Fluffy WangXian Oneshots

Under Your Hat

Lan Zhan didn't want to come here.

Right in the middle of Soho, a busy thriving street, and here he was.

Too many people, too much traffic, and far too much noise.

But he was in no position to argue; his brother had made that all too clear.

"Didi, you need to wear a hat, otherwise you will be disrespecting our guests, and not to mention that it's going to be hot. It's for your own protection," XiChen insisted, pressing a card into his palm.

The card was black with red edges.

'The Mad Hatter' it read, and underneath it added, 'Come in, if you dare'.

Lan Zhan disliked it.

The whole thing felt like a joke to him, one he wished to have no part in.

He hated hats, mostly because they made his scalp itch, and he could never find the correct size. And his brother was right; if he didn't find one in two weeks, there would be trouble.

The outside of the shop was … interesting to look at.

The huge shop windows were framed in black, a dramatic, unnecessary colour, with red edging, and the name of the shop written in red, bold letters, edged in black. The 'a' in Mad wore a black top hat over it.

Too much drama.

The whole shop stood out from the other shops like a swollen, red finger on an otherwise ordinary hand. A slight, a blemish on an ordinary street where this one garnered far more attention than the others.

And the hats on display?

They were beautiful!

As colourful as birds of paradise, and with just as many feathers present, each hat and hair accessory was a work of art. Whoever had created these obviously loved their craft, and this current job they were involved in.

Lan Zhan had met many designers before; his line of work demanded his outfits reflected his success, hence his arrival here, where XiChen had told him it wasn't going to be cheap.

Lan Zhan didn't care, he could afford it, and as long as he got a satisfactory head accessory for himself at the end of this, he put all the other concerns away, admiring what he could see in the window.

There was a black top hat like the one on the sign, but this one had a sinfully red ribbon banding around the base of the rim, tied in an ostentatious bow. Next to it, a turquoise fascinator with a peacock feather draped in creamy pearls, and on the other side, a 1920's cabaret hat stood on a stand, red and proud. Tall ostrich feathers trailed down on one side, adding a different kind of elegance.

These hats had the wow factor in abundance, the je nais se quois so many works of art possess… They had pizazz!

Obviously, this window was supposed to showcase the skills of the people who worked here, because it was impossible to imagine that they were the creation of a single mind. Even if they were, it would take many hands to make this many wonderful pieces, Lan Zhan thought, grudgingly.

Mostly because they WERE beautiful. Gorgeous, even.

A rainbow of art, because to call them anything else would be a crime. Lan Zhan might not be an expert on hats, but even he could recognise talent in millinery when he sees it.

He gets the distinct feeling of being watched, and when he looks up, he receives an enthusiastic waving, though the reflection of sunlight on glass blinds him, preventing him from being able to see whom it could be.

One thing is certain though: he will have to go in, now.

A little silver bell with black and red beads tinkles musically above him as Lan Zhan steps up into the shop. He belatedly realises that the windows are tinted to probably protect the pieces on display, because the inside of the shop is bright, more like an art studio.