Hello! Here's an angst-y oneshot for you!
Warning: Major character death
Enjoy?
Ash and Smoke
It was over and yet; it had just begun.
The volcano had erupted, spewing rocks, lava and hot ash over their sleepy little town. Their world was ending. There was trash, rocks and pieces of building everywhere, debris still steaming and melting.
The citizens were evacuating on foot, Mr Krabs, Pearl, Squidward and all the rest were making it safely out of town. Sandy left via jet-pack when the town turned on her.
Patrick was ashamed to say he left too. Not town though, no he left someone far more important.
He left his best friend to deal with the end of the world alone.
He had thought the sardines needed him more. Well, now they were all making it safely out while Patrick ran back to the burning hellscape he once called home.
His friends had told him there was no sign of the ginger in the evacuation group, he must have been left behind. They had begged Patrick not to go back, to give up.
He couldn't do that.
If his buddy wasn't with the others there had to be a reason and Patrick wanted to know it, was he hurt? Trapped? Unable to escape?
Was he already dead?
Patrick coughed as smoke and ash filled his lungs, he couldn't die – he had to find SpongeBob first.
He wasn't leaving without him, wasn't living without him and sure as hell wasn't dying without saying goodbye first.
He ran through the town. He searched all the familiar places; The Krusty Krab, the Chum Bucket, the Treedome and Conch Street – all in ruins by now. He cried when he found the Pineapple completely flattened with a piece of snail shell lying nearby.
He only hoped his friend wasn't under there.
He ran towards jellyfish fields when something caught his eye, a shock of yellow.
He knew that shirt anywhere.
He turned quickly enough to slip before scrambling back onto his feet and toward the yellow shape, he arrived to find SpongeBob lying, stomach flat on the ground.
His right leg crushed beneath a boulder from the volcano.
His friend had his eyes closed and a pained frown creased his dirty face, he was wheezing slightly with each breath. His small body was shuddering from pain and shock.
How long had he been lying like that?
"SpongeBob!" Patrick gasped as he crouched down beside him, his friend immediately snapped his head up and a bright, yet strained, grin lit up his face.
"Patrick!" He coughed out, he had clearly been here for a while. He had inhaled too much smoke and ash. His face suddenly turned serious, "What are you doing? Why aren't you escaping with the others?"
Patrick gave him a small sad smile.
"I couldn't just leave you behind." He explained, he rubbed a comforting hand on SpongeBob's back.
"Sorry buddy," The shorter man coughed, "But I think you're gonna have to."
Patrick frowned as he stood up and eyed the huge boulder, he gave it a testing push but there was no way he could move it. It was far too heavy, even for him.
He tried a few more times though, grunting with the effort. He yelped as his hand slipped, cutting himself on the sharp boulder.
"Stop." SpongeBob choked out from below, Patrick walked back over to join him. "You gotta go!"
"No." Patrick said as he slowly lowered himself to lie on his back next to his friend. "If you can't leave then I'm staying here with you, 'til the end."
"You can't!" SpongeBob insisted fearfully. "Patrick! Leave me! You'll die!"
"Yeah? and if I leave, you die here all alone!" Patrick shrugged, though his voice betrayed how scared he really was. "I promised I'd be with you all the way."
SpongeBob stared at him in disbelief.
"Please, don't do this!"
"I'm sorry I abandoned you." Patrick frowned up at the orange sky, it seemed like it too was burning.
"You have so much to live for!" Sponge continued forcefully, he wasn't going to let his friend waste his life.
"Like what!?" Patrick burst as he turned his head to finally look his friend in the eye, "I'm a bum! I live under a rock!"
"But you can escape!" SpongeBob cried,
"Maybe I don't want to!" Patrick yelled back as the ash made his eyes water, "Maybe I don't want to live without you! You think of that?"
The younger man stared at him sadly, tears streaming down his freckled cheeks.
"Patrick?"
"What?" The older sighed tiredly.
"You know I love you right?" SpongeBob asked, looking at his friend with wet eyes. "That I didn't mean any of what I said earlier?"
"I know buddy... I love you too." Patrick smiled softly.
They fell quiet as another tremor shook the earth, the volcano gave a second explosion. They didn't have much longer left.
Patrick rolled over and shielded his friend, one last attempt at protecting him as a thick layer of ash spread over the land. Killing and preserving everything below.
Months later, Mr Krabs, Squidward and Sandy came back to the remains of Bikini Bottom. They searched high and low for their friends, everyone else had made it out.
Sandy let out a heartbroken cry, causing the two males to run to her side. They looked down at the sight with horror and sadness.
There, preserved perfectly, were the two best friends. Encased forever in their last act of love, a protective hug.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a review!