Lily was setting blocks as Malroth and Lulu sat on the beach, watching their builder work away. "I feel bad asking her to build something as soon as she gets home…"

"Don't. You know she enjoys every moment of it. Plus, actually building is better than just fixing lookout towers and planting gardens for her right now." Malroth was leaning back, a piece of wheat sticking out of his mouth.

Lulu glanced at Malroth, her hand reaching up and touching the side of his neck. "Did you get hurt, Malroth?" She gently touched the skin, but it didn't exactly feel like skin, it almost felt scaly.

Malroth brushed her hand away as he huffed at her. "Yeah, I'm fine." He rolled his shoulders as he leaned back, propping himself up on his hands. Lily was quick to build this little thing for Lulu; he could tell that Lulu was excited for it. But before the other girls' excitement became too much, Lily ran past them, smiling. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back!"

The two twisted and watched as Lily disappeared into the little shack they had all stayed in on their first night. Malroth let out another huff, his eyes locked on the cloudy sky beyond. "Oh. By the way, Malroth…" Lulu snapped him out of his day dreaming. "Did you ever get your memory back? I completely forgot to ask about that. How ironic!"

"What's with you?" Malroth gave Lulu a look, a stern frown on his lips and an eyebrow raised at her.

"Oh, it's nothing, really. It's just, you've seemed a little distant recently. Are you sleeping alright? No unusual dreams or anything?" She grinned when he gave a jerk, eyes wide at her. "Tee hee! I know you two better than you know yourselves! After all, we're the best of friends now! We'll be together forever!"

"Together… forever?"

"What…? We are going to be together forever, aren't we? Oh, what am I saying – of course we are!" Lulu gave a loud laugh before sighing and leaning back as well. "Mal?"

"What?"

"Do you love Lily?"

The two sat there for a few moments while Malroth thought of how to put his thoughts into words, his eyes unfocused on those gray clouds. "I… there's something about her… that makes every little bit of me stir. Like… I want to protect her at all costs… but I know I can't."

"Why can't you?"

"Because I failed her once already. She didn't want you to know, didn't want you to worry about her… but Lily almost died back on Khrumbul-Dun. When I saw her take that ax from that monster… all the blood… Lulu, I lost it. I don't remember what happened after that, I felt so much… rage and… and fear that I was going to lose her. That I had lost her."

"I don't think I've ever seen you so vulnerable before, Malroth…" Lulu couldn't help her grin as she watched him flop back.

"I wish I could explain it better… the only way I can describe Lily when she comes to mind is… it's like I'm constantly stuck in this space, this wet… dark space, and no matter where I run and no matter where I turn, it's all the same. But then I see her working or when she glances my way… it's like there's a light in that dark space and everything is okay again." He sat up on his elbows, a smirk on his lips. "And then sometimes she tugs on my power… asks me for some strength, and then when I give her even a drop, she's lapping it up like a-" A possessive growl left him, the noise made Lulu stiffen for a moment until they turned, seeing Lily standing outside of the hut now. "I don't understand this feeling."

"I don't get what you're talking about, how does she ask you for strength? How do you-"

"Tiny told me that Malroth and I share a bond, a dangerous one, but one we forged back on Khrumbul-Dun. Each time we play give-and-take, we mix our powers. Tiny says in the end it should all be fine, but as of right now, we're playing with fire." Lily walked back over, going to pass them again when Malroth lashed out, grabbing her hand.

"What did you do to your hair?" Malroth couldn't stop staring at her, in the light from the firepits, he could tell that the hair that framed her face and her bangs were dark, almost black in color now, while the rest of her hair was still the natural blond.

Lulu looked up, a small noise leaving her when she finally noticed the change. Lily just shrugged, giving them her dopey grin. "It's to remind myself that no matter how… good a person can be, they can have a little darkness in them. And no matter how cruel a person can be, they can have a little light in them. And that without destruction, you can't have creation."

"All that… from dying your hair?" Malroth frowned, it wasn't that he didn't like it, he actually enjoyed this look on her, the black bangs made those soft blue eyes pop more.

"It's a girl thing." Lily laughed as she walked back towards the platform she built.

"Speaking of Tiny, where is he?" Lulu looked around, trying to find the little Dracky.

