This is heavily inspired by the Animated MTV pilot Deadtime Stories that I've loved for years and haven't seen anything influenced by it, so I said well why not, write a story. There are also elements of American McGee's Alice: Madness Returns, Atsushi Okubo's Soul Eater and Sui Ishida's Tokyo Ghoul.
The world was a messed up place.
That had probably been a fundamental truth since the dawn of the human race, all the way up to the point where mankind currently stood.
And that point, was the near pinnacle of humankind, a time where mutants reigned brandishing naturally born super powers dubbed "Quirks". Villains ran amok with their quirks and Heroes stopped them with their own, whether it was for actual justice, fame, fortune, or something else truthfully depended on the hero in question.
Though the super powered society revolved around Heroes and what they did for others as well as throwing baddies behind bars after a mean ass kicking delivered by said licensed authority figures, not everything was related to the fight of good and evil. This of course was a given, and not even the focus of Uta's thoughts most of the time.
Yeah, that's right. All things considered, she was a pretty down to earth teen with a goal to be a rockstar, a normal amount of determination, and a thing for art. Of course she had her problems like anyone else, but again, she was a moderately chill person.
Currently Uta, a young teen with platinum blonde hair in an undercut, pale skin, and garnet eyes was scrolling through a blog she lazily but routinely followed on her phone, her left hand gently fiddling with the silver stud occupying her labret piercing. Most of the pictures were of the blogger's cat, a black colored sweetheart with bright blue eyes that was always up to some shenanigan or another. The blogger's page also had its fair share of grim quotes that Uta usually found herself hearting because man were they relatable.
"Uta, how boring can you be?" A familiar, and currently irritating baritone spoke up, somewhere in the darkness of her bedroom.
It was only six in the evening but she had blackout curtains and her walls were black, so the only light came from the screen of her phone.
Even so, Uta rolled her eyes, which were shadowed underneath because she'd not been able to sleep for the past couple of days. She wasn't surprised to see a pair of gleaming, large white teeth bared in a grin and nothing else at her bedside. That smiling mouth had been a constant in her life for a very long time, and no amount of meditation or prescribed pills made its owner go away.
"Leave me alone Smirk." The teen muttered. "I'm trying to chill. Can't you see that?"
"If anything you should be trying to sleep." Smirk retorted. "But if not don't force me to sit here and watch you look at cat pictures of all things. You don't even like cats."
"This cat is cute though." Uta returned, sitting up on her bed to face the glowing, floating grin in the darkness. "And I talk to the guy who posts it sometimes. I can't be fake and not look at his posts."
"You can, you just don't." Smirk said.
"Whatever, it's not like it matters."
Before the voice could continue, an annoyed voice called from down stairs, "Uta, your dinner's ice cold!"
The teen pushed some of the bangs shielding the left side of her face behind her ear and scooted further across her bed. She'd yell back, but she had a naturally low voice, so it'd probably just crack and not be heard in a pitiful attempt anyway.
Her bare feet met the red carpeting of her floor, and she shuffled her way to the door.
"Move it big mouth." Uta muttered, maneuvering around Smirk.
"That's some nerve you've got." The shadowed voice huffed. "Why don't you do as those fleshbags say and 'shut up'?"
"I'm the one calling the shots around here. So I'm just gonna not do what you want and say right back at ya." Uta returned dryly, opening her bedroom door, wincing and hissing a little as her eyes were assaulted by bright lamplight.
"Oh are you?" Smirk asked mockingly, following behind her as he always did. "Apparently you make jokes as well."
"I do, but that wasn't a joke smartass." Uta said, rubbing at her stinging eyes as they adjusting to the abrupt change in lighting.
Thankfully Smirk didn't dignify that with a response as the teen made her way down the cherrywood flooring that made up her home's hallway, and descended the stairs. She made her way into the kitchen, seeing both of her parents home for once in the kitchen.
Her mother, a tall woman with the same white-blonde hair as Uta, gray eyes, and an uninterested expression stood near the entryway of the kitchen, her hand on the handle of the fridge, dressed in a silk blouse, black dress pants, and white pumps. Haiku, Uta's mother, looked at her and grimaced.
"Christ you look horrible." The woman said bluntly.
"Thanks." Uta returned dryly.
Haiku rolled her eyes and pulled her hand off of the refrigerator's handle, instead placing it on her hip.
"What's the matter with you?" She asked.
"Nothin much, just can't sleep." Uta shrugged.
"Ugh, have you been having insane fits again?" Haiku asked, pretty face contorting softly with irritation.
"No." Uta huffed, crossing her arms and moving to the table to sit at the only spot with food in front of it. Which sadly was the usual takeout still in its box.
'Nice, it's Chinese today.' The teen thought.
"Oh yeah, then why can't you sleep?" Haiku asked, turning to mirror her daughter's dry look.
"You know I have nightmares." Uta said, trying not to glare. Why was her mother asking things like that when she knew that was the reason why?
