SGA fic: Gaijin, part 35/40
Dec. 25th, 2008 06:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sam_gamgeeGaijin, Part 35/40
The complete header can be found in part 1.
Previous parts can be found here.
Rodney breathed a sigh of relief when the wormhole closed behind the Atlanteans and he started dialing the Gate for the Morykons.
Once the negotiations between the Korsans and the Laprans had concluded, the Laprans settled back into their boroughs and routines. The Korsan delegation had spent the rest of the time until the next window opened up getting to know the Laprans in general. Rodney knew that it has been stressful for everyone, but he could tell that, by the end of it, tensions were starting to ease a little.
Once the negotiations were over, Elizabeth decided that even though the Laprans had extended an invitation to all of the Atlanteans to stay for a few days to relax, there was no good reason for her to stay on Lapras, so she went back to Atlantis. The rest of John’s team, and Evan’s team, minus their leader, went back as well, since there was no reason for them to stay either. At least the Laprans had completely understood the necessity of dealing with one’s duties.
Rodney, Chuck, and Evan stayed on Lapras, at the invitation of Kelly, and at Jillian and Kirby’s insistence. Rodney had given Elizabeth the reason that he wanted to make sure that the Laprans were settling back in all right. He was able to keep Chuck and Evan by admitting that the Laprans wanted to honor them, but was intentionally vague on the details. The Laprans actually wanted a chance to meet Rodney’s bond friend and Rodney suspected they wanted to give them a proper ceremony. He wondered what they would think when they found out that both Chuck and Evan were his bond friends, let alone also his lovers. Elizabeth had agreed – but had made the three men swear that they would only stay as long as necessary, considering they all had duties waiting for them on Atlantis.
The Gate whooshed open and Rodney grinned. It had worked. He made a quick visit to the Morykons to tell them what had happened before repeating the process with the Nagdalis. Both tribes were ecstatic over the outcome. When Rodney finally got back to Lapras, it was just in time to escape the sandstorm.
He met Chuck and Evan in the tunnel and the three of them walked companionably back to the village, having a leisurely break at the half-way point that included a few quick kisses.
“Whatever’s going on, Rodney, you’ll be fine,” Evan told him as they entered the caves.
“So you say,” Rodney replied, looking around to see if Kelly was in the yak pen before stopping. “You’re not the one bringing the bond friends home to meet the family.”
“It’s not like we’re some punk kids,” Chuck said with a smile. “We’re good, upstanding citizens that any mother would love for her son to be bond friends with.”
Rodney couldn’t help but laugh at that. “That’s not quite the image I was working with, but thanks for that.”
“Will it be that big of a deal?” Evan asked, turning serious.
“Maybe?” Rodney replied. “I don’t really know. It’s not like this has actually come up before – at least not to my knowledge.”
“We’ll get through it, okay?” Chuck told him, squeezing Rodney’s shoulder and kissing his temple. “Whatever happens, we’ll still love you.”
“I know,” Rodney replied with a nod. “And I love you guys too. It’s just that –” he let out a puff of air, “this is the closest thing I’ve had to an actual family-type situation and I don’t want to screw it up.”
“We know,” Evan told him before glancing at the entrance to the village. “We’d better get back in there because the longer we stay out here, the less responsible I’ll be for my actions. They know how long all of this takes and if we’re gone for too long, they may send out a search party. And I don’t think you want them finding out about us that way, do you?”
Rodney snorted. “Not in the least. But we will find time later, I promise.”
Chuck stopped him and asked, “How much are you going to tell them about us?”
“How much do you want me to tell them?” Rodney asked him.
Chuck shrugged. “I don’t know. But if they’re going to know about the three of us being bond friends, you might as well tell them about us being together too.”
“Okay,” Rodney said. “Is that okay with you, Evan?” he asked, knowing that the military regulations didn’t cover this situation, but he wanted to make sure Evan was comfortable with it regardless.
Evan nodded. “They seem like good people and if you feel comfortable doing it, I’ll support you telling them.”
Rodney nodded. “I’m going to play it by ear and see how things go. So, depending on how they take the three of us being bound, I’ll go from there in telling them exactly how closely we’re bound.”
Chuck smirked. “You’ve been waiting for a while to use that, haven’t you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Rodney replied loftily as they headed for the village proper. “Just remember –”
“No touching unless absolutely necessary,” Chuck and Evan chorused and Rodney was fairly certain he saw an evil glint in their eyes and knew they would try to take that rule to its limit.
When they entered the borough, Rodney wasn’t surprised to find Kelly, Kirby, and Jillian waiting for him outside his family’s quarters. He carefully scanned the rest of the commons area and saw that most of the rest of the borough’s inhabitants were there, eating lunch and, no doubt, hoping to catch at least some of Rodney’s introduction of Atlantean his bond friend to his Lapran family.
Kirby, Jillian, and Kelly stood as Rodney approached with Chuck on his left and Evan on his right. As they stopped, Rodney was aware of Evan easily going to parade rest, as if he was waiting for a military inspection, and Chuck fidgeting for a second before leaving his hands at his sides.
Rodney paused for a moment, not exactly sure how to present them. He didn’t think anyone outside of Lapras had ever been introduced as a bond friend. He knew that some of the other tribes had a fairly similar equivalent, but it still wasn’t the same. “I would like to introduce my bond friends, Chuck and Evan of Atlantis,” he finally said, pointing to each of them in turn.
Jillian’s eyes widened, Kelly’s expression remained carefully disinterested, and Rodney could hear the level of noise in the common area drop ever so slightly so more people could listen.
“Two, Rodney-kun?” Kirby asked, brow furrowing. “Isn’t that a bit… excessive?”
“Well, we always did know that Rodney-chan was a handful,” Kelly replied calmly. “Maybe it takes two Atlanteans to do the job.” He raised an eyebrow in question.
Rodney bit his lip and let out a slow breath through his nose before replying. “I don’t appreciate that comment, Kelly,” he told him as evenly as he could manage. “The fact that I have two bond friends has nothing to do with how well I need to be ‘handled’. I honestly thought more of you and that you knew me better than that.”
Kelly bowed his head in acquiescence as Rodney decided to lay everything out and in the open all at once and continued, “And not only are they my bond friends, but they’re also my partners.”
At that, everything stopped for a second. “I think we need to talk about this in our quarters,” Kirby said and entered his quarters, Jillian and Kelly following.
“Well, that went over well,” Chuck commented quietly. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going inside to talk,” Rodney replied. “Come on.”
After the curtain closed behind Rodney, Kirby angrily asked, “What in the name of the gods are you doing, Rondey-kun? Are you trying to throw everything you’ve learned here in our faces?”
“You know I’d never do that,” Rodney replied softly. “It’s just that this just sort of happened. On Atlantis, things are different – there isn’t the need for such physical rigidity and stringent family planning. Also, I was trying to uphold what you had taught me. The only way I could be fair to both of them, and have them be fair to each other, was to make us all bond friends. After that,” Rodney sighed and shrugged helplessly, “things went differently than any of us had expected. And I did try to not have these feelings, but that wasn’t to be.”
After a moment’s silence, Jillian asked, “Are you happy, Rodney-kun?”
“I am,” he told her.
“And are your bond friends happy?”
“They are,” he replied with a nod.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us to them?”
Rodney let out a soft chuckle. Jillian was forever going to be the practical one. “Jillian wants me to make sure I formally introduce them to you guys,” Rodney told Chuck and Evan. “This is Kirby, my Lapran ‘father’ of sorts and mentor; Jillian, his daughter; and Kelly, my Lapran bond friend.” Rodney pointed them out in turn.
Chuck and Evan both bowed slightly, having watched Rodney greet people before.
Jillian grinned and came forward to cup their faces with both of their hands. “It’s good to finally meet you both,” she told them with a smile. “I’m happy for you and for them, Rodney-kun, that you have all found happiness.”
“Thank you, Jillian,” he replied, comforted by her words. “She’s happy for us,” he told Chuck and Evan and they smiled at her in return.
“People aren’t going to be happy about this,” Kirby told Rodney tightly.
“If they don’t like it, they can suck lemons,” Rodney told him. “None of us entered this decision lightly and the gods know our intentions are pure. And there’s no way we’re going to give each other up.”
“You always did want to do things your own way,” Kelly commented, a small smile forcing its way through his solemn demeanor. “It’s going to be hard, though, when everyone else finds out.”
