Nylan & Ragnar, Chapter 3 (Patreon)

“And you are set on it being today?”

“Yep. I’ve been planning this out for months. It has to be today”

It was early in the morning - way earlier than I would normally be up, but it was the only time I knew I’d be able to talk to Khazak without Ragnar finding out. Today was the big day - we were going to be moving in together. Only Ragnar didn’t really know it yet - and I had a short window to pull it off, so I needed all the help I could get.

“You know I am unable to offer any direct assistance,” Khazak clarified with a raised eyebrow. “I cannot exactly be an accomplice to the... crime.”

“I know,” I told him with a nod. “Which is why all I need you to do is make sure Rgnar doesn’t come home early.”

“Do you think you will be able to finish in time?” he asked, reasonably skeptical.

“Nope, which is why our other friends will be helping me,” I admitted. “But the later you can get him to stay, the better.”

“I will do my best,” he responded with a nod and a wry smile.

“Thanks, Khazak.” I stood and gave him a quick hug before heading for the front door. “Gotta get moving!”

I set off from Khazak’s new home (he only moved in a few months ago) and headed for his family’s. Even if he couldn’t help me directly, I still owed Khazak a lot. Ragnar and I both did. If it weren’t for him getting us together, we’d probably still be stuck making awkward eyes at each other. That was almost five years ago.

And what an interesting five years it had been. Things were a little awkward at first, trying to figure out our new dynamic after having been friends for so long. But that only lasted a few weeks, maybe, and then we were basically inseparable. Even more so than before - it didn’t take long for our friends to get disgusted with our constant public displays of affection.

Thankfully we moved past that stage of our relationship fairly quickly, and things had only been getting stronger since. We spent basically all our time together, with one of us sleeping over at the other’s place almost every other night. Which is why we talked about it and both thought that it was time for us to move in together.

The problem was, we couldn’t agree on which of us would move in with the other. Which was incredibly stupid, because my place was obviously the nicer of the two. He’d been living in the same bachelor apartment for the past six years, which was fine, but it was also very small. I know I'm not a big guy, but I wouldn't even want to live there on my own. Khazak used to live in the same building, and even he couldn’t wait to move out.

My place, however, was not only at least twice the size, but also closer to both of our jobs. It was more like a small house than an apartment, just attached to three other houses, one on each corner. There was even a small yard - it should have been a no brainer! I just wish I could get him to see that. It had been a sticking point for the last few months.

Ragnar was still a member of the V’rok’sh Tah’lj rangers, now a lieutenant in charge of a small group of other rangers. Khazak, now a full-fledged ranger, wasted no time in climbing the ranks to catch up to him, and together they are known as two of the most reliable rangers on the force. I’d never seen Ragnar looking so fulfilled.

I was still working at the bookstore, almost running the place alongside Lenas, Ragnar’s father. He hadn’t officially stated as much, but he had practically been training me to take over for him one day. Our families had always been close, Ragnar’s father being one of the only other elves in town, but me and Ragnar’s relationship only seemed to bring us closer. My own dad had asked me more than once when we were going to make it official.

While I wasn’t quite sure we were ready for that type of commitment, there was something else me and Ragnar had been discussing for a while - me becoming his avakesh. For outsiders, taking someone as an avakesh is a sort of public declaration about their relationship... a very kinky one. It involves a ritual called the Nagul Uzu’gor, and would essentially make Ragnar my owner - and the whole city would know it.

Khazak happens to be something of an expert on the subject, and has been more than happy to talk about it in depth with his two best friends. I don’t mind telling you that me and Ragnar’s sex life has always been on the kinkier side of things - I mean that’s half the reason you’re even reading this - and we’ve basically been pretending that he owns me for the last few years as it is. It was about time to make it official.

This “tradition” is actually a holdover from a more... brutal period in V’rok’sh Tah’lj’s past, when a prisoner could use it to wager his freedom. These days though, it’s all ceremony, and usually a lot of fun at that. First, the avakesh to be (me) has to, well, commit a crime against their proposed kavan (which means owner - so in my case Ragnar). Then, after I’m arrested I’ll issue a challenge to Ragnar - the Nagul Uzu’gor - and instead of my offense being settled by a judge, we’ll settle in the arena - in a fight that I will most certainly lose in seconds.

I know it sounds very dramatic, but it’s supposed to be. People like to have fun with it, even getting their friends involved. Some keep things small, their crime being something silly like stealing their partner’s clothes, or “assaulting” them with a public smack on the ass. Other people though, they like to go big - and I have never been someone to go the simple route.

Which is why I was meeting my friends Brull, Arik, and a few others that were going to help me get everything moved that day. Ragnar was going to come home to an empty house, after which I would expect him to show up at my door with a squad of rangers ready to arrest me. And after I’m led away in cuffs, he’ll look around and finally see how much more sense it makes to have his things in my place, and that will be the end of that. I was a genius.

