Description: It's like an epilogue to the SpongeBob SquarePants pilot episode "Help Wanted", except it technically isn't. It's fastforwarding [cue the French Narrator] one month later -a month after SpongeBob begins work at the Krusty Krab- and tells of how he ends up celebrating his employee of the month nomination. It also gets into how important he's proved to the restaurant. There's definitely some headcanoning here, but it all still tries to line up with Season One's "continuity". Other than that, it's just a casual oneshot fanfic. Enjoy!

So here's an update on how I've been lately. Feel free to skip:

Hey, guys! Don't worry, I'm still here. So unfortunately, due to coronavirus, my school has been cancelled for the rest of the year. Being in a school setting is what made it easy for me to write my "SpongeBob Bad*ss" fanfic, the one that is over 30,000+ words, a.k.a my longest fanfic ever. So yeah, that's going on hold until I can focus better.

For now, I'll be writing short oneshots, like this one. Guess what? This is one of my shortest fanfics, but you may not believe me when I tell you I stayed up all night/morning simply REVISING THIS! I wrote it for my mom, to showcase my writing skills while also continuing to portray SpongeBob in a positive light. (My parents aren't the biggest SpongeBob fans.) She enjoyed it.

Also, the 21st anniversary of SpongeBob was May 1st. I figured I'd write this. Lately, my weeaboo friends and my sister got me hooked on My Hero Academia, so I was scared I would slowly start losing interest in SpongeBob, but thankfully I'm enjoying both shows at the same time. It's also been over two years since I first joined this website. I needed to write something sweet; I haven't written a fic this pure in a long time, heh.

I really wanna share with you guys! Message me if you wanna chat. :)

Employee of the *First* Month

"There ya go, lad. I ain't seen a smile more proud in all me days." Mr. Krabs spit on the glass, polishing it with the smooth side of his claw, before stepping back to admire a job well done. SpongeBob's picture, a printed photograph, had been enframed, sealed, and nailed a few inches beneath where the wall met the ceiling. "And all it took was a little elbow grease. That stuff'll get ye far in life, so don't ferget it."

It was the boy's first employee of the month award, earned on the last day of his first month of work at the place he'd dreamed of applying to for years. His big, bucktooth smile was now mounted upon the wall for all to see; a symbol recognizing that he was on the surefire road to success.

SpongeBob observed his boss put away the rusty hammer and nails he'd been using. The kit came in handy for cheap, everyday maintenance around the building, as the place was in constant need of repair. SpongeBob had learned that quickly and had already proved himself to be a reliable handyman, much to his boss' delight. When Krabs finally turned to face him, he stood tall. (As tall as his short stature could muster, that is.)

"Sir, it has been an absolute honor serving the Krusty Krab for the past thirty days, seven hundred and twenty hours, and forty-three thousand two hundred minutes. I will continue to strive to perform my best, Mr. Krabs, sir!" He emphasized his words with a hearty salute.

"Keep it up and ye might get a raise."

"Really?"

"No." The old crab gave him a playful punch on the arm before looking over at his less-than-up-to-par, satisfactory employee, Squidward, who was flipping through a magazine in the cashier boat as the definition of 'I don't give a damn'. "So, Mr. Squidward, whaddya think?"

The uninterested octopus looked to his left, briefly scanning the wall between the kitchen and restroom doors. He shrugged. "It's a wall."

"Aye, but look closer."

He glanced over again, preparing a tone of mock surprise. "Oh, how ever could I have missed that? Congrats, SquarePants. As if one of you wasn't enough."

Just then, a certain dimwitted starfish sporting floral swim trunks and a goofy grin waltzed through the front door unannounced, like he did every time. Raising a chubby hand to wave, he called out in a sing-song voice, "Good morning, Krusty crew!"

The sound of a bulbous forehead hitting the register rang out through the building. "Oh, kill me now."