“I know. But I honestly can’t change what I feel for them and I don’t want to.”
“We’d better get back out into the common area,” Kelly decided pragmatically. “Everyone was curious before and I’m sure that coming in here only added fuel to the fire.” He looked at Kirby when he said that.
Kirby nodded ruefully. “You’re right. It would be unwise to remain in here much longer. I honestly am not sure how to approach this, Rodney-kun. I still consider you my son and heir, but this goes against so many things I believe.”
“But doesn’t it also fulfill the picture you’ve been taught about the gods?” Rodney asked. “They worked together as a perfectly cohesive unit – self, bond friend, and mate. Each of those things was represented equally in each person and each person was all three things equally to the others.”
Kirby nodded. “You’ve given me something to think about. I believe I’m going to meditate on it for a while.”
Kelly, Jillian, and Rodney nodded before heading out, Chuck and Evan quietly following behind. Once outside, Jillian set about getting lunch together for Rodney, Chuck, and Evan. Kelly took his leave and went to talk to some of the other Laprans who were still out.
As they waited for their food, Evan asked, “So, how did that go?”
“Okay, I think,” Rodney replied with a half-shrug. “They’re not going to exile me or anything – which is good.”
“Why would they exile you?” Chuck asked.
“What the three of us have isn’t normal and is practically considered one of the deadly sins. It’s understandable to an extent, considering the constraints placed on the tribe because of their population size. They don’t have the time or wiggle room for people to have a relationship like the three of us do – or even like two of us do.”
“‘Wiggle room’?” Evan asked with a hint of a smile. “Is that a scientific term?”
“Very scientific,” Rodney replied seriously with a returned smile.
“So, what exactly is going on now?”
“Well, we’re going to eat and then the other Laprans in the borough will come over to meet you two officially. I’m sure that many of them will react a lot like Kirby – they’re not going to be happy about it. Kirby, I know, will come around, even if it takes him a little while – he just needs to work through it. And I’m not going to pretend it won’t hurt if the others don’t accept the two of you, but I’m going to do my best to not dwell on it. I know how lucky I am to have one of you, let alone both of you and anyone who can’t understand that Atlantean ways aren’t exactly Lapran ways can go suck it. I’m sure most of them will ultimately understand too, in the long run, because they understand how lucky it is to find someone.”
Both Chuck and Evan nodded. “Just don’t shut us out,” Evan told him. “The three of us are in this for the long haul and we want to help you through this if you need it.”
“I wish we could speak Lapran,” Chuck told him. “That way we could show them that we’re taking this seriously, and also, when we get fluent enough, we’d be able to help you defend yourself and your decision.”
“Think about it and if you really are serious about it, let me know later,” Rodney replied as Jillian started dishing out their food. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask if you wanted me to teach you before. I’m sure it would have made it easier to understand me sometimes.”
“We got through it,” Evan replied with a smile as he accepted the plate of food from Jillian and thanked her. She looked at Rodney, who translated, and she smiled at Evan.
As Rodney had predicted, once they had finished eating, other Laprans began coming over before heading back to their trades. Rodney introduced Chuck and Evan over and over again and continually received the same response when he explained their relationship. Most of the Laprans gave Chuck and Evan dark looks and told Rodney that he had a lot to work through, if he was going to get back on the gods’ good side. Jaelyn’s family, on the other hand, completely accepted Evan and Chuck and touched them both on the cheek with one hand.
“We’ll do what we can to help you and your bond friends at least be recognized among the rest of the tribe,” Jessica told him.
“Thank you,” Rodney replied. “That means a lot to me.”
“After the way you cared for Jaelyn, it’s the least we can do to repay you,” Keith told him.
Kelly came over and sat down with them as the others left. “Did you want to get some staff practice in?” he asked.
“Yes, but not right now,” Rodney replied, suddenly yawning. “It’s been a long day with the window coming in the middle of the night. Let me take a nap for a couple of hours and we can do it after dinner.”
Kelly nodded. “And have Chuck and Evan come too, if they want.”
Rodney nodded. “I’ll pass it along. You’d better get back to work.”
Kelly rolled his eyes and made a face, but then left with a smile. Rodney watched him go, glad that things were okay between them for the moment, but he was sure he’d hear about it during practice.
“Let’s go get some sleep,” he told Chuck and Evan, seeing that they were starting to droop too, as he stood.
They followed him into his quarters and the three of them were quiet so they didn’t disturb Kirby’s meditation as Rodney set up some blankets and pillows for Chuck and Evan by his cot. Chuck and Evan were careful to make sure that they weren’t actually sleeping together.
When Rodney gave them a weird look, Evan said, “Cardinal rule – don’t piss off the natives. We’ve given them enough to work their minds around. We don’t need them to see Chuck and I sleeping together, especially when you’re on your cot. That would raise more questions than we probably want to answer. At least this way, it’ll be easier to say that we’re just trying to respect local customs, since they don’t recognize our relationship. Besides, it’s only fair – if you’re not sleeping with us, we shouldn’t be sleeping with each other.”
“What do you mean, fair? You know two of us sleep together in the literal sense if the third’s off-world. They don’t recognize us yet, anyway,” Rodney told them. “But by the time we leave, I want us to be recognized. Not for me, but for the two of you. It’ll mean a lot more if you’re recognized. For one, you’ll have some place to go if things ever get really bad in Atlantis and you can’t go back to Earth.”
Chuck knocked on the wood of the cot’s frame. “Let’s get some sleep and hopefully by this evening, the dust will have had a chance to settle and we’ll be able to get a more accurate idea of what’s going on.”
The three men bedded down and Rodney knew that by that evening, the rest of the Laprans would know about the three of them and the real status of their relationship. Even though he was physically tired and suddenly emotionally drained from everything that had happened so far that day, it still took Rodney a while for his brain to slow down enough that he could fall asleep. He was worried that too many of the Laprans wouldn’t accept them and would exile them completely from Lapras. He knew that there was a slim chance that would happen, given the amount of times someone had been exiled completely, but he didn’t exactly know how strongly they would feel about his relationship with Chuck and Evan.
When Rodney woke up, Chuck and Evan were already up, their bedding had been put away, and they were eating. Rodney sat up and stretched as Jillian handed him a plate.
“What’s it like out there?” Rodney asked before he started eating.
Jillian shrugged. “I don’t really know. Everyone seems to be pretty quiet about it. I think they’re having a hard time figuring out what to think. Obviously, anything outside of what we’re supposed to do is *really* bad, but they know you and most of them have met and worked with either Chuck or Evan, or both of them, throughout everything with the Korsans. And our kinsmen don’t know what to think, considering that you and they aren’t bad people and that nothing bad has happened because of your relationship.”
Rodney nodded as he ate. “After we eat,” he said to Evan and Chuck, “I want to go out and see what’s going on – both in the sense of how everyone’s holding up after what went down with the Korsans and also how they feel about my revelation.”
“What do you want us to do?” Evan asked after swallowing the last bite of a nut and fruit leaf.
“Come with me. You both have every right to know how my other kinsmen are doing since you helped save their asses and they need to get to know you both, since you’re my lovers and you’re not going anywhere.”
“Damn straight,” Chuck replied under his breath before he ate the last bite of meat on his plate.
Rodney happened to catch Jillian watching them with a faintly amused smile on her lips before she turned back to cleaning up her cooking utensils. “What?” he asked her with a slight chuckle.
“Nothing,” she replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“No, I know that look – it’s something.”
“It’s easy to see that the three of you love each other,” she told him. When he started to sputter, she added, “It’s in the eyes and the voice. Don’t worry about everyone else – they’ll come around.”
“I wish I still had your optimism, but I think I’ve seen too much of human nature.”
“Sometimes I think you think too hard. They’re your people too, Rodney-kun, and they love you. They just want what’s best for you and I’m sure that when they see you with your men, they’ll realize that you are happy and have two good men who love you.”
“I hope you’re right.”
She looked a little smug, but didn’t say anything more as she finished up. “I’m going for a walk with Kelly, if you need me.”
“How are things going with him?” Rodney asked, happy for both of them.
Jillian grinned. “Amazing. And we have you to thank for that. Even Father’s happy about it.”
“Good,” Rodney replied, wanting to know how exactly he was responsible for the two of them, before wincing. “Did he say anything about me?”
