Author's Note: Happy Holidays, friends! Or, if you don't celebrate anything, happy December! With Christmas right around the corner, I thought I'd write a festive one-shot to celebrate. This occurs in the same modern AU as my other story, Overprotective, but it's not necessary for you to read that to understand this. For the most part, this is just a feel-good Zelink fic, though there's a bit of an angsty section in the middle. My apologies for the sudden transition, but I think I did an okay job at getting it back on track. Well, without further ado, here's Mistletoe!

Every corner of the room is crowded by groups of people decked out in holiday cheer by wearing ugly holiday sweaters, Santa hats, or otherwise dress clothes in a wide range of festive colors. If you listen closely, the soothing tones of music can just barely be heard over the loud chattering of the crowd. An event like this could very well be an introvert's worst nightmare, but I've only heard good things about the annual holiday party at Castle City Hall. Since my family just moved here over the summer, this is my first time attending one of the mayor's parties. Evidently, Mayor König and his wife are pretty enthusiastic about this time of year, so years ago they decided to start hosting a fun event to get the city in the spirit.

Like every other time we're invited to a gathering, my family arrives late. By the time we get there, the party's already in full swing. Fortunately, I don't think we have to worry too much - the post on the city's official social media pages said that it's supposed to go on for a few more hours. Now that I can rest assured with the knowledge that we have plenty of time, my new top priority is seeking out the main reason I wanted to come here…

"Go on and find her," my mom murmurs in my ear as she places her hand on my shoulder. "I'm going to take your siblings to the food table to see what they're serving."

I nod as my lips slowly curve upward into a smile. Even without me saying a word about it, she knows exactly what - or, in this case, who - I'm looking for. Anyway, I walk further into the room, taking care not to bump into any of the other guests. I keep my eyes peeled for a certain someone, and I practically feel my face light up when I find her.

"Hey, you," I greet her as I approach the spot where she's standing.

She grins as she throws her arms around me. "Link! Thank you for coming!"

"No problem… Thanks for inviting me," I reply as I rub her back.

"Well, the entire city was invited, but you're welcome anyway."

As we let go of each other, I take a step back to take in my girlfriend's appearance. Zelda always looks beautiful, but today I can't help but smile at her getup. She doesn't look quite as ridiculous as some of the other people here, but I guess I'm biased. She's wearing a turtleneck with red and white stripes, and it reminds me of a candy cane. This, along with her red skirt and white pumps, isn't too out of the ordinary, but I chuckle when my gaze lands on her head, which is adorned by a black headband with a big red gift ribbon.

"Nice headband," I comment as I poke the ribbon. "Does this mean that you gave up on being a human girl to become a Christmas present? Or, are you a candy cane? Honestly, I'm just confused at this point."

She rolls her eyes as she punches my arm. "Oh, shut up. I should've known this outfit was a bad idea."

"I'm just kidding, Zel. I think you look adorable," I sincerely compliment her as she tucks a loose strand of sunflower blonde hair behind her ear.

"Well, thank you. I'm glad you were able to make it," She says as she takes my hands into hers and looks me in the eye before letting them go. "Anyway, would you like something to eat or drink? We've got hot chocolate and coffee, and then there's cookies, cupcakes, cakes, pies…"

I think for a moment before nodding. "Actually, some hot chocolate sounds amazing right about now."

"Perfect." She smiles. "Milk Bar Coffee is catering, so you know the drinks are good."

Soon, Zelda and I are retreating from the snack table, each of us holding a cup of hot chocolate, and she holds a snickerdoodle cookie. "Mmm… Their snickerdoodle cookies are the best. Want a bite?"

I smile warmly as I accept her offer, watching as she pulls off a chunk of the cookie and hands it to me. "Thanks."

My eyes widen as I nibble on the cinnamon treat. "Oh, wow… This is so good!"

"I told you," she laughs.

I fix my gaze on the crowd, pausing for a few moments to observe the spread of holiday cheer. Suddenly, I feel a pang of sadness in my heart, but I try to ignore it for now. What reason do I have to be sad when I'm at a holiday party with one of my favorite people in the world?

"Hey, are you alright?" Of course, it's nearly impossible to hide my feelings from Zelda - she's incredibly observant and intuitive, so she's good at knowing when I'm upset.

With a shake of my head, I try to reassure her with a smile. "Yeah, I'm good. Don't worry."

"Link…" She frowns.

"Seriously, Zel, I'm okay." I say as I sip my hot chocolate, taking care not to burn myself with the warm drink. "This is a happy time, so don't waste it on wondering about me."

Zelda sighs, but she doesn't sound completely content in her answer. "Fine…"

Fortunately, her concerned mood doesn't last long, and soon she's back to her usually cheerful self. "You know, it's awfully crowded in here… What do you say we go somewhere a little quieter?"

I laugh as she nods in the direction of the door. "What, are you going to force me back out into the bitter cold?"

"That's what we have this for." She lifts her cup.

"Okay, fine… I'm in," I grin. "Lead the way."

She giggles as she grabs my hand and tugs me through the party until we reach the entrance. Soon, we're out on the front steps of city hall. The air is frosty, and a thick layer of fluffy, white snow rests on everything in sight. Zelda's and my noses are bright red, and I can see that she's shivering due to the cold. Both of us drink from our cups, slurping quietly.

