A/N: This as a quick one shot for my friend, Romey. Alayah is her creation and she wrote the rules.
Love you, Romey, hope you like it!
"Loki?" Thor knocked on the door of Loki's chambers. He heard a muffled 'come in Thor' from the other side of the door and opened it hesitantly.
"What can I help you with, dear brother?" Loki smirked lazily from his position on the bed, his back propped against the headboard and a book in his lap.
"Amora would like to speak to you," Thor answered, which made Loki laugh.
"You're her little messenger now? Aren't you to be a king soon?" He mocked, raising an eyebrow.
"Would you deny her?" Thor retorted.
Amora was, in short, terrifying. She was an amazing woman and Loki did love her as a sister but that didn't stop him cowering and ducking out of the room when she's angry.
She was… intimidating.
"It's regarding Alayah," Thor went on. Loki had been, much to everyone but Thor and Amora's shock, very heavily involved with his new niece. Everyone else excepted him to avoid the young child like the plague but, just as the girl's parents had predicted, he was always ready to help out with her and even offered to babysit on multiple occasions. Not just babysat but offered.
This was to even Amora's shock, but not Thor's. The eldest Odinson knew Loki more than anyone and he'd seen how he was with Alayah, he was the very embodiment of the perfect fun Uncle. Which is why he's also her Godfather, a title he was truly honored to accept.
"Oh gods, what did I do this time?" Loki banged his head lightly against the headboard.
He'd babysat Alayah the day before while Thor and Amora celebrated their anniversary. Loki absentmindedly thought about which one it was. Fourth? Fifth? Yeah, fifth. Alayah was now two years old and adored her Uncle. Whenever he's in Thor and Amora's quarters – which is most of the time as they're all very close – she follows him around like his shadow. Thor constantly makes jokes about it. One of the most recent ones was: "Loki, I've always thought you looked slightly feminine but I swear to Valhalla your shadow is female, is that some trick of your's?" which made Alayah giggle. She even started picking up some of his subconscious habits like sitting with his legs open (much to Amora's amusement and annoyance), picking up random objects to fiddle with while he's talking to someone or pacing for no apparent reason.
"Not sure, she just told me to come and get you,"
Loki sighed dramatically and hauled himself off the bed, slotting his book back in the bookcase opposite his bed and walking over to Thor, gesturing for him to lead the way. They walked through Loki's living room and out into the halls of the palace. Him and Thor have had their own mini homes in the palace since they'd each turned 21. These consisted of a master bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom and storage room. Thor's had been extended when Amora had fell pregnant and Frigga had insisted she moved in. His quarters had the living room made larger and a room built next to their bedroom for the nursery.
They maneuvered easily through a few winding corridors, having had the layout memorized since they were children. They arrived at their destination and stopped outside the door. Loki turned to Thor, waiting politely for him to let them it. Thor turned to him with a serious expression and stepped closer to him.
"Loki, whatever you did, please tell me now so I will be prepared to defend your actions to some extent,"
Loki smiled and shrugged. "I honestly have no idea what I did. I believe I stuck to her rules so far… although, as I have told her any times in the past, she cannot expect me to remember all of them. I told her if she wrote them all down I would respect every last one of them,"
Thor watched him for a moment before shaking his head, not knowing why he bothered trying to decide whether Loki was lying or not as it was virtually impossible to tell.
Loki smirked back and Thor held the door open for him.
The moment he crossed the threshold a shrill scream of "Koki!" rang out through the space. Loki staggered as Alayah clung to his leg but restored his balance and placed a hand over her long blond hair, her face was buried against his thigh.
"Hey Trout!" He greeted, smiling down at her as she stuck her tongue out at him. "That's rude, stop that," Loki mock-scolded her, the mischievous glint in his eyes giving him away.
"So's name calling," Alayah stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. She was wearing a blue dress with a gold tie around the waist and a silver tiara Fandral had given her for dress-up and she wasn't wearing shoes. Amora came into the room after her, rawring.
She had a dirty brown dress on that looked like it was made from a potato sack and her face was covered in black and green smudges. There was a pillow up the back of the dress to make her look like she had a hunch on her back and she was walking with a fake limp, her hand out in front of her, her fingers bent as if to claw someone. She straightened up when she saw Loki, who just raised a single brow, smirking.
