Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The phone rang before SpongeBob went to bed, and he answered it. "Ahoy there, SpongeBob SquarePants speaking. How are you doing this fine evening?"

There was a long pause. Then a soft, shy voice. "I thought I'd warn you, Bobby, before we get there."
SpongeBob's stomach clenched, and he stood up. "Wily?"

"Yeah, Bobby. It's me."

SpongeBob took a deep breath. "What are you talking about?"

"The Blingers are coming to Bikini Bottom tomorrow for an extended stay."

There was another pause. "Is that all they want?"

"No, Bobby. It's not. My dad's behind the visit. We're supposed to make things even."

"And you're telling me this why?" SpongeBob asked tightly.

"Because you don't deserve it. You never did. And I'm not going to be a part of it if I can help it."

"Then why come with them?"

Silence, then a hoarse whisper, "I just need to get away from Dad. If I can, I have a chance."

SpongeBob hesitated. "Are you asking me for help?"

"No, I couldn't do that. Not after everything I've put you through. But I wanted to warn you. Hopefully, you won't even have to see me, Bobby."

"If you need a place to stay…" SpongeBob offered hesitantly.

"No," Wily said firmly. "But thanks. We're heading that way tomorrow. When we stop at the Krusty Krab, I'll go my own way. I can't do it anymore, Bobby."

"What color are you?" SpongeBob asked idly, leaning against the wall.

"That doesn't matter," Wily said.

"Mmhm. So you're pink. He wrung you out again, didn't he?"

Silence.

"Have you eaten?" SpongeBob asked, heading downstairs to the kitchen.

"No."

"I'm gonna have a sandwich. You should make yourself one," SpongeBob said. He transferred the call to his kitchen shellphone then put it on speaker.

"I'm not hungry."

"You'll feel better though," SpongeBob said. "I'm going for a seanut butter and jelly sandwich."

"Jelly?" Wily asked. "I think we have some. But it's getting expensive to buy jelly. The jellyfish aren't giving as much or something."

"Aw, I always have plenty of jelly. Jellyfish Fields is almost always open for jellyfishing," SpongeBob said. "As long as you don't hurt the jellyfish, you can jell them right after you catch them. Just let them go afterwards."

"Do you jellyfish, Bobby?" Wily asked admiringly. "Gosh, that's a dangerous sport."

"Oh, the stings aren't so bad once you get used to them," SpongeBob said. "Just remember to respect the jellyfish, and they'll respect you."

"I wish I could jellyfish," Wily said.

"Maybe I'll take you one day. Patrick would come along, but I'm sure he'd be happy to go. He's curious about you."

"Is he?" Wily asked. There was the sound of a jar opening and SpongeBob opened his jar.

"Mm. Is your jelly flavored?" SpongeBob asked.

"Yeah. Blue coral."

"Mine's just plain. Me and Patrick went jellyfishing a few days ago." SpongeBob got out the bread. "What type of seanut butter?"

"Crunchy, of course," Wily said, a smile in his voice. "Gotta have that crunch, Bobby. You know that."

"I'll take my creamy," SpongeBob said. "Feeling hungry yet?"

"A little," Wily admitted. He paused as he focused on his task.
SpongeBob finished making his sandwich. "Ready?"

"Just about… Yeah."

"First bite," SpongeBob said. "Cheers."

"Cheers."

SpongeBob chewed on his sandwich and listened to Wily do the same.

"Mm. That's good," Wily muttered.

"Mmhm," SpongeBob said. He leaned on his counter as they ate. After swallowing his last bite, he licked his fingers. "Still hungry?"

Wily grunted and there was the sound of him rummaging around. "I'll eat, Bobby. You don't have to make anything else."

"Okay." SpongeBob tapped the counter. "If you knock on the back door, I'll give you a Krabby Patty to go. You're, ah, not allowed in the restaurant. Picture's up and everything. Sorry."

"I don't blame him."

There was the slam of a door, and Wily whimpered and spoke in a rush. "Got to go," he said shortly, and slammed the phone down. But it didn't hang up. SpongeBob listened as Wily spoke, his entire voice changing.

"Hey, Dad. How did the meeting go?"

"Those morons don't know what they're doing."

SpongeBob reached over to the phone and clicked a button. A small red light began beeping, and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he heard Wily and his dad talk. It was civil this time, at least. But Wily was clearly afraid. His answers were quick and 'right' as SpongeBob's grandmother put it. SpongeBob knew what the 'right' answers were in some cases. But Wily? He was a master at it. He always knew the 'right' answers, even when he had to do wrong. Then came something he'd hoped wouldn't happen.

"Are you all packed for Bikini Bottom?" Wily's dad asked.

"Yes, sir," Wily said.

"You will get that sponge back for what he did to you. I had to pay a fortune to keep you out of the papers."
Silence. Then Wily's dad spoke again. "Wily? You're going to do as I say, aren't you?"

"I…" There was a thump as something dropped.

"We don't need to have this discussion again, do we?"

"No, sir," Wily said quickly.

"You will make him pay, in one way or another. And take care of that crab that's suing you. Right?" Silence. "Right?"

Wily cried out and there was the sound of a struggle. SpongeBob didn't dare talk, keeping his eyes on the blinking red light as he heard something crash to the floor. Wily let out a high-pitched whine.

"I'll do it! I'll do it, Dad!" Wily sobbed. "Please, I don't have anything left. If you do it again, I'll have to go to the hospital and won't be able to do what you want!"

Another pause, then Wily's dad spoke in a pleased voice. "You're right. So this discussion doesn't need to happen again."

"No, sir. I mean, yes, sir," Wily said.

"Good. I'm going to bed. Clean up this mess."

"Yes, sir," Wily said brokenly.

Quiet noises then a soft whimper. "Oh, Bobby… I wish you were here."

"I am," SpongeBob said into the receiver, knowing Wily couldn't hear him, "And you'll see. I'll get you out of there."

With that, SpongeBob hung up the phone. Tapping his finger, he dialed his grandmother. It rang twice before Sponjulia answered. "Hello, SpongeBob."

"Hi, Grandma," SpongeBob said. He wasn't surprised at all that she knew who was calling at such a late hour. "I have some news."

"Yes?"

SpongeBob took a deep breath. "Wily is being sent here with the Blingers to get revenge for what happened last year."

Silence. "And you know this how?" she asked, her voice losing its warmth and becoming very calculated.

"Wily called and told me. Then his dad threatened him and hurt him again."

"Hurt him," Sponjulia repeated evenly. "Did you record the conversation?"

"Yes," SpongeBob said. Tears welled in his eyes. "I couldn't help him, Grandma. He sounded so scared."

"You did what you could," Sponjulia said. "And I'll bet old Wilbur is behind the idea, right?"

"According to Wily," SpongeBob admitted.

"He just won't leave well enough alone."

"What?" SpongeBob asked.

"If Wilbur thought about it, he'd leave you alone," Sponjulia said. "But if he wants to play with heat, he'll get burned. And this time, I won't just let him walk away. Let me know when they get here."

"Can you leave Wily out of this?" SpongeBob asked hopefully.

There was a pause. "Yes," she finally said. "For your sake, not his. Now, goodnight dear. I have a few phone calls to make."

"Thanks. Night."

SpongeBob hung up the phone and tapped it before he dialed Patrick's number. When his friend picked up, he could hear an episode of Mermaid Man playing in the background. "Yeah?"

"Patrick? I need you to come over."

"Are you sure?" Patrick groaned. "I'm reclined and everything."

"It's about Wily."

There was a snap as Patrick stood up at once. "On my way."

"Thanks."

Within two minutes, Patrick knocked on the door. SpongeBob let him in and handed him a snack as thanks as they went to sit down.

"He's not here, is he?" Patrick asked.

"No. But he called me to warn me."

"Warn you about what?" Patrick asked.

SpongeBob explained about the Blingers coming to town to get revenge on behalf of Wily's dad. Patrick thought about this for several minutes as he ate his snack.

"Okay, so who are the Blingers?"

"It's the nickname we Spongetowners gave to the gang of rich kids that hang together," SpongeBob said dully.

"Are they all poison like Wily?"

"No. Wily's the only Negombata Magnifica in the gang. There's only one family of them left in Spongetown and Wily's their only son," SpongeBob explained.

"Why did he call you?"

"To warn me. He says he gonna try and run away from home when he gets here."

"Run away from home?" Patrick asked in alarm. He knew people only did that if things were bad. "Why?"

SpongeBob hesitated then gestured for him to follow. He went to the kitchen phone and pressed a button, allowing what he'd recorded to fill the silent house. Patrick didn't react to Wily's frantic pleas, his face a mask of concentration.

"Does his dad beat him up?" he asked when it was over.

"No," SpongeBob said. "Sponges can't get beat up. No, Mr Cylandril wrings him out. And for a Negombata Magnifica, it involves him activating Wily's fear response until he releases all of his poison. Once Wily's out, he feels really sick for days because he has to restock. It's how his dad controls him. It's why he turned on me."

"Can other sponges get wrung out?" Patrick asked.

"Yes, but that's usually from over-filtering and not done on purpose. Some parents punish their children like that. Mine didn't. Thank Neptune." SpongeBob shivered and rubbed his arms. "I'm really worried about Wily, Patrick. I offered to let him stay with me, but he won't. I don't know what to do. He'll be here tomorrow, and the town isn't exactly happy with him."

That was an understatement. News of Wily and what he'd done to SpongeBob had come out when a trial was announced. The trial never happened due to Wily settling with Mr. Krabs out of court for a sum that made him stagger. Still, though the news had reached nowhere else, the Bikini Bottomites knew all about it. They were not so quick to forgive him, not after attacking SpongeBob. To attack their favorite fry cook was something that wouldn't be forgotten soon. Even though SpongeBob knew Wily hadn't attacked him. Not in the malicious way everybody thought. There was so much about poisonous sponges that people didn't understand.

"Well, we can't do anything tonight," Patrick finally said. "And I really want to finish the Mermaid Man marathon."

"Yeah, you're right," SpongeBob said. "Goodnight, Patrick. I'll see you tomorrow after work."

"No. I'm going to hang out at the Krusty Krab tomorrow all day. Then I'm gonna walk you home."

SpongeBob loved that Patrick wanted to protect him, but he hated that it was against Wily instead of the other Blingers. Wily was the good sponge. He was just twisted into the wrong shape because of his father and his abuse. Because SpongeBob knew that's what it was. Wily had been abused since he was a little sponge in a way unique to the sponge species, and a way that damaged the Negombata Magnifica in particular. It would be hard to explain, but that didn't make it any less horrific.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow," SpongeBob replied. "Bye."

"Later, buddy," Patrick said. He stopped before he shut the door behind him. "Do you want it locked?"

"Yes, please," SpongeBob said, unable to help himself.

Patrick nodded and left. There was a pause before the lock clunked into place as Patrick used his key. Then SpongeBob was alone.

After looking around, SpongeBob stood up and saved the recording onto his computer in a hidden file before shutting off all the lights and going upstairs. He counted it as a bonus that he didn't lock his bedroom door, though he pushed it mostly shut. He grabbed a very sleepy Gary out of his bed before snuggling up with him. That done, he closed his eyes and fell asleep wondering about the next day.

Chapter Text

It was noon when the bus rolled up. Squidward called into the kitchen that it had pulled in. SpongeBob immediately threw on Wily's order. By the time Squidward realized that the bus was full of sponges, SpongeBob had bagged it and was slipping out the back door. He left it propped open ever so slightly then waited. After a couple minutes, Wily came hurrying around the side, a panicked look on his face as he glanced behind him. Then he saw SpongeBob and stopped.

"Hey, Bobby," he said softly.

"Here you go," SpongeBob said. "A Krabby Patty with extra ketchup, regular mayonnaise, light mustard, and extra crispy kelp fries with no vinegar." He paused then smiled a little. "Your usual."

"Thanks," Wily said gratefully. He reached for the bag then stopped. Before he could lower his arm, SpongeBob thrust the bag forward so that Wily had to grab it. His fingers closed over SpongeBob's for the briefest of moments before he yanked the bag away. SpongeBob's fingers stung from the contact, and he peered at his hand.

"You've forgotten all our lessons?"

Wily wouldn't look at him, hunching over the food. "Nobody ever touches me anymore, Bobby. I haven't had practice."

"Well, you'll get it. You could do it for a little while."

"SpongeBob! We have orders! How long does it take to take out the trash?" Squidward called.

"I'd better go before they get back to the bus and notice I'm gone," Wily said. "Thanks for the help, Bobby."

"If you need any more, let me know," SpongeBob replied.

"I can't trouble you like that," Wily said. "Later."

And then he hurried toward downtown. SpongeBob watched him go then returned to work to find a backlog of orders. Cracking his knuckles, he got to work.

SpongeBob didn't leave the kitchen while the sponges were there, even though they lingered. After an hour and several refills, Mr. Krabs came into the kitchen with Squidward.

"You know them?" the old sailor asked.

"Yep," SpongeBob said shortly.

"What are they doing?"

"Probably watching me and talking about me," SpongeBob replied. "But they're going to be surprised when they leave."

SpongeBob wouldn't say anything else as the sponges continued to linger. He'd guessed two reasons, but he hadn't mentioned the other. They were making Wily squirm in the bus as they enjoyed food he couldn't get. Or they thought they were. When they left, Squidward told him, and he stepped out of the kitchen to watch them head for the bus.

"What are you doing, boy-o?" Mr. Krabs asked.

SpongeBob waved his hand and watched them knock on the bus door. They knocked again then forced it open. As they went inside, SpongeBob walked over and locked the front doors.

"SpongeBob?" Squidward asked.

There was a cry from outside and the sponges suddenly surged off the bus and split up, shouting. One of them headed for the front doors, but they didn't open and he looked surprised. Then he saw SpongeBob and he raised his voice.

"Where is he, SqaurePants?"

SpongeBob tilted his head then switched the sign from open to closed. "Thanks for eating at the Krusty Krab!" he called, waving with a big smile.

The sponge swore so badly that several kids gawped out at him as their mothers clapped their fins over their ears. Then he turned and sprinted away. SpongeBob watched as the bus screeched out of the lot and sponges began pulling out expensive shellular phones. SpongeBob stood still until they were all gone before he switched the sign back and unlocked the door. Patrick raised a cup to him from the corner and SpongeBob waved at him. Then he went back into the kitchen as if nothing strange had happened.

Fifteen minutes later, after the restaurant had emptied, Squidward and Mr. Krabs came into the kitchen with Patrick.

"What was that about, SpongeBob?" Squidward demanded.

"You wanted them in here?" SpongeBob asked, not looking up from his meal prep.

"Well, you didn't," Squidward said. "Why?"

"They would have made trouble," SpongeBob said. "And they would have tried to get answers out of me."

"Answers for what?" Mr. Krabs asked.

"Something I know about."

"What?" both Squidward and Mr. Krabs demanded.

SpongeBob looked up. "I took care of it. If I need help, I'll ask. But if they come back, Mr. Krabs? Don't let them stay here. I don't care if they order food, but they can't eat it here. I don't want them around. They're nothing but trouble. Trust me?"

The question was raw, and SpongeBob's eyes were big with worry at their answer. Mr. Krabs nodded slowly.

"Okay lad. But only if you come to us if they make trouble for you."

SpongeBob grinned. "Deal!" he said.

Satisfied with the quickness of his answer, Mr. Krabs and Squidward went back to work. Patrick sucked down his soda as SpongeBob finished his prep.

"He get out okay?" he finally asked.

"Yeah. Gave him my free meal for today. I'll have to pay for my lunch," SpongeBob said idly.

"That a problem?"

"Not anymore," SpongeBob said. Mr. Krabs had offered him and Squidward a raise during Wily's first visit to Bikini Bottom, and he now had wiggle-room in his budget.

"Cool." Patrick leaned back against one of the shelves. "I still want to walk you home."

"You should," SpongeBob agreed. "I don't have to worry about him anymore, but the others won't be so happy. They'll probably be after me for helping him get away."

"Why do they care?" Patrick asked.

"Because Mr. Cylandril probably told them to watch him," SpongeBob said. "He's like that. He doesn't trust him." SpongeBob paused. "I'm glad he doesn't. It means he's still fighting, even if it hurts."

Patrick's brow creased but he nodded. He stayed for the rest of SpongeBob's shift to walk him home. After locking up, SpongeBob and Patrick headed for Conch Street. Squidward had errands to run in town, so it was just the two friends. Neither said much as they walked in the growing dusk. But even if the light was dim, it couldn't conceal the figure waiting by SpongeBob's door with a suitcase.

Patrick stopped SpongeBob by thrusting out an arm. SpongeBob looked up in surprise then noticed the figure. He stiffened and crept forward.

"Wily?" SpongeBob asked.

The figure shifted and Wily looked up at him with tears streaming down his face. "I can't stay anywhere, Bobby," he said shakily. "They won't let me. I'm not allowed anywhere because of what I did. I can't even get food at the store."

"Then come in and have something to eat," SpongeBob said. "You too, Patrick. Then we'll decide what to do."

"I don't deserve you, Bobby," Wily moaned, staggering to his feet.

They went inside, and SpongeBob locked the door behind them. He checked all the windows to make sure they were covered. That done, he went into the kitchen and began to make dinner. Patrick came in to lean against the counter. After a few minutes, Wily peeked in.

"Going okay?" he asked awkwardly.

"Yep," SpongeBob said. "Hope you don't mind breakfast for dinner. That's what I was planning before."

"Whatever's fine," Wily mumbled. He stood there, shifting from foot to foot. "Can I watch something?"

"Remote's by my chair," SpongeBob called.

SpongeBob waited several moments before he heard the opening theme of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. Smiling, he hummed along with the theme as Patrick was drawn to the set like krill to bioluminescent algae. One of SpongeBob's favorite episodes was playing, where Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy had to fight Man Ray over a sonic blaster. He listened as he finished cooking. Making three plates, he carried two in and handed one to Patrick, who sat on the couch watching the television. Wily sat on the floor closer to the screen, mesmerized by the show. SpongeBob had to poke him with the plate to get his attention.

