Loki x Reader - Chambermaid
I hate tagging things cus I always forget something I swear:
heads up for blood, angst, little bit of comfort, mentions of torture
“Bathe the prisoner.” Thanos commanded, sitting comfortably on his throne.
You bowed your head, then turned to do as your master bid.
The cages of special prisoners was not far from Thanos’ throne, and you knew the path well.
Down at the far end, the room uncomfortably warm, you knelt before Loki’s cage.
Loki looked up at you, eyes dull and glassy. He wore strips of tattered cloth, the last traces of his clothes desperately trying to stay together. It was not uncommon for you to see Thanos’ subjects so bare.
If you allowed yourself time to think of it, you might have noticed how attractive he was. He had strong cheekbones, hollowed from nutrient deficiencies. His eyes were a beautiful green, though they looked lifeless these days. His pale skin was pleasing, but covered in grime, blood, sweat and who knows what else, he no longer resembled the proud prince who had fallen so many months ago.
You opened the cage door. “My lord demands you follow me.”
Loki shifted listlessly, a bit of life sparking in his eyes at the mention of your master.
You stepped back, keeping your head bowed. Loki may be a prisoner, but he would soon be a child of Thanos, when time was right.
Here, now though, he looked like a beat dog.
Loki slowly unfolded himself, rising to his full height beside you. His limbs trembled with the effort of making him stand.
There was a flash of fire in his eyes, that old sparkle of mischief you might have once heard of. The flash faded and the light in his eyes dulled again.
You straightened up, turning and leading the way. You could hear him limping after you, following you dutifully.
The bathing chamber was simple: a cold stone bath, no decorations, nothing to make the room notable.
You knelt before the tub, placing your hand in the bubbly water and feeling its temperature. It was warmer than a frost giant might like, you imagined idly, but there was nothing to be done for him now.
Loki crossed the room, stopping and swaying at the tub.
“You may enter.”
Loki looked down at his tattered garb. He stripped, tossing it to the side before stepping into the tub. He let out a sharp hiss as the warm water enveloped him. He gripped the edge of the tub on both sides, jaw clenched as he grit his teeth, leaning back against the tub and trying to take in the relative luxury.
You lathered shampoo on your hands then turned back to Loki. His eyes were shut and if it weren’t for the pale knuckles gripped tight as a vise, he might have looked peaceful. Moving behind him, you ran your fingers through his black hair. He had always used product to style it, trying to keep the waviness away, but with the heat of the chamber he was kept in as well as this one, there was no hoping for it to remain as he wanted.
Methodically, rigidly, you scrubbed at his hair. Dried blood on his skull, hidden by the black hair, became wet and ran down his skin, mixing with the tub’s water. From other various wounds, reopening now with his movements, the water tinged pink. It was hard to say where the blood was coming from anymore, the mixture of grime as he sat there, running off his skin in inky black trails.
You finished his hair, returning a sense of its previous lushness to it, but still, there was more to come.
You flicked the shampoo from your hands, reaching for a sponge that you quickly covered in soap. Then you began the next part.
You smoothed the sponge over his skin, trying to keep a gentle touch but some of the grime marks demanded more strength from you. When the sponge touched his skin, Loki’s fingers managed to grow even paler, somehow tightening his grip even more.
The sponge mixed with the blood and grime, washing it away. You turned on the faucet, rinsing away the mess but he was sitting in so much grime at this point that there was no reason to continue.
You motioned for him to move, emptying the tub, and once more, refilling it.
With the worst of the blood, grime, and other stuff washed away, he was starting to look almost human again. Asgardian, you amended mentally.
The sponge ran along his skin, your other hand following, smoothing over the various scars marring his skin. Each raised bump you traced your finger along like a blind person reading braille. You committed each raised bump to memory, longing to bandage his wounds and treat him with more dignity.
Loki scrunched his eyes shut as you began to scrub further down his body. The heat of the water still needling at him as you searched for any spots you might have missed. He had to be in perfect shape.
Another two empties of the tub and the water stopped looking so grimy. Still tinges of pink floated from his open wounds.
The last tub was emptied, Loki stood from the water at your beckoning and forced himself upright, head held high. He swayed where he stood, eyes shutting briefly.
You walked behind him, inspecting his naked form for any blemishes. Some blood yes, but those were open wounds that would heal eventually. The rest of the mess though? You had cleaned him well.
You guided him over to a chair before what might have been a vanity at one point. Instead there was no mirror. You filed his fingernails, broken, bloodied and clawlike. They had scratched desperately at anything and everything as he sought an escape. You trimmed them to a neat and even length, filing them down. His hands were beautiful, you marveled internally, fingers gliding over his as you shifted them this way and that. You cleaned the grime from under his nails. His hands had to be clean, to be perfect, they would hold the scepter after all.
Hands cleaned, you moved on. You brushed his hair, applying hair gel to spike it, making him look more menacing and dangerous. Loki leaned back in the chair as you worked on his hair, eyes shut. It was almost as though he was being pampered in a spa, not a trophy sent off to war.
After a while, you pulled away, reaching to the previously unnoticed box on the floor. You opened it, revealing black and green, leather and gold armor.
Loki stood dutifully, eyes still shut. He stepped into his trousers and you tugged them up to his hips. You fussed around him for a moment, ensuring it fit and he looked proper. You reached for the leather chest piece, the various straps something of a maze to be explored. Piece after piece was placed over him until he was fully dressed. You knelt again and helped him step into his boots.
“Your helmet, my liege.” You murmured softly.
“No.” Loki replied, barely a breath. “Not now.” He waved his hand and in a shimmer of green the horned crown appeared in his hands. “In time.” He twisted it in his hands, some of his strength seeming to return. He no longer swayed where he stood, though you marveled at the weight of his armor. How did he still have strength to wear it and stand?
The helmet vanished from Loki’s hands, another shimmer of green and it was gone. You realized he had tucked it away into some pocket dimension.
Instead of protesting, you bowed your head to him, watching as he vanished the green cloak. “Not yet.” He said softly, watching his things vanish.
A streak of defiance ran through you, and you found yourself cupping his cheek with your hand.
Loki looked down at you, towering over you with his height. He seemed unfazed by your touch, though for a moment it looked like he might have flinched.
You smiled up at him, smoothing your thumb for a moment as you studied him.
Life seemed to be returning to his eyes, that spark you had once seen flickered faintly.
You pulled away as the chamber door opened, one of Thanos’ other servants entering the room.
“Is the prisoner ready?”
You stole a glance at Loki. Already you had moved away, hands behind your back and head bowed in deference.
“He is.” Loki replied.
The servant nodded. “Follow.” They turned and did not look back at Loki.
You curtsied as Loki moved away from you.
Right as he left the room, he cast a look at you. It was something akin to fondness, perhaps a degree of gratitude. If only there was something more you could do for him now.
Except, he was Thanos’ child now, there was no future left for him.
