Chapter Text
Satoru’s eyes full of unshed tears are the last thing he remembers, and then, it’s nothing.
He expected pain or at least some discomfort, yet Suguru doesn't feel anything at all. Was it Satoru's kindness to give him a painless end, or was the pain so unbearable that he couldn’t stand it, so his brain left him senseless?
His soul is tugged somewhere a moment later, leaving his battered body. To the afterlife, perhaps? Or maybe straight to hell?
The travel itself is a blur of colors, but everything seems a bit too familiar for his liking, as if Suguru’s soul is still racing through the world he knows quite well. Then it stops abruptly, and suddenly he finds himself in a… bathroom?
“Holy shit.” He hears a whisper, then a quiet thud of a toothbrush hitting the floor.
Only then does Suguru notice a teenage boy with pink hair and light brown eyes, wearing boxers, his sculpted muscles showing. They gape at each other equally shocked, processing.
Then the boy recovers first and bends for the dropped toothbrush to point with it at him, squinting his eyes. “Are you a ghost?” He asks carefully, a clear curiosity in this voice.
Suguru pauses and glances down only to see his body intact, so he frowns in confusion, taken aback. Satoru was the one who killed him, so there is no way of surviving that. More importantly, he's dressed in a white burial kimono now, so he's definitely dead. But what’s up with this pink monkey? Why is Suguru here, in some random bathroom right after he died? Was he cursed, after all?
Then he remembers what the boy in front of him asked about. “Why would you assume that I’m a ghost?” Suguru responds with his own question slowly.
The boy blinks, tilts his head, and points at the mirror, again using his toothbrush to do so. “The fact you appeared out of nowhere and your look aside, you don't have a reflection, Yuurei-san.” The monkey states calmly.
He snaps his attention to the mirror in an instant and scoffs. The boy is right. Suguru, in fact, does not have a reflection anymore. Is he actually a ghost now? This doesn't feel right. He didn't leave any regrets or worries behind, content with Satoru being the one letting him rest, sure that Nanako and Mimiko would manage without him. Yet just to make sure, Suguru reaches with his hand to grab that damned toothbrush, but his fingertips are blocked by some invisible force, leaving him utterly flabbergasted at the attempt. There is no sensation of touching it either, so he looks down again. Is he even standing on the floor? He shuffles his feet experimentally and frowns. It's more like floating slightly above the ground, unable to touch it. Is that how Satoru’s limitless technique feels like? Is this his friend’s doing? Or, again, a curse?
What's going on?
“Are you okay, Yuurei-san?” The boy peers at him in concern, his brows furrowed tightly. Then he makes a thoughtful expression and hums. “I heard you shouldn't tell ghosts that they are ghosts, because they don't know that they died, and it can upset them.” He mumbles, then gasps loudly. “Ah! I’m sorry, Yuurei-san! I didn't want to make you realize that you are dead!” The irritating monkey whines in apology.
“I know I’m dead.” Suguru snaps, annoyed. “And stop calling me a ghost.” He spits with a dissatisfied grimace.
Now, why did he have to end up with this dumb-looking pink monkey? Suguru scoffs again. Why couldn't he just die in peace and wait for Satoru in the afterlife, but was bonded to this loud boy instead? He doesn't have access to his cursed energy anymore either. This is all too weird to be a coincidence, though. Suguru is aware of his sins, but to be punished like this by bonding his soul to a filthy monkey… He sighs tiredly.
“Oh. Then how am I supposed to call you? I’m Itadori Yuuji, by the way.” The boy flashes him a big, friendly smile.
Suguru looks at him with disgust. “Don’t call me anything, don’t talk to me, just pretend I’m not here.” He barks, irked.
He really doesn't want to have anything in common with a filthy monkey. But hey, does he have to?
Suguru turns with the intention to simply leave, but then he remembers he can't even open the door by himself, so he produces a frustrated groan.
“Are you upset because of what I said, Yuurei-san?” The monkey mumbles hesitantly. Suguru glares at him so heatedly that the boy raises his eyebrows in surprise. “I’m sorry if I was dis—”
What interrupts him is an old man barging into the bathroom while looking around with a deep frown, completely missing Suguru standing next to the door. The pink monkey drops his toothbrush again, startled.
“Who are you talking to, Yuuji?” The man asks incredulously.
“To the ghost, Jii-chan.” The boy replies in all his honesty and glances between his full-on judging grandpa and completely bewildered Suguru to stop at the latter. “Wait. Am I the only one who can see you?!” He gasps out and covers his widely open mouth with his right hand in disbelief.
The old man regards the boy for a few moments, then clicks his tongue and just leaves the bathroom, muttering something about that woman, whoever it is. Suguru snorts at the reaction. The pink monkey locks his eyes with him and laughs sheepishly, snatching the toothbrush from the floor. Suguru sighs again, now longer, slowly resigning himself to his fate. When the boy almost puts the toothbrush in his mouth, he snaps.