"Yes, I'm an ogre, is there a problem?" Amora challenged. Loki held his hands up in surrender and looked down as Alayah tugged at his trousers.
"Koki, I'm the beautiful princess and Daddy has to save me from the smelly ogre!"
Thor laughed from behind Loki and muttered to his brother. "She refuses to call you Loki, it's still Koki,"
Loki smiled and whispered back. "At least she stopped calling me Daddy-2,"
Thor laughed and nodded. "Come on sweetie, I'll make you some food while Mummy and Koki talk," He smirked at Loki as he passed him, receiving a halfhearted glare in return.
"So, why have I been summoned to your evil lair?" Loki wondered over to the couch and sat down, picking up a discarded pen and turning it over in his hands as Amora sat next to him.
"Remember when I yelled at you about using magic around Al?"
Loki shuddered at the memory. They were in the kitchen when she'd found out and Loki had genuinely feared for his own life.
"Yes," He nodded.
"Well, you said you'd remember all my rules easier if I wrote them all down,"
"Yeah…?" Loki watched her.
"Well…" Amora reached under the coffee table and took out a sheet of paper and handed it to Loki.
Loki took it and read the title aloud.
"A list of rules and what NOT to do around my daughter!" Loki laughed and read through the rules.
"'1) NO TRICKS! I DO NOT WANT HER TURNING OUT LIKE YOU, CRETIN!' Hey, she'd be lucky if she turned out as fabulous as me,"
Amora laughed and rested her head on the back of the couch as Loki carried on reading.
"'2) The only magic you should do around her is simple, nice spells but even they should be scarce.' Fair enough.
"'3) When she grows up I do not want you to teach her any tricks or any negative magic or blood will be spilt.' That's a little extreme,"
Amora glared at him.
"But acceptable. '4) You are her uncle, which means you should be a good role model to her.'
"'5) But, also being her uncle does not give you the right to spoil her'.
"'6) Okay maybe a little but I do not want you to spoil her loads, okay!'" Loki laughed at that bit.
"'7) I do NOT want her first word to be anything related to you so don't even think about it, Loki!' Damn.
"'8) Just because you're her godfather doesn't mean you can let her get away with everything'.
"9) DO NOT USE MAGIC TO HELP HER GET AWAY WITH EVERYTHING OR EVEN MORE BLOOD WILL BE SPILT'" Loki shook his head smirking.
"'10) If either I or Thor leave her in your care do not think that an opportunity to let her do things she's not allowed to.
"'11) This goes for any age she is at!'
"'12) Not too much chocolate or sweets.' She's a child, I have to give her sweets!"
"Just because you have chronic sweet-tooth does not mean she should too!"
Loki shook his head and carried on. "'13) Don't let her wonder off because I don't want her to get into trouble.
14) If, for any reason, she gets shouted at by Odin and she is in your care, I will personally make it seen that you will take punishment.'" Loki shuddered at the thought.
"'15) Do not bicker with Sif about who gets to look after her. If I ask one of you to look after her then it obviously means that I want that person to!'
"'16) Do not argue with Sif at all over her or your position as godfather will be taken away.' You can't take away my position as godfather," He pointed out.
"I can if you're dead,"
"Alright then.'17) Never let her out of the palace on her own!'
18) Don't do anything stupid because she will copy you!' That would not be my fault, I'd be her's for copying…" Loki trailed off as Amora's glare.
"'19) Under no circumstances let her copy you if you have to do something stupid.'
"'20) You make her cry and I will make YOU cry.'" Loki scoffed then, again, saw Amora's glare and thousands of terrifying images rushed through his head so he went back to the page.
"'21) Do not antagonise her because I will teach her martial arts and she will kick your scrawny ass.'
"'22) Remember that she is mine and Thor's daughter!'
"'23) Being mine and Thor's daughter means that you can't steal her from us all the time.' We'll see about that.
"'24) Being mine and Thor's daughter means what we say goes and you only have a secondary opinion on her wellbeing.'
"'25) Any of her firsts will be seen by me and Thor first and if she's in your care then don't let her do any of this stuff...just kidding but really, yell to us if she starts something.'
"'26) Do not tease her because you will find you have no magic books left.'
"'27) Remember, she's a child, so let her be one.'
