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Out in the foyer, the screeching iguana clock wailed, and signalled the time to all in the house.
7 o'clock- the hour that had been Monty's official dinner time for years now. Every evening he would rise from his desk and make his way to the kitchen to eat his evening meal, always at this time.
Routine was calming, predictable. It provided much needed structure in a world of chaos and confusion.
Monty stood up from his desk, stretching, and switched off the lamp in the shape of a cobra. He surveyed the papers strewn across his desk from his work, before packing them up and putting them neatly in his desk drawer.
The reptile room was his safe place. A highly organised room filled with his utmost joy and passion in life- herpetology. Every day, Monty spent long hours here, writing, reading and tending to his reptiles. To some the isolation could have seemed agonising, but to Monty, it was peaceful solitude.
Making his way to the kitchen, Monty thought over his current project- using snake venom as a clot-prevention medicine. It was a complicated project, requiring a lot of attention to detail and out of the box thinking- both talents very much possessed by the herpetologist.
Monty opened the fridge, still thinking about his project, and took out the pre-prepared food he would be eating tonight. Generally, Monty preferred to eat roughly the same meals each week, which he prepared in bulk for himself on a regular basis.
"Salmon and rice, as usual, Monty? It's a Friday, isn't it." The comment came from Gustav, Monty's best friend, housemate and life partner.
A smile and a small laugh escaped him. "Yes, it is." he responded, matter of factly.
Though it carried an air of humour, Gustav's question was not meant to poke fun at Monty. He was one of the people who understood, and respected, the herpetologist most in life, loving him for all his quirks and eccentries.
Every night, at 7pm, Gustav would join Monty at the dinner table as he ate his meal. Gustav was not quite as much of a routine-oriented person, preferring to take the day as it came. Sometimes they would eat together, sometimes not, but every day Gustav would always make the effort to join his partner for their evening sit-down at the table.
Monty grabbed his favourite cutlery from the drawer and sat down, shortly followed by Gustav.
"So, how's your project coming along? Did you make any progress in figuring out how to best extract the anti-coagulent from the venom?"
Monty moved back and forward excitedly in his seat.
"Yes- I have actually- today I made a small breakthrough that I think will allow me to do it much more efficiently, and with a much better yield."
Gustav smiled at his partner.
"Awesome! I can't wait to see the process when it's done."
Conversation didn't often come naturally to Monty. With most people, it was challenging and hard to navigate. He often longed to share his inner thoughts more frequently, but wasn't exactly sure how to do so.
Despite this fact, his evening discussions with his partner always flowed wonderfully and stimulated both of their minds. Both of them would bring interesting topics to the table, whether it was the book they were currently reading, a research project or some interesting article. Their love for all that was interesting in the world united them, and allowed the two to bond in a way that Monty had with almost no other.
"-and, from what I understood, this could be interpreted as an argument against free will-" Gustav spoke as he finished his short examination of Einstein's Block Universe Theory.
Monty nodded his head enthusiastically, drumming his fingers on the table. He tried to picture in his head a diagram that could represent this idea and made some connections to some of his own philosophical beliefs.
Their conversation continued as Monty washed up his dish and cutlery and as they wandered into the living room.
It was "movie night" this evening. Each week the men would take turns choosing a movie to sit and watch together come Friday. For both of them, it was their favourite day of the week. It was Monty's turn tonight.
"Are you in the mood for a horror movie tonight? I was thinking of watching Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock."
"Absolutely- and a great choice! Classic. I've been wanting to re-watch some of his films for a while now."
Gustav pulled open a bag of Supermarket popcorn as Monty selected the film and put the subtitles on. They sat leaning against each other, as they normally did, comfortable on the sofa.
"Excuse me- I think you have had more than your fair share of popcorn!" Monty exclaimed about halfway through the movie's runtime.
"Hey! I haven't eaten yet- I think it's only fair I get more." Gustav retorted, continuing his attempt to wrestle the popcorn bag from his partner, prompting a huff and giggle.
As time drew on, the ending credits eventually rolled and Gustav eventually ate his dinner. The two of them then made their way back into the reptile room, Monty tending to his snakes and Gustav writing in his journal. A comfortable silence and familiarity filled the room, a product of the time and love that came from the years spent together.
At eleven, the screeching iguana clock wailed its last call for the day, signalling it was time for bed. Footsteps followed out of the reptile room and up the stairs, leading to their shared bedroom. Monty assumed his nighttime routine, brushing his teeth for 2 ½ minutes, washing his face and putting his pajamas on.
He pulled back the green, frog-patterned duvet and the weighted blanket before getting into his side of the bed. Gustav followed, turning the lights off and cuddling up to Monty.
"Goodnight, Gustav, I love you." Monty said, as he said every night.
"Night- I love you too." and a small kiss was the reply.
The both of them eventually drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow was a Saturday morning, so Gustav would be making pancakes for breakfast. Monty went to sleep thinking about snakes, and pancakes.