This story is written with nonowaru's OC, Felix Custos. If you want more background on his character design and story, I suggest you go to her tumblr and look under the tag of the character's name.

To be honest, I just love the possible relationship an ex-mafia member could have with our princess. Also, it was terribly fun to write his accent.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. Felix Custos is an OC who belongs to nonowaru.

Special

Weiss sat on the couch and watched as Felix prepared her tea, mist-blue eyes wandering over to the rusty old radio he kept displayed on one shelf. A tune was playing, and although she could not label it with a distinct title, it seemed nostalgic somehow.

His emerald eyes flicked up to wonder just what she was up to; if he was blessed enough to have her in his dwelling, he hated having to take his eyes off of her even for the seconds it took him to blink.

She was undoubtedly an angel in every aspect of the word, from those ivory tresses to those thin, pale lips and all the way down her snowy dress to her quaint white shoes.

He felt a spark in his chest whenever she looked away from him, a possessive flicker that made him want to slug whatever held her attention so that she could direct it back to him. But when he glimpsed her perfect cheeks angled away from him, her innocent eyes entranced by the music and dazzling with the thrill of being taken to another world by it, he chuckled.

"Aw, leave it, Dolly." He said. "That ol' thing ain't got no groove left in it. It's all static and nails-on-chalkboards."

He poured the tea into her cup- the tattered little white one with the chink on the handle, the one she had said on the first day that she found precious and so Felix had immediately deemed it hers alone.

Weiss tilted her head back to look at him curiously, alabaster locks slipping down her shoulder and causing him to bite the inside of his cheek.

"But it's charming." She defended the antique. "A little bruised and beaten, but it just won't ever quit doing what it loves and playing that music."

Felix regarded her words as he dripped the cream into her teacup, having long-since mastered measuring with his eyes the precise amount she favored. Just like you, in a way, huh, Weissie? His eyes briefly swept across the scar above her left eye. A little bruised and beaten, but ya just never stop doing what'cha do best.

"Well, shucks, Dolly. Ya know yer the most charmin' thing in the whole wide world, so I guess that ol' thing suits ya. I can see why yer smitten." He measured the sugar next, just a sprinkle, as her delicate stomach could not handle much, and he knew that. "But ya know I only let it play whenever yer 'round. I know ya fancy it, so I let it play specially for ya."

"Specially…" Her lips repeated the word and she flinched a bit. She always reacted that way whenever he called her 'special', because deep down, something told her she was not. Not to him, not to anyone.

Felix had a plethora of girls to choose from, and she knew he could have any one of them the second he so desired.

So why did he still call her special? Why was he always there to open the door whenever she happened to drop by unexpectedly? Why was he always the one she made eye contact with in the midst of a crowd at midnight? Why did he have to keep proving to her that she was special to him? She could not comprehend it.

As he brought her tea over to her on a small tray, Felix noticed her flinch at his words. He frowned and placed the cup on the mahogany table beside the couch.

"Hey now, sweetie, what's with that look? Ya know I can't stand it when ya go makin' faces like that. Tell ol' Felix wassa' matter." He got down onto one knee so that he was a little less than eye-level with her, so that he was less intimidating.

Emerald pools burned up at her with questions, as they always seemed to do, but yet again, Weiss could see anger hidden in those intense irises- the anger that made her feel special, the anger that demanded he know who had hurt her so he could personally pay them a visit.

Her eyes failed to meet his, which only served to make him more furious at whatever thoughts were troubling her. "Dolly, let me know what's wrong. Ya can't do this ta me, makin' that face and then not tellin' me why. Yer breakin' my heart, sweetie. I can't stand seein' a pretty thing like you hurtin' anymore than ya already are."

Weiss winced again. "That's just it." She murmured, barely audible past the scratching music. But Felix's ears had grown accustomed to her voice long ago, and he caught every word. "The way you go… calling me those names…"

His eyes widened in dismay; that was his greatest fear, that he would be the one to cause her pain. If he ever found out he had hurt her in any way, he would gladly repent with his life.

