Ceremony (Ronon Dex; John Sheppard/Rodney McKay; R)
Title: Ceremony
Author: Mirabile Dictu
Fandom: SGA
Pairing: Ronon Dex; John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Rating: R
Summary: "Great, now we have team secrets."
Wonderful beta by the empress_wu and the princessofg; I learn so much working with them.
Ceremony
Ronon slouched against one of the shaggy trees on the perimeter of the big circular krikos. He didn't know the meaning of krikos, nor its function; he didn't care. What he did know was that his team captain was in the center of the krikos, with one of his teammates. He was too far from them to hear what was being said, though from McKay's gestures, it was a lively conversation. Sheppard stood quietly, arms relaxed but wrapped around his weapon. Next to Ronon, Teyla watched also, her eyes narrowed. They exchanged glances, but he immediately returned his attention to the krikos.
The people of this place, the inhabitants nearest the stargate, were poor. He didn't believe they had anything to offer the Atlantians. The Wraith had been here not that long ago, and there had been some disease, or so Teyla reported. McKay had paled at that and started to complain, but Sheppard said, "Be a good guest, Rodney." He'd glowered at Sheppard, but he had shut up.
Then one of the men had pointed at Sheppard and McKay and said, 'Those two," and the others had nodded. Ronon, Teyla, and Sheppard had all shifted their weapons, and McKay had stepped behind them.
"Beg pardon?" Sheppard had asked.
The crowd around them had talked among themselves for a while, ignoring the team, until another man said, "You have revealed yourself. We have been waiting for you. Welcome." He'd bowed, and then everyone had bowed. Sheppard's eyes widened, but he had bowed, too, elbowing McKay and glaring at Ronon. Soon, everybody was bowing to everybody else. Ronon had stepped back from the crowd, watching to see what they'd do.
What they'd done was turn their attention to Sheppard and McKay. An older woman had taken McKay's wrist and drawn him forward, arranging him so he stood next to Sheppard. "Uh," Rodney said, looking over his shoulder at Ronon and Teyla.
"It's all right," another woman said to Rodney. "You have been chosen."
"They've chosen themselves," someone said, and everyone laughed.
"Yes, how amusing; we've chosen ourselves for what?" McKay demanded.
"Teyla," Sheppard said, looking at her hopefully.
Teyla stepped forward, holding her hands up. "Please, we ask you to explain. We are unfamiliar with your customs."
"Chin-da," someone called, and the others chimed in. "Chin-da." A young girl wove her way through the growing crowd, more people coming up the path from the village. "Chin-da, they don't understand," the woman holding McKay's hand said.
The little girl bowed, her long hair falling over her shoulders nearly to the ground. Ronon watched as Sheppard and McKay looked at each other and then bowed equally deeply to her. "Hello, little girl," McKay said in what Ronon thought was an unusually patient voice for him. "What's going on?"
"The first visit through the stargate requires the ritual of ariska," she said in a high clear voice. "Ariska is required to reveal the fitting of two."
"Which two?" Sheppard asked.
"Two of all," she said. "Two worlds, two people."
"Are you chanting?" McKay asked the little girl, looking shocked.
"Rodney!" Sheppard hissed.
"Yes, of course," said the older woman, looking a little cross herself. "Please, this is important."
"Whatever," McKay said, waving his free hand. Sheppard grabbed his hand and pushed it down.
"Two, then two," the little girl said. Ronon wondered whether her name was Chin-da, or if what she was chanting was called the Chin-da. Either way, he was bored and hungry and wanted it over. "Two, then two again, we discover who we are. We can only know ourselves in the mirror of the other: our fears and our hopes." She bowed again, and everyone applauded.
"Excellent," the woman said. "You did very well." She clapped her hands briskly. "To the krikos," she said, and turned. That's when they'd been brought to the big circular meadow. No one pushed him to follow, but a little boy took his hand and tugged, and a pretty woman smiled at him and beckoned. He stayed as close to Sheppard and McKay as the crowd let him.
When they reached the krikos, filled with rippling grass that reached nearly to Teyla's waist, the team was split in two, and Sheppard and McKay taken to the center while Ronon and Teyla stood by. "Hey," Ronon objected.
"They are the two," the little girl reassured, and handed him a flower. He gave it to Teyla.
"Sheppard," he called.
"Rescue us, dammit," McKay hissed.
"No, don't do anything," Sheppard said. "Shut up, Rodney. We're fine. It's just some ritual welcoming thing, right?" he asked the old woman who'd led them.
"You two," she said, but it sounded more like an irritated comment on them than an answer to Sheppard's question.
Then the singing started. McKay sputtered for a while, but nothing stopped it. Ronon grinned at Sheppard and took up his position against a tree on the perimeter. He could still see his teammates in the center of the krikos and kept an eye on them as the meadow filled.
The singing was followed by dancing, and then by speeches, none of which Ronon listened to. He ate two powerbars and drank some water, relieved McKay was too far away to see him, and that the crowd too noisy for Ronon to hear him. He was probably telling Sheppard how many times he could save the galaxy if he were back in Atlantis rather than here.
