Oz

Her lungs were tight, begging her to breathe air through her lungs, but her brain just wasn't listening. Ilithyia was in complete awe of all the gratitude they were receiving from the Ozonians. During the entire parade her mouth was gaping open and her eyes were wide with shock. They thought they were all heroes and that she had done something worth appreciating, worth idolizing. Somehow she had shed the previous name she had made for herself and created a new one, one worth having.

Flower petals and bits of confetti were still falling from the sky when the chariots had stopped. Harry held out his hand to let her down, smiling from ear to ear. She gasped at the beautiful sight, her lungs appreciating the sudden return of air. He was gorgeous, the most gorgeous boy she had ever seen, and he was leaving her today.

"You did it, Lith," he beamed.

"We all did."

"Yeah, but you got want you were wishing for- your adventure." He was right, she did get what she asked for, but she knew in her heart that all of her dreams had still yet to come true.

"I got just one adventure," she smirked. "I want thousands."

Harry chuckled before wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her into a tight embrace. "I will miss you," he muttered into her hair.

"And I, you."

She was telling the truth. She would miss how he had a story for everything, and how he always found a reason to smile. She would miss him teasing her for not paying attention, and picking on Rowan for being so suspicious. But most of all, she would miss the sound of his laughter.

He had the best laugh. He would tilt forward slightly, his curls shaking with his movements as three short breaths past from his lips. He always gave it everything he had too, losing his breath from the sheer force of it. Sometimes even his laughter surprised him and he would bring his hands up to shield his mouth. His laugh had no reservations, like him, and it was musical.

The rest of the group had come together. They were all taking turns telling Harry their goodbyes. No one tried to convince him to stay. It was an unspoken understanding between the eight of them. Harry had a heart like Ilithyia's and couldn't be kept in one place for too long, so instead of telling him to stay put they all shared hugs and well wishes. Liam clapped him on the back and told him he always had a place if he needed one, but they all knew they would be lucky to ever see his dimpled grin again.

Ilithyia walked with him away from the city and out towards the woods. Her feet were shuffling underneath her and her hands were wringing together nervously. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but she just didn't know where to start.

"You never told me what you dream for," she mumbled, cheeks flushing.

Harry stopped walking, startled by her revelation. She turned to face him, looking up at him as she tried to memorize every inch of his face.

"I- I don't dream, Ilithyia." Even he didn't believe the words that time.

"I am no fool, Harry," she smiled softly.

He sighed before bringing his hand to his face, pinching his bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger. He was nervous to tell her the truth and she couldn't imagine why. What could he possibly want that he would be afraid of revealing to her?

"I dream-" he paused, furrowing his brow and shaking his head, "no I wish for a family."

Ilithyia giggled, bringing her hand up to cover her smile. "That's it?"

His eyebrows rose and his cheeks turned pink. "Why, Ilithyia Snowberry, are you making fun of me?"

"No," she gasped, "not at all."

"You just seemed so scared to tell me, but wanting someone to share your life with is nothing to be ashamed of, Harry."

"I'm a thief, Ilithyia. I travel the world and take the things that other people work hard for, just so I can get by. I couldn't raise children or provide for a wife."

"Then it sounds like you need a change of occupation," she grinned.

She made it sound so simple, and in her mind it was. Ilithyia always felt that if you wanted to do something, all you had to do was get the courage to do it. All Harry needed was a bit of courage and sheer will power and he could have what he wished for. She didn't know why he made it sound more complicated than just getting a new job.

"You have too much faith in me," he smiled.

"No," she reached up and caressed his face with her hand, "you have so little."

He laughed and kissed the palm of her hand, causing her to jerk her hand away like she had been burned, her cheeks heating fiercely. He took a step forward, his eyes focused solely on her. He took her face in both his hands his green eyes peering into her own.

"Come with me."

She would have laughed out loud if he didn't look so serious. Her heart soared from his words, racing faster with every breath she took. Her eyes searched his for some sign that he was joking, but there was none. He really wanted her to come with him and she couldn't find any reason to stay.

"See the world with me," he tried again.

She bit her lip before pulling away from him and shuffling on her feet. She looked down the path where her friends sat goofing around, Niall punching Liam's shoulder softly. She knew Rowan and Niall would be okay, because they had each other, but she worried about Liam and Cecily. Liam would make sure Cecily was fine, but who would be there for Liam? Who would make sure he didn't take on too much?

As if he knew she was watching him, Liam turned away from his conversation with Niall and smiled brightly over at her. His smile grew smaller as she watched him, but it never faded. Even though they were at least fifty feet from one another, when Liam nodded his head slightly she knew what he meant. The rest of the group turned to look at her then and she knew that, like Harry, they all had an unspoken understanding; they never expected her to stay.

She turned back to Harry, taking his hand and entwining it with her own. "Okay."