The Boy in the Rain
What would've happened if Spongebob didn't take National No Spongebob Day as a compliment? What if he reacted in the complete opposite way? Would the Bikini Bottomites be able to fix the mess they created and make Spongebob feel better, or will they just leave it all to Sandy? AU, Humanized, mentions of death, hints of Spandy
I do not own Spongebob Squarepants
It all started when the Bikini Bottomites returned from their 'Trip.'
"It was national No Spongebob Day!"
Incidentally, they were not gone for merely a day, but for weeks. They said that he should have been flattered. That he should cheer up, the holiday was inspired by him.
"Everyone needs at least one day away from: ha ha ha!"
Spongebob tried not to let it get to him, he tried to see their point of view, but when he saw his friends exit that bus, he lost it.
"Do you have ANY idea what you guys DID to me?! You leave for weeks on end, enjoying your little 'holiday' while I'm still here, going out of my mind with worry about where you all are, when here you come, laughing and giggling about what a fun time you had and trying to tell me that I should be flattered!"
The crowd seemed a bit fazed by his outburst and they all had guilty looks on their faces, even Squidward. He saw Sandy make her way towards him, but he wasn't ready to face her yet, so he did the only thing he could. He ran.
"Spongebob! Come back!"
He didn't heed their calls. He didn't look back. He ran faster than he had in his entire life. By the time he made it to his house, his hair was windswept and his face was slick with sweat. He locked his door and pulled the blinds on his windows. He holed himself in his library and ignored the feelings that were welling up inside him. With that, he fell asleep in his armchair. There were a few times during his slumber that he subconsciously heard banging on his door, but it was always shoved aside to make way for dreams where he was the only person left on earth.
o0O0o
The next day did not go well for the young man. He had forgotten to set his alarm clock and woke up three hours later than he was supposed to. He had also forgotten to sleep in his bed and he woke up with back cramps from his library chair. Not only that, all his shorts and T-shirts were dirty, he was out of eggs and milk, and it was raining. The oh-so-sneaky hate-spiral had snuck up on him, making it seem as if everything had turned against him.
Getting upset, he tried to put his clothes into the washing machine, but about halfway through its cycle, it broke down, spewing soapy water all over the laundry room floor. It took him over two hours to clean everything up, wash a good amount of his clothes, and hang everything up to dry. When he was done, it was around eleven in the morning and it was still pouring rain.
He tried to entertain himself for a while by watching TV, to take his mind off the things that wouldn't normally bother him. However, this didn't work because the only things that were on were infomercials. He turned the TV off and decided to go get some eggs for his breakfast. His clothes were a mess, and he changed into his now clean and semi-dry ones.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and slouched out the door. Instantly, he was soaked, having forgotten his umbrella. He contemplated on whether he should go inside to get it, but he changed his mind, seeing that it wouldn't really matter; he was already sopping wet. Sighing, he made his way down the street and to the store.
o0O0o
Spongebob wandered aimlessly through the grocery store, leaving little puddles of water everywhere he went. The store was nearly empty, save for a few employees. The boy walked down the dairy aisle, looking for eggs and milk, but all he saw were empty shelves. Growing frustrated, Spongebob stomped over to one of the freezers and opened it. Inside was a note that read: 'We are currently out of eggs, milk, and other dairy products. Sorry.' Now severely ticked off, Spongebob made his way to the front of the store. When he got there he was stopped by one of the employees.
"Hey!" the employee spat, sending a sour look Spongebob's way, "Are you trying to make my job more difficult, huh? Stop tracking water everywhere you go! I'm the one who has to clean up!" Instead of answering, Spongebob gave the young employee such an intense glare, the man backed off and stuttered a feeble apology.
After exiting the store, Spongebob decided he would go to Butterfly Fields to try to calm himself down. He hated feeling this way, all this anger, all this frustration. But he had a good reason for acting the way he was. All his friends, acquaintances, and peers abandoned him and caused him to temporarily go insane with worry for them.
He scowled when he arrived at Butterfly Fields, unhappy at everything. Slowly, he made his way up one of the field's many hills and stopped when he got to the top. He looked up and the cold rain splashed on his flushed face. He wanted it to wash away all his pain, all this betrayal he felt.
When his mind wandered to the image of all his friends exiting that bus, he couldn't take it anymore. He opened his mouth and screamed at the sky. He screamed and screamed and screamed. He screamed until his voice gave out, until his throat was raw, and until he was too exhausted to continue.
He knew screaming at the sky was pointless, but it made him feel a bit better. Like he let all his anger out and all he was left with was his sorrow. Sighing, he made his way down the hill, not caring at all when the rain mixed with his tears.
Spongebob began to make his way back home, but he would have to pass Sandy's place to get there.
o0O0o
Sandy looked out one of her many windows, thinking about Spongebob. She began to get really worried about him after he ran off the other day. In the distance, she saw a person walking. They were about Spongebob's height and, frankly, who else would be out in the rain without an umbrella? After thinking through what she wanted to do, she pulled out her own umbrella and followed her friend.
At first, Spongebob thought he was hallucinating. The rain still poured all around him, but he was no longer getting soaked. Confused, he looked up and saw Sandy standing over him with an umbrella.
"Sandy?" he croaked, throat still raw from earlier. "What do you want?" Sandy winced at how sad he sounded and she saw how bad he looked. She saw the tears that were leaking from his once-so-bright eyes.
"I came to apologize, Spongebob. It was wrong of us- of me, to leave you alone like that. I'm really sorry, Spongebob."
"Why didn't you guys tell me how you felt? The only one who said anything was Squidward, and I thought he just like that with everyone. If I had known how you all felt, I would've stopped doing whatever it was that that made you feel that way."
"Oh, Spongebob, don't you see? We didn't want you to change. You make everyone smile. You make everyone forget their troubles, albeit for a little while, with your positive attitude. If we told you, you would've stopped being you, just to please us. I- we didn't want that to happen, so we did what we thought would work to not only keep you the way you were, but to also give ourselves a little break from your- er, quirks."
"Well, it didn't work, did it?! You guys ruined me! Do you have any idea how much I searched for you? How afraid for you I was? How scared and worried I was when I thought you would never come back, and that I couldn't do a thing about it? That I would be alone, possibly forever?" He shook his head. "No, it didn't work. You tried to keep me the same? What, you guys thought that weeks and weeks of solitude would keep me happy and positive? The Spongebob you guys knew is dead. You all killed him." He choked on a sob that tried to escape his throat. He couldn't take it anymore. How could his friends abandon him like that? His knees wobbled from exhaustion and they gave out. Before he hit the ground, Sandy caught him in her arms and held him in her lap while he sobbed his heart out on her shoulder.
When he had cried all his tears out, he just sat there, curled up against Sandy as she held him and stroked his hair in an attempt to comfort him in his time of need.
"Oh, Spongebob," she sighed, "he's not dead, just in a coma. With time, he'll come around. You'll see." He sniffled and rose his head to look at her. He sighed.
"You must see me as a helpless child, Sandy."
"Everyone has their weak moments, Spongebob. And besides, you have a very good reason to be upset. I don't see you any differently."
"Sandy?"
"Yeah?"
"I forgive you."