C'est Noel

Yay, PitxZelda! Christmas truly is the most magical day of the year.

Super Smash Bros. is property of HAL Laboratories and Nintendo.

This is also not canon to Return of the Elite.

It was an average December morning, and I awoke to find that my roommates, Link, Marth, and Ike, were all gone. With a drowsy yawn, I slid out of bed, straightened my toga, and exited the room to get some breakfast. To my shock, I saw the hallway had bright red and green streamers in a double helix shape and sparkling fringed gold and silver ropes dangling from the ceiling and walls.

As I walked along, I was suddenly hit with a rich, foresty smell combined with another sweet smell that I couldn't place. Upon entering the mess hall, I was greeted by the sight of an enormous pine tree covered in spherical ornaments and strewn with strings of red lights. Every Smasher was scurrying busily and I could see Peach in the kitchen wearing her characteristic fuchsia pink apron.

As I approached the counter, she chirped, "Oh, Pit, you're just in time to try my new gingerbread cookies. I'm testing a new recipe." She held out a tray piled with small cookies shaped like little men. Hesitantly, I reached for one and took a bite. It was warm and soft, and the icing was invariably sweet. Peach could tell that I had enjoyed it, and went back to her work at the stove.

As I turned around, still finishing my cookie, I saw a person who makes my heart pound almost out of my chest.

Zelda.

I started to unconsciously approach her. She was standing on a ladder trying desperately to hang up more streamers. She then saw me and called, "Hey, Pit, hand me that staple gun." I grabbed the tool she indicated to and passed it off to her. After finishing her work, she lowered herself off the ladder and let out a sigh. "Well, that about does it for the decorations."

Standing so close to her, I couldn't help but admire her eyes, which were bright with happiness. Her delicate lips were perked into a cheerful smile, and when her eyes crossed over to look at me, my legs felt like they would break from weakness. "I guess I'll see you later," she said.

When she left, I felt a hand slap my back with great force. It was my friend Link, who greeted me saying, "How's it going, Pit?"

"I'm fine," I responded.

"You know, this is the best time of the year," he said wistfully. "The food, the decorations, time spent with friends, it all clicks together perfectly."

That reminded me that I still had no idea what was going on. Nothing was really adding up, so I asked, "What is going on, anyway?"

Link chuckled, "What do you mean, 'what's going on'? It's Christmas, of course!" I cocked my head in confusion. At this, Link stopped laughing and said seriously, "You don't know about Christmas?"

"Not a thing," I answered. From the look on his face, it looked like Link was holding back a facepalm.

"Well," he said jokingly, "It's time to educate you." We then walked over to the massive pine tree and he continued, "One of the most important parts is the centerpiece of our decorations, the tree. We cover it with lights and popcorn chains." He elaborated on the explanations of the holiday, different decorations, its origins, and throughout it all, I nodded understandingly, absorbing everything he said.

"But the ultimate goal of this holiday," he concluded, "Is to spend time with the people you love." My heart stopped for a split second as I thought of Zelda, the person here that I cared for more than even myself. Link furrowed his brow in amusement. "Someone specific come to mind?" he inquired. All I could do was nod my head stiffly. "Well, then, I best tell you about a tradition that many guys love to abuse."

He quickly turned me around and pointed at the doorway. "See that plant hanging there?" he asked. Indeed, a small plant with white berries hung on the door with a red ribbon wrapped around its stem. "That is mistletoe. If two people stand under it, they have to kiss each other." My face heated up instantly; the thought of kissing Zelda was a little too much for me right then. "A word of caution," he whispered. "Peach is VERY enthusiastic about mistletoe, so keep your eyes peeled while you're walking around." With that, he patted my back and left me with my newfound knowledge of Christmas.

Even though the idea of Christmas was new to me, I was willing to engage in it. This may have been my only chance to celebrate it. I sat on my bed, absentmindedly twirling my combat blade, desperately thinking of what to give to Zelda as a present. Out of nowhere, Link entered the room and waved silently.

"Alright, be honest with me," he said curiously. "When I told you about the mistletoe, who made you blush?" Another blush hit me, this time out of embarrassment. He furrowed his brow and looked at me demandingly.

I sighed, "You promise not to tell anyone?"

"I swear to you as a swordsman, your secret is safe with me."

