Loki Odinson sat at a table in a little cafe in the outskirts of London. He sat there, trying to come up with a good answer to his problem, that is, that he wanted Jane Foster, but she hated him. Furthermore, he was adopted, had been lied to, been laughed at, and pretty much been made to feel ridiculous all of these years. Odin was such a backstabbing bastard.

Loki thought about this state of affairs and wondered what on earth he was going to do about it.

Perhaps nothing. Perhaps nothing was to be done about it. He was adopted, and though he was furious about it, what really could be done?

(he could discover who his birth parents were, hunt them down, and kill them. But that would land him in jail)

He wasn't a stupid person. He had no desire to be incarcerated. He wanted to return to New York and get on with the business of making money and wooing Jane Foster.

She was here, he reminded himself, and she was meeting him for coffee. The thing was, was what did he ultimately hope to gain by receiving her mind in return? He had no experience with such a state of things. Love and hate, he believed, much be much closer on the human emotional scale than he realized.

How to elicit her love, while stifling the hate?

Did she really, honestly, hate him?

Perhaps he didn't love her so well as he thought…that would simplify things.

But Loki closed his eyes when he thought those words, and her face was before his mind's eye, and she was smiling, laughing at one of his jokes, and his heart leapt.

Jane Foster was a good sort of person.

He was not.

This is quite true…even he could not deny it. Perhaps he should try a different approach with her. Perhaps her body, heart, and mind were not touched in the same way.

"Sir, do you require anything more?" asked the server.

Loki looked at him. "No, thank you."

He swallowed. He could just try to abandon it. No sense in mindlessly pursuing that which does not want to be pursued. But no…that wasn't who he was…

"Hey Loki. Sorry I'm late," and Jane sat opposite him without even looking at him.

"Jane," he nodded.

"So…" as she glanced over the menu. "Feeling any better?"

"Do you care?" he shortly replied.

She shot him a look. "I wouldn't have asked otherwise."

He smirked and cleared his throat. "No. I am not."

Jane sat back as the server came and she placed her drink order. "Wanna talk about it, then?"

His gaze fell. "Well, I discovered that my father and mother weren't my father and mother in a ludicrous note left by my false father to me after he died so that I couldn't even respond to him and everything I ever knew about myself was simultaneously destroyed and became absolutely clear," he paused for breath. "It was a realization of epic proportions."

Jane's eyes were wide. "How did they become clear, exactly?"

Loki sipped his drink. "Everything was clear, Jane. Why Thor was favored. Why Odin resented me. Why I always felt slightly on the outside looking in. It all made sense."

Jane nodded. Well, she supposed it did make sense, in a way. She had noticed the way in which Odin treated his younger son. It was different; resentment, she couldn't rightly say. "Well, it was pretty shitty, the way he told you…"

"He didn't tell me Jane. He was a coward, leaving me a note after he died."

"You don't always make things easy for people, maybe he was nervous."

He stared at her. "Firstly, don't you dare defend him to me. Secondly, Odin was never nervous. Not once did I ever see the man so much as break a sweat."

Jane smirked. "I wasn't defending him, exactly. I was trying to get you to see his side."

He rolled his eyes and went to down his cup.

"Look, I know that things suck right now, and that nothing is making much sense, but if you just…"

"You have no idea, Jane," he breathed. "Do not try to placate me." He paused at this. Getting angry at Jane would do nothing to further his cause. Change tactic. "Though I must thank you for your concern," his eyes fell. "After everything, to know that you still care…"

Her gaze shot toward him. "I fucking fell in love with you. Of course I care," she dropped her voice. "Despite my better judgement."

He smiled. "Well, I appreciate it, at any rate. Perhaps," he cleared his throat. "Perhaps upon returning to New York, you might be agreeable to a lunch," not dinner. Too much like a date.

She looked at him steadily. "Lunch."

"That's right," he averted his eyes.

"Like…going out for food."

"That's what lunch generally means, yes…unless you are privy to some other otherwise unknown meaning behind the word."

"Loki, why do you want to have lunch with me?"

He folded his arms in front of him and considered her, hoping that his face told a story of genuine concern and only a hint of hurt. "Because, Jane…" he swallowed for effect. "You are, in all honesty, the only person I have."

"Oh my god," she sighed.

"You wound me, Jane. Why the exaggerated response?" a smirk found his eyes.

"Because you are ridiculous, that's why."

"How can you be so callous, after everything that we've been through?"

"Look," and Jane leaned in. "I came here today because I wanted to make sure that you're alright. You clearly are. I think I'll just be going," she finished her coffee and went to stand.

"Please, Jane," he said so low she barely heard him.

"What…?"

"I am in earnest when I tell you that I am alone. There is nothing false in that. I may be behaving a bit playfully, but in case it has escaped your observational acumen, I do a lot of things as a defensive strategy. I do not wish to be perceived of as weak," his eyes fell. "I meant it when I said that you are all that I have. Please don't turn your back on me, too."

Jesus.

Jane looked around, attempting to avoid his steady look. What was she supposed to say after that speech?

"Alright, Loki. I'm all that you have. What do you want?"

Your heart, mind, and soul. "Lunch. New York. "One week from now. I'll text you the particulars."

He wants me at his beck and call. "Ok. I'll see you then," Jane stood up, smiled at him, and left.