Wily's eyes dashed over to his then he took the plate, careful to not touch SpongeBob's fingers, and murmured thanks. He began to make short work of his food, proving that he hadn't had a bite to eat since SpongeBob had given him his free meal. SpongeBob plopped onto the floor beside him and began to eat as he watched the episode. The three sea creatures ate as they watched Man Ray's defeat by Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy and the celebration that followed. By the time the credits were rolling, they were all finished with their dinner, and Patrick yawned then glanced at Wily.

"So what are we gonna do about him?"

"Don't talk like he's not here, Pat," SpongeBob said gently. "That's very rude, and Wily gets enough of that at home."

"Sorry," Patrick said. "I just… don't know how to talk to him."

"Like you would with me," SpongeBob said.

"But you don't think I'm stupid," Patrick said with a frown.

Wily blinked. "I don't think you're stupid either."

"You said so at the Krusty Krab," Patrick argued, his cheeks coloring at being called a liar.

"Patrick," SpongeBob said. "I very much doubt Wily remembers most of what happened that day at the Krusty Krab. When he gets wrung out, his body is so hurt that his brain doesn't store many memories. It's best to ask what he remembers and fill in the blanks for him."

Patrick stared hard at SpongeBob for a moment as he processed that. Then he nodded. "So what you're saying is Wily doesn't remember calling me stupid?"

"If he says he doesn't, I believe him," SpongeBob said. "It's really, really hard to remember bad things. Like when you lost your arm as a kid. You said it's hard to remember right?"

Patrick stared at his left arm and nodded. "Losing it is really clear. But the next while is really fuzzy. I can't remember exactly what happened for the next few weeks."

"Oh, wow, you lost your whole arm?" Wily asked, crossing his legs and gazing at Patrick.

Patrick nodded. "Yeah, but it grew back. It's cuz I'm a starfish. Fish can't do that."

"Sponges can," Wily said.

"Oh, yeah, that's right. You showed me, right?" Patrick asked, looking at SpongeBob.

"Yep," SpongeBob said. He picked at his pants for a moment. "I'm sorry I ripped that piece out of you, Wily."

"Oh, I deserved it," Wily said. He reached up and massaged the left side of his chest. "It grew back pretty quick. I'm not worried, Bobby. But speaking of… I'm the one who should apologize. Dad lost his temper and I ended up in the hospital, that's how wrung out I was. I can still remember the feeling of being helpless, feeling like I was about to die, and I never wanted to feel like that again. So I had to do what he wanted, and I'm sorry. I hate myself for it, Bobby. But it's the truth."

SpongeBob studied his face then nodded. "I know, Wily."

Wily sniffled and reached up to rub at his eyes. "You're too good to something like me."

"Hey!" Patrick said harshly. "You're not a thing any more than SpongeBob is. Don't say that."

Wily glanced up. "You don't get what I am?"

"You look like a sponge to me," Patrick replied.

"I'm not just a sponge. I'm poison."

There was no mistaking the bitterness in that word.

"Poisonous," SpongeBob corrected. "Just because you can produce a toxin doesn't mean that you're poison yourself." He paused, a flush rising on his cheeks. "Or you don't have to be."

Wily smiled a little and swiped at his eyes. "I deserve that, too. And I don't like who I am now, Bobby. But if I don't get away from Dad, I can't change anything. But nobody here in Bikini Bottom will even give me a chance. They're so mad at me for what I did to you."

SpongeBob leaned back and gazed at Wily. "Hey, Patrick? How would you like to have a sleepover here tonight? We can make a fort and everything."

Patrick lit up as Wily blinked at him in surprise. "Oh, yeah! All three of us could do it. I'll get the blankets and pillows!"

With that, Patrick hopped up and hurried upstairs. Wily stared at SpongeBob. "Bobby?"

"You can stay here tonight," SpongeBob said. "We'll figure out more tomorrow."

"You're the best, Bobby," Wily said quietly.

SpongeBob held up two fingers in a V-shape. Wily copied it, but he didn't reach out to touch fingers like they used to.

"Come on. Let's clean up so we can make our fort," SpongeBob said. "And since this is my house, we can make it however we want!"

That put a genuine grin on Wily's face, and he gathered the dishes to take into the kitchen, plans for fort designs flashing through his head. This was going to be fun! He'd worry about what would happen tomorrow.

Chapter Text

The fort was a masterpiece, and the two sponges and the starfish slept well. SpongeBob woke first from habit and he checked the clock before crawling out of the fort. Wily was curled up in a ball, his breathing slow and even. SpongeBob headed upstairs to take his shower and came downstairs again to find Wily still sleeping and Patrick making a quick breakfast.

"Morning," SpongeBob yawned.

"Hey, buddy," Patrick said. "How are you doing?"

SpongeBob turned to look at the sleeping red sponge. "Conflicted. I don't know what to do. He needs help, but…"

"You're scared of what he'll do to you," Patrick replied. "I don't know about later, but I could stay with him today while you're at work."

"Would you really?" SpongeBob asked, wilting in relief. "Thanks. I wouldn't go out though. The others are looking for him."

"There's a Mermaid Man marathon today," Patrick said. "We'll be good."

"I'll bring dinner," SpongeBob said. He ate quickly then grabbed his hat and headed for the door. "Tell him I said morning."

"I will. Later," Patrick said.

SpongeBob shut the door behind him and Patrick glanced at the clock. The marathon wouldn't start for another hour, so he made Wily a plate then finished off breakfast. He was just drying the last of the dishes when Wily peeked in, looking sleepy.

"Oh. It's you. Uh, where's Bobby?"

"Work," Patrick said. He hung up the towel and grabbed the plate of breakfast. He'd filled the plate full just in case Wily was hungry, and Wily's face lit up at the sight.

"Is that for me?" he asked.

"Yep. If you can't finish, just give the rest to me," Patrick said.

As he handed Wily the plate, the sponge's slim red fingers brushed Patrick's knuckle and a dull burn shot through him. He gasped and jerked his hand back, biting back a yelp as he rubbed the spot.

"Don't!" Wily exclaimed.

"Don't what?" Patrick asked.

"Don't rub it. You'll just spread the toxin. Here. Come here, quick, and we'll stop the rash."

With surprising speed, Wily had his suitcase up and open to reveal very few clothes. Most of the case was full of chemical vials. Wily pulled two big bottles out then grabbed a box of powder. His brows drawn together, he mixed them together into a paste then passed the bowl over.

"Here. Take a nice bit. Yeah, now rub it into your hands. Work it in there really good."

Patrick obeyed and the dull burn faded after several moments. He sighed with relief and flexed his hands. "That's better."

"Good." Wily put everything back then snapped the suitcase shut again. "And I really didn't do that on purpose."

"I know," Patrick said.

"You do?" Wily was surprised.

"Oh yeah. Here. Let's sit down and you can eat. The marathon starts in half an hour, so we can talk until then."

Wily followed Patrick, bewildered by the starfish. Still, breakfast smelled so good, and there was so much of it. Sitting down on the floor, he began to shovel down the food. In between bites, he asked again. "So you know? About me not doing that on purpose?"

Patrick settled into the armchair and sighed with satisfaction. "I know that you don't mean to do it all the time, but you did mean it a lot with SpongeBob."

Wily flinched. "I can't deny that," he muttered. "But I had to or Dad would…"

"Wring you out?" Patrick asked.

Swallowing hard, Wily set aside the plate and curled up. "Did SpongeBob tell you?"

"Yeah. He's worried about you. Says that you being a negomber magnet means that it really makes you sick when he does it."

Wily smiled to himself and glanced over. "Close. It's Negombata Magnifica. A rare species, especially around here. We're the only family left in SpongeTown."

Patrick nodded. "You got any brothers or sisters?"

"Ah, no. No, it's just me," Wily said, rubbing his hands together.

"Yeah. That's lonely," Patrick said. "Also means you don't make friends good."

Wily blinked. "What was that?"

Patrick grinned. "Me and SpongeBob were that way, too. But we make friends good now. Maybe we can teach you."

For several moments, Wily stared at Patrick, unable to believe that this starfish, of all sea creatures, was offering to be his friend. He'd poisoned him the last time he'd been in Bikini Bottom. Wily stared at Patrick for so long that the starfish raised his brows.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"Are you serious?" Wily finally managed to say.

"I think so, but I can be funny sometimes when I don't mean to be."

"No, no," Wily said, gazing intently at Patrick. "You're… You are saying you're willing to be my friend, right? I'm not misunderstanding?"

Patrick considered this for a few moments. "Yeah, that's what I meant. Is that bad?"

Wily took several deep breaths then squeezed himself tight as he pressed his hands into his eyes. Patrick frowned and watched without comment. He'd seen SpongeBob do things like that when he was distressed. Normally, he'd give him a hug, but remembering the burn of just brushing Wily's knuckle kept him in his chair. Wily breathed shakily, his entire body so tight that he began to tremble.

Patrick wasn't sure how long this would last, but he didn't like that he couldn't help the red sponge. His eyes were drawn to the television as he wondered what to do, and he noticed that the marathon was about to start. He turned the volume on low and the theme song started. Wily didn't complain, so Patrick leaned back and watched the show. Eventually, he became aware that Wily had relaxed, and he glanced over to see that he was entranced. He knew every line, every word, mouthing the scene without a sound.

Patrick looked back at the screen and the fight with Man Ray. He grinned and leaned forward.

"You'll never win!" Mermaid Man cried.

"Villains never do," Barnacle Boy retorted.

"Oh, is that so?" Man Ray said. Patrick couldn't help but say the next line. "'Well, there's a first time for everything! Now freeze!'"

Man Ray blasted Mermaid Man with ice, freezing him. Wily jumped in with Barnacle Boy's line. "'Oh no! Mermaid Man!'"

"'You're next, little loser,'" Man Ray and Patrick said. "'You're nothing without your superhero.'"

"'You forget, Man Ray, that I'm a hero, too!'" Wily cried with Barnacle Boy. He surged to his feet and began jumping up and down with excitement. Patrick stood up too and pretended to point a freezing ray at him.

Wily glanced at him then stopped jumping and fell into character. For the next twenty minutes, Wily and Patrick acted out the scenes between Barnacle Boy and Man Ray. Mermaid Man was hardly in this episode because he was frozen. He was still frozen at the end, even after Man Ray was defeated.

"'Now let's get you to the Cave," Barnacle Boy said, hooking the ice block to the back of the Invisible Boatmobile.

And they headed off as the first part of the two part episode ended. Wily gave a crow of laughter and spun around. "Oh, that was fun! If SpongeBob were here we could do all three!"

"He'll get off work about seven today," Patrick said. He settled back into his chair as Wily gazed at the screen.

"Does he still like the show?" Wily asked. "I mean, he's not just humoring me?"

"He can be funny sometimes, but he doesn't laugh to be mean," Patrick said.

Wily's lips twitched. "Not what I meant. Think about it."

He thought for a moment. "Oh. You mean watching it to make you happy, not making you laugh, is that right?"

"Yes."

Patrick sat there for a moment then heaved himself up. "Come on. We've got a few commercials left. I wanna show you something."

Wily followed Patrick into what looked like a study. Wily's mouth dropped open at the wall of Mermaid Man memorabilia. He saw a couple rare, collectible cards that he'd give almost any amount of money to own. But his father didn't like spending money on frivolity. Business was his motto.

"Oh…" Wily breathed, looking around almost reverently. "Guess he does still like the show."

"Yeah. He got me into it," Patrick said, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"Really?" Wily asked. He smiled a little. "I introduced him to the show."

"Glad you did, I guess. Come on. Next episode should be starting soon."

Wily took one last look around then followed Patrick back to the television. The theme song started playing quietly, and Wily plopped down.

"Can you turn it up a bit?" Wily asked.

Patrick grinned and mashed the volume up button. "I can still be Man Ray."

"I'll be Barnacle Boy," Wily said. Then he laughed as he admitted, "And everybody else!"

They spent the entire day acting out the various episodes that aired, stopping only during commercials. Patrick found that Wily was just as fun as SpongeBob, but different. They acted out the entire second season, but Wily wouldn't let Patrick touch him. Patrick knew it was on purpose, but he didn't know how Wily lived without touching people.

At seven-fifteen, they heard SpongeBob calling a goodnight to Squidward before the lock clicked and he slipped inside. He quickly locked the door back and looked around. Without a word, he tossed several greasy bags of food onto the couch before he methodically went to each downstairs window and covered them. That done, he relaxed and turned to appraise his friends.

"Hey. How was today?"

"Great!" Patrick exclaimed. "After we eat, you can be Mermaid Man!"

"What?" SpongeBob asked, but he began to smile.

Patrick explained what they'd been doing all day, and SpongeBob's whole face lit up.

"Oh yeah! That's a great idea. Here."

SpongeBob sniffed each bag then handed one to Patrick and one to Wily. Patrick pulled out his two double Krabby Patties and a large order of kelp fries. "Thanks, buddy," he said happily.

"I got you a few other things to try, Wily, besides your regular," SpongeBob said. "I hope that's okay."

Wily pulled out a wide array of food, and his eyes gleamed. "Ooh. Don't mind at all, Bobby. Now this looks good."

"Dig in!" SpongeBob exclaimed.

They watched the second half of the episode that was playing as they devoured their food. Wily enjoyed everything, but he was eager to let SpongeBob join the game. He missed playing with his best friend, the only one who played the kinds of games Wily actually liked. He was afraid that it wouldn't be the same, but he had to know. As the first notes of the theme song played, he knew he was about to find out. When SpongeBob leaped up and began to belt out the song immediately, Wily relaxed and jumped in, knowing that it would be okay, at the very least.

It was better than okay, even if it wasn't exactly the same. Patrick added a new dimension to their play, and Wily loved it. For the first time in ages, he was having real fun, and it made him feel giddy as they played out all the characters. He forgot his anxiety, and the constant fear he lived in went away as he spent time with the two friends. It couldn't last though.

They were in the middle of a terrific battle scene where Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy were facing off against the Dirty Bubble. Mermaid Man was dangling above a terrible drop, reaching for Barnacle Boy for help. SpongeBob was mimicking this by using the arm of his favorite chair like the edge of the cliff. Wily was kneeling on the chair, and he reached out just like Barnacle Boy was doing onscreen. SpongeBob hesitated for the briefest of moments, then he reached up and actually grabbed Wily's hand.

The line Wily was supposed to say came out as a strangled yell, and he jerked his hand back. The momentum propelled him backwards off the chair, and he crashed into the wall. The television carried on as Barnacle Boy pulled his friend up and they continued fighting their enemy, but none of the sea creatures tried to join in. Patrick stood off to the side, his expression pinched with worry. SpongeBob stood up, clutching at his right wrist. His hand was a paler yellow than the rest of him, and he gazed at it with interest before turning to Wily. The red sponge twisted to sit up, and he looked shocked as he clutched at his own wrist.

"Why did you do that, Bobby?" he asked weakly.

"I wanted to see if I could touch you," SpongeBob said. "I used to be able to squeeze you into a big hug without you leaking." He flexed his hand and gazed at it thoughtfully. "Guess we need to practice again."

"No!" Wily exclaimed. "No practicing. No helping." He staggered to his feet. "I just need to find a place to stay so I can get out of your way."

"That's not possible tonight," SpongeBob said matter-of-factly. "You aren't leaving my house with the rest of the Blingers after you without a place to stay. It won't end well. We'll talk over breakfast tomorrow."

Wily glanced between SpongeBob and Patrick then nodded. "You're right. I can't leave. But where do I sleep?"

SpongeBob led Wily to a small guest room. "Here. And you can shower in the bathroom over there."

"Thanks," Wily said.

SpongeBob shut the door behind him and headed back into the living room. The television was off and Patrick was cleaning up the rest of the trash from their food. He stopped when SpongeBob came in.

"What did you do that for?" Patrick asked.

"I wanted to see if Wily would hurt me or pull away."

"Well, he pulled away," Patrick said. "So what does that mean?"

"It means I'm willing to try and sleep under the same roof as him without you being here," SpongeBob said.

Patrick blinked then nodded. "I'll come by tomorrow morning to check on you."

SpongeBob nodded, his stomach in knots as Patrick left for the night. Standing there alone in the same house as Wily, SpongeBob couldn't believe that he was actually doing this. He gazed at his discolored hand then held up the first two fingers in a 'V' shape. He could be brave. All he had to do was go upstairs and go to bed. So he put one foot in front of the other and went up to his room for a night he knew would give him little rest.

Chapter Text

It was a restless night, but SpongeBob made it through. He had kept his bedroom door locked all night, and nothing bad had happened. When his alarm went off, he was already awake, so he punched it off then got up and took a hot shower to soak away some of his exhaustion. When that didn't work, he turned it cold. That worked!

Finally awake, SpongeBob headed downstairs. He heard the television on low and slowed down to peek before going the rest of the way. Wily was sitting with SpongeBob's special collection of Mermaid Man discs, the beginning third season playing. SpongeBob took a deep breath then headed downstairs.

"Morning, Wily," SpongeBob said.

Wily jumped and turned to look guiltily up at him. He scrambled to his feet, his sides heaving a little with his panicked breathing. "I, uh, I hope you don't mind me watching this?"

"Nope," SpongeBob said brightly. "That's why I bought them. Turn it up. Patrick should be over soon for breakfast. What do you want?"

Wily hesitated. "Do you still have some of that jellyfish jelly?"

"Toast it is!" SpongeBob declared, and half-skipped into the kitchen. He busied himself with making enough toast for the three of them, then he added a couple more breakfast items when he realized he wouldn't have enough jelly for that.

There was the click of a lock and Patrick walked in. "Hey, SpongeBob!"

"Hey, Patrick!" SpongeBob called back. "Breakfast isn't ready yet! You can watch the show if you want."

There was a grunt in response and then silence. SpongeBob finished making breakfast just as episode five ended and he called them in. He went over to the little triangle Sandy had gotten for him and rang it with delight as he accented his voice.

"Y'all come and get it!"

Patrick was in the kitchen in a flash, and SpongeBob passed over the biggest, fullest plate. Wily came in behind them and looked amused. "Where did you learn to talk like that?"

"Sandy Cheeks," SpongeBob replied. "She's that squirrel from the restaurant."

Wily stiffened and flushed, his cheeks turning a dusky purple instead of pink. "I suppose the one I nearly drowned?" he asked weakly.

"You couldn't help it," SpongeBob said. "She attacked you first. She doesn't understand."

