Chapter Text
The car boot made a loud thud as Gustav slammed it shut with a triumphant shove. Dusting his hands off, he hopped into the driver’s seat, setting the car in motion and backing out of the driveway. The clock on the car’s digital display read '6:03 a.m.', and he smiled knowing they were well on time.
Last evening had been spent making the final draft of their road-trip plan, with him and Monty sat at the table over an open map of the Eastern US as they planned their route from Cambridge, Massachusetts to Manchester, Michigan. The two of them had debated how they would go about relocating themselves to their newly purchased home across the country, first considering flying but settling on driving there. They both figured it would be entertaining, Monty especially wanting to get out of the house after having just finished his PhD thesis. He had been cooped up inside for the past 4 months, writing up his research on “the complexity of herpetological taxonomy & genetic lineages”. Although he was proud of and enjoyed his work, he had started to feel a little stir-crazy as the months had dragged on.
Always a creature of habit and routine, Monty had drawn up a list of any and all stops they would have to make on their way. The drive was over 14 hours in total, so the two had decided to split the journey into 2 segments, one day after the next, with Gustav driving the first half and Monty the latter. A reservation at a small hotel had been pre-booked for the night- and snacks, travel supplies and entertainment had been packed into the car with them. All of their belongings, and Monty's beloved reptiles, were being transported separately in a more official manner, and were due to arrive a little after they had. This left the two alone together in the car, with a tall stack of CDs, a pair of binoculars and Gustav’s camera.
“Once we’re in Connecticut, it won’t be long before we drive straight through Fenton-Ruby National Park. It would be a good place to take pictures- and we have time,” announced Monty as he polished his partner’s camera lens.
“Sounds lovely, I’ll make sure to keep an eye out for a place to park. Do tell me if you find anywhere on the map beforehand, though.” Gustav replied, shooting a grin across to the passenger seat.
Rifling through his CDs, Monty pulled out his first choice of album for the journey. He had already gone through his entire collection with Gustav, recommending him albums and letting them both pick out ones that appealed to them.
“For our first musical experience: Miłość w czasach popkultury by Myslovitz- an excellent choice from you and one of my favourite alternative rock albums.”
“Yeah, I noticed the title was in Polish and I thought I would give it a listen. You don’t speak Polish though- at least hardly- it’s the only language I can talk to my sister over the phone in without you being able to eavesdrop."
“I enjoy the music regardless, even if I don’t understand the lyrics. Also, although I don’t understand Polish, the repetition of the word ‘Monty’ informs me when I am a subject of your discussion.” Monty said, with a smirk.
Gustav huffed out a laugh, “At least you don’t understand what I’m saying, or you would know where I hide all of your Birthday presents.”
“Maybe I should learn the translations for common household rooms and objects, then.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
Music took over the humour in the car’s atmosphere, guitar chords beginning to blare out of the speakers. The two of them were driving up in Monty’s BMW, given it would fare better on the highways than the old Honda Civic that Gustav had. Monty kept his car tidy religiously, hoovering down the grey fabric of the seats and polishing the black exterior whenever there were more than a few patches of dirt.
“After you’ve finished eating that, put the wrapper in here,” prompted Monty as he waved a black plastic bin-bag in his partner's direction.
“I know- don’t worry. Thou shalt not spread his uncleanliness to the chariot,” Gustav professed.
Monty let out a loud “Hah!” and sent him an expression of mock-offense. “I just had this car deep-cleaned two days ago, you know. If I had my way, it would be clean enough for you to perform surgery in here!”
In general, Monty was a much tidier and well-organised person than Gustav. His work was always put away neatly into the folders and drawers in his desk, sorted into a system that he deemed efficient. His clothes were always folded and hung up properly, his side of the wardrobe contrasting sharply with the rather unorthodox method Gustav used to organise- or perhaps disorganise- his clothes. The two of them divided housework equally, however, and Gustav had no problem keeping their place clean with some direction from Monty. They worked well together, Gustav’s ability to adapt to change and harness the joy of spontaneity forming a state of equilibrium with his partner’s love of order and routine. His personal office was as chaotic as he wished, and Monty respected the environment for all of its colour and personality.
