Kindred Spirits: Chapter 1

So, I'm starting up a new fanfic, as it would seem! Haven't actually been into BBT in a while, but I suddenly got inspiration to revamp another story I started a while back, but never got around to posting...

This will eventually be Sheldon/OC; probably going to throw some Leonard/Penny in their, just because it's canon, and eventually Howard/Bernadette will come into it a little, but it is mostly centered around my OC and her... uh... "romance" with the infamously asexual Sheldon Cooper. This story is based more in the earlier seasons, before Amy comes in; as much as I love Amy, she is not needed in this story... But, as I have not seen the show in a while, don't expect it to follow along completely chronologically-wise.

Anyway, I'm a college student with a part time job, so don't expect quick and regular updates on this story. I'll update when I have time and motivation to write, and there may be redonculously long periods in between chapters, or there may be a day in between chapters. It all depends on where life takes me, and I'm not a serious writer, so I'm not too worried about getting out stories on set intervals (in fact, I'll probably get more out, and better quality chapters, if I don't set a goal for them.)

Anyways, I own only my OC and her insanity, all other things belong to their rightful owners... C'est la vie!

Enjoy.

Edit: Thank you, jslee102, for pointing out a mistake! I wrote this chapter at 2AM, so you'll have to excuse my mistakes, I'll try not to do it again if I can avoid it. :)

Clara trotted up the stairs of her new apartment complex, boxes in her hands towering up to her head, and headphones in her ears as Mendelssohn blared through her MP3 player. She hummed along quietly with some of the slower violin parts as she trudged her way up. By the third flight of stairs, she was nearly out of fuel and wished, not for the first time that the elevator was not covered in its "out of order" tape. She managed to make it to the fourth floor with all her bearings in tact, and she internally cheered. Her accomplishment was short lived, as she found herself colliding with something in front of her, letting out a quiet squeak as she fell back toward the stairs, the boxes in her hands only serving to add to the gravitational pull backwards.

She suddenly felt something warm against her upper back, a hand securing itself against her shoulder while another latched onto her forearm. When she was steady on her feet again, she let out a shuddering breath as her legs gave out on her. She fell onto her knees, setting the boxes in front of her and pulling her headphones out of her ears.

"Crap, that was close," she breathed out, small tremors vibrating her petite figure.

"Are you okay!?" a man shouted at her, sounding more than a little aggravated. With a jump, Clara looked up, her round, brown eyes locking with blue, narrowed ones. "Are you deaf?" The man asked again, signing out the question as he says it before repeating 'are you alright?' in sign language as well.

Clara let out a breathless laugh, signing back as she spoke. "No, but I appreciate your knowledge of sign language." She let out a soft sigh as she pulled herself up, dusting off her legs. "And, I'm fine, thank you." She gave the man a small smile, looking over his features quickly. Short, brown hair, well kept. A Green Lantern t-shirt, with a long sleeve shirt underneath, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He was tall and thin, and he reminded Clara of a green bean. She smiled at the thought.

"You should really pay attention to where you're going," the man stated with a slight scowl. "You could hurt yourself - or someone else."

"Right, sorry, I'll be more careful." Clara quickly averted her gaze, staring down at her shoes in embarrassment. She started a bit as she realized the clothes scattered about the floor, about half of what appeared to have previously been in a laundry basket by the man's feet. "Oh, I-I'm so sorry!" Clara apologized again, quickly kneeling to grab the clothes and throw them back into the basket.

"Hey- no, don't touch that!" the man haughtily ordered, trying to quickly grab his dirty clothes before she got to-

"Eep!" Clara let a slight squeal as she grabbed a pair of boxers, her face on fire when realizing the unmentionables, and she quickly tossed it into the basket before standing. "S-sorry!"

The man's face went red, and he scowled slightly at her, though his anger was hard to identify past his embarrassment. "I told you not touch it," he seethed slightly, finishing picking everything up and putting it in its rightful spot. As he did, he stood, the laundry basket under his arm, and he hastily fled down the stairs.

"I-uh, th-thank you for your... help..." Clara called after the man, but he was already out of sight before she could finish. With a pitiful groan, she turned back to her boxes, picking them up and heading to room 4C to set her boxes inside. "I'm such an awkward idiot..." she moaned to herself quietly.