It was, in Ronon's opinion, a chaotic ritual. People kept coming and going; they'd join in and then leave. No one seemed particularly reverent or even quiet; they talked about crops and the weather and whether Taphet was fucking Esch. Most people thought not, because Esch's partner was a big guy. Ronon wondered who in the crowd was Taphet, Esch, or the partner, but they didn't identify themselves. A dog wandered by, pissing on every bush, and a baby started crying and had to be changed not far from where he and Teyla waited.
As the evening came on, more people showed up, some carrying gardening utensils. They stood and watched for a while, talking among themselves, then headed off toward the village. A while later some of them returned, and then another group built a bonfire.
"This is boring, and a waste of time," Ronon muttered to Teyla, who sighed heavily.
"I too hope there is some purpose to all this effort," she said, but he could tell she was bored, too. "Or Dr. McKay will be impossible to live with."
"Huh," Ronon agreed, looking at his teammates. McKay looked glum and dissatisfied, and Sheppard not much happier. They'd been daubed with ashes from the bonfire, and the old man was chanting again, waving branches around. If Ronon was bored, he couldn't imagine what Sheppard and McKay were feeling, standing for hours while strangers sang and danced and droned at them.
He watched as Teyla reached out and grabbed the old woman by her hand. "Why are you leaving the ceremony?" she asked.
"Why should I stay? No, this will take most of the night. I need to rest."
"What will happen afterwards?"
The old woman looked irritated as she said, "Don't you people listen? You are the first through the stargate in a generation. The ceremony should be done each time visitors arrive, but none has arrived in so long that we've had no chance. That's why it's taking so long; people from all over the countryside are coming in and starting it over again."
"Starting over?" Ronon asked.
"It's not a lengthy ceremony."
"Please," Teyla said. "Explain exactly the nature of this ceremony."
"Did your parents not instruct you? Whenever someone new arrives through the gate, they are to be tested to learn if they are the ones to help us back to the years of plenty. We were once a wealthy and powerful people, but time, disease and the Wraith brought us to this --" she gestured in a wide circle. "To poverty, to living in dirty villages with nothing to offer. We stopped going through the stargate many years ago, when a prophet arose. She said we must remain here and rebuild." She sighed. "It is difficult, with so little and so few."
"Sheppard and McKay?" Ronon reminded her.
"The prophet also said that help would arrive through the stargate, as you have. So we are to test visitors. Two, and then two, just the way you appeared to us. They are obviously the two."
"Why obviously?" Teyla asked.
The old woman stared at her. "Look," she said, pointing at them. Ronon looked, too; his teammates were standing side by side, McKay slumped a little into Sheppard, probably whispering complaints to him, while Sheppard looked his usual bland self.
"Huh," he said again, and crossed his arms. Maybe their prophet was right. Those two were something, though Ronon still wasn't sure what. All the Atlantians were different; maybe because they came from another galaxy, maybe because they were fulfilling some prophecy. Didn't really matter, he thought, but he agreed with the old woman: Sheppard and McKay were two apart.
The old woman nodded at them, and then yawned. "Too late for me. I'm going to bed. See you in the morning."
"Wait, please," Teyla called after her. "How much longer will this ceremony be repeated?"
She shrugged. "Till people get tired. A few hours, I guess."
Teyla looked at Ronon, who said, "We should get comfortable."
"I will take first watch," Teyla said. "You may set up camp."
Ronon had been planning just to sleep on the grass under the trees, but he guessed that, with Sheppard busy in the ceremony, Teyla was in charge. "Okay."
Hours later, after he'd set up a camp and shared a meal with Teyla, and even slept a bit, he realized that the crowd had thinned considerably. "Where is everybody?" he asked Teyla, sitting up.
"I believe the ceremony is ending."
"Let's get them."
They walked onto the krikos, stepping carefully over the people who'd fallen asleep in the meadow. They were hard to spot in the tasseled high grass. Only two men remained with Sheppard and McKay, a very young one and a very old one, who seemed to be teaching the younger one. "You see the connection," he was saying as Ronon and Teyla neared. He pointed a trembling finger at Sheppard and then at McKay. "See?" he whispered. "See?"
Ronon looked. In the flickering light of the dying bonfire and the pale stars above, it did look as though Sheppard and McKay were connected, though Ronon could not say how or why. Sheppard watched the old man closely, but McKay appeared nearly asleep, his head almost resting on Sheppard's shoulder.
"I see," the young man said, and smiled. "It's good, Cedere."
"Not many find this," the old man continued. "Few know the connection, and even fewer succeed."
"Will they?"
He shrugged. "Not even the stars know that." He turned to Sheppard and McKay, gently touching McKay's arm to wake him. "Everyone has seen; this boy is the last. It is time. You will wash."
"Oh God, can't we go home and wash? In the nice warm showers in Atlantis?" McKay said.
"I know it is late, and you have been very patient. One final step, though, and the prophecy will be fulfilled."
Sheppard sighed heavily. "Then I guess we'll wash. Where? With what?"