Folding his left hand over both of the small ones folded in her lap, he reached up to touch her cheek with his right.

"Hey now, Weissie. If the names'r too much fer ya, why didn't ya say so sooner? I didn't know ya didn't fancy 'em. Honest."

But she shook her head from side to side, pressing her cheek ever so slightly into his palm.

"No… that's not what I meant…" She sighed. He could feel her biting her lip as her cheek puffed out into a pout. "It's just… well, I can't help but wonder… how many other girls have you called those things?"

Felix blinked in grand surprise when he realized what was happening. The way she was puffing out her cheeks, her bottom lip jutting out slightly….

Despite himself, he could not suppress a hearty laugh, a sound he could not recall the last time he had uttered.

Weiss, too, blinked in shock when she heard him chuckle like that, and in that moment she knew her ears had never heard such a wonderful sound before or ever would since.

"I… I beg yer pardon, Dolly." He glided his fingers over her soft skin, down through her hair, over her arm until they were back in her lap again to cover her hands. "I didn't mean ta show ya such an unflattering side'a myself. It's just… I don't reckon I've ever seen somethin' quite as precious as yer jealousy, 's all."

"I-I'm not-"

"Ya'v gotta forgive me now, honey." He did not like to cut her off, but he was far too amused to stop himself now. "I just can't believe ya'd worry yerself o'er somethin' trivial as this." At last, he quelled the chuckle to nothing more than a grin, grasping her delicate hands tightly in his own. "Trust me, Dolly, someone like me don't deserve yer jealousy, but lemme tell ya it's a mighty nice feeling to know ya'd show it fer me."

Weiss let her cheeks deflate, sighing as she curled her fingers into his larger palms. "I simply… can't help it…" She murmured, casting her eyes into her lap, tracing her thumbs over the back of his weathered hand. "I don't very much like the idea of having to imagine you with another…"

Felix let his smile shrink a little more, but it did not vanish. He was a man who lived by a unique creed, only ever able to picture himself with one woman for however long his life would last, and he had spent time with enough women to know that none of them were the one.

Yet he had told himself countless times how it could not be Weiss; she was too perfect, too fragile for someone like him. They lived in different worlds, and the last thing he wanted was to drag her down into his dangerous activities. His past was nothing to make light of, and he knew full-well that it would catch up to him one day; he had accepted that fact, and it was no reason to make her worry.

He told himself every night as he lie in the bed that was too big for him, as his mind filled with thoughts of Weiss, that it could not be her.

And yet he knew it was her.

He had known the first time he ever laid eyes upon her, that night eight months ago when he had spotted her amidst a crowd of bumbling drunkards and he had failed to suppress his fury enough to spare them broken jaws.

But not once did her eyes ever flash with the ounce of fear he had grown so accustomed to seeing in the gazes of those around him.

Too many times, far more than he cared to count, she had come to him with tears streaming down her face, choking on broken sobs while he clenched his fists hard enough to draw blood from his palms.

After he had met her, he had changed like never before.

Presently, she was doing what she always did whenever he became angry, running her delicate fingers over the lines of his hands, the scratches from recent scuffles that had yet to start mending.

Yes, he knew it had always been her, but he never wanted to admit it for fear of hurting her.

But now he understood that it was just the opposite, that keeping his feelings to himself was what was making her mist-blue eyes tremble like that.

He knew he should not tell her his feelings, but when he delved deep enough into his soul, he wanted nothing more than to do so.

Felix covered her small, cool hands with his, encompassing them with a warmth that so rarely ever made contact with her from any other source.

