Chapter Two
Jane looked up and gasped, noticing Loki standing in the corner of her office, staring at her intently.
"I thought Thor talked to you about sneaking up on people."
Loki sneered, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of her desk.
"My brother has spoken to me about many things. I choose to ignore the majority of those things."
"That's worked out well for you, hasn't it?"
Loki's eyes scanned Jane's face, enjoying the underlying fear in her eyes.
"I do not come to quarrel with you. I simply wish to ask you about the details of my banishment. I assume my brother has confided in you."
Jane nodded, watching Loki carefully.
She did not trust him one bit.
Clever girl.
"Above all, I would like to request a teaching position, instead of a student position. All of the educators in this facility possess knowledge that is inferior to my own. It is insulting to ask me to sit through their lectures as a lowly student."
Jane folded her arms across her chest.
"The whole point of you coming here was to teach you that you're not better than anyone else. Nothing is more humbling than being a graduate student. Do you know why?"
Loki's bright eyes flicked up to meet hers while his mouth remained tightly shut.
"Because you're going to think all of your professors are idiots, but you still have to play by their rules," Jane smiled slightly, "and Thor already told you, you're going to have to make straight A's for an entire year before you can return to Asgard. That means you're going to have to learn how to play by somebody else's rules for a while."
Loki frowned, calculating just how much time he would have to escape if he were to slaughter Jane Foster.
It did not matter; S.H.I.E.L.D. had Tony Stark and Bruce Banner at their disposal. The two men possessed intellectual capacities that rivaled even the greatest scholars on Asgard. They would be able to find him and the rest of the dysfunctional team would rush to punish him for his actions.
Besides that, if he slaughtered Thor's romantic interest, Loki would likely not be invited to ascend to the throne of Asgard.
"Then I must withdraw from Dr. Hamill's class."
Jane's eyebrows shot up.
"What did you do?"
Loki smirked at Jane's facial expression as her hand twitched towards her telephone.
"There is no need to call S.H.I.E.L.D., Jane. I simply fear I may have made a poor first impression on someone who I am supposed to subject myself to."
Jane stared at him questioningly before hearing an angry voice outside of her door.
"Right in front of the whole damn lecture hall! The little shit had the balls to stand at the podium and speak to the class about something he knew nothing about!"
Loki grinned impishly as Jane's eyes turned to him darkly.
"Stay right there." She growled, walking towards the door anxiously.
"Dr. Hamill, how are you today?"
Loki glanced around Jane's office, the grin remaining on his face as he heard Dr. Hamill's infuriated voice.
He turned around as Jane returned to her office a few moments later.
"Yeah, you're not going back to Asgard this year. There's no way you're going to avoid failing that man's class."
"We'll see about that, now won't we? I can be very convincing."
Jane rolled her eyes.
"Is there any other reason that you're here?"
"Not very sociable, are we, Jane? Very well, I will ask you one more question. What does this combination of numbers correspond to? A young woman wrote them on my hand. I cannot understand their purpose." Loki questioned, displaying the numbers written on his hand to Jane.
Jane stared at the numbers curiously before slapping a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.
A dark look crossed Loki's face.
He did not like being laughed at.
"Who wrote this on your hand?"
"A young woman who seemed very impressed at my display of dominance in Dr. Hamill's lecture. Are they some kind of coordinates? Perhaps she was inviting me to a meeting of sorts."
Jane shook her head, still smiling, much to Loki's annoyance.
"That's her phone number. You know, so you can call her, or text her. Did she say anything else before she gave it to you?"
Loki thought carefully about his conversation with the odd young woman.
She had invited him to partake in mischief, something he knew was best not to inform Jane of.
"She invited me to partake in an event she was attending with her friends."
Jane smiled, nodding her head.
"Right, okay, well, in this realm, when a woman is interested in a man, she gives him her number. He usually calls to let her know that he's interested, too. I can't imagine that you want to date this girl, do you?"
Loki snorted.