The house they had just acquired a mortgage for in Michigan was much larger than the small, one bedroom building they had lived in for the past 5 years. It had more than enough space, with 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and at least 2 spare rooms for them to turn into their respective offices. There was a large conservatory behind the house that Monty intended to expand and turn into a place to keep his reptiles- a very welcome bonus. Being situated in a rural area of the state, the house was surrounded by large, open fields with a sprawling forest as the backdrop. The area was quite beautiful, in addition to having the peace and quiet the two had longed for whilst living in the city near the University.
Along with all of their belongings and furniture, the moving van had been stocked with a variety of paints, rolls of wallpaper and other decorating equipment. As this was the first place they had owned rather than rented, both of the men had been excitedly going over colour pallets, carpet swatches and more at their local DIY shop as they dove into customising their new living space. Once they had settled in a little more, they planned to go furniture shopping, then start the renovations on the conservatory.
Gustav reversed into the parking space Monty had managed to find him on the map, getting his camera and binoculars out and admiring the National Park. It was indeed an excellent place to take pictures. As they strolled away from the car, the two walked underneath the orange-red trees overhanging the pathway, their leaves scattered about patches of wildflowers and fallen branches. Autumn was Gustav’s favourite season, and he had already snapped plenty of pictures of the scenery before coming up to the huge pond attached to all of the park’s rivers. It was nearing 9 o’clock by now, and the sun and bright blue sky hung overhead, reflecting in the water and causing light to bounce all around the open area.
“Wow- this was definitely worth the walk.” Gustav said as he started angling his camera.
Monty nodded his head in agreement before sitting down on a dry patch of grass. He loved being in these environments, finding the countryside much more relaxing than all of the hubbub of a bustling city.
After their brief detour, the both of them made their way back to the car to resume their journey. The next stop they had planned was at about half past twelve, where they would fill up the car’s fuel tank and find somewhere to eat lunch at roughly the half-way point. As was typical of him, Monty had brought a packed lunch in a small cooler they kept in the car, though Gustav decided he would find somewhere more interesting to eat in Connecticut. On the way there, they listened to System of a Down 1998- this time chosen by Monty- and chatted about Gustav’s plans for finishing his own PhD thesis over the next year or so.
Although they were the same age, Monty had completed his doctorate a year early, fixating on his research the entire time and working at near-maximum pace for the whole 3 year stretch. Gustav’s PhD was in film studies, which he planned to finish over the typical 4 year period usually allocated to most art degrees. Although he was known as a cinephile by the vast majority of people, he also held a great love for physics, science and engineering; his subject of choice for his thesis reflected this, as he focused on the technicalities of how time travel had been presented in science fiction films over history, as well as their cultural impact. Despite appearing to have quite oppositional areas of interest from the outside, both of the men bonded over their enormous scientific, artistic and intellectual curiosity. Monty himself greatly enjoyed filmography as well as painting and sketching, able to fully appreciate Gustav’s love of the arts in addition to his passion for science and herpetology. It was a challenge to find something that either of them weren’t intrigued by, at least to some degree.
After fueling up the car and complaining sufficiently about petrol prices, the two began to peruse the travel plaza for a place to sit and eat lunch together. Near the back of the plaza, there was a small building that claimed to sell a variety of barbequed foods as well as the more typical food and drink supplies, the sign clearly hand-made and drawn on in chalk and a smokey smell drifting from the restaurant. Perching himself on a bench outside, Monty waited for Gustav to order something and took out his own food- an egg salad sandwich, apple, crackers and a pot of yoghurt. Monty struggled a lot with food textures, preferring to eat the same predictable meals over and over, with conflicting mouth-feels separated from each other on the plate or in his lunchbox compartments.
Before long, Gustav approached Monty and sat across from him on the bench, holding an ominous white box of strong-smelling food and a fork. Opening it, Gustav’s eyes widened as he spun his cutlery around in his hand and started to gleefully eat his macaroni and cheese.
“Wow- what things did you decide to get?” Monty enquired, taking a bite of his sandwich.
Only briefly looking up before resuming eating his, apparently very delicious, assortment of food, Gustav answered, “They had a selection box- it’s got pulled pork, mexican beans, toasted bread and of course, what I’m now considering to be the World’s Best Mac n' Cheese. Are you sure you don't want anything? There’s plenty of food options.”
