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Arabian Nights

Summary:

World-famous action-movie-star Dean Winchester is shooting his latest Washington Ford movie on location in Istanbul, Turkey.
The nation’s rising political tensions have Dean worried—well, they have his little brother (and New-York-based human rights lawyer) Sam worried, and if Sam is worried, Dean is worried.
Dean is also dealing with a recent break-up, an asshole co-star, and he’s internally debating the relative merits of coming out publicly too. Also? He doesn’t want to miss the birth of Sam and Jess’s first kid, due in a few weeks.
Still, whatever life throws at him, Dean’s confident he can take it in his stride; but a magic Genie lamp? With a real life, incredibly sexy, wish-offering Genie called Castiel?

Dean must’ve hit his head harder than he thought.

Notes:

Written for the 2018 SPN Reversebang. I don't own these characters, I've merely misappropriated them for fun, not profit.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. Welcome to Istanbul Ataturk Airport. Local time is 3.40pm, on Tuesday, June 9th, 2015, and the temperature is a warm and sunny 21 degrees Celsius. For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Fasten Seat Belt sign is switched off and the airplane comes to a complete stop…”

A complete stop. Yes. Please. Dean takes a shallow, shuddering breath.

The studio stumped up the money for first class tickets; thank Christ, because Dean Winchester—A-List action-adventure movie-star, all round badass, and the heart-throb voted Sexiest Man Alive by People Magazine, not once, not twice, but three times—is terrified of flying. And when he says terrified, he means the teeth-clenched, hands-gripping-the-arm-rests, humming-Metallica-under-his-breath-to-keep-himself-from-crying kind of terrified. Airplanes are clearly supernatural. He’s positive that the only way the metal lumbering giants manage to stay airborne is due to some kind of black magic voodoo. Or maybe they’re possessed by infernal demons of the winged variety. Either way, Dean is a staunch believer that a man’s feet are supposed to stay firmly on the ground when he’s travelling; or at least no further off it than the floor of a motor vehicle.

If Dean had his way (and frankly he usually does; being an A-list movie star does have its advantages) he would only ever travel to movie shoots via Chevrolet Impala.  More specifically, his very own black 1967 Chevrolet Impala. Unfortunately, this particular movie is being partly filmed on location in Istanbul and Dean hasn’t yet figured out a way to make Baby drive on water. He’s quietly convinced, though, that if any car could, it would be Baby.

Truth be told, Dean’s unhappy to be arriving in Istanbul for a number of reasons, and not just because he can’t drive there from Manhattan. For starters, his little brother Sam and his sister-in-law Jessica are expecting their first baby in two months and Dean really wants to be there when the baby’s born. Not in the room or anything; that would be weird, but he’d like to be pacing outside in the waiting area, there to hug his brother when he walks out of the delivery suite a first-time father.

On top of that there’s been civil unrest in Turkey lately. The Kurdish-Turkish conflict seems to be ramping up again and Sam (who works as a human rights lawyer for the UN and is based in New York) had been concerned about Dean coming here. Dean doesn’t really understand the conflict, but he knows there’s been rumblings about ISIS involvement and he knows the Studio had been warned against shooting on location, had been told that despite the approval of the Turkish government, they might face ‘reprisals’ if they go ahead with their plans to film in the grounds of the Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque.

Dean would’ve pulled out of the movie, only it’s the second in the Washington Ford trilogy and he’s under contract to complete all three, so his hands are somewhat tied.

Also, he’s just been through a messy, painful break-up…actually, no…that’s probably one of the few reasons why getting away right now is a good thing.

First class, means Dean is one of the first off the plane. He’s whisked briskly through customs and immigration and out into a waiting limousine, sunglasses and baseball cap firmly in place.

“Alright?” Rufus says gruffly when they’re settled.

Rufus Turner, ex-police officer, has been Dean’s bodyguard for five years now; ever since Alastair. Dean almost shudders just thinking the name. Alastair was a deranged ‘fan’ who spent four months stalking Dean, sending him dead animals and letters detailing all the ways he was going to torture Dean, turn him into a whole new creature, just as soon as he got his hands on him. Dean received the first letter (and mutilated rabbit) in May 2010 and Alastair was caught trying to break into his house in September of the same year. He’d been carrying handcuffs, chains, and a black case containing knives, acid, and various medieval instruments of torture.

He was found unfit to stand trial (having spouted some crap about being a demon, ordained by Lucifer to break the Righteous Man) and is currently permanently detained in a psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane.

Rufus is a good man. For a start, he understands that Dean is not just some vacuous pretty face in need of a big strong man to rescue him from danger. He had known Dean’s dad, from back when John Winchester had been on the force, and he and Bobby Singer (the closest thing Dean has to a father these days) were friendly acquaintances, which is how Rufus came to apply for the bodyguard job in the first place. Two elite, be-suited, secret-service-style bodyguards in succession had already quit the job, saying Dean was too hard to work with, so even though the studio wasn’t impressed by Rufus’s more advanced age or his casual laid back attire, they hired him anyway, because Dean seemed willing to listen to him.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Dean had glowered when the studio brought him in to meet Rufus, the final stage of the interview process.