"I have more pressing matters than a young woman."
"That's what I thought. Don't worry about it, the ink will wash off. We should try to get you a cell phone soon, though. They're sort of a necessity here."
"Why?" Loki demanded, his eyes scanning Jane's face for answers.
Cell phones were not in Asgard. He had lived centuries without even thinking about the technology used on Earth. Jane Foster did not know what was and was not necessary to him.
"So you can call me if you have any more questions, so Thor can call you to check up on you,"
"You mean track me." Loki interrupted dryly, his piercing crystal eyes still searching Jane's face.
She faltered under his intense gaze.
"Okay, for argument's sake, let's say I won't give anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. your phone number. Or at least, not to start with. Would you at least think about getting one, so I could call you if I needed to?"
"Perhaps."
"Well, that's a start. If I can teach Thor to ask for coffee nicely in a diner, I'm sure I can teach you how to use a cell phone." Jane said with an amused smile.
Loki glowered at her.
"I am not to be compared to my brother." He instructed in a venomous voice.
Jane's eyes widened slightly.
"I can see that this conversation is doomed to fail, regardless of your feeble attempts to hold my attention. Good day, Jane." Loki muttered, glancing at his brother's girlfriend momentarily before exiting her cramped office.
Loki's feet felt like lead as he trudged towards Dr. Hamill's lecture hall for his second day of the class.
The man would undoubtedly be incorrect about every historic event in the curriculum and seemed too arrogant to accept criticism from a more intelligent being.
This was a tragic flaw that seemed to be consistent among the residents of Earth.
"Hey, God of Mischief! You were supposed to call me last week!" He heard a familiar voice shout from behind him.
"Damn," he muttered to himself, not bothering to turn around.
"What the hell, dude? I thought that you were all about getting into trouble. Did you suddenly wimp out?" Tabby questioned, sounding winded as she caught up and matched Loki's stride.
Loki's eyes narrowed.
"Are you suggesting that I am a coward?"
"I'm not suggesting anything. I'm just saying if you really were all about mischief, you would have been there. Things got pretty crazy."
"I didn't hear about it on the news."
Tabby laughed, not sensing Loki's irritation.
"Okay, maybe it wasn't that large-scale. Just enough to keep our records clean, while still having a good old time."
Loki nodded his head. He could understand being inconspicuous about causing trouble.
He had a similar need, himself.
Maybe this insolent little girl would be a beneficial acquaintance for him after all.
"So are you going to give me a call this time?" She questioned, raising her dark eyebrows at him while planting her hands on her hips, as if she was scolding a small child.
Loki observed her stance in a combination of irritation and amusement.
She clearly did not understand his superiority to her. Instead, she was issuing him a challenge. She was attempting to control him. She was working to establish dominance in their hardly tolerable acquaintance.
Loki smirked.
Better men than this silly little girl had tried to control him.
Still, he desired this challenge.
After his failure in New York, his confidence had been shaken. S.H.I.E.L.D. did have the power to control him, primarily due to their green monster.
This girl, on the other hand, was horrible outmatched.
The prospect of this situation was deliciously tempting.
"Are you just going to keep staring at me, or are you going to promise to come out with us next time? After your showdown with Dr. Hamill, everyone is dying to meet you." Tabby said, eying Loki curiously.
"If I find the time in my schedule to join any trouble you and your friends concoct."
She rolled her eyes, shaking her head, to Loki's surprise.
"Where do you live?"
"Excuse me?"
"You live in that big ass house down West Avenue, don't you? My friend Brie said she saw you going home the other day. Yeah, you kind of struck me as the rich type. Well, I know where you live. I can just kidnap you tonight."
Loki frowned.
"You dare threaten a prince?"
"I would dare to do a whole lot worse to one prince in particular. Be ready by eight."
"Do you not understand that you are completely beneath me? What power have you to tell me when to make your acquaintance?"
