SpongeBob glared glassy-eyed at the sleeping body in front of him from afar, watching Patrick's stomach rise and fall gently with each breath. The sight began to make SpongeBob sleepy himself, but he shook his head violently, dispelling the fatigue from his brain. He inched closer, closer, closer, until he was practically on the bed with Patrick, looking down at him - their faces so close that his nose almost touched Patrick's face. Sweat began to bead on SpongeBob's forehead. He licked his lips and reached his sweaty hands out towards Patrick's neck, his arms quivering nervously. He grabbed hold of Patrick's throat gently, not enough to wake him, and remained in that position for a long while. SpongeBob let out a breath, trying to fight the urge to squeeze the life out of his best friend. Suddenly, Patrick let out a yawn and turned on his opposite side, forcing SpongeBob to retract his paws quickly so as not to awaken the big pink man. SpongeBob quietly inched back to the corner of the room near the bedroom doorway and remained there for a few more hours, observing Patrick's sleeping body. I don't need it. I definitely don't need it.

SpongeBob was startled to realize that the sun was beginning to rise. He had been there all night, and he needed to retreat back to his house quickly so Patrick wouldn't catch him. He got up and tiptoed out of the room, closing the door softly behind him, and exited Patrick's rock. He ignored Gary's cries for food upon entering his house and sprinted to his room, locking the door and lowering the blinds before launching himself into his bed, covering his head with the sheets. A wave of shame enveloped his body. This has been going on for almost three months now, and he couldn't stop what had become a shameful habit. Every night he'd be overcome with an uncontrollable urge to sneak into Patrick's home under the cover of darkness, thinking of ways to snuff him. He fantasized about how much blood would pour out of his best friend's body. He wondered what sounds he'd make. He wondered how long he'd last. He desperately wanted to find out. He'd promised himself that he'd never go through with it, but there was no escaping it now.

I need it.

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"SpongeBob! Where the fuck were ya' yesterday?" Mr. Krabs exclaimed as SpongeBob meandered through the door of the Krusty Krab, lazily making his way to the kitchen. "I had to put Squidward on the grill, and it goes without sayin' that that was a fuckin' travesty. That guy is a piece of shit."

"Hey!" Squidward shouted from behind the register. "I'm right here Mr. Krabs. What gives you the right to talk that way about me? SpongeBob should be the one getting read the riot act; he didn't show up!"

SpongeBob let out a sigh and walked through the door to the kitchen, ignoring the commotion. He could hear the argument rage on outside, but there were no customers to be bothered by it. The Krusty Krab had tanked in popularity ever since Plankton converted the Chum Bucket into a strip club, serving only alcohol and blowjobs with a side of genital warts. "Screw you Mr. Krabs!" Squidward's voice boomed from the dining room. "If I'm going to be treated like a second class citizen, then I quit!"

Mr. Krabs snorted in contempt. "Ya've been treated like a second class citizen by everybody since the day ya' were born! Ya're a disgusting, vile, talentless piece of-"

The doors opened suddenly, and the argument ended abruptly. SpongeBob could hear heavy footsteps make their way up to the register. "Good morning Krusty crew!" Patrick yelled deafeningly, which made SpongeBob gasp in shock. What the hell was he doing here? He hadn't come into the Krusty Krab in months. SpongeBob peered through the window into the dining room at Patrick who was staring blankly at the menu, drool pouring onto the ground from his slack jaw. Goosebumps towered like mountains on SpongeBob's skin as he observed Patrick's features, and he could feel his breath quicken and his heartbeat race. His skin looked especially soft this morning, and his plump belly looked like the perfect place to shove a sharp knife. SpongeBob could hardly contain himself.

After a few minutes of silence, Squidward exclaimed, "Well, are you gonna order something or are you just gonna stand there like a fucking ignoramus?"

Patrick laughed. "Well, actually Squidward, I was looking for Sponge-"

"Quit breathing my air!" Squidward interrupted suddenly. The room fell silent again for a moment.

Patrick cleared his throat. "Uh, well, like I was saying Squidward, I was hoping to talk to SpongeBob. I haven't seen him in a long time and I think he might be avoiding me for some reason. I just wanna know what's going on."

Squidward let out a sigh. "SpongeBob! You have a gentleman caller."

SpongeBob was doused in sweat, his mind was racing. He had been avoiding Patrick for the past three months because he's been fighting the urge to hurt him. He had kept interaction with him to an absolute minimum, only seeing him during his nighttime escapades when his discipline fails him completely. SpongeBob cleared his throat and replied in a shaky voice, "Actually Squidward I'm really busy right now. Could you tell Patrick I'll talk to him later?"

"Tell him yourself, barnacle-head. He's right here." Before SpongeBob even had time to reply, the door to the kitchen opened and Patrick walked in, his eyes beaming with joy from finally seeing his best friend who had disappeared for so long. SpongeBob nearly fainted.

"Heya SpongeBob, where've you been?" Patrick asked gleefully. "I've missed you, why don't we hang out or go jellyfishing anymore?"

SpongeBob's mind raced as he desperately tried to think of a reply, but he couldn't think straight with Patrick right in front of him. He suddenly became aware of a very strong odor of metal in his nostrils, and lights began to dance in front of his eyes. Tunnel vision trained his sight on Patrick, blurring out every other object in the room. SpongeBob couldn't help but observe his features. He felt an overwhelming sense of joy from seeing his friend - he suddenly wanted to hug him and play with him and hit him and hurt him and kill him. SpongeBob shook his head and snapped out of the trance. "Sorry I haven't been able to play with you recently Patrick," SpongeBob mumbled, looking around the room; looking at anything that wasn't Patrick. "Gary hasn't been feeling well. He hasn't been eating. I don't know."

"Oh come on SpongeBob, what kind of excuse is that?" SpongeBob could feel himself getting angry. For an absolute imbecile, Patrick could be aggravatingly perceptive.

"I don't know Patrick, things have come up." That was one way of putting it. SpongeBob truly didn't know what had caused his urges to start three months ago. Prior to that, everything was completely normal. They'd go jellyfishing every other day, play tag in their yards, go see movies - everything they used to do. But suddenly, one night as he settled into bed, he couldn't fall asleep. In fact, he couldn't even get comfortable in his bed. He went to his window and lifted up a blind, staring outside at Patrick's rock. That was when the urges began. That was when his mind was filled with despicable thoughts - I wonder if I'll ever kill him. I wonder what it'd feel like to stab him. What would it feel like to strangle him? Would it be hard? Would he fight back? I wonder what he tastes like. Would it make my stomach hurt? That's how it began. He would stare out at Patrick's rock every evening, until one night he felt the need to be closer. That's when he decided it would be okay to go into his house at night - not to do anything, that was entirely out of the question. He just wanted to sit outside Patrick's room and listen to his breathing as he slept, fantasizing about what his breathing would sound like if a fork were to suddenly puncture his throat. Eventually, that too didn't cut it, and SpongeBob needed to get closer. After that, he began to spend his nights with Patrick in his room, lingering in the shadows and sweating anxiously.

"SpongeBob, I just wanna go back to the way things were," Patrick said and approached SpongeBob, putting his hand on his shoulder. He forced a pained smile, but the gesture had made him horribly uncomfortable. Patrick smiled. "There's a new Mermaid Man movie coming out tomorrow, do you wanna go see it? I just feel like we never see each other anymore."

SpongeBob licked his dry lips and quickly wiped the beads of sweat off of his brow. "I don't think so, I've got things going on." Patrick frowned and nodded his head, and he slowly walked to the door, obviously destroyed. "Besides," SpongeBob said as Patrick left. "I see you all the time."