“Good,” Rufus nodded. “’cause I ain’t no babysitter,” he looked Dean up and down, like a general might inspect his troops. “I used to be a cop,” he said. “And not a one of us would’ve got far without a partner to watch our back. That’s what you need. Somebody you can count on to watch your back. I ain’t here to tell you what to do, son. I’m here to keep an eye on your six while you’re doin’ it.”

To be fair, Rufus frequently did tell Dean what to do, but Dean mostly trusted him to be right, and he knew that if he disagreed about some detail of his security arrangements, Rufus would listen to him.

Dean?” Rufus’s voice is a little sharper this time and it brings Dean back to the present.

“Yeah,” Dean says. “I’m good.”

And then belies the assertion by opening up the limo’s mini bar and helping himself to the bottle of Johnny Walker Gold Label Reserve.  He pours himself a tumbler and then lifts a second tumbler and raises it at Rufus.

“Nah,” Rufus says. “I’m on duty. Besides, if it ain’t Blue Label, it ain’t worth drinkin’.”

Dean shrugs and then guns the whole glass. He barely tastes it, just relishes the burn. He pours himself another triple shot and sips at it slowly.

“Fucking hate flying,” he mutters to Rufus, who just laughs and tells him to suck it up.

The studio has them staying at The White House Hotel, in a two bedroom suite. The décor is a little too ornate and ostentatious for Dean’s tastes; he’d have preferred to stay at the Radisson, but the White House is in the heart of the Faith district, so it’s a lot closer to the area where they’ll be shooting.

They’ve barely settled in when the room phone rings and they’re summoned to a meeting by Marv Messenger’s PA, Hannah.

After thirteen hours on an airplane, plus another hour clearing customs and immigration, driving to and getting checked into the hotel, what Dean really wants right now is a shower and a nap, not necessarily in that order. But when the Director summons you, you go.

“Dean,” Marv spreads his arms wide when Dean enters the conference room and Dean allows himself to be subjected to a hug and a pat on the back.

“Marv,” he says, dredging up his million watt movie-star smile. “Good to see you again.”

He greets Pam next. Pamela Barnes is playing Magnolia Capshaw, a lounge singer who becomes his love interest and side-kick in the film’s adventure. Dean’s worked with her before and she’s always a good time. She hugs him and squeezes his ass with a filthy laugh.

“Lookin’ good, Winchester,” she says.

“You’re a naughty girl, Pam,” he admonishes. “I think I might have to eat a lot of onion and garlic before our first kissing scene.”

Gordon Walker makes a derisive noise and Dean turns to him with a very obviously fake smile.

“Walker,” he says, with a nod.

“Winchester,” Walker returns the nod.

Gordon Walker is playing his nemesis, a rival archaeologist called Sterling Belloq who doesn’t respect local cultures and customs and is only interesting in pillaging artefacts for his own material gain.

It’s great casting as Walker is a self-centered asshole who’s only interested in his own material gain. Also, Dean already hates him, so the acting won’t be a stretch.

At a studio party not long after Dean’s first box office smash hit, Dean had indulged in an indiscreet hook-up in the venue’s rest room. Gordon had seen him and his hook up coming out of a toilet cubicle, and Dean had had his work cut out for him, convincing Gordon that when you were drunk-as-fuck one mouth sucking your dick felt very much like another. He’d then dated Cassie Robinson very publicly and visibly until it became painfully obvious to her that Dean wasn’t interested in having sex with her—or any other woman—and she kicked him to the curb. She’d been nice about it though, and given that Dean’s star was just starting to rise and she was a journalist, that could’ve gone a whole other way.

After Cassie, there was a succession of Playboy models, nothing serious and nothing that lasted for too long. Dean always made sure to dump them (nicely) before they got suspicious.

And then there was Lisa. Dean actually fell in love with Lisa, and he loved her son Ben like he was his own. But loving her still didn’t make her sexually attractive to him and even though he really really tried to make it work, eventually he’d had to come clean with her. They’d cried together and angsted about what to do for the best, and then Alastair came along and Dean figured that if he was going to be a target for nutjobs, it would be far better if he lived alone.  It was also an easy out. In the media, his break with Lisa was blamed solely on the Alastair affair, which worked out well for Dean.

He still loves Lisa and Ben. He still supports them financially and he still spends time with them, but he and Lisa aren’t dating. In fact, she’s dating a doctor now. Dean would like to hate him on principle, but Matt’s actually a nice guy.

