The Miami Man Diversion
Despite the roller-coaster road trip to Las Vegas he had gone through last night, Leonard couldn't stop humming "Fireball" from his car radio all the way to his front door. Some fireball he was. He must have been completely exhausted to be humming such an upbeat song when his marriage night had been busted by none other than himself.
Penny had agreed that they just needed to talk things over after some sleep. Yet Leonard's heart had still sank when she gave a little extra oomph to shutting his car door after he dropped her off at Amy's complex on the way home. This was going to take a lot of repair.
But right now his priority was sleep, and after driving all night until late morning, the idea of his bed seemed like heavenly bliss.
Only an unusual sight made him completely forgot those plans as he opened the door to his living room.
Sheldon was sitting in his desk chair, leaning forward against his desk with his head on his curled-up arms, sleeping. Leonard immediately rushed to his side and tapped on his shoulder to wake him up. In all the years he had known him, he had never seen him asleep at his desk. It went against the laws of Sheldon's routine. Something had to be very wrong.
"Sheldon? Hey, Sheldon, wake up," Leonard prodded gently. "It's a little after ten in the morning."
A low grumble and an "ugh" were his answer as his roommate blinked wearily up at him. His eyes looked extremely heavy and...red and puffy? He could see faded dried lines of tears tracking down his cheeks.
"Are you okay, buddy? You look like you've been crying. What happened?"
"Hmm? Oh...no," Sheldon dazedly replied. He cleared his throat then added, "I was just...working on some equations all night. I guess I fell asleep here without knowing it."
Leonard wasn't ready to buy his excuse. "Are you sure? Did something bad happen?"
Sheldon looked away from his gaze. "Yes, I'm sure. I just didn't get much sleep is all. I should probably go take a nap on my bed." He finally looked back at Leonard, a little more alertness in his eyes. "What are you doing here though? Did you and Penny get married?"
"No," Leonard answered, still miffed with himself over last night. "We have some things we need to work out still."
"Oh. I'm sorry." Leonard's eyebrows jumped up in surprise at his friend's sympathy. He seemed distracted, that was certain, even as he got up to make the trek to his bedroom.
Leonard shrugged and went to put his keys and wallet on his own desk before going to bed, but was stopped by Sheldon's voice at the foot of the hallway.
"Hey, Leonard? What exactly does it mean when someone says, 'I need some time to reevaluate our situation?'"
"Well, from my own experience it pretty much means that person is pretty much done with the 'situation.'" Leonard looked up quizzically to find Sheldon quietly putting his hand up on the wall to steady himself. "Why? Oh, no. Did something happen with you and Amy?"
"No, no," Sheldon answered hurriedly. "Thank you though."
Without another word or explanation, Leonard watched as Sheldon continued down the hallway, his head hanging low with the most dejected look he had ever seen.
Sheldon's heart felt beyond broken. With Amy being "pretty much done" with their relationship, he wasn't even sure how it was still beating from a biological standpoint.
Once in the solitude of his room, he flopped down on his bed and groaned into his pillows. His eyes opened to look at the empty space to his right, but he instantly regretted it. All he could see was Amy's face laying next to him, her sweet lips beckoning him closer. He had been one step closer to making this dream a reality last night, but now all hopes were crushed.
Part of him wanted to go after her, but the sensible side of him wanted to respect her desire to have some distance to think things over. Man. he hated that part of himself right now. If he had known these were her thoughts before, he would have done something about it sooner, whether that be proposing or...something else.
But right now, reality was weighing heavily on his body and mind, and after the long night in his desk chair, crying, soreness finally overtook him and caused his eyelids to shut in slumber.
The better part of the next two days saw Sheldon holed up in bed in his room, save for his zombie-like trips to the bathroom and the fridge that his body forced him to take. Leonard had to call in sick for him at the university, which most colleagues rejoiced over.
By now, Leonard and the rest of the group had found out what happened between Sheldon and Amy, thanks to Penny being Amy's shoulder to cry on and subsequently telling Bernadette who told Howard who told Raj and confirmed what Leonard already suspected.
And so on that second night Sheldon heard yet another knock on his door from his roommate.
