Jack didn’t know how he had been so blessed as to find her. Her crazy matched his crazy. She not only loved his more ridiculous ideas but she had some of her own. Ghost hunts, vandalism, trespassing on federal property – they had done it all. The last seven months had been some of the best he’d had in awhile. There was finally a positive in being Deadpool, in dealing with multiple personalities and the baggage that came with it. She was the silver lining of an otherwise horrible thing that was happening. Where had she been all of his life? Without the shift, he never would have come across her - his Red, his Harley. They were from different worlds, but somehow she was his perfect match, the yin to his yang. He had no intention of losing her, but it was slowly but surely starting to develop into more than that.
The beginning of 2016 had been bleak and full of uncertainty. He had been completely alone in his thoughts. Isolated. It wasn’t until he started seeing more of her that things took a turn for the better. His psychotic beauty was the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. In a mess of insanity, she was his constant. Because of her, he had ended the year in better condition than he'd started. Things in the new year had been going well – and it was only just the beginning. Even with all the bleak in the world, the future seemed promising, and it was all because of her.
He was becoming more certain by the day that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this woman. Meeting her family had all but secured that. That day, he had been terrified her mother would not approve of him, though now he couldn’t really remember why. It could have had to do with the fact his own created family adored Roxy and that he wanted it to go both ways. It all seemed trivial now that it was behind him. Everything had been fine and was only going to get better.
A murder mystery concocted by her and a close friend only further proved that she was the one. If he hadn't been before, he was definitely head over heels in love with her now.
Jack had been enjoying the weekend so far. Though he had never done something like this before, it was easy to get into character, and he was having a blast doing it. He really did feel as if he were in the movie Clue – only Tim Curry was the Big Bad Wolf and not the butler. Sure, having a pretend fight about his girlfriend's intentions with another man the night before had sucked, but he knew, deep down, that it had all been part of the act. None of this was actually going to affect them. Well, none of the bad. There was plenty of good coming out of this, as evidenced by how into “rehearsing” they had gotten the weekend before. They'd learned a few new tricks that would only benefit certain aspects of their relationship.
Saturday morning, he woke up with a smile on his face. His Red Riding Hood was sleeping peacefully next to him, the sunlight coming in through their window making the pink in her hair seem somehow brighter. It was moments like these that he realized just how lucky he was and wondered what he had done to deserve her.
He could have remained there and watched her sleep for hours, but he knew that they had a lot to do in order to keep this mystery party in full swing. He turned onto his side and moved closer to her, beginning a trail of kisses along her neck and jawline. "Good morning, Red," he whispered, unable to resist calling her by what was bound to become a permanent pet name.
”Morning, Teeth,” he heard he whisper as she moved to return his kisses in kind. The way they were together was nothing short of blissful. Sure, it made others sick, but Jack didn’t care so much about that. With her, he was happy. With her, he didn’t feel judged. They indulged one another’s crazy ideas, which was something he’d never experienced with anyone else. It didn't matter what he was thinking, he could share it without worrying about how she might react.
Eventually, after spending far too much time joking around and being affectionate, it was off to breakfast. Jack knew that something was coming as part of the mystery, but he wasn’t certain what. He was on the edge of his seat, foot idly tapping against the ground in anticipation. She had teased and alluded to something happening, something that would stick it to those that didn’t approve of their fictional characters’ relationship, but even that wasn't specific enough to prepare him for what happened.
It wasn't until all of the party guests had filtered into the dining room that she did the unthinkable. Before he realized what was happening, she was getting everyone's attention and standing up to speak.
"Since we are all here, I have something I would like to say in front of everyone!"
Jack, like everyone else, turned his attention to her. He felt a strange lump in his throat, a nervousness that was silly given that this was all part of the act. It was entertainment, a game, and nothing more.
"I have had a lot to think about over the last two days, and I just can't keep it to myself anymore. I came to this ball to try and secure a better future for Gram and myself, but I cannot live a lie! My heart will not let me. Teeth, I am madly in love with you, and I can't bear it another minute. I know you've tried to change your ways since you tried to kill me all those years ago, and I see the man you've become and I am so completely enamored with you that I can't spend another moment without you by my side."
The speech, as silly as it was, obviously had one end to it. He knew what was coming, what he next few words out of her mouth would be, and he could already feel the smile forming on his lips.
Teeth, you wonderful, big, handsome wolf. Will you marry me?
Even though he had seen it coming in those last few seconds, the words had taken him by surprise. His heart very nearly pumped out of his chest. Marriage, something long-term, was crossing his mind more and more each day. That morning, he'd been thinking about it more than usual. The timing of this fake proposal was freaky for that reason. He knew, without a doubt, that he didn’t want to spend a day without Roxy. Though he was aware enough to realize this was fake, he could not help but wonder what might happen if it were real, if one of them ended up popping the question. They had not been together long, sure, but Jack was a firm believer in the phrase when you know, you know. He knew, without a doubt, that she was the one.
"Yes, my beautiful Red, I will marry you." It was lucky that Jack was enthusiastic enough that the way he jumped up and scooped her into his arms wasn't anything out of the ordinary. “Nothing would make me happier," he exclaimed before pressing his lips firmly against hers. "I know I am not as great as these princes, but I will devote my life to making you happy. You make me want to be a better man.”
Though he quickly went back to business as usual and focused on making her weekend a success, he couldn’t shake the thought from his head. His answer had been honest. She made him want to be better, and nothing would make him happier than spending the rest of his life with her. What had been meant to be a game had flipped a switch in him, one that he didn’t know if he could turn off again.