Disclaimer: I own The Big Bang Theory. Well, on DVD at least. No copyright infringement intended!
Author's Note: So I'm almost entirely new to this site and fan fiction as a whole. This is my first story, it's un-betaed (mostly because I don't know how to find one, help?), and is my first foray into Shenny. As the username suggests, I'm also a Bones fan so I'm not 100% up on the current season, but I tried my best. Hopefully you enjoy it!
Sheldon Cooper was, in a word, frustrated. He was pacing, his gangly form nearly careening through the apartment, almost frantic. If he actually was the alien robot that his friends occasionally mused he was, he would likely be whirring in panic. It was Saturday, 6:05pm, laundry day. In two hours and ten minutes, it would be time to do his laundry, and he was out of detergent.
His routine was very important to him, and today was laundry day. Normally he would have Leonard drive him to store, but Leonard had left early that morning. He had even waited for a commercial break during Doctor Who, stood in front of the TV, and told Sheldon that he was not to call him unless there was emergency; adding that he meant a serious emergency only - fire or blood. Sheldon briefly considered lighting something on fire to force Leonard to return, but thought better of it.
He turned to the only logical conclusion; he would have Penny take him to the store. As he strode into the hallway, he remembered the way Penny had teased him when he locked himself out of 4A and hoped she wouldn't repeat the action. He could nearly hear her mocking tone about "forgetting" to buy detergent. He hadn't forgotten; he had an eidetic memory. He had merely been distracted, mostly due to Leonard's incessant whining.
He paused slightly when he heard noises indicative of conversation coming from 4B. He stilled, listening. He hadn't intended to eavesdrop – he simply had superior hearing – yet he couldn't seem to tear himself away from her door. He soon surmised that he was only hearing Penny's voice, and when paired with the pauses he was also noticing could only deduce that she was on the phone. Noting the time, she was likely making her weekly phone call home.
He remembered very clearly that she stopped by the apartment after a shift exactly seven weeks ago, engaging Leonard in some form of banal chit-chat. After a few minutes, she turned to leave stating, "Welp," popping the "p" in an irritating way, "I gotta go, need to make my weekly call to my folks. If they don't hear from me at least once a week they start to worry. See you guys later."
Sheldon was preparing to turn away and head back into his apartment when he heard something that caught his ear.
"No, Mom, my time in California has not made me lesbian, despite the fact that I currently don't have a boyfriend doesn't mean I've given up on men completely!" Sheldon listened to the pause then Penny resumed, "Well…yeah…there is a guy I kinda have my eye on, but he's next door and it would be so awkward, especially after last time."
Penny was planning on getting back together with Leonard. Sheldon felt a very curious sensation in his stomach. This was a feeling he was only accustomed to feeling in a professional setting, and even then not very often. In fact, the last time he has felt like this had been during Dennis Kim's visit to CalTech. He was jealous. "Why would I be jealous if Penny decides to resume her ill advised and doomed romantic relationship with Leonard?" Sheldon mused to himself. He came to the logical conclusion that Penny's presence in Leonard's life as a romantic partner disrupted his schedule in such a significant way that he was merely feeling jealous of sharing Leonard's time. Not that Leonard meant that much to him, but he was obviously jealous of Penny's ability to cause Leonard to abandon the schedule. Logically. What came next put logic on its head.
"No. Not him. God no! No, no, no, not again." Sheldon's stomach flipped. Occam's Razor suggested that Penny had just admitted (in a round-a-bout way) that she was interested in Sheldon. He was next door. "Again" disqualified Leonard as he was the one she had been previously involved with. Considering she even included Wolowitz and Koothrappali in the category of "next door" she had made it very clear that she found Howard's lascivious advances disgusting, and Raj could only speak to her when inebriated.
"Yeah, the tall one." Sheldon's stomach gave another odd lurch. This was a feeling he was almost entirely too familiar with. Satisfaction. This was even more troubling to Sheldon. Penny was expressing romantic interest in him and he felt himself feeling satisfied at the thought. He had no time or interest in those things! They distracted from work and spread germs. But he couldn't stop smiling as he headed back to 4A, laundry suddenly the furthest thing from his mind.