"Hey, buddy," Leonard began as he opened the door. "Feeling any better?"
"No..."
"Well, I ordered pizza, and the guys are all here for pizza night. Come on, you should have a good dinner. It'll make you feel better," he stated, opening the door wider as an invitation.
"I don't want to," Sheldon mumbled in his pillow.
Leonard sighed loudly. "Listen, Sheldon. You have to eat something real or you're going to get sick! AND you just eating bread and jam does not count as real food! Now come on! Or else I'm going to call your mother and tell her what's going on."
"Fine!" Sheldon rolled onto his side and pushed himself up to walk out past his roommate to the living room, his face looking slightly annoyed at the interruption to his misery.
Raj and Howard were already eating, but they put down their pizza slices when they saw their friend come out of the hallway, offering sympathetic "hey's."
Sheldon simply sat down in his spot, looking around lost. He already wanted to go back to his room to be alone.
Leonard offered him a slice of pizza on a plate, which he took without objection. "So..." he began to break the awkward tension. "Raj, you said you and Howard were going to plan a surprise birthday party for Stuart soon?"
"Yeah!" Raj responded after a bite of pizza. "We're thinking of having it either Saturday night or Sunday afternoon, at my place. And the theme is going to be characters from the Marvel universe, because we haven't done much with those guys lately." He nodded his head and grinned, pleased with the opportunity to put his party-planning abilities to good use.
"Sounds like fun! What do you say, Sheldon? You in?" Leonard asked.
Sheldon went to open his mouth, but then his shoulders slumped in disinterest. "I...I don't think so." He nibbled half-heartedly at his pizza slice.
The other three men shared a concerned look between them, deciding not to press the invitation for now. Leonard spoke up again, "Well, maybe you'll change your mind later. But there's the train store midnight sale next week. I'm still taking you to that, right?"
"Yeah, maybe..."
Howard laughed to himself. "Hey, I know how we can get Sheldon's mind off things. We should take him to Vegas, baby! Like you guys did for me!"
Even Sheldon himself immediately jerked his head to glare at him, bristled.
"I doubt Sheldon would let us take him to Vegas," Raj said matter-of-factly. "But perhaps he would enjoy a train trip to Napa Valley?"
"Oookay!" Sheldon bursted out of his silence, putting his plate down. "Would you guys please stop trying to cheer me up? I don't need, nor want it. Amy wants her space, and I'm just going to have to accept that on my own, and I..."
His mind came to a halt as his words dunked him into his harsh reality all over again, causing his lips to quiver. He needed to be alone before he broke down. "I'm going back to bed," he continued quietly and left without another word.
A minute after the door clicked shut the trio of guys could hear the muffled sobs of their friend down the hallway.
About two months had passed since Amy had asked for some time from Sheldon, and while he still hadn't heard from her, his friends had managed to at least get him back on his usual routine. He even regained his passion for his interests, though with noticeably less fervor.
Against his better judgment, he just wouldn't let himself communicate with her in any form. He wasn't sure what to blame for this self-restraint, but he let himself believe that it was his respect for her wishes that overwhelmed all other factors. He had to, or else he risked doing something regrettable.
His routine-based lifestyle certainly was a help, however. It gave purpose to his life, and allowed him to focus acutely on his scientific research.
It was his routine that found Sheldon finishing his laundry on a Saturday night, as per usual. All his fresh clean clothes had been folded and put away, and once Leonard helped him fold his extra sheets, it was time to make his bed.
He fluffed his Star Trek-themed fitted sheet over his bare mattress and began to tuck in the corners, starting on the right-top one. As he rounded the end of the bed, he could subconsciously sense that he wasn't going to have enough slack to fit it over the last corner. He gave an extra tug to the right on the third corner, and finally moved on.
Sheldon had gauged it correctly-the last corner of the sheet wasn't going to fit all the way. Instead of giving slack to the other corners, however, he decided to pull tightly towards the wall and his nightstand. Once he felt like he had enough slack, he yanked it forcibly under his mattress, pulling until his arm gave way to momentum and it fell forward further into the dark underside of his bed.