"Nobody does, thanks to the paper," Wily sighed. "They framed it as malicious. I didn't want to break her helmut. It just…"

Patrick shoved another piece of toast into his mouth, peering between the two sponges. "Was it like when your feelings are too big to keep inside, so they come out?"

Wily turned to look at Patrick, shaking his head then stopped to consider this. SpongeBob spoke. "It's more like Sandy's deep sleep during hibernation. Just like her body wants to sleep, Wily's body wanted to protect itself. He lashed out because she triggered his fight-or-flight response. He wasn't thinking clearly because Mr. Krabs had already triggered him enough for him to release his poison. And because of what Mr. Cylandril does to punish Wily, he can't control his fear response, which is already heightened because of the abuse."

Wily stiffened and glanced at SpongeBob. "My dad doesn't abuse me," he said flatly.

"Sure sounded like he was on the phone call," Patrick said.

Wily blinked. "Phone call?"

SpongeBob shook his head, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "The warning. You didn't hang up the phone. I heard everything. And it's not the first time. I've known how he treats you for a long time. That's why it's so hard to be mad at you."

Wily's cheeks flushed an even darker purple and he began to breathe shallowly. Without a word, SpongeBob pushed over the second fullest plate. Wily snatched it and bolted for the living room. SpongeBob stayed at the counter, eating his toast slowly as he considered things.

"What are we gonna do?"

"I'm gonna call Grandma and have her come over," SpongeBob replied. "She'll know what to do."

So he walked over to his shellphone and plucked it off the wall, tapping autodial one. The phone rang several times then the familiar, perky voice answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, Grandma," SpongeBob said. "I need you to come over. We've got a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"Wily's here and he needs help. I want you to talk to him."

Silence. "The one who poisoned you? Five times?"

"Grandma, please, you don't know everything that happened. Wily will explain, just come over."

"Okay, dear. I'll bring lunch. Are you off work today?"

SpongeBob shook his head. "No. I've got to get ready and go in. I'm off tomorrow though. Patrick's here, and he'll visit with you."

"Oh, that's lovely. Very well, if you think I should be involved."

"It might be prudent to have an ace in the hole," SpongeBob said after a moment.

"That's me, I suppose," Sponjulia said happily. "Okay, dear, I'll head that way. You get to work on time."

"Always," SpongeBob said. "Love you. Bye."

He hung up then did as his grandma had asked and got ready for work. When Patrick and SpongeBob came into the living room, Wily was once again locked onto the television, curled in a tight little ball as he mouthed the words. When he noticed the two of them, he stopped and faced them. A fine tremor wracked Wily's body and he looked dazed.

"Going somewhere?"

"Work," SpongeBob said. "I'm off tomorrow, though."

"Okay. Can I stay today?"

"Well yeah," SpongeBob said. "How else will grandma talk to you?"

Wily shivered and looked away. "I don't know what she did, but my dad hates your grandmother. Like, really hates her. It's weird that he hasn't taken her to court."

"I don't know what happened between them, but Grandma says Wilbur is stupid since he's not leaving well enough alone," SpongeBob replied. "She said she warned him, and he wouldn't let it go, so now she gets to have her fun."

Wily perked up. "Fun? It won't be fun if he takes her to court."

SpongeBob smiled as he headed for the door. "Court is Grandma's playroom. She was a stenographer for a long, long time before she moved to Bikini Bottom. She says she knows every law in SpongeTown, backwards and forwards, and she keeps up. Says it might come in handy someday. Now I've got to go to work. Grandma will be over soon. Patrick, what are you doing?"

"I can stay here until Grandma gets here," Patrick said. "Then I have to do stuff in town."

"Okay. Then we've got a plan." SpongeBob glanced out the window and was alarmed to see Squidward coming up the walk. He bounded over to grab his key and his hat then hurried out the door before Squidward could get there. He began to skip to work, and Squidward followed with a roll of his eyes. Patrick pulled the blanket back over the window then turned to Wily. "You gonna eat that?"

Wily looked at his untouched plate then nodded. "I guess so."

Despite his lack of enthusiasm, he ate every bite, and he looked the better for it. He sighed as he set the plate aside. Rubbing his middle, he glanced around. "So what do you want to do until Mrs. Spherilia gets here?"

"Who?" Patrick asked.

"Bobby's grandmother."

"Oh. I just call her Grandma," Patrick said. "And what do you want to do? Mermaid Man?"

"No," Wily said quickly. "No, something else. But what can I do?"

"What do you want to do?" Patrick insisted.

"I don't know!" Wily exclaimed, wringing his hands together. He took several deep breaths then stood up and walked around. He stopped at the bookcase and saw photo albums. "Can I look at these or are they private?"

"Those are fine," Patrick said. "Ooh, pick the red one with the purple hearts. I want to show you some stuff."

So Wily grabbed the album then went to sit on the floor against the arm of the sofa. He gestured at the sofa then opened the cover. Patrick settled on the sofa and leaned over to see past Wily's head. He began to detail the stories behind the pictures, and Wily listened with rapt fascination, turning the pages as he saw SpongeBob's friendship with Patrick unfold.

It was alarming when there was a sharp rap on the door. Patrick got up and padded over to the door then opened it a crack. Seeing Sponjulia, he invited her in. She came tapping in, her eyes going immediately for Wily even as she kissed Patrick's cheek.

"Hey, Grandma," Patrick said, hugging her tightly.

"Hello, dear," she said. "How are you?"

"Got things to do in town now that you're here," Patrick said.

"What?!" Wily demanded, fear flashing across his face.

"She won't bite," Patrick assured him.

"That's not what my dad says," Wily muttered.

"Oh, we'll talk about old Wilbur, don't you worry about it," Sponjulia said. She kissed Patrick again then guided him out the door. "You get your errands done, then come back here and I'll make dinner."

"Sure. Later, Wily!"

"Maybe," Wily whimpered as the door shut behind the starfish, leaving him alone with one of the very few sea creatures that scared his dad.

Sponjulia turned to him, and all warmth was gone. He knew at once that his father had reason to fear her. Wily clasped his hands in his lap and squirmed under her fierce gaze, his face hot. When she spoke, it wasn't what he expected.

"Would you like some tea, dear?"

"If you want," Wily said.

"Mmhm," Sponjulia said. "But do you want some."

"I… not really, ma'am," Wily replied politely.

"Then you wait here," Sponjulia ordered.

Wily didn't move until she came padding out of the kitchen with a tray. She set it down, poured herself a cup of tea, then offered Wily a plate of cookies.

"Have one."

Wily carefully took the plate from her, making sure not to touch her flesh. "Thank you, ma'am."

Sponjulia sipped her tea then set it aside and peered at him. "You have one chance to tell me why you hurt my grandson repeatedly. The whole truth now, or you'll regret it."

Wily swallowed and stared at the cookies, feeling sick to his stomach. "Dad… he didn't like that I was friends with a synthetic. He said SpongeBob was unnatural and shouldn't be alive. I didn't agree, and I fought him. I fought for my friend until…" He stopped and swallowed. "Dad made it clear that if I didn't turn my whole attitude around and be friends with somebody more of my status, then he'd made me regret it. And he wrung me out so bad I had to go to the hospital. He lied and said I had been attacked, because the doctors and nurses were concerned about how sick I was. I… I almost died. And when I got out, Dad said he wouldn't stop next time. 'Appearance is everything,' he said, 'and I can make it appear like an accident. So you will do as I say about that synthetic, or I'll have to find a new heir.'"

Sponjulia stared at him through her thick glasses, watching tears pour down his cheeks as he spoke in a monotone, then leaned back and sighed when he was finished. "That Wilbur. I'm sorry he did that to you. I suppose SpongeBob was right. You're not like him. I owe you an apology."

"You… you do?" Wily asked, scrubbing at his face.

"I thought the sponge grew as an offshoot to its father, but that isn't the case. You want out, correct?"

"I'm trying, but Bikini Bottom has a long memory," Wily said.

"Give them time, dear, and don't do anything foolish. Now, about your father. He's a fool to be going after my grandson after what I told him when I found out he he'd been purged for the fourth time. If he wants to play near the steam vents, he can get scalded."

"What are you saying, ma'am?" Wily asked warily.

"I will help you against your father, but you must promise me one thing."

"What?" Wily asked.

"You will never, and I mean ever, purposefully poison my grandson again." Sponjulia let that hang in the air then leaned forward. "Do we have a deal?"

Was it really that simple? Wily thought all sponges were loyal to his father, but then again, this was SpongeBob's grandmother. He was never normal, and from what his father had said during his drunken rants, Sponjulia wasn't either. Did he trust this sponge, despite his father's fear and rage against her? When he thought of SpongeBob's earnest face, he hardened his resolve.

"Yes," Wily said. "But you don't know what you're up against."

"On the contrary," Sponjulia said, her eyes flashing as she smiled sweetly. "He underestimated me all the time back when I was a stenographer. And he's making the same mistake now." She gestured at an empty cup. "How about some tea now, Wily, dear."

Wily glanced at the cookies and found them palatable now that the worst was over. "If you please, ma'am. And thank you."

"Anything for SpongeBob," Sponjulia said, pouring a cup of tea for Wily.

"On that, we can finally agree again," Wily murmured, and he took a bite of cookie.

"What would you like for dinner, dear?" Sponjulia said. "I'd like to surprise SpongeBob with a meal tonight."

Wily chewed on a cookie. "I don't care, ma'am. I'd just be happy to get a hot meal."

Sponjulia smiled at him as she stood up. "You really aren't like Wilbur. Well then, let's watch something. What do you like?"

Wily but his lip and blushed. "Uh… Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy?" he asked weakly.

"If we can watch season four," Sponjulia said.

Wily's whole face lit up and he ran for the television. Sponjulia watched sadly. He was so happy to get what he wanted. But that probably meant he didn't at home. Knowing Wilbur, she wasn't surprised. And she vowed to make him pay as the opening theme began playing.

Chapter Text

Leaving Wily had been a relief, but not as much of one as SpongeBob had thought. Still, he couldn't help but be concerned for Wily. He knew his grandmother very well, and he knew she would be fair. But what 'fair' was depended on their conversation. If Wily lied, Sponjulia wouldn't be willing to help him. But could he tell the truth, or was it too much to ask of him? These thoughts and more buzzed around SpongeBob's head as he went about his job that day.

Around lunchtime, there was a surge of orders, as usual, but it tapered off a couple hours later. SpongeBob looked up from inventory when Squidward called for him.

"SpongeBob! Big order!" Squidward said, turning to hook it up.

"On it," SpongeBob said. He stood up and trotted over to grab the order. His trained eyes scanned the order and he recognized several similarities that made him pretty sure he knew whose order it was. Taking a deep breath, SpongeBob studied the ticket carefully before he began to cook the food. He didn't want them to complain to Mr. Krabs for any reason. He just knew his boss wouldn't understand about Wily.

"Sir?" a polite voice asked.

"May I help you?" Squidward intoned in a bored voice.

"Somebody made a mess in the bathroom. It's, ah, pretty bad."

"Great," Squidward muttered.

"I'll watch for customers," SpongeBob said, his stomach in knots. "Go take care of it."

Squidward slouched off toward the bathrooms, and SpongeBob held his breath. Seconds later, a face appeared in the order window. It was a round sea sponge with tannish coloring. It took SpongeBob a moment to reach for the name among the ones from so long ago. Then it came to him as the sponge cracked his knuckles.

"Hey, Squeeze," SpongeBob said evenly.

"Don't call me that, SquarePants," he ordered, and he snapped his fingers. Four other sponges burst through the kitchen door and looked around. Two went to block the back door, while two more guarded the door they had just come through, catching it on its swing so it was closed. Squeeze gave a contented smile and leaned his elbow on the window frame.

"Well, well, well. You've been a bad sponge, SpongeBob. Now tell us where the creep is and we might leave you alone."

SpongeBob wasn't bothered by the threat from Squeeze. Wily was the only one who could physically hurt him out of all the Blingers, and the others could do nothing about his social life simply because he didn't live in SpongeTown. He no longer had to play by their rules, and that was his advantage.

"I'm working on your order right now," SpongeBob said, flipping a patty. "Three minutes."

"Don't care about the order. We want Wily," Squeeze said, clenching his fists.

"I don't know where he is," SpongeBob replied. He wouldn't look up, keeping his focus on the order.

"I think you're lying, SquarePants. You know what that means."

SpongeBob looked up and met Squeeze's eyes. "You can squeeze me all you want. There's nothing to tell."

Squeeze snapped again, and the sponges all moved forward. SpongeBob's heart was thudding hard as they boxed him in by the stove. He could feel the searing heat surging around his face as he kept his gaze on Squeeze's malicious eyes.

"That's a hot stove there, SquarePants," Squeeze said idly. "We might not have Wily, but we can still do some damage. You want to play near the steam vents? You'll get scalded. Now, last chance. Where is Wily?"

As the heat surrounded him and they pressed him even closer to the stove, SpongeBob raised his chin defiantly. "Squeeze me all you want," he said. "I don't know where he is, so you won't get anything out of me."

Squeeze looked very unhappy and he was about to snap again when Squidward's voice rang out from the restaurant.

"What's going on?! Get out from behind the register!"

There was a bang as Mr. Krabs threw open his office door and skittered out. Squeeze was pushed aside by Squidward, who looked into the kitchen. "Hey!" he roared. "Staff only!"

Seconds later, Mr. Krabs burst in and scanned the room. He puffed up, looking completely like the old, grizzled sailor he was, and he pointed at the sponges. "Get out of me restaurant and don't come back!"

With that, he picked up two of the bigger sponges by their backs and tossed them out of the kitchen. The others scrambled out under Mr. Krabs's vicious glare. SpongeBob finished their order, bagged it up, and tapped the bell with his spatula. "Order up! Send it with them, Squid. They've already paid and they'll make trouble if they don't get it."

Squidward hustled to shove the bags into their hands as Mr. Krabs escorted them toward the door. SpongeBob came to the door of the kitchen and watched through passive eyes as the sponges were formally banned and tossed out.

"Where are we supposed to eat?" Squeeze spat.

"Try the Chum Bucket," Mr. Krabs said coldly. "Now keep out!"

He jerked the doors shut behind them and he and Squidward stood just inside and glared at them through the glass. SpongeBob turned and went back in the kitchen to prep more ingredients. He knew his boss and coworker would both demand an explanation, and he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to tell them. There was no way the two sea creatures would trust Wily, not without definite proof. SpongeBob didn't have anything but his gut, and his gut said Wily was telling the truth about Wilbur forcing him to hurt SpongeBob. He also believed Wily had no other reason to hurt him. Even so, the night before had been plagued by fretful dreams of Wily before they had shifted to other things.

It took half an hour for the restaurant to clear out, but eventually it settled into the in-between lull that so often happened around that time. SpongeBob's station was spotless and fully prepped for the dinner rush that would start soon. That was when Squidward turned to peer through the order window. Seconds later, Mr. Krabs came in, and he began to pace. SpongeBob said nothing as he watched them through a guarded gaze. Finally, Mr. Krabs turned and pointed his claw at him.

"Alrighty, boy-o," he thundered. "What was that about?"

"They were trying to squeeze me," SpongeBob said.

"Squeeze you?" Squidward demanded. "What does that mean?"

SpongeBob hesitated then raised his arm up and squeezed it hard enough for his flesh to discolor and distort. "You know. Squeezing. It's something sponges say. It's like 'I'm gonna squeeze the information out of you.'"

"What information?" they demanded.

"I told them I didn't know what they wanted to know, but they didn't believe me."

Mr. Krabs and Squidward stared at him hard, and SpongeBob kept his face relaxed. Finally, they nodded.

"Okay, boy-o. Well, they won't be allowed in here again."

"And I'm walking you home today," Squidward said.

"Okay," SpongeBob said. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

The rest of the workday went by without incident. SpongeBob helped to close up, and there was a knock on the locked doors just as they were preparing to leave for the day. Patrick stood there and waved. Mr. Krabs opened the doors for him, and he plodded in.

"Hey buddy. Have a good day?"

"It was interesting," SpongeBob said. Mr. Krabs and Squidward exchanged glances but said nothing.

"Ready to go then?" Patrick asked.

"Yep," SpongeBob said. "Squid's walking with us."

"Cool."

Mr. Krabs headed for his own home while the three friends began waking toward Conch Street. Patrick and SpongeBob didn't speak, and Squidward squinted at both of them every once in a while. It was unusual for neither one of them to be talkative. SpongeBob, he understood. When he'd looked into the kitchen, SpongeBob had been pinned against the stove by four larger sponges, and they looked ready to hurt him. But Patrick?

"What have you been up to, Patrick?" Squidward asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I had to run a few errands today," Patrick replied.

"Like what?"

Patrick gave him an irritated look. "What do you care all of a sudden?"

"You're too quiet."

"I haven't eaten since breakfast," Patrick muttered.

"That explains it," Squidward said, relieved. Patrick could have all sorts of moods when he was hungry, and it was actually good for him to choose quiet. Quiet was better than rampaging.

"Uh-huh," Patrick mumbled.

When they got to Conch Street, SpongeBob saw his grandmother's boatmobile parked on the street. "Oh! Grandma's here, Patrick!"

"Maybe she made dinner," Patrick said, brightening.

SpongeBob glanced at Squidward and hesitated. "Do you want to come over for dinner?"

"No," Squidward said flatly. "I've got a nice Krabby Patty right here." He held up the bag.

"Okay then. We'll talk to you later!"

SpongeBob and Patrick hurried for the house, and Squidward watched them go. SpongeBob knocked and his grandmother opened the door and greeted both hide grandson and Patrick with a kiss. Squidward relaxed. He'd noticed that SpongeBob had blankets covering the windows of his house, and with how SpongeBob had hesitantly invited him instead of insisting had bothered him. But now that he thought about it, it would be rude to show up to dinner uninvited, and Sponjulia had probably not cooked enough food for him. She looked up and waved from the doorway. Squidward waved back and slouched to his house, his mind relieved of its burden of worry.

Sponjulia watched Squidward for a moment before she shut and locked the door. Turning to appraise her grandson and Patrick, she smiled.

"If you wouldn't mind rinsing off, SpongeBob dear, then I'll get dinner on the table."

"Why does he need to rinse off?" Wily asked from where he sat on the floor in front of the television.

