To Teach a Trickster

Shortly after Jane came out of Loki’s room, there was a knock at the door. She got up to answer it.

“Darcy?”

“Sorry to bother you, but I forgot to give you back what was left of the money you gave me this morning.”

“Oh, that’s okay. It could have waited until tomorrow,” said Jane.

“Something wrong?”

“Come in,” Jane motioned with her head. Darcy stepped inside.

“Is he giving you trouble again?”

“Well…” Jane fought to hold down the smile that wanted to form on her lips as she walked to the couch. “I…spanked him after you left.”

“You spanked him??” Darcy threw her hand in front of her mouth when she realized she had said it a little too loudly and shrilly. She lowered her voice. “Are you crazy? You spanked Loki???”

“Yes, I did.”

“With your hand?”

“Partly; I also used a ruler…” she pointed at the implement on the coffee table.

Darcy’s eyes widened more and she glanced down the hall. She pointed to Loki’s room and mouthed something to Jane. Jane nodded.

“And I’m not ashamed to say that it felt good to do,” Jane whispered. “He so deserved it.”

“Bare butt?”

Jane studied Darcy curiously. “Yes, some of it was. Why?”

“Ouch. Nothing,” Darcy cleared her throat. Her lips tightened in a straight line to hide the smile that wanted to appear. “Jane, don’t ever joke about me tasing Thor again. You’ve just given me something better I can throw back at you.”

“Oh, hush,” Jane shook her head.

“But, he’s a grown man…god…alien…whatever.”

“That is no man.” Jane sighed, gesturing towards Loki’s room “It’s a stubborn, hardheaded, bratty, toaster throwing, childish, spoiled, manipulating, devilish imp put here to make my life miserable. And I’ve got to babysit it.” Jane collapsed on the couch, sounding close to tears. “I had to do something to gain control again. He’s just…unbearable. You already know that from what he did to you this afternoon. Odin came by earlier to talk with me while you were gone, and he told me everything Loki has been doing. Like lying to me and manipulating me and plotting, not to mention the numerous times he’s disobeyed.”

“You…spanked his cute butt…” Darcy tried to hide the amused smile that wanted to crop up on her lips again. The comical thought was still trying to sink into her mind.

“His cute butt?”

Darcy cleared her throat. “I’m a woman. I’m allowed to look, aren’t I?”

Jane held up her hands, not wanting to comment on it further.

“He’s got a cute face too,” Darcy said somewhat dreamily. “It’s hard to believe he’s the God of Mischief, isn’t it?”

Jane turned another look to Darcy that said, ‘Seriously?’

“You think the devil is cute?” Jane said, scrunching her nose in disgust. “You clearly haven’t been around him as much as I have.”

“He’s not the devil. Jane, how could you say something like that?” Darcy frowned. “He’s just…a misunderstood boy who’s…”

“A liar, bratty, spoiled, full of himself…” Jane finished. “Needs a good spanking to put him in his place,”

“Okay, so he has a few flaws. Who doesn’t?” Darcy threw her hands up. “To be fair, Thor wasn’t a complete angel when you first met him.”

Jane had to agree with that.

“I might have just spent one afternoon with him, but I learned so many things within those few hours. Have you ever stopped to think that maybe he does some of the things he does because he wants attention? He’s like a little kid who wants to be noticed. He’s lonely, Jane.”

“Yeah, I know. Odin pointed that out to me.”

“There, you see?”

“Darcy, the other day you were warning me about him. Have you changed your mind that fast?”

“No. I’m not denying that he’s a troublemaker. I’m just pointing out the fact that he’s also a troubled soul that just needs to be loved for a change. He needs someone to show him that they care for him and he needs for someone to tell him that he’s important. I think he likes and respects you, if not for anything else but because you’re his brother’s girlfriend. He just doesn’t want to show it openly, so he does it in his own subtle, annoying ways.”

Jane turned to look at Darcy. “You really think so?”

“I know so. I mean, if he hated you and wanted to kill you, you probably would be a spot on the wall by now.” Darcy waved toward the nearest wall. “Like I said, I think he just needs to be loved. I mean, can you blame the poor guy? Odin kicked him out and sent him here to live with us. He probably thinks no one wants him just because he screwed up a few times.”

Jane studied her hands in her lap. She was beginning to feel guilty for walking off and leaving Loki alone right after spanking him.

“Ulp, look at the time. Got late night studying to do,” Darcy looked Jane over. “Are you still going to the store tomorrow?—Need me to babysit again?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you then,” Jane said, her thoughts elsewhere.

“Alrighty, I’m gonna head out, then.”

“Good night, Darcy,”

“Night, Jane,”

When Darcy left, Jane walked to Loki’s room and stood outside the door, listening. He sounded like he was still crying. She gave a light knock. “Loki, are you awake?”