"I will fetch water," the young man said. Ronon followed him and helped carry back buckets of water that had been heating in the coals of the bonfire. "Two buckets each," he pointed out as he set the buckets in front of Sheppard.
"And here are cloths," the old man said, pointing at two stacks Ronon hadn't noticed; "these to wash and these to dry."
"Just my face? My feet? What?" McKay asked.
"No, no. Everything. All." The old man tried to undo McKay's shirt, but the zip defeated his arthritic fingers. Ronon winced in sympathy as McKay pushed away his hand.
"Thank you, but I can dress and undress myself. And I'm not doing it here. Not with --" he looked at Ronon and Teyla; even in the dim light, Ronon could tell he was blushing.
"You must have witnesses," the old man said. "The final step."
"Shit," McKay muttered, and looked at Sheppard. "Well, team leader, Lieutenant Colonel, the guy in charge: are you going to order me to strip here?"
Sheppard rolled his head back to look at the stars, and sighed again. Then he looked at Teyla, biting his lower lip, before turning back to McKay. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I am." He unzipped his jacket.
"You first then," Cedere said. "You may wait."
"Happily," McKay said, pulling his zip back up higher than usual. "Colonel, I'll watch."
"No, you wash," the young man said, and handed him a cloth.
"What?" McKay squeaked, and Sheppard paused in his undressing. "I'll do no such thing. We don't -- not on my planet. Well, we maybe someone does somewhere on my planet, but it's not in my job description."
The two from the village stared at him; their distress was so great that Ronon felt moved to speak on their behalf. "Just do it, McKay," he growled. "Prophecy."
McKay made a noise that Ronon didn't recognize, then threw the cloth into one of the buckets of water. "Fine, fine, I'll wash the colonel. And if anyone ever speaks of this again, I will, I will." He huffed. "I'll do something."
"Ditto," Sheppard said. "Including you, Rodney. This is our team secret."
"Great, now we have team secrets."
Teyla said, "Cedere, is it required that I be present? In my friends' culture, I should not see them in a state of undress unless it is imperative."
"No, not at all. We will bear witness. And him," he added, pointing at Ronon.
"Thank you, Teyla," McKay said. Ronon watched as she walked back to their camp, disappearing into the darkness beyond the ring of the krikos. When he turned back, Sheppard was naked, and he and McKay were staring at each other in horror.
"Sorry, Colonel," McKay said tightly.
"Just, just do it, Rodney. It's okay."
McKay looked at the old man again. "Do I have to be naked to wash him? No? Well, that's a blessing." He fished the cloth from the water. "At least it's warm," he murmured, but Ronon thought if he was trying to sound encouraging, he'd failed. Rodney wrung out the cloth and stood up. He nodded as if in response to an inner thought, and began to gently wash Sheppard's face.
Rivulets of water ran down Sheppard's face and neck, washing the ashes away. His eyes were closed, and droplets quivered at the ends of his lashes. McKay kept rinsing the cloth out and wiping, as tenderly as any mother, Ronon thought. "There's ash in your hair," he whispered. "I'm going to, uh, to rinse it out."
"Here is soap." Cedere pointed to a small wooden box. McKay poked a finger in it and then rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger, sniffing at it. He raised his eyebrows and took more, working it into the cloth. He wrung the cloth out over Sheppard's head, and then began to wash his hair. He had to stand on his toes, so Sheppard leaned over a bit. "Thank you."
It took a long time to wash and rinse Sheppard's hair and face, but McKay grew more confident as he progressed. Ronon finally sprawled on the ground to watch as McKay started working on Sheppard's shoulders. The tall grass nearly blocked his view, but he could see enough. He saw McKay wash Sheppard's right arm first, fitting Sheppard's hand between his own arm and body. McKay's focus was tight, almost as if he were trying to solve a problem that would save Atlantis. Sheppard's face was averted from Ronon's; he seemed to be staring at McKay's boots.
McKay moved around Sheppard and washed the arm nearer to Ronon, who saw how thorough McKay was, washing each finger and the palm of Sheppard's hand before turning his attention to Sheppard's back, Ronon saw the water run down Sheppard's spine, the water just a thin sparkle in what little light there was. McKay hesitated only for a second before he began to wash Sheppard's ass, as gently and as thoroughly as he had Sheppard's shoulders and hands.
Next, McKay washed Sheppard's chest, spending more time on it than Ronon thought warranted. When he finished, he paused, then knelt in front of Sheppard. He looked up at Sheppard, who put his damp hand on McKay's face, first the back of his hand gently stroking McKay's cheek, and then the palm, holding McKay. When he dropped his hand, McKay began to wash Sheppard's cock and balls. Ronon leaned forward, curious. He knew he'd get hard no matter who was washing him, but Sheppard's cock remained soft in McKay's hands.
At last, McKay washed Sheppard's long legs, front and back, even behind the knee, smiling up at Sheppard when he twitched as if that tickled. Sheppard rested his hand on top of McKay's head when he picked up his left foot so McKay could wash it, too.