"Grease," SpongeBob said. "Grandma is sensitive to it now, and I want hugs."

Wily nodded then turned back to the television. Sponjulia and Patrick sat on the couch and watched the show. They were on season five by now, and it was a good way to pass the time while SpongeBob scrubbed himself and made sure he was degreased. When he came out in a pair of pajamas, squeaky clean and smelling fresh, he raced over and embraced his grandmother who gave him a kiss.

"I hope you're hungry," Sponjulia said. "I've been cooking all afternoon."

"I'm starving," SpongeBob said.

They all filled their plates and sat in the living room. The episode finished, and there were no more on the disc, so it spun out and the screen went black. SpongeBob ate half his food before he set down his fork.

"Squeeze and the Blingers came by the restaurant today, Grandma," he said. Then he burst into tears and began to rock back and forth. Wily turned to stare in horror at SpongeBob, and Sponjulia stood up and went to stand by his chair.

"What happened?"

"They… they were looking f-for Wily," SpongeBob managed between sobs. "They pinned me against the stove and were g-gonna burn me."

Sponjulia's eyes flashed, but she hugged SpongeBob. Wily and Patrick were frozen as they tried to process what SpongeBob had just said. After a few minutes, Patrick heaved himself up and hurried to get the weighted blanket. He draped it over SpongeBob's shoulders then stood on the other side of his chair and squeezed his hand. Wily didn't move, shocked to his core as he realized that he was putting dear, sweet SpongeBob in danger.

Almost in a daze, Wily set his plate aside and stood up. He had made it halfway to the guest room before Sponjulia caught him.

"Wily, come here."

Wily hesitated then went to stand by her. He couldn't look at any of them, feeling numb to his core.

"Where do you think you're going, young man?" Sponjulia asked.

"Away," Wily said.

"What?" SpongeBob hiccuped. "No! Wily, no, please, don't go. That's what they want."

"But they're going to hurt you," Wily said, a little heat coming to his voice.

"They're not allowed in the restaurant, and I'm being walked everywhere I go, Wily," SpongeBob argued, even as tears poured down his cheeks. "And if they're willing to burn me, what do you think they'll do when they get ahold of you?"

Wily shook his head. SpongeBob reached out his hand. Wily shook his head harder. SpongeBob reached out harder, and Wily hesitated for several more moments before he stepped forward and took SpongeBob's hand. Wily sagged with relief at just that little friendly contact. Then he began to cry.

"I'm sorry, Bobby," he moaned. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to get you into this mess."

"If I didn't want you to be here, I could have sent you away," SpongeBob murmured, squeezing Wily's hand even as his hand burned where it was in contact with Wily's. "Trust me, Mr. Krabs and Squidward are both mad at them, and they won't be coming into the Krusty Krab again."

"But you're in danger," Wily whispered.

SpongeBob stared at his old friend then squeezed his hand. "If it will get you away from your dad, it'll be worth it. Now go and eat."

With one final squeeze, SpongeBob released Wily's hand then flexed his pale one. Wily went to sit in front of the television again, and dinner resumed. Sponjulia kissed SpongeBob then went to sit on the couch beside Patrick.

"I want you to be careful, SpongeBob," she said.

"I'll try, but they're determined, Grandma," SpongeBob said.

"Let them be. While they're doing that, I'm weaving my web," she said. "Now, put in the next disc. I like the next episode."

Chapter Text

SpongeBob woke up the next day feeling excited. He jumped in the shower, humming to himself as he thought about the plans for today. Today SpongeBob was off work, and he was going to go jellyfishing with Wily and Patrick. They had planned it all after Sponjulia had left for home. So once SpongeBob was refreshed and clean, he bolted downstairs to prepare their lunches, practically vibrating as he waited for Wily to get up and Patrick to get there.

Once their lunches were made, SpongeBob made a hearty breakfast for three, and soon enough Wily came out of the guest room and peeked into the kitchen.

"Hey, Bobby," Wily said softly.

"Hey, Wily! Ready to go jellyfishing?"

Wily shrugged and leaned on the door frame. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" SpongeBob said.

"If I get stung…" Wily looked away.

"I can still calm you down," SpongeBob insisted. "I want to teach you, Wily. It's so much fun, and having freshly jelled jelly? Oh, it's like nothing you've ever had. Please come with us. It won't be the same without you."

"Actually it should be the same without me."

SpongeBob turned around and handed Wily his plate. "That's not what I meant."

There was a knock on the door and the click of a key and Patrick called out. "It's me!"

"Breakfast is in here! Lock up behind you!" SpongeBob called.

He waited until he heard the clunk of the bolt sliding home before he grabbed the two plates and skipped into the living room. Patrick had his jellyfishing supplies and he dumped it all off by the door when he saw the plate.

"Ooh, yes please!" he exclaimed.

They sat down and began to eat. Patrick swallowed a large bite then asked Wily, "Ready to go?"

"I don't have any gear," Wily said.

"I have a lot of extra gear," SpongeBob said. "I do it so often, and I like to bring people with me, even if they don't have the money to afford the gear. I've got everything organized. We just have to suit up."

Wily was rather subdued as he ate, but he soon perked up at the delicious food. "You always have so much food," he muttered between bites.

Patrick stopped chewing. "Wait, you don't have food? I thought you were rich."

"It's not a matter of money for Wily," SpongeBob said. "His father restricts his diet most of the time."

"He can't while I'm out, and he doesn't try anymore. But he punishes me if he sees evidence, so I just… don't eat much," Wily shrugged one shoulder, as if it was perfectly normal to not be allowed to eat regular meals.

"It's worse when he wrings you out," SpongeBob said quietly. "Your body needs food to replenish, and he doesn't let you eat. So you're sick for a long time. That's one reason he does it, I think."

Wily shrugged and set aside his empty plate. "It is what it is, Bobby."

"But it shouldn't be," SpongeBob replied. Without waiting for a response, he gathered their empty plates and herded Wily into his storage room.

Wily watched his friend gather gear, his eyes going to SpongeBob's discolored hand. "Um, Bobby?"

"Yeah?"

"How's your hand?"

SpongeBob blinked and looked over, a pair of thick glasses on his face. He turned to glance at his pale hand and flexed his fingers. "It's more numb than anything, but it isn't bad enough that it can't function. Besides, I don't care. I'm right-handed."

Wily smiled a little. "Okay then. Next question. Does your octopus neighbor know that I'm here?"

SpongeBob squirmed as his cheeks turned red. "No. I, ah, figured we'd keep this between us."

"So how are we gonna get to the fields?"

SpongeBob grinned and hurried out of the room. Patrick continued to get the supplies ready then came over with half a dozen pairs of glasses just like SpongeBob had been wearing.

"See which one fits you best," Patrick said. "It needs to be tight enough to not slip off your face while running."

Hesitantly, Wily tried on the glasses until he found a snug pair. He peered at himself in the mirror set on the wall. "I look funny."

"Don't wanna get stung in the eyes," Patrick explained.

SpongeBob came back in with a large coat and a hat. "I use something like this sometimes. Try it on."

So Wily shrugged into the coat. It fell all the way to the floor and hid Wily's legs and feet. The hat had such a wide brim that it completely disguised Wily. He grinned as he realized with the glasses, most people wouldn't be able to tell who he was, especially in Bikini Bottom.

"Perfect, Bobby!" Wily exclaimed. "Thank you!"

"Are we about ready?" SpongeBob asked.

"I don't know. Are we?" Wily asked, pulling the coat closed.

SpongeBob handed him a net then picked up his own and smiled at them. "Patrick, I have everything packed for lunch in the basket. Can you carry it?"

"Sure," Patrick said. They headed downstairs and he picked up the basket.

"Ready?" SpongeBob asked.

"Yep," they said.

SpongeBob unlocked the door then herded them out before locking it again. He put the key in his pocket then pointed down past the houses on Conch Street where the sands stretched out.

"This way. It'll be better than taking the roads."

Just as they set off, a warm current rushed around them, and Wily's hat nearly flew away. He snagged it and smashed it back onto his head as SpongeBob and Patrick laughed. As they hurried across the sands towards Jellyfish Fields, none of them noticed Squidward standing at his bedroom window on the second floor, staring out after them in disbelief. By the time the three sea creatures were out of sight, Squidward was at his shellphone dialing a number.

Once they were out of sight of the houses, SpongeBob pushed Wily. "Tag! You're it! Catch us if you can!"

SpongeBob and Patrick took off, leaving Wily blinking after them in surprise. Then he grinned and ran after them. Glancing around, he noticed they were alone, so he ripped the hat and coat off, tucked them under his arm, and ran to catch them. Their game took them across the sands to the beautiful green fields where the Jellyfish roamed. They stopped by the sign as Wily looked around, breathless but so very happy.

"What do you think?" SpongeBob asked.

"I think," Wily panted, "that this is amazing, Bobby."

SpongeBob smiled. "Come on. Let's set up our base."

Wily followed SpongeBob and Patrick to a spot they seemed to recognize, where they pulled out a red and white checkered tablecloth to spread it out on the ground. That done, they spread out their tools. Empty jars for the jelly, the nets, and even the food they would be eating throughout the day with the jelly were set out neatly on the tablecloth.

"Okay, now let's start jellyfishing!" SpongeBob declared. He turned to Wily. "Watch us first. You can join later."

Wily relaxed. He liked that idea, so he tossed his disguise onto the tablecloth then watched SpongeBob and Patrick. They adjusted their glasses then grabbed their nets. Winking at Wily, SpongeBob turned around in a circle to take in the area. Then he took off in one direction heading toward a clump of seagrass.

As soon as he got close enough, half a dozen jellyfish burst from the grass and darted in all directions. Patrick took off after some of them, but SpongeBob was already on top of two of them. With one swipe of his net, he caught both of them then clutched the top of the net closed. SpongeBob proudly skipped over to Wily and held up the net.

"See? Now I'll show you how to jell them."

SpongeBob guided one of the jellyfish out of the net then took Wily's hands. "Pet its top gently. That way the stings won't sting you."

So Wily did. He patted and stroked the quivering top of the jellyfish. It buzzed and stopped shaking then began hovering right in front of Wily. SpongeBob beamed then picked up a jar. Releasing the second jellyfish, he soothed it then guided it right above the jar. Wily watched for a moment then copied SpongeBob. SpongeBob nodded then grasped the stingers and began to jell the jellyfish.

Thick pink jelly squirted into the jar, and Wily was excited to try it himself. Petting the top of the jellyfish, he grasped the stingers and mirrored his friend. To his delight, he was doing it, and his jar filled with jelly. About halfway full, the jellyfish buzzed angrily, and Wily was shocked violently. He yelped and gasped, staggering back at the sting. SpongeBob released his jellyfish, capped their jars, then hurried over to look at Wily.

"Easy there," SpongeBob urged. "Take a breath, Wily. It's just a sting. It'll hurt for a day or two then it will go away. It's not so bad, right? Take a breath with me."

Wily obeyed, breathing deeply with SpongeBob as he fought the urge to release his toxin. As he breathed, he began to calm down, and he realized SpongeBob was right. After the initial shock of being stung, the sting wasn't too bad. By the time Patrick came walking up with his own catch, Wily was calm again.

"Did I hurt it?" Wily asked, glancing around for the jellyfish.

"Nah, but I bet it was out of jelly," SpongeBob said, tossing a jar to Patrick. "That's one of the hazards. Anybody with the right skills can come out here and jell what they want, so sometimes the jellyfish don't have a full jelly sack. So when they get low, they sting. I should have warned you."

"It's not so bad," Wily admitted with a shrug. "Now, can I try and catch one?"

They spent the entire day catching and jelling jellyfish. Wily enjoyed it so much, and SpongeBob and Patrick were eager to show off. They even caught a rare blue jellyfish, and after they jelled it, they all had some delicious toast with the fresh blue jelly. Wily knew at the first bite that SpongeBob had been right. There was nothing quite like freshly jelled jelly, still warm and oh so gooey. It was a wonderful treat.

By the time they headed back to SpongeBob's house, they were full of their day of fun and sports. Wily disguised himself as they headed back, but as they approached the house, he saw a boatmobile in front of SpongeBob's house. SpongeBob slowed down, the color draining from his cheeks.

"Oh no," SpongeBob moaned.

Wily was about to ask what was wrong when the front door opened and Mr. Krabs stood there with Sandy and Squidward.

"Evenin', boy-o," Mr. Krabs said. "Care to explain what you were doin'?"

"I was jellyfishing with my friends," SpongeBob said, and Wily shifted away to try and keep his face covered. He had a feeling it wasn't necessary though. And when Sandy came storming over to him, he knew he was right. Sandy jerked the hat away, and Wily jumped back, unwilling to provoke her.

"What in tarnation are you doin' with this critter?" Sandy demanded. "After everything he's done to y'all, you go jellyfishing with him?"

SpongeBob straightened up. "I can go jellyfishing with whoever I want, Sandy."

"He nearly killed me!"

"You threatened him first!" SpongeBob shot back.

"I did not!" Sandy argued. "He was already poisonin' everybody in the restaurant! Why can't you see he's poison! You told me that yourself!"

SpongeBob gazed coolly at his friends. "The fact is, none of you know where the root of the poison is, so you can't do anything about it."

"SpongeBob, we're only trying to help," Squidward said.

"Well you're not. Now leave."

Silence.

"What?" Squidward asked.

"Get out of my house and leave," SpongeBob ordered. "I won't have you telling me what I can and can't do in my own house, and I've agreed Wily can sleep here. If you don't agree with what I'm doing, you can get out and stay out."

SpongeBob grabbed Wily's bare hand and tugged him into the house, pushing past Squidward, Sandy, and Mr. Krabs. Patrick followed. In the doorway, SpongeBob turned back to gaze at them. "You said you'd let me handle it unless I asked for help. I haven't asked. I don't need your help right now. See you at work tomorrow, Mr. Krabs, Squidward. Later Sandy."

With that, SpongeBob shut the door on them. There was the clunk of the lock then silence. One by one, the two sea creatures and one land mammal left, shocked to the core that they had just been scolded by SpongeBob SquarePants. Had they really overstepped? Or were they right in that Wily was the danger and SpongeBob was being foolish? Either way, things with SpongeBob were going to be tense for awhile. As they all headed home, they all wondered: Did we do the right thing?

Chapter Text

"Are we sure about this?" a round, short sponge asked Squeeze as they approached the Chum Bucket. It was lonely and desolate, not a single boatmobile nearby. This was in stark contrast to the Krusty Krab across the street, whose parking lot was full.

"Do you want to cook lunch, Scrunch?" Squeeze asked.

"No. But this place is creepy," Scrunch mumbled.

"It's the only other place to eat in this town," Squeeze said.

"But what about finding Wily?" a tall, darker sponge asked. "Mr. Cylandril isn't gonna let up until we find him."

"I can't think on an empty stomach," Squeeze said. "Now come on."

They walked right up to the doors and went inside. The restaurant area seemed closed. Nobody stood to take their orders at the counter. They looked around and backed toward the door.

"What are you doing here?" a computer voice asked, coming from everywhere around the room.

"Uh, lunch?" Squeeze asked.

"Wait one moment."

The sponges stood huddled together until a tiny plankton came hurrying out. His one eye nearly popped out of his head. "Customers?" he asked wildly. Then he jumped up and down. "Ha! Take that, Krabs! They picked my restaurant!"

None of the sponges mentioned that they'd been banned from the Krusty Krab. They were just glad to see somebody in this big, empty place.

"I'm Plankton," the little sea creature said. "Have a seat and I'll have Karen bring the menus."

The group of sponges pushed a couple tables together then sat down. A computer on wheels came out of the swinging kitchen doors, metal hands extending from the box. The computer rolled over, and they saw a digital face. A female voice came out from the box, and the line that was the digital mouth began to move with the speech.

"Hey there, how are you? Welcome to the Chum Bucket," she said.

The sponges stared as she passed out menus. "Take your time. There's plenty of it," the computer said, rolling her eyes.

"Karen!" Plankton exclaimed.

"Coming, dear," Karen replied.

She rolled away, and the sponges glanced at each other before opening the menus.

"What's chum?" one of them, Squelch, whispered.

"No idea," Squeeze said.

When the computer came back, they put in their orders. They were typed out on her screen and when the orders were taken, the face blinked back into existence. "Okay then, it'll be out in ten. Drinks are over there." She set down their cups then rolled away.

The sponges got their drinks then sat back down again. Squeeze cleared his throat and spoke firmly. "We've got to get Wily back. His dad will poison us if he isn't found."

None of them noticed Plankton as he walked over to stand by their table. His eye was shining with curiosity. If Wily was that red sponge from the year before like he thought, the one who had poisoned the Krusty Krab, he was interested. He listened to the sponges as they continued to talk.

"Where could he be?" Squelch said. "We've searched every hotel and motel and inn that Bikini Bottom has."

"He's with SquarePants, of course," Squeeze said.

"You sure about that?" Scrunch asked. "He didn't squeal, and we had him against that stove."

"He's SpongeBob," Squeeze said. "He's not normal. Never had been. Synthetic freak."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Squeeze said. "Now if only we knew where he lives."

"He's over on Conch Street," Plankton said.

The sponges jerked in surprise and looked around for a moment before they noticed Plankton. Squeeze leaned down."Where's that?"

"Karen!" Plankton called.

"It's not ready yet!" the computerized voice called.

"I know. But where's the map of Bikini Bottom?"

"You had it in your plotting chair!" Karen called.

"Thanks, dear!" Plankton called, and he hurried away.

By the time he'd come back, Karen was pushing open the door with plates full of their food. When she set them in front of them, they gazed uncertainly at the pink substance.

"Here you go. Finest chum available. Enjoy," Karen said. Turning to the zooplankton, she raised digital eyebrows. "Did you find the map?"

"No."

Karen sighed dramatically and rolled away. Within a minute, she came back with a large map. Without a word, she pinned the map up. "What do you need this for?"

"They want to know where Conch Street is," Plankton said.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Something about SpongeBob."

"He's a nice sponge, but a little odd," Karen said.

"He's fun," Plankton muttered. "Show them Conch Street."

Karen pointed it out.

"What number?" Squeeze asked.

"124," Plankton said. "You can't miss it. He's in the pineapple."

"Is he home?"

Plankton made his way to a telescope and peered through. "Nope. He's working today."

