Chapter Text
“This week, the guests in Property Brothers are Gabriel Allen and Castiel Novak, from Orlando.” Dean Winchester opens the show walking along his brother and looking straight into one camera. As they reach a previously spot marked on the sidewalk a second camera takes a close up of his face and he continues with a very professional tone, “They are looking for a house near their workplaces. Gabriel works as an entertainer at Disney World and Castiel is a regional manager for one of the major sales stores. They want the American dream, a house near International Drive, with easy access to stores and the Parks. We will find the house they need, that’s five bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a large backyard with a veranda, and a two car garage. They’re thinking of an open space concept and a chimney area. Their guilty objects of desire? A top of the art kitchen with stainless steel appliances for Gabriel and a pool on the backyard for Castiel. Their budget: $650,000” Dean finishes the presentation with a smile that guarantees the viewing figures for the episode to go up high.
The angle of the camera changes to include Sam, Dean’s brother, in the frame, “Well, Dean, there’s no way they are going to find a house like that with that budget. I’ve been doing some research and the best they can get with that kind of money is a two bedroom apartment in Daytona, with no ocean view.” Sam informs switching his attention from Dean to the camera and back.
The brothers begin an easy conversation about the possibilities of the budget, talking through the pros and cons of some of the couple’s requests. Sam states that maybe they could get a house a little further away from their dream location but with access to the highway and a mall nearby, or maybe they could sacrifice the size of the backyard in favor of the window view.
“Somehow I don’t think our guests will like the idea of giving up any of their requests, Sam. Maybe we’ll convince them to buy a house within budget and do our magic remodeling it to meet their expectations.” Dean offers the option to the camera and smiles a bit wider when he sees the little crowd of neighbours murmuring among themselves, nodding all excited to have the show recorded in their street. It’s a game Dean likes to play. They more remodeling there is the more successful the show becomes. People love to watch houses torn apart and build back up as beautiful new places, all by Dean’s team’s hands.
“Uhm, I’m not sure they will agree, Dean. I think the problem with that plan is that they are living at Gabriel’s mother… Gabriel’s old fashioned mother , who does not approve her son’s life style…” Sam disapprovingly informs, pausing for effect, leaving space for the director to insert the audience boos.
“That’s sad,” Dean shakes his head for a second but soon claps his hands together and continues as if to dissipate the negative thoughts off of the viewers, “Let’s see what we can do for our participants. Tell the audience, Brother, what you have in mind…”
“Funny you ask, Dean, ‘cause, get this..."
It’s the day the shooting actually begins. It’s early in the morning, the clients had already arrived and were given instructions to wait a hundred feet down the road for the director signal to start walking while pretending to have a conversation.
The Winchesters arrive one hour after the crew, giving them time to settle all the equipment and measure the light and the sound to get better shots. The director takes a few minutes to instruct them which camera will take which angle and they rapidly agree. This is not their first show, the script is simple and they get to improvise most of it.
Dean is a contractor. His company was already quite well known and he was happy with it, and yet there was an itch he had not been able to pinpoint for a while. He was good looking, fuck that, he was downright gorgeous and he knew it. People were always telling him he should be a movie star or something, because, really, it was pure luck that he was bowlegged otherwise it wouldn’t have been fair for the rest of the men. So the idea for the show came one lazy July afternoon when he was having a beer on his backyard with his brother Sam while watching their cousin Jo’s children play in the pool. Those kids were hard to handle. They say that If God doesn't give children to you, the devil will give you nephews, and he loves these boys but there was no way he’d let them alone while under his care, not that the thought of Jo being mad at him was terrifying or something but if he could avoid any harm they could do to each other, he would.
Sam, on the other hand, was a quite successful realtor, tall, well mannered and polite, articulated and handsome in a manly way… the kind of guy you’d take home to your parents. Sales came easy to him. His positivism was contagious and people always ended buying his first or second option, people could actually see the potential in every house he’d try to sell to them, it also had to do with Sam choosing houses within the client’s needs and his honesty.
So there they were, by the pool sipping their beers and being splashed by the kids playing in the water when the idea just came up. Sam had some connections at the local TV network and Dean wanted to take his idea for a home improvement show, which was cool but Sam saw beyond. There was nothing new about that. How about a show that would include Sam’s line of work too? The brothers bickered about it for a few hours after Jo came for the boys and they ended up with the basics for the new show.
Project accepted by the network, worked around, announcers already onboard, almost a year later, the show was launched, Dean’s pretty face and coy attitude, together with Sam’s good boy’s look and sweetness was a recipe for success. And it was.
Three years later and one day after the Allen/Novak show shooting had begun, Sam and Dean introduce today’s schedule and they both point their hands to the right, down the road at the couple walking towards their first house offer.
“They look pretty excited about the location, don’t you think, Sam?” Dean’s voice in off asks while the camera stays with the couple walking and talking, while looking around the neighborhood.
“And they should, Dean, this neighbourhood is pretty much what they’ve asked for.” Sam confidently replies.
They go to commercial break while the couple arrives at the house and everybody take their places around the bushes in front of the little porch. They shake hands and wait for the camera to start shooting again.