His hand recoiled back to him instinctively. Something sharp had unexpectedly poked him. Figuring a spring was somehow busted, he lifted the mattress and almost dropped it in shock at what he found.
"Oh dear, no..." Sheldon whispered disbelievingly.
There, lying on his bed frame, was one of Amy's overnight kits she had hidden over two years ago, which he had only been told about relatively recently.
Sheldon's world began to slow down as he leaned forward with a shaky hand to tenderly pick it up. It had been a while since he felt like this or thought about Amy this hard, but now that there was a physical reminder of her right in front of him, he could feel his resolve breaking down.
He lowered himself onto his bed and folded his legs under himself, not taking his eyes off of the bundle as he held it on his lap. Before he knew what he was doing, he cracked open the seal of the plastic and tentatively reached his hand into it to explore its contents. Part of him knew it was wrong to look through her things, but he couldn't stop himself from wanting to feel close to her in that moment.
Another part of him felt a chill run down his spine. All this time, all these nights of missing her, he had been sleeping so close to her physical possessions and he had no idea. The thought of it all made him feel tingly in a surreal way.
The first items he pulled out were a toothbrush, floss, and a small bottle of mouthwash in their own little plastic bag. These were followed by a hairbrush and travel containers of shampoo and conditioner, among other toiletry items. At one point, Sheldon's hands became extremely sweaty as he pulled out a box of condoms, which were long past expired, but the implication of their inclusion in the pack made his mouth dry up and his brain lose focus. He almost considered replacing them with some from his nightstand drawer, but then he once again remembered that the kit would most likely never be used now.
Forcing himself to put the box to the side, he pulled out a few more items until he got to her pajamas. The fold lines seemed to be permanently pressed into the blue-and-pink clothing from countless nights of being smushed under his sleeping form. He brought them closer to his nose and sniffed. Perhaps he was imagining things, but he could have sworn they smelled like her lavender dandruff shampoo.
As Sheldon let her presence fill his senses, his fingers felt along the back of the sleepwear, noticing an odd crinkly sound. He turned the pajamas over in his lap and reached into the garments, pulling out a folded piece of yellow legal paper.
He was surprised to say the least and figured that somehow the paper had been misplaced, but he dared to hope for something more significant.
Willing it open, he began to read Amy's handwriting in pen:
Hello Sheldon!
If on the off-chance you are reading this letter, that means you have found my overnight kit before I had a chance to explain it to you in person. That's actually pretty much the explanation right there, but basically this is a preparedness bundle for in case of the event that I had to stay over at your place for...whatever reason. Please do not jump to any conclusions though. For all we know, I might have had to use this in the case of a weather-related emergency, like a flood perhaps. I know you have much more than this for yourself, so I wanted to be prepared just in case I was trapped here.
In more realistic terms, I don't expect you to find this. So there's a few things I want to say while I have the hidden freedom to do so.
First, if and when I get sick again, I'm going to make you take care of me again. No objections. Strange as it is to say, that was my best experience being sick ever.
Second, truth be told, the main expectation for this bundle has to do with the box you probably found within it. There, I said it. And I swear to god, Sheldon, if you still don't understand, then...you might as well go ask Penny or Leonard. Because if you ask me, I might scream.
Finally, for now, I just want to say...I love you. Despite everything else, I really do love you. Even if you never say it to me, I will always love you back. And even if it never comes up between us, at least it's documented here for future generations to find. I love you, Sheldon.
Love,
Amy Farrah Fowler
Sheldon's heart nearly stopped as he let the entirety of the note sink in. Had his little lump of wool really loved him for this long? And he had brushed it off only until he himself had felt the same?
Without warning, a big teardrop splattered onto the page, smudging out some letters. He read over her "I love you's" again and as he did, he let the tears stream smoothly down his cheeks, unable to contain his truest feelings anymore as he broke down.
Nothing about those feelings had changed in the past two months; if anything, they had only evolved into something he could barely explain in words, let alone his thoughts. He couldn't deny it anymore: he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Amy, and do whatever it took to make her happy. And not just for her, but because he wanted it too. He was ready.
