Prompt 3: Sunset

A/N: Takes place during 'Dying for Pie'. Enjoy!

...

"Five... You do the rest, buddy!" SpongeBob declares, and I feel chills down my spine, despite the warm air surrounding myself, SpongeBob and the brick wall I had hastily built to: 1. Protect myself from the explosion that would be my neighbour and co-worker. 2. Not have to witness the death of someone I may just care about – just a teensy little bit.

Dear Neptune.

This cannot be happening. That little barnacle head on the other side of the wall is going to die...all because I gave him a pie- bomb. It doesn't feel like it is real- it feels that nothing would happen and SpongeBob would be safe and giggling obnoxiously as normal.

But it is real- and I'll be responsible for the silence that consumes my life once the sun rises tomorrow- in fact, once the sun sets. I watch it sink slowly into the horizon, and I feel my heart do the same in sync. Not much longer left until my neighbour blows up.

"Four..."

As annoying and idiotic as SpongeBob gets, I'll miss the little guy. He did- does- consider me to be a friend- a sentiment on which I feel neutral. He's an annoying little twerp who has annoyed me for years, and has got me into various mishaps, to put it lightly.

But on the other tentacle, he has shown some kindness towards me, which I find hard to ignore sometimes- especially since I never had any childhood friends or siblings to help me in my time of need, or make me feel that I was worth spending time with.

SpongeBob provided me with that...and a criminal record, not to mention a pain in the tentacles. We've fought; we've stuck up for each other...him more than I.

"...three..."

How will Patrick take the news? Or Gareth, Gary, whatever his name is?! Or the squirrel SpongeBob made friends with? Would they blame me for SpongeBob's death? No, wait, they would. I fed him that stupid bomb.

But I know SpongeBob wouldn't be mad. In fact, he'd have a stupid grin on his face and ask me if I'd want to go jellyfishing with him.

That's just SpongeBob- he could get away with murder, almost, but he'd forgive his murderer as well.

"...two..."

But I can't. I hoped that giving SpongeBob a great last day alive would alleviate my conscience and show, somehow, that even when I bully him to tears, or throw back his kindness in his face, or rebuff his attempts at affection, that, deep down, I do care about him. I, Squidward Q. Tentacles, care about my neighbour, SpongeBob SquarePants.

"... one..."

SpongeBob is probably one of the few, if not the only, people I could call a friend and mean it, as well. I'm not a sentimental cephalopod, but Sponge is the closest I have ever come to having a best friend- or even a little brother- albeit an annoying one.

"I guess we started too early. Let's start again." SpongeBob suggests, interrupting my thoughts. I find myself tearing up on hearing his voice.

"Five... four... three..." I say shakily, before a loud explosion occurs behind the wall, and I start crying in grief over my lost sort of friend "...two...o-o-o-one... Well, at least I was able to make his last few hours meaningful." I sigh "I am such a good person." In truth, I don't feel like I am. I may have volunteered to make SpongeBob's last day special but I wouldn't have had to do that if I hadn't fed him a stupid pie that wasn't even a pie- that had been a bomb!

I suddenly hear another explosion- except the wall falls on top of me. Bemused, I emerge from the rubble for a peek- only to see SpongeBob blowing those blasted bubbles in the shape of bombs, which were exploding like actual live bombs! Fuming, I rise to investigate how on earth my co-worker survived the pie exploding in his intestines.