Malroth and Lily looked around, giving a faint shrug. "I'm sure he's around here somewhere, he really enjoys strawberries, so he probably went to go steal some." Lily laughed more as she set the final pieces down.

Lulu jumped up, yanking Malroth up behind her and running out onto the platform, her eyes sparkling. "This is wonderful, Lily! This is the greatest place to have a little party!"

"I get that you're happy to have us back and everything… but why do we have to have a party?" Malroth grumbled before taking a seat at the little table.

"Because…" Lulu crossed her arms and looked away, as if she were trying to hide her pout. "I'm jealous. Rosie told me about the harvest festival you held on Furrowfield, and Babs spoke very highly of the Khrumbul-Dun dance party…" She turned to them, grinning at the other two. "But if the three of us can have a low-key gathering of our very own, I won't feel left out anymore!"

"Ha! That's a rubbish reason! I've never heard anything so stu-" Malroth stopped laughing, feeling the air crackle and sizzle as the being next to growled at him. "Alright, I'll go along with it. After all, me and Lily are always leaving you in the lurch."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better," Lily pulled out her book, setting it on the table and flipping to the back, showing off a page full of little tick marks. "It's been almost a year since we landed on this island, we can celebrate that."

"Has… Has it really almost been a year?" Lulu's jaw dropped; her eyes wide as she stared at Lily.

"Yeah! Time flies, I guess." Lily sat next to Malroth, eyes narrowing when Lulu held up a hand to silence her before running off into the hut for a moment. "She's an odd one."

"I should have thrown her off the cliffside when I had the chance." Malroth huffed and put his chin in his hand, sighing.

"Tada!" Lulu came running back, balancing a tea set and a cake in her hands as she came up to the table again. "I've been planning this party since you two left. I even baked the cake the day after you went away!"

Malroth covered his nose, his eyes watering as he stared at the cake. "What the fuck did you put in it? It reeks to high heaven!"

"It does not! That's the aroma of fresh scallywinkle, I'll have you know! I mixed the meat into the cake batter with some slime oil, stirred in some mashed crabid eyeballs and sprinkled some soil in for good luck!" Lulu sat on the other side of Lily, obliviously proud of her monstrosity. "I call it the 'Scrummy Scally Sponge Surprise'. Lily, would you like the honor of taking the first bite?"

Lily felt herself starting to gag as she watched Lulu cut into the vile pastry. She took the smallest piece, trying to muffle her own whimper as she took the smallest bite she could muster. She wanted to get up and run, but the look on Lulu's face had her frozen in place as she took another bite.

"Hey! This is actually pretty tasty!" Malroth laughed as he took a big bite, and then another. He laughed as he looked up at the two girls. "I was a bit worried that this party would be the pits, but it's not nearly as tedious as I imagined."

"I knew you'd enjoy yourself – we have the cake to thank for that! Such a shame I never got to taste the thing myself…" Lulu paused, seeing the distant look in Malroth's eyes. "What's wrong? You want more cake?"

"No. I was just thinking… how much longer is this going to last? All of us together like this…"

"Forever, of course… I said it before, remember? Why do you ask?"

Lily was looking between her two friends, trying to ignore the pain in her stomach when Malroth looked to her. "Lily… If something bad happens to me, like… I stop being myself, would you… would you hit me? I mean hard, like wake-me-up-and-come-to-your-senses hard. Can you do that for me?"

"Malroth, what in the world has gotten into you?" Lulu frowned, leaning forward in her chair.

"Of course." Lily leaned up, kissing him on the cheek. "You know I'm always here to help set you straight."

Malroth and Lulu couldn't react before they heard Bonanzo's belly deep laugh. "Are you throwing a party without us? You could have at least informed us that you'd made a safe return!" Tiny was grinning from the old man's shoulder as the rest of their friends made their way down the stairs.

The rest of the night spiraled on into a large party, Bonanzo kept his own against Dougie and Digby in their fist fights, but when Malroth joined, he easily won. Lily sat back, sipping on a drink as she watched her friends celebrate her safety. It warmed her heart, but she had something she needed to tend to. She waited until everyone was laughing and giggling before she quietly slipped away, disappearing around the cliffs and heading deeper onto the island.