"'28) I do not care what anyone else says; I am her mother so what I say is right.'
"'29) Don't let Thor drop her.'
"'30) Don't drop her yourself or the punishment will be death.' What if Thor drops her, will you kill him?"
"Hmm, maybe,"
"So unfair," He muttered then carried on.
"'31) Help in any way you can.'
"'32) You are her uncle and so you will always be on call.'
"'33) Be ready to deal with anything.'
"'34) That means be ready to deal with sick, crying, tantrums, shouting, mischief (of her own!) and anything else you'd expect from a child.'
"'35) Make her happy, make her laugh – there are ways of doing this without magic.'
"'36) But seriously, make her happy. I am relying on you to do this.'
"'37) Keep her company when we're off on missions.' Them. I can do.
"'38) SHARE!'
"'39) Teach her the right things, not the wrong things.'
"'40) Don't get her into trouble for something you've done. I will know if you do.'
"'41) DON'T take her on adventures until she's old enough.'
"'42) DON'T take her to see the bridge until she's old enough.'
"'43) If she ever falls off I will rip you apart.'
"'44) To be honest don't even let her anywhere near there.'
"'45) Don't magic her toys into things. Just don't.' But-"
"Just don't"
"But what if I just-"
"I said no!"
"Alright! "'46) Understand that she is a child and so will want your attention a lot.'
"'47) But still remember that she is mine and Thor's daughter and we want to see her at least some time each day.'
"'48) Don't fight, even if its play fighting in front of her with the others. I want to keep her innocent at least till she's a bit older.'
"'49) DO NOT SWEAR INFRONT OF HER. PUNISHMENT = VERY PAINFUL.' I don't doubt that for a second,"
"'50) She is not your assistant and will never assist you in any of your jokes. Understood?!' Understood."
Loki put the sheet down and smiled.
"There's more,"
"Loki looked back at the paper and noticed more.
"'These next ones are the most important.
"'1) Be there for her whenever she needs you.'
"'2) That even means in the middle of the night.'
"'3) ALWAYS look out for her.'
"'4) Take the blame for things she does wrong. You're her uncle so you're supposed too.'
"'5) Do not lose her ever or I will personally see that you are lost in the middle of a cave of lions without magic.'
"'6) Put her first before anything else. I mean it Loki.'
"'7) Do not lie to her. Don't even think about it. Ever.'
"'8) If she ever gets hurt in your care I will kill you. Then bring you back to life, and then kill you ninety-nine more times in a slow, agonising and torturing death.'
"'9) If you ever cause her any pain I will do the same as above but this time I will rip you limb from limb and make sure you never see the light of day again.'
"'10) Care for her like she is your own daughter, remembering that she isn't.'
"'11) Let her have trust in you. If you break that trust I will hang you from a tree by your toe.'
"'12) Make her proud to call you her uncle.'
"'13) Be her best friend.'
"'14) Love her endlessly.'
'Them, I can follow to the letter," Loki reassured Amora, who smiled.
"Thank you, Loki. There's one more,"
"'15) If something ever happens to me and Thor,'" Loki paused, not liking how this one was going. "'...Take her in as your daughter. Love her like your daughter and be there for her always. I trust you the most to look after her, Loki, and she will always favorite you, I can see that now. Be her shoulder to lean on, be the reason she has a smile on her face. Never let her forget that you are one of the most important people in her life. Just look after her...if not for anyone else then for me. Please. She is the most important little girl in my life, as she will be in many.'" Loki looked up at Amora and saw her watching him in anticipation.
"Of course I will," He smiled and Amora flung her arms around his neck in a hug.
"Thank you," She whispered in relief.
"You're welcome," He smiled, hugging her back.
As they parted Thor came back in carrying Alayah and she reached her arms out to Loki. Loki laughed holding his arms up to her and Thor smiled affectionately as he placed the girl in Loki's arms. He sat in the chair beside Amora and watched his little brother interact with his daughter.
Loki tickled Alayah, who squirmed and shrieked in laughter, making Loki laugh more.
Thor reached his hand out and took Amora's, she turned to him and they shared a knowing smile.
They could tell that early on Loki would always be there for Alayah, no matter how hard things could get they'd always be there for each other, they'd always support each other and, above all, they'd always love each other.