Chapter Three
Finally Trying a Krabby Patty
AKA:
Developing Feelings?

"Don't let this kid tell you different. Come and see for yourself how delicious the Chum Bucket is!" Plankton hopped forward and jumped on my shoulder, grinning.

"NO, Renee, don't do it!" Spongebob pleaded beside me. Grimacing, I thought about the last time I saw inside the Chum Bucket. That was when Spongebob was forced to work there. It was all machinery, and I could bet that all his food was made by machines, meaning they didn't taste all too good.

"No thanks, Plankton." I finally mumbled, uncrossing my arms. "I'm not very hungry..." The truth was I was ravenous, but I defiantly did not want to eat at the place that rarely had customers. I frowned slightly at Plankton's crestfallen mood but it disappeared as soon as it came and he jumped down and passed on his way.

"Okay, then, suit yourself." Spongebob laughed unconvincingly again, attracting my attention to him. I glanced at him curiously.

"Well, see you around, Plankton!" Spongebob quickly grabbed my hand again, startling me and he began pulling me in the opposite direction. We walked in peace for a couple of minutes, heading really nowhere. I glanced over at Spongebob to see him frowning.

"Sorry about that." He murmured. "I guess it's just that I—"

"You didn't want me to eat there." I interrupted him. It wasn't a question. I knew he didn't, with his working at the competing fast food joint and the fact he was practically trying to drag me away from the jellybean. It really surprised me, I usually didn't try to relate characters on the shows I watched, but I could feel my heart burning to comfort him. I looked down at our intertwined hands and sighed silently. As much as I tried to deny it, I was beginning to enjoy the warmth of his hand, even after a short time of being with him.

"Plankton is evil," Spongebob said quietly, "He's been trying to steal the Krabby Patty formula for years." I glanced over at him and felt a smile weave its way on my face.

"Well, that's good that he hasn't gotten it yet. If Plankton still hasn't stolen it that probably means that he's too incompetent to steal it. I bet if he does eventually get it, he won't even keep it for long." When I realized I was rambling, I shut up quick. Spongebob laughed shortly and softly, making me turn to his grinning face. His eyebrows curled up as he turned to look at me, his buck teeth glinting in the sunlight and his blue eyes shining. My heart thumped uncomfortably in my chest, making me blink in astonishment. Since when did I start having these types of feelings?

"Yeah, that's probably true. Hey, are you sure you're not hungry? I know you said you weren't but-" I cut him off by pressing my free hand to his mouth. He squeaked at the motion, but quit talking. I sighed and removed my hand slowly.

"I haven't eaten all day, and I'm starving." That was all it took to make Spongebob grin widely, and pull me in the direction of the Krusty Krab. From watching the show, I knew he loved making Krabby Patties, and I've always wanted to try one too, which was a win-win situation. Upon entering the Krusty Krab, he pulled me to the register where Squidward was staring at a magazine. I rolled my eyes when Squidward spotted his co-worker and groaned, then I laughed, pointing at the squid.

"What are you doing here, Spongebob? Isn't it supposed to be your day off?" He asked, sneaking me a dark look before glaring back at Spongebob.

"It is, Squidward! Ren was hungry though, so I decided to bring her here!" Spongebob raised his free hand to point at the menu above Squidward. I looked down at our hands, and shook mine loose, fighting to control my heart. I stared at the menu for a minute. "Pick whatever you want, everything is good here!" He said, lowering his arm to wait. I've never had fish food, but right now, I didn't really care. Suddenly, I felt my fluttering heart skip a beat as a thought struck me.

"Wait, Spongebob, I'm broke." I told him, looking from the menu to Spongebob. When I had money, I had no problem. But when I was absolutely penniless, or the cash I had wasn't gonna cut it, I hated being paid for. It being the latter of the two, I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms. "How am I supposed to pay for it?" Spongebob looked thoughtful before he laughed and waved a hand in dismissal.

"Don't worry; I'll take care of it." He assured me. Whoa, I didn't expect that. I raised my hand, with my finger pointed to complain and object.