After Lisa, he dated Lydia, who turned out to be a disaster—she kept trying to stick holes in his condoms, and the whole thing put him off even trying to date women. He even considered hiring himself a girlfriend, but that just seemed tacky.

He met Fergus Crowley at a private party thrown by a mutual friend. Crowley was a hugely successful stockbroker and property magnate, who was sickeningly, stupidly rich and very unhappily married. Unhappy, he told Dean, on account of the fact that he preferred to drive stick, but high society (and his daddy) insisted he have a pretty trophy wife instead. Against Dean’s better judgement, they had a clandestine affair, which was passionate, messy and constantly on the verge of imploding, and it ended nastily. Dean’s still half convinced the whole thing’s going to blow up very publicly in his face and it would really suck for Dean’s sexuality to be called into question again when he’s working with Gordon Walker.

The two other people in the room are Gordon Walker’s bodyguard (a be-suited, secret service type who eyes Rufus with barely disguised distain) and Mike Kubrick, who’s playing Walker’s side-kick, Groo Massee.

“So,” Marv says pompously. “Let’s get down to brass tacks.”

Dean and Gordon both roll their eyes. The fact that Director Marv Messenger is a douchebag is something they do agree on.  

Marv tells them that the US Embassy and the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism are both right behind the filming of this movie. Unfortunately, ISIS doesn’t approve and threats have been made. But the US Embassy and the Turkish government have everything under control, so there’s nothing to worry about.

Beside Dean, Rufus snorts, earning himself a raised eyebrow from Security Suit.

The threats aren’t going to stop them though. They’re going to start filming tomorrow, as scheduled and the Turkish government is going to provide extra security.

By the time Marv finishes briefing them on everything, it’s time for supper. Dean is too tired to deal with autograph hunters and fans wanting to take selfies with him, so he invites Pam to join him and Rufus in their suite for a room service supper.

The next couple of hours are laid back and fun. Dean likes Pam and he appreciates her vivacious take on life. She’s flirty, but in the same inconsequential way that he is, and Dean finds himself relaxing around her.

Pam has a 5.00am call time tomorrow, because she’s still wearing her lounge singer costume in the scenes they’re going to be filming and she has a complicated hairstyle and elaborate make up to get done. Because she’s got such an early start, she heads up to her own room at about half past eight, leaving Dean to have the long, hot shower he’s been craving and then call Sam.

It’s two in the afternoon in New York and Sam is at work, so he can’t talk for too long. Dean tells Sam about the extra security the Turkish government is putting on for them, but doesn’t mention the threats—Sam’s already worked up enough about Dean being in Turkey without adding any more fuel to the fire—and he mentions that it’s nice to be working with Pam again.

“Oh yeah,” Sam says. “She was in that horror movie you made…what was it? Six or seven years ago? The one with all the psychics and demons.”

“Seven years ago, yeah. Sammy…do you think I should see if she’s interested in dating? I mean, with Gordon here…”

Sam cuts him off. “Dude, it’s not fair to date someone you have no interest in. If she’s up for a bearding arrangement, that’s one thing, but don’t go letting her think it’s real. That’s just cruel. And besides, you know what I think.”

Dean sighs. His brother thinks he should come out, which is all very well for him, with his lovely wife and first baby on the way. It’s a little harder when you’re the one whose entire career could stall; who could be the target of a vicious public hate campaign.

Dean hates the fact that his sexuality is a big deal. It shouldn’t be. It should be a private thing that doesn’t matter to anyone. But he chose a career that means he doesn’t have the luxury of privacy and he understands that visibility is a big deal. If Dean had seen his own sexuality represented on screen, not as a flamboyant, limp-wristed caricature and figure of ridicule, but as a regular Joe action hero who just happened to be gay, then maybe he wouldn’t have had such a hard time accepting that part of himself.

“I guess,” he tells Sam. “But right now? I’m just not ready. Maybe if I had somebody who it was worth coming out for…”

“You’ll never meet that somebody,” Sam says gently, “if you keep dating women.”

Dean closes his eyes. He knows his brother’s right, but is it really so wrong that he doesn’t want to completely up-end his whole life?

They move on then to talk about Sam’s job, and then Jess and the pregnancy. She’s thirty weeks pregnant and the size of a house. Her feet are constantly swollen, she needs to pee every five minutes and Sam is worried sick about her. Dean tries to be a reassuring big brother, but all he really knows about pregnancy and child birth is what he’s seen on movie sets and he’s pretty sure that Hollywood gets a lot wrong. What do they even need all those pans of hot water for anyway?

Eventually, Sam has to go and Dean ends the call feeling more homesick than when he’d made it.  Washington Ford, Adventurer-cum-Archaeologist extraordinaire is a great part to play, but Dean can’t wait for the location shoot to finish up so he can head back to America and finish shooting the rest of the scenes on set at the studio.

Dean misses his brother and he wants to go home.