“There you are,” Yogik, Khazak’s younger brother said as he opened the door after hearing me knock. “Come on, everyone else is already here.”

“Already? That’s great.” I responded, following him inside. “And thanks for helping, and tell your parents I said thank you for letting us use your place to meet up.”

“They said it was nothing, and wished you luck,” he told me with a very self-satisfied look. “And what can I say? I love love.”

I’d known Yogik basically his entire life. Beyond the standard annoying little brother stuff, he was a nice enough kid, though also kind of a... horny little perv. I’m not in any place to judge, but I wasn’t surprised when he jumped at the opportunity to help me with this, especially if it meant getting to witness the ritual in the arena when it was all said and done.

He led me to the living room, where the rest of the friends I requested help from were waiting; Brull, Arik, Usha, and Va’kar. Brull was an orc I had first met through Khazak. He had recently opened up a shop selling, well, sex toys, and Khazak quickly became one of his best customers. Arik was a ranger Ragnar and Khazak knew through work, though it wasn’t until a run in at Brull’s shop that cemented them as friends.

Usha and Va’kar were Khazak’s (and Yogik’s) cousins. They were technically his half-siblings, with their same-sex parents having “assisted” each other in starting a family. Usha was a year behind us in school, with a silent-but-deadly disposition. Va’kar was two years younger than her and basically her exact opposite - a boy with a bright bubbly personality, who like me loved to gossip and had a flair for the dramatic.

“There he is,” Arik greeted as I entered, directing everyone’s attention

“Hi everyone,” I told the gathered group. “Thanks for agreeing to help me today. I wasn't expecting everyone to get here so early.”

“Of course!” Va’kar said with a small cheer. “Who doesn’t love seeing two friends shacking up?”

“I brought all the empty crates from the shop, as requested. Can’t wait to see how Ragnar reacts when he realizes what you’ve done,” Brull added with a chuckle, pumping shoulders with Arik to his right.

“Well we’ll have to finish first,” I responded, honestly looking forward to it myself. “He should be headed to work right about now, so we’ll head to his place in just a few minutes.”

“How are we getting inside?” Usha asked.

“With this.” I hold up the copy I made of the key to Ragnar's apartment.

“Does he know you have that?” Yogik asked next.

“Nope.” I answer. “Which is why he’s not going to find out about any of this until he gets home for the day.”

“This is gonna be good,” Va’kar said with glee.

After waiting another fifteen minutes, I led our group of six through the city streets to Ragnar’s home. The only person I was worried about seeing us was Ragnar himself - I actually wanted his neighbors to see me doing this. By the time word gets back to him, we’d be finished and long gone. I boldly marched up to his door and unlocked it, letting everyone inside

“Wow,” Usha commented flatly as she looked around. “This place is...”

“This place sucks,” Va’kar got right to the point. “It’s so small. How are two people supposed to live here?”

“That’s what I've been saying!” I responded, setting down some of the empty crates on Ragnar’s wobbly excuse for a coffee table. “My apartment is twice as big!”

It wasn’t even just about the size - though really, it was barely more than a kitchen, bedroom, and the supposed “living room” we were currently standing in. Everything about that place was awful, from the loud neighbors (not Ragnar’s fault) to the total lack of any sort of art on the bare walls (absolutely Ragnar’s fault). The kitchen had a stove that was barely functional, and Ragnar was not great at keeping his icebox stocked - if we were going to be cooking, it would usually be at my place. It was just depressing.

It wasn’t all bad though, because thanks to Ragnar’s bachelor lifestyle, there wasn’t a whole lot of stuff that needed to go in the crates. Aside from a few pictures and some books, it was mostly clothes and stuff from his kitchen. I wasn’t planning on throwing any of his stuff away... yet. I’d just get him to see that we wouldn’t need these things when my things are so much nicer!

“Hey, Nylan?” Usha asked me, putting down a full crate next to the others ready for moving. “There’s something in there you might want to take care of yourself.”

“Huh?” I looked in the direction of the bedroom before heading in.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first. Then I noticed Yogik kneeling down facing the closet, packing. Then I noticed that he wasn’t packing - as he lifted a large wooden dildo from the sex-toy-chest I forgot Ragnar kept at the bottom of his closet.

“Shit, can he really take this whole thing?” Yogik muttered to himself.

“Give me that!” I snatch the toy from behind, surprising him. “Go help the others in the kitchen.”

He stands, holding his hands up in feigned innocence as he exits the room. I return the toy to its chest, along with some of the other toys that have somehow ended up on the closet floor. Once everything is away, I latch the lid shut and pull it out of the closet myself.

“You know, you never answered the question,” Brull points out, having silently been watching the whole exchange.

“...No, not yet.”

“How angry do you think he’s going to be?” Arik asks as we take a break for lunch.

“Honestly, probably a good amount,” I responded. “But that’s kind of the point.”

