Days later-
"Are you sure about this?" Sam asked again as the ProJeneration slowed to a halt. The computer systems had detected that they'd reached their destination, a charity centre in housing zone 1. The vehicle pinged and you could hear the automatic locks hiss open.
"Yeah!" Dean waved a dismissive hand, "About time I did something for others."
Sam frowned, "But... You're a hunter, you do things for others everyday."
There was a brief pause as Dean swallowed and looked up into Sam's hazel eyes, "I used to be a hunter." He pushed the door open and stepped out. Sam was quick to follow him.
"It might still happen any day now." He reminded the elder man. They were clearly referring to Dean going back to 2012 but neither of them would actually say 'going back'.
The ex-hunter sighed and his sad eyes brooded, almost seeming to go a darker shade, "I don't know if I hold up much hope, Sammy." He said with a small, weak smile upon his lips.
Sam watched him and it broke his heart. The smile was bordering on a grimace and the taller man had learnt to see passed that. The lines disrupted the smooth skin of his forehead.
Shoulders slumped, Dean shook his head, "No, not anymore." He turned and began walking towards the run down building beside them.
Sam hadn't realised that Dean's hope had been melting away day by day without him even noticing. The hunter was close to rock bottom so Sam knew that he had to do something soon. He needed a few more months of work before the command panel would be anywhere near complete. Less than two months until he hoped to present Dean with the gift of time travel. He bit his lip. It was going to be very close indeed.
Unlike what the hunter had expected, the packed centre was almost silent aside from the scraping of sporks on thin plastic bowls. There was no talking or loud behaviour; instead people were sat or leaning against the walls with their heads hung low. There were a few tables in the middle of the room but that seemed to be reserved for the oldest amongst the gathering.
Gray was the overwhelming color, it seemed to invade every wall and surface. Even those at the centre seemed devoid of color as though it'd been literally drained from them. The smell wasn't wholly unpleasant but there was the common stench of human bodies. Dean couldn't complain, not when he'd smelt so much worse.
Two small serving tables sat at each end of the room, one providing some form of broth and the other handing out clothes. The hunter's eyes scanned the area and was overwhelmed by the feeling of hopelessness and desperation. It seemed to radiate off everything in the vicinity.
Immediately he felt a tugging on his sleeve. Glancing down, a small boy, thin and fragile-looking was peering up at him. He had dark hair and darker eyes. Bones pressed out against his skin.
"Forgive us," His voice was thick with an accent. Dean had no idea what the accent was so correctly assumed that it had developed more recently in history, "But do you have any spare credits? To buy us food? Just a little, Sir, please."
He'd left his tablet/phone thing at Sam's apartment, not that he knew how to purchase things anyway. He shook his head at the small boy, hating himself for having to do so.
"Sorry, kid." He muttered, "I'm new here. I don't even have credits." It wasn't completely a lie.
"Thank you anyway." The scrawny boy disappeared into the crowd almost instantly. Dean hoped that he found his parents.
"Excuse me?" Someone called making Dean turn.
A man with short curls was waving him over to the food serving table. Dean obeyed.
On closer inspection, Dean easily decided that he'd rather avoid the mush that they were serving to those less fortunate. He didn't doubt that it was rich in nutrients though. The man looked across at him expectantly. His brown eyes were similar to Sam's but much less shiny. The long scar from his temple to his jaw line was also a very defining feature. His ratty clothes were not much better than those he served and Dean couldn't help but wonder who he was.
The man got tired of waiting, "Are you, "He peered down at the sheet, "Deaun Winchasster?" The man asked uncertainly. His mispronunciation just proved how rare a name like Dean's was these days.
"It's just Dean." He supplied helpfully.
The man didn't seem impressed at being corrected, even if Dean hadn't been an utter douche about it, "I'm Saune and I'll be directing you, okay?"
Dean nodded quickly, feeling as though wasting this guys time would be a major mistake.
"So, follow me." Saune led them back through a pealing gray door and down a small corridor. Cans lined both sides of the walkway, stacked high on shelves. They were obviously making the most of the given space. Saune seemed confident in his stride while Dean was constantly conscious of knocking the cans onto the solid floor, "Sam said that you're new in town." Saune seemed to mention with a glance over the shoulder.