“Wash it first.” Suguru scolds him out of habit and scowls at himself for saying anything.
“Oh. Right. Thank you.” The monkey at least has enough decency to be grateful.
Still… “This is awful.” Suguru decides dryly and sits down on the edge of the bathtub, as much as this odd force field lets him.
The boy frowns while brushing his teeth with his earlier washed toothbrush. He spits the toothpaste into the sink and turns to look at him unsurely.
“I don't know why I can see you, but if there is anything I can do to help you, Yuurei-san…” The monkey falls silent and smiles at him shyly. “Oh. Do you remember how you died? Maybe you were murdered? I'm pretty strong, so I can beat that person for you or something!” He proposes enthusiastically and flexes his muscles to emphasize.
Suguru raises his eyebrows, unimpressed, but the mental image of this pink monkey fighting Satoru from all people makes him snort involuntarily. “You wouldn't be able to leave even one scratch on that person. He's not on your level.” He smirks with confidence and a bit of proudness for his friend.
He has a full right to still call Satoru his friend since they cleared that part between them right before, well, Suguru's execution. It's relieving, to be honest. He lived all those years in a conviction that Satoru might resent him for taking a different path, but turned out this idiot loves him unconditionally. Suguru smiles softly and shakes his head at the memory of last words from his best friend. That's why he was hoping to wait for him in the afterlife. So they could talk some more.
The boy pouts. “I really am strong, Yuurei-san!” He argues, then gasps, alarmed. “Wait, someone actually killed you?!” He realizes out loud and leaves the toothbrush to crouch down in front of him with a dejected expression. “Are you okay?” He murmurs worriedly.
Yeah, sure.
“I'm dead.” Suguru deadpans.
“I know!” The monkey whines and grasps his hands in a reassuring manner, then pauses.
They stare at their clasped hands, cold Suguru's meeting the boy's warm ones. He didn't anticipate they could do that, so he doesn't move right away, but when he hears an audible gasp, Suguru immediately withdraws from the hold, repulsed. A disgusting, filthy monkey touched him! If he still had his body, he would be sick to his stomach, already washing hands or throwing up.
“We can touch!” The boy exclaims with wide eyes, those almost sparkling from the excitement, and Suguru winces. “It must have meant something!” He adds and furrows his eyebrows in focus, sitting up on the ugly bathroom rug. “Oh! You know those occultist shows that are airing on TV sometimes, where a person is possessed by a ghost, lending them their hand and writing for them? Maybe we can do this!” The monkey looks at him hopefully.
No, seriously. What is wrong with this boy?
“I don’t need such a thing.” Suguru states flatly.
“Whaaat?” He whines in disappointment. “Really, nothing? You don’t want to tell the police who killed you? Or, I don’t know, pass a note to your family or lover, or whatever?” The monkey makes sure, not believing his ears.
Suguru sighs. “No.”
“Tch. Finally something interesting happens in my life, but what am I getting? A boring ghost.” The boy mutters under his nose with a grimace.
“I don’t want to be stuck with you either, filthy monkey.” Suguru refutes instantly.
“Monkey?” The boy repeats with his eyebrows raised and blinks, then smiles sweetly. “You know what? Maybe I should leave you in this bathroom forever. You will become a bathtub ghost.” He snickers and quickly raises from his position to do exactly that.
A moment later, the door is closed behind him, and Suguru actually hangs his mouth open in utter shock. Then, the lights are turned off, and that’s how Suguru learns he still can’t see in the dark, even in this state.
“You can’t be serious!” He shouts and throws himself forward, wanting to bang with his fists on the door, yet unable to even touch it. “Fuck!” Suguru yells and now attempts to kick it, to no avail.
Just when he is about to scream the boy’s name, something odd happens. Suguru is being tugged again, now phasing through the walls, only to end up at the corridor this time, the boy’s room coming into view. The monkey spots him and freezes on his bed for a second. They stare at each other wordlessly, and then they are both sprinting to the door, but the boy is quicker and closes it right before Suguru’s face, so he curses again.
The fucking audacity of this monkey, he swears!!
Wait. Why is he so desperate to be near him in the first place? Suguru scoffs and sits down on the floor right next to the door, then closes his eyes, which is apparently possible. So, the invisible force pushes him to be attached to the boy at some specific distance. They should figure out how far it is. This is really horrible. Why does he have to be punished like thi—Nevermind. He sighs and decides to meditate for the night, pondering about his situation on a more calm ground, also hoping to come up with some kind of plan of how to deal with this all. Maybe he could use the boy somehow? Wait, if they can touch each other, he can just kill him! That’s so simple! But what would happen next?
Ah, he has a lot on his plate to think through. But that’s okay, he has an entire night to do so. Ghosts can't sleep, after all.