When he'd finished washing Sheppard's right foot, McKay remained kneeling in front of him, and Sheppard left his hand on McKay's head. Ronon saw he was lightly stroking McKay's hair. Finally, McKay stood up and wrapped a large cloth around Sheppard. "Warm enough?" he asked softly. Sheppard nodded. McKay looked over his shoulder at Cedere. "Is there anything else?" He sounded calmer than Ronon had ever heard him, except after an especially big meal.
Cedere smiled. "No. We have seen."
McKay sighed. "Then I suppose it's my turn."
"I believe that we have witnessed enough, and trust you to complete the ceremony. We do not need to witness your cleansing, which I am sure you would prefer." He bowed, and the young man did, too. Ronon sat, silent and motionless, wondering what would happen next. Another ceremony? These people sure liked ceremonies. "I will tell the others that the prophecy has been fulfilled, and that we may return through the stargate. Perhaps our world will rebuild itself. The stories I heard from my grandfathers -- it was a beautiful world. Someday it will be again."
"I'm sure it will," McKay said, sounding more like himself.
"Two, and then two again," the young man said. "I know who the other two are."
"The whole village does, Esch." Ronon raised his eyebrows. "We must tell them. Goodnight. Goodnight, and thank you."
Everyone bowed again, except Ronon, who kept still in the tall cool grass, watching. When Cedere and Esch had left the krikos, McKay said, "I thought this night would never end. Why, please tell me why do we keep running into these religious weirdos? I don't get this. And who are the other two? What was that about?"
"Rodney," Sheppard said, putting a hand over McKay's mouth. "Do you want to talk, or do you want to wash?"
"Wash, please. I stink."
"I noticed."
"Yes, well, your faithful body servant took care of that for you, did he not?"
Sheppard smiled, a smile Ronon had never seen before. "He did. I think the faithful body servant did an excellent job and should be rewarded."
"He certainly should," McKay said, grinning as he pulled off his jacket and tossed it on top of Sheppard's clothes. "You cold? Want to get dressed?"
"No, it's nice. I can't remember the last time I was naked and outdoors. Feels good."
"Oh, yes, and that's why naked is a synonym for defenseless."
To Ronon's surprise, Sheppard stuck a finger through one of McKay's belt loops and jerked him closer. "I'm not defenseless."
"No," McKay said, his mouth very close to Sheppard's. "You are, even naked, very much not defenseless."
"You know I'll take care of you, Rodney."
"I know that."
Sheppard nodded, his face brushing against McKay's. Ronon could hear both men breathing hard, as if they'd run a long way to arrive here. He stayed as quiet as if hunting Wraith, watching as Sheppard helped McKay undress, each movement a caress. McKay's eyes were nearly closed, and he swayed nearer and nearer to Sheppard. "We're off-world," Ronon heard McKay whisper just before he kissed Sheppard.
"We're safe here, Rodney," Sheppard said when they parted and McKay was finally naked, too. "I'll take care of you."
"No, let me, John, please," and he took Sheppard's cock in his hand. Sheppard gasped and fell against McKay, kissing him ravenously. Ronon was hard watching them, and envious. He watched as Sheppard broke away to find a fresh cloth and begin washing McKay, kissing each newly cleaned patch of skin, while McKay got in his way, clutching at Sheppard, kissing his face, his neck, the top of his head.
"I'm not doing as good a job as you," Sheppard said, looking up at McKay as he washed his feet.
"You can repay me in other ways."
"Oh, I plan to." Without rising, Sheppard spread out the cloths, and then pulled McKay down. They rolled together, grasping each other's arms, shoulders, necks, kissing wildly. Ronon wanted what they had so much that he ached. He knew he shouldn't be watching; it wasn't right to watch his teammates fuck, but he wanted this, and in the cocoon of grasses surrounding him, he was hidden. They wouldn't know; they had forgotten that he was there, and he'd never let them know that he'd seen, but he needed to witness this.
"Oh, God, John," McKay cried out, and Sheppard answered him with a long groan. He lay on top of McKay, panting. McKay stroked his back, again and again.
"We need another bath," McKay said after he'd caught his breath, but even from where Ronon lay hidden in the grass, he could tell that McKay was smiling. Sheppard hummed and repositioned himself more comfortably. "The morning will be soon enough," McKay added softly. Ronon watched as McKay's eyes closed and his breathing evened out. His hand remained on Sheppard's back, a darker color than Sheppard's pale skin.
Ronon knew he'd stay awake all night, watching over them. Sheppard had promised to keep McKay safe, but Ronon had promised that he would keep Sheppard safe. That was his job. He could take care of his hard-on later, back in Atlantis. His body was no longer truly his; it belonged to Sheppard and to Sheppard's cause. In the meantime, he'd wait for Sheppard to wake, put his clothes back on, and resume defending McKay and Atlantis, with Ronon at his side.
McKay groaned and sighed in his sleep, but when Sheppard rolled away, he rolled with him, an arm around Sheppard's waist. Behind Ronon, a moon rose; its pale light fell on his teammates' bodies. In that strange light, Ronon watched over them. He rubbed his eyes, yawned, settled back in the grasses to wait for morning, and watched over them.