"But--" He cut me off and pointed to the menu, avoiding my disbelieving stare.

"Order whatever sounds good to you." Leaning closer, he wrapped an arm around me, whispering, "I'd suggest the Krabby Patty." I sighed and smiled to some extent at Spongebob, with his being right beside me.

"I hope you know I'll be in debt to you, right?" I looked back at him as he backed up and laughed.

"It's just lunch, Ren! Don't worry about it." My smile tightened. I kept my voice lighthearted, but I did twist it into an authoritative tone.

"Yes, I will." His calm, closed eyes opened and fixed me with a stubborn look. He seemed to be getting annoyed with me now.

"No you won't." My smile slipped from my face. Spongebob's body was fully turned toward me now, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Squidward grunt and roll his eyes.

"Are you guys going to go on with this all night, or are you going to order?" Squidward asked, crossing his arms. The silly thing was I wanted to prolong the disagreement with Spongebob as much as I could.

"Yes. I. Will." I spat out through gritted teeth, completely ignoring Squidward. My mind and eyes were focused on the sponge in front of me, determined to pay for me and expected not to receive anything back. Another thing I detested when people paid for me was when they wouldn't let me pay them back.

"No you won't!" He finally yelled as if to exaggerate his frustration, his hands clenched at his sides. I blinked, but didn't let my emotion falter.

"Yes I will." I mumbled, feeling a grin plague my frown. I was beginning to enjoy this. My little grin made him give me defiant intent look and he crossed his arms.

"Renee..." I laughed before I turned back to the list of options. I've always loved to bicker, especially about stupid stuff like this.

"SpongeBob, sooner or later, I will pay you back, whether you like it or not." I smirked and looked up at Squidward, not giving the sponge a chance to respond. The moment I looked at the squid, I blinked at his smirk, but ignored it."I guess I'll have a Krabby Patty. No mustard or pickles, though." Squidward wrote down the order, and the fee came up on the little screen. I frowned considerably at the price. Was it really 2.99 for a Krabby Patty? I could get a taco for less than that at Taco Bell! I grinned as Spongebob handed him the cash, and grabbed the ticket for the order. He seemed to sense my delight and he glanced at me cautiously. Squidward walked out from behind the counter, heading to the stove behind the little window. As I watched him, I came to a quick and life changing conclusion. "Wait, Squidward!" He paused and turned to look at me, a frown on his face.

"What?" I thought a minute before I turned to glance at Spongebob, who looked back curiously.

"Uhm... nothing against you or anything, but can Spongebob make it for me?" I looked back at Squidward to see him shrug his shoulders and walked back to the register. The truth was I knew the last time Squidward prepared a Krabby Patty it didn't turn out too high-quality.

"Whatever." Before I looked away, Squidward raised an eyebrow and smirked at me knowingly again. I blushed faintly and looked back at Spongebob to find him staring at me with an odd look on his face. I put on the best puppy-dog face I could muster. It always seemed to work on some people.

"Pleeeeeease, Spongebob?" I drug out the please as long as my dignity allowed just to have the effect of a cute five-year-old. I swung my hands from side to side. Eventually, his face broke out into a wide grin and ran straight into the back room.

"Sure!" I heard him shout, and I grinned.

"You like him, don't you?" I froze and turned to face the voice, my grin disappearing. Squidward was reading out of a book, but seemed to be paying more attention to me than he was the page. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.

"What makes you think that?" Squidward leaned over the register with the book still in his hand, balancing it against his hip.

"You've just practically threw yourself on him to get him to make you a Krabby Patty. What do you call that?" He questioned with a cynic look on his face. I blushed and averted my eyes. He couldn't be right, could he?

"Um… I call it wanting to have a good burger?" I offered, smiling sheepishly. Then I frowned when I realized my error. It was his day off, and he was in the kitchen, just where he shouldn't be. I waited for a few minutes before I walked slowly to the door Spongebob just went through. I opened it, and peeked in to see him throwing a patty into the air by the spatula. I held my breath when I heard him start to hum slightly. Every time I watched the show, I'd always loved the episodes when he sang. I loved how it always made me grin and giggle like I was high off some foreign drug. Then I frowned once more. I let the door close behind me softly and I walked up behind him. He seemed to sense I was there and he turned to me and grinned.

