As Harley walked over and opened the door, Richard, his game buddy, stood there, a smile on his face. "Hey, Harley! Sorry to drop by unannounced," Richard said, glancing past Harley into the store room. Richard's eyes widened as he noticed Deadpool lounging on the sofa, looking relaxed and casual. He did a double take, unsure if he was seeing things. "Is... that..." Richard stuttered, looking at Harley with a mixture of surprise and disbelief. Harley chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, that's him. The real deal. "Richard's mouth hung open, clearly dumbfounded. He took a step closer to Harley, lowering his voice. "Please tell me I'm not hallucinating," he whispered. Deadpool, who had been quietly observing the exchange from his spot on the sofa, spoke up, his voice tinged with amusement. "Oh, you're not hallucinating, buddy. I'm as real as a heart attack. "Richard turned his gaze to Deadpool, his eyes wide. He couldn't believe he was actually talking to the fictional character, known for his wise-cracking and penchant for breaking the fourth wall ."I...I can't believe this," he sputtered, still trying to wrap his mind around the situation. Richard, still trying to make sense of the situation, assumed it was a cosplay. He turned to Harley with a sly grin ."Is this some kind of elaborate prank, Harley? You got someone to dress up as Deadpool or something?" he asked, half-joking. Harley shook his head, trying to suppress a smile. "No, it's not a prank. He's real ."Richard chuckled, clearly not buying it. "Come on, don't mess with me. Next, you'll tell me Batman is waiting in your kitchen, drinking coffee. "Harley shook his head, trying to suppress a smile. "No, it's not a prank. He's real. "Richard chuckled, clearly not buying it. "Come on, don't mess with me. Next, you'll tell me Batman is waiting in your kitchen, drinking coffee. "Deadpool cut in with his usual sarcastic tone. "Yep, the Dark Knight's brewing coffee right now. Gotta keep the caffeine flowing when you're fighting crime in the bat cave, know what I mean?" Richard's face went from skepticism to a mixture of surprise and amusement. He looked back and forth between Deadpool and Harley, trying to figure out if they were messing with him or seriously telling the truth."You guys can't be serious," he said, half-laughing. "First, you got Deadpool in your store room, then you're telling me Batman's chilling in your kitchen?" Deadpool chuckled, enjoying the confusion he was causing. "Oh, we're dead serious. Harley's got the whole Justice League on speed dial. You're lucky Green Arrow isn't here. He'd be hogging all the snacks ."Deadpool chuckled, enjoying the confusion he was causing. "Oh, we're dead serious. Harley's got the whole Justice League on speed dial. You're lucky Green Arrow isn't here. He'd be hogging all the snacks." Deadpool crossed his arms, a smirk on his face. "Cross my heart. We're as serious as Joker's psychotic grin. You can go check the kitchen if you want, maybe Batman will share some of his coffee ."Harley, seeing that Richard still wasn't fully convinced, decided to chime in. "Yeah, Deadpool's telling the truth about himself, but maybe not about the Justice League. I wish I had the whole team on speed dial, though. Batman's no-fun attitude would drive me up the wall if he was here every day." Richard shook his head, still in disbelief. "But... but they're fictional characters, they can't be real. This is like something out of a comic book. "Deadpool, enjoying the confusion he was causing, leaned forward. "Fictional? Oh, my friend, you have no idea. You humans think we're just stories on a page, pixels on a screen or ink on paper. But the truth is, we're as real as you are. We just exist in a different realm, one outside the constraints of your reality. "Harley, seeing that Richard was still too flustered and confused by the situation, decided to call it a night. "Richard, you should head home and get some rest," he said firmly. "We'll talk about this tomorrow when you're not seeing things. Richard, still bewildered, slowly nodded, allowing himself to be urged toward the door. "Yeah, maybe you're right. I'll go home and sleep this off, wake up, and find out this was some wild dream. "Harley scratched the back of his head, a little uneasy. "Well, the store room is the only place I've got, and you're not exactly a small guy. It's not the most spacious, I'll admit. "Deadpool chuckled, sprawling out on the sofa. "Ah, it's fine. I've slept in worse places. And let's be honest, I'm not picky. I just need a place to lay my head between jobs. "Harley trudged over to his bed and collapsed onto it, the exhaustion from the day finally catching up with him. He let out a weary sigh." What a day," he muttered to himself. "First, I accidentally 'obtain' a fictional character, and now I have to share my store room with him. This isn't how I saw my Friday night going."

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end of chapter three-