21 April 2006: anna-luna made a lovely little drawing for this story. Thank you, Anna-Luna!
Author: Mirabile Dictu
Fandom: SGA
Pairing: Ronon Dex; John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Rating: R
Summary: "Great, now we have team secrets."
Wonderful beta by the empress_wu and the princessofg; I learn so much working with them.
Ceremony
Ronon slouched against one of the shaggy trees on the perimeter of the big circular krikos. He didn't know the meaning of krikos, nor its function; he didn't care. What he did know was that his team captain was in the center of the krikos, with one of his teammates. He was too far from them to hear what was being said, though from McKay's gestures, it was a lively conversation. Sheppard stood quietly, arms relaxed but wrapped around his weapon. Next to Ronon, Teyla watched also, her eyes narrowed. They exchanged glances, but he immediately returned his attention to the krikos.
The people of this place, the inhabitants nearest the stargate, were poor. He didn't believe they had anything to offer the Atlantians. The Wraith had been here not that long ago, and there had been some disease, or so Teyla reported. McKay had paled at that and started to complain, but Sheppard said, "Be a good guest, Rodney." He'd glowered at Sheppard, but he had shut up.
Then one of the men had pointed at Sheppard and McKay and said, 'Those two," and the others had nodded. Ronon, Teyla, and Sheppard had all shifted their weapons, and McKay had stepped behind them.
"Beg pardon?" Sheppard had asked.
The crowd around them had talked among themselves for a while, ignoring the team, until another man said, "You have revealed yourself. We have been waiting for you. Welcome." He'd bowed, and then everyone had bowed. Sheppard's eyes widened, but he had bowed, too, elbowing McKay and glaring at Ronon. Soon, everybody was bowing to everybody else. Ronon had stepped back from the crowd, watching to see what they'd do.
What they'd done was turn their attention to Sheppard and McKay. An older woman had taken McKay's wrist and drawn him forward, arranging him so he stood next to Sheppard. "Uh," Rodney said, looking over his shoulder at Ronon and Teyla.
"It's all right," another woman said to Rodney. "You have been chosen."
"They've chosen themselves," someone said, and everyone laughed.
"Yes, how amusing; we've chosen ourselves for what?" McKay demanded.
"Teyla," Sheppard said, looking at her hopefully.
Teyla stepped forward, holding her hands up. "Please, we ask you to explain. We are unfamiliar with your customs."
"Chin-da," someone called, and the others chimed in. "Chin-da." A young girl wove her way through the growing crowd, more people coming up the path from the village. "Chin-da, they don't understand," the woman holding McKay's hand said.
The little girl bowed, her long hair falling over her shoulders nearly to the ground. Ronon watched as Sheppard and McKay looked at each other and then bowed equally deeply to her. "Hello, little girl," McKay said in what Ronon thought was an unusually patient voice for him. "What's going on?"
"The first visit through the stargate requires the ritual of ariska," she said in a high clear voice. "Ariska is required to reveal the fitting of two."
"Which two?" Sheppard asked.
"Two of all," she said. "Two worlds, two people."
"Are you chanting?" McKay asked the little girl, looking shocked.
"Rodney!" Sheppard hissed.
"Yes, of course," said the older woman, looking a little cross herself. "Please, this is important."
"Whatever," McKay said, waving his free hand. Sheppard grabbed his hand and pushed it down.
"Two, then two," the little girl said. Ronon wondered whether her name was Chin-da, or if what she was chanting was called the Chin-da. Either way, he was bored and hungry and wanted it over. "Two, then two again, we discover who we are. We can only know ourselves in the mirror of the other: our fears and our hopes." She bowed again, and everyone applauded.
"Excellent," the woman said. "You did very well." She clapped her hands briskly. "To the krikos," she said, and turned. That's when they'd been brought to the big circular meadow. No one pushed him to follow, but a little boy took his hand and tugged, and a pretty woman smiled at him and beckoned. He stayed as close to Sheppard and McKay as the crowd let him.
When they reached the krikos, filled with rippling grass that reached nearly to Teyla's waist, the team was split in two, and Sheppard and McKay taken to the center while Ronon and Teyla stood by. "Hey," Ronon objected.
"They are the two," the little girl reassured, and handed him a flower. He gave it to Teyla.
"Sheppard," he called.
"Rescue us, dammit," McKay hissed.
"No, don't do anything," Sheppard said. "Shut up, Rodney. We're fine. It's just some ritual welcoming thing, right?" he asked the old woman who'd led them.
"You two," she said, but it sounded more like an irritated comment on them than an answer to Sheppard's question.
Then the singing started. McKay sputtered for a while, but nothing stopped it. Ronon grinned at Sheppard and took up his position against a tree on the perimeter. He could still see his teammates in the center of the krikos and kept an eye on them as the meadow filled.
The singing was followed by dancing, and then by speeches, none of which Ronon listened to. He ate two powerbars and drank some water, relieved McKay was too far away to see him, and that the crowd too noisy for Ronon to hear him. He was probably telling Sheppard how many times he could save the galaxy if he were back in Atlantis rather than here.