The next morning, Malroth was up well after Lily, usually she woke him to go with her, but he could feel her on the island. He thought about going to find her, but then he pulled out the book he snagged from her back on Skelkatraz, he thumbed through it, frowning. This wasn't going to tell him shit on how to build. He held the book up, tilting his head as he tried to figure out the images and the words he was reading.

The door slammed open and a bright red-faced Perry barged in, staring at Malroth. "Mister Malroth! I need a fav'r!"

Malroth looked at the intruder, frowning. "What do you want?"

"I uhm… I er… I need 'elp! Will ya teach me 'ow to 'old a sword? I… I want to 'elp Miss Rosie take care o' those pesky ants that keep comin' to the farm but… but I can't 'old no sword right."

Malroth leaned back, glancing at the book in his lap then at Perry who was asking for this favor. "On one condition."


Perry held the sword the way Malroth had shown him, but it was heavy in his hand. It kept tipping forward, even as he resituated his hold on it. "L-Like this?"

"Hold it with both hands if it's too heavy for just one. Honestly, I'll have to go find Lily later and see if she can make you a lighter sword to hold." Malroth was holding up a shield, yawning as he watched the other male.

"I can learn! I can learn with this'n!" Perry gripped it with both hands now, eyes narrowing on Malroth before running at him, a nervous shout leaving his lungs as he swung awkwardly.

Malroth slammed the shield into the sword, making Perry lose his balance. "The ants don't take much to take down, it's the scorpions you have to watch out for."

An hour or two later and Malroth and Perry were sitting in the dirt, Malroth with his jacket completely off and Perry with his sleeves rolled up, too nervous to be seen without his shirt. Malroth tossed the book at Perry who squeaked but caught it. "Tell me what that shit means." Malroth huffed as he gulped down the water from his waterskin.

"M-Malroth! Thi… this is an adult book! Wh-wh-wh-where did ya get it?!"

"Skelkatraz."

"Wh-why me?!"

"Because you're the first person I saw, and I know Lily won't explain it to me."

Perry nervously looked over, frowning at Malroth. He gulped down the lump in his throat before slowly thumbing through it. "W-Well… uhm… this uhm… goes into quite… the er… detail…" He glanced to Malroth who was waiting patiently for the farmer to explain. "'Ight! I don't wanna do this… but… since ya… since ya 'elped me… I guess…" His cheeks were bright red as he looked back down at the book and wiggled closer to Malroth, pointing to the suggestive pictures in the book. "N…Now it doesn't show the face none… so really this is fer like… your imagination… uhm… you can imagine… anyone to look like that an…"

"What are you boys doing?"

Perry nearly jumped from his skin as Malroth looked back, seeing Rosie coming up behind them. "I taught Perry how to hold a sword, so he's teaching me about the guts of this book I found." He took the book from Perry and tossed it to Rosie who caught it awkwardly.

Rosie opened the book, her cheeks bright red as she looked between the two boys. "Wait… why do you want to know what the insides of this book mean?"

"Because I'm a curious person and Lily told me that I'm not allowed to look at it."

"So… ya look at it?"

"Of course! I had to! I was going to die from curiosity!"

Rosie and Perry looked at each other, then at Malroth. "Ya' know, Malroth… I… I don't-" Perry couldn't help himself as he kept glancing at Rosie, his cheeks slowly turning read.

"Can you explain it, Rosie?" Malroth glared at the girl, the book open in his lap as he pointed to an image.

Rosie's cheeks were bright red and she had the urge to smack Malroth for asking her that question. She huffed and puffed for a moment before turning away, trying to hide her reddened cheeks. "You can't just ask a girl that!"

"Maybe Babs'll know 'ow to esplain it… better than us?" Perry swallowed the lump in his throat when Malroth glared at him.


The three were standing awkwardly next to the beach chair that Babs was stretched out on, soaking in the warm sunshine. "Ya want me to explain… wot? To Malroth?" She reached up, taking the book from Malroth when he thrust it out to her, a soft giggle leaving her. "Fine, I can do that. Mal, do us a favor and find a picture that catches your attention the most."

Malroth rolled his eyes and thumbed through the book before stopping. "I guess this one." Perry looked over, seeing it was just someone sitting on a chair with their back to the artist.