"Good. We need to get Wily away without him knowing."

"Why?"

"Mr. Cylandril wants it that way."

Plankton considered this. "I could distract him."

"How?" Squeeze asked.

"I've been planning to make another run on the formula. I could do it today, and that will give you plenty of time to get whoever it is out of his house."

Squeeze glanced around the circle and saw that the other sponges were already nodding. They were tired of hunting down that stupid Wily. They had come to Bikini Bottom to have fun and make SpongeBob suffer while they were at it. But from the moment Wily had escaped, Wilbur Cylandril had been breathing down their necks to find him. They hadn't had a bit of fun on the trip, and it was all Wily's fault.

"You've got yourself a deal," Squeeze said, and he took an absent bite of chum. He perked. "Hey. This ain't bad."

"Glad you like it. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to finalize my plans. Hang around for awhile and I'll let you know what's going on."

Plankton and Karen both left them alone, and the sponges ate their meal. All of them were in better spirits than they had been in for days. After eating, they sat and chatted about what they would do once Wily was caught. There were museums and art shows and so much to see in Bikini Bottom, and they were ready to see it all. The only thing standing in their way was Wily, and they weren't going to let that stand.

Plankton came into the room with a backpack on. Karen rolled in after him, fussing at him.

"Now remember to be careful, big guy," she said.

"I will, I will, Karen," he said, rolling his eye. He stopped and looked at the sponges. "Wait until Karen gives you the signal. Then you can head out to Conch Street."

"The pineapple, right?" Squeeze asked.

"Yep. The pineapple. Can't miss it. It's next to a tiki head house and a rock house. They're the only houses on that street."

"Why are you helping us?" Scrunch asked.

Plankton shrugged one shoulder as his eyes shone. "I always like a little chaos." He paused before he left. "I will warn you, though, if SpongeBob gets involved, you can't succeed."

"Why not? He's just SpongeBob," Squelch said.

"Exactly," Plankton replied, then he lowered a goggle over his eye and left. "Let them know when to leave, Karen! And make sure they pay!"

Karen watched him go then sighed and looked at the sponges. "It never gets any easier. Well, let's get your meals paid for."

The sponges gladly paid for the good food, and then they were left to pace the room, waiting for the signal. Karen cleaned up the restaurant then sat and began reading a shopping magazine. The time ticked away, minute by minute, and all of the sponges were starting to get impatient. Then Karen snapped up straight and spoke.

"They're after him. Get going, now! Follow this route," she printed out a map, the page coming out of her base.

"Thanks for the help. And the food," Scrunch said.

"Anytime," Karen said. "Now get going. He can only distract them for so long."

They wasted no time in dashing out of the restaurant. They saw chaos through the windows of the Krusty Krab, but they didn't stop to watch. Squeeze followed the directions to Conch Street then headed down the road. Sure enough, the three houses were lined up in a neat row. They hurried straight for the pineapple. It looked as if nobody was home, with the windows dark and covered and no boatmobile out front. That didn't deter them from striding up the front walk and knocking on the door. They all braced themselves and waited. After a minute, there was the click of a lock and the bulkhead door opened.

"About time, Patrick. What took you so…?" Wily stopped dead when he registered who was at the door. Before he could do anything, the door was forced open. Wily shrieked and bolted for the guest room, but Squeeze was right behind him. Wily backed himself into a corner and went silent as he was trapped. He began to breath shallowly, knowing what was coming, but he didn't want it.

"Hey there, Cylandril," Squeeze said. "We're gonna go for a walk."

Wily shook his head, gasping for breath.

"So you won't go with us?"

Wily shook his head again.

"Then we'll just have to wait for SpongeBob to get home."

It was a chance. Squeeze wasn't sure if Wily really cared for SpongeBob or if he was just using him. If Wily didn't care, that wasn't a threat. But Wily's pupils constricted, and he shook his head frantically, so Squeeze knew he did care. Squeeze grinned and leaned close.

"We're gonna go for a walk, Cylandril. A nice, long walk. Then we'll have a nice, long talk. Okay?"

Wily swallowed but nodded. He wasn't going to let SpongeBob get hurt. They could and they would hurt him, and Wily knew it. The sponges surrounded him but didn't touch him at all. He followed them out the door and watched as they shut the door behind them. Then they started walking. Wily wrung his hands together, trying to stay calm. But how could he? His father wasn't happy. He knew that already. And Squeeze would have squealed on him to stay out of Wilbur's target. What would they do to him? No, that wasn't the right question. What had his father ordered them to do? That was the question.

As they strolled through the streets, Wily caught several pointing fins and dark looks as the Bikini Bottomites saw him. They whispered then turned away, and Wily couldn't blame them. They didn't know what had really happened in the Krusty Krab the year before. They just knew he had ended up poisoning everybody. Only SpongeBob and Patrick knew the whole story. Only they believed he hadn't been maliciously trying to poison everybody. He had only been maliciously trying to poison SpongeBob.

Wily fought back tears as they headed into the biology labs. Squelch took a keycard out of his pocket and swiped it. They were allowed in past the security, and he was escorted to a room. The door opened, and Squeeze pointed.

"Go sit in the corner. We have to get a few things from the hotel. Then we'll be by to… chat about things."

With that, the doors shut and locked, and Wily looked around dazedly before he went to sit in the corner. He squeezed himself into a tight ball as he tried to calm himself down. He would be very, very sick soon enough. No use losing it now. So he began to quote Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy episodes to himself, saying the lines in a flat tone. But even that was a small comfort.

When his father had been at work and his mother had been out partying, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy had been there. So he quoted the episodes to himself, scared and lonely and feeling so guilty about how he'd treated SpongeBob. Would his old friend come for him? No, Wily thought. He wouldn't. Because Wily was a bad friend. He should have stayed by SpongeBob's side when they were younger, but he didn't. He should have argued against going to Bikini Bottom when his father found out where SpongeBob lived, but he didn't. And he shouldn't have been so cruel to the one sea creature who had ever shown him true kindness and compassion.

So Wily sat there, reciting the lines of the only friends he'd ever had, waiting for the inevitable pain and sickness that was sure to come. And still, despite his shame and guilt, a small part of him hoped SpongeBob would come for him after all.

Chapter Text

SpongeBob was glad to be done for the day. It was an hour later than usual when he clocked out and headed for home. They had had an unexpected visit from Plankton, and naturally, chaos had ensued as he'd tried to steal the Krabby Patty formula. It had taken a short time to botch his plans, but a long time to clean up afterwards. Coupled with making to-go orders for all the customers who came in afterwards because there was no whole furniture left for them to sit on or at, it had been a long day, and SpongeBob was ready to go home.

Patrick stood outside, waiting to walk him home. Squidward had already left, but SpongeBob felt it was his duty as a manager to help Mr. Krabs. He'd gotten free food and a bit of pay as a bonus for doing so, so he was happy. He had a big bag of food in his hands for him and Patrick and Wily to split when he got home.

"I hope Wily's okay," Patrick said. He'd gotten caught in the chaos at the Krusty Krab while waiting for his and Wily's lunch order. He hadn't made it back to the pineapple yet—between talking to the police and finishing the errands he needed to finish before the end of the day, he hadn't had the chance.

"He should be fine alone," SpongeBob assured him. "He's used to being alone."

"Really?" Patrick asked, his brow furrowing. "That's sad, SpongeBob."

SpongeBob nodded. "I know. But I was used to being alone, too, before you and I became friends." He paused as they continued to walk. "You don't mind being his friend, right?"

"No. Why? Should I?"

"No, no, I don't think so," SpongeBob said. "But a lot of people would."

"Why?"

"Because of his species."

"The Negomber thingy?" Patrick asked.

"Yeah. They're poisonous, and there's a lot of bad rumors that are spread around about them. Wily didn't have any friends in school besides me because nobody wanted to be near him. Until he met me, he'd never touched another sponge besides his mom and dad. I was the first person who ever gave him a hug."

Patrick teared up at that and sniffled as they continued on toward the pineapple. "That's even sadder," he said. "Mom and Dad hugged me all the time."

"Mine did, too. And Wily's parents were the only ones able to fully touch him without getting sick or hurt. And they never did, except to punish him. He likes being touched, but he's afraid because of the stigma and how people always react to his toxins." SpongeBob glanced at Patrick. "He just needs practice, though. I'm sure of that. Before his dad wrung him out and scared him away from me, he could give me the biggest hugs, and he didn't leak at all."

"That's a pretty cool thing to do for him," Patrick said.

"I don't react the same way to the toxins because I'm a synthetic," SpongeBob explained. "And I didn't mind it until he started using it against me." He hesitated. "I need to talk with him about that. Maybe later, after you go home."

"Sure," Patrick said.

The pineapple came into view, and SpongeBob was relieved. He went over to knock on Squidward's door before heading inside. Patrick took the key and headed for the door. Squidward opened up, already in his robe.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Mr. Krabs said to tell you that the Krusty Krab is gonna open a little later tomorrow, so we don't have to go in until eleven."

Squidward's face brightened at the good news. "Good to know. I'll be sleeping in."

"Enjoy," SpongeBob said.

He turned and went home. Opening the door, he slipped in then shut it behind him, relieved. Then he straightened.

"Wily! We're back! And you won't believe what happened at work today!"

There was no response. Halfway across the room, he paused, and took off his hat. Frowning, he turned and went to the guest room. There was no sign of Wily. He went to the bathroom and knocked before he opened the door. Nobody. SpongeBob's heart began to pound, and he swallowed as he hurried into the kitchen. No Wily.

"Did you see Wily when you came in?"

"Nah," Patrick said. "I thought he was taking a nap."

"I don't think he's here, Patrick," SpongeBob said.

Patrick set Gary's food down then paused. "He locked the door when I left," he said softly.

"So?" SpongeBob asked.

"It was unlocked when we got here."

Panic struck SpongeBob mute as he turned and ran upstairs. He searched every room, every closet, every place Wily could be hidden. He wasn't there. Stumbling downstairs, he went to his knees, pressing his palms over his eyes and moaning softly.

"SpongeBob?" Patrick asked.

SpongeBob didn't answer. He stood up and ran outside, back to Squidward's house. He set up a racket that would have woken the entire neighborhood if they'd had one, banging on the door without pausing. The door flew open as Patrick got there, and Squidward looked outraged.

"What are you doing, SpongeBob?!"

"Did you see Wily today?" he asked.

"No."

SpongeBob wailed. "Oh, they got him, they got him!"

Squidward's anger disappeared as he registered the implications of his neighbor's words. "Who got him?"

"Grandma!" SpongeBob sobbed. "Gotta call Grandma!" Turning, he sprinted for his house, leaving Squidward stunned and frightened.

"What's going on, Patrick?" Squidward asked.

"The sponges must've broken into SpongeBob's house," Patrick said thoughtfully.

"What?!" Squidward demanded.

"Well, how else could they have kidnapped Wily?" Patrick asked. "He wouldn't go with them willingly. Not when his dad wants to keep him on a tight leash. That's why he abuses him."

Squidward stiffened. "Abuse?" he asked faintly.

"Oh yeah. That's why Wily had to start poisoning SpongeBob. His dad threatened to kill him if he didn't."

The door to SpongeBob's house burst open again and SpongeBob ran over, panting. "Patrick! She's on her way! But how can we find him?! They could be heading back to SpongeTown now!"

And SpongeBob began to cry. Squidward stared at him, his mind racing around and around what Patrick had just told him. Then he solidified his resolve. "SpongeBob?"

SpongeBob looked up, gulping. "Yeah?"

"Do you want help now?"

SpongeBob sniffled. "I thought you were gonna sleep in?"

"Not if you need help. Do you?"

SpongeBob nodded. "We need to find Wily. He's in trouble! The Blingers have him, and he's already afraid of them."

"Is that important?" Squidward asked.

"Yes," SpongeBob said. "His toxins are easily triggered because… because…" SpongeBob stopped and shook his head.

"Because his dad uses it against him, right?" Patrick asked. "So he's really sensitive."

SpongeBob glanced sideways at Squidward as he nodded. Squidward's expression didn't change.

"Go wait for your grandma. I'll be right over. Let me get dressed and call some folks."

SpongeBob nodded, and Patrick took him back home. He tried to get SpongeBob to eat, but he pushed away the food, mumbling that he wasn't hungry anymore. So Patrick ate some of the cold food and SpongeBob paced back and forth in his living room. He heard the screech of tires and a thud, and he knew his grandmother had taken down his trash cans. He bolted to the door and ran out to her, tears blurring his vision as he sobbed.

Sponjulia wrapped him in her arms, shushing him gently. "It's alright SpongeBob," she said soothingly. "We'll catch them."

"They could be going back already," SpongeBob hiccuped.

"We'll see," Sponjulia said. "Now calm down. Let's go inside and talk."

As she guided him back to his house, Mr. Krabs pulled up in his boatmobile with Sandy in the front seat, and they got out as Squidward hurried for them. They gathered in SpongeBob's living room, ready to come up with a plan.

"What should we do?" SpongeBob asked his grandma.

"Find out if anybody's seen him," Sponjulia said. "You all go out and talk to every fish you can, see if they've seen him. They should know him. Negombata Magnificas are rare, so he'll be recognizable as the one who was on the news last year."

"What about me?" SpongeBob asked.

"You're gonig to stay here and wait for a lead. Then you and I will go out and find him."

"What about you?" Squidward asked.

"I," Sponjulia said primly, "am going to call around. So I will be doing the same thing you will, just over the phone. My legs won't carry me that far anymore. Are we all agreed?"

They agreed, and they headed out of the house and split up to find as many fish as possible.

SpongeBob resumed pacing while his grandmother went into the kitchen, took the shellphone, and began to dial numbers. As SpongeBob paced, he began to get angry. Why did Wilbur have to be so mean? Why did he have to control Wily? What was so wrong with Wily being himself? Sure, he wasn't like other sponges, but even Wilbur would admit that it was because of his species. Mr. Cylandril preferred to rule through fear, and he had most of SpongeTown in his pocket because he was rich, and he was poison and not afraid to use it. He was the root of it all, the reason Wily had felt the need to poison his best friend. His only friend. And it wasn't right for anybody to live under that kind of constant strain. So when Sponjulia's voice took on a note of urgency, he had made up his mind. It was time to get Wily away from his toxic father. Permanently.

SpongeBob turned to stare at his grandmother as she snapped the phone down. "Mrs. Batfish saw him. She works in the science labs. The group of sponges brought a red one in, and then left without him. She hasn't seen him since, but she said that the sponges just walked back in."

"We have to get there before they take him away!" SpongeBob said.

Sponjulia grabbed her keys and they ran out to the boatmobile. She cranked the engine, grasped the wheel, then hit the gas. The tires squealed, and they took off toward the science labs. SpongeBob barely even noticed the harrowing ride as they cut through lights, weaved around traffic, and sped down the home stretch to the labs. Sponjulia twisted the wheel and the boatmobile screeched to a stop, turning neatly so that SpongeBob's door was facing the lab.

"Mrs. Batfish is waiting. Go," Sponjulia said, ignoring the swearing fish in the parking lot that she'd barely missed. "I'll find the others. Keep those sponges in Bikini Bottom, no matter what you have to do. If they get away, Wily might not get another chance."

"Thanks, Grandma!" SpongeBob said, and he unbuckled and raced inside.

A nice old secretary fish looked up as he came in, and she stood up, smiling. "You must be SpongeBob. Julie's told me so much about you."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am," SpongeBob said anxiously. "Where's Wily?"

Mrs. Batfish handed him a cardkey. "He's in lab 109," she said. "This will get you in. But those other sponges are there, my dear boy."

"I know," SpongeBob said. "But I'm not letting them hurt my friend."

"Friend?" Mrs. Batfish asked. "I thought he poisoned you."

"He did," SpongeBob replied. "A lot."

"Then why help him?"

"Because I care for him," SpongeBob said after a moment. "And because he needs help and I can give it. He's a good friend, anyway, even if most people don't see it. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go save my friend before they wring him out and send him to the hospital again."

Mrs. Batfish watched SpongeBob go, shocked and touched by his words. She'd heard the story from Sponjulia herself, so she knew SpongeBob had every right not to forgive him. But it appeared he already had. Mrs. Batfish glanced at the clock. She was supposed to get off work fifteen minutes ago, but she decided to stay. She wanted to see how this turned out, and if she could help that dear, sweet sponge, she would. And she would be proud to do it.

Chapter Text

SpongeBob stopped outside the door of Lab 109, breathless from his run. He steadied his breathing and pressed against the door to see if he could hear anything. He wasn't surprised that he couldn't—the labs were sealed for various experiments, including some top secret ones—so he took a deep breath as he stepped back, then he scanned the keycard. The door slid open, and he took in the scene as he stepped in.

Wily was backed into a corner, shivering with his pupils blown. He looked at SpongeBob and hope filled his face, unseen by the other sponges, who all turned and were frozen in shock at seeing SpongeBob. SpongeBob let the door shut behind him. He glanced around and tried to recall what Sandy had to him about the labs. This one had the special symbols around the door, so it was one of the specialty labs. Did they know that those were monitored 24/7?

Before SpongeBob could notice anything else, Squeeze grabbed him and ripped the keycard out of his hand. SpongeBob didn't fight, gritting his teeth as his spongy flesh stretched unpleasantly close to ripping point. He was whipped into the corner and stumbled into Wily. His back immediately caught fire as he soaked in some of Wily's leaking toxins. Wily caught him, and his arms burned too, but SpongeBob didn't care.

"You really don't know when to give up, do you SquarePants?" Squeeze snarled.

SpongeBob shoved himself off of Wily and got to his feet, ignoring the pain as he placed his hands on his hips. "I guess I don't, Squeeze," he said.

The Blingers all glared at SpongeBob. He was the cause of all their problems. He'd beaten Wily the year before, and ever since then, Mr. Cylandril had wanted to get him back. Why, they didn't know or care. What Mr. Cylandril wanted, Mr. Cylandril got. Like 'friends' for his son who were closer to his proper station in life, but who would tell Wily's father any time his boy stepped out of line.

"Why are you doing this?" SpongeBob asked, gazing at them.

The answer was right there already, so why not tell him? The lab was locked up tight, and nobody was listening besides this synthetic.

"Why are we doing this?" Squeeze sneered. "Because Mr. Cylandril asked us to."