It was, in Ronon's opinion, a chaotic ritual. People kept coming and going; they'd join in and then leave. No one seemed particularly reverent or even quiet; they talked about crops and the weather and whether Taphet was fucking Esch. Most people thought not, because Esch's partner was a big guy. Ronon wondered who in the crowd was Taphet, Esch, or the partner, but they didn't identify themselves. A dog wandered by, pissing on every bush, and a baby started crying and had to be changed not far from where he and Teyla waited.
As the evening came on, more people showed up, some carrying gardening utensils. They stood and watched for a while, talking among themselves, then headed off toward the village. A while later some of them returned, and then another group built a bonfire.
"This is boring, and a waste of time," Ronon muttered to Teyla, who sighed heavily.
"I too hope there is some purpose to all this effort," she said, but he could tell she was bored, too. "Or Dr. McKay will be impossible to live with."
"Huh," Ronon agreed, looking at his teammates. McKay looked glum and dissatisfied, and Sheppard not much happier. They'd been daubed with ashes from the bonfire, and the old man was chanting again, waving branches around. If Ronon was bored, he couldn't imagine what Sheppard and McKay were feeling, standing for hours while strangers sang and danced and droned at them.
He watched as Teyla reached out and grabbed the old woman by her hand. "Why are you leaving the ceremony?" she asked.
"Why should I stay? No, this will take most of the night. I need to rest."
"What will happen afterwards?"
The old woman looked irritated as she said, "Don't you people listen? You are the first through the stargate in a generation. The ceremony should be done each time visitors arrive, but none has arrived in so long that we've had no chance. That's why it's taking so long; people from all over the countryside are coming in and starting it over again."
"Starting over?" Ronon asked.
"It's not a lengthy ceremony."
"Please," Teyla said. "Explain exactly the nature of this ceremony."
"Did your parents not instruct you? Whenever someone new arrives through the gate, they are to be tested to learn if they are the ones to help us back to the years of plenty. We were once a wealthy and powerful people, but time, disease and the Wraith brought us to this --" she gestured in a wide circle. "To poverty, to living in dirty villages with nothing to offer. We stopped going through the stargate many years ago, when a prophet arose. She said we must remain here and rebuild." She sighed. "It is difficult, with so little and so few."
"Sheppard and McKay?" Ronon reminded her.
"The prophet also said that help would arrive through the stargate, as you have. So we are to test visitors. Two, and then two, just the way you appeared to us. They are obviously the two."
"Why obviously?" Teyla asked.
The old woman stared at her. "Look," she said, pointing at them. Ronon looked, too; his teammates were standing side by side, McKay slumped a little into Sheppard, probably whispering complaints to him, while Sheppard looked his usual bland self.
"Huh," he said again, and crossed his arms. Maybe their prophet was right. Those two were something, though Ronon still wasn't sure what. All the Atlantians were different; maybe because they came from another galaxy, maybe because they were fulfilling some prophecy. Didn't really matter, he thought, but he agreed with the old woman: Sheppard and McKay were two apart.
The old woman nodded at them, and then yawned. "Too late for me. I'm going to bed. See you in the morning."
"Wait, please," Teyla called after her. "How much longer will this ceremony be repeated?"
She shrugged. "Till people get tired. A few hours, I guess."
Teyla looked at Ronon, who said, "We should get comfortable."
"I will take first watch," Teyla said. "You may set up camp."
Ronon had been planning just to sleep on the grass under the trees, but he guessed that, with Sheppard busy in the ceremony, Teyla was in charge. "Okay."
Hours later, after he'd set up a camp and shared a meal with Teyla, and even slept a bit, he realized that the crowd had thinned considerably. "Where is everybody?" he asked Teyla, sitting up.
"I believe the ceremony is ending."
"Let's get them."
They walked onto the krikos, stepping carefully over the people who'd fallen asleep in the meadow. They were hard to spot in the tasseled high grass. Only two men remained with Sheppard and McKay, a very young one and a very old one, who seemed to be teaching the younger one. "You see the connection," he was saying as Ronon and Teyla neared. He pointed a trembling finger at Sheppard and then at McKay. "See?" he whispered. "See?"
Ronon looked. In the flickering light of the dying bonfire and the pale stars above, it did look as though Sheppard and McKay were connected, though Ronon could not say how or why. Sheppard watched the old man closely, but McKay appeared nearly asleep, his head almost resting on Sheppard's shoulder.
"I see," the young man said, and smiled. "It's good, Cedere."
"Not many find this," the old man continued. "Few know the connection, and even fewer succeed."
"Will they?"
He shrugged. "Not even the stars know that." He turned to Sheppard and McKay, gently touching McKay's arm to wake him. "Everyone has seen; this boy is the last. It is time. You will wash."
"Oh God, can't we go home and wash? In the nice warm showers in Atlantis?" McKay said.
"I know it is late, and you have been very patient. One final step, though, and the prophecy will be fulfilled."
Sheppard sighed heavily. "Then I guess we'll wash. Where? With what?"
"I will fetch water," the young man said. Ronon followed him and helped carry back buckets of water that had been heating in the coals of the bonfire. "Two buckets each," he pointed out as he set the buckets in front of Sheppard.