"Now do me anuver favor. Imagine Lily there." The little group looked to Malroth, seeing a little bit of red starting to cover his cheeks and pointed ears. Babs gave him a shit-eating grin when he gawked at her. "That is what them book are fer, Mally."

Malroth looked away from Babs, his eyes resting on the picture in the book, he had to blink a few times when the drawing seemed to change and suddenly he was back in the smithy in Khrumbul-Dun with Lily sprawled out on the workbench. He grit his teeth and turned away, breathing in deep so he could find Lily. She wasn't close, but he could feel her, she was focused on something.


Lily wiped her hands off on her dress before wiping the sweat from her brows, smiling at the little building she had found. She was almost finished fixing it up when she felt Malroth, she wasn't sure how to explain it, but she could tell he was looking for her. She quickly went back to work, wanting to get this house in the cliffs finished so they would have somewhere to stay.

It didn't take her long once she set herself to her task, soon she had a room set up similar to the one in Khrumbul-Dun. A large bed against the wall in the middle with lanterns on either side and large windows to show off the garden she and Wrigley had worked on. She had made a couch and set it in the corner with bookshelves separating it from the bed some to give them a little nook to read in. She put up curtains and a few other decorations before slipping out of her dress and flopping onto the bed in her undershirt and shorts so she could draw up a few more blueprints to use at a later date, as well as try to think of a topper for the pyramid.


(Quick note; from here on out the rest of this chapter is smut, if you don't wish to read /poorly written/ smut, it adds nothing to the story so please feel free to skip! ❤❤Chika)

Malroth finally found her, he paused outside of the little house, a path of wooden steps leading up to the door, a tree off to the right with a swing and a bench surrounded by flowers off to the left. He glanced down at the book again before looking up at the house again, his stomach doing flips as he walked up the stairs and onto the little porch.

Lily heard the heavy footfalls that belonged to Malroth as he had paced outside the little house, debating if he should enter or not. Some form of need had drove him to her, had made him wait at the door for her to say something. Anything. But she didn't say a word.

When he finally walked in, he saw Lily laying there on the bed with her giant tomb of a book spread out in front of her, blueprints neatly drawn with little side notes scrawled around them and her hair loose, cascading down her back in soft golden waves. He looked down at the book in his hand before tossing it down next to her, seeing her head tip to glance at it for a moment. He closed his eyes and suddenly he was back at Furrowfield, Lily was pressed against his back, letting him shield her from all the wandering eyes, and then in his arms as they danced the night away at the festival.

When he opened his eyes again, Lily was rolled over onto her side, propped up on an elbow. He parted his lips and breathed in deep, taking in her sweet scent, eyes closing again. There she was, sprawled out on that damn workbench again, and then bleeding out on that cave floor as he ripped apart the monster that attacked her.

His eyes snapped back open, he hadn't heard the bed move, but suddenly she was right in front of him, fingers close to his face. Her lips formed a question that he didn't hear as his mind wandered back to Khrumbul-Dun. Babs was teasing Lily after Malroth won the fist fight, his prize was a kiss. She had stood on her tiptoes, her lips soft against his. He wanted to feel that again. "What's happening, Lily?"

Lily watched her best friend for a moment before cupping his cheeks, smiling when he leaned into her touch. "You've had your nose in that book too much and you're letting the others get into your head." She went to pull away when Malroth's arms were suddenly tight around her waist, keeping her against him. "Mal?"

Malroth tangled his other hand into her hair, pulling her into a kiss, which she eagerly obliged by nipping at his lip. He backed her up until her legs hit the bed, and she flopped back, her eyes clouded with an emotion that Malroth couldn't quite read. He used his own body to push her down, his lips locking with hers again as he crawled onto the bed on top of her. Her fingers found that tie that kept his hair pulled back, easily pulling it out so she could give a few playful tugs.

The two intertwined their bodies like that for several moments, kissing and rubbing on each other, hearts pounding as they pulled apart, staring at each other, panting. Malroth's fingers trembled as he slowly pushed past the hem of her shirt, when she didn't fight him, he pushed in more, the curve of her soft breast making him freeze. He stumbled over words when Lily scooted back on the bed and away from him, but his jaw dropped as he watched her pull that thin black shirt up and over her head.