"Dreaming again? Didn't I ask you not to do that? Well whatever, I guess it's just time to see Dr. Hinata again." Haiku signed, not even bothering to acknowledge her daughter's previous annoyed tone.
Said tone didn't change much when Uta spoke up again.
"Great, a new prescription that's just gonna make me slow down to the point of near sleepwalking." Uta grumbled bitterly, scowling into the opened box of orange chicken before her.
"You already know that you're only like that for a few days before your body adjusts to the medication." Haiku deadpanned.
"Yeah I know." Uta snipped, picking up her disposable chopsticks and breaking them apart. "Doesn't mean I like it. Can you blame me for not wanting to walk around like a zombie? I don't even feel like I'm me when I'm on pills."
"You are you when you're on pills." Haiku said flatly. "When you're not you're an insane wreck and so is everyone around you."
Uta flinched at the mention of her unique and egregious quirk, but she didn't look up, instead picking up a piece of chicken with her eating utensils and shoving it into her mouth. It was good even though its cold temperature made it a little rubbery, but she couldn't really enjoy the flavor at the moment.
Her father, a man with dark hair and garnet eyes behind stylish wireframe glasses said nothing, just continued to type at lightning speeds across the keyboard of his laptop; just as he had been doing since before Uta entered the room.
"Ow, that even stung me." Smirk piped up, hovering behind her chair, heard only by Uta's ears.
The teen wanted desperately to retort something snappily, but just chewed in a subdued manner instead.
"Well, I have to head back to my office." Haiku said after a moment, sounding more irritated than usual by that. "Some idiot intern has no idea what they're doing so I've gotta clean up their mess."
"Sounds like fun." Uta offered in a dead tone of voice.
Haiku snorted, the pinnacle of sarcasm and cynicism.
"Yeah, tell me about it." She grunted. "But anyway, try to sleep. And for god's sake stop fucking dreaming until we can set up an appointment with Dr. Hinata would you?"
Uta rolled her eyes.
"Asking me not to dream is crazy, and stupid." She stated.
"Oh really? Crazy you say?" Haiku drawled, crossing her arms and giving her daughter a droll eyed look when the teen looked up. "All those who haven't been diagnosed as insane raise a hand."
The woman rose her hand mockingly, and without even looking up from his computer Uta's father rose a hand as well.
"Ugh." Uta sighed, trying to ignore the sting of those words. "Whatever."
"Yes, well, I'm heading out now." Haiku said, already strutting towards the kitchen's exit with clicking heels. "Eat your cold ass dinner and sleep tonight. No funny business you brat."
Uta offered her mother another unenthusiastic 'whatever' and the woman was gone, leaving behind the sound of jingling keys and the soft thump of the front door shutting.
The garnet eyed teen waited several beats before standing up, closing the box of her takeout and putting it into the plastic bag holding the rest of her ordered dinner. She took hold of the bag's handles and stood up, pushing her chair into the table and making her way out of the room as well.
"Going to chill in my room Dad." Uta threw over her shoulder.
She wasn't surprised to hear no response, just the sound of his fingers flying across computer keys. He often ignored everything around him, only piping in if he caught something of interest said, and oftentimes that acknowledgement was nonverbal.
Of course some buried part of Uta that wasn't numbed by her perpetual loneliness still felt stabbed by her father's disinterest, but it was just how he was. Just like how her mother was kind of a callous jerk, and how Uta herself was dangerously insane when not somewhat medicated.
'That's just the way the cookie crumbles.' She thought grimly.
Speaking of her insanity, Smirk was being suspiciously quiet. He was usually making some crack at her or another.
The pale haired teen looked back, finding Smirk creeping along silently behind her. She was not alarmed by his appearance as she had once been, as she saw him every day of her life.
Smirk appeared to be a three foot tall black stuffed rabbit with silver zippers adorning his body. He had one running across the blank space where his eyes should've been, no nose, and the rest was a large unnatural grin with speckles of blood staining his teeth. Another zipper ran down the length of his abdomen, holding his innards within, though a bit of intestine was caught between the zipper and hung out grotesquely, dripping life's fluid with every step. Smirk had several more zippers wrapped around the circumference of his limbs, where joints would be on a normal humanoid creature. Completing his look was a spiffy red bow tie.
His smile curled at the corners, blood oozing between his teeth.
"Would you like a picture?" He sneered. "It may last longer."
"You're a figment of my imagination, nothing would show up you turd." Uta returned, looking away and making her way up the stairs.
"Oh am I?" The rabbit sang. "I feel pretty real."
"You don't feel anything but the need to spread madness." Uta said, lips pursing.
"That's not true, I quite enjoy watching you become annoyed." Smirk said. "Though, if I were just a construct of your mind, and I only wanted to spread insanity, what exactly does that say about you?"
Uta's shoulders tensed, but she didn't say anything, just gritted her teeth before inhaling and exhaling explosively. It wouldn't do to get worked up, whether she was medicated or not, enough stress could set her off, and that really wasn't on the mental to do list.