That went better than he had hoped five minutes into it, but it could have gone better, in the long run.

No matter. Lunch would set it to right.

The next few days were spent in the hotel room, pouting and watching tv. She didn't bother going to the funeral, as she pretty much figured that she wasn't wanted; her invitation was given purely on the presumption that Thor would be seeing her and Loki together.

Which he did.

And it didn't go terribly well, at least not in Jane's opinion.

She was packing her things for her departure, her plane was leaving in a few hours, and she wanted to go home.

Have a good flight home, Jane. Take good care of my brother.

She looked at the text disdainfully. Thor was being pretty manipulative…she thought that he had had his laugh, he should let it go.

She didn't respond, though. Best to just drop it. Maybe he'd learn to let it go.

Let it go! She had broken all of their hearts! Jane rubbed her face with her hands. She was, she decided, a terrible person. There was simply no way around it.

She went to Heathrow with a heaviness about her person, rather thinking that she should just leave all persons named "Odinson" alone once and for all. For everyone's sake.

The papers were sitting unsigned. This merger would be especially advantageous, and he should just do it. Why wasn't he…?

He folded them and stuffed them in his desk drawer.

It had been a week since he returned from London, and he desired a mental respite. Something was nagging, itching at his mind. It felt a touch like a "conscience."

Loki didn't like that.

He sat back and took out his phone.

Lunch tomorrow?

Send.

He decided to head home in the interim. No sense in hanging about at the office.

When he had arrived at his flat with no message from Jane still, he dialed her number…no answer.

He hoped silently that she wasn't playing some game.

Loki went to bed, deciding that he'd drop in on Jane at work the next day.

"Michael?"

"Mike," replied the assistant.

Jane hated the name "Mike," so she was attempting to see how he'd react to "Michael." Not so great. "Right. Sorry…hey…can you get me those results, please? You know…the ones from yesterday? I think that Erik has them hanging in his lab…"

Said Mike went to retrieve the papers.

"He appears to be a lot of fun," came a drawl.

Goddammit. "Loki," Jane said, not even looking at him.

"Tell me that you're not having lunch with him," and he sat down next to her.

"I'm not having lunch with him."

"Liar."

"Whatever," and she adjusted the lens of the microscope.

"You never answered my text."

"I never received it."

"Jane, please do be serious. I sent you a text, and you ignored it," Loki picked up an instrument and twirled it. "Why are you working in a medical lab, anyway? Don't you want to study the stars?"

"It's a job," and she snatched the metal thing from his hand. "What do you want, Loki?"

"Lunch."

"Do you need a chaperone?"

He looked at her solemnly. "No, Jane. A companion."

At this, he made her feel like shit. How could he simultaneously make her feel like she wanted to punch him in the face and yet hug him at the same time...?

Because he was Loki, and it was his gift especial.

"Look, Loki…" and Michael returned.

"You're in my seat," said the deadpan assistant.

"Oh, am I? Apologies, Michael," and Loki stood with a sidelong glance at Jane. "Tell me, Michael, how long have you worked in this lab?"

"It's Mike, and I've been here about a year."

"An entire year? How have you lasted so long? Jane here goes through assistants the way she goes through wine."

Her mouth dropped. "Can I see you outside, please, Loki?"

He smiled innocently and followed her. "Good afternoon, Michael."

"What the fuck?" they were standing in the basement hallway, the fluorescent lights glaring and making her head ache.

"This lighting does nothing to aid in your complexion."

"Fuck you!" but she dropped her gaze to the floor and dragged him into the first doorway she could find.

It was a broom closet.

Great.

Jane breathed in deeply and switched the pale light on.

Loki was smirking down at her. "If you wanted to accost me sexually, Jane, you didn't need to drag me into a broom closet to do it."

She rolled her eyes. "No, Loki," she whispered.

"Well, what then?" he whispered back.

"You're being a dick again."

"You are ignoring me after you promised to lunch with me."

Jane sighed. She was ignoring him. True, she didn't get the text until that morning, but she hadn't offered a response. Why? Because she had left London with a resolve to be rid of Odinson's. She honestly thought that no one would care.

Evidently, she was wrong.

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"Excuse me? You're whispering, and I cannot hear you properly."

"I said that you're right. I am avoiding you, and it's a shitty thing to do. How about we have an early dinner later?"

"Mmm…I'd like to hear the apology once more."

Jane rubbed her face. What an annoying…exhausting…"Sorry."

"I suppose that'll do," he shoved his hands in his pockets. "So…dinner, then." He wasn't exactly thrilled with this. Loki was attempting to exercise some patience, and Jane was being non-compliant. He should just insist that she leave work now and have lunch.

"Dinner."

"Jane?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are we whispering?"

She laughed. "No idea," and she opened the door. "Alright, Loki. I'll meet you right after work. I'm off at 4:30."

"Four thirty," he repeated. Take a chance…he thought…and he bent down and pecked her forehead. "I'll call this time," he called behind him as he walked down the hall.

Well, that was that. Jane walked back into the lab and sighed as she sat next to Michael. Mike. Whatever.

"That guy is a real jerk," he was saying.

"Sometimes," as she pulled her gloves on.

"You're not his girlfriend, right?"

"Nope."

"Good. Whoever is is a glutton for punishment."

You have no idea, Michael. And she laughed softly to herself.