"Hey now, listen here, baby…" He lifted himself slightly from his position on the floor, lightly pushing her knees to one side as he joined her on the couch, turning her so that she faced him. "I reckon I can't force ya to believe me when I say it…" Emerald met mist-blue as he attempted to channel his passionate emotions into his gaze. "Buy yer the only one fer me, Weissie. Ain't nobody else, ya hear? Never has been, never will be. 'S only you, Dolly."

How long had he been wanting to say that to her? How many days had it been since he had first laid eyes upon her pure existence and longed to claim it as his own? How many hours had he wasted thinking about her rather than holding her in his arms? How many seconds had he been forced to live without that flawless smile he hardly deserved?

To be honest, he wanted to throw his arms around her, pull her into a crushing hug that vowed he would never let go.

But he knew there was a slim chance it could hurt her, and therefore with much determination, he restrained himself.

Weiss was silent, her lips slightly ajar, eyes wide as she finally heard him speak the words she only ever dreamed of hearing.

"Felix…."

There it was. She said his name again in that angelic, sing-song voice. And again, he had to beat down the internal urge to crush her to him.

He saw her eyes flash with a familiar shimmer, the swirling of water that threatened to break his heart.

"You… You…" Weiss shook her head in disbelief, knowing that her inability to voice her feelings was causing him pain right now, as if the haunting turmoil of his past had not provided enough debris already.

Steeling herself, Weiss bit her lips to stop them from twitching with sobs, and she finally managed to smile. "You don't need to force me to believe anything." Her voice cracked with a whimper, but it was a joyous one. "I simply… never imagined you would say it at all…"

Felix felt his throat tighten when he saw her tears that dripped down into a smile. He had seen the tears before, and he had been blessed enough to see smile before, but never together.

The way his throat tightened now was not out of rage or helplessness like it usually was when he witnessed her wetted cheeks; instead, this time it was due to incredulity.

He sat back, keeping her hands tightly gripped in his own.

"Ya…" he swallowed, blinking as he got lost in her dazzling eyes. "Ya can't just go sayin' things like that and then cryin' on me, Dolly. It ain't fair. Ain't a bit."

But for the first time ever, these were tears he did not want to brush away with his thumb. They were tears that spoke of blissful elation after eight months of knotted uncertainty, tears that complimented that gorgeous smile of hers.

Felix was not a man to show his own tears, especially not in front of others, but at that moment, he felt as though he might.

"And why can't I say that?" Weiss sniffed. "Why can't I say that you're the love of my life? The reason I was put here in this world? It's the truth, after all."

Two, three, four drops of warm water landed on the back of his hands as Felix hammered it into his skull that this was not a dream; in a way, it was a dream come true, actually.

"Felix…" She said it again, and he sucked in a breath. "It's been clear as crystal since the day I met you, but… I've just got to say it." Weiss made sure not to blink as her eyes locked with his. "I love you."

Too many things shot through Felix's body as she spoke the three fateful words.

The first was a pang of uncertainty, terrifying anxiety that he could never amount to become what she deserved, never provide her with what she needed.

The next was fear, suffocating horror that threatened the brazen acts of his vicious past would catch up to shatter her amidst their shadows.

The third was confusion, a tamer puzzlement that made him doubt the validity of his own ears, trying to convince himself that he had misheard her.

The fourth was comprehension, which settled after a few more seconds when he finally realized this was not the dream he found himself in every other night. It was reality, but for once it was not cold and unforgiving. Rather, it was quite warm, but just lenient enough to avoid being restless; when a wrathful blizzard raged on outside, she was his hearth, his only source of light and warmth and comfort.

The fifth and final thing that settled in his stomach was one he could not remember ever feeling before. It burned with a gentle passion, made him feel light, blessed… loved.

"Weissie…" His voice hitched a little, just a little, but she still noticed it. "Ya can't… Ya can't go sayin' things like that, ya hear? I ain't nothin' ya should be lookin' at. I'll be damned if ya ever get so much as a scratch 'cuz'a me. I just ain't deservin' of your love, Dolly."

He wanted this. He wanted it more than anything, and he could not deny that.