“No,” Jillian replied as she shook her head. “I think he’s taking a vow of silence for the time being, but other than that, I have no idea what’s going on.” She stared at Rodney critically for a moment. “You might want to consider that for the rest of tonight too, just so people can see that you’re not running amuck with our traditions.”
“I’ll do it tomorrow. They’ll want answers and it’ll be better if I answer them tonight.”
“It’s up to you,” she told him as she stood. “We’ll see you out there. And if you need any support, you know where to find us.”
“Everything okay?” Chuck asked.
“Yeah, fine,” Rodney replied. “Just trying to get a few things straight for what we might be up against, but I still don’t really know. If I’m quiet tomorrow, don’t worry about it – it’s a normal thing here.”
Evan nodded. “We’ve noticed that from time to time.” He grinned. “And we’re pretty used to it by now, since you’ve been doing it pretty regularly since you got back.”
Rodney took a deep breath and let it out slowly while intently studying his quarters’ curtain. “Okay. Let’s go out there and see what’s going on.”
When they exited, Rodney saw that Kirby was quietly talking with a patient, Kelly and Jillian were walking around the perimeter of the common area, and several families – including Keith and Jessica’s – were out socializing. He had to give them credit for not going completely quiet, but he did notice the noise level receded.
Keith and Jessica were the first to approach them. “Thank you again for what you’ve done for us, Rodney-san,” Jessica told him before touching his cheeks with both of her hands. She then repeated the gesture on Chuck and Evan. “Let us know if you need anything.”
“You’ve made us very proud,” Keith told him, also touching him on the cheeks. “I hope these young men know how special you are.”
Rodney blushed. “They do. At least I’m pretty sure they do. Thank you both.”
They nodded as they moved away to talk to another family. Rodney sat down and Chuck and Evan followed his lead, giving him quizzical looks as he pulled out some dice.
“I thought we were going to be seeing people,” Chuck said.
“We are,” Rodney replied. “We’re using the tactic of letting them come to us – I want this whole thing to be as non-confrontational as possible. Believe me, now that Keith and Jessica have made the first move and we’re acting like nothing out of the ordinary’s going on, they’ll come over – even if just out of curiosity. What game do you guys want to play?”
As they settled into playing a game, other Laprans came over as Rodney had predicted – even Laprans from other boroughs. Some just wanted to thank the three of them for what they did during the ‘Korsan situation’, as it had been dubbed, and Rodney couldn’t tell what their feelings were about the three of them. There were a few who came over to express their disapproval of them – which Rodney had expected. Rodney tried to explain the differences in Lapran and Atlantean culture, but he wasn’t sure if he really got through to most of them. A few of the opposition that he talked with he could tell were definitely thinking about it, trying to reconcile that someone who believed the same as they could behave so differently and still consider the deviant behavior to fit in with what they believed. And, while they were still a minority, there were more than he expected who accepted them completely and were happy for them.
Kelly and Jillian joined Rodney, Chuck, and Evan for their second game of dice. Chuck and Evan looked a bit surprised by this move, but Rodney easily welcomed them into the game.
As they began to play, Kelly said, “We wanted to get to know your bond friends better.”
Rodney’s gaze flicked to Chuck and Evan before replying, “Okay. What did you want to know?”
“All the usual things,” Jillian replied. “Where they come from, who their families are, what they do for a living, what they like to do in their free time, and on and on.”
“Is this a quiz for me or them?” Rodney asked, furrowing his brow and he noticed that Chuck and Evan had paused in passing the dice and were looking between the three of them, confused.
“Let’s go with you first to save some time, then we can ask them things,” Kelly told him.
“All right,” Rodney replied, letting out a slow breath as he thought about everything he knew about Evan and Chuck. “Chuck originally comes from a large family in Toronto, Canada, where he has two brothers and three sisters and they’re all fairly close, but Chuck hasn’t had much contact with them since he moved to Atlantis. He works in the Gate Room, to help monitor the activity going through the Gate.”
“Your Ring is inside your city?” Jillian interrupted in disbelief. “And it’s busy enough that it needs to be watched at all times?”
“I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s that busy,” Rodney told her. “But we have had a few times when unsavory people tried to get in and we figured out a way to keep them out.” Continuing, he added, “In his free time, Chuck likes to read, play hockey, and watch movies.” Rodney knew that the cultural activities would probably be lost on Kelly and Jillian, depending on how much they remembered from when he had explained them to them.
“Evan comes from a smaller family in the United States that he hasn’t talked about a whole lot. I know he’s got a sister and two nephews, but other than that,” Rodney shrugged, “I don’t know. I never seemed to find a right time to ask about the rest of his family and he never volunteered the information, but he seems content on Atlantis, so I don’t know where things are for him and his family. Evan is John’s second in command on Atlantis, which means he’s usually pretty busy, but he still has enough time for us. Evan likes to draw and paint in his free time and he’s really quite talented at it, yet still very modest.”
As Jillian and Kelly took some time to absorb the information Rodney had given them, Chuck asked, “What was that all about?”
Rodney shrugged one shoulder. “They wanted to know more about the two of you, so I told them a little bit. Don’t worry, I didn’t say anything either of you would mind me saying in public. They’ll probably want to ask you questions directly now, though.”
Both Chuck and Evan nodded and Kelly and Jillian took that sign of assent and ran with it. Through Rodney, they asked all sorts of questions – what sorts of things Evan liked to draw, what sorts of movies Chuck liked more, favorite foods, what they liked about living in a city that had a room big enough for a Gate, what other places they had traveled to, and what they thought of Lapras.
Chuck blushed at that question and Evan laughed at him before replying, through Rodney, “I like it here. You all seem very friendly and the fact that you put up with Rodney for so long has to count for something. But I haven’t seen enough of the normal side to really determine what I think.”
Chuck, not surprisingly, agreed with Evan as they finished the game.
“Feel like sparring?” Kelly asked as he stood.
“Definitely,” Rodney replied as he also stood. “Would you two like to come spar with Kelly and me?” he asked Evan and Chuck.
“Is it allowed?” Evan asked.
“I wouldn’t have invited you if it wasn’t,” Rodney replied. “And staffs aren’t an issue – you can both borrow some of the training ones.”
Jillian quietly broke away from the men after inviting Kelly over for dinner. Rodney and Kelly got their staffs and Kelly retrieved two training staffs for Chuck and Evan. The four men made their way down to the sparring cave where Rodney wasn’t sure if he should be concerned that he was relieved when they found the cave was empty. Chuck and Evan both looked unsure once they were down there and a bit out of their element.
“Don’t worry,” Rodney told them. “We’ll go easy on you and it really isn’t that hard.”
“Easier than Ronon?” Evan asked dubiously.
Rodney chuckled, knowing Evan “trained” with him regularly. “Much. And also easier than Teyla with her bantos sticks,” he told Chuck.
“She’s surprisingly evil with those things,” Chuck commented.
Rodney shrugged. “It’s all in a matter of perspective – we all know they both learned their skills out of sheer necessity. Not that we – and especially Evan – didn’t, but for them it literally was a life or death situation; not needing them was never an option.”
“And what about here?” Evan asked. “You said that their staff training was more ceremonial than practical.”
“Well, before I decided to shake things up, it was. I’m sure that at some point it might have been a necessary skill, otherwise it seems really arbitrary that they would know how to do it, much less pass it down through the generations. I think that from here on, it’ll start becoming more practical again, at least for a little while until the Laprans figure out where to go from here and how they want to do things. I think I threw a pretty big wrench into their worldview.”
“Are we going to get started or are we going to gab all night?” Kelly asked.
“We’re coming, we’re coming,” Rodney told him. “Kelly and I will start and then we’ll go from there with the two of you,” he told Chuck and Evan – who nodded.
As they started sparring, Rodney realized their fighting was much dirtier and useful than the careful and specific sparring they used to do before he left and it pleased him.
“You’ve really shaken things up, you know,” Kelly told him.
“How?” Rodney asked, wanting to know if Kelly meant in relation to the Korsans or Rodney’s relationship with Evan and Chuck.
“With everything. And I don’t know if it’s good or bad that you’ve done it, but I think it’s something that’s been needed for a long time. The elders are going to have a lot to discuss for a while as we figure out how to reconcile the events with the Korsans with what we believe and what the will of the gods is for us now. While we’ve hoped for a long time, we never thought we’d actually see the day that the Korsans would be stopped.”
