#onecheer

am i making you feel sick?

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art by denkiddo1 !!!

a little something for the three people who read vecna’s bride (i am working on that too lol)

…

When Chrissy awoke a second time in the strange house, she wasn’t alone.

Henry had stayed beside her through the night, holding her to his chest, still dressed, lightly tousled. Lifting her chin, her eyes traveled over him in quiet wonder as he slept, a foreign warmth and fondness overwhelming her. He didn’t look so frightening now in the morning light, he looked like a sleeping angel. Serene and innocent.

A nightmare turned back into a dream.

Unable to help herself, she cautiously, curiously reached up and touched a coil of his golden hair, soft as down feathers, gently pushing it from his face.

He slept so deeply, unmoving, that she gave into her darker temptations and boldly ran a hand through the length of it. Then again. And again. Brushing through his hair that glimmered in the blood gold light spilling from the window.

She wondered for a moment what would happen if she were to kiss him, to love him.

To stay.

He was so achingly beautiful.

And he loved her.

“It will just be the two of us… you and I together, as it should be.”

What was there for her to even return to? It had only ever been the two of them, safe in this house… but she couldn’t forget, no matter how much she wanted to, the the doll, the little girl, the boy in the woods…

The key.

“You wake up so early, my love,” he murmured, eyes still closed, his fingers crawling up her spine.

She startled, his hold fastened, making her gasp.

HellCheer/OneCheer Dark Suspense AU

1989

Eddie rents a house just outside of Chicago with his bandmates, working long day shifts at the garage and playing gigs at night, waiting for their big break.

The house next door to them is vacant until one day a couple moves in, an orderly named Peter Ballard and his much younger wife Christina. They’re quiet and keep to themselves, but there’s something weird about them, something just off. Everyone in the neighborhood can feel it. Ballard leaves from time to time for work, but his wife hardly ever seems to go anywhere.

Eddie’s completely besotted with the beautiful and melancholy young woman. She’s like something from a dream, a fairytale. He’s only ever caught glimpses of her sitting with her cat on the front porch, or working in the small garden behind her house. He and the boys try to befriend her, since she seems to always be by herself, but she always hurries away at their every attempt, locking herself inside. Sometimes though, Eddie can see her from his window at night and he thinks that sometimes she can see him too. He’ll play music for her on his window sill those rare moments she’s outside and leave her cool rocks and trinkets he finds for her garden. Once in a while he’ll even see her smile at the small offerings.

A little more of that Hellcheer/OneCheer Thriller:

The cat is rigid, hissing at him as she bats at his pathetic, grabby hand that’s turning red and purple from the strain.

She’s scared out of her little mind.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, I’m not going to hurt—AH FUCKIN’ HELL!” He yelps when one of her claws snags the thin layer of skin between his thumb and pointer finger, curling into him enough to draw blood.

“I’m just trying to save you! Let me save you!” he whines miserably, pressing his shoulder against the window pane harder and shifting his body weight so that he can stretch out further. Almost there… She flattens against the panels, snarling in warning, but thankfully she doesn’t edge further away. With a quick swing, he’s able to grab hold of the fur from her scruff, and tug her back into the window.

She growls, whipping and swinging angrily as Eddie stumbles back to keep his footing and his hold on the frightened and angry little ball of fur. Last thing he needs is the neighbors’ cat running wild in the house. “Hey, hey, easy, it’s okay now damn it!”

He winces in pain when she scratches his palm just before climbing up his arm and curling up into his elbow, doing that scaredy cat thing they do where they just ball up tight. He can feel her frantic little heart beating. “Hey, it’s okay now, I’m sorry I had to get a little rough with you.” He smoothes over her white coat that’s standing on edge with his palm, petting her carefully until she starts to slowly calm down. After about ten minutes of schmoozing her on his bed, she starts to unfurl and even begins purring when he scratches under her chin, rubbing up against him. She’s pretty cute actually. “Yeah, you’re alright… c’mon I think your poor mama’s been worried sick about you.”

…

Jeff is going to kill him for this. They all are. But what is he supposed to do?

Not return the cat.

He cradles the nervous little thing as she rides along his forearm, carefully walking up to the front gate, making sure her husband’s car is gone before giving it a push with his hip. It’s locked, which doesn’t really surprise him, but he can see the little recluse in the window behind the gossamer curtain, staring at him.

He waves awkwardly, holding up the cat for her to see. Her eyes widen and she can’t seem to stop herself this time, running to the door and unlocking the heavy deadbolt.

Eddie’s heart rate picks up when she sprints (sprints) down the walkway toward him, tears shining in her eyes. He feels a sudden rush of heat climbing up his neck. “Hey, sorry… but uh I’m pretty sure this little lady belongs to you.”

He smiles as he carefully hands the cat off to her, their fingers touching during the exchange. So she is real, not a ghost or a figment of his imagination. Her fingers are soft and warm.

“W-where did you find her?” she asks in astonishment, hugging the purring creature to her heart, tears of joy and relief running down her face. He remembers how frantic she had been in the yard yesterday, searching and calling for her.

“She was stuck on the back of my roof, I heard her crying and was able to get her down.”

She looks up at him, noticing the long scratches stretching up his arm and hand.

“She had some opinions about it.” He adds, his smile becoming a slow, playful grin.

He sees a little smile hiding in the corner of her lip as the cat nuzzles up against her cheek, so happy to back with her mama. Christina closes her eyes with a pitiful little sniff. “I was so worried something happened to her… I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Oh, well…” He rubs the back of his very hot neck. “I’m just glad she’s okay… she seems to mean a lot to you.”

Chrissy nods sorrowfully, wiping away at her tears. “She’s… she’s my only friend sometimes.” she confesses quietly.

Oh his black, callous heart, it’s being ripped apart by the seams. He raises a careful hand, brushing the cat’s ear. “What’s her name?”

She’s quiet a moment before she answers. “Amalthea.”

He blinks, smiling bemusedly. “Wow. That’s uh—that’s quite a mouthful.”

Sounds like a Tolkien name or something.

As you know Roxy, this story was inspired by you and your art 🖤🖤🖤

I watched The Haunting at Hill House, Twin Peaks, Labyrinth and Phantom of the Opera a lot while drafting the first three chapters.

There’s three main things I like about this story and that’s the opening chase sequence, getting to write Eddie as more of an asshole because he’s not being hunted for murder (as of yet), and the general gothic horror atmosphere. It’s just so fun to explore and get creepy 😆

Also, Chrissy and Henry are strangely intoxicating together… Twisted as hell, but they have more parallels then I ever thought and it’s such a dark and interesting concept to bring them together as more than just a killer and a victim.