Squidward didn't want to talk to Spongebob about the vulnerable musical moment they shared. The day after he even called out of work. Mr. Krabs mocked him.
"Ohhh what's wrong? The starving artist doesn't want to see me customers eat! Argh argh argha rghargh!" The crabby capitalist laughed and laughed. Squidward wished he had choked on that disgusting guttural laughter. Spongebob's encouragement from the day before echoed in his brain
Give yourself a chance.
Squidward decided he would in time. Squidward hung up the phone and took a look at the calendar on his wall. 6 months. He decided he would give himself six months of stability until a big change. What change? He'd figure it out.
He went to work the day after. He saw Spongebob pacing out of the corner of his eye. What was he thinking about? Spongebob approached Squidward and inhaled like he was about to say something but then walked away like he changed his mind.
"If you have something to say just say it" Squidward blurted out
Spongebob jumped up startled he had no idea Squidward saw all that. His voice sounded angry but as the blue-eyed Bob turned around he was met with a warm smile. Squidward shook himself out of it like he was just caught.
"Are you just going to stand there staring at me?" Now Squidward looked annoyed... or was it embarrassed?
"I missed you yesterday" Spongebob confessed. Squidward turned around. He desperately hoped Spongebob didn't see the blush that spread on his face. And it turns out he didn't. Because Spongebob continued "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for throwing the rocks at your window and for that stupid note. I keep crossing your boundaries and our back-and-forth banter used to be fun but now I feel you really do hate me"
"You must be stupider than I thought" Squidward sighed. Spongebob's heart sank but then reinflated when he heard "I obviously don't hate you... I'm just-"
Mr Krabs yelled at the top of his lungs "I HOPE I'M NOT INTERRUPTING THIS SOAP OPERA BUT THIS IS YOUR JOB. GET BACK TO WORK!!!!!" So the two did, but all they could think about through their shift was each other.
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As Spongebob and Squidward walked home someone desperately needed to break the ice. Unexpectedly their silence was broken by...
"Mr Krabs is such a jerk" Spongebob muttered
After Squidward processed what was just said he laughed and laughed and then Spongebob did too. It was an orchestra of joy something that disgusting fast food chain was completely devoid of.
"I love hearing your laugh" now the silence was back. Spongebob desperately tried to backpedal "That was really weird I don't know why I said that." Squarepants just kept talking and talking but Squidward couldn't hear any of it all he heard was I love hearing your laugh. He wanted to pick up his coworker, hold him tight and kiss him on that stupid smiley mouth. He snapped back to reality when he looked at Spongebob who was tearing up.
"Woah woah what is that? Why are you doing that? Please stop" Squidward's attempt at cheering him up was pathetic. He figured he'd be honest. "Spongebob.... I didn't hear a word you just said" This strangely enough brought Spongebob from almost crying to full-blown hysterically laughing again. He even punched Squidward's arm. "OW!" but Squidward didn't care about the bruise forming. He echoed Spongebob's words back at him.
"I love hearing your laugh" Spongebob was taken aback.
"But you said it sounded like a drunken seagull with a kazoo stuck in its throat"
"And you thought I meant that in a bad way??"
"Well I was trying not to be offended but then that same day you came up to me and clarified" Spongebob continued with his best Squidward impression "seriously that laugh dear god I'll hear it in my nightmares"
Squidward cringed. He forgot how cruel he'd been before he realized his crush.
"Spongebob, back at the Krusty Krabs I was trying to tell you I'm afraid. I'm afraid of the future. I'm afraid of truly going for my dreams. And you scare me too. You scare me because you push me to do the things I've always wanted to do and the things I've always wanted to do scare me"
"While I'm glad you told me that...... what does that have to do with my laugh?"
Squidward cackled once more then genuinely thought about the question. "I guess back then I was also scared or I guess intimidated would be a better word. I was intimidated by your joy. Because it's something I haven't experienced in a long time" the sentence finished in Squidward's mind until you came into my life. He chickened out of saying it but he felt it. He felt it even more when Spongebob pulled him into a hug.
"I want to help you in any way I can. Please PLEASE let me know and I'll be there" Spongebob kissed Squidward's head. And walked to his front door "Goodnight, Squidward"
Squidward stood there for a few moments wondering what that meant. These next few months would be more complicated than he thought.