“You’ve still got a ways to go there, though,” Rodney added. “It’s going to take a while for everything to settle again and for your peoples to iron things out and become real friends and trading partners.”
“I know. And I think it’s a really good thing – maybe even a great thing. I think you’ve been really good for us, Rodney-chan, no matter that some people are saying how we shouldn’t have fought back against the Korans or how what you’re doing with Chuck and Evan is wrong.”
Rodney grimaced as he blocked one of Kelly’s thrusts. “It’ll take time for them to realize how good things will be now that the threat of the Korsans won’t be overshadowing the tenth-month festival, but they’ll get there. And as for Evan, Chuck, and I – I’ll admit that it hurts that they don’t accept our relationship, but I understand why. It’s much more fundamental than the fight against the Korsans, but I can’t see my life without them.”
Kelly nodded as they finished. “I know what you mean – I feel the same way about Jillian and you have no idea how ecstatic I was when I found out we were a match.”
“And I’m really happy for both of you – I know you’ll both make a great couple and great parents.” He smirked. “But enough of that – what do you say to putting my lovers through their paces?”
Kelly returned the look. “I’d love to.”
As the foursome head back to their borough a while later, they were all sweaty and tired but happy and relaxed. Before they entered, Kelly stopped them and said to Rodney, “I don’t know how you feel about this, but I would like to give the three of you a binding ceremony. They are your bond friends now, regardless of what anyone says and Jillian and I would like them to be recognized that way.”
“What about Kirby?” Rodney asked, slightly shocked at Kelly’s offer.
“He’s,” Kelly stopped for a moment to think. When he resumed, it sounded like he was reciting what Kirby had told him. “He realizes that even though you are his adopted son, you are fundamentally not a Lapran and will not be living out your life here, so he shouldn’t force our ideals on you and that he would rather see you happy than conform to something that would have no real bearing on your day-to-day life. But talk it over with your friends and if they agree, we can do it the day after tomorrow.”
“What do you think the other Laprans will say?” Rodney asked, concerned.
“If they don’t like it, how did you say it? ‘They can suck lemons’.”
Rodney laughed. “Kelly wants to have a binding ceremony for the three of us,” he told Chuck and Evan.
“Didn’t we already have one?” Chuck asked.
“We did, but this would make it official.”
“What do you think?” Evan asked.
“I think we should do it,” Rodney told them. “Not for me to throw it in the other Laprans’ faces, because I’m not – but for you two. This way, something happens on Atlantis or to me and you have to leave and Earth isn’t an option, you’ll have somewhere to go. As my bond friends, you’ll be considered family. And I’ll admit that I’m shallow enough that I want this sort of recognition.”
“I’m willing to do it,” Evan told him.
“So am I,” Chuck added.
“Okay,” Rodney nodded with a bob of his head. “The ceremony will be the day after tomorrow, since we’ll need tomorrow to prepare. Which means we’ll miss the window and have to spend an extra few days here.”
“I think I can deal with an extra few vacation days,” Chuck told him.
“We’ll do it,” Rodney told Kelly and Kelly grinned.
“What will we need to do to prepare?” Evan asked.
“We’ll need to take a couple of baths – one in the morning and one in the evening, then one again before the ceremony. And we’ll have to be quiet the whole day. This is to ensure that we think about what we’re getting into and to make sure that we’re doing it with the best of intentions.”
“That sounds easy enough,” Chuck said. With a glint in his eye, he asked, “Do we have to be sequestered for the whole day too?”
Rodney gave him a disapproving look. “No. We actually have to be out in public as much as possible so everyone else can see that we’re taking this seriously.”
“Well, I don’t know about the two of you, but I’d like to take a bath now,” Evan replied before yawning.
“You can do it in the morning,” Rodney replied, prodding him in the shoulder to get him moving again.
Kirby was sitting outside their quarters when they returned and Rodney said to him, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Rodney-kun,” Kirby replied with a nod. “You’d better go get ready for bed – the next couple of days are going to be busy.”
Rodney went inside and found Jillian helping Chuck and Evan set up their bedding.
“If the three of you are together, why do they refuse to sleep together?” Jillian asked him.
“Out of respect,” he told her. “We’re not officially bonded or anything, so we’re trying to behave.”
She nodded. “I can see the reason in that. Good night.” She headed over to her cot to get ready for bed herself.
“Is everything okay?” Evan asked.
“Yeah,” Rodney replied. “She just wanted to know why we weren’t sleeping together if we’re together.”
The next day went by in a blur. Rodney fell into the silent mode as if he was pulling on a second skin. He could tell it was harder for Evan and Chuck to keep silent, but he gave them a lot of credit for doing incredibly well their first time. And he could tell that the silence was wearing on them and that he might be answering a few questions once they finished.
The day after, they got up and bathed again before putting on clean clothes. When they gathered in the common area for the ceremony, Rodney was surprised to see the people there. Kelly was going to perform the ceremony. Jillian and Kirby were standing for Rodney and Keith, Jessica, and the rest of their family came over to stand for Chuck and Evan. There were also a number of other Laprans who had stayed to watch.
Kelly had Rodney, Chuck, and Evan stand in front of him and the witnesses formed a semi-circle behind them. “We are here today to bind together Rodney, son of Lapras and Atlantis, and Chuck and Evan of Atlantis, in friendship. This ceremony is to recognize their committed friendship to each other and their desire to support each other in ways that a wife cannot,” he began and Rodney translated for him. Turning to Rodney, Kelly said, “Rodney, do you promise to support Chuck and Evan to the best of your abilities in all areas of their lives, to help them through the tough times and celebrate their joys?”
“I do,” Rodney replied with a nod as he glanced between Chuck and Evan.
Kelly repeated the process with both Chuck and Evan, with Rodney translating. Both men nodded as they replied, “I do.”
“As is our tradition, a pair that has bonded symbolically shows it by wearing an earring cuff and these are supplied by the families. Considering your different culture, we have decided instead for you to show your status with a different piece of jewelry.” Looking at Jillian, Kelly asked, “Do you have them?”
“I do,” she replied and presented each of the three men with a braided leather thong that had a piece of multicolored glass in a circle on it. Rodney examined his and saw that the colors melded into each other, so it was impossible to see where one ended and the next began.
Kelly nodded and Rodney took Evan’s and tied the leather around his neck before doing the same to Chuck. They both looked at each other before working together to fasten Rodney’s around his neck. Rodney saw that the thong was long enough that they’d be able to tuck the necklaces under their shirts.
“By your intentions and your words, you are now bonded friends,” Kelly pronounced with a smile. “May it be so for the rest of your lives and may you thrive in each other’s company.” Rodney grinned and so did Chuck and Evan once he had translated.
“But we have one more matter to attend to,” Kelly continued and Rodney looked at him quizzically. “Not only have these three men decided to bind themselves together as friends, but they’ve also taken it upon themselves to journey together as mates.” Kelly looked at each of them sternly. “This is no easy task – for anyone, much less those who have decided that their needs are best met along a different path than most. But those that undertake such a path, if they persevere, find their lives have been deeply enriched. Rodney, do you promise to forsake all others and live your life with the sole intention of committing yourself whole-heartedly to Chuck and Evan?”
Rodney gaped at him for a moment, blindsided by what Kelly was doing. “I do,” he finally managed to get out.
Kelly repeated the question for both Chuck and Evan – both of whom also looked shocked as Rodney translated, but managed to answer with a bit more ease. “With their agreement,” Kelly finished, “they have committed themselves to each other for the rest of their lives. May they find much happiness and enjoyment in it.”
As Rodney looked around, there were smiles all around from the families that were witnessing for them, and from most of the Laprans that had gathered to watch. He felt a surprising sense of relief wash through him that the world hadn’t ended – mixed with a heady rush at the realization that among one of his peoples, he was *married*.
“Are you okay?” Chuck asked quietly in his ear as the group started to disperse.
“Yeah,” Rodney replied. “Just taking it all in.”
Chuck laughed. “We’d better get moving, though. I think I’m beginning to recognize the words for food and feast.”
“We’ll go in a minute,” Evan told them, drawing both of them close to him. “First, I think it’s customary for the newlyweds to kiss.”
Rodney couldn’t help but grin as Evan first kissed Chuck, then him, chastely on the lips and he and Chuck repeated the action. This was definitely a day to remember.