"Why?" SpongeBob pressed.

"Why does it matter to you, SquarePants?" Scrunch demanded.

"Because I want to know," SpongeBob said. "You've already got us cornered, and I can't get out of here before Wily takes me down. So explain. I have time."

The Blingers all studied him then glanced at each other and nodded. He wasn't lying, so why not?

Squelch sneered at SpongeBob. "You don't understand how the world works, do you?"

"Tell me."

"Tell you? Tell you what power feels like? You wouldn't understand."

"You're right. I don't understand power," SpongeBob said. "At least the power you're talking about. I don't have money or connections to powerful sea creatures, but I do have friends, and that's more powerful than anything you guys have. Because you're not Wily's friends, and you never have been. You hated him in school. What did Mr. Cylandril give you to change your minds?"

The Blingers suddenly looked uncomfortable. Several looked away, but Squeeze flushed with anger. "That's none of your business, SquarePants. Stay out of it."

"Mm, no. I don't think so," SpongeBob said. "Because if Wily's involved, I'm gonna make it my business. What did Mr. Cylandril give you that would make you want to spend time with somebody you hate? Must've been really nice, whatever it was."

Squeeze leaned forward and grabbed SpongeBob's chest flesh and pulled hard. SpongeBob's eyes began to water, and he gasped with discomfort as he was forced face-to-face with Squeeze.

"That's none of your concern," he paused then continued with a small smirk, "but you're right about that geek. The only reason we keep him around is because of Mr. Cylandril. He wanted Wily to have friends more like him."

"Rich," SpongeBob said plainly.

"No. Normal," Squeeze sneered. "Which means you're out, and we're in."

"You must like being allowed to bully Wily even while you hang out with him," SpongeBob said. The fire along his back was settling, but he could sense Wily's panic growing. He didn't take his eyes off Squeeze. He was going to squeeze as much information out of the cruel sponge as he could before Wily lost control.

"Well, that is a nice perk," Scrunch said, grinning. "He's such a loser. He still watches Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. Who does that at his age?"

"I do," SpongeBob said. "And so does Patrick. And my grandma. Lots of people watch it. So what? Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it shouldn't be valuable to other people."

"It's ridiculous!"

"It's real!" SpongeBob countered, raising his voice. "I've been to their cave! I've seen their gadgets! I've met them! It was all real!"

The sponges all stared at SpongeBob then began to laugh. "Those were actors, SquarePants," Scrunch laughed.

"No. They weren't. They were the real deal, and it was amazing," SpongeBob retorted stubbornly. And of course, the Blingers laughed.

All this time, Wily cowered behind SpongeBob in the corner, whimpering as he struggled to stay calm. He couldn't hurt SpongeBob again. He'd promised Sponjulia, but he was so close to losing all control again. Tears slid down his face and he pressed his hands over his eyes, sucking in as he tried to relax his shivering body. He wasn't having much success. He wasn't even aware that SpongeBob was talking with the Blingers and helping them dig themselves in deeper. He gasped and groaned, needing to stop it, but he was so afraid his body ached with the strain of holding back the inevitable toxic explosion.

"So what now?" SpongeBob asked coolly after the laughter faded away.

"Now we get to do what Mr. Cylandril told us to do," Squeeze said.

SpongeBob watched him grab a bottle and raise it over his head, aiming at Wily. SpongeBob tensed, but Scrunch and Scrinch grabbed him and held him back. SpongeBob looked around wildly as Wily's eyes trailed up his attacker's form. Then his eyes landed on the big, red emergency button, and he knew what he was going to do.

Squeeze threw the bottle at Wily, and it struck his head and bounced off. He screeched and toxins erupted around him. SpongeBob used his karate to get out of the twins' hands, twisting away as he sprinted for the button. Squeeze and the others turned to look at him as he slammed his hand down. Immediately, red lights began flashing and there was the sound of a pressurized lock securing into place and the ventilation systems snapping closed. SpongeBob turned to the Blingers, his eyes triumphant.

"Hope you're ready for a purge," SpongeBob said. "Because nobody's getting out now. Not until the authorities arrive."

It took a moment for what he said to sink in. Wily's sobs were the only sound in the room for a moment before Squeeze hurried for the door. He tried to open it, but there was a buzzing sound, and a cool female voice spoke.

"Lab sealed. Please wait until we can contact the proper authorities to detoxify the water."

SpongeBob smiled contentedly as the Blingers began to panic. Wily was wringing out fast, having been on the edge for so long, and the toxins were filling the seawater in the lab. With the vents shut, the toxins were locked in the room with them. The Blingers began going crazy as they beat against the walls and door, trying to get away from the red cloud filling the room. SpongeBob didn't bother trying to avoid it, and he stepped forward into the burning, red-tinged water and walked straight for Wily.

Wily was sobbing uncontrollably, rocking back and forth as he tried to soothe himself. It wasn't working. SpongeBob sat down beside him and took his hand, ignoring the pain as the toxin soaked into his flesh and began to make him pale. Wily hiccuped in surprise and opened his streaming eyes to look at SpongeBob. He sniffled and gazed through blown pupils at his only friend.

"It's okay, Wily," SpongeBob soothed. "I'm here. Do you want a hug?"

Wily nodded, so SpongeBob reached over and pulled him into a tight hug. That, more than anything, helped Wily relax. After a few moments, he squirmed. He knew he was hurting SpongeBob, but SpongeBob wouldn't let him pull away.

"It's okay," SpongeBob crooned. The Blingers were starting to cough and the banging was getting weaker. "Just take a deep breath. It'll be okay."

"Hospital," Wily croaked, shaking his head.

"I know you don't like the hospital, but I want you to go with them and let them take care of you. I'll have Grandma talk to the nurses for you. She'll make sure you're taken care of."

Wily shook his head, beginning to cry again. He couldn't even let SpongeBob know that Sponjulia would never trust him again. He could see SpongeBob turning a pale yellow, especially where he was touching him, but SpongeBob held on, shushing him.

The room eventually went quiet as the others lay on the ground, nearly comatose. SpongeBob looked at them and sighed, squeezing Wily tightly. "It's okay now," he said softly. "They were awfully dumb, not calming down. The faster you breathe, the faster you filter. Did you know that, Wily?"

Wily shook his head, feeling so ill and drained and sleepy that he could barely move. SpongeBob squeezed him again.

"That's okay. I learned that when I was doing research to help you stop leaking."

Wily turned his face toward SpongeBob, his brows drawing together.

"Guess you didn't know that either," SpongeBob said. "But I tried."

"Why?" Wily croaked.

"Because you're my friend and I want to help you," SpongeBob replied. "Now relax. They'll be here soon. I can sing for you if you want?"

Wily nodded, unable to do anything else. As SpongeBob began to sing his favorite song, he ached inside for all that he'd lost, just because he couldn't keep it in. Sponjulia would never let him near SpongeBob again. Closing his eyes to hide the tears, Wily curled into SpongeBob as the world began fading in and out. As Wily faded away entirely, he thought about how nice it was to not be alone this time.

SpongeBob sang some of Wily's old favorites. He didn't know if he still liked them, but they hadn't had the chance to discuss their current likes. He wanted to remedy that once all of this was over and done with. But that would be awhile still.

There was a bang on the door that startled SpongeBob, and he sat up on shaky arms and peered at the door. It opened, and Sandy bolted inside with fish in suits. Sandy looked around at the Blingers then caught sight of SpongeBob and Wily. She made a beeline for them, jumping over Scrunch and winding around Squelch before dropping to her knees beside them.

"Sweet stars alive, SpongeBob! You're conscious?"

"Mostly," SpongeBob said, and his tongue felt fat in his mouth. "It helps if you're completely relaxed and breathe real shallow."

"Well you hold on there," Sandy said, tears in her eyes. "You're gonna be okay."

"After a purge, yeah I will be," SpongeBob replied.

"Again? How could he do it again?" Sandy mourned.

"This time, he didn't do it on purpose," SpongeBob said in a low voice. "So I don't mind as much. Now Sandy, I need you to go talk to Grandma. Tell Grandma that Mrs. Batfish can probably give her the tapes for Lab 109 ever since Wily was brought here." It was getting harder to talk, harder to stay aware.

"Why?" Sandy asked, bewildered.

"No time," SpongeBob said hoarsely. "Go, quick, don't stop for anybody." He grabbed her hands and squeezed, leaning his pale forehead against the glass of her helmet. "Please. Trust me, Sandy."

Sandy looked into SpongeBob's earnest blue eyes, red with irritation with tiny pinpricks for pupils, and made up her mind. She squeezed SpongeBob's hand, then stood up and sprinted out of the room. She dodged fish and sea creatures of several kinds, many of them students or professionals brought by the alarm. Her target was Sponjulia, who sat out in her car out front, waiting for news. She bolted outside, tore through the crowd, and hopped into the boatmobile without opening the door. Leaning close, she relayed SpongeBob's directions, and Sponjulia's eyes flashed with a dark fire as she gave a grim smile.

"Checkmate," she hissed, and quickly got out of the car and went back into the building, leaving Sandy in her boatmobile with the engine running.

Not knowing what else to do, Sandy maneuvered the boatmobile into a handicapped parking space and hung the placard on the mirror before she took the keys and hopped out. She heard the wail of sirens, and ambulances began pouring into the lot. Sandy had seen at least half a dozen sponges besides Wily and SpongeBob who needed medical attention. The hospital was going to be busy tonight. Sandy made her way to the doors to wait for SpongeBob to be wheeled out. Within minutes, the paramedics pushed him through the doors beside Wily's stretcher. She hurried over to grasp SpongeBob's hand as the paramedics waited for the others to come out.

"Sandy?" SpongeBob asked blearily.

"I did it. Just like you wanted."

SpongeBob managed a quick, pleased smile then gestured at the unconscious Wily. "Be with him in the hospital, too, please? He's gonna be isolated otherwise, and he hates that."

"Of course, SpongeBob. Right after I give ya moral support for that purge."

"Number six, here I come," he said ruefully. Then he looked at Wily. "But this time was worth it."

Chapter Text

The first thing Wily became aware of was a slow, steady beeping. It took him a moment to place the sound, but when he did, his eyes popped open. Or they tried to. His eyelids were so heavy that it took him a monumental amount of effort just to lift them, and when they did, he saw what he was afraid of: a terribly white room lit by fluorescent bulbs. He was in the hospital again.

Wily sniffed then began to cry quietly to himself. What had happened this time? What invisible line had he crossed? Why had his father done this again?

Before any other thoughts could follow, he was startled when that squirrel friend of SpongeBob's appeared over him.

"Shoot, what's wrong? You need the nurse?" she asked.

Wily shook his head quickly, and Sandy smiled a little as he struggled to reach up and scrub away the tears. Sandy walked around to his other side and cranked the bed up so that he was more sitting than lying.

"All good?" Sandy asked.

Wily nodded and looked around blearily. He was in a ventilated ward in the hospital, just like he'd expected. But he hadn't expected Sandy Cheeks to be there with him. In fact, last he knew, she didn't even like him. But here she was, smiling at him and looking quite chipper.

"What's going on?" he rasped.

"Oh, Sponjulia wanted to tell you that. In fact, I'll get her and send her in. Y'all wait here."

Before Wily could beg for mercy, Sandy was up and at the door. She banged twice and the door opened then shut again behind her. Wily leaned back and rested his eyes. Even if he wanted to run, he couldn't, so he waited for Sponjulia as wearily as he'd waited for his father so many times. But when Sponjulia came in, she wasn't scowling like his father, but smiling a beautiful smile as she jauntily tapped her way over.

"Hello there, dear," she said, standing beside the bed. "How are you feeling?"

Wily couldn't process the question, too stunned by her cheerful demeanor. "You're not mad at me?" he asked, his voice small and frightened.

Sponjulia blinked at him then softened. "I'm not mad at you. Yes, you poisoned SpongeBob, and some others, but I know you didn't do it purposefully, and that was a part of the deal. I phrased it that way for a reason, Wily. Now, how are you?"

"Thirsty," he croaked. "Tired. And worried. How's SpongeBob?"

Sponjulia sighed heavily, slumping a little. "He took it so well. Better than he should have. Everybody else started screaming when they realized what was about to happen. SpongeBob walked right in and let Sandy tie him up without a single protest." She let out a quavering breath. "That's my brave little man."

"I'm sorry for all the other times, too," Wily said. Tears filled his eyes again. "Dad, he…"

"Don't. You don't have to," Sponjulia said gently. "I have wonderful video footage to add to the audio files SpongeBob has of your shellphone calls with him that will prove without a shadow of a doubt that you were abused." She stood up straight and peered at him. "If you want to proceed with the case, of course. It's up to you."

"Case?" Wily asked, but he began to cough and gasp as he tried to filter water into his dry form. Sponjulia tapped the call button and a nurse answered.

"Yes?"

"Wily Cylandril needs some water, dear. He's having trouble filtering and he sounds dry and brittle."

"Coming right now, Mrs. Spherilia."

Sponjulia tried to stay calm as Wily began to become even more distressed as he tried to wet his insides. Finally, a nurse pushed in, assessed the situation, then gestured for Sponjulia to step out. Sponjulia stood there and tilted her head then tapped to the door and cracked it open.

"Sandy, dear? Come stay with him."

"Sure thing, Sponjuila!" Sandy's voice called, and she switched places with the old sponge, who waved at Wily as she shut the door. Sandy went over to stand in the corner, right in Wily's view. Somehow, that helped to keep him calm as they began to pump him full of seawater. It hurt but also felt like the biggest relief as his internal structures became wet and he could relax. He finally slumped back in his bed, shivering, and warily watched the nurses as they cleaned up. Sandy waited until they were rolling the cart to the door before she strode over and peered at him.

"Did that hurt?"

"Wasn't pleasant," Wily rasped. "But it's a relief. It's so horrible to be dry."

"Well, you'll be alright now," Sandy said. She hesitated and squirmed a little. "I'm sorry for what happened in the restaurant last year."

"Huh?" Wily asked blankly.

"I get it now. SpongeBob gave me a textbook on Negombata Magnifica. So I know that me attacking you really did make it worse. The toxins, I mean."

"I didn't mean to crack your helmet," Wily said softly.

"I know that now," Sandy said. "Y'all don't have to worry about that anymore."

Wily smiled at her. "You're not so bad, land mammal."

"Neither are you," Sandy replied. "And I'm gonna give you another chance."

"Why?" Wily asked.

"Cuz SpongeBob asked me to," she said plainly. "He asked all of us to, except for Patrick. Patrick already likes you."

"Yeah, he's a nice starfish," Wily said, smiling weakly.

There was a knock on the door, and Sponjulia came tapping in, followed by Squidward and Mr. Krabs. They strolled in, looking over their shoulders in case the nurse caught them with more than two visitors at once. Sponjulia didn't seem to care at all, and she smiled at Wily.

"How are you now?"

"Wet and relaxed," Wily muttered. "Gah, it's awful to be dried out."

"I know what you mean, dear," Sponjulia said. "But I doubt most sea creatures will."

"Yeah, that's true." He paused and looked around at Squidward and Mr. Krabs. "So… I hear SpongeBob asked you to give me another chance. What does that mean?"

"It means you can eat at the Krusty Krab again," Mr. Krabs said.

"And it means we aren't gonna stop you from hanging with SpongeBob," Squidward added.

"That's enough," Wily sighed.

"Not quite," Sponjulia said. "Go on."

Squidward rolled his eyes. "We're gonna talk to the others, too."

"Put out a newspaper article," Mr. Krabs said.

"And escort you to court," Sandy said.

"Why do you guys keep mentioning legal stuff?" Wily asked.

"He hasn't decided yet, so keep your helmet on, Sandy," Sponjulia said. "It's his decision."

"What's my decision?" Wily asked.

"If you want to sue your father for abuse and a restraining order," Sponjulia said.

Wily went pale and snapped his mouth shut. He began shaking his head and his breathing became shallow. "No, he'll eviscerate me. And then he'll make me go home with him again. I want to be away from him."

"And this is the legal way to do it," Sponjulia said. "We want it held here in Bikini Bottom so we won't have to worry about the judge being bribed. Old Harry Hardshell will be happy to take the case, and he won't accept anything."

That made Wily relax a little. "So we won't be going to SpongeTown?"

"Oh Neptune above, no," Sponjulia exclaimed. "That would guarantee Wilbur a favorable outcome. No no, this time we'll be doing it here in my territory. Have him in the hotseat for once."

Wily smiled a little at the thought then shook his head. "I don't know," he sighed.

A knock sounded out, and Patrick came in pushing a washed-out SpongeBob in a wheelchair into the room. He shut the door and wheeled SpongeBob close to Wily.

"How are you, Wily?" SpongeBob asked, tired but bubbly.

"Tired and sore. You?"

"Oh, I feel much better," SpongeBob assured him. "The purge wasn't so bad since I didn't filter the seawater this time. Only six times."

Wily went pale and swallowed. "Ugh, that sucks."

"Nah, it blows," SpongeBob said.

"Huh?"

"The machine doesn't suck. It blows," SpongeBob clarified.

Wily snorted then laughed. "I've missed you, Bobby."

SpongeBob grinned. "Glad to hear it. So, what are we doing about Wilbur?"

Wily wilted. "I don't know, Bobby. She makes it sound easy, but it won't be."

"Grandma knows the system here in Bikini Bottom just as well as she knew the one in SpongeTown."

"Knew? I still know it, SpongeBob," Sponjulia said. "Wilbur has been puppeteering things ever since his father died, and it's time he learn he can't get away with what he's doing, even if he's got the money and toxins to back up any threats."

Wily gazed at the old sponge in front of him, and he wondered if she was really as formidable as she seemed. Then he looked at SpongeBob.

"I have nowhere to go," Wily said.

"You can stay with me until you get a job and a place to live," SpongeBob said at once.

"I have no money to pay you," Wily said. "Dad has all that tangled up, so I can't touch any money. He gives me an allowance every week."

"I don't care about money, Wily," SpongeBob replied. "I care about you."

"What about working at the Krusty Krab?" Patrick asked.

"Not allowed," SpongeBob said at once. "Negombata Magnifica aren't allowed to work with food."

"I'm not so good at cooking anyway," Wily said.

"We'll find ya somethin'," Sandy said.

