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The time had came. After years of hard work and dedication, Dan and Phil were prepared to make one of the most important decisions of their life.
The time had come from them to buy a house.
Originally, they were going to keep it simple. Buy a nice, million dollar house near the beach where they could live the dream of depressed middle aged people stuck in cubicles. But of course, they’re Dan and Phil; nothing with them would be simple.
Instead of going the reasonable, suggested route, they decided to go a whole other path. That path being moving to Florida and applying to be on the show Property Brothers. Surprisingly enough, they got in (Dan pointed out that it probably had to do with the fact that their budget was, well, very flexible). And so the two packed all their stuff up and shipped it off to America, ready for a whole new experience in the country of freedom and questionable leadership.
“How do you think the viewers will react when they find out we’re on Property Brothers?” Dan asked. They were on the flight over to Florida, having said goodbye to England hours ago. Phil was resting his head on Dan’s shoulder, exhausted from lack of sleep due to nerves.
“Considering we’re going to be referred to as husbands during the show, I think we may have a few thousand deaths on our hands.”
Dan rolled his eyes. “Personally, I can’t wait to for everyone to know. Finally I can fuck my husband in public without it blowing up on twitter.”
“I can most assure you, Dan, that you cannot do that no matter if we are out or not. Twitter wouldn’t be the only thing blowing up if we did that.”
Dan merely laughed and kissed Phil’s head, resting his own against it.
The two planned to spend at least a month in a hotel, so Phil made sure to pick one that wasn’t too expensive or shady. As much as Dan tried to convince him, Phil refused to rent a condo at a resort.
“As endless as it seems, we do have a limit to our money,” Phil had reminded.
The hotel was nice enough, with a small kitchen area and couch along with the typical hotel beds. It would last them long enough to get their new house. They’d be meeting up with Drew and Jonathan in three days, so in the meantime they enjoyed their few days of relaxation.
Those three days were spent rather quickly, and soon they were thrown into the mess of viewing homes and listening to ideas being rambled off at them. They already knew what they wanted; a three bedroom, two bathroom house with a nice backyard for their future dog. It didn’t have to be big, but did need lots of storage space for their equipment.
Despite their requests seeming simple to them, it turned out to be much more difficult. House after house failed, and the two were frustrated. Of course, the designs the twins came up with were wonderful, but Dan and Phil felt that they hadn’t found the right home yet.
They were viewing another house, one that was thirty minutes away from the beach. It was in a good neighborhood with lots of young families. The house was a two story house with two bedrooms on the second floor and one on the first.
It was when Dan entered the guest bedroom that he knew this was the house. Phil was talking to Drew and Jonathan about something, but Dan wasn’t paying attention. Instead, he was seeing a baby crib and butterflies covering the walls. He was seeing his own child run down the hall, Phil chasing behind them as they giggled and laughed. He knew this was the house; this was the place where they could start a family.
“This is the one.” He turned to Phil abruptly, interrupting his conversation. Phil stared at him.
“We haven’t even seen the whole place yet.”
“I know, but,” Dan turned to look at the room once again, “I can see us living here. I can see our child living here.”
Phil’s eyes immediately softened, and Dan knew he had won him over. It wasn’t often that they talked about their future child, but when they did, it always made Phil an emotional mess.
(In the background, the Property Brothers made gagging noises).
Sure enough, they ended up putting an offer in on the house. It was a little worn down and the kitchen needed some major updates, but it was nothing the Property Brothers couldn’t handle (that was the whole point of the show, after all).
Next came the planning, which turned out to be a major nerd session for Dan and Phil. Since they were letting the twins move all their stuff and stage their house, they had to make sure there were certain… arrangements made.
“I need an area for all my Guild War stuff,” was the first thing Dan said.
Next to him, Phil rolled his eyes. “He needs a place for his shrine.”
Dan not so gently kicked Phil out of the table, trying to convey the message of ‘we are trying to be a normal couple here, not the giant nerds that we actually are’.
It was pointless in the end, as the two ended up talking over each other each time they brought up some merch they had collected. They were trying to explain what each one was from, but it was obvious that the twins were merely amused with their bickering.