“Do they have plain fries?”
“Yes- I think so- I’ll go and get you some,” Gustav said as he stood up from the table.
Monty thanked him, humming excitedly and shifting backwards and forwards in his seat. Plain fries were one of his favourite comfort foods, and he was happy to be able to have something whilst they were there.
Flapping his hands and smiling as Gustav returned with a second small box, this time with a familiar scent, Monty enjoyed the food along with his packed lunch. For a while, the two happily sat together as they finished their meal, getting up again for a quick leg-stretch and bathroom break before returning back to the car. They were due to arrive at the hotel at around 6 p.m., accounting for any extra rest breaks and expected traffic, and set off driving again along the open highway.
As the time passed, they made their way through a total of 3 more albums and a short break to listen to the evening radio. They even attempted to play eye-spy, but gave up after a round of giggling over the only major landmark for miles being “trees”. The roads were generally rather clear, and they made quick progress through the state and into West Pennsylvania, where they intended to spend the night.
The hotel was, surprisingly, rather posh-looking and ornate: the exterior was painted a bright, clean white and there were rows of well-kempt plants around the entrance and main building. As they were only staying for one night, they had decided to go for a slightly more expensive hotel, prioritising comfort after a long day of travelling. It wasn’t 5 star by any means- but it was tidy, had good reviews and even had an indoor swimming pool. They’d booked a room with a double bed to share, along with an en-suite bathroom, coffee machine and mini-refrigerator.
The foyer was of a similarly pleasant design to the outside of the building- the walls were painted a crisp light beige with a brown trim, and the carpet was a dark red with a swirling pattern, creating a rather simple, yet warm atmosphere. Gustav rang the bell at the desk, grinning at Monty as he did so and saying “I always love doing that”, and the two were soon greeted by the receptionist. After filling out the check-in forms and obtaining their room key, which Monty was put in charge of keeping safe, they wandered upstairs to their bedroom to settle in for the evening and unpack their travel bags. As usual, Monty had brought his toothbrush, toothpaste, spare clothes and toiletries as well as his snake plushie he kept with him whilst travelling, named Bartholemew. He plopped the snake down on the bed whilst getting the rest of his things out, and Gustav picked him up for a moment to pet him before placing him respectfully on one of the pillows, patting him as he did so.
Glancing at the clock on the bedside table, Gustav noted the time. “It’s almost 7 p.m. now- do you want to get something to eat for dinner? There’s a restaurant downstairs, and they do serve pasta, I checked,” he asked Monty.
“Yes, that would be nice- and thank you,” Monty replied, giving him an affectionate smile. He felt lucky to be reminded of how much all of his specific and eccentric preferences were considered by his partner- Gustav never made him feel guilty for any of those things and always went the extra mile to make sure Monty felt accommodated, and he was very grateful.
Thudding down the stairs and into the restaurant below, the two looked for an empty table in a quieter, more secluded section of the room. After giving the menu a good look-over, Gustav ordered a medium-rare steak with potatoes and asparagus, and Monty a spaghetti carbonara- his favourite food. Having recently become interested in wine tasting, Monty ordered a bottle of Valpolicella Ripasso to go with their food, launching into an explanation about how the flavour profile should compliment both of their meals. For the next hour or so, they sat together peacefully, chatting over dinner and appreciating the calm let-down after their long journey so far. Gustav, enjoying the wine, agreed with Monty’s judgment, enquiring further into his new interest and smiling as he listened to Monty ramble about the important differences between French and Italian wines and how they matched with their respective cuisines.
Before long, the sky darkened and the light of the moon shined in through outside the windows, basking the interior of the restaurant in an orange-tinted glow that complemented the warm interior. Listening to Gustav talk about an article he was planning to write about War Films, Monty briefly lost focus on his words and thought about how lovely he looked under the lighting, talking so passionately about his interests. His smile was wide and his soft, blue eyes lit up as he spoke, joy palpable in the atmosphere around them. Unbeknownst to him, Gustav’s train of thought was also being slowed by his view of his partner staring up at him affectionately from the table, with his hand resting under his chin.