Continue to Part 36
The complete header can be found in part 1.
Previous parts can be found here.
Rodney breathed a sigh of relief when the wormhole closed behind the Atlanteans and he started dialing the Gate for the Morykons.
Once the negotiations between the Korsans and the Laprans had concluded, the Laprans settled back into their boroughs and routines. The Korsan delegation had spent the rest of the time until the next window opened up getting to know the Laprans in general. Rodney knew that it has been stressful for everyone, but he could tell that, by the end of it, tensions were starting to ease a little.
Once the negotiations were over, Elizabeth decided that even though the Laprans had extended an invitation to all of the Atlanteans to stay for a few days to relax, there was no good reason for her to stay on Lapras, so she went back to Atlantis. The rest of John’s team, and Evan’s team, minus their leader, went back as well, since there was no reason for them to stay either. At least the Laprans had completely understood the necessity of dealing with one’s duties.
Rodney, Chuck, and Evan stayed on Lapras, at the invitation of Kelly, and at Jillian and Kirby’s insistence. Rodney had given Elizabeth the reason that he wanted to make sure that the Laprans were settling back in all right. He was able to keep Chuck and Evan by admitting that the Laprans wanted to honor them, but was intentionally vague on the details. The Laprans actually wanted a chance to meet Rodney’s bond friend and Rodney suspected they wanted to give them a proper ceremony. He wondered what they would think when they found out that both Chuck and Evan were his bond friends, let alone also his lovers. Elizabeth had agreed – but had made the three men swear that they would only stay as long as necessary, considering they all had duties waiting for them on Atlantis.
The Gate whooshed open and Rodney grinned. It had worked. He made a quick visit to the Morykons to tell them what had happened before repeating the process with the Nagdalis. Both tribes were ecstatic over the outcome. When Rodney finally got back to Lapras, it was just in time to escape the sandstorm.
He met Chuck and Evan in the tunnel and the three of them walked companionably back to the village, having a leisurely break at the half-way point that included a few quick kisses.
“Whatever’s going on, Rodney, you’ll be fine,” Evan told him as they entered the caves.
“So you say,” Rodney replied, looking around to see if Kelly was in the yak pen before stopping. “You’re not the one bringing the bond friends home to meet the family.”
“It’s not like we’re some punk kids,” Chuck said with a smile. “We’re good, upstanding citizens that any mother would love for her son to be bond friends with.”
Rodney couldn’t help but laugh at that. “That’s not quite the image I was working with, but thanks for that.”
“Will it be that big of a deal?” Evan asked, turning serious.
“Maybe?” Rodney replied. “I don’t really know. It’s not like this has actually come up before – at least not to my knowledge.”
“We’ll get through it, okay?” Chuck told him, squeezing Rodney’s shoulder and kissing his temple. “Whatever happens, we’ll still love you.”
“I know,” Rodney replied with a nod. “And I love you guys too. It’s just that –” he let out a puff of air, “this is the closest thing I’ve had to an actual family-type situation and I don’t want to screw it up.”
“We know,” Evan told him before glancing at the entrance to the village. “We’d better get back in there because the longer we stay out here, the less responsible I’ll be for my actions. They know how long all of this takes and if we’re gone for too long, they may send out a search party. And I don’t think you want them finding out about us that way, do you?”
Rodney snorted. “Not in the least. But we will find time later, I promise.”
Chuck stopped him and asked, “How much are you going to tell them about us?”
“How much do you want me to tell them?” Rodney asked him.
Chuck shrugged. “I don’t know. But if they’re going to know about the three of us being bond friends, you might as well tell them about us being together too.”
“Okay,” Rodney said. “Is that okay with you, Evan?” he asked, knowing that the military regulations didn’t cover this situation, but he wanted to make sure Evan was comfortable with it regardless.
Evan nodded. “They seem like good people and if you feel comfortable doing it, I’ll support you telling them.”
Rodney nodded. “I’m going to play it by ear and see how things go. So, depending on how they take the three of us being bound, I’ll go from there in telling them exactly how closely we’re bound.”
Chuck smirked. “You’ve been waiting for a while to use that, haven’t you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Rodney replied loftily as they headed for the village proper. “Just remember –”
“No touching unless absolutely necessary,” Chuck and Evan chorused and Rodney was fairly certain he saw an evil glint in their eyes and knew they would try to take that rule to its limit.
When they entered the borough, Rodney wasn’t surprised to find Kelly, Kirby, and Jillian waiting for him outside his family’s quarters. He carefully scanned the rest of the commons area and saw that most of the rest of the borough’s inhabitants were there, eating lunch and, no doubt, hoping to catch at least some of Rodney’s introduction of Atlantean his bond friend to his Lapran family.
Kirby, Jillian, and Kelly stood as Rodney approached with Chuck on his left and Evan on his right. As they stopped, Rodney was aware of Evan easily going to parade rest, as if he was waiting for a military inspection, and Chuck fidgeting for a second before leaving his hands at his sides.
Rodney paused for a moment, not exactly sure how to present them. He didn’t think anyone outside of Lapras had ever been introduced as a bond friend. He knew that some of the other tribes had a fairly similar equivalent, but it still wasn’t the same. “I would like to introduce my bond friends, Chuck and Evan of Atlantis,” he finally said, pointing to each of them in turn.
Jillian’s eyes widened, Kelly’s expression remained carefully disinterested, and Rodney could hear the level of noise in the common area drop ever so slightly so more people could listen.
“Two, Rodney-kun?” Kirby asked, brow furrowing. “Isn’t that a bit… excessive?”
“Well, we always did know that Rodney-chan was a handful,” Kelly replied calmly. “Maybe it takes two Atlanteans to do the job.” He raised an eyebrow in question.
Rodney bit his lip and let out a slow breath through his nose before replying. “I don’t appreciate that comment, Kelly,” he told him as evenly as he could manage. “The fact that I have two bond friends has nothing to do with how well I need to be ‘handled’. I honestly thought more of you and that you knew me better than that.”
Kelly bowed his head in acquiescence as Rodney decided to lay everything out and in the open all at once and continued, “And not only are they my bond friends, but they’re also my partners.”
At that, everything stopped for a second. “I think we need to talk about this in our quarters,” Kirby said and entered his quarters, Jillian and Kelly following.
“Well, that went over well,” Chuck commented quietly. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going inside to talk,” Rodney replied. “Come on.”
After the curtain closed behind Rodney, Kirby angrily asked, “What in the name of the gods are you doing, Rondey-kun? Are you trying to throw everything you’ve learned here in our faces?”
“You know I’d never do that,” Rodney replied softly. “It’s just that this just sort of happened. On Atlantis, things are different – there isn’t the need for such physical rigidity and stringent family planning. Also, I was trying to uphold what you had taught me. The only way I could be fair to both of them, and have them be fair to each other, was to make us all bond friends. After that,” Rodney sighed and shrugged helplessly, “things went differently than any of us had expected. And I did try to not have these feelings, but that wasn’t to be.”
After a moment’s silence, Jillian asked, “Are you happy, Rodney-kun?”
“I am,” he told her.
“And are your bond friends happy?”
“They are,” he replied with a nod.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us to them?”
Rodney let out a soft chuckle. Jillian was forever going to be the practical one. “Jillian wants me to make sure I formally introduce them to you guys,” Rodney told Chuck and Evan. “This is Kirby, my Lapran ‘father’ of sorts and mentor; Jillian, his daughter; and Kelly, my Lapran bond friend.” Rodney pointed them out in turn.
Chuck and Evan both bowed slightly, having watched Rodney greet people before.
Jillian grinned and came forward to cup their faces with both of their hands. “It’s good to finally meet you both,” she told them with a smile. “I’m happy for you and for them, Rodney-kun, that you have all found happiness.”
“Thank you, Jillian,” he replied, comforted by her words. “She’s happy for us,” he told Chuck and Evan and they smiled at her in return.
“People aren’t going to be happy about this,” Kirby told Rodney tightly.
“If they don’t like it, they can suck lemons,” Rodney told him. “None of us entered this decision lightly and the gods know our intentions are pure. And there’s no way we’re going to give each other up.”
“You always did want to do things your own way,” Kelly commented, a small smile forcing its way through his solemn demeanor. “It’s going to be hard, though, when everyone else finds out.”
