After the salesgirl approached, she saw that handsome face and found it familiar. Then she suddenly said, "Hey! Aren't you the one from a few days ago… Flame Knight!?"
"Ah… yes…" Watson hadn't expected this. He had saved two people, sure, but New York City had no shortage of heroes—
"Someone posted a picture of your fight on Twitter! You looked really cool!"
"Wait, what? A fight video?"
"Yeah! Some guy filmed it from a building. Everyone's trying to guess your true identity."
Derick, watching their conversation, noticed more and more people gathering, so he quickly cut in,
"Hey, I'd rather not draw attention, so let's keep this on the down-low, alright? Also, I need a few different styles of underwear for my girlfriend. Any recommendations?"
"What? You actually have a girlfriend…?" The young salesgirl looked visibly disappointed but quickly put on a professional smile.
"36-25-36," Watson said while scanning the shelves, wondering if he should pick something special.
"Oh, your girlfriend's got a great figure. Give me a sec, I'll grab a few options, and you can choose, alright?"
"Sounds good." Watson watched as the salesgirl left to pick out lingerie, then casually wandered around the store.
"Hey, what do you think of these?" The salesgirl returned with several sets—some daring, some elegant, and some outright seductive.
"I'll take them all—"
But before he could finish, a loud commotion erupted outside the store. A man with a pistol suddenly burst in, skidding to a stop as he realized he'd just run into a lingerie shop.
Then a mocking voice rang out from outside, "Ohhh, our little rabbit isn't running anymore? Damn, dude, if I were you, I'd stop and admire! Look at that lace set! I wanna buy it for Vanessa!"
A man in a red-and-black uniform with dark circles around his eyes strolled in and turned to the salesgirl. "Hey, beautiful! How much for that black lace number?"
At that moment, the gunman snapped out of his daze, spun around, and fired at the man in red before making a break for it!
"Ahhh!!!"
The store erupted into chaos as customers ran for cover.
The young salesgirl flinched but then remembered—this was the Flame Knight! She hesitated, her gaze flicking to Watson, her eyes filled with hope.
The gunman clutched his bleeding wound and cursed, "Shit! Now Vanessa's gotta do the laundry again! Damn it! Stop running, asshole! How the hell am I supposed to get money to buy Vanessa underwear!?"
"Screw you, you damn mutant!" Seeing that his bullet had done nothing, the gunman turned and bolted. As he passed Watson and the salesgirl, he grabbed her—then flung a bag of lingerie at Deadpool!
Smack!
"What the hell is this? A lingerie bomb?"
Watson's pupils contracted instantly. His carefully chosen gifts for Natasha—thrown. Nobody noticed how his eyes darkened slightly.
Derick stepped forward, grabbed the gunman by the neck, and flung him into the air.
The man flipped a full 360 degrees before slamming into the ground. Derick planted a foot on his chest.
Deadpool whistled. "Hey! I should thank you for helping me take this bastard down, but… are those panties yours? No judgment! I'd never discriminate against GAYs! Gotta say, though, solid taste. Want me to introduce you to more guys like you?"
Deadpool turned to Watson, who raised an eyebrow in amusement.
Wade Wilson. The infamous Deadpool. One of Marvel's top-tier chatterboxes.
And the cheapest son of a bitch alive.
Deadpool suddenly clutched his ass. "Shit! I said I'd introduce you to someone, but don't look at me with those eyes! I already have a soulmate!"
Watson rolled his eyes. But then he had a thought—he hadn't had a good fight in a while since coming back. And now, thanks to this idiot, his girlfriend's gift was ruined.
That meant Deadpool owed him.
And now, this fight was his.
Just then, Jeter rushed in, gun in hand. "Sir? What happened? I heard gunshots!"
"It's fine. Just wait outside."
Deadpool, annoyed at being interrupted, shoved Jeter aside. "Hey! Dude, this is my scene now!" Then he turned back to Watson. "Man, you can't do this! That guy's my bounty! I need the cash for Vanessa's gift!"
"So… one of us won't be getting our girlfriend a present?"
Deadpool's panda eyes narrowed. He reached for the twin katanas on his back. "Looks like it! In that case… my condolences to your girlfriend. She's about to have a boyfriend with two swords shoved up his ass!"
Watson chuckled, unfazed. "Let's take this outside. Wouldn't want to mess up the store—or traumatize the pretty salesgirl."
Then he turned to the salesgirl. "Pack me another set, same style. I'll pick it up later. Jeter, wait outside. I won't be long."
With that, Derick grabbed the 'girlfriend's gift' and strode out, dragging the gunman like a ragdoll.
Deadpool sheathed his swords and followed. "Why do I feel like fate wanted us to meet today?"
"Shut up. You're making me sick."
A full moon hung over the Brooklyn Bridge. The sky was clear.
"Wait, what!? We just skipped from the lingerie shop straight to the Brooklyn Bridge? That's an insult to the audience's intelligence!!!"
"No, no, no! It's not an insult. It's called padding the word count. Now, let's focus on what really matters—my girlfriend's gift!"
Watson sighed. Just when he thought Deadpool might have a serious bone in his body, the idiot veered off course again.