"And here are cloths," the old man said, pointing at two stacks Ronon hadn't noticed; "these to wash and these to dry."
"Just my face? My feet? What?" McKay asked.
"No, no. Everything. All." The old man tried to undo McKay's shirt, but the zip defeated his arthritic fingers. Ronon winced in sympathy as McKay pushed away his hand.
"Thank you, but I can dress and undress myself. And I'm not doing it here. Not with --" he looked at Ronon and Teyla; even in the dim light, Ronon could tell he was blushing.
"You must have witnesses," the old man said. "The final step."
"Shit," McKay muttered, and looked at Sheppard. "Well, team leader, Lieutenant Colonel, the guy in charge: are you going to order me to strip here?"
Sheppard rolled his head back to look at the stars, and sighed again. Then he looked at Teyla, biting his lower lip, before turning back to McKay. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I am." He unzipped his jacket.
"You first then," Cedere said. "You may wait."
"Happily," McKay said, pulling his zip back up higher than usual. "Colonel, I'll watch."
"No, you wash," the young man said, and handed him a cloth.
"What?" McKay squeaked, and Sheppard paused in his undressing. "I'll do no such thing. We don't -- not on my planet. Well, we maybe someone does somewhere on my planet, but it's not in my job description."
The two from the village stared at him; their distress was so great that Ronon felt moved to speak on their behalf. "Just do it, McKay," he growled. "Prophecy."
McKay made a noise that Ronon didn't recognize, then threw the cloth into one of the buckets of water. "Fine, fine, I'll wash the colonel. And if anyone ever speaks of this again, I will, I will." He huffed. "I'll do something."
"Ditto," Sheppard said. "Including you, Rodney. This is our team secret."
"Great, now we have team secrets."
Teyla said, "Cedere, is it required that I be present? In my friends' culture, I should not see them in a state of undress unless it is imperative."
"No, not at all. We will bear witness. And him," he added, pointing at Ronon.
"Thank you, Teyla," McKay said. Ronon watched as she walked back to their camp, disappearing into the darkness beyond the ring of the krikos. When he turned back, Sheppard was naked, and he and McKay were staring at each other in horror.
"Sorry, Colonel," McKay said tightly.
"Just, just do it, Rodney. It's okay."
McKay looked at the old man again. "Do I have to be naked to wash him? No? Well, that's a blessing." He fished the cloth from the water. "At least it's warm," he murmured, but Ronon thought if he was trying to sound encouraging, he'd failed. Rodney wrung out the cloth and stood up. He nodded as if in response to an inner thought, and began to gently wash Sheppard's face.
Rivulets of water ran down Sheppard's face and neck, washing the ashes away. His eyes were closed, and droplets quivered at the ends of his lashes. McKay kept rinsing the cloth out and wiping, as tenderly as any mother, Ronon thought. "There's ash in your hair," he whispered. "I'm going to, uh, to rinse it out."
"Here is soap." Cedere pointed to a small wooden box. McKay poked a finger in it and then rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger, sniffing at it. He raised his eyebrows and took more, working it into the cloth. He wrung the cloth out over Sheppard's head, and then began to wash his hair. He had to stand on his toes, so Sheppard leaned over a bit. "Thank you."
It took a long time to wash and rinse Sheppard's hair and face, but McKay grew more confident as he progressed. Ronon finally sprawled on the ground to watch as McKay started working on Sheppard's shoulders. The tall grass nearly blocked his view, but he could see enough. He saw McKay wash Sheppard's right arm first, fitting Sheppard's hand between his own arm and body. McKay's focus was tight, almost as if he were trying to solve a problem that would save Atlantis. Sheppard's face was averted from Ronon's; he seemed to be staring at McKay's boots.
McKay moved around Sheppard and washed the arm nearer to Ronon, who saw how thorough McKay was, washing each finger and the palm of Sheppard's hand before turning his attention to Sheppard's back, Ronon saw the water run down Sheppard's spine, the water just a thin sparkle in what little light there was. McKay hesitated only for a second before he began to wash Sheppard's ass, as gently and as thoroughly as he had Sheppard's shoulders and hands.
Next, McKay washed Sheppard's chest, spending more time on it than Ronon thought warranted. When he finished, he paused, then knelt in front of Sheppard. He looked up at Sheppard, who put his damp hand on McKay's face, first the back of his hand gently stroking McKay's cheek, and then the palm, holding McKay. When he dropped his hand, McKay began to wash Sheppard's cock and balls. Ronon leaned forward, curious. He knew he'd get hard no matter who was washing him, but Sheppard's cock remained soft in McKay's hands.
At last, McKay washed Sheppard's long legs, front and back, even behind the knee, smiling up at Sheppard when he twitched as if that tickled. Sheppard rested his hand on top of McKay's head when he picked up his left foot so McKay could wash it, too.