Tabby laughed.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm a real bitch. Anyway, I'll see you at eight. I'm excited to see what a little bit of good old fashioned bar time does for you." She said with a wink, skipping off to her next class.
Loki stared after her, unsure of how to behave.
This girl had not given him the opportunity to explain to her just why she was incorrect to address him the way that she had. Instead, he had been forced to stand idly by as she invited herself to his home, in order to bring him out to socialize with her friends.
Shaking his head, he continued to walk to Dr. Hamill's useless lecture.
Breaking down this little girl and ripping the power she believed she had from her shaking hands would be fun.
Later that evening, Loki was pacing his home when he suddenly stopped, smirking.
Tabby was at his doorstep, sneaking towards his open window.
"Perhaps you would prefer entering the front door." He suggested coolly, not bothering to turn around to see the dumbfounded expression on her face.
"How the hell did you even know I was there? No one ever notices me breaking into their places. It's kind of a gift."
"Very few are able to sneak up on me."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Loki finally turned to face Tabby, mildly surprised by the change in her attire.
Instead of simply wearing a t-shirt and shorts, as most of the lowly students seemed to walk around in, she was wearing a dress that was very low-cut; lower cut than any attire he had seen on a woman in Asgard. The dress was also much more form-fitting than those of Asgardian women.
Perhaps this was a trick she was trying to play.
After all, he was a man and she was a woman.
Historically, women had been using lust against men for centuries.
The joke is on her, Loki thought in amusement as he smirked at her. He had never been romantically involved with a woman.
He had sat idly by while Thor engaged in amorous activities with women, instead attaining knowledge on magic.
Of course, women were much easier than education for Thor.
Conversely, women never seemed to have much time for Loki, even if he was the prince of Asgard. Academics, on the other hand, did not have the option of refusing a willing student.
"So, are you ready to go? Or are you just going to keep staring at me all night long? Not that I have a problem with it, but the guys are waiting in the car and a few of them can get pretty jealous." Tabby said with a devilish grin, her eyes flicking over Loki quickly before making contact with his bright eyes.
Loki's eyebrows furrowed.
"I was simply observing how grossly revealing your attire is. I assume that we will not be attending a formal occasion this evening."
Tabby's eyebrows elevated slightly.
"No, definitely not."
"What a pity. There's a certain pleasure one has ruining formal occasions."
Her eyes met his as her mouth twisted into an even wider grin.
"Maybe I'll take you to a wedding sometime. Meanwhile, we should get going. Is that what you're wearing?"
"Do you think it unacceptable?"
"No, I think it'll do just fine. It really makes your uh…your eyes look great." She responded, her green eyes sliding down his body towards his waistline before returning slowly to his eyes.
Loki met her gaze evenly, refusing to fall victim to this appealing young woman.
He followed her to the vehicle that would transport them to the bar of her choosing, nodding towards the three young men who were also piled in.
He was met with curious stares, as well as a cold glare from the driver.
"Guys, this is Loki, the 'god' I've been telling you about. Loki, this is Chad, Mike, and Wes."
Loki nodded towards each of the young men once more as the driver, Wes, started the car, quickly projecting them towards their destination.
Loki glanced around the room as the young men and Tabby guided him towards the bar, where many people seemed to be sitting, receiving drinks from a scantily clad woman behind the counter.
There were many young women dressed similarly to Tabby; perhaps dressing in provocative clothing was typical around these bars.
He sat down next to Tabby at the bar, still observing his surroundings.
"What's wrong? Never been to a bar before?" Chad joked, grinning at Loki easily.
Loki's eyes settled on Chad, who was still giving him a lopsided smile.
"No, I have not been in a similar setting before. In Asgard, I simply drink in the dining hall of my home."
Mike leaned over to Wes, muttering, "Where's Asgard?" in a low voice, sneaking a glance at Loki.
"I dunno, somewhere in Ohio, I think." Wes answered, shrugging as he received a bottle of beer from the bartender.
Loki smirked at the ignorance of the young men Tabby associated with.
