Fanli opened the door to cease the destruction. The last of the little pig faded in the distance.

Pest's father still laughed but his wife wasn't as amused. In fact, she stood on the verge of tears.

"But I was so sure I'd gotten a good one. And what's closer to a human than a pig! I ask you!"

At her sudden sob, her husband pulled her to him and held her tight. His laughter still roared. "It is great fun feeding ogres. Isn't it? It's like we're young again."

She tried to break away but he held on. "This isn't like that," she insisted. In time, her resistance faded and she buried her face in his throat. "I'd gotten this gift in earnest."

Matax patted her back then her shoulders as he pulled her in.

The sight of it filled Fanli with a sense of satisfaction.

He loved her. Pest all but said his father was a rare breed of Fae that could love.

"Are you a night Fae?" Fanli found herself asking.

Pest's father shot her a wry smile. "Ogre, how about you give us a gift instead? There is no fruit sweeter to a Fae than that of a friendly ogre. And as you are a rare breed—"

"No. She's our guest. Not a servant," Pest said.

His father's eyes narrowed, the blue pupils sliding to the side until they settled on him.

The tension there marred the otherwise amicable visit. For a split second, this family had resembled the hunchback's. The house wasn't as grand, and the parents weren't quite right, but it had been something. And it was something Fanli tried to keep hold of.

"Why don't we all go together?"

Once again, she was the center of attention.

Pest's mother was the first to speak. She broke her husband's hold then fluttered her wings as she looked up at him.

"But to be seen with an ogre? What mischief would everyone accuse us of?"

Pest's father's thought process lay elsewhere. "Give someone a roof for the night and they couldn't even offer a berry."

At his scoff, Fanli felt insult.

"We have many enemies," Matax explained. "You gain nothing from associating with us, ogre. Best if you two go out alone then come back with a great bounty for Jeze."

Jeze, Pest's mother.

"Come on, Fan," Pest muttered. He was already on his way to the door.

Defeat.

Each step looked slower. He'd given up.

"Wait." Jeze leaned away and asked her husband, "What do you care of our enemies? A few more won't matter. You're hardly one to think of such things usually, Matax."

After a short pause, Matax said, "No, Jeze. In this we are correct. Fairy kind need not know. So keep quiet." His eyes settled on Fanli in time. "Bring us back something wonderous, ogre. We will guard your treasure."

At the final word, he looked at Pest.

Fanli wondered if that had some sort of hidden meaning. Perhaps he doubted it, but Fanli did not. No treasure had ever formed so quickly, and with such strength. She'd been unsure about the night before but more and more, she walked with purpose as she marched to that door and swung it open.

Pest exited after her.

Fanli drew in the fresh morning air, more than ready to find the sweetest berries to gift Pest's family.

"Wait," Pest said.

But it wasn't just that he spoke. He'd raised his hand to catch hold of her but stopped short. Now, outside in the light of day, he didn't correct that action.

He looked miserable as he said, "Could we...could we just go to our spot for a moment? There's something I have to tell you."

Their spot? Unsurprisingly, they came upon the enchanted forest sometime later. Fanli took no comfort in seeing the tree she'd fallen out of days ago.

Pest took it personally. "You won't go up?"

Fanli hesitated. "We can just stay down here."

The sadness in his eyes told her they couldn't. With a sigh, she jumped up and caught a branch. Her grip was firm as she yanked herself up so fast that she was airborne. When she landed, she was in time to see branch after branch jut out to allow Pest to climb them as stairs.

She liked seeing it. He looked regal. Once they reached the top, they sat side by side once more. Something was different this time. Pest kept her close to the tree while he sat on the part of the branch where she'd fallen.

The gesture was small but had Fanli smiling. Per his usual habit, he summoned another branch for them to brace upon.

Up this high, the world was at peace, as was Fanli. That wasn't all, Pest took hold of her hand.

Fanli regarded it in surprise then reminded him, "Your parents said—"

"I can't see fairies and I don't care if they can see us."

He sounded so sure. Yet, sometimes she'd doubted that outlook.

His hand in her lap, she laced her fingers with his.

It was like old times again, only better now with his affection. She hadn't imagined anything like this. Certainly not after his kiss with Wen last year. Even a week ago, this seemed impossible.

The sun rose high by the time the faun appeared. He looked around, disheartened. When he eventually sat under the tree with his head hung, Pest said, "Are they fighting?"

He sounded as broken hearted as the faun looked.

Fanli prayed that wasn't the case—strife between the loving couple.

In silent observation, they waited. Time drifted by, taking the faun's composure with it.

A hand stuck out from behind the tree and Pest sat up. Another came, then two others then two more. Instead of one nymph, three appeared, tiptoeing.

The faun picked his head up and regarded them in confusion. He wore a smile as he focused on the one in the middle, his lover. Whatever the exchange, Fanli couldn't quite understand it.

Two of the nymphs vanished from view and the one to remain held a large leaf behind her back. When she presented it to the faun, his brows furrowed. In time, he leaned back, surprised.

A kiss shared between them made Fanli blush.

"Perhaps we—"

"Do you think it's all right to lie when you love someone?" Pest asked. He still looked ahead.

The pain in his voice made Fanli take notice. It was hard to focus solely on him when the nymph in the distance descended to her knees and ran her lips up and down the shaft of the faun's eager dick.

Fanli pretended not to see. The faun's gasp when his lover took him into her mouth proved harder to ignore.

