To Teach a Trickster

Jane knocked on the door to Loki’s room a couple of times and entered when he failed to give her permission. Apparently, he hadn’t heard her, or he didn’t want to. He was lying on his stomach in bed, his head turned toward the window. He was partially awake, watching the rain streak down the glass, highlighted by the streetlight behind it. He held onto his cape with his left hand, an action of which she still thought was cute. As she quietly walked closer, she stopped at the foot of the bed and leaned over to study the trickster. Loki had his right thumb stuck tightly in his mouth, his eyes slowly drooping. She smiled.

“Are you…” She walked closer, “sucking your thumb?”

Loki’s eyes shot open and he looked up at her in bewildered surprise, like she had slapped him. It took him a few seconds to realize what she had asked and he quickly took his thumb out of his mouth and pushed his hand under the pillow. He nuzzled his face into the pillow, refusing to look at her.

“Oh, don’t stop on my account,” she said with an amused laugh that she tried to hide. “Although, I do find it amusing that the man who wanted to rule the world still sucks his thumb.”

“You didn’t see that,” he said, though half of it was muffled. Jane smiled as she set the cup of tea on the night table. It was apparent that Thor didn’t tell her everything about his little brother when he dropped him off. Or maybe Thor didn’t know about this side of Loki. She sat on the side of the bed and reached over to rub Loki’s back.

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “I already knew.”

Loki looked up at her, his mouth dropping open. “What?”

Jane forced back another laugh. “The first night you were in the hospital… you put your thumb in your mouth shortly after you went to sleep. I thought it might have been due to the sedative, but…” She gestured at Loki, “Apparently not,”

Loki blushed, turning to hide his face in the pillow again.

“Awww, I’m not going to tell anyone.”

Loki took his face out of the pillow and looked at her. “You’re not?”

“Of course not,” she said with a faint laugh. “Why would I?”

Loki shrugged, laying his head back on the pillow. He gently moved his rear, so he could lie on his side.

“But,” Jane smiled, “You do know you’re a little old to be doing that, right?”

Loki’s bottom lip pooched out in a pout and he looked down at the bed sheet, his cheeks turning redder. The room remained quiet except for the pouring rain that beat against the window. Tears welled up in his eyes, and Jane immediately regretted ever saying anything. The poor trickster had been through so much in the past several weeks. She couldn’t blame him for trying to find some amount of comfort. He might have been a thorn in her side, but she admitted that she felt compassion for him, more so now than she had the night Thor dropped him off. She would never say it aloud, but she was growing quite fond of him.

She smiled lovingly at Loki and picked up his hand and gently eased his thumb back into his mouth, then ran her hand over his hair. “I’m sorry I scolded you,” she whispered. “If it brings you comfort, you go right ahead. I think you need all the comfort you can get right now.”
He looked at her quizzically, his thumb partly slipping out of his mouth. He moved it back in place and settled down, not taking his eyes off Jane.

Jane continued to stroke his hair. She smiled. “You know. I actually think it’s precious the way you do that.”

Loki cringed but continued to suck his thumb anyway.

“D-does Darcy know? She was there at the hospital that night.” Loki said around his thumb.

Jane shook her head. “No. It’s just our secret.”

Loki visibly relaxed, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Jane picked up the cup of chamomile tea from the night table and offered it to Loki.

“It’ll help you sleep.” she said, “Which is something I think you need after today.”

Loki gingerly sat up the best he could without putting weight on his rear and took the cup of tea and began to sip.

“I never want to go through that again.” he sourly said.

“You don’t have to worry. That was the last of them,” she said. “And I’m glad. I’m still upset at that nurse for doing what she did to you.”

Loki gave a weak smile.

Jane gently gave the tip of his nose a playful squeeze. “You might be a pain, but you didn’t deserve that.”

Just then, a faint rumble of thunder sounded, causing Loki to falter and emit a slight whimper. His eyes darted toward the window.

“It’s just thunder. It's not going to hurt you,” said Jane, observing his reaction. Loki nervously looked at her before turning his eyes back to the window. “It’s not Thor if that’s what you’re worried about. It’s just normal thunder.”

Loki relaxed a little at those words, but he still looked nervous. He finished his tea in silence, keeping a wary eye on the window. When he was finished he gave the cup to Jane. He eased back against the pillow, his eyes already starting to close, and adjusted himself where he would be on his stomach.

“You get some sleep,” Jane said, pulling the covers over him, tucking him in.

The tea helped to knock Loki into sleep for awhile, but not for long. A few hours into the night, Jane was startled awake by someone roughly shaking her by her shoulder. At first, she thought she was dreaming, but as she peered through the darkness she saw someone standing beside her bed. It was then that she scrambled to a sitting position.

“Wh-who’s there?”

“Jane?” the soft voice of Loki came in reply. She sighed in relief. Apparently, she forgot to lock her door.

“What is it, Loki?” She groped around until she found his hand. “What are you doing in here?”

“I’m…” He hesitated.

“Yes?”

