To call it awkward would have been underselling it. To call it tense would have been overdoing it. If Roy had to say how he felt right now, standing next to Zelda as they pushed buttons on the arcade machine, he would have said it was somewhere in between.

Roy flicked the stick to the left, and as his vehicle turned left and steered away from a nearby tree, he glanced over to Zelda and asked, "Where do you think they went?"

Zelda, without tearing her eyes away from the screen, hummed and replied, "Who?"

"Chrom and Lucina." He looked back at the screen, and he frowned as he watched Zelda's vehicle roll past him. "Did they leave us?"

"That would seem to be the case."

"Oh."

A few more seconds passed, no sound between them aside from the occasional press of buttons, before Zelda cleared her throat.

"They're very supportive," she said.

"They are."

"You must be very lucky, having friends like them."

"I guess so." Roy flicked the stick to the right, passing Zelda this time. "They want us to be friends again."

"Do you?"

Roy glanced over. Zelda returned his gaze, her expression serious, and... if his eyes weren't deceiving him, did she look just a little nervous? A part of him wanted to dismiss that. She was Zelda. She didn't get nervous.

But a part of him thought... maybe Lucina was right. Maybe she liked him as a friend. Maybe... he really was about to ruin something special.

"Of course I do," he replied, and he looked away.

"Then why have you been avoiding me so?"

"Why have you?"

Roy looked back. This time, it was Zelda's turn to look away. "I'd rather not say."

Roy bit down his curiosity and turned back to the game. "Me too."

"Can we still be friends, then?"

"I don't know. Do you still want to be friends?"

"Of course I do."

"Then why not?"

"The secrets we keep may keep a distance between us. Can we have that if we want to be friends at all?"

"I don't see why not. Being with you is enough. We have no need to share everything about ourselves. It's not as if we're–" Roy cut himself off. He looked to the side, but Zelda seemed too entranced with her game to figure out what he'd been about to say.

It's not as if we're lovers.

"You would truly choose to spend time with me?" she mumbled. "You would not rather spend time with Chrom, or with Lucina?"

"Is that so difficult to believe?"

Zelda's vehicle flicked across his screen, knocking him off the track. Roy steered his vehicle back on, and as he tried to catch up to her, he said, "Who else has taught me as you have? Who else have I tried so many new things with? Chrom is a dear friend, and he has supported me as no one else has, but you are a dear friend too. I want to spend time with you, too."

Zelda looked at him from her side of the machine. Her expression was so bright, so full of hope, that Roy's heart skipped a beat. It hurt, knowing that maybe he was just a friend, but at least it didn't hurt as much as knowing that they couldn't be friends.

On the screen in front of them, Zelda's vehicle crashed into a nearby tree as Roy's crossed the finish line. They both turned back to the screen and sighed.

"You wouldn't happen to have more coins with you, would you?" Roy asked, giving Zelda a sheepish grin.

Zelda shook her head. "I'm afraid that was the last one."

"Oh." Roy tried not to sound too disappointed in that. From the way Zelda looked at him, she could still tell.

"We don't have to stay here," she said. "I could returned to my shop and grab my purse, and we may spend time elsewhere."

Roy blinked. "Elsewhere?"

"Of course. You wouldn't hate the idea of spending the day together, would you? It is Christmas Eve, after all."

Roy glanced outside, at the glass roof above them. The sun was still high in the sky, the day was still young, and here he was, being asked to spend a day with the woman he loved, as a friend and as a woman. Even without the feelings swirling in his chest, who was he to refuse?

"I don't mind," he said, and Zelda smiled.

"Where would you like to go first?"


Zelda watched as Roy looked up and down the book aisle, his fingers brushing over the spines as he tried to decide which one to take.

Presents had been the first thing Roy had suggested. Zelda had assumed, maybe had even been a little hopeful that he'd meant presents for her. Then they got here, and he'd asked, "Can you help me find a present for my father?"

Zelda blinked. "Oh. I'm afraid I don't know him very well. I don't know how much help I'll be."

"Oh." Roy looked disappointed, and he continued to look around the book shop. He perused through a few more books before he said, "There's just so many of them, how do I find the right one?"

"Well, what kind of person is your father?"

"I mean, he's really smart. Maybe he would like a book on tactics?" Roy pulled out a nearby book, examined it, and frowned. "Maybe this one is too old. Maybe he'll like a more modern book."

"Roy." Zelda placed a hand on his shoulder, and he stopped. "What is your father like?"

Roy thought for a moment. Then, he said, "My father is the kindest person I know."

"Then I'm sure whatever you choose, he will appreciate."

Roy bit his lip. "I don't know. Do you think he'll like something so simple?"

"Why do you believe we exchange presents? It is to let our loved ones know that we think of them on our special days, to let them know they are loved." Smiling, Zelda said, "Just knowing we are loved brings us joy. Simple as it may be, the thought behind the gift will be enough."

"That's true." Roy placed the book back into the shelf, then took another look at the shelf. He scanned it up and down, hummed, and drew another out and examined the cover. A fairy tale, at least from what Zelda could tell from the cover.