“I know. But I honestly can’t change what I feel for them and I don’t want to.”
“We’d better get back out into the common area,” Kelly decided pragmatically. “Everyone was curious before and I’m sure that coming in here only added fuel to the fire.” He looked at Kirby when he said that.
Kirby nodded ruefully. “You’re right. It would be unwise to remain in here much longer. I honestly am not sure how to approach this, Rodney-kun. I still consider you my son and heir, but this goes against so many things I believe.”
“But doesn’t it also fulfill the picture you’ve been taught about the gods?” Rodney asked. “They worked together as a perfectly cohesive unit – self, bond friend, and mate. Each of those things was represented equally in each person and each person was all three things equally to the others.”
Kirby nodded. “You’ve given me something to think about. I believe I’m going to meditate on it for a while.”
Kelly, Jillian, and Rodney nodded before heading out, Chuck and Evan quietly following behind. Once outside, Jillian set about getting lunch together for Rodney, Chuck, and Evan. Kelly took his leave and went to talk to some of the other Laprans who were still out.
As they waited for their food, Evan asked, “So, how did that go?”
“Okay, I think,” Rodney replied with a half-shrug. “They’re not going to exile me or anything – which is good.”
“Why would they exile you?” Chuck asked.
“What the three of us have isn’t normal and is practically considered one of the deadly sins. It’s understandable to an extent, considering the constraints placed on the tribe because of their population size. They don’t have the time or wiggle room for people to have a relationship like the three of us do – or even like two of us do.”
“‘Wiggle room’?” Evan asked with a hint of a smile. “Is that a scientific term?”
“Very scientific,” Rodney replied seriously with a returned smile.
“So, what exactly is going on now?”
“Well, we’re going to eat and then the other Laprans in the borough will come over to meet you two officially. I’m sure that many of them will react a lot like Kirby – they’re not going to be happy about it. Kirby, I know, will come around, even if it takes him a little while – he just needs to work through it. And I’m not going to pretend it won’t hurt if the others don’t accept the two of you, but I’m going to do my best to not dwell on it. I know how lucky I am to have one of you, let alone both of you and anyone who can’t understand that Atlantean ways aren’t exactly Lapran ways can go suck it. I’m sure most of them will ultimately understand too, in the long run, because they understand how lucky it is to find someone.”
Both Chuck and Evan nodded. “Just don’t shut us out,” Evan told him. “The three of us are in this for the long haul and we want to help you through this if you need it.”
“I wish we could speak Lapran,” Chuck told him. “That way we could show them that we’re taking this seriously, and also, when we get fluent enough, we’d be able to help you defend yourself and your decision.”
“Think about it and if you really are serious about it, let me know later,” Rodney replied as Jillian started dishing out their food. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask if you wanted me to teach you before. I’m sure it would have made it easier to understand me sometimes.”
“We got through it,” Evan replied with a smile as he accepted the plate of food from Jillian and thanked her. She looked at Rodney, who translated, and she smiled at Evan.
As Rodney had predicted, once they had finished eating, other Laprans began coming over before heading back to their trades. Rodney introduced Chuck and Evan over and over again and continually received the same response when he explained their relationship. Most of the Laprans gave Chuck and Evan dark looks and told Rodney that he had a lot to work through, if he was going to get back on the gods’ good side. Jaelyn’s family, on the other hand, completely accepted Evan and Chuck and touched them both on the cheek with one hand.
“We’ll do what we can to help you and your bond friends at least be recognized among the rest of the tribe,” Jessica told him.
“Thank you,” Rodney replied. “That means a lot to me.”
“After the way you cared for Jaelyn, it’s the least we can do to repay you,” Keith told him.
Kelly came over and sat down with them as the others left. “Did you want to get some staff practice in?” he asked.
“Yes, but not right now,” Rodney replied, suddenly yawning. “It’s been a long day with the window coming in the middle of the night. Let me take a nap for a couple of hours and we can do it after dinner.”
Kelly nodded. “And have Chuck and Evan come too, if they want.”
Rodney nodded. “I’ll pass it along. You’d better get back to work.”
Kelly rolled his eyes and made a face, but then left with a smile. Rodney watched him go, glad that things were okay between them for the moment, but he was sure he’d hear about it during practice.
“Let’s go get some sleep,” he told Chuck and Evan, seeing that they were starting to droop too, as he stood.
They followed him into his quarters and the three of them were quiet so they didn’t disturb Kirby’s meditation as Rodney set up some blankets and pillows for Chuck and Evan by his cot. Chuck and Evan were careful to make sure that they weren’t actually sleeping together.
When Rodney gave them a weird look, Evan said, “Cardinal rule – don’t piss off the natives. We’ve given them enough to work their minds around. We don’t need them to see Chuck and I sleeping together, especially when you’re on your cot. That would raise more questions than we probably want to answer. At least this way, it’ll be easier to say that we’re just trying to respect local customs, since they don’t recognize our relationship. Besides, it’s only fair – if you’re not sleeping with us, we shouldn’t be sleeping with each other.”
“What do you mean, fair? You know two of us sleep together in the literal sense if the third’s off-world. They don’t recognize us yet, anyway,” Rodney told them. “But by the time we leave, I want us to be recognized. Not for me, but for the two of you. It’ll mean a lot more if you’re recognized. For one, you’ll have some place to go if things ever get really bad in Atlantis and you can’t go back to Earth.”
Chuck knocked on the wood of the cot’s frame. “Let’s get some sleep and hopefully by this evening, the dust will have had a chance to settle and we’ll be able to get a more accurate idea of what’s going on.”
The three men bedded down and Rodney knew that by that evening, the rest of the Laprans would know about the three of them and the real status of their relationship. Even though he was physically tired and suddenly emotionally drained from everything that had happened so far that day, it still took Rodney a while for his brain to slow down enough that he could fall asleep. He was worried that too many of the Laprans wouldn’t accept them and would exile them completely from Lapras. He knew that there was a slim chance that would happen, given the amount of times someone had been exiled completely, but he didn’t exactly know how strongly they would feel about his relationship with Chuck and Evan.
When Rodney woke up, Chuck and Evan were already up, their bedding had been put away, and they were eating. Rodney sat up and stretched as Jillian handed him a plate.
“What’s it like out there?” Rodney asked before he started eating.
Jillian shrugged. “I don’t really know. Everyone seems to be pretty quiet about it. I think they’re having a hard time figuring out what to think. Obviously, anything outside of what we’re supposed to do is *really* bad, but they know you and most of them have met and worked with either Chuck or Evan, or both of them, throughout everything with the Korsans. And our kinsmen don’t know what to think, considering that you and they aren’t bad people and that nothing bad has happened because of your relationship.”
Rodney nodded as he ate. “After we eat,” he said to Evan and Chuck, “I want to go out and see what’s going on – both in the sense of how everyone’s holding up after what went down with the Korsans and also how they feel about my revelation.”
“What do you want us to do?” Evan asked after swallowing the last bite of a nut and fruit leaf.
“Come with me. You both have every right to know how my other kinsmen are doing since you helped save their asses and they need to get to know you both, since you’re my lovers and you’re not going anywhere.”
“Damn straight,” Chuck replied under his breath before he ate the last bite of meat on his plate.
Rodney happened to catch Jillian watching them with a faintly amused smile on her lips before she turned back to cleaning up her cooking utensils. “What?” he asked her with a slight chuckle.
“Nothing,” she replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“No, I know that look – it’s something.”
“It’s easy to see that the three of you love each other,” she told him. When he started to sputter, she added, “It’s in the eyes and the voice. Don’t worry about everyone else – they’ll come around.”
“I wish I still had your optimism, but I think I’ve seen too much of human nature.”
“Sometimes I think you think too hard. They’re your people too, Rodney-kun, and they love you. They just want what’s best for you and I’m sure that when they see you with your men, they’ll realize that you are happy and have two good men who love you.”
“I hope you’re right.”
She looked a little smug, but didn’t say anything more as she finished up. “I’m going for a walk with Kelly, if you need me.”
“How are things going with him?” Rodney asked, happy for both of them.
Jillian grinned. “Amazing. And we have you to thank for that. Even Father’s happy about it.”
“Good,” Rodney replied, wanting to know how exactly he was responsible for the two of them, before wincing. “Did he say anything about me?”