But he refused, absolutely refused, to get her involved with him any more than she already was; anything more than the occasional visit to his apartment could be dangerous, and he had not a shred of tolerance for such a situation.

So why -why- was she pulling her hands away from his to dust them over his cheeks? Why was she wrapping those slender arms around his neck and pulling him to her humble chest?

"Ya can't do this ta me, Weissie…" He choked as his head came to rest on her shoulder. "It ain't fair. Ya know I… won't be able ta say no."

"I don't want you to." She murmured. "This is what I've always wanted, and I've never been so certain of something in all my life. It would make me…" She paused to inhale. "The happiest girl alive. That is…" Her embrace tightened. "If you'll have me."

Felix felt the Ace of Hearts being pulled from the tower of cards, effectively crumpling whatever resolve he had built up to refute her. 'If I'll have her'. He scoffed to himself. Now she's just playin' dirty. She knows I wouldn't have another soul if my life depended on it.

And of course there was nothing, nothing, he wanted more than to make her happy.

He allowed a single tear to fall from his left eye, and it seeped into her dress. He chuckled hopelessly to himself, his inhibitions shattered.

Ta hell with it.

"Ya got me, Dolly…" He snaked his arms around her slim waist. "I can't be sayin' no ta ya, and ya know it darn well." His nose found its way to the crook of her neck. "And don't ya be playin' coy, baby. 'Course I'll have ya. Ain't nothin' else I ever wanted, ta be rightfully honest."

His lips ghosted over the white skin of her collar that her dress so graciously exposed. He kissed her chest, feeling the flutter of her heartbeat dancing beneath him.

Weiss breathed deeply, knowing he could hear it, feel it- she wanted to prove to him that this was real. Her small fingers laced themselves through his rough, coal-colored hair, gliding over his ears and onto his shoulders.

Felix raised his head, just barely managing to stop himself from trailing kisses up to her cheeks, all the while taking in the aroma of fresh mountain streams. Tears still trailed down her face, but just this once, he allowed them to say, as they complimented the brightness of her smile.

His left hand pulled her closer by the waist, his right twirling the silky tresses at her shoulder as his palm pressed gently to her cheek. She blinked up at him, eyes still shimmering like winter ponds.

"Spoil me, Weissie." Felix murmured, leaning in to kiss a lock of her hair. "Say it again, woulda?"

Weiss brushed her fingertips through his hair, clearing a stray lock from his eyes. "I love you, Felix."

"Aw shucks," he chuckled. "That's no fair, ya hear? Springin' it on me before I'm ready." He curled his index finger beneath her chin, tilting her face upward toward him.

"I'll say it as many times as you need." She promised. "And thank you… for everything."

"Hey now, don't go pullin' the words right from my mouth, Dolly. I still haven't even said it yet."

She gazed up at him expectantly, mist-blue eyes sparkling, waiting for his words. Felix felt the foreboding thoughts nagging at the back of his mind, trying to suppress him from reciprocating. His lips curved into a lopsided grin as he repeated to himself: Ta hell with it.

Some things were more important.

"I love ya, Weissie." At long last, he spoke the words he had kept bound in the back of his throat for so long. "Cross my heart-"

"And hope to die." She finished for him.

He smirked, taking one more second to appreciate the girl before him, his princess, his other half.

Then, he leaned down and kissed her, pressing his lips against hers with a desire that had been concealed until now. It was both gentle and fierce, slightly possessive and wholly loving.

But above all, it made Weiss realize just how special she was to him, and she closed her eyes as she returned the action.

There would be troubling stories to tell about the past, as well as less than favorable conditions arising in the future.

But for now, there was only him, and for her, that was far more than enough.

A/N: I really don't expect to get any reviews on this one, as I'm sure not many of you are familiar with Felix. I just wanted to post this story and add it to my collection of RWBY writings. But if you actually read all the way through then,

Please review!