ronan was the second son of nikolai and alexandra petrov and he came into the world silent and blue with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. he was disentangled and spanked until he screamed, pink rushing to displace the blue tinge to his skin. he was a good baby, and a good toddler. he had doting parents and an older brother who didn't mind him too much. he was quiet, preferring to sit and read or draw than run around the house crashing into things. he was also obedient and did whatever he could to please his parents.
in 1991, his little sister lilyana would join and complete their family of five. ronan was three and had no idea why this creature cried and woke him up in the middle of the night. but he was quick to rush to her crib and stick his chubby arm through the bars and soothe her until his mother arrived or she went back to sleep. he adored lily, so when she was kidnapped when he was nine years old, he took it hard. it was even worse because he couldn't be involved. every time he tried to eavesdrop on a conversation, he was shooed off to his room. in his opinion, it was too long before she was returned, but other than an absent memory, she seemed no worse for wear.
he doted on her and became an overprotective brother, watching her like a hawk and keeping his peripheral vision trained on their surroundings. it was almost a relief when their parents relocated them to the united states. ronan no longer had to worry about those same men coming after lily again. his father's security detail didn't hurt, either. ronan excelled through school and his talent for the arts shone through. luckily, with an older brother who seemed more adept at taking over the family business, the artistic son was left to hone his talents.
after he graduated from high school, he attended boston university, enrolling in their fine arts program. he earned a bachelors degree in the fine arts and took an internship at the met in new york city under a master art restorer. he studied under the man for five years before he was considered an art restorer in his own right.
during his time in new york, ronan met celeste. she was light and laughter, she was beauty and brains, she was the perfect woman. they dated for a few months before he asked her to move in and she agreed. they happily lived together and shared their lives, so after another three years together ronan thought the most logical step was to ask her to be his wife.
instead of acting overjoyed by the proposal, she told him she needed to think about it and when he came home from work the following monday, her things were gone. he was heartbroken and everything in the city reminded him of her. deciding that he needed a change of scenery and some familiarity, he decided to return to boston where he hopes to make a fresh start.