“No,” Jillian replied as she shook her head. “I think he’s taking a vow of silence for the time being, but other than that, I have no idea what’s going on.” She stared at Rodney critically for a moment. “You might want to consider that for the rest of tonight too, just so people can see that you’re not running amuck with our traditions.”
“I’ll do it tomorrow. They’ll want answers and it’ll be better if I answer them tonight.”
“It’s up to you,” she told him as she stood. “We’ll see you out there. And if you need any support, you know where to find us.”
“Everything okay?” Chuck asked.
“Yeah, fine,” Rodney replied. “Just trying to get a few things straight for what we might be up against, but I still don’t really know. If I’m quiet tomorrow, don’t worry about it – it’s a normal thing here.”
Evan nodded. “We’ve noticed that from time to time.” He grinned. “And we’re pretty used to it by now, since you’ve been doing it pretty regularly since you got back.”
Rodney took a deep breath and let it out slowly while intently studying his quarters’ curtain. “Okay. Let’s go out there and see what’s going on.”
When they exited, Rodney saw that Kirby was quietly talking with a patient, Kelly and Jillian were walking around the perimeter of the common area, and several families – including Keith and Jessica’s – were out socializing. He had to give them credit for not going completely quiet, but he did notice the noise level receded.
Keith and Jessica were the first to approach them. “Thank you again for what you’ve done for us, Rodney-san,” Jessica told him before touching his cheeks with both of her hands. She then repeated the gesture on Chuck and Evan. “Let us know if you need anything.”
“You’ve made us very proud,” Keith told him, also touching him on the cheeks. “I hope these young men know how special you are.”
Rodney blushed. “They do. At least I’m pretty sure they do. Thank you both.”
They nodded as they moved away to talk to another family. Rodney sat down and Chuck and Evan followed his lead, giving him quizzical looks as he pulled out some dice.
“I thought we were going to be seeing people,” Chuck said.
“We are,” Rodney replied. “We’re using the tactic of letting them come to us – I want this whole thing to be as non-confrontational as possible. Believe me, now that Keith and Jessica have made the first move and we’re acting like nothing out of the ordinary’s going on, they’ll come over – even if just out of curiosity. What game do you guys want to play?”
As they settled into playing a game, other Laprans came over as Rodney had predicted – even Laprans from other boroughs. Some just wanted to thank the three of them for what they did during the ‘Korsan situation’, as it had been dubbed, and Rodney couldn’t tell what their feelings were about the three of them. There were a few who came over to express their disapproval of them – which Rodney had expected. Rodney tried to explain the differences in Lapran and Atlantean culture, but he wasn’t sure if he really got through to most of them. A few of the opposition that he talked with he could tell were definitely thinking about it, trying to reconcile that someone who believed the same as they could behave so differently and still consider the deviant behavior to fit in with what they believed. And, while they were still a minority, there were more than he expected who accepted them completely and were happy for them.
Kelly and Jillian joined Rodney, Chuck, and Evan for their second game of dice. Chuck and Evan looked a bit surprised by this move, but Rodney easily welcomed them into the game.
As they began to play, Kelly said, “We wanted to get to know your bond friends better.”
Rodney’s gaze flicked to Chuck and Evan before replying, “Okay. What did you want to know?”
“All the usual things,” Jillian replied. “Where they come from, who their families are, what they do for a living, what they like to do in their free time, and on and on.”
“Is this a quiz for me or them?” Rodney asked, furrowing his brow and he noticed that Chuck and Evan had paused in passing the dice and were looking between the three of them, confused.
“Let’s go with you first to save some time, then we can ask them things,” Kelly told him.
“All right,” Rodney replied, letting out a slow breath as he thought about everything he knew about Evan and Chuck. “Chuck originally comes from a large family in Toronto, Canada, where he has two brothers and three sisters and they’re all fairly close, but Chuck hasn’t had much contact with them since he moved to Atlantis. He works in the Gate Room, to help monitor the activity going through the Gate.”
“Your Ring is inside your city?” Jillian interrupted in disbelief. “And it’s busy enough that it needs to be watched at all times?”
“I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s that busy,” Rodney told her. “But we have had a few times when unsavory people tried to get in and we figured out a way to keep them out.” Continuing, he added, “In his free time, Chuck likes to read, play hockey, and watch movies.” Rodney knew that the cultural activities would probably be lost on Kelly and Jillian, depending on how much they remembered from when he had explained them to them.
“Evan comes from a smaller family in the United States that he hasn’t talked about a whole lot. I know he’s got a sister and two nephews, but other than that,” Rodney shrugged, “I don’t know. I never seemed to find a right time to ask about the rest of his family and he never volunteered the information, but he seems content on Atlantis, so I don’t know where things are for him and his family. Evan is John’s second in command on Atlantis, which means he’s usually pretty busy, but he still has enough time for us. Evan likes to draw and paint in his free time and he’s really quite talented at it, yet still very modest.”
As Jillian and Kelly took some time to absorb the information Rodney had given them, Chuck asked, “What was that all about?”
Rodney shrugged one shoulder. “They wanted to know more about the two of you, so I told them a little bit. Don’t worry, I didn’t say anything either of you would mind me saying in public. They’ll probably want to ask you questions directly now, though.”
Both Chuck and Evan nodded and Kelly and Jillian took that sign of assent and ran with it. Through Rodney, they asked all sorts of questions – what sorts of things Evan liked to draw, what sorts of movies Chuck liked more, favorite foods, what they liked about living in a city that had a room big enough for a Gate, what other places they had traveled to, and what they thought of Lapras.
Chuck blushed at that question and Evan laughed at him before replying, through Rodney, “I like it here. You all seem very friendly and the fact that you put up with Rodney for so long has to count for something. But I haven’t seen enough of the normal side to really determine what I think.”
Chuck, not surprisingly, agreed with Evan as they finished the game.
“Feel like sparring?” Kelly asked as he stood.
“Definitely,” Rodney replied as he also stood. “Would you two like to come spar with Kelly and me?” he asked Evan and Chuck.
“Is it allowed?” Evan asked.
“I wouldn’t have invited you if it wasn’t,” Rodney replied. “And staffs aren’t an issue – you can both borrow some of the training ones.”
Jillian quietly broke away from the men after inviting Kelly over for dinner. Rodney and Kelly got their staffs and Kelly retrieved two training staffs for Chuck and Evan. The four men made their way down to the sparring cave where Rodney wasn’t sure if he should be concerned that he was relieved when they found the cave was empty. Chuck and Evan both looked unsure once they were down there and a bit out of their element.
“Don’t worry,” Rodney told them. “We’ll go easy on you and it really isn’t that hard.”
“Easier than Ronon?” Evan asked dubiously.
Rodney chuckled, knowing Evan “trained” with him regularly. “Much. And also easier than Teyla with her bantos sticks,” he told Chuck.
“She’s surprisingly evil with those things,” Chuck commented.
Rodney shrugged. “It’s all in a matter of perspective – we all know they both learned their skills out of sheer necessity. Not that we – and especially Evan – didn’t, but for them it literally was a life or death situation; not needing them was never an option.”
“And what about here?” Evan asked. “You said that their staff training was more ceremonial than practical.”
“Well, before I decided to shake things up, it was. I’m sure that at some point it might have been a necessary skill, otherwise it seems really arbitrary that they would know how to do it, much less pass it down through the generations. I think that from here on, it’ll start becoming more practical again, at least for a little while until the Laprans figure out where to go from here and how they want to do things. I think I threw a pretty big wrench into their worldview.”
“Are we going to get started or are we going to gab all night?” Kelly asked.
“We’re coming, we’re coming,” Rodney told him. “Kelly and I will start and then we’ll go from there with the two of you,” he told Chuck and Evan – who nodded.
As they started sparring, Rodney realized their fighting was much dirtier and useful than the careful and specific sparring they used to do before he left and it pleased him.
“You’ve really shaken things up, you know,” Kelly told him.
“How?” Rodney asked, wanting to know if Kelly meant in relation to the Korsans or Rodney’s relationship with Evan and Chuck.
“With everything. And I don’t know if it’s good or bad that you’ve done it, but I think it’s something that’s been needed for a long time. The elders are going to have a lot to discuss for a while as we figure out how to reconcile the events with the Korsans with what we believe and what the will of the gods is for us now. While we’ve hoped for a long time, we never thought we’d actually see the day that the Korsans would be stopped.”
