he wasn't anything like Loki. And besides, Jane reasoned, I'm a scientist, maybe I should study the people as well as the places. You could learn a lot from people, she knew that. And Loki was an... interesting place to start.

"Um, I know this is a kinda awkward question, but aren't you supposed to, uh, be stuck in the palace or something?" She felt herself blushing as the words left her lips; it seemed strange to be talking to the person who destroyed New York in such an informal manner.

"Don't worry, I don't intend to cause any trouble." He gave a bitter laugh. "Unless, of course, me just being here would cause trouble for you. But it won't, surely, if Thor or Odin don't know. However, if you tell them..." He looked intently at her, traces of a familiar grin brushing the corners of his mouth.

"Don't worry, I won't tell them." She felt suddenly inclined to assure him. "Besides, I have a feeling Thor wouldn't be too happy with me for allowing you to stay here instead of alerting him straight away." She smiled laughingly. He smiled back, barely a half smile, but definitely there.

The air felt instantly less tense. It was as if she had reached some kind of unspoken agreement with Loki. Which was very weird, when she thought about it. But then, the whole scenario was weird. She was sitting on a roof at midnight with Loki, Thor's brother and destroyer of New York. What about this situation wasn't the weirdest thing?

"So, how's Asgard? And Thor?" She felt compelled to ask. I mean, If she was going to be sitting on a rooftop with his brother at midnight, she might as well ask if he was okay. Even to ease her conscience, which was starting to prick a little.

Loki sighed. "Thor is well and Asgard is prosperous; the Nine Realms are at peace and have fully accepted Asgard as the strongest of them."

"But.. what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You know, for the supposed 'God' of Lies, you're not very good at it." She raised her eyebrows at him. He huffed and rolled his eyes, but didn't seem all that offended.

"Maybe that's because I deemed I didn't need to try to lie to a mortal."

"Well, maybe this 'mortal' thinks that you have a way too low opinion of her. Besides, you and an entire army were beaten, by what, six people when you tried to take over the world? We're not that dumb, you know."

"Touché." Loki smiled, wider this time. She had never seen him smile like that before. Sure, the cocky grin of somebody who's won, she'd seen that before. But his smiles had never been this genuine.

They lapsed into silence for a while, content just with the company of the stars, and perhaps, each other. Thor was never the type of person to stay still or in silence for long; he didn't seem to see the point of just not doing anything for a while. She loved him and found even that trait endearing, but sometimes, even when Thor wasn't around, all she wanted was a little peace and quiet. Especially with Darcy around. Boy, could that girl talk.

It was probably only half an hour, but it felt like a blissful forever, when Loki unexpectedly stood up. She scrambled to her feet; her legs had gone to sleep, and looked up at him.

"Thank you, Lady Jane, for allowing me to stay here for a little while." He murmured teasingly. She grinned and ran a hand through her messed up hair.

"It's fine. I guess... it was nice to have somebody to watch the stars with me."

Loki smiled fleetingly and locking his eyes with hers, stepped back unto the shadows. The last thing she saw of him were bright blue eyes watching her still from the darkness, before he disappeared entirely.

Jane stretched herself out and, opening the trapdoor, stepped down the ladder and went to her bedroom, where she quickly snuggled under the sheets. She was still smiling, long after she had fallen asleep.

Walking invisible through the dark streets of New York, Loki though over his encounter with Jane. What a feisty, clever little thing she was! I suppose, not all mortals are so terribly boring and stupid, he surmised to himself as reached for his magic and with a movement of his hand and couple of spoken words, teleported away.


My first Lokane fic! I'm excited to death about this. I love Lokane, it's such an adorable pairing!
Anyway, if you're confused about this story in any way, just review me and I'll explain everything next chapter.

People who review get a cookie! But seriously, I would love it if you could give me feedback. I've never written a story with any pairing before, let alone non-canon, so constructive criticism would be great? Do you think I made Jane or Loki too OOC?

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!