Only the people of Earth would be so horrendously oblivious to the nine other realms.
"Wait, so you have an entire dining hall in your house? Dude, that's awesome!" Chad exclaimed eagerly, ignoring Wes and Mike, who were still speaking to each other in low voices.
"I told you, he's loaded. I mean come on, couldn't you tell just by looking at him? He looks like one of those aristocrats you read about in the textbooks!" Tabby reminded Chad with a giggle, accepting an odd looking drink from the bar tender. The bartender then looked at Loki curiously.
Loki held up his hand, indicating that he was uninterested in the beverages that his acquaintances were consuming.
Each of them looked and smelled revolting.
"Do not degrade me to such low levels. I would never be one of the lowly 'lords' of history. No, I am the prince that they serve." Loki reminded her irritably.
Tabby seemed like a fairly clever girl, and yet, she could not grasp the simple fact of his social status.
She rolled her eyes at him, that frustrating gesture.
"Right, you're royalty. Anyway, since you're so rich, I think the drinks should be on you tonight." She informed him with a wide smile, leaning closer to him as the rest of the guys laughed in agreement.
Loki raised his eyebrows.
"Money is immaterial to me. If you wish for me to sponsor your drinking for the evening, I should gladly do so."
All four graduate students stared at Loki with wide eyes, causing him to grin.
Yes, they were right in the palm of his hand. He was offering them something that they clearly found appealing, at no apparent cost. He was causing them to develop a dependency on him. Once they were dependent, they would undoubtedly become much simpler to control.
"Hell yeah! Tab, good call with this guy. I like him already!" Mike exclaimed, high-fiving Tabby.
Chad seemed to be equally pleased at Loki's offer, as he was already leaning over the counter and speaking to the bartender about more drinks he could sample.
Wes, on the other hand, seemed displeased by Loki's actions, judging from the coldness of his stare and the clenching of his jaw.
Loki immediately understood; Wes was the former alpha male of the group. Both Chad and Mike looked to Wes upon meeting Loki, which Loki presumed to mean they valued his judgment more than their own.
Offering them free alcohol, however, had evidently been an unexpected challenge against Wes.
Now, Chad and Mike turned their backs to Wes, instead fixing their attention on Loki, waiting for him to share knowledge that would aid them as loyal followers. Even Tabby was focused on him, which did not seem to escape Wes' attention.
"Hey, I love this song! Come dance with me!" Tabby instructed, grabbing Loki's arm and tugging him towards the middle of the bar, where a large group of similarly dressed women were dancing very provocatively.
Loki shook his head immediately.
"That activity is very much below me."
"Are you telling me that you don't dance?"
"Nothing gets by you, does it?" He responded with a slight smirk.
Tabby laughed, tugging at Loki's arm again.
"C'mon, what's the worst that could happen?"
Loki raised his eyebrows at the challenge.
"You could attract my attention to you more than you already have. That, silly girl, would put you in very real danger, I assure you." He replied, his eyes fixed on hers.
Her mouth twisted into an impish grin.
"What kind of danger?"
"I am not playing games with you."
Tabby's grin only widened.
"Whatever you say, buddy. I'm sure I'll find out eventually. Chad, come on, you're dancing with me!"
Chad looked up from the plate of fries he had been devouring, glancing between Loki and Tabby in slight confusion.
His eyes settled on Tabby, who was staring back at him impatiently.
"Any day now." She nagged, raising her eyebrows.
Chad silently obeyed, allowing Mike to swipe the plate of fries from him as he followed Tabby to the group of people doing what this realm considered 'dancing'.
Loki watched curiously.
It seemed that Tabby had control over the men in the group; it was unclear to Loki whether or not she had originally used brute force to get them to submit to her rule, but whatever she had done, it seemed that she had done it very well.
It then dawned on him that by asking him to join the established group of friends, Tabby likely intended to force him to submit, like the other young men in the group. She meant to make him obey commands as obediently and silently as Chad had.