"Yeah, just thought I'd try to help out while I'm here." Dean answered.
"Sam's a good guy," Saune seemed to pull the conversation back, "If a bit of a perfectionist..."
"I think he's better now than he was," Dean tried to defend his boyfriend against the sudden criticism. He assumed that Sam was better now anyway. The guy just seemed bitter for some reason.
Saune's smile seemed to turn almost predatory, "Does he still insist on keeping the medication in his cupboards lined up in alphabetical order?"
Dean blinked as he thought, "Um, yeah." He hadn't actively thought about it before but Sam really did keep the silver tubes in perfect line.
Saune scoffed, "And he has all his tins arranged in expiration date order?"
Dean frowned but found himself nodding anyway. It was a habit that Sam seemed unable, and unwilling, to break.
"He hasn't changed a bit." The man laughed.
Curiosity flooded the hunter, he used to know Sam? Was this possible?
"You knew him?" He asked as the made their way into a hot and sticky cooking room. Massive vats of the slop was bubbling over fire cookers. A young woman was hunched in the corner, stirring the smallest vat.
Checking to make sure the tanned woman was occupied, Saune responded, "Before he got lucky, yes." It took Dean a moment to realise he was talking about the job in the science and technology profession. He hoped for more but the man just began talking to the woman.
"Right, Dean. You'll be in here for the next few hours." Saune instructed making Dean silently curse; how could he talk with the locals about Sam if he was stuck back here, "She'll show you what to do." He muttered, gesturing over to the woman.
She scowled at his back as Saune strode from the room. Her distaste for the man was clear.
"Hi." Dean greeted awkwardly causing her to unfold herself and stand to greet him.
Only a short while later and Dean had be taught exactly how much of each can should be added to each vat. Apparently a few of the tins held nothing but pure vitamins. The woman was attentive but also treated him like an adult so knew to leave him to work some things out alone. They were never hard tasks though. She seemed hardened by the world but still kind enough to have seen the good in it. She seemed wise beyond her years.
She seemed to want to breach a topic of conversation with him but they'd worked almost silently so far. Her eyes continued to dart between the work in her hands and Dean's face every few moments until the hunter finally questioned it.
"Yeah?" He asked.
She blinked at him, almost assessing the man, "Saune throws people he dislikes back here. He knows it's hard work."
Dean had to agree, running back and forward with tins and stirring the huge quantities of gruel was a tiring and thankless job. He was already beginning to regret signing up for this.
"What did you do to piss him off?" He questioned. Upon her frown, he amended, "What did you do to make him mad?"
She scoffed, "Nothin' much. He considers me a rival for his position of director 'cause I'm 'feisty'." She used air quotes.
Dean smirked, "but wait... What did I do? I only just met the guy."
"I weren't listening in earlier but I heard y'all talking about Sam." She watched his face to ensure that she hadn't encroached at all.
"You know Sam too?" Sam obviously knew a lot of people despite his antisocial tendencies.
She shook her head, making her long, limp hair sway, "No, but I've heard a lot 'bout Saune and Sam. It's something that everyone was talkin' about a few years back."
"Why?"
"I'm only tellin ya this 'cause I dislike Saune, okay? Rumour has it, that Saune was madly in love with Sam and apparently they were on the verge of a relationship when Sam chose his career over Saune and left."
"So Sam didn't like him back?" He thought out loud.
"I seriously doubt it. Saune's a ballsack on a good day and if Sam loved him then why would he be so willing to leave." She explained her thoughts as she peered into a bubbling silver vat.
"Where does that bring me into this?"
She smiled almost sympathetically at him as though she pitied him, "I may or may not have been listenin' in on the call Saune had with this Sam guy last night. I don't know if it's true but it sounded as though you were with Sam."
"Yeah, we are together." Dean confirmed her suspicions. She gestured for him to work faster. The conversation had taken his mind away from opening cans and separating them up.
"There ya go. Saune loves Sam but Sam loves you."
There was a brief silence as he processed the new information as well as how impressive this woman's eavesdropping skill were. She blinked up at him patiently.
