TW: UMY

Days stretched as the summer reached it's peak. Girls sat in the park, fanning themselves with copies of tabloid magazines and watching the children run around with water pistols. Boys loitered in the shade, unwilling to show off their pale English skin and not brave enough to take the risk of novice fake tanning.

During the day, the heat was almost unbearable. Reaching impossible temperatures that melted tires and made a cold glass of water feel like a breath of winter. Hot air hung in the evenings, attracting insects and teenagers down to the cool surface of the lake, the only place in the city that was actually better in the heat.

Ross was the only one out of the Garbage Court that actually liked the heat. Smith and Trott were water fae, and as such got dried out easily. Sips tolerated it, but he would only go out slathered in sun cream, something about a weird skin condition he had. Ross was the only one who enjoyed the summer. There was just some odd sense of freedom he got, the sun beating on his back and the endless sky stretching out in front of him. He couldn't really explain it.

It was in the summer that the stars shone brightest, Ross found. He spent a lot of time on the roof, stretched out on a sun lounger Smith had nicked from some garage, watching the night sky. It was quiet, and Ross liked that. The guys joined him sometimes, but Smith got bored and annoyed Trott, and Sips didn't really get the gargoyles fascination with the stars. Eventually, they'd left him alone, Smith only coming again to give him a pot plant and congratulate him on his 'new office'.

It was up on that roof that Nano found him, lying still and watching the ever-passing universe. He instantly recognised her presence, the spike in the bond and the sweet scent of her perfume. He smiled. What was it this time? Chloroform? Sevoflurane? It was always fun to guess. They stayed in comfortable silence for a moment, the hot night pressing against their skin.

"Tomorrow night." She said simply. "I'm taking you somewhere."

"Oh?" He smiled, amused. "Like on a mission?"

"A date." She shrugged. He looked up at her and grinned. She'd cut her hair short since he'd last seen her, shoulder high. A police car raced past their roof.

"Are you gonna pay for me?"

"Not that kind of date." She chuckled, folding her arms.

"No? What kind is it then?"

"Surprise." She grinned, Ross frowned. "Meet me on the north bank of the lake at nine. Dress nice."

"How nice?"

"Black tie." She said, leaning down to kiss him on the forehead. Ross pouted at the thought of having to source a suit. Nano simply grinned at him before skipping to the edge of the roof and diving off, instantly swallowed by the shadows below. Shaking his head, Ross leant back into the chair and sighed. One day he would have to ask her how she did that.

—————

In the end, finding a suit had been fairly simple. After hearing about Ross' need for formalwear, he and Sips had raided a wedding shop in the centre of town. Ross thanked Smith for getting him a suit, but rolled his eyes at the many photos the kelpie texted him of Sips in various wedding dresses.

Ross fidgeted with his tie, standing on the beach on the north side of the lake. At nine in the evening, the sun was just reaching the horizon, tickling it with it's reaching beams. Such was the summer. The heat was still high, he'd abandoned his black blazer long ago.

He enjoyed watching the people in the water as he waited for Nano. It was teenagers mostly, spotted around the lake with bottles of alcohol and folk music playing. Ross watched as they stripped down to their swimsuits and ran into the cool lake, their singing and laughter creating a warm atmosphere over the glassy water.

"Sweet, isn't it."

Ross nodded and hummed. He'd never been a teenager, but adolescence seemed like a lot of fun. He turned away from the lake to look at her, and sucked in a surprised breath. She wore a dress of pure white, contrasting against her tanned skin. Flowery lace covered her arms and legs, with the torso and underskirt of the dress smooth satin. She was barefoot, and her hair hung messily around her face.

"Come on." She grinned, reaching out her hand to Ross. He took it, grinning.

Their hands clasped tight as she lead him off the beach and into the woodland surrounding the lake. It was flushed with green, sunlight passing through the leaves of the trees and outlining them both in it's faint glow. With no path to guide them, Ross marvelled at how Nano knew the brush and undergrowth like they were childhood friends, she followed her own route deeper into the wood.

A short lived walk later, they found themselves in a small clearing of sorts, only about a two meters wide in each direction. Trees circled them in a crowd-like fashion, vines hanging between each one. Soft moss carpeted the floor for them, allowing Ross to kick of his shoes. The plants seemed to sigh with him as he let out a peaceful breath. Looking up, he saw the night creeping in from the east. The sun had started to set.

"What do you think?" Nano asked, gesturing her arms out to the area around them.

"It's beautiful." Ross murmured, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around her waist. "How did you find it."

"I was born here." Nano smiled, placing her hands on his shoulders. "I'm a dryad."

Ah, so that was it. He has always wondered.

"So your tattoos..."