“You always did like going out with a bang,” Usha added.

“Oh, someone’s gonna be getting banged after this,” Brull said with a chuckle.

We had been very productive that morning, and had already finished moving over everything that wasn’t furniture to my place. I’d still need to put most of it away - or at least hide it - but now all that was left were the big things. Which is why I had five able-bodied orcs to help me out.

“So what are you going to do if he makes you move it all back?” Usha asks next. “I mean, he is going to be your kavan, if all goes to plan.”

“I’m counting on him seeing reason by then,” I told her honestly. “Size, location, even nicer neighbors - everything about my place is better.”

“Okay, but what if he still makes you move back?” Va’kar asked again.

“Then he can move it all back himself,” I half-joked, really hoping it wouldn’t come to that.

“I know he doesn’t have much, but are you sure you’ve got room for all of his furniture?” Brull asked, looking over the mostly empty living room.

“Yep.” I nodded my head. “We’ll need to move a few things around, but it should all fit.”

“Are you really going to keep all of this?” Va’kar questioned as Arik and Brull each lifted one end of Ragnar’s ratty old couch.

“Nope, but I don’t want to toss it without him knowing.” I didn’t need to give him yet another reason to punish me before we even got started. “At least, except for his bed.”

Ragnar’s bed is one of his apartment’s few selling points. It’s huge, even by orc standards, with a mattress that feels firm and soft at the same time. And his bed frame is also perfect, with all sorts of bars and other spots you can tie things to... All sorts of things.

It only takes us three or four trips (some of us are more delicate and take a little longer to recover than others) to get all of Ragnar’s furniture moved over. Between the second couch and the crates covering every surface, my place is currently overcrowded, but we finished. I made sure some of Ragnar’s neighbors saw me as we were taking the last few things out. As a finishing touch, I left a small note on the center of Ragnar’s now-empty living room floor: “You know where to find me.”

“Thanks again, everyone,” I told my five friends back at my home after we finished. “Couldn’t have pulled this off without you.”

“I’d say the pleasure was all ours, but knowing what’s gonna happen to you tomorrow, we all know that’s not true,” Brull jokes with a lecherous grin.

“After everything has settled, you can all expect a nice thank you dinner,” I continued. “...Assuming Ragnar is finished punishing me by then...”

“Speaking of...” Arik looks out the window at the setting sun. “As much fun as this has been, I’m not sure I want to be here when Ragnar arrives.”

“I was thinking about hiding in a closet to watch firsthand... but you’re probably right,” Va’kar says with mock disappointment.

“I’m with Arik, probably best to get moving,” Brull stated, turning to Usha as they make their way to the front door. “We’ve still gotta bring that bed down to the temple.”

“You’re sure about donating your old bed?” Usha asked me as I led everyone towards the front door.

“Positive.” Seriously, sleeping in that big bed every night is something I am very much looking forward to. “I’m sure High Priest Azkosot can find someone who needs it more than me.”

“We’ll see you tomorrow, Nylan.” Yogik waved goodbye as he exited, and then I was alone.

I knew I should hopefully have about an hour or two before Ragnar arrived, so I did what I could to unpack a few of his things. Not too much though, as sappy as it sounds, I was actually kind of looking forward to us doing it together. It’s not like I’m going to make him give away everything.

It was about two hours later when I finally heard the expected (and very stern-sounding) knock on my front door. Already knowing who it was, I put on my best innocent face before I unlocked and opened it, finding Ragnar, Khazak, and two other rangers on the other side. As I feign surprised, I stepped to the side, making sure that Ragnar’s couch and other belongings were clearly visible inside.

“Dammit, Ny,” Ragnar cursed under his breath as he took in the scene behind me.

“Good evening, Mr. Adcaryn,” Khazak started with a formal introduction.

“Good evening, Ranger Ironstorm.” Two could play at that game! “Is something the matter.”

“We’re investigating a robbery,” he continued, shaking his head at the absurdity of our game. “Ranger Rockfang’s home seems to have been broken into, and all of his belongings taken. Would you happen to know anything about that?”

“I might,” I kept playing coy. “I’m not sure.”

“Are those Ranger Rockfang’s belongings I see behind you, right now?” he peered over my shoulder with an almost weary look.

“Oh, are they?” I turned around, playing dumb. “I have no idea how those could have gotten there.”

“Very cute, Nylan.” Ragnar rolled his eyes. “Don’t think that this means that argument is over.”

“Oh, I think we both know who the winner here is,” I fired back cockily.

“Nylan Adcaryn, you are under arrest for theft,” Khazak cuts in before we can argue further. “You will be able to speak with a legal advocate - and issue out and challenges once you are booked at the station.”

“Aww, guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” I told Ragnar as Khazka cuffed my arms behind my back. “Love you.”

“...Love you too,” Ragnar said with just a hint of annoyance as I was led away.

All according to plan.