"Hi Ren! Just making that burger for you." I sighed heavily and leaned against the counter, rubbing my forehead with my thumb and index finger.

"Spongebob, you really don't have to cook one for me." I told him, placing my hands behind me. "I just… wanted to see how a legendary Krabby Patty tasted made by the famous chef, but I'm over it now; Squidward can make it for me." He grinned and laughed, turning back to the patty that was cooking.

"Yeah, but I love making them." I secretly smiled as I listened to him hum again. "It is my job." He told me in a musical tone.

"But, it's your day off. I wouldn't mind if Squidward made it, really. You're supposed to be... not working." I told him stubbornly. He shook his head and ignored me, humming the same tune from the Campfire Song Song. This went on for about a couple more minutes before I couldn't take it any longer. I was most likely about to make an idiot of myself, but I didn't care. Groaning under my breath, I breathed out slowly in a puff of air. I slowly turned to face the opposite wall, with my back to the counter.

"Spongebob, will you sing a song for me?" I asked him nonchalantly. I don't know why, I just feel the need to hear his voice. Spongebob turned toward me with the patty resting on the spatula. The stare Spongebob gave me made me want to dart out of the eatery and never look back, but I held my ground.

"You want me to sing for you?" He asked, flipping the patty through the air and then proceeded to fling it across the room. I gaped, and then realized he'd already had a bun set up already there.

Then as I thought about it, that sounded kind of personal. I blushed in embarrassment. He looked at me and I nodded, forcing a smile. I watched as he walked over to the station and finished preparing it. Spongebob seemed hesitant and his eyes darted away for a split second. "Why?" He asked, putting the completed patty on a plate and handing it to me.

"I don't know. I just had a sudden urge to hear you sing." I told him quietly, taking the patty from his outstretched hand. "Thanks." I muttered, already feeling dejected from his sudden mood swing and followed Spongebob to the door of the kitchen. He stopped and turned back to me.

"Okay, but after you eat. You said you were hungry, right?" I blinked in astonishment and nodded eagerly, and then frowned as I eyed the Krabby patty. I didn't know what it would taste like. I never had trouble trying new things, but fish food?

He walked forward grinning and pushed open the door and stood holding it open like a big theatric scene. I stared at him for a split second before I blushed when I realized he was just being a gentleman.

I'm not used to people doing that. I held a smile and ignored Squidward as I made my way to an empty table and glanced at him when Spongebob took the seat beside me. I hesitantly picked up the patty and took a glimpse at Spongebob to see him grinning at me eagerly. I finally took a bite, and had to contain a loud gasp. It was like a huge combination of all the best tasting hamburgers I've ever tasted. I blinked in astonishment and ate the whole thing in one bite. "Did you love it?" Spongebob was leaning toward me with his hands clasped together, his eyes wide with excitement. I raised both my eyebrows at his enthusiastic expression.

I wonder if he had to take some medication or was just born like that.

"It was better than I thought it would be..." I muttered reluctantly, a blush staining my cheeks as I stood up to throw away the plate when it was suddenly snatched from my hands. I looked down at my hand and before I knew it, Spongebob had already made the journey to the trash can and back. "Hey..." I whined and he smiled at me, laughing.

"Now where do you want to go?" Spongebob asked me, grabbing my hand again. I flushed faintly again at how easy he able to snag my hand without faltering. Then I growled as I stared at his hand. I shrugged stubbornly and pouted as he began to tow me out of the Krusty Krab.

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Syd's Next Note: Yes. All this is a product of my ridiculous mind. –sobs- I'm so ashamed. I usually try to avoid making Renee blush so much, but come on! She has to have a heart somewhere, and I, as the authoress, had already had some place in my heart for Spongebob. Renee had to have something coming at her.

Disclaimer: I don't own Plankton, Squidward, and most of all, Spongebob. Bloody hell.