Lily couldn't help her giggle as Malroth stared. "You can touch, I won't disappear into thin air, I promise-!" She gasped, taken by surprise when Malroth pushed her down, his mouth latching onto the soft flesh, earning himself a feeble moan. "M-Mal…!" She shifted her hips when his thumbs hooked into her shorts, giving a swift pull that left her bare on the bed beneath him. The male on top of her shuddered as he breathed in deep again, red eyes locked with hers, drunk on this new feeling. "Th-This isn't fair… you have more clothes on…"

Malroth pushed off the bed with a grunt, ripping his jacket off; though he managed to keep those stupid gloves on. He saw her frown as she got up, taking his hand in her own. "N-No, Lily-" He tried pulling away, but she wiggled the glove off, staring at the hands that were now tipped with black claws that slowly turned to a deep green the farther up his hand she looked.

Lily pulled one hand to her breast; the rough feeling skin made her shiver as she pulled the other up to her lips. She looked up at him as she pressed her lips to his palm. She pulled back so his hand fell, a smile on her lips. "Mal, I love you no matter what. We'll figure out how to get you back to how you were, I promise." Her fingers slowly worked at the top of his pants, a shiver of excitement running through her when she felt his desire pressing against her lower belly as she pulled him back towards the bed.

Malroth tipped his head again, kissing Lily roughly. He awkwardly kicked himself free of his pants before guiding her down to the bed, his lips slowly moving down her throat as her legs wrapped around his hips. He let out a low growl when one hand was gliding over his back, nails teasing the scars there, then his breath stopped, and he let out a deep groan when her cool fingers grazed his cock. "Lily…"

Lily used her legs that were wrapped around Malroth's waist to pull herself closer to him, her fingers were gentle as she squeezed on the thick member. She let out a small whine when his hips twitched, forcing his desire into her hand more, his head brushing over her swollen clit. Her whines grew louder when the body that had been covering hers pulled away.

Malroth's mouth moved down her jaw and along her throat, a satisfied noise leaving him as his hands explored her body. He gripped her knees, pushing her legs away from his torso as he nipped down her sternum; pausing to give both soft mounds a quick nip of attention before continuing down. He slowly licked back up her belly, shivering at how her skin tasted under his tongue.

When he got to her hips, he tipped his chin, leaving crude bite marks along the strong bone. He grinned when the builder let out a weak cry, her hips moving up against his mouth. He nibbled a trail down her hips to her thighs, sucking on the soft skin of her inner thigh. The beast in him stirred as he pulled back, examining his handywork; the pale skin of her thighs already becoming red from the hickey he left. Malroth glanced up, seeing Lily's eyes were clouded with desire as she watched him. He slid his hands under her ass, the hard claws kneading the soft flesh there, causing her to whimper more.

He leaned down again, eagerly nipping at the slick folds that protected her sex from him. He listened to her breath hitch when his tongue slipped past her defenses, he shivered as her sweetness hit his tongue. His fingers tightened on her ass as he lapped almost desperately at her slit, a growl leaving him when her fingers were tangled in his hair and pulling.

Lily's back arched up off the bed as his name rolled off her tongue, she bucked her hips, a loud moan leaving her when his hands wrapped around her hips to keep her still. Her heart was in her throat when she felt his hot tongue push into her, she couldn't help herself as she pulled harder on his hair, earning herself a groan from him. She risked looking down, seeing a hunger in his eyes as she panted and moaned.

Malroth went back to focusing on the tight bud of nerves as he slid a finger into her slit, then another. He watched as her eyes fluttered and rolled back as she collapsed back on the bed once more. He pulled back, tipping his head out of curiosity when he felt the muscles of her sex seize around his fingers. Her moans grew into almost screams as he pumped his fingers quickly, the sounds she made excited him. His tongue swiped across his lips as he suddenly pulled his hand away, leaving her writhing on the bed before him.

Lily was wide eyed as she bucked her hips, wanting nothing more than friction from him, something… anything. She reached down, her fingers slipping against her throbbing sex until Malroth grabbed her hand, pinning both above her head. She stared at him; her throat dry as she cried out his name. "Mal… please… please…" Her body was slowly coming back from the edge of relief, trembling as he waited for her to relax.