After leaving the restaurant, the two travelled back upstairs, deciding to get ready for bed soon, as they had an early start tomorrow morning. Gustav had a quick shower whilst Monty brushed his teeth and put his pajamas on, and they both readily got under the duvet into the hotel bed. Deciding to put the TV on before going to sleep, Monty flicked over to the channel showing National Geographic, both of them watching a short program about Meerkats before falling asleep together.
The bedside alarm rang out, waking both of the men up rather abruptly at 6 o’clock in the morning and alerting them it was time to get on with the busy day ahead of them. Sitting up and stretching his back muscles, Monty yawned and rubbed his eyes, patting his partner who was trying to ignore the beeping next to his head. Monty stood up from the bed and Gustav groaned and put his pillow over his head, eliciting a chuckle from across the room.
“Ugh- it’s too early,” Gustav complained to nobody in particular.
“I know you hate mornings. Come on, Garfield, time to get up,” Monty teased as he kissed Gustav, starting his morning routine and receiving only a huff in response.
As usual, Monty showered and dressed himself, whilst Gustav begrudgingly got ready and packed their things away, his morning grumpiness eventually being shaken away by the sight of Bartholemew’s beady eyes looking at him from the end of the bed. At around 6:45, the two of them once again descended the stairs outside their hotel room, eagerly going to enjoy their complementary breakfast in the hotel cafeteria. Gustav had an assortment of small pastries whilst Monty attempted to fashion something that resembled his usual breakfast as closely as possible, mixing together some of the Greek yoghurt and cut up fruit. They sat down together, loading up on food and caffeine as they went over the plan for the final part of their road trip.
Monty would be driving today as they travelled through the rest of Pennsylvania and through Ohio, up into Michigan. The plan was to leave at around 8 a.m., arriving in Cleveland by midday to stop for more fuel and food, then continuing the drive and hopefully ending up at their new house by 5 p.m. to meet the moving vans. Given it was Monty’s first home city in the United States after moving from Sagar, India as a young child, he wanted to stay in Cleveland for an hour or two- it had been quite a while since he had been back to visit.
Monty was an only child, and his parents had decided to immigrate to the U.S. before he started elementary school, wanting him to develop his first circle of friends there instead of leaving them behind in India. Never being an especially social child, people initially assumed it was because of the fact he had recently moved; however the grace they awarded him for his social awkwardness began to wane as he got older, never quite “fitting in” for some unknown reason. When he thought deeply about it, Monty hardly ever felt that he meshed with most other people- he often felt like an alien from another planet pretending to be a human, resorting to becoming more of an observer of the world than an active participant.
When he was 18, Monty was accepted into Harvard University and relocated to Massachusetts for his education. It was there that he met Gustav, who was majoring in film studies and minoring in physics- an unusual combination, he thought, before enquiring further, and beginning to forge what would become his most important lifelong connection. They had lived together as housemates for many years, before starting their relationship when they were both 26, and had been together ever since, deciding to move again to Michigan just last year. Monty was 30 now, and Gustav was nearly there, his birthday right around the corner of the new year. The two had reached a point in their lives of both wanting more stability, buying their first house together and acquiring secure jobs in their new location. Gustav intended to complete his PhD before continuing to work full-time as lecturer at the University of Michigan, and Monty worked remotely as a member of the Herpetological Society, travelling often for his job.
Monty felt a growing sense of internal peace as he grew into their new life circumstances- he was fulfilled working in his area of true passion, very happy in his relationship and finally was in a good financial situation. For a long time, he struggled with feeling out of place in the world, and slowly that feeling had begun to melt away under the warmth of his loved ones and the glow of his love for herpetology. Though, he was still often left with confusion over his struggle to ever feel that he truly fit in, not knowing where that strange feeling ever really came from.
Packing their belongings back into the car and beginning to set off again, Monty gave Gustav control of the car stereo for the remainder of their journey. Peering through Monty’s large assortment of CDs once again, he decided on a rather upbeat album, sensing that Monty was a little lost in thought throughout the morning. Face brightening as he recognised the opening track of Abbey Road by The Beatles, Monty happily tapped along on the steering wheel, joining in with the lyrics on all of the songs he knew off-by-heart. The two sat together in a calm, content silence for the majority of the morning, listening to music as they went and watching the scenery go by out of the car windows. Although they could easily talk for hours to one another, the pair also felt perfectly at home in a relaxed, quiet atmosphere, appreciating each other’s company without having to constantly upkeep a conversation. It was one of Monty’s favourite aspects of their relationship.
