The first time Thor truly knew that Loki was completely serious about his feelings for Jane Foster, she had just walked up to him and smacked him across the back of his head. Of course, he knew that Loki had been showing interest in her. Everyone in the nine realms knew it! It had somehow never occured to him, however, that Loki's feelings could be completely legitimate or even that Jane would return them. This, he was about to find out, was a greivous error in judgement.

Thor had been standing with Loki off to the side of the ballroom. Odin and Frigga had insisted on the dance, perhaps one more than the other, after both of their sons, with the Midgardian woman in tow, had returned home from defeating Malekith and the dark elves. The idea of a feast and dancing had, in truth, only been slightly diminished by Jane admitting that her feelings for Thor, at least when it came to romance, where not as they once were and she only wanted to be friends. Thor accepted it with grace and a smile, as he always did. It was not long after that that everyone, including Thor himself, began to notice Loki's growing attentions to the mortal woman. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but standing before Loki after Jane had just smacked him upside the head and watching as Loki didn't go into a rage and threaten her very being with destruction somehow was what made him realize just how much Loki cared for her. Thor couldn't possibly fathom her reasoning, at first. But he quickly realized that, as he and Loki had been talking that Loki was gearing up to have some "fun" with his older brother, which Jane could somehow tell, even from completely across the room. Of course, by Jane's logic, the only method of deterrment was to just walk up behind him and give him a good slap upside the head.

Thor's eyes practically bugged out of their sockets. Loki was not one to willingly allow himself to be touched, especially in such a violent, if not extremely ineffective, manner. He awaited to see what kind of hellish torment Jane would be in for after assaulting Loki as she had. Instead the God of Mischief simply turned toward her, gave her one of his trademark smirks and said "Now, that was not very polite."

It took every bit of self control for Thor to not immediately question what was happening before his eyes.

Jane simply crossed her arms and gave him a look. "Impoliteness is what one gets when oneself is impolite." She spoke the words as if she were reciting some great passage of a rather famous philosopher. Loki, however, saw right through her ruse and leaned close to her ear, ignoring Thor and the look on his face for something else much more entertaining. He knew the oaf wouldn't be able to hear him anyway.

"Oh? And am I to receive a long and tortuous punishment for such rotten behavior?" By the blush quickly spreading across Jane's face, she knew exactly what he had in mind. Thor could barely fathom what Loki had said from her look, but it didn't seem like she was completely against whatever it was. She was not, however, about to give him what he wanted to easily.

"What you seek is not so much a punishment as a means for you to escape." This Loki could not deny. He'd never been much the enjoyer of such frivolous balls. "Therefore, your punishment is that we're going to stay here for at least another hour."

For a second, it seemed her idea of punishment had actually worked. A small frown crossed his face and his brows furrowed in slight irritation. Then his eyes seemed to gleam with that familiar hint of mischief everyone knew he was want to do and his face relaxed into an easy smile, the likes of which Thor had not seen in many years. By now, neither Jane nor Loki were acknowledging him, their attentions so wrapped up in each other. He simply stared on, never before having such close proximity to the particular brand of wit and banter that flowed between the two of them.

"If the lady insists on a greivous punishment such as this, then perhaps she could also help to relieve some of the agony by remaining close to my side and, if the lady is particularly generous, honoring me with a dance." He gestured toward the dancefloor, where the current group was finishing the most recent lively jig. From the music beginning to play, it seemed the next song would be much slower. Still, Jane looked on in apprehension.

"Loki, you know that I know nothing of Asgardian dances." And yet, when he held his elbow out for her to take, she did not hesitate, even as he led her swiftly to the dance floor.

"It is of no matter, I am a marvolous teacher, and I have heard you are quite the exuberant student." Thor did not miss the light giggle that Jane let out.

In his state of shock, however, he did nearly miss when Loki stopped just a few feet away and turned back toward him, that mischievious gleam still in his eyes.

"Thor, didn't anyone ever teach you it's not polite to stare?"

Again, they were off and he was left all the more bewildered over what had just happened.