Sighing again, I continued. "It's Zelda." Link's eyes went wide with surprise.

"Huh," was his only response.

"Something wrong?" I inquired.

He quickly answered, "Hm? No, just thinking." After that, he left the room. When the door closed behind him, I heard him sigh sadly.

There was no way I could really explain my love of Zelda. When I first came to the Smash Mansion, I felt like an outcast. No one really talked to me, even Link took a while to warm up to me. But Zelda opened up to me and made me feel welcome. From there, I developed a crush on her, and it escalated further.

There was no way I could deny that I loved her, but it's hard to be in a love triangle that your best friend is in.

The morning of Christmas Day finally came. The four of us, Ike, Marth, Link, and myself, woke up at about the same time, and while Ike and Marth were in a hurry to get to the mess hall, Link sat on his bed and twiddled his thumbs.

"Aren't you coming?" I asked.

"No," he answered sadly. "You go on ahead. I'll catch up." Ordinarily, I would have stayed behind and talked to him, but I was eager to see how this holiday was celebrated.

The gift exchange went relatively fast, and I found myself with a few gifts; Sonic gave me a pair of combat gloves, Ike gave me training weights ("To buff up," he said) and Marth gave me a high quality blade sharpener.

Afterwards, it occurred to me that I had nothing to give to anyone. That fact kicked me in the face when none other than Zelda came to me with a gift.

"Merry Christmas, Pit," she smiled. I slowly opened the delicate wrapping paper, and revealed a small brass pennant with red and green jewels embedded in it.

"It's beautiful," I stuttered as I put it around my neck.

I felt dreadful that I had nothing to give to her in exchange, but before I could even open my mouth to tell her that, I heard Link call to me, "Pit!" He came up to me panting and said, "Here." He handed me a small brightly wrapped box with a sticker that said, "To: Zelda From: Pit"

"You forgot this in the room," Link winked at me subtly. Before I could thank him, he ran down the hallway, leaving Zelda and I alone together.

"Here," I said handing her the gift. She quickly undid the simple wrapping and revealed what was inside: a hand-made plastic flute with metal hole covers.

"How did you know?" she asked excitedly. "This is just what I wanted!" She then put the flute to her lips and played a short song to test it. The melody that came out was a gentle, heart-warming song. She swayed slightly as she played, her fingers drumming rhythmically on the instrument.

"It's perfect," she said thanking me again. The look of glee on her face that this present had given her filled me with an indescribable joy. A moment later, there was a quick whizzing sound and when I looked up at the wall, I saw an arrow that had a stem of mistletoe attached to it. My face became uncomfortably hot, and when Zelda made eye contact with me, it only got worse.

She giggled quietly, and without more than a moment's hesitation, her hands were on the back of my head and her velvety lips were against mine. I stiffened, but then loosened up and snaked my arms around her waist.

This was the moment I'd been waiting for ever since I met Zelda, and all the waiting was worth it. Her lips were sweet like Peach's gingerbread men, and her pressing against my neck allowed both of us to get more out of the kiss. Every ounce of passion I'd been holding in these few months fueled me, drove me on. I wanted to show her what I felt for her. But before I could, the kiss was broken.

Panting, we looked into each other's eyes, and I knew I had to say it now.

"I love you," we whispered simultaneously. The surprise on both our faces was visible. When I glanced to the side out of the corner of my eye, I saw the edge of Link's bow from his hiding spot around the corner.

I could care less that Link set this up; I was overjoyed that the girl I love loved me back.

Later that night, Link and I were alone in our room, and I was curious about his connections to tonight's events. "Link, did you love Zelda?" He nodded in response. "Why didn't you say anything?"

He sighed, "I had to mull things over for a bit."

"Why'd set everything up tonight?"

He smirked. "I knew for a fact that she liked you. She showed me that pennant a while ago, and she said how much she cared for you. Tonight was when I decided to put my friend's desires above my own."

As he finished, I ran at him and gave him a fierce hug. "Thanks a million, Link. You're the best friend I've ever had."

He chuckled, "Alright, now get off me."

As we got into our respective beds, I quickly said more to myself than Link, "You were right; Christmas is the best time of the year." With that, I drifted into the most peaceful sleep I've ever had.

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

R&R

-ClarinetOverlord