Clara was rushing down the stairs, nearly finished moving all of her boxes and suitcases into her new apartment. She had not seen the Green Bean (as she had affectionately nicknamed him) since their first encounter, and she was more than a little grateful for that small mercy. She heaved her over-stuffed suitcase up the stairs, paying attention to her surroundings this time, and she set the luggage down with a huff upon reaching the forth floor. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the door to her left, labelled 4A, opened.

"Oh, hey there," said a short man, about Clara's height, with curly brown hair and matching eyes behind thick-rimmed glasses. He sported a plain t-shirt with a jacket over it, and a goofy smile. "I haven't seen you around before. Are you new here?"

Clara, still catching her breath, nodded slightly at the question.

"I don't mean to pry or anything, sorry," Leonard said, an apologetic smile on his face. "I was just curious."

"No, no, it's fine." Clara breathed out, giving a small smile. "I'm Clara. I just moved in to 4C, so I guess I'm your new neighbor?"

"Yep. I'm Leonard." He smiled in return, looking a bit relieved that she didn't seem creeped out by his question or anything. "Do you need any help with that bag?" He asked, eying the large, red suitcase in her hands.

"Nope." Clara smiled wider at him, pulling up the handle on the top it to show it was a roll-able suitcase. "I think I can handle it from here." And, she did just that, pulling the suitcase along behind her to her door.

"Oh, well, if you have more to carry up, I'd be happy to help." He smiled as he watched her, shuffling awkwardly from one foot to the other as she turned and contemplated his offer.

"I suppose you could help... I do have a few more boxes to bring up, and it would take less trips if I had help..." She smiled at him, a small, uneasy smile, before turning and putting her suitcase in her apartment. "Sure, why not?" With that, she led the way down the stairs and to her minivan, moving the rest of her boxes into her apartment with the help of her new neighbor.

Leonard set his last box down by the door, letting out a huff as he straightened out. "Well, that's the last of it." He smiled a bit, seemingly grateful that the job was done.

"Yeah, it is," Clara confirmed, her voice a bit flat at the obvious statement. She stood up straight after setting her last box down, beaming at Leonard. "Thank you for your help, Leonard."

Leonard's ears turned red at the attention, and he shuffled a bit awkwardly. "It was no problem, Clara." There was a short silence between the two, full of pure, unadulterated awkward as the two stared at each other. Clara broke the eye contact first, quickly becoming uncomfortable with his presence. "Um, hey," Leonard started cheerily, sensing her discomfort. "Would you maybe like to join me for dinner tonight? Well, I mean, it's not just me. I have a roommate, Sheldon, and our other neighbor on this floor will probably be joining us. Penny; you'll like her, I'm sure. She's really nice. And - I'm rambling, sorry." He shuffled on his feet again, and if Clara had not deemed herself forever asexual, she may have found his antics somewhat cute.

She smiled slightly at him and shook her head. "I would love to, but I really just want to unpack and relax tonight," she replied, rejecting his offer as kindly as she could.

"Oh, right, that's understandable." Leonard shuffled again, scratching his head as he looked away.

"I'll take a rain-check on that, though, if you don't mind?"

"Yeah, of course." Leonard smiled a goofy, lopsided smile at her.

Another awkward silence ensued. Clara, once again, broke eye contact, stuffing her hands into her jean pockets.

"Right, well, I'll see you later then." Leonard waved shortly as he backed out of the apartment.

"Yep, see ya," Clara replied with a small smile, returning the wave.

With that, Leonard disappeared back into his apartment, and Clara shut the door on the world. She turned back to her living room, which had boxes scattered about. She rolled up the sleeves on her long-sleeved baseball-type shirt and let out a sigh. "Time to get cracka-lackin'," she muttered as she started on the first box, opening it and deciding where she wanted the contents of it to go.

There you have it, chapter 1. Hope you all enjoyed. Comments are welcome and appreciated, but please don't just comment telling me to update quickly. I don't respond well demands, it usually makes me procrastinate more, or do a crappy job. :"D

So, just keep an eye out for updates here and there. If it's been forever long since my previous update, I'll add a recap for the readers' convenience. Have a good day, everyone! :)