SpongeBob's attention immediately went from his own smiling face to the smiling face of his best friend. "Patrick?!" he gasped, turning from the gallery wall.

"SpongeBob!"

"Patrick!" The two friends rushed towards each other with open arms. "Why are you here?" he asked, crushed in his tight embrace.

"Oh, no reason." The starfish smirked over his shoulder. "It's just that, a little scallop told me it was someone's… ONE MONTH ANNIVERSARY!"

"Aw, I'm so glad you came, buddy. I'm, uh" -he coughed awkwardly- "I'm not doing much of anything special, so-"

"Shucks, well sure ya are," came a Southern accent from the front of the restaurant. It was Sandy Cheeks, the underwater squirrel, seated at the table closest to the double doors and tilting back the cowgirl hat on top of her glass air helmet. Though she'd only known SpongeBob for a few weeks now, she was well aware that today was a special day for her new pal.

SpongeBob broke the hug, eyes wide. "Oh my gosh! Sandy!" he cried, stifling a squeal. "You're here, too?"

The squirrel approached him and shook his hand with her gloved paw. "I heard y'all was having a special anniversary today, so I brought'cha a little some'n special." She produced a gift box from behind her back, giggling when SpongeBob started bouncing up and down like a young child. "Well what are ya doin' staring at it for? Take it."

SpongeBob gripped the polkadot box with it's pretty, red ribbon and tore it open with a few swift movements of his skilled hands. A second or two later and he was blinking repeatedly, his mouth agape.

"Can I see? I wanna see!" Patrick looked over his shoulder, and his deep brown eyes swirled mystically, mesmerized. "Woah…"

Mr. Krabs raised an eyebrow. "Whatddya got there, boy-o?" He scuttled over to the scene and curiously peered down into the box, understanding immediately. "Why… that's yer- That's- Well blow me down! Squidward, get a load of this."

Reluctantly, Squidward climbed out of the boat and approached the four creatures, a look of boredom plastered on his face. The creases in his forehead rose up ever so slightly at the sight. "Uh-huh… Yeah, real interesting…"

"M-m-my spatula…" SpongeBob finally spoke, his voice like a whisper. "Sandy, I- I don't know what to say."

"A thank you would do."

"Y-yes! Thank you. Thank you, Sandy. It looks just like new."

Patrick scratched his head. "I don't get it."

"Well, ye see, uh… Patrick, is it?"

"Yeah."

"Patrick, son," Krabs continued, "this is that fancy doohickey that SpongeBob used his first day on the job. He made yer patties with this very spatuler, and with this clever little utensil is how he earned his sea legs, so to speak. It's a darn shame it busted the same day; it just couldn't handle this boy's stamina." He jabbed SpongeBob in the arm, laughing his pirate laugh and shaking his head.

"...Wow."

"Ye bet yer britches!"

SpongeBob set the box down, sniffling, and wrapped two hose-like arms around Sandy. "Thanks again, Sandy. It means a lot that you'd do this for me."

"Aw, golly, it was nothin', SpongeBob. You're my friend after all, ain'tcha?"

"F-friend?" He hugged her tighter, burying his face into her suit to hide his tears of joy.

"Mhm," she replied softly. "When we first met, I told you 'we can be tighter than bark on a tree', didn't I? I wasn't lyin'."

"Yeah, you did say that." He unwound his arms from her body and took in the sight of the people around him, each relationship unique and special in its own way. With eyes as big and as bright as ever, he declared, "You guys are all my friends."

"Ha!" Squidward scoffed, manicuring a non-existent fingernail. He looked up and noticed the unamused expressions and eyes like daggers aimed in his direction. "What?"

Mr. Krabs went to the middle of the floor, dragging SpongeBob behind him by the back of his white polo. The sponge leapt to his feet, stood beside his boss, and assumed a saluting stance fit for the Navy. Krabs flashed him a genuine smile at the sight before addressing the customers.