Unfortunately her quirk was equal parts powerful and mentally taxing. If Uta lost what little control her medication gave her, her quirk would go wild and drive anyone in the general vicinity to madness.
And that was not something she ever wanted to see again.
Uta's bloodshot eyes opened at the mechanical ping of her phone.
She lifted the device sitting by the side of her head on her pillow, squinting even though the screen lighting was turned down to the lowest possible setting without being completely dark.
Uta had tried to sleep as ordered by her mother earlier, and she'd been drifting pleasantly between nod and wakefulness.
Garnet eyes scanned the notification banner on her phone's screen. It read: ShittoshiNeko has sent a message to the chat.
Smiling drowsily, she slid her thumb across the screen to open her phone and read the message.
ShittoshiNeko was the blogger with the cat pictures and cool quotes that she followed and talked to here and there. He was a pretty chill guy from what little Uta had seen and they had a few of the same likes. And they also both had a dark and cynical sense of humor. Needless to say, talking to him made the isolation she endured in the outside world a tiny bit better.
ShittoshiNeko: I wanna commit die.
Uta snorted quietly. The phrase was pretty popular at the moment even though it was grammatically atrocious. Actually, that was probably the reason why it was trending.
The tired teen swiftly typed out a response and hit send.
MoonlightSong: If you do, you gotta promise to take me out first. Fucking end me dude, I'll love you til it's over.
ShittoshiNeko: Wow. Not even gonna ask why? Thanks for the concern dirtbag.
Uta choked on a small bark of laughter, biting her lip before typing again.
MoonlightSong: I just don't want to perpetuate your pain or mine. Just trying to be helpful dude. I don't need none of that negativity XD
ShittoshiNeko: You're horrible T^T but seriously, you said you want me to kill you before offing myself. How is that not negative? Makes no sense.
MoonlightSong: I'm sorry are you new here? :P
ShittoshiNeko: Bite me.
MoonlightSong: When and where?
ShittoshiNeko: Ugh, stop being a dick and ask me what's wrong already.
MoonlightSong: Lol loving that finesse game you got going on there bud. But ok. What's up?
ShittoshiNeko: Tomorrow's Monday and I gotta go back to school. I swear I'm more likely to slit my own throat than graduate this year.
MoonlightSong: Jesus Christ dude it can't be that bad.
ShittoshiNeko: But everyone thinks I'm creepy and they literally say it like everyday. And I have no friends.
MoonlightSong: Having no friends probably has absolutely nothing to do with that sunshine personality you got going on there dude.
ShittoshiNeko: I'll say again, bite me.
MoonlightSong: Babe I'll bite you so raw.
ShittoshiNeko: I'm sure you thought that sounded hot but I literally cringed so hard I just shit myself.
Uta darted into a sitting position, gut convulsing painfully as she tried to muffle the peals of laughter trying to escape her. She struggled for a few minutes before catching her breath, and after she calmed down she finally responded, still giggling here and there, blinking away humorous tears.
MoonlightSong: Nah, I knew it was awful but I still said it. I have no regrets.
ShittoshiNeko: You're literally the worst.
MoonlightSong: Hugs and kisses to you too buddy.
ShittoshiNeko: Lol, damn I wanna talk more but it's midnight. I should go to sleep if I want to be at least 30% conscious tomorrow. I've got eye bags for days.
MoonlightSong: Same. My eye bags must be committing coitus or sum 'cause they're just getting worse and worse. Sleep tight man.
ShittoshiNeko: You too. And you know, you really did cheer me up. But I'm pretty sure I'm gonna wanna bring a razor with me when I get close to the door in the morning.
MoonlightSong: Smh lol. Glad to help dude. Text me if you wanna talk when you're being your edgy dark self in a corner at your school tomorrow.
ShittoshiNeko: It's a date.
MoonlightSong: ^3^ Night dude.
ShittoshiNeko: Night.
After a few beats the notification ShittoshiNeko has logged off flashed across her screen.
Uta logged off as well, a faint smile on her lips. She set her phone aside and closed her eyes again. She was glad because Smirk was being surprisingly considerate and remaining silent from where he watched and grinned at her bedside, as he did every night.
"Well," Uta murmured. "Got something to look forward to tomorrow. ShittoshiNeko is probably gonna text me at school."
She didn't usually have any reason to smile at school, because like her anonymous friend, her peers found her presence unsettling and avoided her like she had the plague. Though, sadly she couldn't even blame them, just her circumstances, because her craziness truly was contagious.
'Oh the perks of having a quirk that spreads insanity.' Uta thought dryly.
With a soft sigh, Uta tried to relax and fall asleep. She prayed that she didn't dream, though sadly never before had that kept her from waking up screaming in the night.
Smirk watched her drift off, his grin widening as he did.
I don't even know what the hell this is. Ugh.