"First things first, we need to discuss the case," Sponjulia said. "And any job he gets now won't be performed right due to stress. No, I'll cover your costs, Wily. SpongeBob, I'll need your banking details so I can send you any money he needs."

"Sure. I'll get those when I get home. Or Mr. Krabs could tell you."

"I have them written down in me office," Mr. Krabs said. "We'll stop by later."

"Sure," Sponjulia said. Then she turned back to Wily. "But I still haven't heard what you want, dear."

"I have a choice?" Wily asked.

"I'm not Wilbur, so yes," Sponjulia said.

Wily looked around at the faces, some he'd only seen hostile, and some he'd only begun to know kindly. Then he looked at SpongeBob, the only true friend he'd ever had. "I can't do it by myself."

SpongeBob reached over and took Wily's hand, squeezing it tightly. "We're not asking you to," he said. "I'm gonna make you a place here in Bikini Bottom, no matter what. But if you get the courts involved, it would be a more public solution. And Mr. Cylandril is very concerned about his public image."

Wily looked down at SpongeBob's pale hand, grasping his own pinkish one, then he looked back up at SpongeBob. He began to smile. " Ooh, that's a good point, Bobby." The smile faded and he took a deep breath. "How public are we talking?"

"Very," Sponjulia replied. "We want to send a message. But you have to be a part of it, dear. We need your testimony. He's seen as flawless, but if people knew what he did to you…"

"Fish won't know or care," Wily muttered.

"Some won't, yeah, but some will," SpongeBob argued. "And do you really think SpongeTown will leave it alone? They follow him everywhere, why not outside his territory? It would be big news in every sponge colony. It might change some of your cousins' lives, too."

Wily let out a breath and sagged. "You really know how to argue with me, don't you Bobby?"

"Aw, it's always easy to argue with a good person," SpongeBob said. "Because they'll do the right thing, even if it hurts."

Wily squeezed SpongeBob's hand as he took a deep, steadying breath. Then he looked at Sponjulia and nodded. "I'll do what you want. But I can't do it alone."

"We're with you, boy-o," Mr. Krabs said. "Can't have me best employee tangled up with somebody like your father."

"Do you know him?"

Mr. Krabs snorted. "I know enough to steer clear of fellas like him. Seen plenty of his kind, just didn't know the fancy name. Nego… whatever."

"Negombata Magnifica," Wily corrected, and he looked away.

"Yep. That. Know what your kind does, but I've never met a good one." Mr. Krabs studied Wily. "Still willin' to give you another chance, but ya better behave."

"I'll try, sir," Wily said meekly.

"Yeah, well, if you're moving in with SpongeBob, I guess we'll be neighbors," Squidward said, scowling and rolling his eyes. "Just try and keep it down at night. I need my beauty sleep."

"Obviously," Wily said good-naturedly.

Squidward nodded once then paused and thought about that. "Hey!"

SpongeBob and Sponjulia both laughed, and Sandy and Mr. Krabs joined in a moment later. Patrick looked puzzled, but he shrugged. Wily looked around at the sea creatures surrounding him, then down at SpongeBob. He didn't hesitate to pull the sponge into a big hug, lifting him out of his wheelchair. SpongeBob squeezed him hard then dropped back down, his face glowing with joy.

There was a knock on the door, and several nurses came in. Panic crossed every face except for SpongeBob's and Sponjulia's. They began to puff themselves up to shout, but Sponjulia tapped over and began chatting with them. She put one hand on her cane, and with the other behind her back, she gestured for them to leave. Sandy hung back in the corner as Squidward and Mr. Krabs left. Patrick wheeled SpongeBob back towards his room.

Soon after, Sponjulia ended her conversation. With a wink at Wily as the nurses looked around to scold everybody else, she tapped out the door, leaving the nurses with Sandy and Wily.

"How does she do that?" one of them demanded.

"Who knows. Let's check on the patient."

Wily had to fight a smile as Sandy laughed silently, her hands over her mouth. He was very glad he had Sponjulia on his side. She was so clever and quick that she might stand a chance against his dad. With that happy thought, Wily dozed off as the nurses began taking his vitals and fell into a sweet dream.

Chapter Text

Wily sat very still in the boatmobile as Mr. Krabs drove them to the courthouse. SpongeBob sat beside him in the back seat, holding his hand. He gave it a squeeze, and Wily looked over at him. Fear was etched in every line of his face.

"I can't do this, Bobby. He'll ruin me."

"Let him try," SpongeBob said. "He doesn't know what he's up against."

"How?"

"Take his advice and use it against him," SpongeBob replied.

"What advice?"

"To not show people how much things mean to you."

"Bobby, I don't get it."

SpongeBob squeezed Wily's hand again. "Wily, your dad is always about public image. So show the public you don't care about your dad. There's gonna be cameras there. We know it already. Grandma's friend in the newsroom called her and told her so. This is your chance to make a mark in public that he can't influence. Tell the truth. Let them see what he is."

"And if I can't do that?" Wily asked.

"Then we'll keep going a different way," SpongeBob said.

"Here we go, boys," Mr. Krabs said as he turned down the street the courthouse was on. "Oh, *dolphin noises*."

SpongeBob and Wily turned to look out front, and they saw so many sponges around the courthouse. Every news organization from SpongeTown had to be there, and they saw exotic sponges from other colonies, too. Wily gasped, clamping SpongeBob's hand in his own as he began to panic. SpongeBob held up his fingers in a V-shape, gazing at Wily intently. Wily hesitated, thought about it, then returned the gesture.

As soon as he turned back, his entire demeanor changed. He went from a nervous wreck to a cool, calm, self-assured sponge. Sitting up straight, he allowed a haughty, detached expression to settle across his face. Just then, the first sponge saw him.

"It's Wily Cylandril!" he shouted.

Cameras turned toward them, and everybody was talking at once. They crowded close in the road, trying to ask Wily questions. He simply looked bored. Mr. Krabs, unable to keep going forward, grew angry and slammed his claw on the horn and kept it there. The newscasters finally had to give up as nobody could hear anything over the blaring horn, so they backed off and let Mr. Krabs drive into the lot. He pulled right up to the curb, turned off his boatmobile, and got out. Leaning close to SpongeBob and Wily, he spoke firmly.

"Follow me."

"Yes, sir," SpongeBob said, and he squeezed Wily's hand. Wily squeezed back and opened the door, stepping out behind Mr. Krabs. SpongeBob followed and the two sponges walked side-by-side between two lines of cameras flanking every inch of space between the parking lot and the door of the courthouse. Wily kept a disinterested look on his face as they walked right up to the doors. He stopped in front of a pinkish sponge.

"Care to comment on the rumors that your father is abusive?" she asked, holding a microphone out, and silence fell immediately.

"Rumors?" Wily asked, arching an eyebrow. "They're only rumors? Huh. Well, I suppose my dad always did have good PR."

That was all. He turned and walked into the courthouse while the entire sponge crowd burst into life, talking and gesticulating to the cameras and each other as they talked about what Wily could possibly mean. SpongeBob giggled and squeezed Wily's hand again after the doors shut behind them.

"Nice one, Wily."

Wily grinned at him as they followed Mr. Krabs to the courtroom. They greeted Sponjulia, who had chosen to represent Wily and sat behind the bench on the prosecutors side. She had all her credentials laid out before her, and she smiled at both of them. She hugged SpongeBob and patted Wily's cheek, but that was more touch than he usually had, and he was shocked and, well, touched by that small showcase of trust. He sat down beside Sponjulia, and took a deep breath.

SpongeBob slipped into the row behind him. He smiled at Wily then settled back and squeezed himself tight with anxiety. This was the biggest moment in his life so far. Saving Bikini Bottom from that underwater volcano had been stressful, but taking on Wilbur Cylandril somehow felt more dangerous.

Sponjulia hummed to herself as she gathered the papers, and Wily draped himself over the chair as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"All rise for the honorable Judge Hardshell," the bailiff said.

They all rose to their feet, and the judge walked in. His eyes went straight for the empty spot where Wilbur should've been. His three lawyers sat there, smirking to each other and murmuring about something. They didn't seem concerned their client was late.

"What's going on, gentlemen?" Judge Hardshell asked.

"Our client has to compose himself," one of the sponges said.

"The thought of his son's betrayal was too much," another added.

Sponjulia sighed and tapped her papers. "I told you, your honor. Didn't I say he'd be late on purpose?"

The sponges all turned to Sponjulia, who they had never met before. They looked amused that this little old lady was trying to fight them. Sponjulia only smiled sweetly at them while the judge scowled and proceeded to set them straight.

"I'd hoped you were wrong, Julie," he said. "This kind of disrespect will not be tolerated." He turned to the lawyers. "You have ten minutes to get your client in here before I rule for the prosecution."

The look of sheer panic that flashed across all of the sponges' faces was the sweetest reward as two of them ran out of the courtroom and the third flipped open a shellular phone and dialed a number.

Nine minutes later, the two lawyers came in with Wilbur. He was taller than his son with sharp eyes behind a pair of stylish, expensive spectacles. His entire demeanor was solemn and he seemed pained as he slid behind the defense table.

"So sorry, your honor," he said meekly, wringing his hands together. "I had to compose myself."

"You're late," the judge said flatly. "Don't let it happen again."

Surprise flickered across Wilbur's face and he settled back, his face becoming passive as he reassessed the situation. Wily was tense now, his eyes flicking over to his father, who didn't look towards him at all. Wily had to take deep breaths as he tried to focus on the judge. The trial began, and Sponjulia stood.

"I'll keep this brief, your honor," she said, adjusting her glasses. "My client alleges that his father has been regularly abusing him verbally, emotionally, and physically since he was a young child. All he wants is to be freed from his father's influence."

"Why try it here?" Judge Hardshell asked, peering over his glasses. "If all parties are sponges?"

All the sponge lawyers brightened and suddenly looked much happier. Sponjulia shook her head.

"I worked in the court system in SpongeTown for the longest time. Something like this will garner a bribe that Wilbur Cylandril could easily pay off. There would be no justice for Wily. The judges there are not as particular as you, your honor."

The judge looked toward the defense, and the lawyers tried to hide their hope and glee, but they were unsuccessful. He scowled and leaned back.

"I see. Proceed, Mrs. Spherillia."

Sponjulia explained that Wily wanted to be freed from constant abuse, including malnutrition and overexertion without proper rest. She laid out every point succinctly and calmly then yielded to the SpongeTown lawyers.

Something the three sponges realized very quickly was that Harry Hardshell did not play games or care for flattery. That took out half of their options, so they went and portrayed Wily as a greedy son who wanted money. The judge gazed at them, perplexed, then checked the case notes in front of him.

"Mrs. Spherillia, how much does your client hope to win, monetarily speaking."

"Not a cent, your honor," Sponjulia replied.

"Your fees?"

"I'm representing him without charge."

The judge turned to look at the sponges. "So what money is he hoping to get, exactly?"

The sponges were no longer smiling. They murmured to each other then looked to Wilbur, but he remained impassive. They talked to each other for another minute, then one of them stacked his papers, tugged at his collar, then began to extol about Wily's 'problematic nature'. The judge listened intently to a recitation of every poor choice Wily had ever made, including some his so-called friends had promised not to tell. Wily sat there, looking more and more miserable as everything he'd ever done wrong was thrown in his face. When they were finally done, Sponjulia stood up.

"I call SpongeBob SquarePants to the stand," she said.

SpongeBob stood up when the judge nodded and walked through the swinging gate to sit beside the judge. He swore to tell the truth and gazed out at the courtroom. Wily looked sick. Wilbur looked like he wanted to vaporize SpongeBob. He turned his eyes to his grandmother as she spoke.

"Do you know what these are?" she asked, handing over a sheet of paper.

"These are transcripts of the phone call recordings I made."

"And who are you talking to in the recordings?"

"Wily Cylandril," SpongeBob said.

"Is anybody else featured in the recordings?"

"Wily's father, Wilbur Cylandril, but that's always after we were done talking."

"How did you obtain the recordings?"

"I made them whenever Wily didn't hang up the phone right."

"Why?"

"In case he wanted to get away from Wilbur."

Sponjulia turned to the judge. "I will now play the recordings for the court."

"Objection!" one of the lawyers shouted. "Neither Wily nor Wilbur Cylandril consented."

"Overruled. Bikini Bottom is in a one-party consent jurisdiction, Mr. Squinton," the judge replied.

This time, Wilbur did respond. He sat up straight and glared at SpongeBob with such hatred that it scared the young sponge. But he held on to what his grandmother had said as the judge ruled for her to play them. It was awful for SpongeBob to sit there, staring at the faces in the rows behind the tables. He had a perfect view of Wily's face, and Wilbur's.

Wily sat beside Sponjulia and was frozen as he experienced a different side of what he called 'arguments' with his father, but SpongeBob and Sponjulia had insisted was flat-out abuse. He'd always been there, inside of it. But hearing it from the outside made him realize that SpongeBob and Sponjulia had been right. What his father had been doing to him for all these years… was wrong.

When she had played the last of the recordings, Sponjulia gazed at the judge. "I rest."

"You may cross-examine the witness," the judge said to the sponge lawyers.

Their tactic appeared to be to discredit SpongeBob's testimony, so they targeted something that there was no doubt in.

"Mr. SquarePants, have you heard of the medical procedure for purging?"

"Yes, sir," SpongeBob said.

"What is it, for the court?"

"A medical procedure that forces clean saltwater through a sponge to rid the sponge of hazardous materials," SpongeBob recited.

"And how many times have you been purged?"

"Six," SpongeBob said.

"That's an unusually high number," the lawyer said.

"Yes, it is."

"Why did you have so many purges?"

"Because Wily poisoned me six different times and sent me to the hospital," SpongeBob said calmly. The room rippled in surprise, and several people began writing.

"So why are you helping him?"

"Because I have cause to believe that Wilbur Cylandril forced him to poison me all those times by threatening to wring Wily out so bad that he'd die."

The judge perked up. "Do you have proof, young man?"

SpongeBob shook his head. "Only what Wily told me."

"I see."

The judge scribbled on the papers in front of him, his face unreadable.

"Why should you believe Wily? Hasn't he lied and poisoned you six times?" the lawyer asked.

"Since he's being forced to poison me or die, I would say that takes away his agency in the matter," SpongeBob replied. "I believe Wily Cylandril is a good sponge, despite what you and Mr. Cylandril's other lawyers say."

A murmur of surprise ran through the courtroom, and SpongeBob watched heads come together. The judge banged the gavel and set it aside.

Wilbur suddenly stood up and pointed at SpongeBob. "Don't believe a word he says, your honor. He's a synthetic, and they don't speak correctly."

"Synthetic?" the judge asked blankly.

"A synthetic is a sponge who was conceived through artificial insemination because their parents are unable to conceive naturally," SpongeBob said. "It's a big excuse they used to paint me as crazy after I attacked Wily. They were gonna put me in an asylum."

"And we should have!" Wilbur snapped. "You're unnatural and shouldn't exist!"

"Silence in my courtroom!" Judge Hardshell shouted as the room erupted with noise. He banged his gavel then pointed it at Wilbur. "Not another word out of you. I will not have any disrespect! Am I clear?"

Wilbur sat down and nodded, his eyes gleaming with hatred. He looked around and saw Sponjulia's expression of amusement and glee. She cocked an eyebrow at him then made a dismissive gesture that sent Wilbur up the wall. It was that gesture, along with several insults, that he had used to dismiss her from her position in the court system in SpongeTown. She had vowed he hadn't seen the last of her and that he would regret it, and now, as SpongeBob was told to step down, he finally realized he was in her territory and she had never forgotten what he had done to her. The court proceedings suddenly took on a new feeling for him. Maybe this time, he couldn't get out of this.

For the first time in his life, Wilbur wasn't sure he'd get what he wanted. And it scared him.

Chapter Text

Despite the heaps of money that Wilbur spent trying to keep the case under wraps, Wily didn't make that possible. Each day when they came out of the courtroom, Wily would answer a few questions from a different news station. When the group all got to SpongeBob's house, they would flip through the SpongeTown news channels that Mr. Krabs had paid for "to see the entertainment." Everybody was going absolutely bonkers, and it was very entertaining indeed to see all the reactions to Wilbur's mask being yanked away.

SpongeBob and his friends all knew that Wilbur wouldn't be able to fully recover from this. There were already other lawsuits piling on top of each other by the day in SpongeTown as he fought a losing battle in Bikini Bottom. And it was definitely a losing battle.

Judge Harry Hardshell was a no-nonsense crab, and Wilbur's being late on the first day of court was not a good look. This was doubled by Sponjulia's knowing that he would and reporting it to the judge, which had included her guessing Wilbur would play on the judge's emotions to try and gain a sympathetic ally. By the end of day one, Judge Hardshell was suspicious of Wilbur and his lawyers, and it only got worse from there.

Finally it was down to the wire. Sandy took the stand before Wily to describe the terrible detriments to the sponges who were punished by way of 'wringing out'. Then she pulled research from exotic sponge colonies to prove that the effects were magnified for Negombata Magnifica, as wringing out came with more health complications due to the toxins and what Wily's body had to do to make more. Still, Wilbur had sat there without saying a word, his expression blank but his eyes glowing with anger. He only moved when Sponjulia called his son to the stand, and his expression took on a predatory glint.

Wily took the stand to testify about the abusive use of wringing out, a punishment which Sponjulia described in great detail to the non-sponge creatures, both the physical and psychological trauma that lingered well into adulthood. Finally, she turned and began to question Wily about the abuse. Wily sat there and replied to each question with a straight answer, trying to ignore his father as he glared daggers at him. His answers ranged from chilling to saddening as he described years of abuse from Wilbur that culminated in a desperate attempt to escape in secret.

When the testimony was over, the judge looked over at Wilbur to see his reaction. Wily was crying and breathing shallowly as he tried not to poison the entire courtroom. Wilbur couldn't hide his look of malicious delight and haughty disdain at the fear Wily showed. That sealed his fate. The judge tore into Wilbur before sentencing him to prison. Wilbur stood up, unsurprised, and held out his hands.

"Okay then, boys. Who's gonna cuff me?" he asked.

Nobody moved. Wilbur laughed then turned and bolted. Sandy jumped up from the crowd and karate-chopped Wilbur down then held him fast.

