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Loki didn’t know how long he had been trapped. He had been drifting through space, somehow still alive after falling from Asgard, when the Mad Titan’s servants had found him.
At first, they were none too pleased with an Asgardian intruding on their Master’s territory and were ready to kill him right there.
But pity of pities, Ebony Maw had intervened. He knew that Loki could be useful to them if he capitulated.
Trapped in chains, alone and cold inside his cell, Loki couldn’t help the scoff that slipped through his lips at the recollection. As if the god of lies and mischief would ever truly hold unwavering allegiance for another.
(He steadfastly ignored the voice in the back of his head reminding him of Thor, of Frigga, of his life . It was unimportant. They had betrayed him in the end, all of them.)
It mattered not, in the end. Maw had decided that he would break Loki and make another servant for his master, and so he would.
~~~~~~~~~
Loki screamed, feeling like hot lava was being poured into his veins. He screamed and screamed until his voice ran hoarse and his body could no longer move, so great was his agony.
When the pain finally subsided, Loki drew in a heaving breath. And then another. And then another.
It was all he could do to not break down sobbing. But he would never show weakness to the beings before him.
Thanos kneeled, gently cupping Loki’s chin in his massive hand as he raised it to look the god in the eyes.
“This does not have to go on.” His voice was deceptively gentle, hiding the brutal will that had fueled his slaughter across the galaxy for centuries. “Just give in. It will be easier in the long run for all of us.”
The Titan recoiled as a glob of spit landed on his face, Loki laughing even as Ebony Maw conjured up more tools to experiment on him with, laughing even as his body thrashed and bled, laughing until he was knocked out by a brutal blow to the head.
He was Loki, god of lies, god of mischief. Son of Frigga and Prince of Asgard. He would not give in so easily.
~~~~~~~
More pain eventually followed, his captors getting more and more creative as they tried to break him. But it was largely in vain, Loki scoffing at every pitiful attempt made.
Drowning? Been there, done that.
Electrocution? Did they not remember who his brother was? Thor had certainly not always had the control of his powers he currently did.
Burning alive? That one was a relatively recent experience for him, but he had still felt it before. To a Jotun, nearly anything above freezing cold was hot, rapidly getting to become unbearably so.
Various wounds from various weapons? Please, he was an Asgardian god, he has had his fair share of injuries from fights.
Dismemberment was a new one, but he recognized the distinct feel of an illusion and had to resist the urge to sigh. It was truly like they had forgotten who he was entirely.
Maw periodically came by to assault his mind, but Loki had spent centuries building fortress upon fortress to protect himself. The priest would get nowhere without a few thousand years of unceasing work.
~~~~~~~
Seduction was a tactic Loki hadn’t encountered before, if only because anyone who bothered to try to interrogate him would have already done their research before kidnapping him.
A few days ago, two women had been thrown into his cell. Not one to be caught off-guard by unknown players in the field of galactic politics, Loki had quickly recognized them as the twin daughters of Thanos; Gamora and Nebula.
It took a while for them to try anything, but Loki wasn’t exactly complaining. The longer it took them to make a move, the longer of a reprieve he had from any torture.
He may have been able to withstand it, but pain was unpleasant, even through the dissociative fog it was taking him less and less time to retreat behind.
(Sometimes he worried that he would escape only to find himself a hollow shell of who he once was, reduced to a mere pitiful scrap of a god.)
When they finally made their move, Loki could only laugh at them. Sharing a bed with twins may have been a fantasy many men around the galaxy had, but once again, his captors’ lack of knowledge about Loki was showing once more.
If they had bothered to do their research, they would have known of his utter lack of interest in any sort of sexual intimacy. It wasn’t a fact he tried to hide, simply revealing it when it was necessary.
In hindsight, he probably shouldn’t have laughed at the twins however. They were likely only acting according to the orders they had received, and the beating he got for his laughter almost made it not worth it.
But the memory of the looks on their faces….it nearly sent Loki into another fit of laughter.
~~~~~~
Loki watched his surroundings warily as guards took him from his cell and led him further into the fortress around him.
He hadn’t been outside of his cell even once since he had been captured, but it seemed that Thanos had decided to change things up on him this time.
When he was dragged in front of the purple giant, Loki stilled as he sensed the power radiating from the scepter in the Titan’s lap.
It was…indescribable. Power beyond comprehension, complete domination of the mind in such a small container that it threatened to burst at any moment.
There was only one thing it could be- the Mind Stone.
Fear filled his veins and he struggled fruitlessly against his bindings as Thanos stood and leisurely approached him.
“You will be a useful pawn in my war.” was the last thing he heard before the tip of the scepter touched his forehead and his world s h a t t e r e d.
Loki’s mind had been one of the few things that was solely his, that he could always rely on and use in any situation. One of the few things he would confidently bet against any for.
And yet under the attack of the Mind Stone, his carefully crafted shields shattered like glass in a hurricane, fallin before that indescribable weight.
The pressure of a thousand suns pushed down on him, razor sharp-knives raking through his psyche, Loki twitching and screaming, scr e a m i n-
Loki blinked. He was kneeling before Thanos. A scepter was being offered to him, the Titan wearing a gentle smile as he gave his gift.
Loki took it, standing with a bow of thanks. It would be useful in the upcoming invasion of Midgard.
And Loki would be helping with that gleefully. The Mad Titan had ordered it, and so it would be done. Besides, it would be fitting revenge for Thor’s betrayal to raze that planet of primitive apes he cared so much for to the ground.
He was Loki, god of lies, god of mischief. Son of Laufey, exiled and betrayed Prince of Asgard. He would have his due, or he would watch it all burn by the side of his Master.