Suddenly there was a flash of light from the window out in the hallway, which was quickly followed by a loud clap of thunder that nearly rocked the building. She felt Loki jump and tightly squeeze her hand.

“I’m scared,” he finally got out in a whimper. He hated himself for saying it.

Jane leaned over and turned the lamp on. Loki stood before her, one hand firmly grasping hers and the other fidgeting with the bottom part of his night shirt. He looked like he was halfway between panic and crying.

“Loki, it’s just thunder,” she said soothingly. “I told you earlier that it’s not going to hurt you.”

He was doing his best not to cry. Jane sighed. “It isn’t Thor,” she added. “It’s a natural thing that occasionally happens here on earth.”

“I know, but I’m still scared.” his bottom lip trembled. He crawled onto the bed and lay on his stomach beside her. He put his thumb in his mouth and stared at the wall over the bed, jumping and hiding his face in the sheets whenever a burst of thunder sounded loudly. Sighing again, Jane rubbed her hand down his back. She saw that his pajama pants were slightly coming down so she quickly pulled them up and adjusted them. Another blast of thunder rolled by and Loki jumped and curled himself around Jane, grabbing hold of her nightshirt.

“Awww, it’s okay, it’s not going to get you.” She combed her fingers through his hair. “It’s just…a lot of light and noise.”

“I don’t like the light and noise,” Loki said softly, his voice watery.

“A big boy like you afraid of a little bit of lightning and thunder?”

Loki rolled his shoulders and buried his face in her pajamas, his thumb still in his mouth.

“You can’t sleep in here, Loki. You’re going to have to go back to your room.”

Loki shook his head, keeping his thumb in his mouth. “Noo, I can’t. Please don’t make me.”

“You’ll have to.”

He looked up at her with bright, innocent eyes, tears brimming at the corners. Jane knew he was trying to work on her and wheedle his way out of going back to his room, but she wasn’t about to give in. It was hard since he often reminded her of a little kid.

A playful look suddenly came into Jane’s eyes, a smirk forming on her lips. “If you don’t go to your room, I’m going to tickle you.” Loki’s head perked and he looked up at her. “Are you ticklish?”

“No,” he said bluntly.

“I have a feeling you are.” she stretched her hand out and lightly ran her fingers over Loki’s side, running them up to poke around his armpit.

He fidgeted, giggled, and pushed her hand away. “Stop,”

“Mm-hm. I knew it.” She beamed. “Stay here long enough and I’ll find your weak spots.”

Loki pulled his arms closer to his body and showed no signs of moving. Jane proceeded to tickle him around his armpit again, poking her finger at the tender areas. He giggled and pushed her away.

“Stop it!” he said. A blast of thunder ended his sentence and made him curl up again. The sudden movement must have caused him pain in his backside because he winced and uttered a cry, reaching behind him to rub at his bottom, never mind that his pants were starting to inch their way down again. Jane reached and pulled them back up before he risked exposing himself. Not that it mattered much. She already knew what his butt looked like anyway. But she still respected his modesty.

“Would it help if I stayed in there with you?” she said in a whisper. Loki’s eyes searched her face for a minute, giving away a hint of disappointment at the suggestion. She knew he wanted to stay in her room. He finally gave a nod. “Come on,”

Jane gathered a blanket and a pillow from her bed and pushed Loki out into the hallway.

“You might want to tie the strings on your pants before you lose them,” she said, a hint of a smile appearing on her lips. Loki quickly did as she said, not realizing he hadn’t tied them.

After the trickster returned to his bed, Jane tucked him in again, giving him his cape. She then pulled a chair over and positioned it between the bed and the window so she could be closer to Loki in case he needed her. She wasn’t looking forward to another night of sleeping in an uncomfortable chair, but she’d do it for Loki.

Loud thunder rolled through and Loki stretched his hand out and felt for Jane. She grabbed his hand in hers and squeezed it gently.

“It’s okay, don’t worry.” she whispered. “I’m right here.”

Loki gave her hand a squeeze back but said nothing.

“I thought you grew out of that fear when you were younger.” Another voice suddenly said from the doorway. Startled, Loki rose up and Jane jumped from her chair.

“Mother!” Loki happily said. Jane sat down again when she saw who it was. Frigga’s form walked into the room, her features faintly visible in the dim light of the streetlight outside.

“Hello, Loki,” she smiled, walking over to sit on the side of the bed. She embraced her son tightly, planting kisses on his face. Loki nuzzled up to her, moving around into a position that was comfortable and that wouldn’t hurt his sore backside.

“Easy,” he whispered to Frigga when she was putting him in a cradling position in her arms. “My bottom’s sore again.”

“Seems like I always come when you’re sore.” she chuckled. Loki forced a smile, which quickly dropped. “Is it sore from vaccinations or spanking?”

Loki shifted uncomfortably at the question. “Vaccinations,” he said, shyly.

“Bad ones, this time, I’m afraid.” Jane cut in. “Some idiot nurse decided to stab one of the needles in him pretty hard.”