"You're amazing, you know that?" He remarked.
She sighed, "Yeah, I know." He admired her confidence and huffed out a laugh with her.
The centre was almost empty when Sam pulled up outside in his car. Eager to escape, Dean bounded over and jumped into the passenger side. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's neck and squeezed tightly, surprising Sam.
"Not a good day, I take it?" Concern shone in the hazel eyes.
"No, it was fine but I think Saune hates me."
Sam huffed a breath threw his nose before tapping their destination on the dashboard. His tie was loose around his neck but apart from that he was still perfect from work. Dean examined him carefully.
"I always used to hear rumours that Saune and I were dating. It made me so mad." He muttered as the ProJeneration joined a new set of tracks and led them towards housing 8 with its fancy buildings and wealthy owners, "I thought I could ask him a favor, to let you help out, without him acting like an idiot about it... Perhaps I misjudgment his maturity."
"It was good apart from that. I met a nice girl in the kitchen and we talked a lot. She was very wise for her age and very insightful." He muttered, thinking back the the conversation about Sam and Saune. It had given Dean some information about Sam's past that he couldn't have accessed otherwise. He felt like an undercover detective or something. He still had information that he had to uncover from the staff and visitors at the centre. He could bear Saune's abuse of power a little longer to get that.
"Are you going back tomorrow?" Sam's hazel eyes watched Dean carefully.
Thoughtful, he watched the world zoom passed his window for a brief moment, "I think I will."
Sam smiled. He was proud of Dean for going out there and helping others. Not everyone out there would sacrifice their time to give to those less fortunate. His unselfish act warmed Sam's heart and maybe even made him fall for Dean that little bit more.
"When will it be done?" The hunter questioned, peering at the growing complex of wires and circuitboards in Sam's gentle hands.
It hand grown to twice the size from when he'd first seen it due to Sam's constant work on it. Dean still didn't understand what it was and the one who understood refused to dumb it down enough for Dean to comprehend.
"Hopefully, before Christmas." He revealed his deadline to his partner.
Sam was lying on the couch with his head on one armrest and his feet sticking over the other one. Dean was lying completely on top of Sam with his arms looped around the other man's ribs. Sam, on the other hand, had his arms held above Dean so he could work on the device with it resting on the hunter's broad shoulders. They were both happy in this position. The shorter man would occasionally peer around at the way Sam's hands manuvoured the tiny mechanisms but usually just kept his head rested on his boyfriend's chest where he could hear the strong thump of his heart.
If it wasn't for asking the occasional question, Dean would have probably already fallen asleep. Although, eventually he did fall into a light doze for an hour or so.
Dean had almost given up hope. Despite being told not to talk to the visitors to the centre and "just do what you're assigned!", Dean had spoken to almost anyone that would let him approach them. It was beginning to feel like a wild goose chase. All that really left his lips, aside from his discussions with Liu from the kitchen, was "Do you know a Sam Wesson who left housing one over three years ago?" He tried to be specific.
After a few weeks, Liu, who'd become a sort of friend, they had bonded over their hate of Saune,, caught on to what he was doing and even began to also ask around whenever Dean was sent to the kitchens away from the people. He appreciated her help but he was even more grateful that she didn't ask him any unnecessary questions. She was that kind of girl.
"Do you know a Sam Wesson who left housing one over three years ago?" He whispered to an elderly lady as he handed across her warm bowl of slop. Despite being a tiny person, she held a presence that was rare.
Her eyebrows lowered almost automatically upon hearing a familiar name which was distant to her. Recognition was clear in her heavily wrinkled face, "I knew a family that had a little Sam once." Her voice was scratchy from years of abuse. Poverty had taken its toll on her.
"Where?!" He asked desperately. A sudden glimmer of hope.
"Tomorrow," She replied. "Tomorrow I will bring you the woman you are searching for." With that she waddled off towards the tables in the middle of the room.
Dean was confused but definitely hopeful. Had he actually found someone that could lead him to someone from Sam's past? He really hoped so.
That night he found it almost impossible to drift off despite his boyfriend snuggled up asleep beside him. Excitement brewed in his stomach making him jittery and hyperactive. He couldn't wait for tomorrow to come.