Peeking over his shoulder, Zelda hummed. "This is a good one."

Roy looked back and ducked his head. "Do you really think this is good enough? What if he thinks it's too childish?"

"I'm sure he will find another way to put it to use," Zelda said. "Don't worry so much. He will appreciate it, I swear it."

"If you say so."

Zelda watched as Roy walked to the checkout, watched him pay, then smiled as he returned to her with a bag in hand. "Are you finished for today? Shall I accompany you back to your store?"

He had not, after all, mentioned any plans after this. Zelda assumed this was all he'd wanted to do, but when he held up his hand, she had to hide her surprise.

"First, I have something to give you."

Blinking, Zelda tilted her head and asked, "You do?"

Roy glanced at the floor and his cheeks flushed. "I got you a present for you too. Because you said you get presents for people you appreciate, and I appreciate all that you've done for me, I really do."

"Really, you didn't have to. I haven't done all that much. Really, I should be the one thanking you."

"Are you kidding? Zelda, you have taught me so many things. And you've been such a great friend to me. Being with you is enough to make my worries vanish, and I cherish all the time we spend together dearly. So, here."

Before Zelda could finish registering his words, Roy shoved a book before her. Another fairy tale book–one she hadn't seen him pick up–with a smiling princess on the cover. Slowly, gingerly, she took the book, letting her fingers really feel the pages beneath and how they felt when she flipped through them.

A gift. How long had it been since she'd gotten a gift? It can't have been too long, but to her, it feel like ages. Her heart felt just a little lighter, fluttering upon the warmth rising in her chest, and a smile spread over her lips. Was this how it felt to be loved? She'd almost forgotten.

"So do I..." she muttered.

"Pardon?"

She looked up, and saw Roy with his brows pulled down. "Our time. I cherish it too."

"You do?"

"I do." Zelda glanced back at the book, and though she knew it probably wasn't wise, she picked at the corner of the cover. "What do you say we spend a little more? Just for Christmas Eve?"

"More? Like what?"

She glanced up, and Roy looked so hopeful, so bright, that she couldn't help but feel a little happy as well.

"Lunch," she said. "My treat."


And somehow, after all they had been through, they had ended up back in the Smash Mall food court, sitting at the table just across from the McDonalds over a box of fries.

Roy hadn't known when it had happened: in the book store, in the arcade, or maybe on their long walks between, but somehow, they had gone back to how things were before, talking like they were friends once again.

"You remember Marx, right? From the soup kitchen?" Zelda said, taking a bite out of another fry.

Smiling sheepishly, Roy replied, "he's a little difficult to forget."

"Well, you wouldn't know it, but he is a rather humorous fellow. Just last week, he hosted a stand-up comedy show in the 5-8 Pub. I attended, and I thought it was quite funny."

"A pub?"

Zelda waved her hand. "It's a little like a tavern. Have you ever been to one?"

"A few." Roy blinked, then his brows drew down. "I'm surprised you went there. You don't seem like someone who would go to drink."

Smiling, Zelda replied, "I don't. It was my first time there; I only went because Marx invited me to come watch."

"That sounds like fun."

"It was." Suddenly, she brightened. "Say, would you like to come with me next time?"

"Next time?"

Roy blinked, then looked down at his food. Next time? They'd just become friends again. Would there be a next time?

He raised his eyes to Zelda. Her eyes gazed upon the windows far to the left, watching the sky outside, so she didn't notice as he looked at her and frowned. If Zelda had brought it up, did that mean she wanted a next time too?

He decided, then and there, that if she wanted to go there next time, then he would go there too. He would follow her to the ends of the Earth if she asked, because Lucina was right: where else could he find a friend like her?

"I'd love to," he said.

"And I'd love to hear what this is about."

Roy looked to the left, then looked up. Standing over them, Ganondorf grinned back down at them with his arms crossed.

If Roy was being honest, he'd never liked the man. Perhaps it was a bit too harsh, considering he hadn't spoken to him often, only having his status as "the villain of Hyrule" to go off; something about the way he smiled, however, had always rubbed him the wrong way, especially now, and Roy turned to Zelda to ask if there was something he was missing. She knew him better than he did, and she might know something he didn't.

But Zelda didn't say anything. Her eyes wide, her face pale as a sheet–Roy had never seen her look this panicked before.

Before Roy could ask her what was wrong, he heard Ganondorf laugh and say, "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"


Another day late, though at this point, I think that may have to be a permanent fixture. Here we are. Things are about to come together–and now I've just realized that I've put myself into a position where I have to write, not 1, not 2, but 3 major conflict scenes so, fun. Both the sarcastic kind, and the genuine kind, because there are so many plot threads to try to wrap together, but damn if it isn't tons of fun.

Feel free to leave a review, it keeps the story at the front of my mind. I'll try to get a chapter out within the next 2 weeks, maybe even the next week; until then, remember to take care of yourselves out there, and stay safe!