“Go away!” Loki’s watery voice came to her. Jane turned the doorknob and walked into the room. It was dark inside, except for the dim light that came in through the window from the streetlight outside. Loki was lying on his stomach, his face buried in the pillow.

Jane closed the door behind her. “Loki?”

“Go away,” Loki again said, sniffling.

“Loki, I want to talk to you,” she said softly, moving toward the bed. She kicked a shirt out of the way.

“I don’t want to have any more talks with you,” he replied, sulkily. Jane eased herself down on the side of his bed. The trickster jumped and looked at her as if he expected to see her holding the ruler in her hand. “Have you come to apologize?”

“Loki, I’m not sorry for what I did,” she said gently. “You had it coming. You can’t deny that.”

Through the streetlight-lit darkness she could make out Loki’s frowning face, the tear streaks glistening on his cheeks. He hiccupped and turned away from her, idly running a finger over the bed sheet and playing with the lumps and folds in the cloth.

“Do you want a hug?” she fought to get the words out. She half expected Loki to refuse and become irritated at the idea, but his reaction surprised her.

“A hug?” Loki turned to look at her. He sounded so much like a confused child. “Y-you want to hug…me?”

“Sure,” she smiled, patting the bed beside her. He blinked in surprise and eagerly moved closer to her, careful not to put weight on his sore backside. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his thin frame and gave him a big hug and a squeeze, playfully scratching his back and patting it. She expected it to be a brief hug with Loki quickly pulling away, but he didn’t. Instead, he laid his head on her shoulder and stayed in the position. Awkwardly, Jane continued to gently pat his back like she would do to comfort a child. Loki snuggled his face into Jane’s shirt and let out a small sigh and hiccupped again, wrapping his arms tighter around her like he was afraid that if he let go he’d fall. She wasn’t sure what to do. The last thing she wanted was to play mother to a bratty godling. But it looked like she had no choice.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” she whispered, beginning to rock Loki in her arms. She wasn’t sure why she did it, but it felt like the right thing to do at the time. Loki snuggled even closer to her, and it was then that she wondered if the poor guy had ever been loved in his life. Or was he just an extra big baby who could never get enough attention no matter how much you gave him? Maybe Odin and Darcy had been right. Loki was like a child, and he seemed to soak up whatever attention was given to him, whether good or bad. You could probably threaten his life and he’d enjoy every moment of it, just because he was the center of the attention. “We’ve had a rough start, it’s true, but things are going to be different now, I think.”

“No more spankings,” Loki murmured.

“No, the spankings are staying,” Jane replied. Loki grumbled. “If you don’t want one, then stay out of trouble and behave yourself. Otherwise, you’re going to get the ruler if you get out of line.”

Loki gave her shoulder a hard nudge of defiance with his nose and sighed. Jane shook her head and continued to rock the trickster in her arms, patting his back. She laid her cheek against his head and stared out the window. Somehow she had a feeling this wouldn’t be the only time she’d have to spank Loki. In a way, she hated that she had to result to doing that to him. She even felt slightly embarrassed over it all, especially the part of pulling his pants down like she had done. Her cheeks blushed a little as she thought back on it now. Had she gone a bit too far with that? Maybe not. At least she established who the boss was.

“Everything’s going to be okay.” she repeated.

Loki didn’t say anything. Jane looked down at him and smiled. She gently pulled the two of them apart, giving the back of his neck a squeeze. He let out a sleepy whine and tried to inch back into Jane’s arms.

“No, Loki,” she whispered, pushing his hands down. Did he seriously see her as being like his mother? “You need to rest now. Come on.”

“N-no,” he whined. Jane hoped she wouldn’t have to spank him again so soon. “The bad dreams will come.”

“Bad dreams?”

Loki nodded, wrapping his arms around Jane again. “I don’t have them every night, but sometimes I do.”

“They’re just dreams, Loki. When you wake up they’ll be gone.” Jane said. Loki buried his face in her shoulder. “Come on, you need to get in bed.”

Despite Loki’s protests, Jane urged him back into his bed and pulled the covers over him. He hissed when his bottom came in contact with the mattress and he rolled over on his stomach. Smiling, Jane tucked him in, brushing some stray strands of hair out of his face. She playfully ran a finger down his nose, causing him to scrunch it up and squeeze his eyes closed. He smiled and yawned.

Darcy was right. He was cute. Though, Jane would never admit it aloud. She studied him in the semi-darkness, wondering how and why this…man…who was supposed to be the god of lies and deceit had such an adorable, innocent face. It didn’t seem right.

“Good night, Loki,” Jane whispered. Although Loki was already fast asleep. She reached out and ran her hand over his head, tucking his long hair curls behind his ear. She pulled the covers up around his chin and walked over to close the window blinds.

Giving the trickster one last look in the light that filtered over the bed through the opened door, she made her way out of the room.

Notes