Damn it!
Thor raked his fingers through his hair, his face turning sulky. At his core, he was still a man with a sense of justice, and he understood perfectly well that what Loki had done on Earth genuinely constituted serious crimes.
But even if punishment was called for, it should be dealt out back in Asgard.
Though Thor agreed that his brother was rather well suited to this sort of farm work, Asgard had farmland of its own too. There was no need for him to stay on Earth.
Still, how was this ransom problem supposed to be resolved?
The bracelet he had sold for eight hundred million dollars wasn't enough to buy his brother back. Was he now expected to sell the Thor-armor off his own back as well?
So frustrating!
Thor, feeling thoroughly vexed, drew a deep breath and said, "Name your price. How much will it take to redeem my brother?" The Prince of Asgard clearly had no negotiation skills whatsoever, his very first move was to coolly invite the other side to set the price.
But before Deadpool could open his mouth, Loki cut in first: "My dear brother, do you truly believe your beloved little brother can be measured in money? You wound me deeply!"
"No, Loki." Thor hurriedly shook his head. "As my brother, you are of course beyond all price."
Hsss.
Hearing this, Deadpool drew in a sharp breath, a chill running down his spine. His gaze began shifting oddly between Thor and Loki, and he thought: these two brothers... don't tell me...
"Damn it, keep your malicious imagination to yourself!" Loki, seemingly seeing straight through Deadpool's filthy thoughts, glared at him darkly.
"What malicious imagination?" Thor asked, bewildered.
"I merely think you and your brother are as close as gold, though your brother clearly disagrees." Deadpool shrugged as he spoke, pointedly.
"Loki, why?" Thor turned to Loki, brow furrowing. "Isn't that what our brotherhood is?"
"You fool, you truly understand nothing!" Loki snapped, feeling quite literally unable to explain himself.
Unlike his naive older brother, this evil god who excelled at playing with people's hearts was, in his own way, a seasoned veteran of the world. From the instant Deadpool spoke, he had understood exactly what lay hidden beneath the man's words.
But this was something he absolutely could not spell out for Thor, and it left him thoroughly vexed.
"Loki, you..."
"That's enough! I've no interest in your lengthy lectures!" Cutting off whatever Thor had been about to say, Loki said flatly, "You needn't waste your time scraping together a ransom. I have no intention of going back with you."
"Why not?" Thor asked, stunned.
Deadpool frowned beside him too. He couldn't work out why Loki would say such a thing. Could it be... that my ideological reeducation of him actually succeeded? Heh heh, it has to be! That's the only explanation!
Damn, Uncle is truly a genius! No, I have to post this in the group! Let these wretched members and that wretched group leader finally look at me with new eyes!
Soul Society's Villain: ?
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: ?
Shark-Faced Guy: ?
Foul-Mouthed Mask Guy: Hey, hey, what's with these attitudes, guys? You don't believe your Uncle? Well, tough luck... because it's the truth! I, Deadpool, have successfully completed Loki's ideological reeducation!
Doujin Artist: Keep making things up. By all means, continue.
Curly-haired Guy: Be more confident, Deadpool! Merely reeducating Loki is squat! Go all in, claim Odin already passed the god-king throne of the Nine Realms to you, and even called you Daddy on top of it.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Pfft, God-King-Daddy?!
Foul-Mouthed Mask Guy: Laughing at your Uncle now, are you? You bastards are laughing at your Uncle, is that it? I'm not joking. Loki genuinely chose to stay on this farm of his own free will! Memories can't be faked, do you want me to send mine over?
This is an Actor: True enough. Memories can't be faked.
Doujin Artist: Hahahaha, Anzen-san, what a devastating strike! Is there a single person left in this group who doesn't know how you use past-life memories to hoodwink people?
This is an Actor: I wouldn't call it hoodwinking. You all simply failed to see it.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Your misdirection is so strong, who could possibly see through it! Back then there wasn't even such a concept as a world-hopper, who would ever guess that memories could come split into two segments?
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: But Deadpool clearly has no such crafty streak, so he should be telling the truth?
Foul-Mouthed Mask Guy: Fuck, what do you mean "should"? What Uncle said IS the truth. I refused that damned eight-hundred-million ransom without a second's hesitation!
Curly-haired Guy: Hmph. Even if Loki is willing to stay on the farm, it's certainly not because of any "ideological reeducation."
Foul-Mouthed Mask Guy: Why not? Are you looking down on your Uncle?
Machete Girl: Is this even worth debating? Everyone knows it's obviously not. Loki must have some other scheme in choosing to stay. That man has no good in him.
Wig Guy: Mm, he is an evil god, after all.
Foul-Mouthed Mask Guy: Crap, you people haven't heard a single word I've said, have you? The love is gone, guys! You have utterly betrayed Uncle's love for you all!
Doujin Artist: Oh.
That simple little "Oh" from Eriri nearly broke Deadpool: Oh my ass!
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: I'd say Loki is staying on the farm to hide from Thanos. Don't forget, Thanos's Mind Stone is in Deadpool's hands right now.
Shark-Faced Guy: If he's hiding from Thanos, wouldn't Asgard be the better choice?
Foul-Mouthed Mask Guy: Bullshit! Those idiots in Asgard couldn't protect him at all! That bastard Loki may be a bit of a sissy, but you have to admit, he really is clever! At the very least he understands perfectly that only by staying at Uncle's side can he get the best protection there is!
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: I get the logic, but doesn't that way of speaking strike you as, well, awfully gay?
Curly-haired Guy: He IS gay, was there ever any doubt?
Machete Girl: Mr. Deadpool, with your current strength you are truly no match for Thanos. Kindly face reality and stop seeking death.
Amegakure Village's Angel: Loki clearly understands this too, which is why staying by Deadpool's side isn't about seeking his protection. There must be some other reason... What do you think, dear?
This is an Actor: A simple misdirection, nothing more. Thanos, having lost the Mind Stone, would naturally assume Loki fled back to Asgard. It would never occur to him that Loki might have remained on Earth.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Whoa, that's genuinely sinister. If Thanos attacked Asgard over the Mind Stone, it might even spark a war between two great powers. I suspect this fellow Loki is counting on sitting back and profiting from the whole affair.
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