As the time went by, Monty was soon shaken out of his trance as he drove through the city of Cleveland, preparing to find a place to stop for a while. After stopping in a petrol station briefly, Monty parked his BMW near the lakefront, getting out to stretch his legs again before conversing with Gustav and deciding to find a place to eat first. It being his home city, Monty knew of a fair few places he felt comfortable eating at, and they made their way to an Italian Restaurant near the river. Unfortunately, it was rather busy, so he ordered another carbonara in a take-away box and decided to find a place for him and Gustav to sit down for lunch.
“What would you like to have for lunch? There are plenty of places to eat around here,” Monty asked Gustav.
“I saw a Pizza Hut a while back with chairs outside- how about we go there?” he suggested.
“I bring you across the country to my home town that boasts all manner of local restaurants and cafés, and you want to eat fast-food pizza?” Monty remarked, a little dumbfounded.
“Hey, we’re still in America, aren’t we? ‘When in Rome-’ ”
“Yes, yes, ‘do as the Romans do’ “ Monty finished with a slightly bemused chuckle.
Having established their next destination, they walked back through the city, admiring it as they went. It was rather homely, despite being a major city, and the avenues felt somewhat comforting- especially to Monty- the architecture not overly grand or pompous. They chatted as they ate lunch, Monty enjoying his local pasta dish and Gustav enjoying his Hot Honey Chicken & Pepperoni Pizza, the conversation mostly focused on Monty’s childhood growing up in Cleveland.
The two spent the next hour or so strolling around the city, weaving around the lakefront and taking pictures of some of the major attractions, including The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which Monty gladly posed in front of. The afternoon was quite lovely, the weather a little warm with a slight, cool Autumn breeze drifting through the streets and the sun shining down from the mostly-clear blue sky. On the way back to the car, the two walked hand-in-hand, smiling and laughing to each other, delighted after their little sight-seeing trip. The rest of the drive to their new home in Michigan was around 3 hours, including any minor stops that needed to be made, and Monty soon relaxed back into driving with Gustav in the passenger seat taking some more photographs out of the open window.
As the final few hours of the drive went by, they focused their conversation on their upcoming home renovations, discussing the plans for painting and decorating the house as well as the conservatory remodel. The majority of their home was to be painted in a warm, homely light-brown colour, with Monty’s choice of snake-themed wallpaper upstairs. They had chosen a dark grey carpet for the living room and corridors, which was a very soft, pleasant texture, as well as a thicker brown carpet for the floor of their shared bedroom. Both of them wanted their home to be comfortable and inviting, with flares of their respective personalities visible throughout.
Before long, Monty was turning into the lane of their new house, surrounded by grass and trees, and up and into the gravel driveway. It was 4:46 by the time they had arrived, and they both cheered having beat the moving trucks by a small margin, high-fiving as they got out of the car. They stood back for a moment, finally getting to admire the building in person, and hopped up the steps to the green front door.
“Now, which of us is going to do the honours?” Gustav asked with a wide grin as Monty took the keys to the front door out of his jacket pocket.
“How about, rock, paper, scissors?” He replied, mirroring the smile and giggling slightly.
Twisting the keys and having just won their game, Monty opened the door, giving it a small shove, and stepped into the foyer. Quickly followed by Gustav, he looked around the room, up at the ceiling and down at the floor, eventually finding the light switch and flicking it on- after trying to balance it in the middle for a brief second. Looking across at each other with wide, giddy smiles, they gave each other a hug and a kiss before excitedly exploring the rest of the building, running up the stairs and throwing open various doors and cupboards with child-like glee. Soon, the moving vans were rolling up the driveway, and the two laughed before rescinding to 'acting like adults again', going to begin the taxing process of unpacking all of their belongings into their wonderful, new house, smiling as they traipsed back down the stairs and out the front door.