"Please what?" His red eyes locked with her desperate blue ones. The look on his face made Lily gasp, he was toying with her. He wanted to get her as close to the edge as possible over and over again. When her lips trembled, he leaned down, his voice a gruff purr in her ear. "I may not remember a lot, but like I said before; I can't create worth shit, but I'm pretty great when it comes to destroying everything I get my hands on."

Lily's heart was slamming against her ribs at the promise he made with that statement. Her mind was foggy as she glared at him, whimpers leaving her when she snapped at him. "You break this fucking bed, and I will-"

His lips caught hers, stopping her words roughly before he pressed his nose to her ear, letting her hear the satisfied grumble. "I won't be breaking the bed, nerd." His mouth was on hers again, distracting her by pushing her tongue into her mouth.

She moaned around the muscle that invaded her mouth, arching her body against him. Her body squirmed under his touch, feeling a trail of cold air when he stopped touching her for a moment. She winced when he pulled away from the kiss and bit down on her collarbone, the pain caught her off guard only to be replaced by a new sensation. Her core swelled and she spasmed as she felt the head of his cock pushing into her.

Once he was buried inside of his builder, Malroth gripped the headboard with one hand and used the other to support her arched back. His eyes were shut tight, trying his best to not get lost in the sensation of her adjusting to his girth. When her body relaxed around his, his gripped her hip and angled her so he could thrust down into her, each hungry motion of his hips earned him a song from her throat.

Lily reached up, her fingers finding the scars that covered his back; her nails bit down into one as the feeling of pleasure coiled tight in her core. She rolled her hips in time with his thrusts as her eyes fluttered open again when she heard the throaty groan leave Malroth. The look in his eyes was almost feral as he picked up the pace of his thrusts, throwing off the rhythm they had found.

Lily yanked Malroth down, wanting nothing more than to feel his lips on hers. A loud smashing noise had her eyes snapping back open as she gawked at the damage she had caused. She couldn't pull her eyes away from how Malroth's head was against the headboard, the wood splintered from the impact. "O… oh no…" She sat up on an elbow, her free hand moving to his forehead, touching the wound as blood slowly trickled. "Mal… I'm so… so, sorry." She tried to lean up closer when Malroth pinned her flat to the bed again, a wicked laugh leaving him. "Mal…?"

"I didn't think you wanted to play rough, Lil." Malroth purred as he slammed his hips against hers, listening to the way she cried out louder than before. He arched his back when her fingers clawed down his back; he slid his hand between their hips, his thumb flicking over her clit. Her hips sputtered, trying to keep up with his eager thrusting.

Lily couldn't think straight as Malroth sat back, pulling her legs up so they were resting on his shoulders as he nipped at the soft skin of her knees. She gripped his thighs as her body gave a jolt and her walls clenched down hard on his cock. She felt him pull his hips back, threatening to leave her teetering on the edge again. "N-No… Mal!" She freed her legs, using the motion to flip them so she slammed right back down on his shaft, a satisfied moan leaving her throat.

Malroth held her hips, eyes locked on her as her body twitched with her orgasm. He smirked at the euphoric look on Lily's face, he had caused that. He fell limp against the bed, the way her sex spasmed around him and the jerkiness of her movements to ride out the rest of her orgasm caused him to growl. He bit his lip, a moan breaking from his throat when the sensation of Lily became too much and his cock twitched inside of her.

Lily leaned into his hands as he touched her, she panted and moaned, shivering as he twitched, and a warmth filled her. She rolled over after a moment, whimpering when she felt the little 'pop' from him leaving her. She flopped onto her back, trying her best to wipe the sweat from her skin as she looked over, seeing both books on the floor. She didn't remember either of them throwing the books down, but in that moment, she didn't really care.

Malroth rolled onto his side, looking down at her and grinning at how she seemed at a loss for words. "Why didn't we try that sooner? I could do that all day." His words earned him a playful smack from her as he brushed her hair from her forehead and curled his body around hers, his lips nibbling at her shoulders and neck. He pulled her in tight, a possessive growl leaving him as he snapped his teeth close to her ear, earning himself a giggle from his builder. "Care for round two?"