"Thanks for coming out here, even though I know it's cold." She murmurs as she sets her cup down on the ground. "It's just that there's so many people in there, so I was getting pretty warm."

"I'd never pass on a chance to hang out with you," I say, "even when it requires me to put myself in undesirable conditions."

She giggles. "Well, I got you some hot chocolate, so you can't really complain too much."

"No, I cannot." I smirk as I set my drink down as well.

"So… About what happened in there. You're not actually okay, are you?" She frowns as she folds her arms.

I sigh, realizing that I might as well tell her now, or else she's never letting go of the subject. "Honestly, being at the party in there… It only reminded me of how different Christmas is going to be this year."

"Oh?" Zelda's facial features soften into a sympathetic expression as she waits for me to continue.

I say, "Yeah, this is the first Christmas we'll be celebrating since my dad… Well, you know…"

I clear my throat awkwardly, but she nods, not needing me to finish that sentence to know that I'm referring to my dad's death. "Up until this year, I've been able to spend it with all of my family. Breakfast and presents with my siblings and parents in the morning, then we would go to my grandparents' for the rest of the day. I have a lot of cousins, and most of them and my siblings are younger than me, so I love watching them open their presents - we can't afford to visit right now, so I won't get to do that. That's been routine ever since my mom and dad got married, and it's going to be weird breaking tradition…"

"I'm sorry, sweetie... " Zelda utters as she gently grasps my shoulder. "I'll have to talk to my parents first, and you might want to ask your mom, but I'm sure your family will be more than welcome to spend Christmas with us."

"Really?" My jaw drops as she nods, and I stutter nervously. "Well, uh, that's really nice of you guys, but I don't think we should - I mean, we'd hate to impose on your family…"

She holds up a hand to stop me. "Say no more. My parents like you, Link, and so does my brother… Even if he was unnecessarily wary of you at first."

I roll my eyes as I remember the first time Zelda and I went on a date - I remember how Sheik, her brother, interviewed me for what felt like centuries before Mrs. König finally convinced him to let us go.

"And besides, your little brother and sisters are absolutely adorable. We'd be happy to have you," she concludes.

"I guess - if you say so…" I trail off awkwardly.

"I do say so," she decides. "It's settled then. I'll ask my mom and dad, then I'll text you the details."

"Thank you."

I smile softly, secretly very grateful for her kindness and generosity. After that, I stop to reflect upon the conversation that just occured. I lift my gaze to the sky, which is surprisingly bright for such a chilly day. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a certain detail which captivates my attention.

"Um… I can't believe I didn't notice that while coming in," I chuckle, gesturing to the door. "Who hung mistletoe above the door?"

Zelda follows my gaze. "Oh, that was probably my mom. She's a helpless romantic."

My heart starts to race as I consider my next move… "You know the old tradition…"

"Suppose I do. The question is, what exactly do you intend on doing with that knowledge?" She inquires as I take a step closer to her.

The next thing I know, my lips are pressed against hers. She wraps her arms around me, and we kiss. I am met with the aftertaste of chocolate and cinnamon. It's a combination that I can't say I've tried before, but I don't mind having it in this form. When Zelda and I break the kiss apart, I find myself wanting more, but I know not to overdo it.

"Well, that was the epitome of festive romance," she teases. "Kissing under the mistletoe, huh? Not a bad first kiss, if I do say so myself."

That comment takes me aback. "Whoa.. I didn't even realize before I went in for it…"

"Wait, you seriously didn't…?" She raises an eyebrow before furrowing both of them. "To be fair, I guess I didn't, either."

I nervously run a hand through my hair. "In a way, my joke from earlier still stands. That was the best Christmas present I could've asked for."

"Oh, in that case, there'll be more where that came from on the 25th. We can keep up the sappiness when we open presents around the fireplace." She says as she leans in. "Although, I wouldn't mind getting a present early…"

"Aha! I told you they'd be out here!" A voice booms from behind us.

I flinch as I look over my shoulder to see Sheik's face peeking out from the door, which is now wide open - beside Sheik stands a tall, dark-skinned girl I've never seen before. "What did I say, Impa? When we couldn't find Link and Zelda, I said that we'd find them outside under the mistletoe."

"Oh my gosh, Sheik! How long were you standing there?" Zelda exclaims, jolting back as she covers her mouth with her hand.

"Long enough," her big brother smirks before looking out at me. "Though, I must say I'm impressed that you waited this long to kiss her. Props to you for having way more self-control than I would've ever expected."

The girl standing next to him swats his arm. "Oh, for the love of the goddesses, Sheik - you are such a loser! Why couldn't you just leave them alone?"

"What can I say? I'm nosy," Sheik shrugs before turning to the girl.

"Come on, you dork," his companion rolls her eyes before gripping Sheik's arm. "Let's get you back inside before you harass the happy couple any more."

Zelda's cheeks are flushed, but I can't tell if it's from the weather or the embarrassing encounter. "Thank you, Impa…"

"No problem, kid. Sorry to interrupt," Impa says before slamming the door shut, despite Sheik's complaints.

"Now, where were me?" My girlfriend asks with a playful smirk on her face, the rosy color still very evident on her cheeks.

I think I know...