Only...he had messed everything up. Sheldon growled in pure frustration with himself and jumped off his bed onto the floor. He may have been an idiot before, and Amy may still have been thinking things over, but he wasn't going to wait around anymore. Sheldon was going to prove himself to Amy. He was going to fight.
Within half an hour Leonard had driven Sheldon to the front of Amy's building, yet had no clue as to why, despite his persistent curious questions. All his friend had told him was, "If I don't come back or text you within thirty minutes, just go home without me." And the passenger door closed shut.
Sheldon walked up the two flights of steps to Amy's front door, note clenched in his left fist and a reassuring black box pressed against his chest, which, hopefully, he wouldn't have to use just quite yet. But he was prepared to if it came to that tonight.
Not knowing where exactly Amy was in her thought process, and unsure if she would even want to see him, Sheldon gave two sharp knocks to the door. Automatically, in the back of his mind, he could hear, Knock, Amy. Knock, knock, knock, Amy. Knock, knock, knock, Amy. He held his breath.
There was a few seconds of silence before he heard some rumbling and finally a click from within. The door opened to reveal Amy standing there looking flustered, her free hand clutching her robe tightly closed against her chest.
"Sheldon?! W-what are you doing here?" Amy questioned. Her eyes danced suspiciously over him.
"I...I found your note, in the-" Sheldon began, but was cut off as a blond-haired man walked out of Amy's bedroom.
He was dressed in formal clothes, but his jacket was missing and his dress shirt was halfway untucked and unbuttoned. His shoes also were nowhere to be seen. Starting to readjust his clothes, he asked, "Hey, babe. Who's at the door?"
Sheldon's eyes were darting wildly back and forth between the two, his jaw hanging open in pure disbelief. Amy look more worried than anything as the situation quickly seemed to elevate out of her reach.
"Oh god...Sheldon, I..." Amy looked back at the man behind her. "Spencer, I think you should go."
"Well, now wait, who's this guy?" Spencer asked as he gestured to the newcomer.
"He's...an old friend I haven't seen in a while. I need to catch up with him. Please, I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"
Spencer gave Amy a kiss of understanding on the cheek once he had gathered his jacket and shoes. As he shuffled his way out the door, Sheldon gave him the faintest of glares.
"Come in," Amy offered, avoiding his gaze.
Sheldon walked in and waited until the door was fully closed to turn around and let his feelings break through the tension in the air. "I thought you just needed time to reevaluate things!"
"I did," she defended meekly.
"Then who was that?"
"That was Spencer. Dr. Spencer Jones. He's a neuroscientist that's been visiting my department on a research assignment from the University of Miami."
It was Sheldon's turn to look away from her, despair beginning to fill his head. "And...why exactly was he here, in your apartment, after dark?"
"Do you want the truth?"
Sheldon winced, but braced himself and answered, "I'm a scientist. I always seek the truth, whether I want it or not."
Amy sighed and sat on her couch, gesturing for Sheldon to join her. "The truth is...we're kind of...dating."
Dread sank into his chest. "But...what about..." He couldn't finish his question, only wave his hand between the two of them.
"I was thinking about you every day. And to be honest, I still am." Sheldon felt a spark of hope enter his mind. "But when Spencer started to visit my lab more and more often about a month ago. And somehow, I began to fall for his charm. I don't know how, really. I guess I must have appeared vulnerable because part of me kept hoping that you..."
Sheldon looked up at her expectantly. "That I what?"
"That you...might have come after me soon after I asked for time. I know that seems contradictory, but part of me kept foolishly hoping that you would."
His jaw softened at the missed opportunity. "But I would have! I was just respecting your wish to take some steps back!"
"Then why didn't you? Huh?" Amy's tone had risen significantly, a hint of anger peeking through. "I waited so long that I began to give up hope. And I guess my mind subconsciously started to move on when Spencer came along, and the rest of me followed suit."
Sheldon's throat closed up at the implication. "What you two were doing tonight...has that...I mean, have you...done that, before tonight?"
Amy's features went into a shameful silence.