When he'd finished washing Sheppard's right foot, McKay remained kneeling in front of him, and Sheppard left his hand on McKay's head. Ronon saw he was lightly stroking McKay's hair. Finally, McKay stood up and wrapped a large cloth around Sheppard. "Warm enough?" he asked softly. Sheppard nodded. McKay looked over his shoulder at Cedere. "Is there anything else?" He sounded calmer than Ronon had ever heard him, except after an especially big meal.
Cedere smiled. "No. We have seen."
McKay sighed. "Then I suppose it's my turn."
"I believe that we have witnessed enough, and trust you to complete the ceremony. We do not need to witness your cleansing, which I am sure you would prefer." He bowed, and the young man did, too. Ronon sat, silent and motionless, wondering what would happen next. Another ceremony? These people sure liked ceremonies. "I will tell the others that the prophecy has been fulfilled, and that we may return through the stargate. Perhaps our world will rebuild itself. The stories I heard from my grandfathers -- it was a beautiful world. Someday it will be again."
"I'm sure it will," McKay said, sounding more like himself.
"Two, and then two again," the young man said. "I know who the other two are."
"The whole village does, Esch." Ronon raised his eyebrows. "We must tell them. Goodnight. Goodnight, and thank you."
Everyone bowed again, except Ronon, who kept still in the tall cool grass, watching. When Cedere and Esch had left the krikos, McKay said, "I thought this night would never end. Why, please tell me why do we keep running into these religious weirdos? I don't get this. And who are the other two? What was that about?"
"Rodney," Sheppard said, putting a hand over McKay's mouth. "Do you want to talk, or do you want to wash?"
"Wash, please. I stink."
"I noticed."
"Yes, well, your faithful body servant took care of that for you, did he not?"
Sheppard smiled, a smile Ronon had never seen before. "He did. I think the faithful body servant did an excellent job and should be rewarded."
"He certainly should," McKay said, grinning as he pulled off his jacket and tossed it on top of Sheppard's clothes. "You cold? Want to get dressed?"
"No, it's nice. I can't remember the last time I was naked and outdoors. Feels good."
"Oh, yes, and that's why naked is a synonym for defenseless."
To Ronon's surprise, Sheppard stuck a finger through one of McKay's belt loops and jerked him closer. "I'm not defenseless."
"No," McKay said, his mouth very close to Sheppard's. "You are, even naked, very much not defenseless."
"You know I'll take care of you, Rodney."
"I know that."
Sheppard nodded, his face brushing against McKay's. Ronon could hear both men breathing hard, as if they'd run a long way to arrive here. He stayed as quiet as if hunting Wraith, watching as Sheppard helped McKay undress, each movement a caress. McKay's eyes were nearly closed, and he swayed nearer and nearer to Sheppard. "We're off-world," Ronon heard McKay whisper just before he kissed Sheppard.
"We're safe here, Rodney," Sheppard said when they parted and McKay was finally naked, too. "I'll take care of you."
"No, let me, John, please," and he took Sheppard's cock in his hand. Sheppard gasped and fell against McKay, kissing him ravenously. Ronon was hard watching them, and envious. He watched as Sheppard broke away to find a fresh cloth and begin washing McKay, kissing each newly cleaned patch of skin, while McKay got in his way, clutching at Sheppard, kissing his face, his neck, the top of his head.
"I'm not doing as good a job as you," Sheppard said, looking up at McKay as he washed his feet.
"You can repay me in other ways."
"Oh, I plan to." Without rising, Sheppard spread out the cloths, and then pulled McKay down. They rolled together, grasping each other's arms, shoulders, necks, kissing wildly. Ronon wanted what they had so much that he ached. He knew he shouldn't be watching; it wasn't right to watch his teammates fuck, but he wanted this, and in the cocoon of grasses surrounding him, he was hidden. They wouldn't know; they had forgotten that he was there, and he'd never let them know that he'd seen, but he needed to witness this.
"Oh, God, John," McKay cried out, and Sheppard answered him with a long groan. He lay on top of McKay, panting. McKay stroked his back, again and again.
"We need another bath," McKay said after he'd caught his breath, but even from where Ronon lay hidden in the grass, he could tell that McKay was smiling. Sheppard hummed and repositioned himself more comfortably. "The morning will be soon enough," McKay added softly. Ronon watched as McKay's eyes closed and his breathing evened out. His hand remained on Sheppard's back, a darker color than Sheppard's pale skin.
Ronon knew he'd stay awake all night, watching over them. Sheppard had promised to keep McKay safe, but Ronon had promised that he would keep Sheppard safe. That was his job. He could take care of his hard-on later, back in Atlantis. His body was no longer truly his; it belonged to Sheppard and to Sheppard's cause. In the meantime, he'd wait for Sheppard to wake, put his clothes back on, and resume defending McKay and Atlantis, with Ronon at his side.
McKay groaned and sighed in his sleep, but when Sheppard rolled away, he rolled with him, an arm around Sheppard's waist. Behind Ronon, a moon rose; its pale light fell on his teammates' bodies. In that strange light, Ronon watched over them. He rubbed his eyes, yawned, settled back in the grasses to wait for morning, and watched over them.
21 April 2006: anna-luna made a lovely little drawing for this story. Thank you, Anna-Luna!