“You’ve still got a ways to go there, though,” Rodney added. “It’s going to take a while for everything to settle again and for your peoples to iron things out and become real friends and trading partners.”
“I know. And I think it’s a really good thing – maybe even a great thing. I think you’ve been really good for us, Rodney-chan, no matter that some people are saying how we shouldn’t have fought back against the Korans or how what you’re doing with Chuck and Evan is wrong.”
Rodney grimaced as he blocked one of Kelly’s thrusts. “It’ll take time for them to realize how good things will be now that the threat of the Korsans won’t be overshadowing the tenth-month festival, but they’ll get there. And as for Evan, Chuck, and I – I’ll admit that it hurts that they don’t accept our relationship, but I understand why. It’s much more fundamental than the fight against the Korsans, but I can’t see my life without them.”
Kelly nodded as they finished. “I know what you mean – I feel the same way about Jillian and you have no idea how ecstatic I was when I found out we were a match.”
“And I’m really happy for both of you – I know you’ll both make a great couple and great parents.” He smirked. “But enough of that – what do you say to putting my lovers through their paces?”
Kelly returned the look. “I’d love to.”
As the foursome head back to their borough a while later, they were all sweaty and tired but happy and relaxed. Before they entered, Kelly stopped them and said to Rodney, “I don’t know how you feel about this, but I would like to give the three of you a binding ceremony. They are your bond friends now, regardless of what anyone says and Jillian and I would like them to be recognized that way.”
“What about Kirby?” Rodney asked, slightly shocked at Kelly’s offer.
“He’s,” Kelly stopped for a moment to think. When he resumed, it sounded like he was reciting what Kirby had told him. “He realizes that even though you are his adopted son, you are fundamentally not a Lapran and will not be living out your life here, so he shouldn’t force our ideals on you and that he would rather see you happy than conform to something that would have no real bearing on your day-to-day life. But talk it over with your friends and if they agree, we can do it the day after tomorrow.”
“What do you think the other Laprans will say?” Rodney asked, concerned.
“If they don’t like it, how did you say it? ‘They can suck lemons’.”
Rodney laughed. “Kelly wants to have a binding ceremony for the three of us,” he told Chuck and Evan.
“Didn’t we already have one?” Chuck asked.
“We did, but this would make it official.”
“What do you think?” Evan asked.
“I think we should do it,” Rodney told them. “Not for me to throw it in the other Laprans’ faces, because I’m not – but for you two. This way, something happens on Atlantis or to me and you have to leave and Earth isn’t an option, you’ll have somewhere to go. As my bond friends, you’ll be considered family. And I’ll admit that I’m shallow enough that I want this sort of recognition.”
“I’m willing to do it,” Evan told him.
“So am I,” Chuck added.
“Okay,” Rodney nodded with a bob of his head. “The ceremony will be the day after tomorrow, since we’ll need tomorrow to prepare. Which means we’ll miss the window and have to spend an extra few days here.”
“I think I can deal with an extra few vacation days,” Chuck told him.
“We’ll do it,” Rodney told Kelly and Kelly grinned.
“What will we need to do to prepare?” Evan asked.
“We’ll need to take a couple of baths – one in the morning and one in the evening, then one again before the ceremony. And we’ll have to be quiet the whole day. This is to ensure that we think about what we’re getting into and to make sure that we’re doing it with the best of intentions.”
“That sounds easy enough,” Chuck said. With a glint in his eye, he asked, “Do we have to be sequestered for the whole day too?”
Rodney gave him a disapproving look. “No. We actually have to be out in public as much as possible so everyone else can see that we’re taking this seriously.”
“Well, I don’t know about the two of you, but I’d like to take a bath now,” Evan replied before yawning.
“You can do it in the morning,” Rodney replied, prodding him in the shoulder to get him moving again.
Kirby was sitting outside their quarters when they returned and Rodney said to him, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Rodney-kun,” Kirby replied with a nod. “You’d better go get ready for bed – the next couple of days are going to be busy.”
Rodney went inside and found Jillian helping Chuck and Evan set up their bedding.
“If the three of you are together, why do they refuse to sleep together?” Jillian asked him.
“Out of respect,” he told her. “We’re not officially bonded or anything, so we’re trying to behave.”
She nodded. “I can see the reason in that. Good night.” She headed over to her cot to get ready for bed herself.
“Is everything okay?” Evan asked.
“Yeah,” Rodney replied. “She just wanted to know why we weren’t sleeping together if we’re together.”
The next day went by in a blur. Rodney fell into the silent mode as if he was pulling on a second skin. He could tell it was harder for Evan and Chuck to keep silent, but he gave them a lot of credit for doing incredibly well their first time. And he could tell that the silence was wearing on them and that he might be answering a few questions once they finished.
The day after, they got up and bathed again before putting on clean clothes. When they gathered in the common area for the ceremony, Rodney was surprised to see the people there. Kelly was going to perform the ceremony. Jillian and Kirby were standing for Rodney and Keith, Jessica, and the rest of their family came over to stand for Chuck and Evan. There were also a number of other Laprans who had stayed to watch.
Kelly had Rodney, Chuck, and Evan stand in front of him and the witnesses formed a semi-circle behind them. “We are here today to bind together Rodney, son of Lapras and Atlantis, and Chuck and Evan of Atlantis, in friendship. This ceremony is to recognize their committed friendship to each other and their desire to support each other in ways that a wife cannot,” he began and Rodney translated for him. Turning to Rodney, Kelly said, “Rodney, do you promise to support Chuck and Evan to the best of your abilities in all areas of their lives, to help them through the tough times and celebrate their joys?”
“I do,” Rodney replied with a nod as he glanced between Chuck and Evan.
Kelly repeated the process with both Chuck and Evan, with Rodney translating. Both men nodded as they replied, “I do.”
“As is our tradition, a pair that has bonded symbolically shows it by wearing an earring cuff and these are supplied by the families. Considering your different culture, we have decided instead for you to show your status with a different piece of jewelry.” Looking at Jillian, Kelly asked, “Do you have them?”
“I do,” she replied and presented each of the three men with a braided leather thong that had a piece of multicolored glass in a circle on it. Rodney examined his and saw that the colors melded into each other, so it was impossible to see where one ended and the next began.
Kelly nodded and Rodney took Evan’s and tied the leather around his neck before doing the same to Chuck. They both looked at each other before working together to fasten Rodney’s around his neck. Rodney saw that the thong was long enough that they’d be able to tuck the necklaces under their shirts.
“By your intentions and your words, you are now bonded friends,” Kelly pronounced with a smile. “May it be so for the rest of your lives and may you thrive in each other’s company.” Rodney grinned and so did Chuck and Evan once he had translated.
“But we have one more matter to attend to,” Kelly continued and Rodney looked at him quizzically. “Not only have these three men decided to bind themselves together as friends, but they’ve also taken it upon themselves to journey together as mates.” Kelly looked at each of them sternly. “This is no easy task – for anyone, much less those who have decided that their needs are best met along a different path than most. But those that undertake such a path, if they persevere, find their lives have been deeply enriched. Rodney, do you promise to forsake all others and live your life with the sole intention of committing yourself whole-heartedly to Chuck and Evan?”
Rodney gaped at him for a moment, blindsided by what Kelly was doing. “I do,” he finally managed to get out.
Kelly repeated the question for both Chuck and Evan – both of whom also looked shocked as Rodney translated, but managed to answer with a bit more ease. “With their agreement,” Kelly finished, “they have committed themselves to each other for the rest of their lives. May they find much happiness and enjoyment in it.”
As Rodney looked around, there were smiles all around from the families that were witnessing for them, and from most of the Laprans that had gathered to watch. He felt a surprising sense of relief wash through him that the world hadn’t ended – mixed with a heady rush at the realization that among one of his peoples, he was *married*.
“Are you okay?” Chuck asked quietly in his ear as the group started to disperse.
“Yeah,” Rodney replied. “Just taking it all in.”
Chuck laughed. “We’d better get moving, though. I think I’m beginning to recognize the words for food and feast.”
“We’ll go in a minute,” Evan told them, drawing both of them close to him. “First, I think it’s customary for the newlyweds to kiss.”
Rodney couldn’t help but grin as Evan first kissed Chuck, then him, chastely on the lips and he and Chuck repeated the action. This was definitely a day to remember.
Continue to Part 36
