DJDrawings

Gorey gently pulled Rudy's arm before he could take a step outside the apartment building. "Let me put this on you first," he said, slipping a bandana above Rudy's antlers and wrapping it over his eyes.

"Never thought of the day you'd bust out a blindfold," Rudy playfully chirped as he adjusted the bandana to snugly rest under his protruding ears.

"Was that a wink I heard?" he teased.

"Got super-hearing too? Cuz I definitely heard that eyeroll!"

They both laughed. Asgore gingerly tucked Rudy's arm under his own and lead him out to his truck.

Was it excessive to deprive Rudolph of sight before driving off? Definitely. But Gorey didn't want to risk the other man peering into the bed of his truck. There, he’d spot the rolled-up air mattress and thick blanket, a dead give-away to what he wanted to surprise his boyfriend.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Asgore asked, not raising his hand at all.

"Twenty."

"Golly!" His laughter rippled. "That was close, sweetheart. But, unfortunately, no cigar."

"Good thing we don't smoke then, huh?" Rudy nudged him.

It was fun, their banter together. As the years went by, Asgore got good at countering Rudy's sense of humor. In the meantime, Rudy's jokes became less abrasive, rarely ever poking fun at Asgore’s flaws like they used to. Whether it was because the reindeer became really soft for the big guy, or age and fatherhood altered his sense of humor. Asgore assumed it was both.

They settled into Gorey's truck and drove off. He occasionally glanced at Rudy, whose smile didn’t waver one bit. His large paw rested on the other’s lap between shifting gears.

“I gotta keep this thing on the whole ride?” the reindeer asked after some time.

Would Rudy know where they were going if he took it off? Asgore considered before answering. It’s been so long since they’ve been to this particular place. They never came from the direction of Hometown, either. The drive was shorter starting from here. But Gorey was the type of person to always err on the side of caution. “Yes, please keep it on,” he replied with a apologetic squeeze to his partner's thigh.

“Sure thing, big guy." Rudy's hand rested on top of Asgore's. His thin fingers rested snugly between the ridges of the larger man’s knuckles. "But!" His fingers drummed. "Only on one condition! Gimme a hint, and I’ll take a shot at guessing where you’re taking me.”

Asgore decided on something vague. So, if Rudy missed the mark, he could drop more hints. "We've been there a... very long time ago." His voice was wistful.

"That's not enough to work with, man! You mean back when we was in college?" Rudy cackled and took a guess. "Umm… the ol' alma mater?" A strange guess, since nobody would call the campus a romantic spot. Gorey reckoned Rudy kept the nostalgic factor in mind.

"You are correct about the time. But no, it's not Ebbot University."

"Okay, then. The Library!"

Asgore paused. Why would Rudy think he'd take him to the place they'd go to study and cram the night before exams??

Rudy read the awkward silence as confusion. "You know, the place you got black out DRUNK the first time!"

Oh. Yes. The Library. The convenient name of the bar closest to the campus. "Oh...oh ho ho..." My, that was an laborious time. He could have sworn off alcohol for the rest of his life the morning after that. "Most certainly not, dear."

"Is it... someplace in Homecity?" A blanket guess, since most of their adventures in their younger years took place there.

"I'm afraid you're wrong."

"Eimmet Beach!" he spat. Oh yes, a stunning destination. One semester after final exams, they took a road trip there with a couple of friends. They lit a bonfire, roasted marshmallows, and lounged around with a cooler full of cold ones. "Man, I could still taste those s'mores in my mouth!"

"Ah... you're getting warmer." His voice shimmered.

Asgore removed his hand from its resting place to downshift. The truck's bench seat whined and creaked as its shock absorbers struggled to level themselves off-road.

Rudy flailed in his seat like a beanstalk whipping in the wind, his head nearly colliding with the side window. Asgore hit the brakes, jerking both of them forward. Creee went the handbrakes.

"Rudolph, I... I am SO sorry." Gorey wrapped his bear-like arms around Rudy to check if he had been injured. Surely his lack of vision made him unable to brace for the sudden change in terrain! "I forgot how uneven this dirt road is!"

But Rudy sat up and held him in return, unharmed. Judging by the smile, he wasn't shaken up one bit!

"Man, OF COURSE!" he cackled. That bumpy road was all too familiar. "Freakin' Dew Point!? I REMEMBER Lars taking us there with his Jeep and that god-awful road! Great view, though!"

Asgore chortle at Rudolph's comments. “Yes, they made it a mission to drive as fast they can with you, me, and Toriel trapped in the back seat." He peeled the bandana off the reindeer’s eyes, only to see them squinted like crescents with his grin. Grateful that Rudy wasn't hurt and still in good spirits, Gorey gave a soft kiss on the nape of his brown snout. "You're absolutely right."

Rudy opened his eyes and nuzzled him in response. "Don't you worry about me, big guy." His lips lifted into a smirk against Asgore's fuzzy cheek. "You know us Holidays got hard heads. I'll survive anything!"

The remainder of the evening went perfectly as planned. Asgore parked so the back of his truck faced the view of the valley. They blew up the air mattress and made themselves comfortable in its bed as the sun started setting. The yellow horizon bled into a rich orange, then a scarlet red, bathing the valley below them.

Once twilight hit, they started a fire and curled up close, watching the stars until the last ember dimmed out. A perfect way to end Valentine's Day.

Rudy lifted his head from Asgore’s embrace. “Guess we can finally associate this place with a better memory than white-knuckling car handles.” He gave a light pinch on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Well… almost.”

Gorey nuzzled his snout near the base of Rudy’s antler. “I sincerely apologize for that, my love.”

"Hey, what happened to that super-hearing? Couldn’t hear my wink this time? You’re fine, Gorey." His tone slipped into sincerity. "Love ya.”

Asgore: R-Rudy? Are you alright?

Rudy: I'm okay, big guy, it's just been so stressful at home ever since Dess went missing and it's-

Asgore: shhh, there's no need to worry, we will make it through all of this

Rudy: Thanks, Gorey

Asgore: Could I also be of assistance for anything else? Perhaps a cup if tea or a hu-

* Rudy hugs Asgore

Rudy: A hug could be nice

* They stay at the same spot for a few minutes, until Asgore has a realization

So, umm, to be a bit more specific, DeltaHouse isn't really swapping any particular characters around because I couldn't think of characters with similar personalities and chemistry to these two, maybe Willow's dads but that would mean one of them would have Abomination magic and it doesn't fit either, or Hunter and Willow but the personalities only kinda match up and it's not in the way that the body types and magic affinities do.

So, why did I choose this? Three things mainly, general Owl House brainrot, wanting the two to use magic, and wanting more humanoid designs for them. The three combined into the general idea, and then I had to decide the types of magic each would use: Plant magic for Asgore and Construction magic for Rudy, which kinda diverge from their supposed regular types of magic but are based on their personalities and likes