Going into the large house while holding hands might not have seemed like that big of a deal. But when the boss and the newest member of the Park estate workers continued to hold hands as they went over to the kitchen area, the conversations between the several others in the room all seemed to stop about the same time. 

Not paying attention to the silence that settled quickly over the large room, the two went to the far side of the kitchen cabinets. As Baekhyun bent down to lift the trap door to the in-floor icebox, Chanyeol stood to the side and steadied the little one by putting his hands on his waist. This action broke the dam as all sorts of hoots and catcalls began, and Jongdae immediately began pointing at various men in the room demanding money in a loud good-natured tone. Junmyeon stood at the other end of the kitchen counter with his mouth slightly open in shock as he watched the ruckus.

Baekhyun straightened back up holding a square of wrapped cheese and looked over at the noisy men. “Wait a minute!” he proclaimed loudly. The noise level quieted suddenly. Baekhyun gave them all an accusing look. “You were betting on us??” he said with a tinge of humor in his accusation. 

The men that had been grudgingly handing the loud man their money now had the decency to look sheepishly at the orphan. Jongdae just grinned widely. “We all knew it would happen. We just didn’t know exactly when.” he said unapologetically. 

Chanyeol put his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders and grinned back at the group. “Well you might want to get your money back boys, cause it actually didn’t happen today.” 

Jongdae made an affronted noise and shoved his hands into his pockets to try to keep the money away from the men who were now scrambling to take it back. Junmyeon and several of the other men burst out laughing at the scene.

Baekhyun shot the tall man at his side a quick look of surprise but then his look changed to mischievous and he leaned into the long arm still draped affectionately around his shoulders. “Since we’re the only ones that know exactly when it happened, maybe WE should get the money,” he suggested, deliberately loud enough to be heard over the din of the squabbling workers. 

A collective reaction of shock and admiration for the gutsy orphan rang through the room in the form of more loud hoots and catcalls, and Chanyeol looked down at his lover with a proud grin. Junmyeon held his hand up to his forehead as he leaned against the counter and shook his head with a grin of his own. Sehun walked up to his boyfriend and patted him on the shoulder, then turned and looked with pride at the couple at the kitchen counter. 

In the middle of all the chaos Sehun leaned forward and opened his mouth to speak. Baekhyun looked at him and grinned broadly, fully expecting to be teased. But surprisingly his roommate just grinned back affectionately. “We’re really glad you’re here, fruit mouse.”

.🐁.

EPILOGUE

As expected, Baekhyun continued to flourish on the Park estate. He kept his sewing kit stocked to repair any of the worker’s ripped clothing. And at the market in town the customer’s orders for his air-fresheners continued steadily, with requests for different colored ribbons and varying sizes as well. He still helped in the barn every afternoon, but his mornings were largely spent at the sewing machine in the little house. And each Sunday he would ride on the cart around the estate with the tall boss, inspecting the fence lines, picking berries and apples, and enjoying conversation with his lover. 

Within a few more weeks Baekhyun realized his face had filled out to a healthy roundness that had never been there before. And between his daily work and a growth spurt that hit him during the colder winter months, the reflection in the mirror showed how his figure began to resemble an hourglass, with slightly taller height, beefier shoulders, curvy hips, and strong shapely legs. Junmyeon speculated that it was because the orphan was eating more regularly and in a healthier environment that his body decided to relax and finally grow how it was supposed to. 

The boss had always thought the orphan was extremely attractive, but adding all these developments meant Chanyeol had a hard time keeping his hands to himself. As they worked each day, the lovers enjoyed random kisses and occasional skinship at any time or place. However, early into the relationship they had carefully discussed things and, because of their age difference and Baekhyun’s inexperience, agreed to wait until Baekhyun turned eighteen before they engaged in actual . 

But this agreement soon proved to be a challenge for both of them. 

In order to not give into temptation too easily, the orphan insisted on continuing to sleep in the room he shared with Junmyeon and Sehun. But he also made a point of teasing the tall boss with heated looks at various times of the day. And as Baekhyun’s body developed, his confidence also grew, to where he would occasionally give his lover teasing, almost-topless views through his window late in the evenings. 

Looking out of the bedroom window of the small house with the moonlight shining between them, Chanyeol always responded with temporary shock and then commenced with his own version of teasing by lifting or opening his shirt, flexing his muscles, and sometimes showing Baekhyun how he was moving his hand just out of view, implying how he was pleasuring himself to the view of the lustful vision in the second story window of the large house. 

On Christmas morning Chanyeol declared the little tailor to be the sole and rightful owner of the sewing machine that Baekhyun had been borrowin