Even in the dim light, Jane could make out that a flash of anger momentarily washed over the All-Mother’s face before she turned to give Loki another comforting nuzzle and kiss. Loki soaked up the affection like a sponge, melting into her arms and burying his face in her dress.

“My poor baby,” Frigga cooed softly, stroking the trickster’s hair and beginning to rock him. Jane sat silently and watched, suddenly feeling out-of-place, like she was witnessing a very private moment.

A blast of thunder shook the room, causing Loki to curl up and grasp Frigga’s dress tighter. He whimpered, moving as close as he could possibly get to his mother as if he could somehow merge himself into her and become part of her. Frigga shook her head, not believing her son’s actions, but said nothing. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and continued to rock him, patting his back gently.

By now, the storm had reached its peak and the rain poured down furiously in torrents. Even through the closed blinds, Jane could see the irregular shapes of the water streaming down the outside glass like miniature waterfalls. Lightning flashed and more thunder came like cannon fire. Each time it sounded, Loki would jump and whimper despite being snug in his mother’s arms.

“Would you like to sleep in your own bed?” Frigga suddenly asked, peering at Jane.

“Well, I…” An unexpected yawn interrupted Jane’s words.

The All-Mother smiled. “Go ahead and go back to bed. I’ll stay here with him until the storm has passed.”

“Thank you,” Jane said, getting up from her chair. She admitted that she had wanted to stay with him, but she kept it to herself. Besides, Loki probably needed his mother more than her anyway.

When Jane left the room, Frigga turned a smiling face to Loki. She leaned to kiss his head.

“You aren’t afraid of a storm, are you?”

Loki nodded. “Yes,”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Loki shrugged her words off and cuddled next to her, sighing contentedly. Both sat in silence for several minutes, listening as the storm raged outside. Loki was too scared to sleep, so he nestled himself in Frigga’s arms and stared nervously toward the window, closing his eyes tightly and burying his face in Frigga’s chest like a little boy every time lightning flashed.

Suddenly, a quick flash of lightning flickered and a deafening boom followed it, sending the trickster scrambling.

“Mama!” he whimpered, wrapping his arms tighter around the All-Mother. She sighed.

“Loki,” she said, gently, “You must control yourself.”

“I can’t help it,” he whined.

“Let’s talk about something,” Frigga suggested. “To get your mind off it,”

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Well, I’d like to know if you’ve been good since the last time I was here.”

Loki remained silent for some time until Frigga prodded him. “Yeah, I’ve been good.”

Frigga raised an eyebrow. “Jane hasn’t given you any more spankings?”

Loki’s mouth worked, and then he shook his head, forcing an innocent smile. “No,”

“Are you sure about that?” There was a hint of warning in Frigga’s voice. Somehow she always knew when he was lying. He just couldn’t figure it out.

“Okay! Okay. She spanked me.” Loki confessed, not wanting to think about it. “It was this afternoon, at the doctor. I pulled a dagger on the doctor when he was trying to examine me and I refused to hand it over to Jane.”

“Loki!”

“I’m sorry, Mama!” he sniffed. “I don’t know why I did it. I just did. And I regret it.”

Frigga pulled Loki close to her and kissed him. “There, there.”

“Ar-are you disappointed in me?” he meekly asked.

“Yes, I am disappointed, but I forgive you.” She smiled at him. “You were properly punished for it and you regret your actions, so now we move on.”

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, “I don’t deserve to be your son.”

“Don’t talk like that, Loki,” She kissed his forehead. “Of course, you deserve to be my son. I’m proud to have you as my baby boy. I don’t expect you to be perfect. I don’t want you to be perfect. All I want is for you to learn to make better choices for your life. You’re allowed to make mistakes and you will make mistakes, but sometimes you overdo it to the extreme, and then you blame everyone else but yourself.” Loki nuzzled her. “One of these days I fear that you’re going to go too far, and I’m going to lose you for good.”

Loki’s bright eyes looked up at her, worry etched in his facial features. “Don’t talk like that, Mother.”

“It’s true, Loki,” she looked down at him. “That’s why I gave Jane permission to spank you whenever you need it the last time I was here. I love you with all of my heart, and I want to see you become a better person.”

“But…I’m a monster,” Loki whined.

“I wish you would stop saying that and stop using it as an excuse,” Frigga said, tiredly. “You’re not a monster. And even if you were, that still wouldn’t mean that you have to act the way you do. Your actions are your choice and your choice alone. And you can choose to change them if you wanted to. You’ve wallowed in your lies so long that you can’t even admit the truth to yourself anymore.”

Loki said nothing in reply. He was getting sleepy and he no longer wanted to think on the matter. He yawned and snuggled closer to Frigga.

“The storm has passed.” said the All-Mother after a few minutes of silence. Loki listened, cracking an eye open. She was right. There was no more lightning or thunder. The worst of the storm had passed by, leaving behind a steady downpour of rain that continued to pelt the window.

“Don’t go,” he mumbled sleepily.

She smiled, running her hand over his head. “I don’t have to go if you don’t want me to. But you must sleep now. I can tell that you’re exhausted.”

Loki yawned again before slipping into a deep slumber.

Notes