"Got it." He did his best to force back his tears as he nodded in resignation. Within his heart, however, he felt everything being hammered to pieces. His vixen had...had coitus with another man. All these years of waiting, and he had pushed her limits too far, all the way to someone who wouldn't make her wait. The shock of her actions felt like his worst nightmare, magnified far into the expanses of the universe. It didn't matter what his IQ was; he was an idiot for messing it up this much.
"I'm sorry, Sheldon," Amy sighed into the open air.
"No! No...this is all my fault. I could have fixed this. If I hadn't been so naive, I wouldn't have even let the chance for this situation to happen arise." He clenched his knees with his hands tightly. "I just...I've missed you so much...but I probably wouldn't have even come here, not now or even sooner, if it wasn't for this..."
Amy watched as Sheldon pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her, eyes growing wide. He had found another one of her overnight kits, and worse, he had read the letter she had daringly put in it. She looked back up at him when he cleared his throat.
"I read it, Amy. And I came here tonight with the intent of fighting for the love you had offered in it."
"Really?"
"Really. I was ready to stop playing any and all games when this all started, but it made me really realize just how much I love you, and how I would do anything for you."
It was Amy's turn to tear up. Her heart was overflowing with emotion, and she tentatively placed her right hand on his leg. She never thought she would be hearing those words from him. "Oh, Sheldon..." she breathed.
"But now..." Her heartbeat began to accelerate at the sudden drop in his tone. "Now that I know you've been dating that Spencer fellow, I'm not sure how to proceed. I know you wanted us to have some time apart, so I shouldn't be bothered by him, but part of me thought you were going to get back to me after a while."
"That's what I hoped you were going to do with me," Amy chimed in quietly.
"I know that now, but after learning what you two were doing together, I can't help but feel...betrayed," Sheldon finished, shrugging her hand off his leg. He looked spent from emotion.
"So are you saying we're completely through?" she asked doubtfully.
"No, I-I don't know. My trust feels shaken. Besides, aren't you still technically with him?" He motioned to where he had first seen Spencer, outside her bedroom.
"No. Oh god, no. I'll call him right now if you want me to and end things," Amy insisted.
"No, no. But the idea of you two...it hurts. A lot." There was a pause as Sheldon sniffled back the pain. The image of them together in his mind, doing something he had yet been willing to provide, stabbed him in the heart and twisted its sharp blade.
"Well, what do you want to do then?"
"I wish I could turn back time and erase this whole snafu, Spencer especially. But since I can't, I say we start to smooth out our relationship on our own," he proposed.
"Okay. I think that's a wise idea." She nodded encouragingly in agreement.
"And in particular, I want to work on my 'quirks.' I know I haven't been the best boyfriend, Amy, but I want to fix that for you. For the both of us. Starting with this."
Before she could question him, Sheldon leaned over and wrapped his hands around her waist, giving her the fiercest kiss he could muster as he both begged for and gave forgiveness through her sweet lips.
Sheldon bolted up on his bed. The world was spinning as he tried to focus on his current location. Finally, he was able to recognize the fact that he was still on his barely-made mattress, and that it was morning sunlight streaming through his window.
He pressed a weary hand to his forehead, letting his thoughts straighten themselves out. Amy's apartment. Spencer. That kiss...it must have shocked him awake from the nightmare he had been having. And what a kiss it had been. And what a nightmare it had been.
And the note...The note! He tumbled over himself until he found it under his leg. It was a bit crumpled now, but it was indeed real, and it still had the same message written within.
The idea of Amy with another man worried him, however. Was this a hidden fear of his? His heart started to race. He couldn't let this be true, and he needed to assure that right now.
Scrambling off his bed, Sheldon held tightly onto the note as he grabbed his jacket and ran out of his room, just like his dream had started. But unlike the nightmare that followed, he was going to prove his fears wrong and fix everything with Amy right now. Miami man or not, Sheldon was going to get his vixen back.
I FINISHED IT BEFORE THE FIRST SEASON 9 TAPING REPORT. YAY!I've had this idea since the season 8 finale, but only got around to it this weekend. The link to the original idea can be found on the Tumblr version of this fic.I hope you enjoy what this came out to be. It got twisted at the end. Feedback is highly desired, but not necessary. :PThank you for reading! :)