✨COMMUNICATION✨ okay but in all seriousness, I think one of the positives to come out of this will be not taking their time together or what they have for granted. If Lilia does end up staying, Malleus now knows things will eventually come to an end sooner than he likes with Lilia. He can't just assume anymore Lilia will always be there when he needs him most. And likewise, Lilia now knows just how important he is to Malleus. He's not just someone that can walk away and Malleus will be okay afterwards. They have a very strong but still fragile bond that's one of the most important things they have in their lives. I can see them being closer after all this, but also more understanding so to speak? Malleus making sure Lilia doesn't push himself and doesn't keep things in and Lilia vice versa. Work on that codependency issue a bit better than just "k leaving now" "K I'll be okay (not)"