Zoro rubbed his gloved hands distractedly and then stuffed them into his coat pockets, nuzzling into the insulated pocket of air found within his bundled scarf. A strong delicious smell of hot turkey sandwiches topped with cranberry sauce, warm mulled wine and freshly baked mince pies wafted past Zoro's nostrils and his stomach complained in response. Damn, he didn't think to bring any money, he just thought he was going to fulfil Luffy's request and take a few pictures of the charming Christmas tree which was due to be lit up any minute now. A caramel hue emanating from the festively embellished stalls and shops coated the bustling crowd gathered in the city square. Zoro clutched his instant camera and took a few steps back, hoping to capture a photo of the sizzling food stalls but was forced to move to the left slightly when a crowd member shared the same desire as his. Zoro clicked his tongue when he wasn't satisfied with the preview image and moved back further, only to spin round abruptly when he felt his back collide with someone else's.
As soon as Zoro laid eyes on the stranger who had also turned round to face him, his finger unconsciously pressed down on the camera's shutter which caused a sudden bright flash. Zoro's heart skipped a few beats when the stranger unscrewed his eyes again and was awestruck by the man's beautifully sapphire orbs. The stranger, who looked roughly his age, flicked a few strands of lemon-tinted hair away from his milky coloured face and displayed an entrancing, mystifying smile which fascinated Zoro exponentially. The smile was neither innocent nor challenging, rather, it was a very charming smile, a confident one which roused Zoro to beam back goofily.
Zoro tilted his head slightly when the blonde man looked down at his camera and started to snigger jovially. Zoro couldn't help but chuckle as well when he looked down at the photo hanging out of the camera which portrayed a wonderful image of the blonde man looking slightly surprised. Zoro then let out a short gasp when a massive group of people stampeded through the small gap between him and the blonde and he hesitantly stepped back in order to avoid being run over, leaning on his tiptoes in an attempt to keep his eyes on the blonde. He let out a moan when the contrasting bright colour of the blonde's hair disappeared from his peripheral vision. He frantically squeezed himself into the new blockade of people and felt the need to shove a few crowd members off to the side in order to make it to the other side. He let out an annoyed growl when he still couldn't spot the striking colour but his spirits were lifted when a genius idea flashed into his mind. He swiped his camera strap away from his neck and held it high above the crowds. As soon as he noticed the flash of light he swiped the newly printed photo and fiercely shook the thin piece of card back forth and, after a few seconds, studied the picture, his eyes searching frantically for the beautiful blonde man. His spirits were once more dampened when he failed to spot the blonde in the crowd of people found within the photo.
He was desperate not to give up however…there was something about the blonde man which intrigued, him, fascinated him beyond his wildest dreams and caused his heart to do things he'd never thought he'd experience in his whole life. He continued to move throughout the crowd, multitasking between stretching his hand high and taking pictures of different sections of the flourishing crowd and furiously shaking the printed pictures. Each time he was unsuccessful in locating the blonde man in each picture his movements became more frantic and desperate and his regard for civility started to decline each time he shoved a crowd member out of the way.
His breath hitched in his throat when the camera failed to produce a photo, and to his shock and horror, Zoro discovered that the camera was out of film. Desperate, and determined, he briskly scurried over to a nearby pavement and squatted on the cold, fairly damp curb. He rapidly shuffled through all of the photos he had taken, meticulously scanning each one in hopes that he may have missed the blonde.
His eyes widened when he reached the last photo within the pile and found himself once again, staring into the phenomenally alluring blue eyes belonging to the blonde man. However, much to his chagrin, the photo was in fact the one which he had taken when he had accidently bumped into the blonde not too long ago.
His shoulders flopped down in forlorn defeat and he gazed at the photo held loosely in his hands. Great, he thought wistfully, the only picture he had of the blonde was the only one which couldn't help in any way to locate him again.
Suddenly, an abrupt gust of wind collided into Zoro and was powerful enough to snatch the photo from out of his hands, and carry it into the moving crowd. Zoro stood up hastily, hoping to race after the precious picture but he froze when he heard the rest of the pictures spill out onto the floor. Zoro dismally looked down at the photos splayed out on the court's paving and he felt a pang of morose sorrow strike his heart when he realized that he'll probably never see the blonde man ever again. Zoro gloomily looked back up and felt heartbroken when the only photo he cared about was nowhere in sight.
Zoro's ears managed to catch the reticent sound of something flapping and he looked down at his feet to discover that a photo caught under his shoe, was beating excitedly, and, out of curiosity, he carefully lifted his foot away, only to step back in surprise when the photo began to flutter and glide around him in a circle. Gradually, the rest of the photos followed suit, creating a papery flock of hovering photographs, all encircling Zoro in an entrancing, rhythmic dance.
The floating pictures then one by one broke out of the circle and flew towards the crowd in a line. Zoro, intrigued and slightly enraptured by the incredible spectacle, followed suit. Not even to his surprise, the line of photos moved forward once he did, leading him further into the crowd. He stuck his arms into the air in order to nimbly squeeze through the packed throng of people and he was forced to duck his head when the crowd erupted in cheer. Zoro however, was too focused on following the flying photos to even notice the fact that the Christmas lights had been turned on. His ears did however manage to pick up the new sound of the song "White Christmas" being performed by a live orchestra, but he kept his focus on the bewitching trail of photos.
Zoro felt the need to swear when he tripped over an awkwardly placed foot and he staggered slightly upon exiting the crowd. His head perked up however when his ears caught the sound of multiple light objects colliding with the ground and he swivelled round rapidly to see the blonde man standing in front of him, wearing a surprised expression, and holding onto the photo which Zoro had presumed to be lost forever.
Zoro gulped, unsure of what to do or say, however his mind was put at ease when the blonde stepped forward, held out the photograph and smiled warmly. Zoro glanced at the picture, smiled back and placed both his hands on either side of it, finding no desire to pull it away, and instead settled on gazing into the blonde's glistening eyes, which were looking right back at him with the same, equally astounding tenderness.
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