ext_14773 (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
perspi.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
three_fathers2009-03-06 09:03 pm
perspi.livejournal.com) wrote in three_fathers2009-03-06 09:03 pm
Ficlet: Ritual
Title: Ritual
Author: perspi
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Gen
Summary: In which Ronon joins Sennot in his new beginning.
Relates to Episodes: Through Season 4, with a potential spoiler for Season 5.
A/N: Originally posted as one of Five Ways Ronon Loses His Dreads and Five Days After Ronon Loses His Dreads.
When Teyla asks them to be fathers to her child, Ronon cuts the first lock, at the nape of his neck. It's good luck, and anticipation, and a promise, an old Satedan ritual he'd given up on ever having the chance to celebrate. He tucks the lock behind one of the little decorative plaques in Teyla's quarters while she's at the infirmary for a checkup, so the child might feel protected and safe.
When Teyla tells them she's having a son, Ronon cuts the second lock, the neighbor of the first. It's joy, and gratitude, and a prayer for health. He burns it at sunrise on the very edge of the East Pier, that the child might grow tall and straight.
When Teyla grabs his hand so he can feel the thump of a tiny foot under her skin, Ronon cuts the third lock, from behind his left ear. It's pride, and home, and bittersweet sorrow for the niece Ronon felt but never met. He buries it on the mainland, so the child's roots might grow strong and deep.
When Ronon first holds their son, wide-eyed after his entrance into the world, he doesn't bother to change the course of his tears. John and Rodney don't, either, and Teyla beams at them all.
That night, while everyone else sleeps, Ronon settles Sennot in his lap. As he cuts the rest of his locks free, he speaks softly, telling the child all of his hopes for his future, removing the weight of the past that brought them together. They are starting anew, the both of them.
Ronon pledges himself to his son, heart and body and soul, until his head is as bare as the baby's.
Teyla stirs almost before Sennot does; she finds them together on the couch just as Sennot snuffles himself to wakefulness.
"I would have brought him to you," Ronon half-whispers as Teyla settles next to them. She leans into Ronon's shoulder as she puts Sennot to her breast; Ronon shifts down a bit to provide the most comfortable support he can.
"I was ready to get out of bed," she replies quietly once Sennot is well-settled and nursing happily. She glances over and does an odd double-take when she finally sees him. "Ronon, your hair," she breathes.
Ronon finds he can't look back at her; suddenly he has to focus on the blank vidscreen in the far corner of the room. His voice is thick, but he has to tell her, has to share at least the why, even if the what remains between himself and Sennot. "My clan... We followed old ways. You locked your hair at fifteen, when you became an adult. Let it grow until you...had a child."
This close, Ronon doesn't miss Teyla's soft gasp, her understanding of just what the length of his hair would have meant, back home. He rubs his free hand over his head self-consciously and cuts a glance at Teyla to see her looking back at him with shining eyes.
"It was time," he says simply.
Teyla quietly agrees and rests her head against his shoulder. She and Sennot both fall asleep, nestled against Ronon in the deep couch. He quirks a smile imagining John and Rodney's reactions to his new baby-matching hairstyle.
Content in his family, Ronon watches the dawn.
Author: perspi
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Gen
Summary: In which Ronon joins Sennot in his new beginning.
Relates to Episodes: Through Season 4, with a potential spoiler for Season 5.
A/N: Originally posted as one of Five Ways Ronon Loses His Dreads and Five Days After Ronon Loses His Dreads.
When Teyla asks them to be fathers to her child, Ronon cuts the first lock, at the nape of his neck. It's good luck, and anticipation, and a promise, an old Satedan ritual he'd given up on ever having the chance to celebrate. He tucks the lock behind one of the little decorative plaques in Teyla's quarters while she's at the infirmary for a checkup, so the child might feel protected and safe.
When Teyla tells them she's having a son, Ronon cuts the second lock, the neighbor of the first. It's joy, and gratitude, and a prayer for health. He burns it at sunrise on the very edge of the East Pier, that the child might grow tall and straight.
When Teyla grabs his hand so he can feel the thump of a tiny foot under her skin, Ronon cuts the third lock, from behind his left ear. It's pride, and home, and bittersweet sorrow for the niece Ronon felt but never met. He buries it on the mainland, so the child's roots might grow strong and deep.
When Ronon first holds their son, wide-eyed after his entrance into the world, he doesn't bother to change the course of his tears. John and Rodney don't, either, and Teyla beams at them all.
That night, while everyone else sleeps, Ronon settles Sennot in his lap. As he cuts the rest of his locks free, he speaks softly, telling the child all of his hopes for his future, removing the weight of the past that brought them together. They are starting anew, the both of them.
Ronon pledges himself to his son, heart and body and soul, until his head is as bare as the baby's.
Teyla stirs almost before Sennot does; she finds them together on the couch just as Sennot snuffles himself to wakefulness.
"I would have brought him to you," Ronon half-whispers as Teyla settles next to them. She leans into Ronon's shoulder as she puts Sennot to her breast; Ronon shifts down a bit to provide the most comfortable support he can.
"I was ready to get out of bed," she replies quietly once Sennot is well-settled and nursing happily. She glances over and does an odd double-take when she finally sees him. "Ronon, your hair," she breathes.
Ronon finds he can't look back at her; suddenly he has to focus on the blank vidscreen in the far corner of the room. His voice is thick, but he has to tell her, has to share at least the why, even if the what remains between himself and Sennot. "My clan... We followed old ways. You locked your hair at fifteen, when you became an adult. Let it grow until you...had a child."
This close, Ronon doesn't miss Teyla's soft gasp, her understanding of just what the length of his hair would have meant, back home. He rubs his free hand over his head self-consciously and cuts a glance at Teyla to see her looking back at him with shining eyes.
"It was time," he says simply.
Teyla quietly agrees and rests her head against his shoulder. She and Sennot both fall asleep, nestled against Ronon in the deep couch. He quirks a smile imagining John and Rodney's reactions to his new baby-matching hairstyle.
Content in his family, Ronon watches the dawn.