“Guys, before we’re back on, we’d like to thank you for choosing us to help you with your house hunting.” Sam chitchats with the couple while Dean listens to the director talk about lighting and other boring stuff.
“Gabriel, Castiel… this is the house of your dream.” Sam says while Dean opens the front door and invites them in. They are received by a third camera which captures the awe in the couple’s faces.
“Open concept, high ceilings. Big windows in the first floor bedrooms, they’re very bright and have nice view.” In the middle of the lobby Sam points in different directions and describes the place to the couple, “Two of the bedrooms are pretty much main bedrooms, almost identical. There’s a large backyard with veranda to drool for and a not so small pool in the middle. If you turn to your left, Gabriel, you can see your kitchen… please, don’t faint!”
Gabriel grins wide and claps Castiel on the back, “Wait here, Cassie, kitchen’s my feud!” he takes some fast and determined steps to where Sam is signaling and when he opens the door a gasp echoes in the silence of the house. “Oh. My. God.! I think I just had an orgasm.” He raises his voice, almost screaming, all his face brightened with joy, he turns around and talks over Dean’s shoulder to look at Castiel, who’s remained on the back to let Gabe enjoy the first view of the dream kitchen he had been promised. “Cassie, we have to have this… look! It’s gorgeous! Oh, man! You guys want me to cook something like, right now?” Gabe winks at the camera and, as he turns back to start poking around the stainless appliances and wood cabinets, he sends a little coy smile towards Sam, confusing the hell out of him.
Dean takes a step to the side to let Castiel get into the kitchen. Dean’s heart skips a beat and doesn’t seem to be able to take his gaze off from Castiel’s neck but he shakes himself off, he doesn’t do dudes with a life partner or husband or whatever these two are.
Castiel takes some shy steps into the kitchen, anyone could see it’s definitely not his place of comfort but he seems amused by Gabriel’s excitement. “It’s a beautiful kitchen, Gabriel, but I don’t cook so I’ll have to trust your judgement.” Castiel answers as he frowns at the sink testing the water pressure by lifting the tap handle. “I really don’t know how most of the appliances in this room work.” he deadpans staring at the offending tap.
Sam smiles at the exchange of jests between the couple, thinking it’s a pity that they’re together because Gabriel is beautiful and funny and that smile is so damned cute. Sam and Dean remain at the kitchen door to allow the camera guy to work, as he follows the couple around the kitchen, recording as much as he can so it can be edited later and make it look good. He turns to look at Dean just to find that his brother is looking back at him with a knowing look, shrugging and sighing, and then turning back to the couple in the kitchen currently opening the oven and talking about the meals they would enjoy there.
But right now Sam clears his throat calling the couple’s attention, and Dean straightens a bit, falling back into professional mode. His heart decided to run a race though.
“Sorry to interrupt, guys, but let’s go outside so we can talk about the price of this beauty.” Sam politely invites the couple.
Sam and Dean lead the way to the front yard, they gather by the archway and, coffee in hand, patiently wait for the director to hold his hand in the air and begin recording. The minutes before that happens are a bit awkward, with the couple murmuring about the house something they Winchesters can’t make out from the couple of feet separating them. While waiting to take their positions, the brothers remain unusually quiet, apparently taking a moment to sip their coffees and distractedly eyeing one different client each. Dean hears Sam clearing his throat as if admonishing him but when he turns to see him he sees his brother looking sheepishly at him, Dean nods his understanding of Sam’s predicament and leans in to whisper in Sam’s ear, “I know, it’s a pity, because I’d tap that in a second.” Sam snorts and visually relaxes.
When the assistant comes over to take the paper cups away, they join the couple in the designated spot and put on their most charming smiles to begin the shooting. As the camera pans in, Sam inquires, “Okay, Gabriel, Castiel… how much do you think this beauty costs?”
Gabriel and Castiel, as if under unspoken accord, turn to take a quick glance at the house and share a calculating look.
“About 700,000 dollars” Castiel confidently says.
“720,000” Gabriel screams, amused as if playing a game.
Sam and Dean shake their heads disappointingly, it’s Sam who speaks, “You are very optimistic people. This house is exactly 950,000, that’s three hundred grands over your budget.”
There’s one second of silence too many and Castiel turns to Gabriel with a sigh, “Gabe, we can’t afford 300,000 dollars more.”
But before Gabriel can make up a reply, Dean steps in, “Well, actually…” calling the couple’s attention, “we could offer you the same house distribution for a better price, but we’d have to do it from scratch.”
“What?” Castiel confusedly asks, “Like remodelations?”
“Yes,” Sam informs, “It’s the only way we can get your dream house in your dream neighbourhood.”
“Otherwise,” Dean continues, “you’d have to resign half the commodities and even the location… guys, remodeling is really your only hope.”
“No.” Gabriel categorically interjects, “I hate remodelings. They take too long, they go out of budget too fast and besides… I just can’t live in my mother’s house anymore.”
“I see… well, let’s do something.” Sam rushes to say as if to take the short sandy haired man out of his distress, “I’ll show you some other houses within budget but please promise you’ll think about remodeling.”