"I'll cuff ya!" Sandy boomed. "Now hold still, confounded varmint!"

SpongeBob couldn't help it. He laughed, the warbling noise following Wilbur as Sandy personally escorted him to the door, easily holding the sponge as he writhed and swore.

"I'll get you, boy! Don't think I won't!" he snapped, his eyes blazing.

The judge stood up to demand Wilbur not speak to his son, but he froze when he saw that Wilbur was glaring at SpongeBob, not Wily. SpongeBob popped to his feet and shook his fist. "Leave us alone, Mr. Cylandril! Or else Grandma might have a few interviews to do!"

That sentence silenced Wilbur, and he turned his eyes to Sponjulia, who smiled sweetly then made that same, dismissive gesture. Sandy forced Wilbur out the door. The judge huffed then turned to the witness stand, where Wily sat and gazed after his father, his breathing shallow.

"It's alright, sonny," he said.

"He'll get out," Wily mumbled.

"He will," Sponjulia said, tapping her papers together. "But it will take awhile, so we have time to get what belongings you want from SpongeTown. At the judge's discretion of course." She smiled at the judge, who nodded.

SpongeBob smiled at his grandmother then turned to Wily and made a V-shape with his fingers. Wily relaxed as he took a deep breath then copied the movement. And that was it. The case was over.

That day, Wily didn't do an interview, and they headed straight back to SpongeBob's house. He didn't even eat anything, instead going to his new room and falling into bed. SpongeBob left him be, leaving a plate of dinner in the oven in case Wily got up and was hungry.

When SpongeBob got up the next morning, he began to get the house ready for the party he'd been planning to celebrate their victory against Wilbur. He peeked in Wily's room and saw the empty plate on the bedside table, so he crept in and picked it up. Wily mumbled, and turned over. SpongeBob smiled and tiptoed out, shutting the door quietly behind him. Then he continued to prepare for the party by placing a big order for pizzas.

When Patrick got there, the starfish helped SpongeBob tidy the room. They put on an episode of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy on low volume and watched an exciting fight with the Dirty Bubble. By the time the episode was over, Wily came stumbling out of his room and peered around blearily.

"Is it somebody's birthday?" Wily asked blankly.

"Nope! We won in court! This is for you," SpongeBob said cheerily. He blew up another balloon and tied it off neatly.

Wily's eyes filled with tears, and he swiped at them. "Thanks, Bobby, but you didn't have to."

"Have to? Nah. I wanted to!" SpongeBob insisted. "And you will be the sponge of honor. The others should be here in an hour or so."

Wily smiled at SpongeBob then helped him blow up balloons. They nibbled on this and that as they waited for the guests to arrive and the party to begin. Finally, they heard Mr. Krabs's boatmobile pull up to the house. SpongeBob leaped up and ran outside, calling for Wily to wait in his room.

So Wily headed to his room and settled down in a nice, comfy chair Sponjulia had given to him, along with the complete video collection of The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy for his very own. He picked up one of the boxes and read the back again for the hundredth time. It soothed him just to see the familiar words that had been with him since he had been a little kid. At last, he was free to enjoy his hobby to his heart's content, and it was still so glorious.

At last there was a tap at the door. Wily got up and opened it to see SpongeBob beaming at him, his eyes shining with glee. "All ready?" Wily asked.

"Oh yeah," SpongeBob said. "Come on."

Without a smidge of hesitation, SpongeBob grasped Wily's hand and led him to the living room. There were so many other decorations and treats to see, and the pizza had also arrived and laid out on a table. A banner with Wily's name on it hung over a sign that said 'Welcome to Bikini Bottom'. Wily could tell that SpongeBob had decorated it with his paints, and despite the crude drawings, it was the sweetest thing he had ever seen. He took it in then turned to the crowd of friends he had never thought to have.

Mr. Krabs was munching on pizza already, never one to pass up something free. Squidward was watching Wily intently, stoic but always watchful. Wily knew he tended to react on the inside most of the time, but he also knew that Squidward wasn't unhappy. Sandy was definitely happy, grinning as she sat on the couch beside a serene Sponjulia, the ally he had needed at the darkest time in his life. And Sandy was clearing things up in the biology center so he could hopefully get his former position back. They were both wonderful.

Patrick sat in SpongeBob's usual chair, a big plate of food already in his lap. He waved at Wily laconically, and Wily smiled at him. Then he turned to SpongeBob.

"This is the best, Bobby."

"I knew you'd like it!" SpongeBob said with a grin. "Now let's party!"

Wily got a heaping plate full of delicious food. He was still recovering from his violent expulsion at the hands of the Blingers, so he was eating a lot. The best part for him was that he was allowed to eat what he needed now, so he spent several minutes eating as the others talked to each other. Sandy came over with her own plate and perched on the edge of Wily's new living room chair that SpongeBob had found for him. He liked having his own chair.

"Howdy," she said.

"Hey," Wily said warily; he still had reservations about what had happened between himself and the squirrel at the Krusty Krab the year before.

"Wanted to congratulate you," Sandy said.

Wily gazed at the plate then up at her helmet. "How do you even eat that?" he asked.

Sandy grinned and opened a compartment in her suit then shut it. There was a rush of currents that Wily could feel then she tugged her arms into the suit and picked up a slice of pizza.

"Ta-da! Ain't it a hoot?" she asked, grinning, then she took a big bite of pizza.

"Very nice," Wily said. "You invent the suit?"

"Yep," Sandy said between bites. "I modified the one they gave me, and now they all make 'em like this. I get a nice kickback with each sale," she said.

"Is that your job?" Wily asked. "Because I'm not exactly sure what you do for a living."

"Inventing. Experiments. Stuff I can sell," Sandy said. "Anything scientific is fair game."

"You must like it."

"Sure do," Sandy said. "Why don't you come over to the Treedome soon? You and I can shoot the breeze about things."

"What's a breeze?" Wily asked.

Sandy laughed good-naturedly. "It's like currents, but on land. And instead of being wet, it's dry."

"Mm. Fascinating," Wily murmured.

Sandy smiled then nudged him. "Hey. I'm sorry about the Krusty Krab thing. I guess that's weighin' on your mind."

Wily winced. "I didn't mean to break your helmet. I'm sorry."

"I get it. Didn't know attackin' you would make it worse." She gazed at him intently. "How would you like to be studied?"

"Depends on what that means," Wily said.

"I'd like to experiment with your toxin, see if it's got some other properties," Sandy explained. "It might help you understand yourself better, too."

Wily thought about it as he ate another slice of pizza then nodded as he crunched on the crust. "I think I would like that. As long as I can say no to anything I don't like."

"Done," Sandy said. "We'll let you rest some more then I'll get in touch about coming over."

Sandy popped her arms back into the sleeves of the suit then opened her compartment and pulled out a now-empty plate. "I'm gonna get some dessert. Want some?"

"Not right now. I'm still eating," Wily said.

"Want me to get you some more?" Sandy asked, noticing his own empty plate.

"Oh, that would be very nice. Thanks," Wily said.

Sandy filled his plate and brought it back to him before she returned to select a dessert. Wily ate some more, looking around until he caught Squidward's eye. He was talking to Mr. Krabs, and when he noticed Wily was watching him, he nudged the old crab and pointed. Mr. Krabs turned to look at Wily then nodded at Squidward and they both headed over.

"How ya feelin' today, boy-o?" Mr. Krabs asked.

"Better than I have in a long time," Wily admitted. "I don't have to see my dad again, and I hope it's forever. But I doubt it will be."

"If that barnacle-head comes around again, you let us know," Squidward said, his nasally voice firm.

Wily hesitated. "You're sure?" he asked. "I don't want to be trouble."

"Then you should move out soon," Squidward said. "I can't stand annoying neighbors."

Wily bit his bottom lip, amused. "Well, I'm not taking Bobby with me. When I get the chance, I want my own place."

"Well, I tried," Squidward muttered. Then he met Wily's eyes. "I mean it, though. If you're in trouble, let me know."

"Us, lad," Mr. Krabs said firmly. "Let us know. We won't stand for it."

Wily blushed and nodded, taking another bite of food. Mr. Krabs watched him then spoke again. "I hope you know, you're allowed back in me restaurant now."

Wily's head jerked up. "Really? But what about…"

"Doesn't matter anymore," Squidward said.

"He's right. We know now what made you do it," Mr. Krabs said. "Just try not to repeat it."

"I didn't want to the first time," Wily said meekly.

"We know," Squidward said.

Wily smiled at them, and Mr. Krabs and Squidward both glanced behind Wily then walked away. Wily looked around and saw Sponjulia behind him. She smiled at him and brushed her hand over his cheek. He flinched back, but she didn't make any sign of discomfort, so he relaxed.

"You're much less tense now, dear," she said.

"Yeah?" Wily asked. "What does that mean?"

"It means that you shouldn't leak so much. Tension causes the leakage to become worse."

"Huh," Wily said. He glanced away. "I didn't know that. Makes sense though. I haven't been leaking here at home, but when we got away from court every day, I had to rinse off before I touched anybody."

Sponjulia smiled at him and kissed his cheek. It was the first kiss he'd received from outside his family, and he blushed. "Thanks," he mumbled. Then he met her eyes. "For everything."

Sponjulia smiled at him then made her way towards some of the cookies she'd brought for the party. Wily enjoyed the rest of the party, which began to wind down around late-afternoon. By the time the sun was setting, casting the water in a beautiful pinkish orange glow, most everybody began making their goodbyes.

Mr. Krabs offered Sandy a ride, but she refused and said she'd walk home. Squidward said goodnight and headed next door, and Sponjulia tapped her way to her boatmobile. Mr. Krabs wisely waited until she'd whipped out of her spot against the garbage cans and headed home before he started his own boatmobile. Sandy waved and headed across the sands toward the Treedome. And then it was just Wily, SpongeBob, and Patrick.

They cleaned everything up and gathered up the remaining food for their dinner then sat down on the floor and put on an episode of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. After eating, they finished the episode in silence. But when the credits were rolling, SpongeBob paused the show. Wily turned to look at him, tilting his head.

"No more?"

"I want to show you something," SpongeBob said.

He stood up and went upstairs to his bedroom. Wily waited uneasily as Patrick munched on a cookie. When SpongeBob came down, he held a yellow scrapbook. Patrick gasped in some crumbs and nearly choked as he coughed violently. When he could breathe, he stared at SpongeBob.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked.

"I think so," SpongeBob said. He held it out to Wily. "I want you to read this. All of it."

"Now?" Wily asked.

"Yes, please."

Wily got up and sat down in his chair as SpongeBob clicked on the lamp on the table beside it. After taking several deep breaths, SpongeBob handed the book over and fled to the kitchen. Wily was puzzled by that, and he looked at Patrick, who stared at him intently.

"Well? You gonna read it?" he asked.

Taking a deep breath himself, Wily flipped open the book and was startled to see a picture with some writing. Intrigued, he began to read through the comments, flipping the pages every so often. To his delight, he found pictures of himself and SpongeBob when they were in elementary school. He was unsurprised by the comments about SpongeBob not smiling. He'd taught him how to do it, and he grinned at the picture of the two of them.

But as he turned the pages, he began to see things fall apart from SpongeBob's side. He saw the moments in their past when he had poisoned him, hurt him, demeaned him, everything about himself that Wily had gotten from his father. He felt sick as he continued to read every word, stare at every picture, feel every bit of pain that leaked through SpongeBob's written words and his frightened eyes. At last he reached the end to find a wall of written words. He read it all, but it was the ending that got to him. He read the words slowly, his heart aching and his stomach hollow.

'I don't want to use this for my new life here in Bikini Bottom. But I wanted to leave this one with a good feeling. So here it is: after so many bad days with Wily, how can anything be that bad again? From now on, as far as I'm concerned, any day I don't have to see Wily is the Best Day Ever. Thanks for being there, scrapbook. You were the only one that was. But that's only because Grandma didn't know. Goodbye now. I'm off to have the Best Day Ever!'

Wily stared at the page, unable to believe what he was reading. Then he looked up to see SpongeBob staring at him, twisting his tie in his hands. Wily didn't know what to say, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he finally whispered. "I know it's not enough, and it never will be, but I'm really, really sorry."

SpongeBob smiled and nodded. "I know. And I wanted to show it to you just to tell you I was wrong."

"Wrong?" Wily asked. "No, I did all that stuff to you. I was such a jerk, and I didn't want to be. But I didn't want to die more."

"I get that, Wily. Really I do," SpongeBob assured him. "But I was wrong."

"About what?"

SpongeBob shrugged, his eyes soft. "Yesterday was a Best Day Ever. And today was, too. And you were a part of it."

Wily couldn't believe those words. They filled his heart with such warmth that it overflowed his eyes. Suddenly he wasn't crying sad tears, but happy ones. He gazed at SpongeBob and Patrick as they stared at him, as his friends. He never thought he'd have real friends. But he did.

"You're right, Bobby," Wily said, smiling warmly. "Today is the Best Day Ever. And I'm glad to be a part of it."

SpongeBob flew forward and embraced Wily, squeezing him so tightly that for a moment Wily was sure he'd jump back soaked in toxin, but no toxin came out. So Wily threw his arms around SpongeBob and squeezed him back. Just when he thought things couldn't get any better, Patrick wrapped his arms around both of them and lifted them into the air.

Wily giggled, thinking about everything that had happened in Bikini Bottom this year. He'd reignited his friendship with SpongeBob, and now he was friends with Patrick and Sponjulia and Sandy and Squidward and Mr. Krabs. He'd also faced down his father in court, gotten him arrested, however short his stay was, and freed himself from living under constant threat. Sandy was trying to get him his position back, he was free to eat at the Krusty Krab, and he got to stay with SpongeBob until he could get a place of his own.

It really was the Best Day Ever. And for Wily, it was finally possible that the next day could be one, too.

Chapter Text

"Order up!" SpongeBob shouted, slapping the bell with his spatula.

Squidward turned around and grabbed the tray with one hand as he slotted another order slip into the clip. SpongeBob glanced at the ticket and smiled when he saw the order. He began to construct a delicious meal for himself and his friend. It was lunchtime, and Wily was here with his new buddies from the science labs. He recognized his friend's order: a Krabby Patty with extra ketchup, regular mayonnaise, light mustard, and extra crispy kelp fries with no vinegar.

After making the big order, SpongeBob clocked out for lunch and carried his own tray out as Squidward handed out the trays to Wily and his friends. Wily grinned when he saw SpongeBob.

"Heya, Bobby!" he called. "Taking lunch?"

"I wanted to meet your new friends," SpongeBob explained, and he skipped over to a large table and sat down. Wily walked over, leading several other sea creatures to join SpongeBob. They all sat down, and SpongeBob took a big bite of his Krabby Patty.

Wily plopped down and gestured at a sea urchin. "This is Spikes," he said.

"Hi," the white urchin said, waving shyly.

"He's venomous, just like me!" Wily said excitedly. "Sandy's thrilled, of course." He laughed then gestured around the table. "We all are, except you, Bobby."

"Ooh, I'm swimming with danger again, I guess," SpongeBob said, shrugging.

"Were you the one who stopped the volcano from erupting?"

"Yep!" SpongeBob said. "With the help of Sandy Cheeks and Patrick Star. They're my best friends, just like Wily is."

"You're really friends with him?" Spikes asked.

"Of course!" SpongeBob exclaimed, and he set down his food and gave Wily a big hug. Wily gasped with shock, still getting used to being freely touched. For the longest time, he hadn't known a friendly touch, and it was still so new and wonderful. As soon as he recovered, he embraced SpongeBob back and squeezed. SpongeBob laughed and sat back then resumed eating without a smidge of fear. The urchin watched with astonishment, and the orange octopus with dark blue rings decorating its body leaned forward, his eyes wide.

"Aren't you scared?"

"Not a bit," SpongeBob said. "I'm used to his toxin, and I can take more than the average sponge. I'm not worried."

Wily blushed and shrugged as the octopus and the lionfish across the table glanced at him. He pointed at the octopus. "This is Ringolin, we call him Rings. And the lionfish goes by Stalker."

"Hi to all of you, and I hope I can get to know you better soon," SpongeBob said. "Are you all here for Sandy's experiments?"

"I would like to contribute something useful to society," Spikes said quietly. He tried his Krabby Patty and smiled. "Mm, this is good."

"Oh, you're already you, so that's something you've contributed without even trying," SpongeBob said. "And now Sandy will help you find uses for your toxin, beyond what everybody thinks you use it for."

"We don't use it," Stalker growled.

"Or try not to," Rings said sadly. "Sometimes, when I get scared…" He swallowed and pushed his food away.

"It's okay. I get it," SpongeBob said. "And let me be the first to welcome you to Bikini Bottom. It's an exciting place to live."

"You could say world-renowned," Wily teased, grinning at SpongeBob.

SpongeBob popped a kelp fry into his mouth and winked. Wily smiled and looked to his new friends. They hadn't believed that somebody non-toxic could like sea creatures like them. Wily understood. He'd thought the same thing for so many years. But not anymore.

"Hey, did you see the rerun of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy?" Wily asked, leaning close.

"Loved it! So cool to see the League again," SpongeBob said. "They don't rerun the later seasons too often, so it's nice to see the team back together."

"Mermaid Man?" Spikes asked, his face squinching in thought.

Wily and SpongeBob gaped at him. "You've never heard of Mermaid Man, the greatest superhero ever, and his friend and sidekick, Barnacle Boy?" SpongeBob demanded.

"Um, no," Rings, Spikes, and Stalker said blankly.

Wily and SpongeBob met each others' eyes, and in that moment, so much was conveyed. That was how SpongeBob had met Wily, by Wily telling him about the superheroes. SpongeBob had taken a special interest in the crime fighting duo, and it had formed the basis of their friendship. Even now, all these years later, both of them loved the superheroes. And now it was time to share them with others who needed somebody to look up to, something to hold on to while they figured out who they were and fought against how others looked at them for being different.

So with great glee and anticipation, the two best friends turned and began to gush about the comics and the television series, and meeting the heroes at the retirement home down the way, and the three sea creatures listened with rapt attention to the stories of underdogs turned heroes and saw themselves, not just in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, but in SpongeBob and Wily and how things had turned out for them.

In other words, there was hope for a better future. And to the lonely, frightened sea creatures, that was the best thing of all.