"Lie?" Fanli asked, her voice breaking. "Have...have you lied about something?"

Pest's habit of languished thoughts before answering left Fanli to suffer in quiet. It was an awkward situation to be in. Made all the more uncomfortable when the faun held the nymph's head as he bucked into her.

Fanli thought to suggest leaving yet again but she also feared Pest avoiding her question.

Had he meant her? Himself? Someone else? Who had lied and why?

When he didn't answer, Fanli made the mistake of looking at the distant couple again to find the faun once more down on his knees, behind the nymph who was on all fours as well. Her hand still gripped the leaf but something was different about the faun's actions. From behind, he pressed his lips between her legs. At this angle, they could only witness the nymph's face and not in exquisite detail, though it was just enough to convey her satisfaction. But then the faun did something alarming, he rose higher, still pressing his mouth against his lover.

It took Fanli a moment to understand what she was seeing.

"Is he...?"

"Both holes, yes." Pest said it so matter-of-factly that Fanli fell silent. "But the lie was with a good intent," he argued.

The faun kept on for some time until the nymph eased him back and eagerly offered the leaf.

Fanli wrinkled her brow. She said nothing further when the faun crushed it, rubbing it between his hands until it produced a slick paste. He then smeared his hand down his shaft then his lover's smaller opening. Maybe he slipped a finger in because the nymph tensed then moaned.

"Didn't say lie to mean I'd lied," Pest said, choosing the worst time to continue his explanation.

More than once, Fanli opened her mouth to answer. She instead held her breath when the faun guided his phallus to the nymph's resistant pucker with little success in entering.

"Fan...?"

Fanli cleared her throat and remembered to breathe. "Right. Um, what was the question?"

A guttural cry came with the faun popping into the nymph finally. They both stilled, perhaps getting used to one another.

"Is it all right to lie to someone out of love?" Pest asked, utterly unfazed by what they bore witness to.

The faun started to move, shifting his pelvis slowly at first. He eased his member out then back in again, rolling his hips once more.

A tentative kiss to the nape of the nymph's neck had her pushing back on him instead.

"Lie?" Fanli said, remembering that she was asked something.

With the couple now in motion, going the wrong way, she had a hard time processing Pest's words.

"Is he really...?"

Annoyed, Pest answered, "In that hole, yes. Could you focus on what I've asked?"

But how could she? She certainly couldn't when another nymph appeared then another, circling the couple as they cheered. They brought more leaves which they crushed then smeared along the faun's lover's back. He withdrew, gathered it to his target, then slipped back in again, offering the two assistants an appreciative smile.

The two extra nymphs didn't leave, a fact that confused Fanli as she was uncertain as to why.

"Fan!" Pest said in a whisper.

Fanli blinked herself awake. "What? What is it?"

Pest was staring at her. There was a pain behind his expression.

Everything in Fanli meant to ask him to explain himself. What was this cryptic question? And why now as a faun vigorously pounded into a willing nymph pleased with his efforts? Could they really have found no better time to discuss something that was obviously weighing on him heavily?

With a scoff, Pest looked away. "You surely wouldn't understand. You always see things as right or wrong! And no in between."

Right or wrong?

Fanli watched him in profile. He wasn't taking interest in the display below. Fanli wished she'd followed his lead when she glanced down to bear witness to the faun thrusting in and out of his lover, but now, both nymphs on all fours flanking her, as he fingered them.

The scene confused Fanli but angered her as well. They were literally bearing witness to one faun slicked hands prodding the hole of two unrelated nymphs while taking another and this was the time Pest chose to wax philosophical?

When Fanli turned to him, it was to voice her anger, but he'd already stood and was making his way down.

Fanli stopped herself from looking at the nymphs and faun again, things would probably just keep escalating, and jumped down to a lower branch after Pest's retreat.

He had a head start and she expected to give chase but instead found him leaning with his back against the base of the tree. His arms were folded, gaze firmly on the ground.

Something was bothering him.

Thankfully, the noisy exchange was now out of earshot.

Fanli hesitated in approaching. When she finally did, Pest grabbed her by the waist and yanked her to him. The impact was surprisingly gentle.

His head still hung, he said, "I think I've made a mistake. But I don't know how to correct it. And I...I came here to, but...."

A searing pain drew Fanli's focus. Pest's fingers dug into her hips.

"I don't understand what you mean." She waited but thought back on where they were. "You came here to see the faun?"

Pest opened and closed his mouth then sighed through his nose. "Let's get those berries. I thought I could wait on them to finish but I don't want to be here any longer."

Fanli stayed anchored when he tried to move. She thought to argue that they could wait for the faun to be...disposed but the grim expression on Pest's face said he wasn't interested.

She worried for him. "If—"

He pulled her in, running his hands up her back. It didn't compare to the strength of an ogre, but it was stronger than she expected.

"I'll fix it on my own. I promise."

But what could he possibly mean? A thought had Fanli tensing. "If you're...if you're here looking to experiment with me," she warned.

Pest tensed as well but managed to lean back. The surprise in his eyes faded and he scoffed while shaking his head. "No. It's nothing. Come. Just a moment of weakness. We'll be fine." He took her by the hand and made his way toward the end of the enchanted forest. As he walked, he was silent but muttered, "But if you—"

"Drop dead."

After clearing his throat, he nodded. "That's a fair response."