"Not tattoos at all." She hummed, leaning into his chest, he placed his chin on her head. They rocked back and forth together to a silent tune.

"It really is beautiful." Ross whispered, Nano nodded.

"I wanted to show it to you. If you can't find me with Lalna, I'll be here."

Ross smiled. Nano didn't share often, he didn't even know her real name for christ sakes, it was a real privilege to be able to see into this part of her life. They danced for a while, bare feet against the warm moss. Nano hummed a soft tune and the forest sung with her. Insects and animals and the undergrowth itself creating a melody of sound to accompany their sisters hymn.

"They love you." Ross said, watching as a nearby fern seemed to swoon at the sight of the pair.

"They consider me... special." Nano sighed, leaning back from Ross and stopping their movements. Ross frowned as she detached herself from him, moving away to sit on a large root of an old ash tree in the left side of the clearing.

"What do you mean?" Ross asked, moving to sit next to her. The root was cool to the touch.

"Dryads are forest creatures. We live and breath the growth of the plants, the lives of the animals, the roots of the trees." She said, running a hand appreciatively along the wood beneath her. "We do not have mortal bodies, we are simply the souls of our forest projected out in a mortal form."

"But you're mortal." Ross prompted. She sighed, he could already guess where this was going.

"These tattoos are the last remnants of my dryad soul." She said, holding out her arms in front of her. "The rest is my human body, given to me by my Goddess."

Ross took her hand in his and stroked her knuckle, she smiled at him.

"My Goddess decided to sever the ties between me and my forest and send me out into the human world. A 'gift', they called it." She gave a sullen chuckle, Ross got the impression that she didn't consider it a 'gift' at all.

"Seers Sight, you may have heard of it. I have the ability to see visions through my left eye." She said, gesturing to the eye that was circled with tattoos.

"You're an oracle?" He asked, she nodded. Ross leaned back on his hands and looked up to the sky. Looking at the stars together, there was a lull in the conversation. The sun had fully set and it was almost pitch black.

Oracles had powerful magic, though it came at a cost. Seeing visions was extremely useful, but the Seer often bled from the eyes and had vivid dreams afterwards. What a gift to have. To give up your life for.

"Do you miss it?" He asked. She smiled.

"Every damn day."

That was understandable. Ross knew what it was like, to be torn from your home.

"Let me show you something." She said, standing and pulling him up with her. They moved back into the centre of the clearing, Nano holding both of his hands tightly. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Watch." She smiled.

Closing her eyes, she started to hum a sweet tune, different from last time. Ross watched as the forest once again responded to her voice, echoing it's own back at her. A small breeze swept under their feet, raising up her dress a little. And then, she started to sing.

The language was not one Ross knew, but her voice was beautiful. Similar to a siren's song, her voice held a rich allure that the plants joined in with wholeheartedly. The song was slow and soft and it seemed to echo around them, chorused by the chirping insects and the murmuring trees. Nano sang, and the woods sang with her. Their voices mixed in a melody of bittersweet longing, and as the notes danced around them and the words hung thick in the air, she started to glow.

It was her tattoos mainly, shining with a golden light that varnished her bronze skin and lit up the dark woods around them. They seemed to writhe with life, twisting and growing and sprouting new leaves like a budding vine. Opening her eyes, Ross gasped at her glossy gold irises, flecked with hints of greens and browns. She was radiant. The moss warmed beneath them, enjoying her song.

As if lured by her soothing lullaby, hundreds of fireflies drifted down from the trees, attracted to her tempting light. They hovered around the couple, swaying and sighing with content at the dryads song. Lit up by Nano's glow and the fireflies' blaze, the plants seemed to thrive, reaching towards the centre of the clearing with gentle urgency.

They swayed for a while, Ross marvelling in the beauty of the moment and Nano smiling sweetly at her gargoyle's enchanted expression. But the song couldn't last forever, and Nano drew the last few notes out with a reluctant tone. As melody faded, so did the forest, returning to it's comatose state. Nano sighed as the glow died down, and the fireflies retreated back into their slumber.

With no words to say, Ross placed a hand on her jaw and leaned down to pull her in for a kiss. She hummed sweetly against his mouth.

"You're beautiful." Ross said, murmuring the words into her lips. Giggling, she let go of his hand and grabbed his collar instead. He placed his hands on her waist.

"You're sweet." She grinned, before going up on her tiptoes to kiss him with more passion. Mouths worked against each other and Ross ran his tongue along her bottom lip, she complied and opened her jaw to him.

Sighing around them, the forest shielded the pair from the city and it's laws. They forgot about their bonds for the night, ignoring the call of the urban scape and letting the wood moan with them instead. It was nice, for a while.

Credit to thaneras on tumblr