The raccoon gazed at his reflection in the mirror, nodding his head to see how the change in angle affected his overall look. Unconvinced with his straightforward pose, he shifted his hips to the side to get a full profile view of his entire frame. His new and rather stiff pinstriped suit was still tight around his shoulders and waist. He could feel the fabric restricting his movement and tugging at the fur underneath each time he twisted his frame. Even though he thought it was less than flattering, everyone else said he looked good in it. He’d just have to lose a few pounds and then maybe it’d fit better. That would be a far easier option than getting it tailored… again.

Not satisfied with what he saw, the raccoon lifted his paw up towards the fedora resting on his head, adjusting it ever so slightly. He gave a few flicks to his ears, adjusting them to poke out of the hat holes at a different angle, before letting out a gentle sigh. “I dunno Charlie…” His uncertain voice rung out inside the corner hat shop, while his bushy tail drooped a bit behind him. “I think it looks okay, but for the price… I just don’t know. I’ve already spent nearly all I got on this suit, ya know? I still think I need it tailored again…”

“Don’t worry about the money, Ed,” the mouse shot back from behind the counter, tapping his claws on the hard wood while his slender tail rubbed against the wooden display behind him. “You look stunning in your new suit, and you need a hat to match! No ifs, ands, or buts about it.”

“Yeah, I know,” Ed replied with a sigh as he lifted the hat off his head, flicking his ears a few times to settle them back into their natural place, “But, you sure this is the right one? I know you’re an expert on such things, runnin’ this store and all, but… $10 for this?”

“Buddy,” Charlie shot back, “I already told you I could do $8. It’s a steal at that price.” The mouse shot up from his crouch over the desk to his full yet meager height of 5’4’’ before adding, “You can’t have a fancy new suit without a hat to match, and that one is the right color, the right shape for your head, and it has just the right taper to match your shoulders and posture. It’s just the thing to set you apart from the other… businessmen shall we say?”

The raccoon turned to look at the confident and grinning mouse behind the counter, feeling his infectious energy start to push out some of his doubts. He took in another deep breath and let out a longer sigh, a little more dramatic than real, before taking his first steps toward the counter. He laid the fedora right in front of the mouse, and with a small slump to the side, he finally gave in. “Alright, I’ll take it… if you’re sure.”

“I’m positive,” Charlie shot back as a wide smile grew across his muzzle. “Trust me on this.”

“I’ve trusted you with worse I guess,” Ed replied with the hint of a smile starting to creep across his muzzle.

“I suppose you have,” the mouse squeaked back in a low and teasing tone, before reaching for the box the hat was shipped in. “You want to wear it out, or do you want to save the first wearing for a special occasion?”

“Didn’t I already wear it for the first time?” the raccoon asked with a little sway of his fluffy tail, staring into the rodent’s eyes as the smile only grew on his face. The rodent’s attitude was just so infectious; the raccoon couldn’t help but feel happy whenever he was around.

“I suppose it was a special occasion, wasn’t it?” the mouse shot back. He reached out to grab the hat before placing it into the soft tissue paper of the box. “You came into my store to actually buy something for once, instead of just coming here to see me.”

“It was also to see you,” Ed let slide as he leaned in a little closer. Charlie couldn’t help himself as their muzzles were only inches apart at this point, and with a final push forward, he let his lips press against the raccoon’s own for a quick yet forceful kiss.

After he had a moment to recover from the sudden shock, and then another moment to enjoy the kiss, Ed’s eyes went wide in horror. He broke the lip lock with a quick spin of his head, staring over his shoulder at the street outside, fearful of seeing someone staring back at the two of them. With a soft growl, he turned toward the giggling mouse and said, “I told you, not in public! You know what they’d do to us if anyone knew?”

“Relax,” Charlie said as he brushed off that little outburst, “no one saw. This is my shop, and I can kiss who I want! And so what if they did? You think with all the drag balls and masquerades going on that people will really care?”

That got another grumble from Ed as the raccoon’s fur bristled under his suit. His gaze narrowed and focused on the rodent. “You’re going to be the death of me, you know that? It might be 1926 and everything, but that doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want! There are still rules… expectations!”

“Relax,” Charlie said with a calming smile, before sealing up the raccoon’s hat box with the lid. “Your secret… OUR secret is safe.”

“Not if you keep doing that.”

“I’ll do way worse if you come back tonight,” the mouse countered with a squeak and giggle.

It was hard to stay mad at that rodent as Ed could only sigh and roll his eyes. He reached for the box, but before he could grab it, the rodent’s paw met his, pressing it down to the table. He dropped his teasing for a serious one as he began with, “Just promise me you won’t get caught up in any gun fights or anything. I know these new people you’re doing business with ain’t exactly legal. It pays well for a reason.” He let his slender fingers squeeze around the raccoon’s thicker digits, making sure the raccoon could feel the pressure down in his bones.

“I… I won’t,” Ed stammered back with an unsure twitch in his posture, feeling his ears fold back and his tail drop yet again. “It’s… not like that.”

“I don’t want to know, and I don’t need to know,” Charlie continued with one last firm squeeze to that paw, before peeling his fingers back. “Just stay out of any serious trouble, promise? Buy, sell, and transport all the booze you want, but stay safe.”

“I… I’ll try,” Ed leaked out with a forced smile, making Charlie’s large ears and tail droop a bit. But, with a nod, Charlie reached for the box and slid it into the raccoon’s paws, giving it one last tap on top.

“Besides,” Charlie spoke up with a hopeful little perk, “who would want to gun down such a handsome Stud in such a beautiful suit and fedora?”

That got a chuckle from both of them as Ed pulled the box into his grasp. “So I hope,” he added with a wink to follow. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” Charlie said with a happy sway of his tail. He leaned back over the counter and watched the raccoon’s fluffy bits sway behind him as he exited, both of them still feeling the bubbling happiness that they were forced to hide from the world.