"Ahoy, folks! If ye haven't met 'im yet, this is me newest employee, SpongeBob SquarePants. Today he's worked here at the Krusty Krab for exactly one month, and has proved his worth like none I've ever had before." Squidward threw him a dirty look, and he didn't hesitate to throw one back. "Can we get a round of applause for this young man?"

Immediately, the sound of fervent clapping erupted throughout the building.

"Three cheers for SpongeBob!" cried one of the fish.

"Yeah, three cheers!" said another.

"SpongeBob!"

"SpongeBob!"

"SpongeBob!"

SpongeBob beamed, and a pink blush crept across his yellow face. He stood wringing his uniform hat in his hands bashfully. "Gee, guys, I can't thank you enough. But I caaaaaan… serve free Krabby Patties for everyone!" He ran over to the gift box, reached in, and pulled out the hydrodynamic spatula (with port-and-starboard attachments and turbo drive), wielding it like a mighty sword.

"Er, SpongeBob, free Krabby Patties? Never."

"Sorry, Mr. K… Um, Krabby Patties with a slight discount!"

"Better."

"To the kitcheeeeeeen!"

Squidward watched the sponge literally fly into the back of the restaurant, spatula in hand. "Dear Neptune, not again." He rubbed his temples.

"Again?" Sandy asked, cocking her head.

"Yes," he spat. "Where were you one month ago, the day he applied?"

"Him and I hadn't met yet."

"Hmph. Consider yourself lucky. If I were you, I'd stay as far away from SpongeBob as possible. He causes nothing but trouble wherever he goes. I can't stand the guy."

"He's definitely a special case; a total oddball. I gotta admit, though, I've taken a liking to the little fella. He's kinda cute."

"Cute?" Squidward stuck a pointed tentacle down his throat, pretending to wretch. "Barnacles, no."

Sandy shrugged. "Suit yourself."

SpongeBob stood poised behind the grill, watching the raw burgers sizzle, waiting for his mental timer to go off. In the one month he'd worked at the Krusty Krab, he poured out his blood, sweat, and tears, and some days that was hardly an idiom. He was already so committed to doing everything he could to keep the place in ship-shape. Fry cook, janitor, waiter… He did it all! But what he desired most was to prepare the food, and that he did, with great excellence and precision. After all, he'd "trained [his] whole life".

SpongeBob zeroed-in on the Krabby Patties, examining the browning meat. His fierce determination paired with his OCD-ish tendencies drove him to make sure everything was just right. In exactly two seconds he would flip the patties, and-

"Perfect!" A beautiful golden brown, with just a bit of pink in the middle. And it smelled heavenly. The patty was placed upon a bottom bun, becoming a canvas for a condiment smiley face. The design was smothered by cheddar cheese and then decked out in crisp lettuce and tomatoes, before ultimately being topped with a fluffy sesame seed bun. "Order up!~"

"Hm…" Mr. Krabs' sensitive, crinkle-cut nose twitched, catching whiff of the delicious food. He gestured to the freshly cooked patty sitting in the window. "Get back to work, Mr. Squidward," he barked. "How is it that this is SpongeBob's big day, and yet he's slavin' away while yer sitting here lollygaggin' and twiddling yer thumbs?"

"Whatever." The octopus rolled his eyes, taking his place at the boat.

Mr. Krabs turned away from all the excitement and stepped up to the wall where SpongeBob's picture hung. He gazed up at it with ocean green eyes, something like awe coming over him, something like pride. SpongeBob's own eyes stared back at him, ocean blue. Effeminate eyelashes lined the boy's lids that made him look soft and approachable. And underneath those rosy, freckled cheeks was that broad, gappy grin, smiling down at the older man as if saying, "I love my job!" He was everything Krabs wanted in a worker.

"I've waited many years for the perfect fry cook to cross me path," he mused. "But I've found more than the perfect fry cook. I've found the perfect employee. Hard-working, loyal, enthusiastic… I don't doubt that he'll be here fer many years to come."

El Fin~