Prompt 17- Bully

A/N: A smidgeon of brotherly love between Sponge and Squid! Apologies if Squidward's OOC in this- I'm still trying to establish the correct equilibrium between them. Enjoy anyway!

...

"Here's your orders, sirs!" SpongeBob announced brightly, delivering two Krabby Patties and a couple of Kelp sodas to Table 5 of the Krusty Krab.

"Gee, thanks kid," One of the customers said indifferently, picking up his lunch. But his friend started sniggering mischievously under his breath.

"Well, those customers are surely in a great mood today!" SpongeBob exclaimed, and he began whistling and clicking his heels together cheerfully as he made his way back to the kitchen to continue cooking.

Squidward also heard the customer's wheezy chortling, and looked up from his 'Interpretive Dance Quarterly Magazine'. He frowned when he saw one of them pointing to SpongeBob- then he raised his arms ominously, before flicking his wrists- and his friend nearly choked on his Krabby Patty from amusement.

"Hmm..." Squidward muttered darkly.

Then, quick as lightning, the customer, wearing a red T-shirt, leapt from his seat, sprinted across the room and grabbed SpongeBob's pants- all before the poriferan could even turn around to see what was happening.

"HELP!" SpongeBob cried in alarm, thrashing his legs around in a vain attempt to break free. "Someone, please help-ow, ow!" He cried, as his tormentor shook him by the waist of his pants, making him dizzy and in pain from them digging in.

The customer in the red T-shirt once again began laughing wheezily. "Fat chance, you square squirt!" He retorted nasally.

"Hey, Oliver, give him the ultimate wedgie!" Jeered his friend.

"With relish, Wendell!" Oliver sneered, and his hands snaked down SpongeBob's pants before grabbing the waistband of his underwear. Then, he yanked the sponge's underwear out, causing his victim to scream and yelp before whimpering in fright. Several horrible customers began to laugh cruelly at the fry cook's suffering.

Others looked horrified at the ordeal, but they didn't step in to help- they were rooted to the spot in fear. Squidward didn't like the idea of getting involved, either- but SpongeBob would have jumped in to defend Squidward should he be the one in the situation- and that knowledge only fed his conscience-

With a sigh, he vaulted gracefully out of his boat shaped workstation, before stomping to the scene.

...

"Please-please let me go!" SpongeBob writhed in fear and agony, waiting for the bully to stop distressing him and leave him alone.

"Let the baby go, Ollie!" Said Wendell, slapping his friend's shoulder. Oliver slammed the fry cook to the ground, watching him struggle to stand up. But fright, combined with SpongeBob's usual lack of physical strength, sapped him of all his energy and he just flopped to the ground, before beginning to cry.

"Look at him- weaker than a baby worm!" Oliver jeered. "He can't even take one measly beating!"

This casually made throwaway comment made Squidward boil in fury- one measly beating? The little guy suffered an ultimate wedgie, cruel and nasty names -and they made him cry, too! The one thing Squidward hated more than SpongeBob annoying him was seeing him cry- Tom could testify that fact.

He was reminded of his childhood, when he had been bullied in the past- and how he had no friends to turn to.

Well, he wasn't going to watch SpongeBob get pushed into the floorboards without a fight.

"You are both uncivilised and disgraceful people whom I hope to have the pleasure to witness getting kicked out of here!

"I don't think highly of you treating our fry cook like he's just some old plaything you can break- and I shall report you both to Mr Krabs for your misconduct!" The cephalopod snapped, speaking the same words he wished had been said to him in his youth.

He placed his tentacles on his hips, glaring defiantly at the bullies, who were not intimidated in the slightest at his attempts at bravado.

"Did someone say me name?" Mr Krabs asked, emerging from his office door with dollar notes tucked into his pants to look like a hula skirt.

But on seeing SpongeBob crying into the floorboards, Squidward in a defensive stance over him and the two customers sniggering without remorse at his employees, Mr Krabs put two and two tighter and began seething. Squidward swore for the rest of the day Mr Krabs' face was redder than it normally was in the heat of the moment.

"So, think ye lubbers can beat up the best of me crew, do ye? Well, feel the claws of me wrath! Mr Squidward, see to the lad, will ya?"

Squidward helped his co-worker up to his feet and sat him down behind the cash register, before kneeling down by the little wooden boat. He didn't normally let people in his 'space' but he had no intention of setting neither foot nor tentacle in the kitchen.

"Sponge...look, those guys were jerks to do that to you- especially for no reason...you okay?" He knew that SpongeBob wasn't, but he didn't know what else to say. SpongeBob just sniffled.

Then, without warning, lunged himself onto Squidward's lap, wrapping his skinny arms round Squidward's torso before pouring out his heartbreak and humiliation into his superior's shirt collar. Squidward was taken aback by this- he loathed physical affection, and normally went to great lengths to avoid receiving any from his neighbours- SpongeBob particularly. But the little guy was hurting, and he felt wrong not to do something- even if he didn't know the best way to help.

So he did the first thing he thought of – he wrapped his tentacles reluctantly round the small square mass of warmth cuddling into his chest, rubbing his back gently to soothe the painful, heartbroken sobs emitting from the fry cook.

"And stay out!" Mr Krabs bellowed, slamming the glass doors of the Krusty Krab on the two bullies. Squidward smirked- at least he got his wish. Mr Krabs returned to the cash register, looking quite pleased with his handiwork- but concerned for SpongeBob, also.

"How's the lad, Mr. Squidward?" The crustacean asked in concern.

"Inconsolable, sir," Answered Squidward drolly, wisely deciding to stay quiet on the fact that in addition to his strange dollar skirt, Mr Krabs now had two big fat black wallets tucked into his pants.

"Hm- well, he'll recover, Squidward. But it might take a while- just...be kind to SpongeBob in the meantime, lad- he needs cheering up." Mr Krabs said sadly, patting SpongeBob's head with his claw before returning to his office and shut the door.

"...Squidward..." A voice whispered brokenly from Squidward's lap.

"...what is it, SpongeBob?"

"Why did those guys pick on me?" A tearful poriferan asked, his fingers playing with Squidward's shirt. Squidward gulped- sometimes, people had some reason to target the weak. Squidward himself had been targeted as he was smart but often alone, and was forced to sit by the trash cans.

But the most chilling part was being targeted for no reason other than to be someone's punching bag, a toy, an object- something to break. SpongeBob was both unbreakable and too fragile for bullies to be allowed near.

"I don't know, Sponge. But I do know that you...um, you are a great kid- and not... always the worst neighbour in Bikini Bottom..." The cephalopod replied awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He stared down at SpongeBob, still snuggled into his superior's chest.

"I...I just want to say...thanks for sticking up for me, Squid," SpongeBob sniffed, before smiling at his friend appreciatively. The love and utter adoration he held for Squidward as a dear friend and neighbour shone in his eyes like baby blue moons, and Squidward felt a little...more appreciated. It was a nice feeling to be needed by someone.

He laid a comforting tentacle on SpongeBob's head, and patted it soothingly, whilst keeping his other arm wrapped round his younger co-worker.

May Neptune damn all who said he didn't care for his neighbour/surrogate little brother- just a tiny little bit.