Chapter Two

Just like you promised, right?

It was like being in a dream while awake, in one reality, she was gone, dead, never to be seen again unless in pictures or a tombstone. Cardin cherished these moments, thankful that he could see her, hear her and sometimes when he was desperate and able to lie to himself more than this drug induced farce, he could feel her.

"Don't make me repeat myself." She said, approaching him and in a moment, came to sit on his lap. There was no pressure on the area her body touched his, though he didn't think about that, he refused to.

"Yea, I know. Eat, drink, rest. Always after work." With his voice wavering slightly as he now remembered how incredibly lonely he was without her in his life, he leaned back even more against the wall behind him. "Though, it's a little difficult to take care of myself with you on my lap as you are. So, you're breaking your own rule."

Velvet puffed her cheeks in that adorable way she did when her logic was used against her. "So you're telling me you want me to get up? I can arrange that."

"No!" Cardin snapped, sitting up slightly and suddenly, eyes wide with desperation and laying his hands on her figure, though again, not feeling a thing. A moment passed, Velvet's form didn't seem phased by his reaction, a momentary skip in the illusion as his brain only showed objectively what he wanted. Or really, what it thought it needed to survive. "I… I mean, no. I'll get up. You just stay here with me, ok?" His voice calmed itself as a growing pain formed in his chest.

A sigh came from his lips, shutting his eyes and counting silently again "1...2...3…" Once opening his lids once more, he could see her standing at the counter. A smile on her features as her left bunny ear twitched once. She was happy, he missed seeing that. That large smile of hers, it made him feel so safe, it made him feel like no matter how many times the world throws dirt in his face she would always be there to help him wipe it off.

"Ok, ok. I'm coming." He said, getting to his feet and stumbling slightly to the counter. "I got some good news. I was picked to do one of the harder positions at the factory." His hands had found it hard to grab the loaf of bread in the squeaking cupboard that desperately needed a good oiling.

"A harder position? Does that mean a raise?" She asked, sitting on the counter and watching him intently.

"Uh…" A pause as he used the preparation of a sandwich as an excuse for his momentary pause while mulling over what he wanted to say. "Well, yes. Though it's longer hours, no overtime but more money is more money no matter how you slice it. Right?" He looked to her and she beamed with happiness, jumping off the counter and closing the distance between them and letting out a hopeful gasp.

"Does that mean we can move back to the city? Just like you promised, right?" It was her dream, he remembered well how he had promised over and over that they would afford a place soon to live comfortably again. That's what she dreamed, being near her family, growing a small garden in the backyard of their house.

"Yea, soon, Bun. Really soon." A broken promise to a dead woman. "You just wait, will have a huge home, a vegetable garden and no worries to think about other than what we would want for dinner that evening. It'll be just like before."

Suddenly her arms wrapped around him, a kiss being pushed against his cheek and for a moment, he felt it. "God, I love you so much!" Velvet exclaimed, holding onto him and leaning her head against his side.

"And I you."

Time flew by in this state, he didn't know if he was missing time, blacking out here and there but it didn't matter as long as she was there. When the night came, it made the apartment almost pitch black, the only working light being the TV. Leaving it on used more electricity than what it was worth, the sound not even on as some kind of after hours game show played. He was laying down on the mattress, no sheets to cover him as Velvet lay in front of him. He could feel her against him, holding her form against his body. Ten-thirty displayed on the clock on a very bare wall just beyond where the TV stood. It was time for bed, and time for her to leave him once again.

So he asked, just like every night "Velvet. Can you hum for me. Anything will do. Just… Give me something to sleep to."

That's what she did, without any question why. Her soft voice meeting his ears as his eyes shut, he could feel tears come down his cheeks as he spoke to her one last time. "I love you." as sleep finally overtook him.

The next morning came quickly, no dreams accompanied him through the night, just darkness then the feeling of waking up. It was a horrible feeling. When his eyes opened, he could feel his head pounding, his chest in pain as if someone was squeezing his heart. This was normal to him, almost every morning starting out this way.

In his arms he saw why Velvet felt so real. In one of the moments where he lost track of time, he must have grabbed his 'sheets' and held them to his chest. That fact should have made him sad, but it didn't matter, he held no feelings towards her now. There was no logical reason for him to be sad, to miss her or even grieve. It didn't matter now.

"Another day." He said, finding it hard to turn on his back, letting out a long sigh while trying to mentally prepare for the day. But that's when he realized, shooting up in bed, ignoring the pain in his chest and head as he yelled.

"Shit!"

After coming home the day before and getting right to using the drug, he forgot to set his alarm. It didn't matter what time it was, he didn't dare to look at the time as he pulled on his work clothes from yesterday and ran out the door.

"Fuck, I'm so late!"

Getting to work, entering the production floor and turning a corner, he almost ran into his boss, who upon seeing him had the most wicked mix of frustration and a look of opportunity. He knew his boss didn't care about him being late, it only allowed the man another reason to yell and have a fit. "Mr. Winchester. You're an hour late. Do you remember what we talked about yesterday? Or did you forget how many times we said both agreed on you being here?"

"Sorry sir, I-"

"Don't 'Sorry, sir' me. Consider this spot I'm giving you the one and only time I'll be doing you a favor. Now get to your station and I swear if you even so much as under perform even one hour today you can kiss your job goodbye. Do I make myself clear?" He stood with his arms crossed and sneering down at him, feeling bigger and better about himself as he got his kicks out on him.

"Yes sir, right away." Cardin hung his head in shame, guilt but mostly fear of losing his only source of income.

His boss grinned, patted the boy's shoulder and chuckled "That's a good boy. Now run along." He spoke to Cardin like he was just a child who had done something wrong and was being scolded by their parents. Nothing felt more humiliating than being treated like this, always being below normal people and never having a chance to rise above them.

Cardin's mind filled with retorts, wanting to say something along the lines of 'Eat me.' or just simply throw punches, but he knew better by now. So instead, he nodded and walked to his station. A giant manual press coated in green paint, he was to stand on a platform next to it and switch out metal pieces with a partner as those pieces formed into their final product.

From a distance, he could see who he was going to work with for the day and possibly the coming month or so. A woman, thin in frame, bubbly as she moved and bounced preparing their station for the day. As he got closer, he could hear a soft, content hum as she moved around until he came into her view.

Lilac eyes met his Blue ones, her smile grew only for a moment before she winced in slight pain, touching the band-aid on the ridge of her nose, yet strangely giggling before meeting his eyes again. She was, to him, strange. With a lift of her hand once he was close enough to her, she spoke her first words ever to him.

"Heya, 'Name's Yang. How's it going, Partner?"