He smirked at her.
Foolish girl.
She caught him staring at her and smiled back, tossing in a wink for good measure.
Loki rolled his eyes then turned to Wes, feeling his opponent's eyes boring into the back of his head.
"What are you doing with Tabby?" Wes instantly demanded, staring Loki down.
Loki laughed at Wes' attempt at intimidation.
"You're going to have to give me a more specific question."
"Are you trying to sleep with her? I know that she's made some pretty shitty decisions, but I doubt she would stoop down to you. Buying all of the alcohol in the world wouldn't change that."
"Is this love fueling your aggression?" Loki taunted with a smirk.
Fools in love were always the weakest.
Thor was the sheer proof of that.
Wes glowered back at Loki.
"Just steer clear of her, let's leave it at that."
"Oh, but this is fun! Now, let's say that I don't steer clear of Tabby. Maybe I like her. She does have a certain charm about her when she's dressed this way."
Wes' stance stiffened.
"Are you saying that you're planning on hooking up with her?"
Loki shrugged.
"Maybe I already have."
"You're lying."
"Your facial expressions betray you. You're currently in denial about the nature of your relationship with Tabby."
Wes got closer to Loki, attempting to intimidate him physically.
Loki simply smirked.
"Listen, you little shit, you can't just come in here and pretend you're more special than everyone else here. You might have money, but Tabby doesn't work like that."
"I'm glad you seem to think so."
"You don't?"
Loki shrugged.
"Nothing has forced me to think otherwise."
"Oh, I'll make you think otherwise." Wes growled, his muscles tensing.
"Whoa, let's bring the testosterone levels down a notch, okay guys? Loki, come with me. Let me explain to you just how this group works. You guys go ahead to the party without us. I'll call a taxi and meet you there." Tabby interrupted, hooking Loki's arm in hers as she gave him a stern look.
Loki smirked at Wes once more before allowing the tipsy young woman to guide him outside of the bar.
"Would you like to call a cab?" He questioned in amusement.
He was the god of mischief. He could detect a lie with the greatest of ease.
Tabby had been lying about her intentions to rejoin her friends at the party they had been planning on attending. She had been lying about her intentions to lecture Loki as well. It seemed that she had something else in mind. Something Loki was very interested in learning about.
"I might as well, we're going to have to get to a bedroom somehow," She replied, grinning up at Loki devilishly.
She quickly called the cab, slurring through the directions and instructions with the assistance of a curious Loki.
"So tell me, Loki, have you ever hooked up with a woman before?" Tabby asked, her bright eyes surveying him as he hesitated.
"I have had more pressing matters than women in my life."
"Well then, you're just going to have to listen to me for instructions, now aren't you? You might be a newbie, but you're still the 'god of mischief', so I expect you to be good."
Loki snickered.
"I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm lacking in the 'good' department."
"In this case, being bad means you're good."
Loki raised his eyebrows, a grin spreading across his face.
He leaned closer to her, his lips just a few inches from her ear.
"Then I promise you, little girl, I will be very, very good." He assured her in a low voice, a devious smirk still plastered to his face.
For once in his life, Loki was caught-off guard as Tabby jumped up on her toes, planting her lips on his firmly, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.
Just moments later, the cab she called pulled up in front of the bar, blaring its horn at the pair.
Loki nodded towards the cab as Tabby separated herself from him, her eyes searching his face eagerly.
"You're coming, right?" She questioned as she took a cautious step towards the cab.
"You are accompanying me to my home." Loki responded.
Tabby grinned at his response, sliding into the cab eagerly and patting the seat next to her, indicating that she wished for Loki to join her.
He nodded, turning to face the group of young men that had been loitering outside of the bar for a few seconds.
Wes looked enraged while Mike and Chad simply looked surprised.
"I think I've figured out just how Tabby works." Loki said, winking at Wes swiftly before joining the young woman in the cab, both of them wearing satisfied smirks.