They had to trust the brothers with this, as they were getting nowhere. Instead, they shifted focus onto what tile should be used in the kitchen. That started a whole new argument as Phil told Dan that no, they could not have it completely monochromatic, they needed color.
He was certain the twins were grateful when they left two hours later.
They had the plan, they had the house, and all that was left to do was put it all together. They were invited to help out on the first day, which was really code for ‘we need some footage for the show that isn’t you two being overly fond and gross’.
Neither of them had any idea of how demolition stuff worked, so they blindly followed the instructions provided. They ended up taking out a wall, a feat that required much more time and effort than it would have if the team had done it. But they got the footage needed, and that was what mattered.
The two returned to their hotel, exhausted. Dan falls onto the bed, melting into the sheets.
“I think I’ll just live here now,” he groans.
Phil shakes his head, laying down gently next to him. “I think you need a nap.”
Dan turns his head to look at Phil. “Rub my back?” He gave Phil his best pout.
Phil sighed. He couldn’t resist the pout. He sat up and began to work on Dan’s back, the man melting under him. “I hate you.”
“Love you too,” Dan moaned, feeling the tension in his back release.
He ended up falling asleep two minutes later, the physical activity and Phil’s touches proving too much for him. Phil merely smiled and laid down next to him, settling down for a nap as well.
It was a long process, but soon the house was ready for them. Phil hardly slept the night before, his mind racing with all the possibilities of what their new house could look like. He knew nothing could prepare him for what was coming, of course.
His thoughts were confirmed the moment he stepped into the house. The entry was all redone with their marvel pictures hanging next to hangers and places to put their shoes. Next to him, Dan was admiring it all in shock.
Everything was so orderly and placed in the exactly right spot. The colors were soft and cozy, making the house feel even more like home. In the kitchen, the twins had managed to find the perfect tile that combined both Dan and Phil’s aesthetic.
The gaming room held both all their gaming supplies and Dan’s Guild Wars shrine. Dan, being the overly dramatic person that he was, took a moment to “pray” to it (this earned a punch from Phil). The twins explained how the room was set up to give the best lighting possible for filming and the place where they could set up their camera without having to worry about hitting the table and causing it to shake.
The master bedroom was huge, with its own seating area and a huge bed to fit the giant men that they were. For sleeping, of course. Nothing else. The seating area, however, was undeniably the best part of the room. Portraits of Dan and Phil throughout the years were lined up against the windowsill. Their own merch surrounded it, marking their hardwork. It made Dan smile and look at Phil. They shared a fond look before they were being escorted to see the final bedroom.
It was there that Dan lost it.
The walls were painted a soft green with purple butterflies on it. The window was covered by translucent white curtains, letting in the perfect amount of light. There was a white bookcase waiting to be filled and a chest under the window to hold toys. The most heart wrenching part was the white crib and rocking chair placed near the window, patiently waiting for memories to be made on them.
Dan covered his mouth, staring at the crib. He was going to start a family here. His own child would lie in that crib, be rocked to sleep on that chair, and live out their first few years here.
He could feel tears filling up his eyes, and he reached out for Phil. It was overwhelming, in the best way possible. His heart was exploding with love and hope for the future.
Phil took one look at Dan and pulled him close, rubbing his back. Dan buried his face, embarrassed to be crying in front of the camera, but he was smiling so wide it hurt.
“You were right, Dan,” Phil whispered softly so only Dan could hear, “we are going to raise our child here.”
That only made Dan cry more, fat tears of joy soaking Phil’s shirt. He heard some ‘awww’ing from the crew members and he giggled.
“We look like such a stereotypical couple right now,” Dan said, pulling back from Phil.
Phil laughed. “We are a couple, Dan.”
Dan shook his head, burying his face back into Phil’s shirt. He loved him so much.
The rest of the tour went by in a haze of big tears and watery smiles, and soon enough they were moving in. The house was everything they could have asked for. Soon enough, they’d have a child of their own, a dog, and domestic bliss to last them an eternity.
For now, though, Dan was happy to lay with Phil in their living room and enjoy the moment.
They were finally home.